Angry Banana has been a part of me for a long while, a part I won't soon let go and/or forget.  I love what we've done, I love what we plan to do...  Being in a band has been very fulfilling but sometimes feels like an extreme amount of work JUST to stay meaningful.  I wanted to send out a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us...well ever.  I know it might not sound like much, but I've been doing alot of thinking about my future and this bands future and there are some things I need to say:

1.  I never started out doing this to inspire people...  I realized years into it that I was and with that said, I don't take it for granted.  There have been people who've come up to me and said AB has changed their life... or they can't drive to school in the morning without listening to "Be Nice or Leave" cuz they think they'll have an awful day without it...  OR the man who although 8 years older then me- told me that Pressure gave him chills because I described EXACTLY what he felt...

I don't know how to take this.  I don't know how to say thank you OR should I?  I meet bands who actually want my opinion and people who actually want to hear what I have to say.  I've signed countless pictures, cds, shirts, bodies, and just about everything else you can think of...  I don't take this for granted.  In fact, most of the time I don't feel I deserve it.  I spend alot of time answering mail, speaking publicly about things that make me tick, and frankly alot of time just on promoting this band.  I just want to write music that I don't hear my favorite bands writing...  I just want to put on a show that I don't see my favorite bands doing...  I just want my band to be WHO WE ARE and not pretend we are too cool for anything.

With that being said, thats why I spend the time getting back to people.  Thats why I want to help new bands starting up.  I love this community and frankly there were people that helped us out with shows and at this stage we need to do the same.  Jay from the High Ground put us on way too many shows we didn't deserve to be on and thats a big reason why we were able to spread the music we make.  Greg Rodrigue gave us our first show way back in the day.  Rob's dad bought us our first order of shirts and my girlfriend Julia does all of our artwork...  all the time.  Without these people (and a fuckload more) helping us we never would have got to where we are right now.

I'm proud of what we've done and we aren't done yet.  In some of your eyes we are one of the best bands you've seen (thank you), in some of your eyes we are just a mediocre band that won't ever make a name for ourselves and I talk way too much (thank you), in my eyes we are doing what we love on OUR terms and we still got ways to go.  We do well in New Orleans- I can't pretend that we don't (this fuels us more then yall can imagine..).  We do well in places around the southeast- but its our time to take a step onto the national level and become a full-time touring band.  As of now the plan is for this to happen over the next year and we are starting to look at the offers.  I believe we are just getting started, but to some of yall we have already succeeded.  To those people, I say thank you- and I hope you really understand how much that means to me, how much that fuels me.  We aren't a band that makes alot of money and we definitely aren't a band that feels like the world (or people) owe us a favor.  We do what we do, we say what we say-  and sometimes we make mistakes.  It's ok to mistakes...  we are human too.

To all bands, especially in New Orleans-  It's my turn to give back.  I need to be honest with you and I will be.  Email me, message me, call me-  I'll do what I can to help and if I can't, at least I will tell you I cannot help.  I want this community to keep growing and no matter where we go I will ALWAYS come back to New Orleans, even if just to watch shows.  My heart is here and I just wanted to say thank you...  from my heart-  thank you.

2.  Which brings me to my next point.  We somehow managed to have over 160 people show up to The High Ground this Saturday when the streets were flooding...  hell- the High Ground dance floor was covered in water not even 30 minutes before doors!  For those not from New Orleans, when it rains (pours) here, the streets tend to flood... its the part of being below sea level that really sucks...  I was expecting people to be stuck in their houses but somehow people came out!  This night meant alot to us.  Although I never said this before, AB has parted ways with 2 of our long-term members-- both for different reasons.  Dominic, our guitarist and Brendan our Bari Sax player.  They will forever be part of the AB world and I wouldn't ever rule out seeing them at shows or even playing with us ever again.  On a lighter note-  we would like to thank Paul Boley for playing with AB!  I can honestly say, Saturday's show was a turning point for us...  we connected like we haven't in awhile and things felt good.  Paul currently does not live in New Orleans and who knows what this means for him with us.  At this time, we aren't going to label anything- but for the time being when you see AB on a lineup... you'll see our good friend Paul with a guitar in his hand playing his ass off.  We love him and without him who knows where we'd be right now.  We'll see what happens with this-  I'm curious to hear what yall thought of Paul on stage...  I may be biased, but holy shit did our rhythm section sound powerful on Saturday (and Sunday) night.  Whether or not Paul Boley becomes to permanent guitar player of AB, he'll always be part of the AB family... we're good friends and it will be interesting to see how things roll with this.  I'm excited and somehow this man naturally motivates me...

3.  Now with the good news comes the news that absolutely broke my heart.  For the past 3+ years one of my best friends in the entire world has ALWAYS lined up next to me in AB.  He has always been my go-to guy...  the guy who NEVER let me down is leaving our band.  Matt Thomas will slowly leave this band over the next few months.  When, I'm not really sure.  In fact, I'm so not sure that I probably shouldn't be posting this but it made me question where I was going with all this... by this I mean the band.  Matt had helped me through SO much here and there that I for the first time I'm at a loss for words.  The one thing is when he told us, he said a few words that made me realize I can't give this up.  He believes in what we do and I do believe he will not be a stranger in our future...  I'm pretty bent up about it.  I'm gonna miss him and unfortunately, I'm not real good at saying that kind of stuff...

4.  So with that I turn to me.  For 3.5 years we've been playing shows.  For 4.5 years I've been practicing with this group in one way or another.  Where does this leave me...  it leaves me with work to be done.  We've been through our changes, and it might take me awhile to get over this one- but we haven't failed yet.  In fact, Chase from Stereohype told me when Mondo left their band that them moving on wasn't a question of how but who.  And WHEN it happened, would it be better?  He said AB did it.  Well Chase, we did and that means alot that to me that you said that.  Even with the changes that happened this summer that we've never announced- I believe we got better when we finally took the stage.  The shows this Saturday/Sunday were some of our best yet in my opinion.  We've been connecting with crowds and its not any one person in our band that is getting that done... its the group.  Rob and I had one hell of a conversation on Monday morning as we drove back from Montgomery...  from that point 4.5 years ago we could never imagine we would come this far and consider doing the things we are about to do...  I just always thought Matt would be there.  We'll improve and become better then ever...  hell Matt is willing to help us get to that point.  I think our track record speaks for itself-  we will take this as the others have come, and do what needs to be done.

5.  So, when I started this blog-  I didn't necessarily think it would say all that.  In fact, I wanted to talk about the success of the ska revival series thus far and how Mass Ska Raid was a fun show (thank you Etienne for helping us out too).  Now doesn't seem like the right time.  We will cancel NO shows, in fact-  we're gonna add some.  We'll have some people help us out in the meantime and over time you will start to see some new faces in AB.  These faces will be people we intend to play with for a long while and hopefully tour the world with.  We're also gonna add some new stuff to the set that we never had before.  I don't wanna become a stagnant band-  I would like to be known as a band that changes it up.  Well, this will be a change up.  I'm curious to hear your thoughts, concerns, any words really.  I would love to hear what people thought of the shows and the slightly new lineup this weekend and well just anything.  Feel free to email me-  I will answer.  I also just wanted to go full-circle with what I said earlier...  I don't take the things people say to me for granted, in fact- the encouragement, the anger, the emotions left on the dance floor REALLY inspire me.  As much as I/we may inspire yall in some way, I want you to know that you have the same affect on me as a person and a musician.  AND that I cant ever forget...

Love,

Tom

P.S.  Matt AND Paul will be on stage with AB this Friday @ The House of Blues.  Doors are at 8pm.  Show at 9pm.  It is 18+ and for that I apologize.  We are working on more all-ages shows TBA very soon...  In fact, I don't know what to expect this Friday-  I would love to see yall out there.  It would mean alot.  Thanks