Elise Trouw. Credit: Courtesy of D Tour
Independent venues and promoters across the country have teamed up for a new program dubbed D Tour.

D TOUR, a new, artist-driven collective dedicated to “doing business in the economy of touring,” launched last March. The network of independent venues and promoters from across the country includes the Happy Dog. The program will offer national artists “locally owned, unique venue experiences” across multiple markets.

It consists of independent venues and promoters across the U.S. that are “critical to the longevity and success in any artist’s career.”  Through this new venture, the group seeks to ensure that the right artists reach the right audiences in the best spaces suited to them. The expertise of each state’s D TOUR representative enables them to advocate for the artist in their respective market and across the D TOUR network.

The first such D Tour will bring singer-songwriter Elise Trouw to the Happy Dog on March 21. She’s touring in support of new EP that’s produced by KOIL (Demi Lovato, Timbaland, Diddy, Sean Paul).

“For me, the opportunity to work with D TOUR and the venues they represent is a powerful solution to the many challenges artists face when planning and booking a national tour,” Trouw said in a statement last year. “I am very thankful and honored that D TOUR has chosen me as their first artist to tour across the U.S., and I can’t wait to get out and see my fans at the 35 shows we have on the books!”

As for her new work:

“Musically, this EP represents the kind of genre blending that I am drawn to in the music of the artists I love,” Trouw said in a statement. “Collaborating with KOIL brought a new life to these songs I’ve worked on over the last couple years, as some kind of self therapy — they reflect on the lessons and growth experienced from relationships in my young adulthood.”

Known for her self-produced YouTube videos, social media presence, and tours both as a solo looping artist and with her band, Trouw has opened for actus such as Incubus and Moon Child. She has performed on The Jimmy Kimmel Show and even recently filled in on drums for Seal at one of his shows.

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Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.