verve pipe concert

this past saturday night i once again had the opportunity to see 'the verve pipe'. they are one of my favorite bands and have been able to see them quite a bit (they are originally from grand rapids). they broke up about five years ago, but i guess they are now making a tradition of a christmas weekend concert at the Intersection.
the concert was a blast. another local band that kind of made it big opened up for them, papa vegas. i had been preparing myself by listening to papa vegas a bit lately, so as to reacquaint myself with their stuff (i dont ever have to reacquaint myself with verve pipes stuff, because i know them all by heart...) and really enjoyed their performance. before they started playing i got a chance to chat with brian vander ark (verve pipes lead singer) for a bit. he actually remembered me from the last show i saw him at (where i was one of 11 audience members. great story, ill share it another time). also, i talked with a guy named brandon- he was one of the people who was on rockstar:inxs last year! kind of strange to see him there. actually, its stranger that i was able to recognize him...
around 11:15 verve pipe came on and it was awesome! they played so many hits. just about everything from their villians album, and two or three from each other album too! they even through in a song they recorded for the soundtrack for 'great expectations' called 'her ornament'. they played a couple of songs from brians solo stuff, but the focus was certainly on the old stuff. one of the biggest highlights was the appearance of griff. if you have ever seen this man in action with a harmonica, then you know who much fun he brings to the stage. at one point there were actually 9 musicians on stage singing/playing/being crazy just loving the fact that they were back together again! it was very obvious that they were enjoying themselves just as much as the audience was. they ended up playing a two hour show- the longest ive ever seen them on stage.
definitely a great time, and i look forward to seeing them again next year.

a strange playlist

im finding some interesting changes in my listening choices since i got an mp3 player. im still in the process of converting all my cds onto it (mostly because i keep forgetting to bring my cds with me when i go online) but ive got a good collection of about a thousand songs on it so far.
the big change ive been noticing is that ive been listening to a lot larger variety of music. yesterday i was cleaning around the house listening to my player. i started off with a little joy electric, then i moved on to our lady peace, then i sang along to jonny cash, which brought me to nirvana, and that oddly lead me to the prince of egypt soundtrack, which of course flows directly into the beauty and the beast soundtrack, and the listening session finally ended with a bit of radiohead. does it get much weirder than that?
i totally love the freedom to switch between my whole collection, but its also really wierd...

bleach: farewell, old friends

back in college a good friend of mine, joel, was totally obsessed with the band bleach. he would always talk about them and try to get everyone else to listen to them and try to see in them what he saw (ive never done that with bands i like...) i tried, but i just never got into them.
a few months ago i was in bakker bookhouse (a christian bookstore in gr) and saw their latest cd, 'farewell, old friends' in the cheap bin, so on a whim i picked it up. i gave it a good listen and really enjoyed it. come to find out, it was their last cd because they broke up. great timing, as always. i guess i owe joel an apology...
since i am back in town i headed back over to bakker bookhouse, and much to my surprise, there was another cd by them in that same bargin bin! its called 'audio/visual' and its actually a best-of type of album. its got 18 songs, and it comes with a full concert dvd with it! i guess i can check out the old stuff that joel obsessed over all those years ago.

the new stuff

over the past month ive gone on a new music buying spree. i didnt intend to, its just the way it worked out! i went a few months without buying any new music, but ive just gotten caught in an avalanche! i havent had time to properly digest any of the yet, because i keep switching between them... as i spend more time with them i'll comment about them here, but until then, this is the current rotation:

jars of clay- good monsters
bleach- fairwell, old friends
andrew osenga- the morning
brian vander ark- angel put your face on
skillet- comatose
starflyer 59- my island
phil joel- deliberate people

a new world awaits!

this past summer my parents bought me an mp3 player for my birthday. it was a really cool gift and i was very excited about it. the problem was that at the time i didnt have a computer and so there was really no way for me to use it! so, with there blessing, i brought it back and just set the money aside for a later time.
well, this weekend the time came. yesterday i went out and joined the digital age and bought a computer. i still had that extra cash sitting around, so i decided to buy an mp3 player too! i didnt exactly know what i wanted, but i knew i didnt want an ipod. i know they are supposed to be the coolest thing and all that, but it just seems like they are more style than substance. so, instead i got a sansa. ive been told that they are pretty decent quality, and the one that they had at the store was an amazing deal. i got a 6 gig for cheaper than a 2 gig ipod.
i have been spending the weekend playing with my new computer and this new mp3 player (oh, it does videos too, but i havent figured out how to do that stuff yet...) and now im starting to see why everyone loves these things so much! im in the process of loading my cd collection on it. i think im really going to test its limits as far as storage goes! ive already got about 4oo songs on it!

sufjan stevens

i never have, nor ever will consider myself a 'hipster' when it comes to music. but i try to at least keep in the loop with who is getting a lot of buzz. ive been hearing about this guy a lot for the past six months or so, but ive never been able to actually hear his music.
well, yesterday i finally did. and i have to ask: whats the big deal? i listened to his illinois album and didnt really care for it. he has an amazing voice, which i loved, but heres the problem: the music is very eclectic. that is usually a good thing, but from what i listened to (about the first half of the album twice) its too eclectic. its all over the place. now, i understand what hes going for here, hes trying to incorporate all the music that is a part of the state and trying to tie it all in to have an authentic representation of the culture that is illinois. i get that part, but im not interested. i like an album with an eclectic feel, but this one seems to have every eclectic feel it can strong-arm into one disc. the way i typically listen to music is by poping in a cd and listening straight through. i dont like 'shuffle', and i rarely like compilation cds. i like albums that have a unified sound. they dont all have to have the same tempo or volume, but i like it when the artist uses the same aural language through out. with this album each song sounded completely different (except that they all sounded like he was trying too hard to be strange). one song would be just woodwinds, the next would have a xylephone and bells, the next would have drums and guitars. i dont know, maybe my musical tastes are a bit more restricted than i thought, but i wont be jumping on the sufjan bandwagan anytime soon. i guess i will remain 'unhip'.

our lady peace: healthy in paranoid times

ive really liked these guys going all the way back to their first us single: superman's dead. i picked up that album, 'clumsy', and really enjoyed it. their next one, 'happiness...', wasnt quite as good. it was mostly just a bunch of angry songs. a very angry album, to be sure. i wasnt sure if i should even bother with their album after that. i am very glad i did. 'spritiual machines' is the best of their career, i still listen to it often. their next, 'gravity', was good, but it felt like they had been forced to loose their original sound so that they could be more sucessful. the best part of the group are the catchy melodies and the totally unique voice of the lead singer. one of his trademarks is that he constantly changes from normal voice to a really high falsetto. which, amazingly, works really well. on 'gravity' we rarely hear that range, instead it seemed like someone told him that he could only sing normally, so he doesnt 'frighten the kids'.
their latest i got a little while ago, but i didnt give it the time it needed. i think i only listened to it once (i really should know better than to buy two cds at once, this happens every time i do...). its called 'healthy in paranoid times'. its good that the singer is back to his old ways with the vocals, but the problem with this one is something else. there are alot of great melodies on the cd, the only problem is that they get cut off. there will be a great set-up for an awesome chorus, but then it just kind of changes its mind and limps of in another direction. one of the starkest examples is the song 'wipe that smile off your face'. the song has a strong flow to it and the vocals are some of his best, and then half way through the chorus the cool flow is dropped and replaced with a crappy lame sneer.
oh well. ill still keep holding out for a proper follow up to 'spiritual machines'.

andrew osenga

oh, where to begin? lets try the beginning... (this is going to be a long one) music is a powerful thing. it can change a mood, it can shape an experience, it can altar a way of thinking. some music i listen to is just for the good tunes and the catchy lyrics to keep my mind busy while driving or hanging out, bands like joy electric would fit that role for me. but then there is another side to music; the side that challenges me and challenges my mind and heart. for that i go to andrew osenga.
here's the story: back in college i used to get free stuff from forefront records (i have no idea how i pulled of that scam, but i got a few good cds out of the deal), one of the cds i got was called 'better than this' by a band called 'the normals'. i gave it a spin, but wasn't very impressed. i pushed it off to the side and instead listened to the skillet cd i got. my college buddy bob asked if he could borrow it. sure, so he did. after a week or two he kept talking about that cd and how great it was. just to shut him up, i told him i would give it another try. i did. slowly the songs got to me and seeped into my head. they were catchy and deep, definitely a rarity in christian music at the time.
as leaders on dordt's campus, bob and i were in charge of planning some student activities. we used our pull to convince the people in charge that we should invite the normals to come and perform at our college. and it worked! mostly it was a ploy to meet the guys and hear them live. they guys were as cool as i could have hoped for, and i got to meet the lead singer, named andrew osenga.
after a time i heard that they were releasing a second album, and bob and i got really excited. when it arrived (miraculously free, again) i was blown away by the change in sound. their album 'coming to life' was one of the richest, deepest, most lyrically challenging album i had heard up until that point. i thought it put their first record to shame with the leaps and bounds of musical growth evident on the new record. oddly enough, bob disagreed and soon lost interest in the band. me, on the other hand, i was obsessed! again, i pulled a few strings, and arranged for the band to come to our college the next year. this time, it was even better, they were the headliners, their lineup had changed a bit, and they were now able to create that full lush sound in concert. (one of the highlights for me, which i had never seen done before: there was a part of one of the songs where the guitarists put their guitars up to their faces and yelled into them to create a stunningly haunting and beautiful sound) they must have made other fans as well, because the following year, at which point i was no longer involved with planning events, they were asked back for a third year in a row! (at that concert andy announced 'we have decided that we are now the official band of dordt college!')
eventually the band released a third album. by this time i was out of college and living on my own far from anyone i knew. because of this fact, their next album became a very important one to me. its title 'a place where you belong' became a safe place in the storm i was going through. i was entering a new chapter in my life, beginning a job in the working world, in a new place on my own, and not knowing anyone. the song 'ill be home soon' helped me make it through many long and lonely weeks. it became a bit of an anthem for me.
then i heard the bad news. the normals had split up. i was crushed.
but soon after i found out that andrew osenga was going to continue writing and recording on his own. i have been following him ever since, and each release has been better than the last. he has since put out a full length release, 'photographs', and a short release called 'souvenirs and postcards'. now, he has just released his latest self-produced album 'the morning.' i haven't heard it yet, but i know it will be filled with truth, depth, and beautiful music.
if you have any interest in andrew, or his music, check out his website, or check out a few songs you can listen to for free.

third eye blink

ive been digging out some of my older cds. mostly mid/late 90s stuff. i pulled out this cd by 'third eye blind' and gave it a spin. wow. i had forgotten how many great songs this album has on it! i am almost ashamed to admit this thought, because i remember my friends and i making fun of people who liked this band. but i think i am going to officially chance my opinion on these guys. i dont really remember them having any more hits after this album (but thats ok, because this album had about 5 #1 hits on it), they burned bright, but burned out fast. maybe i will have to hit up the used cd shop and fish out some of their other stuff, see if there might be some undiscovered gems.

jars of clay

i have a strange pattern with liking albums by jars of clay. i, like the rest of america, quickly fell in love with their first cd (for most, thats where the interest ended, but i have kept up with them since then). when there second cd came out, called 'much afraid', i absolutely hated it. my parents bought it for me and i ended up just giving it to a friend after about my second listen. i was totally disappointed. then their third one came out, 'if i left the zoo', and i started to really dig 'much afraid'. since then, this unique pattern has emerged: i like a jars of clay album after the next one comes out. i started to like 'zoo' when '11th hour' came out. i didnt like '11th' until 'who we are instead' came out. i didnt really listen to 'instead' until 'redemption songs' came out. and i dont much care for 'redemption songs'. maybe i should just wait until their next one comes out.

what to do?

im debating whether or not to pick this one up. i actually enjoy morrisseys music quite a bit. my brother introduced me to him many years ago. i was never interested in the smiths, but i rather like his solo work. i was introduced through the album 'maladjusted' and have picked up a few older ones since. i really liked his last one 'you are the querry' but i hardly ever listen to it. i figure this cd will be the same; ill listen to it for a few weeks then put it aside quickly. is it worth the money or not?

mxpx at the metro

last night i threw caution to the wind and went downtown chicago and saw a rock concert! it was a bit crazy because it was a tuesday night, and i have an actual job to return to at a resonable hour the next day. but here i am, almost done with the day, and im still chugging along! ive wanted to take a nap many times today, but i have sucessfully resisted... so far.
the concert was a blast! it was at the metro downtown chicago, which is the place that the smashing pumpkins started off and also where they performed their last show. so, the place has some cool history to it. once we got there (after getting a little lost) we hung out until the bands started playing. the first band, i think it was called 'transition' or something like that, was not very good at all. actually, it was kind of embarassing. the only time they could get any somewhat possitive reaction from the crowd was when they covered 'walk like an egyptian' poorly. i almost felt sorry for them.
the second band was called 'treaty of paris'. they were kind of cool. they had three singers and often harmonized during the choruses, which was really cool and gave them a very unique sound. their cds were only five bucks, so i picked one up. ill listen to it a bit and figure out if they are actually any good.
finally, mxpx came out on stage! ive seen these guys three times before and each time they totally rock it!!! they certainly have a strong command of the stage and a huge amount of awesome songs. about a half our in, mike (the lead singer) said 'look guys, it gets boring for us to just follow a set list, so instead we would like to take some requests" and they proceeded to play four requested songs! how awesome is that? ive never seen a band do that before- and then after a handfull more songs mike took three more requests! mike himself actually said that they have never taken so many requests before. one of them they played he had to take a minute or two to remember the words before they could start playing, which made it that much funnier. there were many awesome moments during the show, from inviting an audience member up on stage to play base on 'punk rawk show', to having another audience member tell everyone a joke. it was totally obvious that those three guys up there were having a blast- and that made it even more fun for the rest of us!

those crazy monkeys!

i was over at aarons the other day and we were talking about a song that was on the radio last time we hung out. neither of us had heard it before but we both really liked it. he figured out what it was: DARE by the gorillaz. cool! they just keep surprising me with how cool their stuff is. i have their first album, but im thinking i should pick up their new one...

Marty Casey

last week i got a new cd. i havent gotten a new cd in a while (mostly because i never listen to the radio, so i never get suckered into buying the crap they are playing). last year i was drawn in by rockstar: inxs. i cant defend myself, i know it was really stupid, but i liked it- it was better than american idol at least...
anyway, i really liked one of the singers on there: marty casey. he made it to the last two, but was not chosen the winner. i was mad, but then i thought about it- the person who wins has to sign a contract to sing for inxs. how is that winning? marty got the best deal, he got all the exposure, but he could go back and play with is own band. they even got invited to open for inxs on their world tour.
i got the marty casey cd and the song that he sang a few times, 'trees', is on it. i really digged that song alot. ive only gotten a chance to listen to it through a few times, but it seems cool. its alot more rock than i was expecting, i thought it would be a bit more popish. ill have to listen to it some more to give an accurate review.

an oldie, but a goodie

as a teacher i am always looking for teaching aids. usually that means movies or music that will help get across the ideas that i am teaching. a while ago i found an aid in the most random of places: a band called pegtop. dont feel bad if you dont know who i am talking about, i would actually be more surprised if you knew who they actually were... let me explain:
back in college i found myself with an oportunity to see a band i had never heard of. we were already at the place, it was free to get in, and there was nothing else to do. so we figured why not? i ended up actually liking the band a lot, but my friends didnt really care for it. i ended up buying their album called 'the great reverse'. in the following weeks i found myself, much to my friend's annoyance, playing the cd alot and really loving it. soon after i found their first album 'just us' and picked it up.
fast-forward 5 years... was looking through my cds and was feeling a bit nastalgic. i spotted those pegtop cds and popped them into the player. as it turns out there are a couple of great songs with lyrics that fit perfectly into a couple lessons that i teach! who would have thought, a local folk band from minnisota with no record deal and a 50 gallon drum for a kickdrum would have helped me so much in my teaching!

the lure of a good tune

no matter how hard i try, no matter how much i listen to new music, no matter how many new cds i buy, i am still drawn back to Monarch. there is something magnetic, perhaps even carnal, about that music.
i was introduced to them a few years ago in a very strange way. i was checking out this record labels website and there just so happened to be a music player playing songs from all the different bands on the label. (if you must know, i was checking out a joy electric side band cd on northern records) and there it was: the most shockingly beautiful music my ears had heard in many moons. it took me a minute or two to discover who it was that was playing on that player, but once i did it toon me about thirty seconds to speed to the online store and buy a copy of it! and, fortunately, it is one of those few gems: the rest of the songs were actually better than the one that had caught my attention!
as far as i can tell they only released one album, the promptly broke up. the name of the album is 'the grandeur of rome', and you can buy it here. the sound is unique- something special to be sure. it has guitars, drums, a piano, and a string section. there are heavy beats, strong hooks, and a piano that will break your heart. the vocals are airy- but not in a breathy way (try and make sense of that...)
im not sure if there is any way to listen to it online, but if you get the change, give it a listen. or just buy it.

sorry...

in a moment of weakness, i must confess. im thinking i might want to pick up that kelly clarkson cd. im sorry. let us never speak of this again.

the verve pipe concert

my favorite band is joy electric. i have been obsessed with them for a while now. but there once was a time before i had ever heard of joy electric. shocking, i know. at that time my favorite band was a little local west michigan band that soon hit it big.
it was the verve pipe. that name might sound vaguely familiar to you because about 9 years ago they had one hit. and that was all. it was the song 'freshman'. when it came out in '97 many people got sick of it quickly because they overplayed it on the radio. well, imagine my situation: they band was really big in grand rapids when i was growing up because to us they were 'the hometown boys' and were local favorites even before they had the record label deal. so the local radio stations would play their songs all the time. and of couse they would typically play 'freshman'. lucky me, i got to hear it over played twice! the thing is though, i never got sick of it. im still not sick of it. i totally love it. unfortuantely the band broke up a few years ago and the the lead singer (brian vander ark) has since been making a go of his solo career. ive seen verve pipe many times over the years, once when i had no idea who they were but was told 'check em out, youll like em...', and a few times since. i also was able to see brian solo a few times in chicago at the house of blues. i had figured there wasnt a chance to ever see verve pipe live again.
imagine my excitement when i had come to learn that the verve pipe was going to be playing a one-time-only reunion show in grand rapids- and i was actually going to be around for it!!! so i called up my buddies, some were fans as well, some wernt, and we made plans.
the show was on december 23 and it was amazing!!! the boys played their hearts out and proved that they still got it. it was great fun, they played quite a varied assortment of music. they pulled out some of their hits, some of their new stuff, and some of the classics that needed a bit of dusting off, they even threw in some great cover songs. certainly a solid show, one of the best ive seen in a long time. i was easily reminded of what i loved about them so much.