Stillwater Black came together in 1991 when Chris Thayer met Ahmed and Sam Pierstorff while playing in the pit band for a high school musical production. Issac McCorkell was quickly recruited on drums and the band recorded its first EP, The Last Virtuous Lady of Athens.

In 1995 they signed with Cleaves Entertainment, a now-defunct independent label based out of Southern California's Inland Empire. Stillwater Black recorded their debut LP, Adam. They played frequently with local and national acts including Dishwalla, Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish, and IE punk/ska mainstays, The Skeletones.

In 1997 the members parted ways and the project lay dormant for two decades.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Happiness?


We see it all the time. We know about people who seem to have everything. But behind the stuff, the acclaim, the achievement, and the notoriety is absolute misery.



Because happiness isn't about what you have. It isn't about what you've done. It isn't about who likes you or the nice things that people might say.

Happiness is about doing the right thing. It's about not letting yourself down.

My greatest days are the days that I check off all the boxes. Did I handle my business at work? Did I do right by my family? Did I honor the precepts of my faith? Did I honor my body with good food and exercise? Did I put time into my music? My writing?

Simple in concept. Really hard in execution.

Because the truth is, we do let ourselves down. Frequently and on multiple fronts. Most of the time, we know exactly what needs to be done. But we don't act.

We freeze. We make excuses. We run away. We put things off.

And our misery goes from a lingering shadow to an absolute sinkhole of despair.

But one step . . . one tiny little move in the direction of our best self, can be the beginning of a personal and very positive revolution.

Happiness is nice, but I prefer to set contentedness as a personal goal. Happiness, like any emotional state, is a fickle and fleeting thing. And when it comes, we had better make a point of enjoying it while it lasts.

Similarly, there is an emotional component to feeling content, but it's more than that. It's an awareness of my needs and an intellectual recognition of their having been met in a manner that serves my best self and harms none in the process.

Today I made many choices that leave me feeling quite content. I also made a few choices that represent personal disappointments. And I took a couple of very significant risks. Not exactly a happy day, but a pretty good one all around.

Checking out the official audio of longshot is at least one excellent choice you can make today. You can keep up the momentum by staying in touch with Stillwater Black through all of our social media platforms: FacebookInstagramTwitter, and SoundCloud. We love that!!!

2 comments:

  1. Your reflections are a sweet balm to the soul. Always a pleasure to ponder on. May Allah give us tawfeeq.

    ReplyDelete