I know I’m a little late with this, but it’s official: all of Kill Hannah’s gear is gone with losses totaling roughly $130,000. Mat Devine stated earlier on Twitter:
“Van found. Gear officially gone. Huge THANK YOU to all the bands, fans, family, friends for being so supportive. You mean the world to us.”
Guitarist Dan Wiese appeared on Good Day Philadelphia talking about the conspiracy theories surrounding not only their theft but the theft of at least 8 other bands in the exact same area:
There has been a donation site put together by the fans in an effort to help the band recoup at least a fraction of what they lost in this terrible crime. There has also been a “Find KH’s Gear” site set up with pictures of some of the stolen gear to look for on eBay, in pawn shops in and around Philadelphia and on CraigsList.
Thank you to everyone who reposted, reTweeted and remembered that it’s not just material things that were stolen, but a band’s livelihood.
For more information regarding any of this please visit the following:
Because of the quick action of the Philadelphia Police Department, ABC News and fans around the internet Kill Hannah’s van and trailer have been found. No word yet on gear. I’ll keep you updated.
As you know I’ve dedicated a lot of blog space Kill Hannah. They are survivors, musicians and friends. While everyone I know is suffering this year, it doesn’t make it any easier to sit by and watch them hurt.
Having traveled the world over trying to bring their special blend of dreaming and believing to the masses, they’ve never given up hope–in spite of record sales, in spite of label woes and even in spite of a bus fire that destroyed everything they owned only a year ago.
“It’s the curse of Kill Hannah,” quipped Mat Devine a couple of years ago in regards to the trials he and his band have faced. But this is a new level of hell.
Today, Wednesday November 11th, their van and all of their gear was stolen between the hours of 4am and 11am today in Philadelphia, PA. Over $120,000 worth of gear was lost, including some custom, irreplaceable guitars and stacks.
Devine says, “We’re devastated and speechless. We’ve been touring so hard around the world for the past seven years and this is the most evil thing we’ve witnessed. Special Crimes say this was a coordinated heist.”
Regretfully they had to cancel their last two shows on their current tour with Papa Roach and Jet but their annual Christmas experience, New Heart For Christmas they assured us, was still on.
Specific gear stolen includes:
* Epiphone Elitist Riviera Custom Shop SN#T301722
* 1992 Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray Bass
* Pair of matching vintage 1968 Fender Bassman Heads Custom Shop
* Gibson ES-135 RED
* 2003 Gibson Firebird WHITE
* Marshall Triple Lead Stack
So please, anyone in Philly, keep an eye on your local pawn shops and to everyone around the world keep an eye on eBay.
For any leads on the van, trailer or missing gear, please contact Bethany Watson/DAVIS ARTIST MANAGEMENT: bethany@davisartistmanagement.com.
inside the DIY ARTBOOK project :: drawings by Natascha Peiser
No one gets into this business to make money. If you’ve succumbed to an artists calling you’re admitting you’re willing to spend your life in poverty and constant question from those around you who just don’t get it. DIY labors are born of love, dedication and a drive you can’t quite explain. Sometimes your faith shakes, cries and downright denies its ability to continue. But you do, because you must and because there are others who believe in you.
Natascha Peiser is one of these people. In a recent interview with Silverthorn Press, Natascha said: ” I´m a self-taught artist. I am learning by doing.”
A art-liver in her own right she’s been a fan and friend of G[&]D nearly since the beginning, finding a home among the Modern Orphan mantra and supporting however she could, much to my appriceation. This is how we came together, though an entire ocean separates us (She lives in Hamburg, Germany). This is the power of art and the humanities. Two like minds, suffering and surviving for their art, striving to carve a small place for our own works in the vast expanse of the universe.
When she began work on her DIY ARTBOOK project I admired her and indeed planned on purchasing one when she was through. I was excited she had decided to pursue her art in some fashion for she’s quite a remarkable sketch artist; she’s even been endorsed by the likes of Amanda Palmer. When she asked me to contribute I was honored and some time later sent her some handwritten, typed and burned up works of poetry to be included among its decorated pages. The result is her very first book project, which she’s proudly finished and set for sale today.
inside the DIY ARTBOOK project :: drawings by Natascha, words by yours truly
This is a genuine labor of love–love for art, love for preservation and the unshakable belief that there is something more to these endeavors we pursue than sheer vanity and ego, that these things can forge connections across oceans and modes of thinking. You can purchase the DIY ARTBOOK featuring Natascha and myself here in her webstore for only $10, which includes free international shipping. Don’t forget all of my works featured in the DIY ARTBOOK can also be found in my first chapbook, The Rough Chronicles of Bipolar Romance available through modern.orphan.designs. for $10 as well, including shipping. Independent art is alive and well! Modern Orphans unite!
inside the DIY ARTBOOK :: art and words by yours truly :: soon for sale at modernorphandesigns.com
Troubadour 21 :: The “My Brother Billy” Series and Upcoming Interviews
I touched on this in the last post but I’ll expand just a little further with this one. Troubadour 21 has aptly named my series”My Brother Billy”– an out-of-order, sexually charged, angsty series I created over two years ago on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico when I was looking for a new muse to guide me during a particularly dark and troubled time. They are stories of a twenty-something girl, her much older brother and her love interest, Nathaniel. They’ve recieved rave reviews from the editors of T21 and as a result I’ve been contracted to write a story a week for them to continue the series. I hope to publish them all in book form one day and , in all honesty, this excercise is forcing me to write during this writing drought I’m experiencing and so I thank them from the bottom of my heart for giving me a chance.
Part IV will be posted soon and I’ll make sure to keep them updated as best I can on here, including links on the side bar for easy access. If you enjoy them, please share them with your friends and help me achieve a readers choice status!
Also, in the spirit of crossing art borders and in G[&]D breaking news, I have upcoming interviews with the authors of the forthcoming poetry and photography book, Flowers + Filth: Rock photographer Lisa Johnson and William Francis of Aiden! Look for those in the near future, as well as my interview with Kill Hannah’s newest touring guitarist, Maddox, coming as soon as he has a break from tour! Get ready to feast your eyeballs on deliciousness with these. I’m super jazzed about working with such talented and well-spoken individuals.
It has been a bleak month creatively and will likely continue into a bleak November, but on this Devil’s Night it’s forever important to remember that while pressing on is the last thing you want to do, it is essential. For if we do not fight to keep these things alive, if we do not create the art needed to bind human beings to one another, no one else will. Unique is the person willing to take on the burden, and the blessing, of being an artist. Keep being brave, dear Orphans.
P.S. If you’re in Tulsa this coming Tuesday I’ll be reading from The Rough Chronicles of Bipolar Romance at the Gypsy Coffee House [303 N Cincinnati Ave, Tulsa, OK 74103] starting around 8pm – come, grab some great lattes and open your ears. Copies of my book will be available at this time as well!
Its been a long while since I’ve updated on what I’m doing with my writing. Truth be told I’m in the middle of a black writer’s block, but I’ve tried to stay busy. A tiny rundown:
I’ve submitted a micro-fiction about bipolar disorder called “You, Me and Matthew Makes Three” to a journal called The Vestal Review.
I wrote my first poem in months after an afternoon of Amanda Palmer and coffee.
I’ve taken on a weekly series Troubadour 21 has named “My Brother Billy,” which is keeping me writing every week.
I’m finding out the harsh realities of being a professional writer, realizing that every piece of work you put out isn’t always going to be french kissed by the muse. As a friend told me this weekend though, sometimes you’ve just got to let it go and let it be what it’s going to be. Sometimes you just don’t have all the variables in place to work like you want to work, you just don’t have the time. You do the best you can and that’s that.
Right now it’s all I can do to write these few sentences, but picking them now is better than letting them rot on the vine.
Orphans, how do you get that cold bitch to put out when you’re needing to create?
