If you've arrived here, we're betting you know Passerine. We're that Florida-grown Americana/folk quartet--Carmela, David, Doug, and Sara--whom you've seen and heard at festivals, in living rooms, at smalltown dives, historic halls, and all kinds of other stages up and down the eastern half of the United States. Since 2009, Passerine has been dedicated to crafting and performing original music as an independent band, and over the years we've been truly blessed by a steadily growing cohort of folks who've been listening and loving our life's work. If you're reading this now, that's you! (And if you haven't heard us before, we hope you'll soon become a member of what we affectionately call "The Flock.") 

Last fall, not long after we released our third full-length album and returned home from our fifth tour, we got some big news: SONGS & WHISPERS, a music label and promotion agency based in Bremen, had selected us for a month-long tour circuit covering all of Germany and possibly parts beyond. There was much squawking, much hopping, even some flapping and fluttering!

Once the feather-dust settled, so did the realization of how big an undertaking this will be for us. We’re an unsigned band, fueled solely by playing live music and sharing our recorded work. We’re bowled over daily with gratitude that our band gets by in doing what we love the very most. Now we have the opportunity to take Passerine to the next level, but we’re going to need some help.

This tour is the biggest thing we’ve ever done, and that’s with three albums and five U.S. tours on the books. Our closest friends and biggest fans are the ones who truly care about seeing our hard work pay off, and our biggest dreams become reality. So now we’re coming to you to ask: Will you participate in making a European tour happen for Passerine?

We expect you have some questions. Such as...

"So how much do you need?"

Our total budget to fund the trip is $12,000. What does all that pay for, you may ask? It includes airfare for four, safe passage for our instruments, tour vehicle rental, fuel, the occasional hostel or hotel room when we're traveling far afield from our home base, and grubs to feed hungry beaks for one whole month. This total also accounts for the expenses incurred by the crowdfunding process itself, such as shipping and credit card processing fees.

Since last summer, we've been socking away more than half of the band's total earnings in preparation for this trip. This means our plane tickets, vehicle rental, and our flat in Bremen have all been secured! So this tour is happening, no matter what! Hooray!!

Our primary goal before leaving is to pay off the debt incurred so far on these critical purchases, so that on July 31, we board our plane "in the black." We need to get to 50% funding to do that. But we're big optimists, and we also know our fanbase to be a huge-hearted bunch. That's why we're taking this campaign all the way to full funding. After the halfway mark, every donation becomes someone's meal, a stop at a filling station, or a pillow for someone's road-weary head. 

The next and most important question you're going to ask is:

"Why does my donation matter?"

Glad you asked. It's no small 'taters for our nears and dears to plunk down their hard-earned cash so we can take a big trip to Europe. There are a slew of reasons why your contribution to this tour, no matter the size, is incredibly important. Here are some:

• Our break-out from the United States will open new doors and make valuable connections abroad. We'll be able to explore a totally untapped market for Passerine's music. We're on a mission to put our special brand of folk and Americana music on the map--all over the map--and you can help us get there. 
• This tour is an audition for the SONGS & WHISPERS label. By showing what we're made of on this first tour, we gain an opportunity to secure European distribution and future tours backed by SONGS & WHISPERS. 
• Going international adds tremendous weight to our domestic clout. This translates to more opportunities for us to travel in the States, get accepted to festivals, and book high-profile venues. 
• While we hope to garner industry attention with this leap, we're still an indie band. "Indie" means Passerine depends 100% on people like you, who recognize the importance of music-making in the world today. A contribution to this campaign makes you an empowerer of independent music. And when you give to working artists, you sustain a more beautiful, thoughtful, meaningful, and connected world.
• Did you see the perks?? Be sure you explore all 20 of them! We're putting together tons of opportunities to celebrate this adventure with us and be part of the journey. We want to be sure you know and really feel how grateful we are for your love and support. 

"No offense, but are you going to come to me crying the next time you want to tour Europe?"

In eight years, this is the third time we've turned to our fanbase for a financial "get-out-and-push." The first time, we got your help to record our first album, Another Song About a Bird. We took ASAB on our first tour, and learned many lessons from the school of hard knocks along the way. After a year of playing shows and saving pennies, we self-produced Nest of String, and reached out again for assistance in sharing our sophomore release on a bigger, bolder tour. We kept learning, kept playing, kept saving, kept singing, kept writing. Our commitment to taking this project as far as our wings and songs can carry us has produced a third album, H arbingers, and three more tours that carried us from our Sarasota hometown all the way to northern Minnesota and the northeast corner of Maine. This pattern shows that when you answer the call (and how), we're serious about making strides and doing you proud in return. Your donation is an investment in Passerine's success, and we intend to see it through.