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    <title>thealmost's Journals on Buzznet</title>
    <description><![CDATA[Aaron Gillespie is a man obsessed. Whether he..s out in front of The Almost, his new, eagerly anticipated rock-based project, or behind the drum kit for Underoath, the Clearwater, Florida-bred songwriter/musician can..t help but throw himself into everything he does.

With Southern Weather, The Almost lets Gillespie put a different, more melodic side of himself on display. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his idol Dave Grohl, who stepped out from behind his drum kit to capture the rock world..s hearts as one of the genre..s most visible frontmen, Gillespie has begun a metamorphosis. 

If The Almost brainchild is quick to downplay any similarities to the Foo Fighters in their infancy, his project..s debut affirms he..s clearly worthy. Consider that The Almost is already confirmed for the upcoming 2007 Warped Tour and that Southern Weather marks the first time Tooth &amp; Nail has partnered up with a major label (Virgin Records) for a joint release and there..s little denying that Gillespie is about to take the ride of his life.

Southern Weather features the blistering ..Call Me Back When I..m Honest.. and the quick, evocative ..Drive There Now!.. Performing nearly every instrument on the disc, workhorse Gillespie aligned with acclaimed, Seattle-based producer Aaron Sprinkle on Southern Weather. And while the two had never met, The Almost brainchild was a big fan of Sprinkle..s work with Pedro the Lion and they hit it off instantly. 

..Aaron is an incredibly talented producer,.. says Gillespie. ..And it turns out we have a lot in common. He wears a lot of hats and plays every instrument. He..s able to open up your eyes and make you think about things you can do on an album that maybe you didn..t think about... 

Case in point is ..Amazing Because It Is,.. which started as a very basic song but built into a horn-touched, choir-augmented album pinnacle. ..It..s way different from anything else on the record, but I think I might like it the best,.. Gillespie says of the spiritual opus. ..It started with one take on the vocals and I kind of kept it stripped down. And then I went to a church-to like a youth group-and they invited all of their affiliated youth groups and I played a few songs for them. And I am so pleased with how it ended up... 

Nearly as magical is the disc..s tender, countrified moment, ..Dirty And Left Out.... which took shape after the Aarons spent an evening absorbing Ocean Beach by Red House Painters. If the latter--which counts a guest vocal collaboration with former Sunny Day Real Estate singer Jeremy Enigk--is a noticeable shift from the bone-crunching attack fans have come to expect from Aaron through his work with Underoath, Gillespie says it..s completely natural. ..As much as I love what I do in that band, there are songs in me and music that I enjoy just as much that comes from melody,.. The Almost principal explains. 

While some artists might find themselves overwhelmed by the prospect of working alone, Aaron says he thrived by working on his own with Sprinkle. ..I..m used to working in this band environment,.. he admits. ..So that was a shift. But when I hit my stride, I could just go for things. I didn..t have to explain what I was looking for to someone else or over-think anything... 

From the inventive Thursday-meets-Oasis vibe of ..Everyone Here Smells Like A Rat.. to the breathtaking, undying roar of ..I Mostly Copy Other People..--which benefits from the bass and guest vocal work of The Starting Line..s Kenny Vasoli --Gillespie plays from the heart on Southern Weather. Throughout the album Aaron incorporates pieces of his youth. 

Most visible is the disc..s commanding opening track and first single, &quot;Say This Sooner,&quot; which introduces the album with an attention grabbing, percussion-driven anthem. ..I grew up in the Deep South,.. he says of the urgent, hook-fostered opener. ..Like anyone, I..ve had struggles along the way. But I am very much informed by Southern values and I think the songs speak to that... 

Just as informed are the Gillespie devotees that scored The Almost the top three songs and ..1 artist ranking on PureVolume some four-plus months in advance of Southern Weather..s April 3, 2007 release. The first week the songs were up, they received over 100,000 combined plays on PureVolume and MySpace. If Aaron..s initial apprehensions about the project being accepted have subsided, it..s that honest piece of his personality that is rare for a performer of his magnitude. 

In advance of an early 2007 tour to test The Almost record on the road with his band--built from a line-up of Jay Vilardi (guitar), Alex Aponte (bass) and Kenny Bozich (drums) and himself--Gillespie was worried about how he..d be received, despite the fact most of the gigs were sell-outs and they all went off with out a hitch, setting the stage for their upcoming Warped Tour commitment. 

Between his own duties out in front of The Almost and Underoath..s touring and recording schedules, Aaron Gillespie is fully committed until 2008. For now, he..s a firm believer in his ability to balance both. ..Underoath is extremely special to me,.. he says of the group he co-founded in 1998 which debuted at ..2 on the Billboard Album Chart with June 2006..s Define The Great Line. 

..Whereas with Southern Weather, it..s got a much broader scope,.. he continues. ..From a 12 year old listening to her iPod on the school bus to a 38-year old guy commuting on a train, I..m excited by the fact that this album can find an audience with a lot of different people...]]></description>
    <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/</link>
    <language>en-us</language>
		    <item>
	      <title><![CDATA[a note from Aaron......watch TA on Jimmy Kimmel TUES. NIGHT!!!]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/909651/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[so per the blog put up earlier you can see we are playing jimmy kimmel on aug. 28th. this is a childhood dream of mine, so if you fit the criteria below please please come on out! its free!!!!!!!<BR><BR>also, who's coming to chicago for free???????<BR><BR><BR>you're all rad<BR>aaron<BR><P><CENTER><B>____________________________________________</B></CENTER><BR><P><FONT size=2>Hey there peoples! <BR><BR>Our friends at 1iota.com are looking for die hard fans to be part of their mini-concert on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday, August 28th. The band will become one on a list of many amazing performers that have graced the stage of Jimmy Kimmel Live, and if you show us that you're having a good time, we could play anywhere from 2-5 songs. If you want to be in the crowd and show us what you've got, then head over to www.1iota.com and follow these steps: <BR><BR>· Click the 1iota TV Shows button <BR>  Click the Jimmy Kimmel Live logo <BR>· Choose The Almost event link to request tickets <BR>  <BR><B>ATTENDANCE TO THIS EVENT IS BY INVITATION ONLY!!!<BR>  <BR><I>Remember, BE QUICK, because space is EXTREMELY LIMITED!! </I><BR><BR>MUSTS: </B><BR><BR>· YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 16 YEARS OLD <BR>· YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 28th FROM 7:00PM – 9:00PM <BR>· YOU MUST HAVE A VALID PHOTO ID <BR>· PLEASE DO NOT WEAR WHITE, LIGHT BLUE, BEIGE OR LOGOS, AS THEY DONT COME ACROSS WELL ON CAMERA <BR>· PLEASE DO NOT BRING LARGE HANDBAGS OR KNAPSACKS <BR>· NO CAMERAS OR RECORDING DEVICES </FONT><BR><P><CENTER><B>____________________________________________</B></CENTER><BR><P><CENTER><FONT size=4>The Almost is playing a free show on August 30th in Chicago for Q101 and HELIO!<BR><BR><P>The <B>ONLY</B> way to get tickets to this awesome show is to FRIEND the SHOW's MySpace... so if you want to see The Almost, <A href="http://www.myspace.com/_allinwithhelioandq101"><FONT size=4>CLICK HERE TO FRIEND THE FREE SHOW PRESENTED BY HELIO AND Q101.</A><BR><BR> </FONT></FONT></CENTER>]]></description>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-08-27T16:50:00Z</dc:date>
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		    <item>
	      <title><![CDATA[hey its aaron]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/774731/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[so per the blog put up earlier you can see we are playing jimmy kimmel on aug. 28th this is a childhood dream of mine... so if you fit the criteria below please please come on out its free!!!!!!!<br><br>also, who's coming to chicago for free???????<br><br><br>your all rad<br>aaron]]></description>
		  		  	<category>august</category>
		  		  	<category>chicago</category>
		  		  	<category>free shows</category>
		  		  	<category>helio</category>
		  		  	<category>jimmy kimmel</category>
		  		  	<category>q101</category>
		  		  	<category>summer</category>
		  		  	<category>the almost</category>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-08-07T14:27:12Z</dc:date>
	    </item>
		    <item>
	      <title><![CDATA[energizer]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/671181/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[hey doods,<br>thanks so much for supporting us this summer we have had the time of our lives...anyway i just wanted to tell you when we (the almost) join back up on warped tour on aug. 10th we would love to play for 10 extra min. for you would you like that???<br><br>anyway,<br>we would love to play more tunes for you so please head over to the warped site and vote!!!!!<br><br>oh yeah and make all your friends vote!!!!!<br><br>you guys really are the best bunch of friends a dood could ever have<br><br>now lets be an army<br><br>i love you,<br>aaron]]></description>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-07-23T13:51:52Z</dc:date>
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		    <item>
	      <title><![CDATA[Good Morning Atlanta and Happy Birthday to...]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/638671/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[Aaron! He turns 24 today. Looks like we're gonna have to party tonight! And what a perfect night to do it in....Atlanta. One of my favorites. Good times, good people. Let's back up a bit though, shall we?<br><br>Last night we rocked Palmetto/Sarasota, Florida. It was a Warped Tour off-day, and we definitely passed the venue a couple of times before actually finding it. Turns out the venue was on the backside of a Mexican restaurant. That made a first for me personally. I've never played at a Mexican restaurant. But whatever. We pulled in and hung out for a little while the Plain White T's had their soundcheck and got comfy. I got comfy myself by hitting up Sonic, whose Cherry Limeade is the perfect summertime companion.<br><br>We got back, soundchecked, hung out, and had a great show. Kenny and Aaron's mom came and so did our friend Kelly. We planned on going to Chili's for a Aaron's birthday, but unfortunately, we were blocked in from leaving. Bummer. So what did we do? Oh. I'll tell you. We went classy and ordered Pizza Hut and drank diet coke.<br><br>So why am I so excited about playing at the home of the Braves, Hawks, Thrashers, and Falcons you ask? Two words. Norma Jean. These guys are some of my oldest friends, and they're jumping on the tour for a few days starting today. It's been a long time since I've been on the road with these dudes, so I'm more than stoked. The only bummer is that we've only got three more warped dates left before we take a twenty day break. I'm definitely excited about getting home for a bit, and I'm really excited about seeing Silverchair at the end of the month! But missing the east coast is going to sting a little bit. Speaking of that, our dates are starting to roll in for the make-up shows we'll be doing in early September! We'll be making an announcement about that really soon! Keep your ears open!<br><br>It's too dang early to be awake. Ugh.<br><br>-dusty/live via my little bunk cave]]></description>
		  		  	<category>atlanta</category>
		  		  	<category>birthdays</category>
		  		  	<category>bunk caves</category>
		  		  	<category>cherry limeade</category>
		  		  	<category>the almost</category>
		  		  	<category>warped tour</category>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-07-18T14:04:14Z</dc:date>
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		    <item>
	      <title><![CDATA[The Almost is hittin' the road this Fall]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/638531/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Almost will be hittin' the road with Meg&amp;Dia and Josh Moore for a few dates this Fall.</span><br><br>Check out the dates below to see if The Almost will be coming to your city!<br><img src="http://lh5.google.com/peepTA/Rp5wtZ-NUII/AAAAAAAAAC8/aZt8r65nbgw/s400/ALMOST_11X17.jpg" border="0"><br><br><br>Aug 31 2007 - House of Blues / Cleveland, Ohio<br>Sep 2 2007 - The Crazy Donkey / Farmingdale, New York<br>Sep 3 2007 - The Station / Portland, Maine<br>Sep 4 2007 - The Middle East / Cambridge, Massachusetts<br>Sep 5 2007 - Theatre of Living Arts / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<br>Sep 6 2007 - Recher Theatre / Towson, Maryland<br>Sep 7 2007 - The Norva / Norfolk, Virginia<br>Sep 8 2007 - Tremont Music Hall / Charlotte, North Carolina<br>Sep 9 2007 - New Brookland Tavern / Columbia, South Carolina<br><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">For more information, check out the tour dates on our MySpace!!!</span></div>]]></description>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-07-18T13:47:00Z</dc:date>
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	      <title><![CDATA[Win an autographed copy of &quot;Southern Weather&quot; and other sweet Warped Tour swag!]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/477151/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[<font size=4><center>Win a bunch of Warped Tour swag including a $500 Hot Topic gift card, $500 Ernie Ball prize pack, Sugar Hooker gear and autographed albums from The Almost, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and more!<br> <br><A HREF="http://banners.fanscape.com/link/14036004/2431/2892/[GUID]/a.html" target="_blank"> <br><IMG SRC="http://banners.fanscape.com/img/14036004/2431/2892/[GUID]/a.gif" BORDER=0 WIDTH="300" HEIGHT="250" ALT="Win Warped Prizes!"></A>]]></description>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-06-25T13:41:28Z</dc:date>
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		    <item>
	      <title><![CDATA[a note from aaron]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/359241/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[<center>hey kind people! please, please, PLEASE, vote for us because dusty is a sore loser.<BR><br>much love,<br>aaron<br><br><br><a href="http://music.aol.com/franchise/breakers/?cat=2"><br><img src="http://www.thealmost.com/banner/aol_breakers/almost_banner_728x90.jpg" width="728" height="90" hspace="10" vspace="10" border="0"/></a><font size=4><BR>Click the banner to VOTE!]]></description>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-06-07T16:36:14Z</dc:date>
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	      <title><![CDATA[Check out The Almost on D'Fused]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/344531/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[FUSE will be airing a 30 minute special on the making of the "Say This Sooner" video -D'Fused: The Almost&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;B&gt;Premieres June 8th @ 8pm&lt;/B&gt;&lt;br&gt;(2 hours of Aaron! &lt;I&gt;The Steven's Untitled Rock Show ep&lt;/i&gt; featuring The Almost at Bamboozle will be the lead-in at 7pm &amp; Loaded: Underoath featuring The Almost video will follow D'Fused at 8:30pm)&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;D'Fused Encores:&lt;/B&gt;&lt;br&gt;6/10 4pm&lt;br&gt;6/14 3pm&lt;br&gt;6/21 8pm&lt;br&gt;6/24 8pm&lt;br&gt;6/29 3pm]]></description>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-06-05T14:09:04Z</dc:date>
	    </item>
		    <item>
	      <title><![CDATA[check out our Making of the Video on FUSE]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/317681/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[<center><font size=2>FUSE will be airing a 30 minute special on the making of the "Say This Sooner" video</font size><br><p><br><font size=3><b>D'Fused: The Almost<br>Premieres June 8th @ 8pm</b></font size><br><P><br>(ps.  The Steven's Untitled Rock Show episode featuring The Almost at Bamboozle will be <u><I>the lead-in at 7pm</I></U> THEN Loaded: Underoath featuring The Almost video <U><I>will follow D'Fused at 8:30pm</I></U>.....that's TWO straight hours!)<br> <br><u>D'Fused Encores:</u><br>6/10 4pm<br>6/14 3pm<br>6/21 8pm<br>6/24 8pm<br>6/29 3pm]]></description>
		  		  	<category>aaron gillespie</category>
		  		  	<category>say this sooner</category>
		  		  	<category>southern weather</category>
		  		  	<category>the almost</category>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-05-31T23:21:36Z</dc:date>
	    </item>
		    <item>
	      <title><![CDATA[The Almost on tour with Paramore and This Providence!]]></title>
	      <link>http://thealmost.buzznet.com/user/journal/159214/</link>
	      <description><![CDATA[Don't forget that Paramore's headlining tour starts tomorrow, April 20th, at Revolution in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  The tour will run up the East Coast and end around the Great Lakes in Detroit, MI.

Come out and show The Almost some support!]]></description>
		  		  	<category>aaron</category>
		  		  	<category>aaron gillespie</category>
		  		  	<category>almost</category>
		  		  	<category>gillespie</category>
		  		  	<category>paramore</category>
		  		  	<category>the almost</category>
		  		  	<category>this providence</category>
		  		  	<category>tooth and nail</category>
		  		  	<category>virgin</category>
		  		  	<category>virgin records</category>
		  		  <category>Buzznet</category>
	      <dc:creator>thealmost</dc:creator>
	      <dc:date>2007-04-19T14:54:52Z</dc:date>
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