Legendary Canadian prog metal frontman Devin Townsend has launched a Patreon, offering fans an exclusive look at new music, videos, performances and behind-the-scenes moments “without compromise”.
After announcing an indefinite break from touring, Canadian prog metal giant Devin Townsend has launched a new Patreon account for fans.
Kicking off the launch, the artist shared the first episode of his brand new show Ruby Quaker, which, in his words, is “an episodic series is a vehicle to share my Dreampeace performances, new gear I am exploring, and to tell my story towards the release of The Moth” (Townsend’s upcoming rock opera ten years in the making).
In a press release via The HevyDevy Relay, the artist would share his motivation for diving into the model, citing his curiosity with the platform for years. “I appreciate the idea of an avenue where artists can connect directly with their audience without the interference of algorithms, ads, or “content best practices”.
Townsend would then go on to write, “Patreon will be our creative home base: a community where I can share music, videos, performances, and behind-the-scenes moments without compromise”.
In April this year, the former Strapping Young Lad frontman would reveal that he would take an indefinite break from touring at the end of his current North American leg.
The ‘Kingdom’ singer would say the reasons were a mix between overwhelming logistics and needing to spend time with family: “Booking tours now means planning up to two years in advance. With fewer venues, fewer crews, and a saturated touring circuit, it’s become more challenging than ever to line things up,” he shared.
“Beyond the logistics, life has simply caught up with me: my parents need help, my dogs are on their last legs, the kids have moved out, The Moth is nearly complete, and truthfully, I need some time to breathe and recalibrate.”
Well, rather than taking a step back, the artist has entirely devoted himself to launching a Patreon, free from creative constraints.
In the same email, Townsend promised the Patreon will offer:
- Unreleased music, starting with a new song (Dad’s Lament)
- Exclusive early looks at new projects, sessions, and works-in-progress
- Album deep dives
- Demos, ideas and sounds from the archives
- Livestreams and Q&As directly from the studio and abroad
- Photos from near, far, and wherever adventures take us
- Early & exclusive access to merch, tickets (where possible)
- And finally, a special livestream: A HevyDevy Christmas on December 20th, where the Canadian guitarist will give away, among other things, one of my guitars to an early annual subscriber.
“This isn’t a GoFundMe or a stopgap,” Townsend would write. “It’s a year-long experiment in creative independence. I want to see if we can sustain an environment where I can make the best work of my life with you all there beside me.”
This isn’t the artist’s first foray into unconventional music releases. In 2014, Townsend would be one of the first mainstream artists to fund a solo album through GoFundMe. Working with singer Ché Aimee Dorval, the duo would release Casualties of Cool, an alternative country/ambient concept album.
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