Ichthus.
Jun/100
ICHTHUS* has always been near and dear to my heart. I love music, but I also love the festival because my journey with Christ had a defining moment at this festival back in April of 1996. It was at this festival that I first decided to truly follow Jesus. It would be 6 years before I got baptized, and 10 before I ever was officially a member of any church, but this festival was the biggest turning point.
I came to this festival in subsequent years, mainly for the music, with various groups of friends in high school and college. I believe this year marked the 8th time at the festival for me. Trevor has also previously been to ICHTHUS – the festival grounds were practically in his backyard growing up! Yet we had never been to the festival together. This would be the first year. We decided to go when we found out that my favorite rock band, Switchfoot, would be headlining on Thursday night. We took half days off of work and bought 1 day tickets to see them. So while there was no camping this year, we still got to experience the festival together.
Here we are, right in front of the sound booth. You can see the main stage reflected in Trevor’s sunglasses…
If you know anything about guitar music, then Phil Keaggy should be a household name to you. While a Christian and a songwriter of Jesus-centered lyrics, he is also well known outside Christian music circles, which is saying something. (One of my atheist high school friends, a serious guitarist, knew about him back in the day simply because he is really that talented.) While we didn’t buy the tickets specifically to see him, we were thrilled to catch his acoustic performance in the afternoon. Here he is – Phil Keaggy!
His performance was Trevor’s highlight. My highlight? Well, the whole day was fun. But I gotta say, meeting these fellas was a highlight!
And who would these fine fellas be? None other than brothers Jon and Tim Foreman, founding members of the band Switchfoot!
And yes, I shook their hands. Tim gave me a high five when I told them I had first seen them at ICHTHUS in 1999… been a fan 10+ years!
Finally, their performance rolled around, to close out Thursday night. Here’s Switchfoot, headlining at the main stage. A great show to cap a great day.
*ICHTHUS is the Greek word for “fish,” and the fish symbol became widely used as a Christian symbol in early Christendom. Why? The Greek letters spelling ICHTHUS become an acronym for the phrase “Jesus Christ God’s Son Savior.”
Jazz on the Porch.
Jun/100
Last Friday, we enjoyed a quiet, relaxed evening with a few friends. Friends who, incidentally, are getting hitched 2 weeks from tomorrow! (YAY Shannon & Justin!)
We headed a few miles out of town to Talon Winery. Kentucky boasts more than 50 wineries, and Talon is just one that is right here on Lexington’s doorstep. We heard that they offer summer concerts, and then discovered they occasionally offer live jazz music… for free! There are several fantastic events around Lexington, and we were eager to find out if Talon’s “Jazz on the Porch” series would soon become another favorite summer event. We were not disappointed.
What we enjoyed most was how quiet and peaceful the evening felt. Most live music events are well-attended by locals and tend to be crowded and noisy. Talon was in stark contrast, with less than 50 people in attendance. We were serenaded by jazz music featuring trumpet and keyboards and brought a picnic dinner to eat on the lawn. The evening was altogether serene and relaxing.
We also enjoyed walking in the vineyard and seeing grapes growing on the vines, getting ready for wine production. The sun setting behind the vines was a fitting backdrop to the evening.
Interested in more events happening around Kentucky? Check back this weekend for a post that gives you a preview of things to come around town that the Durbins have on their “must-see/must-do” list for summer 2010!
Third Sunday.
Dec/090
Third Sunday of Advent.
I have been relishing in Christmas music. Sometimes I sneak in some Christmas music in midsummer when I’m feeling blue, but in general, this is the only season for listening to some of these glorious songs. Granted, many songs I would rather do without. I don’t need even 1 playing of Jingle Bells or Santa Claus-whatever-themed song to make me want to turn it all off. But when I can indulge in some artful and quality Christmas music, my heart soars. Plus I also just love to sing…
I’ve been in the mood for questions, so I’ll ask, what are your favorite Christmas songs?
I think I’ve determined that my favorites would include:
Handel’s Messiah – the Hallelujah chorus is just awesome: Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – you have to sing it beyond the first verse on this one! Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings. Ris’n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by. Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing. “Glory to the newborn King!”
Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming – I suppose I have this one on my favorite list because of the nostalgia of singing it at St. John’s. I also enjoy the atypical musical tone and lyrics of this song in comparison to many other Christmas tunes. O flow’r, whose fragrance tender, With sweetness fills the air, Dispel in glorious splendour, The darkness ev’ry where.
One that almost makes my top three would be Joy to the World. In fact, my favorite rendition was when a bunch of our friends got together and hummed the tune en masse on kazoos. Yes, it was glorious… and hilarious. A highlight to our Thursday Advent gathering last week. Joy to the World indeed!
To finish the second half of this favorites list comes my second half…
And I’ll start by being honest — I don’t share (to the magnificent extent) Kristi’s love of Christmas music. Only a few years ago did I begin to appreciate the warmth and joy of seasonal songs. I can now fondly remember cozy days at my parents’ house with nothing to do but relax and listen to holiday tunes (and, of course, watch White Christmas) — but it hasn’t always been that way.
I can, however, share Kristi’s distaste for the “traditional” music played during this season. It has its place, but she’s right — it lacks the deep heart and mind, as well as artistry, of the old hymns and masterpieces.
So, to bore you no more, I present my top 3:
O, Holy Night — I love the message (Truly He taught us to love one another/His law is love and His gospel is peace/Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother/And in his name all oppression shall cease), and my heart sours when a talented singer performs a vocal run for the proclamation (Christ is the Lord/O praise His name forever)
Holy, Holy, Holy — I’ll admit my love for the song came only after hearing Sufjan Stevens’ minimalistic styling. There was something folksy — human and lowly — about his performance that made for a contrast to the Biblical representation (the song being sung by angels). I love this song so much, I made it a music selection for our wedding.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel — Perhaps it is the longing for the revelation and presence of God that speaks to me in this song. I most resonate with songs in which the lyrics cry out to God for deliverance. While I also love songs springing from the joy of our relationship with God, I think it is my heart’s longing to always know the nearness of God.
As a note, though I only mentioned it once — every one of these became my favorite after thoroughly enjoying Sufjan Stevens’ Christmas collection. Say what you will about such things — I still appreciate them, regardless of whether one values him as a source of genius or not. I love to hear these songs sung, whether by a choir or just hummed by myself…but it was the simplistic arrangement from Stevens that (and I believe this is no coincidence) made the “mixture” of “holy heavenly” songs into something I could understand as flesh and dirt.
On The Road Again (Part One).
Oct/090
Destination numero uno: Atlanta, GA. We caravan-ed down with Karen and Chad and niece Natalie to Atlanta for our much-anticipated Muse + U2 concert. The concert began at 7, so we checked in the hotel where Karen and Chad were staying (they were also attending the Catalyst Conference) and where we crashed on the floor for the night. We got to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta easily enough, with plenty of time to find our seats, buy some ridiculously expensive food for dinner, and chillax pre-show. The show, as we figured, started late. Muse played what felt like a short set, about 45 minutes long. I was elated that my current favorite song by them, Starlight, was one of the ones they performed. Trevor was ecstatic — he could care less about U2, but Muse was another thing, a much coveted show to catch. It was rocking and gave us a preview of what an awesome light and video show we were in for when U2 came to the stage.
(Camera phone pic of stage in GA Dome, pre-show.)
The stage itself Bono claimed was their space ship. Throughout their set, Bono talked to the audience, talked about connecting with us. He even referenced his infamous song by saying “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for… what I’m looking for is intimacy…” I took this also as the answer to that very song — wanting intimacy with the living God. We also weren’t surprised when Bono used the show to promote ONE, and to use the stage as a platform to talk about justice and poverty. Other musicians were there that night to promote ONE as well – including Third Day, Naomi Judd, and Michael W. Smith, whom we actually did see outside the Georgia Dome when we first arrived.
But now about the music. It wasn’t just music. It was a show. Moving bridges, pulsating lights, a massive screen that expanded to reach down to the stage, Bono swinging on ropes with microphones attached (which, IMO, was a bit overdone). The music was classic, good, moving, and the solos by the Edge were also memorable. Three encores to boot.
But when I left the concert that night, walking through masses of people, weaving in and out, and then sitting in traffic for another hour or more, the only song that was in my head was Starlight by Muse. Does that say something? Hmm. Not that U2 was bad by any means; they would still rank as one of my personal top 10 shows. But I think it was less about the music being awesome so much as the experience of seeing this classic band live was awesome.
Lessons learned: small dives are better than huge arenas to see a concert; eat beforehand and save your moolah; people want to hold hands and sway together at the concert but they hate you by the time you reach the parking lot… inconsiderate drivers, et al… so much for “intimacy.”
Mute Math – Armistice.
Sep/090
I believe this is the biggest difficulty in being a fan of any artist: expectation.
You are introduced to their art form (in this case, music). You grow to love it. It becomes a part of your life (meaning, the songs form a sort of soundtrack for experiences and memories you treasure). Like the smell of baking cookies or familiar cologne, a specific guitar riff or drum-beat can transport you somewhere wonderful.
On top of that, you just plain enjoy their craft. It’s catchy, fun, sophisticated, professional. It’s just plain good.
You go to see this band play live and they bring the heat. They are setting the bar high in every arena of musicianship. They’re playing with fire.
Because they can’t just float on the success of one album and one concert. Being a starving artist is an honorable thing, but I respect and expect these men to make a living. Not only will I gladly pay them for the opportunity, I’ll anxiously await the next time I can pay them for music.
And therein lies the problem: the hype; the lead-up; the wait. It gives me an opportunity to imagine in my mind what this next album is going to sound like. What experiences I will have while driving on the road at night with my windows down, stereo turned up.
Perhaps this is my fault. I mean, I did watch all of their video blogs updating their progress recording the album in studio. I did associate the energy and creativity with what I assumed the final product would be. How could you not love this?
or this?
But I digress.
All the above was to say that, when I purchased the album on release day, I was not met with a perfect representation of my expectations for what the next Mute Math album would sound like. I had to listen to the album multiple times before even feeling like I could adequately describe my feelings about it in this review.
To stop wasting your time, here they are:
The album sounds and feels more polished than their previous work — which isn’t necessarily a negative, but for me was an immediate distraction that I could not pinpoint until after a few plays through. I was expecting something gritty, independent-sounding. The album plays like a Top-40 contender.
We’re seeing them live this month, so I am anxious to experience the album’s tracks live to see if the energy is still present, but this album feels more tame, slower. Again, not a slam — but an observation.
I’m still chewing on this album — which is maybe a success in itself. Maybe other bands I would hear something unlike I was expecting a put it down. Forget about it. But I like these guys so much I want to love their new record, so I’m trying.
2 Stars out of 5. {Note: I would recommend this album, so it should technically get 3 stars…but I’m just not ready to award it that until I feel comfortable recommending it to myself.}
(A breakdown of ranking is as follows:
1 Star = Pity Star
2 Stars = Worthwhile
3 Stars = Recommended
4 Stars = Life-Changing
5 Stars = Best Stuff Ever
So now you know.)
10K Training
Kristi's Training Mileage:
Trevor's Training Mileage:
Good Reads
Kristi's read shelf:
Trevor's read shelf: