A Bamboo's Life

10:14PM as I write this. I have just finished a long but fulfilling Sunday. This morning, was able to reunite at Athens Church with some of my old friends. I have missed those people and that place so much. It’s amazing how time away from a place will fill your heart with gratitude for it. Straight from there filled in running sound for some other friends in the evening, and now taking some time to prepare for the week, reflect on my present, and catch you guys up on what’s going down with my life and my music. So, for those of you who may have missed the last post, I have officially started working on my next album. It’s going to be called “Never A Waste,” and is going to contain nine songs I’ve been working on over the last year. A couple are actually older! I think I’ve dug to a new depth in myself and in my art. These are the most vulnerable group of songs I think I’ve ever created, though its pretty jarring to think that they might live forever in someone’s car or earphones, it’s still absolutely amazing to me that I get to share my heart in recordings. I’ve been a demo fiend. I have enjoyed working in the new home studio. The energy, the light and the space are beautiful and inspiring. I am finding it easy to get into my rhythm here. I’ll make a tea, or get a good coffee and get lost in the process. Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent hours exploring sounds, finding new expressions, and playing things I’m not so used to - trying to find new voices. It’s all so fun. And though the hours are long and making music can often be a tedious and frustrating process - I always have to remind myself to have fun and that it is, when you think about it, actually really a gift. That’s something I’ve had to fight for as I’ve begun doing music full time… to remember that music was first my love, then my job. It’s easy to forget the love part when it’s hard or you’re tired of listening to/making/editing music. But anyway, the songs are shaping up beautifully. I’ll burn demos to a CD and just drive around town, thinking of different parts or sounds in my head. Then I’ll try to create those same feelings later, then just build slowly from there. One thing I’ve wanted to do this time around was to collaborate with artists who have inspired me and those who I want to emulate in my creativity. My last record, “From My Window To Yours” was created completely in cave-Huang…and while that was a good process at that time, has made me really miss the joy of creating with others. My involvement in Common Hymnal and Lion’s Den has shown me so much of the value of working together and inviting people into the creative process. It’s all about family and relationship. This past year, some amazing pathways have opened up in my life - that I cannot be more thankful for. I feel so lucky. Later this week, I’ll be going to Knoxville to record with Will Reagan and Brandon Hampton, who have been musical heroes of mine since my first year in college, almost seven years ago. The recordings and the culture they have modeled have been life-changing for me, truly. I remember listening to one of United Pursuit’s first records my freshman year at UGA and saying to my friend in the car, “It’s like the Holy Spirit is coming right out of the speakers!” And their music has always been this way - pushing the envelope in the most honest way, somehow breaking through to some new ways to express their faith, journey, and relationship with God. Their records have always been a guide for my creative and spiritual journey… and this week we’re going to work on some of my songs together at Will’s new studio. I am actually so nervous, but in a way I am nervous before something deeply important is about to take place - I feel like a very surreal dream is coming true right before my eyes. I’ve been such a student of theirs for so long, and to be to able to create with them is such a dream come true. I want to soak it all up and revel in the moment. I’m taking my friends Abe and Gray as sidekicks, it’s going to be such a great time with friends from all over. I will be tracking in Knoxville on Thursday and Friday, working on my song “My Time Will Come” and perhaps another tune if time permits. I am so excited to learn from both Brandon and Will, but am also excited to leave town and be immersed in a completely different place. It’s like getting to create from a completely clean slate. I’m going into the session with a much looser idea than I am comfortable with. I typically demo the living boogers out of a song so when I show up to the studio there’s nothing left to work on - nervous habit I guess! But this time, I’ver purposefully left a lot of room for Will and Brandon’s approach, as they might here these songs in a really unique way. I am excited to see how all of our minds collaborate together to create a mixture of vision, perspective and sound. So, definitely more new to come form this! I’ll probably post some photos later and some instagram stories along the way. extra credit: Here’s my extra credit. The nuggets hidden at the end of these posts for the brave, focuessed and scholarly readers. This is just how I’m viewing things, often unrelated to music, more related to humans and God, what I’m learning along the way. And here it is. To stay proud is the path of least resistance and little fruit. To stay humble is the path of great resistance and a beautiful harvest. You feel this more and more as you get older. It’s easy to get stuck in your ways - how you think about how the world works, or how people work, how you work, what you think is right, what you think is worthwhile. It is so important to remember that just because we’re used to a certain pattern, way of thinking, or habit, doesn’t make it right. Every time I get hurt by a circumstance, encounter, or person, I feel like my life hardens a little bit. It’s like lava that used to flow freely and passionately turns a little more black and stagnant, not wanting to move again. It’s how I cope with situations and pain that I could never predict or control. I close doors. I turn off the wonder. I turn off the feelings. I stop forgiving. I stop inviting. I turn off my heart. As I experience more life, which, in its very nature, is full of loose ends, pain, and confusion, I feel the hardness compounding against the child inside of me. It happens in tiny ways over a lifetime. It expresses itself in distrust, an unwillingness to listen, and a denial of the things around me. It’s way less painful for me to sleepwalk. It’s way less painful to pay attention. It’s way less painful to shove my issues and challenges under the rug. Did you know rugs can take many different shapes? Alcohol, busy-ness, drugs, ministry, passivity, amazon.com. And this ties to my main realization. Pride is the wide path. Humility is the narrow. Everyone around you feels it, it’s in our DNA - to protect ourselves at all costs - and that means never being wrong. So, what do we do when we have a realization that we have closed off so many doors to possibility, learning and humility that we’ve found ourselves in a 2ft by 2ft room alone in the dark? This is what I’ve concluded for myself. Do the opposite of what you feel. It’s an incredible challenge, but I think it’s very important. Go to the places that you don’t want to go to, talk to the people that you don’t feel like you have time for, and make a space to be uncomfortable. Get outside of your own self and your own problems. Look around you. It’s how we stay young, and it’s how we stay humble. I listen for the whisper that is deep in my heart - to do the hard thing, to take the extra time, to truly listen to someone else and identify with someone or something outside of myself. It’s incredible what happens in our hearts when we choose, especially when we don’t “feel it,” to live outwardly and to be attentive to needs that are not our own.. To be teachable and to be malleable. It’s important to remember that living a whole and worthwhile life is difficult, but always worth it. My advice to the burnt out, bitter, and hardened is this: take a good look at the things you hate doing, and maybe force yourself to do them. If you’re a millennial American, this contradicts your core, because chances are you’ve been raised in an environment that tells you that you only have to do the things you want to do. But, we need to remember the value of doing the difficult things and fighting the path of least resistance. The things that make you the most uncomfortable might hold the key to breaking through to a new found freedom and love in your life. For me, these things include: putting down the guitar to have a real conversation with a friend, going to church and not criticizing every thing that they do, asking God what He still wants to teach me when I feel like I know everything, helping someone who can’t give anything back to me, helping someone who is using me, championing a brother I’m jealous of, praying for my family, asking the world around me what it needs from me and not what it can give me. All these things are goldmines that will release new life around me, if I am willing to wake up to them. I just have to choose to dig deep, to break through the hardness that has built up in my life. I need to remain teachable, open-handed, open-hearted - humble. Humility can be defined in a question: are you willing? Are you willing to be wrong, are you willing to say sorry, are you will to express your gratitude, are you willing to see others as a gift, are you willing to see your whole life as gift, are you willing to share, are you will to take the lowest seat. Are you willing? Let willingness grow. Let pride diminish. Thank you for reading. AB

Saturday night. I’ve just spent the day with my mom, which was so needed. We got Korean food and went to the mall and got sunglasses. Family time well spent. I would like to be diligent in processing this next record more in writing. I have found that these little process entries are fascinating to read back later. You realize how much you learned along the way and exactly how much I don’t know in this very moment. The emotions, head space, and thoughts I have right now, though they feel like 100% reality, may be completely different in just a short amount of time. Writing helps to freeze these things in place and allows them to live on. And it helps me remember more about this awesome process. I’ve been disciplining myself to keep a journal and to give myself a daily outlet to the things I’m wrestling with deep inside. I’ve found that something mysterious is released when I do that. It really does help. It gives me a voice, even if it’s to no one. Weirdly, I feel heard. I can’t believe I haven’t always done this. This is the first place you’ll hear. I’m officially going to call the album “Never A Waste.” I decided to abandon my attempt at completing “From My Window To Yours” as a two part project and allow Pt. 1 to live on solo. I thought that the second set of songs would come along congruently with Pt. 1, but it just wasn’t the case. Too much has happened in unexpected ways since April of last year, and can I say that I’m surprised? Life has so many twists and turns. How can we possibly know what is to come? A song came through to me last week that I think pushed this entire project into motion. Never A Waste. What an idea… that no matter what we go through, the risk, the vulnerability, the chances we take, the failures we find ourselves in… none of if, if you want to believe it, is ever a waste. All that we have left is a choice to believe. I was writing a description of this album, just trying to get a grasp on what I wanted it to be, and I wrote, “I sing about my faith, my longing, my confusions, my confessions, my failure, broken relationships, and the loss of beloved peoples and times - and hope to be able to tie all of these loose ends up in a loose bow, even if for a moment.” I kind of liked that - tying loose ends into a bow. I don’t know how to do it any other way other than this. By even starting this album, I’m trusting a promise that all of this happening in my life is for a reason - that no piece of furniture will be left out of the frame in the end. Even the weird ugly paintings that you got at goodwill for no good reason. Even those. Or should I say, especially those. They complete the picture. In this stage, I’m scheduling my recording days and release times. I am aiming for my birthday March 25 of 2019, because hey why not. I am really hoping to press this album to vinyl, finally, something I’ve always wanted to do. I think this one is going to make it to the wax. As always, thank you for reading my words. I am terrified and ready to make another record.

Friends. It has been quite a while since an update. I have had a wonderful and restful Friday afternoon off with some friends, coffee and a little bit of rain, so I thought I would catch yall up on what’s been going on in my life in the recent months. So here are some words and some film photos to paint the picture. Life is non-stop, but I am loving it so much. Since making the transition into full time music in August, I feel like I have been able to pour myself fully into my craft and passion. I have been growing leaps and bounds as a producer, engineer, and artist and truly feel like I’m in the right moment at the right time. Things are folding beautifully. Not easily, but beautifully.   Bloom Sounds The studio is running full steam ahead! In October and November, I have been working with a couple artists, helping to create their projects. Currently, I am working on an EP for my friends Garcia Free (David and Jenevia Garcia) and have recently wrapped up an incredible Christmas album created by one of my new favorite people Rawls Grimsley. In addition, I’ve been creating some singles with Sarah Howe, Jameson Tank and next week, The Tuten Brothers. I have dreamed that the creative space at Bloom Sounds would foster something much deeper than just music. I want it to be a place where people come to be inspired, challenged and healed. I want it to feel like we’re creating something eternal - sharing passions, dreams, and life - while also creating music that means something to us. I had no idea that God was going to provide this space, and even more. Through music, I feel like in the recent months I have made life-long friendships and have had experiences I’ll never forget. The studio has been filled with laughter, sweat and tears and these times has left behind some of the most amazing moments I’ve ever known. Shoutout to Will, who literally took a Greyhound bus to Athens multiple times just to be a part of Bloom Sounds. Will has been such a student of the process. I’ve never met someone eager to learn, serve and grow in his gifts. I really think God crossed our paths. I can’t even count the hours we’ve spent this month together - plugging in mics, wrapping cables, making food, grabbing coffee, mixing songs, figuring out arrangements, freaking out in good ways, freaking out in bad ways… thankful for it. Making of “I Feel Fine” by Sarah Howe Session Essentials Will on the keys. Garcia Free Lions Den I have also been working with my best friends on a worship project called “Lions Den.” We have recorded our first EP, “King Of Every Season” and are actually currently releasing it. We actually recorded the whole album live in our living room in Athens. To be honest, it was a miracle it all worked out. We’ve released two tracks up until this date, and will be releasing our full length album on November 16th. I believe in this group so much, and it’s so not just about talent. This is a group of honest friends who want to make music to honor and love God. They are some of the best people I’ve ever known. I am so excited about the future of our little group, and can’t wait everyone to hear what we’ve been creating. We’ll actually be having an EP release worship night at the North Campus Chapel on UGA’s campus on Nov. 15, so come on out to that if you are around. Also, listen to our music on Spotify here! Andrew Blooms I always put the more secretive stuff last because I am convinced that very few people read this far. And if you have, that either means you slightly care, OR you are really bored wherever you are at. As I finish up these other projects, I am exciting to officially say out loud that I will be starting the second release of my Andrew Blooms project. I have all the songs written, mostly, and feel like it is time to get to work! So after Thanksgiving, I will be taking a couple months to begin the next phase. I think the songs in this second half are something special, as a lot of them are anthems in my own life write now… songs that I needed to write for myself. I am, at my core both a Christian and an incredibly flawed human, and I think that this album is going to capture so much of that paradox. I have a hunch this tension, between what is and what is supposed to be, is shared quietly among us all. So, let’s strap in. Thanks for reading. Until next time.

It has been an incredible release week… It has been so cool to hear some feedback from some of you about what this song has meant and how it is speaking into your life. This is my dream come true to know that a little thing I tried to make might have an impact in a few lives around me. Thank you for allowing me the privilege. For those interested in going one level deeper, I thought I might share the process behind writing and producing this track. If you have been to any of the shows this tour, you may have heard some of this thought process, but for any who have not been able to make a show or hear the song live, I thought I’d give a little insight here! First half is for all the listeners. Second half for those who want to know even more about the production itself. THE Writing of Humility. Sometimes you labor over a song for years, and sometimes the song writes itself. Humility was started and finished over the course of a few hours. It was a Sunday afternoon, and I, needing to process and take inventory of my own worries and doubts, went to a local chapel at our Wesley foundation to play the piano. This place, over the years, has been one of the most important places for me to meet with God. I have changed so much over my last 6 years in Athens, yet I still feel the same special way every time I am in there. I have had so many meaningful moments on that piano bench. “Humility,” in essence is a song with two cries. Trust and repentance. During the time I wrote it, I was battling the loss of many anchors in my life. Quitting jobs, losing close friends, embarking on a brand new tour… It felt like someone took a puzzle and threw all the pieces up in the air. And I, trying frantically to piece it back together, began to worry about my future. I wondered if I would be provided for. I questioned God’s hand on my life. I was so afraid. These doubts spun in my mind and soul, throwing me off balance and causing me to distrust God and myself. But I began to think that day, about humans and about nature… I thought about how capable humans were - able to create cities, make art, design technology, build civilizations and cultures. I thought about how man ruled the Earth, how we were able to understand and conquer our planet, creating amazing things from it. And then, I thought of nature and how nature trumps mankind in this one thing - its ability to be. No tree has ever doubted its purpose, and no river has ever doubted its path, and no mountain has ever complained of its geography. We, as humans, are so powerful… we are masters of our land, architects and pioneers of the unknown… but one thing we have yet to conquer is the ability to live without striving. This comparison was such a massive revelation for me personally that the words just flowed onto the page. It was a prayer that I needed for myself. I say that this song is a cry for both trust and repentance. For me, it was coming back to God with the realization that I, too, am a part of a grand design. That, just like the trees and the oceans, rivers and mountains, I am in the right place at the right time. It was me saying to the Lord, “If you take care of all this beauty around me, you will surely take care of me. I have no need to worry.” When things get difficult in my life I like to stray. The natural reaction of my spirit when I get disappointed is to find the next best thing. When God doesn’t feel real, I run to substitutes. The writing of this song was my admittance of my wandering and doubt, and a prayer for God to teach me the simple trust that all of nature seems to embody. God, let me grow in my trust for you. Here are the lyrics to the song if you would like. Next… the nerdy stuff. THE MAKING of Humility. This is the part where we get to nerd out about how the song was made. And I would like to share, for any who are interested, my technical and philosophical process behind the production. I have the privilege of being a able to work at a studio in Athens that houses thousands of dollars worth of pro audio equipment. Often times, you can get lost in the choices. Which pre amp? Which mic? Which compressor? We have mics that are worth thousands of dollars each. I’ve done sessions where we’ve had complicated mic setups and an insane amount of channels recording. Part of me though, as a producer, has wondered sometimes what can be done with what I have at home. Will anyone really notice? What can I make with the setup I already have? There’s a trap for the creatives that causes us to think that the thing stopping creativity is the lack of better equipment… When creativity, in its definition, is doing something with what you have. Culprit 1 - MOOG SUBPHATTY I recorded the piano through the computer and the vocal while playing the MIDI keyboard. The song was actually originally just going to be piano and voice. But behold, as one my favorite bands Dawes would call it, the tone-quest began. The only digitally native sound is the piano. The rest are analog signals! The bass and the droning heart-pump notes are created by the amazing MOOG SubPhatty. The pads and swirling noises are experiments in the JUNO-106. I LOVE synthesizers. The guitar tracks are two separate takes of a Jazzmaster panned left and right through some pedals straight into the computer! No amp or amp models were used on those. My friend Shelby Frank, was over with some friends one evening after I tracked the main parts of the song, and we ended up spontaneously tracking her beautiful BGV part on the verses and choruses. In the last chorus, there is a octave pitched lead vocal, and a bunch of Shelby’s that have been doubled, duplicated, spread and reverbed out. That’s what that little army of cherubs is. Culprit 2 - Jazzmaster The production happened quickly. The energy of the song seemed to form itself. What I had to keep myself from doing was overthinking and overproducing the song. I have a tendency to jam 100 sounds into something to try to make it more complex, when sometimes a simple sound will do! I gave myself a deadline to send to mastering and stuck to it. I think there were only three mix edits for this song. I just wanted to let go of it and let it be. In producing world, I’m figuring out that the feeling is often far more important than all the technical perfects, and sometimes the spontaneous, less thought-out parts of the recording process make something special. I am so happy about how Humility came out and it has been such an exciting and encouraging release. Thank you all for reading and listening, I hope something was beneficial for you! Special thanks to Shelby Frank for singing on the track and Joel Haedstat for mastering my song. Yall did an incredible job! Until next time everyone!

sup fam! My new song “Humility” is out today! You can stream or download on any platform. Here is a link to it on Spotify. Hope you enjoy it. “Making of” followup post coming soon :)  

The Fam. Photography by Gilbert Nanlohy Gosh guys. I am back. Getting back into the swing of things, just before embarking yet again on another leg of the tour. As I may have mentioned before, I took a week off from the shows to be a part of the recording of Common Hymnal’s first batch of songs. It was a one of the most special weeks of my life, and I wanted to share some of it with you. Common Hymnal, in essence, is a collective of creatives who are bought into the idea that my brother’s voice matters more than my own. It is a group of people who are bringing their gifts to the table and laying them down there before God in hopes that the sum of our gifts might be used by God to be more meaningful and significant than we could ever think or imagine alone. I don’t know how many there were in total. Maybe forty of us, living in community. Sharing meals, sharing ideas, sharing time, and creating together. We lived on a property in the hills of Franklin, TN just outside of Nashville… and on this property we rehearsed, ate, slept, partied, and recorded a crap ton of songs. It was like summer camp for creative adults. Heaven basically. One of my favorite things about the experience was its hilarious sketchiness… The house looked like a house from the future that was also stuck in the past. It was straight from the movie Ex-Machina, where I would not be surprised if there were robots in the closets. We could only flush the toilet when we pooped because there were so many of us there that we would have easily destroyed the septic system. Everyone brought one plate to use the whole week. The house ran out of water. I am convinced at some moments, there was more whiskey available than water. No cell signal. We had a bat living in the house with us. Chaos. New age spirit posters on the wall. I split my sleeping hours between a hidden bed in the loft of the living room and a reading nook in the main hallway in a sleeping bag I stole from the other house (sorry to whoever that was). The recording and rehearsal process was a puzzle with 40 moving pieces. Two bands, with interchanging musicians and lead singers. All designed so that everyone in the family could share in some capacity. This week, I played electric guitar in “Band 2” and also got to hop in on the most epic drum circle to ever be created. We worked hard… rehearsing songs from the morning until dinner, then performing those songs in the evening. Days would typically last between 10 and 12 hours. I got REALLY used to playing the guitar :). It’s hard to put into words exactly what this week meant to me. I think I’m still in some form of shock/exhaustion. But these are some of the main things I am thankful for and have learned from being a part of this amazing project. Trying not to mess up. Ryan Carr, Kevin Dailey, and a hidden Brandon Hampton. All heroes. Sharing is inefficient. The whole heartbeat of our group is that every voice matters. Every player matters and every opinion is valuable in the expression of the whole truth. But what we were able to experience is that sharing and creating a space for everyone is inefficient. It takes more time. It takes more thought. It takes more sacrifice. It takes humility. In a culture that idolizes productivity, efficiency, and “something to show for your efforts,” the model of the priesthood of believers and the equal value of every voice is challenging. But the beauty is… you find family in the slowness. You begin to realize that without relationship, the things you can create don’t mean too much. I am addicted to productivity. I feel like my life isn’t worth as much if I don’t make stuff and show it to people. But during this week of recording, I was so able to sit back, enjoy the clumsiness and slowness of weaving 40 dreams together, and I ended up loving being able to be and serve in whatever capacity I could. I no longer had to be a part of every production, play a main role in the what was going on, or be the center of attention… but I just was able to cheer on the whole project and whoever was taking the lead at that point in time. And while everything took 3 times as long as it normally would… its clumsiness was beautiful because I felt like we all connected over it. God will heal our wounds. We recorded dozens of the most beautiful, truthful, and life-giving songs. Our songs cover topics like sexual abuse, racial reconciliation, alcohol, and a Jesus that might not exist to give us everything we’ve ever wanted. A, non-American-dream Jesus, if you will. I am about this. There is a gap in the culture of our current Christianity that I, and probably you, experience - where there is this whole void of silence… Like we’re all hiding something. For those involved in our current Christian culture, we could probably vocalize a lot of things… yes God is healer, yes God is justice, yes God speaks to the broken… these are things we have heard our whole lives… but there is a silence in the specificity. From my perspective, the church teaches a Catch-22. God loves you were you are vs. you ought to be better. Don’t get drunk, but here is no framework for the why. Don’t have sex before marriage, but here are no examples of people who have struggled and overcome. God is represented in the nations, but your church is only white people. We love everyone, but don’t be gay. Here’s where you ought to be, but here are no examples of process to get there. I’ve always heard of God as the rescuer, but in my churches everyone pretends like they don’t need to be rescued. Our perfection is our currency… what we have to offer. I have felt this my whole life, and what results is the deep haunting feeling, “I Am Alone.” We sang one song this week that, somehow, shifted my whole world. The chorus rings, “When we stop loving on our own terms, God will heal our wounds. When we stop loving on our own terms, grace will lead us home.” What an exchange. Love God’s way…without pretense, without prejudice, and what you will find is that your land begins to be healed. The soil opens up and something beautiful can grow there. I’ve loved on my own terms in most areas of my life up until now. And I’m working on it. But that song changed my heart and humbled me. Would I be willing, would we all be willing, to have hearts of joyful repentance…that God’s way is the better way. The Common Hymnal songs are bravely specific. I think they are going to change a lot of lives. late night porch recording with Latifah of Page CXVI Malcolm. The greatest gift to all of us. The Pebble’s Ripple. As I drove back from Nashville, I stopped in Atlanta for a caffeine injection and to slow down and internalize what the heck just happened. I was at a lost of words for the whole experience. The only word that I could accurately describe my experience was, “Lucky.” I do not exaggerate when I say that every person that is part of the project is a hero to me. Seriously. In music, in curiosity, in passion, in their faith journey, in their weakness and strength. Each person is a hero. I felt like I was able to study the greats and learn from them. I was able to be with the hidden treasures of the whole world. I learned so much. I was transformed. I was inspired. I was humbled. Lucky. I think about the things that were deposited and the potential that this week had for the whole world. And that’s not hyperbole. The DNA of the whole thing is, “my voice is nothing without the person standing to the left and to the right of me.” What is the potential for forty of us learning, in the core of our being, that our most powerful asset is not our talent, gifts, or platform? But our willingness to serve. How would the world change if forty people truly began to understand, “this story is not about me.” How powerful would it be for forty people to truly understand that their brothers’ victories were more significant than their own? If you win, we all win. If you lose, we all lose. This is family. Common Hymnal, as I see it, is a collective of the unseen, pitiful, and burnt out. It’s a collection of the hungry and the thirsty… the people on the fringes that have scratched their heads at the current state of the blind, consumer, hobby-Jesus culture. It’s a bunch of worship leaders who want to know what worship actually is beyond platform, fame and notoriety. Common Hymnal is a table that stretches beyond the horizon, with more seats than the eye can see. It’s a group in which each person’s voice and story adds another piece to the puzzle, and each person’s personality and experience adds another stroke to the painting. We need every color to be seen. We need every voice to be heard. In my spirit’s eye I perceive that, last week, a pebble was dropped in a sleeping pond. Would we be awakened to what matters and what lasts. Would we begin again on God’s terms, that He might heal our wounds and do what He does best: make something beautiful out of nothing.

This week we travelled down to Jacksonville, FL and then up to Statesboro, GA for our 6th and 7th shows of the tour. Unfortunately, Carly could not join us in Jacksonville but made up for it when she knocked it out of the park in Statesboro. This was a great time for many reasons, but one was that our friends Drew and Cole got to come along for the ride. We left Athens around 7AM Wednesday morning and were at the beach by 3. Even our short time at the beach was so life-giving. We threw the frisbee, swam and went 'whale' watching. The beach was hard, flat, and massive, so we were able to run and throw long tosses like it was a football field.  I am reading the daily devotional version of "Emotionally Healthy Spiritually," a book written by Peter Scazzero that has been a game changer for my spiritual journey. Something that this book has challenged me to do is spend 2 minutes of silence before God before doing anything else in my day. I tried this on the beach while the boys were swimming and realized just how little time I make for God. Two minutes felt like an eternity... It's so easy to fill our lives with stuff, even stuff for God, and not even make time to listen, reflect and be open to how He is moving. I have made a practice of sitting on my porch first thing in the morning for 2 minutes before driving off to do whatever errands or tasks are in that day. Something about this quick acknowledgement centers my spirit and brings me peace. I hope to keep it up.  The show in Jacksonville that night was sweet. It was awesome to see where Zac is from and to meet his folks and family. They are wonderful people. I told Zac, that I thought it was his best show yet. He was in it. At first when we walked in, everyone was either studying, reading or playing some kind of board game. But by the the end of the night, folks were listening. It is so encouraging to meet people for the first time and feel like they are connecting to your story.  After the show we got some beers and played basketball at the beach. It was one of the most fun times I can remember.  The next morning we drive two and a half hours north to play Statesboro to one of my favorite communities I've ever met. It was full of life, God and goodness. Phil Klayman, the owner encouraged us after our sets to continue sharing our stories. I have caught a little road cold, but I went for it anyway. My throat feels like fire. We say our goodbyes and make the trek back to Athens to pull in around 1:30AM. I stayed up to about 3 writing, reflecting. After these things its hard to sleep for me. I feel so alive and want to capture everything I'm experiencing.  We are taking a break next week. I am currently en route to Nashville to be a part of a project called Common Hymnal... a cross-cultural, multi-facetted, underground worship movement that is seeking to present the gospel, truth, and a real-life Jesus. A Jesus who cares about race, abuse, equality, and justice. I am totally on board with this. I'll be in Nashville making this record all week.  Extra Credit: I'm gonna start dropping the extra credits at the end. Little nuggets of what I am learning each week as we continue on the adventure of playing music to anyone we can. My extra credit for this week is this: First love. When you first love something, you love that thing. In this case, for me it was music. It was God. music to express a first love for God and who He was becoming to me. Along the way, I have wavered. I began to love the extremities. I fell in love with what music could do for me. How it could make me be perceived a certain way. How it made me special. How it made me worthy of other people's love. How, maybe if I was good enough at it, people would sit around in their homes and talk about me. I began to love what worship could do for me: Knowing so-and-so, writing with such-and-such, leading with who-and-who, playing at where-and-where, leading x number of people, being called "anointed." These things have been my identity at times. I have felt like, if I couldn't play music or lead worship, then I added no value to the world. But something so beautiful is happening that I realized this week as we continued to play our shows. As I have gotten up to play, I find that as each show goes on, I care less and less about who is in the room. I have stopped counting the people coming in the door. I have stopped anxiously staring at my watch wondering when people are going to show up. I haven't cared about being applauded or being seen as special, desirable, or other-worldly-talented... I've just. played. and I love it in a way I never have before. Somehow, some way... music has been surgically removed from my identity. Separate. I don't know exactly when it happened...but I feel like God turned the light on and revealed the things that mattered. It's just something I like to do and the vehicle I feel like God has given me to send some good down into the Earth. So now, I've found I close my eyes and play for myself. Not in the self-glorifying way, but in a way that is just thankful and proud of every little show - each show being a tiny victory flag planted over my own story. It's the deep reward.  It's my first love. I love music again. and while I always have, I got off track. Which I'm leaning is ok. I love music again because it no longer can give me what I need. It is free to be what it is - a means to expression and life. A mere vehicle for my life, not my life itself. Pursue the deep reward. Do things for God and do things for the sake of Love being re-centered in our lives. Do your thing, don't become your thing and be content in the deep reward.  Love - Andrew

Tour continues on. I am back in Athens for two quick days. Taking the morning to work just a little bit on tour promotion stuff, but more importantly letting my mind stop spinning. I feel like that's all it has been doing. Spinning along. On the road you get a lot of time to think, to reflect, and to have absolutely nothing to do. More on this in a second.  On Saturday, as we were pulling in to Atlanta, our trailer broke. More accurately, I broke the trailer... As we were pulling up to our venue in midtown, it fell completely off the truck. What we came to find was that the tongue on the trailer had been completely bent after I tried to turn it around and hit a curb at the wrong angle. After trying to hammer it for a little while, with no success, we were stuck. For a moment you get this sinking feeling, "wow this is it." We have no way of getting our stuff out of here, we're screwed. It's funny looking back on this now, but in the moment that was such a loud voice in my head. "You messed this up... if only you were more careful... if only you had planned better..." all of this racing through my mind. I am so thankful to have Zac and Carly on my team. Not once did I ever feel like they blamed me, but rather, what was a problem for me became a problem for all of us. That's family. What's yours is mine. God sent some angels in the form of Tommy, Mike and Matt (Tommy's neighbors). It would take a second to explain on here, but they were literally in the right spot at the right time, and helped us to move the trailer and put us into contact with people who might be able to help us. We push the trailer up the hill and play the show in Atlanta, a beautiful night atop a roof with a view of trees and the Atlanta skyline.  On Saturday we call a handful of trailer repair services and find one that can repair the trailer in the same day. We get the trailer towed down to Jonesboro and spend the afternoon there. We eat Mexican. Between waiting, driving, calling, and driving some more, the whole ordeal lasted about 5 hours. We were dead tired in the middle of it, and it felt like a giant wrestling match in my spirit. "Do not get discouraged. Trust God. You are in the right place. Love. Continue in humility." This was the reminder in my head as I continued to worry and as I looked at the situation that had no guaranteed success. But you know what is amazing... We were able to get the trailer towed 40 minutes south of Atlanta, fixed, loaded  back up in Atlanta, and hauled to our next show 30 minutes north of Atlanta... and the show continued on with no hiccup. It was actually one of the most beautiful shows I've ever played. I was filled with so much thankfulness. I felt like nothing could get in the way of the dream. I felt like my spirit, our spirit, conquered that day. As difficult as that situation was, I think it was the most important thing to happen on our journey so far. Something in the atmosphere changed. Somewhere in me... I trust God even more. My faith grew. I am covered. I am taken care of. I realize I actually loved the story and the people more than a cookie cutter, according to the plan, situation. And I am sure, as time continues, it will be more laughable that we even despaired about that happening... but what a great lesson and experience. God came through in every way. He sent people to help us. People who were kind and supportive. Even everyone at the trailer shop seemed to care. Personally, He surrounded me with two friends who have my back and didn't once blame me for anything. Also, before we hit the road a friend gave me $200 for anything that might come up on the road. The repair of the trailer costed $189. God gave us a way to be back up and running at the show on time and even early enough to get one of my favorite deserts, affogato, in Roswell.  It is hard to deny God's amazing plan... He took care of us.  And to top it all off. As we were loading into the show in Roswell, I found this waiting for me on the stage. One of my best friends and mentors left this for me. I didn't even have to read it. It just healed me, it encouraged me, it reminded me of all of us connected together who are walking together, praying together, pursuing life and God together. I am still amazed and feel the wind on my back that this gestured breathed.  Extra Credit: I am truly impressed that any human has read this far down. We hardly read things that take more than five minutes these days. Here are some extra thoughts that I have had that might encourage you. No lesson, just process and maybe some revelation. I realize: It's not good to be alone. Alone physically, alone in your head, alone in your pursuits, alone in your dreams. It's just not good. I'm not made to do things without others. I struggle with this because I live in the illusion that I can do things better, faster, and cleaner without the help of others. But a loneliness haunts me when I live there. I am so thankful for this tour. While I am busy, the lifestyle has forced me to slow down, has forced me to be in community, and has ultimately reminded me the beauty of sharing life with those around me. It has been an especially hard couple of weeks emotionally, and I am trapped so much of the time in my own worry. I live in false realities that haven't even happened yet. The word for that is conspiracy... But, the beauty of people is that they can pull you out of those places if you will let them. The power of God is that He gives us a different way to live, if we will trust Him. I also am learning that I am not meant for broken connection. Actually, everything I do is for connection. Connection with God, with my purpose and with those around me. In my brokenness I run from connection because it is naked and uncomfortable. I want you to think that I'm perfect and I know that the closer you get the less perfect I become. I have a habit of cutting people off cold in my mind the moment they get too close for comfort... to break the connection because it doesn't seem or feel perfect. But, when connection breaks, it rips my soul. It's against my design. My prayer has been a softening of my heart and a trust in those that are around me and a desire to preserve connection at all costs. My prayer has been for courage to let others into my heart and to fight to know theirs. The share my life without regret. To ask for help. To give. To be myself, warts and all. My prayer has been for love. My prayer has been the ability to forgive myself and my own life for being messed up. My heart cries out to know and be known. And you know what, as I have lifted the astronomical expectations from myself and from others to be God, I feel a peace drape over my heart like a blanket. It is okay. You are okay. We are loved. We are on the same team. Let us connect. Share your life with me. and I'll share mine with you. Let's break the broken bread. 

We have officially begun! I took some time off today after a crazy week, drove to Greenville, enjoying some coffee and reflecting on the tour so far, and life in general. Thursday night, we were able to gather all of our hometown friends to kick off the tour in Athens. It is really amazing to see all your friends out there who are just supporting your dream... It's hard to describe in words the appreciation I have for each of you, who chose to come out and support, though the show went to 1 in the morning yall still showed up! I would be a fool to ever believe that no one had my back.  Last night, in Monroe, a different kind of show. But what I am realizing more and more, the reward of getting out there and taking a chance. We had now idea who was going to show up, or who would be into it, but we filled up that coffee shop! After the show, I had some amazing conversations of testimonies of my music and even my journey through pursuing forgiveness and wholeness in other areas of my life, namely - my time with my dad. Again... a surreal feeling that these humble little nights are actually making an impact in real human lives. I and reminded to always remember that the way of my God is from the bottom up, not the other way... Meaning, that all I am to do is to serve the moment God has placed in front of me, instead of focussing on what isn't and wishing I had more. It's really easy to do that in our lives and miss the beautiful thing that has been placed in your lap. Thankfulness is key.   We got back home and I stayed up late after Carly had left, and my roommates had gone to bed... full of energy, excitement and hope for the rest of the shows. The dream continues to swirl colorfully in my head. I feel, for a moment, that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to do. And though there is a deep feeling of "I have no Idea what I'm doing," I simultaneously believe deeply, "I have some idea of why I'm doing." And that, I have come to find, is the more important question.  The rest of the show dates can be found here! If you have enjoyed it, please tell your friends in these areas to check out the show. Thank you for everyone who has come out! Also... new shirts came in last week. Pretty hot fire. 

I found this picture from the first day we met to talk about this tour. It brings me a lot of joy... knowing that it started with a talk over coffee. And now it's... actually happening. It's the morning of the first show of tour. I have just gotten some new photographs taken of the new studio, coming soon. And I am taking some time before starting the rest of the day to just reflect on what is about to happen, and all the things that have led me to this place.  I think that before important moments in life, there tends to be a surge of both excitement and fear... something in our souls to indicate - "hey, this means something." Over the last few days, I have been experiencing some deep anxiety not only about the tour, but about my life on a deep level. I have contemplated the failure of the tour thoroughly, played out everything that could go wrong in my mind, and had multiple internal freak outs. I imagine my chewed up music career...me being a washed up failure twenty years down the road. It's crazy how a little seed of doubt can spiral into such crazy thoughts. Carly, Zac and myself have been working tirelessly over the last few months to piece together this humble, totally DIY, house show style tour... and tonight it becomes a reality. I reflect on this moment and am still overwhelmed by my thoughts  of what "ifs" and "isn't." What if it flops? What if no one comes? What if all my tires bust on my car? What if what if what if... But I pause to remember what "is." I do have a tour booked. I do get to do it with my friends. I do have an adventure waiting for me. I will learn. I will grow. I will do it. It is a great gift. I am praying to be filled with thankfulness. I remember that, in the end, I play for reasons I can count on one hand. To show off God. To give my friends a voices. To serve as a blessing to each community. To chase the dream. To learn how to be a human being.  I am sticking to the motto - run towards the turbulence. Run towards the fear. I am not ready. I am not certain. I am not fearless. But in some ways these feelings are comforting because they indicate that I am plunging into the unknown. And treasures, in their very nature, are hidden to be discovered.  Here we go. 

Hey guys, thought I'd drop some words down here on the blog to keep everyone in the loop on what has been going on and what's on the horizon. I'm currently waiting for my laundry to finish drying at my friend's house.  What a few weeks it has been. I moved into a new house, built the studio, led worship in Knoxville with some of my heroes,  and performed and produced a worship album in the new space just last night. It has been go, go go and gift, gift, gift. After a quick rest this afternoon, I am going to begin setting my sights on the upcoming tour, where I will be traveling around the southeast, performing songs from the Andrew Blooms catalog with some of my really good friends. Honestly, it has been such a long time coming that it doesn't even feel like it's about to happen... if that makes sense. The amount of time and effort that has gone into these endeavors always surprise me, because from the outside it is difficult to see.  On Living - There is something I wrote on a friend of mine's blog the other day and it really stuck with me. Nathan said, "Being alive is worth everything." This idea has echoed deep inside me and has begun to shape so much of how I make decisions and what I value. What I have realized is that it is easy to become dormant in certain areas of our lives - to let our guards down, to compromise, to grow tired, to grow lazy. And while we are technically breathing and walking and living our day to day lives, some part of our hearts - or much of it- falls asleep. But... the process to becoming alive is simple, yet not easy. Just like life itself. To find life require death. It requires the dying off of old ways, old thinking patterns, old routines. It requires a commitment to adventure, exploration, shaking up the satus quo and most importantly... risk. Someone told it to me this way: Imagine you were thrown naked out into the wilderness to survive. You would be alert. You would be ready to hunt. You'd be listening for streams. You would be paying attention. You would be curious. You would be afraid. And life would be your ultimate goal in everything you did.  I am in a process in my own life where I am at a crossroads between the easy life paved before me, or the unpaved road that will require risk, courage and a lot of the unknown. We know this as the road less traveled. I am currently figuring out a way to live my life where I am unapologetically committed to truly living. Not just breathing, not just working, not just walking around... But relishing each moment. I feel like it sounds cheesy... but I really do think about it. What is living really like? What is a full life? Is there a depth in our every day that makes each moment magnificent. Am I just not looking for it? Am I took afraid to look for it?  Our we committed enough to living what we openly invite the death of what isn't to be? Patterns, thoughts, knee jerk reactions, judgments, astronomical expectations of life and others. Might these be the things that must die to make way in the soil? Wouldn't it be worth it to be fully alert and fully alive? To be uncomfortable, to be awkward, to be unconventional, to let go of things that are dead anyway? I don't know. Perhaps I am rambling. But I have noticed in myself recently: The more that I have been willing to let go, the more alive I have felt. I have felt more space for God to move, I have felt more openness to the spontaneous and unpredictable. I have felt more curious. I have felt more passionate. All through a mindset that is crying out, "whatever needs to die to make work for life... let it be so, and may I release it with humility." It is painful. It is scary. It's not safe. But aren't all these things worth it in exchange for feeling your own heart beat?

Super excited about this new vid! We got together last Friday and arranged a couple videos of some of the songs off the album. I love the people that were involved in making this video, and we had a blast doing it, White Tiget BBQ Lunch and coffee and all. I love the feels that we found when trying to "acousti-fy" the tunes and rearrange them for a more stripped down band. This was recorded live at Studio 1093 in Athens, GA. Hope you enjoy! Video Produced by Evan Reece Engineered by Jeffrey Vernon & Mark PlemmonsPerformed by: Bobby Forrester (Acoustic and Vocals), Shelby Lynn Frank(Vocals), Kamron Munch (Bass), and Joseph Park (Drums).