Local Musician Asks Fans to Fund Charity Album

Music is a community effort, especially with the advent of financial crowdsourcing on the web.

Kevin Toqe, a musician from Concord who plays regularly in downtown Pleasant Hill among other Bay Area locations, has raised over $6,000 towards his new album, "What's Done Is Done," with just over a month left to reach a goal of $13,466. If the goal is not reached, Toqe will receive none of the funding at all.

The cash will pay for recording, mixing, mastering, and duplicating the album — and once the goal is reached, $1 from each record sold will go to a non-profit organization called Emmy's House, which provides a safe house for victims of human trafficking.

Emmy's House was freshly established in February 2013 by Toqe's friend's, Nic and Emmy Heywood. Nic Heywood has co-written two of the songs on Toqe's new album and also served as executive producer. 

"My goal is that music goes beyond simply entertainment," said Toqe on his fundraising website. "Passing time. Killing time. Music should offer more than that, because music is more than that."

So, what does the new album sound like? "If James Taylor hung out with John Mayer, then grabbed coffee with Jamie Cullum and started humming some catchy hook—yeah, like that," said Toqe. Sample Toqe's style by visiting his website and watching a Patch video of Toqe performing live in Pleasant Hill.

Donation options range from a $10 "supporter" role to a $497 "benefactor" contribution and can be made online through the Indegogo website.