Blog Stats.

Secondhand Serenade

Secondhand Serenade is an American acoustic rock band, led by vocalist and guitarist John Vesely. Vesely has released three studio albums to date under the name Secondhand Serenade: Awake in 2007, A Twist in My Story in 2008 and Hear Me Now in 2010. The debut album used multi track recording to create the sound of a band using technology, while the second album took a different path, using a proper band and synthesizers to establish a more accomplished sound.

Early history, first release (2004-2006)

John Vesely formed Secondhand Serenade in his home town of Menlo Park in California, USA, in 2004. Vesely was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in a musical family and as the son of a professional jazz musician father, commenting that "getting into music was a natural thing" for him. He spent 8 years playing bass in local bands, featuring in a number of acts ranging in style from skaand hardcore to rock and pop. One of the bands he played in, Sounds Like Life, included fellow Bay Area artist Ronnie Day. After years of playing bass, he opted for an acoustic guitar. Vesely follows in the tradition of John Ondrasik's Five for Fighting. Vesely was also the son of a Czech immigrant.

Vesely began writing his own songs when he met his wife Candice Vesely. She had wanted him to play a song and "serenading her with a bass guitar was out of the question." He has admitted he found his "true calling" when he picked up the guitar. The pseudonym Secondhand Serenade is a reference to the way in which his songs were 'serenades' sung to his wife Candice, with whom he has two young sons. People around the world are merely getting to hear the songs 'second-hand.' While Vesely continues to market the affectionate biography, the couple broke up in 2008. Vesely was heartbroken as can be seen in many of his songs. He released "A Twist In My Story" as a reference to the divorce.

In 2005, Vesely released his debut album titled Awake. It was recorded as a demo, after booking a few days at an San Frincisco studio earlier in 2005, "using just an acoustic guitar and his multi-tracked vocals." The album was promoted through the Secondhand Serenade Myspace page and by playing local shows. The CDs were originally sold through mail order with a PayPal account by Vesely, eventually he signed up with distributor TuneCore, making Secondhand Serenade's songs available on music portals including iTunes.^[9] The album experienced tremendous online support, and by the end of 2006 Secondhand Serenade had received millions of plays on Myspace and had been the social-networking site's No. 1 Independent Artist for months. Financially, he was said to be bringing in up to $20,000 a month from downloads and merchandise sales out of his home. He sold over 15,000 copies of the album on his own,^[10] and on the strength of these sales and the support, naturally, the labels came knocking. Secondhand Serenade was signed by longtime label executive Daniel Glass, on his new label Glassnote Records, which is distributed through Warner's Independent Label Group.^[9] In 2006, Rolling Stone announced Secondhand Serenade as #3 in the magazine's reader's poll for Best Myspace Artist.

Awake re-release (2007-2008)

In early 2007, Awake  was reissued by Glassnote Records with an additional two songs. It was released on January 31 and gave Vesely his first chartings, debuting at #16 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. Added success lead to it peaking at #164 on the Billboard 200, #3 on the Top Heatseekers and #19 on the Independent Albums chart.

In support of his first label release, Vesely was featured on MTV's You Hear It First, AOL Music's Breakers Yahoo! Music's Who's Next? and appeared on talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He also played numerous shows, including tours with the likes of Hawthorne Heights and The All-American Rejects and at music festivals South By Southwest and along side My Chemical Romanceand Linkin Park at Bamboozle. Secondhand Serenade released only one song as a single from the debut album, "Vulnerable". The song spawned a music video, which was created by Frank Borin who was responsible for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' video for hit single "Dani California". "Vulnerable" peaked at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100, #64 on the Pop 100 and #56 on the Hot Digital Songs charts.

A Twist in My Story (2008-2009)

A Twist in My Story was released on February 19, 2008 and features songs from Awake such as "Maybe" and "Your Call," but reproduced with a full band. The bulk of the album however is a list of new songs written by John Vesely and recorded with a full band. Two tracks on A Twist In My Story were produced by famed producer Butch Walker, while the others were produced by former Nine Inch Nails member Danny Lohner. The first single, "Fall for You," was released January 21, 2008. The album was leaked, and was made available for download one month before its official release. On January 28, 2008 the music video for the first single from the album "Fall for You" premiered on the MTV show TRL. In support of the release, Secondhand Serenade spent most of March and April touring with American bands Making April, Automatic Loveletter, and The White Tie Affair. Members of his touring band include Steve Shebby on bass guitar, Lukas Vesely (Vesely's brother) on keys/vox, Ryan Cook (former bassist of the White Tie Affair) on lead guitar/vox, and Tom Breyfogle on drums.

The title A Twist in My Story is a reference to Vesely's 2008 divorce with his former wife Candice, with whom he has two young sons. Vesely had separated with Candice in August 2007, the time when the tracks for A Twist In My Story were being created.

In November 2008 the album's first single "Fall for You", was certified Platinum by the RIAA. As of December 5, 2008 "Fall For You" was still #13 on the American Top 40 songs in the country.^[12]

The "Your Call" video premiered on FNMTV on December 5. It can be viewed on the FNMTV website.

He released a video for the song "Maybe" on his Myspace page on May 4, 2009. Its a video about his concerts and trips around the world and was shot and directed by his tour manager Preston Jones and his drummer Tom Breyfogle.

A Twist in My Story (Deluxe Edition) was released on February 3, 2009. It contains 5 bonus tracks including "Your Call" (Radio Version), "Fall for You" (Acoustic Version), "Like A Knife" (Acoustic Version), his single "Last Time", and the Coldplay cover "Fix You".

Hear Me Now (2010-Present)

Secondhand Serenade's third studio album is entitled Hear Me Now, and was released on August 3, 2010. The album's track listing has also been announced. In a recent interview, Vesely stated that the new record will be more upbeat than his last album, which focused on relationships.

“

Secondhand Serenade - singer/songwriter John Vesely - returns with his third album, Hear Me Now, out August 3rd on ILG/Glassnote Records. Eight of the eleven songs on the album were produced by Aaron Johnson (The Fray) at Swing House studios in Los Angeles. The other three, including the first single, "Something More", were produced by John Vesely himself along with Secondhand drummer Tom Breyfogle at Vesely's home studio and mixed by Mark Endert (Train, Maroon 5). "Something More" will debut at 7:40AM on May 17th on Kid Kraddick's nationally syndicated radio show and will be available at iTunes on June 1st.[13]

”

On June 1, "Something More" was released onto iTunes as a deluxe single with a bonus track "You Are A Drug", a video showing the making of "Something More", and a digital booklet to the new single.

On July 21, while on tour in Dallas, Vesely announced that a downloadable track pack for Rock Band would be made available soon, featuring multiple Secondhand Serenade hits including "Fall For You".

On July 27, Vesely added the eleven tracks off of the new album to his Myspace and made them available for streaming for fans. Many of these songs have also leaked onto sites such as Youtube. On November 23, 2010, Vesely released a free online download for a demo of a new song off the new EP entitled "Let Me In." The next single off the new album is a new version of "You & I" featuring Cady Groves

Vesely plans to release an EP following his current tour featuring all new acoustic songs. In March 2011, Vesely announced he was mastering the new EP and that it would be entitled Weightless.Weightless was released digitally on May 3, 2011 and consists of five songs: "Our Time," "Let Me In," "Animal (Neon Trees Cover)," "You & I (Acoustic)," and "Never Too Late".

Faber Drive

Faber Drive is a four-piece, Canadian pop punk band from Mission, British Columbia.

Discovered by Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, and signed to his 604 Records label after winning Fox Seeds a local radio challenge,^[1] Faber Drive released their debut album, Seven Second Surgery, on May 15, 2007 which was followed by the release of four singles. The band's biggest influences are U2, The Police, Def Leppard, Jimmy Eat World, Stryper.

The band also featured in the American drama television series Kyle XY. Two of their songs "Killin' Me" and "Summer Fades to Fall" had featured in the show. The band also made an appearance in episode 3.01, "Psychic Friend" which aired on January 19, 2009. They also appeared on the tv series "Hellcats" on Feb 22, 2011.

The release of their second album "Can't Keep a Secret", has seen Faber Drive move towards a synthpop sound. They now anticipate the release of their third album, not yet named. No release date has been set.

Writing a Love Letter

How to Write a Love Letter

If you’re particularly in touch with your feelings and a great writer, then love letters may come easily to you. In that case, just sit down with pen and paper and let it rip. If you’re someone who has problems formulating a romantic love letter, we offer the following tips to guide the process.

1. Start off by stating the purpose of your letter. You want your love to know right away that this is a love letter and not a note to give her the brush off or to voice some kind of displeasure with the relationship. Begin with something like, “I was thinking today about how very much I love you, and how I really don’t tell you that enough. So I wanted to sit down and let you know how totally in love with you I really am.”

2. Recall a romantic memory. What’s special about couplehood is that the two of you have a shared history, a history that is unique to you and your love. Thus the best way to start a love letter is to refer to a shared memory; this conjures up feelings of your history together and scores you points for remembering details of your past. For example, begin by saying, “I still remember clearly the moment when you walked into Rob’s party, wearing that stunning red dress. You were smiling ear to ear and absolutely lit up the room. I knew immediately that I had to meet you. I went to the bathroom to try to summon up my courage and think of what to say. But it was no use; I was totally tongue tied when I approached you. I was smitten from the very start.”

3. Now transition to a section about the things you love about her. Move from your memory to the present with a line like, “And here we are more than a decade later, and you still leave me weak in the knees.”

4. Tell her all the things you love about her. Before you write this section, make a list on a separate sheet of paper of all the things you that you love about your significant other. Think about her physical characteristics, her personality, her character, and all the wonderful things she does for you. Then, turn the things you listed into sentences. “I truly think you are the most beautiful women in the world. I love the feeling of your legs intertwined with mine and the smell of your hair and skin. Your smile lifts my spirits on even my worst days. I love your laugh and your ability to find humor in every situation. I’m so grateful for everything you do for me, from your delicious dinners to your magnificent backrubs.”

5. Tell her how your life has changed since meeting her. “You truly complete me. These last few years have been the happiest of my life. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to always have my best friend by my side.”

6. Reaffirm your love and commitment. “I will always love you, no matter what happens, through thick and thin. I will be absolutely true and faithful to you forever.”

7. End with a line that sums up your love. “I can’t wait to grow old with you.” “My love for you will never end.” “You are my best friend and soul mate and I will love you until the end of our lives.”

It’s okay to err on the side of cheesiness. The most important rule is to be completely authentic. Write only those things that you truly feel. This will prevent the letter from seeming over the top or incongruous with your personality and relationship.

Tips for Staying Fit & Healthy

1) Setting Some Goals (Water for Hydration...)
Keeping your body hydrated is very important. Drinking water every couple of hours is beneficial in keeping your body systems running smoothly. Of course, one would drink more if engaged in a concentrated workout! I don't think the average person drinks enough water, this is something we could all improve on. If you have a hard time drinking plain filtered water try this fat-burning green tea beverage.Take 3 green tea bags and steep them in boiling water. Once steeped pour into a juice pitcher to which you add a teaspoon of honey. Stir together and add some fresh lemon slices. Add some ice cubes to this and refrigerate. Drink this every few hours or as thirst acquires.Studies have shown that there are great fat-burning compounds in green tea. So this can also help to keep one slim.

2) The Most Important Meal of the Day (Breakfast)
Don't skip breakfast! Many people think that if they don't eat breakfast that they will lose weight! This is not true! Studies have actually shown that those who skip this meal actually gain weight! People think that by eating less calories first thing that they will lose weight! The reason that breakfast is so important is that it gives us the much needed fuel and energy to get moving. Without breakfast one can have increased levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower levels of insulin. Bad cholesterol can clog up arteries which can lead to heart disease and other ailments! Also people tend to consume a higher number of calories throughout the day when missing this meal!A breakfast of fruit, yoghurt and granola is great! Add a cup of coffee if you need it! (I do, or at least I love it)

3) A Healthy Brain requires.... (Fish Oil)It was found in a study done at the University of Western Ontario in London that taking a fish oil supplement every day can help your body burn up to 400 extra calories. This is one good reason for you to add this to your diet! A great fish oil supplement is Omega 3! Research shows that fish oils can also help prevent hardening of the arteries which we all know leads to heart disease.

4) And one and two and three.... (Exercise)
Exercise should be a part of every day! So important to keeping our hearts strong and healthy! There are many ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine and you might be surprised at how many calories one can burn. If it's not a gym day for me, I still like to go for a brisk walk at some point in the day! Otherwise I work out at the gym for 50 minutes 3-4 days a week!

5) Meals and Snacks

In order to stay fit and slim one needs to plan meals and snacks at least with a little thought! The meals that you eat should be balanced and provide your body with good nutrition. Remember portion size is key here! Snacks too, should be healthy and not just something you mindlessly eat your way through while watching your favourite movie! ( Of course, the occasional chocolate, or higher fat food is okay, as long as it is only once in awhile)

6) For fun... Skipping
Okay it's the middle of the day, you just finished folding two loads of laundry and you are feeling a little exhausted. First have a glass of water, now grab that skipping rope and jump for a few minutes. You can do this in the garage (if you have room) in the backyard, or wherever you have the space. Skipping for just 10 minutes can burn off an easy 100 calories and you'll have your energy renewed!Grab a couple of dumbbells and put your favourite song on and do a few exercises. Bi-cep curls, tricep curls, deep knee squats. This burns calories and rejuvenates you too! I often find myself doing this around 4:00 pm or 4:30 when I'm feeling a little tired but have to get moving to prepare dinner! It really helps!Another fun idea is to take an instrument break. Maybe you play the piano, trumpet or guitar. Guess what, this burns calories too and it's fun and gets your brain in gear too!

7) Sleep
Often times we don't listen to our bodies when they are tired and perhaps sleep deprived. The average person needs 7 - 8 hours of sleep a night! Some need a little more and some can get by on a little less. A key step to maintaining a healthy weight is also getting enough sleep. Studies show that those hours when we are sleeping is the time that our bodies are healing and repairing themselves. I'm sure when you don't get enough sleep and if it happens several nights in a row, you feel sluggish and your energy supply is much lower. So be kind to yourself and get the needed hours of sleep to help your body function the way it should! You will feel much better for it!

How to be Successful at All you Do

Judging from the number of self-help and business books sold every year, millions of people want to know what it takes to be successful in business and in life.  Of course we do.  Especially if you define success as abundance in all areas – not just money – then being “successful” is what life’s all about.  The other thing you can guess from the millions of these books sold is that not everyone agrees about what it takes to be successful.  If they did, there would only be one book, right?  Well, not necessarily.  If you read all the books, you’ll mostly hear similar themes repeated in various ways.  This is good, because different people learn and absorb information in different ways.  Some will resonate more with books and programs that incorporate humor, while others prefer to take a more serious approach, for instance.  When it all comes down to it though, most of the books talk about at least one or several (or all) of the following personality traits as being necessary for success.   In fact you’ll find that few if any 

successful business people are lacking many of these traits.

Successful people are…

1. Optimistic. People who have achieved success in life tend to be optimistic.  They are far more likely to be heard talking about solutions than problems, whether in their business or personal lives, and they don’t dwell on past failures but focus on future opportunities.

2. Passionate. Successful people look forward to doing whatever it is that they do.  While they’re excited about weekends with the family or vacations away, they aren’t the ones dreading Monday morning.  They have passion for work and for life, and if they find themselves doing something they dread, they won’t do it for long.  Instead they’ll find an alternative that drives them and inspires them.

3. Persistent. Those who have found true success have done so through persistence and tenacity.  Successful people don’t have fewer obstacles than those who have not experienced success.  They just keep going even after the obstacles come up.  They deal with challenges and move on, learning as they go.  They feel sick at even the thought of giving up just before a successful breakthrough.  And because of their passion, persistence doesn’t feel like a chore – it’s fun!

4. Flexible. Being able to change course when necessary contributes to success in big ways.  While successful people follow plans, they know that the unexpected will arise, and when it does they’re willing and able to adapt as needed and turn change into opportunity.  They don’t wish for the good old days – they relish progress and go with the flow. (Or they change the flow they don’t like!)

5. Educated. This isn’t exactly a personality trait, and it doesn’t have anything to do with schooling.  The personality trait that relates to education is a thirst for learning.  Look at any success story, from Walmart founder Sam Walton, who didn’t even finish high school, to LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, who has degrees from Stanford and Oxford, and you’ll find someone who is committed to lifelong learning and improving him or herself.  Successful people are educated in their areas of passion, even if they aren’t “book smart.”

6. Focused. People who have experienced success in their business and personal lives have done so in part because they’ve been focused on success.  But more importantly, they’re focused on the long-term.  From managing personal finances to running companies, these people know that sacrificing now can pay off big in the future.  Successful people understand that while short-term victories are critical, they are only so important because they contribute to long-term success.  So they are not easily distracted by the lure of making a quick buck – or by the pretty secretary in the next office.

7. Altruistic. Contrary to the stories of greed and gluttony you sometimes hear about in the corporate world, politics, and elsewhere, truly successful people tend to be unselfish and often philanthropic.  That doesn’t mean they’re pushovers, but they are concerned about people and about contributing to the greater good.  In fact many of the most successful people in the world, both financially and personally, have found their true passions in helping and giving, more than in selfish pursuits.

Signs of (True?) Love.

Love often starts with infatuation (see the signs), but once the relationship matures to another level... it may turn into love! The reason you may want to know the difference is before making any major life commitments, you want to make sure it's love, not infatuation.

• Your partner feels like your best friend.
• You feel like you are so lucky and blessed to have them!
• You truly care about the other person and their thoughts and feelings.
• You are willing to compromise with them. 
• You know they care about you more than anything, and you care about them more than anything, too.
• The relationship is more than 6 months - 1 year old. 
• You may not think the person is always perfect -- you may dislike them at times-- but you still love them. 
• You don't have to spend every minute with them, you spend a good balance of leisure time together and apart.
• Your friends and family think you make a good couple.
• You care deeply about the other person's thoughts, feeling, morals, and beliefs.
• You consider the other person when making future plans.
• You may fight, but you work to resolve your differences. 
• You enjoy their company and spending time with them even if you aren't doing anything special.
• You no longer notice other members of the opposite sex in a romantic way.
• You don't want to change or control the other person.
• You will put your wishes and desires aside to make the other person happy.
• You want and respect their opinion, and talk to them if something is bugging you. 
• You know you could never cheat on them, and don't worry that they'd cheat on you.
• You feel emotionally intimate with the other person and share your thoughts and feelings.
• You find creative ways to handle your differences or compromise.
• Even when you disagree, you both can understand the other person's thoughts and ideas.
• The idea of committing to them doesn't scare you.
• You feel that they help make you a better person, and you make them better, too.
• You feel your personalities work well together. 
• You feel no desire to date other people to see what it's like.
• You no longer see yourself as an individual, but as part of a couple. 
• You feel good about your relationship, not worried that it won't work out.
• You feel that the other person genuinely cares for you and wants the best for you.
• You both work to help each other through problems.
• You put the other person first, and always listen to them. 
• You are willing to wait for sex because you want to make sure it's special.
• You have no desire to have sex with anyone else.
• You have discussed your plans and dreams, how many kids you want, where you want to live, your religious beliefs, morals, etc. with them because you plan on making them a permanent part of your life.

Love is more mature than infatuation because with love, you have commitment and trust. You also have a deep knowledge of the other person's ideas, hopes, futures, and fears. Because love takes getting to know the other person, and emotional intimacy, it generally develops over a longer time than infatuation. It is said that infatuation starts quickly, but love grows slowly. In fact, the way many people fall in love begins with infatuation that matures into love.

Some things someone in love might say:

• I never thought they were the cutest person, but now that I love them I can see what I was missing.
• It's not always fun, but we both work on making our relationship work.
• I feel like I'm in love with my best friend.
• Even if we fight I know we still love each other and can resolve our differences.
• They are always there for me no matter what.
• I feel so happy to have found them.
• I can share everything with them.