Australian folk-pop trio Set Sail were victims of violin thieves as the integral instrument was stolen from their London hostel two weeks ago. They were only a month and a half into their quest to become the first band to tour all seven continents when the tragedy struck.

Now, the group is eating nothing but white rice to spend as little as possible while raising funds to buy a new violin and achieve their record-setting goal.

With a fundraising campaign called "Rice Up Your Life!", the unsigned singers want to prove that you don't have to be rich and famous to travel the world playing music, although you might have to eat a lot of rice. So far they've raised over $3,800 of their $10,000 goal, having played through 8 countries in Europe and Asia.

Another unique aspect of this autonomous arrangement is that none of the shows have been scheduled, which music technology company Ultimate Ears calls "a new development model for independent artists." They stage and film guerilla shows in various locations, "from a 75 milk crate stage in the middle of a Sydney highway to a 4am set for the cabin crew on our flight to Dubai."

Filmmaker Damian Dekker is documenting the performances for The World Stage webseries, as well as a feature-length documentary that will be released in 2012.

Those who donate will receive digital downloads, t-shirts, or their names on the band van. Whoever can donate $1,000 will be honored with the autographed violin. Watch Set Sail explain their mission in this video!

Source: PRweb.com