hi everyone,

don’t worry, we’re not dead. honestly, after the last entry i tried to post got deleted (and it was a looong one) i couldn’t find the time or the patience to sit down and write a good one. but i feel it now and i’m ready to type my life away. we have zero press today — and as usual, no soundcheck! which on any normal occasion would bug me but since i stay hoarse all the time i have no desire to “pre-sing” and use up what voice i have to an empty room! so, with all that said… i have time to just relax and sit in front of my beautiful macbook pro and enjoy the wonders that are the inter-web. the last week and half was so crazy.. between mtv unplugged, all kinda on camera interviews, album artwork approvals and video discussions (which are still in progress, sorta) – i’m so excited to just sit down and sip this bottle of water with no interruptions.

oh and i almost forgot! the announcement of the album title, album cover and release date! we are so excited you guys seem to be into it. ryan russell did such a good job with artwork – the whole booklet looks amazing and we really worked hard to make it exactly how we wanted. most of the shots for the album were taken in franklin and even in some of my rooms – and backyard! the whole thing feels very personal and i think it comes across that way. for the record, all of the lyrics will be in the booklet this time around. we realized after only putting 4 songs in the RIOT! booklet that we really want you to be able to read every word straight from us. so there aren’t any misinterpretations. every bit of these lyrics are so important to me as a writer and to us as a band, so you’ll have em as soon as you pick up the record and tear off the dumb plastic annoying wrapper. aside from the actual record i think the deluxe package will rule too. we tried really hard to give you guys as much as possible without having a ridiculous price that no one could afford. overall, i’m really proud of all the art and all the work that went into putting all the pieces together that are gonna make up brand new eyes. that’s all i’ve got to say about that. sorry for the commercial.

so let’s talk MTV unplugged for a minute. that was the coolest thing we’ve ever done. thank you guys who came out and sang along. i couldn’t believe how many people they let in! it was around 100, we were told… and it felt even bigger. people were singing their hearts out. i felt like chris carrabba! remember the dashboard confessional unplugged? i still listen to that and get all teary eyed. everyone knew “Ignorance” — almost as well as any of the other songs. and it was nice to finally let everyone hear “Brick By Boring Brick” since there was such speculation of how it would sound. i think it’s one of my favorites on the whole album. i’m so ready for you guys to hear it all. the best thing about MTV unplugged was the fact that we got to take our time. it’s been a while since we’ve had nothing but time with the people that come out to see us play. between every song there were conversations and interactions… and it meant so much to us… to be that close to everyone and to listen to what you had to say and be able to talk back without time limits or weird regulations. we try to get that feeling in meet and greets but even that is hard to come by on this tour with the fact that it’s not really our tour. in any case, we are stoked to get to hang with you all at any chance we get. we were all noticing the other day how much we’ve all grown up together. it feels like, for the most part, our fan base is growing up with us. especially those of you who we’ve seen coming out to our shows for years – whether we met at a meet and greet or just see you in the front row every time we’re in your town… it is insane knowing that you guys are going through the same things that we are and you get it when we write these songs. and you are passionate about it just like we are. and anyways, that’s what unplugged did for our band. got us thinking about all these things and how connected we feel with you guys even if you don’t always know it.

the video should rule.. we are getting things together for all of that now. i guess we’ll have time to shoot it while we’re in LA at the end of the month. i’m ready to do this thing. another thing i want to do while we’re in LA is go to Michael Jackson’s star on the walk of fame. i keep seeing all of these specials airing on television… with all the clips from his videos and interviews… i still can not believe he’s not here. i think he was one of those people and entertainers that i thought would always be around. not that i feel like i took him for granted but… i’ve always listened to him. for as long as i can remember, wether it was the jackson 5 or his solo records. i bought his last solo record when i moved to nashville and it was one of those records that defined the first couple of months that i was there. i bought the dvd of all of his videos and would just leave it playing in the house while i pretended to clean up my room and the living room. never did cause i’d just be dancing around like a lunatic, instead. anyways, i never said much about it after posting something small on twitter… mostly because i don’t really know what i could say that will really say what i feel about it. michael jackson only happens once. there will never ever be another! i’m so inspired by the life he led through his music and the way he changed people by using the gifts he was given. it just further confirms my love and dedication to what i do and the fact that music is the most powerful thing on this whole earth.

i just realized what time it is. i gotta get ready for meet and greet! thanks again to all of you for coming to see us and being so supportive. see you at the show!!!

love,
hayley!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 11:33 am

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