I found AFI 8 months after the loss of my
grandmother.  She raised me and to say that her passing sent me spinning
would be an understatement.  I had never felt a loss like that before and
I didn’t know where or how to process any of those feelings.  As I sat
going through old pictures at her house, the video to Silver and Cold came on
Much Music (aging myself there). The pull was immediate and I sat fixated as I
listened.  It was the first time in months I had felt anything at
all.  When I bought the Sing The Sorrow, the first time I ever heard
Miseria, it felt like I had found something meant for me. A home. Somewhere all
of those feelings could go and not feel out of place.  A long with all of
that eventually came a group of friends that I would be lost without. They are
my family. We have been with each other through marriages, divorces, life
changes, deaths, births…you name it. The concerts serve as our family
reunions.  We sit outside for hours, catch up, and then go inside to where
life makes sense for an hour and a half.  

It’s hard to come up with just one good memory for a band
that has given you so many amazing moments. AFI has been so much more than
a band for me.  You’ve saved my life on more than one occasion. 
You’ve inspired me.  You’ve brought me love in the form of beautiful
people I would’ve never met had we not had you guys doing what you love to do
in such an honest way. Thank you for always being so warm and kind any time we’ve
had the chance to speak. It means the world when you get to spend time with
someone who has brought you so much and to have them truly be as kind as you
hoped they would be.

Congratulations on 30 years and I hope you
truly understand what you mean to so many of us and how grateful we are for
what you create and the ‘home’ you’ve given us all.