First of all, we never got to send out a public statement thanking everyone who made our first full U.S. co-headlining tour a success. One week after I graduated high school in 2006 we got in our van, attached the trailer and went on a 5 week tour. We haven’t stopped doing that, but things just keep getting better and better. After about 3 or 4 years of opening for bigger bands and playing short sets, we’re INCREDIBLY grateful that you guys gave us a chance to prove ourselves pulling our own weight. We honestly didn’t know what to expect and we ended up having smiles on our faces every night. It was a new experience going on tour across the states with 3 bands from the UK and it actually being a success. We loved all the guys and all of you for coming to the shows.

The second we got home, Nick and I were packing to move out of our shared house in Flint, MI and go our separate ways for the first time in our lives. Almost 24 years of being together close quarters whether it’s in a house or in a 15 passenger van finally coming to an end. We packed our things, I moved to Grand Blanc with my girlfriend and Nick moved to Saginaw with his. We’re setting up the Swellers HQ at his place since I live in an apartment. We had our first jam in a while in his studio room and it felt great. As you may know by now, Nick and I never stop writing. The songs that make a record are usually around a year to two years old by the time they’re recorded, so we always want something new. I think we’re on to something really cool. We have a handful of songs we just need lyrics for and to add some fat to the skeleton structures we have right now. It’s really exciting being in this position again. Creating something of our own is the best feeling in the world for us.

WIth that said, we’re on what feels like a long break to us when in reality we’re home for a little over a month. We decided to do a free show in our hometown of Flint, MI at a rad bar called Woobies that our friend Mark Welch books. He’s been keeping the scene alive in our area the last few years and we’re very gracious someone like him stepped up to the plate. The whole idea of the show is to finally play for friends in our area again and show them although we travel nonstop we still have our hometown in our hearts. We didn’t want any drama or egos with guest list or excuses of why people couldn’t make it to see us so we made the show completely free. We’re getting posters designed and silk screened for the event, and all of the proceeds are going straight to The Flint Local 432, the venue in town that is slowly but surely reopening. The other two bands, Making Friends and Empty Orchestra also have our previous members Garrett Burgett and Lance Nelson playing in them, so it’s a pretty cool reunion of sorts.

Next up after that we return to the United Kingdom/mainland Europe with our new friends Deaf Havana. The craziest part for us is being able to once again play Groezrock, our favorite festival in the entire world. It’s like punk rock heaven. Last time we played was on the main stage in front of about 8,000 people right before my favorite band growing up, Millencolin, which was a dream come true. This year we get to play the same day as the almighty REFUSED and we’re ecstatic. We’ve been bugging people for months when we heard the rumor and we can’t believe it’s finally happening. We’ll be on the Macbeth Stage with our buddies We Are The Ocean. It’s a Battle Of The Bands stage, but screw it, we get to play still! You just gotta do some searching and you’ll find us!

Finally, I just want to let everyone know this summer we released a record we’re extremely proud of called Good For Me. If you’re a fan of ours, or just a casual follower of our social networks, we highly suggest you pick up a copy of this album - CD / Vinyl / iTunes / Spotify / Amazon / Amazon MP3  / anywhere.

We just want you to hear our blood, sweat and tears. Last year we were only home 3 months of the entire year to promote the record and we would love for a copy to get into everyone’s hands.

Thank you for sticking around with us for this long. We really do appreciate it. We always will give back to you guys in one way or another and hope you stick along with us on this crazy, bumpy ride we call the music industry. We’ll be seeing you on the road, or on your computer screen, or in your stereo. Take care.

-Jonathan