i had a feeling this was coming

An open letter to all supporters of Five Iron Frenzy from the band.

Way back in 1996, just after our first album came out, we began to hear rumors that our band was breaking up. For six years we’ve insisted these rumors were untrue. We have always said that when we do decide to move on that we would make a very formal announcement about it and post it on our official web site to avoid such rumors from proliferating.

Here is that announcement:

By the end of 2003, Five Iron Frenzy will cease to exist as a working band. This means that after 2003 FIF will not be recording more songs or playing any more
shows.

This was not an easy decision to come to, and we wish to thank you all for your incredible support since our inception in 1995. You have truly made this an amazing experience which all of us will remember fondly for the rest of our lives.

We did not come to this decision haphazardly. Every year we sit down with our pastor to pray about what the Lord would like us to do for the next year. We have done this since the beginning of the band and have always said that we would do what ever we think God wants us to do, even if that means stopping the band. After meeting with our pastor this year and spending several days in prayer and meetings, we have decided that it is time for us to move on.

Quite simply, the reason FIF will no longer be a band after 2003 is because, after much prayer, we feel like the Lord has called us on to other things. What those other things are will be as diverse as the 8 people who make up the band, but the point is that we all agree that this is what the Lord has told us.

The end of 2003 is still quite a ways off, and we have a busy and exciting year planned. Here is a list of things you can expect from Five Iron Frenzy in 2003:

*Our main goal in 2003 is simply to say “thank you very much” and give a proper good bye to you for supporting us for the past 8 years. Without you this would have all ended very long ago. We genuinely appreciate your support, and can’t say thanks enough for it.

*On April 22 we will release our B-sides and “funny song” album, which is tentatively titled “Cheeses of Nazareth.” We have been working on it for the past few weeks, and we think you will enjoy it. It will have some of our B-sides and some previously “lost” FIF songs that are really old, along with a lot of goofy songs that we are kind of making up as we go along (ala: “The Godzilla Song,” or “Kitty-Doggie”). This CD will be in stores on 5 Minute Walk Records.

*In early summer we will release a full length CD which will be our final studio recording. This album will only be available at live shows, starting (hopefully) in Mid-June. This is an album that we have big plans for (both the music and the packaging), and is one you are definitely gonna want to buy at our shows. Sometime in 2004 this album will be released in stores, but until then will ONLY be available at live shows.

* We will be hitting many major music festivals in the summer,including: Agape Fest (Greenville, IL), Cornerstone Orlando (Orlando, FL), Alive Fest (near Canton, OH), Inside Out Soul Fest (New Hampshire), Kingdom Bound (Buffalo, NY), Cornerstone SC (some where in SC), Purple Door (PA), and Lifest (Oshkosh, WI). For many of these fests, this will be the last time we EVER play in a 100 mile radius of the fest location, so you’ll want to check it out. (Also, there will be more fests added as the summer approaches).

*In addition to the above mentioned fests, we will also be performing at the original Cornerstone Festival in Bushnel, IL on July 4. We will be headlining the main stage on that night and helping C-stone to celebrate that fests 20th birthday.

* Starting in Mid-Sept and going through Mid-November will be our farewell tour. (Farewell as in this will be the LAST time you ever get to see us live). This will be a big one and will hit a ton of places. The tour is tentatively called “Winners Never Quit: The Farewell Tour,” and will be coming to a city near you (assuming you live in the continental United States.) Support acts will not be announced at this time, but it will be a good show, we promise. You will also be able to buy our final full length studio CD at these shows.

(If you are interested in booking this tour, please send an email to Booking@5minutewalk.com, particularly if you have connections to a college activities board that would be interested in this show.)

* The “Winners Never Quit” tour will culminate with a big show in Denver, CO in Mid-Nov, which will be the last FIF show.

*As previously mentioned, sometime in 2004, the last FIF studio CD will be released in stores.

No one ever knows the future, but if the Lord wills, these are our plans for 2003. We know that the Lord blessed this band beyond our expectations. God used FIF as a vehicle to change many peoples lives (ours included). The important thing to remember right now is that our main goal has always been focused on something bigger than a band, something bigger than music. We have always tried to point to something that is eternal and unchanging. Bands come and go, and now it is FIF’s time to go. But our message has always been that God is an unchanging constant, and that through Christ one can receive peace, love, hope and faith. This is all we have ever wanted to leave people with, and we pray that God would continue to reveal Himself to us all.

Again, we can’t stress enough how appreciative we are of you for your support of us over the years. We hope that you will come and see us on our farewell tour so
that we can say good bye.

God bless. Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Dennis Culp, Nathanael Dunham, Keith Hoerig, Sonnie Johnston, Leanor Ortega, Micah Ortega, Reese Roper, Andrew Verdecchio.

(AKA: Five Iron Frenzy)


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