Bearsuit will change their name to raise £1,000 for SXSW trip!
aaamusic | On 04, Mar 2011
BEARSUIT’S FUNDRAISING APPEAL – in their own words…
We are Bearsuit – an art/rock-dance-punk five-piece from Norwich.
We were invited to play at this year’s SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas in March. But because of the almighty costs involved to cover our visas and flights – around £4,500 in total – we decided not to go.
Then we found out that our showcase slot would be for Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and the British Music Embassy, playing alongside the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Gallops, Esben and the Witch and Little Comets.
This changed everything.
SXSW is the annual mecca for the music industry – with thousands of bands vying for attention from record labels, agents, publishers, managers, journalists, taste-makers, and DJs. But with so many bands showcasing, it can be hard to get noticed.
Being asked to play for Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and the British Music Embassy, alongside other high-profile bands, is just about the BEST opportunity we could have.
We realised we would probably never EVER get the chance to play such an amazing showcase as this again.
After plugging away for nearly 10 years, after releasing three albums, countless singles, endless touring, finally, we have a chance to really get noticed.
We could not let this pass. Our one-man record label Fortuna Pop is too small to foot the bill, so we have been scrimping and saving, and we will be touring the UK over the next two weeks to try and cover some of our costs.
We will be playing an album launch and fundraiser at Norwich Arts Centre on March 7 as part of our fund-raising efforts and we would love to see as many people there as possible.
But we’re still a long way off, so we have set a fundraising target on this site of £1,000 – with a range of incentives to encourage you, our dear fans, to help us out of this very sticky situation.
From signed merchandise to unique experiences including VIP entry to our shows, and getting your name remembered eternally in the “thank yous” for our next release, we hope you’ll get something really worthwhile back.
For £500 we will come and play a show just for you in your house.
Or for a top donation of £1,000 we will change our name (Bearsuit) to your name (whatever that is, formerly known as Bearsuit) for a month! We’ll even play a show especially for you under your name in your home town. Obviously you get free entry and will be treated like a legend for the night. And you would be the star of our next pop video!
If you can’t quite stretch that far, we’re about to release our new album The Phantom Forest, and this is your chance to get your mits on brand new merch signed by the band. We have a new range of T-shirts, postcards featuring artwork from the album, badges of each of us, delicious white vinyl, and embossed-front CDs.
And we have been feverishly stitching together furry ‘bear heads’ which look rather cute and will make you the envy of your peers.
So now, it’s over to you. Give as much as you can – and we’ll reward you with special Bear Fan Club perks, lots of love, and our eternal gratitude.
One last thing though. We HAVE to make the full £1,000 by the day of our showcase – Friday, March 18. Otherwise we won’t receive a penny and the money will go straight back to you. So PLEASE spread the word, tell all your friends, get them to make a donation, and we will share the bear love all around.
UK TOUR DATES:
March 4 – Head of Steam, Newcastle Upon Tyne
March 5 – The Tunnels, Aberdeen
March 6 – Glasgow, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
March 7 – Norwich Arts Centre
March 8 – The Well, Leeds
March 9 – The Haymakers, Cambridge
March 10 – Boileroom, Guildford
March 11 – The Railway Inn, Winchester
March 12 – The Cavern, Exeter
March 13 – The Harley, Sheffield
April 2 – The Windmill, London
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189180247769430
http://www.myspace.com/bearsuit
