What day is this?

For the first time in 6 years, I did not play the song that is named after today's date. I don't really plan to in the next few minutes either.

Very few people know what June 23rd is about...the easiest and fastest explanation is that I got to see Pearl Jam on this date 7 years ago (sitting in the 13th row). AND this is very true. Though the song catalogues some of the events between June 22-24, 1998, the song has grown so much more beyond this.

I wrote the song on the 23rd of June, 1999. One year to the date of the PJ concert in a small RV resort in the upper North East corner of Oklahoma. I remember sitting on the top bunker in the RV, dropping the lyrics to an "Ants Marching" inspired pattern of chords. It turned out to be a pretty easy song to write and play...The first song I wrote that hasn't been discarded somewhere along the way. It had staying power, maybe because I wanted it to be important so badly.

The song really became something I worked around. It inspired me. It pushed me to keep playing music. "June 23rd" was one of those steps in life that turn out to shape much of who a person is.

"23rd" represents the positive things I have done in my life. When I look and feel like I've done so little, once a year, I really get to appreciate how much I have done.