The internet is a big place. Sometimes things get lost on it, and sometimes they get found again in the strangest of places. That happened this week for New Brunswick funky folk band Earthbound whose band photo turned up as a viral meme on a random Facebook page.
The photo, which was taken by Andrew MacDonald, features the four members of the band at Picaroons Brewery where a special event was being held for the launch of Hippie IPA, a beer that had been brewed entirely with bassist Bob Fitzgerald’s hops. The photo also marked another special occasion with two more additions to the Earthbound family – those of Fitzgerald’s newborn daughter and guitarist Merrill’s son.
“It was an idea we had for a while to show how super grown up we all are, and that was the first time all the kids were in the same place,” says drummer Mike ‘Mumble’ Humble who is seen proudly displaying a keg in the photo.
And then a year went by. The photo sat there on the internet peacefully, and the band went on doing band things, and all was good and well in the world.
Then the inevitable happened. The internet happened. Memes happened.
The image was reposted to the Facebook page ‘Fuck it, lets have a beer’ with the addition of the text, “All my friends are having babies… and I’m like…..” It embraced what we were all thinking and ran with it. It had been liked 1k times and shared 600 times before the band even discovered what had happened.
As of posting this, the image is at almost 3k likes and over 1200 shares.
Members of the band have reached out to the page and commented on the photo, but don’t have much expectations of a response.
“Not really expecting them to acknowledge or give credit. Meme people aren’t really concerned with such things we figure.”
Mumble says he is unaware of who is responsible for the meme, or if it’s likely to bring them much in the way of internet fame. “If memes are the answer, I kinda don’t wanna know the question, haha.”
Earthbound could use a bit of publicity while they’re currently touring out West. They’re performing tonight in Hay River for Hay Days Festival and next all next weekend in Yellowknife at Folk On The Rocks before returning in time for some East Coast performance next month.
03.08.17 – Officer’s Square, Fredericton, NB
05.08.17 – Messtivalmania – Anagance, NB
11.08.17 – Cloggeroo – Georgetown, PEI
12.08.17 – FreedomFest – Harvey Station, NB
13.09.17 – Harvest Jazz and Blues – Fredericton, NB