"So Alive"

The foggy white van we call our second home pulls our instruments from a trailer driving through the darkness trail blazing our way up Northern California. The highways become the hand on a clock and the scenery is the only entertainment available. You fall asleep in your row and thank God you can lay your head down for a few hours. You revisit some of the same truck stops, you see some progress in change, or you just read through pages to get on with it. How do you live life when all you could do at times is watch it? I struggled to find that hunger or vision that my eyes stare at out the window that keeps my mind sane in silence. It's been about four years since our debut at Joshuafest in Plymouth, Ca and it's our first stop on the Live Love Guatemala Tour.

When you play music and travel you always seem to end up playing with many of the same bands, meeting the same people, crew etc. Something that chaps me badly is passing people by without a hello or people you consistently see who you never conversate with. I like to notice people and I guess it's important for people to notice those you seem to see quite often. We may very well never be in this state, city, or place ever again. Somethings in life only happen once and I know our days are counted.

As time goes on you seem to realize that you aren't neccesarily where you use to be years ago playing at 9am in the morning at these festivals just to get on the bill anymore. I'm reminded of a band called "Last Tuesday" announcing our set on their prime set-time for us. I remember how much that meant to us and we were grateful to share the love for our friends in All Day Drive and Wintzend during our set this year.

We are indepted to fight the resistance, but also lend the hand that was also given to us.

We opened the set with "All That I've Got". We weren't going to use any gimics or tricks everyone else was using these days. Just four guys playing everything that was coming through the speakers. No tracks, intro's, or usual band pretense ideas. We'd set out to play our songs right where the came from, the heart. Ofcourse you forget a few parts or hits, but it's just like learning to laugh for the first time, it comes so natural. The crowds kept coming as we hit "Time To Live Again" and the rain just started to pour down like confetti at a party. I can't remember the last time I have ever felt so alive in my life like I did that day. It's like possibly falling in love for a few split seconds. It's then that you know you are home and that this body is only just a tool to express it's voice.

Our mouths breathed out cold air, our bodies rising with steam, and our faces washed with graceful precipitation from the heavens. The smiles were evident across our eyes with one another in enlightenment.

We were like kids... we were playing in the rain.

-Mani