How a Fan Made Michael Gettel's 14th Album Happen | Hiraeth Series, Ep. 1

What happens when a longtime fan reaches out to an artist he's never met and offers to fund his next album? Michael Gettel is an award-winning composer and pianist. Andrew Jacobs, President of Ideal Jacobs Corp., has listened to Michael's music for 30 years. He found Michael again through this podcast, started supporting San Luis Music, the program Michael runs for kids in rural Colorado, and then asked a simple question: what about a new album? That album is Hiraeth, Michael's 14th, and this is the first of four episodes following its story. The two of them have still never met in person. Andrew says they won't until Michael is up for a Grammy. It was a joy to sit with these two. We talk about Michael's start selling cassettes out of a friend's garage, a $300 keyboard that will change a student's life, a run-in with Jimmy Page, and what Hiraeth means. Michael also leaves us with a line I keep thinking about: you never wait in vain. The first single, "Gratitude," is out now: https://open.spotify.com/track/5Tv5kh... Joining Michael on the full album, Hiraeth: Jerry O'Sullivan (pipes and whistles), Brandon Vance (fiddle), Jerry Strickland (acoustic and electric guitars), Frank Bry (electric guitar), Sandin Wilson (electric and fretless bass), Dan Chase (drums and percussion) and Nancy Rumbel (oboe and English horn). Coming up in the series: Michael's longtime engineer Frank Bry and studio owner Bobby Lang take us inside Robert Lang Studios, where Hiraeth was recorded. 🔔 Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the series. MICHAEL GETTEL Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3PJf9... Website: https://www.michaelgettel.com/ San Luis Music: http://sanluismusic.org/home.html ANDREW JACOBS Ideal Jacobs Corp.: https://www.idealjacobs.com/ Andrew's book, The Ideal Pivot: https://www.idealjacobs.com/publications LinkedIn:   / andrewcjacobs   Work with Joe: https://www.leadershipinklings.com/co... CHAPTERS 0:00 Michael meets Jimmy Page 0:37 A four-part series and album number 14 1:28 Michael's first album: $3,000 and a garage full of cassettes 3:57 The Journey North, The View From Here and a long wait 6:05 How Andrew found Michael's music, again 8:37 A business trip, a podcast and a music program for kids 11:25 A $300 keyboard and a parent-teacher conference 13:06 Paying it forward and growing up in musical families 21:13 The Jimmy Page story 29:03 Coming up: Frank Bry and Robert Lang Studios 32:28 What Hiraeth means 36:35 Andrew's first listen to the album 38:47 Andrew's yearly book and owning your mistakes 41:41 Being ready when your moment comes 43:53 Trusting a stranger with your album 46:25 Why personal still beats AI 50:17 Release dates and the Grammy deal 52:21 The musicians on Hiraeth 56:11 Closing thoughts: you never wait in vain Titans of Transition is about the turning points in our lives and work, and discovering, developing and leaning into your gifts. Hosted by Joe Miller, Career & Leadership Coach. #MichaelGettel #Hiraeth #TitansOfTransition