Detroit ‘indie dream pop’ band Valley Hush has announced that they will be performing at the official SXSW Music Festival Showcase 2017 this Spring in Austin, Texas. Lead members Alex Kaye and Lianna Vanicelli have been working day and night recording, releasing and performing their debut self-titled album released in October 2016. PLAYGROUND DETROIT had the pleasure to support their album artwork collaboration with Detroit artists Clinton Snider and Katai.

SXSW muses, “What does a sunset taste like? If you touched the Milky Way would you draw back a wet hand? These are examples of wild and organic abstractions of thought are the very brush Valley Hush paints with. The duo finds themselves exploring personal trials of struggle, survival and surrender through Vanicelli’s lyrics. While the lyrics are personal they are just as applicable to the masses. Vanicelli gives a voice to the cosmic forces that shift within us. Her words read more like poetry or a lucid dream, rich in vivid detail while evoking the sensation of an impending spring and never a dormant winter. The lyrics are an invitation to the internal and eternal struggle, and the way in which they are delivered is not entirely dissimilar to a mirage; a delicate and thirst quenching range of highs and lows.”

Please consider supporting these hardworking musical magicians raise the funds they need to get down to SXSW and perform on March 14th! Read their letter to their fans below and DONATE NOW HERE.

Dear friends,

Because of your constant support and encouragement since the start of this band, our shows in Detroit have been filled with amazing energy and you have fueled us to keep pushing for more. It means the world to us that you keep showing up and listening to our songs. Because of you, we have reached the point where we are ready for the next step, which is traveling to other cities and showing them what our music has to offer.

The music industry is vast and mysterious, but full of opportunities, and we are very excited and lucky to have secured a slot at an official South-By-Southwest (SXSW) showcase in Austin, TX this year. This festival is a huge get together of music industry people (managers, record labels, PR agents, booking agents, etc.), and undiscovered talent (bands & artists from around the world). It’s a really big deal for a band like us to get put on this festival. It’s happening March 13-19th, 2017, and we are doing our best to book as many shows as possible during our week there. However, as of right now, we have no mode of transportation to get there…

Being able to seize opportunities like this one, and any that arise in the future is CRUCIAL for us at this point. And this begins with having our own van that can transport our four members and our beloved equipment and instruments. So we’re turning to you for help in acquiring our very own van!

In the past, out-of-state shows and festivals have been extremely costly for us. The cost of renting a van, fuel, and other travel expenses quickly eat up any money that we may make from shows, and we end up paying out-of-pocket from our personal “savings” (we all still have other jobs and lots of credit card bills…) just to be able to perform in other cities. If we can eliminate the cost of renting a van, we will be able to at least break even and travel more frequently and without the stress of whether or not we can afford it. Valley Hush has been a band for almost three years. Yes, three years is still young, but all members have been playing in various music projects in Detroit for up to a decade. None of those projects made it to van status. So we’re asking for your help this time, because we’re ready for the next step.

Having our own van will allow us to:

– Perform in other music industry-driven cities more frequently, which will in-time build our following in those cities.

– More freely book out-of-state festivals and shows without scrambling on how we’re going to get there 24 hours before we leave (this has happened more than once). 

– Focus on what we love doing and work even harder at reaching our fullest potential as independent musicians.

– Try harder to turn this project into a career for ourselves.

– Maintain our sanity.

Our music is not an escape from reality, it is a way to embrace the human experience from an original perspective. It’s the most amazing form of self-expression and freedom. By transforming the infinite amplitude of our emotions and experiences into creative ideas, our songs are written with the intent to be emotionally aiding. We can take those heavy moments or experiences in our lives and stretch them into a four-minute structured soundscape that tells a story and will now live on forever in this form. Knowing that someone will listen to our songs and will be able to relate to them in their own way is what energizes us. Everyone has an album, song, or artist they go to in times of need. We strive to be that artist for others.

We can’t express how much it means to us that you keep coming to our shows, listening to our songs, and providing us with your loving energy. Our shows in Detroit over the last couple of years are always filled with positivity because of the people that show up.

Any donation amount towards our van will be so greatly appreciated. 

The $12,000 will go specifically towards:

-A used, but reliable 10-passenger van with 50-60k miles ($9-10k)

-Insurance for 1 year ($1k)

-Savings for future repairs and maintenance ($1k)

STRETCH GOAL PURCHASES:

We want to let you know that if we are fortunate enough to actually surpass our goal of $12,000.. we will continue to put every dollar back into Valley Hush! Any extra money will go towards:

In-Ear Monitors for Lianna (These make it much easier for Lianna to actually hear herself when playing at shows. This is extremely important to stay “In-Key” and sound the best that she can.

Recording Gear – We record produce and mix all of our own music! We are always looking into getting new things to create new sounds and improve the sound quality of the music. (We have our eyes on a new pair of studio monitors and a Dave Smith synthesizer..)

“Flight Cases” For The Gear – It’s really important to actually protect the gear that you have! We have some cases for our gear, but definitely not enough to ever fly the band anywhere. We would LOVE to tour Europe one day, and these cases would be a necessity!

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to check out our fundraiser. Your help and support means everything to us. Please say hi to us if you can make it out to a show!

– Alex & Lianna

Video Credit: Good Pals (@goodpals)

The post VALLEY HUSH ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL SXSW SHOWCASE IN MARCH AND NEED YOUR HELP TO GET THERE appeared first on PLAYGROUND DETROIT.