BERRI TXARRAK:
IKUSI ARTE / SO LONG (1994 – 2019)
After an uninterrupted career since I was only 17 (1994), after more than a thousand concerts all over the world (from Lekunberri to New Zealand, from New York to Sao Paulo, from Managua to Madrid, from Nantes to Beijing…); after so many long hours in vans and planes, after all that work and full-time dedication, I want to let you know that the time has come to bring to an end a crucial stage in my life with BERRI TXARRAK. I need to stop and take stock. It’s as simple and as complicated as that. Every day I find it harder to cope with the emotional and physical drain of more than two decades of non-stop frenzied activity. Right now we don’t all have the same energy, so we can no longer give our 100%, as has always been the norm in this band. BTX’s public would never accept it if we carried on without that wholehearted commitment, and although this is a very tough decision, we have always felt, from day one, that if there’s one thing that can never be compromised, that’s our respect for those who have taken us to the position where we are now.
There are a thousand different ways of seeing the world of music and creativity, almost as many as there are musicians. However, there comes a time when one feels the need to question almost everything. That is the moment when you have to decide the kind of relationship you want to have with that inertia that is always lurking in the shadows. To end a period so as to embark on a new cycle. In a word, to carry on learning.
Therefore, the long tour we are planning for 2019 – which will mark our 25 years on the road (a quarter of a century!) – will be the last before an indefinite hiatus. In a few days we will announce the concerts of this Ikusi Arte Tour2019, as well as information on ticket sales, etc.
We did a lot of things and we did them our way. That’s how I like to see it. No-one will be able to say that we did not put our heart and soul into every one of them. There will be time to look back and consider all the things we have experienced and helped others to experience through music. Right now, what we want is to leave aside any feelings of nostalgia or drama, drink a toast to this amazing trip and enjoy with all of you the concerts that lie ahead. You can be sure that we’ll give it all we’ve got.
We were fortunate enough to move many hearts. We are aware of this and are eternally grateful for it. A public like this is the best thing a band could ever hope for, so THANK YOU. Our thanks go as well to our closest circle – family, friends, partners – for making it all easier for us without asking for anything in return. We also wish to thank our BTX crew during all those years on the road. You were always our second family. Thanks to the promoters, publishers, producers, associations, gaztetxes, record shops, concert halls, festivals, the press, technicians, musicians, media, friends, enemies and other necessary creatures forming part of the rock wildlife. Without you, this would simply have not been possible.
We are stepping aside, the music goes on: there are loads of good bands out there. You will see us in the audience at their concerts. Meanwhile, I will continue to search for new ways to express myself and nourish that required minimum of passion – a passion for making songs and sharing them with people. New ideas are certain to come. How and when, no-one knows.
Berri Txarrak leaves 9 studio albums, a documentary and a compilation album. Over 100 songs that will live on every time someone sings or listens to them, which, after all, is the whole point.
We’re going, but we will always remain true to that maxim that we’ve always applied to every verse, and that no-one will ever be able to take away from us: JAIO.MUSIKA.HIL (Born.Music.Die). You can rest assured of that.
With my sincere best wishes.
Gorka Urbizu – BERRI TXARRAK
Lekunberri (Basque Country), December 2018
