January 10th, 2012

Hello Friends, When I played my first paying gig with some older guys from the Brainerd lakes area, they gave me two words of advice that have been proven true over and over again. The first was, "this is an up and down business, so don't get too excited or too depressed about anything that happens to you along the way." The second was, "sometimes a change up in the band is exactly what a band needs to find it's voice again." Throughout the seven years of October Road's existence, we've I've had the opportunity to share a stage with a bunch of guys who were not only supremely talented, but always good people as well. Each time a member left to pursue something new, it was a both a sad and frightening experience, creating questions about the band moving forward, or ending right there on the spot. But, through God's grace, every time someone new was welcomed into the October Road family, we were able to get a little closer to our overall goal of our music reaching every corner of America, and not just the Midwest. Never before was that more true than with Luke and Ty from 2009 - 2011 when we earned the most radio play we had ever gotten, and even were featured on television via NBC in the Twin Cities. So needless to say, when they both decided to leave to pursue other interests, Joe and i once again where left wondering the same questions we had wondered several times before. . . . . . what now? Looking back to that morning in August of last year, I can only smile and laugh at the fact that we even considered that the change wouldn't be a positive one. Afterall, it has been everytime a change had been presented to us in the past. What has happened in the past four months has truly been both unexpected and rewarding beyond anything we could have possibly imagined. Mike and Patio have brought such energy to the band, and such brilliance in there performances that I find myself no less than addicted to the groove we've been creating. As a group, we can tear through new cover material at practice within a few short hours, and Mike and I have already found a kinship and shared vision in the writing of new original material. To top it off, I sit here today staring at a booking schedule that hasn't been this full, this early in the year since 2007. It truly is a rollercoaster ride of emotions as a band traverses the ups and downs of the music industry, from the peaks of popularity through the moments when people ask "are thos guys even still around?" We've seen the highs and the lows many times, and I'm so excited to see the band rising up once again. The audiences since Mike and Patio joined have been steadily building again, and the sheer excitement of feeling part of something with such groove and musical purpose is amazing. For me, the best part is to see Joe, Mike, and Patio as excited as I am to be part of a band that really feels like a band, with a common vision and purpose. In short, I feel the same way I felt the night I stepped onto my first dimly lit stage as an wet behind the ears teenager, looking out onto a small audience, but feeling like it was as big as playing Target Center. It was the greatest feeling I'd ever had, and you know what, it still is. I hope you'll come out to a show near you, and that you'll feel the same exhileration we do when you leave! Thank You For Your Love and Support! Shawn