I Can Haz AZPunk Back Now, kthx.

A brief insight into the past 365 days of AZPunk.com

TPStank • Wednesday, April 1, 2009 • 1:44 AM

Hi! So, we managed to find our way back onto the innerwebs after a year of intense geeking out over where the hell we were going to take this site. Anyone who spent more than 10 minutes on the old version knew that something desperately needed to be done about the layout, the content management, and most importantly, the basic process of getting you local punk info fast.

Anyone bother checking the source?

Towards the end of 2007, funds to keep the website running, along with costs to produce the upcoming AZPunk.comp Vol. 6 album, were getting low. From September to December, we ran a series of benefit shows to help raise money for these costs. The support for AZPunk was overwhelming, and we couldn't be more grateful to everyone. With your help, we raised enough money to pay for the Vol. 6 album and keep the site running for a while longer.

It was about a week before April 1, 2008, when, after about a half year of heated in-house debates, we made the decision to just remove the old version of AZPunk from the innerwebs for a while, until we could make something better. It was a decision that had supporters from both ends of the debate table. Should we juggle operating and updating a completely outdated website, all while trying to rebuild the thing from the ground-up the way we originally wanted? Was it a good idea? Was it a bad idea? Who knows? We felt like it was necessary to clean the slate and reinvent this great community resource that was just begging us for a rebuild. So why not April Fools Day? Who ever said April Fools only lasted for a day anyway? If it starts and stops on April 1st, it still counts, right?

Truth be told, the new version of AZPunk has been an extremely long time coming. Believe it or not, this "version 2" is actually more like a "version 5". We have been rebuilding this new AZPunk from concept to launch for, roughly, the past 4 years. Developments in web technology have been booming in the past several years, and the capabilities CSS, jQuery and MVC Frameworks working together have to offer, made it possible for us to start building the website we always wanted to make from day 1.

But besides all of this rebirth crap, we did manage to find some time to tend to our own lives for a change. Chris and his lovely fiancee, Kelly, bought a house and moved to Gilbert. It was a much needed step-up from the closet that they lived in some Tempe apartments. TotalPunkRadio.com, the grandfather of all that was awesome about internet radio, and the brainchild of Chris, saw it's final days during this hiatus. Trying to find time to maintain the website, dealing with the ever-changing legislation of internet radio, on top of life itself, got to be too much to juggle. The innerets have never been the same without it.

I married my foxxy lady, Kirstin, and we bought a great house around the Glendale area. I took a break from singing for Family Secret and playing live music in general for a bit. The recent "bump" in the economy took it's toll on my social life, as well, and I reluctantly ended up having to say goodbye to a great job. Luckily, however, I managed to find a little something and picked up some much needed freelance work to help pay the bills.

AZPunk.com founders Micah Elliot & Chris Lawson

So much has changed in a single year. Locally, socially, politically and musically alike. What better time for us to bring you a brand new AZPunk than right now? After almost 7 years of living, breathing, and bleeding AZPunk, we felt we needed a little break. Now we've had that break, and we're back better than ever, and re-dedicated to helping promote local punk rock shows and bands throughout the state. We urge you to participate and help us keep this site packed with local info. We're proud of this website, and we're proud of the hard working local bands and fans. AZPunk is dedicated to you. Help us make this site better than ever.

Thanks for coming back, guys!

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