We never thought we would ever have to make this announcement, and it pains us to do so. However, as of Sept. 5th, 2010, Ardor will no longer be a band. We have all agreed to disperse. The Sept. 4th show at A&R music bar (Promowest), with Straight Line Stitch will be our LAST show (the September tour is being cancelled). Please make effort to attend, as it will be the last time anyone will ever see an Ardor stage performance, and be able to purchase the last of our shirts, posters, stickers, etc. Please see event details, here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131797633522977&ref=ts
Although there are a multitude of underlying factors that contribute to the reasonings for this, we are agreeing to publicly present only the major contributing factors.
Brian; whom started & managed Ardor and has served as the main entity and the backbone of many of Ardor's accomplishments has respectfully taken a bow. Having lost the desire to continually work on the band's internal issues, in conjunction with being worn out from the endless hard work it takes to manage the business end of the band, and generally being discouraged from the inner workings of the music industry, Brian has decided to move on to more promising endeavors. Having put every ounce of energy into Ardor over the past few years, Brian has made a lot of sacrifices (we all have), and Brian wishes to use his knowledge and efforts to pursue more career oriented things; he is prospectively moving to Chicago to pursue a new line of work.
Jared wishes to continue focusing on his schooling. Without the added stress of the band and its functions, and with more availability, Jared will be able to concentrate on his Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering which might have otherwise been more difficult; having to perform/tour and uphold the shared responsibilities of managing band functions.
Corey, although having his heart in Ardor and has maintained his loyalty to Ardor, has come to terms with the eventuality that Ardor is or would have become non-functional at some point and has agreed to take a bow with Brian and Jared. Corey's dedication, hard work and passion for music is endless; he will surely pursue other musical projects.
Christine has already started to pursue other music projects and she will assuredly do her best to continually be a part of music and will flourish on her own terms, with her own projects.
Brock, having been added recently to the band, is very sad about the situation but understands the reasons for these proceedings and has come to terms with them. Brock, as a seasoned touring & studio musician, will continue to be an active entity in the music industry.
As previously stated, there are a lot of underlying factors as to why we have come to such a huge decision; many of which will have to remain speculation, however, we would like to state that we are all still friends. No one is severing ties. We will all continue to be involved in each other's lives; friends, partners, family.
In the 2+ years Ardor has been on the scene, it is no doubt that we have blazed a trail and left quite an impression on the music industry and the fans whom loved us. We have accomplished feats that many bands take half a decade or more to accomplish. We've capitalized on our web marketing, gained a national fan-base, did the gist of a national tour, released a full-length album available through major retailers, released a high production music video, etc. and with such, have gained the respect & interest of numerous industry people; such as tour booking agents, publicists, magazines/television/other media outlets, even a few credible record labels and more. It would seem a shame for us to throw in the towel at such an epitome in our career. However, if you know anything about the music industry, it not only takes an incredible amount of work to get to this point, but even more work to maintain it while trying to attain even greater heights. It is strenuous beyond most people's comprehension. In most cases, struggling artists suffer from personal and financial devastation from pushing their project so hard. The music industry can be very toll-taking on a group and/or it's members.
We will, however, state that we wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world. We have all very much enjoyed the times we've had together as a band and are proud of our accomplishments. We, in no way, wish to discourage anyone else from chasing their musical dreams. We encourage struggling artists to trudge on, no matter the trials & tribulations of this industry. We are very thankful for the life lessons we've learned by taking the risks we have and are thankful for all the relationships we've acquired because of it. With that being said, we would like to take a minute to commend the following people:
Kimmi Rudolph, our sponsor and best friend; often referred to as the “sixth member of Ardor”. Kimmi, with her never-ending self-sacrifice and faith in this band, has contributed more to this band then anyone could ever fathom; so much so, that providing a list would be impossible. Not only has Kimmi supported our endeavors by sponsoring items we couldn't have otherwise afforded or accomplished ourselves, she has served as a friend and mother-like entity that continually provided us with warmth & comfort, and often times was the glue that held us together. Thank you Kimmi. We love you.
Matt Addeo, who served as our stage manager & equipment tech throughout our live performance history and has been a close/personal friend to all of us; even before Ardor existed. Matt continues to show his dedication and appreciation for our friendships and will undoubtably continue to be one of our most respected and closest friends. Thank you Matt.
Brandon Brown. Regardless of Brandon's absence in the latter history of Ardor, and regardless of how people choose to view how & why his absence came to be, we would like to clarify that Brandon was a major part of our rise and ultimately a widely contributing factor in most of the successes of this band. We respect Brandon for this, do not blame him for any of our short comings and commend his admirability as an overall good person. Thank you Brandon. (Also, on a side note: We have restored the original conditions of our website and myspace to include the original marketing material, featuring Brandon as the drummer, as he is and always will be the original drummer of Ardor).
Steve Dwyer, our producer, who has been working with Brian and Ardor, even before Ardor was Ardor. Steve not only produced our album, but also performed many of the drum parts and wrote a handful of guitar parts on the album. Not only that, but the whole album, song-for-song, would have never been as well written and precision produced without his assistance. Also, being the main composer in two of our favorite bands to listen to (OnceOver & Fae), Steve played a vital part in helping us to develop our own style. Steve has touched our lives musically, indefinitely.
We would like to personally thank the following people, (in no particular order):
Sheree Pinard, Kyle Miller, Bruce Tuck, Steve Wilson, Trevor Orr, Ryan Ritter, Sean Johnstone, Amy Azevedo, Kathy Propes, Cody Hoyt, Ty Richardson, Steve Mehn, Mark Varian Sr., Mark Varian Jr., Rick Lee, Anthony Vasquez, Tara Akers, Brandi Lipscomb, Donna (Brandon's mom), Lauren Bingmer, Don & Sue Reed (& Bankshots Family), Thunder Down Country Productions, John Moore, David Jackson, Andrew (Flex) Flexter, TJ Reed, Jason Wright, Paul Riley, Dana Michelle, Angela Hardy, Danny Z, Daniel Morrison, Dan Rini, Mike Barker, Mike Warth, Shauna Anderson, Tiffney Wiggins and Tara Kumler. And anyone else who has ever enjoyed or supported Ardor throughout these few years (sorry if we forgot to mention anyone, this was from top of top our heads).
To the following bands for the years of equalled support and for accompanying us in the scene (in no particular order):
Curse Icon, Sighlo, Sourblood, Violetta, Noise Auction, Cosmic Affliction, Freq Fifty Four, Downplay, KnowLyfe, OnceOver, Lost Chapter, Payl, Drenalin, State Your Cause, Afortiori, Suspect Earth, Live My Last, Bullet Jones, Introspect, One Pretty Minute, Maganyra, and a few hundred others. Godspeed, our musical brethren.
Lastly, we would like to continually encourage people to purchase our album (we have limited hard copies). We now have the physical copies available for purchase on the Ardor website and as always, the digital downloads are still available on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody and Shockhound/Hot Topic Online. All purchase links, physical and digital can be found on the website, here: http://www.ardorband.com/music.html
Again, thank you all, from the pit our hearts for the love, support, appreciation, dedication and friendships you have all so abundantly provided. We can only hope that you all continue to support the members of Ardor individually and whatever projects or paths we choose to take.
We love you all, – Ardor
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