So I flaked on my promise of updating this thing once a
week. The past few weeks have kind of been a little overwhelming. I hope you
understand.
Before I begin, I would like to state that the opinions and
views I am about to express are solely mine, and do not in anyway reflect those
of anyone else in Bellwether, or Bellwether as a band.
I also would like to ask anyone who feels so inclined to
refrain from reposting this elsewhere. Part of the reason I use a blogspot
instead of a tumblr is that I find blogspot to be more intimate. Despite this
being on the internet, I know that only the handful of people who bothered to
click the link will read this, and that’s the way I like it. It sounds silly,
but this is therapeutic for me, and I am writing this to help put my mind at
ease, not to stir up any drama.
For
years now, I have worked tirelessly as a musician to write music that meant
something to me and share it with as many people who would give me the
privilege of listening. Growing up, touring the country and playing music that
I had poured my heart into had always been a dream of mine, and that dream was
beginning to come into fruition with Bellwether. Having done a handful of tours
with Bellwether up until this point, I can say that all the hard work I had put
in, not just in this band but my previous endeavors as well, had been starting
to pay off.
The
past few weeks have been especially difficult for me, as well as the rest of
the guys in Bellwether, because of the actions that were inappropriately taken
by a politically correct obsessed vigilante who orchestrated a witch hunt, a la
Joseph McCarthy, with the vindictive, and admitted, intent of ruining
Bellwether’s reputation and touring prospects, effectively hindering my ability
to pursue my dream. As many of you may know by now, allegations of sexual
assault against my drummer, and good friend, Harry, has enticed a mob of
ill-informed individuals to take to the internet in hopes of getting us kicked
off our anticipated tour with our good friends in Seaway by using scare tactics
to intimidate venues and promoters alike; unfortunately, they succeeded.
I
am writing this to say that I personally have no ill will toward Seaway. Words
can’t really describe how upset I am that we wont be able to do this tour with
them, but I understand fully that this was a decision that was out of their
hands and was made strictly with business in mind. Locke, Esh, Ken, PC and
Shoji are some of the best dudes I had ever had the pleasure to hit the road
with and I wish them a safe and successful tour, and I still consider them some
of my best friends. I encourage all of you to go out and support them on this
tour and pick up their album “Hoser.”
I have not had the
misfortune of meeting the misled,
vicious man-child responsible for spearheading this smear campaign,
but I can say with confidence that his parents did not name him aptly. Had he
lived up to his name, he wouldn’t have maliciously and irresponsibly attempted
to destroy reputations based on hearsay. I have done nothing to provoke this
guy and certainly did not deserve to have all of my hard work tarnished, and
quite possibly destroyed, because of his vendetta with my band. To deliberately
sabotage something that I have spent more than a decade working to achieve, and
to cause not just my band and I, but my family who has been a non-stop source
of support from the time I expressed interest in music, all this anguish is
despicable. Being in a band himself, he must know the struggle you have to go
through building something from the ground up, and because of that I have no
respect for him.
As for the girl
involved, I want to express that
although I strongly suspect that her
story was born out of embarrassment,
I do not wish her any harm and I strongly
urge everyone to treat her with respect and to desist from directing any
spiteful comments at her. This is a difficult situation for her as well
and she doesn't deserve to be attacked the same way my band I have.
Everyone reading this needs to be aware that this could happen to
you. You can work toward realizing your dream and someone you don't even
know can post gross misrepresentations about you that can potentially ruin
everything you've worked for and cherish. Don’t be afraid to take a stand
against this kind of slanderous bullying. It could be your band, your
friend, your sister or brother next.
To
all the girls out there, please never be intimidated or feel compelled to do
anything you feel uncomfortable doing or do not wish to do. Neither I, nor my
band, would engage in or condone non-consensual sexual activity of any kind. It
is reprehensible and abhorrent to each and every one of us. With that in
mind, I stress to all girls to
know that you have the power and the right to change your mind, stop, get
up and walk away.
And
finally to everyone who has stood by Bellwether through all of this, thank you.
Thank you for seeing us through the hard times, and celebrating the good times.
You guys are the fuel that keeps this band going. Without you guys, we wouldn’t
be half the band we are today. We say it all the time, but it’s true; this is
you band too. Thank you, for everything. We’ll see you guys in 2014. Brace
yourself for the best music we have ever written.
I hope to continue on with my “memoirs” next week. I am
currently juggling three jobs, as well as working on a new record with
Bellwether, so all the time I had when I first started this project has kind of
disappeared. But I intend to continue to post here as frequently as possible.
Thank you for reading.
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