Dear Readers,My deepest apologies to you all. For those of you who check our site on a daily basis, you may have noticed a conceivable absence in productivity.
There has been a lack in radio programming during our scheduled 24 hour stream. There has been a lack of podcast updates, and most importantly there has been a lack of explanation. You as our readers and listeners deserve better than that.
We recently had our studio unlawfully entered and burglarized. To put it simply, we were robbed. The individuals responsible not only took our computers and broadcasting equipment, but all the masters for each release Keep In Touch Records has put out since 2003 (this includes all unreleased material).
Luckily we had all our Radio Noir podcasts backed up on an external hard drive they for some reason could not find (for all you Second-Hand Opera fans our upcoming albums were on this hard drive as well don't worry). We will someday be back at full strength and we promise to be better than ever, but for now we are crippled.
This whole experience has left not only myself but everyone involved with Radio Noir worried, angry, and paranoid. For those who are unaware, we broadcast from the DIY venue The Saint Paul Opera House. Not only is the house where we work and create, it is our home.
Dealing with the Ramsey County Police has also been a let down. They insinuated that we were doing something illegal. It seemed as if they wanted to convince us the robbery was our fault. This is not my first negative experience with Saint Paul's finest.
I am a good citizen people. I sought out an education for myself. I pay my taxes, and I tried to help build something for the art community in the Twin Cities.
I may be different, but I am entitled to the same rights as everyone else on this planet. I have seemed to notice that if you have any other race, creed, or social status other than being affluent and caucasian, you will be treated with apathy and disdain from the police in this town.
If you are a Saint Paul police officer and you are reading this, I urge you to prove me wrong. Please be an ambassador to make this a better society. Stop judging people, and start trying to understand and help them.
As for the individuals who personally wronged us, I am deeply disappointed in you. Your crime was useless. We have all the serial numbers to what you stole. They are flagged and password protected. No pawn shop will take them. You will not make any money on this worthless endeavor. The only thing you accomplished was emotional harm to your fellow man.
You have become a victim of this materialistic society. This experiment has failed. Money used to be a means to an end. Now our society has you convinced it is the end. It is the only way you can be happy. I implore you to take some time to think about money. It is useless in the long run.
I am not a new age hippy. I am fully aware of the use of exchanging goods for services, but it is far from the most important thing in this existence. Waste not, want not my friends. We have come to the point where people actually believe that money is the direct equivalent of success. People should be judged by what they create and not what they destroy.
We tried to create something, not just for us but for everyone. Rest assured we will be back, but we need your help. I hate to beg, especially after a long and verbose letter such as this one, so treat this as more of a suggestion...
If you like what you hear or what we do, please donate so we can keep doing it. We don't want to make a profit, just art.
Keep In Touch,
Pat Dougherty