Ship Shape

We tried to embarq on our tour on December 26. For one reason or another this didn't happen. Instead we drove to columbia south carolina to watch Have Heart, Kids like us, and where it ends. Day 2 was in summerville SC. It was awesome. I dont' remember the bands we played with, but regardless it was a killer show. The kid that let us stay with him had a super nice house and was an all around kiler guy. That next day was New Years Eve 2005. We played in Savannah GA. We got there kind of early, ate, and loaded in. It was in the basement of Rude Rudy's pizza in downtown. Man it was the funnest show i've ever played. There were 80 or so kids packed in there, all going crazy for every band. Once loaded in, i decided to adventure abou tthe town since it was new years eve. Rawg ended up drunk sway talking to this chick in the hyatt downtown that was trying to get him to take off his warriors hoodie. I ordered ayard tall rum and coke with 3 extra shots. By the time it was time for us to play i was out of it, i left soon after. Called the wife at midnight and told her happy new years, then spaced out for 2 days. I wasn't drunk or high or anything, i just got caught up, the next thign i know I'm in daytona eating an orange straight off of the tree so i call her to tell her about the tree. She says "hello, oh hi, you're alive huh?" Needless to say it was a ballbreaking i deserved.

The rest of the tour went pretty well, Minus the crackhouse we stayed at in tampa where the dude and his pizzaface girlfriend were having relations on the bed that we were in the floor right beside.. We were up and gone by 7:40 that day to find out that our next show was cancelled, So we drove up to the panhandle and stayed in Panama City with Randy and the dudes from Caldwell/Jump the shark. We played minigolf, and I bought some Legal Smoke from the headshop. It was a good day i guess. We found out later that night our fort walton beach show never got booked. Jon did a knockup job with this tour. The next day we ate ci ci's then drove home, We made it to Johnson city with $9.
The next day we played with secret lives at the hideaway. I fucking love my home.

That march, i guess, we recorded the Benedict EP. For a DIY effort, we sold alot of that e.p. I think people were pretty into it. As far as being from the heart, The lyrics for that EP were very personal. They were like letters to the friends that they are about. I was volunteering in the morning at a church outreach downtown. It was a coffee shop for homeless people. I got alot out of it. You could discern between the bums and the legit homeless. It broke my heart to go there and talk to some of these guys. But what can you do?
That spring we had what would probably be the best shows to date booked. We were to Play Brockton, Nashua, Westernmass, Maine, and Long island. The mass/up shows were with Cutthroat, the long island show was with Life in Your Way, Aloveforenemies and a few others.
Due to our van being fucked up and us not having money or cars reliable enough for the journey we didnt' go on this mini-tour. but thats w/e. It happens. Its all in how hard you are ready to work.
We tried to book another small tour that summer, but it didn't work out, we ended up playing like 2 shows. one in Blacksburg, and One in Harrisonburg. They were fun. Joey airborne crept on some scene girls.
Nathan was in a band called Push to Shove. A really kickass skinheadesque hardcore band. They are probably one of the best bands of that style to be from around here. It sucks that they didn't play for that long.
Over the course of about 6 months some things were stewing between our circle of friends. Someone had done a major misdeed as far as trust was concerned. It was nobody in IROM, but people that were connected to us. It was something that was looked into for a long time, and when the shit hit the fan, I handled it the totally wrong way.
Eric Rogers has been a close friend of mine since i was 16 or 17. He's a different kind of guy, with a really big heart for his friends. Instead of going to him first things first with this problem, I just let the powers that be work them out, since it didn't directly effect either of us. When it all came down, he didn't speak to me for like 2 weeks, and after a show i finally blew up on him. I called him a bitch, told him he was acting like a woman, said everything i could say to make him feel like shit. Then i told him to take his shit out of the van and take it home himself. 20 Minutes later I called nathan and asked him to replace rogers.
Not directly because of, but because of the events leading up to this meltdown. I lost a good year and a half of friendship. It sucks, try just seeing your best friend around that you have hung out with every day for years, and not look them in the eye or even say hey to them.
Scandalous women can make this happen for you. Eric. this one's for you.

With nathan in the band, andour music going in another direction. We changed our name to taken away. We started writing faster, heavier music. I loved it. Also with this new material, it kind of formed a concept album of sorts. I kind of drew back from working at the outreach.

One particular song, Hell is Now. Was about this kid that was homeless and orphaned. He lived out on the street here in jc bc once he turned 18, his foster care was finished. He came in one day and told me that someone picked him up to help do some work at their house, and then raped him. He acted like it wasn't a big deal. The guy was a doctor at one of the hospitals, according to this kid. I think the kid was autistic, there was something off with him. Someone took advantage of that. Once i realized what was going on i called the cops so that he could file a report and get checked out. I offered to pay for him to go to the clinic. I could feel my soul dying for this kid. Once the cops took him for the report, i locked up the coffee shop and broke down.
I called out sick for work that day. I don't know why, but for that one day i lost all faith in god and humanity. The more that i worked at the outreach, the more that i found out about this wierd underground of johnson city where alot of the homeless who are addicts and what not, were preyed on by deviant, predatory,horrible people. It made me ill to think about. These guys were drinking mouthwash to get fucked up bc it was cheaper than beer. That summer, i left the outreach and started working in kingsport. Honestly I haven't thought much about it untill right now.

That December-Jan we did a mini-tour with nathan on guitar. It was pretty sweet. We played Spartainburg, Greenville, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston Salem. Mostly Skateparks, tatto shops, and stuff like that. Everything went smoothly. I started the tour with a stomach virus. Joey had a cold. By the end of the week, i had a cold and he had the stomach virus.

I'm going to leave you with some lyrics. I wrote these when i worked the outreach.

Break the Mold and, Throw away the cast
You've got nobody fooled you two toned- iscariot.
Hello Dr jeckyl. Good morning mr hyde.
you spit poison with the mouth that medicates.
and you kill with the hand that heals.
(and in due time)
I don't know where and I don't know how,
but you've got yours coming. As soon as you let your guard down
and look the other way.
They will be right here, and we will be right here.
waiting in the shadows, We're going to put it in your fuckin face.
And when life comes down to the wrong you have done and the lives you've done to them.
you'll live like the life that you take.
You wanna live in it?
you got everybody living in it.
Hell is now
and you're faced with the lives of the ones that won't fight back.
hell is now
and you feast on the blood of the once with nowhere to run.
hell is now.
You wanna live in it? you got everybody living in it.
Hell is now.

American Gatorade__
And the sun comes up as he puts his hand and the bottle to his lips again.
he faces another day, and man i'd like to see things through your eyes.
Well, walk with me you'll see, Where do you lay your head?, where do you break your bread?
Well, let me take you to the place that i call home. You don't spit unless you are spit on. You've got so much to lose, you don't fuck with a man that lives in the street.
we slum the slums with the whores and the hags, We're even mocked by the trannies in drag
Ran out of money, Well i'm goddamn drinking listerine, We don't wanna be clean. We're the scum of the earth.
And let me take you to the place that i call home. Don't spit unless you are spit on. You got so much to lose, you don't fuck with a man that lives in the street.
you slum the slums with the whores and the hags. Even mocked by the trannies in drag, Ran out of money, well i'm God Damned, Drinking listerine. We don't wanna be clean.
We're the scum of the earth., We're the scum of the earth.
Don't fuck with us.