As Cruel As School Children Turns 17

In 2004 I set forth on a mission that would change my life and the world forever. Myself, Matt, Ryan and Travis signed our lives away and became the official band/business Gym Class Heroes. Within the next year Ryan left and Eric joined as a touring member, completing the band that is known worldwide as Gym Class Heroes (Tyler, Tim, De Jesus and the real OG crew, Steve, Seth, Whit, and Patrick you know we couldn’t have done it all without you). The craziest part about that whole truth, for me, is just a few months prior to receiving that offer I was personally experiencing the deepest and darkest depression of my entire life. During that dark time period the driving force in my life was writing and recording my EP (The Midnight Society) and working on a plan to get my music out into the world and to connect with as many people as possible! I watched SO many episodes of Behind The Music haha... many years before we filmed our own GCH episode.  I looked at those music artists I admired as my peers, so to speak... I could deeply feel that the world of music was where I belonged. I guess, the universe decided that I was right, because that's exactly where I ended up!  And to top it off, "Cupid's Chokehold" was literally the first song we wrote together as a band. ( PS: Shout out to Sie One for digging out that great album on that epic 1st day. And thank you to Roger Hodgson for being such a stand up guy. You know why... )

Then, for many years going forward I dedicated my life to touring, writing, recording and connecting with everyone who believed in our vision.  I always looked at GCH as a vehicle for unity, especially in our country. Then as the years progressed I saw our music bring so many people together from all walks of life. Our concerts, meet and greets, even road trips that our fans took to meet and connect with one another in real life.  I could see the immense impact our music was having on the planet in ways I couldn't possibly fit into a social media post. That all said, I honestly never fathomed that there would literally be people walking around with my lyrics or handwriting tattooed on them forever, not to mention loving my family so completely. 

And yes, just like anything in life that is worth fighting for, there were definitely major challenges with GCH along the way. But all in all the journey was blessed and truly humbling... which is a good thing, despite what some may think. I am personally blessed to have supportive people in my day to day life; of course Bluejay, my siblings and parents, and also my real friends growing up... And I've made a lot of newer friends along the way. So many musicians have to choose between their day to day lives and the music business, but fortunately I was, again, blessed with a close support system that has never made me choose between my Dreams.

However, in February of 2019, my path with GCH was brought to an unexpected moral and financial impasse, not of my or my family's choice. So now it is safe to say that the future of GCH performing and writing new music together is uncertain to say the least. But it still brings me great joy to see that our music continues to affect people on a daily basis... How in this world is our music still managing to go viral after all this time?? Maybe it was that Original new friend request?!

Meanwhile, throughout the last several years I've released and collaborated on many musical projects... Everything from emo to hip hop. I love it all. My biggest issue with sharing more music with the world and other creative endeavors is, to put it bluntly, I am just not a business person. Meaning, my life does not revolve around money or the power trips that come with it... Which, in the music industry, can be a very tough lesson to learn. If I knew then what I know now, it would be a whole different game... Luckily I've had people who support me and have taught me a lot about the business side of it over the last decade. And, yes, I have met a few really good people as well in the industry, but unfortunately some of them were casualties too. However, now we live in a new world and we don't "need" the industry. 

So, on to the main point of this post. Starting in 2023 I'm gonna be sharing something new with all of you and I want to welcome you and tell you that I appreciate the love and light in all ways. And I promise you, this next journey is going to be... Electric.