I would definitely write to the kid that I was before, to embrace the moment. I think that often times when you're coming of age or growing up you look forward and you work really hard instead of sitting back and relaxing and enjoying the moment.
Anytime I need any type of strength, the relationships that I have had with my closest friends for the majority of my life, is my home.
I would describe our band "Paper Walls' growth as the natural evolution for anyone the age of 25 to 27, but with "Paper Walls' we focused on the best of what Yellowcard had to offer from our previous work. Meaning we took the energy we had from Ocean Avenue and blended that with that sharp rock edge and all the different sonic evolutions we have on "Lights and Sounds', and we basically mashed them together. So what we have on "Paper Walls' is basically the finest Yellowcard sounds we have to offer.
I understand that everyone around the world has the global economy crisis and the budgets on education are being cut and the first thing to go are the musical or arts programs and I definitely have to disagree with that.
I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful support system and I think in those low moments, I could never thank them enough.
There have been so many moments in our young life and our young career, but looking back it would have been great to share some of those with my family members, or have not worked so hard, I would always just be working during some of the fun times.
I don't know where the money would come from, I don't have that answer, but I've been wanting to do something for music education for a long time as it's a big part of not only our band but my whole life.
My Mom played violin and piano when she was growing up and she insisted, and I don't know if you can imagine how uncool it is to play the violin when you're eight and ten years old, but I told my Mom that I would quit every day until I went to high school and I met these other gentlemen who would become Yellowcard, and my friends, and I really fell in love with music and it wasn't just classical music, just submerged in the arts in the school I was in.
Music education is very important. I think that for me growing up, I was disciplined very hard at home.
When I was fifteen or eighteen, I never even imagined I would be in a band, let alone being able to travel to places like Australia and New Zealand.
I want to go to New Zealand so bad! I have amazing memories of being in that country, of jumping off of a building in Auckland and having so much fun.
