Thanks!

April 16th marks Brainwashed's 11th birthday!  Thanks to everybody who has read, contributed to, worked for, played for, cared for, supported, hated on, publicized, deified, and demonized us for 11 years now. It's been a fantastic ride. (Don't worry, we're not closing down, this isn't a goodbye letter!)

There are times when it gets hard to do: people have fulltime jobs; fulltime lives; fulltime committments; so while brainwashed.com isn't the #1 priority in a lot of people's lives, we promise to continue on and hold true to our mission to the best of our collective abilities.

Last year the love and support and attendance and performers who came to Brainwaves was astounding. It was for me, Jon Whitney, undoubtedly the most amazing event I have ever been a part of and one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. Friendships were made, friendships grew stronger, the support was unbelievable, the staff was flawless, the musicians were magnificent, the love was immeasurable.  There will be no Brainwaves for 2007 but talks are beginning for Brainwaves for 2008. Yes, talks are beginning.

 

It seems hard to believe that we started an anti-RIAA campaign nearly ten years ago and now the RIAA has been voted The Worst Corporation In America. (Scary that it beat out Haliburton, don't know how to respond to that one.) As the reports show, it looks like the RIAA's days are truly numbered.  The sad thing is that with the implosion of the major label music business, a lot of major retailers have gone out of business, leaving bruises on a number of smaller labels and artists. The strong independent stores prevail, a number of them we still stand by (see our links section), and people still continue to buy music and see shows live. Music is in no danger of dying.

We're excited to see the bands we've trumpeted for years break through to wider audiences and greater respect. We're happy to see an overall increased percentage in the profiles of independent labels and artists over the last few years. We hope to continue to focus on the innovators and talents that continue to keep music fresh, alive, and meaningful. 

Keep the spirit up! Keep supporting music, keep contributing, keep writing in blogs, spaces, message boards, newsgroups, listservs, etc,...   Brainwashed's doors remain open to volunteers, contributors, writers, friends, and supporters. Don't ever hesitate to speak what's on your mind!

And stay tuned for updates on the next Brainwaves, video and audio from the last one, and more Brainwashed Recordings and related releases.

Thanks again.

 

With love, 

Jon Whitney