Phat Ninja Karaoke

So this is the end of our pretty much 3 and 1/2 year run. Where to start?



We played our first show at some birthday party back in January 2006? Something like that. It was just Kenny, Logan, Jacob, and myself. We played a bunch of random cover songs and our friends came to see us and we scared everyone away after the second song. But it was a first show I wouldn't trade for the world.



In December that year, Jacob passed away. That hit us pretty hard. Not only because we lost a beautiful friend and person, but because there was a memorial show being thrown that we wanted to play and we didn't have a bass player! Oh, the irony. Good ol' Garrett ended up filling in for us, and we played our first Darkroom show after going there a thousand times. There's a Youtube video of us about to play our first song and me giving this cheesy speech about Jacob and all of Central reppin'.



That was the 2006-2007 school year, in which we were blessed with another amazing and wonderful person via the foreign exchange program. In movies, they never show foreign exchange students as having much of an impact on the people they meet in the new country. That certainly not the case with Gilbert. He luckily ended up moving in with Logan and playing guitar with us, and I can honestly say that without him, we never would have played as many shows as we did or written the songs we wrote or anything. Without Gilbert, this band would have died out years ago.



2008 was our biggest year, hands down. We played what felt like a zillion shows and had the funnest times. In my opinion, we had our two best shows that year.



Our second best was in August. We played with a band called Canon Law, who our friend Spencer basically forced to come play here, and forced us to play with them, and then he didn't come. That was our then-current bass player Adam's last show, and so we had to send him out with a bang. We also drank about 834 gallons of Red Bull that entire weekend. That show, everything had Red Bull in it- our songs, our bodies, we even changed our name to "Phat Ninja Red Bull Karaoke" or something for the night. So we played our set and it went great, and at the end of the last song before we played our very last note, we all put our instruments down and gathered with the crowd and gave a toast with our last cans of Red Bull to Adam and Red Bull. We played our last note, with Adam throwing his bass on the ground, which I proceeded to pick up and smash.



Our absolute best and my most favorite show ever was May 23, 2008. I had officially graduated high school, all the schools were finally out for the summer, and we were playing with Look What I Did, Psychostick and Powerglove. It was the greatest beginning of summer party ever, and Kenny and I wore bathing suits. We were scheduled to play last, so the first band is playing and I am sitting down talking to some fans. They mentioned that they were glad we were playing next, to which I reply no we are not. Perfectly timed, one of the Darkroom staff comes up at that exact moment and says, "Oh yeah, I was looking for you guys. You're next." I run to find the rest of the guys, and I hear the first band saying this is their last song, but I yell for them to play more. I find the guys and get Logan to start on his drums, and the first band finally finishes. We hurry and set up our stuff and we play our set. It was probably our biggest, funnest and most energetic crowd ever, which is half the reason the show was the best. At the end, while I am giving my last-song-speech, Adam takes off his shirt. Not to be out done, Kenny takes off his shirt. Chase then takes HIS shirt off, being that he looks best shirtless. I turn to Logan and tell him that we HAVE to take our shirts off now. (I had always told Logan to take his shirt off when we play because cool drummers do it, but he never would.) So we take our shirts off together, and here we are. 5 guys, and only two guys look decent without shirts on. But I tell you one thing, we were invincible in that last song. We went into it, the crowd was pumped, we were everywhere, and that was it. You just had to be there, and if you were, thank you.



This entire band- every show we've played and every song we've sung. Every lyric we've written and every fight we've had. Every Red Bull we've drank and every joke we've made. Every time I've almost thrown up at the end of the set and every time we've changed bassists. This entire band is dedicated to the memories of Jacob White and Shelby Magee. We love you and will see you again soon.



THANK YOU:

Cassidy Lafleur, for letting us play your birthday party all those years ago

Leigh Anne Jones, for being with me all those years ago when my dream band was still a dream, and helping me make it real

Every bass player we have ever had, ever

Spencer Black, for being supportive and having our music on your iPod

Jordan Tarajano, for the recordings and fun times at your rich house

Thomas Huckaby, for recordings and playing trumpet with me sometimes

Common Curtis, for being my first show and making amazing music and inspiring me

Landmines, Baby!, for being one of the biggest reasons we did all this and changing my life, inspiration, love, jokes, t-shirts, everything

Amongst the Dead, for playing some shows with us, being rad, and stealing our guitar cabs

Imbroglio, for being great support and making fun of us, and making awesome music and being nice

Lobster Machine, for being the coolest guys ever and playing shows with us and all the dancing and sweat and blood and bart's fart art

EVERY BAND WE HAVE EVER PLAYED WITH. Whether you let us hop on, or you played a show we booked, or we just played the same show or whatever. Thanks for playing with us.



Mrs. Reneé, for letting us practice in your house, stay there when we needed to, making the most delicious tea ever, and coming to see us all the time. You are amazing and thanks for everything. We love you.

Ken and Jen and Timmy Magee, for being the most supportive I think any people could ever be, for rides to places, for buying Kenny equipment, for gay jokes, and for being great people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and we love you.

Adam, for playing bass and being super fun and playing the two best shows with us

Gilbert Arnby, for writing "When I Was A Fetus" and getting this band off the ground. We would be nothing without you, ever. Thank you for everything and I promise we will see you soon. I love you.



If you ever came and saw us, thank you. Whether or not you liked us. But if you did like us, if you actually listened to our songs, danced and sang, liked Red Bull a little more, enjoyed it when we did what we did, then thank you thank you thank you times a thousand and infinity. You are awesome. We don't know how we got you to do that, but thank you.



Chase, Ryan, Zakk- thanks for playing with me. You guys are great and I can't wait to keep hanging out.



And finally, I think, Kenny and Logan. You guys are my brothers. Thank you for being in a band and making music with me. I never want to stop being friends with you. Thanks for the fun times and memories, inside jokes, pizza, late nights and everything in between. I love both of you.



Stay tuned for anything that we may do in the future- we'll keep you posted. Thanks for hanging, and listening and dancing.



-Justin



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Hi everyone! I don't understand Myspace anymore. If you do, and are using it and reading this, I have something to tell you! Kenny and I have a new project that we've been working on the past few months. We will be playing shows hopefully starting in November or so. Please check us out! Hope to see you soon and love you.



Search "Human Like Me" on Facebook!



-Justin