Dear Listeners (You),

I had not listened to Dear You in some years. I lost the few copies I did have. I could never keep anything. But putting it in the other day, I was shocked. The songs are brilliantly dark with arcing and angled melodies and lyrics that cut at the soul. I think this album was ahead of its time. Also, this album has the best guitar sounds I think I ever got. Cut in 1995, I hear its influence in virtually all the punk/EMO bands playing this style today. The coolest thing is not only hearing it in their music, I hear it from the bands directly. Listing influences was a thing all cool bands do and Im proud to know that this record influenced a few great bands.

When I listen to this record, a few songs really stand out: Save Your Generation gives me chills because it is truly challenging a call to arms for all the kids to take charge. It builds up into a chorus that lyrically pops off bigger than the band. No wonder Kurt Cobain was intrigued with these guys. Next, Accident Prone literally takes any emotional wounds you have in your soul and makes you cut it deeper with your own knife, makes you look at it screaming, then makes you cauterize it with a blow torch, then (when the musical bridge comes) it allows you to put on some salve, AND THEN (at the last chorus) throws you off a cliff and you appear to be in some kind of state of salvation. I have never heard a song do that. The band is screaming, the guitars careening, but oh no, you are not dreaming! A motherfucker of a mix by Jerry Finn, too. After that theres not much else to say cept a few honorable mentions: Bad Scene Blakes take on a pop punk song. As good a melody and guitar riff as any for this sub-genre. The lyrics though are what make it so special. Every guy has been there (except for complete assholes & if you havent, get a life). Sometimes I think being a truly nice guy is the hardest thing to be in the world. Playing games and being a dick can get you somewhere but its definitely taking the low road. Fuck it. Next up: Boxcar (originally left off Dear You) because it was on a previous album, the band couldnt be convinced to put it on this one. Its a brilliant song the lyrics work on so many levels, but my favorite was how it called out all the fake punk pretenders. Everyone wanted to be part of that cool set but before Green Day hit, there were only a very few subsets of fans that even remembered punk. Alas, I also thought (and still think) that if this was our 1st single, it would have been a hit and served as the handle for people to pick up the suitcase (the rest of the album), and then millions of people could have enjoyed the rest of the contents.

Well, this was a labor of love. Adams drums were simply played and very powerful. Chris bass was fat and focused. Blakes tunes and singing were definitely rich and those guitar tones are my favorite. Neil King did an amazing job of engineering and providing a great daily vibe. Jerry Finns mixes are some of his finest. The guitars are by far the loudest on any record ever, yet vocals, drums and bass are still perfectly easy to hear and feel. Any modern band Im sure would give anything to get that sound God knows we tried our damnedest. And for my part, rehearsing with the band, getting song structures together, conceptualizing, getting great performances in the studio, supporting, cajoling, painting with sound, etc. etc. I had the best, most fulfilling time a producer can have with a band. I consider myself lucky to have been there.