Seattle folk duo, March to May have announced they have embarked on a new project with dance company Version Excursion, production company Studivo, video production company Avast Productions, and Emmy-award winning cinematographer, Laura James, of Beneath the Looking Glass. “The Navigator: A Music, Dance And Film Collaboration” is based on a song written by Darren Guyaz and Elizabeth Wesche of March To May, while sailing on the historic Virginia V Steamship. The project will be filmed on the Virginia V, as well as a Puget Sound lighthouse. Filming will also include underwater choreography.
A Kickstarter crowdfunding page has been established, to help offset the costs of this massive undertaking. Pledge levels include digital downloads of the track and video, as well as autographed custom prints from the video, a “Navigator” t-shirt, tickets to a March To May performance, and VIP tickets to “The Navigator” premiere. For more information, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thenavigator/the-navigator-a-music-dance-and-film-collaboration
“Early this spring, we were lucky enough to meet Erin Nichole Boyt, the talented modern dance choreographer at the heart of Version Excursion Dance, at a Seattle Office of Film + Music happy hour,” said Darren and Beth. “We hit it off immediately, and started talking about ways in which we might work together on some live dance/music performances. Those are happening – but over the intervening months, we realized that our shared vision stretched a lot farther. More incredibly talented individuals jumped on board, and now we have a full-fledged production in the works including music, dance, underwater cinematography, and more. The project will be set to our soon-to-be-released single, “The Navigator.”
“We have spent the past several months preparing for filming. A tremendous amount of time, energy, money, and more than a few sleepless nights have gone into planning this collaboration of music, dance, and film. The music is being recorded. The dancers are trained. This weekend, the ship is sailing, literally. Together, the production team has launched a Kickstarter to help fund the immediate, fixed costs of the project. Take a look, support us if you can, and share it with your friends! We’d love for you to be a part of this journey with us.”
March To May’s Darren Guyaz (guitar, vocals, keyboard) and Beth Wesche (Celtic harp, vocals) first met in December 2012. By March 2013, the folk/indie/Americana duo had co-written their first two songs, by April they had a paid gig under their belts, and by May they had a name and shows booked out into the months ahead. Before settling in Seattle, Washington, where the act is now based, both Darren and Beth had traversed the Western Hemisphere separately. Darren migrated from the northern Appalachians to his birth-state of Montana, before heading on a South American adventure across the Andes mountain range, eventually falling in love with Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. The daughter of a US Foreign Service Officer, Beth also spent time in the Andes, as well as a host of US states on both coasts, before moving to Seattle, just blocks from where her beloved Celtic harp had been created, years before. The duo has drawn comparisons to acts like The Civil Wars, Damien Rice, the Swell Season, The Banner Days, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. March to May is a Josie Show Awards nominee and an Akademia Awards Winner. The Water’s Edge is the debut release from March To May, out April 25th, 2015. It features the #1 Yallwire video single, “Embers.” For more information, visit www.marchtomay.com.