The likelihood that anyone would have guessed Andy osenga’s next artistic step after leaving Caedmon’s Call is minimal at best. After fronting The Normals and stepping in for Derek Webb over three Caedmon’s Call albums, the talented producer/songwriter has always carried a solo career through the years with several solo albums over the last decade. Now, he’s boldly going where no songwriter has gone before. In short, Osenga is prepping a science fiction project of galactic proportions. Not only is he writing a concept album about an angry, lonely man abandoning everything for a space journey 300 years in the future, but he’ll be doing so within the confines of a backyard spaceship. In addition, Osenga says he’ll be “in uniform” the entire time he’s recording. Consider it an immersive project. “i already have the recording studio that i come to every day and i do love it,” says osenga. “i love what I do as a producer and a player, but I see the way artists look when they first walk in the door and it’s their record and they’ve never done it before. They’re always excited and they say, ‘This is crazy. i can’t believe where we are.’ i want to put myself in that position again. i haven’t had that since i was 18.” osenga is using the popular kickstarter website to generate the resources for the project. There are several buy-in levels that provide returns ranging from personal songwriting sessions to t-shirts that read “i helped send Andrew osenga to space.” The Nashville resident says it’s the ideal way to bridge the divide between artist and audience and create a real experience. “i love kickstarter, because it frees you up to do some fun things,” says osenga. “You can create extra songs for people. You can allow someone to believe in your project at an amazing level like $500. That’s a crazy amount, but if someone wanted to do that, it gives me the chance to do something amazing for them. it’s an honor to get the opportunity to do that. “i also think it’s great that people can get involved at all levels,” he continues. “People can sign up for different things and i can offer things like songwriting sessions, pieces of the actual recording or props that are involved. it’s just a fun way to involve people in a community.” — Matt Conner www.ilikeandy.com Andy Osenga CCM 43