SEVEN WITCHES Singer Comments On Allentown Fiasco

SEVEN WITCHES vocalist James Rivera (HELSTAR, DISTANT THUNDER) has posted a statement on the band's official message board regarding the disastrous circumstances that led to the group's underage fans being evicted from the venue halfway through the group's live DVD shoot at Crocodile Rock in Allentown, PA Saturday night (Feb. 12). His statement reads as follows:

"Well, it's very obvious that I am posting this through my friends account for the reason I do not particularly care to be a part of message boards and such, mainly due to the fact of where I'm from. So many message boards get out of hand that it reminds me of old hens hackling with nothing better to do with their time. However, in this case, I must stand behind my brother Jack [Frost, guitar] and also comment on what he has stated. So in defense of him, myself, and the rest of the band, here are my feelings about what happened, and some of the negative and derogatory comments that have been posted.

"My father has a saying that I still live by to this day since I was a child and that is, 'You can please some of the people some of the time, but can't please all of the people all of the time.' Basically that is probably why I do not care about what anyone thinks or says about me. As far the fans that do stand behind us and agree with our opinion, it means the world to us.

"Now, for the comment that all we cared about was the lack of a crowded venue for the sake of our DVD shooting, rather than caring about the kids and their feelings after being thrown out of a place they were invited to, those comments are wrong. Maybe the person, or persons, that have stated this do not have children. Well, I do, and so do the rest of the band members. I'm sure most of you have heard the saying when you are referring to someone with so much excitement in their eyes, 'Boy, you look like a little kid on Christmas morning.' Well, that was the excitement that I saw in those kids eyes that night. The same excitement I see in my son's eyes when I take him to see metal shows with me.

"I hope this clarifies how we feel, because as far as wanting a big crowd for the sake of the DVD, come on now!! With the technology today we could double or triple the amount of people in the audience to make it look bigger than it actually was. This was for the fans, 21 yeas of age or not. No, we weren't aware of the fact they were going to be thrown out at 10pm. This was a last-minute acknowledgement I received prior to going on stage. So, yes, I was very furious when the actual moment came and those kids were being hurled out of the club. Already Jack has mentioned this was due to the poor workmanship of the booking agency amongst many other things throughout this tour. But I think Jack has said it as clearly and factual as it really happened, so why elaborate any more?

"If everyone only knew the frustrations and agony that this mishandling caused us as a band and between each other you would understand that it was very easy for me to lose my temper and say the things I did. And for the most part, none of it I am sorry for. But I will apologize for the swearing that could have come off as offensive to some. I've accidentally done this in front of my own son when he is sitting next to me in the passenger seat of my car and some idiot driver does something that almost causes us to lose our life over. I'm sure all of us have done this at one time or another.

"As a closing statement, I guess over the years of so much work put in to what it is we are trying to achieve here, our tolerance has shortened quite a bit to ignorance and stupid decision making of our affairs by others. And by the way, if you don't like this style of music that we're doing, or it's outdated, as you say, simply don't come to the shows and put yourself through the agony it causes you.

"To our fans, young and old, you won a place in the hearts of us SEVEN WITCHES."