With our fbook group reaching higher numbers and FMLY gaining acknowledgement and recognition in the blogosphere, touring circuit as well as the respect that each one of you has given us, it’s very upsetting to share that we’re going to have to take a mandatory turn in a direction that none of us are comfortable with for the sake of keeping this dream alive.
I don’t want to disturb my friend’s privacy so I won’t go into great detail, but FMLY has taken a huge hit financially, emotionally, physically and in just about every other way. A close friend, a strong member of theFMLY and the sponsor/funder for On Your Body was held up at gun point and I’ll leave it at that. For this and many other reasons we need to take a step back and earn what we’ve lost. What this means for Ninjasonik, Japanther and Koalacaust in April…we don’t know yet, but at the moment our affairs are on hiatus. Rather than continuing at Out Of Asia we’re going to move to venues like the El Rey, Wiltern and relatives. We’ve found a temporary funder for The Bird and The Bee show, but our nights at SXSW are surely going to put us in debt, bankrupt and in a frenzy. Keep in mind that this is not permanent, because none of us are willing to break our principles…only bend them slightly.
I take it that if you care to keep up with us then we must have something in common, most likely the love for DIY ethic and sounds that penetrate the body – we love to feel alive, we don’t want to just be a part of something but we want to push whatever it is that we’re doing and we believe in not just ourselves to make this happen but our friends, our peers and each other.
We understand that we’ve each come from what we’ve created and we’re not asking for money – that’d be fucked up – but we’re asking for your help. Continue with the blog because THIS WILL NOT CHANGE, continue with our shows because NO MATTER WHAT WE WILL LEAVE A PIECE OF FMLY WHEREVER WE GO and continue to just be yourself. Even though we’re making a switch to venues rather than spaces, our aesthetic and our goal will not be tainted as we guarantee that epic satisfaction that keeps us going. To avoid any confusion, nothing within FMLY will change. Not our content, not our radio show – just our events…but we’ll make it as unnoticeable as we can.
This being said, get ready for the rest of ‘09 because even though our spirits, wallets and health are broken we are relentless in our dream and if it takes going balls out at every venue in between Hollywood and New York City then dammit we will do it. If it takes selling out only to turn the tables and change the future of live music as we know it then dammit we’ll do it! Maybe it’s the depression, maybe it’s the difficulties we’ve all faced in the past months, but I’m enthused to see where we’re going, what we’ll do and I can’t wait to find out along with the rest of you the future of FMLY.
I try to keep gratuitous profanity to a minimum when it comes to our site, but I want everyone to know where we stand. Fuck what it means to ‘go big,’ fuck charging $15+ dollars for a concert, fuck watching a band and just standing there, fuck the vip, fuck private gigs, fuck charging $25 for vinyl (animal collective, i love you more than i can ever express but i’m pointing my finger at you), fuck backstage passes, fuck stages in the ass, fuck sound and lighting guys who work solely for the paycheck and thank you so much to sound and lighting guys who love what they do, fuck age restrictions, fuck anywhere that doesn’t allow you to byob, fuck the fire marshall, fuck the police, praise the 15-year old whose favorite band is Klaxons because one day he’ll learn about artists like Steve Reich and Wendy Carlos and enter a realm of sound he’ll wish he always knew existed, praise Crank Mob, praise PopGun, praise Bikes In The Kitchen, praise our Brooklyn homies, our San Francisco pals, our Australian secret lovers and our L.A. besties for always setting the bar so high, we’re thankful for Out Of Asia and LittleRadio, we’re thankful for the love that Cameron’s parents have always shown, my mom’s support, and the Miltz’ for believing in us, we’re thankful for Nick Inglis who introduced me to Gorilla vs Bear in 10th grade and inspired me to begin my own blog which down the road led here and introduced me to one of the strongest passions I’ve ever felt, we’re thankful to everyone who reads FMLY all around the world because you each are the most amazing people that I have yet to meet and we’re thankful for everyone and everything else that goes unmentioned…we love you. I’m tearing up again.
Love,
yourFMLY
Japanther – Challenge
Ninjasonik – No No No (Best Fwends RMX)
Meals For Children – Geebot (Mario Luna live on FMLY Radio)
Her Space Holiday – A Small Setback To A Great Comeback
J Dilla – Let’s Take It Back
Yacht – I Will Bend Backwards
