...i’ll find it hard to let you go, but this thing’s been weighing down my life, my heart, my very soul...
Dear Friends,
There's nothing easy about this. But before I go any further, let me preface this letter by saying that while my four plus years in Brooks Wood Band have been the best of my life, their drawing to a close doesn’t mark the end, only the beginning of something new – for all of us.
On Saturday, December 13, we’ll be playing our final show at one of our most favorite and oldest stomping grounds, The Pour House Music Hall in downtown Raleigh. Despite our different geographical backgrounds, we’ve always considered Raleigh the band’s “home,” as it’s the city where we established our roots. It’s in this town where we first met and later honed our musical talent. I speak for everyone in BWB when I say that this journey has been nothing short of amazing. We’ve met some incredible people along the way, shared the stage with countless other bands going after the same dream (as well as some who found it) and played at some of the best venues in the land. It’s humbling, sitting back and thinking about everything being in this band has afforded us…
It’s sad for us to think about BWB coming to an end, but not nearly as sad as it is for us to imagine how you, our friends, will react to it. But as you read this, I pray that you not be upset about our breaking up; all good things must come to an end. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and even Spinal Tap all came to the end of their respective roads at some point. BWB is merely joining the ranks of those bands. ;)
And no one in BWB is quitting music altogether. Music plays too big a role in our lives for any of us to ever give it up. I encourage you to stay in touch with each of us – Paul Sheeran, Danny Shampine, Grant Emerson, Miah Wander, Greg Holzer, and myself – as I know we all have something more to offer, musically and non-musically, to this world.
BWB’s final CD, suitably titled “Good Timing,” will be released sometime in early 2009. There will obviously be no CD-release show, but we hope you decide to get your copy anyway and pop it in from time to time to remember us and the music we created together. (Not to mention that it’s our best studio effort to date, in my opinion.)
In closing, I want to thank three groups of people: First, I want to thank my best friends over the past four-plus years – Paul, Danny, Grant, Miah, and Greg. You guys are some of the finest musicians this universe has to offer. Any simple, three-chord strummin’, country-boy, singer/songwriter should consider himself lucky to have worked with ya’ll (And I do). Secondly, to all our families, thank you so much for your undying support as we followed our dream. It was always good knowing while we were out on the road that there was someone back home thinking about us, believing in us. Last but certainly not least, I want to thank every single person out there that believed in Brooks Wood Band from the start. You came to shows, sang all the lyrics that I had once written in dreams and pushed us as far as we could go. We are forever grateful to you because without you, we were nothing, but with you, we were everything.
On behalf of everyone in Brooks Wood Band, I want to say we love you and hope to see you on December 13 in Raleigh.
Yours forever,
Brooks
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Remaining Shows:
December 5th - Arlington, VA - IOTA Club & Cafe
December 6th - New York, NY - Bitter End
December 13th - Raleigh, NC - Pour House Music Hall
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