More than anything, we Black Lillies are a family. There’s a bond that has been formed between us that can’t be described, other than to say that at the end of the day we love each other.
We know that our bandmates have our backs, no matter what. And so, when a member of the band decides that it is time to embark on a new adventure, the rest of us rise up to support that person. It’s hard to come to terms with the sense of loss we feel when that happens, but ultimately we want to see these people who we love so strongly thrive; we want to see them find their ultimate happiness.
As we enter this next phase of The Black Lillies, in which we are poised to make what we feel will be our greatest album yet, we face some changes. In the coming months, you’ll see some new faces, new people who will join our musical family. And we will also wish a fond farewell to two people: Tom Pryor and Robert “Bobby Dix” Richards.
This will come as a surprise to some of you – but not to those who understand where we’ve come from and what we’ve been through together. We’ve played approximately 1000 shows together; we’ve slept on floors (and in our first tour, even in cardboard boxes … long story!); we’ve shared the highest highs and the lowest lows. Living and working in a touring band like ours is an amazing, exciting, fantastic experience filled with friends in far-flung places, numerous adventures, and plenty of inside jokes. But it can also be grueling, exhausting, lonely, and difficult. And sometimes, someone will decide that life is too short to hold off on the adventure that they‘ve been dreaming of. They might find that instead of a home on the road, they want, simply, a home.
And while it saddens us to see them go, we support them. Because that’s what you do for your family.
We have nothing but love and the greatest respect for Tom (and maybe a little jealousy, because he’s moving to Colorado and hitting the ski slopes) and Robert (who will be pursuing new musical endeavors). This isn’t goodbye; it’s just so long.
Rest assured that The Black Lillies are stronger than ever. We’re still pushing forward, releasing an entirely fan-funded album this summer, and we’ll continue to travel to towns far and wide to play our music for you. We couldn’t be more excited about what the future holds, and we’re ready to dive right in.
We’ll see you on the road!