http://twloha.sitecrafting.com/blog/ Latest blog entries from TWLOHA en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:11:19 PST Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:11:19 PST SiteCrafting, Inc. CMS http://www.twloha.com/blog/off-to-woodie-awards-thank/ Hey Guys, The mtvU Woodie Awards are tonight in NYC, a couple hours from now. Some of my favorite bands are nominated - Death Cab for Cutie, Kings of Leon, Phoenix... Ben Gibbard, Zoey Deschanel, Jack White and Pete Wentz will be in the room...  The Woodie Awards are for "artists", which typically means "musicians." Somehow, i'm nominated for the "Good Woodie" award. And since i don't have any songs, it's hard to know how this happened or how it's even allowed. Well, actually, i do know - it's you. It's been our story all along. Your passion, your voice - it's a powerful thing. It can build and move, it can opens doors. Just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for voting, but more, thanks for caring. Thanks for helping us invite people to live a better story. Thanks for helping us introduce people to hope and help and to the possibility that they were never meant to live alone. Thanks for helping us push back at the stigma that says depression and addiction are things we can't talk about.  TWLOHA is a story that i'm proud to be part of. The best stories are the ones that surprise you and inspire you to change. Thanks for all you do to make ours that sort of story. It's my honor to represent you at the Woodie Awards tonight, to get to be there on behalf of people who struggle and people who care.  Since i'm the only nominee who doesn't have any songs, MTV let me pick out the song for my nomination video. i gave it a lot of thought and ended up choosing Switchfoot's "Needle and Haystack Life" from their new album "Hello Hurricane." i'll leave you with a lyric from that song: "No, don't let go Don't give up hope All is forgiven You breathe it in The highs and lows We call it living All is not lost All is not lost Become who you are It happens once in a lifetime" Peace to you tonight. jamie PS: You can watch the Woodie Awards on  Friday, December 4 at 10pm EST on MTV, MTV2, mtvU and Palladia. ... Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:24:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/some-thoughts-twloha-day/ Hey Guys.Each week, Lindsay from our team sends an email to the entire TWLOHA team. When we open this email, it's a time to reflect on some of the messages and emails that have come in over the last few days. Some of the messages are heavy and hard to read. Others are full of hope and encouragement. Life is both and everything in between. Lindsay sends these messages to remind us of our mission, the heart of the matter. Each week, as we read the messages she includes, we're reminded where this started and we're reminded why we do what we do.Today,  "TWLOHA Day", is one that our team didn't come up with. We don't know a lot about it, to be honest - not sure where it came from or how it spread to so many people. But perhaps that's been true for much of our story - we've seen the best of passion and communication. We've seen people share and build something beautiful together. With today in mind, i want to share one of the messages that Lindsay sent to us yesterday:"My name is Taylor and I am 22 years old. I have been an addict for the past six years of my life and have been looking at getting into rehab for awhile now. I should be checking in sometime this week I am just waiting for my federal aid to come in. I wanted to thank you guys for doing what you do and being there. I haven't personally ever talked to anyone with your organization but my sister heard about it somehow. My sister is 18 years old and has never used a day in her life. Ever since I started using I haven't been there for her and we kind of live two completely seperate lives. We haven't gotten along. Today my sister picked me up from my house and said she had a surprise for me. We went and got love tattooed on our arms. She  has never had a tattoo so this was a big step for her. She started crying, I haven't seen real emotion from my sister in a long long time. She told me what you guys were about and expressed what she has felt about my use and the way I have made her feel. I made a promise to her to stay clean, something I have never said to anyone. Every time I look down at my arm it will remind me of what a commitment my sister has made to me and to helping me stay clean. I just wanted to thank you guys for helping her understand and helping her accept me and not frown upon me. Your organization has really made an impact on both of our lives and I really wanted to express my gratitude." Thank you so much for what you guys do everyday and what your organization will continue to do for so many people, you guys really do save lifes. Thank you so much. All the love and respect in the world."If you decide to write the word "love" on your arm today, please remember the heart of the matter. The goals were never "cute" or "fashion". Our title, "to write love on her arms", was born as a goal and it remains a goal. We're inviting people to fight for their lives and for the lives of their friends. We're inviting people to believe better things. If you want to help us spread the word about hope and help, we would be honored. If you want to tell people that they need other people, that every story matters - again, we would be honored. We say these things because we believe them to be true, and because too many people live alone under other lies.  Let's continue to fight to figure out what this word "love" means. Let's aim for how it looks and how it sounds - maybe something like humility and confidence and kindness, maybe honesty and compassion... We're in all these things together. It's bigger than cute and louder than fashion. Thanks always for your support.You matter very much.jamie and the entire TWLOHA teamPS: Switchfoot is performing on Jimmy Kimmel tonight.PS2: If you're anywhere near NYC, then we would love to see you at 1:30pm tomorrow (Friday) at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, for a very special photo shoot. Feel free to email nyc@twloha.com if you have any questions. ... Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:29:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/youre-invited-to-be-part-1/ We believe in stories. TWLOHA is perhaps a lot of things but among those, it's the story of a story that grew to be something more. Along the way, we've been given the opportunity to talk about things that millions struggle with but few talk about. It's a story of secrets shared and conversations over coffee and why songs matter. We've seen surprising doors open and most importantly, we've seen people find hope and help. Another surprising door has opened... We can't reveal all the details but we would like to invite you into it: A well-known photographer is taking some pictures next Saturday in New York City. The pictures are for a story that a magazine is doing on TWLOHA. The magazine is a pretty special magazine and it's safe to say that the story is a big one. They want to take a picture of me and i asked if i could invite you and they said okay. It's going to happen in Manhattan. We don't know exactly where or what time just yet but we will know those details soon. There's a form you need to fill out if you want to participate in the shoot. If you send an email to nyc@twloha.com, we'll send you the form and we'll send you the info (when/where) as well.  Here's the fine print: You don't get paid and your name won't appear in the magazine. But there's a chance you will get to be part of a group photograph that will appear in the magazine. Also, we will hang out and we will drink hot chocolate. Hope to see you Saturday in NYC. More info soon. Again, nyc@twloha.com is the address to write to if you're interested in being part of the photo shoot. Peace to you. jamie PS / Update: The shoot will take place this Saturday at 12 NOON in Washington Square Park.  ... Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:02:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/love-you/ Today, while reading the liner notes for The Avett Brothers new album, i came across a mission statement.  Non-profits are supposed to have mission statements but i'd never seen one from a band.  The words are meant to explain some other words, the album's brave title, "I and Love and You". i found it all brilliant and wanted to share it with you. Peace to you. jamie "The words "I" and "Love" and "You" are the watermark of humanity. Strung together, they convey our deepest sense of humility, of power, of truth. It is our most common sentiment, even as the feeling of it is so infinitely uncommon: each to proclaim these three words with his or her very own heart and mindset of reason (or lack thereof); a proclamation completely and perfectly new each time it is offered. Uttered daily and nightly by millions, the words are said in an unending array of circumstances : whispered to a newborn in a mothers arms; shared between best friends on the playground; in the form of sympathy - said by a girl to a boy, as the respect continues but the relationship does not. It is said too loudly by parents to embarassed children in the company of their friends, and by grown children - to their fading parents in hospital beds. The words are thought in the company of the photograph and said in the company of the gravestone. It is how we end our phone calls and our letters... the words at the bottom of the page that trump all those above it, a way to gracefully finish a message, however important or trivial, with the most meaningful gifl of all : the communication of love. And yet the words themselves have been the victims of triviality, a ready replacement for lesser salutations among near strangers, burst forth casually as "love ya." Truly? To what degree? Why, how much, and for how long? These are questions befitting of the stature of love, though not the everyday banter of vague acquaintance. The words have also been twisted by the dark nature of deceit : To say "I love you" with a dramatic measure of synthetic emotion; a snare set by those who prey uponn fellow humanity, driven to whatever selfish end, to gain access to another's body, or their money, or their opportunity. In this realm, the proclamation is disgraced by one seeking to gain rather than to give. In any case, and by whatever inspiration, these words are woven deeply in to the fibers of our existence. Our longing to hear them from the right place is maddeningly and simultaneously our finest strength and our most gentle weakness.The album "I and Love and You" is inashamedly defined by such a dynamic of duality. As living people, we are bound by this unavoidable parallel. We are powerful yet weak, capable yet temporary. Inevitably, an attempt to place honesty within an artistic avenue will follow suit. This is a piece which shows us as we are : products of love surrounded by struggle. The music herein is, in many ways, readable as both a milestone and an arrival. A chapter in the story of young men, it bridges the space between the uncertainty of youth and the reality of it's release. The record is full with the quality of the question and response. As far as questions go, there are plenty-normally residing within the tone and delivery of the lyrics themselves, which, ironically, are sung with so much confidence. Among songs and thoughts so driven and purposeful, the most basic relatable doubt comes through with a resounding clarity. Outside of the eternal theme of romantic love, the album speaks thankfully upon a landscape of light-filled rooms, word-filled pages, time machines, forgiveness, singing birds, ocean waves, art, change, confessions of shortcomings, and reasons to continue on. Hope and a cause for smiling follow naturally. In the midst of all this, there are allusions to the less-than-ideal conditions of life : the loss of memory, the inability to control temper, insecurity, indecision, jaded indifference, and the general plague of former and current weakness. "I and Love and You" is an album of obvious human creation, chracterized by it's best and it's worst. Emotional imperfection is a reality for those who recorded the piece, just as it is for those who will hear it. The conclusion of the song from which the title is taken admits that the words "I love you" have become "hard to say". And perhaps that difficulty is as common as it's counterpart. Perhaps the inability to say these heaviest of words is as much a part of life as the lighthearted candor of those who say them without any difficulty at all. And so it ends with the phrase whispered to and by those of us most defeated and most elated... I and love and you."  - The Avett Brothers  PS: You can hear "I and Love and You" (the song) along with new songs from Paramore, Switchfoot, Paper Route, Athlete, Ryan Adams and Noah Gundersen on our MySpace playlist. We just added these today... ... Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:34:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/what-would-you-say-what-1/ Hey Guys. A few months back, i got the chance to spend a couple hours with Mike Shea in New York City. Mike is the founder of Alternative Press Magazine and we had a good time getting to know each other over lunch in Union Square and a long city stroll. Mike and i swapped stories about AP and TWLOHA and music and mutual friends and all sorts of stuff. Somewhere in there, we talked about ways to work together and he asked if i had any ideas. i told him that i would love to write... He asked what i'd want to write about and i told him i wasn't sure but that i'd love to be honest and that i'd do my best to challenge people and encourage people. i told him that basically, TWLOHA is an attempt to get to the heart of things, to remind people that they're alive and that life is worth living and perhaps that there are things that need to be said and things we're supposed to fight for.Well... My first article for AltPress went up today and i'd love for you to check it out. (i must warn you that it's a little bit spicy...) Our hope is that if the response to the online article is good, then they may invite me to write for the (print) magazine.  If you dig the article, feel free to comment, let AP know, etc.  Thanks for walking with me as the journey continues.Click here to check out the article on AltPress.comPeace to you from NYC, where Fall is starting to happen.: )jamie ... Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:52:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/today-we-join-you-in/ The world changed on September 11, 2001 and with that, we are the 9/11 generation. We will tell our kids and our grandkids where we were and what we saw and what we felt. For most of us, it was something that we watched on television but for others, it was the day they lost more than peace and comfort. The reality is that a lot of people lost fathers and sisters and sons. We can build back the buildings but we can't replace the lives that were lost on 9/11.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones eight years ago today. We're sorry beyond words for the people that you lost. Today, we join you in remembering. Peace to you. jamie ... Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:13:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/today-world-suicide-prevention-day/ What comes to mind when you hear the words "Suicide Prevention"?Is it really possible to prevent suicide?We know it isn't simple. We know it isn't easy. But we do believe in hope and we do believe in help, and we believe that people need other people. And if those ideas are real and true, then we believe that it is possible to prevent suicide.And we don't think it's a work only for the experts. We believe there's a part for all of us to play, that perhaps suicide prevention begins in countless simple miracles every single day. Perhaps it starts with two friends sitting down for coffee... And one of them asks "How are you doing". Perhaps it starts when we choose to live less alone, when we choose to let people in - to know us, to love us, to walk alongside us. Call it "community" or call it the way things are supposed to be. We're willing to say that suicide prevention starts there - it starts when we're willing to talk, willing to ask the hard question, willing to say the honest thing. Maybe the bravest move we'll ever make it to ask for help. Or ask how we can help someone we love. Maybe it starts when we push back at the stereotype and the lies that fuel the stigma that says pain is something we're not allowed to talk about, or that pain is for people a certain age who dress a certain way and like a certain song. Those are lies. The truth is that pain is part of being human. The questions will continue to come. We all get stuck in moments. The good news is that there is also hope and love and change. The good news is that we were meant for friends. The good news is counseling and treatment. The good news is that we don't have to go alone. "Suicide Prevention."  What's your part to play? We're all invited. Smile at someone, know someone, say something, ask the question, make the call, take the drive.  Every life is priceless and fragile. We get to guard and fight and care, for the people around us.  There are plenty of things to fight about and for over the course of our lives - let's remember that people are the most important thing, the brightest surprises on the planet. Let's remember that every single person has a story entirely unique and incredibly important, but not everyone can see it. And what a privilege that we get to do our best to remind and invite people, to believe better things, to believe that it's possible to change, to believe that life is worth living...We're not saying that it's easy. But we're saying that it's worth it. Love is the movement. Thank you for caring.jamieClick here for more info on World Suicide Prevention Day.For more info and statistics on suicide from the World Health Organization, click here ... Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:52:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/you-are-going-to-move/ More importantly, I love you. YOU ARE GOING TO MOVE THROUGH THIS.  Don't be defeated. Submit yourself to the process. You are growing. You are changing. You are doing LIFE.  I am not trying to make you feel better. This fucking hurts, and there are no two ways around it. But I am trying to encourage you to not retreat. I can't remove the pain, but I am going to hold your hand while it hurts. Continue to reach out. You need people right now.  I'm here for anything you need. You are LOVED in ways you cannot imagine. In ways that don't depend on you. In ways that don't depend on your performance. In ways that cannot be lost. Remember Remember Remember.  Love you my friend.- Anonymous  ... Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:35:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/united-kingdom-greenbelt-festival/ Hey Guys.Our friend Stuart was here last week, visiting from Glasgow, Scotland. He spent a few days with our team, helping us daydream about the future of TWLOHA in the United Kingdom. Stuart will be working with our friend Olivia to make some things happen there very soon. Keep an eye on www.twloha.com for details.On that note, we're excited to announce that TWLOHA will have a booth at Greenbelt Festival, where our friends in Athlete are among the headliners. Greenbelt is happening this weekend in England. There will be TWLOHA info and merch available, and we hope you'll say hello to Olivia from our team. Also, if you're interested in getting involved, Olivia would be a great person to connect with. Festival Info: Greenbelt Festival Cheltenham Racecourse Evesham Rd,  Prestbury, Cheltenham, GL50 4SH, United Kingdom Website: http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/ Tickets: https://shop.greenbelt.org.uk/tickets/ Peace to you, Jamie ... Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:12:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/twloha-university-chapters/ Hello everyone, My name is Denny and I am the TWLOHA UChapter Coordinator. I have been a TWLOHA staff member for 1 1/2 years. Last fall, the idea was created to develop TWLOHA student-lead organizations on university campuses, beginning in the United States. This fall, the idea is being realized when 14 colleges will be representing TWLOHA as the first ever TWLOHA UChapters.  All of this is very exciting for our team. We believe TWLOHA UChapters is part of the future in causing real, tangible change in community settings at a local and global level. Not one movement has occurred in the U.S. without college students being at the forefront, protesting change and interacting with culture in a new way, forcing even the government to listen. If stigmas, which represent a form of contemporary slavery, are going to be overthrown and replaced by a new regime of honesty and openness on university campuses (and beyond), there must be a voice from within the university body. The voice must be provocative and creative, growing from within the lives of students who care. To be honest, we don't know where this will go and we don't know exactly what change to expect or how this change will look. We do know there are students who have gifts and desires that MUST be used as leverage against a society that struggles to find places of honesty and understanding. So in many ways, UChapters is TWLOHA's response to the response of students. Essentially, UChapters are groups on college campuses who embody the values which underlie TWLOHA's vision and mission. They will reflect TWLOHA, therein imaging the heart of TWLOHA. Each UChapter will serve on their college campus and within their local community. Through building community, we believe UChapters can organize gatherings, cultivate awareness, and create a network that actively raises funds and reaches people with a message of hope and help.Personally, I have tasted this hope and help that can only be found in community. I know what it feels like to move from death to life and then to use the brokenness as a source of redemption for others. Universities are filled with brokenness and stories of hope that must be reconciled. It is estimated that more than 1,000 U.S. college students die by suicide each year. Death by suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. 1 in 12 have created a suicide plan. 90% had a psychiatric disorder at the  time of death; 60% of those having severe depression. 10% of college students have been diagnosed with depression disorder, the majority of which never receive treatment. Yet in the face of these despairing figures, since 1994, suicide rates among 15-24 year olds has decreased 28.5%. We believe TWLOHA UChapters will be a means to even more change. With 15 UChapters already launching this fall, we hope to launch another 15 for the spring. If you are a college student, or are about to be one, and desire to either connect with an established UChapter on your campus or help start one, you can email chapters@twloha.com and we will send you further information. Below is the list of active UChapters for this fall:    1. Columbia College, Chicago 2. University of South Alabama3.  Bloomsburg University, Pennsylvania 4.  University of Northern Iowa5.  Ithaca College, New York6.  South East Missouri State University 7.  Texas Tech University 8.  Oklahoma State University 9.   University of Texas-Austin10. Manchester College, Indiana 11. UMASS-Lowell, Massachusetts12. University of Florida 13. Miami University, Ohio14.  Virginia Commonwealth UniversityWith Hope,  Denny ... Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:21:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/new-video-pro-surfer-cj/ Professional surfer C.J. Hobgood (currently ranked #2 in the world, his twin brother Damien is #5) grew up with TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski in Brevard County, FL. In this video, C.J. talks about his own struggles and what he's found in beginning to invite other people into his story. He talks about his connection to TWLOHA and why he believes in the mission of the organization. Pro Surfer C.J. Hobgood from To Write Love on Her Arms. on Vimeo. ... Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:32:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/damion-suomi-plays/ Here's a great video of our friend Damion Suomi talking about his music and where he's been and where he's going. Damion has been a friend of ours for a long time and it's an exciting thing to watch a friend come back to hope. Find Damion at damionsuomi.com ... Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:23:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/family-headed-west-on-right/ There is a family headed west on I-10 right now. This is for them... Part of it was the place, this Canaveral condo, this house so much a home. i remember sitting with Byron in this living room five years ago, me on the couch and him on the chair across from me, me there and filled with questions, always bringing him my pain, because he would listen, because he was brilliant but more because he cared. i remember him listening for an hour, me talking through my tears... Eventually, in a quiet moment, he shared that he had some news of his own. His girlfriend Amanda was pregnant. They had been close to breaking up but now she was pregnant with his child. i remember not knowing what to say but finally asking how he felt and i remember him saying that people make mistakes but maybe God does not.  Isabella Pearl was born some months later, her middle name a picture of redemption. There was no shotgun wedding, no cheap whispered promises... only questions and patience and pain and hope. It was an uncertain season. The wedding did eventually come, some more months later, after time apart, after time together, after all their searching. He flies to Boston, they drive to New York, he takes a knee on the Brooklyn Bridge, asks for her forever. On the same trip, he has coffee with a man he respects, a man he's met only once before. Byron talks about his life, this surprising season, the reason he's in town. After an hour together, the man says "i feel like i'm supposed to give you this." The guy hands Byron an envelope, Byron opens it two hours later at the airport. Two thousand dollars. (There are people who invest in stocks and there are people who invest in stories.) The wedding came when they were ready, when the promise could be true, for love is a choice much more than it's magic. They moved the couch out of the living room and got married with the sliding glass door open, next to sea and under stars on a New Years Eve. i said a few words, about not knowing who i would be without his friendship. i can't remember if i said it but i hope i said that i believe in their story.  Baby Eve is born. Byron takes a job with TWLOHA, first as an assistant, soon as our Director of Operations. He shines. It's hard to tell his life from his work from his dreams. i mean that in the best way. We rent a bungalow. Interns begin to arrive. They watch football at his house. They eat dinner at his house. Baby Eden is born. i could say other things, that we ended up on different pages for a time, that i am difficult to work for, that i am not the healthiest person. It's hard to navigate the waters of ego, pain and pride. It's hard to have a single honest relationship - easier to say "community" from a stage, easier to be busy than known. We hurt each other. We let each other down. Some weeks go by. Weeks with silence. We're both offended. He decides it's time to move on. He quits a good job in an economy where people don't quit jobs, where people don't make choices because they believe in them, because they live one time and want to do it well... He and i are fine now. Time has a way of putting things back where they belong. Love has a way of breaking the silence. There is a bigger story... And so a new chapter, this family headed north and west today, to make a home in New Orleans. To give themselves to a city as it comes back to life, to raise the girls in a place filled with history and poverty and diversity, to be part of a bigger story.  Byron is going back to school. His is that brilliant mind that will never stop asking questions, never stop learning. There is not a lot of money, not a certain plan. Oh and Amanda is pregnant again. ("You're kidding me" and "No way" have been common responses.) We said goodbye last night. This is the guy who introduced me to my favorite band, the guy who taught me it was okay to ask the questions you aren't supposed to ask, to say the honest thing, to be creative. He suggested that there are things more valuable than money, that maybe people matter most. He talked about the value of a place, a good idea, something true inside a moment or a song...  It crossed my mind to play it cool. i cried about it last week, broke down in front of a room full of people - our entire team and even some strangers - it would be easier not to cry. Besides, everyone else said their goodbyes without crying. i'm 29 years old. i should have my shit together by now. i should be able to say goodbye without crying. i should be able not to need people. Or maybe this is okay, maybe this is the way that i was made, to feel things, to say things. i don't know. i just know that i started to walk away and then i stopped. And we've been down this road enough, done enough life together, that neither one of us had to say anything.  He told me once that he believed friendship might be life's greatest gift. What an amazing thing to feel known and loved, to feel understood, to walk through life with another person. i remember that it all felt true when he said it and i know that it has stayed with me.  i eventually told him through tears that he will leave a great space, that things won't be the same, that he can't be replaced. He said the words meant a lot, because it's something we can't tell ourselves, what we mean to other people. We hope we do but it's powerful to hear it, significant to hear it.  i forget which one of us said it first but we have agreed and said for years now that there are things in life worth crying about. (We added to this list: things worth screaming about, questions worth asking, trips worth taking...) It was true last night and i suppose it's true in this moment.  i don't have a magical ending except to say that i hope you get to experience this sort of friendship, this gift that Byron talked about, this thing that's like a miracle. i hope you get to say these things and hear these things. i hope you get front row seats for a story as good as Byron and Amanda's. And part of me hopes, for you and for myself, that you get to live that sort of story.  New Orleans is a better place today. Peace to you. jamie PS: New Music from our friends: Beggars by Thrice (iTunes only) Spain by Between the Trees The Rising by David Hodges (iTunes only) i am currently full-blown obsessed with these two songs:  Along the Wall by Leigh Nash In Exile by Thrice ... Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:16:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/forever-love/ We're excited to announce our collaboration with Forever The Sickest Kids. It is available now in the TWLOHA Online Store and will be coming this week to Warped Tour. "I lost one of my closest friends to suicide in sixth grade. When I heard about what TWLOHA does for prevention I wanted to do what we could to help support their actions. This shirt hopefully will open up more of our fans to the cause." - Jonathan Cook, Forever the Sickest Kids ... Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:48:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/new-filled-tank-1/ We have a new friend called Craig Owens. He sings in a band called Chiodos. We have a new tank top called Filled. They've been hanging out lately. We tried to think of a better name for Filled but we just couldn't do it. We should have asked you because you probably have a better idea...Anyway, the purpose of this blog is to let you know that our new Filled tank is available on Warped and it's also available in the TWLOHA Online Store. It's hot in half the world right now so Filled has been making lots of friends. Craig has been stopping by our tent lately and he seems to have a lot of friends as well. We hope you have a great day. We hope to see you soon.jamiePS: We also have new stickers. Big ones, small ones, ones for cars... You'll find those in the Promote section of the Online Store. ... Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:26:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/special-invitation-jamie-speaking-at/ Hey Guys. i am sitting at the coffee shop where i come when i'm home, the one that's not Starbucks, the one that plays good music and makes the town feel almost like a city... i have a theory that people go to coffee shops - well, i'm sure we go for coffee - but i think we go to feel less alone. i could write this in my room but i choose to drive across town to sit among the people. i might not talk to anyone but somehow it's better to be here... It's been a busy week, a busy few weeks really. We've got lots going on, getting ready for the summer. Lots of design happening, lots of ideas and getting ready for Warped Tour... i'm actually just writing to share some cool news and also to invite you. In the Spring of 2007, we were part of Anberlin's Cities tour. We were on the road for close to two months, all across America. On that tour, we got to know the guys from Bayside. Bayside is a rock and roll band from New York City. Growing up, i thought they were from my tiny town in Florida because they played here so much. After the Anberlin tour, Bayside invited us to be part of their U.S. tour and then after that they invited us to spend the summer with them on Warped Tour. It's safe to say we spent most of '07 with them and it's no small thing for a band to share their stage or bunks on their bus. That's where they make their living and that's home. Bayside's singer is Anthony Raneri and Anthony played our first "Heavy and Light" night at the Social in 2008. He came back to play it again this past January at House of Blues Orlando. And then we spent a couple weeks together in Australia, for Soundwave... All of that to say, Bayside has been incredibly generous and supportive, and Bayside has become part of the TWLOHA story. Anthony has become a friend and we take none of it lightly. This brings us to now. Anthony is hitting the road for a short solo tour w/ Andy Jackson (Hot Rod Circuit) and he's invited me to speak at his solo shows in Gainesville and Orlando (Florida) next weekend. i'm honored and excited, and if i'm honest, a little bit nervous. Saturday night (6/20) we'll be at 1982 Bar in Gainesville and Sunday we'll be at Back Booth in downtown Orlando. Back Booth is special because i went there with Renee when i first met her, to see Band Marino. We took a photo in the photo booth that night and that photo made ended up on NBC Nightly News a few months back. So Anthony is part of our story and Back Booth is part of our story and then it turns out that Sunday is Father's Day. As a lot of you know and remember, Father's Day is a day that matters to us... It's a day we've thought and talked a lot about. And then on top of all of that, there's this other thing. There's this other story that's bumping into ours and it's a big one. This other thing is a surprise and it's a weird one because it's connected to Sunday but we can't explain it until after Sunday... (You just sort of have to trust me that it's big and it's cool and eventually this will all make sense.) Anyway, this is me inviting you to these two shows. On a certain level, they're small and on some other levels, they're huge and i suppose that's the case with almost every story. Anythony has a stage and he believes we have something important to say and so he lends us his stage and we go because there's going to be people in the room and people are the most important thing on the planet. (And then there's this other thing, this surprise, perhaps another stage...) It would be really cool if you could help us spread the word and it would be the best if you could come. Beyond the speaking, some folks from our team will be hanging out and we would love to meet you...TWLOHA.COM FOR INFO Thank you and please have a great night. We hope to see you soon. : ) jamie PS: Here's a really cool photo of Anthony's band Bayside at Bamboozle last month. Thank You to Jered Scott for sharing this photo with us. ... Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:27:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/postsecret-in-response-1/ This was posted on PostSecret.com yesterday:In response: First, to the person who shared the secret and sent the card, thank you for what you shared. A lot of people feel less alone today because of your words. A lot of people can relate, because they live there too. They live with the jokes that aren't funny and the pain misunderstood. Thank you for speaking up, for pushing back. Thank you for your support. Thanks for believing in this work we do, this message we're attempting to share. TWLOHA is a conversation and a journey and a story and my guess is that you believe because what is ours is also yours. It seems as people that we find a home in things that feel true. In moments and places where understanding somehow happens. There might be something magic in the possibility that we are not alone, that it wasn't meant to go that way. If you find any of those things in this, then please know that it's that thing we always say: that we're in this all together. Life and pain and dreams and stories. Even spread across a planet, we're not so different. We need other people. We need hope and help and reminders that things do move and shake and change. Thanks for writing what a million people feel. That the jokes aren't funny. That a person's pain isnot a punch line. Not something to laugh about. Thanks for saying that ignorance isn't bliss - it's ugly. It seems that you are on to the possibility that you deserve better, that you deserve to be put back together instead of torn apart. Wrapped in things that are true instead of lies. Shown pictures of hope instead of failure. We do pray that the jokes would fade to silence, or perhaps a better minor miracle, that the ones that hunt for humor would find even better things - things like kindness and compassion. Grace and understanding. That they might learn and even learn to care. And we hope for those things because we hear the stories where it's happening. We hear the stories of people starting to believe better things, people getting help, friends learning what it means to be a friend... We'll leave it with this...If you struggle with self-injury, you are not "a cutter". You are a person. You are not only your pain. You are not only wounds and scars. You are also better things. You are possibility and promise, hope and healing, daydreams, favorite books and favorite songs. You are the people that you love and the people who love you. You are hope and change and things worth fighting for. This is all your story and your story isn't over.Peace to you tonight.jamiePS: Before and as i wrote this, i reflected on Molly Jenson's song "Do You Only Love the Ones Who Look Like You", which features Jon Foreman of Switchfoot. You can hear the song on our MySpace or you can go say hello to Molly. ... Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:17:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/remember/ Take some time this weekend to remember.  War is a very real thing.  If you feel free or safe tonight, know that it has come and continues to come at the highest cost.  Soldiers are people - they are us - and many have given their lives for our freedom and security.  This is not about politics. This is about people.  The ones that live, can we even imagine what they've experienced, what they've seen and felt and lost? What does it mean to "go back to normal"? How do they recover?  How do they "let it go"?  This weekend, let's do a better than "i don't have to go to work on Monday".  Let's look beyond "Oh cool, a three-day weekend." Take some time to consider the soldiers.  The people.  Sons and daughters, brothers and husbands. Someone's father. Someone's uncle. Cousin. Neighbor. Friend.  They are the fallen and the fighting and the ones forever trying to make sense of "home". They are missed by millions. Have a conversation. Say "thank you". Ask a question. The day is meant for remembering. Not just the deaths but the lives and the living.   We live in a day with more distractions than ever before. More excuses. We make an enormous mistake if we fail to honor these people, if we fail to pause to consider and be grateful and be kind.  Take some time this weekend to remember. Remember someone you've lost. Remember all the different soldiers. Remember the things that matter and the things that are true.Peace to you.jamie ... Sat, 23 May 2009 22:07:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/on-mothers-day/ Hey Guys.We hope that today is a day that you can tell and show your Mom that you love her, that you are thankful for her life and for her place in yours. We hope that today is a day to pause and celebrate.We also know that it's a difficult day for a lot of people. If you are without your Mom today, because of loss or pain or distance, we want to say that we're sorry.  We're sorry for your pain and for your questions.If you are somewhere in the middle, please know that redemption still happens, that healing still happens. Hope and change still happen. Please don't give up on your story. Please don't give up on the stories around you.If you are a daughter and things are broken, please know that there is hope for you. To break the cycle. To be a great mother to your own son or daughter someday. If that is your dream, then please know that it's possible.Wherever today finds you, we want to take this moment to say that we're with you, that your life matters, your story matters. The places you came from, the places you'll go.You are not alone today.Peace to you.jamie ... Sun, 10 May 2009 10:20:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/okay-to-say-real-things/ "Hope isn't something you create, it's something you let inside." Came across these words on John Mayer's Twitter tonight: Something to think about...Oh and if you have a couple minutes and you're a person of the twitter, we may have accidentally started a campaign to become friends with Mr. Mayer. i've often wondered if he's ever heard about TWLOHA, and what he might think. John seems like a guy who's trying to create things that matter and move... he gets music (obviously) but he also seems to get the power of words and importance of moments and the value of design - he values these things and i'm glad he's willing to speak up about them. This comes in contrast to a weekend where i saw a lot of bands led by singers who say the same things and say a lot and say pretty much nothing at all. There were certainly exceptions but it was strange and sad to watch band after band play to thousands of people and to hear them basically miss the moment - the chance to say real things, the chance to invite people to think or feel or ask a question or believe... It made me thankful for the artists we've connected with, folks who are trying to move people, folks with something to say in their songs and between their songs, folks willing to be honest, willing to be real, willing to dream instead of hiding behind bad laughs and empty chatter...Maybe this applies to all of us. It's been said that "All the world's a stage." We all have an audience. We all have some kind of influence. We all have a story and a voice. Our lives are our songs. Our hearts are our songs. It's okay to ask real questions. It's okay to say real things. Let's make things that matter and move, and let's chase after those things as well.Peace to you tonight.jamie PS: Didn't plan to write a blog. Was just going to share the JM quote as a bulletin... There will be a long-overdue it's-been-too-long new blog soon. PS2: Lowercase. PS3: Lyric from Ben Harper & Relentless7 song "Up To You Now":  "You can run away from home but you can't run away from your pain..." ... Mon, 04 May 2009 21:44:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/new-shirts-bamboozle-ic-on/ We have a new shirt called Lowercase and it comes in yellow and it comes in black.  We're also offering our old friend Title in a new color called "heather blue".  You can find those HERE or at Bamboozle in New Jersey this weekend.We'll be back at Bamboozle this weekend and we're excited and we hope to see you.  Look for the TWLOHA team under the TWLOHA tent.  For real, we would love to see you.Our inspiring friends in Invisible Children have been fighting the good fight in Chicago.  They are going to be on Oprah today and 4pm and we hope you'll watch proudly.I am sitting next to Zach at the airport in Austin, about to fly to NYC.Peace to you.: )jamie PS - Here are what the new shirts look like: ... Fri, 01 May 2009 11:05:00 PDT