Get Withered Hand To SXSW!

Sign the petition now...

Edinburgh artist Withered Hand needs your help to beat visa regulations and get on the plane to SXSW!

The past two years have seen the Edinburgh music scene reinvent itself. Battling apathy, struggling venues and more a series of artists such as FOUND, Broken Records and more have put the city on the map.

One of the real lynchpins of the Edinburgh scene is Withered Hand. An alias for musician Dan Wilson, the singer has helped energise the music community with his open, inventive brand of songwriting.

Invited to perform at SXSW, it seems that his visa has landed on the wrong desk. From the Withered Hand blog…

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Bad news…. I found out, with less than a week to go till my flight on Saturday, that my visa petition, which I had been assured by my Visa agency was a strong one, has been flagged by a US immigration official as requiring more evidence of my “extraordinary ability” and proof that I have achieved “significant recognition” and have either performed or will perform at “events that have a distinguished reputation”. er….. hang on… so being invited to perform at SXSW doesn’t count? Apparently I am one of a handful of musicians who landed on the wrong desk, or on the wrong day and encountered a very unhelpful interpretation of the regulations.

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What? I mean seriously… what!?

Debut album ‘Good News’ is a fantastic piece of work, and when you consider the major label charlatans who are ushered onto the bill at SXSW the news that Withered Hand could be blocked on grounds of quality really beggars belief.

Make your voice heard by signing a petition set up by fans HERE.

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