The first time I saw someone play an acoustic guitar I knew right away that I wanted to play and be in a band. I got a guitar when I was fifteen and started to figure out every song on the radio I could, teaching myself that way. after I somehow graduated high school, I started singing in a cover band and played our first show at a 7-11, playing songs from bands like Foo Fighters, The Nixons, and even Godsmack. I started getting bored playing cover songs and started writing my own songs but the cover band did not want to play them. we eventually stopped playing together, but I kept writing. one fine night at a party I was not really invited to, I was hammered wandering through this house party I was at, stumbled upon a drum kit and what seemed like ten guitars, I found the owner of the house and turns out I met Cody actually a few weeks earlier. we worked in a jam session a few days later with blower, another friend of his on guitar. our first practice is something I will always remember, it was the first time I had heard these songs I was writing with a full band. hinder was born on that July day of 2001. we never looked back or waited for anybody who did not have the same vision we did for this band, which was to build us a castle and take over the world. Cody and I started writing together, found mark and mike in July of 04, played a couple of showcases and got signed six months later to Universal. I don't remember anything after that thanks to the other four members of hinder that makes me drink every day and night....j/k. but not really!