Both in gratitude and reflection on the release of our new album, heres a bit of a missive that I (Andrew) feel I need to get out into the world and off of my chest. I am only attaching my name to this because I havent cleared this with the rest of the band and I dont want to speak for others, though I do believe Id have their support. Weve felt so grateful for all of the kind words, coverage, fun shows and new friends. The feelings we have about the record are dwarfed by the feelings of thankfulness we all have for the help and encouragement from you all. When we started writing our new album last year, we were exhausted, had a line-up change to deal with, felt a bit defeated and unsure of where we were as a band. We didnt know how to carry on or what we wanted to be. Further, and far more damaging, we were caught up in all the chaff that surrounds being an independent musician: self-promotion, the scene, the idea of needing to conform to an aesthetic. We were sapped. Creating something is difficult, and even harder if you struggle with self-doubt, depression or any form of unstable mental or environmental maladies. And even when you know self-acceptance will outlast any external validation, it’s easy to get caught up in needing that “Good Job” sticker of approval from your peers. But approval doesn’t create; approval is the end of creation. That’s where we were stuck. Blake and I had a long talk on our front steps about what we wanted out of music, and we agreed that we wanted to create things we believed in; not things designed to get attention of those around us, but things we enjoyed playing and creating. We even talked about abandoning live shows in favor of creating music for ourselves. The idea was attractive because it meant we could avoid the circus of self-promotion. We talked with Pat too, and he agreed we were in a place that we needed to get out of creatively. With the help of some friends, we found a practice space and got out of our basement where practices often devolved into drinking beer and sitting in the yard. This dedicated space had fewer distractions. We decided we needed to wipe the slate from our old setlist and begin completely anew and went deep into the two half-songs we had at that point. Our excitement grew as the two songs evolved and grew. The endorphins of enjoying music again for music’s sake propelled us to write more and inspired us to try anything once—regardless of the ultimate outcome of an album, or a show, or anything. Aesthetic be damned because we were having fun, on our own, in a messy room in Northeast. So, I wanted to put this out there not only to share a story I’ve learned so much from personally, but to also acknowledge a few things publicly. I am not the first to realize these things, nor am I expecting anyone to “learn” from me. It’s merely an expression of thought and feeling. If you do connect to it, though, feel free to send us a message, share it with others, or get in touch because I love talking about stuff like this. We know it’s a luxury to have people listen to us. And, even in a city this great, we know we’re very privileged. As four white males we have it easy. Not everyone can afford a practice space; not everyone is welcomed into the scene. Our music community, and the city as a whole, has a lot of work to do on inclusiveness and support for women, the LGBT community and people of color. But there are wonderful people here who I know see this and are working at it so I’m hopeful for the future and ready to be an ally. It’s always easier to continue momentum laissez-fair than make a change so well need to be very intentional if we’re going to succeed. I know all I’ve learned in the past year about my own creative process would’ve been impossible without the help of the community. Thank you, again. For a fantastic experience. We are humbled. Please let’s keep making the scene better, more inclusive and supportive of the artists and potential artists who surround us.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 19:25:32 +0000
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