At this point, do I even need to mention how badly I neglect this blog? The webmistress at sonsofuisneach-fans.net does such an awesome job of getting news about the band out to the public, I really don't feel like I have much left to talk about. I suppose I could talk about my personal life, but the people at the tabloids do a much more entertaining job of that. Sometimes I think the tabs make it a rule to hire nothing but Irish writers. And on a related note, since I've gotten the question a lot, no, I don't have a Twitter, I don't plan to get one, and anyone on Twitter claiming to be me is just pulling your leg. I don't update this thing nearly enough, a Twitter would just sit around gathering e-cobwebs too.

"So Brady," you're probably asking, "if you don't have anything to talk about, why are you here?" I'm glad you asked that. There are times when you do want to get a little more personal with the people out there who keep us doing what we're doing, and the holidays is one of those times. Sure, I could send a message to the webmistress of the fansite to post for everyone, but that seems a little impersonal , and since all of you have given so much to us, the least I could do is write you a message directly rather than going through a middleman. Er...middlewoman, sorry Molly.

First of all, I wanted to be the one to tell you that we've already spent a little time in the studio before the holiday break, and we'll be recording again once the holidays are over, so you can expect a new album out in the not-too-distant future. One good thing about being sidelined with an injury over the summer was that it gave me plenty of time to work on some new songs, and when we kick off our spring tour with our annual St. Paddy's Day shows, we'll be previewing some of the new stuff for you. We hope you'll like it, and I think you will.

Second, don't forget that the charity Christmas compilation album is dropping soon! For those of you who made it to the Jingle Bell Rock Your Socks Off concert (thank you so much for coming out, by the way!), you already have an idea of what to expect, but for those who didn't, you'll get to hear an amazing variety of music from a lot of talented people, and it's all for a good cause. So be on the lookout for that.

Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends and fans a wonderful holiday season, whichever holiday you happen to celebrate. The guys and I feel truly blessed to have such an awesome fanbase, and though it sounds like a cliche, it's true: we never would have made it to where we are without you. We hope your holidays are filled with cheer and warm blessings, and we're looking forward to another year of meeting you all and having you sing our songs along with us.

And now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to defrost a Chloe-sicle.

I neglect this thing. I'm sorry.

I have big news. No, actually I have huge news. We're going to be getting a slight jumpstart on our summer tour. More precisely, we'll be kicking it off a few days early with a hometown show. Even more precisely, we'll be performing that show with none other than...Aerosmith! Can you fucking believe that? To say we're excited is one hell of an understatement. We'll be joining them at the Comcast Center in Mansfield on June 16 and we're looking forward to a great show (even if we're admittedly a bit intimidated!).

After that, we'll be spending the rest of June touring with the Offspring, mostly in the Midwest. Then in July, we're off to Europe. Some of our European dates have been finalized, but keep on the lookout for more to be added. I'm posting our schedule so far at the end of this update.

In other news, we may not currently be touring or in the studio, but that doesn't mean we aren't busy. We've been working on some new songs, and we're also working on the live album we've been promising for almost a year now. It's coming together really well, and we're hoping for a summer release. The tracks we've picked so far sound pretty fucking awesome if I do say so myself. The St. Paddy's Day shows were a blast for all, and I think this record really captures that energy that was going on.

Oh, and I've got a couple of possible acting irons in the fire, but I'll tell more about that when the "possible" turns to "strongly possible." Or even "set in stone." I really hate to disappoint.

TOUR DATES

U.S.

June 19 Minneapolis, MN Roy Wilkins Auditorium
June 20 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion
June 21 Cleveland, OH Time Warner Cable Amphitheater @ Tower City
June 23 Columbus, OH LC Outdoor Amphitheater
June 24 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion
June 26 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
June 27 Indianapolis, IN The Lawn
June 28 Detroit, MI Freedom Hill Amphitheater
June 29 Cheswick, PA Ches A Rena
June 30 Canandaigua, NY CMAC

Europe

July 8 Hultsfred, Sweden Hultsfred Festival
July 10 Merzig, Germany Rock Am Bach Festival
July 11 Dresden, Germany Junge Garde
July 12 Warsaw, Poland Progresja Club
July 14 Vienna, Austria Arena
July 15 Feldkirch, Austria Poolbar
July 16 Bern, Switzerland Gurten Festival
July 17 Eching, Germany Sonnenrot Festival
July 18 Dour, Belgium Dour Festival
July 19 Cuxhaven, Germany Deichbrand Festival

I. Am. Fucking. Ecstatic.

Seriously.