The Back Story

Louis Marks & Fabian Brown

To the world, Ropeadope is a renegade record label that curates impeccable music. From the outside, it may well look like a commercial success story but the reality is much different. Ropeadope has survived financially through subsidy - from the investment of the owners to the ongoing daily work that pays ‘less than’. Much of the music business, at least the independent side, is like this - people working for less than the going rate due to their love of music and musicians. Over the years there have been some financial bright spots that kept the lights on, but it was the ethos and determination NOT to be like the rest that kept ropeadope going. This is why it is not a giant step to move to patronage as a model - we’ve been doing it all along! Now we are simply publicly announcing it and seeking like minded individuals to connect, to come together, to build a more sustainable future for this art. Further, without the commercial definition, we open up doors to connect with others in the world that are doing the good work - community organizations and individuals working on a host of issues in today’s consumption-driven world.

Lisa Marie Simmons

Photo: Giacomo Pini

Multi-disciplinary storyteller Lisa Marie Simmons has brought the art of spoken word and poetry in a musical setting forward through her solo and group albums (with Marco Cremaschini). Her album Notespeak (Amori E Tragedie in Musica) received a four star rating from Downbeat Magazine. in 2023. Continuing her work of articulating the struggles of the black community, especially trans racial adoptees; NoteSpeak 12 was released in February 2023 by Ropeadope and is on Downbeat Magazine’s Best Albums of 2023 list, having garnered five stars. In 2025 Lisa continues her dedicated work to bring understanding, empathy, and finally joy to our world. Her album is supported through Third Way by a designated donation from Watson & Associates in New York.

Mexico City Expedition

In the summer of 2023 ropeadope revived their famed ‘Experiment’ series, following The Philadelphia Experiment, The Detroit Experiment, The Harlem Experiment, and The Chicago Experiment with a powerful album - The Mexico City Experiment. Third Way Ambassador Todd Clouser brought together key musicians from Mexico and South America to express the vibrant music and arts scene emerging in Mexico City.

In 2025 our second music expedition will happen in Mexico City and beyond, as Jamaaladeen Tacuma brings his representation of the Philadelphia music scene to MXC in a week long exploration of music and culture. Jamaal will appear with local musicians at Jazzatlan for two nights of music and panel discussions about the role of music in bridging cultures. Rehearsals and recording sessions will allow musicians time and space to open dialogues and create music together.

A few select spots are available for donors to join us on the expedition, getting a first hand view of the musicians connecting and recording new music. Message louis@twca.xyz for details.

TRIAD

Inspired by their powerful live performance, a Third Way donor stepped up and supported the creation and promotion of a new album by TRIAD. Composed of Dominick Farinacci on trumpet, Michael Ward-Bergeman on accordion, and Christian Tamburr on marimba, is a musical trio that came together in London to workshop a new show for the West End. TRIAD's members draw from a wide range of influences but find common ground in their appreciation for melodic compositions. While rooted in a classical approach, TRIAD infuses their music with various styles from South America, Argentina, Brazil, and New Orleans, presenting them in a fresh and innovative manner.

While the TRIAD album does not specifically address a present cultural issue, the members are present in cultural work. Farinacci , along with US Army Veteran Jaymes Poling, created Modern Warrior Live, a 501(c)3 that weaves storytelling, music and film into a seamless experience, presenting personal accounts of trauma and resilience directly from those who lived them. Farinacci brings the empathy from this experience into his music, and the desire to uplift through music for the benefit of the world.

Donor support enabled TRIAD to work with a top industry publicist and to remove recording and publicity costs from the balance sheet, putting the band on solid financial footing from the start.

Obed Calvaire

UpCal Entertainment, headed up by Robert Mailer Anderson, has been a great supporter of music over the years. In 2024, Robert expressed his interest in supporting a new album by Obed Calvaire. That album, titled 150 million gold francs, uses music as a way to discuss with the world the history and ongoing issues in Calvaire’s native country, Haiti. As a musical work, it transcends the written history and hearsay of the modern world - a history created by the colonizers and perpetuated by the biased lens it created.

‘Through seven sublime performances, Obed Calvaire’s 150 Million Gold Francs conveys this distinctively Haitian resilience — the light and joy that persist through so much darkness.’

With a donor connecting to the artist using the Third Way and Ropeadope platforms, this album was pressed to vinyl and limited in presence on Digital Service Providers. This resulted in full artist integrity and control, with costs recouped in the first quarter. This allows the artist to collect royalty revenue immediately and proceed to his next project.

Photo By J.Ortiz

Morocco Mission

Third Way intends to connect those who are working to ease the burden of our challenging times, first by bringing musicians together to support album creation, second by building a strong connection between musicians and community organizations, and third by advancing travel missions that allow musicians to share their experiences.

Third Way ambassador Jamaaladeen Tacuma believes that music has the profound ability to be a bridge across cultures that unites humanity, and has recorded, performed and collaborated with musicians on nearly every continent. In the spring of 2024 he brought Philadelphia musician Paul Geiss, and singer, improviser and composer Randi Pontoppidan - to Essaouira, Morocco to explore more connections. While we view our world as small and connected these days, there are many great divides in culture and understanding.

The Morocco mission was a revelation to Geiss, who felt the energy of the Gnaoua culture the moment he arrived. Eager to communicate with locals, he found himself performing with musicians in small shops, on the street, and in the studio. His connection with Randi Pontoppidan also deepened his understanding of yet another culture, and everyone found the baseline of music as a common interest.

Jamaaladeen has graciously opened his network to Third Way, and will opened connections for further music exploration between Morocco and the world.