This Letter is directed specifically towards everyone who was at the battle of the bands in Deal, NJ tonight. What happened was a travesty to all musicians. To have your music, your passion, and your soul stripped from you in front of adoring fans is the equivalent to being castrated in public. Not only was the nameless fuck in the wife beater a weak minded individual, but he had no right to do what he did. From what little intelligent conversation he could give us, we understood that he was a musician as well. He obviously had no idea what it felt like to have your art form negated into the idea that another ten minutes was too much time to take. This guy was just another example of the idea our band mate cried to the cheering crowd, “Fuck the system, Fuck the Government and Fuck you”.

Now to address another issue, we are not part of the “community”. Nor do we bow down to its belief that their little hideaway in the suburbs is utopia. We are not afraid of what you will think or say about us or our music. There are some people who would rather make themselves look good and clean while their friends get slaughtered like animals. Then they lie down and except that their music too would be edited down. Why a strong protest was not made is a concept we cannot understand.

The actions of our band mate and friend are fully supported by us and we promote his act of protest. The opinions of the fellow band members are in support of this notion as well. What was promised to us and then taken away was heinous, and should never have happened.

Some may say that our responses to the course of action that the nameless fuck in the wife beater took were extreme. “It was just a small town battle of the bands” they say, “What you did was not normal”. Well you know what my response is; a big and hearty “Fuck you”. “There is a time and place for everything” yeah well the time was tonight and the place was that gym in that little faux utopian society that the “community” decided to adopt.

We can remember as the crowd was cheering “One more song. One more song” that we had, at no other point in our lives appreciated what it was to be adored. Adoration of this kind can only be described in one word, euphoria. Even as we were yelling at the nameless fuck in the wife beater and his annoying bitch of a woman partner, we still in the back of our heads just felt this “euphoria”.

I am assuming that this battle of the bands would be our last in the faux utopia that was created by the “community”. Now at this time most people would write, “we have no hard feelings toward them”. Well guess what boys and girls we do have a hard fucking feeling, we have a very fucking hard feeling towards them. In fact we would like to ask all of our fans to do us one favor. Every time you see the nameless fuck in the wife beater, give him a happy and a healthy “Fuck You”.

With this letter we denounce what happened to us and all the other bands at this show tonight. Because it was run by an incompetent fool, many musicians were robbed of their right to make music. Music that is and was appreciated by every single person in that gym. In conclusion we just want to say our own personal “Fuck You” to the nameless fuck in the wife beater. We hope all of you take this letter into consideration that compliance is not always the right answer.

Yours truly,

A Separate Peace