[UPDATED with Funding Successful] Nancy Sanchez Seeks to Kickstart New Album

UPDATE, FEB 22 11:16 A.M.:  Nancy Sanchez may not be in a band called Ruby Red anymore, but the singer is in the black! For all those who didn't check in on her Kickstarter page last Friday to see if she made her album project funding goal, Sanchez reached $15,000 with about three hours left to go. The hardworking musician was at a gig when people started sending her texts with the good news. For added measure, she actually went $186 over the threshold by the expiration deadline as 116 backers came through in the clutch — and then some

Heard Mentality send its congratulations and eagerly awaits the release of Ruby in L.A. here in OC. Adelante mujer!
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UPDATE, FEB 17 11:56 A.M.: The Kickstarter campaign to fund Nancy Sanchez's full-length debut album Ruby in L.A. is coming down to the wire. Today is the final day and at the time of this writing, the Fullerton singer-songwriter is sitting $494 dollars short of her overall $15,000 goal. Fans and supports have until 8:08 P.M. tonight to contribute to the project, but if she comes up short by then, all the money raised so far rolls all the way back to zero.

“It's a little stressful, especially now that I'm towards the end,” Sanchez says after having made one final push at Steamer's Cafe in Fullerton last night. “I'm just happy to have been able to raise so much so far.” The musician hopes to have Ruby in L.A. ready and out by the summertime. For now, fans can catch a glimpse of a song in progress called “In Blue” on her latest Kickstarter update video. Of course, this time table is assuming the funds kick in, but Sanchez is very optimistic. “I like to stay positive and I know that we are going to be make it because I believe we are!”

As to the over 100 people who have already chipped in for incentive
laden gifts in exchange for their contributions including t-shirts, CDs,
and an Ovation guitar, she is full of gratitude. “I definitely do want
to thank everybody who has participated,” Sanchez says. “They're making
this happen. They're making my project a reality.”

Breaking out the mental calculator, all it would take is five folks pledging at $100 or ten folks at $50 a piece to put Ruby in L.A. over the top. DO IT!

ORIGINAL ITEM, DEC 28., 1:32 P.M.: Fullerton-based singer-songwriter Nancy Sanchez is readying her first full-length album Ruby in L.A. for 2012 and is turning to supporters to help make it all happen. The musician launched a Kickstarter campaign last night to help complete funding for the project in progress. Sanchez hopes to raise $15,000 by February 17 and is offering numerous thank you gifts from an early digital download of the album at the lowest pledge level to the opportunity to sing on the record alongside her at the highest. The money will go to everything from booking studio time, mixing, mastering, artwork, backup vocalists and sought out musical collaborations. “I want to bring in Tony Guerrero and some horn players,” Sanchez says of her preliminary plans.

Whereas the singer's 2010 seven-song self-titled EP focused principally on jazz and helped garner two OCMA nominations, including the award for 'Best Latin,' Ruby in L.A. will display a broader range of her musical talents. “I want to blend different elements,” she says, “I don't always write jazz and I want to do more of a crossover with this recording.” With Evan Stone and David J. Carpenter on board as co-producers, the album will explore jazzy influences, pop sensibilities, and even a few songs en Español. For the die-hard Nancy Sanchez fans, this is the album that will finally feature “The Hippo Song,” a favorite of her sets.

In the accompanying video for the Kickstarter page, a sneak-listen of the title track can be heard as the music bed. It displays the maturation of her sound as well as penchant for lighthearted, catchy lyrics. Thinking she was 'Nancy in Fullerton' though, all this “Ruby in L.A.” talk begged for further explanation. “I used to be in a band called Ruby Red,” she says of her musical past, “And my name was Ruby in that band.” Without divulging too much into detail, she reminisced about how a musician friend of hers developed a crush that didn't pan out and when their paths diverged he wrote a song called “Ruby” that he would perform in Los Angeles. “At a certain point, he stopped playing it,” Sanchez adds, “I just got sad and wrote my own song.”

Another opportunity for musical catharsis exists for Ruby in L.A. The album comes at an important juncture for the local musician on the rise. “I think it's cool thing to have Kickstarter on the artist side,” she says. “If we do meet the goal, I'm just going to be completely amazed and happy.”