Selma, Alabama

Last night we were in a small but historically signifigant town in the deep south called Selma, Alabama.

It is most known for its role in the civil rights movement of the 1960's when a huge group of civil rights supporters marched, or tried to at least, to Montgomery, AL from the town of Selma.

On "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965, referenced by the famous U2 song, some 600 civil rights marchers headed east out of Selma on U.S. Highway 80. They got only as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge six blocks away, where state troopers and local sherrif's deputies attacked them with Billy clubs and tear gas and drove them back into Selma. Two days later, on March 9, 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. led a "symbolic" march to the bridge. Then, civil rights leaders sought court protection for a third, full-scale march from Selma to the state capitol building in Montgomery. Judge Frank Minis Johnson, Jr., weighed the right of mobility against the right to march and ruled in favor of the demonstrators.
"The law is clear that the right to petition one's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups...," said Judge Johnson, "and these rights may be exercised by marching, even along public highways."
On Sunday, March 21, 1965, about 3,200 marchers set out for Montgomery, walking 12 miles a day and sleeping in fields. By the time they reached the capitol on Thursday, March 25, 1965, they were 25,000-strong. Less than five months after the last of the three marches, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Equality and the personal provision of men has really been at the forefront of my mind lately. It seems that we, as fellow humans, have fallen into a downward spiral of justification.... making whatever is right in our own eyes ok by our own set forth standards... I call it personalized doctrine. While we were in Birmingham for a much needed day off we all went to see the new movie "The Kingdom", which by the way is an amazing movie, but in the end it leaves you begging the question of who is actually right. This entire planet belongs to each of us yet for centuries we have waged war against each other for what? Land? Rights? Ownership? Money? All of which are completely fleeting. Now I know I am bordering on being a tree hugging idealist here but it seems like there must be some way that we as a small society, one by one, can begin to come together, combine our resources and live together as equals.... extending our blessings to even the lowliest homeless addicts of our society.

"I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me." Matthew 25:45

Selma Alabama was a place that I went to play a show... but I found a lot more while I was there... alot about myself and alot about us, as a whole... I, for one, for my part intend on making a difference.

Mucho amo,

Clint

My blog has fallen into disrepair!

So this is the first time I've updated in like two weeks! Sorry!

I have been at home spending a little time with Am and Jack, and now we are back at it on the open road!

Last night we played a show in the metropolis of Double Springs, AL. The people there were great and the show went just fine, even though we blew a breaker in the middle of a song... it happens. We stayed the night in a cabin off the side of some hwy which doesn't sound to glamorous but it really was pretty cool.... we chilled out on the bg porch playing guitar and writing songs in an old porch swing. So all in all "Double mint, double mint" springs was a tight little town.

It's great to be back on the road chillin in my home away from home, a hotel room in Birmingham.

Our single, Crazy Beautiful, has officially charted on CHR... #28

And we are #8 on Air 1, http://www.air1.com/ Things are really looking great for the rest of this year. I'm looking forward to winter, bring on the cold!

Stay tuned, I promise I'll update more often.

Mucho amo,

Clint

The Orange Peel with Relient K

Last weekend we played at this amazing venue called the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC with Relient K. What an incredible show! The crowd was awesome, and the show came out great!

All of us in the band had a blast on stage and after the show hanging out with all of the fantastic fans. It was totally an amazing night for all of us! Rock on Asheville!!

Mucho Amo,

Clint

A-LA-BAMA!

We just finished a quick two day stop back home in Greenville. It was awesome to spend some much needed time with Am and Jack, and get a little R&R.

So two days and boom! we are out on the road again.

This time it's Huntsville, Alabama! Home of none other than the 2005 American Idol runner-up... Bo Bice!

Tonight we played at Renown http://www.renownhuntsville.com/ in Huntsville. What a cool place, and what a great vision! Their main goal is to reach people who have been burned by church or really have had no interest in church at all. It's the true mission of Jesus at it's most basic element... loving people where they are in order to prove to them that they are loved. It was truly an awesome experience for all of us.

After the show we headed off to the Holiday Inn in Huntsville which once gave board to the one and only... Elvis! Thats right I am currently sleeping where the hip shaking, earth quaking, ground breaking king of rock and roll once slept! I can feel the inspiration rushing through me.... hang on............................ ........................... ....................... .............................. sorry I had to get up and do the ~hip swivel~ thing! Oh yeah!

Tomorrow morning we are headed off to Ashville, NC to play with Relient K! I am so stoked! What a cool show! Check back tomorrow night for an update and some pics.

Mucho amo,

Clint

Me, Jimmy Carter, and Rosa Parks

The road is good for many things...
~transporting goods from one area to another, like logs
~getting to where you are going
~getting back to where you came from
~and most importantly making memories!

I have truly had a blast this first leg of our tour.
Austin, Dallas, Birmingham, Hot Springs (I feel like I'm writing a Huey Lewis song)
I've learned alot about myself and my limits. I have also learned a few tidbits that may seem interesting to you... so I decided to list them.

So here are my top 13 facts learned on the road!

1) Tex-mex is all there is to eat in Texas
2) I always have to sit in the Rosa Parks seat in the van
3) Austin has really cool parades
4) Starbucks gives you gas
5) Hotels are a great place to get free pillows and towels
6) I sleep at least 16 hours a day
7) Cell phone batteries are not built to last
8) Everyone out west thinks Charlotte is in SC
9) Time moves faster, or slower… actually I have no concept of time
10) Jimmy Carter is made of wax
11) Hot Springs actually has hot springs
12) It’s easier to keep up with someone if they have a blog
13) No matter where I am, I’m on the way home!

Mucho amo,
Clint