The Kids Are Growing Up

A thought crossed my mind this week that I’ll throw out to see if it sticks. For many of you, this may fall in the “I could care less” category, but since I spend a majority of my time with teenagers, I’m interested.
It seems to me there’s a major generational shift going on in the [...]

NKOTB

They’re coming…and I’m as excited about their music as I was the first time around.
(That is, not very.)

Taking a Break from Boxes Linkage

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted some linkage, so in light of it being Friday, here you go:

We’re still in need of about $1,000 for our home closing (in four days), so if you’ve yet to take advantage of our $10 Gets You 15 Songs deal, now is the time.
In case you’re wondering, [...]

Over Halfway There: Update

As Megan and I are six days away from closing on our house, several of you have asked about the latest on the Remember Not to Forget project. An update would seem in order. Currently:

The download page for the songs has had 116 visits.
We have $1167.49 in hand.
We are aware of at least another $350-400 [...]

In the Air Tonight

Brian Rutland, my first drummer (no, he didn’t die the death of a Spinal Tap drummer) is now a pastor in Littleton, CO, and sent me this clip. We used to “cover” Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight” using lyrics I rewrote from more of an eschatological perspective (”I can feel [...]

Review: Hideaway by The Weepies

It would be easy enough to relegate The Weepies to little more than a soundtrack band innocuously featured (as they have been) on TV shows like Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill. After all, Deb Talan’s voice is just pretty enough to be ignored and Steve Tannen’s melodies seem simple and familiar, all of which [...]

We Aren’t the World

In case you were wondering, the 50th annual Grammy Awards are tonight on CBS. I’m not planning to watch, so let me know what you think if you do. Maybe I’m just getting old, but the idea of watching four hours of a drawn-out awards show for music that does nothing for me seems somewhat [...]

Michigan, Smichigan

Yes, I know the Republicans just had their third winner in three primaries and I should probably have thoughts, but I’m a little politicked out. These links seem more interesting:

Here’s 100 Things We Didn’t Know Last Year according to the BBC
I had no clue as to the campaign to Free Vermont as reported in Good [...]

The King Turns 73

Me: “Happy birthday, Elvis.”
Elvis: “Thank you, thank you, thank you very much.”

At The Pageant Tonight

Megan and the girls are heading out of town to visit my sister and her family in Tremont, IL, and I’ve got four free tickets to the The Pageant tonight for the Ticketmaster New Music Spotlight show with local/regional bands The Feed, Red Water Revival, John Henry & the Engine, and Caleb Travers & Big [...]

Music Project

For the past week in my three Biblical Ethics sections, we’ve taken a short break from studying morality and the ancient philosophers of the world and consulted the more contemporary ones my students know – the songs and various musicians on their iPods.
The assignment was pretty simple: each student was to bring in a song, [...]

The Mancrush Continues

Apparently, U2’s new album is already written. Not sure on the release date, but it will be good to hear from the boys again. I just wish Bono would return my calls.
The mancrush continues…

Rockin’ the Casbah

I played piano and sang during the offertory in church yesterday – the first time in our two years at Memorial, and the first in a very long time of singing my own song anywhere. The grand piano felt and sounded great, and my performance was as good as I could have hoped for considering [...]

Now Taking Recommendations

I’ve got a $10 iTunes gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket and am now taking recommendations for one album (no partials) of ten songs worthy of such redemption.
Post your recommended album title, artist, and demo link (as well as a sentence or two why this album and not another) here between now and [...]

Musical Comfort Food

On the heels of a paper on predestination and a long week of way too much theological reading (yes, there is such a thing), I put on an old CD late this afternoon and remembered how much I miss the melody and meaning of one Rich Mullins. Mullins wrote musical comfort food, and it’s hard [...]

Lawnmower Shuffle (classic mix)

Part of our “deal” in living in our house is the privilege of mowing the yard, which I did Sunday afternoon. I have many fond memories of lawnmowing from my youth, when mowing the yard on the farm was the equivalent of four solid hours of riding my Dad’s John Deere riding mower, never without [...]

1984 Never Sounded So Good

I could care less about the game (and the commercials have been lame so far), but Prince’s Super Bowl halftime performance was un-stinking-believable. Was “Purple Rain” as a closer not totally redeeming of the bad weather in Miami? I don’t mean to ooze, but oh my…

Matthews Chapel Concert: Yeah, Baby

Took Megan and the little ladies to the show – good time had by all. Thanks to Caleb and Jude for a nice evening. (To see more of Megan’s cool concert pics from the night, click above.)

Live at The Matthews Chapel

Here are two posters I created for my friend, Caleb Travers, who along with Jude, is playing Memorial’s Matthews Chapel this coming Saturday evening, August 19th. Caleb and Jude write and sing songs about life, love, and other various and sundry “l” words guaranteed to be important to most all of us.
Influences include Lucinda [...]

Ouch

Pardon the obvious narcissism, but this one hurts a bit.
Evidently, a copy of my 1995 album is for sale on eBay.
Only $9.99. Here’s another for $29.98, which is more like it.
If enough – say 10 or so – comment sympathetically for the sake of my bruised ego at this commodification, I’ll post some tracks you [...]