Today is C3‘s 10th anniversary. C3 has been a part of my life for an incredible amount of time and for 3 years, more or less, it was a daily presence. For 10 years I always talked as a group, I made other members talk as a group, I insisted the group always came first. Today I need to speak as myself to let you know that I have made the difficult but ultimately inevitable decision to retire from C3. I don’t know who really is interested about this outside my circle of friends, because so many of you actually came to C3 after the original run had ended, but I feel this is needed closure.
I won’t be making calls about content anymore, I’m not going to be in charge of anything related to C3, I won’t handle C3 assets anymore. However I am and always will be a founder and very proud of it. I’ll be around as a member of the community, because this is a cool place, but with a different “persona”. Farottone did good, but it’s time he retires too.
I am and always will be a founder and very proud of it, however I have made the difficult but ultimately inevitable decision to retire from C3
10 years ago I sent an email on March 1st to Nyx, Nemo and Espher in which I suggested we did something cool: that’s how it all started. I wanted something great, something cool, for a one day event. The rest of the gang suggested we started a weekly streak of releases.
We were worried about lasting for more than a few weeks, we eventually released material on a weekly basis for more than 2 years. I wished we could create something big but not even I could envision a community that would last for 10 years and counting. Recently I felt like wanting to recapture that spirit and started working on something you’ll know about in the near future and I realized that I have to close a door to open another and I need to let C3 breathe without my presence.
There was no need for me to pass on my role to anyone because the guys here have done an amazing job over the last years. I will hand over assets, documents and credentials to 3 people: Fujiskunk, Bansheeflyer and Mr Prezident. I love these guys and I can say with absolute honesty that if somebody told me in 2015, when the original C3 run ended, that I would find a group of people that could pick up where we left off I wouldn’t have believed them. Of course the OG Nemo is back too, so you’re all in amazing hands.
Thank you everybody for your continued support during this run. If I look back I see so much you’ve allowed me to create and share, from my early days poorly authored customs to my slightly-less poorly authored customs of my latest days here; from my contribution to the Genesis Chronicles to House of Customs; from CAT to C3U; from all the things I never finished to so many stuff that happened behind the scenes and that only a few witnessed.
It’s been incredible, in the most literal sense, and I feel privileged I could have so much fun with your support. I made so many friends here and I helped people make friends, and that’s for life. What I created made people cry from joy, reconnect with their families and not give up on life: I know because they told me and that to me was worth more than a million perfect charts. And thank you to my original team members: only you know what it took to put all of that together.
I love you all. I’m building something new I will hopefully be able to discuss with you soon enough. I hope you will be excited about it as much as I am. Until then, Alphaville wrote a possibly misheard piece of lyrics that feels perfect for this moment. Goodbye.
So many adventures given up today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams swinging out of the blue
Let them come true
Forever youngI want to be forever young
Wow man I just wanted to let you know you have had a huge impact in my household as I’m sure thu the Rockbandverse here. I for one will be saddened but I understand as much. I just wanted to say thanks Farottone for all you have done!
Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me this!
I’m really sorry for your departure dear Farottone, but life is about changes.
I’m speaking for myself and of course some of the plastic rockers around the world who enjoy every custom song you made for Us.
I just want to say THANK YOU for all your time and dedication to this project C3.
Farewell, dear Farottone. Fly, Change, and if it’s necessary come back!!! Custom Creators Collective will always be a part of you and we will be here waiting always.
Thank you so much for you kind words
RubyDanger here Far – I know I came to the community a little later than I wish I had, but the little time I was there, I felt I had a friend in you (and others). You did an awesome job man, always fair, always decisive, and always rocking! I do wish i had been around since day 1, I do think I would have made a much bigger impact. I am very glad I got to interact with you when I did. Always your friend – RubyDanger.
Farottone,
The man, the legend. Wielder of dimensions, for whom days seem to contain 48 hours instead of the usual 24.
The universal man.
Multi-talented, highly curious and intelligent. Very hard working too.
Talent alone doesn’t necessarily equate to great results.
It can take you places, sure. But more often than not, great achievements don’t come from simply being talented. Those things take effort and dedication.
The results of both the effort and dedication Farottone has put into the community, speak for themselves.
Persona or no, having a vision, projecting that vision, reaching, rallying, teaching people and helping them find succes and realise the vision are all real things.
I won’t and don’t pretend to know the man behind the persona, but what I am sure of is that I have seen glimpses of a kind, caring, and enthusiastic person.
I cherish the time we worked on the House of Customs.
It was difficult at times to test the immense output in between a full time job and a young family.
I came to groan when I saw Genesis or Elton John in the test releases. Not because I didn’t love seeing them, but how in the world am I going to test all those instruments and give feedback before release when the tracks are as long as they are?
What wasn’t difficult:
Working with the wonderful tools he produces which enable even musical newbies such as myself to take a stab at creating something playable.
Seeing the (mostly) positive reactions to a new release, the succes of the first community wide charity event, watching a solid community core stick around and grow after the original C3 run ended.
Talking within the wonderful groups of people he amassed around his projects (you know who you are) and lastly talking to the man himself.
Conversations, many short, some long, on any given time from the afternoon and during the smaller hours of the night.
So now you are stepping back.
I’ve seen such a post before. You actually released Forever Young as a custom then, if I recall correctly.
That post is probably buried between layers of spam in Cyrillic text on the forums, but the community has taken on a new form in a new home.
This time it really feels like a step away. The big one. No Jordan comebacksies.
I respect your choice and wish you all the best.
Thank you for your time, answering questions, giving me the chance to be a small part in the community around this silly little rhythm game we all love so much.
Thank you for making me chuckle and sometimes outright laugh at 2AM.
Gimme
Gimme
Gimme
Fried chicken
Not sure I have a worthy reply to this, are you sure you have the right Farottone in mind? Thank you so much for all you’ve done and for this humbling words. We’ll see each other down the road again…
I am pretty sure there is a high correlation to your releases and what gets played in my basement. It seemed that many of the times I got really excited about Friday releases, your name was on them. Thanks for all of the fun you created!
Thank YOU for putting my content to good use!
Farrotone – you are an awesome guy who devoted innumerable hours to contributing to our collective enjoyment of this great franchise. You and the other C3 community guys kept interest in this game going for many years after what should have been its expiration date. You always had time to help others. While I stepped away from playing Rock Band for several years due to lack of time and other family stuff, my kids are now at the age where they are interested in firing up Dad’s dusty old XBox 360 and inviting some of their friends over to play Rock Band. My now 16 (!?!?!?!?) year old son had ten of his friends over last weekend, and they played Sabbath and Guns N’ Roses songs all night long. Loudly.
Mission accomplished.
Thank you.
For me it was always and only about this. I miss our chats and I’m amazed that what I’ve done still provides some measure of fun for so many people and even generations.
Frank Turner wrote that “who’d’ve thought, after all, something as simple as rock ‘n’ roll would save us all?” and Nemo chose that song for C3 goodbye video: I can’t add anything to that except thank you for your sweet words.
Just adding my thank-yous, Farottone. Enjoy your ‘retirement’!
I’m keeping busy, thank you!
I not so much active in c3 but when c3 was created everyone knows that farottone was the great! Sadly we miss you. Nemo, banshee, mr prez and Fuji are legends also but your teste of music and charts are really good! Good to know the history behind c3, and this project i Will keep in the botton of my heart, also my dad love these custom songs too.
Farottone, I want to add a keyboard to I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES….i don’t know if this its the place to ask you, but Can I?
as a tribute and completionist. of course.
Let me know.
Well how the heck did I miss this?? I’ve been pretty checked out lately as well but customs are still the best gift I’ve ever been given in gaming (another round of applause to you, Espher, Nemo and Nyx). As I painfully sat and waited (and still am) for Harmonix to chart Power Station, Some Like it Hot, I oddly came across some random post on some random board by DemonUnicorns about a Smashing Pumpkin’s song I know wasn’t official, and it all went to hell in my life from there once I found C3. And SLIH was one of my first customs (and I STILL am doing tweaks to that damn song – boy did I pick a hard one for my first!)
Of course, I SUCKED at charting out of the gate. But for some dumb reason, Farottone said if I was serious about getting better, he would help me with my charts. I jumped at the chance to learn. He warned me right up front, he was gonna break me down and said most people can’t take it. But I have thick skin and I love to learn from those more experienced, so I strapped in. He was right. It was some HARD lessons to learn, but I never, ever complained. I just absorbed everything I could. So if anyone has ever downloaded one of my charts and enjoyed it, you can just go right on ahead and thank Farottone (and AJFOne who taught me how to tempo map any song on earth).
I thank you for lending me your knowledge for the songs you helped me with; it was invaluable and I wouldn’t be still charting today if not for it. You have my respect, my gratitude and my thanks. I’ve tried to give back as much as I humanly could because you gave so much to it yourself. And since you were so stubborn about taking any sorta monetary contribution to help run the site, I’ve tried to pay it back in ways you’d let me.
I know whatever project you’ll be working on next is going to be great, and can’t wait to see what it is. Until then, take that needed break as you’ve more than earned it. May your legend and legacy live on for as long as possible!