With a name that sounds like it was pulled out of a Cormac McCarthy book, Austin Crane of Columbia, South Carolina, first recorded music as Valley Maker for his senior thesis project at the University of South Carolina back in 2010. The self-titled collection functioned as ten musings on the Book of Genesis, and though we know nothing of the assignment, it’s safe to assume he got an A.
After moving to Seattle to pursue his PhD at the University of Washington, Crane has expanded the Valley Maker project (originally named after one of Bill Callahan’s songs as Smog), recently putting together a new album of material—this time not for a grade. When I Was A Child comes out in a few weeks, but you can already hear the tracks “Only Friend” and “By My Side,” and now we have a live version of “By My Side” to premiere as well. That performance, recorded at Seattle’s Fremont Abbey, is available to watch below.
When I Was A Child is available for pre-order, and you can catch Valley Maker at a handful of upcoming tour dates, which are below.
Valley Maker tour dates
September
25 – Barboza – Seattle, WA
27 – The Waypost – Portland, OR
30 – The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA
October
7 – New Brookland Tavern – West Columbia, SC
8 – Tir Na Nog – Raleigh, NC
9 – Redux – Charleston, SC
10 – The Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
11 – The Stone Fox – Nashville, TN
12 – The Mothlight – Asheville, NC
When I Was A Child is out September 25 via Brick Lane Records.
