“Christians are hard to tolerate, I don’t know how Jesus does it,” said Bono, lead singer of the rock band U2, to which he added, “I’m one of them.” There’s a lot of frustration in that quote, but there’s also a confession of faith. My roommates in college introduced me to U2, about a decade after the rest of the world discovered the band. It’s been an obsession since, and I’ve really been intrigued by their spirituality. A new book explores this, and you should definitely check it out (as well as a passageway.org article featuring the book).
Category Archives: Music
The Consolidation of Christian Music
It really frustrates me that all the best things seem to die. Just when you think you’ve got something good going, you lose it. For those of us into Christian music, such a time is upon us. Let me clarify that, those of us who like good music that also happens to have decent, God-honoring lyrics. I’m not referring to the cheese that is much of contemporary Christian music.
And when I say cheese, I’m talking about much of the stuff that flows out of Nashville, the well-known capital of country music, and the little-known capital of Christian music. Most of this cheese is drivel, void of originality, free of any hint of freshness, and lacking in basic musicianship and decent song writing. As an example, adult contemporary group 4Him. For ordinary people that example would be enough. 4Him? What kind of a name is that? But it gets better. Their new album? Walk On. It just so happens to be the title of a hit U2 song from their newest record, which came out one year ago. Coincidence? Or cheese? You decide.
Squint Entertainment, former home to such respectable–no admirable artists as Sixpence None the Richer, Burlap to Cashmere, and Chevelle. All three bands earned major mainstream accolades, and I won’t even get into Squint’s non-mainstream successes, Waterdeep and PFR. Not to mention the band Squint was toting but had not yet released an album, L.A. Symphony, a highly acclaimed rap group from the West Coast. Well, say goodbye. Squint records unfortunately closed their doors, sending their bands packing. Last word was, Nashville cheese-inspired record company Word was picking up the assets and would continue the tradition of Squint, adding many of their alternative artists to the Squint label. Word’s record for alternative acts is a little weak. Most of them release one album and disappear, perhaps a second and then fade into oblivion.
Although there is hope. I recently heard that PFR had signed with Rocketown Records, the slightly more respectable Nashville label owned by dyed in the wool-CCMer with one time mainstream power, Michael W. Smith. Rocketown is also home to the CCM-adored Chris Rice, the extremely promising Ginny Owens, who played Lilith Fair dates after releasing her debut album, and newcomer Shaun Groves, who has the intelligence and song writing chops to make a real dent in the Nashville cheese.
The other Squint bands are up in the air or on their own. Burlap to Cashmere appears to be with Brooklyn Beat/Squint Entertainment, according to their latest newsletter. Sixpence is shopping around, and I smell major label deal. Chevelle has been awfully quiet lately in the CCM circles, probably because they just signed with Epic Records for an early 2002 release, while Waterdeep will probably languish on a Nashville label that doesn’t understand their indie appeal.
Add to the list of cool labels in question 5 Minute Walk Records, home to the status-quo-crushing Five Iron Frenzy, folk-rocker Justin McRoberts, and former home of the meteoric W’s who are no more. 5 Minute Walk has been the California label, bringing a wave of fresh air to the Nashville crowd. Apparently 5 Minute Walk’s future is uncertain, which is a major blow to those of us who hoped Christian music could actually be cool. Apparently it’s not a financial decision either, which makes the whole thing even stranger.
Unfortunately that doesn’t leave us with much. There’s Essential Records, the young upstart that somehow snagged all the cool bands, Caedmon’s Call, Third Day, Jars of Clay, and then keeps throwing out these so-so money bands that are only following the crowd (read: FFH and True Vibe). There’s Forefront Records, the decidedly younger version of every Nashville CCM-label. Everything they release seems to have a CCM-friendliness, with the exception of those who’ve been around to earn the right to say what they want — dc Talk. Of course there’s always the Tooth and Nail conglomerate, which includes the mainstream friendly BEC, the rap/hip-hop Uprok, and the loud SolidState. Of course Tooth and Nail bands are consistently underground favorites that seem to languish around with a few hits here, a few flops there. The BEC bands usually have the most potential lately they haven’t seemed to garner much mainstream attention.
Alas. Sometimes you need to vent and long for days gone by.
Like a Song
But I won’t let others live in hell
As we divide against each other
And we fight amongst ourselves
Too set in our ways to try to rearrange
Too right to be wrong, in this rebel song
(from ‘Like a Song’ by U2)
Hundreds of others have probably seen the same thing in these words, but I just discovered this song the other day. These words remind me of myself. A younger me, vibrant and vocal about the inconsistencies in my church and longing for the church to be what it’s supposed to be. Reassuring that I’m not the only one with such feelings.
Bono Thanks Billy
“At a time when religion seems so often to get in the way of God’s work, with its shopping mall sales pitch and its bumper sticker reductionism—I give thanks just for the sanity of Billy Graham, for that clear, empathetic voice of his and that southern accent, and part poet, part preacher, the singer of the human spirit I’d say. Yeah, I give thanks to Billy Graham. Thank you, Billy Graham.” – Bono, lead singer of U2, in a video on the [now defunct] Thank You Billy Graham website.
The Trouble Being a Critic
It’s hard to write a music review of an album when your name is in the thank you’s. The other day I wrote a review of Maskil‘s new album, Alta Products.
For those of you who don’t know, I’ve known the guys in Maskil and been in contact with them for a few years. It started during my sophomore year of college. They showed up unannounced and uninvited to be the last act of a tiny talent show. I was impressed. It was just two guys then, a guitar and a bass. I asked the guys if they’d like to be on my radio show. The next day they were hanging out at my place and we spent the afternoon laying down some live tracks for the radio.
While they were in town I saw them perform at least twice more. I stayed in touch with them and talked again the next time they came through the Twin Cities. This time we put them on our radio show live. At this point I was involved with ReALMagazine.com and made sure Maskil made it to our Indie Band MP3 section. After all that I didn’t hear much more from Maskil.
Then I ran into Aaron Everitt, the band’s founder, at GMA in Nashville. Their newest album had been picked up by True Tunes Records and Aaron was trying to promote it as much as he could. We bumped into each other several times during the week, and tried (without success) to get together for a longer period of time.
Here I am several months later and True Tunes has released Maskil’s latest CD. It’s time to live up to my promise of reviewing the album on ReALMagazine.com. Unfortunately, I don’t really like the new album. The Maskil I know and love is really simple: acoustic guitar and bass. Occasionally I’ve heard them with more than that and it works pretty good. But this new album had electric guitar and an organ, it had drums throughout, and sometimes a piano. It just didn’t work. Frankly, it was a disappointment. The vocals and the lyrics were still excellent, but the instrumentation and production didn’t match.
My one hope is that someone will notice the shining moments on the album. The parts that get back to the simple Maskil I remember. The parts were Aaron’s writing stands on its own and the music supports it, instead of battling against it.
When you know someone like this and you have to write an honest review of their album, it’s really difficult. This is probably a great opportunity for Maskil. I’d love to help them out and encourage people to buy their CD. But it’s just not there. It pains me to have to rip into it. I guess that’s part of being a critic.
I wasn’t going to be caught dead at a Christian-rock concert.
Guess who’s on the cover of Newsweek? Christian music fans. Best quote from the article:
“The only thing I knew about it is what was on TBN, you know, that crying channel,” says Ben Cissell, Audio [Adrenaline]’s 25-year-old guitarist. In high school, he listened to Bad Religion. “A guy on my soccer team used to wear an Audio Adrenaline T shirt and tried to get me to go to a concert. And I was like, ‘No way, I’m not going.’ I was a normal kid in a public school. I wasn’t gonna be caught dead at a Christian-rock concert.” By his sophomore year, Cissell converted to Christianity and began playing with the very band he
The Worship Industry
I’m getting really irritated at the way every Christian artist has suddenly felt the desire to come out with a worship album. It started as a cool trend where everyone was getting into worship music and it seemed like a soul stretching experience. But not it’s just getting out of hand. Not only are there more money-sucking praise compilations than ever before, but every artist is jumping on the bandwagon and pumping out a worship CD.
Maybe it’s good that worship is a part of so many artists’ lives, but it’s really odd that they suddenly decide to let it out now. “Oh, we’ve always done worship. That’s why we’re doing an album now.” It’s just a coincidence that a worship album will make you a lot of money.
I think it started with Petra in the late 1980s with Petra Praise. Then it started up again when Delirious? released their 2-disc set of worship music. Petra came back with Petra Praise 2 and then the Insyderz came out with Skalleluia, and the worship movement was on. Since then everyone’s been pumping out worship music left and right.
There was Michael W. Smith’s Exodus project, the City on a Hill project, Third Day’s Offerings, Waterdeep’s Enter the Worship Circle, Delirious? came back with Glo and the Insyderz were back for more with Skalleluia 2. Then came complete “worship” bands like Circadian Rhythm and Sonicflood and artists like Matt Redman and Lincoln Brewster. There’s even been a reactionary worship album from Justin McRoberts. This week both Michael W. Smith and Caedmon’s Call announced that they’d be releasing worship albums in the fall, and I’ve heard rumors that Rebecca St. James will follow suit (the source? Rebecca herself during an interview during GMA Week).
And the ultimate sign that worship is becoming it’s own genre? The crappy local bands are now styling themselves as worship bands, cranking out yet more versions of the popular worship tunes.
Call me a cynic, but this is a little much. It feels like God is easily forgotten in all the $14.99 CDs and $18 concert tickets.
U2 vs. NBA Finals
(today is National Yo-Yo Day)
Game 1 of the NBA finals was tonight. NBC expected poor ratings so they tried a little stunt during half time to give the ratings a boost. They showed U2 live from Boston.
Well, sort of live. They showed “Where the Streets Have No Name” live and then “Elevation” taped from earlier in the evening. The game’s in the third quarter now, but they also promised more after the game. I can’t help but wonder how much NBC paid for that.
Except for Bono’s slurred lyrics on Where the Streets Have No Name,” (he sounded drunk) it was some quality concert footage. I’m continually amazed at the way U2 can focus on faith and God in a way that doesn’t turn people off. Bono introduced “Where the Streets Have No Name” with some words about God and heaven (mostly incoherent thanks to the crowd noise, but I’m sure they’ll be on the web in no time) and the closing chorus of “Elevation” transformed into “Jubiliation,” which I can only guess is a reference to Bono’s work with Jubilee 2000, an attempt to bring debt relief to poor countries.
U2 is not afraid to touch on some deeply spiritual issues. And Bono has done some pretty powerful work to make debt relief happen, something the church should be actively involved in. You might not agree with everything U2 does, and they don’t have it all together, but they do set an example worth noting.
Resonation
It’s amazing how songs stick with you despite the passage of time. Yesterday I dug deep into my hard drive and read a story I wrote five years ago. 1996. Today I dug deep into my CD archives and listened to a CD that came out five years ago. Five years ago I was a Junior in high school. It’s amazing how the songs you listened to in high school will always be with you. Well, some of the songs. I have a box full of bad decisions under my desk I’m trying to unload on somebody.
I threw my Five Iron Frenzy Upbeats and Beatdowns disc in the CD player and listened to it at work. That was Five Iron’s debut CD, and as I listened to their later work today I noticed a definite change in style and sound. I also noticed how good their debut CD was. The energy and passion made my foot tap and my lips mouth the words. I kept whispering lines, and I’m sure I annoyed my coworkers.
I’m guessing the CD resonates with me so much because of what it means to me, and not necessarily because it’s the best CD of all time. That’s somehow encouraging. Music, or any artistic endeavor for that matter, doesn’t have to be the best. It simply has to resonate within a few lone hearts.
Elevation 2001: Live in Minneapolis
So last night I witnessed the much-hyped U2 concert experience. The Elevation tour is certainly a step down from the over-production of their Pop Mart and Zoo-TV tours, but it was still quite a show as rock and roll concerts go.
My seat was behind the stage in the nosebleed section, not generally the best seat in the house. But with a heart-shaped, open back stage it wasn