this is gonna be long, sorry!


well friends, some major announcements to make. The first of which is that Johnny is no longer with the band. We had been having some issues with him that we had previously addressed and given him second and third chances to fix but unfortunately no changes took place and the resulting tension and conflict grew to be too much for the band to continue functioning with him as part of it. as such we asked him to leave permanently without recording on the new record and without performing with us again. the specifics of these issues should be of no concern to anyone outside of the band and we all know what kind of rumors can start when both sides start telling their stories so i will leave it at that. having had the closest connection to johnny outside of the band, i find no happiness in this news and i am not gleeful about the outcome in any way, just an overwhelming feeling of being let down. After the loss of our trombone player, i felt the band had finally settled on a line up that would be permanent, but such is life. Johnny can still be seen performing with We Are The Union, who we still love and support as they work on their new album. do not fear, this doesn't mean a hornless TFT, we are excited to use this opportunity to explore some new instrumentation on the new album and at live shows.


This brings us to our next announcement that i've been anticipating and dreading writing for almost a year now. i wasn't sure when i would muster up the motivation and desire to write this all out but i feel given the current circumstances that now is as good a time as any to let everyone know that the flaming tsunamis are nearing the end of their journey. The band started in 1999 by myself, greg and bill. At the time we were all sophomores in high school, as i sit here writing this i will have been out of college for almost three years. Thinking back about how many personal changes one goes through during the time period of high school through post-college graduation it is almost amazing that we've been able to keep the band together as long as we have. Over the years we have seen close to thirty members come and go for various reasons, some were kicked out, most just simply moved on because they had grown out of it. The three members that always stayed the same were myself, greg and ethan (who came into the mix a year or two after we started) the three of us were determined and it seemed that the band would go on as long as the three of us were willing to do it, no matter how many horn players and drummers we had to go through. 


Unfortunately as the three of us continue on our individual journeys, the way that each of us sees the band fitting into our lives seems to be growing more and more incompatible. A number of factors play into this in various ways for different members; while some of us are fine with living broke and penniless, constantly on the road away from loved ones, others are finding their priorities changing towards financial security and providing for loved ones. others are finding that this music is no longer the musical venture they wish to pursue. I always thought i would be in this band until my throat gave out, but when you join a band it's like being married to five other people and for better or worse, you depend on them to make everything happen. Given these factors and a few others it seems that the only appropriate thing to do is to end the band and leave it to be remembered for what we have accomplished up to now, not what would have inevitably fallen apart if we sought to replace key members and go on without them.


though i do agree with the rest of the band that this is the correct path to take i can't help but feel the sting of failure. As silly as it sounds, sometimes it felt like the reason the band kept going through insurmountable obstacles was spite. to say to everyone that didn't believe in us, every member that quit, every person that picked on us when we were a high school band, that we did it, we kept going and kept building upon what we had created. And now, it feels like we've said to all those people "you were right, we couldn't do it, it's over". Playing in a touring band has been pretty much all i've wanted since i first started going to shows 12 years ago, and it has been the only thing in my life that i have ever truly put 100% of myself into it. I floated through my college education, spent most of my money including a large graduation gift that was supposed to be for a new (aka nice used) car on pressing our album and buying a bus for us to tour in, let a four year relationship fall by the wayside, all for the band. I don't regret any of that, i know that if i didn't give it my all that i would always regret not knowing what could have been. It's a bummer as i feel the band had much more musical ground to cover, in addition i feel that the band has only just recently truly had something to say about the world and everyone's potential within it.

So for the past year since we came to this decision i've been floating along telling everyone that everything is fine, that the band is just resting while we write a new album, all while everyone else has started to establish a new life for themselves and i'm left feeling like i'm standing atop a sinking ship that i'm either too stupid or too apathetic to jump off of. I remember being young and idolizing local bands that i thought were the epitome of what i wanted to do with myself and as they broke up i would start seeing the people that i worshiped on stage working at best buy, toys r us and local bars. whenever this happened it always seemed so depressing, like they had given up, and as the day that i join their ranks creeps closer and closer i can't help but feel the weight of the situation and what it
means for my future get heavier and heavier. 


As i struggle with feeling let down while at the same time having complete understanding for the situation, i am also excited for the final gasp of the band. We aren't done yet, we are all still committed to recording our next album, our final album, as well as playing a handful of shows. I'm not sure exactly how many shows we are going to play and if any of them will be outside of CT, but we will be delivering to you one last recording to enjoy and remember us by as we all move on to the next chapter of our lives.

At this point all i can do is thank everyone that has ever supported us in any way over the years. for a while it really felt like we had become the band i always wanted. we toured around the entire country several times and we did more east coast tours that i can even remember. We played everywhere from Key West, FL to Seattle, WA. we made it to canada and even to the united kingdom (england, wales, scottland! being able to travel to other countries and be received by hundreds of people who know our music still blows me away). we lived on the road, we traveled so much that i we didn't need to have a "home" in CT to live at. We released two full lengths and 2 EPs, and will be releasing a benefit 7" as well as our final album for free online. We lasted through several generations of bands and met some incredible people that i am proud and honored to call friends and family. We have had people tell us how their music has helped them through extremely hard times as well as mark some of the best times of their lives. We've had people tattoo our lyrics on their bodies and travel further than i would consider sane to see us play. We've had people open their homes to us and show unparalleled generosity to a bunch of dirty guys they don't even know.  We did all that and more, without the help of any record label, manager, booking agent, radio play or traditional promotion, ever. Ultimately the band reached heights i never even considered possible and these are the things that i will take from the band as the disappointment of a dream unfulfilled washes away. This band has helped me grow in so many ways that i doubt would ever happen in a classroom or workplace, i'm so grateful for everything and everyone that has ever been involved with us.

There are too many bands to list that we enjoyed the company of, but there are a few bands that have become like family. Stuck Lucky, Fatter Than Albert, Brunt of It, Public Access, The Fad who are a collection of bands that we shared the road with as much as we shared our lives for a brief period of time, i would do anything for you guys. In addition thanks to We Are The Union, A Billion Ernies, Call For Fire, Wrench in the Works, Call It Arson, Hostage Calm/At All Costs, Cryptorchid Chipmunk, and Sonic Boom Six who are also very near and dear. I know i'm leaving out a million people especially those from the early days and for that i apologize. I do regret that there are many places we would love to come play again but it does not seem that it is in the cards for that to happen anymore.

thanks for everything, we love you all. stay tuned for info on a few more shows and the new record! we will be playing a couple shows this summer and i suspect the final FINAL show will be happening sometime around halloween.

i encourage everyone to share their stories and memories about the band (pictures too!) in the comments below.

Andy
god is a myth / stay edge / go vegan


RIP The Flaming Tsunamis - Andy, Greg, Ethan and Matt (1999 - 2009)