Just be a studio band? That can work if you're Steely Dan and your following is big enough to push your discs to platinum status without any touring promotion; but let's face the facts... Haji is no Steely Dan. Our following *is* worldwide like theirs, but for us it's almost always small pockets of either musician shredders or DBZ fans.. (as opposed to SD's multitudes & legions of ravenous general public fans willing to throw down $15 for their discs sight-unseen & notes-unheard).
For us, self financing a disc for release only over CD Baby would surely result in major financial loss without the ability to, at the very least regionally, tour to promote & sell discs at shows.
All this is beside the even bigger fact that the reason to write & record stuff like this is so you
get to go
play live! *Especially* for us guys in Haji... that's always been the best part for us. To have a great cd full of material is cool, but to not be able to go play live.. have that improvisational interaction between the band members.. get that instantaneous feedback from the crowd.. frankly? It's depressing, and it blows.
Now.. this isn't to say we don't love & appreciate you guys, because we do. We're just not willing to go (even further) into debt for you..
But, you never know... maybe Devin Townsend will finally call us back & want to sing at a time when Rob, Eddie & I all have a big fat hole in our schedule, and a few spare $$ in our pockets!