Hello everyone...it's nice to see you...it's beeeen a looong tiiiime!

Sorry for taking so long to write something. What an exciting time it has been though. Since my last entry:

-my truck broke the 100,000 mile mark
-we now have a single on the Texas Music Chart (#16 as of this posting)
-the Bears are now 5-3 with a killer defense and looking to win their division
-we have sweet new merch (trucker hats, stickers, shirts)
-the holidays, my favorite time of year, are much closer.
-Kita is now a lawyer

George's was a hoot last weekend. It was great to see everybody out, and I got to stick around for the night...always a good time. We also got to do a show with Brandon Rhyder the night before in Houston. He was great, I highly recommend he and his band.

We have some private shows coming up in the next few weeks as well as some visits to new places, check the calendar.

It is an exciting time in the life of this band. I've never been able to refer someone to anything but my own website to offer validation for what it is we do. It is nice to say, check out the Texas Music Chart, we're on it. That also has yeilded an unforseen amount of pressure on me, I want so badly to be able to convert the radio success into more gigs, maybe some management/booking help. Figuring out how to make that conversion has led to some sleepless nights. I feel as though we are sit poised to really make a nice move forward riding on the success of Mama (and I must say Thank You so much for supporting that song!) it's the figuring out just how to do it that I'm working on, with success I might add.

Kris said it best the other day, and I agreed. If you go to school for music, and want to be in the popular music industry, you should have at least half of your education be in business. Or, all who study music should be forced also to learn a trade, like truck driving or refrigerator repair. That way you have something to fall back on if the music tanks, as inevitably it will.

It is foolish to get in this business and think that we should be able to do it for the rest of our lives. It is rare that one can make playing our kind of music their sole source of income for even a year or two, let alone the rest of their life. And if you do make it for a little while, and everybody knows your name (i think from now on i'll mark in bold if I happen to use one of my own song titles in my blog ramblings) imagine the come down when you get filed in the 'has been' section with Billy Ray Cyrus or Michael Peterson. It is going to be a sad enough day for me when Mama starts its eventual and inevitable fall off the charts.

This is not to say that I can only be happy if other people think I'm successful. I have a wonderful wife, friends and family that don't give a rat's rear end if I'm number 16 or 16 million. My band and I are just in a business where you can go from zero to hero and back again at breakneck speed. Moving that fast in any direction will have its effect on a person.

All of this to finally say, I love playing music for people. There is no other explanation for why someone would do it. I love this americana/country music scene and I feel like I have a lot to contribute to it. It seems more and more people agree with me everyday, and that just fuels my fire. There is nothing in the world like playing your own songs for people.

I am happy for those who have success and hope the best for those still looking (like me). I'll try not to wait as long before I write again, but in case I do....Merry Christmas....and Happy Valentine's Day. Thanks for your support, and if you actually read this far, you truly are a fan.
See you in your town soon.

Josh Grider