Superhero!

1. 3AM/New

2. Grow Older

3. Perfect Man

4. Knock Knock Knock

5. Coolwater

6. I can be...

7. Big! Big! Big!

8. Superhero

9. (You may think I'm crazy)

10. (Sunshine is one cloud away)

11. Daydream

12. (Days go by)

13. Say Hello to Sunshine

Grrrr Yo!

Pre-pro starts tomorrow, and I still gotta finish writing lyrics dammmit!

I also have to get tempos for each song, save copies of the songs without bass for Mike, and I don't know...other things?

Little stressed about it, but it's okay. When it's all finished, this album will be amazing!!! I hope to be done by October!

Inexplicable!

I guess the best part about life is that things happen that sometime we don't expect! Crazy things, that we never could have guessed were heading our way, happen when we least expect it! Sometimes something feels like the right road, and sometimes it's completely wrong. But sometimes, ya gotta have faith that in the end, everything will come together the way it's meant to be!

I begin pre-pro for the album on Thursday! I'm nervous, because by the time this is all said and done, I will be about 20-30K in debt! This is a make or break time, and I can't begin, and then quit! It's all or nothing now!

I showed our producer Mike the 9 songs I wanted to do (along with 5 from our demo, 1 acoustic, and 1 other song that I didn't track yet!) He thought all of them were great! He listened through every song, and mentioned his favorite parts, as far as lines, and music. It's mad awesome to see that I'm not the only one who's got high hopes for this album!

Tired

Feeling good this morning...I'm still tired though dammit!

It sucks, I notice that I write a lot less when my life is happy! When I'm angry, pissed, sad...etc., I seem to write nonstop, and it always makes me feel better! I don't know why that is! Maybe cause when I'm feeling those negative feelings, I want to get them out! And when I'm happy, I want to keep them in!

With the upcoming full length, there is a lot of pressure, but I'm taking it in stride. Just the idea that I'll be able to have a full album with all my songs sounding like our demo, or better, is awesome! I'm really excited. Even if SLW goes absolutely nowhere, and I'm paying off debt to the studio for 3-4 years, I really won't care. The fact that I'll finally have a real CD with my songs is amazing!

But the CD will consist of "something for everyone", which may wind up hurting us in the long run. Generally labels (when they get involved) will try to dictate what songs are on the album, and which ones aren't. That's why, at least for one CD, I will have creative control and make the decisions. I can pursue what I've always wanted to pursue.

Honestly, this is a major dream of mine. I've pursued it twice in the past (2002 and 2004) recording 17 song full length albums, before giving it up because they sounded bad. But now, I must keep the motivation up. I can't give up! Once I go 20K in debt, with no contract signed, I'll have to push this to be the best album I could possibly imagine! So I try looking at this in a practical way: People want to be responsible, and prefer not to go 20k in debt, especially when they have an active car loan as well as an active loan, as well as minor credit debt! Honestly, I don't care! I figure that we live one time, and one time only! If I died after releasing this album, I would not care about how much debt I incurred. My music would live on after my body left this world! So is it worth it? Well, I think I answered that question...

I plan on calling the album "LUCKY", because that was the first song that started this new style. I wrote it in January 2003, and it's really the first time I wrote a pop punk song that reflected my ability to write songs from my soul. All you non-artists probably don't understand what that means. But prior to that, a lot of the shit I wrote was like textbook Blink 182. Plus, the theme of the album goes well with the message in LUCKY.

I want to take pictures for each song in the lyric book to give listeners an idea of where the song takes me when I listen to it! I want this album to be 100% worth $10 (or more of course haha!) I want people to buy it so I can pay off all the debt I will owe the studio. Then, they can buy it if the music speaks to them! Until then, we will be hitting up Hot Topics and malls on Long Island, NYC, Jersey, CT, MA, PA...as far as we can on the east coast! We need to pay back debt ASAP!

FULL LENGTH ALBUM! Wooooohooo!

After a temporary setback, the plans are still solid to finish recording our full length album! I'm mad stoked yo! I'm actually considering switching a song that was intended for my second album (cause I only have like 40 songs written - I have an automatic "shit" filter that prevents me from writing complete garbage...I know most bands normally write like 500000 but fuck that yo! I'm a songwriter!) to our first album, mainly because I want to have something for everyone on this album, with a central summer theme...So basically, it's going to line up something along these lines, and I'm only writing this here so I can compare and contrast the final version of our album with what I expected!

1. Lucky (From 2003) - Pop/pop punk! Probably should have been on our 5 song demo, but that's okay cause this is definitely one of the "better" songs! This was one of the "Jenna" songs I wrote after our break up, and my emo phase! Except the lyrics have been upgraded to be "not-emo" and "completely awesome!" I think you'll be impressed, especially if you're the type that loves reflecting on the good friends you lost! (Honestly, that's the central theme of the album!)

2. She Never Gets What She Wants (2003) Currently on our website, new version coming soon! Most likely going to be our lead single (lead single = fastest hook!) I wrote this one about one of the most insignificant girls in my life. Honestly, I wouldn't even remember who the hell she was if I didn't write this damn song, and it wasn't so damn awesome! It was this girl I was crushing on, who had a crush on a guy who was an asshole. That's back when I was a "nice guy"! Not that I'm a total dick now, it's just I learned not to be an idiot and tell a girl EVERYTHING the first time you talk to her (OMG YOU'RE SO BEAUTIFUL! I WROTE A SONG ABOUT YOU!...etc.) But yeah at this point, I want to spread the message to more people! That way dudes can heed my advice and stop writing depressing emo songs, and grab some confidence!

3. Forever Never Ends (2004) Also on our website! Anyone involved in the industry that has heard this song (labels, producers, managers...etc.) says this is our best song. Would be Single #2, mainly because it doesn't have as fast of a hook as SNGWSW! I wrote the song mainly thinking about highschool and the prom that I never attended. Basically, we all promise to remain friends forever, and then time erodes all those promises! Yeah dude, so listen to this song, and then go call an old friend of yours! If they say something like "why the hell are you talking to me?" just be like "Well, if you died tomorrow, I would miss you. So lets stop being strangers?"

4. Too Late (2002/06) - "Campfire" acoustic part, with pop punk goodness in between! The chorus in this one was originally used in Lucky, and then replaced, and then put on the backburner until 2006, when I finished writing the song...yeah man, sometimes it takes a long time to find the perfect "partner" for a part of a song! (Chorus or Verses or Bridges!) I wrote this song about a friend of mine, who was a certified "over"drama queen. I was 17 when I knew her, but I thought we were mad good friends, and then I learned the hard way, not to invest your chips in someone who just bitches about their life, but doesn't stop to ask about yours! I turn the whole scenario into a melodramatic episode, and yo, I think the lyrics are quite clever!

5. Quicksilver Queen (2001) - I'd like to say reggaetone/pop rock, but there's really no reggae! It's got steel drums though! This is something that you would listen to while in the Bahamas, relaxing on the beach, sipping a Corona. Very laid back beach vibe. This song was originally played by Noon To Five. Haha, yes laugh! WE SUCKED! But it's okay, wait till you see how I change this one up! I wrote this song about this girl I knew, but basically what I "envisioned" her as. Yeah, I was way off the mark, it didn't describe her at all! When I showed it to her, she was kind of like "huh?" LOL but yo I decided to make it an assertive song just talking about how awesome the "perfect" girl is! (Perfect Girl is subjective!)

6. Got No Money (2007) - Acoustic/ska (Slightly Stoopid type). I wrote this song during a period of my life that I was depressed! But the best part is, the underlying message isn't negativity: I discuss my struggles and that although times are rough, I'm going to get through them! I'm actually EXTREMELY excited to have this one finished, I think it will wind up sounding almost worthy of being a single.

7. Parade Rest (2004/06) - Full on Dance/Pop. Not in the vein that most shitty pop punk bands do, however, this is the type of shit you would hear on WBLI (Black Eyed Peas/Kid Cudi style, with pop punk infused). I actually wrote this song originally in 2004, trying to experiment with an electric sound, only to stop playing it for a couple years. It didn't come back until my time in the military. I brought it back because I was so pissed at the terrible leadership the Navy had, that I figured I could write a song about being in the military. While in reality, I was extremely pissed off, angry, filled with regret for joining, I made this song intentionally be overly happy, and dancey, just to add the irony factor. It's on our site now, but that version kind of sucks! I'm taking it back to the studio to make it a potential single yo! (We have a lot of those!)

8. Wrapped Around You (2007) - Straight up pop punk, with some piano parts that fit nicely! Totally supposed to represent, 8am, heading to the beach, having an awesome time! I once classified this song as "THE BEST SONG I EVER WROTE!" but it since has degraded it's status to "not even a single!" I guess you'll have to judge for yourself! I wrote this song about a girl that I later described as "satan". Hahaha! Yeah, I know, I write a lot about girls, but this ain't like bitchy whiney crap! Wait till it's done to judge! I talk about how I based my expectations of her as a person solely based on how fucking beautiful she was! I soon realized my hopes were slightly miscalculated. So I turn it into an awesome ass song instead of bitching about how much of a pain in the ass she was!

9. Make or Break it (2009) Yeah yo! The newest song on the album! Soft piano rock followed by pop rock shit! One of two songs on this album that gives me goosebumps when I sing it. For me it's just so damn touching, cause the meaning behind it. It's like, when you have a perception of the "perfect person" and you finally grab their heart for awhile! Then it's followed by a passionate night (don't worry, NO sex involved!) that you know is more than likely evanescent! Trying to make the night last as long as possible, cause yo for that moment, everything is perfect! And then just coming to the realization, that no matter what happens, if it ends tomorrow, or if it lasts forever, dude, I'm in love! Yo the song is so relatable it's disgusting! And the lyrics in this one, oh mannnn! Dude I hope the girl I wrote it about cries when she hears it! I hope everyone cries when they hear it!

10. Original (2006) Haha, definitely a step back from our other songs, but yo I told you "There is something for everyone on this album!" This one is, hmmmm...I guess Punk rock? Basically, I tried starting a band in Jacksonville. I was disgusted by the way people think. INSIDE the box. It's all about "looking a certain way" with music! Why not say "Yo, fuck the world, how about I make a statement and dress how I want to dress?" So I guess this song is highly critical of every band out there, but if it makes you feel any better, I consider myself part of the problem for attempting to do something different! I'm also planning on including a "PUNK RAWK BREAKDOWN!" in this song, where I'd love to just randomly start singing an 88 Fingers Louie song! Yeah, if you heard this song by our band first, you would think I'm on crack or something! But if it makes you feel any better about this album, dude, the song is still catchy as hell! I don't settle for less! I just want something fun and insane on the album!

11. Reach In (2003/06/09) This song is going to be reggae/pop punk/rock! Don't base your opinion of that category on our current version on myspace! I am changing it up! This song was the most frustrating song I've ever had. When I first wrote it, it was intended to be in the style of "ORIGINAL"...a goofy, stupid ass song! Seriously, it was probably one of the worst songs I ever wrote except for 3 things: a sickkk guitar riff, a sickkkk chorus, and a second sickkkk chorus. The first sickkkk chorus is used in a different song that I'm saving for a later album. Mainly cause it's half tempo, and kind of has the same message as "GOT NO MONEY". I'd rather have GOT NO MONEY on the album cause it's easier for people to relate to! This one (REACH IN) was a good chorus, that I basically forgot about until 2008. I only wrote 2006 up there cause thats when I wrote the PRE CHORUS, which is critical to this song as well! And the verse I wrote in 2009! This song is doing the love thing, but instead of whining about it, it's saying "Yo if I'm in love with you, I don't give a shit, I'll only be in love with you, and I don't care if I'm lonely forever!" Alright, it was just a feeling at the time, but it's okay! I got a sick song out of it!

12. (Mike's Acoustic) - (2008) Well, it's acoustic! Mike wrote a sick acoustic riff, and with my songwriting expertise, I turned it into an AWESOME chorus! It's not finished yet, but yo it's acoustic! How hard could it be? LOL

13. Free (2003) - This is still like pop rock, but I'd say it's more of a "sunset" song! I tried recording it for SLWs first full length, but I wrote it a week before the studio, and it sounded like total ass. But since I have a talent of hearing a song "at it's best" even if it's presented shittily, I knew this one had a ton of potential! The end result is this song, and it's awesome! It's the second song that's like DEEPLY emotional for me, and it's beautiful, and yo I get choked up singing it! It's really about the central theme of times lost, but this is more for the "being in love" part. Maybe you can say "closest to emo" but it isn't presented in a whiny way! It's presented in a sickkkk way! I don't make these things up! Wait till you hear how good it is!

14. 6th Attempt (2003) - Yeah man, this was the last song I ever wrote about Jenna, and when I wrote it, I knew it! That's why I say "its my final song..." in the second verse! I love this song, it's mad awesome! Hit potential? Who the hell knows? I think all of the damn songs have hit potential except Original, Wrapped Around You, and TOO LATE! That song sucks!

15. Eternal Skies (2003) - Slow song! Gets rocky at the end! This song is fucking awesome! Dude so I started noticing something as I got older: all the girls that people label as "sluts" or "whores" are the ones that generally have no positive male role model in their life. The ones labeled as "bitches" are generally the ones that have a good relationship with their father! Why? Cause the "bitches" don't sleep around. While it's incredibly admirable, I'm starting to realize that when people call girls "sluts", it's unfair. Mainly, because as a child, being raised without ANY positive male influence, it can really distort the world of a girl, encouraging them to seek out "acceptance" from asshole men. They get clingy, the man leaves, and then she starts all over again. It's sad really. And I as I started driving a bus for children, I met all the kids parents, and I found it heartbreaking cause half the young girls don't have a father. I only pray that they are able to escape the fate that tends to attach itself to so many of the girls in this situation. So basically, this song goes out to all the girls in the world who don't have the luxury of having a father that loves them. It's sad, but don't you worry! I have an encouraging messaged behind it all! You know how I rolll!

16. "The Wedding Song" (2009) More than likely, will only appear on the first 2500 copies. I wrote this song from the perspective of parents "losing a daughter" through marriage. One of my bosses at work didn't believe that I could write songs so she asked me to write one for her daughter's wedding! Dude, I'm madddd good at that shit! So yeah, this was a step above. Hopefully we can achieve something along the lines of "Butterfly Kisses" with this one!

Alright! 16 songs? Um yeah. Why? Because when I grew up I used to buy punk albums with 17 songs or more. I think it's a ripoff to charge people $10 for an album with like 10 songs. Fuck that! The reason most bands don't have more than 10 songs on an album anyway is because the chances of them writing a "potential hit" song is like 1 in a million! Well, my chances of writing a "potential hit" song is 1 in 1! And yeah, I listed a few that aren't potential singles, but if they were my best songs, they would be potential hits! Because I would make them even better! I analyzzzzze these things! But yeah, so there will be 16 AWESOME songs on this album! If you like JUST pop punk, you prolly won't enjoy this album! But if you like summery music, dude this is the album for you! Except the wedding song, that's not really summery, that's just me attempting to get some ground in the industry as a songwriter, which is why it likely won't be on our full length!

So yes, I'm mad excited cause this album will blow people away! I don't even care about getting signed, I just want to get big distribution! "Getting signed" is overrated nowadays man! Like seriously if we sign to Atlantic or something, I'll probably be upset, not happy!

1 week later, sunshiiiiine!

Yeah dude, things finally worked out the way they were supposed to. All because there was finally one person in my entire military experience, that actually gave a shit, and did the right thing. He called me earlier to tell me "you lived up to your part of the contract, now we're going to live up to ours." I'm not going to lie, as much as I hated the Navy due to piss-poor leadership, I was completely blown away that finally, somebody in the navy showed true leadership qualities. It was our CO, an 0-5. Can you believe that of all the ranks I dealt with below him, he was the first true leader I found?

So yes, as of right now, I have pizza to eat, and a practice to attend. I should never have to wear this uniform again. Sooo stoked : ) !

Nightmare

I don't even know what to say. The worst possible thing that could have happened in my life has just happened.

Stresssssssed out!

It's starting to get annoying. Everyday all I hear about is the potential. All I hear is what we could be, where we could be...etc. I keep hearing about the shows we could be playing..

Our manager got one of his bands on Lollapolooza and Warped Tour...dude, that's sick. We don't have a band though. It pisses me off that I spend 7 days a week at that studio, and everyone else seems to be in and out.

I don't know what to write right now...I'm exhausted, worn out, and pissed off. It's like we could have the entire world, and some of the guys in the band just don't give a shit. People say they want to be a rockstar: that means they want it handed to them. They want it to be "YOU GUYS WILL BE THE NEXT BIG THING! HERE'S 1 MILLION DOLLARS!" The reality is there is soooo much to do in order to get big.

Easier said than done. It's an incredible amount of hard work!

First day of my diet!

Alright, so at the moment I weigh in at 180lbs. For 5"11.75 (just a reminder that I'll NEVER be 6 feet), that's considered healthy! The only problem is, most of it is not MUSCLE, it's squishy! While yeah, I'm no certified "fat ass", if you're going to be a lead singer, generally you should be in shape/sexy! So today begins my diet! I took some pictures to commemorate the event while I wait for the rest of my band to show up to our studio!

Yeah dude! That's dinner! MMMMM BANANA!!!!

That's me giving a big FUCK YOU to McDonald's! They're partly responsible for why I don't have a rippling 6 pack anymore! (The other reason is

"self control", but who the hell wants to hear about that?

That's when I realized, wow, we had some happy times together! I can't stay mad at McDonald's forever!

Goodbye kiss, or getting things started? Whoaaa keep a clean mind you dirty people! It's a kiss goodbye! That bag was literally left in our

room from last night, so don't worry I didn't eat any Mickey D's! And even if I was lying, I would only be cheating myself! Results won't lie!

Give me 2 weeks to a month, and I'll be down to a sexy ripped figure again! Oh yeah, I also went jogging and stuff, but that part is boring!

Yeah dude!

I used to use Xanga, but now I signed up for a blogspot because a few of my friends have one too! Gotta show support and love! If you want to read my olddddd Xangas check em' out here:

http://www.xanga.com/surfknights (2001-2002)

http://www.xanga.com/summerslastrico (2003-2004)

http://www.xanga.com/acesh1gh (2006)

http://www.xanga.com/noontofive (2009)

Yeah! The Noon to Five one is more personal thoughts, and this one is more band related shitttt! Hells yeah!