It's no secret that Schoolyard Heroes are friends of Shoutmouth, and that I was a fan of the band long before this site launched. But here's the thing -- this band is made up of some of the coolest people that the punk and emo scenes have to offer. A lot of bands pay lip service to how much they care about their fans, but Schoolyard Heroes really do. I've seen them stick around at shows, talk to and meet anyone who wants to, and they are in the Shoutmouth hall of fame for "best bands to interview." Anyway, now that I am done singing their general praises, let me tell you a bit about what they did for a fan in Florida.
I'm sure that almost everyone on this site has a horror story or two about an overzealous/flat-out asshole security guard. Some of them get really worked up for no good reason. In this specific case, a fan was thrown out for taking photos of the band, even though the band was perfectly fine with said fan doing it. The band saw what happened while they were playing... and here's what happened, in Jonah's words:
Regarding the Orlando show...First off, we would like to apologize to our Orlando fans that we were only able to play one and a half songs tonight...
For those of you who weren't there, halfway through our second song (a rippin' version of "Razorblade Kisses" i might add), a security guard at the Social in Orlando put a fan in an armlock and forcefully escorted him out of the club for taking still photos of us with his video camera (instead of simply tapping him on the shoulder and asking him to stop using his camera, of course). We stopped the song and asked that he be let back in noting that the gentleman paid $15 to see a punk show and should be able to do whatever he wishes, including take photos or video of us. At this point, we were told by a club employee to either "play another song or get the fuck off the stage" while said fan remained outside... at this point we decided to "get the fuck off the stage."
Now Schoolyard Heroes is not Fugazi, but we will NEVER STAND for one of our fans to be violently thrown out of one of our shows for no valid reason. You guys mean everything to us and we will stand up for you. We will fight for you. Together, we are stonger than any group of muscle-bound security guards looking to "flex their guns." We are stronger than club employees who could care less about fans. The Skeleton Army shall rise!!!!!!
Orlando, we will be back in April with Jeffree Star and we will destroy. Be there. We will make it up to you.
Love,
Jonah
And I think that is one of the coolest things ever. They did what they thought was the right thing, because they wanted to stand up to a security guard who was being a big bully. It sucks that people didn't get to see an amazing band... but how can you not respect a band who stands up for what they believe in [their fans], no matter what?
We all have our horrible venue security stories -- I almost died a couple of weeks ago when a lady did a virtual prison search on me, and also slammed my precious camera into a table in the process. I've seen way too many people manhandled for no good reason, as well. A lot of the people working the shows don't understand the culture. How about asking the bands if they mind people taking photos? The vast majority don't mind at all. Perhaps it's time for venues to start paying attention to what the scene is really like, and adjust their security accordingly? There are way too many crappy incidents that could easily have been avoided if they had a better grasp on what the bands and the fans are all about.
Either way, I have to offer a huge basket of kudos to Schoolyard Heroes for being true to themselves and their fans.
