Hi Guys.
The UK tour ended two nights ago in London, my friend Bryce alone on a stage, pounding a keyboard and pushing simple strong words: “You tell me to live”.
i wish you could have met Stuart in Glasgow and Lucy in Oxford and Chris in Southampton. Stuart was a long lost friend and Lucy was so alive and Chris was kind and strong beyond words. His story has stayed with me and i remember it now. There was the girl at the sandwich shop in Bridgend and there were so many more. The London night gave it’s place to a painted sky as we headed for Gatwick and New York and Florida yesterday. No sleep but wide awake. The tour was over but i can say with certainty that we’ve only just begun. The United Kingdom is an amazing place and
we will be back soon.
Beyond that, the abbreviated version is this:
We will be launching a TWLOHA UK Myspace this week.
This will include a FIND HELP section dedicated to resources in the United Kingdom.
We will be launching the TWLOHA UK Online Store this week.
We will be supporting treatment and recovery in the United Kingdom in 2008.
More very soon.
So i’m back in Florida for about a week and then it’s off to Australia, to get things rolling there. We’ve got a few things booked and will be announcing those in the next couple days. i know i’ll be speaking at a TWLOHA Benefit Show in Brisbane on the 22nd, and then we’ll have a booth at Soundwave Fest in Brisbane on the 23rd. Like i said, we’ll announce more in the next couple days…
After Australia, we’ll be in Southern California for events on March 11th, 12th and 15th. Those are:
March 11 – Univ of California – Irvine – Jamie speaking, Josh Moore playing acoustic.
March 12 – Cal State Fullerton – Jamie speaking, Special guests: Meg & Dia playing acoustic, Josh Moore also playing acoustic.
March 15 – Mosaic LA at the Bluebird Theatre in Whittier, CA – Jamie speaking.
For more info, please visit the calendar at twloha.com.
And now for some big news…
We are hugely excited to announce that TWLOHA will be hitting the road with Switchfoot for their 2008 “Up in Arms” Tour. The Switchfoot guys have been friends since long before TWLOHA, and their front man Jon Foreman is one of my heroes. Many of you know that Jon was literally the first person to put on a TWLOHA shirt, on March 30, 2006. We saw something start that night. We began to hear from people that we had never met, people saying that Renee’s story was also their story. We heard from people who had lost loved ones to suicide, and people who had considered suicide. We heard from people talking about depression for the first time, and people asking questions on behalf of friends and family. We heard from folks who needed help and folks who wanted to help. We realized then that we had stumbled upon an important conversation, that these were things that needed to be talked about, and that maybe TWLOHA was supposed to play a surprising role in all of that.
We have spent the last two years learning and believing and growing, and 2008 finds us believing more than ever that hope and help are real. We believe more than ever that rescue is possible, that lives can change and that it’s possible to change the world.
The great UK band Athlete will be opening these shows, and i’ll be speaking briefly before Switchfoot most nights. TWLOHA info and merch will available at all shows.
Here’s a couple quotes from the press release:
“We’ve known Jamie for over five years now, and when he first told us about his vision to start TWLOHA two years ago, we were thrilled to jump on board in whatever way we could, wearing the t-shirts, linking to the myspace, just getting the word out. The dialogue surrounding depression is such an important one. It is huge for people to know that these are issues that are normal and okay to talk about. TWLOHA is breathing hope into lives once trapped by fear and doubts. ‘Love is the Movement.’ We’re honored that a song we wrote seven years ago has become the slogan for TWLOHA. And it’s true: love provides the motion that pushes us past the scars wear.”
– Switchfoot’s Tim Foreman
“Switchfoot was the first band to lend the stage to us, back when TWLOHA was simply an attempt to tell a story and help one friend. That was two years ago and we have come a long way since that surprising start. We are truly honored and excited to hit the road with this band that means so much to us.”
– TWLOHA’s Jamie Tworkowski
2008 UP IN ARMS TOUR DATES:
27-Mar San Antonio, TX Laurie Auditorium – Jamie speaking before Switchfoot.
30-Mar New Orleans, LA House of Blues – Jamie speaking.
3-Apr Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
7-Apr Waukesha, WI Carroll College – Jamie speaking.
8-Apr Indianapolis, IN University of Indianapolis – Jamie speaking.
11-Apr Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Arena
17-Apr Poplar Bluff, MO Black River Coliseum – Jamie speaking.
18-Apr Troy, AL Trojan Arena – Jamie speaking
19-Apr Hattiesburg, MS Reed Green Coliseum – Jamie speaking
20-Apr Huntsville, AL Spraggins Hall – Jamie speaking.
25-Apr Estero, FL Germain Arena – Jamie speaking.
26-Apr West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheater – Jamie speaking.
27-Apr Charlottesville, VA Charlottesville Pavilion – Jamie speaking.
1-May Ocean City, NJ Ocean City Music Pier – Jamie speaking.
2-May Stamford, CT Palace Theater – Jamie speaking.
3-May Piscataway, NY Rutgers Athletic Center
4-May Rochester, NY Roberts Wesleyan College
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW VIA SWITCHFOOT.COM
We will also have a booth at Bamboozle May 3 & 4 in New Jersey.
All for now. We hope you’re as excited as we are, and we hope to see you soon.
Peace.
jamie
PS:
“You tell me to live.”
“We were meant to live.”
There is something true in those simple songs. i believe them now more than ever.
PS2: A very special hello and thanks to our new UK friends Olivia, Keri and Natalie. They were with us for the entire UK tour, carrying boxes up stairs and finding sizes for people and making our lives a whole lot easier. Thanks also to the boys from Fairfield, for being perhaps the kindest folks i’ve ever met.