From Where I Stand

A conversation that was brought up the other day about why you want to be in a band. It was really interesting. It is obvious to see when someone is in a band for all the wrong reasons, ie: money, women, material things. Most people dream of being a rich rock star, and I did at one point too, but I have been humbled over the past few years on things, and people that I have met. Not humbled because the dream seems like such a stretch to reach, but to see how people are in the position I want to get to.

It is cliche' to want to be rich, and music famous, but there is so much more to it than that. Sometimes when I say why I want to get famous, a up the punx kind of guy would look at me and think I am nothing more than a poseur, because I stand almost for what those "underground" kids believe in. I want to get gigantic, I would be more than content with being say a Green Day kind of famous, but that is too big. I would take anything that gets thrown into the mainstream. Why you may ask, because I have a message I want to get out. If you are in a band and you want to stay submerged, and out of the spotlight, but say you have good messages, what are you doing. The point is to get it out, and let it be heard. Most of us have strong opinions about, say problems in the world or what not, but so many afraid to vocalize their beliefs. This music is meant to be a conduit for those people do it their anger, and their voice heard.

The ultimate goal for me to get out of being in a band is this, have someone come up to me at some point and say that how I handle myself, and what I have to say in song and voice changed their life for the better. I don't want to be just some material star. To me that isn't what it is about. It isn't about having overly complicated music that has a bland, boring almost self loathing kind of message, but just the opposite. Writing songs that people can make weird connections to, to rally around, to pick them up when they are down. That's what I believe in. Music is the best, and safest medicine. So many people loose sight of that, and I have seen it already along this beaten path.

When this story book closes I don't care how big the crowd, 10,000, 1,000 or even 500 come out to a show every time, I just want it to be heard. Maybe spark the inferno in someone else's mind and let them become an architect to something great. It isn't about self gain in music, and I am so tired of it.

That is where I stand, and what I want to mean someday. Nothing more, nothing less...