Apologies for the length, for my name is Long Rod von Hugendong...
It started back when a couple of fellas met in the front room of a house in Leicester's West End and fast forward a few years, we are in a similar front room in the same area of town as me and Jon discuss a summer break from the band – we sadly agree the musical train has pulled up at the station and as the travelling carnival that is The Authentics, we all require a well-earned and much needed break to re-fuel.
Me and Jon began writing and jamming together back in Wurlitzer in 2002 and through drunken shenanigans and upheavals, picked up Gray and Dave on the way to becoming The Authentics – the band from Leicester that has been rocking ever since.
Why take a break now you ask? Well, we've poured our heart and souls into the band (also our blood, sweat, sick, piss, feet, groins and more) as 4 British guys who loved to play and write music on our own terms, secretly hoping and waiting for that elusive record deal but with the machinations in place, slowly driving our young minds mad with the frustrations of the whole process.
From our beer-soaked punch-ups and love-ins on tour and the late nights and early morning haziness of the post-gig fever, the band's roller coaster of balancing our personal highs with work lows as well as numerous social commitments meant that many things were sacrificed along the way including brain cells, my camera, our sanity and much loved friends. Who said being a band is easy? Cos it's anything but. We thank those who wanted songs written for them and the lucky ones who got them (whether they know or not).
But it's the memories that will linger longer than anything - smokey bars (before the ban), smelly festival induced sets and piling as much equipment as possible into the poor sod's car who has agreed to drive us that night – often unlucky Phil – the unsung fifth member of the band. Sadly, our time drenched in perspiration has meant the routine has taken its toll and like many bands in tons of cities across the UK, the time we spent together helped us escape from the daily grind but which unfortunately then became the burden itself. So many names and faces, the blur of the tour with only a facebook photo or drunken text of what went on to remind us.
From the constant questions of eager but sometimes misinformed friends, "When's the album coming out/Have you played The Shed?" to the dimly lit squalid venues which could be packed to the rafters or oppositely echoing with the hushed voices of three to four people or even less, it's these extreme high and low anecdotes we remember the most from when we had the greatest times as rock n roll heroes to our lowest ebb as unknown zeroes.
Always enjoying our trips around the UK, especially to sunny Brighton, loading up on caffeine, full of fry-ups and other stimulants it's with much sadness we have to put a hold on our current engagements and take a vacation in the arms of privacy as we rest from the band toil.
So we leave you this summer with our musical memories, especially those few who have been there from the beginning and those who we put our trust in and with our first break in 5 years I feel more excited about the band than ever with new possibilities and an increased hunger for music when we rediscover that elusive magic when the pen hits the paper or a guitar riff is conjured up from thin air.
What does the future hold for us? A resurrection? A new direction? We don't know. All we do know is that we've loved it up until now and will always do so and hope you do too.
Stay true. Play loud. Work hard. And most of all; enjoy it while you can.
Peace, thanks and love.
The Authentics.