Regrettably, an attempt to make a connection between the merits of this mission and your generosity has become a necessary part of the mix. I am entering the last phases of a doctoral degree in ethnomusicology. I'm proud of what I think my work will offer to the discussion of Butch Morris and his amazing music (see above, under projects). Despite my best attempts to lock down some grant money, this project has been largely underwritten by prayers, sweat equity, the sporadic gifts of friends, the constant support of family -- oh yeah, and debt by the bucketful.

Using the web to extend the reach of this personal appeal, to expand the embrace of my sonic family seems at least as viable as tediously crafting more grant applications in pursuit of large sums from anonymous institutional donors. It is possible that as this page circulates and finds sympathetic readers, that the sums of money needed to fund these last months of my project will materialize in the form of many small gifts and for this possibility I am deeply grateful. Consider it a prototype for an alternative model for funding musical research. Thank you.