To be, or not to be? That unfortunately is the question.

Being in this band has always been something very special to me. It has gotten me through some of the roughest points in my life, and has given me endless fond memories. When this band was coming together at the beginning our only plan was to be fully committed to this and take it as far as it can go, and try and have as much fun as possible along the way. We felt very fortunate to have Alex, Marc and Eyeball Records behind us. We had made alot of good friends through the years of being in bands that were constantly telling us they loved what we were doing and would help us along the way. In February 2004 we recorded our first album as Voice In The Wire. I have never been so proud of anything I have been a part of in my life. The future for VITW was looking bright. We couldn't wait to release the album and hit the road. In September 2004, after what seemed like an eternity the album was finally released. Two days later we hit the road for our first U.S. tour. The tour was alittle over six weeks long and we hit every city we could. It was a huge undertaking for such a new band. We were very determined, and very optimistic. Of course it being our first trip out, although we had an amazing time, it wasn't always easy. There were plenty of small shows, plenty of nights sleeping in the cold van, lots of getting stiffed on the money we were promised, a few cancelled shows, but in the end, to me, it was a huge success. This is what being in a punk band is all about.

I remember one of the first shows i went to, it was the mid 80's, I was 12 years old, seeing the band Life Sentence. They pulled up in front of the club in a beat up looking work van. They opened the door and i saw they had a loft bunk built in there. I was amazed. These dudes are eating out of cans and sleeping in an old shitty van with all their equipment. How can they seriously live like this. They loaded in, and took the stage. The energy they had was unbelievable! These guys looked at times as if they were fighting their instruments. But at the same time it was so obvious how much they loved what they were doing……and thats when it hit me. This is what makes it worthwhile for them to live like that. They not only love what they are doing…THEY NEED IT!

This has always been my feeling being in a touring band. It has become very obvious to me there are people who love what they do, and that is awesome….and then there are people who need it. It is so much of what makes them the person they are. The ups and downs of life on the road, the traveling, the music, the people. Its like oxygen. For other people, no matter how much they love what the do, this lifestyle can become very straining. Its understandable. Not everyone wants to have that feeling of uncertainty in their life. I can respect that.

As many of you know, on our last tour we had some major troubles, which left us stranded far from home for about 2 weeks. We ended up canceling over 3 weeks of tour, and it took the band into bankrupcy, and emptied our personal funds. At first, everyone was prepared to come home, regroup, and get back out there. Infact while we were stranded in Salt Lake City, I felt we were closer, as friends and band mates than we have ever been. I knew we would recover. On the way home from SLC, we broke down several more times, leaving us stranded once again. The desperation and fatigue was beginning to show its face. Zack hopped a long uncomfortable ride on a greyhound home. Jeff, Steve, and I stayed behind to wait for the van. Jeff and Steve both got pretty sick at this point. What we thought might be a day or so, quickly was turning into a week. Times were tough! …to say the least. When it was obvious the van wasnt gonna be done anytime soon, Jeff, Steve and I packed what we could carry, and proceeded to drag our pathetic selves to the greyhound station for a trip that seemed like eternity in hell. We finally made it home two weeks after our troubles started.

Jake had to leave the band prior to this tour, when it was obvious that his law education was costing more than he could handle being in a touring band. We found someone who played on the tour with us, but when we got home we were left with the bass player void again. As if all the other troubles we had had on tour weren't seeming too overwhelming we were stuck with an incomplete lineup.

With everyone feeling alittle broken and worn, we all kind took a few weeks home alone from each other to recover. I think everyone really started to see what it felt like to be human again. Jeff and Zack have both worked very hard on their educations, and inturn have reached a point where they both have careers that they enjoy and can live very comfortably with. I know neither lost their love for music, but they had other loves in their lives that werent quite as taxing as what we had just gone through.

Steve and I have both been in the position for the last decade or so where we spent more time on music and on the road than we did in the classroom. Both being college drop outs we found ourselves constantly working crappy minumum wage jobs and living paycheck to paycheck in order to be able to make music our priority. The two of us continued working on songs with hopes of getting back on the road and recording a new record soon. As time wore on, it was becoming more and more obvious those goals were getting further and further away. Jeff and Zack both felt they needed to be home focusing on their careers and homelife. They were ready to enjoy some of benefits of their hardwork, who can blame them. Steve and I got to the point where we were working on 10 new VITW songs for the next album. One night we started recording some basic demo tracks in the practice space. The next day after a conversation with Jeff, it became painfully obvious to us VITW as a band was gonna have to take a back seat to real life. It is a heartbreaking decision for me. I saw and continue to see the countless opportunities we had in our future. If everyone was in 100% i would be booking our next tour right now, but unfortunately that isnt possible right now.

I cant say everything went smoothly, and Im not happy with where things sit right now. But I know that each of those guys were, and are a huge part of my life. HONESTLY, the last thing I want at this point is drama. I feel that it makes all of what we did somehow feel like a waste of time, and it DEFINATELY WAS NOT A WASTE OF TIME! Those were some of the best times of my life. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything, not even the hard times. I hope everyone involved can look back on those days together with nothing but fondness.

Where does that leave us…..?

What happens to the new music we were working on….?

I dont really know, im certainly not gonna say we are finished becuase that is too final. I dont feel like I can say we will never play music together again. But right now it's just not something we are focusing on.

I wanna thank all of you for making what we have done possible and enjoyable. Hopefully we will shares times together again.
XOXO
Mike

p.s. extra special thanks go out to Dan Rock, Kyle O'Punk, Thomas Cipollone, Jason Jouver, and Adam Fontana for coming along for the ride.

p.s.s. love goes out to My Chemical Romance, Murder By Death, Paint It Black, The loved Ones, None More Black, 7 Seconds, and Kid Dynamite for taking us on the road with you and sharing your stage with us. We are very honored to have spent those days together.