A Real Year In Review

Written for SK6ERS Road Journal...

2009 A Year In Review

I have a theory about time that as you get older, time passes by faster. For instance, a newborn baby lives one full day in this world and then wakes up and lives another. That second day of his or her life is the equivalent to that baby's entire life span. That must've felt like a long day. Now, a 50 year old person who lives another day, only lives a small fraction of his or her life. That day would logically feel a lot quicker. That fraction only gets smaller as we grow older. What I'm trying to say here is that 2009 went by a little too quickly.
We started off the year off by maintaining our steady pace of recording for the album that would become The Bear. By this time in 2009, we were freezing our asses off in northern Maine. I've never been more cold in my life and more excited to sit on top of a furnace in between backing vocal takes. Don't worry, the year eventually got warmer...
By early March the recording process was nearly over and we were packing our bags for the military tour we were to embark on. I think about this month a lot and how much it meant to all of us as a band and individuals. Along with the special moments we shared frolicking through Europe on a tour bus and later, on commercial airlines (lots of down time on airport floors, which makes you really appreciate electrical outlets...), even more special moments were shared by hanging with the brave men and women who are serving in our military. Not only do these brave souls put their lives on the line each day for our country, but they truly know how to drink beer. Lots of beer. In the middle of the desert. I was floored. And had the best time of my life in Bahrain.
Heading back to the states, we quickly got back into studio mode, recording over dubs and eventually mixing. The spring air was rustling about up and down the New York City streets, but we had no idea because we were trapped inside a studio the size of a tenament. The only fresh air we breathed was when walking towards Kit's car to listen to mixes. But that didn't matter because there was more traveling to be done.
We were lucky enough to have the honor of playing the US ambassador's party in Israel on the Fourth of July. If you can picture the scene for a moment; a suburban neighborhood far away from the news stories coming from the Gaza Strip. In this neighborhood were many beautiful homes set right next to the ocean. One particular house was the ambassador's... Now picture the driveway of this house filled with armed security. And 3 metal detectors and bomb sniffing dogs. But once you entered this place, make sure you get a look at the snipers on the roof of the ambassador's house. It was truly a sight for these sore eyes. Oh, and the Prime Minister spoke right before we played on the very same stage my Israeli branded drums were on. It made us all wonder what the hell we were doing on that 4th of July. I don't think there will be many Independence Days that will rival 2009's....
July quickly turned into September and with the blink of an eye, it was getting close to the release date for The Bear. Not before the album was to officially be released did we get a call from our wonderful record label Vanguard, asking us to make a video for Shady. They wondered if it were possible to somehow include a marching band in said video. I don't even think we thought it all the way through before we said "Yes". But before we knew it we were on a football field at the University of Massachusetts with a 400 piece marching band. And as September 8th rolled around, which was our release date for The Bear, I remember being in the editing room putting together the Shady video and thinking how amazing it was that we were able to pull off all these accomplishments for 2009...
The year didn't end there, as we toured with our very good friends Carbon Leaf, aptly naming the tour The Bear Rhymes with Woman. Both bands did something not many others have done in the past, which was something we named "the seamless transition" between our respective sets. One band would come up for the other's last two songs, start the next band's set and stay up for their first two songs. Does that sound confusing? Well, for the first couple of shows it was just as confusing for all band members involved. But yet, another accomplishment was reached and some of the best moments we've experienced live were on that tour... ie the drum solo at the end of Rambling Man. Need I say more? Nope...
So, what's in store for the year 2010, you might ask? Go on, ask... How can one beat the year 2009? That's a very good question. I can tell you that we've got an exciting new tour lined up with the great rock and roll band Need To Breathe and we have a very special run in April leading up to SK6ER's 1000th show. But it's really the stuff that happens in between that makes a good year; the life experiences and the new friends we make a long the way.

Happy new year!

boots and co.

Top Ten for 2010

I think it's safe to say that I am the FIRST person to make a top ten list for 2010. All those lists for 2009... Forget about them, 2009 is o-v-e-r. This a new year and of course, it's time to take stock.

10. Lady Gaga - OMG for her!
9. Sports - Can't get enough of sports. Did you guys see any football games yesterday? WOW.
8. Obama - He's still our president! I think he's been doing a great job in 2010 and can't wait for 2011...
7. Snuggies. OMG! Have you seen these things? Definitely the most popular thing of the year...
6. the iPhone - SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE THESE IN 2010. wow.
5. Luke Perry - He's going to have a killer year. His comeback started January 1st 2010, 12:01am!
4. High Definition Television.
3. Poker, on HDTV. It's the best thing on television in 2010!
2. TMZ! OMG!
1. Thermostats/heat. Seems like a very popular thing; everyone's using them!

What a year...