Holes In Our Stories A Guide to Listening _________________________________________________________________ This album is dedicated to anybody who has put themselves back together after a terrible loss. The conclusion of this album is that we see our lives as the movies we always wanted them to be only when we die and look back on them. Everything we leave unfinished can be beautiful and cinematic in retrospect. I made this album to not let go of the dream that there’s still a great adventure ahead of me. I will keep writing until it arrives. There were so many times the last few years when I didn’t think this album would come into existence. I didn’t think I’d ever finish it, and I figured this story would be left on the cutting room floor with no resolution—just like those parts of my past that didn’t get their proper movie script ending. I eventually realized that no conclusion is the best one of all. I’m happy and proud that this is now released into the world. Enclosed in this document: Liner Notes A Guide to Listening to Holes In Our Stories: Cliff Notes & a Map to the Metaphors Lyrics, Album Credits, and Dedications Liner Notes _______________________________________ As I mention in my book, I didn’t put myself back together alone. Here are just some of the people that are responsible for this album existing. Each of you belong in my ending credits. Skinny Atlas— when I needed crutches the turned it into something We’ll always be kids below the most, when I felt nearly entirely polished. You gave me the stairs. Thank you for carrying broken. You helped me put perfect mix of my old self plus my world on your shoulders, for myself back together and for a new beginning. Thanks for the countless nights where I that I owe you the Circleville diving in. drove the seven minutes to your sky and all its stars. Because of house to work on music, for you, I appreciate a lot of things Kia Ro— your family’s way of always about life that I wouldn’t You played a huge role in welcoming me for so many otherwise. You make me feel helping me rebuild myself. years. Together, I think we’ve warm enough to not need any Thanks for teaching me how to realized how much there is out blanket at any drive-in theater gain the strength to lift the there that we haven’t seen yet. anywhere in forgotten America. weight of twenty-five years of The older we grow, the more Oh, and thanks for singing on life. I know you’ll be here until thankful I am that we can make all of these songs. the end, and I hope you find music together in protest of the the secret to happiness. I’ll be passing time. Tom Flynn— waiting on you to share it with Whether or not you know it, everyone. Brian Petchers— your ability to execute my To an extent that you probably artistic vision and bring it to life Pat Droney— don’t know, you saved the with your eye for graphic You were a voice of reason over making of this album and you design took this project from the phone during the years encouraged me to write my rough sheets of scrap paper when I felt the most lost. I can book. I ran with that advice. ripped up in a madman’s tell the world you’ll be the next You have since become such a bedroom to what people now Springsteen, and all I want in close friend of mine, even see on screen, on vinyl, on CD, return is for you to listen to a down to sharing the name of and in the book packaging. I million of my broken love song the album with you first. Thank had lofty and impossible ideas voice memos. Someday, we will you for being here from the for how special I wanted the write them together in beginning and for letting the artwork for this album to feel, Nashville. world see my music through and you made it happen. your eyes in our videos. You are Thanks for always being by my Alaska Sun— one of the real ones. Our lives side through our rambunctious You can have my ribcage. I may not be the movies we want adventures, bro. hope it protects your fragile them to be, but we can sure as heart from a world that can be hell make them reconsider. Billy Centenaro— vicious and cruel. I know you We’ve got a lot more movies to Your mixing on this record like you know the ocean, and I make. came at a time when I needed know the world is missing out if it most, and you delivered. You it doesn’t see all of you. I hope Regina Zaremba— took the lo-fi pieces of what I we can sing together again Thank you for letting me lean created in my bedroom during someday, this time in harmony. on you in the years of my life a crazy time in my life and Pops— constantly reminding me that Thank you for taking so many Thanks for giving me big shoes writing, art, and lyrics can have photographs during the making to fill. Thanks for being at the the depth and strength of of this album and on the sets of core of so many of my North American Mountains. the music videos. If our memories. Thanks for the Thanks for being a brother. friendship is ever in danger of photographs, the drives down Here’s to many more songs dying, let’s meet up and regrow the highway, the visits to your together. it at the Daisy Diner. old childhood home. Thanks for the tips on how to perfectly Nate Sander— Patrick Capriglione— mix cranberry and orange Thank you for playing my Thank you for the photographs juice. Thanks for the music live with me and for behind my albums all through inspiration. I couldn’t do your giving me the opportunity to the years and for the ones used eulogy justice; I hope I did your tour. That’s been a dream of in the artwork of Holes In Our song justice. I know you’ll find mine since I was a little kid, Stories. Your work is now even your place in the sun, because I and you not only make it more immortal to me. see you in my shadow. doable, you make it effortless. Keep your ear to the ground. Mike Falb— Andrew Rose— May every album release of Even as we get older, you I neglected to tell you how mine coincide with a new great constantly find new ways to much you changed my life, but awakening of yours, until your help me get my music heard by I’m glad I could finally send skin is all covered in tattoos and the world, and for that I’ll you my letter. May no great mine is all covered in wrinkles. always be thankful to have you confession ever go unsent as a bro. From starting at the again, may you know your Gabe Valle— very bottom of a snowy impact on my life and the lives Since my high school days, Cornell hill together, until we of so many others, and may the you’ve made it possible for me hit the top. light of a dead rock star to play my music live. For so someday take you home. many shows we’ve done Molly— together, so many trips we’ve I know we don’t talk anymore. Ghost— been on and offbeat hotel But thanks for your keyboard. I I’ll be with you any time you rooms we’ve slept in, for so took it and wrote a thousand say you’re down to ride. Maybe many days of trial and error in sad songs. the dream of being roommates New York and New Jersey and in New York City someday Erie and Athens…thanks for Devin Arne— wasn’t so farfetched after all. killing it. You don’t need Thanks for always being here practice to make it sound to make my music a reality. If Brother Joe— perfect. you didn’t love tea so much, I Thanks for the support, for never would have recorded yelling the loudest at all of my Tommy McCormick— “you are my favorite miracle” shows, and for introducing me Thanks for making so many of on The Book Report. My idea to the crazy world of music. I’ll these recordings possible. I have of a perfect setting in which to give you the best damn best a feeling we’ll be making a lot make music began with you. man speech a best man has more records together. ever given. Ceschi— Liz “Liz Smalls” Maney— You let me into your world Aidan Cooper— From our first days ever spent when mine felt like it was For always relating to me, for together at a different summer crumbling. As a result, you deciphering pictures of whales camp than the one in this story, helped me meet some real at art shows together, for I’ve been your biggest fan. friends that most people would die to be Fake Four. Thank you friend, and I’m so thankful to acoustic version of Blood on for making the vinyl of this have that in New York City.