I really wanted time to let people know in full detail what’s going on, has gone on, and how I personally feel about things.

First off, there is one reason why I play music. This is my personal love for music, nothing gives me close to the same feeling that music gives me. With that being said, I do not write music around your interests, or tastes. And any negative remarks you say to me, my friends or any fans of my music is absolutely irrelevant and you look stupid. So lets keep this post friendly before you start firing insults online at everyone who posts on it.

Coming home from The All-Stars tour in 2011 after a very long stretch of touring working for other bands, I had a lot of time to think(the drive was 16 fucking hours). I have been very passionate about music since a very young age, I had a brother 3 years older than myself who passed away 7 years ago and I have never found anything other than music to not so much heal, but numb and free my mind until the second I stop it. I had heard all the stories of people being truly passionate about what they did, I just thought they were doped up hippies who felt that they had to say that. I was wrong, cause I now know how it feels.

On this long ass fucking drive I couldn’t stop thinking about how badly I wanted to be playing music, I loved touring, the people involved, and seeing them on stage every night. But I needed the feeling of expressing myself on that stage. I wrote Hearts&Hands first single “We’re Not Alone” almost completely in my head on this drive, unbelievably anxious to get home and put this into musical form. At this time, although Alex Koehler was never further than 5 feet from me, I had no intentions of him being part of it(I would have been sure he’d laugh if i asked)

About a week after I had been home I had this song all layed out how I liked it. Garrett has been my favorite clean vocalist honestly around for a while, I with no hesitance instantly asked if he’d like to come sing on a song I did for fun. Being a fan of my work as well he agreed.

The night I finished it, Alex asked what I was doing cause we generally had a nightly ritual of drinking a bottle of rum and passing out in my basement. I told him that I had just finished recording and to come hang out, I showed him the track and he really liked it. After hearing the track a few times he asked if i’d be interested in him doing vocals on it. Alex Koehler is my best friend. This project was designed merely to do ONE song for fun with my good friends. This is exactly how Hearts&Hands STARTED.

We released “We’re Not Alone” to show everyone what we had done and let them enjoy it, as we enjoyed it ourselves. We obviously knew there would be a big audience to hear it. but the feedback we got was insane. We decided to do a few more songs for fun. ect. ect. ect. . . and the feedback only got bigger and better. Mike at Artery Recordings offered to sign the project so we could continue to put out music, we put out the E.P. went on the Impending Doom tour and had the time of our lives just like we wanted it.

Doing these things brought in more serious questions, More time demanding opportunities. Garrett and I love music, we want to be playing full-time which AK obviously undersands, and Chelsea Grin is Alex Koehlers baby. there is no physically possible way Alex Koehler could have continued Hearts&Hands with us beginning to be a full time band and keep Chelsea Grin in full focus, where it needs to be.

The beginning of Hearts&Hands will always be some of my favorite memories of my entire life, I can’t thank Alex Koehler enough for everything he did, and for being a part of something so meaningful with us. I will have his back through anything and will support anything he does.
With that being said, Hearts&Hands is beginning the second chapter of our career and I am very proud of the album we’re releasing, the members we are blessed to have and all of the incredible fans who stand behind us.