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The AfterLife – March 2005 http://AfterNineRocks.com

You have received the AfterLife: the Life of Jason Eller and AfterNine. This is a look into the business of music as it relates personally from us to you. No Hype; Only Truth. Great things have happened this month!

Dates Left in March

To see where we’ve been you can go to the Show Listings on the webpage and click on the Archives at the top of the page.

GAS TOUR II

Last Friday, Jason returned from his second Gas Tour (Named after making just more than enough money to cover gas and dog food for Mercedes). This tour involved Jason and one of his managers (Angie). Angie promoted with Jason until Friday of the tour and then flew back to Grand Rapids for previous engagements. She worked merch and the email list while Jason was playing and kept him in line while she was there, reminding him of his duties each day. She has become not only a friend, but a personal time manager….to think she just wanted to be involved when she started and has now become an integral part of Jason and AfterNine. Thanx Angie!

On the tour we stopped at a coffee shop called Live Wire in Richmond, KY, which is set up as a music venue and booked dates there for the next Monday in Richmond and Tuesday in Georgetown for the way back to Grand Rapids and now can book these venues anytime we come through (We’ll be back in April). Kevin in Richmond and Andrew in Georgetown are excellent people so if you’re in town, help us express to them our gratitude.

And while in Indianapolis, Jason met Tiffany and Shane, one a great musician, the other just an awesome caring individual. There really is too much to say about all of the great people met along this tour from Birdy’s in Indy and Ocharley’s in Knoxville that there’s a fear of boring you with all of it, so we’ll stop here. If you’d like to know more about Jason’s adventures, email him personally at Jason@AfterNineRocks.com. He’d love to tell you all about it. Thanks to your emails, we’ve impressed upon him that we’d like to see more journal entries from his touring so we can keep better "in the loop". You can see pictures-galore on the website.

MILITARY TOUR

Just about the biggest news to date; J&J Entertainment is currently booking a Military Tour called the Freedom to Rock Tour in military bases throughout the USA. I don’t know if you can imagine what it’ll be like to play for those who have chosen to make the military their life and their families, but tears easily well up when we think about it. These people have given their lives to what they believe in, just as some of you have given a little corner of your life to follow Jason and AfterNine, but they…they’ve given everything to be a part of keeping our country free, and most of the time we don’t even think about it. Whether they fight, fly, clean the latrine or drive a medic bus they are important to the whole of this country and we are proud as a new father to be part of helping to keep up morale for those who we don’t even know. It is our honor to give back to them.

Because of prior bookings, Jason will be joining American Accent and Fat Rhabit in California on May 1 for his first show @ Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base. May tour dates are up on the website.

LAST MICHIGAN DATES

Because the Freedom to Rock Tour is expected to last until September, and Jason will be on tour through Indy, Kentucky and Tennessee from April 18 – April 28, your last chance to see him and AfterNine will be between now and his last Michigan show at J. Gardella’s on the 15th of April. We hope to see you all one last time before we go. You pick a date and bring all your friends. Let’s send him off knowing that everybody in Michigan is in full support of this tour.

And Grant, MI, you have not been left out. Jason will play a special April Fool’s Day Happy Hour at Tin Lizzy’s in Grant on April 1 from 6-8 before his show @ Teazers that evening. Jason hopes to see his old teacher friends out one more time.

Speaking of School…….

AfterNineRocks.com BANNED

This month we received word from a student at White Cloud High School that AfterNineRocks.com has been banned for adult content in the White Cloud Public School District. Wow! Never would have thought that would happen. Granted our material is generally geared toward a more mature crowd, but we never thought we’d be banned because of it. We have a student that is inquiring as to the reason for this. We are not upset about it; simply curious.

THE BIG MOVE

If you’re reading this, you know of Jason’s ongoing desire to make music his living and his desire to make this experience a coexistence between him and the fans. We want to show you the dedication we have to you, the fan, and the music. So this month, in an effort to free up time and money, Jason has moved from his house and rented it out. This move comes after many hours of deliberation with friends and relatives, but he found it is the right move to make. He is living with friends who have extra space. Especially with the big tour coming up, it doesn’t make sense to have an empty house. We are very grateful to have friends who believe in this project enough that they are willing to sacrifice a corner of their house for what we are trying to accomplish.

BABES AND BANDS IN FEBRUARY

Thank you to all who showed up at Ten Bells for Babes and Bands on February 10. While we apologize for the mix up, we appreciate that the fans realized that this mishap was no fault of AfterNine and some even complained to management regarding their practices. Two bands which were not mentioned on WGRD were also on the roster and Jason’s name was not even on the itinerary that the employees had. Although this is not the first mishap with Ten Bells, please know that it is still a great place to hear some of the greatest local talent in Grand Rapids. Jason was so worried that everyone that was there to see him would be upset with him, and almost welled up when his supporters we pissed at the venue for what had happened and not him. We try to be as professional as possible, and it’s great to know that when a venue slips the AfterLifers are there to offer their support. Again, we are nothing without you; so Jodie, Mike, Amy, Jen, Eric, Chad, Angie, Steve, Pistol, John, Brit, and everyone else, thanks for showing up. Believe it or not, merch sales went great without even playing a note, and we got airplay on WGRD. Woop! You can read about Jason monthly in the local section @ http://WGRD.com.

STREET TEAM

In February, Josh got 188 people to look @ the website by adding his "Friend Link" to his signature file and placing it in his posts on the message boards he belonged to. WAY TO GO JOSH!!! Your T-Shirt is on its way.

There is no mission in March as of yet, but check the Street Team Board for new posts. If you are not part of the Street Team, but would like to be, please visit the STREET TEAM link on the website to see if you may be interested in becoming a member.

All registered fans have an AfterNine "friend link" in your profile. If you are unsure of how to find it, let us know and we’ll walk you through it.

WEBSITE and A9 JEWELRY by Anne Reed

The 1997 Release Standing in the Reign is now available in the MERCH section of the website. The Jewelry was not able to make it up for this month, but will be in by the end of this month, promise.

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SONG SPOTLIGHT

October 2, 1996

It’s one o’clock outside your place

And I’m cold in the pages of "can’t forget".

I’m wondering why I spoke that day

And I’m wondering if I’ll ever get you back

I see that I was wrong and I shouldn’t have let you go.

I’ll take back every word if you would just come to the window

Do you remember the nights we’d sit and listen to the radio?

Do you remember iced cream in my car?

Do you remember the road trips home,

And our first date out on the water?

Do you remember me crying in your bed?

I know I wasn’t the man

That you wanted be to be.

I drained the love from you

Cause I was only in it for me.

But if you were in my arms again I’d never let you go.

Cause I found my love tonight when you passed by your window.

Do you remember the nights we’d sit and listen to the radio?

Do you remember iced cream in my car?

Do you remember the road trips home,

And our first date out on the water?

Do you remember me crying in your bed?

Solo

I remember laying down and you holding me to your heart.

I remember praying to God with you.

I remember the love I forgot and the Love I found in you.

And I remember crying in your bed.

I remember crying in your bed.

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Excerpts from Jason

This song was written for the Standing in the Reign CD. The title for this song represents the day it was written and I day I never wanted to forget. It was Grand Valley and I had learned so much from Michele that I needed to remember this time whether she chose to stay with me or not (and she didn’t). I think there are three people who receive the AfterLife who will remember her, one of whom will remember the night I wrote this song because he was my room mate. This was the beginning of me seeing a difference in the ministries I was a part of and the politics that consumed them. I caught so much flack from the heads of some of these ministries for writing about lying in a girls bed that they almost kicked me off the Praise Team. A Christian was laying down with a girl? In her bed? This is the reason that I believe we need to be true, most of all, to ourselves. Those who knew her and I knew that this song, born of deep love for one another was not about sex. It’s unfortunate that some were turned off by the sheer mention of the words lying in her bed. But at least I could save faceby callingl her a temptress. After all, it was her bed, not mine! Just kidding.

That’s it.

That’s the AfterLife.

As always, feel free to respond with any comments or questions. We usually respond within a week.

AfterNine

 

 

 

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