"We've been doin' it for a while, and I guess everyone just felt that it was time to sink or swim, so to speak," says Clarence "J" Spencer, Hashbrown's bassist/lead vocalist. "We gotta see what the deal really is. Right now, we're at the point where we have the tightest product, our musicianship is better than it's ever been, and everything just seems to be lining up. It's a really tight package now, and we've got to see what will happen."
But before Hashbrown heads off into the great unknown that is the Big Apple, they've got one last gig to pull off at the Poor House, a site that accounts for much of the band's history.
"We've got some special plans for New Year's," Spencer promises. "But we want to keep it tight-knit -- well, partially we want to keep it tight-knit, and partially we're still thinking of what we're gonna do."
Whatever takes place during the band's Floridian last dance, Hashbrown will likely be back eventually, but only in a touring capacity. Still, the group leaves behind a legacy of some of the finest local music South Florida has seen. And that, naturally, is a legacy that many will not soon forget.
"Pure love and admiration for anyone that's ever patted us on the back or anyone that's ever come to a show or even just knew about us and said, 'Good job,'" Spencer says. "I don't think people understand the sacrifice you have to go through to be a struggling musician, but when people pat you on the back, the love you get just pushes you on and fuels the fire. You want to do good, of course. We want to do good for ourselves, financially, so we can do this for our love and our life. But for me, to make it so you can pay back all the people who said, 'I think you guys are great. I think you guys are gonna be big...' to prove all those people right. That's the most important thing to me -- to make my family and friends proud, basically. Love and respect for everyone that's ever showed us love."
