So I have been the biggest Jimmy Eat World fan forever. Clarity is a record that not only defined me as a musician but helped shape me in some ways as a man. I can listen to the record all the way though from start to finish without feeling that any part of the record was too much, or not enough. It is a record for me that sits in perfection and not many records fit that way in my life. A few that do from that era are The Get Up Kids - something to write home about / Saves The Day - through being cool / Lifetime - hello bastards / Face to Face - Dont Turn Away / Lagwagon - Trashed and a few others. Anyhow...

Clarity is a record that unlike these others I have felt the most array of emotion to. Ive laughed to it, cried to it, felt hope, despair and even feelings I wasnt sure I had within me. Pretty heavy actually.

So, I have always believed that if you put things out into the universe, it will provide. Alot of people think im nuts when I say this but having faith in something bigger than yourself is often hard to grasp. Actually, anything that most people cant see or feel in tangible form is often frightening or not worth investing time or thought into.

Well I have lived my life this way since I was very young kid, and it wasnt something instilled in me by my family. It was more something that I kinda saw through the invisible frequencies of the world so to speak. I have always felt a pretty gnarly sick sense with nature, life, emotion, connecting with people on a much deeper level than surface, even if we had just met for 5 minutes, it can become us feeling like we have known eachother our entire lives.

I think a big reason is a live my life with an open heart, i love and live openly, i do everything in life out of genuineness and never out of maliciousness. With those 2 simple structures I have found a life that has allowed me to live and travel the world, often for free, ive lived on couches as well as in mansions, ive had little to no money and alot of money all at once. My point that im getting at, is I always had faith that things would always be fine no matter what happened because it would be provided. Dont think for one moment that I sat around like a bum and didnt help push things along, there is a little effort on your part as well.

So back to Clarity. I have had the CD forever but I never had the vinyl. I have searched for it for years everytime I went into a vinyl store, and I could never find it. Well, on one of tours a girl named Kaleena came to our show with it in hand. Needless to say, she had been looking for it for me and found it and gave it to me as a gift. I was pretty much blown away and it has since been one of the best gifts I have ever been given. I dont know if you kids know, but vinyl kicks CD's ass anyday everyday, all the time. Its the closest representation to the band actually being inside your living room.

So we did our tour and I took Clarity from town to town showing it off as if it were my child. I let people touch it, smell it, haha some actually did, and take pics with it. I was blown away by how many other people were touched by Clarity and bands especially, were ultra envious because alot of them have been trying to find this rare original vinyl.

I knew that Jimmy was going to be doing a 10 year reunion tour playing Clarity from front to back along with some songs from the other records. I knew that if I didnt get a ticket when I had the chance I may never ever get the chance to be apart of this history and for me, this is a moment that I know will be up there with the day when I have my children, get married etc. It means that much to me.

Well, I was traveling so much and I come to find out when I went to buy tickets that they were all sold out. I was pretty crushed and bummed about it. i asked around and noone had any access, no way in. I was screwed.

As I have always done when I needed help, support, wanted to love on people that were in need of someone to talk to or whatever. I threw it out there into outer space haha.

I got on Twitter, I got on Myspace and any other sites I have and I posted a bulliten.

Almost instantly my buddy Jeremy hit me back and it said:

JEREMYBURKE@dannycasler if you give me a ride to SD, I got you. I somehow got list spots.

I hit him up instantly telling him "Not yes, but hell yes"

The next few days were a lil shakey of wondering if the guest list would come through because with shows of that level guest list is always a little sketchy.

I text Jeremy and he said we got the "A ok" but we both know that its not for sure till its in your hands, so we say screw it, were driving to San Diego and were going for it.

I spend a few hours going through our band trailer rearranging gear to finally get the merch case open to find my perfect vinyl CLARITY album sitting in its safe and sound spot. It hasnt been out of the locked case in months.

In a rush to drive through GNARLY traffic to LA then ALL THE WAY down to San Diego, I put my CLARITY vinyl on my car and loaded everything inside my back seat. I dont know how this ever could have happened but I got in my drivers seat and I.... TOOK OFF WITH IT ON MY ROOF!!!

I sat through a few hours of traffic, grabbed Jeremy and on the way down, realized... I dont have my CLARITY vinyl. I went through all the possible solutions to the problem and even convinced myself that it was probably still on my kitchen table although I knew it wasnt but I wanted to believe it.

We get to my house and its nowhere to be found. Im pretty broken hearted. It has eluded me again! I had it and now its gone. So lame. I go door to door asking people if they had seen the Vinyl and to no avail, no one had. I know we need to drive like the wind if we want to see Jimmy so we decide to take off.

I turn on my brights and as were driving out to the freeway the CLARITY record is laying IN THE STREET!

It had been run over multiple times and there were rock imprints all throughout the cover and I knew in my heart the vinyl was broken.

We open it up delicately piece by piece to find that the vinyl was in perfect condition, not broke = LEGIT!

I was a lil bummed about the cover being all indented with rocks prints but then I thought, with my positive thinking, that this only adds character to an incredible album and it makes the night that much more special.

This is my first time seeing Jimmy Eat World so I am technically, about to lose my (new word) Vir-JIM-ity.

We arrive to the House of Blues. Get to the ticket counter for the moment of truth and Randy from Finch pulled through... We had our tickets and I cant even explain the feeling that shot through me. It was the most intense joy I have felt in a long time. Right as we walk in we see some of our friends... Nick & John from Over It/Runner Runner, Joe Marlett, sick producer, that I just met three nights ago while recording guest vocals on the new Delux record, Aileen who grew up in the same time as me, and does merch for a bunch of bands you love and thru that, I met some new friends. Matt & Matt from Relient K and a few others. I hate to sound like im name dropping, im not, i just get stoked that life brings all these new and old people consistently into my life. It makes me always feel like im still on the right path in life.

Well, not even 10 minutes in, the lights power on and Jimmy gets on stage to start the set with Table for Glasses and they continued on to play the entire record in succession. I had teary eyes at moments and relived the last 10 years of my life in so many moments in a matter of a set by a band that means so much to me. I screamed at the top of my lungs every word to every song. It was incredible to see and hear so many people just as passionate for this band as I. They also played some older and newer stuff which just added that much more "sweetness" to the evening. (like that one hehe)

The show ended after their encore leaving me wondering why everyone wasnt screaming for a double encore? I could have sat through another few hours of Jimmy but I guess they dont do double encores or maybe our crowd was so filled and content with what they got. Who knows.

The night ended with us celebrating our loss of virJIMity with lots of drinking and partying till 6am. I am now about to make my way back to LA and start making a plaque for my CLARITY vinyl along with my ticket, wrist band and more to place upon my wall. One day when I have a room big enough in my house, it will be dedicated with plaques of the of the bands that helped make me, me.

If you have never listened to CLARITY. I highly suggest you go get the album, sit down with it, read the lyrics to songs, and find a part of yourself in this record. Every song may not be for you, like it is for me, however I promise you there is a part of you somewhere in that album and when you find it, let it change you. Let it give you.... CLARITY.