Dearest friends,

Where do I even begin?

Though it seems like it happened yesterday, an entire year has passed since I put out Ocean Eyes and I cannot begin to tell you how amazed I am due to all that has happened between then and now. A tremendous amount of asphalt has passed under the tires, a lot of miles put on the odometer and a lot of marvelous memories made along the way. It’s an overwhelming, invigorating feeling that can’t even be put into words. I catch myself thinking about the future often and I truly couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been immensely blessed by each and every opportunity I’ve had via Owl City and your endless support only continues to encourage me. I wholeheartedly cannot thank you enough.

Thus far, I’ve been quite a busy bee this summer, hidden away in the cavelike warmth of my basement, working like a mad scientist on the next Owl City record and I absolutely cannot wait for you to hear it. Things are coming together nicely but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

However, there’s something I’d like to share with you in the meantime.

Three and a half years ago, I recorded a collection of songs in my parent’s basement during the bleary-eyed hours of night when sleep and I could not bring ourselves to meet. I was a metalworker, working 6 AM to 4 PM at a warehouse in my little southern Minnesota town. I was writing, creating, thinking, imagining and breathing music with every second I had to spare. Music has always been my dream, but at that point in time, it was merely a feather tossed to the wind. Regardless, my spirits were far from dampened and I created music as fast and as furiously as I could. In my little basement bedroom, I had an old Dell computer, Reason 2.5, a friend’s borrowed Behringer C-1 condenser, a Behringer 8 channel analog mixer and my uncle’s old Alvarez. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but I was a dreamer and music was my escape so I gave it everything I had. Never expecting my music to be heard anywhere but by my parents through the floorboards above, I wrote for my own ears. I was both artist and audience and I called myself Sky Sailing.

I’ve kept these recordings secret for a long time and they’ve never seen the light of day until now. Long before Owl City was ever a spark of a flame, a lot of blue-collared working days were spent absentmindedly daydreaming about what would ultimately become this collection of songs. From the perfectionist musician’s perspective, a song is never truly “finished” but rather “abandoned” and thus, after a lot of inspiration and reckless experimentation, I emerged from the basement with a 11 song record which I affectionately entitled, An Airplane Carried Me To Bed.

This album is a step into the past, the documented account of a shy boy from Minnesota with more hopes and dreams than he knew what to do with. When you listen to this record, you can hear naivety, innocence, inexperience and the wide-eyed imaginings of a wishful thinker. It’s both light and dark, optimistic and melancholy. Unpolished and dusty, it’s an antique and therefore holds a truly unique and graceful aesthetic within. Though there has always been just one artist behind the music, before there was Owl City there was Sky Sailing and I consider it a great honor to finally find this opportunity to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

If by chance you ever feel as though you’ve come to know these songs or empathize with the emotions therein, please consider yourself a friend of mine because in a manner of speaking, you know me. As the saying goes, one can truly glimpse the artist through his/her art, and that expression certainly proves faithful in my case. This music is my heart and soul. This is who I am. 

With that being said, I am so very glad to meet you.

With all due respect,

Something’s wrong with my tracked tags and it seems like someone tagged me. Too bad I couldn’t see the post. If someone tags me, please let me know :)

• Rule 1- Post the rules.
• Rule 2- Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then make 11 new ones.
• Rule 3- Tag 11 people and link them to your post.
• Rule 4- Let them know you’ve tagged them.

Tagged Questions To Answer:

1. Sa tingin mo ba bading si Piolo Pascual?

A little. lol

2. Anong tingin mo sa mga nagoone night stand?

“No comment.”

3. Give your opinion about the jejemons?

Well, we’ve all been jejemons before but to all the jejemons these days: PROGRESS, DUDES. Friendster is long gone.

4. Rice cake or a big mac?

BIG MAC

5. Who’s your favorite celebrity? And explain kung bakit mo siya naging paborito.

I don’t really like celebrities. But its Zooey Deschanel. I always watch New Girl and she’s funny and adorable. So.. yun.

6. Saang putahe magaling magluto ang nanay/tatay mo?

Di ko alam yung mga pangalan ng dishes na niluluto ni mama eh. Basta pag may mga sauce. Doon siya magaling.

7. Anong tingin mo sa mga two-timers?

Stupid. Because they don’t know how to be contented.

8. Nagagandahan ka ba sa PBB ngayon? Explain why or why not.

Yes and no. Yes kasi nakaka-intriga. Ang saya magreact dito. No kasi naiinis ako sa ugali nung iba sa kanila. Parang ang baba na tuloy ng tingin nung iba sa mga teenagers.

9. ANONG FIRST IMPRESSION MO SAKIN? Don’t lie to me!!! HAHAHA

MATALINO. NERD. HINDI NAMAMANSIN. TAHIMIK. LOL

10. Explain to the world kung bakit ang babae ay dapat respetuhin.

Kasi ang babae, mas maraming pinagdadaanan sa buhay. At saka, kung lalaki at at di ka rumerespeto sa babae, ibig-sabihin hindi mo rin nirerespeto nanay mo. Maraming pinagdaanan nanay mo lalo na yung panganganak sayo. 9 months nagsakripisyo para dalhin ka sa tiyan niya. Masakit na yun. Lalo na yung paglabas mo. Mapagdadaanan din namin yan kaya respetuhin niyo din kami.

11. Since it’s mother’s day, anong gusto mong sabihin sa kanya? Ilagay mo dito.

Hi ma. Thank you sa pag-alaga sakin. Sorry kung minsan napaka-pasaway ko. Asahan mong magiging proud ka sakin at lahat ng paghihirap niyo ay magiging worth it paglaki ko. I love you!

Tagged Questions to Answer:

1. What’s your opinion on cats?

2. Do you like leche flan? Explain why.

3. Do you think PBB is scripted?

4. Honestly, who is your crush on Tumblr?

5. If you were to be a cat for a day, what would you first do?

6.  The cutest thing anyone has ever done to you?

7. What’s the color of your bedroom wall?

8. Sushi or Tacos?

9. Do you think that aliens exist?

10. Are you excited for school?

11. What’s your opinion on married couples getting divorced?

I’ve always been a child-at-heart person. I’d always be more than glad to relive my childhood memories. Probably because at this stage of my life, I find it difficult to dwell with my surroundings. To encounter with the people around me. My father has always been my best friend. He has made an important role in my childhood. He is an outgoing person. Back in my old days, he would always ask me to accompany him to drive through the city no matter what time it is. While driving, he would tell me stories. Fact-filled stories. Stories beyond nature, beyond space, beyond time. A wise man indeed. He would usually take me to a fast food chain, or a convenience store maybe. Buy our food, and just drive our problems away. Seeing pedestrians pass by during traffic stops while eating in the car, looking up at skyscrapers and imagining how it would feel to soar that high. Asking him a million questions to kill my curiosity. He never gets annoyed. Rather, he gets more entertained. Enjoying my company and the fact that he thinks his stories amuse me. I miss nights like this.