Hey everybody!.. Just wanted to recap everything that's happened and give you the up to date status of what's going on.
A few days ago we were driving to Seattle and lost control of the van just west of Spokane, WA... It went off the road, sliding sideways; the trailer hit a tree and ripped apart from the van, slowing us down considerably, before we hit another tree head on, spun around and landed on our side... We were all amazed that we came out of it completely unharmed other than a couple of bruises... Luckily all our personal belongings in the van, including our computers, were fine as well.
But our equipment paid the price... The trailer hit the tree right where Jevin's bass drum was stored, smashing up one side and cracking it down the middle in a few places, rendering it useless... His china cymbal was also cracked, though luckily none of the other cymbals or drums were damaged... Mine and Dan's favorite guitars were both cracked down the body, probably unfixable, and Dan's amp was also damaged, though we're not sure how much yet, we just know that in the first show back it stopped working after a few songs... There are some other miscellaneous damages like..toolboxes, guitar cases, and some harsh cosmetic damage to our amps, but everything else important is fine.
Kerry and Jason in Spokane set us up with a great van and trailer for a price we could afford... We got back on the road and yesterday Dan got the first guitar of his new Fernandez endorsement, a gunmetal blue Vertigo Elite... Thanks to the guys at Fernandez for hooking him up with that for a really low price...
Of course the most astonishing part of this whole story, even more than our miraculous safety in the crash, was the outpouring of support we received from our fans and other bands... There's no way we could have ever gotten back on the road without everyone's help, the trailer and guitar completely paid for through donations from you!.. We got a few sizable donations, including a big one from our old friends Fall Out Boy, but most of the support came through $1-10 donations from our fans all over the world, and we can't thank you enough!..
As it stands now, we're still going to have to figure out how to replace some of the gear, but between donations that are still coming in and our February 10 show in Chicago having been turned into a benefit for us (Thanks Jason Silver and all the bands on the bill!) I think we'll turn out alright and able to continue on without taking time off to get back on our feet; as long as the van insurance comes through that is. =).. I wish there were some way to convey our full appreciation for you all literally saving our dream and allowing us to continue making music for you!
I'll post some more pictures of the wreck, the gear, and the new ride as soon as I get a chance...
If you'd like to help us out, please click the button below to make a donation through Paypal from anywhere in the world... Thanks again!