Driven�Rise was the first song idea out of the gate for what has become the 2014 Riotgod album of the same name. The song's raw music happened to appear relatively soon after the whole Hurricane Sandy episode went down, so let that set the stage. The music once out of the initial instrumental recording stage, arrived at stage 2, for M.SUN. As all the songs go, the instrumental was played over and over again until a melody gelled. This one came on rather quickly, melody was sung into the phone and recorded so as to not forget it.

Personal energies influenced the vibe of that whole creative process and an earnest nature helped craft the words. No one can ever know all the specifics but I can say it deals with optimism. Being around someone who has a proper sense of optimism ( especially when whether or not one's aware they focus disproportionately on the negative ) meaning not "pie-in-the-sky" glossy talk but real glass-half-full talk - can be a learning lesson. Props to my Blue for doing that for me - and a good portion of the energy of this song went her way. She had a house on New Jersey's Long Beach Island, which got battered by the hurricane and a lot was washed out to sea: surfboards, old heirloom bottles of scotch, her whole family house ( not "luxury" beach house ) almost everything but the memories. I myself spent a week without power, alone, with no access to anything. When I was able to reconnect - on a sunny day - the overwhelming happiness - I hope the music can paint that picture and maybe channel some of that energy.

I wanted the words to somehow evoke that KIND of optimism as well. I wanted (importantly) not only that "chin-up" attitude but that combined with a care-free sensibility - essentially that glorious moment when against standard reservation, one says "Fk it - let's do this." and everything goes right - after things have been not-so-good for too long.

This album was recorded in tight windows of time. During the pre-production at home, the vocal arrangement, featuring more than a few layers, was hammered out so that when it came time to lay it down, it went smoothly and quickly.

Garrett was next in the process and he laid down a solo that totally captured the feeling expressed by the lyrics and music already laid down.

Driven�Rise - a great way to imagine 2014.