Goodbye, Farewell, Amen.

It has been 4 years.  4 wonderful years, I might add.  An entire presidential term ago, I started this little site you are looking at today as sort of “something to do” after I had done all I could to get my book project (Children of Mercy: Tales and Teaching From the World of Independent Music) off the ground, and was simply doing a bit of publicity during that summer of 2011.

For those who are unaware, this site actually began in a hotel room at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi.  Pretty much Biloxi, MS.  I was spending the summer doing to re-training for a my new job, and had the “opportunity” to spend 6 weeks hanging out in the south.  Overall, it was pretty good.  I finally got to visit New Orleans, and even did a bit of radio promotion of CoM.  I was also contacted to by College Magazine to do an interview about the book, via E-mail….and that is really where this whole damn thing got started.

Actually it all started when I was alone, bored, drunk off Kentucky’s finest vodka, watching a shitty SyFy movie about robot alligators or something.  I had also just finished taken a dip in the disgusting Gulf of Mexico and touring around a weird segregated cemetery, when I realized what my next step was going to be.  Washed clean from the sins of common decency, I decided it was time to move forward.  At that point, I had spent the last 3 years or so writing album reviews and features for the single greatest indie music site of all time, Fensepost.com .   I loved and learned so much from and about that site that I almost felt disgusting when I decided to branch out on my own (although my fearless leader Andy was very encouraging).   Disgusted so much so that I actually continued to write for the site even after I was trying to manage my own.  So why the break off?

It’s really a simple answer.  I just wanted to do a bit more.  Fensepost is the greatest MUSIC site the world will ever know.  Some of the bands/artists that I learned about from this site alone have shaped my life in ways I could never explain.  If it weren’t for Fensepost, there would be no Blitzen Trapper or Bodi or Asectic Junkies or Jared Mees or Soul Distraction etc.  And to me, the people behind these wonderful projects are not simply people who I listen to, they are genuine wonderful folks that I have had the distinct pleasure of interacting with in some form or another over the years.  But, as I seem to do, I fucking digress….

I wanted to be involved in the entire aspect of entertainment.  Mostly the film world.  I’ve always been an avid film lover since I was 10 years old and first discovered Woody Allen.  And after CoM was successfully funded, published, and released, I was feeling on top of the world at the time and figured I could try anything and make it fucking happen.  Thus, Trainwreck’d Society was born.

TWS was never meant to be a huge hit.  My goal for the first year of existence was to reach 1,000 views a month.  And I was proud to say that we hit that (almost spot on, just hours before the goal deadline).  And then it just sort of expanded.  To date, we are here, 4 years later, sitting at a site that started on a whim, now looking at over 150,000 hits.  And there is no doubt in my mind that this is owned to the stunning and stellar artists, writers, actors, bloggers, etc. that contributed to the success of this site in so many ways.  I really feel as though I was just the pusher of this beautiful nonsense, and YOU all made this happen.  And I am so proud to have been the facilitator of such beauty.  $100 in domain fees has been totally worth it!

But alas, it has to come to and end.  And for a site that was started on a lonely July 4th night, the 4 year mark seems entirely appropriate.  I have loved making this site happen.  In fact, it has moved around with me so much over the years.  From Biloxi, to Spokane, to South Korea, to pit stops all across America, and finally ending in southern Spain.  It has been something that has followed me so closely over the years, and it certainly always will.  I say that is has followed “Me”, but really the content of this site has been produced all over the world, even beyond my own locations.  We have been fortunate enough to have contributions from folks from the Pacific Northwest, to the snowy lands of Minneapolis, to trailer parks in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, and so many other great places across the globe.  So, at this point in this far too long eulogy, I have to thank the great people who contributed to the content of the blog:

Christopher Eaves, Adam Mattson, Ray Wiggington, David Minne, Dusten Retcher.

You motherfuckers are just some amazing cats that I can’t even begin to explain who thankful I am for what you have given me and the Trainwreck’d Society community.  I seriously love all of you for everything you have done.  Thank you so much.

And then, as trite and cliche as it may seem, there are just so many other great folks to thank that it would take forever to truly appreciate you all.  So let me do the “right” thing, and clump you all in to one big group so basically make myself feel like I said all I could:

To all the Guest Wreckers, publicity folks like XO Publicity or Green Light Go or Principato Young or October Coast who gave some of the greatest tips imaginable, musicians/actors/writers who didn’t suck and sent me e-mails, musicians who DID suck but still sent the e-mails, the wonderful musicians/actors/writers who saw our site as something they would like to be a part of, for reasons I still don’t understand, DJ’s and Podcasters across the globe who showcased our work, basically anyone who helped make this content available and accessible to our readers.

And, yes I have to do it, thank you to the readers.  Whoever the hell you are, and wherever you are from….. Thank you.  Without you there is no reason for us to have ever existed.  Although, I am pretty sure you are more than likely a part of the aforementioned crown, in which case I thank you twice as much.

So, it seems like all that needs to be said as been said.  Trainwreck’d Society is officially completed, but obviously not depleted.  Until I am in my grave, the site shall exist, and we will always have a great catalog of interviews, album reviews, features, book reviews, etc. for you to love and enjoy.  You can always scout out or INDEX to see the impressive list of fine folks we have featured on the site, I promise you it will always be available.

And as for me personally, I’m not really sure where I am going.  I am indeed hoping that TWS will simply be the second part of the trilogy of my “career” (can you call it a “career” if you’ve never made any money?).  The final installment should be underway, as soon as I figured that out.  Until that begins, you can always find me somewhere in the digital universe.  I’m on Twitter now (@rontrembath), always supporting the folks who have supported me for so long.  Our wonderful friend Adam Mattson is co-host of the ground breaking podcast Four Guys Drinking (as well as regular guest and former TWS contributor Christopher Eaves), so you can always expect me to be pimping this wonderful show out to the world.  I don’t really know.  The next goal is out their to reach somewhere, and I raise a glass to everyone who has had the courage to strive towards reaching that goal.  I know that when I figure out what that is, I will strive towards it with the tenacity of a freshly stabbed bull in the ring of glory.

Since I’ve never considered myself an “original” writer, and have always loved to bite off , or “quote from”, those who do things so much better than me, I will leave you with this quote from my newest and most favorite show host, the great Sir Scott Lawrence:

“Have a great evening, and a wonderful tomorrow.”

Fin/Mic Drop.

Sincerely,

Ron Trembath
founder/editor, Trainwreck’d Society