When we first moved to Portland, Gavin and I had an overwhelming sense of, “We need to drop an album”, so we released a collection of songs called “Free Forever”. These were songs that we made during the muggy summers in Kenosha, the fungi filled frozen winters of La Crosse, and the lonely rainy seasons of our first year in the PNW. Some of these joints feature old friends. Some feature folks I haven’t seen or hollered at in a minute.

As time passes, I find myself wanting to continue my friend’s legacy. There is a desire to show everybody how incredibly ahead of his time he was, and there’s an underlying hope that by associating myself with some of his greatness, that I and others can find some of that same greatness in me. The world has changed a lot since Gavin died in April of 2012, but there’s no doubt in my mind that if he were still alive his voice would have been extremely integral in our modern uncertainty. I know that because these songs are almost a decade or more old, and they beautifully express the need to not only find hope in the chaos, but also the willingness to gully up and fight through the fear. To this day, my memory of Gavin as the strong-willed, viscerally honest wordsmith remains one my compasses.

This year, we’re releasing Open Mind Sessions Part 1 and Part 2, which feature 19 tracks made by two young rappers with dreams of exploring the universe and being solutions to the problem. One had a fierce understanding of the world (Gavin), and one was faking the funk and following the motions (me). I’d like to think I eventually got there, but I’m sure Gavin would like to let me know otherwise.

So bump this shit. Share it. Download it. Steal it. Stream it. Whatever.
All proceeds from the album will be donated to local musicians who were some of the Hives closest homies, and who are currently facing the realities of not being able to play shows due to our global pandemic.

Much love, ya’ll.
Stay safe out there.
And keep the eye on the zenith.