09/15/2025
Official Announcement from Kris Manzelli
For nearly the last 25 years, I have had the great privilege and opportunity to entertain you all with my words and my antics. From cutting my teeth in central Massachusetts to the stages of the mid-Atlantic and the west coast, I have been on a journey that has forever changed me as a person. Since 2001 I have written and released multiple albums with many great players and people who have forever left their mark on me. I’ve loved, I’ve lost, I’ve seen all the ups and downs this life has to offer.
For the last three years, I have been working on the latest Gods of Rock project, “Way Passed Midnight”. The album has been essentially done for over a year, but hasn’t been released because honestly, after all this time, I have finally hit a wall. I love making music, I love writing and recording, but for the last year, all that shimmer has started to fade. I just don’t find the spark in it that I once did.
I’m older now, and as each day goes on, I just see myself further and further disconnected from my contemporary peers. Many of the artists I used to run with have hung it up and walked away from the life years before I even started to consider it. Does this mean the end of Kris Manzelli, or even The Gods of Rock? I don’t know. But I do know, after the release of “Way Passed Midnight” I will be taking an indefinite hiatus from music. I need the creative reset.
What about Daddy’s Dojo? What about the music? The studio, and all the money I have spent building a place to create. I will maintain my Gods of Rock catalogue on streaming platforms, so you’ll be able to continue to listen. With this break from music, I’m going to be reacquainting myself with my first love, which has always been filmmaking. When I was a junior and senior in high school, I had applied to dozens of film schools and got into just about everyone I applied to. But at eighteen I got a very hard lesson on the realities of life. I couldn’t afford to go, and I had to find something else to sustain me. We can get into a debate about following your dreams and all that, but the fact is, I settled, and I have only myself to blame for that. Daddy’s Dojo is more than just a recording studio, it’s a hub for creative expression. So, with that being said, I will be continuing Daddy’s Dojo as an outlet for the short films I will be making.
I can’t begin to express my gratitude for those of you who went on this journey with me. When I left for California to try to make something of myself, you guys were there cheering me on. When I failed in epic fashion and Prince Vlad fell apart, and I had to come back here with my tail between my legs, you guys were there to pick me back up. When it was announced that I was going to be one of the hosts of Radio Rubber Room, you guys tuned in every week to show your support. When I made the decision to leave the show, you guys supported it and stuck by me. You loved the Gods of Rock and you guys jumped on team Force of Habit when Sarah, James, and Keith picked me up, and you were there for me when I walked away. I can’t thank you enough.
I wish you all nothing but the best in this world, and I hope to see you around, thank you.
