First of all, that's bullshit …

Well, it's over. Sort of. We've still got that last CD to finish, but more to come on that.

Argus, the live band, ended it's almost five year run Tuesday night. It's hard to believe too. The only thing I could compare it to was the end of college … I remember driving from Athens to Winston when I left after grad school. For about the first 30 minutes of the drive, everything just hit me. Flashbacks … faces of people I'd met, people I'd loved, people I could do without … all of the faces, experiences and trials came running together in a reflective drive up Georgia Highway 441.

It happened again last night.

The show itself went well. I was mostly satisfied with our performance. I just hate when I'm singing, and I don't hit notes. I know when I sound like crap, and that happened a couple of times last night. But all in all, it was decent. We played two brand new songs that went very well, and Michael Newport started his solo career by debuting his first ever song.

Everyone that came out last night was so supportive. I didn't know every face in the crowd, but having so many good friends there was important to me. To be able to share a passion of mine, for five years, with good friends … isn't that what like is about, finding things you are passionate about and sharing them? I think so. And I was able to do that last night.

So when I'm passionate about things, I can get emotional. So I thought for sure tears would be shed by yours truly. But it didn't happen. Came close though. I have Jen Newton to thank for that. After heckling me relentlessly about our song "Romeo" and giving us hell until we played our rap medley, Jen started the standing ovation as we closed out the night with "Out of tears." Ironically enough, I was almost brought to tears. It moved me. Right there, seeing every one standing up, applauding, smiling, I had another one of those flashbacks. I started seeing places we'd played, crowds we'd seen, people we'd met, friends who couldn't be with us last night. I just felt this huge rush of …I don't even know what it was, but I was overwhelmed. It meant a lot to have my friends and some strangers applauding us for something we loved. To all of you that were there, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate the unwavering support you've shown me and the rest of the band. I hoped you enjoyed the show.

To those of you who couldn't be there, you were greatly missed. Last night, I thought of everyone that has supported us over the last five years. Seriously. I saw visions of friends singing along to our songs at Boar's Head in Athens. I saw visions of us playing to 160 people at the 40 Watt in Athens. I saw people bobbing their heads to our music at the Cave in Chapel Hill. Every one of you is important to me. You are my friends, and you were fans of our music. I thank you for that.

I suppose there should be a rule for The Lowe Down. Such as, only allowing myself x amount of sentimental posts per year. This one may have filled the limit.

First of all, that's bullshit …

It's been two weeks since I last wrote. Man, time is flying by this month. I've been busy with work, job hunting and hanging with friends. And as much as I am enjoying all of those, in five days I will be ending something that has brought me so much joy. Argus, my band of five years, is playing its final show Tuesday April 23 at 7 pm at Shorty's, the on-campus bar at Wake Forest.

I suppose it is similar to ending a relationship. I suppose if I'm smart, I'll write a song about. Lord knows I've written enough songs about romantic relationships. Honestly though, this is going to be a challenge for me. In the past, my band mates and I have always had difficulty letting Argus die. Argus was never about making it big … maybe there was an idea of that somewhere down the line … but it was mainly about creating. Creating music that was ours, honest and true. It's nothing I ever really wanted to let go. For once, I had found an outlet. For once, I felt like I had found something I could do, and do successfully. For once, I had found something that showed my creative side. Not to mention, it was with my best friends.

It sounds silly to say, and probably more silly to read, but Argus helped me realize what friendship is truly about. Erich, Greg and Newp are my best friends. They are my band mates. They are the ones who sat up late at night with me working on new songs. They are the ones who told me what sucked and what was decent. We all were able to go into a room, work on a song and voice our opinions. Friendship, and any other relationship, starts with communication. We've been able to cultivate our already great relationships, and teach each other how to respect and deal with other peoples' opinions. It isn't always easy, but it works.

Anyway, the matter at hand is the end of what has been known as Argus. It really is sad for me. And without sounding like a "wuss," I know I'm going to be somewhat emotional next Tuesday. I don't think I'll cry. I might get choked up. I do know that five years of friendship and music and relationships and trials will come running together, all on that small stage at Shorty's. I've been trying to prepare myself for it for a couple of weeks now. If this sounds melodramatic, think about one thing you've done constantly for five years, and seeing it end. Think about your college graduation, and how it felt after you drove out of your college town on the way to that next city. I know we aren't The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith or The Beatles. But we were something that was important to me. Argus was a part of my life for five years, and the end is here.

Will this be the last you hear of Argus? No. We are finishing up our final CD. It is going to be what we want it to be. It is going to be the sounds we've been dreaming of since we started our own music in 1997. I've been listening to some of the tracks, and I can't tell you how excited I am to share that music with you. If you want to make sure you receive information on the final Argus album, email the band.

Will this be the last you hear of Jay Lowe as a musician? I certainly hope not. I own a guitar, which I really can't play. Lessons are next on my list. Wherever I move next, some lucky guitar teacher will have to deal with my horrible playing skills. Hopefully, I'll be able to mold that so writing my own songs and music is a possibility one day. I'm not going to stop writing, I know that much.

So if you are in Winston next Tuesday, I certainly hope you make the show. For everyone that has supported us over the last five years, I cannot thank you enough. Whether you came to actually listen to the music, whether you came because you felt obligated, whether you came because you thought the lead singer was hot (wink) … it doesn't matter me. What matters is that you showed up, and listened to something we created.

Thank you.

First of all, that's bullshit …

WHAT a weekend. I tell you, life is never boring in the Wake Forest athletic operations department. We hosted three baseball games against top-10 Florida State and two tennis matches. Saturday's baseball game was regionally televised, and from what I hear you could see my boss waving to the TV cameras at some point. Funny stuff.

So after all my bitching last week, I've decided I have absolutely no common sense when it comes to relationships. That is why I have determined that from here on out, all of my possible dating prospects will have to go through an intense screening process by Erich and Jennifer. Not that they are the end all, be all of relationship law, but they've got a much better handle than I do.

Townies kill me. If you've read yesterday's Red Zone, you will see that Red, Holmesy and I were greeted by one of Winston's more "popular" townies at Burke Street Sunday night. Yes, we were out on a Sunday. It was a long weekend. Trust me. On top of totally trying to dis Dean, this guy sits there and tells us how he got out of a speeding ticket driving home from the district attorney's house. Apparently he knew the cop, and honestly … honestly … this guy was speeding to get water off of his car from a sprinkler he had passed.

WHAT?!?!?!

Are you for real? This guy is sitting here, babbling to us about some silly story just so we know how important and popular he is. NEWS FLASH, I could care less who you are. Nor do I really care you worked Wake basketball camp. Townies scare me. These are the same people who start all of these brawls in Burke street, at LEAST one a week. Hey buddy, unless you are some hot chick who is looking for interesting conversation, don't bother me. Don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people, but when I'm chillin' with my buds at the bar, realize that.

Am I a townie just because I grew up in Winston? No. As Mike has said, at least I had the right mind to get out for several years. Not to mention, I'm trying to get out of here now.

My Jays just closed the deal on an opening day win against Boston. I'm hoping for a good season, but with a ball club that has let a lot of talent go in the past year, I fear a good season might be just wishful thinking. Man, I remember the glory years like they were yesterday … the Jays winning the AL East title after title. It really is quite a feeling to have "your" team do so well. I've invested a lot of time and emotion (including money, if you count all my Jays memorabilia) into my Jays, just hoping for another World Series run one day. I suppose it will take some time, but at least baseball season is in full swing.