It’s been a real long time since we have spoken. Too long really. Honestly. Especially considering all that has happened since we last spoke. I mean, you, look at you. All grown up. And us? Well, shoot, got a minute? I’ll fill you in.
We’ve been working really hard on our next album, and it’s coming together beautifully. We’ve got a planned ten tracks for this release, of which five are almost completely together, and we’ve started work on the second half, having recorded all the drums and started in on the guitars and what not too. It’s awesome. Matt laid down some of his sickest vocals yet, for a song we have yet titled, but endearingly call “thank you”.
The first batch of songs were collectively pretty sedate, but something happened in our writing process, and this second half are, well, balls out. We think you’re really going to approve, because we do ourselves. And even better, we have a bunch of stuff left over that we’re really excited about for the album to follow this one; at least the beginnings of three or four other songs. 
A few weeks ago we went down to full sail to do some demos of our new stuff with the recording classes there. 
But before we left, Matt had to replace a couple of our bus' batteries that needed a-changin'. 
We spent four days using their state of the art studios to track four songs. We learned some interesting things about the songs we're recording for this new record, and even changed a few parts. All in all, it was a solid four days.
I got to record on my new C&C drumset. It sounds like a dream.
Some of those Full Sail kids sure dress funny though. It’s okay to poke fun because they are going to be really successful, and buy more computers than I can even imagine. I snapped a few pictures...
This guy has a funny hat on.
This one wears a lot of clothes during the 100 degree summer heat! Get with it!!
Nerd transport.
Hey Slipknot called…
The Sith will rise again!
Credit card slots in the coke machines for the use of mom and dad’s credit card.
While we were in Orlando, our good British buddy, Frank Tuner, (and yes we have British friends. Lots of them) had picked up a string of opening shows with The Offspring and Sum 41. This particular show was at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live. It was pretty amazing to see Frank playing in front of over 2,000 people, when just a few months earlier he was out on the road with us. He and the always crucial John Berna got us backstage. We ate some of The Offsprings catering! Kind of like being famous.
This is a picture I snuck of the Sum 41 guy backstage. He looks just like he does in the videos OMG!!!! It’s hard to see, but I SWEAR that’s him. He <3’s Avril. Dave and John Berna wrestled. John B won, but then I think Dave won. Who knows!? They gave us free drinks backstage!
We stayed with Matt’s parent’s in Auburndale. They always treat us like kings. They treated us to all you can eat chicken (which was surprisingly not very much. That is Smith and I were the only ones to get down more than one plate.). After that went swimming and played with puppies and everything.
The next two nights we played shows with out good friends XOXO and our new buds Dignan. Our first show in Ybor at the Crowbar was a little loose by our standards, but there was a great crowd, and we got to hang out with some of Matt’s closest Auburndale friends and also now our good friends (who are amazing), along with some other true scroots and our good buddies from Merchline and Reax Magazine. The folks at Reax magazine put together this little video for us. They are awesome!
We filled up on some oil after Tampa from a nice guy with regrettable tattoos.
The next night we played Orlando and had an epic freaking set. One of our most fun and tightest in a long time, which was such a relief. We’ve been working real hard on this album, and so getting back on stage is always a bit nerve-wracking for us. But the Orlando show was awesome.
That night we drove back up to Tally feeling pretty refreshed and focused to get back on the album. Having finished my drums, I headed up to Virginia for a few weeks to work on this production of a play I wrote, while the guys got back to tracking their instruments and vocals.
A few days later our good friend Billy Wallace (of the next disbanded Wading Girl) rolled into Tallahassee and was playing a solo show with my roomie Arnold and his band Oh! Geography. He, Matt, and Britain (Pie Party) traveled to a sly joint called Pockets to play some mini-bowling. Who knew? The next day Matt had him over to the studio to lay down some harmonica on our new record. Should be awesome.
And we’ve been busy coming up with names for our new record... Any ideas?
++joshua
----- My brand spank'n new iPhone made this jam-pic-packed post possible! Brought to you by the letter P. --- Matt
