Unfortunately, She’s Still Dead has been denied the proper licensing to travel to Cuba by the U.S. Department of Treasury and the OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control). We’re currently in the process of appealing this case. As a musical group that has been invited by the Cuban community to perform at this year’s Brutal Fest held in numerous cities throughout Cuba, we meet the criteria to obtain a Public Performance/Exhibition License from the OFAC. Since the very beginning of this project that we have been actively working on for nearly a year, our mission has been to bring about a cultural exchange between the U.S. and Cuba through music. It was a huge bummer being notified after several months, a lengthy application process, and countless phone calls to Washington D.C. that we have been denied.

She’s Still Dead has two Cuban Americans in the band, Kevin Dredge and Taylor Suarez. Both members of the band have blood relatives living in Havana, Cuba. Connecting with family members was another reason the band was looking forward to traveling to Cuba. It’s unfortunate that the band now has to contact the organizers of Brutal Fest in Cuba to inform them of this matter. News of our proposed travel to Cuba to perform at Brutal Fest has been featured in numerous magazine such as SPIN, Decibel, and Rue Morgue.

We’re not sure how long it will take to appeal this case, but we’re going to do whatever it takes to make our travel to Cuba happen.