Ben Gilchrist of Birmingham band Boat to Row writes about their recent experiences.
My name is Ben, and I play in the Birmingham-based Boat to Row. We’re aiming to release our second album after a incredibly difficult six month experience with Pledge Music, and our upcoming Birmingham show to celebrate getting things back on track.
This record has been brought back from the brink after having been caught up in the collapse of Pledge Music, losing all our crowdfunded money overnight and in turn delaying our release in a big way. As an independent band, this could have severely derailed our year and hampered our chances of not only releasing the album, but potentially continuing as a band full stop.
However, since the beginning of May 2019, with the help and support and involvement of Birmingham based label Static Caravan, we have finally been able to plan and confirm the release date of our second record,Rivers that Flow in Circles. Although the label have kindly helped us out of a hole we have still lost several thousand pounds in support from our fans which would have been used to cover the costs of recording, releasing and promoting the album.
We have planned a show to celebrate the news of the release on July 17th at the Castle and Falcon, Moseley. The venue, Birmingham Promoters and our very talented friends Katharine Priddy and Faux Palms have all agree to be part of the show free of charge to help us recoup some of the money lost through pledge music. You can find more about the show here.
