Journal entry for: 10-28-1999

Hello there!

      This is Andrew from the Normals. I want to thank all of you for signing up for this mailing list. This is really the first official use of it and we're really excited that it's getting off the ground. I'll try to keep this short, but I really want to thank all of you that have come out to see us on our current tour with Waterdeep. Almost every single show has been amazing, and on this type of tour, it only works when people are there who really care about us and what we're trying to say. For those of you who haven't gotten a chance to see the tour yet, I hope you do. And not simply for us. The band we're out with, Waterdeep, is incredible. They were one of my favorites before the tour and are even more so now that I've seen them twenty times!

      I'll go over the other news briefly. If you've been checking up on the website (www.thenormals.com) then you probably already know this stuff, but just in case. . . We've had a few line-up changes since the beginning of the summer. Clayton has left and is hoping to start working away at film school this spring. B.J. Aberle is now playing bass with us and it has been wonderful what he's brought to the band. Another native of Central Illinois, he was recently with the band Plumb before joining us this summer. Also, our original drummer, Mike Taquino, has come back out with us on the road and it's been a joy to play with him again.

      The most exciting news for us: We're going into the studio pretty soon after Thanksgiving to work on our new record! Please continue to pray for us as we're continuing to write, work out, and place the songs well, and as we're starting to put together the production team for the record. It is our goal to make a record that is musically and lyrically excellent, and one that God will be able to really use in our culture. I ask you again to pray with us about this, cause we're both young and ambitious and that can either lead to greatness or insanity!

      Anyway, there's the basic rundown for us. Again, thanks to all of you who are coming to shows, buying records, calling stations and requesting songs, and most of all, praying for us. We literally wouldn't be able to do this without you! God bless.

Grace and Peace,
Andrew