RMS Five Ring in Holidays with Concert and New CD
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The sounds of holiday carols and harmonized seasonal favorites will be heard in Greenland on Sunday afternoon, December 16. Gospel group The RMS Five will present a holiday concert at Community Congregational Church at 2 Post Road in Greenland on Sunday, December 16. The show starts at 4 pm; doors open at 3:30. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, with children under 12 admitted free. The concert is part of a celebration of the release of The RMS Five’s new CD, “Christmas Every Day.” (Continued below)

The RMS Five, is made up of five soloists from the Rock My Soul gospel choir and is known for rich harmonies and unique arrangements of roots, blues, Americana, and gospel. Both groups have gained quite a bit of critical acclaim in New England, appearing on TV shows such as NH Crossroads and 207. In 2009, one of Rock My Soul’s songs was featured in a PBS documentary called Freedom Songs: Music of the Civil Rights Movement.

“All of us are influenced by gospel and the music that comes from it: blues, doo wop, rock ‘n roll, and R&B,” says Dawn Boyer, founder and director of the two groups. “Those influences make their way into our harmonies and arrangements. We have a great time, and our audiences love the style of our music. Our holiday shows are a particular favorite.”

So much so, in fact, that fans have been asking for a Christmas CD for more than five years. But raising enough money proved to be a tough obstacle. "Producing a high-quality CD costs thousands of dollars," said Boyer. "We're nonprofit, so that kind of money has been out of reach."

Until this year, when Boyer heard about a new “crowd funding” web site called Kickstarter, which helps artists raise money for specific creative projects. "Kickstarter acts as patrons of the arts once did," Boyer said. “We figured, why not give it a try?” She and other group members set a goal of $3,000, offered different rewards for pledge levels, made a video, posted the project on the Kickstarter site, and held their breath.

To their delight, 71 backers pledged a total of $5,150. Kickstarter charged a small fee for credit card processing, and the rest went to recording, producing, and manufacturing the CD. “We were astounded at the support,” Boyer said. “It enabled us to produce the high quality CD we wanted to make, and, thanks to our producer, Brett Hartenbach, and engineer, Joe Rogers, we’re very proud of the results. This is truly a community-funded music project—our backers were part of the entire process.”

Songs on the CD range from spirited tunes such as "Sleigh Ride" and "I Pray on Christmas," to quieter songs such as a Temptations-inspired arrangement of "Silent Night" and a New Orleans-flavored version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."

Tickets to the Greenland concert  and copies of the new CD may be purchased online at www.projectmusicworks.org or by calling 207-450-8016.

Proceeds from CD sales go toward supporting ProjectMusicWorks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to performing free outreach concerts at hospice, homeless shelters, rehab programs, and other facilities that support those in need.

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