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	<link>http://www.clintlowery.net/</link>
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	<pubDate>Sat, 25 May 2013 17:45:39 -0600</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Airports and life]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=38</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Airports and lifeSitting on a plane on the way to Baton Rouge. Swear it seems like we were just there. Airports suck the spirituality right out of me if I let it.  There's  a strange limbo state people go in when they come to an airport. It's as if their patience, manners, consideration and sense of humor go into a hibernating state. Everyone has a 1000 yard stare with their destination being the only thing they see. You basically have a cattle call line of strangers forced into these quick awkward transactions. In the lines, the "Zones" and the actual flight where we all pray for a tolerable neighbor that resides very close to us in the next seat for the duration of a flight. I personally don't request much, just someone who has bathed, brush their teeth and doesn't force conversation. 9 times out of 10, people just want to do their time on the flight in peace and not engage in small talk. I've learned that my perception has been off most of my life and that we can experience positive things in very negative environments. If our perception changes, the world changes. People watching is one of THE most entertaining things a person can do at a busy airport. If you can just sit back and observe others you can learn so much. People are interesting and the fact is, despite how "original" we think we are, we re all very similar. People's daily events are different and those events influence us differently. For example, the woman who was completely rude when I ordered my very exspensive breakfast sandwich, she could of had a very stressful single mother type of morning, abusive husband, sick mother or father, who knows, but her attitude had little to do with me. When I practice patience with people like that and "change my perception" then it's a way easier pill to swallow when people say or do inconsiderate things. I think most people are in a very emotionally sensitive state when they fly, they're either leaving someone they love, going to see someone they love. Going on vacation, for work, the reasons effect  our moods greatly. Rarely does someone say "I'm bored, I'm gonna fly some where for no reason" all though I sure that happens. Point being, we re all on edge at the airport and we act out accordingly. I know for me in the past,  I used to be the nightmare walking in airports. I would either be drunk, hungover or trying to get drunk as soon as possible. Put myself and others around me in a very tense state. I would say things that were so mean and condescending that it would take someone a few minutes to process it. I'd verbally abuse strangers. I remember one time being very drunk and was told I missed my flight(probably because I couldn't find my gate) walking down a terminal and a nice gentlemen that shined shoes asked me very kindly if he could shine mine. I stared at him, walked over and asked him with a very angry glare "why do you think I need my shoes shined" I actually took time to go be mean to this guy that was doing his job. He looked at me and called me a jerk and I walked off. It bothers me till this day. I guess my point to all that was my particular daily events and life at that time were based on  active alcoholic behavior. I was incapable of being apart of society and airports were my china shop and I was a very drunk bull That  guys  he saw a chance to make money and was faced with me and my personal nightmare of a life at that time. All that being said, today I try and think about others, I try to give people space, when someone wants to have friendly conversation I do it, if someone's drunk and being obnoxious I try remembering how I was in the past. If someone cuts in line, over checks me at security, over charges me, discriminates, shoves me, kids kick my seat, adults kick back of my seat, etc- I try and remember that it's temporary and this too shall pass and how I respond to it defines me. This is way easier to write that than practice in real life. But when I make an attempt at all it makes those situations a little eaiser to navigate. I can't let my emotions dictate my responses to people because we all have our issues and things that are going our way or against us. And rarely are we all gonna be having a good day on the same day. I'm thankful I can live in a way that allows me to make living amends. I removed alcohol from my life and it's amazing how much smoother life is. I used to lose wallets every 3 months and haven't lost one in 5 years. Coincidence?? Probably not. I've been blessed with the willingness to realize this simple fact- "The word doesn't revolve around me" my way isn't always the best way. When I was taught that then my life got better. I found peace and compassion for others. I realized I had been selfish and inconsiderate most of my life. Does that mean that still aren't nuts, rude and down right evil sometimes?? No, but their human. Good and bad. I have no right to judge others, I can observe and accept. That is the only way I can live a peaceful life. Because I have zero control over people places and things. I used to think I could control certain things. I was very mistaken. I chose to pick a path that doesn't consist of drinking or drugging. Doesn't mean the world gets sober because I do. Majority of people can have a few beers and shut it off. I never had that type of governor. I never realized the point in drinking a few beers. I had to drink all of them. That's my reality. When I hit enough bottoms to realize that I started repairing my life. And prayed sincere prayers for to put it down for good. Well for today I'm just happier when I love others, help others and even when I wanna closeline others I don't, pray for patience and bite my tongue.Well, plane is landing. Time to face another group of strangers and finish out the rest of the 7d tour which is a whole other level of patinence and tolerance but I love it and wouldn't change a thing. I get to go home from time to time to a beautiful, sweet, funny and kind wife and two amazing children. Those are the events that surround meGod bless C]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2013 19:35:58 -0600</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[To new bands]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=37</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Blog(advice to new bands)Getting ready to board a plane after a good show at the annual Rock on the range festival that host some of the biggest metal/rock/alternative bands today. Always a interesting show. The band has been out a very long time at this point so it's kinda hard to tell how the show was. We played early, second on main stage, sandwiched between Sick puppies and Steel Panther. Kind of odd blend. Steel panther could possibly be the best band of the entire weekend skill wise. The guys are wrapped up in a 80s glam rock package but make no mistake, they can play.It would be very difficult for me to think of starting a NEW band these days and glad I don't have to. It seems to me there its extremely hard to make a real living at this game. I mean, when I started out for years there wasn't any real money coming in. For a lot of reasons, bad record deals, poor management, addictions, etc. I don't harbor anymore resentments over that because at the end of the day, we signed everyone of those deals, allowed people to steal from us. We didn't focus on any of the details it takes to run a business in the early days and make no mistake about it, whether you choose to accept it or not its a full on tax paying business. One of the biggest mistakes a band can make if they are approached with a management contract, record contract, production deal, 360 deals, which are basically artist giving away 50 percent of everything you make for the duration of your contract, the biggest mistake is (NOT KNOWING WHAT YOUR SIGNING AND NOT KNOWING WHO YOUR SIGNING WITH). So many bands are eager beavers and are so desperate to get out there that they sign anything. Labels and managers know this. They use that. And if you are lucky to have a few people within your band to ask questions and not jumping to sign without research these people will probably be labeled "the difficult ones". Your lucky to have one of these party poopers simply because it could save your career later down the road.If someone is interested in you the way you need them to be they will allow you time to look over any agreement you receive, if they pull some kind of "we are only gonna offer this for a limited amount of time" crap then let them go back to where they came from. At the end of the day, if you have a serious band that's making some noise, packing local shows, selling music on your own, creating a real buzz, then you have the upper hand. Too many times industry people act like they're doing the band the favor when in reality 90 percent of the language in a contract will be in their favor. You will end up doing the real grinding on the road, you will rough it for years to come, you will say goodbye to your family. And they will get the lions share of what you earn unless you make adjustments to the deal. ALL first drafts of contracts come stack heavily in the labels favor. And you what? That's good business on their part. It's a bands responsibility to read or have an attorney read to you the details of the deal so you know what your getting into. The fact is, you are a vessel to generate money for them. There are people I've met in the industry that actually become close with the bands, appreciate the music, get what their saying and want to help bands achieve a connection with fans but they only function on money. They have to make a living too. And if a bands willing to sign a crappy deal then that's on them. The most painful thing I ever heard was after I went on a rant about how bad I was being screwed over and wondering where the money was, an attorney simply pulled out the contract, highlighted the details and said "you signed this" it's in black and white. So how could I possibly blame anyone but ME. So for what it's worth, if you get a contract thrown your way from anyone, go through it with a fine tooth comb, if you don't understand it, get a lawyer to use a crayon and explain it to you like a child. That's what I do. Because let's face it, we didn't get into this business to be knowledgable on contracts, the "withstanding the foregoing" stuff you see on these deals. Just find an attorney you trust and dig in. If the other party is annoyed by this then that's a clear indication that something isn't right within that deal. And they should be totally willing to work with you on this. After that's done you can get to what's important, recording and playing music. The foundation of it all. The concrete underneath the entire complicated, frustrating, yet satisfying business. THE MUSIC. One thing I believe is that the power exist in the song. You can move mountains with the right song and presentation of the music. If a band steps on a stage and has the right chemistry, vibe, talent, progressiveness,  desperation, sincerity,  creativity or even simplicity you will captivate any audience and win them over immediately no matter what. People want to be entertained, they wanna be swept away emotionally. They want to escape. They want something fresh and they want to discover a new band to tell their friends about. Nothing is better than being able to tell a friend "YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS BAND". You want to be the band that people say that about. And to do that you have to hone that sound in a garage, basement, wherever it is you do your thing. Too many bands rely on protools to edit them into perfection. It's truly diluting the fountain of talent when you allow it to be the crutch of the creative process. WOODSHED!! Play songs over and over and after that??? Play them again. Be honest with yourself and ask yourself "would I buy this" would I want to see this live. Develop your sound, if certain players aren't as into it as you, lose them and find others. If someone isn't able to play to the level the others are you may have to replace them. It's a tough business. There are countless bands with very talented players and singers out there gunning for a place in the music business. You HAVE to have something that stands out. So many bands ask me "how do we get signed" my answer "be amazing" be so good that people have to see you play. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions you really have to have a product that people want and throw down on a stage to a level that is off the chart to make a real living. That's what my point is, you can form any band you want. If its only to have fun with friends and  you enjoy it then more power to you. But if you think your gonna start a band, sign with the machine and start making money right away your crazy. The chances of that happening are extremely rare and you better be the second coming of Zeppelin if you think that's happening. And when bands have something special, they know it. The people going to their shows know it. There's only so many ways to become a successful rock band. You can get investors and try buying your way there but eventually you will be faced with having to win people over. If you want to have a real career in this, you have to be great at it or willing to work until you are.When your young you have time to starve and spend a little time grinding it out. Typically you don't have kids or bills so you can sacrifice time to perfect your band, make no money and pray that your band starts breaking and building. So many variables in this game. Luck is a huge part of this as well. 7dust was accidentally discovered in Atlanta years ago. We just happened to meet luck with skill. We spent a lot of time grinding it out with no money coming in and when the right someone finally saw us we were ready and local fans were there. The break can come when you don't expect it. My advice though, become the band that you want to be. Find your thing and develop it. The people will sniff you out and support it. They always do. And if you can win fans over the need to run out and get a deal doesn't become a necessity. Build it as much as you can on your own and that way when you are offered the right deal you can have more bargaining power because you had proved already you have something people want. Well my rant is over. I love playing music and love connecting with the people who support us. But we have a duty to keep our game fresh and focused. When we start slipping the people sniff that out easily as well. There's too many good bands out there to slack up. You have to give people their moneys worth or they will find another band that will. It's constant work and you better be willing to do it. Or you'll see less and less people, you'll get worse and worse time slots, and start making less money. So get it together!!! Haha. Going to see my wife and kids. Love you and God blessC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2013 21:34:33 -0600</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[ROCK SHOW REUNION ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=36</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Sitting in a hotel room in Sioux falls, a day off today after a very successful show at Rockfest in Kansas city. This show was good because it was a family affair. I had my wife and son with me(Evies a little too small for rock concert) my brother Corey's band Eye Empire was there. So many bands that we know well and have for many years. Too many to mention. The day was cool and windy but sunny and perfect for the people who attend this festival type show all day long. I always have so much respect for the fans that brave the weather to these things to experience music from bands they love. I used to go to shows when I was younger with that same thirst for entertainment. But anyways, it was a very emotional day for me for a few different reasons. First off, the friendships that we have built over the years, the other bands that we have bonded with and the ones we've toured with, just really has a reunion type vibe. Bands like Papa Roach, Halestorm, Seether, Device guys with David D and Will Hunt(Dnd) drummer, Of course Eye Empire, All that remains, and new friends Aranda that tour a small run with us and others, I mean we've known most of these bands our whole career. So good to still be running into them all. Everyone a bit older and wiser But here we are still making a loving at this. The whole mood was positive yesterday. My wife and son were with me and that is always the best of both worlds, when both my road family and home family are existing together. I'm no longer torn, I have the things I love together with me, the supportive fans, my bandmates and my loved ones beside me. It's a satisfying feeling that reaches deep in my heart and feels it with peace and gratitude. I felt the presence of God, my father's spirit and best of all I was experiencing all of this sober. So many times in the past I would have these gifts giving and I would dilute it all with tremendous amounts of alcohol and dope to help "enhance" the experience?? Ironic how it was robbing me of it. To see all these things clear and buzzing naturally off the fresh air, the awareness of my surroundings, my REALITY did not need any assistance. I was complete.The show was great. My son Harper started crying as we walked on stage. He was in his stroller and I think he wants to stay close to me and doesn't quite understand what the hell daddies doing. First off he has the shot gun headphones on which he hates and to him he sees Daddy screaming at the crowd and them screaming back. My wife gives him a lollipop as a last resort to keep him happy, it wasn't exactly working so my brother Corey saved the day being the funny uncle and making him laugh until he was able to enjoy the show. I was loving looking back to witness that. All the other bands side stage in support. Then we did a new song off the new 7d record called "Got a feeling" which I sing on with Lajon, Morgan and John. It's always interesting to play a song like that right in the middle of our aggressive set. Lajon sets it up so good that people open their mind to what's coming. I get so nervous before I sing lead that my mouth gets dry and my knees get weak. All up until the first line is sang. Then it becomes warm and comforting. Seeing some of the people sing back the words. There is no other better feeling than a crowd singing your lyrics back to you. No band will disagree with that. So much more touring ahead for us. We have been out since March 15th and will end May 27th. I was absent for three weeks of this for the birth of my daughter Evie. Wouldn't miss that for anything. But it has been a long one. Long enough to put ANY band in danger of flying off the handle. If there were some type of physiological test you could do on 12 guys being in a metal tube for 2 months I'm sure there would be some interesting findings. First off, people think the tour bus is glamorous. Let me clear some things up real quick, and BTW- this is gonna be a long blog So turn off your grammar alerts and lower your expectations while I rant Ok- YES the bus is cool for people who step on it for the first time. At the beginning of every tour for the first week when we have a new bus we're all excited about our new home. Then we start discovering all the defects, the smells that come out. There are no words to describe the smell of 12 different mens urine mixed together in a very full tank riding underneath the bus. It's a different type of Rancid. God forbid someone has a guest on bus that puts toilet paper down the fragile plumbing(bus drivers favorite to deal with) that usually clogs the plumbing instantly bring the smell out more. Then throw in the smell of feet, farts, weird food, old and new, dirty clothes, old beer, green corn, bad breath etc. I don't care what kind of bus you have, if you stick 12 guys on it for a few weeks it will smell very bad I promise. That's not the end of the world though, totally used to that. I'm the bus mama and I obsessively clean the bus, which again, if a therapist analyzed me they'd say that was probably typical recovering alcoholic behavior, to clean like that. Either way it balances out the nastiness. There are those who clean and those who do things to keep the cleaners busy. You have "collectors" people who accumulate odd things on the road and eat up all the extra storage space. The "real estate takers" the people who leave their big bags in the common sitting area. The "food thieves" The "drink all the milkers" the list goes on. If you have a lot of pet peeves then you will not survive touring. The bottom line at the end of the day is this. LIVE AND LET LIVE, that is the key to surviving. Because whatever you don't like about someone, there's 20 things the other 10 guys don't like about you. Give and take and mutual respect and even with that, we all have bad days, we aren't on the same schedule or time line so friction will be there. It's going to happen. We have just learned to exist with each other. But anytime a tour goes past a month it gets dicey. And God forbid your fans hear you complain about it. On the outside it seems like a very fortunate musician living out their dream complaining over trivial things but until you live in those conditions it's hard to understand. The complaining is a way of relieving some of the pressure and stress. Is it the hardest thing in the world?? Hell no, is touring in a van with 10 years harder?? Yes it is. But you have to remember, we've done that type of touring as well. I've been touring since I was 18 years old. A van for 8 of those years, a few Rvs, we earned our stripes in those beginning stages so you kinda earned the right to complain if that makes sense. All in all I have found gratitude in this life more and more. The longer we exist the more we have beaten the odds and survived. We hear rumors of this being last 7d touring cycle, today, I don't think we're close to being down but you never know when this will end. I know thatI've been able to pursue other projects which fill my soul and scratch some musical itches I have which aids in me appreciating what 7d is and what it helps me do in terms of providing for my family. I want to make my family proud, I still enjoy playing. We're older now, we know it. But we have a lot of fight in us. I'm glad we didn't follow any trend or style that we're embarrassed of. I mean there's a few things out there I wish I could erase. Well, a lot actually but overall we haven't done anything that wasn't us musically or dressed like robots or demons. We just play aggressive music. I have some time off in June and I'm think seriously about recording 5 more acoustic songs under the HDMS name. I feel like it's time for that and it doesn't take a huge production. Its simple and from the heart. I have a lot on my mind and that's an easy vessel to use to do that lyrically. It doesn't conflict with 7d and I enjoy it. I'd like to one day do a solo project under my name but to be honest with you, singing is tough for me mentally. Very hard on myself in that world. I respect Lajon and other singers so much more after CMNO. But I know like anything, the more you do it the better it gets. I try to quite myself and follow signs that direct me on what to do first. If I get out of the way things usually work themselves out and happen naturally. Lastly- our daughter She is the new apple of my eye. I never thought I could love a human being as much as I loved my wife and son, then comes Evy. I spell it that way so people pronounce it right. Her full name is Evelyn after my grandmother and mother. EV-e Not EEEveee drives my wife crazy but we knew that would happen. She's an angel and I know we all say that but she really is. I stare at her and I know God exist. I have evidence. Even if God was simply the love between a parent and their kids then that is enough for me. God is love, our short time on this planet is giving to us to experience unconditional love. As corny as that sounds. I truly believe God gave us these children, they will have problems, they will have gifts, they will have issues and will find solutions. They are perfect by design. They are meant to be loved and will make mistakes. Forgiven and forgive. If loving them is all that I do right in this world then that's fine by me. I want them to be loved. And they will be. A day at a time. I get to be sober for them, I get to provide for them. They made everything that I thought was a big deal in life shrink to the size of a BB. They are my world. My family. Thanks for reading this long winded entry. I felt a need to share tonight and thank whoever that has supported me, the bands and projects and the people who have recently had kind words to share with me at VIPs or in passing. It makes me feel good that there are so many people out there that care about family type stuff. I mean it's cool to not try being so "rock n roll" all the time. That gets old. And there are times I wanna scream brutal screams and get crazy on a stage and curse and do those things that get us going live. I feel that's as spiritual as anything. God gave me all these emotions and instincts to guide me. I just got a little better at balancing them. Much love to you and your families. And if any of you struggle with substance abuse know that if this guy can get sober, anyone can. You just have to really want it. God blessC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 May 2013 21:29:32 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_36-1368415772</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[NEW LIFE- ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=35</link>
		<description><![CDATA[New life- march 30- 2013I'm writing from our hospital room where my wife and I are awaiting the birth of our daughter Evie. Been here 12 hours already and still a ways to go. The gratitude I have in my heart is overwelming. This will be our second child and for someone like me who could easily be 6 feet in the ground from one of the many days and years of alcohol abuse and "bad choices". I feel a peace and appreciation for life I never knew would be possible when I was out there living that life. On top of that the new 7dust record came out this week. A longtime friend of mine Troy Mclawhorn, who I literally grew up playing guitar with in NC, is filling in the west coast run for me while I'm here for the birth. Cant think of many guys that I'd feel good filling my spot. Kinda like allowing one of your buddies to live with your wife while you were away. Well not quite that extreme but taps into some of the  same feelings I suppose. Just as long as he doesn't make my "wife" band happier than I do then l be good He's an amazing musician and good person all around and honored he was able to step in. Overall it's been a very impactful week emotionally, spiritually and physically. The response for the record has been amazing. 7d has been at this since 95 and to still have the support of fans and family and to be able to tour with a attentive audience is very rare in this business. Long term anyway. I've seen a lot of bands come and go, a lot of the industry has changed. The entire landscape of the music business has changed and yet here we are, making records and surviving and still growing I'd like to think. After taking a year off I think it helped our band in many ways, it helped us on a personal level. I think anyone that does a job long enough no matter how good or glamorous it seems, needs to step away from time to time to gain perspective. It's very easy to start taking advantage of things, start feeling entitled, forget where you came from and why you do it. When that happens egos come into the fold, bands start forming clicks and each person starts believing they have the answers, resentments that pile up and aren't resolved start bursting out during a small argument over tooth paste or eating someone else's bread. Taking a step back allows you to appreciate things again, to process resentments and to well, grow up. Also it gives the fans a break as well. To miss the connection. The community of it. The gathering experience, strangers cramming into a room to bond over music and lyrics and feed off that energy from the live show. It's very much a type of church. I gain the same positivity from it. Being a father and husband is no longer the second priority in my life. It's number one. I used to live and die to play music and everything else was on the back burner. I think it's necessary in the beginning when your younger to do that to compete in the music world for some.  Now I play music to live and provide. The drive is just as strong if not stronger because my motivation is to take care of my family. Making the people who support our band happy is very much high on the list but at the end of the day, as long as the focus is there the music has a good chance of not suffering reguardless of the motivation. I honestly don't remember life being this good for this long. I've had many ups and downs and feel very awkward in happiness. I've always thrived off of darker times to write about. I wouldn't say I was negative, just drawn to that darker place for creative purposes. When things are good I always look around the corner and think "ok what's getting ready to happen" Life will always keep coming at me, there will be very hard times ahead, but today things are good and I can accept these days and live in these days and keep it simple. After losing my father last year I gain a whole new appreciation for music, family and life in general. My dads last gift to me. I'm gonna rejoin the tour mid April depending on my wife's recovery and after I have a little bit of time to bond with my daughter. The band has been supportive to this and most of them didn't have nearly this much time to spend with their children and basically hit the road again after a few days. So I'm fully aware of how lucky we are. I think this year is gonna be good. I try not to project, or set expectations on the future. Just do what's directly ahead of me. And tonight I'm right where I should be and the rest of the guys are pushing forward the only way 7d knows how to. I remember after my son being born, I wanted to take on the world and I'm sure my daughter will have the same affect. It will be hard leaving another loved one behind but again I take that as it comes. My wife is amazing through all of this. She is by far the heart beating in my chest. She supports me through good and bad. Great mother and faithful wife. She's grounded and accepts the quirks that come with being with a musician. I don't ever lose site of the fact that if I live right, things turn out right. I want to have character and make some sort of difference in this world. I've done my share of damage, been selfish and dishonest. Been careless and thoughtless on all levels. So I dare not judge or put myself above or below others. I changed that behavior drastically based on my faith in God, love from family, fellowship and fatherhood. I don't want to just take from life I wanna give something from time to time. I'm gonna wind it up and wait for my wife to wake up and have this baby girl ( Evie). I guess to wrap it up ill say I may not deserve these blessings but I  certainly will accept them and try to do the things that merit them. I want to be a good father, husband, friend, band mate and musician. I hope you have peace in your heart and I plan on doing these every week to mark periods of time in my life and to share with my kids one day. And to give you very bored people some very scattered, random and mushy things to read from a grateful guy who escaped a bitter end, for todayMuch love and respectC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:18:13 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_35-1364692693</guid>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Well hello there- ]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=34</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, its been so long since I've done one of these I'm not sure where to start. Let's see, a lot has happened since my last entry. A new 7d record, found out I'm having a daughter, moved my family into a house. Life's just moving right along. Few 7d shows here and there. Played Ship rocked with some other bands we're friends with. Produced a few projects, did some co writes with some bands and artist. Sounds busy and guess what, it has been. But that's life. The beauty in all of this is that I've managed to stay sober and somewhat sane. For me, staying sober and clean gives me a chance to absorb reality, to live in today, be present for my family and band members. To take whatever life dishes out good or bad, instead of hiding behind a mind altering substance which I did most of my life. Being in the music business has been a huge blessing and rewarding but has it's share of obstacles which I've shared. I like to keep it honest these days and this blog will be just that. I like to think I'm becoming a realist. That can be a good and bad thing. On the negative side it can mean a diluted ambition or a limited expectation and have a lil less of the childhood dream. When you play this long and tour this long you see the patterns of each cycle play out in a similar way and you start making adjustments. When I say that I mean that you start cutting out unnecessary energy spent on hoping and relying on labels or managers to make miracles happen. On the positive side, you start to find a deeper connection and reliance with the fans of the music. There's a predictable formula labels and industry people use to deliver music to people and I think people are starting to get tired of it. Band does record every couple of years, band releases single, band does interviews for the record, label hypes up record for two months leading up to release, puts together packages and bundles to get the early buyers, if the single does good the label will actually keep promo up after the release of the record, but if it doesn't they quickly pull marketing and then it comes down to touring to keep a band alive and out there in peoples faces. Touring for us, is the single and most powerful tool we have and is the heart of our survival. We have never made any real money from record sales, and now that record sales have become less of a factor in our existence and people don't buy as much of it, we're are grateful we have a solid fan base built on touring. In the labels defense though, bands have started to make safe records that have little to do with being real and raw. It's starting to fit in a formula. We've been guilty of a few of those songs let's be honestNot sure why I'm talking about this, I guess it bothers me sometimes to see the music business change and struggle but sometimes I get excited. Because every decade or so things burn out and people get annoyed with the system and this always gives birth to a new age of music and pioneers are born. Bands and artist that complete change the way the game is played, creative industry people come up with ways to deliver music to the listener and actually develop bands instead of build them. I always say theres a 15 year old kid in a garage playing some instrument in a completely different way or singing about new things and is getting ready to take over and that will spark someone else to think outside of the box and behold an actual musical revolution. Over all I'm happy to be a musician, I genuinely enjoy creating music still, I love playing shows. The elements that surround it, the party lifestyle, the time away from home and grind of it all, that gets old but it's the price.  I think it's a silly cliche to think you have to raise hell to exist out here but to each his own right? And any musician that complains about being on tour gets called out for being a crybaby and has no right to complain. I get that too. A lot of things I hear band guys say I can't believe. The entitlement and self centeredness is unreal but not everyone. I'd like to think 7d is a band of the people. We're some normal guys that got a very lucky and significant opportunity to make a living at this. I don't think we have after all this time absorbed the fact that we have done what we've done. The thing we've heard our whole career is, "you guys should of been bigger" well of course we wish certain things happen but think about it, we have had a solid career. Some bands have certainly done more, sold more and had a higher peak but some of them are gone. I think for the type of guys we are, the mild success train was exactly the one we needed to be on.I'm excited for the new 7d record, I'm excited to learn more as a producer and do more co writes with bands. I've made my living this year producing and co writes. It's been a challenging and rewarding experience for me. Working with new bands reignites my own ambition and blind faith. Some of them have been not so great of an experience. Some bands and artist have issues with taking outside advice on they're music or they already know it all. Which is funny and I always think, why am I here, if you have the answers why not just make it happen? But those are few and far between. I'd say 85 percent of the people I've worked with are amazing and a pleasure. It's about doing the work. A lot of people want the benefits but don't wanna do the work. My response, there's a million people out there that are dying to make it in this business, you compete with that so if your not willing to sacrifice then someone else will. That goes for our old asses too If we aren't willing to put work into our show and presentation live then we will see a weak result. People who pay money want to see a band that actually delivers a show and cares. I'm blabbering and coming off like I know more than I do. The fact is, I don't have all the answers. I have more to learn, more stones to turn. I have made my share of mistakes on this earth and will make more. Today though, I am a happy man. My wife and son have giving me the deepest happiness I could imagine. My family has supported me. My mother, father(RIP, )brothers, sisters, cuzins, friends, band members, fans(friends) wow, how lucky am I to have so much love in my life. To wake up knowing that the most important thing is family. The fact for me is music is my job, it's my career, it's a part of me. My life is family, they both support each other. Without the other they can fall down. I played for many reasons but the main one now is to support them, I just happen to love doing that. I'm excited about the future, my lil baby girl that's coming soon in April. Hope you have a great 2013. Whoever reads this, thanks for indulging in my long winded blog and hope peace is in your heart.We all deserve to be at peace.God blessC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:35:56 -0700</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[CMNO tour]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=33</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Sitting on a plane, just leaving the first call me no one tour ever. So many different emotions. First one is a true feeling of accomplishment. In the beginning of this project there was a whole set of challenges, the getting approval to do it from 7d camp, the money to do it, the label choice. Then the internal doubt, can I sing a records worth of material and it be interesting enough to hold people's attention. Will it be musically different enough from 7d to justify doing it? Well I believe some of the challenges have been met but it has been a very humbling process to do so. Nothing about this has been easy but nothing ever is.Because this is what people in the industry like to call "baby band" its kind of a thorn in the side of people who are used to working for 7dust, which is easier in every sense of the word. It has a loyal following of fans that we have worked hard for over 15 years. So if your a label or manager it's what I personally like to call a "auto pilot" career band. It's easy to book because we've played everywhere and have a certain number we reach, we release a record and the word of mouth from our amazing fan base and social media sites let the fans know the records out. So the label basically has one job, make the records available to you. With iTunes now that's as easy as clicking a button so now real work there. It's the fans that keep us alive. Of course there's more involved than that but the real work happens for new bands that don't have this history and exposure older bands have. You have to hit the concrete and tour, the label has to do promo and create awareness. The managers have to filter this, make big choices on the development, hustle tours, work magic. Its the real work they get paid for. So if you had a choice, would you wanna work with a band that's been around and has a built in fan base, built in crowd and built in record sale.? Or a brand new band that needs tons of money, resources, hours of phone calls and tons on discouraging Nos, and inching and clawing your way on tours only finding yourself not making the commissions the well known band can make for you. You basically have to work less for more money so of course you pick the big band. Well CMNO isn't well known so doors do not open so easily. Which is fine but very annoying when all you want is a chance. To compete with other bands. After battle after battle and being told you will lose a ton of money going out on tour, what do we do. Embark on a two week test tour with NonPoint and Eye Empire. Morgan and I pull in two amazing guys Alan and Rek and basically cut our teeth for 13 shows. Every night, learning the songs while performing them, me having to handle playing guitar and singing songs that aren't exactly easy to sing live. Finding a flow with the crowds, trying to create a atmosphere that goes with the music. We collectively enjoy the darker moody vibe on stage, the minor key world, the cynical views of the world. Now comes the after tour depression, when you have a good time on tour and you feel like your making headway its tough to say goodbye to the tour family. With me it's a Lil easier because my home life is amazing. My relationship with my wife and son are strong and I cherish my time with them. I still adapt to being gone to survive out there and it takes a day of two after getting home to stop missing my tour family. I had an amazing time with this band, the bands we were out with. The crews we worked with. Everybody. Blessed. Now it's time to put CMNO on a small hold to do the new 7dust record in Sept after a much needed break of course. It's hard to switch musical gears but the 7d formula is solid and we've had just long enough of a break to be excited about this. Well I'm excited. I think the others are too. But I will be thinking about the great experience I had with CMNO and hopefully retain that excitement for 7d, that new energy and hope that maybe this record will be the one. This hopeful feeling is what most bands lose after a few years. Not me, I'm gonna be a dreamer till the day I die. I will always feel like there's something we can try to push us to the next level. Otherwise, why make records. For money? I'm not rich, not close. I'm as blue collar as you can be in the music business, I operate on humility because it's that humility that keeps our feet on the ground and our faith alive. I'm ready to transition back to the easier path that is 7d but it's still hard reinventing your band after years and tons of records. But I'm ready for this. It's a self produced record we're doing and damn it, it's gonna be intense and solid at the end of the day. After that, who knows, hopefully a lot more CMNO dates and music. I wanna keep doing this until I can't do this. It's all I know. God bless y'all and see you on the other side of the 7d record. Well maybe I'll see you beforeC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Aug 2012 21:35:05 -0600</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[MUSIC IS LIFE-]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=32</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Sitting at home on my couch with the wife two days away from releasing the Call Me No One project. Been a long process getting this thing to happen. I believe the real work began after the actual record was recorded. The business end of music sucks the joy out of it sometimes. It becomes very cold and heartless after the recording process. All the excitement and creative thinking that goes on, the building of the songs, debating on what's gonna be the better part, overcoming fear of being able to beat your last effort. It's an emotional roller coaster for me but all good. Then the process begins with release- the "business people" take your music like a child out of your arms and have little to no emotional attachment- tell you which song should be released, what they don't like about or kinda like about this. They're some who give it praise one week and the next week not able to get them on the phone. We had a entire different management change right after the record was completed which confused a lot of issues and switched up the game plan a few times. But regardless of what you have going on there's some type of battle with "THE LABEL" about the over all presentation of the record. How we want to deliver this to people, when we do, it's all a very intense game that everyone involved has a all the answers but when it comes time for the answers to be giving they're not around or they forget they're idea or answers.  I wouldn't have it any other way though, I'm so used to it. They're are a few people who make the process enjoyable, the artwork, some of the label folk really get what it is you're trying to do, some teach me things I wasn't aware of and present great ideas and strategies. It's good bad and for sure the ugly. The MONEY is always an issue. The amount people get from the record sales, the commissions, the "hands in the pot" and my favorite expression in the industry "THIS IS INDUSTRY STANDARD" when talking about they're cut. It's funny to me. We have a good team I think behind this, do I think they care about it as much as I do, not even close. But I do believe in one thing, people's drive to make money. I don't trust many things in the music business but I trust that people in this business want money and power. If your band is in the pipeline of that you can also gain something. We all have different things that drive us, mine used to be money and fame. Now it's security, support and longevity. I want to make music and sell enough of it to survive, I want to be able to support my family doing what I love. I want to make honest music and grow as a musician. I don't really care about selling a bunch of records, I'd much rather people come to a show and connect that way. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a ton of people to like it because that's what I do it for. To do what so many other bands have done for me, provide an escape. A tunnel out of real life into some better mindset than I live in daily. I love being in a situation like the airport or DMV and putting earbuds in and listening to something that changes the environment completely. That's the goal.The best part by far of the record process is this time now, the few days before it comes out and the day it does. Finally sharing it with people who support what you do, hearing the good and bad about the music, lyrics and artwork. The people are so different in what they like or don't like. It's what it's all about. I care about what people at labels say because some of them are the vessels to get it to the people so I have to work with them and respect some of them in what they do. But if I could simply hand deliver each record to people and skip the process I would. But on most records I've been a part of I rely on that machine. Which can be great or dilute the whole product I'm making. I can't wait to hear what people think about CMNO- Morgan and I worked hard on it, had a forth of the resources most bands have and a great creative team around us. I had the support of my family and friends and other bands and colleagues. I learned a lot about singing and can't wait to get out there and try this live. We pulled in Alan Price and Rek Mohr to play this stuff live with us and love these guys. Great players and positive cats for sure. Will I be able to work a crowd, keep my voice, sing things right and good?? WHO KNOWS- I will find out shortly. I say this though, I will give it the best I have and I have faith that we will be a great live band. I wanna make a statement for the under dog. The anti rock star- the common mans rock band. Be honest with the crowd instead of saying things like "this is our favorite town ever- unless it isI just lost my father Willie Lowery- the reason I do this in the first place. He played music his whole life, believed he was gonna make it to the next level his whole life. I watched him play his guitar in an assisted living home as if he was playing to a sold out crowd in a stadium. He never lost hope- he was on the sunset of his life and believed in music- it never abandoned him and he never stopped playing it. When I think about doing something else or getting jaded or bitter at this business I think of him, he would of chewed this business ass up if he could of. It certainly did a number on him. He never let the fact that he didn't break into the big time stop him from loving it all the same. It's what he did- I lost my dad but I gained my drive back- I'm gonna do whatever it takes in music to survive- to provide for my family and help other bands achieve it. Period- he did it till the end and so will I. I dedicate this record to him, my wife and son and to God for giving me life, love and music. I love who ever is reading this- yep I said it- hope peace surrounds you and love finds you.God blessCPS. go check out the record Tues- I promise you the people who made it will truly appreciate it]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jun 2012 19:20:39 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_32-1338772839</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[CMNO and life]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=31</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Long time no talk, been so busy lately. Lots have happen since I attempted one of these. Sitting at home while the wife is away for a one day work trip. Just put my son to bed. Great day. As for business- I've been up to a lot lately. Working on Call me no one release stuff. Some 7d business- changing management companies for example. That's always an interesting thing to go through. 7d has had a few different managers over the years. One has to ask the question- what's the common denominator WE ARE!!! They all can't be wrong right?? Well maybe it's been a few wrongs on they're end and a few on ours. Nobody's perfect and that certainly applies to bands and music industry folks. We all operate on ego, fear and pride for the most part. But at the end of the day all you can do is surround yourself with a team that has a common goal.I'm so damn excited about the CMNO project. So far the response to the single has been amazing. Morgan and I have been very nervous to the reaction and it's been good. So far anyway, I'm sure there will be the obvious, "THIS AINT AS HEAVY AS 7D" or "Clint can't sing like Lajon" or any assortment of hate or dislike of the project. That's expected. All I do know is that I love what we did. I love the feeling of singing an entire record. Not having to write lyrics and melodies and pass them over to someone else to sing. Feels good to finally get the same amount of time the other singers get to track and pull it off. All though I love writing for other singers I do feel like if I didn't do this I was gonna lose it. It's been healthy for Morgan and myself. People worry about CMNO being a sign of 7d ending. I'll say this, if we weren't able to do this 7d would of been in a lot more trouble. So if you love 7d and want it to continue then be glad we had the chance to do this.I adore 7d and can't wait to do another record. But now it's about CMNO. I also had the pleasure of producing two bands. One called Dead fish handshake and another called Novus dae. It was an amazing experience for sure. Both very different bands. DFH was an EP and Novus was a full record in 10 days. Amazing time on both. It was tough trying to bring something to table with Novus because they were so prepared and had chops for days. Mostly I tried to add small things here and there and trim fat on the tunes. Had a blast though. I really want to pursue producing as career in the future. Maybe fully moving over to that in a few years. It just seems like the natural progression. Need to work on my engineering skills a bit. Over all life is good, I saw a guy in my neighborhood today with arm crutches trying to get across this grassy area and it was very hard for him. He was a bit older, I sat and watched him and it sunk in and was a very clear thought. This guy is tough, he's independent and brave. Where some people would feel sad for him I was happy to see such a huge display of strength. To most it would of been a simple walk, to him it was a battle won. I know that's a lil dramatic but it truly was amazing to see. Each step he took was hard and it seemed as if he would collapse. For some reason I knew that if I asked him if he wanted a hand it wouldn't of been right. He did it. It just made me realize how grateful I should be for something as simple as walking. Running, talking or simply breathing.I love being alive. I love my family and the fact that today I'm sober and have love in my heart. Tomorrow I fly home to see my mom and brother Dustin who is meeting me there. Very excited to see her. I'm also going to see my dad who is in assisted living situation. It's so tough to deal with, but again, I see this as a man fighting a disease of the mind, a man who has a gift to play music and that is the only function he can still pull off with ease. He can't remember things, he can't take care of himself but he can still play guitar. His hands shake from Parkinsons disease but they settle when he holds a guitar. That to me is the most powerful testimony to music in our family's life and history. We all life and die by music. It's in the core of us. It saves us from this worlds hardships and illness. It confirms in my heart that God's gift to me was a true gift and blessing indeed. Not only playing it but admiring others who play until there's not a breath left in them. Well I hope you are at peace in your life. Stay tuned for CMNO details and thanks to any who have supported us as we start to build this thing. Much love and many blessingClint]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:55:35 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_31-1333677335</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Last week of recording]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=30</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Writing this from the plane, gotta love wifi 36k up in the air. Makes sense though if it's based off of satellites. Should actually be easier in theory right? Who knows, that's why I play guitar. Well I thought I'd take a lil time and reflect on these past few weeks of recording and lifebin general. Excuse the typos that are gonna happen. Its a vert turbulent flight and I'm feeling sick typing this.Well the last few weeks have been intense. Basically to give you an idea I'll tell you the typical process of doing a record. Typically for bands theres a few different stages. First is the writing stage. This varies for different bands. Some bands write for the better part of year before entering the studio. Some write while on tour, some have one or two guys that put together a lot of ideas and present them ton the others to learn and get familiar with. Some bands just start rehearsing and write as a band. It can be done a lot of ways. For Sevendust its basically John and I putting together a few musical ideas at home and bring them to rehearsals where we pick the best ones and jam them out. Most the time the best ideasbare done as a whole band. Then lyrics and melodies are written by one or two or even three off us. Then pre pro- which consist of the band entering the studio with a producer or engineer, or both and refining the songs(typically 12 to 20) and picking the right ones for the record. The band enters the tracking phase- which is the frustrating one for me- the hurry up and wait tracking part. Tracking is awesome, waiting to track sucks. The waiting can be blamed on a lot ofnthings,mostly it's lazy producers that don too much editing and job security BS. Some are quick and fast pace. You never know. Then the final stage- the mixing and mastering stage- I like this stage because you finally get to hear the body of work sonically take shape the way you imagine it. Sometimes the mixer hits it out of the park, some times not. A lot of times you hear guys say "we will fix that in the mix" don't believe it. Fix it during the tracking phase, then enhance it during the mix. All though sometimes, very rare, but sometimes they actually fix in the mix. Master the final product and send off to the press. This whole process with all the stages can take anywhere from 3 months to a year.For the Call me no one project it didn't really go down like that. It was a very compact version. First off, Morgan and I only had a small window of oppritunity to make this happen so it wouldn't conflict with 7d. After we got the business stuff together on it we moved into the studio in Butler, NJ on Jan 22. We had only demoed 4 songs and did those in three days. So we had no idea what we were gonna write. On top of that we only had 30 days to write, track and mix this thing. That is very hard to pull off. We have had a great team to help us. An engineer, a bass player/programmer,a drum tech,  some amazing interns and a guy over seeing all the other logistics. We must of wrote 6 songs the first week. A song or two a day.nbasically we d go in, jam on an idea that would either come from Morgans beat or a riff I had, then arrange it, track drums, guitar and bass right after. Then after we piled up a batch of I started writing melodies and lyrics forth ideas slowly everyday. Going in and singing the ideas and refining as we go. Keeping some and throwing out the others. Because of the natural chemistry Morgan and I have, the help of the others, we actually pulled off 13 songs. The direction is pretty wide open. Not like 7d at all. Just a rock record with different flavors. Some moody tracks, some hard songs, some fun songs. Just whatever we felt at the time.On entering this challenge we said a few times- this would be either the stupidest or smartest thing we've ever done. It almost worked out better because we couldn't second guess. We're gonna be competing with bands that have a year to record, three times the budget, A list producers and engineers. But that's ok. If this thing does well it'll be quite a story. If it doesn't then we at least have a record we enjoyed making and created together. I think we've done a great job and have some killer music. That will be for the people to decide.Singing an entire record has been a huge learning experience. I really enjoyed it and feel like I'm a better singer because of it. Even though I didn't get the lead singer treatment and have candles burning, and people feeding me grapes in the vocal booth while someone tells me I'm the best singer on the planet, I had Morgan vocal producing and helping me track with engineer Mike and we did a good job and created some hooks. It blows away any of HDMS stuff i think but it's full electric, zero acoustic. It's just two different vibes. There's some melodic stuff of course. Hell I always gotta be crooning somewhere. Haha.I'm simply grateful for this chance. To finally release a record as a singer, to do what Morgan and I have wanted for a long time. I just visited home and saw my amazing wife and son. Recharged my batteries for the last week. Sobriety has brought me a lot of gifts and this has been one of them. I can't wait for y'all to hear this thing.Much love and respectC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:55:28 -0700</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[CMN1 studio progress]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=29</link>
		<description><![CDATA[In my hotel listening to the progress so far after a few days up here in the middle of Jersey during the worst time of the year to be here weather wise. This makes for good focus in the studio. Before we came up to this spot Morgan and I didn't know what to expect. You never can know till your there. When we did Cold Day Memory we had no idea and come to find out it wasn't ideal but you accept your surroundings and get to work. In this case the team we are working with is a very young, bright and ambitous team who have bent over backwards to give us a very comfortable vibe there. Great team, great engineer, overall amazing. We're about three days in and we have 4 songs musically. Basically we have our man Pooch with us helping Morgan with drum stuff and helping create some good starting points. We have a friend Kurt that's playing the bass parts with as we write to have the full band vibe as we write this. A few very cool interns keeping things smooth. Killer engineer Mike who is ninja fast. My man George over seeing it all. The sound we're coming up with is very different from 7d and that is the objective. That doesn't mean it isn't intense, just different. It's not heavy but it's hard and full of heart. Over the years I've talked with Morgan about different directions that would be cool to do if we ever had the chance to do it and here we are. 7d is finally taking a break long enough to make this a reality. This will come out on the same label that releases the 7d stuff. Actually it's 7bros so it's all in the family. It took a tremendous amount of energy to make it happen, a lot of hoops had to be jumped, a lot of phone calls, choices and red tape. Here we are. This business makes it hard sometimes to simply do what we want to do and that's record music. I personally love being in the studio, especially like this where it's less chefs in the kitchen and we can go any direction without wandering "is this a 7d sounding song" there are no limits. It's very liberating. But I will say it will be good to get in the studio again with 7d when the times right which will probably be in June. I miss my family so bad it's physically painful, especially at night sitting in a hotel. That's when I have time to shut my brain down and think about what's really important. Family. My wife, son, mother, father, brothers, sisters..pup My dad has been in poor health recently but is getting through it. I don't get to see my family and it's tough. But like my brother Corey said, we all love each other and even though we don't get to see each other a lot we all know deep down we are here for one another. My son is growing everyday, giving my wife and I something to smile about daily. That's the magic of a child. I never knew that until he came. But they can pull more than smiles out of you, they can pull stress and sleepless nights as well. But that's part of it and I love it.I really can't wait to get deeper in this record and see it develope. I'm gonna do most of the singing and I tell you, the music is so good it's gonna be a challenge to match the intensity when I step in that vocal booth. HDMS is very chill and it's easy to do those type of songs. I'm also used to singing parts in 7d and when we write Morgan and I sing a lot of ideas that Lajon eventually sings so I'm accustomed to more aggresive vocals but this will be the first time I get to spend this long perfecting vocals, writing and singing a full records worth. But damnit I'm ready. I appreciate the support I've gotten and can't wait for you to hear it. The name Call Me No One is basically a way to say that up till now I've never been the one in the band who people know and I like that. I like being the guy who isn't noticed. To stay humble, not the rockstar attiude. In fact I want to be the anti rock star, the person who sings about the truth, exposing the silliness of it all. To speak about the stuff that relates to the world around us. So to me the name Call me no one say all of that. I'm one of you and you are one of us. No guy in a band should feel above others. They should be happy they're blessed with a gift to play music. Anyways, I'll look into putting up some videos in the near future. For now I hope you have peace in your life and love in your heart. I'm happy to have this chance to step up as a singer and make a record with this team. It's an honor and I'm grateful.God bless ya'llC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:27:19 -0700</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_29-1327555639</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[CALL ME NO ONE]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=28</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DAY ONE TWO- ONE SONG DOWN MUSICALLY. IT SOUNDS SO GOOD. SO DIFFERENT FROM 7D BUT HAS A LOT OF HEART. I FEEL BLESSED TO HAVE THE TEAM WE HAVE. SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT BUT ITS LATE. JUST KNOW THIS- ITS GONNA BE A VERY UP TEMPO-FAST-HARD-MELODIC-PROGRESSIVE ROCK RECORD. IT WILL BE RELEASED ON SAME LABEL THAT 7D RELEASES THROUGH- 7BROS- IT WILL BE OUT IN MAY AND WE WILL DO SHOWS. ITS MORGAN AND MYSELF WITH A PRODUCTION TEAM WHO WE WILL ANNOUNCE DETAILS LATER ABOUT. FOR NOW WE'RE STILL WRITING AND TRACKING AS WE GO. THE SOUND IS STILL BEING FIGURGED OUT. IT FEELS GOOD SO FAR. ILL WRITE MORE AS WE GO. VERY TIRED AND NEED SOME REST. HENCE THE ALL CAPS. LAZY NOW.IVE NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO DO A RECORD EXACTLY HOW I WANTED AND NOW ITS HERE. IM A THANKFUL MAN TONIGHT.GOD BLESSC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:31:06 -0700</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_28-1327383066</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[the holidays]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=27</link>
		<description><![CDATA[We're in Charlotte, NC tonight. Thanksgiving a few days ago. Good times. I flew home on about two hours sleep and ate all the food so I was half witted the whole time at home. My wife and son were the recharge to the ole spiritual batteries. It was well worth the stress of flying, layovers and rude people at the airport. I'd do about anything to be in the presence of those two people. We have two days off tomorrow and the plan is to go to Corey's rehearsal room and get things set up for Morgan, myself and Corey to work up arrangements to 4 songs and track drums for all four in one day and half days. Tall order especially considering the fact that there's on very skeletal ideas for these songs. If we pull that off I'll have scratch guitars and bass over that and will spend the next two weeks listening and writing vocals over the rough mixes and after the tour head straight from the road back to ATL to track guitars, bass and vocals in 3 full days. I think it's gonna work, not sure what the songs will sound like but sometimes I do better under high pressure recordings and deadlines. If all goes well with this and the "the suits" dig it then I'll be going into the studio in January to do a full record. It's gonna be exciting doing a full electric record, it feels good to be able to really go any direction. Writing for 7dust is amazing process but there are certain limits to what the sound can be. A certain formula we use that is very comforting. With this it can turn out a number of different ways. Could be heavy, moody, who knows and that's the beauty.I plan on using different types of amps, guitars to force myself to abandon the typical approaches I use when writing music. It's hard to do when you've written a certain type of music for years and years. The fact is that Morgan and I really like this certain vibe of music that we've always talked about doing but haven't had a chance. With 7d taking a break it will allow us to do this and get it out of our system. It's all about having fun and if I'm gonna give up more time away from family for another musical project then I better damn well enjoy what I'm doing, otherwise what's the point. Oh, money helps. But whether or not we make any on it is up in the air. I grew up in NC so today feels a bit like home. I'll see a few relatives and familiar faces from the past. It baffles me sometimes that we're still doing this. So many people have come and gone, fans, other bands. Some people have passed away, some have loved us, hated us and come in and out. It's typical with a band that's been doing this for 16 years. I truly feel blessed. Morgan got food posiening last night and felt like crap on stage. People don't realize how hard it is to play when your battling that. Sometimes people will see us after the show and we have something like that going on and they think we're being stand offish or rude. We get sick, we have family issues, we miss the house and family like everyone. But we still try to make that extra effort not to project that on to the fans. It's not they're fault and all they wanna do is connect with us and forget about they're own issues. They pay for this and we need to try and suck it up. I'm proud that Morgan got through the show. It's always a badge of honor to get through it instead of canceling. I hate blowing show out. Sometimes it's out of our control.I'm ready for the holidays, I'm so ready to spend time with lil man and wife. My mom and brother are coming up to celebrate a bunch of bdays with us / xmas. I miss my moms. She's gonna really enjoy seeing my son now that he's so all over the place and fun. It's gonna be good times. It's gonna be an interesting year coming up I believe. It will be full of ups and downs, losses and gains. New life, lost life. It's life. I try to stay in today. That's all we can really do. I hope that everyone supports the different projects we all do this year before we get back into 7d mode. Johns doing a project, I think LJs gonna release a solo song or two. I'd be happy to see everyone spread they're creative wings a bit. I think it's healthy and will help us as a band in the long road.Well that's it for today. I tried to get better with my paragraph use this blog. I know I'm challenged a bit in the grammar department to say the least but I'm sharing thoughts with a few of you and you've been very tolerant with me and my crappy spellings, run on sentences etc.. I love ya'll and we appreciate you deeply. If your having a hard time in life right now I'll send you some prayers and I hope it settles down for you. A good friend told me once when i was in rehab and getting my life together, he said at night, when the mind is racing and your overwhelmed with guilt, pain, depression whatever, repeat the words "calm the waters" it helped me so much. It brought down the issues and keep them at bay long enough to rest for the night. Every day we get through teaches us something and prepares us for the next one. It's up to us to pay attention to the lessons and learn from the mistakes. Off to the gym and prepare my old ass for this show tonight. I'm grateful and ready to seek out the blessing all around me.Have a good night- "Calm the waters,  calm the waters"God bless]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:10:01 -0700</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_27-1322331001</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[The cruise]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=26</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Just stepped back on bus from the cruise. We have a 11 hour drive to Pensacola right away but none of us mind too much due to the fact that we have choices for food and aren't rocking back and forth as bad on choppy water. The cruise was a way better experience this year than last. First off my wife was able to come this year. This time last year we were expecting our son and it wasn't safe for her to be on ship that far along. I was a nervous wreck last year because I didn't have cell service 80 percent of trip. To add to the situation she probably envisioned me rocking out on a cruise full of bikini models or a Rock/girls gone wild hybrid screaming "YEAH MAN, PARTY YEAH". Needless to say that was not the vibe at all. Just some big music fans hanging out on a boat. The cruise, let's see, how do I explain? Well for starters the bands, Hell Yeah, Candlebox,Buckcherry, Another Animal, Filter, Queensryche, In this moment and Hinder/others. Good assortment of bands. All playing two shows total at different times and places during the 5 day trip. Basically there's a theater stage that holds 1200 and a deck stage that is the main deck on the ship. Our first show was scheduled at 1am in the theater. We end up going on at 1:45am after we are delayed from Queensryche show before us. Also we haven't played a show in a month and none of the gear worked. Not the best way to start but that's how we do it. It's a cruise line, not trying to save the world or anything. It was loose to say the least. First show ends up being fun and crowd wasn't too bad considering the time we hit the stage. It's such a weird feeling playing on a stage that's moving back and forth from rough seas. Felt like the drinking days minus the drink. I've never been on a cruise before these that we have played now. Real quick overview- Food- the worst. Buffet set up to feed the masses and the food seems to look decent but absent of flavor and normal texture. I think it's all frozen and could date back to the 80s. There's a couple other places to eat but it's basically it's the buffet food organized on a plate as the main entree. You could order free food to your room but I wouldn't serve it to a prisoner. Whatever though, it's par for the course. The ship docked twice in 5 days and we all did different things on land. Over priced mexican, asked 20 times every hour to buy things, to ride this, taste that, do this or that. I don't think it's relaxing when your being hustled constantly. I get someone trying to make money but I don't call that a vacation delaying with that. But it was nice to be with the wife and actually got to meet some very laid backed people. You'd think it could be strange being on a boat that basically has a assortment of bands and fans. To me it's cool because we always hang with our fans and this was just an extended night of one of our typical shows. My issue is never the fans it's the other bands. I get so frustrated watching the egos collide and the "peacocking" that goes on. For the most part everyone was cool Hell yeah guys are very cool and we have history, met a few guys from Filter that were cool. Hinder really tries to keep the "rock n roll" cliche alive. Never walking anywhere out of rock star character. To me that only works when your a rock star. But I'm not any better or worse I just don't carry myself like that and think it's annoying to see people do that. That's they're trip though. Probably nice guys, it's just hard to tell with all the scarves, shades, smirks, bandanas and torn jeans. The second show we play is on the deck and it was way better, way more personal and way more energy. Very big improvement from weather last go around. We only played one show last time. This time things went as plan. There was a guy Alan that organized most of the boat and he was amazing guy. Very personal and very attentive to everyone. It's suppose to be fun and laid back and it was. Some of us did guitar clinics, QnA sessions with set groups. I did one for a very small group. It was me and Steve D from Buckcherry, then Mike Wilton and Parker did the second half. Basically each pair sat on a stage and took a little time playing, demoing what they were asking us to do. It was surreal for me because I grew up listening to Mike Wilton and he was watching me play guitar and talk about riffs etc. He didn't say anything to me or acknowledge me in anyway afterwards even after I praised him on stage. I don't care though, I praised him because he did influence me. It's interesting to me that some can be that reserved to where they don't at least say hello or something. I guess that's how they like to do things. Still love the guy. I have mixed feelings about the cruise experience. As far as relaxing and doing something different from the norm. To be on a boat full of people half of which are there to rock out and the other people that could careless about the Shipped rocked experience, it's weird. After two days you've done everything you can do, eaten what you can eat, drink what you can drink and seen all your gonna see. I'm jaded in that way though.I'm excited about doing this last run for this record and being out with my brothers band Eye Empire. It'll be a good way to finish out the cycle. I'm very excited about the project I'm doing Morgan during this 7d downtime. We're gonna be recording the demos at the end of tour and hopefully record full record in Jan/Feb. Still uncertain of direction. I wrote a bunch of ideas while I was home but the ideas are all different in style. All I know is that the direction won't be defined until him and I start physically jamming these ideas. With him it's very easy to come up with ideas. We talk out alot of possibilities beforehand and he can be very descriptive on what he likes and wants. I know it will be different that 7d. My voice will make it sound different the fact that I'm using a whole different approach to writing, the gear and vibe. I'm using different guitars, tunings and amps. Morgans changing up his set up. The only thing that bugs me is the fact that because I left to do Dark new day with my brother before, people start assuming I'm leaving again. And while we were off some of the other guys in 7d start hearing that Morgan and I are doing this side band and start to think we're jumping ship because of the rumor mill. So some of the trip there was a strange vibe at first toward him and I. We got kicked out of the sandbox for a second. lol. The fact is 7dust is alive and well, for sure our first priority and this project will even be released on 7d bros records. Even after we discussed our project with them and were completely open about it and our intentions the rumors can move in when we aren't together and create tension between us. But we talked about it and explained that 7d is taking a break, we want to do this project before we start writing new 7d. That if this conflicts with 7d at all will will push it away until 7d deadlines are met. The fact is, it's healthy to explore in music, it's good to take breaks from each other. It makes you stronger if it's done openly and honestly. I want to try singing on a full electric project. This maybe be the last chance I get to do it and to do with Morgan will be ideal. I'm gonna put everything I have in it. It's gonna be called something different than HDMS because that is a personal project for me. Morgan and I will pull in a few different people on bass during the record, I'll play some, we'll pull in a guitar player or two to add some different layers but I'll do most of that. I'll sing, Morgan will sing here and there. It's open. We're gonna use a lot of programming but keep the core of it raw and in your face. I want to do things I can't do in 7d so when it's time to go back to 7d I'm missing it and ready to write our best record we've ever done. That's the goal.Missing the hell out of my wife right now. It was our first trip together since having our son. It was hard for her to leave him that long. He's growing so fast, walking everywhere, into everything. He's sweet but all boy. He says DADA and it melts my heart. I'm excited about the future but nervous about the fact that 7d is taking this short break. It's all we know right now. We tour constantly so to not do that will be very different. But I feel like at the end of the day everyone will be able to do projects and other things in life to reenergize for what I call the second coming of 7d. I'll keep you updated on this tour as we go. The blogs are fun for me, to share with you a bit of the grind and the gift we have to play music and tour. All though I'm jaded I am grateful man. I just have to poke fun at this life from time to time to stop from taking it too serious. It's music, it's touring- it's hardly realityGod bless ya'll and see ya next blogC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:19:14 -0700</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_26-1321730354</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[NEW THINGS]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=25</link>
		<description><![CDATA[So the last few weeks I've been at home having fun adjusting to normal life. Being a dad, a husband and basically living life. It's not the easiest thing to walk right in to the dynamic T has set up and not mess up her flow. I really have a new respect for single moms or mothers that do it all while "the man" is at work. Or reversed "the woman" is at work. You get my point. It's a constant job with little to no rest. Our son is a machine. It's a lot of work but the thing I like most about it is that it's near impossible to think of anything else while your on baby duty. I hardly have any grace in this area. I'm spilling stuff, dropping bottles, bumping into stuff and hurting every joint in my body trying to watch after him. He has a gift to find the exact door or cabinet to open with the most unsafe element inside. I've caught up on my baby proofing but he still finds something he shouldn't be into. This is probably a preview for what's to come. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. I love life at home.In 7d land there has been a lot of conference calls about what we're doing next year and when we will start writing for a new record. We've decided that June is when we will start the full band writing sessions for what could in fact be our last record. I personally doubt it but I'm preparing myself for this. Man what a journey it has been. I love what we've done together. The good, bad and stupid There's a lil time off and we all will have to decide what to do with ourselves. I'm very excited about the project I will be doing with Mr. Morgan Rose. At first I was gonna do another hdms record but instead of acoustic I wanted to do electric. After talking with Morgan about some directions and concepts we decided to partner up and do it together. I've always been on the same page with Morgan musically and we tend to work together very easily and stress free. We have always talked about doing a style of music that is totally different from 7d. Simply because we feel a need to branch out. I want to sing in full voice and energy. A lot of times on 7d records him or I will write vocal stuff, sing it and submit it to the guys. Which is always a fun process and a creative exercise of sorts. I wanna give singing a real shot and try to find my voice. For years I've written for other singers and I love it but I wanna a shot at it. If I fail or come up with stuff that noone gets that's fine but I wanna push myself and with Morgan I feel like we can find this niche. I've been writing some rough draft music right now and have been sending it to him. It sounds a bit like NiN meets Foo fighters at the moment. I'm gonna use different guitars and amps to make myself write and play different. We're also probably gonna release this on the 7bros label. So it's still within the 7d family. I feel good about keeping it in house. This efforts gonna be different than HDMS in vibe and songs. So that leads Morg and I to the next question, what do we call it. I think calling it Hello demons..meet skeletons will limit it a bit or possibly have a stigma that this will be the same sort of sound so we will probably call this something different. We're also gonna pull in a bass player and guitar player as well. I wanna have a full sound and driving force on stage when we play. As far as when we track the full length it'll probably be Morgan and myself for the most part. Right now we're slated to track some demos in ATL in Nov and Dec with my brother Corey tracking and helping us with it. Try and nail down 3 or 4 songs to play to the big guys to see if it's worthy. I always struggle with believing in myself as a singer but I'm pushing through the fear of that and I'm gonna belt this out as if my life depends on it. Bob Dylans the worst singer on the planet but found his voice and words to tell his story. I plan on doing that. I'm also gonna bust out the solos on this thing. Well we shall see how it comes out. I really hope people stay open minded to the sound of this. We still don't know how it's gonna sound but I know we're very excited about the possibilities of this and the chance to express a different side of ourselves musically. 7d is fully intact and our first priority but for the next few months keep your eyes and ears out for this new project. I plan on a full daily video update to give people a sneak peek at this. You know I throw it all out there. Mistake?? I don't care, I love you guys. I hope whoever reads this has a bunch of good things in your life going on and if your don't try to find the beauty in life even if it's ugly as hell. I was near death and down and out a few years ago now I have a wife, son, home and some options at the moment to provide for my family. I owe that to God, friends and family and the fellowship. God bless and it's time to get to workC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:29:00 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_25-1320532140</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[End of tour(uproar)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=24</link>
		<description><![CDATA[As I write this I'm surrounded by a bunch of people in the front lounge, some in our camp and few guys I don't know. All kinds of different conversations and stories. I'm trying to block it out and I'm a ninja at that at this point. Last few days we've been in LA on a day off and a one off. Example of how small the music business is, of all the dates and places we could play, we ended up running into my brother Coreys band, and Will and Troy who were all playing or spending a day off. I love spending time with those guys. We arrived in LA and Corey and the Eye Empire guys were staying at same hotel. Corey and the guys have been either a day ahead of us in a city or behind us. We've bearly missed each other but finally we hit the same spot. Really good to see them, all though when we got to LA all I wanted to do was relax in my room and have some alone time. After a long tour, lots of meet and greets, living on a bus full of guys, constantly surrounded by personalities you tend to withdraw a bit. It starts becoming hard for me to stay in touch with family via phone because I simply crave silence and want to refrain from speaking. I find myself staring off in the distance like Bon Jovi does in the wanted dead or alive video Well not quite that corny, mines more of a 1000 yard stare, a blank thoughtless state. Sometimes it feels good to just shut the mind down and relax. As a recovering alcoholic this is a very hard thing to do. My mind is always at work, telling me different things, sometimes telling me I'm nuts and it's right. I am for sure a different person after 6 weeks of touring. I haven't been able to hit a lot of meetings out here. I adore meetings, it's such a great feeling to find these random places with complete strangers and talk about alcoholism, life and what we do daily to stay sober. I have no problem letting people know that I go to AA meetings. For me it has giving me direction, help show me how to live sober through hearing peoples experiences. If I don't attend one for awhile I start living in my head and that for me is a very dangerous place to live. AA has been a huge part of my journey. I meet some incredible people in those meetings and there's humility in seeking out a place, sitting down with strangers and being 1000 percent honest.That's my journey. Ultimately the quest for me is to trust in a God of my understanding, to become a good man. To walk the path God wants me to walk. My conception of God. It's progressive relationship. My mind trys it's best to tell me there is no God, that we are beings that live and die and that is all. My heart tells me there is a God who loves me. That being honest, kind, patient and humble is a natural path and goes in line with the universe. Anyway, I don't wanna use this as soapbox to push anything on anyone, it's just my belief and I'm proud to say I love God and ever since I've been sober and tried to live right my life has turned around in ways I can't believe till this day. The bus is now completely empty, everyone must be enjoying some of the show since it's the last few days. We had a serious band meeting today about our future and discussed some of the past. Some days I feel better after these talsk some days I feel worse. Today I feel a lil down over all but know in my heart we will map out this next year and take the break we need to. This goes back to trust in God for me. I put a lot of the outcome on that. I just know it will work out. I don't live in fear the way I used to. Tension is naturally high when you stick 12 dudes on a bus for weeks. I don't care what kind of band you are. We are waaaaaay past the honey moon phase of our relationship to say the least. But we all respect each other enough to give space and get through the end of this. I love these guys to death. But it's for sure time to shut it down for awhile. And that in deed is the plan. My wife is flying out to meet me in Vegas tomorrow and I'm thrilled. She needs some mama time and we're flying back home together for a 3 and a half week break. Coreys band Eye Empire will be opening for us on the next short run we do to finish the year. I look forward to that. I'm looking forward to fall. My favorite time of year. I'm looking forward to seeing my son walk around. I'm looking forward to writing some full electric HDMS stuff with Morgan Rose on drums. It's gonna be fun to track an EP with his influence and skill. He's for sure a musical soul mate of mine. We think a lot alike about music, groove and melody. Plus he'll help out on some vocals as well. So many things to look forward to overall. New 7d material as well. Gonna be a intense music writing and lots of family time. One last thing, the Uproar has been a good tour for us. We may have stretched this touring cycle for this record out a bit too long but this was for sure a good tour to connect with the die hards, to meet some very cool people during the VIPs, and to show these youngsters how the old dudes throw down. haha. There's a lot of talent out here. I'd like to thank the 3 days grace guys for giving us a shout out from the main stage. Very cool guys. The Avenge7 camp is always very cool to us. I respect the professional level they work on. I have to give it up to them. The show is very cool. They can play period. Not sure if this will be the last blog but it has been fun doing and I appreciate the people who have told me they've checked it out. Means alot. Maybe I can do a last tour for Cold day memory tour blog for the next tour. It'd be cool to give you guys the run down of a typical headline tour. There's always more drama on our own tours so maybe you can get a peak of that via daily blog. I wanna say thank you, I'm grateful tonight, I'm burnt out, I'm happy, I'm frustrated, i'm at peace, I'm annoyed- I'm all of these things wrapped up in a 39 year old half Irish half Native American, father of one beautiful son, husband to the most amazing woman on the planet, son and brother to an amazing family and most of all an old recovering drunk. Life is good and it's gonna get better because I simply believe and my perception controls it all. If I can lock that in on a positive then it's always gonna be ok. God bless ya'll and have a great night.C]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:00:08 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_24-1318564808</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Cali uproar]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=23</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Close to San Diego today. As we expected the weather was perfect. There's a vibe in this part of Cali that is all it's own. Very laid back, interesting and colorful people. We haven't been here in awhile so it was good to know that it still remains the way I remembered. Went for an amazing run through the hills here which is a great way to start the day. I'm beyond burnt out at this point and was in need of a relaxing day even though its the same tour, same people, same everything the place we were made the difference. A few days ago we were in New Mexico and it was freezing, rainy and windy. Despite the harsh elements the crowd there to do business and I was truly moved by the dedication of these people and how they withstood the tempature that day and night. Yesterday I was able to hang with my younger brother Dustin, so good to see him. Amazing sense of humor on him. He is by far the funniest man I know. It stems from a lifetime of inside jokes, possibly our DNA being the same contributes to the fact that he knows exactly what noises and things to say and do that crack me the hell up. I adore my brothers and family. Having him with me a day was similar to getting a visit in prison from a family member, well not that similar but I did feel comforted by his presence and felt grounded on first site of him. Sometimes this life becomes fantasy like and a bit distant from reality. A familiar face can reel you back in instantly. Dustin is the master of this with out even trying. Family is all that matters. 7d is my second family there's no doubt. One day this will be over and I will stay in contact with them the same as my blood family but I will grow old with my brothers and hopefully be able to have a stronger relationship with my half sisters. Touring has made this difficult to form a bond with them. But life still has plans for us I'm sure.My son took his first few baby steps the other day. Ive seen many things in life but nothing comes close to the beauty I see when I see him. To see my wife holding him and guiding him as he make his first move toward independence. To look and see the innocence, the trust and he's dependance on his mother. I want to be there holding my hands out for him, to let him know I would catch him and protect him. No matter what. I feel strong as a father, I possess a hidden strength I didn't know I had. Because in my heart I know I would die before I would allow anyone or anything harm him or my wife for that matter. I'd sacrifice myself a million times over for them and I didn't know what this level of love was before them. The tour is close to over and Ive had a few more conversations with some of the people out here. I feel like I've almost been anti social but not because I don't like people, I just simply feel strange in the crowd and find it easier for me to lay low. I talked to some of the guys from the bands on our stage and really enjoyed getting to know them. Black tides singer, guitar player is a real talent. He's very good guitar player, can shoot some hoops and seems very shy. We don't really talk but from time to time we play basketball and speak without speaking. I feel like I could be his dad, haha. I think he's just now turning into what he will become in music. I like that kid. I get to see my older bro Corey also in a day or so and can't wait. It'll be in LA and he and I will continue where Dust and I left off. 7d has one more tour after this and we will be shutting down the touring side of things for awhile. It's time, we need to miss this, to miss each other and for the fans to miss it. It will be a healthy break and will give us time to construct a lethal record that I predict will recharge our career in the best way possible. I'm excited about doing a full length electric HDMS record and hopefully have an idie label behind it. Its gonna be totally different than previous stuff I've done. Still early but I need to see this through. To fully take on the lead vocal position with a heavier style of music. I don't mean heavy in the traditional sense. But more in your face than the acoustic stuff and heavy in a more inventive way. I pray to God for direction daily and no matter what, if I do the next right thing, stay sober a day at a time I will be able to do anything I set my mind to. I'm thankful and ready to enjoy the down time. I'll probably continue the blog from time to time simply because I like staying connected with the small group that reads this. Much love and see you next blogC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:04:04 -0600</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Day off in New Mexico(hard rock hotel)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=22</link>
		<description><![CDATA[We're in Albuquerque today for a day off. Played Denver yesterday in what would turn out to be one of the best shows on the tour. Well only because we expected it to not turn out so good. Yesterday was the first day both stages played at the same time. I'm guessing that the city had a noise level issue and we weren't able to make noise until later forcing the stages to go head to head. All day the second stage was a very dismal site. They parked the clam shell stage on a street mainly because we needed to use the street light for a lighting rig since the stage didn't come with a light show. All day we were looking out at the crowds for the other bands and it wasn't pretty. But sometimes these things happen and we try and find the humor in it. Cause at the end of the day, nothing is gonna change on our end. We still play the same songs for the same amount of time it's just funner better when there's a crowd to feed off. We get tired of looking at each other so our escape are the faces of the crowd. But right before we played a rush of people came down to our stage and filled the area. We couldn't believe it. They cam out of nowhere. We were playing somewhere in between Seether and 3 days grace. It was totally packed for our show. We were giving a shining example of the 7d fans loyalty and dedication to our band. It was quite moving. It was pretty amazing. The shows are similar to a medication you take for a bipolar disorder. All day we battle with these weird behaviors and disorders we each have. The whining starts happening, the depression from missing home and our personal spaces and comfort zones, the frustrations of brushing your teeth while moving down the road, the smell of man that dominates the air etc.. once we get on stage(take our medicine) we realize what it's all for and how much a small price we pay to deal with those things. Well not small but it's worth it. Once we get done for about an hour we discuss the events we witnessed from the crowd or the hiccups we have with gear or personal playing then the come down. I think every musician deals with this on some level. It's a big part of why so many get hooked on drinking and drugging in this business. It's the feeling you get when your so high from playing and enjoy it so much you try to maintain that level of energy, hence the "AFTERSHOW" party. This is mainly in place so band members can continue the thrill of pleasing an audience and keep receiving praise in one form or another. Now some people don't even know that this is happening. Some are just simply wanting to be social but either way it's an way to keep the night up and the feeling. I've noticed the longer the tour, the longer the after parties . The more need there is to drown out the woes and hardships of the road. And there's some that get in there bunk and read a book and go to sleep. It vaires.Myself, after the show last night and after I met the VIP peeps and hung for a bit, I walked to a close movie theater, got a popcorn and diet coke and watched the movie Drive. I was literally the only one there and that made it a lil cooler. I feel like if you can't be comfortable totally alone then you certainly can't be comfortable with others. I learn a lot about myself when I'm alone. Sometimes too much, too much thinking about life and trying to fix things in my mind and in the world. I have to learn I can't do that. I can only live and let live. I'm sure my wife doesn't mind that I'm such a loner out here. It beats her getting a phone call from me at 2am with fist pumping music in the back ground and girls and guys screaming in the back ground "I WANNA MAKE BAD CHOICES" haha. Or me slurring my words and making no sense. I like to believe that I'm reserving my good times for her and my son. I don't come out here to be festive, I come out here to play. That doesn't mean I don't have fun, I did my share of dumb things but that's not my journey today. Tonight we're at the Hard rock hotel, the rooms are nice and it's a casino but I don't gamble at all so that does me as much good as a baseball bat does for a fish. Still glad for a day off. Gonna go grab dinner and make it an early night. I'd like to thank our fans again for the love and support you give us. When you come to a show, buy a shirt, CD whatever, you really are giving us what we have. You support our families and us with them. You make it possible. I wish I could thank everyone face to face for that.That's it for today,God blessC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:54:25 -0600</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Day off in Boise]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=21</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Sitting here in a hotel room in Boise, ID. Had a day off or what I actually call a half day off where we stop half way between to cities so we don't have to spend the whole day off driving. It also allows the driver to sleep and gets us out of paying what is called an "Overdrive" to the driver. That's when a bus driver has to charge a fee from driving over 500 miles straight. Some are flexible with that and some will charge you if you drive 40 yards past 500 mile mark. Depends on the driver. Speaking of drivers, we've had a TON of them over the years. All types of people with all types of issues. Some we've become very close with and remain close with, some that are no longer with us and some we hope to never see again. I used to bond with drivers in the early days. In my drinking days when everyone would fall asleep I would sit in what is called "The bird dog chair" or co pilot chair and talk(mumble) they're ears off till the early morning. Lucky guys got to here me solve the worlds problems, explain the music business, my personal goals, everyone else's faults and whatever else I could babble about. Out of some of those rants I formed some good friendships. It was good for me because I was able to run my trap and tire myself out and they liked it because it was a form of entertainment I suppose or a way to stay awake. Either way it was a match made in long boring trip heaven. Some of them took on the "bartender philosophy" role and gave me great advice or some not so good advice. The fact is I wouldn't remember much about any of those talks. Probably a good thingToday was good, I got to go for a long run by a river, watched a movie with Morgan and his brother Patrick who I love dearly. He is the hipster in our camp. Very smart, very witty and very aware of his surroundings. He does merch for us and brings a cool vibe with him everywhere he goes. I enjoy my time with him on days off when we hang. It was Lajons bday today and I got to see him for a bit at one of his favorite "off day" spots Fridays. Him and aka Metal mike seek these out or Applebees every chance they get. A few of us lined up at the bar and watched football and baseball, ate food and chilled. The bartender, after taking my order, looked at me and whispered "Are those guys in a band" completely excluding me from the bunch as if I wasn't "band member" looking enough This happens a lot. I guess I just have a normal look to people or don't put off that vibe. No one ever recognizes me anywhere. Even if they do they ask if I've always been in the band or something like that. I think it's kinda funny sometimes. If I walk anywhere with Morgan or Lajon people will stop us, give me the camera and ask me to snap a photo for them. Which I love doing. The guys feel bad for me and try to explain to the people that I'm also in the band which makes me feel embarrassed. Then I feel like they look at me like I'm disappointed they didn't wanna take a pic with me and try to do it, it's an awkward moment to say the least. I almost like being the guy no one knows off stage. They always think I'm a security guard for them which is a role I would happily do and fantasize about. Sometimes I've played the role and told people things like "Ok only one pic with the artist and we have to go people" haha. The fact is I would feel cooler if people perceived me as this ninja security guard that's not real big but must have fighting skills of some kind to have the gig.Anyway it's all good fun. I could careless about people knowing who I am on the street. The true fans know and they always have amazing things to say. I love our fans dearly. Even the ones with no filter or the big favorite "THE CLOSE TALKER"This person is one who after a few drinks has the need to have they're face and mouth inches away from yours while talking. This usually comes with bad breath and a sturdy arm around my neck or back. I don't get that but that's the way some people like to talk to others I guess.Tomorrow we're in Salt lake city. The tour is close to being over, not sure how I feel about it. We've had so many things happen during this tour that I feel almost like the tour is the background to our life instead of our lives based around a tour. We've lost crew members, had some big choices we had to make and planned out our next move as a band. It's been a good tour for us though. Only thing about it that isn't the best is that it's exactly the same everyday for us and we play a short 30 min set. Some days I like that when I'm sore and tired but most days I feel like we're done before we really get started. I guess that's what the headline tours are for. That all being said, I guess the blog will also be coming to an end. I've really enjoyed jotting down some thoughts and giving ya'll a look into our world. I hope I don't come off bad to anyone with these, if I do, sorry. If you can relate then great, that's all I'm trying to do. Remove the smoke and mirrors a bit for you to show you that touring is amazing but it's also not what a lot of people think. At the end of the day we're lucky to do this and when I'm old, deaf and grayer I'll think back to it and smile...or cry one of the other. I'm happy that my son will be able to see me play and hopefully completely pick a different career path haha. If he does choose this I will arm him with the facts, refuse to let him become a stereo typical "rockstar" and hope he become a pioneer instead of a follower. I have so expectations for him already but I can't allow that. I have to allow him to be the man he wants one day. For today, which is all that matters, I will watch him crawl and decide which toy he wants to play with. I can handle that one today...God bless ya'll]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:58:07 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_21-1317700687</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Spokane(uproar)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=20</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Sitting in hotel room with Moragn watching Cardinals Phillys game. Feels good to be able to lay in bed after a show instead of hanging on the bus full of people, some you know, some you don't. Sometimes having to force a conversation with someone that's a complete stranger. Imagine this, sitting in your living room and all the sudden a complete stranger that's not exactly sober, just walks in, grabs a drink and parks it right beside you in your pjs and starts with a bunch of random questions and request. That's basically what happens to me pretty much everyday on tour. The bus is our home, it's our place of rest, sleep, eat and brush our teeth. I've literally brushed my teeth in front of strangers being asked questions with a mouth full of tooth paste and spit. I don't really mind it because I'm used to it but sometimes they have to feel kinda odd about it. The thing is that most people think there's a magic party going on on a bus, that some unbelievable event is going on, straight out of a Motley Crüe video. That may very well be the case on some tour buses but honestly on our bus, it's a bunch of dudes just passing the time by, some drinking some not. Nothing at all special by any means. Sometimes the conversations are the most entertaining things that go on. It's not that glamourus AT ALL. I'm probably the most boring on the bus. The longer I stay sober the more strange I feel in group settings. I love people and enjoy meeting new people but when you have stuff going on in life sometimes it's not really ideal timing to get to know someone. But again, this is what you deal with on tour and it's not to big of an issue. It's about acceptance and adapting. Just because my path is a sober one doesn't mean everyone else is. Most people we meet on the road are blowing off steam, having a much needed break from the grind of they're life so they wanna have fun and I get it. Our music and show is there for people to use to forget the stress of life. So we deal with it, even though some days we want to chill and be  lay back you have to adapt or you go crazy. Some days it's people watching to the 10th degree and you can really entertain yourself. Tonight is the first full day away from home after a long week off. It's a grieving time for me, it takes me 48 to 72 hours to accept the fact that I'm back on the road away from my wife and son. I never fully accept it I just deal with it. Before I met my wife and had my son I could tour forever and almost dread coming off the road. They make it hard to leave. People sometimes take this as me  complaining or being ungrateful and I've heard people in this industry complain about things that are beyond ridiculous and I've done it myself. The fact that I miss my family and hate leaving them is human. It's not easy to not be there with them, growing together, being worried about theyre safety, wanting to protect, wanting to watch life go by together. Life is short, I'm not 25 anymore, when your at this stage of the game you want to cherish the small things, I don't wanna miss a thing. I've had the pleasure and blessing of seeing the world, a lot of cities, sites and people. Played every size event, stage and played with all kinds of bands. For me I'm changing a bit, living in my new skin as a sober man in a business that is generally about partying and that lifestyle, I'm learning everyday how to exsist. The things that used to matter to me now are different. Im out here to do a job now and there's nothing wrong with that. I take what we do as serious as I ever have, maybe a bit more. I'm more eager to write better songs, to play harder than I did when I was younger. That hour or so we play is my favorite part of touring, the social element isn't appealing as it was. I'm not out here to meet girls, drink or whatever the other cliches are. I'm here to play music to the best of my ability, write music, connect with fans and provide for my wife and son. That's the truth of it. I lay my head down every night feeling good about that. If anything I'm doing this solely for the music and fans. No distractions, nothing to take away from the clarity of the experience out here. On thanks for allowing me to vent. Tomorrow we have a day off in Bosie, Idaho. In like it there. Great place to go for a long run, gonna do that and probably hit a movie like always. Maybe I'll work on some music. Depends on the mood. Catch some FaceTime with Tara and Harp. I'm a few weeks away from 4 years sober and turning 40. Wow, I can't believe how that sounds. 40(add reverb) I feel so fortunate to reach 40. Damn I was hard headed to have waited this long to start living. Better late than ever. Hitting the sack soon, hope alls well in your life. Ps forgive the misspelled words, missing words and bad grammar. I'm writing this quick and mentally exhausted also on an iPad and have a very odd cramp forming in my hands typing this with my thumbs. God bless]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:49:46 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_20-1317617386</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Airport(love you)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=19</link>
		<description><![CDATA[So we re back at it and I'm sitting on a layover in Vegas on my way to Spokane. This last week has been amazing, Tara and I had our reception, spent timenwith family. Ate amazing food, sang, danced(which was hilarious) and all around confessed my love again for the woman I love. I know it's mushy but deal with it. A man in love can get down right corny. I guess a curse for me being a musician is that in almost every situation I hear some song in my head that supports whatever is going on. Usually a bad song and usually from the 80s. Anyways, it was a very much needed break. So much had happened I'm not sure where to start. One thing is for sure, things were dealt with and there's no longer a major dark cloud over the bands head. We seem to have escaped yet another dark turn and we are a band with a plan now. This plan may have 7d off of the road for most of 2012 so if you get a chance to hit a show mows the time. We ve realized that the band has basically been on tour straight through our career. Outside of a few short breaks to record we have never really gone away. I think it's time to hit the pause button on touring, concentrate on a solid new 7d record, do the family thing and rediscover our love for what we do and have. Not to mention giving the fans a break. Who knows if we ll be able to pull off that much time off but you gotta have a plan right?I'm in a Vegas airport getting ready to take off. I gotta say I'm a little annoyed with people tonight. The airport to me is a miserable experience. People lose they're manners, they're consideration and everything you buy is jacked up simply because there's nothing you can do about it. It's like the same people who price the stuff you get at a movie theater are lined up with the airport people. It's frustrating. I can buy a magazine, fast food meal and candy bar and put a major dent in a 100. Oh well, like I said, we have no choice. I never get through security without a shake down and when I do get through the person in front of me gets held up. There is no science to avoiding this, it's either gonna suck or suck real bad.But it's the price you pay to do what we do. The full blog starts up tomorrow folks. It's last two weeks so I'm gonna spice it up. I hope life is giving you what your putting into it. I've learned that over the years. Life is what I try and make it. Period. My perception is a powerful thing and when I keep it in the positive even the bad unfair things in life are a tiny bit smaller. Ok I have to shut this off because this iPad has the power to affect this planes take off. Didnt realize thisbthing had that much juice???Another amazing thing about the flying experience.God bless]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:52:07 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_19-1317520327</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hello Cleveland(day off and Uproar)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=18</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Sitting in a hotel in Akron, Ohio, played earlier today on an Uproar show today. Rainy and dismal, not a very big crowd today and not very energetic from the crowd or the band. Some days are just like that. My whole body is hurting. I ran for an hour today in the rain which wore me down but fell down a hill side today walking back from catering. I was trying to find a short cut and cut throw a lil grassy hill and slipped and ate it pretty hard as these guys in a golf cart passed by laughing. In my mind I imagined pulling out a bazooka and firing at them straight out of a Rambo movie. Maybe even throw in one of those "slow motion walking away while the cart explodes"type scenes. I would of laughed too though. It was pretty funny. Yesterday we had a day off and a few of us got hooked up with a suite at the Cleveland Indian baseball game. I had as much interest in this as I would say, to clip a gorillas toe nails But Morgan was able to throw the opening pitch and I figured that was worth the trip. They treated us amazing, we got to walk on the field and meet some very serious players that have done a lot for the sport. I almost feel bad because we would meet them and people would whisper to me "Do you know who that is" and I have no clue. I respect baseball players and what it takes to play at that level. Some of my friends play major league baseball but I don't have a deep interest in a particular team or sport for that matter. I just enjoy watching it from time to time. Growing up with parents that were musicians, it wasn't pushed on us that way. My brothers and I have the build to play sports but didn't have that type of up bringing. Corey was the sports guy out of all of us and had the gift. Damn musical curse. After the game Morgan, me and a couple others scored some passes for the Foo fighters. Now this I was into 100 percent. Lately I've been very jaded with going to shows, when I go I generally lose interest about 4 songs in no matter who it is. I guess the magic of it all has faded and I end up being judgmental and bitter Either I'm saying "this isn't that cool or energetic" or if it is good I say "well if we had that type of production we could do that too" I never wanted to become that guy, the type who sits in the back crossing my arms, judging and player hating. But I have those days. In all honesty I respect anyone who can make it in music. It is not easy and if you have the gift of music and you can get a crowd to get on one page together it is a site to see. Well if anyone was gonna keep me interested it'd be Dave Grohl and crew. They are an amazing american rock n roll band in a day where they're are rare. Show starts and we 're sitting in some chairs not open to public stage right. The production is amazing, it's quiet from where we sit. Dave and the guys throw down. But like always, I start fading after 6 songs and Morgan and I decide to head back to hotel. We were impressed though. It was good to see a band play with raw and genuine power. Great players, great songs and cool lights. No bells and whistles outside of a few special moving lights.It was a long day and time to go to hotel. I'm so excited to go home tomorrow and be with my family. Our reception is Saturday and we have a ton of family and friends flying and driving in. The bands moniter guy/guitar tech Brucie P will be filling in. He's a great guy and has been with us long enough to literally be able to jam with us. He's very excited and I'm thankful to him for helping us out. It's always weird missing shows but this means a lot to my wife and I and the bands been very cool about this. It's gonna be good to have a small break. We're all very burnt out and missing home. As good as the shows can be it's getting harder and harder to deal with the small quarters of a 45 foot tour bus. It's a lot of personalities crammed in a tight space. After a month or so the vibe starts getting tense and with all we have going on right now with the band business it's very stressful. This too shall pass.I love those guys and have no fear that the things we face as a band right now and the people who are making things hard for us will be out of the way shortly and we can focus on this next 7dust record and shutting down the cycle for CDM. We just wanna make a living at this and make good music. Much love and respect-My prayer tonight- THY WILL BE DONEC ]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:28:20 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_18-1316654900</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Chicago(Dismal Uproar)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=17</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Hello Chicago, you gloomy son of a B$^*H. Love this city to death but can't stand the weather. Today is a cold, drizzly, dark and depressing day. The kind of day where you could easily stay in your bunk, only emerging to snack on the worst possible food you can digest. Lazy football Sunday today for 7d. Yesterday we were in Indy and it could possibly be the best Uproar show so far attendance and intensity wise so far. I did not expect this at all. Things are decent as far as the moral and overall vibe out here. People seem to have a good attitude considering some of the external battles the band is facing at the moment. We're coming up on a good week off here soon so it helps a lot. Last night after the show I went to a nearby movie theater that was playing the Mayweather/Ortiz fight. Most the time on the road we can purchase the fight on the tour bus but the company we're using now is not capable of making this happen. Anyway, I go over and I wasn't sure what to expect. I sat alone at first then the one guy on the tour that rubs me wrong daily, has a very arrogant nature to him walks in solo as well and finds a seat right next to me. He's a drummer for a bad I know little about on the tour but attempts to make conversation due to the fact that we're literally rubbing elbows. It's funny how God does things kinda things, puts people in your life to test you, to see how you respond. To see if you can be patient and tolerant of others the way you'd would like to be treated. Well the guy doesn't do much to sway my opinion of him in the first few exchanges. He does the "I haven't really heard much of you guys and I haven't seen you guys yet" thing condescending people do out here. I respond "we're new band from Atlanta Georgia, we won a contest to be on the tour" it's funnier for me to play along with people like this and not meet them with arrogance and spell out our bands bio on him to qualify and register on his "cool enough to talk to meter". We gravitate toward the subject of boxing and that is common ground enough for us both to maintain a decent conversation that isn't too awkward. Morgan text me 30 mins before fight and comes over to watch with me. He by far is the person you want to watch a sporting event with in this band. He's a fanatic and knows everything about pretty much every sport and has zero issue yelling this info at the top of his lungs. Fun to be around if your on his side, not so much if your against him. He comes into the situation knowing my uneasiness with my new friend beside me and pulls out the older bro protection mode and sends out defensive jabs to him for me to enjoy. The fight goes on and we all become friendly and have some laughs. The fight ends very controversial, Ortiz with a vicious head bunt and Mayweather follows up with a hook and straight right in the middle of a friendly hug out. It will be debated for the rest of boxing history as to who was at fault and who was at fault. I lost 50 bucks on the fight so it is what it is. We go back to bus and hit the sack. Today should be a good show in Chicago despite the rain and vibe. We always respect this city and consider it to be another home for this band. I'm so in need of seeing my wife and son, doing our routines in life, watching him grow and learn. It's THE most important thing in my life. Any battles we face within the music business I fight for them. I refuse to not provide for my family, I will not fail at this. So when someone threatens that I get very short fused and combative. I guess like most fathers do. The one thing I do is pray for guidance and direction on what to do and how to treat people. Some days I fell like invisible training wheels are connected to my mouth and legs guiding me with words to say and where to go. Some days I feel like I'm the only captain to my ship. I prefer when I'm living in Gods will, I know that's better for me than mine. I still have days that I question my belief and I debate certain things about the bible but that doesn't do me any good. My relationship with God is progressing everyday. I feel comfort in speaking with God, asking for help, praying for solutions, asking for forgiveness for myself and others. And if when I die there isn't a God to meet me, no pearly gates then the worst will be that I will have lived my life being a person who loves others and tried to be better daily. That in itself tells me God is real. I personally believe God is bigger and more complex that our minds can take. So I remain open minded to how God reveals his/herself to me Hope you have a great day and see ya soon.C]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:49:18 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_17-1316375358</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Back on Uproar in Pittsburg]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=16</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Had a day off yesterday. Today we played Pittsburg and have joined back with Uproar. Todays show was good and actually feels good to be back to the Uproar routine. Sometimes you get comfortable with a set routine and it provides a comfort of some kind. Stability. When we play on tours like this it's not a pressure for us to pull all the people. When you headline a tour the weight of the tour is on you. The ticket sells reflect your value to the touring market and can really affect our moral. We still till this day we ask what the presale of every show. Presale are tickets sold in advance for the show. Then the next question is "how's the walk up gonna be" meaning people that wait until arrival to purchase tickets. When someone says "it's gonna be a good walk up, it usually means that ticket sales are low and it's the sugarcoated version and they really mean to say "we haven't sold many and we're crossing fingers it sells more". But we do ok and to still have people come to our shows after all these years is amazing. I've been in a major funk the last few days. Had to make some internal changes and it's been tough switching over. Also have made some big changes that are still in being played out and it has everyone on edge. I really wish this band could just go out, play shows, make music for our fans and take care of our families. It's crazy to me that it has to be turned into such a rat race and cut throat business. But it's not all bad and we do have the chance to work with some very giving, intelligent and kind people. It feels good to be in business with people you trust. But I can count those people on one hand. Maybe two digits of the other I went to the movies yesterday and saw the movie Warrior. I wasn't sure what to expect but I ended up crying like a baby 3 times in the movie. It was pretty inspiring to me. I love to get lost in a movie, not to mention popcorn, diet cokes and MnMs. I eat clean a lot of times but on days off I throw down on some sweets.I've been running a lot and not taking breaks so my body is wearing down. I truly have an issue with running. I'm addicted to it. Guess it's not the worst thing to be addicted to.My wife and I are getting close to reception day and I'm getting very excited about it. I have a few surprises for her and I'm happy about telling her again I wanna spend forever with her. I tell her that daily anyway but this is different, around family and friends and our son Harp. He's gonna be involved up until he gets too fussy. He will let us know when that is Overall it's gonna be amazing. My dad and brother Dustin will be meeting my son for the first time. He'll also be meeting my baby sis Lydia. My dad's lil girl. My mom has already been up for a few visits so she gets to sit this out I'm making her come up for his 1st bday though.I'm excited also for my man Bruce who works for us, he's gonna fill in for me and he's got the tunes down. He really looks excited to do this so if you go to the shows I miss give him some love. The night time is the hardest time for me on the road. It's the time where I start thinking about life, about the future and the past. I try my best to stay in present and for me as a recovering alcoholic I need to stay in present. It's dangerous for me to dwell on past or future. I can't do anything about the past, the things I've done wrong, the people I have harmed. The future is only speculation, I can't predict what people will do, what will happen. I can only do the things today that set me up for good things tomorrow. I feel blessed to be alive. I need to get more into my prayer. It helps me so much to start my day off on my knees. It fills good to be down and humble. To know I am not in control and it;s ok not to be. I fall short a lot of days and battle daily to not walk toward the negative, to speak good about others, to be forgiving and tolerant. It's not easy out here. It's hard to not become selfish and self absorbed. Ok well I'm gonna hit the sack. Thanks for checking todays blog or whatever you call it. I had someone ask me in an interview if I believed I was possibly giving too much away with these. Taking the mystery out. I guess my answer is, maybe I am taking the mystery out a bit, maybe it's good to hide some things, but I personally believe it's good to reveal the mysterys sometimes, because honestly it's not that interesting I'm a regular person with normal issues like everyone, and the people out here that believe that they're special are clueless and will have a hard time dealing with life once the dog and pony show is over. Cuz let's face it, it doesn't last forever. I choose to be thankful while I'm on the ride and not take it for granted or feel entitled. I love my family, friends and love God. If you don't believe in God that's your journey. I simply believe. It feels better than no hope or no belief and I've been there as well. Love ya'll and see ya soonC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 21:34:55 -0600</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Headline(Crazy Donkey, Starland)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=15</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Soooo, I missed a few days on the blog. Today we're playing the Starland ballroom, one of our favorite spots, trouble is we're going against the BIG 4(Metallica, Megadeth, Slater and Anthrax) who are setting up shop not too far from here. Honestly not a good plan for us but we here the shows selling well still so it should be good. Yesterday was one of those days that we have where if it can go wrong it goes haywire. Started out of the bed with a bad attitude and God must of been testing me because there was plenty of events that happen to push the tolerance meter to the peak.For starters we play this place called "the crazy donkey" nothing wrong with that, an odd name for a club in Long Island, I thought that'd be down south or near Mexico or something. The place was small and kinda beat up but we are no strangers to places like this. We actually embrace those places because we know at the end of the day it turns out to be a good show. It's interesting to me to look at the bands that are also on the schedule to play. Some were Cinderella, band like that that seem to be on the end of the career type bands. I have to ask myself if we fit into that profile but the positive side of me says "no were just filling in dates on the Uproar" which is true. But I guess if we only played place like "The Crazy Donkey" life still wouldn't be so bad.Yesterday also had an assortment of family issues mixed in with a few employee changes. Sometimes out here things don't work out with certain crew guys and your forced to make immediate changes that can be VERY stressful. We have also become used to these events unfortunately but they always work out for the best. The weird thing is when you know the person is going home and you have to exist in the same bus for a day or so. It's slightly awkward to say the least but if you keep your Pro hat on you can weather it until the new blood comes in. That's always a very first few days, a totally new person coming into the 7d dynamic. It generally starts the same every time. We get the perfect version of the person at forst, they say what we wanna hear, do what they think we want them to do, after a week or so the rep for the person leaves and the real guy shows up with all of their oddities and strange behaviors. We're all a bit strange out here, only thing is we have become comfortable around our individual quirks. Tonight should be a good show and we have a day off tomorrow. This always makes for a better vibe on the bus. I feel like I'm starting to get a little anti social and I don't like it. It's easier to have fun out here when you don't isolate but here lately I feel like it's better to make myself scarce instead of spreading any negative energy. I think if I had to live with me out here I'd be happy when I left for awhile, if that makes sense. I have learned that sometimes when your personality is strong it's better served in small doses. If I wake up feeling very pro active, it's not always a good idea to flaunt that around, everyones different on any given day. Some days people like to be lazy or grumpy and I can relate to those days too. Looking forward to playing tonight and being a little more social but that can change by the hour. I guess what I'm saying is I'm feeling good and I'm not setting expectations. Just wanna get past this crew member change and finish out the Upraor tour, go home and enjoy the reception my wife and I are having and get to work on new 7d music. God bless ya'll and see you soonC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:49:40 -0600</pubDate>
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		<title><![CDATA[Hartford(uproar)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=14</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Just got settled into hotel. Day off tomorrow. Those three words sound amazing to each one of us out here. This means privacy, normalcy, proper showers and basically not having to smell 10 other dudes. Personally for me it means a break from constant cleaning. Today was good though. Started day with another run, today was opposite of yesterday. I ran through downtown Hartford. Instead of dogs being my concern it was the shady areas I was running through. I recently shaved my head for the summer but in some places that type of hairdo can be considered a bit offense. Tatts don't help either. So I don't run too deep into neighborhoods that wouldn't take kindly to my presence. It was pretty much a ghost town in the city on a Sunday morning which makes me feel like I'm in some kind of "end of time" zombie movie. Today was football Sunday and we do a football pool. We each put in 10 bucks, pick our teams and it makes it way more interesting to keep up with all the games. Of course I didn't win but it's not over yet. Those kinda things help pass the days. Worked out in what we call "the yard" since there isn't gym access most days. Overall a good day. I spoke with my mom this morning and I tell you our Sunday talks are pretty Epic. She makes me feel so at ease and our conversations are about life, love, God and family. She's been the anchor in my life and it feels so good to hear her voice, her laugh and take in her wisdom. Show was nuts as always. Today was extra special because of the Sept 11 element. This country is amazing, all though things can improve ALOT we as a country have amazing freedoms and chances in this life that we would not have without our strength as a nation. I don't get political and choose to spend my lifetime cleaning my side of the street but I do feel like I'm blessed to live here. We could all do small things within ourself that could improve this country. I can only control me though. Anyways, a lot of USA spirit. Before the show someone played "America" from the team america movie. That sound is so amazingly funny to me. It was even funnier to see random people that were setting up the events of the day mouthing the words and pumping the fist at the "F&^K YEAH" part. Just priceless but at the end of the day basically calls out Americans as over the top Action movie lovers. Which I think is funny on some level.Show was great, crowd was great. Did our meet and greet after, did the VIP experience. The event of the day was a friend of ours brought a giant pile of Lobsters and corn on cob to steam after the show. I ate a ton of them. Four lobsters, hamburger and hotdog. It was amazing and I wanna thank our buddy for bring them down. This area has always treated us so good over the years and we love you. I'm so ready to have a bit of alone time, navigating a lot of different personalities is exhausting day in and day out. All the awkward conversations, some easier than others. Sometimes it's hard for me to have someone say that they love the show and think so much about us. It kinda makes me feel strange in some ways because I don't feel comfortable taking compliments well the older I get. They feel so good to hear but I never exactly know what to say. I don't wanna say to little and come off unappreciative but don't wanna say too much and seem like I totally agree either. haha. I just say thank you and keep my head down. The ole "aww shucks" thing. I just feel like a dork and don't see what we do as being so impressive but that's because we're on the inside. When I wasn't in 7dust I had the chance to see it from the outside and it is something special. I got to see the perception of the band and intensity and it made me miserable because it made me miss the band a lot. The whole time I was gone I was still obsessed with the band. Always checked in to see what they were doing, I became a 7d stalker of sorts. Drove myself crazy at times. But now being back it makes me appreciate them and the fans so much more.Tomorrow we have off here in Hartford, not sure what I'll do. More than likely a movie, writing and TV. Skyping with my beautiful wife and child. I'm gonna try and put myself in a position to help another person tomorrow if I can. That's part of what I can do to make this country better and help improve on myself. For now I'm gonna take a shower, call Tara and hit the sack. I apologize for bad grammer and I know I'm not a great blogger but I do love sharing this with the small group who likes to check in with it. It helps document this tour and will help me remember the exact things I loved and didn't love about it. I hope all is well with you and I'll see you next blog.God blessC]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:16:05 -0600</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">fus_14-1315790165</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Buffalo(uproar)]]></title>
		<link>http://www.eyeempire.com/news.php?fn_mode=fullnews&amp;fn_id=13</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Sitting on the bus watching tennis and collage football, neither of the sports I'm too interested in but I watch because majority rules in 7d land. That's one of the unwritten rules of the road. If I attempted to turn the channel off of either of these I'd be beaten in a "gang jump in" type manner. Show was incredible today, crowd again was amazing. It's groundhog day pretty much but stuck on a cool day with great weather. I took a run this morning on a country road. I've been to these places before and I'm starting to remember places by the runs I take. Had a near dog attack today. On the country roads people aren't used to musicians jogging down the roads in the middle of nowhere and don't really keep they're K9s locked down. So it's always a nervous feeling hoping I don't run by Mike Vics cuzins house to a pack of free running, highly trained menacing pitbulls. Today it was a dog  with owner but he was buried into hood fixing an engine. The dog stared at me probably wanting his owner to give the green light to attack. I stared at dog thinking of howI'd defend myself, plan was to take tee shirt off wrap around my hand and let him bite on that until the owner got invovled.Anyway, all was well. I love running on those roads, I speak to God on those runs and because of the surroundings and the open sky I believe God hears me better. It feels good to me and it helps my day start better. Most days my mind wants to go to negative places, selfish places and angry places. I rehearse arguments in my head with people, moving my mouth saying the closing statemenst that make me the winner of the debate. haha. Of course life doesn't work out that well but in my head I win every debate and I hear sincere apologizes from my enemy.I did a good interview today, they asked good thought out questions and avoided the painful over asked questions like " where'd you come up with the name 7d" or the new old one "whats it like being back in band". I don't mind that question, I just tell a different view point each time to keep it interesting for me. At the end of the day it feels good that people are interested. The event of the day is that we received mainstage passes so we could watch mainstage acts side stage without being hassled. Funny thing is we got them but everyones still hanging near the bus. We're used to staying around this area now, plus it's a hike over there and we're getting old. After our shows we cool down and start feeling the pains of the stage, necks, backs and legs are maxed out. The beauty of aging on the road. Our future is good we believe but some recent developments have us curious as to what will play out for us. Over the years we've dealt with all kinds of issues, battles and turmoil so we've become accustomed to it. It's almost weird for us if things are good. Lajon really worked the crowd today, he's a natural. He really gets emotional when he tells the crowd "It's hard to leave home but when ya'll give us love like this it makes it worth it" He says something like that and I look over and he's teary. It moves me still. We're a bunch of dorks, country boys and simple people. We still don't believe we do this for a living. We 're just at a place where we miss our families and our life at home more now that we're older. We never want to complain but it is hard to leave home no matter how great it can be doing this. I think our goal will be to start touring less and less and make the shows we do special. Our 7d fanbase is family as well and we'd miss ya'll too much if we completely left. But life is about balance.Today I'm happy to be sober, happy to have a job and happy to be married to a wonderful woman with an amazing son. I escaped insanity but I am not immune to it, I have to work daily on staying on track to stay sober. I don't want people to think I think drinking is bad but for me personally it became a living nightmare and through being sober I've reconnected with God, family and friends in a deep REAL way. I simply won't trade that. But if your the type who can drink and have fun and stop when you need to, my hats off to you and I hope you have a blast. We love you guys and I hope you have a great weekend.God blessC ]]></description>
		<author>clintlowery9@gmail.com (Clint)</author>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:26:41 -0600</pubDate>
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