You've come a long way boys...

But this song will remain the same in our heads forever. So this band is a funny story. That's really all there is to say about it. Julie and I's first time hanging out just the two of us (our first date, let's be honest here) was at their first show.

Text Messages:

Me: "Do you have plans tonight?"

Her: "No, did you have any ideas?"

Me: "There's this local band that I've heard of that's playing tonight. Do you want to go?"

Her: "Sure."

And so it began. That night in the Salem High School auditorium to an audience of about 25 people, STAY played their first show. Aside from our respective first kisses, it was Julie and I's most awkward experience ever. It was probably only my second or third "scene" show and definitely my first really small show. I totally thought Julie would think I was such a loser and would never want to hang out with me again. It turns out we both thought it was a) ridiculous and b) awesome. And we proceeded to go to a million other such shows every night we could and we became very much a part of the Boston scene. And whenever we go through something awkward, we're like well it wasn't as bad as Salem.

Now, two and a half years later, those boys are on the edge of something really fantastic I think. With only one of their remaining members -- yeah, they're angsty but they've had this lineup for about a year now and they're great -- they've come a long way. They put out their latest EP in the spring and they're playing shows all the time. They're going to be big and we're going to be proud. We'll tell the story about that night. They'll always be our boys.

I've got a handful of lyrics to post, so here goes:

"We took a chance; we had the summer time and made it to the coast.

We slept in cars and saw the shoreline fade to crimson red and gold.

We fell in love back then and swore to run against the ocean air."

"Let's run away to a town we're not afraid to die in.

We grow and we learn to let go. Let's write ourselves a story."

and this, from that first night and so many car rides and concerts after that...

and the line that gets talked about most of anything they write...

"And I'm so afraid that the life I've made is a long road to losing the love that I crave..."

- STAY