November Newsletter: Thank you

As November is the month for giving thanks, I want to turn again to gratitude - to all of you.

This project has had a remarkably singular trajectory in its 15 years of existence. In spite of existing its first four years on internet pages, with no tours, no consistent live band, no label support, and no coverage on the blogosphere, by 2014 I was ordering boxes of T-shirts to my house to ship out to fans. In a time when I had no certainty in a career or future prospects, you all gave me hope. Thank you for that. Then I found a band and a label, and it did become a career, but not a career that ever fit along industry lines. We followed up our “breakthrough success” with a painstaking re-recording of a much older album, then a very odd collection of songs influenced by EDM and modern pop, then four years of hiatus in sickness, recovery, and creative exploration, then a vaguely medieval-themed album filled with very long songs and very few repeating choruses.

In all of our strange pivots and unpopular decisions, you have met them with curious and open hearts, listening and absorbing each new work until you could accept it. Because of you alone, we’ve persevered to this point in spite of each new move being an inevitable belly flop from the industry’s perspective. Our fanbase has not only stuck with us, but expanded and become incredibly diverse - not just culturally, but in tastes and preferences. The various flavors of our catalogue function now like a solar system, each element of our style attracting different ears. There are many who would prefer fandom within a smaller and more predictable system; I’m so grateful that you’ve continued to orbit within this strange, evolving one, and helped make it as expansive as it is.

Many of you have gone to incredible lengths to support the band - giving up space on your bodies for tattoos, traveling long distances to see us live, waiting in line for hours outside of stores or venues, giving up a large portion of a small income to give us some business. I want to thank and acknowledge all of you. I also want to acknowledge the fans who don’t have any outward gestures to show for their fanship, but who listen carefully and lovingly to our music, and take it to heart. We make our music over long periods of quiet and reflection, taking very seriously the craft of making a record that can tackle difficult emotions meaningfully, or assembling a live show that can be satisfying from start to finish. We do it counting on those fans who take it seriously on the other end. Thank you - without you, I would have given up long ago. 

What are you grateful for this month?