To the loyal friends of Eisley's music:
Sun Nov 23, 2003 8:20 pm
Note: I purposely tried to used another word beside "fans". I can't bring
myself to use it...even though i say i am one. Maybe it's just me, but
somehow that word seems to frame the relationship in an improper,
inflated context - inferring some relational hierarchy... astatus...
which has no place among the Eisley Queens and the subjects in her
Kingdom. (just kidding...there are only Kings in the palace) 
Anyway, I'm sorta ok with the word friends...but perhaps that could
come off insincere - seeing how we don't know many of you; and
lately, I guess it's "most" of you... Speaking of "most", this is growing
really fast; the forum, the response to the band's music, the media, the
opportunities, etc. I thought it was time to mostly just say thanks; and
whatever else pops into my incoherant head.
None of us ever really expected this to expand beyond our little coffee
house/rock venue in Tyler... and certainly not ever to this point. I'm not
sure how it is with other bands...but we're dang thankful; I suspect that
many dream of being on stage before thousands - living the rock star
life, etc. Honestly, that's never remotely been a part of Eisley's dream.
I'm not judging those motivations...I'm just telling you it's not the
motivation of this band. And I'm not trying to craft out some false
"position" of humility. It's simply the truth.
The events and opportunities that have unfolded in the last year - starting
with the Coldplay tours, signing with WB, Rolling Stone/Filter/Blender/
MTV, (dozens more national lifestyle pub's) etc. - seem as surreal to us
as it might have to you. Nobody would have ever predicted this outcome.
And I just want to go on record right now as saying how utterly thankful
we are... how humbled we are over the kind words you guys squirt out of
your heads onto this forum. Reading some of the posts makes me cry.
Not because I think the reaction equates to ultimate success. Nobody in
Eisley's camp equates success to dollars. Dollars are a someone else's
end goal.
The only thing dollars means to the band is: hopefully it lessens the
chance of interruptions or setbacks; the hope of long term survival (yes,
paying bills and eating food and staying warm in the winter) is always a
concern for any band... and that's all tied in with song writing and record
making and touring and selling merch, etc. Since the fragile balance of
this band's survival is tied into our family's full time involvement,
it's a riskier path. Our commitment is anchored in an early decision that
we weren't going to turn our offspring over to the wolves (the record
industry) I mean, what the heck - young, attractive girls in sleezy bars?
No freaking way. And besides, parenting doesn't stop when they turn 14
or 17 or 21.
Anyway, I'm not sure which way I'm going with all of this. I just wanted
you to know that it's not about fame or money; occationally, it does have
to do with survival, but...we're ok. Tours like this for an opening band are
surely not about money. It only costs money; the label shells out
thousands to put us on the road. It's all recoupable...that is to say,
somehow, the band has to pay it back. Obviously, they believe in Eisley
or they wouldn't risk the money. That's cool. Still, there are no guarantee's...
No matter what happens with this small blip (eisley) on the rock music
radar, we just want you guys who have been so amazing in spreading the
word and being such a huge part of what's happening with the band. You
do realize that this relationship is vital to eisley's existence. One is
no more important than the other... I mean, I guess the music
came first...but, without you, it would have stopped in their bedrooms
and never been heard. Art doesn't require a response to be fine,
but commercial art, no matterfine, must have an audience. Plenty of
bands create art but never find a market. Few bands ever even make it
to the stage where Eisley is at...even fewer move on to succeed past this
phase; it's fragile, volatile; the path paved with setbacks, disap
pointments, failures...(spears, pipebombs, landminds); you guys know
this.
Everybody knows that the big thing today is the big thing of the past
tomorrow. We live in an age where we discard everything. Nothing
satisfies... everything is a fast-food fix. "On, on...on to the next one".
So, I just wanted to say right now - thank you...to those who are good
friends, to those we'll meet on the road...thanks for taking time out of
your day to encourage Eisley along the way...thanks for spending your
hard earned money to come to shows...for driving across the country to
see them...for buying the ep's, for subscribing to the email list, for
spreading little bits and samples of eisley's music in your workplace's,
high-school's, colleges; thankyou for the interviews and journalism, and
radio shows and all the clubs...and to the press you've created, thank's
for writing stories and featuring them...and thanks to you guys who have
helped me personally and volunteered to help me do things I don't know
how to do or don't have the time to do; to those who help us load and
unload, helped us with merch, burned CD's, and I can't forget Dave and
Darin from Nettwerk or Craig at WB who've become great friends,etc.
One never knows what tomorrow brings...that's why we live one day at a
time... and be thankful for what's happening today. It could all vaporize
tomorrow; I wanted to say thanks while there's a method and opportunity
to say it.
An insightful label-mate said it this way: "...Let them know you realize
that life goes fast; It's hard to make the good things last; You realize the
sun doesn't go down; It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning
round."
If it all goes away tomorrow - or the next day - or in a year, we just want
you to know how much we are amazed...and talk about you guys, your
love, your faithfulness to this cause...(I guess it's a kind of "cause")...how
shocked we are to read the responses to eisley's music on the forum,
etc... gosh. Just want to say, "thankyou". I feel vulnerable and stupid to a
degree, but what's new.
Oh, and I should say thanks to Brand New and Hot Rod Circuit for making
this tour so amazing; they're encouragement and support is 100 times
more than we ever expected. It doesn't really matter if you guys like or
don't like their music or genre' - or understand why we keep talking
about them. Love transcends genre'...eisley is all about relationships.
There guys are amazing. We're very thankful to be on this tour - whether
or whether not their fans like eisley or not.
That's all I have to say now. Understand for newbies, I write whatever
seems right to me...this is like my Xanga. It's not some label approved
publicity or whatever. It's a vehicle to connect with people.... and to
inform people as to what's going on with Eisley - both from an honest,
inside view and a global, informational view. I'm a total hack, don't
profess to know how to spell, punctuate, write decently, etc. I just write
stuff I'd want to know about this band if I were you. And, I am you. I am
he, also...and we are all together.
Thanks and God bless.
Boyd
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