Thursday, August 21, 2008

What? Going on tour costs money?! omg.

Maybe you dudes should apply for the CAID grant. Just sayin'.

From a Hifi Handgrenades bulletin:
"Aug 21, 2008 1:40 PM
Subject:
fucking cancelled

update!

tour's been shortened, all else cancelled. this means every gig from sept 4th on, including US dates. there were also tours of australia and japan not up yet on the page, those are off the books as well.

why?

because it's too fucking expensive to tour. the way this UK tour was worked out, we would AT BEST break even being here (we didn't see a real breakdown of monies until we got here), which is not an option anymore. we paid out of our pockets for tickets here, all else... the numbers break down thus:

if we stay here and play through sept 29th, we will clear 50 pounds over costs, NOT INCLUDING FOOD. if we cut it short, we will hopefully have enough money to pay for baggage penalties on the airline (from bringing gear and merch over), and gas for the van back home from LA to Detroit (which will run just under 1000 bucks for gas alone). the exchange rate on US dollars killed us, cancelled shows in Germany with Alk3 further put us behind the eight ball, and the realization that no matter where you go in this world, playing music in a style that hit it's zenith 15 years ago, isn't gonna keep us afloat.

very sad, very shitty. blaming ourselves for any and all mistakes along the way. funny though, the sole intention of this band when we started was playing music in a style that reminded us of what we loved and were influenced by when we were kids just getting into the whole punk rock thing, every 6 weeks or so locally, for fun and friends. and that's where we're headed back to.
fuck fuck fuckity fuck,
john
HFHG"

As much as I feel for them, I laughed a little. John has been in how many bands now? He sounds so shocked to find out they weren't breaking even. I will give him this, I LOL'd when I read the part I highlighted. Shit, son. If the CAID grant falls through, you might have a career in blogging. Sorry, there is no money in blogging.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is bizarre. HIHG has good management. Why would you get on a plane to tour a forgien country without knowing exactly what's going on? I have to give John credit for at least putting it out there. Most bands would lie or make light of it.

I also have to say that touring IS harder than it used to be. Bands that went to Europe in the early 2000s were well-off just by having U.S. dollars overseas. The exchange rate was great. Gas was cheaper. The tour they planned could've very well worked in 2001 or 2003...but not in 2008.

It used to be any band could give it a go and go on a tour. Now unless you are good enough to guarantee a club that you'll get people they won't guarantee you'll get paid anything. You can't even offer a band $50 for gas money becuase there's no guarantee that people are going to show up (especially in Detroit).

This sucks, I feel bad for them.

(sorry for the novel)

Bryan Metro said...

I guess the better you look, the more you see.

Kimmie Tarter said...

why are you such a fucking cunt?

is that the kind of comment you've been wishing for?

you're so controversial! and, no, i'm not afraid of you.

The Queen of the Blogosphere and Pizza said...

Hahahahha. Awesome! That's exactly what I wanted. Thank you for providing me with a good laugh.

You shouldn't be afraid of me. But you might want to calm down a bit. This is just a blog. A stupid, ridiculous, joke of a blog. Nothing to get all huffy about. Your boyfriend's band is tight as hell, and I was truly bummed that they had to cancel their tour.

Anonymous said...

Hey, bitches. Simmer down.

The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre said...

A band that played a few shows with foo fighters.....gave an album away for free on the internet? doesn't have enough cash for tour? hmmmmmm.....perplexing. Oh! and not to jump on the bandwagon, but it must feel so nice to use coarse, crass words and bring yourself down to a low low level regarding such a trivial matter in the big picture. Good for you kimmie tartar, things must be like eden up on your tower for a not too offensive commentary on a band canceling a few shows to make yourself seem so small. Good job kimmie, you showed how big of a person you really are. You showed us.

Bryan Metro said...

Wow. This is the most intense I've seen it on these Detroit blogs since I let it slip that Hurley Thompson was in rehab and not part of that film project, and he punched me out. People! Let's band together and get back to doing the Detroit scene a service rather than a distraction. Let's do this now. On the count of three everyone go on their blogs and post an update on The Muggs. I need more Muggs. The Walrus was Paul, but Ringo was a MUGG!