Irist, one of the best post-metal bands out there right now, recently toured with Pallbearer and Elder throughout Europe and the UK. Unfortunately that tour left Irist roughly $20,000 in the hole and they're asking fans for help. Irist has launched a GoFundMe and you can check that out (and donate) here.
The touring world is a little rough right now. Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares said his band will be touring in a van come 2023 to keep costs down, while Devin Townsend recently detailed how hard it is to keep tours within a profitable margin and explained why he goes out as an acoustic act. Then of course there's the issue of merch cuts, which Dark Funeral guitarist Lord Ahriman explained have occasionally cost his band more than they made in any given night (a sentiment echoed by Bad Omens as well).
"Like many artists in 2020, Irist's debut LP Order of the Mind and dreams of touring were sidelined by the pandemic," reads the description of Irist's GoFundMe. "After a two-year hiatus and multiple schedule changes, Irist were finally able to traverse Europe, opening for Elder and Pallbearer.
"Although the tour was immensely successful and the band won over many fans on the 45-day run, the current economic climate devastated the band’s personal finances. Irist chose to tour knowing that they would not make a profit. In fact, they expected to pay out of pocket and had a realistic budget planned with current data on expected costs.
"However, as many artists have spoken about recently, the economics of touring have become grueling to musicians large and small: Both ticket and merch sales are down. The basic costs of affordable accommodations have skyrocketed and transportation and fuel costs are at an unprecedented high. the exponential growth in inflation along with deflated exchange rates combined to create a perfect storm of financial hurdles and Irist have been left with a loss that is more than double what they anticipated.
"Irist was humbled by the response to their music in Europe. This tour reinforced their passion and commitment. While they had hoped to weather this economic storm, the band need your help in attempting to recover the unexpected costs from their tour. Please help support them – any contribution helps!"
