… and has been for a little over a week now.
While I am slowly coming to terms with the news that rocked my little world, it still feels weird and I haven’t fully accepted it …yet.
Yeah, I know, I can see y’all’s questionmarks hovering above y’all’s heads, so let’s cut to the chase:
Last Tuesday, my very favoritestest band out there, BURY TOMORROW, aka BAND! aka MY LORDS AND SAVIORS, issued a statement. Reading the first couple of lines, I thought for a moment that the whole band had called it quits because of the pandemic. However, the band very much still exists, but … they announced that their clear vocalist and rhythm guitarist JASON CAMERON and the others parted ways.
Excuse me WHAT!?
And here I was stating last year, after my PATRIOTS had gotten their asses handed to them BIG time at home vs the 49ers that I was going to revoke my sports fandom now to solely focus on music, “because music cannot break my heart the way sports do!”
Joke’s on me.
Boy, was I suckerpunched here!
That news came like a major shock to the fanbase, since basically no one saw it coming. Like … those five dudes had been together on stage and in the studio for a good decade now (Duwas joined in a little later, replacing their original lead guitarist), they’re besties, they’re all around adorable, all five of them, they’re goofing around like nobody’s business and just have a jolly good time.
And now Jase is leaving?
Fuck’s sake!
Like, you know, the lads said they were going to continue, obviously, but so far, it’s unknown if they’ll have a new clean vocalist to join them. It’s just gonna be weird to know that we won’t hear Jase’s incredible voice on BT tracks anymore or live, for that matter. It just doesn’t feel …right at this point.
I mean, yeah, I shall eventually get used to it, but for now …ooooof!
What makes it so difficult for me to deal with it is the simple fact that it was him back in the day after my first ever BAND! gig who sealed the deal. I know, broken record, but when he walked up to me, smiling, and said, “Hey Sweetie! Come here, let’s hug!” – it simply blew me away.
All those moments with him, when he remembered that I missed out on a home game for them, or which footie team I used to support …all that. Him making sure I got a guitar pick or setlist. Asking if I was okay, after I got a (very) slight kick in the head from a crowdsurfer (who was fortunately wearing Chucks or something). Apologizing when he let me wait for a terribly long time outside a venue. All that.
*sigh*
And also, as I was going through my photos and all, I realized that the very last time I spoke to him in person was the night from November 30 to December 1, 20-FUCKING-18. Such a freakin’ looooooong time already. 😦 When I saw them in December 2019, I didn’t get to talk to him as he was sick with the flu and still sounded amazing on stage. (Seriously, fam, when I have the flu I sound like a raven. Jase? Belts out all those notes without sounding off. Go figure.)
That very night was also when I gave him the scarf you can see on the photo. Which I now will hold dear to my little black, dead, cold heart. “This is rad! I NEED a scarf!” he said with a huge smile. The next evening, I was sent this picture above – he was sat there in Leipzig, signing stuff AND DEADASS WEARING THE SCARF I HAD GIVEN HIM. If that isn’t the cutest, most epic shoutout and “Thank you” EVER, then I don’t even know. I was also told that he apparently said that he really loved the scarf.
Excuse me but … BE STILL MY BEATING FANGIRL HEART! (capslock TOTALLY needed, fam)
It won’t be easy to know that next time I will see them perform, there won’t be any interactions with Jase anymore. But whatever the future holds for both, BAND! and Jase, I wish them the very best. They all deserve it. I also have an inkling that we haven’t seen or heard the last of Jase.
All that is left for me to say now is, “Thank you, Jase.” Thank you for every single moment. Every hug. Every smile. Every setlist and guitar pick. Every word and pep talk. EVERYTHING. It’s been a real pleasure.
Here’s to BURY TOMORROW 2.0
Ocean Soul 