It was a sad day last month when Kansas City metalers Hester Prynne announced that they would be breaking up for good. The band recently released a lengthy statement addressing fans about their end. That entire statement is below. I also posted one of my favorite Hester Prynne tunes from back in the day under that.
“I always dreamed that things could be different for musicians like the ones I shared a huge part of my life of with in Hester Prynne. If only there were some way to thrive outside of the industry, to be able to travel the world showcasing your music, to reach your following – both personally, and through continued compilations of your creations for years without incredible struggle and unnecessary sacrifice. Imagine a world where a group of everyday working-class citizens, with nothing more than a soulful calling compelling them to create and preform music, could simply write, preform, and produce such an art form on a level that anyone who appreciated their work, could access/witness it….Wouldn’t that be something?
Nothing golden comes easy, and it never should. Truthfully, this kind of scenario will only exist in dreams, because our society simply doesn’t provide for it. None-the-less, every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears we poured into Hester Prynne over the years was worth it. Losing jobs, long-time girlfriends, and more or less all of the money we didn’t have, was all a part of the game we realized
would have to be faced from the get-go. As with most musicians who do become fortunate enough to take their calling to the next level, I can speak for all of us in saying that it was perhaps the greatest experience of all of our lives, and impacted us all on so many different levels, that it’s incredibly hard to be away from it all now. For those of you who have faithfully followed us throughout the years, and for those who still do today, I just want you all to know that there isn’t a day that passes that I’m not reminded of everything this project gave me, and I know we all share that exact feeling. So for every heart-wrenching message or comment I read, mentioning how much our music or personal connections moved that person, I can assure you the grief and appreciation is felt ten fold on our end. This was so much more than a metal band, this was family, friends, ups, downs, loving, fighting, parties, late nights and long drives that made up what we will forever recall and refer to as “life”.
Music is so much more than any one song, or even person. Music is, and will always be, our favorite way of living.”
