After all their equipment was stolen in Chicago, The Vallures hold a
Photo Credit: Greg Clarke
On their final day of tour, after making stops in Lafayette and the Chicago area, local Rock-n-Soul band, The Vallures, woke up in Chicago to find all of their equipment, including instruments, amps, and cables, missing from their van. Front-woman Jessica Franco, a Gary, Indiana native, said, “To me, Chicago is my home…it was like I got ripped off.”
After the incident, the band filed a police report, checked the local pawn stores, and hung posters in hopes of finding their missing gear. With no luck, it’s been approximately three months since their equipment was taken.
The all girl group, plus one “bearded lady” named Bryce, is now borrowing equipment from very generous local musicians and venues, including Davy Jay Sparrow, Austin Lucas, Craig Brennerm and The Switchyard. After searching for their own equipment and borrowing from friends, The Vallures have decided it’s time to buy their own.
On Friday, January 27, The Vallures will be holding a benefit show at Max’s Place in hopes to raise enough money to buy their own equipment so they can keep moving forward in their musical ventures.
Image Credit: Tall and Small Photography
The show, titled “A Very Vallures Variety Pity Party,” will begin at 7:30 pm and will include performances from The Vallures and special guests Davy Jay Sparrow and His Well-Known Famous Drovers, The Size of Color, Chris Barth, Ziona Riley and Auxiliary Austin, The 123′s, and DJ Bongo.
The cover is $5, with proceeds benefiting The Vallures. By buying your way into the show, you’ll also receive one raffle ticket. Prizes include Pure Romance Gift Baskets and gift cards for Bloomington restaurants and shops. More raffle tickets can be purchased for $1 each.
Aside from needing new equipment, The Vallures are also searching for a female saxophone player to add to their “Wall of Sound.” The band has a full calendar of performances ahead of them and are looking to have a record out in the spring.
They’re bringing back the sounds of Motown, along with the hair, the coordinated dresses, and the dance moves. Franco hopes to see a lot of familiar and new faces at A Very Vallures Variety Pity Party. “We like what we do. It doesn’t matter to us if your 5 or 85. Everyone we play for has a really good time.”
You can find The Vallures on Facebook, YouTube, and ReverbNation. They will also be featured on WTIU in the near future. More details on the event can be found at A Very Vallures Variety Pity Party Facebook event page.
A Very Vallures Variety Pity Party
Friday, January 27
Max’s Place (108 W. 6th Street Bloomington, IN)
7:30pm
It’s good the band has been able to pull through so successfully. I hope they have an awesome pity party! Great article. Thank you for the information.
Makes me think of The Bachelorettes from Special Passenger records http://www.speshpassrecords.com
Good luck girls, I hope to catch a show sometime.