Something of a Prodigal Son

I know it's been a while since I've checked in. Got a little burned out there for a minute and just sort of hid out at home. That being said it was nice to take a moment and come up for air. I think everyone does this sort of thing though. Come up for air, that is. Either way, even in the calm there have been events, events worth discussing, so here I am, out of my hole with some reports from the underground. :) The festivals and college dates have been very cool for the most part. Highlights>>>bamboozle. People for days and the sun going down, what a great time to play on a festival bill. Coachella... arguably the hottest show I have ever played. Upcoming stuff: The Dear Jack foundation page will soon be updated. In the past 6 months we have donated somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000 dollars to a short list of charities and hospitals whose aim is to find effective treatments and eventually cures for blood cancers like leukemia as well as other types of cancer. A new site: We' are planning a new transitional site for the next several months as I begin working on new music. It will be a simple and mainly informational site. This way we can more easily fill you in on the albums progress and other info. Instant Karma Record:   Here is the story. To generate financial aid and social awareness for the genocide- plagued Sudan, Yoko Ono, widow of the great John Lennon made his highly guarded catalog available to modern recording artists to do renditions of his legendary songs. I can't explain how honored I am to be able to sing one of Mr. Lennon's songs in such an official manner, but to do it on a record with company like green day and U2 is a milestone for me. To make things even better, Fleetwood Mac drummer, Mick Fleetwood, joined us in the studio. Mick is a brilliant player and a rock icon and to come together with him on a track was a serious privilege. ...And if that weren't enough: At the end of May Jack's has been asked to perform a Benefit for the Heal the Bay charity. A part of that evening's festivities revolve around one of the charities most well known supporters, Beach Boy, Brian Wilson. The music of Brian Wilson has had a huge impact upon me in recent years and I can't believe I will be able to say that I shared a stage with him. Right Now:    I'm in the studio with the first Airport Tapes and Records signing, Treaty of Paris. The music sounds great so far and I can't wait till you can all hear what they've been working on. You can check them in Milwaukee at summerfest the day after we play. NOW PLEASE READ MY SHAMELESS PLUG: THE AUDITION, VERY CLOSE FRIEND'S OF THE JACK'S CAMP, ARE ON TOUR NOW IN A CITY NEAR YOU. GO CHECK THAT SHIT AND TELL EM WE SENT YOU

THE AUDITION TOUR DATES

Comments

[Alison]

Y U SOOOO TIGHT?

[Ellen]

yo. i'm excited for this summer and the future of jack's. see you at summerfest and lollapalooza:)

ellen

[Lex]

Can't wait to hear this new record and TOP.

& Fleetwood Mac!? My dad is totally jealous of you right now haha.

[Erin]

Ah! So nice to hear from you again. Im cant wait for the Lennon Song or the new music.

And i defiantely wanna check that shit out!!

Ps. Loved you at the San Diego show, too bad we didnt get to see you after. Even though we traversed a hill to try!!

Much love!!

[samantha]

It's a little shabby, and if you never get this, I'll understand.

I've had the pleasure of coming to see you more than once, and each time it strikes me like the first. You made a fan out of a friend who never really listened. You can feel your passion in each of your shows, and your energy kickstarts every heart in the crowd. So, I guess in a sense to pay tribute to your continuously inspirational work, I wrote this for you. I apologize as it's likely it doesn't make much sense.

The lights they come on slowly, carressing your shape, and your words they pour more steadily at a quickened pace. I stand in the darkness, an endless sea of hope, your melodies cascasding along my eager lobes. Tonight I've come to see you, willing to remain unknown as this nameless night of wonders weaves a joy to which so few are prone. Nestled between every lyric, riding along an ever passionate song, I find the comforting sense that I belong.

[kerry]

you never cease to amaze me.

keep it strong, hope to see you soon.

[annie g.]

oh i forgot you wrote blogs :)
joking joking. i have moments when i don't call certain people or talk to someone and feel like i've been away or missing. anyway, thanks for climbing out of your hole.

lovely blog as usual. can't wait for all the new things to come. :)

[Danielle]

The Instant Karma record sounds exciting, I can't wait until it comes out! Thanks for the update and also, thanks for letting me touch your beard!

[Jenn Co]

I love it when you post new blogs.
They always brighten my day.

I hope everything works out wonderfully, you deserve it. :)

Love,
Jenn

[Kate]

Holy shit you got some majorly exciting things going on! I can't wait for the Lennon song... congrats on that. I will check thay other shit fo sho too.

<3 Kate

[Maia]

Wowo jealous. Mick Fleetwood is one of my favorite drummers :]

...and John Lennon is my hero, just like you

[Lynz]

i missed you. i guess i still do. blogs with from letting us into your life to just information.

ah well. i still love you. :)

[Jenna!]

AHHH ANDREW
I missed you so incredibly much
i check your blog daily
and you hadn't written in like 2 months?
idk i lost track
but i knew you intended on coming to summerfest
(duh its the most amazing festival ever, in WI! of all places)
and i'm so glad they finally announced it
i'm going to be there
front row baby
i really hope you have a meet and greet again this year
last year i couldnt get to the meet and greet seeing as the sky decided to drop a flood all up on us.
and i def have those times when i tunnel away for awhile
and then come up for air
(coming up for air. its a ben folds song, i'm seeing them at summerfest as well, but you prob dont care....)
and thats so exciting about the john lennon song!
i hope it goes well

and i hope life is well
and i hope marriage is all you thought it would be
and i hope all the best
your acoustic song rocks on punk goes acoustic 2
stay healthy
and keep us updated
and see you june 28th :)

-jenna

[Anne Marie]

Hey!! I'm not sure if Andrew actually reads all of the comments, but if he does--or if anyone else reads this that can contact him, I've been trying to for a few weeks and would really appreciate if someone could pass this along for me :)

Also, SO jealous about the John Lennon AND Brian Wilson thing!

My name is Anne Marie Stoddard, and I am going into my fifth year at the University of Georgia in the fall. I was recently elected the Special Projects Chair of the Iota Zeta chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional women's music fraternity. As the Special Projects Chair, it is my job to plan our annual benefit concert, which usually occurs in the spring semester. I suppose I'm jumping the gun a little since I have almost a year to plan the show, but since I have bigger plans for next year than we've ever had before, I want to secure as many details now as possible. SAI normally books a few local bands at Nuci's Space (a small, non-profit venue near downtown), but as the booking assistant of the 40 Watt, I have secured us a night there instead. I would still like to have several local bands play to support our amazing local scene, but to ensure that we raise a substantial amount of money this year, I would like to book a bigger act--and since Andrew is my hero and I have always been an avid JM and SoCo fan, my goal is to book either Jack's Mannequin or Something Corporate (depending on who is touring--I would definitely love to do the concert in the fall if the guys are touring then, because I really don't think I could wait almost a year!!).
As I mentioned before, the concert is a benefit concert, so all of our proceeds will be donated to a charity of our choice. The charity that I am currently considering is the music program at Camp Sunshine, a retreat in Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. I have researched Jack's Mannequin's booking agency and discovered that their policy discourages the attempt of booking their artists for non-profit events...so I have decided to approach Andrew myself. I supported him, prayed for him, and followed his progress alongside other fans during his battle with leukemia, and I know that he contributed an incredible amount to the progress and funding for children's cancer research. If there is any way that you guys can do a non-profit performance (or even a discounted rate) for our benefit concert, I am talking to my our chapter about possibly also donating a portion of our proceeds to the Dear Jack Foundation. I am looking into finding a company such as Coca Cola or Chik-fil-a to sponsor our event if you can not or will not be able to donate your time, but as of right now I have received no response. Anything that you can tell me would be greatly appreciated, and I am working night and day to find ways to make this event an unparalleled success.

I sincerely hope that this message reaches Andrew and the guys, and I am eagerly awaiting a response. You may contact me through MySpace (www.myspace.com/holiday_from_real)or my email address (which is listed privately with this comment). Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and have a great week!!

Sincerely,

Anne Marie Stoddard
Special Projects Chair, Sigma Alpha Iota, Iota Zeta Chapter
40 Watt Club Booking Assistant

[Christina]

Haha, I'm going to see The Audition tomorrow. A bunch of us messengers are getting together to go and are way excited. We'll tell them you say hi.

[kathleen]

HOLY SHIT.

all of that sounds amazing. seriously.

[Thomas]

It's good to hear from you. It's like seeing a friend that you had lost contact with for a while.

You see them and you remember why you were friends in the first place.

Life is about change, and it seems like you're getting to the place in life where you've getting a chance to adjust the sails and head where you want to go for a change.

Aww man, I still miss you. My friends and I are filming a fun video for "la La Lie"... an alice in wonderland take. The concept is pretty nice.

Write back sometime.
-tom

[Sian Victoria]

can't wait to hear the new stuff! and congrats on everything.
<333

[caitlinwithasea]

you edited. how cute.

[Chelsea]

Congrats on all of the great news!

Also, this is a long time coming but thanks for coming to the University of Iowa to play the 10,000 Hours Show. It was a rocking show and it meant a lot to see you there!

And plug The Audition all you want because they are awesome!!!!! Thanks for introducing them to me at the Riviera in Chicago!

C

[tinsley]

kathleen texted me and said that someone wrote you a novel and that it wasnt me.

it wasnt but it might as well have been. she asked you to play in athens at the 40watt. i support her request. but do what you gotta do first. like... make us some muuuuuuuuusic.

I DONT FEEL LIKE DOING THIS ANYMORE.

congrats on being mr popular with all the rubbing elbows with famous old guys.

bye.

[Scott Fassett]

Congrats on everything guys. I can imagine sharing the stage with the likes of Brian Wilson and recording with Mick Fleetwood are some awesome, awesome experiences that you'll never forget. Good luck this summer guys, can't wait to see you around Denver again.

[Arnold Rafael]

Andrew! You deserve everything good that's coming to you right now. As others have already said, you ARE an inspiration. We are all so fucking excited for you!!! And thanks for the update! You don't know how excited I was to see this.

Arnold

[tinsley]

p.s. andrew. the title. it doesnt make sense. what.

[Emily B]

OMG AN UPDATE
and just in time for my trip to ohio, a day later and i wouldnt have gotten it in far too long, even though i'm kind of a day late in noticing anyways, whatever.
all that stuff sounds soo awesome it's great you got to play with the drummer from fleetwood mac
and way to fix your thay to say that...
i'm sooooo excited for the upcoming stuff i don't think words can really express it
hope to get to a show sometime in the not too distant future : )