Supporters of Oi! the Boat,

This is Max, the captain at the helm writing to address a topic that is in no way private, but I've stayed away from addressing publicly for a while. As many people may have heard, one of the founding members of Oi! the Boat and my good friend Joe E. Theboat will no longer be participating in the label. My thoughts on this situation will follow, but first I think it's important review Joe's statement regarding his departure:

Like Joe said, there's no bad-blood between us at all. I fully understand his situation and support his decision to move on from the label at this time. However, as I said in a recent interview for Oi! of America -- Joe is simply a one of a kind dude and cannot be replaced. As such, I'm not going to try to replace him with another partner. Instead I'll be relying on a lot of awesome people that I've met along the way to help supplement the areas where I'm deficient. 

To say that Joe will be missed from the label would be an understatement, however I'm happy that we're still tight and know that I'll always be able to rely on him in an advisory role if needed. Businesses like ours don't often pull back the curtain, but to understand the nature of our label; where it came from and why we've enjoyed any measure of success, offering a glimpse in this case seems prudent. 

I first met Joe at a Hudson Falcons show in 2002, but didn't really start getting to know him until I moved to West Lafayette to attend Purdue in 2004. From the day I set foot in town he was welcoming and accommodating to me in every way that a kid in that situation could hope for. We knew each other first through the music scene, but quickly developed a friendship outside of those common interests. Joe got me my first decent job, helped me deal with break-ups when I was being a bitch, taught me a thing or two about decent beer, and on and on.... Over the years I've been able to lean on Joe for advice in all facets of my life and he's always more than answered the call. People like that don't come along often so I feel that it's important that people who know us only through Oi! the Boat realize that the label is only one aspect of our friendship. 

In summation-- the Boat is still riding high on the seas and every other lame metaphor I could put here. There's tons of exciting new projects on the horizon and we're eternally grateful for the continued support. So in the mean time, raise your glass and say a toast to my friend, and a true bad ass that helped build what we have today. 

Cheers, Joe. Couldn't have done it without you!

-Max