January 24th, 2020 - The 49th Anniversary of the Death of William Griffith Wilson.  

On January 24th, 1971, William Griffith Wilson quietly passed away after a long battle with emphysema following complications from pneumonia.  While he was known to family and friends by his birth name William Wilson, others knew him as “Bill Wilson”, “Bill W.”, or just “Bill”. Bill was the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.).  

As with so many others before and after him, when Bill first discovered alcohol, it seemed like the perfect complement to his life.  It eased the awkward shyness he had dealt with since childhood.  And similarly to so many others, his alcohol use eventually spiraled out of control, causing irreparable damage to his marriage, job, body, and mind.  After many unsuccessful attempts to quit drinking, Bill finally had a moment of clarity in 1934.  This moment was not only pivotal in Bill’s sobriety, it also left him with a deep rooted desire to help others along the path to recovery.  Armed with passion, the newly sober Bill founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935.  Since its inception, A.A. has helped millions find their own clarity while learning to manage addiction.  

In our modern society, addiction runs rampant.  It may have started with a few beers that you thought would help you become the life of the party, thanks to clever advertising.  Or perhaps you began popping some Percocets because your doctor told you they were safe and non-habit forming.  No matter the origin, it’s all the same - millions are struggling worldwide, in desperate need of help.  There is no denying how many people have turned their lives around with the help of the A.A.  With that said, we understand that A.A. and its principals are not for everyone.  Thankfully, there are many other programs that exist to offer help if you or someone you know is in need - it’s all about finding out what works for YOU.  

We here at Till The Days End are “friends of Bill”.  So today, in honor of Bill Wilson, we are proud to present “Horizons”, a song about rising up and overcoming your addictions and your past demons.   

All proceeds from the sale and stream of “Horizons” will go directly to the Gale Recovery House in Frederick, MD.  

You can purchase the song on our Bandcamp page here:
http://tillthedaysend.bandcamp.com/track/horizons

For all other streaming services go here:
https://lnk.to/TTDE_H

To learn more about the Gale Recovery House:
https://www.wellshouse.org/locations/frederick-md/

To donate directly to the Gale Recovery House:
https://www.wellshouse.org/support-us/donate/

Lyric Video for “Horizons”:
https://youtu.be/ghn4Umb9TH8

“Horizons” is © 2020 by Till The Days End.  Till The Days End would like to thank the following artists for their donations of additional sonic contributions:

Spencer Sotelo
Matt Halpern
Nathan Heavel
Drew Mazurek
David Manning
Justin Gosnell

Horizons

February 14th, 2020 - Valentine’s Day.  

Valentine’s day is now a glorified Hallmark holiday centered around buying flowers and chocolate.  However, it is believed to have rather sinister historical origins dating back to Ancient Rome, where from February 13th to 15th, the celebratory feast of Lupercalia took place.  Women would line up to be whipped by men using the pelts of both goats and dogs they had sacrificed, believing that it would bring the women fertility.   

Over time, the holiday began to take on a sweeter meaning, thanks largely to a poem written in the late 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer.  The poem references birds gathering together to choose their mates on ’Seynt Valentynes Day’.  In 1477, Margery Brews penned the earliest known letter of its kind, in which she referred to the recipient as her “Valentine”.  William Shakespeare further romanticized the holiday throughout his work in the 15th and 16th century.  Eventually, bestowing handmade paper cards to loved ones began to take shape as a yearly holiday tradition.  This practice exploded in 1913, when a company out of Kansas City, Missouri called Hallmark Cards began mass producing valentines; marking the beginnings of the modern Valentine’s Day as we know it.  

You may have read the first part of the story and thought that it was some crazy custom long forgotten.  And while the specifics of the story may be outdated, domestic violence is widely prevalent in our current society.  It affects as many as 10-12 million women and men every single year here in the US.  Unfortunately, domestic violence is often very difficult to identify, as many cases go unreported.

Here are some staggering facts:

- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men aged 18 and older have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

- Nearly half of all adults have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime. 

- 35% of men and 81% of women who experience intimate partner violence reported short or long-term impacts such as PTSD and injury.  

- A child witnessed violence in nearly 1 in 4 intimate partner physical abuse cases filed in state courts.

- 30 to 60% of perpetrators of intimate partner violence also abuse children in the household.

Sadly, family violence gives rise to subsequent violence perpetrated by those involved.  This is how we see the “cycle of abuse” perpetuated from exposed children into their adult relationships and further on into the care of the elderly.  

We here at Till The Days End absolutely condemn all forms of domestic violence and we would like to do our part to help survivors of abuse get the help they so dearly need.  So today, in honor of all survivors of domestic abuse, we are proud to present “Once Upon A Time”, a song about rising up and overcoming suffering and abuse.  The song’s lyrics were penned by one of our frequent collaborators, who himself experienced domestic abuse as a child.   

All proceeds from the sale and stream of “Once Upon A Time” will go directly to the Heartly House in Frederick, MD.

You can purchase the song on our Bandcamp page here: 
https://tillthedaysend.bandcamp.com/track/once-upon-a-time

For all other streaming services go here:
https://lnk.to/TTDE_OUAT

To learn more about the Heartly House:
https://www.heartlyhouse.org/

To donate directly to the Heartly House:
https://www.heartlyhouse.org/donate/one-time-donations/

To see a list of physical items the Heartly House needs to operate:
https://www.heartlyhouse.org/donate/in-kind-donations/

“Once Upon A Time” is © 2020 by Till The Days End.  Till The Days End would like to thank the following artists for their donations of additional sonic contributions:

Spencer Sotelo
Matt Halpern
Nathan Heavel
David Manning
Justin Gosnell

Once Upon A Time

March 19th, 2020 - The First Day of Spring.  

One of the hottest topics up for debate today is the state of our planet and more importantly, who should be held responsible for its current condition.  Whether you believe we’re experiencing climate change due to human involvement or simply the earth’s natural weather fluctuations – what we can say for certain is that our planet is in serious need of a clean-up.

You don’t have to look only to the landfills and oceans to find the abundance of trash we’re leaving behind on a constant basis.  A quick glance around the town, city, or village you live in will probably reveal some misplaced trash where it’s not supposed to be.  You’ll likely notice a collection of cigarette butts in the flower bed outside a neighborhood business, trash along the side of the highway you take to work every day, or soda bottles and beer cans washed up on the shore at your local swimming hole.  The point is that trash is easy to find, even in the most “picturesque” parts of our country.  

Here in our home state of Maryland, one of our most important bodies of water is the Chesapeake Bay - a 200 mile long estuary that runs all the way from Havre de Grace, Maryland to Norfolk, Virginia.  From this bustling habitat comes an abundance of oysters, rockfish, and of course, our beloved blue crabs!  Just like every other body of water on this planet, the Chesapeake Bay is extremely vulnerable.  It scored a D+ in the 2018 State of the Bay Report, landing all F’s in the categories of nitrogen and phosphorus content, as well as overall water clarity.  

If you think the critical condition of the Chesapeake Bay is a problem affecting only Maryland and Virginia, you can think again.  Over 18 million people play, live, or work in the roughly 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed.  It stretches all the way from New York, running through 5 other states: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, and our nation’s capital, Washington, DC, before feeding into the ocean.  50 major rivers and streams cascade into the bay every single day, with a vast network of smaller creeks feeding those waterways.  Saving the bay doesn’t simply entail cleaning up the main estuary; it also requires cleanup of the hundreds of waterways that flow into it.  

We here at Till The Days End want to do our part for the planet by helping with as many nature cleanup efforts as possible.  With that in mind, today we are very proud to present “The Great Dying”.  It’s a song lamenting the sad state of our planet and how little attention most people pay it while mindlessly going through their harmful day to day routines.  

All proceeds from the sale and stream of “The Great Dying” will go directly to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  

You can purchase the song on our Bandcamp page here: 
https://tillthedaysend.bandcamp.com/track/the-great-dying

For all other streaming services go here:
https://lnk.to/TTDE_TGD

To learn more about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation or to donate directly, visit:
https://www.cbf.org/

“The Great Dying” is © 2020 by Till The Days End.  Till The Days End would like to thank the following artists for their donations of additional sonic contributions:

Spencer Sotelo
Nathan Heavel
David Manning
Justin Gosnell

The Great Dying

April 15th, 2020 - What was to be Tax Day

“While we were busy trying to save the world, we left ourselves behind.”

Today we linger in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic on what is typically Tax Day in America every year.  The deadline to file your income tax has now been postponed for another 3 months.  However, today we’d like to acknowledge all of the other services that are being taxed to the hilt during this horrific crisis. 

Hospitals, unemployment, grocery stores - all taxed beyond capacity.  Food banks, rescue missions, soup kitchens, and just about every relief program out there - all taxed to the breaking point, too.  All of the essential workers on the frontlines are being taxed as well, from the nurses working overtime in the ICU to the workers making sure your local market is stocked with fresh produce. 

And then there’s the people behind closed doors, those stuck at home in isolation.  For so many people, time spent alone in quarantine feels agonizing.  And that despair is only compounded by staring out of the peephole through the lens of the 24-hour media portrayal of the ‘end times’, complete with an ever-increasing death counter.  Record numbers of us are left with no work and little to no assistance.  Many are faced with the previously unimaginable choice between stay home and starve or find work and risk getting sick.  With so many businesses permanently affected by this crisis, some of you won’t even have a job to return to.  Or perhaps it’s not income that’s stressing you out but the isolation itself, with its inherent separation and self-reflection.  We humans are social beings, not meant to spend this much time alone without physical connection from family and friends.  Whatever your particular source of stress during these troubling times, for so many the result is the same – we’re left feeling hopeless about the outcome.  We bear the burden of a side effect that is often overlooked in the media – being stuck at home, taxed by relentless anxiety and crippling depression.

We here at Till The Days End know that dark things hide behind closed doors.  With that said, we are very proud to present “The Road To Awakening”, a song about the importance of self-care and the power we ALL hold within.  Every time you look in the mirror, you’re locking eyes with a person who has the power to love, the power to change, and the power to heal.  If you are struggling with your mental health, fighting every urge in your body to relapse, this song is for you.  We know that it feels damn near impossible, but we implore you to take some time to focus on self-care through these trying days.  If you’re struggling, please reach out and ask for help.  Remember to step back and take a good look at the bigger picture and the individual place that we each hold within that picture.  Remember that we are all reflections of each other.  The more you are able to love yourself, the better you will become at providing love to others.  Lastly, we ask you to remember that circumstances outside of ourselves don’t define who we are within. 

All proceeds from the sale and stream of “The Road To Awakening” will go directly to the Mental Health Association of Frederick County, an organization dedicated to the aid of those who are struggling with their mental health and who need help the most.  

You can purchase the song on our Bandcamp page here: 
https://tillthedaysend.bandcamp.com/track/the-road-to-awakening

For all other streaming services go here:
https://lnk.to/TRTA

To learn more about the Mental Health Association of Frederick County, or to donate directly:
https://fcmha.org

“The Road To Awakening” is © 2020 by Till The Days End.  Till The Days End would like to thank the following artists for their donations of additional sonic contributions:

Spencer Sotelo
Matt Halpern
Matt McJunkins
Drew Mazurek
David Manning
Justin Gosnell

The Road To Awakening

We are an ever-growing collective of musicians seeking to bring positive change both to our local community and to the world in general.  We believe in our hearts that together we can make a difference.  It all starts with one small act.  It all starts with YOU.