Tag: Motivation Monday

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Monday Motivation: Waterparks

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

Every year we are blessed with one or two records that offer us a sign of where things may be headed in the best possible way. You know the kind of release I’m talking about and the types of bands capable of creating such releases. These are the artists who find a way to make a large number of people feel as if their life was somehow incomplete before their music came into existence, and they often encapsulate very specific periods in our life. They may manage to do it again and again with future releases, but none of that matters because this release is good in that way you wish everything were good, and I have a feeling you’ll be feeling this way about the new record from Waterparks when it arrives this Friday.

If I have learned anything about the difference between artists destined for stardom and those almost certain to fail it’s that those who eventually find success tend to have studied those who came before them. A lot of things change in this industry, but just as many stay the same. The key to making your mark as an artist or professional is to build on what has worked for others while simultaneously giving things your own personal spin. Waterparks borrow ideas and maybe one or two chord progressions from their pop-punk heroes to create an immediately infectious take on hopeless romantic rock songs that simply do not know how to quit. Just give their album opener a spin and see if you don’t understand what I am trying to express:

“I was bitter, but I’m fine now” might as well be the motto of the current generation of teens and twenty-somethings currently searching for their place in the world. We all like to think the world is out to get us, but even when we realize that is not true the path to happiness is one riddled with pitfalls that can catch anyone off guard. The only way to keep sane in this crazy thing called reality is to express yourself and align your journey with others you believe to share a similar perspective on life. Maybe your connection lasts a night or a lifetime, but regardless of its longevity at least you can experience the power of two passionate hearts coming together in hopes of finding a little peace amidst the chaos of day-to-day life. That is the kind of thing the music of Waterparks personifies, and it plays like a jolt of pure energy to your system when their work hits your ears.

Positive progression for a genre or business is rarely the work of one person. Progress is something that happens very slowly at first and then all at once, switching just as the numerous contributions from all the creative people working to better their own corner of the music go from being unique ideas to industry standards. I don’t know when the culture will shift so that the ideas and themes of Waterparks’ music become something every band in their genre attempts to emulate, but when you listen to the band’s new album you get the feeling that change is not far away. With a little luck and a lot of support from their dedicated followers, Waterparks could easily be the next big thing by the time next year, if not sooner.

With this in mind, I want to urge you to head into this week looking for an opportunity to make your mark on whatever it is you do to keep a roof over your head and food in your stomach. Even if your current career or job is not something you want for the rest of your life, find a way to change the day-to-day workflow for the better and set to sharing your solution with those around you. Some may think your crazy at first, and you may even feel a little push back from peers who are set in their ways, but if you can find a way to make people feel their lives are somehow better or easier because of your creativity you will see your professional life boom in the months ahead. All it takes is one idea. One simple, perhaps already obvious change could be your ticket to the career and success you know you were meant to achieve, and the only thing preventing you from getting their is yourself. Shake off your fears and try something new. If you fail, oh well, but if you succeed life may never be the same.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Film Editor for Substream Magazine and 10-year music writing veteran. You should follow him on Twitter.

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Monday Motivation: Shovels & Rope

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

I think the biggest fear anyone working in music has, aside from the knowledge that the industry is in a constant state of disarray where no one is really sure what will happen next, is the idea they may one day wake up to find they no longer feel as passionate about music as they once did. And make no mistake – passion is an absolute necessity in order to make it in this business. Passion is the fuel that keeps the hunger in your stomach at bay when you spend whatever meager living you’re able to earn while working for free to get your foot in the door of the industry on things related to your pursuit of a career in music. Passion is the energy that allows you to work from dawn until long after the sun has gone down in order to pen the perfect business plan, form the best release strategy, write your best album review, and so on. Passion is what makes finding any form of success in music possible, and without it you are as good as dead from a professional standpoint. If you cannot find excitement for your work and the artists you support how can you expect anyone else to?

While I am sure there are people who will tell you they have never once questioned the passion that initially lead them to pursue the music business I will confess to having feared for my future and my passion to chase after it on more than one occasion. This business is a grind, and when you begin to make any kind of progress you realize just how much more work must be done in order to have a meaningful impact on the industry as a whole. You could toil away your entire life working to promote artists who never make it big, just like you could write 10,000 blog posts no one ever reads. There is a chance of failure in everything anyone attempts in this business, and before you can begin to find lasting success you have to accept that failure will eventually find you. It may be a big setback or it may be small, but in those moments when things are not going as planned you will feel that flame within start to fade. This might scare you, but you need to know that we all feel that way from time to time, and the only solution is to find a way to reignite that flame so it inspire you to fight for the industry you want to see once more.

My most recent battle with self-doubt and the fear of never achieving the goals I have set for myself began earlier this year. After almost a decade spent working on a music blog with all my closest friends we came to the realization that not one of us had the time needed to keep the site going. Around the same time a record label I had started with another friend went under due largely to the same reasons. I still had one job in music, and that is the job that allows me to write this blog you are reading now, but for the first time in many years I had no projects that I could honestly call my own. That feeling lead me to question whether I was doing what I really wanted to or just what was easiest, and from there I spiraled into a dark place where I had to ask myself if there were still artists that made me feel the way I felt when I first decided to pursue a career in music. My love of alternative music has gotten me pretty far in life, but many of the artists that initially inspired me have either broken up or gone on hiatus, and those who remain are working far less often than they did when I first began down this path.

I cannot tell you how I came to discover Shovels & Rope, but I can tell you that the first time I heard their music was shortly after I began to question my passion. The American folk duo from Charleston, South Carolina composed of husband and wife Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst initially entered my life through a song called “Birmingham,” which I have embedded below to help those unfamiliar with their music know what it is that I am talking about:

While I have no idea how this song will sound to you or impact your life I can say that something in this song struck a chord deep inside my soul that has only be played a few times in my existence. Before that first stream was over I already had another internet tab open in order to find and consume everything the duo had ever released. It was as if “Birmingham” was the free hit of a substance a drug dealer gave me in order to ensure I would get hooked, and by the time it was over you could have labeled me a full-blown addict. I bought all the group’s albums that same week, on vinyl, and I also purchased tickets to see them in concert months later. All this because of one song that just so happened to enter my life at precisely the time I needed to hear it.

In the days and weeks after that first encounter I found myself feeling a renewed passion for the ever-turbulent world of music business. Knowing that a band like Shovels & Rope were traveling the world to spread a sound and message that connect with me on such a deeply personal level inspired me to chase after my goals in music once more. For the first time in what may have been years I felt the way I did the first time I discovered Blink-182 as an 11-year-old tween whose plans for the future had been undecided before that band entered his life. The fire that propelled me into music was not only lit, but burning like a five-alarm blaze that threatened to engulf all the doubt and uncertainty I had regarding my chosen profession, and i welcomed the flames with open arms. I became consumed by that fire, and I continue to feel that way today.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records (RIP). Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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Monday Motivation: Sum 41

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

The likelihood of encountering a catch-22 in your development as a professional in any facet of the entertainment industry is so high it might as well be considered a given. To live is to grow, and to grow is to develop interests and tastes that may not fit into the mold of the person you once were. This is true for almost everyone on Earth, but only a small percentage of those walking among us are tasked with creating something from nothing using only their imagination and musical prowess that is packaged and sold to the masses as some form of entertainment. For those people change can be harder than because accepting that you are no longer who you once were means you might not ever create the same way again, and if that is true then there is a good chance the people who once supported you without a second thought may soon reconsider their allegiance to your creative output.

Sum 41 burst onto the international music scene with the release of their single “Fat Lip” in 2001. The song, which arrived just as bands like Blink-182 and Green Day were pushing pop-punk into the mainstream, was an instant smash at MTV and top 40 radio. I was fourteen at the time, and as such I –  not to mention everyone in my graduating class – was the target market for the song. We sang the track together on field trips and in the back of class before the first bell of the day would ring. We also sang along on our bikes as we explored our town, and in the back of our parents’ cars (until they had enough and shut off the radio). For a few months it seemed like the world would never be without “Fat Lip” again, but eventually a day came when our culture’s obsession with the track began to subside. Fortunately for the band, they had additional singles (like “In Too Deep”) ready to go.

The singles that followed “Fat Lip,” as well as the album that followed the record that contained “Fat Lip,” were both considered successful in the eyes of the music industry. The rap-punk mix of “Fat Lip” was never outright recreated, but the band had a knack for pop-laden punk hooks that could not be denied. They never saw the same fame that came their way when they first were introduced, but for a few years they were considered one of the biggest punk bands in the world.

When a band achieves the kind of global status Sum 41 reached with the success of “Fat Lip” they find themselves with an untold number of new fans who likely them specifically for a single sound found on a single recording that is just one of many found on that group’s latest album. People are curious to hear more, as anyone who finds themselves enjoying anything typically is, but to be more specific they are curious as to whether or not the band can harness a similar sound and find success once more. If the band choose to try something different, or if they abandoned the sound that catapulted them into the public eye to begin with altogether, those same fans who rushed to support the group initially may begin to seek out other entertainers.

This is where things get tricky. On the one hand, creative people have to be willing to risk losing their audience in their pursuit of authentic self-expression, but at the same time they need to continue selling records and concert tickets in order to fund their creative endeavors. When a band like Sum 41 finds themselves evolving beyond the sound that launched their career the backlash from the general public can be downright mean, and for many the idea of losing the affection of the masses can be too much to bare. So much so, in fact, that many artists from all over the globe will restrict themselves from pursuing new ideas in order to maintain the status quo. This is why some bands will release what is dubbed as an ‘experimental’ album before releasing one that sounds like everything they have ever done in the past (with the exception of the experimental release). They fear being disliked, so instead of growing they just keep revisiting the same themes and ideas over and over until they have accumulated enough money to take a few years off. That might mean years of regurgitating old ideas, or in some cases even decades.

The reason I chose Sum 41 for today’s Monday Motivation post is because they have never compromised their artistic integrity in an effort to pander to the masses. The band knows they do not have the following they did when “Fat Lip” was the biggest song in the world, but whenever you see them or hear them you get the feeling they could care less about this fact. For them, the music is the ultimate accomplishment. Fans are nice, and they certainly help make further creative expression possible, but Sum 41 has always placed a lot of importance on keeping themselves happy with their output that is rarely found in musicians today. Could they do what they did before all over again? Sure. Do they want to? No.

This week, Sum 41 will release their new album 13 Voices through Hopeless Records. The album is the result of the band coming together in support of vocalist Deryck Whibley, who made headlines last year for his struggles with addiction. Music was always a way through the band times for Whibley, and together with his bandmates he has crafted a record that entertains while also providing a platform to vent frustrations and confront demons. To hear the album is to understand the struggles the band has undergone over the last two decades, which has now culminated in an album that ties together themes from previous records without revisiting the ideas that made those recordings unique. This album is everything the band has been working toward, and to know they are still playing the game by their own rules inspires me to do the same every single day.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records (RIP). Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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Monday Motivation: Bayside

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

Being predictable doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Take for example, Bayside. The New York based rock band has been creating a unique take on modern punk rock for the better part of two decades at this point, and in that time they have carved a niche for themselves within the industry. Fans flock to Bayside’s every album and tour not because they continually reinvent the wheel, but rather because they tend to do the same thing the always have as well as they ever have with each new move. What people expect from Bayside, and what they have come to be known for within the entertainment industry, is quality. You know what you’re getting quality wise with Bayside, and that belief in their ability to always be good allows the band to do whatever they please because they already have your trust. They know being themselves is exactly what you expect, and they do their best to continue giving a piece of themselves to listening – through thick and thin – as honestly as possible.

On ‘Vacancy,’ the band’s sixth studio album, Bayside further their self-expression with a collection of stories and reflections built in the wake of vocalist Anthony Raneri’s marriage falling apart. Raneri gave up his lifelong home of New York to move to Tennessee with his wife and newborn daughter with plans of building a new reality for his family. Life had other plans however, and some time later Raneri found himself living out of an empty apartment surrounded by boxes filled with possessions he couldn’t bring himself to unpack. After all, he didn’t consider this new setting a home, nor did he have any desire to be there any longer than was necessary. To deal with the chaos of his life, Raneri began pouring himself into his art, and the result of those efforts is what you hear on this new record. It’s a perspective on life torn asunder and the search for new beginnings that few have ever dared to share, and it just might be the most personal album in the band’s notoriously honest catalog.

While the often heartbreaking honesty of Bayside’s latest release is sure to be a selling point for many, what sets the band apart – and what has always served as something of a signature silver lining for the group – is their ability to find a way through their darkest personal moments and through doing so inspire others to do the same. Some will learn the story behind ‘Vacancy’ and believe it to be a meditation in love gone awry, but in reality it’s a far more introspective recording. This is an album not about the faults of others, but the role we each play in what goes right or wrong in our individual lives. It’s about not allowing yourself to think bad and good things simply happen, but understanding that you have power over your fate. Don’t fool yourself into believing some things just don’t work out because that is rarely true. There is a reason for everything, and you might need to take responsibility for the part you play in the events of your life in order to truly appreciate that.

When you find time to listen to ‘Vacancy,’ which I hope is sooner rather than later, try to think of your initial encounter as an opportunity for personal growth. Raneri never predicted his life would play out the way it has, and chance are you never knew you would be wherever it is that you find yourself in life right now either. Let ‘Vacancy’ inspire you to reflect on the path that brought you here, as well as inspire you to seek out the future you want for yourself and those around you. This album can and should empower you to work towards making the world reflect the desire of your heart. Not everything will go the way you want, but every turn in the road is an opportunity for growth that will help you make better and smarter decisions down the line. Life is not about destinations, but rather the path taken to get to them, and ‘Vacancy’ is the perfect companion to the journey through existence for those over twenty-five.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records (RIP). Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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Monday Motivation: Skillet

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

When I was growing up in the midwest during the 90s and early 2000s there was a clear division between contemporary Christian music and mainstream pop/rock music. The Christian music industry was an entity all its own, with artists and charts specifically catering to those who chose their entertainment based on their religious affiliation. Those things still exist today, but the niche market of contemporary Christian music is not at all like it was in the past. Bands trying to make it in that corner of the industry today need to thematically meet certain standards while musically pandering to a much larger and for more general audience. The need to have some level of crossover appeal has never been higher in terms of ensuring longterm monetary success, and as a result fewer and fewer bands are able to establish a notable presence in both secular and religious arenas. Many tenured acts are struggling to keep afloat as well, but one band has endure the turbulent trends of the industry while continuously raising their profile world wide, and they just so happen to have one of the silliest names in music.

Skillet is a band I first encountered in my young teens when every piece of audio my parents allowed in our home was undeniably labeled Christian. The band built throngs of fans around the globe with a uniquely edgy take on modern praise and worship music that was kept grounded thanks to hard-hitting originals with creative themes that spoke to the feeling of being outside mainstream society in a way few artists could achieve. Skillet wrote music for outcast youth that told them there was a place for them within Christianity that they could feel safe calling home. I cannot speak for other teens of the time, but for a boy like me from a small town where he was bullied for being different than everyone else those songs felt like the answer I had been seeking throughout my young life. I took solace in the music of Skillet, and because their originals rocked so hard I had the confidence to tell my non-religious friends about their music (something that is typically difficult for me and many other young people to do).

As I grew older my continued interest in music lead me to bands and ideas well outside the world of contemporary Christian music, which in turn caused me to care less about bands I had previously clung to, but my love for Skillet never wavered. I could hypothesize why this was for several hundred words, but in short it’s due to the fact no other band to my knowledge was ever as forward-thinking as Skillet. With each release the band would push themselves to be something entirely different than whatever they were when recording their previous record. Sometimes they were obsessed with how they saw those with faith as being akin aliens, but other times they were tackling the monsters inside themselves. The only constants in their music was quality, creativity, and an unflinching desire to share their beliefs and faith without being so on the nose that they were written off as too preachy. I believe the band has achieved these goals with each album, and their latest is no exception.

Hitting stores this Friday, Unleashed is Skillet’s ninth studio album in a career that dates back to 1996. It’s a remarkably infectious release that builds on the sonic foundation of the band’s previous records without repeating any key themes. When I play the record, and in the last month I’ve probably logged at least three complete plays a week, I find the strength to fight through whatever stands between me and the things I wish to accomplish. While I will admit the band still caters to my belief in the unknown, I don’t think anyone needs to share their beliefs in order to be inspired by their music. Skillet are not trying to convert you as much as they are trying to encourage you to fight for what matters to you. They want you to find the success and empowerment that comes from recognizing you have the power to be whatever you want to be. That may sound corny written here, but it’s true, and their latest single(s) are proof of this:

Regardless of your religious affiliation, you could stand to learn a thing or two from Skillet. Don’t sleep on Unleashed.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records (RIP). Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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Monday Motivation: Billy Talent

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

I know Drake and Future spent the majority of the last year exclaiming, “what a time to be alive,” but the more I read into the problems plaguing our world today the more I am unsure what such a statement means. Is it a good thing to be alive right now, or is it a bad thing? If you’re Drake or Future it’s probably pretty great. Those guys are making tens of thousands, if not more, each passing week off the strength of their creativity. The vast majority of the rest of the Earth’s population is nowhere near that lucky however, and we are all struggling in our own ways as we fight to survive. I know I am nowhere near earning the title of being the worst off, but I do have concerns for what lies on the horizon. Between the impending election in the US, which seems to have provided no truly great candidate, and the various acts of terror taking place on a near-weekly basis all over the globe, 2016 seems pretty awful. It is unclear when or how things will get better, but something tells me no improvements will happen without hardships or tragedy coming first. In fact, I would argue some people have lost their faith in a better tomorrow altogether because every day the news and social media shines a lot on the numerous complicated problems plaguing us not just here at home, but all over the world.

With all this in mind, I wholeheartedly believe we need proactive music now more than ever in my lifetime. I have been walking this planet for almost twenty-nine years, but I have never witnessed the kind of global disenchantment that we are currently experiencing. People have lost their faith in religion and political leadership. They, or should I saw we are hungry for something more than just the hope things will improve. Time has taught us that simply hoping for things to get better rarely results in any change happening whatsoever. We know that change only comes as a result of action, but when we look to pop culture for leadership and positive influence we generally only find sugar-coated love songs, movies featuring people with superpowers, or EDM-fueled tracks about loving life that completely ignore the problems facing mankind.

Now, to be clear, these things are not bad. I love superhero movies and pop songs as much as the next person, but our world is in such a state of disarray that we need artists who are not afraid to speak out against all they see wrong. We need protest songs, and we need artists who encourage people to read up on what is happening around them. To use a colloquialism that the internet loves we need artist who are “woke AF,” and for my money there are few who seem to understand this quite like Canada’s hard rock kings, Billy Talent.

Yes, you read that right. The band we need now more than ever to urge us to take action is not even from America. Billy Talent have been making music that demands and influences action for over a decade at this point, and their new album Afraid Of Heights is no exception. Every song, from the riveting “Big Red Gun” to the closing reprise of “Afraid Of Heights,” speaks to the state of the world today. The band touches on our current fears, as well as the universal fear of the unknown. If we think things are bad now, then how much worse could they get? Billy Talent does not have the answer, but they do urge people to take action to prevent whatever unknown horrors may lie on the horizon from ever coming to fruition.

When you listen to Afraid Of Heights you cannot help feeling inspired and entertained simultaneously. The genius of Billy Talent’s sound has always been there way to raise awareness while also inducing mosh/circle pits with killer riffs and endlessly catchy hooks. Their latest work is as fun as it is important, and every ounce of me hopes you give it a chance to inspire you to make the world a better place when it arrives in stores this Friday, July 29.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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Monday Motivation: Emarosa

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

Anyone reading this who has finished high school presumably knows the phrase, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” but how many of us actually apply that concept to our daily lives? In my experience, the answer is not nearly enough, and I’m including myself in that summation. I, like many, imagine myself to be a fairly easygoing person, but if something I had my hopes set on falls apart before coming to fruition I can transform into a bit of an emotional mess that is best compared to a child throwing a tantrum. Life should go the way we want it to, right?

Your answer to that question doesn’t really matter, and neither does mine, because life could not care less about your dreams and expectations. Life is a constantly changing thing that gives absolutely no thought or attention to the desires of individuals or groups. Sometimes things work out, but other times they do not, and there is only so much any of us can do to sway the outcome one way or another. What we can do however, is decide how we will respond to things falling apart. Will you let an unexpected turn destroy you or empower you? Will you give up, or will you see things through despite unexpected hurdles that may appear along the way?

Consider for a moment the turbulent existence of Emarosa, an American hard rock band with no place to call home and a list of former members that now more than doubles the amount of people currently in the group. Emarosa formed in 2006, but thanks to a number of vocalist changes over the years the band has more or less had to reboot their sound three times over. The latest incarnation, which features Bradley Walden on vocals, may be the best yet. Walden entered the group as they were preparing to hit the studio for their third studio album (2014’s Versus), and he quickly acclimated to the band’s approach to creativity. Now two years later, the band is about to release what is arguably their best record to date (131 – Out July 8), and Walden is still steering the ship with a knack for brutally honest lyricism that has propelled the band into the hearts of thousands around the globe. This isn’t to say Emarosa were not successful prior to Walden joining the group, as they most certainly were, but when listening through the group’s discography there is a clear change of course that occurs right around Walden’s entrance that undeniably sealed their fate to become what they are today. This band Walden as much as Walden needed the members of the band, and because both sides were willing to persevere through their careers until they encountered one another music fans throughout the world – as well as the band members themselves – are now benefiting from their combined talents.

We could get into the lives Walden and the members of Emarosa lead before they came together, but for the sake of time we’re going to ask those interested in the details to do some Googling on their own time. All you need to know now is littered throughout 131, which tackles the idea of accepting responsibility for one’s own fate as no other alternative rock album has done in years. Every song plays like an excerpt from a story of triumph, failure, and growth that you never want to end. No matter what struggles you face in your own journey, I promise there is an anthem on this record to help keep you motivated when times get tough. Trust me. No, i take that back. Trust music, especially the music of Emarosa.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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Monday Motivation: The Obsessives

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

There are a lot of things about life you might need to know as an adult that even the best parents or caretakers choose to not tell their children. The reason for this is not born out of some sick desire to see the next generation struggle, but rather to give them the freedom of an existence without the constant worry or stress that comes with fully grasping what it means to be alive. As many philosophers have said, to be fully conscious of one’s own existence is to be painfully aware that existence has an expiration date, and we can try whatever we wish to prevent that moment from coming, but it is coming nonetheless. I was twenty-six or twenty-seven when I first began to grapple with the idea of growing older, which is much later in life than many can claim to have made it before that little voice in the back of their head began panicking about its eventual end. To be fair, none of us know what comes after our time on this planet is over, but that is precisely why our subconscious has such a hard time coming to terms with the knowledge we will sometime reach that point and that we are completely unable to change course. We may live a life different than the one we always planned for ourselves, trying in desperation to find some new path to happiness, but we will still reach the same conclusion in time. It’s unavoidable.

I cannot begin to explain what it will feel like when your brain begins to panic over the fact you’re reaching the end of the ‘growth’ period in life and entering the ‘slow, yet constant decline’ era, but I can say that it will more than likely keep you up at night. While the rest of the world sleeps, you will be lying in bed dreading the same thing every person who has ever walked this planet has lost sleep over since the beginning of time, and that is only the beginning of your struggle. Soon you will start to question everything, from the food you eat, to the people you surround yourself with, and even how you spend your time day to day. The things that once seemed incredibly important to you, like music or art, will take a back seat to your own subconscious fight for survival. You will kick and scream, metaphorically or otherwise, hoping for some peace of mind so that you might return to a state where all that matters to you is living in the now because, honestly, it’s all any of us have. There is right now, the moment you are in when this sentence hits your field of vision, and there is nothing. Your next breath is not guaranteed.

For me, this routine of sleepless nights and worried filled days made up a good portion of my 2015 and almost all of 2016 up until a few weeks ago. It was then, just as I was beginning to plan blog content for May, that something incredible happened. My friend James Cassar told me a band on his record label called The Obsessives who would soon be releasing a 7” with material he hoped I would make time to hear. I love James, so even though I hadn’t felt much like listening to or promoting new music I decided to give the first single from the upcoming release a few moments of my time. I didn’t tell him this yet, but the several minutes that followed that brief conversation nearly made me forget the cloud that had hung over my head the six to eight months prior. For the better part of two and a half minutes I was free of the fear of death and fully focused on the moment I was experiencing, which was a sensation unlike any I had felt in quite some time. The cobwebs that had filled the creative corners of my mind while I was desperate for answers to existential quandaries was suddenly bursting with the desire to share with the world what I had heard. I was, for lack of a better word, alive for the first time in what felt like forever.

The song in question was called “Avocado,” and looking back it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly set my imagination on fire, but it hit within seconds of the song kicking off. Something about the way the music and vocals hit struck a cord deep down in my soul, but having heard The Obsessive before this shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. The duo, comprised of Nick Bairatchnyi (guitars, vocals) and Jackson Mansfield (Drums), has been building a steady following for their unique take on alternative indie rock since 2012, but it was their decision to join Near Mint Records nearly three years back that thrust them into the national spotlight. Their music is diverse and unexpected, bursting with riffs and hooks in equal measure that never feel forced or created with any goal other than to capture a feeling or moment to tape. To hear The Obsessives is to learn their story through their own words, and once you’ve heard one chapter you cannot resist demanding that they create more. The narrative captured across their catalog tells of wide-eyed young people with a soft spot for friends and marijuana doing their best to navigate the tricky waters of the modern world without losing their souls. Sometimes this leads to success, but other times it causes great emotional turmoil, and the band is able to convey both the highest highs and lowest lows with skills well beyond their years. “Avocado” is no exception to this idea, and if anything it points to an even more brilliant creative future on the horizon.

Death will come for all of us in the end, and all we can do is make the most of the time we have been given. To do this, we must shake the fear of death from our minds and forge ahead as if we will be able to do everything we have our hearts set on. Music, especially innovative material like the latest recordings from The Obsessives, help make this process easier by reminding us of the beauty of existence. There is such profound emotion and heart laced through every note and lyric The Obsessives lay to tape that when their music plays you cannot help becoming a just little overwhelmed by life in the best possible way. You hear their music and you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that anything can happen and you can be whatever you want. Just keep moving. Just keep breathing. Just keep creating. We’re all here for a good time, not a long time, and great art makes the world a better place for everyone.

James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix and host of the Inside Music Podcast. He is also the Film Editor for Substream Magazine. When not working, James can be found in Minneapolis with his two fat cats, Paws Von Trier and Chub E. Chubs, watching old police procedurals and eating copious amounts of popcorn. You should follow him on Twitter.

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MONDAY MOTIVATION: Spoken

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

Every great story, no matter how much work goes into it, begins with a stroke of luck or tragedy that propels the protagonist down a path in life they otherwise might not have experienced. For me, this twist of fate came around the time I was 16, and it involved an abandoned all ages music venue that sat on the edge of my small midwestern farming town I called home. The club was known as The Apocalypse, and for several years it had provided the area with a number of live performances from local artists and nationally touring alternative christian bands, but at some point years prior to the start of my story the club had gone under. The owners retained the lease to the property, and all the sound equipment remained inside, but for one reason or another they were unable to keep the doors open long enough for me and my fellow high school aged friends to enjoy their facility.

At that point in my life, music was already my favorite activity, but I had no idea how anyone could create a career in entertainment without being the person standing on stage each night. I was inspired by some friends from a nearby town to try hosting a show of my own, so on a whim I emailed the owners of The Apocalypse to see what it would take to reopen their doors, even if just for one night only. They gave me a rate, I applied for a grant from the city, and within a few weeks I had the budget needed (<$500) to host my own show. I booked the bands my friends were in, as well as the bands their friends were in, and together we brought over 250 kids to a venue that was nestled on the outskirts of a town with a population well below 3,000. It was the biggest single night event in our area by a considerable margin, and I knew almost immediately that I wanted to continue hosting shows there for as long as possible.

Weeks passed before the next event, but the owners of The Apocalypse slowly came around to having shows on a semi-regular basis once I guaranteed to take on the responsibility of ensuring that enough people and money came in to cover all our bills. This was never a huge problem for me, as the amount of money needed was often below $500 for a single night, but it did provide me with a lot of learning opportunities through marketing, promotion, and the negotiation of performance contracts. We couldn’t provide bands with whatever amount they needed guaranteed each night, so we would have to sell them on agreeing to a door split where they kept 50% of every ticket sold or 75% of everything sold after we broke even for the night. This was not acceptable to some, especially as I tried to win over more and more nationally recognized talent, but thankfully there were many who were willing to accept what we could offer.

Of the dozens of bands that came through our doors during that time, only three or four acts remain today. I am sure in time I will tell stories of each, but the one I come back to most often is a little known hard rock outfit called Spoken. Fronted by founder Matthew Baird, Spoken perform an edgy take on alternative christian rock that isn’t afraid to channel elements of metal, hardcore, and punk into their often radio-ready sound. The band formed in 1997, which is around the time I was just turning 10, and by the time we would meet six years later they had already established themselves as a rising band with the ability to pull in reasonably sized audiences from coast to coast. More importantly, at least at the time, they were willing to play for a door split and a free meal, which matched perfectly with what we at The Apocalypse could offer.

The first time I booked Spoken I expected to snap a photo, meet the band, put on the show, and likely never speak to the group again unless they needed a gig. What I didn’t expect to happen, and what continues to this day, is to form a friendship and kinship with the band. Spoken would go on to play the Apocalypse at nearly half a dozen times in the three years I ran the venue, and each time we would grow a bit closer. Their passion for their craft was clear from the moment we met, and I like to think they saw something special in me as well. We learned one another’s names, spoke like old friends whenever arranging booking, and genuinely became as close as two industry professionals (at any level) could hope to be while still getting all their work done. I didn’t think much of it at the time, aside from how cool it was to be recognized by men I considered rock stars, but looking back now I realize it was their friendship that initially made me feel as if there could be a place for me in the world of music.

Twelve years have passed since that time, and as I mentioned earlier in this post the vast majority of bands I knew, loved, and worked with during my time at The Apocalypse have since broken up. I can’t be mad at those artists, as establishing a lasting place in the music business is practically impossible for anyone to achieve, but I did feel a bit of heartache each time someone I knew to be great decided it was time to depart. I guess in the back of my mind I always had this vision of the people I came up with making it, and then I hoped they would all help me make it as well. The truth however, is that almost no one made it, and those that continued were only able to do so thanks to hard work, dedicated fans, and a relentless drive to progress beyond whatever had come before.

Spoken, despite changing labels and members, have never stopped. In all the years since I left that town and started my journey through the ranks of the industry as a professional the members of Spoken have been clawing their way through the ranks of alternative rock. Each release has found them taking one bold step after another, and each has been followed by lengthy touring efforts that have taken the group around the world and back again. You probably cannot name a single hard rock band touring today who has not shared the stage with Spoken on at least one opportunity, and most would tell you they walked away from their show(s) with the band feeling inspired.

This week, Spoken will release their first album as part of still very much new deal with Artery Recordings. The record is titled ‘Breathe Again,’ and as the titles suggests it breathes a breath of fresh life into the Spoken brand. There are anthems made for arenas, power ballads into to console those who feel sad, and a series of mosh pit inducing rock juggernauts that will no doubt keep live crowds sweaty and singing along for many years to come. Whether you’re experiencing the record as a longtime follower of the band or someone who just discovered them through a post like this, there is something everyone can enjoy. Spoken have always been a band with wide appeal, but this album takes their entire sound to a whole new level of accessibility that I honestly believe will help them gain more notoriety than any other release they’ve produced in the last half decade.

The reason I chose ‘Breathe Again’ for this week’s post is admittedly due in part to my familiarity with the band, but also they way the album makes me feel. Spoken was around before I even considered a career in music, and here they are nearly two decades later still making records and signing deals. There has not been a year this millennium when Spoken were not poised to be one of the next big things in rock, and with the release of ‘Breathe Again’ there time in the sun seems closer than ever before. Listening to this record inspires me to continue chasing my own dreams, and it also reminds me to not let the passing of time break my will. It could have been very easy for Spoken to walk away when they weren’t national headliners after 10 years on the road, but the band kept on, and they will continue keeping on for as long as they have the ability to travel. That kind of passion is rare in any industry, and I can only hope I possess a similar drive in my own efforts.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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Monday Motivation: Eric Church

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

Today I turned 28, so I guess now is as good as time as any to admit that I am no longer the most knowledgable person on the planet when it comes to new music. Okay, I probably never really was the number one person for music discovery, but I always thought I was at least in the upper echelon of quote/unquote tastemakers. Through my work at Under The Gun Review, a music blog I launched in college, I was able to help promote a number of bands before the industry at large took notice, and there were countless others I discovered whom I wish I could have helped as well. In all my time as a music professional there has never been a period when there was a shortage of great new music to discover, and I am certain that will continue to be true for the foreseeable future.

Something I learned over the last year is that while I may have been on the pulse of everything new in the world of alternative music I had neglected to consider the artists currently dominating other areas of the entertainment industry, as well as what they may or may not have to offer me as a music fan. It’s as if I had become so consumed with all things rock, metal, and punk that I never even thought to see how the rest of the music business had been evolving, or who was responsible for inciting those changes. When I did make time, I was admittedly shocked by how many artists outside my musical comfort zone appealed to me. There were many I didn’t like as well, of course, but quite a few names that were more or less new to me began creeping into my daily playlists. Specifically, several country artists made the cut, and by the time fall fell I had to admit there was a fairly good chance my favorite record of the year would be an album most the world labeled as country. I didn’t see it that way, and to be honest I still don’t, but our consumer culture loves labels, so I guess I have to say country has, in some small, way stolen my heart.

I was debating between two different country releases for this column, and I ultimately chose the more recent of the two simply because I feel like less has been written about it. Eric Church is a man who has long straddled the line between country and rock, and his latest album, ‘Mr. Misunderstood,’ is no exception. Over the course of 10 songs, Church shares tales from his own life through a unique sound that feels most inspired by the heyday of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. Though the emotional content of the material ranges from happy to sad and everything in between, the cohesion of the songs, as well as the replay value for even the most bittersweet melodies, is incredibly high. Church has crafted a one-of-a-kind road trip record that feels every bit as exciting on the twentieth play as it did on the first. If that isn’t the definition of the true rock and roll spirit, I don’t know what could be.

The day I fell in love with Eric Church I was in the middle of a six-hour drive from Pennsylvania to Boston with no one to keep me company. I had heard and enjoyed several Church songs before, but I never took the time to enjoy one of his albums from front to back until that day. I started with his last album, ‘The Outsiders,’ and by the time it ended I had listened to several songs three times in a row. I knew I needed more, and fortunately for me Church had ‘Mr Misunderstood’ read to share with the public. As soon as the album hit iTunes I bought it without a moment of hesitation, and though it was nearly midnight I stayed up until I could complete one full spin. I was so overjoyed by the end of the album I nearly woke up my fiancé, Lisa, to tell her about the album. Being a man who loves having a happy household however, I decided to let her rest and talk about it in the morning (happy wife = happy life, fellas).

When I play ‘Mr Misunderstood’ now I still feel the way I did when it first came pouring through my headphone late on release day. I do relate to the title character in many ways, as you will no doubt be able to discern from the title track, but my love for Eric Church goes beyond that simple connection. There is a spirit to this record that is palpable, and no matter how many times you hear the material on this album you walk away wanting more. Church has tapped into a sense of creative freedom that inspire others to do whatever it is they want to do with their lives. It’s infectious, joyous, and all too rare in music today. I know many of you reading this now probably wouldn’t consider yourselves a typical country fan, but this is not typical country music. Heck, this isn’t even really country. It’s just great, original, all-American music.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

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