Ankle Update 2

My first day out of my boot at work.  I am so thankful to God for how he has healed my ankle.  This was a terrible time to have an injury like this.  I needed to be able to help around the house and pitch in.  In  God's perfect time he has worked it all out.  Last weekend when all of the work on the Sandra house needed to be done, the doctor told me I was able to ditch the crutches.  This weekend when work will slowly begin on the farm, God has allowed me to have both of my feet back.

I just heard this song on my Slacker station--Much of You.  In my thankfulness, I want to make much of my heavenly father and thank him for the many gifts that he has recently given me.  Healing my ankle seems like a small thing to me.  It isn't though.  He made my body to heal in just the right way, at just the right time.  He protected me from a much worse injury.  Thank you Father for this, my new home, my family, the daily bread that you give me, and most of all for the redemption that I find in your son.

Give the song a listen.  It's a good one.

The Cross and the Jukebox

I'm always interested when I see someone talking about common grace in music.  I get even more interested when someone is talking about good country music.  Rusell Moore recently started a weekly podcast entitled The Cross and the Jukebox.  He talks about the intersections of religion and country music.  So far it has been very interesting.  He references many times the "Jesus haunted South": the idea that everyone in the southern US has some idea of Jesus and Christianity in the recesses of their past.  If you've got an extra half hour each week, I'd recommend giving it a try.  Here are the songs that he's talked about so far.

I Saw the Light--Hank Williams, Sr.


Ring of Fire--Johnny Cash


Me and Jesus--Tom T. Hal

Wilco at Austin City Limits

This is my second music video in a row. I will get back to posting fun stories about the kids and the life of the Gammons family soon. Until then, enjoy this Wilco video from Austin City Limits. I especially love the guitar solo at about 25:30. I'm no guitarist, but it's pretty fun to watch that dude. It's great how even when he is totally jammin' out, you can still tell that he has the melody in mind.

Watch the full episode. See more Austin City Limits.

Song for those with disabilities . . . and me.

At the Desiring God blog this morning, they posted this song by Bob Kauflin.  It's titled "Song for those with disabilities."  I don't have a disability at least none that you would be able to see, and certainly don't want to trivialize the reality of disability, but this song seemed so much more universal than simply for those grieving their disability.  Don't we all struggle with the brokenness of sin?  Whether you have a disability that is outward or whether you just struggle with the sin in our world, I think this song would be applicable to you.

Click here to listen.


"Song for Those with Disabilities"

Within the womb I formed you
I fashioned and made each part
I thought of your fingers, your hands and your feet
Your mouth, your lungs, your heart
Though you might think that you’re different
I made you the way that you are
So you could discover the God who made you
And find out all I am
And though you might think you have limitations
There are no limits with me
When you turn your eyes to my salvation
Finally you will see
In Me, you have all that you need
In Me, you have all that you need
In Me, you have all that you’ll ever need.
And I’ve heard each prayer that you’ve called out
“Why did you make me this way?”
You may not completely understand now
But there will be a day
When I make everything known to you
And what you don’t now understand
You will see that I’m wise and I’m mighty and good
Just like all my plans
And if you trust in the work of my Son
One day you will see
That I’ve made you the way you are
To draw your heart to me
To draw your heart to me.

Psalty

If you grew up in a Christian home during the 1980's, chances are you are familiar with Psalty the singing songbook.  If you're not, here's some background.  In 1980, The Kid's Praise! Album was released.  It was the story of some kids finding a talking big blue song book at a playground.  The book was sad because no one would sing his songs.  He was happy when the kids sang the songs from their heart and praised Jesus.

There went on to be 10 Kid's Praise! albums.  My family only got through number 4.  We had the first two on record.  When Amanda and I got married she brought a couple of the older ones into our marriage.  We have purchased a couple of the older ones on CD for the kids and they love them.  It's hilarious because even on the CD at the end of the middle song, Psalty says, "Okay kids.  It's time to turn over the record!"  These albums can be credited with popularizing many songs from that era.

• Jesus, Name Above All Names
• I Love You Lord
• Make Me a Servant
• Seek Ye First
• And many more that you'd know

You can find a wikidpedia article about Psalty here.  And you can still get all of the albums on CD here.

My only critique of all of this is that it's pretty typical 1980's evangelical Pelagianism (the idea that we are basically good and therefor "man has the ability in and of himself (apart from divine aid) to obey God and earn eternal salvation.")  Lots of the things that Psalty says are admonitions to work hard at reading your Bible, praying and being a good person, basic moralism.  This is the kind of teaching that was so difficult for me growing up, so when I hear it, it really grinds me.  I wish Psalty would say, God loves you even when you don't do these things.  He died on the cross for you because no matter how much you do any of these good things, you will never be acceptable to Him.  But that's a different blog post.  I really love these CD's.  Check them out.

Marching bands rule!

If you like pop music and marching bands, check out this video from the band OK Go.  It's good.  I recommend clicking the link and watching it big on Youtube.  If you're lazy, you can watch it small below.


OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.


HT: Jim Spiegel

Music to Suffer to

Suffering is relative. Our whole house is in some degree of the flu. We're not suffering right now though. Our friends the Colberts are suffering. The family at church who's mom has "one foot in heaven" is suffering. But many people that we know right now are struggling through difficult things: sickness, sadness, loneliness, lack of sun, boredom, grief.

This got me thinking about good music when things hurt. Abraham did a post about your favorite song for sadness. I answered "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. That's not the kind of music that I'm talking about though. I'm thinking about my two favorite suffering albums. They both help to acknowledge and lament the fallenness in which we find ourselves and yet point us to the hope that we have in Christ. This is how the psalmist laments in Psalm 73. This is how I want to walk through suffering (whether lack of sun or watching someone I love die.) I want to weep for a time and then turn to God in hope. This is the kind of thing that happens multiple times a day: weeping . . . hope, weeping . . . hope, weeping . . . hope. If you are struggling right now or if you love someone who is, buy one of these albums and send it to them. Better yet, buy it and listen to it with them. Weep . . . hope.

New Springsteen--Old Me.

Today Bruce Springsteen releases his latest album, "Working On a Dream." This album kind of sneaked up on me. At the release of Springsteen's last album, "Magic," the boys and I had been anticipating it for weeks. We went out that Tuesday night and bought the CD. This time around though, I have not been anticipating it as much. I have downloaded the pre-release freebies and done some reading about it, but it hasn't really grabbed me. I even thought about just downloading it from iTunes today. (I have hard copies of all of my other Springsteen albums, just in case.)

I think that I have lost track of new music over the last year. Music has always been a way that I have sought to stay engaged with culture, but this year, I have not really been able to do that as much. It may be my increase in reading or the fault of my overloaded iPod (the subject of a future post.) The further away from college students I get, the further away from new music I get. I will definitely go out in the next few days, maybe even tonight, to get "Working On a Dream." Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars, just like almost all of Springsteen's latest albums. I am currently listening to it on lala. You can listen to it below. Make sure you catch The Boss at half time on Sunday.

Springsteen comes to St. Paul on May 11. Tickets go on sale on February 2. I think that this may have to be Ben and maybe Caleb's first Springsteen concert. We wanted to go so bad last time, but didn't pull the trigger. Tickets are so expensive, but I really want the boys to see him before he stops touring with the band. Will you be buying the album or seeing him on tour? Gregg and Brad, I already know your answers.

Memorize Hymns with Covenant Life Church

What a great idea! For the next ten months, Covenant Life Church, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is going to be memorizing ten great hymns of the faith. From their website, they explain the reason for doing this.

"We’re doing this project because we want to benefit not only from the songs written in our lifetime, but also from hymns that have served the people of God for generations and will endure long after we’re gone. They are time-tested and true. They speak to every circumstance of life and point us to the wisdom, love and power of our gracious God and Savior."

• Amazing Grace
• Before the Throne
• Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
• Be Thou My Vision
• And Can It Be
• Crown Him with Many Crowns
• A Mighty Fortress
• Be Still My Soul
• How Firm a Foundation
• Great is Thy Faithfulness

The best part is that you can join them. They have put up an album of these hymns on Noisetrade.com (a site I've mentioned before.) I'm listening to it now and the arrangements are new but not annoying. The list is pretty traditional. You might not know "Before The Throne". It is one that our church does quite a bit though and it is a great one. Click on the link below and it will take you to the download. Tell 5 friends or just pay what you want. Feel free to use my e-mail addresses.

NoiseTrade

Fair trade music? That is what these artists are purporting. If you go to NoiseTrade.com, you can see a list of artists that are "giving" away their music. You can download the music by either sending a message about the music to 5 e-mail addresses or by paying any price you want. I have downloaded three albums (Sorry to those who have gotten the e-mails.) There doesn't seem to be any catch.

The group of artists is headed by by Derek Webb, formerly of Caedmon's Call. He has given away his music before in other formats. I am not a huge fan of his music but I love his philosophy of art and music. The one album that I have really enjoyed from NoiseTrade is Kate York's Sadly Love. I had heard some of her music before and enjoyed it. You should definitely give it a try. Listen below.

Pretty Amazing Grace

On my most recent trip to Starbucks to finish off the rest of my Father's Day gift from Shube with a venti iced mocha, I found all of the CD's were on sale for $7.95. I'm not sure why, maybe our Starbucks is closing. (Alex, according to this map your store is okay. Shube the one near your work is out.) I couldn't help but pick up Neil Diamond's latest CD "Home After Dark". It is his second recording with Johnny Cash's former producer Rick Rubin. I'm not sure that Neil has had the same success with Rubin that Cash did, but I really enjoyed his first outing "12 Songs". If you're looking for some good music, check your local Starbucks.

I must admit that whenever I think of Neil Diamond and even when I saw him on American Idol I couldn't help but think of the Saturday Night Live sketch. I don't think he's really like that though.

Embed music on your blog

I was reading an article today about the Top 10 Hottest Music Sites and the mention the site imeem. They said that you could embed music into your blog posts. This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I have written about artists and wanted to give people a taste of their music. Now I think I'll be able to do this.

I have written about Kathleen Edwards before here. Here's a song off of her latest album Asking for Flowers. Enjoy!

Higher Call Quartet

I have been listening this morning to the CD from the quartet that Amanda's mom Shirley plays with. The name of the group is Higher Call. We went to the Minnesota State Fair to hear them sing last year and really enjoyed it. Shirley really enjoys playing for the group. You can check out more about Higher Call at their website. Also, watch the video below. Unfortunately this was before Shirley began playing with them.

The By/For Project

For a long time I have been fairly disillusioned with the Contemporary Christian Music world. It seems (GENERALIZATION ALERT) that the industry is filled with people who do not look too different from the world. Many of them simply seem to be using the name of Jesus to make a living. There are a number of artists who have bucked this trend. I have often written about Michael Card and Rich Mullins as two examples.

In another effort of Michael Card and some of his friends to continue to put out great music for the church, they have started a website entitled The By/For Project church. What a great. It is all about music and visual art "by and for the church." It is a place for Christian artists to post their art and for the church to get it and use it. It is all under creative commons licensing, so a person from your church could get the music, add to it, change it and use it however they want. They have to give credit to the original artist though. Another idea behind it is that churches would patronize artists. They would pay them to make music for the global idea! Currently there is one album there. It is A Sweet Sacrifice, worship music for Lent. There are a number of different artists on the album including Michael Card. I downloaded it this morning and am enjoying now.

If you are interested in music for your church, or if you are an artist interested in supplying music for the church, then check this out.

Michael Card in concert

On Saturday night I dragged Amanda, Brad and Sarah to a Michael Card show. I had known that he was coming to the Twin Cities for a while, but I wasn't sure if I was going to go. I really didn't want to go by myself. I was thankful for the company. It was such a great concert. It was at a little church quite near Shirley's house. His music is so strictly crafted around God's word and his encouragement all night was to read through the Bible. So he started with Genesis and in song, walked through the story of God as revealed in the Bible. He said that God's deepest longing is to simply be with us and that what God really offered us was Himself.

Michael (or Mike as the people on his radio show call him) played the piano, banjo and guitar. (Brad was very interested in this because Mike is left handed and plays a right handed guitar upside down. He doesn't string it differently, he simply flips it over.) Jeff Taylor, who often plays with him on the radio, was also there. He played the accordion, penny whistle, and piano. They played all of my favorite MC songs. After the intermission we sang a few hymns all together as well. Mike has recently released a collection of hymns. I bought it there and have already listened to it a few times. It is a good collection of ones that I know well and other hymns that are new to me. You can purchase it here. Mike did a lot of speaking which is typical, but there was also a lot of music. It was three hours well spent. I left feeling encouraged and closer to God. I hope that he also left feeling the same. Whenever I go and see artists who are not "making it big," I am always aware and hopeful that I am a participant in their life. One of the main reasons that I went was to let him know that I appreciate him and the work that he is doing.

Check out a previous post about Michael Card here.

Kathleen Edwards--Asking For Flowers

"Asking for flowers

Is like asking you to be nice
Don't tell me you're too tired
10 years I've been working nights"

This is how Kathleen Edwards laments her character's relationship in the title track from her newest album Asking For Flowers. I have listened to a few tracks online and it is GOOD. I love her previous work and this is more of the same. First stream the whole album at her website, then buy the album at Amazon.

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Now playing: Kathleen Edwards - In State
via FoxyTunes

Added a little music

Taking some cues from Traci McKee, I added a little music to my blog. I did it through playlist.com, if you're interested. The playlist is at the bottom of my page if you want to see it or turn it off. If it gives any of you problems, send me an e-mail or leave a comment.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

I don't know what you've been listening to lately, but whatever it is, SHUT IT OFF! Turn on some Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Sharon Jones is a 51-year-old black woman with some sweet pipes. She has been doing music for a long time, but finally has been noticed by the mainstream (me for instance.) The Dap Kings are a group of smooth criminals funkin' around behind her. They play a great mix of 60's and 70's era funk and Motown. I watched a great podcast last night and couldn't wait to get to work to listen to some more. If you grew up with the Motown sound or just like a great groove, you'll love Sharon! Ooooh, don't stop!

A few great live shows

Lately I have found some really great live shows on-line. They are from artists that I really like. Downloading these free live shows is legal and it is a great way to check out artists that are new or that you might just be getting into. The links will take you to the original pages where the mp3's can be found. Most of them have zip files where you can download the whole show too. Let me know if you like any of this.

David Gray
KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic, 8/18/05
This is a great live studio performance on the Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show. I'm not a huge David Gray fan but Amanda likes him. And hey, its free.

Jason Harrod
Zoka Coffee, Seattle, WA, 7/26/03 (This page is a little slow.)
Jason Harrod, of Harrod and Funck does a great show in a coffee house in Seattle. He does some H&F stuff as well as some of his newer material. Check this out especially if you haven't listened to him since H&F.

Vigilantes of Love
7th Street Loft, Lincoln, NE, 9/1/00
Bill Mallonee and VOL are in prime form on this show. They do some of their best songs and some that you have probably not heard. VOL is no longer touring so a chance to hear them live like this is a treat.

Ryan Adams
Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland, 11/28/02
On a solo tour, Ryan Adams does a great show and the recorder catches it in great quality. He is fowl mouthed as always, but the songs are all right there.

Wilco
Troutdale, OR, 8/22/07 (part one)
Troutdale, OR, 8/22/07 (part two)
This show is from Wilco's latest tour. It is a very good one. If you've not heard Wilco before, begin here.

BONUS!
Pink Floyd
Dark Soundboard of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 3/15/73
Here Pink Floyd plays their Dark Side of the Moon album live in its entirety. I played this for Benjamin and Caleb last night. They thought it was pretty cool, but it also freaked them out a little. Matthew was in the tub and heard it from the back of the house. He got so freaked out, he said, "I want to see Papa." He got out of the tub, soaking wet and came out to see what was going on.

Thanks to all of the original tapers and to those who post this great stuff. Keep it up. Keep it free!

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Now playing: The Weepies - How Will He Find Me
via FoxyTunes

Neko Case

If you like female artists like Patty Griffin, Karin Bergquist (Over the Rhine), Gillian Welch, and Emmylou Harris, but also like a little rock and roll turned up to "11", you'll love Neko Case. She is considered one of the best female alt-country performers around. She croons like Karin Berquist, but howls like Springsteen. I love her artistic expressions. Her songs are not just the typical love songs or topical songs. They are more works of art with great description.

I discovered her through Paste Magazine and found out that I liked her through the music that she and her label give away on the net. (Why don't more artists and labels do this?) If you'd like to check out Neko, get some of her music here, here, here (a great live show), or here (NPR live concerts podcast). On the NPR live concerts podcast you can also download a great show from a band that Neko plays with, The New Pornographers. They are a great band. After you've listened to all of this, let me know what you think.