First off, I’d like to say thank you to everyone that has supported us during this truly crappy year that everybody has been enduring.
As some of you may or may not know we entered into 2020 with radically different album, tour and business plans than from where we are emerging now, its undoubtably affected everyone top to bottom in the music industry.
We got a little stung and lost a lot of money due to the implosion, and it forced us to really re-evaluate how we want to do things during, and after this crisis.
In fact, its actually turned out to be the healthiest thing for the band as it solidified our core values and has stripped away all the bullshit that we have had to deal with in a pre COVID world.
Throughout our history we have had a healthy dose of the DIY ethic, and that’s actually because we have had bugger all support from anybody else (only from our fans, friends and family), and since our music doesn’t neatly fall into a nice cliché, we have never been really sellable in the corporate world of mainstream metal. For many years we have tried to enhance what we do by employing people in those worlds to help- but has usually left a bad taste in our mouths, and deep cynicism in our hearts.
Before I go any further this is most certainly not a ‘woe is me’ tale, actually quite the opposite, we have never felt more positive about what we do and why we do it. Why? Because we have fully returned to what we always sensed was the truth and what that really means.
Do…it…yourself!
Today is a world where you can realise worldwide distribution, royalty collection, and interaction right into the pockets of everybody in the world for a pittance. The old world of music industry professionals may have the bragging rights, but they are struggling for relevancy, and more and more trade on the past in a haphazard fashion. For sure it’s overcrowded now and it’s one of the biggest challenges a band can face to cut above the noise, maybe these ‘do you know who I am types’ have the contacts to help with that, maybe not- but who cares when the most glaringly obvious facet in the modern world of connecting with your audience is precisely in the title? CONNECTING.
We want to do just that, because when we look back, just as when we look forward, the best memories are the people, the places and the journey we took, not the destination, not some sky-high numbers that don’t correlate with reality.
The value our fans give us with their support and interaction, one on one after the show, here online with the thoughts and discussion, and wigging out with us on some loud fucking metal whether its 10 people or a 1000 people.
I guess this is evolving into a love letter/call to arms more than when I first started penning it, haha, but the message is the same-
THANKYOU to our fans and welcome to our new ones as we unashamedly run the rodeo from PTF mission control, we’ll make more mistakes along the way I’m sure- but some pretty damn cool memories too! Here’s to a brighter 2021 for all us.
Happy New Year
PTF Jan 2021