so, i know... the Free Times Music Awards were last week, and i had to work that night (that's 4 years in a row i've missed out on all the free drink tickets!).  once again, we did not win in whatever category we were nominated for, regardless of the giant VOTE FOR ROUE sign we made out of pasta and glitter.

this year (as was the case last year, if i recall correctly), we were nominated in the "hard rock" category along with Disengage, Amps II Eleven, and others.

number one, i've always told everyone to vote for Disengage, because they're a good hard rock band.  i dig Amps II Eleven, but i see them as more of a dirty punk band.  as far as we go, i guess it's cool that we were nominated at all, although i don't know that we're necessarily a hard rock act.  i wouldn't say we are a punk band (although we've been nominated in that category, too, i think), nor are we especially indie rock (congrats to Machine Go Boom, you guys deserve the praise, and i'll hug you all soon - mikey, where's the cd's you promised to get to me?), but i think we were nominated for that once, too.  and experimental?  we might have been in that category, too, at one point.  who knows.

all i can say is this:  there are a lot of good things happening in cleveland, and there's no need to categorize us all, and there's no need to give us awards for doing what we'd do anyways.  if we're not nominated next year, i won't care, as long as all the local bands that give a shit about music and expressing their own individual art keep pounding out songs, keep playing shows, and keep music going in this shit-town we call home.

but also, i wonder why This Moment in Black History was absent from the ballots this year?  hmmmm?

anyways, i hope all had a good time at the party, and i'm glad the beachland got to host it this year.  hopefully the party will keep going for a long time, and more people recognize the fact that cleveland bands (at least, the ones that i like) are making music to satisfy their own need for expression, but also to entertain and bring people together on an accessable, basic level.

we will be the death of ourselves if we don't breath life into eachother.

see you guys really soon- come out to shows, buy the albums and other merch, and keep all of us sane together.  it's not easy, but it's better than the alternative (fill in your own worst musical nightmare here).

keep your eyes on the prize, and your mustaches pointed to the sky, lovers.
-johnk