FMZ's Countdown to Breakup -- FMZ Message Board

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Date Posted: 11:47:43 09/06/03 Sat
Author: Charlie
Subject: FMZ's Countdown to Breakup

I'm tired of it. FMZ used to be a really damned fun thing to do, and it was great. But as of lately it's become pretty apparent to me that the local scene is really nothing but alot of two-bit shit talkers that show up to shows simply to showcase their perfectly polished combat boots and smoke cigarrettes. Any bands that are not already well established don't have a fucking chance with the demise of Jays (I hate to say it) so what's the point? The greatest part of being in FMZ was when we were playing for ourselves not other people. Unfortunately, we strayed from doing this, and it seems there is no way back. We used to be a really good live band, ask anyone that saw us at Jay's, Higgins Hall, or River Street. Anymore we're really not for shit because there's no enthusiasm. Not from us, not from the crowd. Band practice has become duty, not recreation and shows have become battles, not celebrations. It's also become clear to me that punk is as dead as the Western Montana scene. Nothing is shocking and provocative anymore. Circle pits, as much as I love them, are routine and therefore irrelevant. We've all become walking charactures and an evolution of thought is the only way to escape our mental prison of "punkness". Derek is gone, and FMZ's songs always came from a healthy collaboration between us. FMZ wouldn't be FMZ without songs that I wrote like "Keeping Up With the Joneses" and FMZ wouldn't be FMZ without songs Derek wrote like "Suzy Loves Jesus". FMZ isn't FMZ minus one of those songwriters. Dave Short, our current bassist, is one hell of a musician and songwriter himself, but I don't have the childhood friendship background with him that I had with derek that could facilitate such creativity. Zach will soon be moving to Washington, and carrying on FMZ too long without him would be unthinkable. I find myself miles away from the state of spiritual contentment I was at over two years ago when I started this band, and my soul feels like a jumble of contradictions, cliches and broken promises to myself. I have to take care of this or I know I will die. So for these reasons, if things don't start looking up for the Flying Men of Zimbabwe by December 10th, I'm calling it quits. We have a six-song EP which should be released in a month (for reals this time, I have the CD right next to me as I type) which we will release and promote. We will keep playing shows and hopefully things may pick up and musical lifeblood will circulate through us once again, but I fear that in all probability, it won't. After the EP, I will try to make every effort possible to finish making the album "Keeping Up With the Joneses" and if we do break up in December, at least it will stand as a document of what we did to anyone who might be curious or actually care. It looks like I'll be giving up on FMZ, but I won't give up on music. I'd like to get a band together to play some music that I've always wanted to hear, and it probably won't sound anything like FMZ. Most likely any band I form in the future will probably be going in more of a experimental "post-punk"/ska direction. Think X plus Flipper plus Operation Ivy. Other ex-FMZ members might join me, I don't know what their intentions are though because this message is the first mention I've made of breaking up the band. I think that whenever punk rock music becomes rehearsed and repetitive it dies, and that is why punk is officially dead, no longer a statement of righteous rock and roll joyous alienation, but a mental ghetto. It was fun while it lasted, and hey maybe things will pick up in a bit but for now I'm calling it quits as of December tenth. Never do anything that you don't want to.

Charlie

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Replies:

Re: FMZ's Countdown to Breakup -- Charlie, 10:43:01 09/07/03 Sun