Draw Your Brakes

Forward Russia is one of my new favorite bands. We had a the wonderful oppurtunity of playing with them a few nights ago at the 30th Fenway Recordings Session. They are such beautiful people who create outstanding music. They give me so much hope for the future of music.

As I write this, I am battling flu-like symptoms and 102 temp. Perhaps I have the vapors. I would like to die from a disease that was only existent during the middle ages. I think that would be a comical way to go.

"Kids, listen."

I just wanted to mention that last night at the show, while Mark was speaking, people were literally crowd-surfing in the front rows. And there was no music playing in the background... just to paint a more elaborate picture of what the crowd was like. I don't normally do this, but it made me point and laugh :)
-mkay

"I was saying Boo-urns!"

Last night we had a show at Lupo's in Providence, RI. We were to be the second of three bands, the other two bands being "reggae-influenced" rock. I grew up on and have listened to roots reggae all of my life, so I was looking forward to playing on the bill. I was especially excited to be part of the show because it was a peace rally against the war in Iraq, obviously a cause very close to our hearts. The first band had ended and it was now time for us to go on.

After about three songs, I noticed that the place was completely packed to the brim with 800+ people, and most of the people were booing us. The taunting grew so loud that we could no longer hear ourselves play and we decided that this was a waste of everybody's time, so we left the stage. I made a comment that it is a lot easier to hide in a crowd and criticize a band, than it is to be band onstage playing to people who want nothing to do with your music. It was then that I realized who I was dealing with. The crowd was made up mostly of rich, white, college frat boys who would not know REAL reggae if it kicked down the door of their frat house and slept with their slutty girlfriends. The true rasta has an open mind and an open heart, the kids who were taunting us were a joke.

The most puzzling part of the night was that for a peace rally, we were dealing with the most obnoxious Neanderthals that were ever bred. Even more disrespectful than their taunting of the read yellow set, was their complete lack of attention to Mark Kate's speech about the war, a war that is killing thousands of innocent people while these kids spend their daddy's college fund money on weed and booze while all the poor kids get shot at to protect their "freedom". I was ashamed that these people are the future of America.

I want to thank the dozen or so kids that came up to us and apologized, we love you and we thank you. It is good to know that their are still decent people in this world. I also would like to point out that out of all the kids that were so tough in the crowd...taunting us...NO ONE had the fucking balls to come up to any of us and say it to our faces. However, some cowards did send us some scathing myspace messages today. You guys are so macho.

If you are going to come to a show, be a human being. Even if you hate a band's guts, they are still up there, busting their asses to display their love for music. Get in a van, tour for about five years straight, sleep on floors and make no money, lose relationships and suffer heartache for being away from home too long, have a gun pulled on you at a show for playing too loud, get pneumonia for sleeping an hour a night for months at time, and of course, get booed by a packed club. Do all of this, and THEN you can come and criticize my band. Until then, shut the fuck up.

to everybody who supports what we do, we love you more than anything.

love,
evan of read yellow

Welcome to the Jungle...

You know where you are?

You're in Brooklyn behbeh!!!

You're gonna ddddddddddddddddddddiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!

in good company

Have you ever been to a party where you feel like you know almost everyone.. then for a moment you stop and think about all the crazy different ways that you met each person.. and somehow they all ended up in this one building on this one night for this one party.. not to mention they are all obviously connected to each other for perhaps even crazier reasons.. and when you leave this party you are left pining for the next time all our paths will cross again.. and they will :)

-mkay

The Harder They Come

Hello friends,
Read Yellow has just returned from the absolutely fabulous time at the CMJ festival in NYC. New York is such and amazing place, and we've had the privilege to be playing and partying there consistently for the past few weeks. It is filled with many of our best friends and favorite bands to play with...It is nearly impossible to return home without a handful of amazing stories of late night debauchery at all night dance parties or sweat-soaked rock shows. The experience is incredible, you walk down streets that stink of piss and beer and perfume and coffee and noodles and gasoline and crepes and hairspray and leather and body odor and flowers and the sewers and the skies and it makes you happy to feel so damn alive. This city has a golden heart.

The shows that we played were incredible, we really felt it. We felt the people around us, and each show was a love fest. We had the opportunity to play with great bands like Some Girls, Das Oath, Chinese Stars, Goes Cube, Foreign Islands, Jake Brennan (total hunk), Scissors For Lefty and even had the chance to play dressed as three Slash's and a Zebra on Halloween in Brooklyn...(pictures to come).

It is really comforting to meet genuine people that are from totally different lifestyles, environments, and share a common love for living the fuck out of life. I felt so alive the entire time that I was there, and I have many people to thank for that...Most importantly, my band. We all love life and so should you.

We ended up getting our mastered album(Gang Violins) back from NorCAl and have been giving out two song samplers at our shows and parties(feat. Soul Sister! and Pia Zadora) . We are very proud of our hard work and we are getting right into writing our next album. We love you all and we want you to spread the word that music is still very alive and very real, and we bands must always continue to fight the good fight, the fight for a new Art Explosion.

be good to one another,
evan of RY