Locals strive to make Prescott the artistic, music, and entertainment capital of the region, while paying it forward
Prescott is becoming the artistic, musical, and entertainment capital of the Southwest … that is, if Candace Devine has anything to say about it. And she does, as the host of the Creative Convergence podcast, which she records weekly at Raven Sound Studio in downtown Prescott.
On the show, she talks with creatives of every kind about their journeys and career paths in the arts. She’s drawing big names like Dave Koz, the nine-time Grammy-nominated Jazz artist, international award-winning composer Nuno Malo from Portugal, and Prescott’s own Michaela Carter, author of the new novel Leonora in the Morning Light out through Simon and Schuster. Candace dives into their lives and the crossroads of their life’s paths — uncovering the hidden story of success within the arts.
Candace also heads up the newly formed multi-media production company, Further West (a rebirth of Raven Productions). Further West launched as a vehicle to produce curated live events in Prescott. 2020 required a focus on more online content and entertainment. As local working musicians struggled to find a venue in the early months of COVID, Further West facilitated an online outlet that found support around the country and the world, and they doubled down on their efforts with the Creative Convergence podcast.
When Acker Night 2020 was canceled, Further West stepped in to create the “1st Annual Christmas City Special,” featuring Prescott musicians and viewed by more than 30,000 people. More recent developments include the creation of a quarterly Songwriters Lab, and the soon-to-launch music docuseries, Further West Presents: Live from The Raven Sound Studio. This show features local and national up-and-coming musicians and bands discussing their process, inspiration, and ideas while writing their songs.
As we begin to see light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, Further West is busier than ever. The team is in the development phase of a children’s show as well as a handful of live events being planned for the latter part of this year and onward.
At the helm of all the content creation are Candace Devine, Dylan Ludwig, and Steve Hollingsworth. With combined talents in performance, film, audio production, and a broad scope of interests, they have committed themselves to make great conversation-worthy media while still paying it forward. Further West donates a portion of any proceeds to the Prescott Unified School District to support art and music programs in our schools and is leveraging the brand to develop youth arts programming in the area.
Listen to the podcast on Apple or Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-creative-convergence/id1530228969 or https://open.spotify.com/show/5HhwFdzuJUgvviN4jqNBin?si=SplGtvvaSResG7EFdlaotw