From the Hop On Pop website:
August 14, 2007
Hop On Pop is dead!
Long live Hop On Pop.

Without getting into details or any sort of Blame Game, the rest of the guys have chosen to go off and play as The Red Plastic Buddha, to the exclusion of Hop On Pop songs... effectively abandoning this project. I love all the guys in the band and think that The Red Plastic Buddha record is outstanding. I am just saddened that I will no longer be playing with the only people that I ever wanted to play with.

Of course, I am bitter right now. And sad. And about to vomit, actually. But I wish all the guys the best and, if I continue on with my music at all, I will do so on my own. Maybe collaborating with some friends here and there. Perhaps a member of RPB or two, if they can find the time for me.

With great sadness,
Todd

Awwwww. I'm sorry Todd. F those guys.

start a black metal band and show those fuckers whose boss.

i second this...fucking move to Sweden and get it going!

I thought you were working on the second album.

I'm being honest when I say that I always thought Hop on Pop was a solo project.

Damn Todd. Sounds like the rug got yanked out from under you, but take it as a chance to start something different, maybe.

...like a swedish-backed deathmetal band.

Aw, Todd, what a bummer. I'm sorry.

I'm just relieve that this isn't another Obner marital-dissolution thread.

Sucks on the band, though. But now, you can draft in your kids to play with you, then not pay them.

that's what i thought at first too. that's a pretty common theme around here, isn't it?

The Obner Curse Finds Us All

wait rod, i thought you and the missus were having a kid?

The moral of the story is that Obner ruins relationships.

The Obner giveth, and the Obner it taketh away.

Man, that blows, todd. Don't let it stop you from making music.

Sorry to hear the news, Todd.

Beatboxing is all the rage these days.

Sorry about the split, Todd. Greener pastures.

I'm thinking this is the push you need to get things going on your own. Isn't most of your stuff singer-songwriter type tunes?

I have a friend down in Champaign who I played with in a band in college. He's a scary-good musician (like, prog rock scary), but really into my songs. He also has a shitton of gear and instruments down there.

I've been planning on taking a trip down there and jamming with him anyway, but this may turn out to be (at least a portion of) the next Hop On Pop thing. (Maybe a new name?) But I have weirdo ideas about some stuff that I want to do in ProTools that the guys weren't necessarily into anyway.

ProTools can be another instrument and not just a shortcut... that's the tack that I'm taking this time.

We'll see.

And thanks for the empathy, guys.

Cause if you were, I'd like to see you try and finish at least some of them and put out another Hop on Pop set.

Either way I'm sorry to hear about this Todd. But don't ever stop making music.

Look on the bright side. At least you don't have to play in a band called Red Plastic Buddha.

1. Get that cheaper Macbook
2. Max out the RAM
3. Get one good condenser mic (variable pattern, dB cut)
4. Get an Mbox (look on ebay for ALL of this stuff)
4.1 If you can swing a digi002 console, DO IT. It will make mixing alot more easy and enjoyable.
5. Call me whenever you have questions
6. digisend files for friends with protools to work on and add too
7. when they send them back, use what you like, or chop it into pieces and re-order it. Ah the beauty of non-linear recording
8. Get your kids engineering too.
9. Play with the loops in Garageband, you can import those into protools and chop them up and they sound great. Also, you can use garageband as a songwriting/production tool, create a backing track, bounce it to stereo wav and import it into protools. It's way easy.

Remember, there are no problems, only challenges. Secondly, the future is wide open enough to be plenty exciting without them.

The record's done; and it's pretty freaking good. I'm proud of my work on it and proud to have been a part of it.

But that's neither here or there now.

did they kick you out? was it dramatic?

(you'll be fine without them, todd. do some open mics around town if you think you need the practice going solo.)

Not going into details, because they're all still friends. But it does hurt.

And, as far as the solo thing, I've been doing that for years anyway. Thanks, Jaz.