Trace Mountains Van & Merchandise Stolen

Hi everyone, thank you for being here. My name is Dave Benton, I am a musician/songwriter/producer, and I am collecting donations to help cover costs related to the recent theft of my personal & touring vehicle.

My van was stolen off the street in Philadelphia on Thursday March 24th, with roughly $13,500 worth of merchandise inside. My band Trace Mountains is currently preparing to go on our first tour in almost three years, so this has been a significant financial blow to an endeavor that was already on a shoestring budget. In the weeks since my van was stolen, I've considered many options and have determined that the best way forward would be to rent a vehicle for the tour if the money were available. This unexpected expense, however, is not within my budget. As a solo artist, I have prioritized the payment of my touring bandmates and it has not left much wiggle room for extra expenses, especially on a support tour such as this one. Instead of laying off the touring band members essential to the performance of my music or canceling the tour altogether, I'm attempting to raise funds to cover the cost of a 35-day van rental & replacement merchandise.

Thank you so much for reading and for your help in this difficult situation.

Items Lost:

2007 Ford E-350 Passenger Van

250 T-Shirts ($7500 sellable value)

300 Vinyl Records ($6000 sellable value)

Replacement Items:

35-Day Ford Transit 12-Passenger van rental ($5500)

250 T-Shirts ($2900)

240 Records ($2400)