ForeverAtLast

Yay, finally! It's here!!! Their very first music video for "Paper Hospitals."
Hailing from Franklin, Indiana, these guys and gal are good friends of mine and rule a whole extra bunch cause Jesus. They've worked so hard and listened so obediently to the Lord, it's beautiful. The way in which they write music itself is awesome. Their practices rule, they rule, get into them. They're gonna be a big deal one day, if not here soon. They make me smile real big and stuff. :)

Directed by: Threshold Studios

Me Dead To Me

Can I just take a second to rag on my friends in Me Dead To Me?
Hello world, these are my best friends. They rule so hard and Jesus is doing amazing, amazing, crazy things in their lives and soon in the lives of others. I love them more than they know and they blow my mind with their hearts for ministry. Look out everyone, they're coming to give back to God what's rightfully His: you.
This video is their first show with the new line-up and their stage presence is so insanely awesome. It's their intro into "Quicken."
P.S. That's me on the side there next to Gary, the bald guy. He's awesome.

Video by: IDK, sorry! Credit to whoever taped this!

Music by: Me Dead To Me/Autumn Everson, Coal Everson, Charlie Wilhite, Payton Smith

Bethel Live

Bethel Live is super great. They just get the Gospel and Jesus as the Lover of His beautiful Bride. They even get the supernatural naturalness of life! Ha! So good! This song is called "My Dear" off of "The Loft Sessions" and I'm a gigantic fan of it. Look at how stinkin' HAPPY everyone is! Bride, realize how beautiful Your Husband is and fall in love! Joy!

Video shot by: IDK, if you find out, let me know!
Music by: Bethel Music, Distributed by EMI Christian Music Group

Lifetime

Lately I've been listening to a lot of worship music. But I've also had my Pandora station on, too, as you can see below, and I have Lifetime as a radio station. They used to be my favorite band for about a year or so. They're still up there! They combine what I love about punk--the rebellion, the speed, the simplicity--with what I love about emo--the passion, the dynamics, and the simplicity, too. And there's some sweet pop punkness to it all on top of that. Seriously, they just rule super hard and you should get into them if you haven't already. This video for "Airport Monday Morning" is their only music video period and it captures a typical New Jersey basement show (though I've never been to one...perhaps one day...shoot, hopefully I'll get to play one!) It's from their self-titled full length, after they signed to Fueled By Ramen. P.S. Their signing to that label was a big deal. Older punk bands don't typically do that, let alone on a label where the head of it, Pete Wentz, is a major fan. All the more punk rock!

Director: Jon Fordham

God is Great

I decided to put on some Pandora while I studied for Bio and Theology of Worship today. 

Can I just say that I love my taste in music. Look at that sidebar of radio stations. Aw yeahhh.

Thanks, Jesus, for making me so unique! No one else can love You like I love You through the music I listen to and learn about to play for You. Wabam! (as my friend says)

Creating Constellations

I saw this band here in Huntington last year when the 509 was still doing shows on the weekends. Out of all the bands that played that night, they were by far my favorite, and I felt they had the most honest heart for God there. I happen to be Facebook friends with their vocalist, Zachary, and have gotten the chance to read some of his thoughts in his notes. He recently has been blessed in some tremendous ways through prophetic words spoken over him and it's awesome to see how that's translating into their new music. Their new sound is so much improved, very unique, and this video is rad. It's their first video of their song titled "This Is How Magnets Work" (that features the vocalist of Corpus Christi) from their new EP coming out tomorrow called Valacirca.
Their story also reminds me a whole lot of my friends in ForeverAtLast. So expect amazing Jesus stuff to be happening from Creating Constellations!

Director: Brian "Bone" Thorburn (who also produced the new FAL record...see what I mean!)

Sleep

So... I got some stuff wrong in the last post. Oopsie daisy. Come Wind's new EP is actually called Grow My Roots. That video is actually of the song "Rend Your Heart," but it's the only video from that EP, but is technically their 2nd video total. They have another off their first EP Wanderer, O'  Wanderer called "Bricks." There is another video made for "Life & Life Only" but it's fan made, though it's very similar to the "Bricks" video. There you have it, correct information! Sorry about that.
But speaking of Come Wind, I just love their new EP. It's just wonderful. Their new sound is so matured and I love the vocal/melodic patterns. Though there's definitely less focus on guitar work, the vocals make up for it and the guitars are still there. Every single song is just so good. Period. This song, "Sleep," is my favorite so far. I just love their guitarist's vocals a whole ton, as well as the lyrics. This just so happens to be a lyric video they made, so enjoy the lyrics while you're at it. Beauty, beautiful. Enjoy as much as I do!

Made by: Aaron Troyer, guitarist/vocalist of Come Wind

Come Wind

Come Wind is pretty much my favorite band. They came and played at the Gear a few years ago and I fell in love with them. They've inspired me in so many ways musically as far as guitar and melody go. They're growing so much and maturing and I'm so incredibly pumped for them. The Lord's doing awesome things with and through them. This is their 2nd music video off their newest EP Rend Your Heart, which comes out in September. It's also called "Rend Your Heart." And it's awesomely passionate. Enjoy as much as I do!

Director: Nathan Williams

Thursday

Thursday is one of the best bands ever, hands down. This video is super rad, they paved the way for sooo many other bands. Impressive. Appreciate.

Director: Travis Kopach

Underoath

These is such an intense video. I remember the first I saw it and subsequent times after that being terrified, until I finally started to understand hardcore. As I was reflecting on what this video accomplishes for me, it just reminds me to be real in my relationship with Jesus. Some of the images are totally representative of how I feel sometimes, or what I'm thinking. Yet I know there's still hope. "I know there must be some way out of here. And all of them will be waiting there." There's so much controversy going on about the status of the guys in Underoath now, but if there's one thing I get out their band it's that they're not afraid of being honest and getting down to the gritty. So essential to walking with Jesus.

Director: Popcorefilm

Circa Survive

"The Difference Between Medicine and Poison is in the Dose" is such a powerful video. Overcoming the system. Overturning crap and getting on. It's simple, I get it, and Circa alone is so incredibly talented. Although I wish we as a church didn't portray that we too are only part of that system (...minister unplugging himself), I still enjoy this video. Powerful, just powerful.

Director: Travis Kopach

The Used

Another sweet vid, this time by The Used. These guys are actually slightly depressing to listen to, so if you do, do it in moderation please! "Buried Myself Alive" is definitely not exactly the exception to that rule of thumb either, but it has a really cool video for it. The gist is that each band member lives out their worst fears: being buried alive, stuck in a room full or mirrors, being wrapped in a straitjacket and drowning. The latter two scenes where Quinn, their guitarist, is hanging from the ceiling in the straitjacket and the other with their bassist trying not to drown are so powerful and took me aback for a moment today when I watched it. They remind me of how stinkin' awesome Jesus is that He gets us outta that crap and those fears! Man!

Director: Arni & Kinski

Refused

Taking a break from favorite albums because I wanna. Instead, I'm going to point ya to some wicked rad videos. I randomly decided to youtube Refused today. "New Noise" is so killer. If they loved Jesus...phew, revolution baby! What punkers. And from Sweden. \m/

Director: Jocke Ahlund

Kingdom Days in an Evil Age

Let me just start this one by saying, I LOVE SLEEPING GIANT. I usually have a pretty hard time telling people who my favorite band is and I find myself grasping for all kinds of secondhand guesses, but I can honestly say now that Sleeping Giant for sure is. They're simply just overall wonderful and their latest album, Kingdom Days in an Evil Age, has literally changed my life.

I could spend some time talking about the music in general if I wanted to, but honestly, the actual music is one of the last reasons I love this band and album. However, I will mention that I thoroughly enjoy their simplicity as it sets them apart in a sea of show-offy hardcore. So, because of this, there really is not much to talk about in regards to that at all anyways!
No, my appreciation for Sleeping Giant comes from one, their lyrics and two, their honest love for the LORD and His body and the way they live their lives.
Lyrics...where do I begin? Ever since I was introduced to them (small show at the Gear, woot!), I've always been drawn to them by their lyrics. They are absolutely drenched in the Holy Spirit. Every word I hear Tommy yell, sing, or scream always, and I mean always, is absolutely full of truth--solid, biblical truth. On this latest album, the focus is on the authority God has given us, His children, here on earth through any and everything. It completely wrecked how I thought about myself in relation to Him and now I am so much more inclined to immeditely pray for healing or honestly anything. This album was given to me (thank you Jon Pirtle!) during a time when I really, really needed to hear it and helped me get through a very rough time in my Walk and kept me going. "Tithemi" will forever remind me that nothing can separate us from God and that everything will eventually bow, if not now. "All fear, all pain, all hurt, all grief, all lies must bow to Jesus' name. All kings, all thrones, everything that breathes life must bow to Jesus' name." I spent my whole summer hooked to every single song and worshiped around my room many a time, and still do. I listen to it when I need a boost, reminded of who I am, or just want to get with God--hello 2 hour trips home from college. I could try to pinpoint everything good about this album, but honestly, taken face value, it speaks completely for itself. I can't express to you how much this album means to me (not more than God, I assure you!) and I am entirely grateful that the LORD inspired the boys of Sleeping Giant to put it out. Kingdom Days will forever be one of my favorite albums of all time because the truth of God never, ever gets old.

The Alchemy Index: Vol. 2: Water

I just got back from New York this weekend (and meeting Alan Rickman & Jerry O'Connell!) and my thoughts were that I was going to blog about what I listened to mostly on the plane rides. Before that, I had planned on talking about this Thrice album and now I'm going to stick with it. I realized that the crazy hustle and bustle of New York perfectly offsets this album and sets me up well.

I'm not particularly fond of crowded places and large groups. I don't like tons of noise (forget shows here...) and I'm afraid that when I'm in big crowds I'll fall into that thought process of "I feel alone in a crowded place." I'm a pretty simple kid with pretty basic interests and I love intimate, casual settings, which is why I love The Alchemy Index: Vol. 2: Water by Thrice. It has the most unique quality and ability to take me away while holding my hand tightly. I don't feel like I'm going into dangerous waters and yet at the same time, I experience something new with this album. It has that familiarity to it that sweeps me away into somehwat unfamiliar territory that quickly becomes familiar, much like my Daddy!
I honestly don't have too terribly much to say about this album other than it's one of my absolute favorites. It has all those qualities of great music and always gets me thinking about my Walk with God. "Open Water" has beautiful lyrics all the way through, but my favorites are: "The open water is my only fear, but I'll sail as long as I still have breath in me...I'm starting to believe the ocean's much like you 'cause it gives and takes away." And then there's the beauty of "Night Diving," which is just beautiful in and of itself and wonderful to worship to. From beginning to end, Thrice manages to capture me, take me out to sea (perfectly I might add), let me journey, and get me back home safely. It's because this album is so intimate and light, yet heavy in material that I appreciate it so much. And now for future trips to New York or any other place that doesn't naturally offer up intimacy, I'll know what album to spin to get me to that place.
P.S. I also highly recommend listening to the counterpart volume to this Index: Vol. 1: Fire, in conjunction with Water, and also the other volumes. I haven't listened to all of them all the way through, only heard bits and pieces, but I mean it's Thrice. Of course they'll be good. :)

The Joshua Tree

I've been thinking about and trying to come up with some of my favorite albums. In the process, I could only think of two right off the top of my head and one of those was The Joshua Tree by U2.

This is probably a huge statement, but as for now anyways, I'd have to say this is my favorite album. It has everything I love about music in it--good musicianship, interesting guitar parts, good vocals, interesting lyrics, passion, and the ability to take me away to a place of ponderance and reflection. I'd say U2 has a certain way of nailing that last one right square in the face. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this album while looking out my bedroom window at the stars. This is the perfect album to get my mind off small, insignificant things to thinking about the bigger ones. I tend to find myself in some sense of awe when I put this one on, which is why it's wonderful for star gazing. There's just such a (I'm going to make up a word here for my own purposes) BIGness to it and yet it's so simple. [Sound like God to you?!] There's nothing show-offy at all about it and that's one of the reasons I really appreciate their guitarist, the Edge. He knows what to say and how to say it without going overboard and that's something I'm always trying to achieve in my own music. And oh my...the groove of this album, ah! If you're one of the very few people who know me well enough, you'd know that any musician who can give me a good groove will instantly drive me crazy and I probably won't know what to do with myself except say, "This is so good!" "Bullet the Blue Sky" does that to me. It has one of the best grooves I've experienced and that guitar...ah...and then you have "Red Hill Mining Town" and "Trip Through Your Wire." They're just so wonderful!
Bono's lyrics really get me thinking, too. I like to find new ways of understanding God, His Kingdom, and/or my Walk in them pretty much everything I listen to and especially with this album. A particular favorite is "I believe in the Kingdom come where all the colors bleed into one." Beautiful imagery! My favorite song on the album, though, is "Running to Stand Still." I like to imagine myself saying the lyrics and meaning, in summation, "I'm in this Walk for life. I'm running so that one day I may stand still." As I've come to better understand God's grace, I know that I don't have to constantly strive and wear myself thin and that there are times when it's appropriate to stand still, yes. And now that I have, this song has come to mean quite a bit more to me as I've processed this understanding of Grace, but I still like to allow that "lifer" thought to keep me going. To me, good music will do that to you, get you pondering and processing things differently and all. Enter U2.
So my suggestion is to give this album a try if you haven't already. I'm only 19 [it came out in '87...] and I love it, so go for it! You might find yourself thinking all kinds of awesome things. :)