Hello friends, and happy December to you!!
As we head towards the end of this year, we are looking ahead with much on our minds. We have a mix of excitement, uncertainty, concern for the unknown, and open hearts and minds as we continue looking forward. I normally try to keep emails and social media posts short, because that's what they say works best, but I realized I don't know who “they” are, so…a little more length this time.
First, we want to thank each and every one of you for all you do for us. Seeing you at shows, streaming our songs, buying shirts and stickers (and sticking those stickers in the best places haha), or just hearing back from you via email or social media or any of the many ways we can reach out to each these days. We appreciate all of it, and we count ourselves the luckiest people to have you in our lives, even if we only see you once a year. We've been doing this thing for some years now, and it's funny how it just keeps on changing in size and shape as the years tick by. One thing that doesn't change is this embarrassment of riches we feel to have you in our lives.
Next year is going to be a different year for us. Reckon we could've written that sentence every year for the last several, now that I think about it. Ha! But the difference this time has a unique shape to it. It feels very much like a new chapter - or a new section - or some analogy to when you turn the page of a book and it's this whole new thing (this is John writing this email - if Rebecca were writing, she is much smarter than I and could nail that analogy). I'm getting knee surgery in a couple weeks, and we'll be away from live shows for awhile as he heals up. Our goal is a return in about June, and we're planning a tour around Pondstock (IYKYK) to kick off this new chapter. We've got all this anxiety for what may or may not be, but at the end of it, we are looking forward to it.
Why are we looking forward to it? Because we're anxious to write some new material. On that note, I'm happy to say that we just kicked off writing on a new song last night. It's been a bit of a drought as we've been working these songs from “Fireball” so hard, and momentum is both a blessing and a curse. But today is we look into December and some quiet days ahead, I am STOKED as these major changes to that horrible thing called “routine” are what makes memories, and where our songs always tend to come from.
For local folks, we will be seeing you on the other side of the stage. Forgive my hobbling self as I crutch to my chair, but I can't wait to watch all your shows during these times we won't have our own.
We're also very much looking forward to the VINYL release of our album FIREBALL next year. That'll come around sometime in the Springtime. It's a double-record, with bonus content only available on vinyl.
And last, for now, we've got just a few shows left on this year, in what we call the “Holiday Hobble” as we wind these next couple weeks down. Of particular note, our year-end party is Dec. 16th, with our Ronnie's Hog Heaven family. We'll be there with our friends in Junebird and March Divide, and with our besties Brightwire. Mark your calendar and come holler at the moon once more with us. It'll be awhile until we do that again here in the local area.
Cheers y'all and if you've made it this far, thanks for helping me prove “them” wrong, those that say shorter is better on these kinds of things. It's nice to be able to range out and a bit and share a few minutes of life with you friends.
Big love y'all - see you soon,
John (and Rebecca, who approves of this message but wishes I would've got the “chapter” analogy right haha)
Dec 8 BRENHAM TX: Floyds Lounge
Dec 9 HOUSTON TX: Sofar Sounds
Dec 16 DICKINSON TX: Ronnie's Hog Heaven w/Brightwire / The March Divide / Junebird **YEAR END PARTY**