The Deal With Aiden

Posted by pixie | Filed under Uncategorized

Well, we now know why Aiden pulled out of their tour with Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Schoolyard Heroes — Jake W has left the band.

wiL posted on MySpace about it — and this is the part that is most striking for me, as I’ve always had a soft/sore spot for the way bands are practically forced to run themselves into the ground like this:

We have been consistently on the road traveling for the past 4 years. In those 4 years we have been in seattle a total of maybe 5 months. That’s including time we spent in the studio making the “Rain in Hell” ep and our new album “Conviction”. It’s enough to make anyone crazy, and bring almost any kind of personal relationship to the brink of disaster. So we all felt inclined to take a breather for the first time in what seems like forever.

It’s hard to argue with that — who can live like that?  When you seriously look at most band break-ups, or people leave bands, touring is almost always the reason.  Not that Aiden is breaking up, mind you. They’re carrying on, just as a four-piece.  The rest of them seem to like that life — and in fairness, there are a lot of people who can’t imagine living any other way.

We will continue on as a 4 piece. I know this may come as a shock for some of you, and some of you could care less. I just want to say to everyone that this is by no means the end. This… My dearest friends is but a beginning, a new chapter has opened up for us and the fire you saw before will be replaced with a much higher level of intensity. (sorry to all the people who would like to see us to break up, you can keep on hating another day. Believe.)

Being in a band on tour is similar to living in a fairy tale place like Never Neverland, (and no, not the crazy ranch that Micheal Jackson lives on with merry-go-rounds and monkeys running around all over the place.) It’s a whirlwind of excitement, where you don’t have to get up and work for some asshole you hate and where you can pretty much do whatever the fuck you want. You wake up in a new city or country everyday to venture out in and find a new experience with. It’s the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me. I know that there are a million kids out there with a guitar that can sing and play a 1000 times better than me, yet for some obscure reason can’t seem to make it out of their bedroom. I am grateful for everyday that I get to wake up, open my eyes, take a deep breath and live another day. Not to mention the fact that people care enough about our band to support us and allow us to have this extraordinary experience. Which is what it all boils down to. You! Ladies and Gentlemen, the fans. You are the reason we are able to do this. Without you we are nothing. Thank you for your continued belief in our little band.

I love the way this band writes their blogs — it’s always something amusing, as well as passionate.  I was showing my boyfriend my video interview with Angel and wiL [from the old Shoutmouth days… sigh] last night, as well as some of the video I managed to shoot, despite getting shoved around something fierce as they performed.  The passion is really there with these guys.  The interview I did with them was great, because they were talking openly about the love/hate thing with their band, and it pretty much ended up at, “hey, at least you get a reaction.”  There are thousands of bands out there, begging for attention, who can’t get it no matter how many MySpace friend requests they send out, no matter how many local shows they play.

As I said, and they agreed with, I’d rather be hated by some, and loved by some — than be ignored by all.

Here’s to the future of Aiden.