Robb Rivera's Blog

               OK first day of the year. I am glad 2013 is gone but at the same time i am sad. It was a good and bad year, but i guess that has happened to a lot of people as well. To those who had a great year may 2014 be even better for you and to those who had a bad one 2014 is here for you to make sure you do not make the mistakes you have made in the last 365 days and take those 365 days as a learning experience.

               I learned a lot this past year. First i learned the mental toughness you need to have being away from your family. I basically barely saw my daughter grow up and every single time i am home i cherish everything i can do with her. Today she fell asleep on me and i could not stop looking at her. Knowing that the little person depends on mommy and daddy for everything is pretty overwhelming. I also learned how my wife is able to hold down the fort. Not only taking care of everything but also carrying our second child. She is the strongest woman i know and a mother any child would want. She should give lessons on motherhood. :) Another thing i learned is all the BS people trying to get you to believe. I learned that the hard way. 2013 was a waste of a year in a lot of ways for Nonpoint on the business side. Like i said above it is a learning experience.

              The most important thing i learned is how to be a bandmate. It was awesome being able to not only share a stage with amazing musicians like Dave, Adam and Rasheed but also having people to help you have a better state of mind. We hung out everyday, watched movies together and the best part we laughed together. Now this may sound kind of gay to some of you but it was really helpful entering such a long record cycle to be around great people.

              2013 also saw a lot of success for the 2 singles we released. "Left For You" was our highest charting single and "That Day" was our highest researched song. Knowing that after releasing an album that was not up to par as previous albums and be able to bring in new faces and talent and write the best album of our career was the thing i loved most about 2013. "That Day" connected with a lot of people and it spoke to them. People really pay attention to our lyrics and our fans have always come up to us saying how much our music has helped them. Never in our career have we had a single make so many end of year lists like we have with That Day. The reaction and incredible reviews we got for our last record was unreal.

                Enjoyed the touring a lot. Being on tour with Hell Yeah, All That Remains, Gemini Syndrome, Megadeth, Fear Factory, Device, every single radio show we did was amazing to me as well. Aside of the business aspect i loved 2013.

              Looking forward to 2014. We have Shiprocked, another hometown DVD shoot, recording a new album, got our old road crew back with a new face added and welcoming a son into my life.

              To all of you i want to thank you for always approaching me and telling me how much you love my posts. I post from the heart and not to get attention. All i want to do is live my life how i want to live it, play music and enjoy my family and friends. Have a great 2014 everyone.

Love you all Robb