uncertain times

As you most likely already know I have recently entered extreme financial uncertainty. The following is a somewhat lengthy account of the full story. The price breakdown for what Im asking is at the bottom. I wanted to give you the opportunity to understand fully what my situation is, what i had been looking forward to and how messed up everything has gotten due to the coronavirus outbreak. Regardless of everything, I feel so incredibly lucky. So many are suffering so much more than myself. I only need a little help getting home safely and securely, so I can be with my family during these uncertain times and be in a secure environment while I figure out how to survive the next few months of no work. Here's my story: Im a full time musician. My main instrument is accordion and vocals. Ive managed to pull off this unlikely proffession for the better part of the last 16 years. Needless to say, its a very hand-to-mouth exsistence, as full of unbelievable beauty, community, friendship and family as it is full of monentary anxiety, unpaid labor and uncertainty of a secure livlihood.  Skip ahead to 7 years ago this May, I started the band Three for Silver with Lucas Warford and about 3  years ago we were approached by a booking agency out of Vienna Austria (ROLA) wanting to give us a shot at touring full time in Europe. They thought our dark folk,  high energy Tom Waitsy blues, accousitic weirdo vibe would do well over there. Since saying yes to this offer, it has really started to feel like momentum is building. The slow hard climb continues, but with better footholds each time. The spring tour of 2020 was going to be a real breakthrough, scheduled to take place in conjunction with the release of our newest album, Red Moon. We sunk so much into the making of the album; recording, mixing, mastering, production, printing, artwork, one music video completed and another scheduled for filming in June.   We were scheduled to be on tour for the next 3 months in Europe, starting in Czech Rep for 2 weeks, moving onto the Vienna Accordion Festival in Austria, followed by 6 weeks of shows in Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, and Austria (58  shows in 9 weeks), plus about 3 big festivals at the end of May in Germany, between which we had planned on joining our friends band in Ireland for a couple weeks as "hired guns". Covid-19 had been spreading, but at this point there was no way for us to know how bad it would get, or how quickly.  The tickets were bought in advance, Id already moved out of my house, put my stuff in storage in a friends basement, and cancelled my auto insurance. On March 5th got on a plane to Munich with Lucas.  By the 9th the Austrian government had cancelled all gatherings of a 1000 +. By the 12th Czech Rep. had instated a manditory closure of all venues and bars. Germany had yet to make any major calls like this, but after our tour manager reached out to over 60 of the venues on our intenerary, he made the call to cancel the tour entirely.  So, after only 3 shows, we turned around and headed back to Munich. Left our merch and many personal belongings (including my suitcase for the sake of saving the cost of checking another bag) in a storage unit in Munich, and got on a plane headed for Seattle.  I really didnt have any idea what to do after arriving. Since Id just been in international airports for the last 2days, no one in Portland was jumping at the idea of giving us a place to stay for the mandatory 14day self quarantine. Luckily, some friends in Bellingham came to the rescue. Im currently writing this from my friends small art studio located in the floor above a childrens theatre that is currently closed due to the virus. Its cute here....a little creepy at night. I feel like a phantom, walking in the dark through the props dept, down creaky steps to the bathroom .  And Bellingham is a sweet little town, right on the water. I can hear seagulls and smell the briny bay water. Everyone is talking about the virus, its tense. All of my friends here are musicians and artists, all looking at the same uncertainties, the same terrifying doubts and lack of employment.  The silver lining for us is that the tour is being rescheduled for the fall.  We can pick up where we left off. And we have begun booking shows in the Pacific Northwest for the summer.  But with all the current closures and quaratines going on now, we are all having to get even more creative than usual to figure out how to make a living for the next few months. For me? I think I should go home. And not on a plane.  The funds I am asking for are intended to ensure my safe passage home across the states and to help cover some likely costs in the next 3 months.  Primarily, this is getting my truck all squared away. Its great little beast. 1990 Toyota pickup. It was babied before I bought it and still has a good 200,000 miles of life left in it, if I continue to take good care of it. Their name is Trucko and is gender-inclusive.  <3 The journey is 2,642 miles from Portland OR to Asheville NC and should take a little under a week to complete.   These are all estimated costs and I am probably over shooting.  Once im done with quaratining myself this week I will be able to get some solid numbers and will update my goal. Tires: $500 Insurance 6 months: $400 Tune up and minor fixes : $400 Motel/food: $700 Thanks for taking the time to check this out. Its a humbling experience, asking for help. Especially when I know there are others out there in worse situations than my own. I only hope I can continue to give back the support that I am continually blessed with.  Much love family!