Wednesday, August 31, 2011

oatmeal

So I'm a Christian. Not one of those judge-everyone-homophobic-closed-mined ones. More of a love-your-neighbor-as-yourself-amazing-grace ones.

And I love love love some particular Christian music. I've been listening to my I Will Worship You Until the Very End playlist today. That's a Darlene Zschech song.

So I thought I'd do a post about some of my favorite Christian musicians and songs.

First one that came on this morning brings me waaaay back... to church camp days. Joel led worship at the came I went to for a few years, and the music was my favorite part of camp. Did I mention he won a grammy?
Traveling Light - Joel Hansen and Sara Groves
*I found my freedom now and I'm traveling light*

Next, and I can't just pick one song for them, but I guess I will.. Jars of Clay.
In particular, this song: Fly (it's live, and old, so enjoy the clothing selection, and there's a little story at the beginning, but it's actually good, so listen to that too.)
*Hold still, let your hand melt into mine*

Speaking of clothes, I wonder how hard we will laugh at the clothes we're wearing today, 20 years from now. My kids will be like, "Mom, why did men wear girl's pants?" "I don't know honey, I really don't know."

Okay so I'm going to go the economical route and just list some more. Most of these go waaaay back for me.

Aaron Shust
Caedmon's Call
Chris Tomlin
David Crowder Band
Jesus Culture
Newsboys (they've changed some members since the days when I started to like them)
Relient K
Skillet (they've become more.. metal.. than when I first liked them)
Switchfoot
Tenth Avenue North

So that's a start. And now don't be surprised when I write posts about particular Christian songs. And if you've ever been hurt by a Christian, trust me, we all have. But we aren't all like that. Love God, love others. That simple.

Current Song: Chris Tomlin - Amazing Grace

Friday, August 12, 2011

chocolate

Go do this.. support Barcelona's new album.

Trust me, you'll be glad you did. I cannot wait for it!

Monday, August 8, 2011

you're already home where you feel love

Well I should be writing a final paper for grad school that's due on Thursday, but I'm hitting a roadblock so I'll write on here instead.

Friday night.
4onthefloor and Readygoes.
The Fine Line
I love love love the Fine Line. Okay, sometimes I don't, especially when a show is sold out, then I hate the Fine Line. But for a dancey show, I love it. And Friday was ALL dance. (PS I have a new-found appreciation for CAPS so.. just get ready for that.) Anyway, danced my butt right off and it was A-mazing. It also helps to have a group of friends who LOVE to dance, so that made it really fun. Loving the new Readygoes songs as well. Highly anticipating their next release.

Saturday night.
4onthefloor, Trampled By Turtles, Willie Nelson
Bayfront Park, Duluth.
Willie Nelson. Outside. Hello. It was amazing. I can't believe I'll get to tell my kids I saw Willie Nelson! I joked for a few weeks now about hoping to get on his tour bus to smoke with him (since I never have so this would be the one time I would) but that unfortunately did not happen (surprised?). It was a fun joke though. It was unreal to be swaying back and forth outside, singing along to On the Road Again and You Were Always On My Mind. I called my parents and they sang along over the phone. My mom likes to live vicariously through my music experiences, I love it.

But people LOVED 4onthefloor, which was really neat. So fantastic to see friends being successful and hearing people say "I hadn't heard of them til tonight and I LOVED their music!" Trampled By Turtles was great as well. Can't go wrong there. Had a grand old time dancing around in my red galoshes. Just such an amazing night. Saw Erik Koskinen afterward which was a great end to the night. (Note to self: Red galoshes went over REALLY well...)

Sunday night.
Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles, The Head and the Heart
Varsity Theatre
Okay, so the Varsity is my favorite venue. Has been a bit stuffy (warm) lately but it also has been 100* outside so let's be real.
But this show. Wow. I had never seen Lucy Michelle before and I LOVED it. Her cutesy voice and contagious energy was fantastic. I bought her latest album last night. I don't do that often. That should indicate to you how much I enjoyed it. The album is good, though her live performance far outshines it.
The Head and the Heart. I had heard them first on The Current (thank God for local radio, I am a proud Sustaining Member). I heard their acoustic guitar and piano on the song Lost In My Mind and fell in love instantly. Head over heels. But this show.. Holy crap. Where to start. The show was unreal. The crowd was AMAZING. I feel like I've been at a lot of shows lately where the crowd is too busy talking to get into the show (I still get in to the show, screw the crowd, I'm not there for them anyway, it's just me and the music), and there was a bit of that too-much-talking business during LM, but it went away for The Head and the Heart.
The energy that was exchanged between the band and the crowd was something else. They were truly a show. You could just tell that they love what they do so much. Also, this was the last show on a 7-month tour so I think there was a bit of them going-out-with-a-bang. To our benefit, entirely. They sounded exquisite. Full of passion and just.. real. (That video above.. the fun they're having at the end, is like the fun they were having on stage last night.) Their album is great, but this show.. I won't forget it. One of my favorite shows I've ever seen at Varsity. And I've seen LOTS of show there.

Overall, it was an unforgettable, memory-filled weekend with friends and music. Best weekend this summer. And there have been some rivals.

I'm so blessed to call this state and these cities HOME.

Current Song: Bon Iver - For Emma

Sunday, August 7, 2011

butterflies

Just saw an incredible show. Well, a FEW incredible shows this weekend. I don't even know where to start and am not entirely sure that I have the energy to write about them.. so yeah, I think I'll hold off. Tomorrow! It's on.

Monday, August 1, 2011

eyes

I can't stop listening to the new Bon Iver album. I know I've written about it approximately 23 times, but it's just that good. Oh, and let's not forget For Emma, Forever Ago, another magnificent Bon Iver album. I can't tell you how excited I am to hear them live in September.

In other news, weekends have been ridiculously filled with fantastic local live music.

Go check out these folks:

The Alarmists
Pictures of Then
Roster McCabe
4onthefloor
Peter Wolf Crier
Dan Rodriguez
Adam Svec

Current Song: Bon Iver - Flume