Austin Crane is no stranger to TheBlueIndian.com; Since our initial post about him in late 2009, his work has made multiple writers “Best of” lists, been showcased in our Acoustic Alley series, and featured in just about every other way that we can. Needless to say, we’re big fans of his music and were slightly disappointed when he announced a few years back that he would be relocating to Seattle – if only because it meant we wouldn’t get to see him as much.

Somewhere along the way, Austin was introduced to Amy Godwin, another artist we have tremendous love for, and the two began working and performing together. This, plus a few close friends and collaborators, eventually led to Valley Maker as it is today – though the project originated as part of Crane’s thesis while studying at University of South Carolina.

With the full band living and working together in Washington, they spent the last year creating When I Was a Child. Scheduled for release on September 25th, the album is an immensely beautiful collection of songs, deeply poetic and warm, as listeners have come to expect from the songs released over the last few years.

In early October, Crane and company make a much anticipated return to the Southeast for a string of dates that includes a show in Columbia, SC, the origin of “Valley Maker”.

Check out the video for “Only Friend” below, the first track released from the album.

Valley Maker – “Only Friend” Official Video