Letras
After high school I dove head first into the touring rock band circuit
With my band, The Semester. Throughout school I never had any
Intentions to attend college. All I wanted to do was get on a stage
And travel the world. The band I was in was going to make it to the
Top. I was with my best friends and nothing could hold us back. That
Is, until I got kicked out of the band. One phone call was all it
Took to completely flip my entire world upside down. I was crushed
This band was everything to me and I had no idea what I was going to
Do next. Little did I know this was a stepping-stone to greater
Achievements. Around the same time, another band in town called Four
Letter Lie was looking for a new drummer. I joined the band and
Within a matter of months we were signed by Victory Records and were
Touring full-time with bands I kept in heavy rotation on my stereo
After a couple of really great years with Four Letter Lie, I felt it
Was time to enter the next step of my musical expedition. I wanted
To be speaking with more than my hands and feet, so I decided to step
To the front of the stage and let my voice and ideas be heard. Four
Letter Lie was doing very well, but I knew deep down I wanted
Something else. I had to leave a state of comfort for what I believed
In and that's what my new music was going to represent. The very next
Day I started MOD SUN. The name MOD SUN is an acronym for Movement
On Dreams, Stand Under None. I was going to make empowering music
About positivity and happiness. I was now a front man holding the
Microphone and writing the lyrics. I was no longer Derek Smith, per
Se, I was now MOD SUN. In the summer of 2009 my good friends Scary
Kids Scaring Kids came to town as part of Vans Warped Tour. I went to
The festival and witnessed them put on an amazing show in front of
Thousands of fans screaming every lyric. I was blown away by how
Adoring their supporters were. Afterwards, in their bus, singer Tyson
Stephens asked me, "Do you have a job right now?" I replied with a
Huge grin on my face, "Well, not exactly." He said, "Why don't you
Come on the rest of this tour with us?" Now, keep in mind at this
Point I had just begun working on my new music as MOD SUN and knew I
Needed to focus on it and start to build. But, I had also just
Watched the movie Yes Man a few days earlier. I loved the movie so
Much I vowed to say "yes" to every opportunity for a month straight
So, true to my word, I looked my friend Tyson right in the eyes and
Said, "Let's go!" I literally jumped on the bus right then and there
With no luggage and headed to the next city. This decision would
Prove to be an extremely significant turning point in my life. The
First concert I ever attended was Vans Warped Tour 2001 with Blink-
182, New Found Glory, Sum 41, Alkaline Trio, Alien Ant Farm, and many
More. The moment I crossed those front gates and entered this micro
World of creativity and individuality I knew what I wanted to do
I looked at that stage and decided, no matter what it takes, I would
Be up there someday. Now, here I was travelling along with the
Festival. That first night on the bus I played the very first songs
I recorded as MOD SUN to the Scary Kids Scaring Kids guys, and they
Loved them. I was so enthused just to hear opinions, but the fact
They were so positive about my own music really blew me away. Every
Day the band would do a meet-and-greet with hundreds of kids and they
Immediately mentioned the possibility of me rapping to these people
In line waiting to get an autograph. The guys pulled a few strings
And before you knew it I was doing my very first performances as MOD
SUN on the one tour I had always dreamed of being on. Of course
This wasn't an official set, but it was definitely a step in the
Right direction and I knew I'd be there soon enough. I finished up
The rest of the summer with them on the festival making nothing but
Memories. I formed many great friendships and even reignited the
Friendship between Pat Brown and myself. We had somewhat of a falling
Out after I was kicked out of The Semester. He was now on tour with
His new band called Sing It Loud and doing very well. Not long after
Warped Tour ended the boys in Scary Kids Scaring Kids contacted me
With one more opportunity. They needed a drummer to play for them on
Their two final tours. The first was a 65-day tour hitting every
Major city in North America. The second was a 30-day tour in
Australia and New Zealand. I agreed on one condition: that I
Got to open up each show as MOD SUN. They agreed and within a
Matter of weeks I re-entered the touring circuit, but this time
As a solo artist playing sold-out shows around the world. From
This point on my career would continue to grow and eventually
Blossom into where I am today. If my world hadn't been flipped
Into utter chaos so many years back, I wouldn't be here
Every struggle leads to greatness, there's no such thing as hard
Chapter 7: Your Best Mistake
Wake Up A Student, Go To Sleep A Teacher
One of my favorite stories in history involves the legendary inventor
Thomas Edison. We're all familiar with the name, but not many know
Just how inspirational his life was. Around the age of 12, young
Thomas noticed his hearing was deteriorating. Soon he would
Eventually go deaf. Instead of letting such a drastic change affect
Him in a negative way, he considered it to be an asset. It allowed
Him, he said, to work with less distraction and to sleep deeply at
Night, undisturbed by outside sounds. How's that for a bright side
Right? One major misconception is that Thomas Edison invented the
Light bulb. What Edison actually invented was a long-lasting light
Bulb. The original light bulb was very unpractical. It wasn't bright
Enough and would burn out daily. Edison had a passion to fix that
For years he made many attempts at finding the solution for the bulb
But just couldn't figure it out. A majority of these attempts were
Highly publicized and people began losing faith in his ability to
Solve the problem. During an interview Edison was asked if he felt
Like a failure. "Young man," he replied, "why would I feel like a
Failure? And why would I ever give up? I know now definitively over
9,000 Ways that an electric light bulb will not work. Success is
Almost in my grasp." Eventually, on his 10,000th attempt, Edison
Invented one of the most vital objects in our
World. Every slip-up, malfunction, or accident he
Made was used as a valuable piece of knowledge
Your worst mistake is your best advice
The more mistakes you make only means
The more guidance you have to offer
You should embrace these mishaps with an
Understanding that you are learning from them
You now know how not to do something and that is
Just as valuable as knowing how to do something
This is where your universal IQ begins to rise
Intelligence isn't intended to be a personal
Acclamation, it's meant to be shared
We all enter this world as a blank page
Throughout our lives we fill our pages with
Information that we find personally stimulating
Knowing something someone else doesn't know will
Not make you more intelligent than the next person
This only means you've been asked a question
The other person hasn't yet encountered
The first time we hear about anything, we know nothing about it
Therefore, no one is superior to anyone else
But we can all learn from each other
If you're not trying to teach, you haven't learned a thing
In a song of mine called "Hug Life" I wrote
You can never learn if you're always right
Remember that next time you're in a fight
Instead of planning out your comeback
Let their point of view be in sight
For a good portion of my life, I thought I was always right
I would argue until I felt my point outweighed the opposition
And in the end, if it didn't, I would storm out of the room
I didn't know it at the time, but when I acted out in this way
My outlook and ideas became less valid to the people around me
I would end up pushing away the people I enjoyed communicating with
Finally, I decided to make an attitude modification
The very next day I went out and just listened to others speak
There's a serious difference between hearing and listening
Someone who hears you is thinking about his
Or her reply while you're still speaking
Nothing you say is actually digested as food for thought
Whereas, someone who listens will turn the voice
In his or her head off while you're speaking
There is a reason we have two ears and one mouth
Listen more than talk
Once we start really listening, the
Words we say become much more powerful
What comes out of your mouth will determine
The rise or demise of your intention
The people that surround you are either working
For you or against you and how you interact with
These individuals will be the deciding factor
Chapter 8: Peer Pressure
Building the Army
How many times have you heard someone say, "Fuck what people think?"
If you're anything like me, it's a theme that
Surrounded your entire high school career
In those days all I wanted to do was stand out
My hair went through so many cuts and dyes
It's a surprise I still have so much of it
I wore scarves, band tees, and tight jeans and
Instead of a backpack, I carried a briefcase
I listened to music that no one heard of and that's the way I liked it
I learned early on that the outsiders of the school were
Usually the most interesting to me, so that's what I became
The previous friendships I made through sports would
Remain, making me somewhat of an insider on the outside
Looking back, I never really showed my true
Identity to any of my high school peers
I was trying so hard to find myself that I got lost along the way
When I hung with my skateboard and music
Clique I tried to hide the athlete in me
And when I was with my sports clique, I hid the artist in me
I lived in a constant state of transformation with no destination
I wasn't being true to myself, which contaminated my intentions
So many people think that finding yourself
Is narrowed down to one specific answer
There is no limit on how many yous you can find within
I finally accepted the array of different
People I was and became an individual
From that day on I was able to
Communicate with others like never before
Now that I was confident and proud of whom I was
I could share my story and earn a spot in people's minds
Every positive thought is a brick in the foundation of our lives
No one can take away any of the bricks we've laid
Down, but others can help us build the foundation