The Last Year is creating Music & Videos
I'm in Mania... oooooo.
14
$323
Milestone Goals
1 Milestone Goals
reached
A Bigger Living Room
We have to be mighty careful in our living room because the floors are a bit bouncy and it can make for a shaky the camera. With $250/month, we can move our sessions to a larger living room, where we can fit more people and equipment. This means our versions of songs can be fully "plugged in" and we can feature more musicians more frequently!
Additional Videographers
Not only are we in need of a larger space to film our Living Room Sessions, but additional videographers would make our Living Rooms Sessions even more pro! This would allow to us to get up close and personal with the shots and add some movement to the videos. It makes for a much more exciting video! We did this sort of thing for our "Sugar [Acoustic]" video and it turned out awesome!
Monthly Official Music Videos
It's been Niki's dream to create music videos of all our original songs in a way in which each story/song intertwines. With the right amount of funding, each video would lead into the next with our original music as the soundtrack. Niki has been working on the evolution of the stories from song to song, but we need your help to make this idea a reality. Funding would go towards extra crew & cast, lighting & location rentals. The videos would be written and directed by ourselves, with your input along the way. Our creative outlets stretch beyond the studio and we'd love to explore & share them with you.
About
Hailing from Baltimore, The Last Year is an alternative rock band. The act stems from an idea of front-girl Niki Barr, on vocals, and Scott Ensign, playing bass and synth. The pair, complemented by drummer, BJ Kerwin, and guitarist, Scott Griffith, approach their music with diverse influences, ranging from the hook heavy hits of The Cars to the spacey, hypnotic sounds of the late 80’s to early 90’s acts, like The Cure and Portishead. The band has managed to mix retro influences with modern appeal and it’s magical. Having toured over 30 countries on three continents, The Last Year is no stranger to the stage. Guided by Barr’s coy, airy, yet powerful melodies and slinky body language, blended with the band’s array of synth growls, driving rhythm and swirling guitar sounds, the show is a spectacle and a must-see.
The Last Year teamed up with Shanachie Entertainment to release their debut EP, which was described as “limitless” with “everything from buzz saw synth to airy atmospheric ambience to 80s drum sequence loops”. The EP was warmly received by fans and critics alike, especially its lead single “Sugar”, a tune that bridges the gap between The Smiths and the infectious, radio-friendly indie rock hooks of bands like Metric; spicing it all up with female leading vocals that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Garbage record.
Under the previous direction of CO 5 Music, “Sugar” was spun at more than 14 radio stations, including SiriusXM’s Alt Nation, WWDC 101, WLUM, KWSS, WWWX and many more, across the U.S. and is continuously being added to alternative and rock stations with each and every performance.
The band spent 2014 building a national following, supporting acts like Phantogram, Tove Lo, Nico Vega, Paramore, SomeKindaWonderful, Ben Kenney, Semi Precious Weapons, and Neon Hitch. The band will hit the road this spring to play Austin’s legendary SXSW, followed by an extensive tour as supporting act for Sick of Sarah.
The Last Year teamed up with Shanachie Entertainment to release their debut EP, which was described as “limitless” with “everything from buzz saw synth to airy atmospheric ambience to 80s drum sequence loops”. The EP was warmly received by fans and critics alike, especially its lead single “Sugar”, a tune that bridges the gap between The Smiths and the infectious, radio-friendly indie rock hooks of bands like Metric; spicing it all up with female leading vocals that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Garbage record.
Under the previous direction of CO 5 Music, “Sugar” was spun at more than 14 radio stations, including SiriusXM’s Alt Nation, WWDC 101, WLUM, KWSS, WWWX and many more, across the U.S. and is continuously being added to alternative and rock stations with each and every performance.
The band spent 2014 building a national following, supporting acts like Phantogram, Tove Lo, Nico Vega, Paramore, SomeKindaWonderful, Ben Kenney, Semi Precious Weapons, and Neon Hitch. The band will hit the road this spring to play Austin’s legendary SXSW, followed by an extensive tour as supporting act for Sick of Sarah.
Location
Baltimore, MD, USA
Top PatronsSee all 14
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Patreon is simply amazing! Compared to certain "crowdfunding" outlets that simply raise money for a single campaign, Patreon makes it possible for us to have an on-going fan-driven music label. We finally have a way of bringing you new music, videos, and more and it's truly YOU making it happen. We are not on a major label and that's OK with us because we know the business of music has changed and we understand it's the FANS (YOU) behind the wheel!
We started our Living Room Sessions, exclusively on YouTube, as a way to expand our video catalog. Since the beginning of 2015, we've released several videos, which included covers by Sam Smith, Sneaker Pimps, Radiohead, Cyndi Lauper, Phantogram, Vance Joy, Fiona Apple, & The Cardigans. These were videos we filmed, recorded, and edited ourselves in our living room. With your support, we can continue creating videos each month and even introduce other musicians and bands into the mix, much like we did with our good friends in RÊVE for our Fiona Apple cover. These videos have been so much fun to make and we want to continue, as a completely "fan-funded" experience. The sky is the limit for us and we thank you helping us take this just a little higher.
As an original alternative rock band, everything we do is completely DIY. From recording & mixing our record, to our on-stage lighting show, to graphic/web design, to video production & editing... everything TLY is entirely of our own design and doing. None of us in the band have ever made any money and that's OK with us. The money has ALWAYS gone back into the "band". Every month, we have general band operating expenses that come to around 2k. It can be tough to raise funds above just our monthly band expenses to pay for touring, merchandise, and video production costs. We mention this because we think it's important for all our Patreons to know that any money you pledge will go DIRECTLY back into the band funds. We'll all get by on our own, personally, as we always have. We do this because we LOVE it and it's the reason we get out of bed every day.
Your support in any amount you can possibly pledge makes recording and touring possible for us. We thank you for being the soul of our music!
Some questions I'm sure you have...
How does Patreon Work?
Much like other "crowdfunding" sites, Patreon is designed to help fund our creative works each month. You select the amount you'd like to pledge each month and you'll be charged monthly. It's a lot like a fancy "fan club". The amount you decide to pledge will come with certain rewards that we've promised to provide you with. From monthly Google+ hangouts to goody boxes on your doorstep. Even at $5/month or more, you'll NEVER have to pay for any of our digital (MP3s) again. As long as you're a $5+ Patreon of The Last Year, you'll never have to buy our music on iTunes again. You'll get it all for free.
Is there a certain amount that has to be reached first?
Nope. Although we've created some goals for ourselves, we will continue making videos each month, whether we reach those goals or not. Most times, we'll release several videos and "things" per month. Unlike Kickstarter, this is an ongoing support system for us and NOT per campaign.
Will the funds go to other things related to the band?
Honestly... YES! If we're in a tough spot financially, it's not uncommon for us to use funds to support our touring expenses (van maintenance, insurance, gas, etc), recording expenses (tracking, mastering, etc), and new merch (someday, we want to release our music on vinyl, for example). No matter what, we will always release our monthly videos AND you'll be rewarded as usual.
What if I want to change or cancel my pledge?
You may cancel at any time and you'll no longer be charged your monthly pledge. For more information, please visit: https://patreon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/20...
We started our Living Room Sessions, exclusively on YouTube, as a way to expand our video catalog. Since the beginning of 2015, we've released several videos, which included covers by Sam Smith, Sneaker Pimps, Radiohead, Cyndi Lauper, Phantogram, Vance Joy, Fiona Apple, & The Cardigans. These were videos we filmed, recorded, and edited ourselves in our living room. With your support, we can continue creating videos each month and even introduce other musicians and bands into the mix, much like we did with our good friends in RÊVE for our Fiona Apple cover. These videos have been so much fun to make and we want to continue, as a completely "fan-funded" experience. The sky is the limit for us and we thank you helping us take this just a little higher.
As an original alternative rock band, everything we do is completely DIY. From recording & mixing our record, to our on-stage lighting show, to graphic/web design, to video production & editing... everything TLY is entirely of our own design and doing. None of us in the band have ever made any money and that's OK with us. The money has ALWAYS gone back into the "band". Every month, we have general band operating expenses that come to around 2k. It can be tough to raise funds above just our monthly band expenses to pay for touring, merchandise, and video production costs. We mention this because we think it's important for all our Patreons to know that any money you pledge will go DIRECTLY back into the band funds. We'll all get by on our own, personally, as we always have. We do this because we LOVE it and it's the reason we get out of bed every day.
Your support in any amount you can possibly pledge makes recording and touring possible for us. We thank you for being the soul of our music!
Some questions I'm sure you have...
How does Patreon Work?
Much like other "crowdfunding" sites, Patreon is designed to help fund our creative works each month. You select the amount you'd like to pledge each month and you'll be charged monthly. It's a lot like a fancy "fan club". The amount you decide to pledge will come with certain rewards that we've promised to provide you with. From monthly Google+ hangouts to goody boxes on your doorstep. Even at $5/month or more, you'll NEVER have to pay for any of our digital (MP3s) again. As long as you're a $5+ Patreon of The Last Year, you'll never have to buy our music on iTunes again. You'll get it all for free.
Is there a certain amount that has to be reached first?
Nope. Although we've created some goals for ourselves, we will continue making videos each month, whether we reach those goals or not. Most times, we'll release several videos and "things" per month. Unlike Kickstarter, this is an ongoing support system for us and NOT per campaign.
Will the funds go to other things related to the band?
Honestly... YES! If we're in a tough spot financially, it's not uncommon for us to use funds to support our touring expenses (van maintenance, insurance, gas, etc), recording expenses (tracking, mastering, etc), and new merch (someday, we want to release our music on vinyl, for example). No matter what, we will always release our monthly videos AND you'll be rewarded as usual.
What if I want to change or cancel my pledge?
You may cancel at any time and you'll no longer be charged your monthly pledge. For more information, please visit: https://patreon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/20...