Most people fail to make The Leap in life because they make the same mistakes over and over again and fail to correct them. Justin Furstenfeld made The Leap precisely because he made the same mistakes over and over again and failed to correct them. The jarringly frank “Hate Me,” is one of many reasons that his chameleonic modern rock outfit Blue October is evolving from an intensely beloved cult band to fledgling mainstream radio conquerors. While first three full-lengths The Answers (1998), Consent to Treatment (2000), and History for Sale (2003) resonated deeply with rock fans craving sincerity, eclecticism, and unpredictability, 2006’s Foiled has shattered the glass ceiling, soaring towards platinum sales in just eight months on the strength of “Hate Me” and the luxuriant “Into the Ocean.” The Texan quintet—rounded out by violinist Ryan Delahoussaye, guitarist C.B. Hudson, bassist Matt Noveskey, and drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld—has been practicing their exhaustingly intense games of emotional give and take since forming in 1996. Frontman and principal songwriter Justin (the younger Furstenfeld by 14 months) naturally assumed the lightning rod position, literally crafting diary entries into shockingly forthcoming tunes about all things abuse and addiction (“Hate Me” being the watershed). Blue October’s rabid admirers responded in kind, roaring confessionals right back at them, a phenomenon gorgeously captured on the band’s 2004 double-live CD/DVD Argue With a Tree, which synchronizes the vocalist’s telling lyrical anecdotes with similarly heartfelt fan testimonials. So what exactly is going on during those infamously cathartic live outpourings? “Frustration and getting it out,” Furstenfeld chuckles. “Or complete mad love. I try to live every song as I can. The ones that I wrote years ago, I can’t take it back to that spot, but I try to sing it for the fans who are actually going through those situations.”