Bug is Leaving Seattle
I've got some big news for Bug Hunter that I suppose will have a mixed reaction depending on where you are in the world!
What's going on?
My 6-year journey in Seattle is coming to an end next month.
To pursue her higher education, my wife and I are relocating from the west coast and moving our home base to the east coast -- In Richmond, Virginia, specifically! (Sorry to skip over you again, Gulf Coast!)
While this will have very, very little effect in the short term (I haven't played a live show in almost 10 months), it will mean that my "local" music radius is about to change. Cities like New York, Boston, Nashville, Atlanta, Philadelphia, etc. will now be within driving distance. Once shows start back up again, I'll be increasing my presence on the east coast and midwest in a way that I've never been able to before. So that's obviously very exciting for me since we have a large vocal fanbase on the east coast that hasn't had a chance to experience a live show!
What does this mean for the band?
I'm putting Kyle and Jesse in my suitcase! (I wish).
Like I mentioned above, this will have minimal effect in the short term. Kyle, Jesse, and I haven't all been in the same room since December of 2019 -- we managed to record all of Bigger Than Myself remotely by sending files over the internet. In fact, Kyle never lived in Seattle, but we'd fly him up for shows and tours from California. So this isn't "breaking up the band" in any way, shape, or form. I will be further away, but not insurmountably so. Once tours can happen again, expect these guys on stage with me when they're able!
I've always considered both the full-band and solo performances to be valid "Bug Hunter" experiences. One is more lively and rocking, and one is more intimate. Both will continue to happen in the future.
Will you come back?
No one can know where life will take you, but we plan to return to the Seattle area once her 3-year program is complete. You never know, though. I can't make any promises, but Seattle will always be an important city for me. There is no future where I don't return to play shows in my hometown.
What does 2021 look like?
In the short term, I will continue doing what I'm doing. I will have to pause selling most merchandise items starting in December as we move and quarantine on both ends. But come February, we'll be spending a few months in Nashville, where I'll be able to start selling merch and doing live streams once I'm there! So if you're looking at getting Bug Hunter merch before the end of the year, you only have a few more weeks to do it!
In the meantime, I will continue to write and brainstorm fun ways to grow. Please feel free to reach out with any comments, questions, or Richmond advice! We're going to need it!
-Bug