Anyone is free to read this, but this is a message to the heart of the Bassnectar community: those who are most engaged, most involved, and to whom this music is a deep part of your life:
We’re still in shock by everything transpiring in the world around us, in part due to the irony of 2020 canceling itself right as it was literally on the verge of being the most amazing year ever… At a time of intense beauty and magic, with a gorgeous schedule of upcoming events, with our community so engaged and so enthusiastic, it was BEWITCHING and mind blowing to have everything change so suddenly, so drastically.
It is with intense respect and appreciation for our community as a whole and for each of you as individuals that today we have made the difficult decision to cancel all of our previously confirmed special events for 2020 [at this point this means Freestyle Sessions, The Be Interactive 808 Festival, and our thirteenth annual Bass Center]… not only does it appear impossible that these events will be able to happen as planned, but also: we want to do what is best for you! We respect and value your participation and that you have hundreds of dollars of your hard-earned money invested into these events, and we want to get that money back to you now so you can use it as you need it. (refunds will take place automatically - please allow 30 days for the money to hit your account depending on how your banks/credit cards processes refunds. Thank you for your love & patience)
We, as a team, have immense appreciation for you, and immense respect for the integrity of our mission: to explore the crossroads of music, art and community: reflecting as much of the beauty and magic of life back into the world as humanly possible.
As soon as we discover any way to restart the engines, we promise you to come back bigger, stronger, and better than ever with all dials cranked to maximum… we are already exploring every possible option for the last part of this year, and for 2021. But when we do finally design our events in the future, we want you to be able to decide if and how it’s right for you to participate, and not be bound to it at a time when you may have more important concerns of survival and well-being. We wish the absolute best to you and your families, and while music and art matter so much to us, nothing is more important or precious than human life and we celebrate you making the most of every possible second.
Also, as we prepare to launch the first full length album in years, we are bursting with creative energy to explore new ways of sharing music. The Lockdown Mixtapes series will continue for as long as we are all on lockdown, and there are many, many, many chapters of that to unlock and explore… so stay tuned.
❤️️
PS: It is quite possible that we will not gather together until after November 2020.
It is possible we will not see each other before that, so something needs to be addressed:
It is impossible to ignore a death toll 50,000+ and growing. It is impossible to ignore a terrifying, crippling financial crisis. It is impossible to ignore the fact that we are all trapped at home, under house arrest. It is impossible to ignore the absence of strong, kind, competent, honest, talented leadership to guide us through this.
It’s time to admit this entire crisis did not need to happen on this level, and it did not need to be this bad. We are *outraged* at the loss of human life, at the destruction of our economy, at the loss of our dreams and hopes for this year.
The phrase “rage against the dying of the light” could not be any more relevant, nor pressing in times of crisis like these. While art, music and celebration are priceless aspects of life, there comes a time when all of our attention is urgently required toward matters of human justice and the sanctity of life.
Please read this, if you can, without a partisan reaction - please do not allow your mind to be derailed about “politics” - please read this from the heart because it is about our authentic hopes and dreams for the quality of your life, and your family’s lives:
All politics aside, we as a society deserve a government who is smart, honest, transparent, generous, dedicated to the common good of all of its citizens, freely accepting of criticism, responsive to skeptical speculation, cooperative to working with everyone, and above all: capable of truly leading all of us to the best possible scenarios so we and our families can not just survive but thrive. We deserve a leader who can admit their mistakes, welcome advice and assistance, and who is talented at problem solving and cooperating with a team.
Whether you have strong personal political convictions, or even if you have never thought about it, our team IMPLORES you to take some time to reflect with an OPEN MIND:
Stop thinking about politics. stop thinking about whose side you are on. Stop thinking about whose side other people are on. Realize that there are no “sides” in this game at the end and everyone on this planet is on the same team at the end of the day. If you aren’t fighting for all, then you aren’t in the right fight. We encourage you instead to just center in on:
WHAT MATTERS MOST TO YOU?
What do YOU believe in, and what do you know is right?
When you can define that, you can see which individual human candidates MOST fits your own honest description. No politics. No choosing someone because they claim they are on your team, or wear your color, or control the news you watch. Think for yourself and question:
Who will *BEST* lead us in the right direction? Not who is perfect, but who is CLOSEST to your values? Where do honesty, truthfulness, justice and compassion sit in your value hierarchy?
If you decide the answer is NOT our current president, that does not make you political, it does not make you biased, it does not make you partisan. You do not need to feel forced to support someone out of fear or propaganda. Just be honest with yourself: of the two choices in November [and sadly, MADDENINGLY, there will only be two - this is not ideal, but it’s a harsh fact: you will be forced to decide between TWO choices: One will be bad, and the other will be MUCH WORSE:
So - with all politics aside - understanding that both options will have glaring flaws - PLEASE consider participating in our election and honestly deciding which one of those options is most in line with your own values. [NOTE: as frustrating as this 2-party system is, it’s a reality we need to accept in the current climate. Having voted Green in the past it’s proof that the result is not good. For further opinion on the matter, we defer to Noam Chomsky:
]
This entire life changing crisis has been abhorrently mishandled, and the future will hold new chaos, new challenges, new crises: we as a society need to constantly work toward being better prepared to handle adversity for the betterment of all.
We hope you hear this all with an open heart.
Thank you!
