This is it | THE WORLD OF BRIAN SMITH www.twobs.com

The End of Rezi

My favorite band and some of my best friends have decided to end the Rezi project for various reasons. It is truly a sad thing to see but what's meant to happen always happens in the end. Due to various differences and such the band's last shows will be next weekend. It's especially rough for me cause I grew up with this band. I met them through a mutual friend back in the summer of 2000 and have been enjoying their personalities and music ever since. The band has evolved into something I never could have imagined back in the day. Their music got more complex and they gained more and more fans not only across New York state but across the Northeast and the entire country. For a substantial portion of the entire voyage I was there. I recorded over 50 of their shows. I built their website (albeit I'm still not done with it) and spread the word of Rezi to everyone I met. I added the message board and got people involved with their online community. I took pictures at these shows and archived posters, hand-written setlists, and other various schwag. I helped carry shit up. I helped pack the van up. I helped set the stage up. I was always there for them and they knew it. I saw 86 out of 221 total shows which was tricky because for the most part I didn't live in the same town. I met the band in between my junior and senior year at school and was able to get to know each member personally. I graduated and moved 100 miles away to Saratoga but made trips to go see shows religiously almost every weekend. I rode with the band to Plattsburgh, Pennsylvania, and many other places. I missed out on a lot of good times but was able to be apart of many more. I went to shows during the middle of the week and drove to work at 5am the next day. I was there when different members had to move away from the band and when new ones came aboard. I listened to them gripe about problems they had with each other and with anything else that bothered them in life. I always pushed them to keep going. I always knew they could make it. Ever since that first day when I heard their fresh new sounds I knew they had talent. At the time the oldest member was 17. Their drummer was 14 for cripes sake. As they grew older, I grew older. I'm so proud of how far they've come and everything they accomplished. And even though this bids the end of the Rezi chapter it in no way signifies the end of this wild ride. There is different discussions of each of them forming their own side projects. And although some of them aren't as optimistic as I am, I'll always remain optimistic about the future. In a way this represents a huge change in my life. I'm not exactly ready to move on so I will always listen to the music I have collected. I'll continue to share it with friends. I'll continue to believe. I know this isn't the end. It's just the end of this chapter.

Here is a sample of just some of my most fondest memories..

meeting these guys on main street, going to phils.. breaking his table in his back yard.. driving phil ned and two chicks to my first rezi show in sidney... the retartet chipmunk.. hectar "this next song is in spanish and is for my girlfriend".. whose go the funk?... battle of the bands with ground zero and fools at play.. first couple autumn shows... the "tuning" song.. twisted groove!.. the butchered slave and jiboo.. the madness that was the pine lake show.. seeing hectar go.. cooperstown high school show which may have been their only theatre show.. the jam with phil and his dad sal even though they werent exactly in tune.. running sound for russ 's first show... marks first show at the waterfront... seeing rezi in burlington and dancing with sara on the dancefloor by ourselves... 11/30/01 autumn show which could be my favorite of all time... the bistro not letting us play cause packy was underage.. tequilas and the debut of the song i wrote karibe.. spring 2002 shows at the oak which were so uber fab... springfling and snow in the morning... ellis being around.. smokey joes and falcos field shows.. scatterbrains debut!.. northern lights battle of the bands... first shows in albany at valentines... first time up in the monopole.. rezi as a power trio.. rock out & oblivious debut.. going with phil ned and packy to pennsylvania to play the after trey show and walking around handing out flyers in the lot then trying to find beer bellies bar.... first show at zacquor!.. 12/29 show up at nectars... lasting impression debut (second song with my lyrics)... running lights at northern lights when rezi opened for strangefolk... the lagoon show in glens falls and that tasty oblivious.. that early february weekend in 03 at the autumn and monopole.. ubu night... the la choza show... first time at beardslee.. hartwick college lauras cafe show ... the 5/9 zacquor show.... springfling number 2 with the friday night show and the sunday morning show at 6am which was just amazing at the time and also packys last show.. e-rocks opening month and the shows in saratoga.. the gspot and no one showing up... the amazing july fourth weekend in oneonta and gloversville.. the crowd growing and growing each return visit to gloversville... july fest fun times... IT.. driving to IT and trying to catch up to the bus with bob jones in tow... finally catching them and getting in the next day... playing the lot.. hanging out... 8/22 monopole and 8/23 gville the cafe zacquor block party... fall 03 at the pub..Jwall guesting... tobacco road... halloween weekend at gville and autumn... the monopole weekend in early december... NYE in zacquor eith elememts of design... valentines day weekend and the girls singing respect... kings tavern..more crazy zacquor shows.... seeing rezi at the breezy... more shows at savannahs and valentines in albany... autumn at the end of july and then seeing rezi at valentines knowing it could be my last show for a while (before i moved to michigan)... driving to oneonta halloween weekend to see the monster estorm sandwich... saying fuck it the night before the two shows in the middle of december in oneonta and then waking up the next day at 7 am and driving straight to oneonta for the weekend just to see rezi.. then doing the same thing two weeks later to see rezi in gloversville for the weekend.. .. which as of now is my last show... so many good times... after countless hours of time driving to see rezi, working on the website, taking pictures, recording to tape, recording to minidisc, recording to DAT, recording on video, trying to advise, trying to buttout, offering praise, offering constructive criticism... I do not regret a thing... I am so glad that I got to be a part of this whole thing from the somewhat early beginnings.. I am glad I pushed Phil and Ned and everyone else to take it as far as it can go... I'm sad to see this split occur. I'm very excited to see where this all evolves to. Rezi may end soon as we know it... but i'll be a monkeys uncle if i am going to let them all surrender completely. the show must go on.. and even if the faces change.. I will still be there front row center with my eyes closed getting narsty on the dance floor.

The Death Of Izer
A Rezi Farewell Tour

April 29th Revolution Hall,
River St. Troy NY
1 Set $10 at the door
Doors 8pm Rezi at 9pm
opening for Phix

May 5th Cafe Zaquor
Gloversville, NY
2 sets $5 at the door
Rezi at 11pm

May 7th General Clinton Pub
Clinton Plaza
Oneonta, NY
2 sets $3 at the door
Rezi at 10pm

From Phil....

A Thank You

For the past five years, Rezi has been a band that developed a very solid foundation, both through its music, and with their fans. There are tons of people that have come and gone through the years, many of whome, we could not have done this without. First and foremost, we would like to thank past members of the band. Packy, Jason, Russ, Hector(squared) Stetson, Mark, Ned and anybody else who has graced the stage with us. Secondly, we send great thanks to all of the dedicated fans that have given us a reason to play. B-Smith, Rooley, Heavey, Spohn, Doink,Perry and Chesser, Julia, Eric Caiola, Jeff Engall, Ben Colson, Bob Jones, Greg Bell, Boz, Romeyn, Stooby, Doot, Jenny J, Chris Andreski the Oneonta Crew, all the other G-Ville Johnstown maniacs, Mike McKinely, Live Music Beth, Zee and everybody else from the E-Company, the Plattsburgh fans and Lums, Garrett for the greatest Rezi Logo ever, Logan Thompson, Leslie, J-Wall(the Professor of FUNK), the Oneonta Bus Lines for allowing us to party, all the kids for Albany, the Autumn Cafe, Jimmy D and the greatest bar every(you know where were talking about) Brian Kaplan, The Breakfast, Jerkwater Rukus, Cliff Street, Slinky Tripp, THEM, AGP, The Big Wu, Jacob Fred Jazz Odysee, Blue Mountain Groove, Phix, Rainbow Trout, Max Creek, Uncle Sammy, Sam Kininger and the boys, and that hot keyboard player, John Delappa, Darcy Gibson, Tobias Devor, Holly parker, Olena Ripnick, Bo Ripnick, Revolution Hall, Savannahs, Randy and Thomas and the beautiful Beardslee Castle, Tobacco Road, The Knitting Factory, The Fire, Peasants, Virginia Beach, Limestone Maine. We'd like to thank all of our family members and girlfriends present and past for putting up with our shit, and lastly we'd like to thank anybody who we may have forgotten, you guys were just as important to us. As you can tell, this is sort of a goodbye letter as Rezi as you know it will no longer exist after the May 7th show at the General Clinton Pub. We have three more shows to go, and we hope that we see as many of you guys at those shows as possible. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for all that you guys have done for us, and don't worry, the rock will never stop.

Yours truly,
Phil, Eric and Ellis...The show must go on!

Rantings from a guitarist...

I'd like to take a minute to thank everyone once again
*Ned first of all for puting up with me for the past 5 years and blessing us with his bass talents
*Mark for everything he did to get this band moving
*Jason for his hard work ethic and pushin the envelope and changing our sounds
*Doink for bein the man behind it all runnin the live shit and keeping the peace
*Ellis for blinding everyone and being my right hand man, and being the whipping boy
*Packy for 2 years of kick ass jams and practically my little brother
*Eric for keepin the dreams alive and takin over the biz for a while

Sorry to say Rezi as it is, or should I say as it was, will have 3 more shows. These shows are for you, the fans and friends. We'll play our hearts out just as we have for the past 5 years.

Me and Eric have plans to keep rockin together. Our immediate plans are to first graduate and then to search for people who want to share the same stylistic music experiences and take it to where ever it may be. As for the rest of the guys. Everyone please support everything they do. Without them there would have never been the band that we all enjoyed so much!

peace

Phil