RELEASE OF FIRST SINGLE “UNDER THE FIRMAMENT”

If you intend to read this, I suggest you get comfy and find some free time in your busy life. This is going to take a bit longer to absorb then today’s six second videos. If you do read this, I already thank you. You’re probably one of my closer, more valuable friends. I want this story to give you better insight into why I’m pursuing a career in the music industry, which can seem kind of insane. I hope my story encourages you to remain resilient when facing your own struggles and fears.

A little over 4 years ago on January 1st, 2011, right in the middle of my six-year military enlistment, I made a promise to myself to pursue my passion. For the first time in my life, I truly believed in myself. No matter the cost, I would find a way. I had been unhappy with my life. Yeah, I had a respectable career, but it came with an insane amount of structure. I hated my job, always being told what to do, where to be. I hated not being allowed to be myself. The military was absolutely smothering my creative half and poisoning my spirit. I realize that up until that pivotal point, I had never really believed in myself. I had stumbled into a career that I didn’t have passion for. I was playing it safe without taking any real risks. I know now the reason I was unhappy was because I had been too afraid of committing to my passion.

What a simple change of thought right? Just believe and ceased listening to all of the negativity in the world that discouraged my wellbeing. I had embarked on a journey requiring a complete recalibration of my thought process. I needed to teach myself new ways to deal with my self-image. How do I get over all my fears and insecurities? How do I start taking action and DO instead of dream? How in the world do I make a career change from a military cop to a freakin' musician!? I was searching for my nirvana.

It’s certainly not an overnight change. I still struggle with my fears today, which is partially why I’m writing this. Believe it or not, I have a fear of writing and I usually dread it. Getting to the point where I started to believe in myself required revisiting my conscious at the end of everyday and asking myself, “Am I doing what I want to do” and if not, “what do I need to do to start doing exactly what I want?”

So all of this reflecting got me to practice harder at my craft. I began identifying my fears and looking them directly in the face! I was driven to extreme lengths of sleepless nights when I would practice the same measure or line over and over again until it was perfect—and still continued practicing. For most of my life I’ve been TERRIFIED of the spot light. I couldn’t bare the thought of wasting an audiences’ time. I could only imagine the daunting atmosphere of judgment, making a mistake or singing out of key, shaming my way off the stage in embarrassment. But all of those fears were internal. The same insecurities that prevented me from taking any risks.

Once I started to believe in myself, I would cross my fingers, get on stage and put forth my best effort. I kept my expectations low and to my surprise I didn’t die of embarrassment. I began to realize that open mic nights were essentially a training ground for facing my fear of the stage. I could sound average, and no one really cared. People weren’t expecting a prodigy—they just wanted to listen to something creative (or they were too drunk to notice my mistakes). I was addicted to this new experience. I could express my strongest emotions through music and make a real connection with a complete stranger.

As my confidence on stage improved, so did my music. Because I had an audience to express to, I gained motivation to learn and write new material. I believe people turn to music and to the arts, to make sense of their thoughts and emotions, which in turn inspires new creative ideas. I don’t write music and go on stage to get praise. I go on to keep re-discovering myself. I go on to find the pieces of myself that have gone missing. On stage, I sing aloud the experiences of my life to connect with people and to grow past such impediments as religious brainwash and the deep scars left by ex-lovers’.

Ultimately, changing my thought process on how to live my life has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Despite all the odds, for the first time in my life I’m actually doing exactly what I want to do and it feels wonderful. I found a great school that aligns with my passion and I’ve made friends with some of the smartest and most creative people I’ve ever known. As some of you may already know, I’m soon releasing my first independent single for digital download. It’s the first song that has finally come to fruition—a work of passion that speaks from my place of truth.

But I can’t take all of the credit. Nothing truly great can be accomplished alone. If it weren’t for the friendships I’ve made, none of this would have been possible. First and foremost, I thank my mom for always supporting me and encouraging me. Mom, you are a true artist, and if you didn’t pay for all those piano lessons when I was a child, I don’t think any of this would have been possible. Secondly, I want to thank my best friend and brilliant writer, Stewart Spears. You helped catapult my music to a much higher caliber and you encourage me every time I begin to doubt myself, a friend like you is hard to come by (and thanks for being my editor!). Shelby Bennett, your music recommendations have been invaluable and your eye for film and photography is impeccable. Thank you for being an awesome friend and roommate! Billy Knauft, you’ve provided the equipment, the skills, and the known how to get these recordings to where they’re at today. Everyday with you is a new lesson. You really are a genius and I want to continue our partnership well into the future. Alex Martinez, you’re an amazing drummer and a kick-ass friend. I hope we continue to collaborate when we move to LA! Kayla Correa, your voice is beautiful, your music is real and your talent will take you to great places. Collaborations with you have forced me to grow as a musician. Hailee Fritz, you're a freak’n encyclopedia when it comes to music and you’ve instilled in me a higher level of passion for the craft. I value our friendship, our collaborations, our wonderful conversations, and I’m sure you will be famous someday. I also want to thank Jahir Jimenez, Josh Adkisson, Jesse Krzywicki, Vinicius Barra, Alessandro Marquez, Nelson Beltran and Blake Goransson. Thank you so much for sharing your talents and helping me get this music out! You’re contributions—no matter how large or small—are not over looked and I really do appreciate all of you! To the rest of my family and supporters of my music, thank you for believing in me. I cannot emphasize enough how precious your encouragement has been. You are all the reason I continue on this path and your support is invaluable.

If you’ve made it this far, to the end of my story, I hope I’ve helped shed some light on how important this up-and-coming release is to me. I can’t do this alone and I really need your help. Please, if you believe in me and want to see my music heard by a wider audience, share it with your friends and tell them about it. Buying the song will only be an option—I’ll have it available for free streaming as well. Word of mouth is the most powerful ways to gain a new listener. Your support will help me to continue facing my fears and live my passion.

"Under The Firmament" releasing March 1st on #itunes #spotify #amazonmp3 #shazam #xboxmusic #iheartradio #googlemusicstore #simfy #rdio #greatindiemusic #rhapsody #youtube and many more.