so i finally got our message board up! go now, register, upload an avatar and come chat about anything and everything. also, i’m thinking about deleting the durden livejournal so we can all just be chatting at one spot. anyone have any serious objections to that?

here i am to spill the beans on this band.

here’s a quick history lesson for anyone just joining us this evening.

almost two years, we released an album called ‘Wonderland’.  it was an album that i was extremely proud of.  it had everything i loved about music.  colorful chords, interesting song structures, creative melodies.  it was poppy but it was smart.  we were all very proud of it.  and with the team of people behind the scenes, we were very excited at the potential impact the album could have.  the album was being released on fueled by ramen, who had been (and still is) pumping out sensation after sensation.  we had an awesome booking agent who believed in our sound.  and we had a rather powerful manager to oversee our career’s each and every step. everything should have gone perfectly, right?

for lack of a better analogy, a tripod can only stand when all three legs support equal weight.  deep into wonderland’s cycle, and much to our dismay, our tripod tumbled to the ground.  our dream team had been trounced by the russians.  and wonderland suffered because of it.  we continued to tour, nonetheless.  we toured our little butts off.  wonderland has sold around 12,000 copies to date.  to think that 12,000 people out there own a physical copy of the songs we worked so hard on is astounding.  however, when compared with our expectations (and our little two-legged tripod’s expectations) the number is a blaring reminder of what could have been.

the frustration surrounding wonderland’s slow growth began to get to us.  we were at each other’s necks.  i became a prick.  i was rude to everyone around me.  i had always been the band’s own personal manager.  i dealt with the label, our agent, our manager. managed our funds. maintained everything on the internet. directions, merch, van trouble, blahblahblah. i took care of everything, and was happy to do so. but i started resenting the rest of the band for not appreciating my hard work. and they helped less and less because of the way i was.  i became a martyr in my own mind. the distance grew, and peaked while we were in australia.  i feel like i spent those 12 days by myself.

when we returned home we had a band meeting.  thomas told me he was quitting.  he wasn’t happy doing this with us (translation: me) anymore.  jesse was quitting, too.  he was engaged and wanted to return to school and settle into a normal life.  a month later, andy called me to tell me he was joining them in retirement.  it was over.  my dream had reached its end.

when i got home, i called my brother paul.  he’s a music composition major at western washington university.  i asked him if he wanted to help me make an album.  i lived at casey’s studio for a month, wrote during the week and paul came home on weekends and we would record.  you won’t believe the crazy record that came out.  rudy from gatsbys played drums. i can’t wait for all of you to hear it.

one thing that thomas was never able to get over was the feeling that forgive durden had always been my band.  he was just a visitor.  as much as i tried to let him in, durden was my baby.  he was more like the crazy uncle.  we hung out a few days ago and decided to write a few songs together.  it felt great.

i’m sure it’s hard to imagine a band continuing when 3/4ths of the members up and leave.  and that’s part of the reason i’ve waited months to announce anything.  i wanted to make sure i could continue doing this properly.  besides missing thomas’ crazy faces (and newfound gallagher-esque mustache) at our live shows, we won’t miss a beat.  things could have gone differently but they didn’t.  and i’m finally okay with that.  i’m ready to earn it the hard way.  i couldn’t be more excited about the next chapter for forgive durden.  please feel free to ask me any question anytime, and i will try and answer as honestly as i can. thank you guys for sticking with me and supporting good music. you’re the reason i’m still able to do this.

this commercial is so sick.

would you guys have any interest in a message board section of the site?

also, i’m in the middle of adding avatars to the comments section so we can all recognize each other a bit more :] and if you’re bored, johnny showed me this. i swear the longer you stare at it, the better it gets!

Red Hands by The Dear Hunter, performed here acoustically.

If you don’t get goosebumps from the 4:28 mark on, you have no soul.

so here are my favorite records (in no particular order) from 2007… 

The Shins - Wincing The Night Away

I first heard this album about a year ago and was blown away.  I’ve always been a Shins fan and Wincing was a collection of the songs I knew James Mercer was capable of sculpting.  This is my favorite record of 2007.  

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

This is an outstanding album from one of the minds behind Animal Collective.  Anything that reminds me of a modern Pet Sounds will inevitabley end up on many people’s year-end lists.

The Dear Hunter - Act II: The Meaning Of, And All Things Regarding Ms. Leading

This was, by far, 2007’s most important album to me as a musician.  Every note encourages me that smart, deep people still make/enjoy rock music.

Britney Spears - Blackout

This was the least important album to me as a musician. However, for someone who can appreciate a well-produced pop song, this album is pure gold (or at least wrapped in gold foil to disguise the true evilness within).

Radiohead - In Rainbows

You already know way more about this album than I do.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Outstanding indie pop songs. Also, their video for The Underdog is amazing.

Burial - Untrue

This was my driving-to-work soundtrack for the last few months. If you also drive to work (or walk or bike) then I highly suggest doing so with these tunes in drifting through your ears.

Paramore - Riot!

I sometimes like to think that I’m completely over the ‘pop-punk’ thing. Or whatever. ENTER PARAMORE’S ALBUM. Thomas is severely proved wrong. The hooks just don’t stop.

Kanye West - Graduation

There’s not much I could say about Kanye West that hasn’t already been self-proclaimed, but from a musician’s standpoint (and a fellow college dropout!) Kanye really pushes the envelope. He pours so much creativity into everything he does. He stretches the walls of his genre, and more importantly, mainstream music. And rightfully so, he’s very proud about it.

Tegan and Sara - The Con

I can’t get enough of these two. I listen to this album a lot. A whole lot.

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SO THAT’S MY LIST! NOW IT’S YOUR TURN TO SHOW ME YOURS! I’d love love love to find some new music a la your recommendations, so please share! Also, since we’re talking recs, I had the chance to see There Will Be Blood a few nights ago and it was the best movie of the year. BY FAR. Mark my words, Daniel Day Lewis will, without a doubt, win an Oscar for Best Leading Actor.  Happy New Year’s everyone! I have some big updates coming soon for all of you so stay tuned!