Monkey Business

by altruisticinsider

100 Monkeys are no more.

Surprising, right?

Not really. You see, this almost happened once before, during the 100 Cities tour. The boys were exhausted and playing more dates than they should have in a row and tempers got heated. The band were close to breaking point and good old Marty was running around doing all he could.

It’s safe to say that first and foremost before they were 100 Monkeys, the entertainers, G, J, Uncle, Jackson and Jerad were friends. They stuck together through thick and thin, along with Marty and Scott, things were pretty sweet and peachy. But, once the tour finished and new managers came along, things because stricter, more organized. Some said this was good, some said it was too much for the boys. But, they powered through until someone better came along. Forget Creamer. Forget Tim. This was the era of Lani Sarem.

One thing you should know is that 100 Monkeys did NOT want to be managed by a female, never the less, one who acted like she was their best friend. Lani went above and beyond her job, and in the beginning she was useful. She helped establish the fan club again after the band left it to run into the ground. She out put a new person in charge of the street team (more on her later) and pretty much shook the band back on to an even keel. Things looked good.

However, a few months down the line, Marty quit. Strange, huh? He was gone and who stepped up to take his place? Lani. Now, let’s not forget that Marty had been there since the beginning. He’d stuck by those boys through changes in manager, he’d been pushed aside and called a tour manager in favor of Tim who was less than adequate. And it seemed he’d had enough.

So, alongside Lani is Mary Kallhoff, the person who now bullies and alienates fans by blocking them from the street team Facebook page, after calling it ‘her’ page. I’m sorry, sister, but since when did YOU own the street team or the right to the 100 Monkeys name/brand? I’m guessing never. Mary was left with the bulk of the work after Adrienne, the previous street team director fucked up royally. However, power doesn’t give you the right to treat fans like she has. Clearly, it’s gone to her head. Being in Lani’s back pocket does that to you, I suppose.

The discord set in with the band when Lani became too much. As you can all see, Lani controls pretty much all of their shit. Their Facebook, their twitter. NONE of what you saw was Jackson, Jerad, Ben, Ben or Uncle. It was her. The overuse of smiley faces gave that shit away.

Here’s the ugly truth: Jackson did not like Lani. After the personal developments in his life, which created animosity between the band, the end was coming. Jackson quit the band after Lani was not fired. Let’s be truthful, y’all. Jackson is the star of that band. He is the one who pulls the crowds in. Jerad is the personality of the band, he gets the fans going with his caring and friendly attitude. Uncle is Uncle. He’s the Gentleman of Jazz.

So, when you are quick to blame Jackson, take a step back and realize this: 100 Monkeys did not break up because Jackson wanted out. They broke up because of poor management and people who did not know their place. They broke up because lines were blurred and people thought they had more power than they really did.

Now what’s left of the shell of 100 Monkeys? Two less than enthusiastic, burnt out friends and two guys from god knows where wrapped up in a pink, pathetic excuse for a band. So the real casualty is this: those five men lost people that were like family. They lost their friendships, their bonds. And they are NOT to blame.