Here are just a few emails from the last month or so...

from website:

I knew the day would come when you guys would return, so I saved this little bit of your old website for you, complete with spelling and grammatical errors.  :P    It is a wonderful piece of hodgepodge...

\"Welcome to the Treadmill Internet Dungeon where you will be admitted to the forbidden world of Treadmill\'s demented secrets, deranged character flaws, perverted fantasies, prohibited sexual misconduct, illicit criminal actions, deranged psychotic episodes, senseless addictive behavior, mal-nuritritioned ravings, sleep deprived hallucinations, mouth frothing tantrums, senseless revolutionary plots, bizarre religious fanaticism, uncivil sacrilegious dogma, heavy handed socialism, celebrity worshiping extremism, anti-social elitism, discourteous manners, reckless egotism, cheerful enthusiastic pessimism, cynically doubtful optimism, unhinging paranoia, distracting carelessness, foolhardy strategies, imprudent schemes, ignorant clambering, faithless wonderment, and MUCH MUCH MORE!!!. . But to enter this whimsical fantasy world you must have the confidential password which is cryptically alluded to somewhere in the liner notes of the new album \'only this\'.\"

And, of course, the clue lead one to Black Sabbath\'s Greatest Hits album, the second track on the B side was War Pigs, whose 40th word was \"brainwashed\".  Hot damn, I\'m good.

I try to work the phrase "Treadmill Trackstar" into conversations whenever I can.  For example, when one of my perpetually failing 7th grade math students makes a 70 on a completion grade, what should have been an easy 100, and gets all excited about it, I tell him, "Man, you are a bona fide treadmill trackstar, aren't ya?"  This is usually met with a sincere, "Huh?"

On the fundraising debacle...

from ang to tony and heidi:

well- judging on my initial success, this isn't gonna work!

from tony to ang:

hmmmm...unusual to receive this type of e-mail from you, my friend...  ...  ...NOT!

OK...it'll be fine, but what has jaded you so?

from ang to tony:

i'm just getting straight out ignored, mostly.  we gotta get some shit on the board or no one's winning that Cadillac.  Go to lunch.  Will you please just go to lunch?

on quitting the band again...

from h to tony and ang:

In the spirit of free communication - my interest in this project is waning.

Maybe it will come back.  I will stand by my commitment to play Sandhills, 5

Pts Pub, and the record, but I think that's it for me.  Please - nothing

personal - I love you guys.  I just have to keep my priorities straight.  I

have really really enjoyed the past 6 weeks without rehearsals or concerts.

I've even gotten bored on a few occasions, what a concept.

As far as fundraising goes, I'm in it for $2K as promised.  Maybe I'll get

some contributions, maybe not.  I just want to keep my focus on my family,

my job, and limited other projects.

I'll be there this weekend...

response to heidi’s email from ang to tony:

well, we should have learned our lesson the last time!  it’s 1997 all over again.  ‘cept who cares this time?!

response to heidi’s email from tony to heidi & ang:

We're not invested like before, so it's no big deal.

Live shows, ANY live shows are gravy for us.  Our goal is not to play shows; it's to record a CD.

I do, however, think your interest is proportional to the amount of time and effort we put into this project (lately, outta sight outta mind).

It has to be...otherwise, what's the point?  We can talk about it Saturday and/or Sunday, but I don't really think

it's a situation that should infringe on any of our personal lives.

A'ight...talk soon...

editors note: other than that, we kind of just ignored heidi’s email.  at the next rehearsal it seemed like it came after a tough business trip.  we’re not sure really, since we didn’t address it.  so maybe she’s still quitting.  we don’t really know. 

email from ang to tony on fundraising debacle:

dude,- i can't even get my dead ringers to give us cash.  not a fucking cent.  even my fam is giving me the run around.  jesus god damn christ.  we've always been too big for our britches.  Big for Our Britches would be a good title for a bluegrass record.  we can’t we see our eventual failure before we start these stupid projects? 

are you done with that recording?  let's find somewhere cheap to do drums and just fucking do it.  i wanna get this thing done so i don't have to think about it anymore.  we can do it for cheaper than 2k each.  lets just get the drums done and after that we'll only need to rent a few pieces of gear which won't be much hopefully.

the new song is weird in a semi-steve opera sort of way.  could easily be 3 separate songs.  but i figure that the point of this is to do what we want and say fuck all to  the stuff we would have taken into consideration back in the day.  right?

let's tell heidi she has to find us a new cello player...  ha!

angout

email from ang to tony & heidi:

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

~Dr. Hunter S. Thompson 

A production designer friend of mine (also business partner in fake business- see www.sellulloyd.com) used treadmill in a mock up poster on a kids wall in some commercial.  Would you ever go see this band?  Funny. 

email from friend/fan expressing his well founded concern for tt*:

whats up guys.. i have a few questions.. how really can you ask people to contribute to your record when artist seem to make records on there on now days..and if they cant.. they tour and sell chap ooks or have investers for this type of thing.. hmm. ive never asked anyone for money..and still produce grest sounding records... also.... big confusion on you guys ... wheres chris grigg?? that just seems to make since.. a great question.. but there are three sides to a story yours,mine, and the truth.. i think (from someone who is your biggest fan, and is selling records..) you should really get back to the songs that were pure... steves opera.. betty... divning rod..9in a whole step down) .. i just worry about you sll... and quite frankly.. just being honest...

tony’s response:

shit, i can’t find tony’s response.  it was amusing. 

ang to tony & heidi:

check out the movie ‘dripped’.  okay- this movie kind of sucks, but the funny part is that one of the bands talks about John Caldwell in it.  the band is like, "he was trying to get hootie to like us and sign us, thank god that didn't work..."  it's way worth it just for that.  netflix myfriend.  jc is famous. 

note: john caldwell was treadmill’s A&R guy and sort of the head dude at Breaking Records. 

tony to ang on increasing disinterest in all things tt*:

Those were pretty good.  I like the honesty.  

Oh, I've got a plan.  It's being fulfilled.  I'm pleased thus far.

Don't lose heart, young Angelo.  You're a beautiful human being.  Write some more songs, man!

Have a good day, freak.  

ang to tony:

is your plan to spend a lot of money and have nothing happen after that?  

dude- that's a fucked up plan.  

lost heart long ago.  running on liver alone for years now.  

songs smongs.  i've entered another 10 year slump.  

i'm pissed we're not doing the acoustic show.  

I wish I'd made this a Haiku.  

tony to ang:

Reasonable reaction, I guess...

BUT...something is happening.  My plan is based on truly knowing us and our music.  

10 year slump?  I think not.  

The acoustic show will still happen.  It just probably won't be before we record the new songs.

We should really consider communicating soley in Haiku.  That would be fun.

ang to tony:

the plan you speak of

does not flow like a river

nothing will happen

in earnest, ye fool

what you be talkin' 'bout, yo?

we flow like brick wall

lets have our best show

give our one fan a real thrill 

Seppuku on stage

i started off with a classical bent, even threw in the natural reference.  then i went a little olde english haiku hip hop.  a style i think i've just invented.  doubtful to catch on.  then i ended with a sort of emo/haiku style.  seriously- i've never seen any more nothing happening in my life.  it's depressing.  luckily depression makes me happy.