I Like To Put Things Off Sometimes.

So remember that time I was going to write a blog post, A WEEK AGO! Yea, I'm not avoiding an apology or anything. Me? I would never. 

Focus Jess, Focus! I get derailed easily.

Now if you recall a few weeks-ish back I wrote a post about professionalism. No, you don't remember? Well you're in luck, you can read that here. Anywho, so I wrote that post and looking back I was pretty harsh on Lani. Both professionally & personally I think. You see loyal blog readers I try very hard not to paint people with one brush. Everyone has a personal life & a professional one. Take Chris Brown for instance. Personally he's a woman beating douchecanoe, but you cannot deny professionally he's good at what he does. The man (and I use that term loosely) makes good music. (see I'm still putting off that apology by making references. What is with me!)

 Two weekends ago now I went on a little road trip to Madison for the Spencer Bell Legacy Concert that my dear friends Bonnie, Rachel & Lisa put on. A show I would not miss for the world. Not even for the performances, but because it raises money for such a great cause. Adrenal Cancer Research with Dr. Gary Hammer at the University of Michigan. You can read all about that and donate here. But back to my point. After all of the drama went down and a post was made by Lani on behalf of the remaining members of the group I was angry. Like ANGRY! I took it all personally I think and I completely wrote her off as a total bitch who won't take responsibility for her actions. (Just being honest) I really felt like she was personally responsible for all the bad things going on with the band and their eventual dismemberment. 


Fast-forward to dinner break at Legacy. I overheard bits of a conversation between Lani, her boyfriend Will and Lisa. The one comment that sticks out (made by Will) was "everyone needs a villain" That stopped me dead in my tracks. That is exactly what I was looking for. Someone to blame. I made her the villain because a band I love couldn't get their stuff together and agree upon things.


During one of the set changes Jodi & myself were hanging out and I saw that Lani was standing alone. I just had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to go talk to her. I needed to see for myself that she wasn't the villain I made her in my mind. We actually have a lot in common. Down to the figure skating! haha I'm really glad I had the opportunity to talk to her. It really changed things in my mind.


Now, I'm not retracting what I previously said in the other posts. I meant it then, and some of it I still stand behind. The professional end of it. I still believe it could have been handled better by all, but I cannot blame her for the events that happened. A.) I wasn't there and don't know the full story. And B.) I wasn't there and don't know the full story. 


So I would just like to say to Lani (whether she ever sees this or not) that I'm sorry. I blamed you for things because I needed a villain. That was unfair of me and uncalled for. So again, I'm sorry. I'm not going to make more excuses. Just know that I own my mistake and I'm sorry.

Update on last weeks post about professionalism :)

Sooooo Saturday I wrote this post: Let's have a little chat about professionalism. (click the red to go there) well yesterday Lani posted this on the 100 Monkeys Official Street Team Facebook Page (view here: Click Me!) in regards to the post she made, but didn't write.

"I understand that the site went down before a lot of people saw the band's post...I am going to repost it below...just to make CLEAR I did NOT write the post it was written by the band and I was asked to post it in the news section. Like a lot of posts put in there it's part of my job to post things like that on behalf of the band"  

Here's the original post from the official website (that is currently down):

Hey everyone,

We have an important announcement concerning the name of the band at our future shows. Due to recent unexpected demands from Jackson and his lawyers, we will not be performing as 100 Monkeys. We will still be playing all your favorite songs, we will still be appearing at all scheduled performances, as well as announcing new dates soon and releasing our new single "Shooting Star" April 20th.

The line up for tonight's performance as well as future performances will include Ben Johnson, Ben Graupner, Matt Black, Rob Coonrod and as usual Lawrence Abrams will be appearing with us as a featured artists.

 Ok 2 things A. This may be true, but I think as the poster you need to exercise a little bit of judgement on what you post. A light bulb should have gone off in your head and said "ya know, we should reword this and make it sound a little more professional" (If the band did in face write it) Maybe it's just me, but it just seems like a no brainer!

 And B. Hey, Mr. Bitter McBitenstien, GetOverIt.com would like to help you guys move on. It's a name change, yea we all love 100 Monkeys, but let's be real here you ARE NOT 100 Monkeys anymore. You are now 2 of the original guys hiring 2 more dudes to fill the spots of the people that left. If you decide to put your big boy pants back on and fix things with your old bandmates and reform the amazing band that once was 100 Monkeys, please feel free to bring the name back. Until then, pick a new name and move on.

Let's have a little chat about professionalism.

If you are a fan of the band formerly known as 100 Monkeys, than you by now know a little bit about what is currently going on with them. 2 members have left; one sounding a little more permanent than the other and there is a name change happening. Or possibly happening depending on how the legal matter works out.

But that's not really what I want to address here. (And trust me, I know my opinion on this might not be popular one, and I'm ok with that.) What I want to address is the lack of professionalism shown by those affiliated with the band, in light of the current situation.  I understand that there may be hard feelings between band members past & present and management but that doesn't mean you act like children. You are all adults and should know how to handle yourself when it comes to these kind of things. IT'S YOUR JOB FOR PETE SAKE! To me, it's a no brainer that a statement needs to be made to stop any confusion there may be down the road, BUT there is a tactful way to go about it. Maybe try "due to legal matters beyond our control, the band will no longer go by the name 100 Monkeys" Not "We can't use this name anymore because of Jackson Rathbone & his lawyers" (and I'm loosely quoting that, because the site is "temporarily unavailable") It just boggles my mind that people don't have any common sense these days. And I know this post sounds like I'm bashing their manager, but that is honestly not my intention. It just psychically pains me to sit here and see this happen to a band that I love dearly. I want nothing but the best for all of them, whether it is to get back together and continue on as a full band or to all go their separate ways and move on as individuals. But this childish catty behavior makes me want to vom everywhere. 

They always say there are 3 sides to every story; yours, mine & the truth. I just wish people would remember that before they go making hurtful derogatory comments about members, or just human beings in general. Don't just jump & attack someone because you have one side of the story.

I'll step off my soapbox now, just had to get that off my chest.