“This album is completely the result of collaboration,” states Hawaii born, but now Portland-based singer/songwriter, Sabrina. From funding the recording of the album through the online donation platform Kickstarter.com, to having her sister to the album photography, to the musicians who contributed to the album, it could not have been done without a community of friends and family. “I knew after The Anomaly (EP) came out that the next step would be to release a full length record. I just wasn’t sure when the timing would be right,” she continues. “By October 2009, I had a number of songs written and felt like I was finally ready to embark on this new project.”

This readiness was the impetus that led her to launch a 60-day Kickstarter.com project called The LP Project: Help Sabrina Make an Album. The goal: To raise $5K to offset the cost of recording the album with Portland-based producer John Askew (The Dodos, Richmond Fontaine, Peggy Sue). Kickstarter.com had just launched that Spring and Sabrina decided to use the platform with the hope that it would help her reach her financial goal. Thanks to the support of friends, fans, family and the media, she was able to meet her goal with 103% backer funding. Her dream had finally turned into a reality. 

“I could not have chosen a better producer for this album,” says Sabrina of Askew. “I liked his energy and his approach to making recorded music was that anything was possible and nothing was ever a bad idea. He is also in Portland where I had recorded my EP, so I felt comfortable with the city and knew that it offered a great music scene and creative vibe,” she states. Known for his work on The Dodo’s albums Beware of the Maniacs and Visiter, along with contributing on albums for bands like Menomena and Norfolk & Western, Askew provided Sabrina with not just production of the album, but also contributed his own musician skills on most of the tracks. “We would sit around for hours tinkering with guitars, keyboards, bass…messing with each track in order to find that one sound that would be the stand-out for each song,” she remembers. “It was one of the greatest times I’ve had in my life. Just being free to be creative.”

Askew also gathered Portland musicians Brent Knopf (Menomana, Ramona Falls), Victor Nash (IOA), Brian Wright and Grace Peters to contribute to the album. Venturing into three different studios over a three-week period in the Spring of 2010 resulted in an 11-track album, The Hawk & The Hunter. “I chose the title because it really fit what the album was about for me,” she says…”An exploration of the desire and search for meaning in love and self-realization.”

The Hawk & The Hunter is available for download through iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp.