May 6th, 2011 
James Shotwell Your Best Friend have decided to go their separate ways. You can read a letter written posted by Fusion Shows detailing the band’s breakup and final shows below. This is a sad day for everyone that was close to this band. They will be missed.
Definitely quite sad to have to blog today. Rarely does announcing a show hit me emotionally anymore. Sometimes, it’s pure jubilation when we announce a return engagement for one of my favorite artists, such as Kevin Devine or The Dear Hunter. But today, I’m saddened by what we’re announcing.
On July 15 and 16, Your Best Friend will play their two final shows together as a band. They’ll take place at Fischer Hall, their home venue, with two lineups that might qualify as “Shows of the Year”, even if they didn’t carry the weight of the “farewell” tag.
It’s a sobering day for those of us in the Michigan music “business”, because we all knew that Your Best Friend was gonna make it. They were that good. The songs were that good. The live show was that good. They never were outshined or overshadowed. They played with bands like Bayside, Chiodos, Foxy Shazam, and all those big bands at Bled Fest and Dirt Fest and Warped Tour over the years, and you never thought for a second “Hey, that’s a local band.” These guys belonged in the spotlight, but were deeply humble.
But for some reason, it just never happened. It hurts me especially deep, because I was a part of their team for a long time. I booked for them, helped them manage their career. Why we couldn’t “make it” is still a mystery. Everyone’s heard of them. Everyone loved the songs. Everyone was impressed by the live show. Maybe it’s too hard to make it out of a little place called Saginaw. Maybe luck just wasn’t on their side.
Either way, I’m sad, but I’m also excited. As John so eloquently put in their farewell blog today, we’re going to celebrate. In fact, in talking to John and preparing for today, I was the one telling him that. I was “being strong” for him, because he was super bummed about it. So I guess I need today to get that sadness/anger/resentment out of my system, and to get ready for what will be two of the best shows of my life.
Fusion Shows, but more importantly, I personally am thankful for knowing these guys, and for having been a part of the run they made. Some of my best memories in live music revolve around times I spent with Your Best Friend, from the first time we hosted them, opening for the Souldub video shoot at the Opera House, to the last time, where they just about blew my mind at the Crofoot with Foxy Shazam.
On July 15 and 16, please, come to Fischer Hall. Celebrate with us one more time. This is as dramatic a post as I’ll ever write on a Fusion Shows blog, but it’s as passionate as I’ve felt about something Fusion Shows has done in a long time. Your Best Friend deserves to have both of these shows sell out, and deserves to have a huge crowd at this year’s Bled Fest. Tickets are onsale now at FusionShows.com for just $10 per night.
This is also a good point for me to let everyone know that Fusion Shows will be kind of helping Traveling Kid Productions with Fischer Hall shows for a while, as our good buddy Pete will be not only spending time on the road tour managing Koji, but will also be making good on his moniker of “Traveling Kid”. This summer season, he’ll be working at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. I know I’m personally planning on making a trip to the Island just to hang out with him. You should too.
Please join me in thanking Your Best Friend for existing. And support them in their future endeavors, wherever they may lead.
Love,
Nate
Fusion Shows
- 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
- Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
- UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015
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