Christmas is coming - the goose is getting fat

I know many people frown upon premature Christmasy activities - but here's the thing. I love Christmas music. It's too good to put limitations on. Also - I am vocationally required to plan services far enough in advance that I can't follow the "wait til after Thanksgiving" rule. (Not that I mind breaking it...)

I've been checking out new Christmas music releases and listening to old mixes and albums. I had considered an official review of the ones I've listened to so far - but I generally agree with ChristianityToday's 2008 Christmas album reviews.
Here's my short version:

• Sixpence None the Richer - The Dawn of Grace is my favorite whole album. Great song choices, good arrangements, and cohesive feel. Favorite songs: "Riu, Riu, Chiu" and "The Last Christmas" (which makes me think of Baby Sandel)
• DO NOT LIKE Casting Crowns' Peace on Earth. They're not my favorite anyways - but I bought it b/c they tend to have a few gems on each album that connect well with people (and are usable in services). But I can't find any on this album. Meh.
• I also found Shane & Shane's Glory in the Highest rather disappointing. It's too mellow and unthoughtful - and I don't mean good mellow.
• There are 2 albums that I'd say are pretty good - but I really wanted them to be amazing: Sara Groves' O Holy Night and Fernando Ortega's Christmas Songs. Both albums have some GREAT songs on them (which will definitely be making my 2008 Xmas mix) - but I had maybe unrealistic expectations on them as whole albums. Sara Groves does too many new, unmemorable tunes to familiar carol texts. But I LOVE "It's True" - which I first heard her do live at an Andrew Peterson concert last year. And the Fernando one is a little too straightforward and really too short for my liking. I'd like to hear some lesser known carols from him since he's such a good arranger.

I am working on my 2008 Christmas mix - should finish it soon (and I'll definitely post a track list).

And finally - I just saw that my friend Chris designed some gift certificates for projects through CMF in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. This was a BIG part of our church's Christmas celebration last year; it's amazing what an impact small amounts of money can have in other parts of the world.

My Choice for Best Picture

I see a decent amount of movies each year - though most of them are the popular/blockbuster ones (rather than critics-choice/artsy types).

I'll admit, I haven't seen any of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture (though I really want to see "Juno"). Actually, now that I look through the full list of nominations, I've only seen 3 of the nominated films. I saw the 3rd "Pirates" movie, "Enchanted," and - my favorite film of 2007
- "Ratatouille."

I was on CNN.com tonight and saw this article about it - "Was 'Ratatouille' Ripped Off in Oscar Race?" There's no doubt in my mind, this is not a movie made with kids in mind. Don't get me wrong, it's clean - but the main subject matter is a little more nuanced/sophisticated than your average animated movie. I think it was a beautiful film - but more than that, it had amazing things to say about being an artist. I loved it SO MUCH.

Here's a quote from the article (from a NY Times critic):
"a nearly flawless piece of popular art, as well as one of the most persuasive portraits of an artist ever committed to film"

So the question remains - why isn't one of the highest-grossing AND critically-acclaimed movies of the year up for the big prize?

What do you think? Could an animated film ever win best picture? (And besides "Juno," are there any other Oscar nominated films that I'm missing out on?)

Remembering Rich

On the 10 year anniversary of his death, I wanted to talk a little bit about Rich Mullins, his influence on my life (musically and spiritually), and share a few lyrics. I'll be honest - I really want to write this entry, but I am intimidated by it - I want to do it justice. Oh well...bear with me as I ramble!

I was introduced to Rich's music by my parents. We always listened to music in the car - and often that meant mix tapes from my dad's friend in Nashville (of 80's CCM - Amy Grant, First Call, Wayne Watson, Larry Bryant, etc.). I think my parents still have the cassette tape of Rich Mullins' first album. When I look over the track list, I can hear every single track, in all of its 80's glory (and I can see my dad bobbing his head and singing along with "Live Right"). Despite some of the cheese in the arrangements, the power in the songwriting is as strong as ever.

Show me someone who makes a difference -
Show me someone who's brave when he needs to be -
I just need to see -
Someone who cares enough that he would risk his life
For the love of what he's come to believe.
But you say that a man like that wouldn't last in a world like this
Well, I believe that the world won't last
If a man like that don't exist

As the years went by, we wore out almost every album released. I am glad I was able to hear him in concert a few times. One was at Six Flags in St. Louis - on a youth group trip (his opening act was Steven Curtis Chapman who had a fabulous mullet at the time). I remember him singing "Screen Door" with the cup trick!

In the summer of '97 (right before my senior year of high school), Rich and the whole Ragamuffin Band did several concerts at a youth conference I was at (CIY). It wasn't a huge conference, and the whole group of musicians was on the campus for a few days. One afternoon, I saw Rich walking across the campus by himself. I worked up enough confidence to go over to him and say, "thanks for your music." (I was a shy kid.) He was really gracious. I've always been glad that I got to see him that summer - to hear his music and to be able to simply thank him.

Random tidbit: Rich Mullins is also how I got into Caedmon's Call. Their cover of "Hope to Carry On" is how I started listening to them.

I vividly remember coming home on September 19th, 1997. I walked in the door, and my dad was watching the evening news. He told me that Rich Mullins had died - and I didn't believe it. The car accident happened on an interstate only an hour or so north of us. It was a horrible accident, and I couldn't believe that he wouldn't be writing or recording anymore. So sad.

During college, Rich continued to be one of my most-listened to artists. His Jesus Record (demos and covers) was released one year after his death, which happened to be when I headed off to college. I listened to that CD a lot. My freshman year roommates called one of the songs "the Jesus-loves-the-whores song." To be fair, the lyric is "the whores all seem to love Him," but I never corrected them. I think it's safe to say Jesus does love the whores.

It's hard for me to pick favorites - but Winds of Heaven...Stuff of Earth and Never Picture Perfect would probably be some of the most solid albums for me. Everyone always says Liturgy, Legacy is the best - and that one is really amazing too. Those other ones just don't get enough love. "Somewhere" (which is what I named my blog from) is what I've always labeled as my favorite song of all time. The aforementioned Jesus record has amazing songwriting too. If you don't know "Hard to Get" - you should.

Rich Mullins was no saint. Nor was he the most amazing musician that ever lived. But I am SO grateful that he wrote music that brought out both the hard and the beautiful parts of life & faith.

Overdressed

Reasons why I'm excited about Caedmon's Call's newest album, Overdressed, which was released this week:

• They've historically been one of my favorite groups. They haven't released an album in a few years. (There have been multiple greatest hits and even a worship album that only kinda count.) I have pretty much been waiting for new stuff since Share the Well.
• Derek Webb decided to be a part of the group for this album (writing and musically). I'm really hoping to catch one of their spring tour dates, because (due to really unfortunate timing for several concerts) I never got to see them live when he was in the band the first time around.
• Andrew Osenga helped write a lot of the album. I loved his songs on Share the Well - and then got into some of his solo stuff (and Normals stuff). I really dig his songwriting AND his electric guitar/high harmony skills. [If you don't have it already, I really recommend his free downloadable EP - Letters to the Editor, Vol. 1]
• Bryan from caedmonscall.net has been liveblogging about the CD release since Monday - and it has been very fun to see/hear. I really like the details about the individual tracks from the CD - and the video clips.
• One of the video clips from the LiveBlog: Live Cover of In God's Country

I am enjoying my first 20 or so listens...(it's on in the background at work)...and I may review it later. Right now, I'm just happy to have a new Caedmon's album!

Midsummer Favorites

Summer goes FAST. Here are some of my reviews of what I've seen/heard/read this summer (so far - there is still plently of fun to be had).

• Movie:
  I didn't expect this, but Ratatouille is by far my favorite movie of the summer. I had heard it was good, but I enjoyed it SO. MUCH. If you have seen it, I would love to talk to you about it and see what you thought. If you haven't, then I highly recommend it. I thought it was a beautiful film with a lot to ponder and enjoy. I am not into cuisine/food that much, but I connected to it as an artist quite a bit.
• Worship CD:
  I got a worship CD from Mars Hill Church in Michigan (where Rob Bell preaches) a few weeks ago. It is a breath of fresh air. It's a recording from a local church - there's lots of spiritually rich content, the music is good and designed for congregational singing, it's fun (lots of different styles), and there are a lot of great original songs. You can listen to it streaming online - and all of the chord charts/lead sheets are available online for free. Great great great.
• Book:
  This one's harder - because I've started several books - and have finished very few. (I'm still working on Harry Potter - and the Dan Kimball book I mentioned a few posts earlier.) I'm still going to say Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton - though I'm not far into it. I've already discovered that Rich Mullins had to have read this book (there are some definitely references to Chesterton in his lyrics).

And while I'm at it, here are some other things I'm excited about lately:

• Playing in the municipal band. While this is a major time commitment, it has felt good to get back into the groove of playing with an ensemble. I'm also getting to meet lots of new people. It's amazing to play alongside people who have played their instruments and played in this ensemble for decades. We've played a wide variety of music so far & it's fun to play for the family (grandparents!) and friends who are loyal enough to endure the heat!
• The Africa series at church. I knew it would be exciting, but it really is cool to be challenged by what's going on in another part of the world and pray together as a church about how to respond.

Cue the cannons

I had an orchestra gig last weekend, and going into it I was a bit hestitant. See, I don't play as often as I should, and the finale of the concert was the 1812 Overture.

Now, most anyone, whether they're familiar with classical music or not, is at least familiar with the main theme. You've heard it during fireworks, in movies, and probably in cartoons. It's a little iconic. The thing with music like that, though, is that often the larger piece - and its original context - get buried beneath all the pop culture. And in most cases, it's a bit of a shame. It's like only knowing a caricature or parody...and in the case of the 1812, it's all cannons and huge brass (which is admittedly cool).

The full work is quite beautiful. The first time I really experienced it was as a senior in high school at the All-State music festival. The honors orchestra played it as the finale, and I got to play in the extra brass section. I rank it as one of the top music moments of my life thus far. Honestly, it was one of those rare moments when everyone - conductor, performers, and audience get taken in by the music and the moment. Unforgettably powerful...and I knew it was because the piece was just. that. cool.

And so I was nervous about tackling it again - especially when myself and the orchestra...and did I mention myself were not nearly as capable as my earlier performance.

Which brings me to last Saturday. At the rehearsal, we basically ran through it once - stopping only when we needed to. The opening bars (by the low strings) were underwhelming. Well, I thought, this is rather disappointing. Then the horns came in for the introduction of the really familiar theme. Aaaand now I'm underwhelmed with myself. Great. But we kept plugging through.

But then something unexpected happened. We got to the section where the brass plays the opening theme again and the bells go nuts. And I kid you not - I got goosebumps. If I had not been playing, I probably would have cried. I was completely taken in by the music again. If I could describe the end - it's pure joy. And it's really hard to play the end of it with any kind of restraint, because it just begs to be played ALL OUT. And we definitely did. In the performance, it was not the most artistic or skilled rendition there has ever been - but when we got to the end, we played it with all we had. Awesome. (I do wish the "cannon" had been a little louder, but you can't have everything.)

And as I've listened to my recording of it again and again this week, I realized (and am embarrassed to say) I'd never really read any background on the piece. Surely a piece this well-known has some cool history. So I read the short article on Wikipedia, and sure enough, it's pretty amazing and interesting.

So, this is my ode to the 1812 - to its ability to inspire with and without context - AND its ability to cause grown adults to play it no holds barred.

(And it's a chance for me to say that I'm glad I get to play in an orchestra now and then.)

Something unusual, something strange

I've always been someone who has been highly affected by music. This is a pretty obvious statement. But I was reminded recently that there is a connection between music and my emotions that is really strong...and beyond what I can predict or understand sometimes. (I am going to sound like a total girl in this post, but I have decided that I am okay with that.)

There are songs that affect me because of their lyrics, and there are songs that affect me because they remind me of a certain experience or time in my life. There is music that affects me because of its composition or because of the back-story of the person that wrote it. Most of the time, if there's a song that I like, I can generally describe why I like it.

But there are a handfull of songs/music that have an inexplicable connection to my emotions. It's usually immediate - and takes me by surprise. One strong example of a song that "gets me" almost every time I hear it is "Amie" by Damien Rice. The string part in particular (at the end)...it's just...tragic and beautiful. (If you look on my last.fm page, it's the most-listened to song...I'm a glutton for emotion!)

I was reminded of this most recently because of a random Christmas song. I went with a group from church to Willow's Christmas service last year. We wanted to go - partly to be able to worship together (since most of us would be leading Christmas services) and partly because it's generally encouraging to go to a Willow service. In the middle of the service, they sang a song - and their dance team performed with it. And by the first chorus, I was a mess - weeping in my chair in the middle balcony. And it wasn't really because I had intellectually pondered the incarnation (although that is amazing). The combination of the music and the dance hit something inside me, and that was it. Well, I found the song this week - "Here With Us" by Joy Williams. And listening to it, I'm taken back to that moment when I was watching the dancers express "hallelujah" and sobbing.

There's a tendency to dismiss emotion because it can be unreliable and sometimes it does not coincide with logic/reason. Goodness knows I'm aware of the instability of pure emotion. But at the same time, I'm really grateful that God has given us things like music and dance - that express His transcendent beauty - and I'm grateful for those surprising moments when I'm overwhelmed by it all.