Dearest friends,
For the last six years, I have had a most cherished and enriching opportunity; to take part in something that I have truly believed in. When Seven Generations first began, in what now feels like a thousand years ago, I had not the slightest notion that it would prove to be such a monumental advent in my life. It is an experience that has brought me more joy and sorrow, more unexpected triumph and foreboding defeat, more sacred optimism and profane cynicism than any other endeavor or epoch that I have ever experienced. It has been a great source of simultaneous pride and humility for which I will never have anything but the utmost gratitude. However, lamentably, at this moment in the short and passionate journey through mortality, I feel the time has come for this effort to come to an end.
Naturally, I am aware of the fact that compared to the majority of other groups that have come and gone through our little community, Seven Generations has been quite small and insignificant. There are a great many things that we have never had the fond circumstances of taking part in and additionally, there are really such a miniscule number of individuals who have a place in their hearts for our band. However, looking back on our short time together, it is hard to feel anything but an overwhelming love for everything that I have gotten to feel and participate in as a result of our small and poor band.
When we were writing our first songs, I thought that perhaps we would be offered one or two shows a year by someone who took pity on us and that we would end up playing to a largely empty room of people tapping their feet anxiously waiting for us to finish. I never would have imagined that we would have been offered the kindness, support and love that have come our way in these last six years. To think that individuals, not only across this country, but also in Europe, South America and Asia would extend themselves to us and express such wonderfully encouraging sentiments is ne
arly inconceivable. Furthermore, we have had the joy of finding out that our band and our efforts have enriched others lives the way many bands of our youth enriched our own. We have had individuals who have told us that our band has helped them overcome the torments of having been abused or raped; who have found consolation in our music that has helped them deal with the disenchantment of losing faith in religion and find pride in their new found heretical existence; who have discovered the ability to care for other living creatures and thusly taken up the cause of animal, human and earth liberation; who have risen above the confines of intoxication to develop a view of life so much more vivified and vital than that which was there before. We have been able to use our band to raise money for legal defense funds for political prisoners, for battered women’s shelters, for efforts to feed and shelter the poor and for organizations that strive to end the destruction of the environment. We have been able to share the stage with some of our heroes from the past and with contemporary bands that are both inspiring and exciting. We have been fortunate enough to form friendships both at home and abroad that will be a source of comfort until our dying days. Lastly, we have had the experience of discovering that underground hardcore punk is still a potent, meaningful and thriving culture. There are no words to express the profundity of all of these experiences, save to say that if I never again experience such emotions, I will be nourished for the rest of my life on the memories of these times.
Our last show is not yet scheduled, but we intend to say farewell sometime in fall 2009, most likely in October, at the legendary and hallowed Che Café. Until then, we would like to spend as much time with you as possible, so please do feel free to contact us and we will do as much as we can to make sure our final months together are active and meaningful. Thank you so very much for all that you have given us. We will love and cherish all of you, our friends, forever.
“Hate on and love through unrepining hours…”
Chris Rouse, on behalf of Seven Generations
nt with Hartsfield to Ryan Langley's birthday party at Memphis in Costa Mesa, and I heard Dan O' talking to Mike about it and chimed in, "We will play if you are interested." Not that we were ever that popular but I just wanted to play since it was for a good cause, I would never be interested if it were a GB-YOT-GIVE US YOUR MONEY-TYPE-REUNION.
etely, but as for the other kids in attendance it's naive to think that children don't hear profanity everyday. If they say they don’t curse they are probably not being completely honest, and if they don’t they for sure have friends that do. As for their safety? I was not worried. My 12 year old was up front dishing out some serious dance floor justice!
ver going to change. It's just a matter of how or where I feel the need to direct it.
of all their chocolate milks after the promoter screwed us over. The old Rev van broke down in Iowa in the middle of nowhere and as soon as we open the van door, 7000 flies cruised in and owned the place. We played in a castle, a kindergarten room, an abandoned supermarket parking lot, an empty pool, plenty of garages, a ‘record store’ that only sold used cassettes, some place where Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Hendrix, and The Doors played that was very much haunted, a basement at a steak restaurant, a junkyard. Sounds like we were dicks, and maybe we were sometimes but it’s boring to say, “We just wanted to play wherever and whenever, sell some merch and get our message out.” I think we did much more good than bad and I’m proud as fuck to have participated in those bands and regret nothing.
![Mayday - Victim [demo 1993]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNu1BD8eki-O6k8I4pN5KD6E73RK9aq7z4l4BQs8qSGNa6AB4OhbO-u9ACy-gWD_cwSmLJUqY_l8FtIzl0dYgpxhNH_55rrU5fDoHK9ggKrl4rw_j0Xk4-wMmszw-wokfmB9b1xnOqcB74A_9P2gmv1isDkT0J4jPFGnCnPnVMrVW2MpjPRsPWnMkgORk/s72-c/cover.jpg)
