All Over Albany

Dark Sky app funded, and other local Kickstarter projects

Dark Sky, the weather-just-ahead app from Troy-based web developers Jackadam (Jack Turner and Adam Grossman), reached its $35,000 goal on Kickstarter over the weekend. Its deadline was the end of this month -- and the project is still accepting funding through then.

Here are a few other local Kickstarter projects that caught our eye that are looking for funding -- or recently met their goal...

Seeking funding

Erin Harkes album
Local musician Erin Harkes is trying to raise $5,000 to record her first studio album. She's about halfway to her goal with six days remaining. Earlier: Erin Harkes on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

City Never Sleeps bus
The Albany-based indie rock band The City Never Sleeps is trying to raise $5,000 for a shuttle bus so they can tour.

C 299,792 km/s

A Hudson-based project from filmmakers Derek Van Gorder and Otto Stockmeier. They're trying to raise$18,628 for their film C, "the story of an idealistic flight officer who hijacks her spaceship during an interplanetary cold war, and attempts to escape our solar system in search of other habitable worlds." The filmmakers have also committed themselves to using no CGI or green screens. That gives the footage in the trailer (embedded above) and kind of 70s feel (in a good way). Seriously, it looks great.

North Central Troy
OK, this is not a Kickstarter project, it's a Refresh grant, which is sort of similar. The Uptown Initiative in Troy is trying to win a $50,000 grant to put towards beautifying the neighborhood with trees and perennials, as well as murals for the neighborhoods gateway. It's currently 12th in the voting (the top 10 get funded). Voting ends November 30.

Recently funded

Small Batch Editions
As mentioned, this is curator Melissa Stafford's project to make affordably-priced limited edition photography prints available to a wider audience. The project surpassed its $3,500 goal by about $300. The shop is now open online.

Cloth Book of the Month
Albany-based artist Victoria van der Laan was looking for $2,500 to launch a line of cloth books for kids, to which people can subscribe and receive a new book each month. She reached her goal in just 3 days and she ended up raising more than $8,000.

Willard Asylum Suitcase Documentation
As mentioned, this is photographer Jon Crispin's project to document the contents of suitcases left behind at a former state home for people with mental illness. The project ended up raising more than $18,000.

Hell on Wheels unicycle course
This Chatham-based project from the Chatham Unicycle Club was looking to raise $2,250 for a mobile unicycle course that could be a "spectacle of extraordinary one wheeled talent." It met its goal on the nose.

Rodeo Barons album
The Saratoga-based band The Rodeo Barons raised more than $2,500 to record an album, which it looks like they did at the end of October. We enjoyed their set at the WEXT benefit show earlier this year, so we're looking forward to hearing the album.