Pre-order the Deconstruct Rebuild t-shirt knowing that 100% of all profits from the sales will be donated back to Travis. I expect to ship them around the new year.
If cool black band shirts aren't your thing (how'd you end up here?), there is a GoFundMe campaign to help!
]]>In 2009 my friend Kyle called me to say that this was the year we needed to go to The Fest. He needled me that Small Brown Bike would be there - a rare outing. That did it. I was going to The Fest for the first time (and I never missed a year since - until the pandemic shut down the 2020 edition).
I finally got to see them live on that first day of The Fest 8 in The Venue alongside A Wilhelm Scream and American Steel. The next day, all sunburned from the pool party, a few dozen of us packed into the tiny back room of Flaco's (where they sell tacos now!) to see an acoustic set. Unfortunately it was a time before quality cell phones or I'd have some incredible footage from that sing-along.
There is no great wrap up to this story but to say: I am a fan for life and I've never missed the opportunity to see them play since. Their music has meant the world to me ever since I first heard "See You in Hell" some eighteen-ish years ago. There are songs in their catalog that for the rest of my days will never fail to automatically trigger incredibly specific memories of times, places and people. And for that, I cannot thank them enough.
When Travis shared his news, I figured there had to be some way to lend a hand - so I reached out to him. He was incredibly generous in agreeing to do this shirt. With it I am hopeful that, like with our first True Believers Apparel tees (that benefitted Doctors Without Borders), our community can come together to help someone who would really appreciate our support.
Pre-order the Deconstruct Rebuild t-shirt knowing that 100% of all profits from the sales will be donated back to Travis. I expect to ship them around the new year.
If cool black band shirts aren't your thing (how'd you end up here?), there is a GoFundMe campaign to help!
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Sorry for all of the radio silence as of late, but this Summer found ways to make 2020 even worse. But in a positive, yesterday I made our second donation to Doctors Without Borders for $800!
The pandemic rages on. Friday's reporting of new COVID-19 cases showed some of the highest daily totals in almost 2 months. Over 212,000+ American lives have been lost already while 10-15% of those infected are estimated to suffer long term complications to their health.
Stay diligent. Wear your mask.
Again a giant thank you to everyone who supported this project and those who helped to make it happen.
]]>A huge thanks again to all the participating groups: American Television, Ann Beretta, Crossed Keys, digger, The Fest, Fire in the Radio, Samiam and Weston!
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On this very night, ten years ago...or on a thunderstorm filled Sunday nearly 18 years ago, my friend and I took the 45 minute drive to Wilkes University. We were going to see one of our favorite bands, Breaking Pangaea, and a young band from New York - Coheed and Cambria. We had seen Coheed back in December 2001 and were in love with their new Equal Vision Records' debut "The Second Stage Turbine Blade"...
]]>This was the start of friendship that is now almost old enough to buy a lottery ticket. I now literally know them for more time than years of my life previously where I did not.
They would come to play a handful of shows in our little coal town scene. I would "help" them release one of their albums ("Two in the Chest") on my first d.i.y label (a.k.a front them money to slap my label on their CD).
They ran their course as a band but we always stayed in touch to a degree - and most of them are still playing music. Abe and Nick are in an indie rock outfit Wax Wav and Andrew plays bass in the melodic hardcore Crossed Keys.
Today marks 15 years since they played their last show together and we are celebrating. My label Black Shirt Music just released their full discography to the digital world for the first time. Then on June 20, Left Behind is playing a reunion show alongside Game Over and 3 Star China at Spaceboy Clothing in Wilmington, Delaware.
It has been a long weird road - things coming full circle in a way, but I love these folks and I hope you dig a listen!