If you speak to anyone of my generation, there is a good chance they’ve heard of Relient K: a pop punk turned indie rock band from Canton, Ohio. Over the years, their catchy melodies and whimsical lyrics have impacted the music industry, and most definitely the way that I approach and perform music. I’m thankful to have these great dudes tell me their tales through audio bliss, and I’d like to share a few ways these members have changed my life.

You know, if that's cool or whatever.

1. You can be light-hearted with a purpose.

Often in life, we go through bouncing from super serious moment to super ridiculous moment. Like a boomerang, we bounce back and forth from what is sweeter to the way we’re bumming through life, but it's possible to call attention without having to be super intense about it (unless of course the situation calls for it, and you’re over it).

Matt Thiessen often writes with a sense of humor that pokes fun at the culture and society while bringing up issues that need attention. The song “Gibberish” off of "Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right," is a personal favorite, and I truly enjoy how they wrote this crazy song that also has a deeper meaning of how often people are just talking to talk and aren’t really saying anything at all.

Of course, that’s just my interpretation.

2. Sharing is caring.

Something else I’ve really appreciated is the full band atmosphere Relient K creates. I would argue it's most noticeable on their "Mmhmm" and "The Birds and the Bee Sides" albums, but often Relient K will feature other members of the band as the lead vocalist or divide up parts of the songs to show off the talents of other members with banjos, cool synth sounds etc.

Being the super cool kid I was, I was in a goofy pop punk band in high school called Delicious Ambitions, and we copied A LOT from Relient K, including their style and performance and, naturally covered their songs. My favorite song to cover was "More Than Useless," which features multiple singers and is basically awesome in every way.

3. Don’t be afraid of change.

Relient K’s sound has changed quite a bit over the years, but in a great way. Relient K recently released their latest album "Air For Free," but I’ve been listening to the album preview on Pandora all week (thanks to Ethan Amerine), and I’m loving it. "Air For Free" takes everything we’ve all loved about Relient K and produced it for our modernized music scene. You just need to experience it.

There will always be a part of my heart for pop punk (especially since it's the greatest genre of music to ever exist ever), but good music is good music, which Relient K provides. I’m also doubly excited to see them at their album release show, which if you know me, I’ll be talking about for basically forever.

4. Dreams do come true.

Relient K started off as some friends during their high school and college years writing and performing music. I would imagine that they all would look on up at the stars and dream of making it big, much as I do now. Coming from Canton, we don’t often have famous stars, but the best thing is that it does happen, and Relient K continues to inspire me as an artist, and they always provide a smile as I kick off the latest track.

They must have done something right.

I’m quite thankful for these awesome dudes and what they have done for music and my life. Although I haven’t personally interacted with the Matts, I have had the pleasure of meeting Dave Douglas, a childhood hero, and one of their touring and studio musicians Tom Breyfogle has been a huge part of my music career as he and his wife talk with myself and my friend Adam often to coach us on all things music and simply enjoy life together.

Relient K,

Thanks for all you do.

Sincerely,

Jesse Gearhart