Hello again. Thanks to everyone who has been writing us since the August posting. Your continued interest in a less than predictable group of people is really great.
As it stands, we will be recording one song in late November or early December. It's been 2 years since we've been in the studio, and our next recording should hopefully reflect how we've grown over that time. I'm confident that it will. We've decided to work with Ron Vento and Jay Vaughn at Night Sky studios
for the recording, and from there we'll determine where we want to record the 4- or 5-song demo planned for January. Needless to say, we're very excited to finally have a tentative plan as far as the next release is concerned.
I thought that we would have got the website up and running as planned by now, but we're still putting the music first. Advertising and the like are going to have to wait. Thanks again for being so patient.
Other than that there really isn't that much more to say. We're still here--writing and thinking.
Until next time,
Greg
9/25/00
"Something has happened to me, I can't doubt it anymore. It came as an illness does, not like an ordinary certainty, not like anything evident. It came cunningly, little by little; I felt a little strange, a little put out, that's all. Once established it never moved, it stayed quiet, and I was able to persuade myself that nothing was the matter with me, that it was a false alarm. And now, it's blossoming."
--Jean-Paul Sartre, "Nausea"
Greetings. It's been a long time since anyone has heard from us directly, so I figured that it was a good
time to post something and let everyone know what's going on with Forty Days Longing. As far as this
website is concerned, it's being totally reformatted--a process that will take a short while due to our
limited knowledge of html, etc. Eventually you can expect to receive all the information that was
previously available; for now, however, this posting should fill in all the gaps.
Many of you might not even know that we are still functioning as a band. The fact of the matter is that we
definitely did part ways for a time in 1999, but over this past summer we began the rebuilding process.
This process could not have taken place were it not for stabilizing our lineup, which is currently as
follows: Matt-lead guitar, Greg-keyboards, Zdenka-vocals, Jason-drums, Fred-rhythm guitar, and Ben-
bass. For the past 3 months or so the 6 of us have started writing from scratch, abandoning all the old
material. We hope to record some of these newer songs by winter, but the prospects of playing live any
time soon are slim.
I guess the logical thing to do would be to explain what contributed to the hiatus, so without further
adieu... Shortly after the head of the demon came out we parted ways with our then rhythm section. The
way in which this would affect the band was surprising. Replacing a drummer in the underground is no
easy task, but we really had no option. We began looking for replacements, but that was the least of our
problems. Creatively, we were diverging. Every riff became a conflict, and so Matt quit the band.
Ironically, we had finally found the right drummer by this time, and so Zdenka, Jason, and I began to look
for guitarists. This proved frustrating and will definitely be forgotten as the lowpoint of Forty Days
Longing.
Luckily Matt rejoined the band in early 2000, and we soon after added Fred as our second guitarist. With
the most recent addition of Ben on bass guitar, Forty Days Longing is a band again. As I read over this I
realize that there are a lot of details left unsaid. I guess that's quite unfair. But what can I say? The truth
is that many of us have gone through some hard times both creatively and personally over the past year,
and these things have impacted the band a great deal. I can't really speak on behalf of my bandmates, but
I do know that many of us have found ourselves asking the questions of what we are really doing with the
project, and whether it's what we really want. I'm glad we've decided that it's worth it. For me, the
summer of 2000 is one with no good memories whatsoever, and I hope this reflects in what we are
writing. I sincerely hope that in our songs to come a side of us no one has ever seen is painfully obvious.
In the meantime, you can still contact us at the email and street addresses below. I guess this would be a
good time to apologize to all the people who sent unanswered letters. I have no excuse and owe you guys
a big apology. However, if you are considering writing us and have the option of emailing, please do so. I
don't think I've missed anyone who wrote via the internet, and I strongly suggest this method of
correspondence. If you do write a letter, please let me know it is your only way of getting in touch, and I'll
be sure to write back in time.
"the head of the demon" is unavailable. Please do not order a copy; we don't have any left for sale.
Thanks again to everyone who has been there, especially if you've been listening since the beginning,
Greg
8/30/2000
Write to:
xdaysandcountingx@hotmail.com
-or-
FORTY DAYS LONGING
c/o Greg Schwan
7011 Mathew St.
Greenbelt, MD 20770