Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Beneath the Sky (2004-2014)

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

4 comments:

  1. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!! SEE YOU GUYS IN KENTUCKY!

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  2. "The Day the Music Died "

    Damn it's a sad day. I'm so thankful I got to see you guys in seattle a ways back when you came touring in loving memory with birthdaymassacre. I left after you guys played....I remember Joey had a blue ren and stimpy shirt and I thought that was so rad! You guys are hands down the most underated band in metal and Its so cool that you guys never sold out and stayed true to yourselves, Thank you! I understand your guys delima and reasons though. Its awesome that you guys might relase another lil album...I think you should set up a web site were fans can donate towards a studio time fund? We would all love to hear the new songs! Every album you put out is better then the last and boy was I looking forward towards your new album! I guess I'll just listen to Another day over and over again...."I can't be without you...Tho i'm learning that I have to." lol Anyway thanks for the amazing music we love you dudes!

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  3. I remember rushing from my job to catch a show you guys did at Ground Zero in Spartanburg, SC. I was still in my uniform, but arrived in time to see your entire set, which included all of my favorite songs from "The Day The Music Died" I will never forget that night because I got to meet you and you were all so nice. I hate to see you guys leaving, but totally understand and respect your decision. You guys are some of the best musicians that it has ever been my pleasure to see live and
    I sincerely wish all of you the best.

    \m/ <3 \m/

    Meredith Wood

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  4. Your Montreal show with Forever In Terror was epic...sad that its over....but i hope you guys will be happy in your future project...

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