Hope Is A Drug

you want to quit you wanna give up
you've traveled this far but it's never enough
you've made a few fans but you can't make rent
you think it's deserved 'cause you've given up everything you own
and still no throne

you watch your friends settle, and your enemies rise
every snake in a suit is a break in disguise
you hope the band breaks before the band breaks
cause hope is in short supply

but hope is a drug
hope is a drug that uses you
hope is a drug
food for the vain
it takes what you love
and turns it to work you once were above
but hope is a drug

you try to hold on to what you know:
you leach what you seed, you reap what you sow
the deeper your roots, the taller you grow.
you try to find justice in the unknown

but nothing is fair, and everything's wrong
you fashion your hair, you shorten your songs
you start to use stunt doubles up on stage
You try to force sunlight by wearing shades

but it's a distraction
pulling you far from what you were born and raised to do

Hope is a drug
Hope is a drug that uses you
Hope is a drug
food for the vain
it takes what you love
and turns it to work you once were above
but hope is a drug

now what's that gotta do with your next song?
what's that gotta do with your next song?
the only thing that you can depend on
is what you gonna do with your next song

but what's that gotta do with your kick drum?
what's that gotta do with your kick drum?
the only thing that you can depend on is what you gonna do in your next song...

Tour with Taking Back Sunday: Rags to Riches (or slightly cleaner rags)

So the strangest thing has happened... the uber-successful rock group Taking Back Sunday has asked us to come on tour with them for a run of shows in October! We will be joined by Anberlin and Fun.. A few of the guys from TBS will be helping us out on guitars so that we can play the material from Home more accurately.

10/22/09 Cintas Center at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH
10/23/09 The LC Pavillion in Columbus, OH
10/25/09 Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown, PA
10/27/09 Pop's in Sauget, IL
10/28/09 House of Blues in Chicago, IL
10/29/09 University of Iowa (IMU Main Lounge) in Iowa City, IO
10/30/09 Tom, Dick, and Harry's in Green Bay, WI
10/31/09 The Venue @ Playmakers in Fargo, ND

We'll let you know if we add more dates to this run with them.

E.I.Y. Tour Diary Entry 1

We're on day five of the E.I.Y. Fall Tour w/ Gardening, Not Architecture driving to Redding for the show at Downtown Eatery tonight. Things are progressing as one would expect for an independent artist who is touring to support an album about zombies and ladybugs: attendance is low (Seattle's show would've had better attendance if we'd played in a port-a-potty), we are sleep and nutrition deprived (last night we slept on a STRANGEr's hardwood floor that may or may not have had chlamydia on it), and, with the exception of Portland, show payouts and merch sales have been horrible (we're down about $1300 so far, and we haven't made any payments on the van yet). The upside is that the trio is really fun to play with and Gray and Eduardo are very solid on this loony material, so stress isn't high on stage. We are also thankful to have my son Lumas with us, guarding the equipment and eating the violent food from Denny's that we're unable to finish.
We are eager to play CA, where folks are more likely to take an interest in something left of center. Brett Michaels is holding up well, getting 21 miles to the gallon and only emitting that burning oil smell every few hours.
We have met several very interesting people on this tour, many of which Sarah (from Gardening, Not Architecture) has captured on camera. We have tried to incite retaliation from Sarah and her indentured servant Andrew by slapping tomatoes and macaroni pasta on the windshield of their bright orange luxury rental (hereby known as "Brett Dennen"), but they have yet to rise to the challenge. Maybe they know that if they step to Brett Michaels they're entering a world of terror.

Tour trio

This tour will be sick. 65+ days in almost every major city in America. Berklee non-grad Gray Robertson will be joining me on bass, and Eduardo Torres and Javier Torres will be trading off on drums. We're playing songs from Home as well as some unreleased hits. I'm not even mad if you miss this tour, I just feel bad for you.

I've got some new shirts too, one designed by Ebu Gogo graphic designer/drummer Brendan Bell. Peep them:

Newy news

I've been swamped with tour preparations these last two weeks (and months). Here's what I got done:
- finished booking the first half of the E.I.Y. Tour (dates listed below)
- printed two new t-shirt designs for the tour, both of which are ill
- bought a mini van and got it serviced, registered, and am considering insurance. Tentative name for the vehicle: "Brett Michaels"
- finished production on a new EP to be released by Five One in the beginning of October. 3 tracks: Scared Scared Scared (acoustic mix), Shell 2: Nephew of Shell (produced by Zach Lipkins), and Hope is a Drug (produced by Overclock Inc.)
- finished production on a commissioned wedding song for a lovely couple in So. Cal
- recorded Director's Commentary for Home (available soon)
- shaved Lumas' face

This tour with Gardening, Not Architecture is going to be make or break, take no prisoners, knock down drag out, guns blazing, from the hip, no holds barred. I'll be bringing my son, as well as a very able drummer and bass player. We will be performing a magical set of modified songs from Home. We will be sleeping on your floor, bathing in your sink.
After this tour, there is a good chance I will go to the mountains and never return, so if we're playing within 2 hours of you, for heaven's sake, make the trip. For more details for any of these shows, go here. IF YOU'D LIKE TO HELP US PROMOTE A SHOW IN YOUR TOWN, PLEEEEEEASE send an email to info@fiveoneinc.com and let us know where you are!!
Here is the first half of the tour - the second half will cover the midwest, new england, and more.

Wed Sep 9th Hell's Kitchen in Tacoma, WA w/ Madison Drive, At Night
Thu Sep 10th Mr. Spot's Chai House in Seattle, WA (early show 6:45pm, donations, all ages)
Fri Sep 11th Mississippi Pizza in Portland, OR w/ Blue Cranes
Sat Sep 12th Black Forest in Eugene, OR
Sun Sep 13th Downtown Eatery & Libations in Redding, CA w/ Ninja Academy & Ben Henderson
Mon Sep 14th Plea For Peace Center in Stockton, CA w/ Reggie Ginn & Ben Henderson
Tue Sep 15th Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco, CA w/ Ben Henderson & HorseWolf
Wed Sep 16th The Fire Escape Bar & Grill in Citrus Heights, CA w/ Hero's Last Mission
Thu Sep 17th Mojo Lounge in Fremont, CA
Fri Sep 18th LaFayette Community Center in LaFayette, CA w/ Via Coma
Sat Sep 19th Gallery A.D. in San Jose, CA w/ Ben Henderson
Sun Sep 20th Club Fred in Fresno, CA
Mon Sep 21st We are available to play So. Cal
Tue Sep 22nd We are available to play So. Cal
Wed Sep 23rd Party in Hollywood, CA
Thu Sep 24th Viento y Agua Coffee House in Long Beach, CA w/ Lauren Coleman
Fri Sep 25th Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, CA
Sat Sep 26th Downtown Brew in San Luis Obispo, CA w/ Rx Bandits, Wild Orchid Children
Sun Sep 27th Karma in Victorville, CA w/ Rx Bandits, Wild Orchid Children
Mon Sep 28th Trunk Space in Phoenix, AZ w/ Tugboat
Tue Sep 29th Beauty Bar in Las Vegas, NV w/ Danger Mic
Wed Sep 30th Liquid Joe's in Salt Lake City, UT
Thu Oct 1st Velour in Provo, UT w/ Return To Sender
Fri Oct 2nd Flying M Coffeegarage in Nampa, ID
Sat Oct 3rd Rise Festival in Corvallis, OR
Sun Oct 4th Rontoms in Portland, OR
Wed Oct 7th Mirkwood in Arlington, WA
Thu Oct 8th The Blvd in Spokane, WA

pray for me.

Sesac Interview

see the original article here.

Gavin Castleton Finds His Home
by Kevin Zimmerman

Song cycles about passion found and lost have probably been around as long as popular music itself, with love, life, and zombies maintaining their permanence as lasting themes.

Uh, wait a second ... zombies?

Well, yes. At least in the case of Home (Five One Inc.), the latest release by prolific singer/songwriter Gavin Castleton. The 14-song set was inspired by a real-life relationship - and subsequent parting - that Castleton endured. Minus the undead, of course.

"We'd been together for about six years," the Providence, R.I. native explains, "and then we started to break up. I foolishly thought that we could remain good friends, and wanted to write and record what it was like as a tribute to what we were, with her helping me to write the female point-of-view to keep it fair. All my older and wiser friends thought it was brave and really, really dumb," he laughs, "but it seemed like a good idea at the time."

With both parties longtime horror-film aficionados - "We actually talked about making a zombie movie at one point" - the creatures eventually made their presence felt in the evolving narrative, with Castleton pleased as how neatly the zombies served as a metaphor for what was happening with his love life.

Though recorded on a shoestring budget, Home's lush sound and musical diversity shine through, whether on the trip-hop-influenced "Warpaint," the Coldplay-ish, multi-part "The Human Torch," and the simple, concluding "Credits," which explains in self-effacing detail what did (and didn't) actually happen. Lauren Coleman of the bluesy soul group Pebaluna handles the female vocals.

Something of a child prodigy - he was a classically-trained pianist at age three, due mostly to his parents' insistence that "everyone in the family know an instrument, so if nothing else works you can fall back on being a teacher" - Castleton first made waves on the indie scene as a member of genre-bending group Gruvis Malt, and continues to work with several ex-Malt mates in the self-described "progressive/indie/comedy" group Ebu Gogo. Having spent some time living in Oregon, Castleton finally relocated to Portland in late 2008.

Currently "touring forever," having recently wrapped dates with alt-rock favorites Gardening, Not Architecture and mulling various other opening-slot offers, Castleton is pleased to reveal that he's now in a new, zombie-free relationship.

"She's extremely understanding, a great human being," he laughs, emphasizing the last two words.