I guess the only way to begin this post is to just jump right
in. This is quite long, and I apologize but I wanted to make sure I covered all
the bases.
Beneath the Sky is hitting a major milestone this year. 2014
marks the ten year anniversary of BTS. We started this group in 2004 as a group
of friends that just liked to get together, hang out, and write heavy tunes. Never
did we imagine that we would go on to accomplish things that every band dreams of
doing. We've had the opportunity of a lifetime recording in professional
studios, releasing multiple albums, touring the country, releasing music
videos, and most importantly sharing our music and connecting with fans all
across the world. The relationships and connections we have made with our fan base
is by far the most rewarding part of everything we have done. It truly blows us
away hearing the impact we have had on many of you and is truly humbling that
you allow us to be a part of your lives so deeply. In reality all of you have
had an equally deep impact on our lives and we can't thank you enough.
Sadly I must say that 2014 will mark the end of Beneath the
Sky. I know many of you reading this will probably feel many ways with this
announcement. I only ask that you continue reading to fully understand that
this was not an easy decision for us. We never wanted to be one of those bands
that lingered on too long and fizzled out in a disappointing and unsatisfying
way for us. I always wanted the end to come in a definitive way that was on our
own terms, something we could be happy about.
A year and a half ago we reunited after a bit of a layoff to
help out our favorite local venue that was in need. Being together as a group
again felt amazing and we soon got the desire to work on new music with the
intent and hopes of recording a new studio album. In oct/nov we had begun
writing sessions to work on new music and for a while things were going great.
It felt good to be working creatively together and with a goal in mind. As
things progressed it became increasingly obvious that this time around was
going to be a lot more difficult than in the past. At one time in our lives
this was our life, it was all we lived for and all we ever wanted to do. We
sacrificed jobs, relationships, family, and devoted 110% of ourselves to BTS. That
is no longer the case.
We are now at a point where many of us have families, are
married, have kids, full time jobs, and many other things that require all of our attention. We are no longer at liberty to ignore
all of our responsibilities and just focus fully on the band. Because of this
it has become difficult to organize writing sessions around our schedules and
for the last 6 months or so we've been limited to getting together to 1 to 2
days a month which isn't very conducive to our goal. We did complete a handful
of very rough new songs, however they still need quite a bit of work to be up to
par.
A couple months ago we started to accept the reality that if
we were having such a hard time getting together enough just to work on
material then how could we ever take the time needed to sit down and record
another studio album, one that we would be happy putting out. We have always
been an extremely hardworking band, and embraced the grind and work that was
needed to succeed in being a band. After 10 years I can say that grind has
taken its toll on us physically and mentally. Because of how difficult it has
been trying to balance band life and home life often times lately it is feeling
more like "work" than it should be. I never want to get to a point
where playing music and doing this band becomes not enjoyable for us. The last
thing I want is to carry on BTS to the point where it is something we no longer
enjoy and leaves a sour taste in our mouths, which is why we are making a point
to close this chapter of our lives before it gets to that point.
With our 10 year anniversary happening this year it makes
the most sense for us to go out on a note that leaves us happy with where we
left off. There is a chance that the handful of songs we do have will still be
recorded however it will not be a studio album. If that happens it will be self
done and released for free much like the "remains" demo we released
at this time last year, but at this time I can not make any promises.
We have a final show booked at the Madison
Theater in Covington , KY on September 20th to celebrate what we have done for the past 10 years and we would love to see as many of you there that can make
it. This band would've never existed without its fans and I want to personally
thank all of you for what you have done for us over the years, you guys are the
reason we were able to live out our wildest dreams and words cannot express how
grateful we all are of you and I hope you understand why this has to happen.
We've sacrificed everything for so long for this band and it's time that we
start focusing on other areas of our lives that deserve our attention.
It's been an amazing ride....We love you all.
- Beneath the Sky