Hello, friends! Rob here.
It’s 2013. Has been for a little while now, but I’ve just figured out my New Year’s resolution: Inspired by this editorial, I’m going to stop using the phrase “guilty pleasure.” Why should I feel guilty for liking something that I like, even if it is “Kung Pow: Enter the Fist”?
On the real though, 2012 was an absolute banner year. Between our usual (insane) tour schedule, we found time to put out a new album, land some sweet new booking and management (I think we’re just on the verge of being able to tell business contacts to “talk with our people”), and here’s one that I may or may not have neglected to mention in a timely fashion: Ed and his longtime (and mega-rad) girlfriend Maggie got engaged last month! They haven’t set a date yet, but when they do I’ll make sure you’re all on the guest list.
Yep, all in all 2012 was a great year. Thank you all so much for being and staying our friends as things keep getting bigger and better. Thanks in no small part to your support, I’d be hard-pressed to name one thing that hasn’t improved dramatically since three-and-a-half hundred days ago. For us, I mean. Big picture, America is doomed.
But we’re very lucky. Being band guys has afforded us the opportunity to do some great things. I’m not talking about driving around the country and playing shows and making friends and adventuring and getting into ridiculous arguments and filming a scene for HBO’s “Tremé” and playing like a bajillion festivals in 2013…
Okay, I’m sort of talking about that. That’s all awesome. But today I’m talking about other stuff. Real stuff.
The Revivalists received an email in mid-December from an Army officer named Jeremy who was stationed at a small base in Afghanistan as part of a twelve-man team. I would quote his email for the sake of time and clarity, but I’m choosing to be stingy with details because the terrorists could be reading this blog and I’d rather not give them anything concrete to work with. But to summarize his letter, it was December, deserts aren’t exactly super fun, and morale was running low as his team faced the prospect of another holiday spent half a world away from their loved ones. Turns out they were Revivalists fans, and would we be willing to send them a holiday care package in the form of some CDs and shirts?
Abso-freaking-lutely.
Now, while your friends The Revivalists are totally awesome, I really don’t want the takeaway here to be “ooh, look at what great philanthropists we are because we mailed a box full of plastic and cotton to the desert!” I honestly wasn’t planning on mentioning this at all until Jeremy emailed us again a few days ago to say they had received the package. I still have mixed feelings about devoting three-ish paragraphs to the story of how The Revivalists bravely visited a central Florida post office, but it was stirring to receive such heartfelt gratitude from a group of guys who are owed so much more than they will ever receive. Jeremy actually said he “wished there was something he could do to return the favor,” which completely blew me away. To think that a guy like Jeremy, who found himself called to defend his country at great personal cost, could ever feel indebted to a bunch of chumps like us who basically get paid just for showing up, makes me feel, well, guilty.
The point I’m trying to make here is that it really isn’t that hard to make a difference for somebody else. It’s easy to make someone’s day. A tiny bit of effort and consideration is often all it takes to make an actual human being with real feelings feel better, and when you’re done you get to brag about it on your band’s blog. It’s win/win. I’m grateful to Jeremy for reminding me that there are bigger things in the world than my day-to-day concerns. Lately it seems like we’re all spending a bit more time looking for enemies than for friends, and in light of this I urge you to, in the words of Bill S. Preston, Esq., “be excellent to each other.” Now go make someone’s day. Please.
Also, it has been 27 days since the world ended and oh no please tell me we’re not really doing that.
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WOW….brought a tear to my eye !
Stay safe, Jeremy & buddies.
Awesome story!! Very cool band & even cool (even though I hate to admit it) – quoting Bill S. Preston,Esq.
Excellemt!!!!