If you asked me where Id be a year from now a year ago, Id probably have rolled over and went back to bed. There was nothing I could see myself doing. There are days when I still think its over. Hands down, the defining moment of this year came when Corey Purvis and I decided, while I was en route to Michigan for my sisters wedding, that wed start our own record label. The resulting operation, Near Mint, hasnt sold thousands of copies or helped you discover the next #emorevival trendsetter or whatever (yet), but through it Ive met incredibly driven people with similar goals and work ethics in addition to working with The Obsessives, which are two of the best people Ive grown to know and befriend. Also shout out to every band that carted down to Charlottesville for the Near Mint showcase. That was incredible. 2014 was the year I made it to Philadelphia. Forget who I got there with, forget standing in the corner of a house party like Im reenacting that Wallflower book when I couldve been at Spraynard, forget the silent ride home. I made it. That was the point. Tacos will never taste better. 2014 was the year I saw Modern Baseball three times. That seems stupid to so many people (probably because it is), but its important to me. Next time Ill probably show up alone. Because some times you need to yell it out by yourself. 2014 was the year I somehow managed to tackle over six non-paying jobs (and one minimum wage-paying one) while not failing school. I cant tell you what I learned, besides how to stay awake. Maybe in 2015 Ill be able to tell you, week by week. But, for now, it just stands that I didnt mess up my GPA. Thats enough. 2014 was the year Modern Vinyl made me Managing Editor, PropertyOfZack published one of the most personal things Ill ever write, and The Cavalier Daily let me interview Kevin Spacey. Did I say that right? Good Night Magazine made me Managing Editor three days after submitting a review, Quiet Year Records (and by extension, Supreme Overlord Judy Hong) thought I was cool enough after buying all their records at MACRoCk in Harrisonburg to sling PR for them. I also got promoted at work so I make sixty cents more than I used to. Damn, that sounds terrible. 2014 was the year I learned the people who find worth in sticking around will, and those who dont will be back eventually. You just have to charge a stiff price of admission. Re-entry fees are steep when youre building a stacked bill. With that in mind, 2015. 2015: Near Mint already has big plans and a sorta-fleshed out release calendar. Ill probably hop a bus/roadtrip to Indiana in the middle of the semester and help record an album, who knows. NMR003 drops 1/1/15. Dont sleep on it. Quiet Year Records: ditto. More writing. January. Youll see. I think last night I was talking with Judy about the future and I think we both know were not going anywhere. Yeah, you wont probably be wearing a shirt with my face on it (but that was a fun little experiment in body positivity), but I wont be leaving the scene. I wont be clinging to the edge. I came out swinging. Thanks for seeing that start. 2014, not gonna miss it all. 2015, lets go.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 17:06:22 +0000
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