Allison Shirk, a singer/songwriter and co-founder of Vashon Events, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the recording and distribution of her debut country-rock album. The album, “Break My Heart,” will be comprised of Shirk’s best original songs written over the last decade and will tell the story of her life, centered around the experience of living in a small town.

“I poured my heart and soul into every song and held nothing back in recording them,” Shirk wrote in an e-mail. “This album is a diverse collection. Some songs will make you tap your feet and dance, others will tug at your heartstrings.”

Shirk, on guitar and vocals, will be backed by bassist Keith Lowe and drummer Todd Zimberg along with guest appearances by a number of island musicians — Jacob Bain, Sarah Christine, Joe Panzetta, Jason Staczek, and “Lonesome Mike” Nichols.

Shirk describes the music as folk-country, mixed with rock and blues.

“It’s sweet and sassy like Norah Jones,” Shirk  said, “catchy like Sheryl Crow and haunting … like the Cowboy Junkies.”

One of the songs, “Monster,” is an autobiographical account of her experience as a child in a home with domestic violence. Shirk plans to donate all proceeds from the download of the single song to the DoVE Project on Vashon and domestic violence coalitions.

“Now I have the chance to take that horrible experience I had as a child and turn it into something good,” Shirk said. “If people hear the song and it makes them speak up about domestic violence that they know about, or are living in, then the song has done some good.”

Shirk, who has made frequent appearances on Vashon and around the Puget Sound, will perform a concert with Keith Lowe on Thursday, July 31. The show will be at 8 p.m. at The Hardware Store Restaurant.

Funding from the Kickstarter campaign will go directly towards studio costs, musicians, mixing, mastering, pressing the CD and distribution.

The Kickstarter campaign is a time-limited fundraising platform. Shirk has until Aug. 18 to raise $8,000. If she does not meet the goal, Shirk will not receive any of the money.

Shirk’s campaign can be found at www.Kickstarter.com/profile/allisonshirk.