numero tres

"330"

sup kids.

i was just having a conversation about the ideology behind my band. it really made me think about whether or not you all have had a chance to figure out what we're about.

as a band writing our own original music, we are very passionate with regards to our unified voice. as far as musical composition goes, everyone contributes their emotions to the music. it creates our diverse, unique sound.

however, as far as our lyrical message goes - that's pretty much my department. i have attempted to really pour my heart and soul into the development of a lyrical voice that people will both want to respect and listen to. building upon the foundation laid by the principles of the reggae movement, i believe that promoting a message of peace and universal harmony is probably the single most important thing one can do with their music.

bob marley – the father of putting the reggae struggle into words – once said, "the thing about music is, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

but it should still hit you. though i wasn't part of the same struggle bob was in kingston, i instead draw inspiration from my dylanesque approach to life, love, and loss. i strive, like dylan, to be as honest as possible – as marley would say, “being true to myself.” dylan’s unique singing voice and lyrical style only served to make him a distinctive personality that people wanted to listen to. what’s most important, though, is that the messages of both of these men were rooted in concepts with extremely personal meaning.

when you listen to our music, we want the nostalgia, the introspection, and the emotion that is poured into our lyrics to stir something in your soul. i share my experiences so that people can learn from them...

i talk about girls putting on short skirts because i believe that life is too short to be uptight. go out, have fun, meet people - EXPAND YOUR MINDS!!!

i talk about temptation in the garden of eden because we’re only so human and desiring your neighbor’s wife because, as humans, the grass is always greener…

the next time you're at a project show, maybe we'll play our song "revolution." i know many of you people have heard this song, but be honest with yourself - how many of you have listened?

"a broken voice, 45s and dust, makes me think of days when nothing had to hide
i'm running fast, from these visions of my past, make a future where the music didn't die"

when i put on one of my dad's old 45s and hear “broken voices” like dylan, marley, and hendrix... i see the raw emotion that music is supposed to convey. don mclean talked about the "day the music died..." in american pie. that day might be fast approaching.

really - tell me that music is "alive" when the top 10 songs are from miley cyrus, fiddy, and lil wayne. in 1965, music like that would have been buried under an avalanche of great music from the beatles, the allmans, motown, and coltrane.

not to say there isn't great music today - i just feel like without the presence of major labels to push it, no one has the initiative to go seek out the music they want to hear.

a friend of mine, john paul roney (the lyrical voice behind the uber-successful band "We The Living) has posted a video on his band's website - www.wetheliving.com. go check it out. this video helped me realize that people who listen to music are at an extreme disadvantage because they live in 2008.

there is great music out there right now. bands like:

radiohead
the whitest boy alive
aesop rock
my morning jacket
etc.

push boundaries and talk about personal issues.

no matter what your preference, don't hesitate to be passionate about music. without that passion, music would have never mattered.

for years, record companies rode on the backs of artists with passion and drive. they lined their pockets with the revenue from session recordings full of hard work and ideological innovation. however, bands began to become complacent and the record industry stopped searching so hard for talent.

now its up to fans of music to revive the soul of the industry. You should like music because you agree with it and it moves you, not because you agree with your roommate who heard on iLike that this band was the most popular.

and I don’t want to sound jaded, so this is my final point: at the end of the day, music is about enjoyment.

we all love to dance to a little rap. there's nothing wrong with that - and there's definitely talent in crafting that club music and those gangsta beats we all love to grind on girls to. don't necessarily equate the mainstream with evil anti-progressive music. just make sure you don't rely on the mainstream to be inspired.

if you're anything like me, that will leave you sorely dissapointed.