First of all, I need to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has written to us, myspaced us, and approached me on the street over the last five months, asking us to end the hiatus. Thank you!!!
When I decided that I needed to take this break last fall, it was partially because I had grown tired of all the work involved in being in a touring band: the booking, the promotion, etc, etc.* I had hoped that taking a vacation for a few months would renew my energy, and I could reclaim the passion and drive that was there when I started this band. Surprisingly, this plan totally worked! After a few months I started to really miss being on the road, and found myself looking forward to each time that I got to perform in front of an audience (there have been a few shows during the hiatus). Even more importantly, I found that I was looking forward to getting home from work each evening so I could bang away on my acoustic guitar in my bedroom, just like the good ol’ days. I’ve been writing a bunch of new songs that I’m really excited to share with y’all soon.
However, I’ve had another surprising realization while I’ve been introspecting recently, and this one is a lot harder (and scarier) to deal with - I even went so far as to climb a small mountain nearby to gain some wisdom and perspective on the situation. You see, I’ve been living in this area of NC for a long time - almost 20 years now - and it is long past the time for me to leave. I’ve decided to try my hand at big city living, move to New York this summer, and take FKoN back to its solo roots for a little while. It’s hard to think of leaving Durham. This has been the most loving and supportive scene a musician could possibly ask for, and I’m glad to have gotten to know so many incredible musicians and music enthusiasts over the last few years. I hope to see the first group when they come through NYC on tour and the second group when I tour back through Durham!
So, what does all of this mean for you, the faithful listener? Several things:
- I will be touring again soon! These shows will be listed as The Future Kings of Nowhere [solo], to distinguish them from the full-band shows that we’ve been doing for the past few years. If you caught any of the solo shows from a few years ago, or saw FKoN in its “unplugged w/ washboard” formation recently, you know that it’s a different but equally rewarding experience (I’m thinking specifically of that show at The Monster House in Columbus or in the Brickyard at NC State’s Habitat for Humanity benefit, if any of y’all are reading this).
- House shows!!! As a full band, we were often too loud to play in living rooms (with the exception of some very tolerant punk houses). I’m looking forward to playing some intimate shows to smaller groups of people where there can be more interaction and connection. Although I am also excited about still playing at clubs and DIY spaces across the country.
- New releases!!! I’ve started work on two new albums. The first will be a bare-bones version of the new batch of songs. Something close to what I’ll be doing at the solo shows. Call it a demo or an EP or whatever you want. I’m planning on releasing that for free online, and also having some CDs of it for sale while I’m on the road. The second album, which is going to be a little further out, will be a more fully realized version of the first one, with all of the drums/bass/horn/voices/etc that (to me) make our debut so fun to listen to. Also, the split 7″ with The Never is close to completion and should be out soon (swear to god).
If you’re still with me, thanks for reading this far. And thank you again to everyone who has supported or participated in this band over the past few years. I’m nervous as hell about striking out on my own like this, but also tremendously excited!
Thanks for listening and I’ll see you on the road!
Shayne
* - I’m still not crazy about booking and promotion, so if you or anyone you know is interested in helping out with that, please get in touch: futurekingsofnowhere@gmail.com
