As birds take wing, they sing through life; so why can't we?

*Photo credit to Bell X1; found on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/bellx1
Isn't that awesome? Bell X1 is launching an acoustic tour! And right after I mentioned them in my last post, too. :) But if you want to see them in Nashville, The Basement is strictly a twenty-one and up venue. Which is ironic, because lately I've been shocked over how old I am (I'll be twenty in January), but now I'm sad because apparently I'm too young to see one of my favorite bands. Oh, well. I think I'd rather be too young for something than too old for it.

Anyway, it's raining hard down here in Tennessee. As we've been experiencing a drought, this is good news. I haven't seen rain in months. It was getting to the point where I no longer remembered what it looked like.

If you'd like to hear a nice rain song, check out R.E.M.'s aptly named "I'll Take The Rain" from their album Reveal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlIj6BxUS6E

So enjoy your day, whether you're old or young and whether it's raining for you or not. And have another picture from my photography.

~

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." - Luke 6:37 (the mercy of God is astounding; I think this statement from Jesus demonstrates this concept)

I always know where you're coming from.

It's late at night here, but I just remembered that Bell X1 will be releasing a live acoustic album soon and wanted to share this with all the music fans out there:

http://www.bellx1.com/shop/FieldRecordings.htm

For those who don't know, Bell X1 is an Ireland-based band that is, frankly, a lyrical beast. Go listen to "Beautiful Madness" if you don't believe me. Or "Eve, the Apple of My Eye." They are just that good, my friends. :)

And for those who aren't huge fans of awesome music, there's always the new film The Amazing Spider-Man. Why, yes, I do occasionally go to the movies. And let's just say that this one lives up to the adjective in its title. Majorly. So go see it. If you disliked Tobey Macguire as Spider-Man, go see it (Andrew Garfield is nothing like him). If you have a fondness for C. Thomas Howell (who played Ponyboy in the film The Outsiders), go see it (he's not a huge character, but he has a few lines and is definitely cool as usual). And finally, if for some strange reason you like the Sheen family, go see it. No, Charlie thankfully does not make an appearance; Martin Sheen plays Uncle Ben winningly. :)

Now you've been recommended some Bell X1 and even a movie. Hooray! Also, here's a picture for reading my opinions:

This here was taken by me. It's Jason Castro, y'all, from when I saw him in concert last month.


Finally, I will leave you with some things I've learned lately:

1. Stand up for yourself and others. Sometimes speaking up is the right thing to do. It may be hard to tell someone you're angry with him or her, but if it's a serious matter, you should definitely confront them. Why go around pretending all of the time? We're not puppets on a string. And I don't ever want humanity to lose the freedom to choose what is right from what is wrong. God gave us that freedom, and humans have no right to take that away.

2. Life is hard, unfair, and good all at the same time. Appreciate it. Even in the midst of struggle and disappointments, there are still always going to be things to look forward to. And for that matter, there are things that are good right now. The present is a wonderful time.

3. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are the best fictional couple ever, and credit is due J.K. Rowling for making them up.

Okay, so the last thing listed wasn't all that intelligent, but I wanted to lighten the mood a bit. :) And what better way to lighten the mood than to make a Harry Potter reference? I love that series.
All right. I know when it's time for me to get some sleep. So enjoy the life you have, and don't look back so much at things that don't matter. Here and now is all we have on this earth. Don't waste your time, and look to God for the answers. Always.

~

 ^"Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other." - Deuteronomy 4:39

Anything but mine.

As I alluded to in my last post, I attended a concert with over 68,000 fans last weekend. I shouldn't have been surprised at the amount of people. I mean, a country music concert in Nashville that featured both Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw (and opening acts Jake Owen and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals) was bound to have a good number of middle-aged women screaming over everyone...or really, not over everyone. Not over Jake or Kenny and certainly not over Grace. Just Tim. Wow.

The Brothers of the Sun tour was definitely a big hit in Nashville. Even though it was blazing hot and the smog was thick, fans still cheered long into the night all through McGraw's and Chesney's full setlists. Jake Owen opened the concert with about ten songs by my estimate. He played his main hit, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," to wide acclaim (at least, it seemed to go over well with those grouped en masse around the stage. I was seated high above in the club seats of LP Field, where all those middle-aged women were located. And let me tell you, there were no designated drivers as far as the eye could see.) After Owen's last song, Grace Potter hit the stage with a surprisingly rock-driven sound. I hadn't heard much of her and the Nocturnals before the concert, but I had expected the band to have a bit more of a country vibe since they were obviously on tour with big names Chesney and McGraw. From what I could tell, they played excellently with a raw energy that the "I-clearly-belong-on-stage-with-my-long-hair-and-crude-references" Jake Owen did not quite possess (no offense, Jake. After all, I did sit through your entire set. You can't ask more for more than that). :)

After Grace Potter and the Nocturnals came the renowned Tim McGraw, who started his set with the catchy "Felt Good on My Lips." I'm no huge fan of McGraw or the majority of country music (George Strait excluded - that man is a legend), but this was a great opener. After plenty of years on stage, McGraw was unsurprisingly at ease before the crowd, shaking hands right and left. He exuded an aura of calm clarity, which was more than could be said for his rabid fans that nearly died when he started to sing a certain song. I could hear the feminine screams behind me: "Faith! Faith Hill! Faith! Faith! She's coming! Tim! Faith!" I could hardly believe it when Faith Hill strode onto stage to join her husband in singing one of their duets. After all, absolutely no one had announced that she would be there... :)

Finally, Chesney took his place on stage after a good twenty minutes of preparation in between his set and McGraw's. Chesney opened with "Beer in Mexico." Oh, and he also flew over the crowd and onto the stage in a bucket on a zip line. No big deal. After the composed McGraw, Chesney's exciting entry and clear love of his songs frankly exploded upon the night. The sun was down and the stage was well lit for Chesney to run around, singing happily and grinning all the while. He was able to tone it down a bit for a few acoustic versions of popular vibes and for his lazy hit with Grace Potter "You and Tequila." Chesney's best song of the night was probably "I Go Back," which was preceded by fond recollections of what music means to Chesney. However, the slow and sad "Anything But Mine" was also brilliantly executed.

The finale included performances by all of the singers; the last song of the show was a drawn-out version of "Running on Empty" originally by classic rock artist Jackson Browne. I was disappointed that no one around me appeared to know the song or even who Browne was (had they never seen Fast Times at Ridgemont High? "Somebody's Baby" was of course featured in the film. Did the name Spicoli mean something to me, a college student, but not to people ages forty and up?). But of course it was a good finale because it reminded me of country's ties to classic rock, which is one of the reasons I enjoy select country artists in the first place (thanks for referencing John Mellencamp, Chesney. Because he is one awesome man. "It's only...minutes to memories. Life sweeps away the dreams that we had planned. You are young and you are the future; so suck it up and tough it out and be the best you can." - "Minutes to Memories" by John Mellencamp).

Well, I hope you enjoyed my making fun of concert-goers and recounting the fun of my first real country concert. Until next post...

~

"And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you." - Philippians 2:16b-17

Keep looking for the reason why.

So, I had the good fortune to be able to purchase a physical copy of Switchfoot's remixed album, "Vice Re-Verses." I'm usually not a fan of any sort of remixes, but considering this was Switchfoot, my favorite band of nearly eight years, I figured I would buy it. The album includes new takes on Vice Verses songs such as "The Original," "Blinding Light," and "Vice Verses." Artists involved in the remixing were none other than Darren King of MuteMath (who also released a remixed version of "Yet" from the album "Hello Hurricane" that was temporarily available online), Adam Young of Owl City, and JT Daley of Paper Route, among others. More information can be found about "Vice Re-Verses" here:

 http://www.switchfoot.com/switchfoot/blog-article/news/568/

That being said, I've listened all the way through the album once so far. At the moment I don't like it. However, I am so biased where Switchfoot's concerned that you can ignore my opinion on this if you want. Original Switchfoot simply trumps fake, overly technological renderings of what used to be awesome songs. But of course there is a part of me that has to own anything remotely Switchfoot, so I'm happy with my purchase if for no other reason than it's Switchfoot and it's a physical copy. The digitization of music has annoyed me. I like a nice, old fashioned CD. You can touch it. It's aesthetic.

Anyway. Yay for Switchfoot! :) If you want more of them, you can visit their official website linked above or check out the informative fan site, Land of Broken Hearts (named after a lyric in "Golden" from Switchfoot's arguably best album, "Nothing is Sound"), linked here:

http://landofbrokenhearts.org/

Also, I just realized I neglected to mention that I attended two concerts in the past two weekends. The first was a free show by Jason Castro. If you're unfamiliar with the name, he was a contestant on American Idol a few years back and is known for his astounding covers of "Hallelujah" (of Rufus Wainwright fame) and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." He's also great with his own songs, too, as "Let's Just Fall in Love Again" and "Changing Colors" suggest. He was friendly and positive both on and off stage, perfectly willing to meet fans even before the concert (that would be me and my friends...haha) and sign autographs with a smiley face. Jason Castro's smooth voice is just as beautiful live as it is on his recorded tracks. And the fact that he was willing to do a free show for Father's Day? Simply wonderful.

As this post has grown sufficiently wordy and long, I'm going to leave the description of my second concert for the next post. But here's a preview of it: it was packed. And I'm talking about over 68,000 fans. Excited?

~

"I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'" - Lamentations 3:19-24

Just say there's nothing holding you back.

I thought my blog could use a nice picture since I've yet to have posted one. :) So here goes.

Please do not steal this image. This lake was photographed by yours truly in Tennessee. Didn't realize Tennessee could look so pretty, did you? :) Anyhow, enjoy the picture before I start spouting off about new albums and posting countless Bible verses again. :)

Survival.

It's been a good long while since I've had time to post. And I'm pretty sure that no one reads this blog, anyway. Regardless, I have music world news to report for anyone who happens upon my Internet thoughts.

Muse released a new single for the 2012 London Olympic games. It's called "Survival" and seems largely epic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66molzUEkWI

A lot of people seem critical of the "new Muse" and cling desperately to the days of "Absolution" and "Black Holes and Revelations." I don't see what's the matter with the newer Muse music. It's Muse, isn't it? From my experience, Muse = good music. And I don't see that changing anytime soon. I feel the same way about the "new Dashboard Confessional"...but that's another story entirely. :)

Also, The Killers are bringing out a brand new album in the fall entitled "Battle Born." It's been a few years since the release of their last album, "Day & Age;" in the meantime lead singer Brandon Flowers worked on some solo songs. I first personally noticed The Killers when I heard their popular song "Human." I later heard "Mr. Brightside" and obtained "Day & Age," "Hot Fuss," and "Sam's Town" in that order. I think The Killers are definitely one of the more creative bands out there. Not only are they capable of capturing a unique American sound, but they are also able to create pop hits (i.e. "Somebody Told Me," "When You Were Young," etc.) that the masses can enjoy without feeling guilty for liking them. I would strongly encourage anyone to pick up a copy of "Hot Fuss" (their first album) if he or she is curious about this amazing band.

Finally, thanks for reading. I think I'm going to try to limit my posts to album reviews/music finds (as I think I'm better at writing about this than providing abstract thoughts), but if God shows me something I can share online then I most certainly will. :)

~

^"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." - 1 Corinthians 9:25-27

The Dark Horses

It's 12:03 at night and Switchfoot is on Jimmy Kimmel. I do not like Jimmy Kimmel. I do, however, love Switchfoot. Their new album comes out September 27th and I have already pre-ordered it. I've also seen them live in concert last year. It was by far the best concert I have ever been to. :)

Anyway. The past few days have made me think about how many different cultures and people groups there are in the world. Everyone has had his or her own unique experiences. Yet despite these boundaries, eveyone has the same need for God. And love, friendship, and purpose. I suppose that's how humans who may at first seem so different are able to bond here on this planet. It's a comfort to know that we are not alone in our lives that sometimes seem so isolated.

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving." - Psalms 62:11-12a