So So Happy @ Comic Con - Featuring “Coast and You”

I think it is incredible how songs can provoke such emotion that I can recall everything I was feeling at a certain time when a certain song was being played.

I was walking along the sidewalk past your dorm in which I spent many of my young and naive days. It was a brisk November two years ago I felt the cold in my lungs as I breathed in shallow breath after shallow breath passing by. I was reminded of moving you into that dorm room two years earlier and how difficult the whole situation was at first, but the year that ensued was something good, something comfortable, dare I even say wonderful. Now it was all just a distant memory that I wanted to hold on to at the time. The line “somehow everything I own smells of you” to this day takes me right back there.

More than anything I want to see you go take a glorious bite of the whole world.

“You Could Be Happy” - Snow Patrol

California is absolutely beautiful.  I wish I could show you all the amazing landscape that we ran across traveling through the state but I decided I wanted to soak it in.  I used to live behind the camera and capture the moments for later but I really just wanted to experience through my own eyes rather then a piece of machinery.  I felt so small riding in our little van through the mountains in southern California at 4,000 feet above sea level.  Everything around me just screamed of evidence that this earth we live on isn’t some giant accident. 

Our show in San Diego absolutely ruled. A bunch of kids came out and we all just had a really good time and of course bonded over our first In and Out experience.  Yes all those band dudes are right its amazing. Get the 2X4. 

From there we trekked onto L.A. where we picked up The James Barr from LAX which wasn’t nearly as crazy and hectic as I expected it to be.  I love adding Alex to the mix, he brings life and laughter to the group especially when we are down or tired or whatever.  His presence was much needed.  From there we dropped Zach and Jason off at Bamboozle to work with our new sponsors So So Happy. 

Taylor, Brendy, Alex, and myself set up camp at this awesome RV park that was about a mile from Disneyland, it was awesome.  We just hung out, laid out, and just enjoyed our life for a few hours, then we went to pick up Z and J.  The next day we did that same thing except for dinner Jade took us to Downtown Disney.  I was a little apprehensive at first because I was in this to-myself kind of mood but as we walked around I just noticed all the smiles and all the families enjoying their time with each other and it really made me happy inside.  It did made me miss all of those I care about back home so shout out to you. I love you.  After dinner we picked up Zach and Jason again who btw tore it up at Bambooz, pat on the back for those two, working their butts off for this band.

The next day we headed to Santa Monica for our first meeting of this week with NXT Music. They were awesome and I’m really excited for what we are going to be doing with them in the coming months.  They built Taylor Swifts site so they are kind of legit.  After that we walked around and enjoy the sites and shoppes of Santa Monica.  We went down to the pier right before the sun set.  On the pier I took a breath in and realize how far I was from home, and I wasn’t bothered.  I never thought I’d get to the other side of the country being a small town boy from Maryland but I made it and I just felt content with what God had been doing with my life to land me exactly where I was at that moment.

Now it’s Tuesday night and we are spending it in a hotel thanks to the absolutely wonderful people at So So Happy and Skelanimals, which we did a photo shoot for today.  It was really fun and I think it started to sink in that this band is taking very big strides for the short amount of time that we have been doing this full time.  In 8 months Since Forever went from a local band to touring out to California meeting with companies and being sponsored.  The pieces of my dreams are starting to become less scattered and more in place.  After the shoot we met downtown with the rock representative from SESAC which is a performing rights organization.  They take care of royalties and administrative type things.  They are so valuable to the next step with this band and we are now all SESAC members and proud of it.  To me being a songwriter this was a big deal to me and I am very excited to see what happens with them. Afterward we met up with the So So Happy family and went to dinner.  They are awesome people.  Definitely a blessing to this band.

Now I am in the hotel enjoying my time in internet land.  Thank God for the internet. Seriously. 

Being out here and seeing all that I have seen I need say to everyone who is a part of this thing we call Since Forever, thank you. To foremost the fans, our manager, our families, our friends, the random people we run into running venues, all the people who believe in us, Thank You.  You are making my dream from when I was 14 years old come true.  I could only hope to show you how much it means to me.  And one day I hope I can help you bring your dreams to life as well.  I am one lucky man and it is all because of you all caring enough to listen to our songs, watching us play, to reading this entry.  Thank you.

- “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." 

Jesus - John 14:1

My heart is still wrestling with wanting to give more.

I really can say I’m happy.

Some people call it loneliness, I call it time for prayer.

Love.