Ive been doing a lot of soul searching over the last couple months to figure out what the best move would be for myself and the future of SCHORN Promotions and Faces Unturned. I have spent the last 17 years of my life in the local music scene..playing drums, running sound, booking, promoting, organizing festivals, putting out the magazine, etc. Its been one hell of a ride and I wouldnt change any of it, because it has all led me to where I am today. Over the last 17 years, Ive gotten to know a ton of people in the local scene: band members, venue staff, fans, their families, etc. Its nearly every other day Im reminded of some type of impact Rocktoberfest and Carolina Metalfest has had on someones life. From it was my first concert to it was the first time I threw up drinking, ...first time I ate mushrooms, I met my husband/wife at one of your shows, etc. I have to say it is very humbling to hear so many positive things that have come from all the time and effort Ive put in with SCHORN Promotions in the last 6 years. Ive also had the pleasure of getting to know lots of people on the national circuit: Nationally touring bands (some of which Ive been fans of and following since I was a kid and now call friends), other promoters, booking agencies, etc. I started off as a drummer in a local band, volunteered to work all of the live shows I could for the experience with little to no pay and did everything I could to learn anything I could about this business. I left the last serious band I was in back in 2006 and couldnt find a satisfactory project for several years...this is when I began to start promoting in 2009, and eventually it became a full time thing with a life of its own. To be honest, if I had known the amount of work it would take to pull it off...Id have never even attempted it! My dedication to the music scene has cost me much more than most know. They see the shows and how theyre presented and dont realize that 99% of it is carried on the back of one person: booking, promoting, organizing, attending council meetings for permits, all the legal stuff, sanitation, graphic design (flyers, posters, tshirts, etc.), web design, promo videos, etc... Not only has it pretty much bankrupted me financially, robbed me of nearly every ounce of free-time, etc.. it has ruined relationships and friendships and even in a round about way family relationships. For the last 3 years, Ive pretty much lived out of a bag bouncing around from place to place...most of the time not knowing how Im going to get to see my kids or even how I will eat a meal for the day. Before going into promoting full time, I left a $40K+ / year job to do so. Back then, I was financially independent for the most part. I had money to buy my kids toys anytime I wanted to...which was very often. I could take them to the movies.. went out to eat whenever I wanted to, etc. So in some way, for the last 3 years I have made a conscious decision to struggle and persue the rock n roll dream. I went from owning a house, a nice truck, bad ass RX-8, around $20K in music equipment and plenty of other luxiouries to being jobless, carless, homeless and at one point in jail for being unable to pay child support. I have given my all to this endeavor and have reached a very crucial point in it. I can no longer, in good faith, put my well being and my ability to be a good father to my children in jeopardy. Its like they tell you on an airplane..when the oxygen masks drop, put yours on first because you cant help anyone if you cant help yourself. And that is the predicament I find myself in now....struggling for oxygen and unable to help myself or anyone else. This has been a hell of a ride, but it doesnt pay the bills. And it doesnt put food on the table. With that being said, I will be taking a long break from SCHORN. To be more specific, there will not be a Carolina Metalfest or Rocktoberfest planned for 2015. However, I will be working on Volume 2 of The Sound of the Underground and possibly some merch as well. I feel like the magazine has a much better reach for those bands with 1/2 the investment and time it takes to pull it off. Aside from that, I will be putting my focus towards finding stable income, getting on my feet, being a better father and focusing on being a musician again. I began promoting to fill the void of not being involved in the local scene while I wasnt playing in a band. 8 years later, I now have a solid band of brothers and I really want to take some time to focus on that. Building all the relationships I have with SCHORN has opened up lots of opportunities for me and FU that a lot of local bands do not have the priviledge of having and for that, I am grateful. The future of Faces Unturned is looking brighter than it ever has! We have 2 more shows to finish off the year: an acoustic show to benefit Folds of Honor (Dec. 13th) and a full electric set on New Years Eve. After that, FU will be taking a break until mid-March. We plan to release our album around Jan/Feb and begin touring in March. We have lots of things in the works with those including some label interest in the album and potentially touring with a few huge national acts. That is all I will say at the moment, but we are extremely humbled and grateful for these opportunities. It has taken a lot of hard work, money, sacrifices, favors, etc... but Im hopeful that it will be worth it in the end. We have a chip and a chair and were in the game...we just have to play those cards right. To EVERYONE who has ever been involved in anything SCHORN has done. Thank you! From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate everything anyone has ever done. From investing in the show, helping promote the show, performing at the show, helping work the show, coming to the show, etc. None of the memories would exist if it were just me dreaming a dream of putting on a local rock festival. It took all of you believing in it and participating to make it happen. Some of the best times of my life were at these shows and Ill never forget a single beautiful memory. Hopefully I will be able to return to SCHORN at some point full time and bring the festivals back, but that is a dream for another night. I really do appreciate all of the love and support over the last several years! Cheers to those who are putting their all into this scene and most likely getting nothing from it but a smile. I respect you all! Im proud to call you friends and will be cheering you on from the sidelines!
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 01:13:56 +0000
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