Sharing Is Caring.

Well, the Radiohead ticket purchase process mess was the final nail in the coffin of our plans to see one of our favorite bands live. A long-awaited moment ruined by monopolists incapable of managing their monopoly. As if the artists and the audiences haven't suffered enough already. Hopefully someone figures out how to untangle this mess. Smart contracts, blockchains, any type of decentralization - we need you, it seems.

Before we get to the main thing, there's something that hyped us up this week - the first draft of the Toaster video. Obviously and expectedly everyone in the band had different (amount of) things to say about it, but overall it looks amazeballs even as a first draft. It's effectively a short movie. Beautifully told story told in unison by the characters and the surroundings. A scenario on the condition of being a human visually narrated with a bit of a magic, cosmic taste to it. Most importantly, the picture and the music work well in unison. Our comments have been relayed and the second draft is due this week as we prepare to release in a matter of weeks. We can't wait to share it with everyone.

Talking about sharing... There are moments in each band's, family's and individual's existence that even when trying to speak honestly and transparently - as we also try do here - need to await their time. I know we promised to build in the open and let you in on everything, but we won't always be doing it "live". Having gone through a moment like this recently, it makes us think again about the sanctity of privacy, the sacred connection which defines and belongs to the core few. And the load that each of us is carrying 24/7, while only showing parts of our true selves, even when we want to do otherwise. The right to let each of these rare and exclusive pieces out should come - but sometimes time is just a necessary ingredient. Some random thoughts there for you to read and ignore at will.

Now, about our experience at the Rebel Rebel festival. We've repeated many times how special it is and always will be for us. Our first proper live performance as ALI was at the first edition of Rebel Rebel. Probably a few hundred tickets sold for a festival that gathered a solid representation of the raw, independent alternative music scene which we as consumers of content enjoyed fully. One of my favorite moments was after the show when people from different bands all sat down at a darkest and friendliest table. We were new to the scene, but felt at home. It was our first meeting with many of the bands and people who also decided to meet the pandemic head on and use its force to create. What's more rebel than that? At its 5th edition Deni and the Project Plus crew have brought in two significant names from abroad (Clawfinger and Sisters of Mercy), multiplied attendance and the accompanying exposure (the holy grail for small, local acts like us), yet kept the communal spirit of the local scene. Once again a long table of friends formed backstage with not only band members, but friends and family, too. Apart from playing, that was probably the main highlight for us. And the stage is arguably the best we've ever played on, the crew friendly and engaged, the sound on and off the stage uncompromising. Once again, amazing results follow the hard work done by the organization team. Another amazing thing to observe is the evolution of each band despite all the difficulties that all of us go through. None remain static and all value improvement. Such a healthy environment to be a part of. Nothing but love and respect for our comrades from Lek City Case, Hellion Stone, Цар Плъх, Me and My Devil, and No More Many More. And we're just a part of a much bigger scene that's now big enough to make it a challenge to gather everyone even at a festival.

I need to mention Stefo and Mitko. A time will come when we'll write about them with the full deserved set of accolades, but this is a blog post, not a novel. Still, it's impossible not to at least mention the two wizards, effectively our 6th and 7th band members, who through themselves 100% into each of our gigs taking care of the sound and lights. And they're such easy-going, light-hearted and generous guys that they put the rest of us in shame. Quick example. None of us had had lunch, because of all the logistics and not having enough brains to plan it. Mitko who also provides us with a van and drives it helps us with the load out, then has to drive it out of the venue and park it in the nearby neighborhood. Out of desperation I call him to get us some snacks, and the extremely overqualified lighting and sound engineer with international experience answers: "No problem, just tell me how many people and what type of food?" Thankfully, I was able to stop him and simplify it, but in the chaos of everything having a person like that to have your back is priceless. It's also a great "fuck you" to the army of all the self-important experts. None of us shit roses, so let's act like it. Act like Mitko and Stefo.

So, Tony obviously made it back from Sweden on time (even for the sound check). It's not that we didn't worry about it, we obviously did, but I think it was a good lesson in not worrying too much or at all about things you cannot control. It always works out one way or another - worrying is just a hassle. Now watch us ignore this wisdom completely.

On to the next thing - the Kapana Fest in Plovdiv. We'll play pretty much the same set. This time we're slightly higher on the bill, just before the headliners - Ostava. We haven't shared a stage with them yet, so it will be an experience, as we expect the crowd to be there by the time we get on stage, but it will also be a different crowd that we haven't played for before.