Farewell Flight

All The World (Demo).

Here is a demo of one of the softer of the new songs I did at home in my bedroom.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.”

Supposedly Albert Einstein said this. While it’s hard to trust a guy who couldn’t drive a car and created the atom bomb, he did prove time travel is possible, so maybe he believed in second chances. In the interest of not being labelled Einstein’s version of insane, we’re shaking things up a bit. For one, as a band, we’re relocating to Nashville, TN. In our limited experience, we’ve found that the more you can network and make friends with people in the industry, the more likely you’ll have opportunities to be successful. Seeing as there aren’t a lot of music industry types in central PA (with the exception of Lady Gaga and her new boyfriend), there are really only a handful of places in the US that have that sort of community- NYC, LA, Austin, Seattle, and Nashville, to name the big ones. Is it necessary to make a move like this to “make it”? Probably not. Have people “made it” without ever doing this? Absolutely. But we’ve tried pretty much everything else, and this is the only thing left that we can think of (barring the sale of our organs to dying record execs…we’re almost to that point).

In (believe it or not) unrelated news, Marc and Robbe have made the decision to move on from Farewell Flight and the pursuit of a music career. Both have expressed that their hearts are no longer in this dream, and are ready to start the next chapter of their lives.

Marc is considering a return to law school, to seek a legal career in social justice. He has expressed a need to make a difference in the world, and feels he can better do that by leaving FF. We wish him and his lovely wife Dani the best, and encourage and believe in him as a champion for those in need. He has written an open letter to our fans which can be read here.

                         
Over the last few years, Robbe has become more and more interested in sailing. He has combined this with his inner entrepreneurial spirit and moved to Baltimore to create a business. It’s called Red Bell Marine Care, and he started it with his childhood friend (and older brother of Rabbit), Andy. It’s a company that specializes in the care and maintenance of sailboats. If you happen to own a half a million dollar yacht (or “sloop”) like the rest of Red Bell’s clients, we advise you to enlist their services. Robbe gets married to the spunky and gorgeous writer Kimi Raspa this June. His poorly-composed resignation letter is here.

Our new drummer is a 23 year-old hunk from York named Caleb Allensworth who came to our attention via the recommendation of our friend Josiah. A fantastic drummer, he is a big fan of our music and is excited to be a part of the band (tricked him). Currently our lowest-weighing member, he works for Apple, to my delight has no real interest in sports, is dating a smoking hot blonde sushi-hating girlfriend, and so far is the snazziest dressing drummer we’ve had since Marc Prokopchak…let’s just say that the first 5 times times we hung out, he wore a different shirt EVERY time. We’re excited to welcome him, his more than adequate chops, his enthusiasm, and his impressive yet non-flashy beard into our band. In the spirit of a meat auction or an NFL draft weekend, you can examine pictures of him on his facebook page.

Our new bassist is Brian Oliver “Pretzel Rod” Miller (formerly, also known as “Mule” but only professionally). Pretzel Rod temporarily resides in Hanover (like me!) with his parents (like me!), and can sometimes (read: always) be found wearing the toughest-looking boots this side of…well, anywhere. The Walmart that he hates/works at is right across the street from the movie theatre that I work at/am planning to burn down. This will actually be his second run on Mono vs Stereo records, having previously bass(ed?) for MVS alumni and cult favorites The Evan Anthem. For some reason, Brian loves the 49ers, explaining that it’s only because his brother liked the Cowboys growing up, to which I just said, “Ok” since I don’t really know what that means. P-Rod is about as easy-going as you can get without actually being Rabbit Campbell. Also, the two of them have pretty much the same sense of humor, so for those of you who already know Rabbit, you can imagine that band rehearsals have gotten really interesting. Brian is a perfect fit for FF, and we are very jazzed to have him. Stalk him on his Facebook page.

So, we’re also in the process of writing a whole, brand new record to record with our label, Mono Vs Stereo Records. I can’t describe the level of excitement we feel about these new songs. There’s not a way to explain it without sounding like a total knob about our own music. I will say that we’re trying a lot of new types of songs, and writing the best we ever have. While it’s maybe somewhat different than the older FF songs, I promise it’s a natural progression and that if you like old Farewell Flight, you’ll definitely like this. We’re working very, very hard and rehearsing a ton for it, yet trying to balance by not rushing into the recording process until we have the best songs we can manage. We’ve started out with 30 or so songs and are trimming the fat to make the best record possible. After taking so long to release an actual new album, we think it’s appropriate to make something that we feel is perfect to us. We’re shooting to record in 3 months, and cannot wait for y’all to hear these songs. We’re also going to start playing them live, so you can expect to hear some at any show from now on. We’re not planning any major tours in the near future, but we will be doing some weekend/spot dates in PA, MI, IN, and OH. I’m posting a demo of one of the quieter of the new songs after this blog, so check it out. 

We’re also in this month’s issue of Alternative Press magazine for the 100 Bands You Need To Know In 2012, which is obviously very honoring, we hope to live up to that title over the next year.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading all of that and caring this much. You guys are the whole reason we do this, why we push through even when our best friends and brothers can’t do it anymore, or we start to notice grey hairs from the stress, or when we lie awake at night and worry if we’ve squandered the best years of our lives…I can say that for me, and also for Rabbit, you make it all worth it. Writing songs for you and playing them for you, to see you sing along or or getting to listen to those few of you who tell us that a song changed your life, and for the better- that’s what makes it worth it. Honestly, there have been some moments when I am overcome with fear and doubt and stress, and am so tired and want to just forget it all. But honestly, I can’t. At this point, I’m addicted to it, and I can’t stop believing in it. In love with the possibility of getting to write the soundtrack to your life: the songs you sing under your breath at work, the lyrics you swear were written about you, the songs that you listen to because it makes you think of the person you’re falling in love with, the lullaby you listen to as you fall asleep, that song you cry to in your car at a stoplight at 1am. I want to be there at those moments with you, and that might sound pretentious or cheesy, but I think I’m starting to believe that maybe it’s what I was made to do. Please stay with us, and believe in us in the times when we no longer believe in ourselves. We love you.

Luke & Rabbit.

Out For Blood Lyric Video.

Cheers, that’s a wrap! Thanks to everyone involved and especially @AumenMedia! (Taken with instagram)

Cinematographer and co-owner of @AumenMedia @Eric_Aumen filming the last scene. (Taken with instagram)

Here’s @lukerfoley repeating director @thevarsitychris word for word. (Taken with instagram)

Diva, FF Publicist, Casting Director, Drummer’s Wife @Danielle_Floyd unhappy with her level of exposure. #rpb (Taken with instagram)

Who let the rabble in? @Danielle_Floyd #RPB (Taken with instagram)

Shot of @lukerfoley right before he walks into a shower of fireworks. (Taken with instagram)

From outside Castle Mansberger (location). (Taken with instagram)