David Jones was my best friend when I lived in San Francisco. He was the singer in Enemy You and he passed away recently in his home. I’m told David took his own life.

I can already see the outpouring of support and good will from his friends and co-workers, and everyone seems to agree that David was a thoughtful, conscientious human being. That will be his legacy, and it should be.

If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to share some thoughts and personal anecdotes about him. See, my father passed away right after I graduated from Cal and I was in a weird, lonely place. I knew David Jones at that point, but it was only when I was at his house and saw his truly righteous collection of D&D stuff that I knew he was on the team and we’d be fast friends. From that day on I hung out with him more than anyone and Dave’s house was a real “port in a storm” for a parentless kid who liked nerdy gaming and punk rock. What’s weird is that amidst this grim news, we’ve come to learn that there’s a lot of people that referred to David as their best friend. Again, that’s his legacy.

One of the many sad perspectives here is that people like us need David Jones. He was like me and some of you: he didn’t identify with the overculture and didn’t necessarily feel accepted. But as old and happy and stable and independent as I think am now, I still feel like I need David Jones and it really hurts to think that we lost such a benevolent and helpful soul. We can’t afford to lose any more like him. So if you’re out there, and you’re hurting, please reach out to someone. We need you too.

I had a really peaceful conversation with David’s high school friend, Adam. He said a few things that might help make sense of this. It was basically, “No one should feel guilty about this because David told me in 10th grade that he was going to inevitably kill himself. As clichéd as it sounds, he’s in a better place now. David was always in a lot of pain.” And I suppose that’s true. It makes me really sad to think that David didn’t always feel the joy that life can bring you. It’s unfair that he brought so much joy to others, but we couldn’t do the same in return.

This record label wouldn’t exist without David Jones and his music will live on for a long time. Such is his legacy.

See you at the big Gen-Con in the sky, David…

– Tobias Jeg

2015 is almost upon us and we better start letting you guys know what the plan is! First off, joining the Red Scare family will be Success from Seattle. Thing is, these lads are originally from the very same hilarious cowtown that I (Toby) was born and raised in: Enumclaw, Washington. We’ve been hearing good things about Success for years as they have become a real mainstay in the Northwest punk scene, so after finally seeing them play a couple shows we realized that we need to work with these guys. Before you know it, we hooked the band up with producer Steve Rizun (Flatliners, Junior Battles) and they cranked out their Red Scare debut, Radio Recovery. Should be out by Spring and they’re already confirmed to play Pouzza Fest and Punk Rock Bowling.

Also coming out sometime next year will be our first ever release with a band from… TEXAS. I know, right?! I don’t see any horns on YOUR head. We’re talking about a 4-song EP from Austin rockers, THE DRAKULAS. Word, right? The Drax boast a member of Rise Against and a couple dudes from Riverboat Gamblers, including the bloodiest wildman in the whole Twitterverse, Mike Wiebe. If you know anything about these guys, you know it will be awesome. It sounds like garage-y Texas punk rock, but with good production and fierce melodies. This may be a little different than what you expect from Red Scare, but it won’t kill you nerds to hear something new either! Actually, we can’t promise Drakulas won’t kill you…

In regards to upcoming releases, as you know we have The Brokedowns Life Is A Breeze out now, then on January 20th we’ll have Derek Grant’s solo debut, Breakdown. Nothington is currently banging out a new LP in SF, and Elway will be recording their next record out in their home of Colorado. O’er yon across the Atlantic, our noble poet knight, Sam Russo, will be crafting his Red Scare follow-up in between odd jobs like gutting abandoned homes and stacking bags of manure. We’re also doing the digital-only release for The First Four Seasons on December 16th with our old pals and baseball punks, The Isotopes. Whew, still there?! While we’re at it, we may as well mention that Direct Hit! and The Falcon are writing new records, and we may end up with those assholes too.

So yeah, LOTS of stuff. If you want more frequent updates and hijinx (and YOU DO), follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook. Now, we shall leave you with an image of Success, Enumclaw’s favorite sons…

Okay, first off, all this shit is subject to change. Why? Because that’s how rock ‘n’ roll works. All these band people are maniacs, so we fully expect to be adding or subtracting a band or two. As of now (fingers crossed) this is how it’s looking…

Friday, October 24th @ Gman Tavern

Nothington (acoustic)
Elway (acoustic)
Dan Vapid
Special Guests?

Get tickets here!

Saturday, October 25th @ Metro

Doors open at 3:00 pm

Reaganomics 3:45-4:15
The Brokedowns 4:25-4:55
Elway 5:05-5:35
Direct Hit! 5:45-6:15
The Holy Mess 6:25-6:55
Brendan Kelly and the Wandering Birds 7:05-7:35
Teenage Bottlerocket 7:45-8:15
The Sidekicks 8:25-8:55
Enemy You 9:05-9:35
Masked Intruder 9:45-10:15
The Methadones 10:25-10:55
The Lillingtons 11:05-11:45
The Falcon 11:55-?

Get tickets here!

Sunday, October 26th @ Gman Tavern

Brendan Kelly (solo)
Cobra Skulls (acoustic)
Special Guests?

Get tickets here!

Another thing we wanna add is that we will be doing giveaways for people who are there at the start of the Metro show. Some folks are gonna win VIP tickets which will include a table and chairs in the balcony. You will have a waiter/waitress taking your drink order. COME ON! In addition to the VIP seats, we’ll also be giving away some Red Scare relics to the early birds. Cool, right?