A Texas Blues Project
We’re building an old-school blues trio in the clubs and open mics of Greater Houston, recording the songs we develop onstage, and working toward a three-week run through the blues bars of Japan.
Current stage: building the repertoire, playing Houston and assembling the trio.
Current Stage
Stage One — Current
Record the Album
Stage Two — Upcoming
Take the Band to Japan
Overall Mission
The Album
The repertoire begins with older blues standards—the songs that can survive a hundred different rooms, a hundred different bands and a hundred different interpretations. The arrangements will be developed in public, tested at Houston-area jams and shaped into a compact trio record.
Cover song. Songwriter credit is being researched and will be confirmed before distribution.
Written by Thomas Grant MacDonald
Blues to Tokyo respects the writers and artists who built this music. Songwriter credits and required release permissions will be verified before the album is distributed.
Why Tokyo
I want to play blues in Japan.
I do not want to arrive with nothing behind me but an idea. I want to build a real trio, develop the material through live performance, and come prepared to contribute something honest to a music community I respect.
What I have seen of the blues and live-music communities in Japan has left a strong impression on me. The musicianship, preparation, and respect for the craft are part of what draws me there. That standard motivates me to take this project seriously and keep improving.
This is a long-term build. It starts here in Houston—open mics, rehearsals, live shows, developing the repertoire performance by performance. The goal is to build the live experience and the documented body of work that makes a credible, respectful outreach to Tokyo blues venues possible. When the time is right, I want to make a record and make the trip.
If you are a musician, a venue, or someone with a connection to the blues scene in Japan—I would genuinely like to hear from you.
The Budget
The album comes first. Building and recording a working trio in Houston is the foundation that makes a credible approach to Japan possible. Stage Two follows once Stage One is complete.
Stage One
Record the Album
Target: $6,000
Studio time, engineering, mixing, mastering, licensing, artwork and distribution for an approximately eight-song blues record.
Stage Two
Take the Band to Japan
Target: $25,000
Flights, lodging, transportation, equipment, promotion and contingency for a proposed three-piece, three-week tour of Japan.
Stage One
The plan is to do the expensive work before entering the studio. The band will develop the arrangements at open mics, local shows and rehearsals, then record the core performances together as a live trio. That keeps the sessions focused while preserving the loose, human sound that these songs need.
The $6,000 target is a working production budget, not a promise that every dollar will be spent exactly as projected. Any savings will remain assigned to the Blues to Tokyo project and move the band closer to the Japan tour.
How We Get There
The trip does not begin at the airport. It begins at the open mics, bars, private events and neighborhood stages where the songs become a real working set. Every Houston-area performance helps build the band, sharpen the record and move the project toward Japan.
Local Shows
Paid bar, brewery, restaurant, festival and private-event performances across Greater Houston.
Supporters
One-time contributions from people who want to help take Texas blues to Japan.
Merchandise
Shirts, posters, recordings and project-specific merchandise as it becomes available.
Partners
Local businesses, music organizations and sponsors that want to support the record or tour.
Illustrative Earnings Model
This is an illustration, not a projection. The $600 per-show figure represents the amount allocated to the project after ordinary show expenses, not the total gross price charged to a client. These earnings have not yet occurred.
Stage Two
Twenty-one days. A working blues trio. A record made in Texas.
The following is a proposed route and working plan. Individual performances will be marked confirmed only after the venue, date, musicians and required travel documentation are secured.
Stage Two
Three musicians. Approximately 21 nights. A Texas-to-Japan round trip with instruments. Primarily Tokyo-area performances with selected travel to Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka.
The tour goal is intentionally larger than the cheapest imaginable version of the trip. Three musicians traveling internationally with instruments need enough margin to handle baggage, rail travel, immigration requirements, equipment problems and schedule changes without the project collapsing halfway through.
The Journey
In Progress
Build the Set
Select approximately 12–15 reliable songs, establish keys, arrangements, openings and endings.
In Progress
Form the Trio
Find a drummer and bass player who fit the older-blues direction and can commit to rehearsals, recording, Houston gigs and international travel.
In Progress
Play Houston
Use jams and paid performances to develop chemistry, generate footage, meet supporters and raise project funds.
Upcoming
Record the Album
Record approximately eight songs after the live arrangements are stable.
Upcoming
Release the Record
Complete licensing, mixing, mastering, artwork, distribution and promotion.
In Progress
Secure Japan Partners
Develop relationships with legitimate Japanese venues, promoters, musicians and a qualified immigration sponsor.
Upcoming
Confirm the Tour
Finalize musicians, dates, contracts, immigration status, flights, rooms, insurance and equipment.
Upcoming
Play Japan
Complete the proposed three-week tour and document the performances.
Get Involved
Every contribution moves the project forward — from the rehearsal room to the recording studio to the blues bars of Japan.
Recognition
Record Supporter
$100+
Name on the website and in album acknowledgements.
Tour Supporter
$250+
Name on the website, album acknowledgements and project updates.
Tokyo Backer
$500+
Name on the website, album acknowledgements, project updates and invitation to a Houston listening event.
Founding Partner
$1,000+
Name on the website, album acknowledgements, project updates, listening event invitation and signed poster or album where practical.
The project is just getting started. Be among the first to support it.
Supporter recognition is optional and subject to approval. An anonymous option is available. Benefits listed are illustrative and subject to change.
Houston Shows
Bring the developing Blues to Tokyo set to your bar, brewery, private event, company gathering or community stage. Local shows fund the album, develop the trio and help put the project on the road.
Solo Blues Set
Thomas performing the developing repertoire in a compact format — bars, open mics and intimate venues.
Blues Trio
Guitar, bass and drums once the core lineup is established. Full-band availability configurable as the trio comes together.
Blues Jam Feature
A guest set, jam appearance or collaborative event alongside other musicians.
Private or Company Event
A self-contained live-music package appropriate to the room and occasion.
Stay in the Loop
Get new rough tracks, Houston show announcements, album progress and Japan tour updates.
Questions
A Texas-based music project developing an older-blues repertoire in Houston, recording an album and working toward a three-week performance trip to Japan.
No. The route is a working plan. Individual performances will be marked confirmed only after the venue, date, musicians and required travel documentation are secured.
Japan has a serious community of blues listeners, musicians, jam sessions and intimate live-music rooms. The project is built around connecting the Texas and Japanese blues communities through live performance.
Blues is a living repertoire. The project begins with established songs that musicians can share, reinterpret and perform together. Songwriters will be credited, and required release permissions will be handled before distribution.
Studio time is only one part of a finished record. The complete budget includes rehearsals, engineering, editing, mixing, mastering, licensing, artwork, release preparation and contingency.
Additional funds will remain assigned to the project and may support added recording time, tour content, equipment, promotion, additional performances or a stronger emergency reserve.
The route, dates, venues and budget are planning estimates. Updates will be published as arrangements become firm.
No. Blues to Tokyo is not presented as a charitable organization. Contributions are not tax-deductible donations or investments.
Yes. Houston-area shows are a central part of developing and funding the project. Use the booking form to describe the venue, event date and performance format.
Get in Touch