Overview

Hello world! We are Ariana Hodes & The Longest Year and we’re a band from the beautiful city of Cincinnati, OH.

Working full-time in multiple restaurants doesn’t leave a lot of time or energy for the creative process. So when we met in Nashville in 2017, we bonded over the struggles we each faced in that arena. We were living in a town meant for the pursuit of music and neither of us could quite figure out the “how” of it all. So, we took a baby step and met up for a co-write, (a tenet of Nashville’s songwriting scene), and boy was it ever the beginning of a beautiful friendship and creative partnership!

Throughout Ariana returning to school in NYC, the COVID pandemic, Cassie moving to Ireland and then Cincinnati, and several more moves on Ariana’s part, we’ve remained dedicated to our collaboration. We performed together whenever we could, however infrequently, and kept the dream alive. Making our first co-written songs a recorded reality happened slowly over 2023 and 2024, and now we’ve got some new tunes that are absolutely killer. With your help we can give them the professional studio treatment we know they deserve! 

The material is ready, and the musicians are waiting -- this Plaid Dog campaign is the final step toward creating our first ever, professionally produced studio album

This campaign is raising funds for our professionally recorded album with Ryan Gallagher  in Boston, MA. Ryan is a seasoned Boston-based producer and engineer with experience working with both established and up-and-coming musicians. Together, we are digging into our original material, writing arrangements, and reaching out to local musicians to bring the songs to life. 

We’ve been able to cover the costs of recording and producing one song, which is ready for you to check out right here on this page. This first song is called “When the Light Turns Yellow,” and you can check it out below!

While we've been able to fund the recording process for "When the Light Turns Yellow” on our own, to create an album of songs of this quality, studio costs add up quickly. With that said, this campaign can give us a unique opportunity to collaborate and make great art together. Your donation will cover the following costs of our project:

1. Pre-Production: This is where everything starts.  and I will start crafting the arrangements for each song slated for the album. We’ll hold rehearsals to fine-tune the songs and arrangements and talk through new and exciting ideas for how to approach the recording process.

2. Recording: This is when we enter the studio and start capturing the music and where the songs become what you'll hear on this album. This campaign will play a huge role in making sure we have enough time to capture great performances for every member of the band.

3. Mixing & Mastering: Each track will get mixed to create the right balance between instruments, texture and color that make up a track. As a final step, the album will be mastered from beginning to end so that the listening experience is cohesive and carefully choreographed from start to finish.

And what will you get for your generosity and support? So many awesome things!

We are so appreciative and grateful for any support you can lend to this campaign. In exchange for your generosity, We've put together a really exciting group of gifts that are available exclusively through your participation in this campaign.

Check out some examples below and a full list to the right!

Music is what we’re here on this planet at this moment to do. We’ve spent plenty of time doubting, questioning, denying, and ignoring that fact (and RIP to all that wasted time and energy!) but we’re embracing it now. There have been so many obstacles - both external and internal - to moving our careers as artists forward, but here in 2025 we are in a position to take the steps and build the momentum to really make a go at this full-time artist thing, and this project is the perfect springboard!

While some musicians are quite successful sitting alone in their room with a computer and a song. That’s not either of us. We love the collaboration and the sparks that happen with multiple creative geniuses working on a project. We also are well aware of our own limitations, of what we still have to learn! Getting to work with professionals who can bring their expertise and outside perspective to our songs (our babies!) is what we need to capture these songs in their fullest form. We pour our true souls into everything we write, and we intend all of our music as a gift for you; maybe that’s in solidarity, in challenging/educating on different perspectives, in bringing joy and comfort, or in simply putting a voice to a feeling that we don’t know how to express but we all share.

We’ve gotten this far on our own, but we know we can go so much further with other amazing, talented, generous souls on our side. And that’s the true vision of success, we think: building the community that cares about what we have to offer. So if that’s you, thank you, and welcome! Here’s to making all the music together. 

If you're ready to contribute, just click the "Back This Project" button on the top right of this page! Every little bit counts, and we’re so grateful for all your support.

If you have folks in your network that would be interested in supporting us, please feel free to share this page with them.

Thank you so much for checking out our campaign page. We can't wait to share this music with you.