Rich from the Rx Bandits has announced he is to leave the band after the band complete their UK tour in December. In a statement on the Drive-Thru Records website, Rich states the “backstabbing” of the record industry as one of the reasons for his departure.
His statement reads:
“To all that care to read….
Spending these last five years as a part of the RxBandits has allowed me to meet great people, live new experiences, and achieve many personal goals. I wouldn’t trade these things for the world. Prior to recording “Progress”, I began noticing many things about the industry and my own situation in the band that frustrated me. As my level of frustration elevated, so did my level of depression. Aware of these feelings that consumed me both mentally and physically, I still made an attempt to be a part of the band’s demanding tour schedule, until the touring became too much. This downward spiral hit a dead end shortly before November 22 of this year. I was to turn 24 that day and realized I had some serious decisions to make regarding the direction my life was headed. The corruption and selfish back-stabbing in this industry was destroying my love for music—almost pushing me to the point of blaming music itself and ridding my life of it altogether. How was it that something I love so much was making me so bitter? This all had to stop. Music is what I love, and making music and performing are two very different things.
Thank you all for the memories. I’m sure I will see many of you at shows where I will be to support the bands that inspire me.
Sincerely,
Rich Balling
P.S. on a side note, at no time am I referring to anyone at Drive Thru as the back-stabbing industry types. In fact, Richard and Stefanie have not only been two of my best friends, but two of the most sincere individuals in the industry. They, along with bands like New Found Glory, are the ones who are left with the task of keeping the torch of hope lit in this bleak industry.
My Rant to Those involved in the Industry (to whom it may concern):
If we were to dissect a human body, we would see that the “person” is nothing more than flesh, blood, and bone. To me, this shows our personality comes from one of two places: the spiritual plane, or various chemicals in our body that cause us to act the way we do. Our personality /emotions give us the intelligence to plot the downfall of others so that we might get ahead of them. With all of that said, whether it be by spirit or biology, why would anyone waste a single precious moment of their lives stepping on someone else so that they might be able to parade around the room on taller stilts?
If you have a message that you wish to inform people of, then be a performer. If you want nothing more than to entertain people and bring smiles to the masses, then be a performer. If you have neither a message nor the burning desire to entertain, then ask yourself, why are you stepping on other people just to satisfy the “attention-whore” inside of you (we all have one)? To be the “accepted”? The winner of the popularity contest? ”