Headlight Disco

Happy Monday!

Most people don’t know the effect they have on others.

Now that I’m back in America, and finished with a long few days of travel back from an amazing 5 month trip in Asia, I wanted to address The Click Five announcement that we will no longer be releasing any new material or touring.

Some fans and friends have been posting videos, songs, etc from our TC5 days, some have said they’re sad, most if not all are supportive of our futures, some saying that our “breakup” was not as intense as other bands breaking up and that they don’t really care (haha, gotta love it). Seeing people respond in any way really shows me how much we can effect others, especially as a musician. It’s the best feeling. It’s why we do it. It’s those sparks and moments in a writing session or in the studio, when you surprise yourself and do something incredible or finally hit that note or nail that part you’ve been killing to nail. It’s that perfect storm of those sparks and moments being recorded, released, and actually reaching people, sometimes millions, that makes it all worthwhile. It’s hard to explain the feeling, and I still don’t fully understand it (nor do I want to), but I know I’m addicted.

I wanted to thank my bandmates for everything they taught me during our time as TC5. I came into the band very young at 19 and more or less developed into a man during those years. To Joe, Ben, Ethan, and Joey, time after time you guys took me under your collective wings and had my back, and when a lot of people may have disagreed that the band had a new singer, you kept your faith in me and taught me everything you knew, sometimes not really knowing your effect on me and how positive and long-lasting it was/still is. I have no idea where I’d be today had I not auditioned and joined the band in 2006/7, but I don’t want to know, because the experiences we had were something I only thought existed in dreams, and then they became reality, extreme reality, and so fast. I owe so much to you guys and want to continue our friendship until we die. I’m willing to make sure that happens. Thank you for everything.

To everyone along the way who helped us, promoted us, booked us at your club, spread our music, worked at our record label, management, no real amount of success would have been possible without you. We created something really special as a band on stage and in the studio, but we needed your help and guidance to get it out into the world in the biggest way. This list of friends and colleagues is too long to write everyone, but you know who you are. Those friends that were always there, and still are. Hung out with us during tough times, and good times alike. Thank you.

To the fans – I don’t even know where to begin. You have helped me endlessly since I joined the band. Not a single day, or even hour, has gone by where I don’t think of you and appreciate you. With every tour, we met new people, and got re-acquainted with fans from past shows. All of you special in your own right. We heard compliments, constructive criticisms, stories from you about how our music moved you, saw videos you made covering our songs, saw your tattoos of us, heard from you that we’ve inspired you to be a musician, to tell that person you loved them, to tell that person how you really felt… all because of our songs. These are not things that we really know are happening until you mention it to us, and every time it’s like the first time. Again – most people don’t know the effect they have on others and go through life thinking they’re small and no one listens to them. Well I’m here to say that people are listening. I know this because I’ve seen it happen over and over again, and felt small, until I get a message, email, tweet, Facebook post, or video showing me that someone cares and was listening. Thank you to everyone who listened.

As for the announcement that we will no longer be releasing music or touring as The Click Five. It may be cliche, but this is not an end, only a new beginning. This announcement does not mean that we will not ever work together again. I still think we create something really special when we join up, but we were ready to move on in our lives and try new things, become our own people, and develop into this new stage of adulthood. Of course we have positive memories of what we accomplished together, which looking back is so much. I know how talented my bandmates are, and I want to work with them in the future in any capacity, even if it isn’t billed as TC5.

I FULLY believe that our best work is yet to come, for each of us, in whatever it is that we do. One thing I always liked about us is that we always wanted to keep evolving. I know that this is still intact. We will take the experiences with TC5 and move into this new chapter with full intention of getting better and better and better.

Moving forward – I hope you all support what we do individually and collectively and come along with us on our new journeys. We would love it if you did. I doubt we’ll be any less weird though, so i hope that is ok. 

Thanks and I’ll keep making music and working my ass of to come to you and perform for you and meet you. There is still so much to do in life!

Hi Guys!

I just wanted to thank every single one of you for supporting THE CLICK FIVE, though they have disbanded, I and hope that you will too support them :) They are incredibly talented and I owe them a lot for making my life better through their songs and just by being awesome. Also, I wanted you to know that I WON'T CLOSE THIS BLOG, I will continue to update it with what's going on with the boys :) I hope you stick with us and continue to root for Kyle, Ben, Ethan, Joe & Joey. 

Again, thank you :D especially to the people who help/ing me run this blog HAIITSVI, LAURA, GOFORGOLD & SBRNAYANA. You guys are awesome! :D

Dear fans of The Click Five,

I thought I’d reflect a on my experience with my wonderful friends.   The band members recently parted ways…you can listen look at them here:www.theclickfive.com.  If you just want the gist – TC5 is the reason I sit here writing this in San Jose.  I met my wife because of them.  I met my friend, bandmate, and writing partner(s) because of them.  All the other acts with whom I toured called me because of my work with them.

Ben and I had a mutual friend. We were living in Boston then, but I think the first time we met was actually in Connecticut for a long weekend.  He had come down to visit Matt Pynn (a friend you should know aboutwww.facebook.com/mattpynn). I just finished school at Berklee and Ben was finishing that year.  We got to talking.  He was putting a band together called the Sugar Dips and needed a bass player.  I didn’t play bass, but I told him I did.  The band was was super fun – We never played a gig but we did manage to record some demos in our friend Jeff’s Parents basement. (Jeff is another person you should know about www.jeffyurek.com)  Ben and I hit it off right away, we started hanging out, and I began to understand the depth of his talent and insanity (good insanity).  He introduced me to his friends.  They all lived in a big house on Imrie Rd in Allston (Boston).  Joe, Ethan, Joey, Eric ( www.atomictom.com remember that iPhone subway video) Ashwin, Nate (www.natecampany.com) and Boomer.  Boomer isn’t on the web as far as I can tell, which you would feel makes sense – if and when you have an opportunity to meet him.  He’s the stuff of legend.  You can talk Tolstoy.

UK

I’d come over with a tool box

(that’s a case of Coors Light) and we’d all hang out listen to music, play music, talk about music, go out, come back and listen to music.  It was an ecosystem.  I’d walk in, everyone would be in their rooms working a song, playing, recording, whatever…and could these guys PLAY.  I was blown away.  I still am when I see them.  They’re all Musician’s musicians.  I’m not sure everyone quite gets that – These guys are cream of the crop players. Better than most I’ve seen and played with. I digress.  There were a few bands going on then in the house.  Ben had a Jazz trio and a rock band.  Joey, Nate, and Eric Angelo were in a band called For Reasons Unseen.  We had a band in a rehearsal space for one night of indie rock glory called The 57’s.  We had and acoustic band called The Lost Faces.  Me, Ben,  Ethan, Joe and Matt Pynn, all with guitars singing each others songs in four part harmony.  

I remember having a conversation with Ben around when TC5 was forming.  He had just moved to Nashville to write professionally, and him joining was up in the air.  “Should you do it??” “Yes.  Yes you should.  Get up here.”  I will take a tiny sliver of credit for him coming back to Boston to join the band.  I’m sure he had that talk with plenty others.  

They got signed straight away and went on tour.  They asked me to tour manage for two months.  They were slated to open for Ashlee Simpson.  We left Boston on a February morning headed for Los Angeles in a U-haul box truck and a Dodge Caravan.  I had it all under control.  That’s not entirely accurate

TC5 Bus on tour with Big City Rock

.  I did not have one single thing under control.  Not one thing.  I got a crash course from Ashlee’s Road Crew and Sound Man.  I don’t know what I would have done without Dewey Evans and Monty Lee Wilkes.

It was hard, but the shows were great, and the Fans (you guys) were amazing.  Months turned into years.  Vans became Buses, clubs became theaters and Cincinnati became Singapore.  I can tell you anything you want to know about truck stops and border crossings… lots of coffee and sneaking cigarettes…Accounting spreadsheets and nightly merch reports.  There was always something gone awry.  That was normal.  Not normal was a day off.  When we had one I’d sleep then Joe and I would go find a jukebox and a pool table.  There were people we’d have to suck up to.  There were people who’d save the day.  We never missed a show. Not one.  We broke down, got delayed, went through donner pass in a snowstorm.    Then we’d take a break and do it all over again.  I think Joe has the milage figured out.  It’s a lot.  Every city, lines out the door, homemade t-shirts, poster board signs, meet and greets / pictures every night.  YOU GUYS WERE THERE keeping us going.  I had pages on the web dedicated to me.  If you haven’t been following closely I was not in this band.  I’ll repeat: I had pages on the web – heck even t-shirts – of me… this was like, before facebook.  I made so many friends during those years. It should go without saying… but I’ll say it, I consider all the members of that band, Joe, Joey, Ben, Ethan, and Kyle to be among my best friends.  I was there for them, and they supported me at my best and worst.  Many of the friends I have now (you guys) I met at TC5 shows.  Night after night, in cities eight hours apart,  following the band around!!  You were in line, You went and did errands for us out of the goodness of your heart when the people at the venue sucked and wouldn’t get me batteries.!!  I met my great buddy Ryan Snyder (our Stage Tech) and tons of other amazing / interesting / horrifying / crazy crew people. I always appreciated it  when you guys asked me how I was doing. You were actually asking ME.  That was nice!! I can say for sure that when bands say “we do it for our fans” they really mean it.  I mean it.   It was a cool job, and it changed my life, and It wouldn’t have happened if no one showed up.  My parents thought it was cool too.  No one is ever sure what Mom and Dad will think about anything.   I invited them to a show in Connecticut and THEY LOVED IT!  

Like I said in the beginning, I sit here in California. In my kitchen.  Typing.  Strumming my guitar.  Looking at little videos I took from those days.  My wife – I met her at the Roxy (TC5 and Big City Rock 2006) is upstairs.  My friend and bandmate Tim, the bass player from Big City Rock is 10 minutes down the road.  We’ll write a song tomorrow.  On saturday I will play beach volleyball.

So all of you, I’ll be thinking about you.  Thanks for this amazing life. -steve

PS!!! This song  -written by me, Ethan and Ben.  Recorded by TC5… not an “official” song of theirs …but..LISTEN TO THE LAST 5 SECONDS!!

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