GOD FORBID’S DALLAS COYLE: AN OPEN LETTER TO LIGHT THIS CITY
Open Letter To Light This City
Tonight was the last night of the “In Thrash We Trust’ tour with Death Angel, Arsis, Soilent Green and Light This City. The first thing I want to do is thank every single person who came out to this tour and rocked out with us. Some shows were packed and some shows weren’t but in the end none of that matters. The shows we played were for the people who came out to rock! I sound like a broken record but we get to play a show every day. Most of the people who come out to the show make this their one time of the week, their one time of the month — hell, their one time of the year to escape and lose themselves in some heavy fucking metal!
To those people, I THANK YOU!
After this six week run a lot of things have happened. No matter how many tours you do you never have the same story. You are always surprised. It could be the people you encounter that you haven’t seen in a long time. It could be the new bands you meet on tour who become new friends. There is a bond that is established between everyone on tour; from crew, to promoters, to bands, to fans. It really is an amazing animal. Honestly, if any of you out there are scientists in behavior you’d do well to do a study of the rhythm and mechanisms of a tour. I bet you’d find some anomalies that may coincide with the patterns of weather currents.
It is true energy.
Unfortunately, Light This City had to leave this tour early. It really sucked because I really liked everyone in the band. When a band leaves a tour prematurely it can affect you. Soilent left the tour early to do the Dethklok/Chimaira tour. I was happy as hell for them because that tour is kicking ass and they deserve to play for new people. When Soilent left we felt it. It was a blow. It was like our package had to reset itself.
Light This City was still with us so everything was all good — until the Al Rosa Villa. Most of you know about this place. I’m not going to go into it about the Al Rosa but for some reason that place has some serious karmic energy. The last time we played there Doc trashed the dressing room over some dispute I can’t really recall. Doc is a reserved individual. He’s definitely not violent but that night he lashed out. I was probably being an insufferable bastard. Like I said — I can’t remember. The night of the Al Rosa was the night LTC left the tour.
Getting personal about bands is something I don’t do because their business is their business but for this blog I have to share how I think bands should stay open ended.
Frost, Brian, Hollywood, Ben and Laura are some of the most down to earth, genuine people I’ve met on tour. I know they’ve done some great tours and have heat on them so when they told us they were leaving the tour I was surprised but —
I saw it coming.
I have an amazing talent for getting a feel for a situation. If you can name that talent, I’m all ears.
Not just two days before that day in Columbus I was thinking about LTC and the ways they can really take their band to the next level. These guys aren’t ‘middle-class’ like we are. They are still trying to break so I got some ideas in my head for them. They have everything necessary to make it. When I heard their new stuff I was truly digging it. It was massive shit. Everyone in the band was feelin’ it and I can tell they were moving in the right direction. When it comes out, BUY it! It’s awesome!
Two days before Columbus I walked up to Laura and I told her I thought she should bring more sex appeal to her presence. I think my exact words were, “Bring more sexy before the bitter sets in.” It was funny but trust me, once the bitter sets in it’s hard to get away from it… I would fuck with her a lot. I’d ask her to sing Happy Birthday because I’m a stickler for singing. Why Happy Birthday? Because if you can sing that, you can sing anything! I really thought on the the album after their new unreleased one she should add some sort of melodic stuff to contrast the brutality. Laura is brutal. She can kick most of those bitch-ass lambgoat posters to the fucking curb.
By the way, to you lambgoat punks… Laura wouldn’t fuck any of you if you were the last dudes on earth… She’s got class. You’ve got flaccid penises. I understand your impotent rage. Eat a hard dick.
Why would I ask her to add some melody? Because I cared about them. When I go on tour and see bands who are ridiculously talented playing their hearts out every night it makes me remember how hard it is to do this. Light This City is incredibly talented. To tell you the truth, before this tour I’ve never even heard them but after touring with them I wanted to help them in any way I could. We’ve been on tour with a bunch of bands who’ve gone on to bigger and better things and the only thing I feel is pride. When I see a band with the gift I want to give them everything I have.
I believe the singer is the most important element of any band. That’s why I was grilling Laura on that stuff. You have to use what you have to make it in this fucking business. I don’t care who the fuck you are. It’s not just sex appeal, it’s not just good songs. It’s a fucking package.
A band is like a fucking Xmas present!
That night when I spoke to LTC it disappointed me. How the fuck are you going to throw away something that only one in a million people can do? Most people don’t have the talent to BE this. Most people don’t have the RIGOR to do this. Most people can’t HANG with this. If some people can’t hang on it doesn’t mean YOU have to fall. ARE YOU HEARING ME? What’s growth without pain?
Laura, you lead the way. If you power through this all is not lost and the identity is intact. Your identity hasn’t even been developed. Develop your own identity before you worry about some other person’s identity. Love don’t pay the bills! Youth is a gift! Don’t throw it away! There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Like my Grandmama says, “Do it while you’re young! 21 never comes back! If niggas can’t hang, they can’t hang!”
To LTC: You know what you need to do. You’ve been doing it. You can keep doing it. You are a BAND! People out there count on you to create for them because they can’t! Do you know you’ve probably saved a life? People look up to you!
Don’t throw that opportunity away. It may be harder these days to make this a living but I believe you can do it. Take time off. Get a new perspective but don’t QUIT! You lose when you quit in this game.
A new record is a new day. Maybe Ben has to take time. Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. The one thing I know is that you have a support system in your band most people would wish for. Brian, Hollywood and Frost are guys that people like me would wish for if my band were having issues. Trust me, we’ve had issues. I’ve wanted to quit so many times but I didn’t because something or the other kept me there and I never regretted staying. I’ve always thought about if I had made the decision to quit. I would’ve regretted that decision more than anything.
Unfortunately, I think you will too. Please don’t let it go.
I’m 28 and I’ve got my own problems. GF is at the end of a 4 year cycle and we’ve stayed together. There’s no reason you can’t. Don’t let Ben disband your band. Disband it yourself if that’s what you want to do. I don’t care who reads this because it’s very rare when I see a spark in a band. When I did previously, most of the bands went on to better things.
You will too. If you stay together.
Hopefully I won’t have to send condolences to Light This City. If you feel the same as I do hit Laura up and tell them to stay together. There is more to be done.
HORNS!!!!
[For an official explanation from Light This City about their breakup, visit MetalMartyr – Ed.]
