https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

This is the 5,000th Post on The Obelisk

That is a lot of posts. Five frickin’ thousand, and apart from the odd and usually shortlived column from someone else, they’ve all been by me. I’ll be the first to tell you it isn’t all gold, but I’m proud of this site and proud to be passing this mile-marker along the way.

Earlier this year, I celebrated five years since I started The Obelisk at the end of January in 2009. I’ve spent some time thinking since then about what doing this means to me. I don’t think it was ever more in my consciousness than at Roadburn in April just how much the music is a part of who I am and how baseline elemental — air, water, food, riffs — it is. After a month of dragging ass mentally for having lost my last remaining job, to go there and be so inspired felt like being renewed. There’s some comedown obviously as you return to your life and the realities that presents, but I’ve worked hard to retain that feeling as much as possible, and hopefully it comes through in whatever it might be that I’m posting on a given day.

There’s no doubt in my head that without the immense and incredible support I get week in and week out, this site wouldn’t be here. Every comment is appreciated, every retweet, every Thee Facebooks like or share or comment or whatever it is. All of it, really. It sounds like a huge ego trip, and maybe it is, but every time I see someone sharing a post from this site, or having something to say — good or bad — about a review or other piece I wrote, or even if they’re just stoked that a press release I put up has good news, it’s validating in a way that I never expected to come from doing this. When I woke up this morning, the first thought I had was cracking open the laptop and getting the day started. It’s become an important, essential piece of my existence.

And I owe that to your checking it out. If you read every day, if you post on the forum, stream the radio player, if you never read, or if you show up to hear a track stream or something, whatever, thank you. There is a real human being on the other side of these words, putting this together, and it means a lot to me that you find any level of value whatsoever in what I do.

On to 5,001.

Thanks,
JJ Koczan

The Obelisk Forum

The Obelisk Radio

The Obelisk

Tags: , ,

8 Responses to “This is the 5,000th Post on The Obelisk”

  1. Jose Humberto says:

    Well, congratulations! I get many great news here!

  2. Mike says:

    Best source of metal album reviews out there!

  3. MV says:

    Congratulations! Keep up the good work.

  4. Adam says:

    Hey JJ – Let me add one more piece of support, encouragement, validation. There’s no way I could discover much of the music I’ve been digging were it not for The Obelisk. Every week you turn me on to something new or something I’ve missed. Friday’s Warhorse was a perfect case in point, I grooved to that all weekend. And your photos and reviews capture perfectly the vibe of a show. It was great to meet you at the Sinclair. Hope we cross paths again. Congratulations and best wishes on your next 5K.

  5. jonnee2001 says:

    you are an alright geezer fella, dont stop keep going and get yerself back to Desertfest next year for the mighty SLEEP!!

  6. David says:

    Congratulations on the first of more milestones to reach! Thank you so much for all the wonderful music you’ve introduced me to. Totally agree with you that music is a integral part of our lives and will always be, no matter what. Best of luck finding a new job!

  7. Jace says:

    Congrats dude. I really enjoy/appreciate your work. Read it every day. Cheers.

  8. goAt says:

    I think I’ve been around for 1,000 of those or so…here’s to another 5,000…and another Mario Lalli column! :)

Leave a Reply