Believer
Tonight I went to go see my dear friend Chris Alas perform at a small bar in Costa Mesa CA. I’ve known Chris since he was in High School and he has worked for my band for the last 6 years. Chris plays in a one man band called Lobo Solo. Live he plays guitar and screams into a microphone. He plays along with music that he recorded himself that is being pumped through the venues speakers. If you have a mental picture by now you are seeing an out of the ordinary pretty unique set up. The bar was small and the music was loud and to be honest most people didn’t really understand or want to understand the performance. So I am watching my friend play his ass off and play this fucked up brutal music while these people that probably have never tried to create anything them selves talk shit and mock him. Now the majority of the people that were there were into the music but its life and you can’t help but focus on the bad sometimes.
So you ask why does he do this if people might not accept what he is doing? Because he is a believer. He believes that music is his sanctuary. His escape from the trails of life and no matter what the music sounds like to others, it sounds beautiful to him. This very reason is why I started playing music. It was my safe place away from insecurity and anxiety. It was either play my fucked up loud music that most people will not understand or death. My approach to fitness and the reason why I opened a gym and started a fitness company shares the same principals. When I felt that I have given everything that I have in a full time capacity to music I got into fitness. It was my other love.
Fitness is my love. It is my safe place. My escape from anxiety issues. The way that I can give back is to try to inspire people to use fitness as a sanctuary away from the trails of their lives. I feel the same way towards fitness as I do with music in relation to my life. It is either fitness or death and just like my music I don’t care if people understand that or not. I am a believer.
Brandan Schieppati
Rise Above Fitness OC's Blog 
May 5, 2013 at 10:24 am
I’m with you 100% man. Lifting is my sanctuary from all of the bullshit. Most people don’t understand that, but that’s their problem. Everybody is quick to cast judgment, but don’t have the balls to step up to the barbell (or the stage) and bare their very soul to a bunch of strangers. Mad props to anybody who does. Do your thing, and fuck anybody who has anything negative to say.
May 5, 2013 at 9:36 pm
Very cool. I feel the same same way about fitness. I have had trouble over the years making fitness a priority. I’m now in a space where I’m making it a part of my daily life (it has to be). Thank you for the inspiration Brandan.
I just want to say that all my life I’ve cared too much about the opinion of others and I’ve always been one to give up and make excuses to rid my life of things I’ve enjoyed (ie drumming or fitness) I have the utmost respect for those people that dont give into the pressures of loved ones or society telling them that their passions “are too loud” or “will never make them enough money to have a decent living”. Kudos to those that go for it..
I dont know Chris Alas but he sold me a Bleeding Through t-shirt on the tour with H.I.M in 07 and was a very rad guy. When he roadied and sang shirtless during the 2011 “The Past is a Strange Place” show which was filmed for the Great Fire DVD release, I thought that was bad ass. Good for him, I hope he enjoys sharing this music with people regardless of what they think as long as it does something for him..
May 16, 2013 at 4:01 am
Brandan- This is what I love and respect about you brother. You are true to what you believe in whether it is popular or not. Others can lead, follow, or get out of the way. Kudos.