So.

Today, I was at a gas station in Nashville, and I accidently drove off with the nozzle in the tanks.

I broke the hose and gas pouring out everywhere.

It was hilarious, but I'm an idiot.

That's all :)

Just got into Kentucky late this evening. Lots of good things have happened already.

I picked up my grandma in Lancaster, OH and she gets to the house and flashes everyone (including my little sister's friend). She felt the urge to show us her new black bra.

My uncle has a pet skunk. Evidently it's similiar to a cat.

I have a little cousin who looks like Lil' Chris, and he's decided to deck himself out in skulls.

There's a farting cat in my bed. He won't leave.

I'm going to attempt to cover my nose and sleep now.

Ah, what a great past few weeks of music. Made me realize why I made the move to the big city.

So many fun/amazing/hilarious shows. The reason I got so excited about everything was because pop music is back! Like 1999/2000 pop music madness - and that rules.

I had two favorite shows during the past two weeks. The first one was Honor Society at The Knitting Factory. These guys just keep getting better and better, and their audience keeps getting bigger and bigger. I'm so excited to watch these guys rise to the top. Check it out below:



The other concert experience was kind of a last minute/unexpected experience, but it was completely amazing. I imed Lauren and said "Yo, wanna go see Jonas tonight?" She responds "Yes, let's do it." Goes on Ticketmaster and happens to pull up two AMAZING tickets to the sold out show at Madison Square Garden that night. We went, and absolutely went nuts. I love the J Bros, but wouldn't consider myself a huge fan by any means. It was the energy of the young crowd - it made me feel like I was 14 and at a BSB show again. So awesome.

The thing that sent me over the edge was when surprise guest Taylor Swift came out on stage and I completely flipped out.

Yes, I love Taylor Swift.
Yes, I love surprise guests.

However, I think the reason was so excited it that I saw one of the ultimate country pop crossover things that I could ever witness with my own eyes. That's what I want to happen to Wild Honey, and to see if happen 15 feet in front of me in Madison Square Garden was literally one of my favorite music moments of all times.

So yes, I'm excited that I'm excited about music again :) I was scared that it went away, but it's good to know that it's still there and always will be.

One of those crazy music weeks where you have something awesome to do every night. Something that your excited about. Something that makes you excited about your career.

Recaps will be coming soon, but in the meantime, you can learn The Honor Roll. And if you're in the NYC area, you should come out to The Knitting Factory TONIGHT (August 5th) and rock it. Doors are at 7:30pm. This is going to be a show that you don't want to miss - I promise.

3 1/2 years.  I've always wanted to see this. Thank you Asia for making it happen. I got so excited it made me cry a little.

So.

I have a pet turtle.

Yes, many people find that quite strange.  I think I do as well.

His name is Theo - which is short for Theodore (His name was recently changed to Theoretical thought - just an FYI).  I purchased him at a Florida giftshop.  This was probably illegal, but the stores get away with it by using the "educational purposes" card.  I felt bad for the little turtles...probably about 100 of them in a tank that's way too small.  I had a turtle in the past, but let is go into a friend's fish pond when it got very large.  So I had the soft spot, and the little turtles totally made me cave in.

Now he's really hyper.

I'm glad I got him though.  He's an easy pet, adorable, and always listens.  And he jumps off his rock and swims over to me when I get home.  I promise I'm not crazy.

I think that Theo lives a pretty exciting life for a turtle.  He's only been my pet for four months, and he's already experienced all of these exciting things:

- Having a song re-written exclusively for him.  He my baby Theo.
- Video chatting with several different people, and attempted video chats with Aaron Carter and Perez Hilton.  I think that rocks.
- Lived in Florida, Nashville, and Brooklyn.  Made the road trips with me, and even took a crazy trip through Manhattan.  His water was splashing everywhere during this trip.
- Gotten the house to himself for several weeks in a row while I went on vacation.
- His own Facebook page dedicated to him, and a steady flow of incoming tribute photos.

Below are some pictures of my little baby - you know you love him!

However, I don't like that song closing a set at a massive historical concert at Central Park.  Tisk tisk Bon Jovi, didn't know you would let me down like that.

I'm on a plane to Philadelphia right now, heading back from my fun week in Nashville.  I always seem to prolong my trips where ever I go.  Excuses are always easy to come up with, but I think excuses exist because people are trying to convince themselves that they aren't lame.  I changed my flight for several reasons (there's always several reasons, right?), but I think the main reason is because I wanted to sleep.  Lame, right?  I'm not even going to try to convince myself that I'm not lame.  I always came up with some reasonable business excuses which are all valid, but the sleep was totally the main reason.  Spending an extra day with all of the cool people I know in music city wasn't bad either :)

Remind me to start flying at night.  I'm so much more productive right now.  Early flights just make me take an uncomfortable nap.

I had a fun 22nd birthday celebration in Nashville - which included two shows and americanized mexican food.  I think that sums up my interests pretty well, so I was happy with the outcome.  Had a fun group of people come hang out.  However, the highlight of the night was actually seeing JOSIAH!  We met up for late night desserts/soup/sandwichs and sang/rapped/danced for a few hours.  Good times.

Josiah
He on Fiah
I'm not a Liah
He'll take ya highiah
(written and performed by Jade Driver)

Another exciting thing that happened (this was totally worth changing my flight) was a celebrity siting while Jade and I were out the other evening.  We were in Cool Springs (outside of Nashville) dining at the fabulous Calypso Cafe.  There were probably about a total of 10 people dining at this local place, and then all the sudden Jade looks at me and whispers "OMG is that Keith Urban?"  I looked at him and was like...hmmm could be.  Guy had the build, hair, etc.  He was alone, and hung around while he waited for his to-go order.  Jade and I stared because we weren't sure, and we thought we were imagining the Australian accent.  After 15 minutes of Jade trying to hold back her tears (yes, I am serious), he left and we decided to go pay for our meals at the counter.  As he was leaving, Jade asked what he was driving and I responded "Not sure, I can only see the top from here and it looks like a sedan."  Then we stood up and saw this beautiful black Bentley, and looked at each other and realize that it was definitely Keith Urban.  It was cool to see somebody so freakin' famous doing something alone and being completely normal.  He was super nice to everyone in the restaurant - and seemed like a very down to earth guy.  I sent our siting into Perez, but I guess someone being nice and normal isn't very buzzworthy.

Also, while in Nashville, I decided that I have a list of people that make me feel uncomfortable (not in a bad way, but a funny/hilarious way because I am really awkward).  I'm not going to write out this list, but it's pretty funny.  I guess it's fun to make me feel awkward.

I'm so excited about work right now.  I feel like everything is falling into place with the company right now, and that we're finally getting the right projects we need to take it to the next level.  All the projects I'm working on right now pretty much rule, and that makes me excited.  Almost there...almost there :)

Alright, they're making me my computer away now.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend - talk to you soon!

This is what I wanted.  And now I'm here.  You forget how hard moving is until you do it again.

Living here hasn't been easy, but then again I shouldn't of expected it to be.  I feel like I've been thrown so many financial, automotive, professional, and emotional speed bumps - but I'm making it through.  It's kind of like your first semester of college.  You deal with it and then everything gets better.

Don't get me wrong though - a lot of amazing things have been happening. 

Business is pretty good - I feel like the move really made things start happening on all different ends.  We're working on the Nashville Star project, which has been pretty cool - and just picked up a few more that I think we will love.

I got a last minute/amazing opportunity to make the road with Wild Honey to Minnesota, which was a completely surreal experience for everyone involved.  First big show, first big road trip.  I still don't believe it was real.

My little sister came up here to visit, and that was so much fun.  It was good to see her get out of Kentucky.  I'm glad I got to experience her first flight and her first view of the New York skyline with her.  She's such a good kid.  I think her trip might have inspired to try to do something a little different with life.

Last night I was Wicked, which was absolutely freaking amazing.  It was my first Broadway play, and I definitely wouldn't of had it any other way.  The story line, music, performers...everything was just absolutely fantastic.  I need to see more - and suggestions?

I finally got highly anticipated piece of mail, which put my life back on track again.  I hate that it controls me so much, but it does.  Life is better with it.

There's a lot of great new things in progress for The One Love right now - so be sure to keep checking back for updates.  I will let you know that we will be launching a merch store soon, and setting this site up so that anybody and everybody can blog.  Finally!

That's it for now - hope you all have a wonderful weekend :)

Alright, so I had realization the other day that I am a red neck.

Lauren and I were walking down 16th street in Manhattan, and I looked to my right and saw several children throwing a ball at a brick wall.  I turned to Lauren and exclaimed "Real live New Yorkers Playing Red Butt!"  She turns to me and says "What the hell is that?"  I then explained and realized that it wasn't a common game up here in the North, and that the real live New Yorkers were not playing my beloved childhood game.

Red Butt is a really simple game.  All you need is some sort of brick wall with a concrete surface in front of it and a tennis ball.  At least three people should play the game, but you could probably have about a dozen people playing it at once.  The goal of the game is to throw the ball at the wall as hard as possible, and then try to make people accidently drop/touch the ball when it bounces back.  When you drop/touch the ball on accident and don't catch it, you have to run and touch the wall.  If somebody else picks up the ball and throws it against the wall before you touch the wall, you get a "strike."  Three strikes and you're up for red butt time.

This is where the game gets fun.  One you've gotten three strikes, you have to stand up against the wall with your back to everyone.  Each person gets to throw the ball at you and they are supposed to aim for your butt.  This is the reason the game is called red butt.

I enjoyed this game very much as a child.  Did anybody else?  Or am I just a Kentucky red neck?

It's the first place that ever felt like home to me, and I think that it will always be home.

It's the first place where I realized that dreams can come true.  And that they do.  And that you can help them along if you work hard enough.

It's the first place I found that had people like me.

It's the first place where I discovered that maybe I was okay at talking to people.

It's the first place that made me realize that there were more cities that I needed to see.  And that there are a lot more I still need to see.

It's the first place where I was an adult.

It's the first place where I got a real job.  A job that I liked.  It's the first place I quit a job, and the first place I got fired.

It's the first place where I met people from the internet.  Even convinced one of them to move here.  People from the internet aren't always creepy, but sometimes they are.  Like Shady Ed - he's creepy.

It's the first place that made me realize school was important, but for different reasons.

It's the first place where I watch a show and beamed like a proud parent.

It's the first place where I saw four different concerts in one night.

It's the first place that made me realize how blessed I am to have awesome siblings.  The rest of my family can be pretty cool too.

It's the first place where I felt like I was good at something.

It's the first place where people came to visit me.  And met half way in bowling green.

It's the first place where somebody threw me a surprise going away party.  It's one of my favorite things anybody has ever done for me.  The group of people that was there is perfect.

Nashville has been good to me.  Really good to me.  I will miss everyone here so freaking much.  I didn't realize how sad leaving was going to be until I sat down at that table at Noshville.  These four years here have been completely amazing, and I'm so glad that I've been surrounded by so many awesome people.  I left The Crescent tonight and cried.  I haven't stopped, but I'm going to try to sleep now.  I have to get up early to finish packing.

Adios.  I'll be back soon.

My good friend Leigh introduced the term "oil painting" into my vocabulary a long time ago.  It's something that people usually respond to awkwardly when I first use the term around them, but then they often warm up to it and sometimes weave the term into their own everyday life.  For those of you wondering, an "oil painting" is a situation or scenario that seems completely unimaginable or not very realistic.  Let me give you an example:

Cassie: Hey Leigh, one day I am going to be tan!

Leigh: Yeah....I have an oil painting of that.

You see, Leigh knows that I will probably never be tan.  However, sometimes if you work hard and just believe, oil paintings do come true.  Below are some of my favorites:

- Meeting the Backstreet Boys by using fake backstage passes that were created on paint and half shoplifted satin paper stickers sheets from Meijer.

- Speaking in front of 400 people on a microphone and not stuttering tremendously nor turning red.

- Actually appreciating my family, and my family appreciating me.

- Turning down a promotion at a record label and then quitting my job.

- Finding a band on MySpace and watching them get signed, blow up, and release a record.

- Flying to Europe by myself, and then meeting Jade at the train station in Watford Junction to continue our journey to the Cavern Club.

- Knowing amazing people all around the world.

- Co-owning a business.

- Attending a college party with my high school friends and an ex-convict on a bike that he bought for five dollars.

- Working in the music business.

- The One Love.

- Nate Campany playing at Red Hot Room.

- Escorting a Hall of Fame inductee at the CMA Awards.

- Seeing The Click Five and McFly share the same stage for five nights.

- Meeting Lou Pearlman in a catering line, and telling him how much I admired his work.  (This oil painting is now not worth as much as it once was...you can get it on eBay for about $3 now).

- Driving a bumperless car, and dealing with all of the shame that came with it.

- Buying an animal that lives for forty years.  I don't do the pet thing...much less the 40 year pet thing.  What was I thinking?  Is having a turtle when I'm 60 an oil painting?

- Graduating college in three years.  Or just graduating college period.

- Hiding out in a roller coaster cart repair room to meet Aaron Carter.  I was u nsuccessful.

- Puppy Surprise.  I said there were four, but there were really only two.  Sorry, I can't count.

- Being flashed by a transvestite in a porn shop parking lot on Valentine's day.  That was a weird night.

- Watching songs develop from start to finish.

- My friends and I successfully crashing celeb studded Kentucky Derby parties in the ninth grade while wearing prom dresses.

- My divorced parents uniting to attend a Limp Bizkit, DMX, and Godsmack concert.

- My little sister not letting me hang out with her now that she's 17, even though I always brought her along when I was 17.  You would think it wouldn't be as bad since I'm older, but obviously I'm not very cool.

- Breaking into Madison Square Garden to see a sold out Justin Timberlake show.

- My prom date jumping out of a tree when I went to pick him up.  He did not have a suit.  This was a disaster, but kind of funny now.  Sometimes oil paintings get better with age.

- Meeting Myspace Tom, and him actually coming to see The Click Five because we invited him too.  Unfortunately, nobody would put him on the guestlist so I had to give him my tickets and purchase more from scalpers.  He never knew.

- Vomiting on Rodeo Drive, and then not remembering it later.  However, I do remember waiting for the free chicken sandwiches at McDonald's at 10am.  I could do an entire exhibit on this night.

- Paying off a credit card.

- Moving to New York City.

I have a lot more that I'm hoping to add to my collection.  What oil paintings do you have?

So...you know how you think nobody can see what you type into Google?  We, we can!  Below are some of the things people have typed into Google that have brought them to our wonderful website:

the one love tesco james bourne

amazing tuxedos

chap stique wedding

whitney nemick

belmont university hot guys

4 cheese macaroni and cheese mike

ben and beka

ben romans arrest search

catherine synowiec

cinderella lollipops

cowboy kit

danny roselle family

gia farrell tattoos

evan farmer naked

i'd like to meet walt disney

is everyone in sweden blonde and blue eyed

jade driver, country music

mary kate petrey

nate campany true love

my house guese house in bangkok

petrey family ky

where did ben romans go to high school?

i like hangovers

i rollup to your crib in my sleigh

chap stique's phone

chris stahl cincinnati

nomadic fanny pack

old greg clothing

caroline bocko

lightning mtsu

click five papparazzi pic

winter beard

macho psycho sweden

poetry on motorcycles

I had an absolutely wonderful trip to the Northeast.  I drove up there about two weeks ago, and stayed up there for as long as I possibly could.  Thank you to everyone that housed me on my trip - I REALLY appreciate it.  You all were amazing hosts.  Highlight list is below:

- Taking my little sister to see The Jonas Bros. in Evansville, driving back to Louisville, then leaving for the city five hours later...crazy but soon.  Lil' MK had a great time at the show.  Seeing a concert with glasses was really great too...I didn't realize that I was blind and that I was actually supposed to be able to see audience members!

- Experiencing S'MAC with Lauren for the very first time.  Please read Eric's blog for more information on this amazing establishment.  I promise, it's as amazing as it looks.

- TOKIO HOTEL.  I had an absolutely wonderful/hilarious time at this show.  I would of paid $20 just to look at Bill's hair for an hour...it's absolutely unreal.  It was so cool to see a German band sell out The Fillmore with virtually no marketing in this country.  More power to the internet!  This audience at this was absolutely insane and I loved it.  I can't wait to see this guys when I come back.  READY SET GO IT'S TIME TO RUNNNNN!

- Going back to college.  I did it all.  Stayed in a dorm room, showered in a stall, ate in the dining hall, and of course...rode on the campus shuttle!

- Howie Day in Philadelphia.  This show was absolutely amazing.  I was so nervous to this show for many different reasons...and basically made it in right as the show started, and left as soon as he went off stage.  He was freakin' phenomenal...it was nice to be able to step away from the marketing and just realize that he's good.  We also ate a meal at a sit down restaurant in less than 10 minutes...including the ordering and paying our check.  We rule.

- Got snowed in at York...is was crazy.  I hydroplaned into a hill!  I promise it was more funny that scary...but still kind of scary.  Lauren was kind enough to let me crash at her place again.

- Watching TV (I don't do this very often) and learning about Martha Moxley and Shaken Baby Syndrome.  It was a lot to digest in three hours.

- Finally experiencing Bay Ridge - it's so freaking cute!  I love driving in Brooklyn for some reason...it makes me feel like I can do anything (I know, I'm lame).

- Pizza party with Whitney and Ben Romans 

- Wonderful meetings in the city :)

- Howie Day at Joe's Pub....my favorite show of the trip.  Amazing...amazing.

- Discovering that there was a K-Mart at the Astor Place stop, and then learning that Devin purchased an $80 bike from there

- Experiencing the Jersey music scene...including The Stone Pony!  This was a pretty exciting trip to say to least.  It was so....Jersey.  Lauren got pulled over too...because she passed a cop at 80 in a 65.  "Cassie, do you think I'll get pulled over if I pass this cop."  "Yes, you will."  Lauren passes cop.  Why?  I still really don't know.  Fortunately, he thought she was a moron and let her off easy.  Pretty funny!

- Discovering Honor S ociety - check them out when you get a chance.  Great band and great people.

- Howie Day in Boston.  I was excited that I actually got to the venue without getting lost (I tend to do that in Boston).  Fun show...went out with Lauren and Tommy from The Crash Moderns (yes, that's what he would call himself too) after the show and discussed a company called The Oral Butler.

- Yonkers and the cat in the Bronx

- Lots of mexican food, but no Taco Bell :(

- Late night games that involve Europeans, music videos, large crowds of people, old women, blue plastic, and diet coke.

- Lauren's dog crapping on my towel.

- Driving home and learning the entire Hannah Montana CD (yes, I am a twelve year old pop music loving child at heart).

Alright...as you can tell I had WAYYY too much fun.  Can't wait to get back up there in May :)

Just when I thought things we're getting better, I realized that they were even worse than I imagined.

My whole family is lying to me and everyone else.  The lies need to stop so that he can get better.  The lies keep him from the consequences.  Somebody once told me that gossip was the great equalizer, and I think that quote is absolutely amazing.  Gossip keeps people from doing things things that they know they shouldn't do, but I think that the lack of gossip is keeping him going.

I thought he was being safe and sheltered.  I was told he was getting well.  Lies, once again.  Was out and about at Target, and then did a double take when I came across him.  I talked to him.  He lied to me.  I knew he was lying.  He knew I knew he was lying, but he just kept on going.  He was ill.   Some people and situations never change.  This has stayed the same for ten years, and I've pretty much become numb to it.  I think that's the part that makes me the most upset.  I hate that I don't care, but I just don't.  Well, I guess I do, but not for the same reasons I used too.  I think it's more about my siblings at this point.  I know EXACTLY how they feel, and that makes me feel even worse.

I just hope he doesn't hurt himself anymore...or anybody else.  I'm scared of what happens if it gets worse.  There's not much room for worse.  The consequences are fatal.

Sometimes I wish there was more I could do.  Maybe there is?  I'm trying and praying...I guess that's all I really can do.

Get well soon.

My little sister imed this to me today.  This is why my family thinks I am strange.

emily: dude
emily: i take after you
emily: i dressed up in a sheep costume and yelled bahh out the window to everyone and went in kroger like that

So, I'm totally 17 again.

Last weekend, I went to go see Matt Nathanson in Alabama.  It was a last minute trip, and we decided to head down there when my plans to see Jimmy Eat World fell through once again (JEW is the band that I'm just not destined to see).  All I have to say is that everything worked out perfectly, and it was the best show I have seen in a long time.

Matt Nathanson is one of the most genuine artists out there right now.  He's content with playing 300 person venues, traveling in a van, and just playing good music.  He smiles at all the right times while he's performing, and I'd like to believe it's a combination of loving his job and thinking about the exact moments that the songs were written about.  On top of that, the man is absolutely hilarious.  He makes you feel like your in his home just hanging out, talking, and listening to him play.  In fact, he even unplugged his guitar and stepped away from the microphone during the encore, and had everyone quietly sing along to my favorite song.  It was completely perfect.

The whole night, Cathy and I talked about how much we missed Howie Day.  We were introduced to Matt through the Howie community, so it was a slightly nostalgic experience for us.  We had followed Howie around during high school, and basically ended up traveling the country at a young age because of it.  It was good times.

The next day, Howie announced five tour dates.  It was the first time in like two years...CRAZY!  I bought tickets for three of the dates.  It was the only time I've ever bought tickets to a show really far away without questioning it at all.  I was just thinking to myself, "I have to go...I will figure it out later."  Needless to say, I will be making a road trip to the Northeast later this month.  I'll be hitting up the three Howie shows along with some other good shows :)  I'm in the process of setting up some great meetings as well.

If the February Theory ever did exist, it is now gone from my life.  It seems to be vanishing from everyone else's as well.  For those of your who don't know, the February Theory is that February is a shitty month.

Now I must sleep - I have a GREAT week coming up and need to be well rested :)

The city always shows me a good time.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the show at The Bitter End...we all had a really great night :)  Saw a lot of wonderful people, and met a lot of new ones as well.  Ladyhattan filmed the whole thing, so everyone will be able to see the show!  Keep checking back for more details.

I think my favorite part of the evening when somebody who had never heard of the site before came up to me during the show and thanked me for creating the site and supporting Narcotics Anonymous.  We had a great conversation, and it felt good to be able to connect with somebody because of that organization.  It was truly a One Love moment...really captured everything that the site is about.

Lots of new things are getting ready to happen for the site.  We're getting comments soon (YESSSSSS!), and have lots of new bloggers coming on board.  You might have noticed STEVE DUCHARDT...one of my favorite people ever.  Please go read his wonderful blog when you get a chance.

More to come - keep checking back...we have lots of stuff going on!!!

Last night I watched multiple videos of bands that I used to love as a young teenager.  It was a fun night.  Made me laugh, dance, sing, and think the occasional “Wow, that’s a really good song.”  Then I started thinking a little bit more.  Where are these people now?  Are they happy?  Did marketing ruin their careers?  Could it have been done differently?

Ultimately, I think it was the fact that there was only an occasional good song that ruined their careers.  A quality product can stand the test of time and marketing.  Unfortunately, not every quality product gets the proper chance to make it out there.  Sometimes the marketing team screws it up.  Sometimes it’s just not the right time.  It’s so tricky.  Sometimes you wonder why you start marketing at all.  But then again, people would never know about great things it there wasn’t some sort of push to get them out there.  It’s not all bad, but marketing often seems like such a dirty word.

When I was a teen, I was a part of the market that everyone wanted.  However, it was also the market that everyone hated at the same time.  I hope that being a fan of certain genres of music didn’t ruin people’s careers and futures.  The music made me happy, and that’s ultimately what is supposed to happen…right?  The teens needed that music…probably more so than the educated college students and adults.  I hope that means something.  I think that I was a good fan.  The Beatles were marketed to teen girls at one point, and now EVERYONE loves them.  That’s something that I think about a lot.  Not necessarily because it’s comforting, but because it’s interesting.  I’m still trying to wrap my hands around it.

Some of music that I liked when I was younger is still here.  Now I have the knowledge to see that it’s the people that are truly talented and passionate that stick around.  Kudos to you all.

Wow.  London was very eventful.  Some really amazing things happen, but we hit a lot of road blocks (literally) as well.  However, good things don’t just happen…you have to make them happen.  Sometimes you have to push really really hard.  I learned that lesson for sure!

I swear, we ran into every single travel problem possible.  We started off the trip by missing our flight to London out of Atlanta.  Ended up staying and extra day.   We finally got into Gatwick to rent a car, and attempted driving on the left side of the road.  Hit a few rearview mirrors…but nothing too awful.  Got to the hotel and they didn’t have our reservations.  Jade and I went to the show that first night, and we took the hotel’s “free shuttle” (aka a taxi cab). It never came back to get us.  Our hotel wouldn’t pick up and all the cabs in the city were booked.  The payphone wouldn’t work.  We were stranded and ended up paying a ton of money to get back to the hotel when we could of just driven our selves!  Crazy.  Took us two hours to find the flat once we got into London, and then it took us seven hours to return our car to the Gatwick airport.  We rented another car a few days later to take to Bournemouth, and of course the interstate we were supposed to take back to the flat was closed.  So we made our way right through central London and ended up getting a flat tire at 3am.

Luckily, Old Gregg was sleeping on the couch when we got back to the flat.  He was asleep with an empty bottle of Bailey’s at his side.  After 15 minutes of laughter, Old Gregg awoke from his deep sleep.  He was a little bit disoriented at first, but then realized who he was and where he needed to be.  Then he revealed his makeshift tutu and toilet paper dreads.  It’s things like 4am encounters with Old Gregg and a glowing mangina that makes you feel a little more at ease with all of your problems.

Other things that make you feel a little more at ease with your problems are seeing two of your favorite songwriter performing a Nashville-style round together in a small but sold-out venue, or being called out for having diarrhea in a foreign city in front of a few thousand people.  Ultraviolet light makes me feel better too.

The One Love show was amazing, and there will be many more to come.  New York, looks like you’re up to bat.

Dwell on happy things, not bad things.

We had an amazing meeting with Stop The Traffik while we were in London.  It was so inspiring, and made me realize how much we can do to help without even donating money.  You’ll be seeing a lot more about our organizations very soon.  Go ahead and get involved by visiting www.stopthetraffik.org.  Learn about the organization and sign the petition.  Get your friends to sign it.  You can help just by filling out a form that takes about a minute – so do it now!

Thanks to everyone who made London a success.  We’re looking forward to seeing more of you all really soon!

I finally feel like I live in Nashville.  It's crazy.  The whole world is being pulled into this city right now.  We'll see who ends up here...only time can tell.

While I was in school, I always wanted to finish as fast as possible and move away.  Maybe New York...maybe London.  However, I decided to do the entrepreneur thing, and living here made the most sense for now.  Everyday I feel I like I'm making myself get stuck here a little bit more, but it feels a little bit more okay everyday.  Country music doesn't scare me anymore, and I've realized that there's so many other things and great people in this town.  Nashville is almost...cool.  Way cooler than Murfreesboro for sure.

I think it was all the shows that I saw this week that made me feel like I was in Nashville.  This week was INSANE - but pretty awesome.  Here's my weekly show recap:

Sunday, Oct. 21st
I saw Matt Nathanson...and he was absolutely incredible.  I always seem to miss this guy when he's in the Nashville area for some reason, which is unfortunate because he puts on a great live show.  He is hilarious.  Made me realize the importance of show banter.  "Beneath These Fireworks" is the only thing I listened to my first semester of college...and it got me through some rough times for sure.  Listening to him play that record along with his new one made me very nostalgic, but very happy as well.  It made my college experience seem worthwhile, and glad that I pulled through and didn't drop out.  This show made me happy with where I'm at right now.

Monday, Oct. 22nd
Lots of meetings today - what a CRAZY day!  Anyways, headed out to 12th and Porter for Sean McConnell's EP Release party.  Great show...great EP.  Always good to see somebody from MTSU doing well...or "anything" really haha.

Tuesday, Oct. 23rd
Saw Josiah at Mercy Lounge, and he was freakin awesome as usual!  We hadn't seen him in a while, so it was good to see a show.  This guy is a star.

Wednesday, Oct. 24th
No shows...just worked a lot.

Thursday, Oct. 25th
Four shows this evening...pretty intense.

First stop of the night was Ashley Tisdale at The Opry Mills Mall.  I thought this was going to be hysteria...but unfortunately it was not.  There were a lot of people there, but I was expecting THOUSANDS!  Always fun to see some straight up pop music though.  She did very well...danced her ass off and no lip-syncing was involved.

Second stop was the "Gone Country" finale at the Wild Horse.  Pretty hilarious, but pretty amazing as well.  Never thought I would see "My Prerogative" performed live by Bobby Brown.  Dee Snider and Sisqo were amazing as well.  Got to see Becky and a lot of old Warner people...which was nice.  Randy Owen was there too!!!!  It brought me back to my Nashville Star days...

Third stop was short and sweet.  Went to see Wild Honey play an acoustic set at The Crescent.  There was a frat party and paparazzi there.  Too strange.

Fourth stop was Code Blue (aka strip club with a recently removed pole) to see King Billy.  I have wanted to see this band play for a while, so I was excited that it was finally happening.  They were all dressed as women, which was kind of awkward to watch/listen to at first.  However, it was a pretty refreshing show.  Great audience and tons of fun.  I hope nobody kills me for this...but they were a awesome Country boyband.  I love that their MySpace page says they sound like "Rascal Flatts is about to be unemployed."  That made me like them twice as much.

However, my highlight of the night was discovering Ted's "girlfriend."  She's pretty damn talented and has great hair.

And...that concludes my week of being in Nashville.  I did nothing else interesting for the rest of the week.

Time to sleep.

Nothings wrong with dreaming.  Dream it all away.

After having a not so happy week, I'm please to announce that this one has been much more uplifting!  Did a lot more hanging out than usual, and I think it was good for me.

 It was a little rough, but I narrowed my week down to five highlights.  You're probably starting to notice that I like listing highlights/items, and this is due to my unhealthy obsession with making "to do" lists.  Anyways, please enjoy below :)

Hick Chick Contest
This had to be one of the funniest/most random Nashville experiences ever.  Caroline and I went to Graham Central Station to see Cowboy Troy and John Rich host the Hick Chick finals contest, which promised to be a pretty interesting night already.  However, there were special guests at this event...and it was a pretty amazing lineup.

Bobby Brown (New Edition)
Carnie Wilson
Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER - he sand "We're Not Gonna Take It" and it was amazing)
Diana DeGarmo
Maureen McCormick (Marsha from "The Brady Bunch")
Julio Iglesias
Sisqo

and...LIL JON!  He was judging with Sisqo and John Rich in a cage and sitting on hay.  See the picture of Lil Jon in a cage below.

The rest competed for the title of "Miss Hick Chick."  Please see the picture below of Dee Snider participating in the toilet seat ring toss.

Thurman (Thurm the Worm)
Brinn brought home her new dog this week, and it probably the cutest dog I've EVER seen.  I'm not much of a dog fan since I'm allergic, but Thurm is worth the watering eyes and stuffing nose.  He looks like he should be a stuffed animal puppy!  However, I must say that Thurman has bowel issues that he needs to work on.  I'll forgive him for now though.

Puppy love!!!!

Being Home Alone Tonight
I'm very excited that there is nobody at my house tonight.  Not because I don't want anybody to be here, but because I can play my guitar and SING really loud!  I won't do that when my roommates are around - it would be very inconsiderate of me.  I am an awful singer...probably worse than anybody you've ever heard.  Seriously.  But I must admit, I do enjoying singing and playing guitar.  It's the one thing that I don't try to perfect...I just do it and enjoy it.  I'm so competitive, and it's nice to have hobby where I'm not trying to be the best.  I was probably blessed with no musical talent for a good reason - so I could help people that do have the talent.  It's all worked out for the best.  Maybe one day I'll let you hear me sing, but we have to get to know each other really well first.  I'm very shy and self conscious about my bad singing.  However, once I finally sing for you, I'll never shut up.  Just thought I'd give you a warning.

Wild Honey @ Fuel
These girls are freakin' good, and I'm excited to watch them explode in Nashville.  I always love seeing them play, but full band just puts it over the top.  Their new "poppy" song it absolutely amazing...totally a hit song.  It's not up on their MySpace yet, but I promise I'll let you know when it is :)  Nashville...watch out for Wild Honey.

New Jimmy Eat World
LOVE IT.  Go buy it now on iTunes.

Once again - thanks for reading :)  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

P.S. Join The One Love Group on Facebook, and subscribe to The One Love Channel on YouTube!

It’s 11:59pm in Nashville.  I’ve decided to let myself go on break.

Sometimes I wonder how I ended up here – so fast and so quick.  I never thought it would happen this fast.  Supposedly it was going to take a lot of work and some luck, and I’m pretty sure it did.  However, I think luck is something we as humans can control.  Letting people know what you want and putting yourself in the right places make life pretty damn lucky.  Being nice always helps too.

When I was in high school, people always asked me, “How did you get that picture with (insert pop star here)?”  Now, people ask me, “How did you get into the music industry?”  Well…I must admit that it was those pictures with the pop stars that got me here.  It’s what I love.  I learned way more from going to shows and talking to tour managers than I ever did in college.  It’s kind of strange – I always thought that college was my only way to get into the music industry.  I wanted it so bad, and it seemed as if my only way in was Belmont University.  I was going to go there and get good grades, do an internship, and then hopefully get offered an entry level position at a record label or booking agency.  Unfortunately, due to some uncontrolable financial circumstances, I was unable to attend Belmont.  I settled for the University of Louisville, and was okay with that for a while.  Then one day on my way to orientation, and I pulled over and just started bawling.  I was a failure, and I was never going to get to do what I loved.  Belmont was my only way in, and I had no way into Belmont.

Fortunately, I received a letter from MTSU the next day saying that I could get instate tuition at their school since Kentucky didn’t have a Recording Industry program.  That piece of mail drastically changed my life.  It was one of my back-up schools that I never really cared about, but I registered immediately.  Anything was better than Louisville.

However, once I got here, I realized that college has nothing to do with success.  It’s cool to have a major that you like, but it’s not going to get you a job.  You have to get out into the world and do stuff.  Volunteer, work for free, get money if you can…just get out there and do what you like.  Your passion will take you far – people can see it and they love it.  I’m so sick of people saying they WANT to do something.  Get out there and make it happen!  I worked for free for a long time, and loved every minute of it.  Working for experience is way more valuable than working for money.  Getting involved and loving my jobs got me really far really fast.  I graduated college in three years and had also worked for a major label while I was in school.  In addition to working full-time, I was also interning for various managers, booking agents, and indie labels.  It took a lot of time and energy, but it totally rocked.  Now I’m 21 years old, found a kick ass business partner, and already have a successful online entertainment marketing company.  This is way better than my original plan to go to Belmont and crossing my fingers - hoping to get an entry-level position anywhere.

So, I urge all of you to get out there and do something.  Don’t think about money, don’t think about time.  Join a street team.  Volunteer at a day care.  Read a book.  Download a free-trial of Photoshop.  Write a song.  Just do something that you like, and figure out how to make that a permanent part of your life.  Your experience is your education, and having experience makes sitting in a classroom worth your time.

I must go now.  Soundscan still has a little control over my life, and the reports must be ready in the AM.

Take over...the breaks over.

Props to all of the wonderful bloggers on this site.  Your words have been very insightful - all I could have hoped for and more.

It's takes talent to make music...any kind of music.  Doesn't matter if it's pop, rap, rock, country, crunk, or whatever.  All of you are showing that there's so much substance and talent involved in all of your projects, and that totally rocks.  Even on the very first day, all of you were already capturing what The One Love is all about.  I'm really excited to watch this thing grow.

We've been getting A LOT of feedback, which is awesome because we really want to know what you all think.  Some of you suggested that we open this site to anyone that wants to blog for charity.  That's a really great idea, and we plan on integrating that into the site at some point.  This site is going to be a very slow build, because we want to make sure that we do everything right.  Over the next few months, you will be seeing a lot of new features and bloggers.  Commenting will be coming soon :)

Have any suggestions/questions/comments?  Send us an e-mail at theoneloverocks@gmail.com.

Ok - time for some more interesting topics!  Here are a few thoughts that I would like to share with you all.

1. Tyler Hilton is now a member of the Facebook group "When I was your age, Pluto was a planet."

2. Ben Romans is in the woods and encountered an Elk on his way to breakfast today.  There is also a community internet cabin/cafe at this campground.  Does anybody else think that is funny?

3. I heard a rumor that there is a picture of Nate Campany in a bathtub with no facial hair.  Is this true?  I've heard so many different things about this photo, and I just want some answers.

4. I bought a pair of teal-colored pants today.  These pants will only be worn on two occasions - Family Force 5 shows and Thursday night karaoke at Ms. Kelli's.  More that likely, these pants will be paired with a giant furry pink coat and borrowed white sunglasses.

5. Nacho combos are the movie theatre cost $10.50 - but at least the jalapeno bar is free.  Next time I am just getting a burrito from Taco Bell.

6. I am in desperate need of a new "Hip-Hop Santa."  The holiday season is coming up, and our santa is pretty injured.  If anyway knows of a Nashville gas station selling this product, please notify me immediately.  Here is an excerpt of his rap:

All the boys and the girls who be good say "Yo"
Break out the milk and cookies and mistletoe
'Cause I'm gonna roll by from the sky late at night
With a twinkle in my eye and a "Ho Ho Ho"

Santa's back better here what I say
I roll up to your crib in my sleigh
With bells on we be jingle all the way
We'll break it down on Christmas day

The pictures below show the physical deficiencies  of our "Hip-Hop Santa"

Alright, I must sleep now.

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!

You decide.

Click here to watch. 

So, I haven't done this blogging thing in a long time.

I remember when LiveJournal used to play a key role in my social circle's life. Then it destroyed it. I stopped blogging - then started again a few years later. However, I stopped when I became paranoid about my co-workers reading what I wrote. I think it was also due to my horrible blog about my should-of-been extremely embarassing night in LA. Maybe I'll talk about that one day...or maybe Jade will for charitable donations.

Fortunately, I've decided to start participating again - and I must admit that I'm pretty excited about it. Who knew that a CRAZY night in Nottingham would be the start of such great things? Yes, toasting to Nate Campany and Rob's friend was pretty great, but this is something really fantastic. A big thank you to Jade and Ben for being insane enough to make this happen, and another thank you to Nathan for making this website actually exist. It's been a year-long task to get this up and running - and we're all excited that it's finally here.

AND thank you to whoever is reading this. I appreciate your love for pop music, along with all the other wonderful artists that you love.

Now, I will leave you with my top 10 favorite things of the day:

1. McFly
2. Salt and Vinegar Chips
3. Hemingway on Facebook
4. Flavor Flav with Larry The Cable Guy
5. Beef
6. Lady Antebellum on iTunes
7. Potential Breakup Song
8. Google Checkout
9. Facebook Gifts
10. Click Five Airport Arrival Times in Asia