Grace Unmeasured

Once again, I've seriously procrastinated in blogging. Upon realizing I needed to start things up AGAIN, I was having a hard time thinking of things to blog about. Finally, I remembered something painfully obvious - my first visit to New York City. I know most people have been there before, but I was so thrilled to be able to visit, and I still am! So, starting after my two sisters and I got on a bus to New York City...

I was on the bus, sitting with my sister who had never been to New York City, either. We wanted to sit together on the way there so that we could experience the excitement of seeing New York City for the first time together (corny sounding, but fun). The bus ride had been somewhat interesting in the beginning, but the further we traveled, the less eye-catching the scenery became. Eventually, there was nothing to look at but the highway, small patches of barren ground and forest trees (the latter not as pretty as it sounds), so I decided to read a book so I could have something else to look at. Eventually, things became interesting again when we entered into a part of New Jersey (I think that's where it was; it could've been in New York state) where there were various factories for well-known stores and companies lining the right side of the highway. The one that stood out to me the most and got me excited was the Canon Service Center Factory, as I love and only use Canon cameras ;-) Unfortunately, that interesting area of factories was gone as quick as it came. Back to the same unchanging, indistinctive sights, I returned to my book. There came a point, though, when I became a bit tired of reading, so I put my book down...just at the right time. In a few minutes, I happened to turn my head and glance out the window opposite my side of the bus, and my heart jumped when I saw what appeared to be a distant, blue, and very small silhouette of the Chrysler building. I knew that's what it was; unless I was bored and hallucinating, or there was a little place in New Jersey that was trying to copy New York City, it couldn't have been anything else. I excitedly told my sister that I thought I just saw the Chrysler building. She paid careful attention to me, and then said, very slowly seriously, after a long pause, "...was the top of it shining?"...it took me a second to get what she meant, then I realized she was referring to my favorite line from the movie Annie ("I want this place to shine like the top of the Chrysler building!!"), and we both laughed. We both started to try and see if we could find the silhouettes of New York City again, and sure enough, we did, and were struck by the realization that it was actually a real place. I felt (and still feel) so silly to be so excited because a city I'd heard so much about was real, but it was, truly, a wonderful feeling. Closer and closer, the buildings were no longer distant and blue, but clear, grand and big. As soon as we got caught up in what felt like never-ending traffic on the highway, just outside the city, I knew for sure that we were in New York.

Our bus drove into the city, and even though it was a double-decker bus, I couldn't see anywhere near the tops of the buildings. We had arrived. We got off around a place called Penn Station, and made our (very long) way to Times Square through narrow, busy sidewalks full of old stores, street vendors trying to sell bubbles, and the loudest car honking I've ever heard in my life. It was awkward and at times a bit scary, but I couldn't help but laugh and embrace the chaos as I made my way through. We stopped and had some delightful, genuine New York pizza at a family-owned place called Abitino's, then we arrived in the depths of Times Square, which, very weirdly, didn't feel as big as I imagined it, but was definitely more fun! There's so much to look at; video screens with commercials and ads vying for your attention every which way, theaters showing famous broadway musicals, and countless other things I can't even remember.

We stopped in Hard Rock Cafe where we got to see suits that the Beatles once wore and an awesome wall made of guitars, then on our way to Rockefeller Center, we stopped and watched a wonderful Scottish parade filled with people in plaid and the sounds of bagpipes, then we finally arrived at one of my favorite things of the day, the GE Building, otherwise known as the NBC Studios, or 30 Rock! (heard of the NBC show of the same name? That's the building ;-) We went inside to the NBC store where they sell all sorts of merchandise related to NBC shows, and other shows NBC occasionally airs. We were all amused looking at the T-shirts, mugs, bobbleheads and other things that promoted our favorite NBC shows, and there were countless things I would have LOVED to buy; however, I was there to buy one specific thing that is scarcely available in the US, and strangely, doesn't have anything to do with NBC that I know of. I was told that they sold three Doctor Who shirts (in a nutshell, Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show, my all-time favorite show, and the best show in the world, period), and I was SO excited to get one, as I've never come across any Doctor Who-related merchandise before. So, I left the NBC store very happy (still on the lookout for Tina Fey, of course), watched everyone ice skating out front, and was exceedingly happy.

Nearing the end of the day, my sisters and I went walking around, visited the store Anthropologie, made our way to sit on a bench at the edge of Central Park and rest, then got a quick dinner/dessert at Starbucks. We knew it was time to make our way back to the bus, so we began our final walking journey. Unexpectedly, we walked by the Empire State building on the way there, which was quite wonderful and exciting! I snapped my last few pictures of the day, then we finally boarded the bus and started our way home.

I didn't expect it, but leaving felt somewhat sad. As we were driving further and further away from the city, I was beginning to see more and more of it; we were even able to see the statue of liberty off in the distance, which, to my surprise, looked smaller than I ever thought! I already missed New York City. When I got in my bed that night and fell asleep, I even started dreaming that I was *still* walking through New York with my sisters, and then I woke when my legs started "walking" uncontrollably in my sleep ;-) I still miss the city, and I hope I can go visit again. It was such a delightful, fabulous day, and I'm so glad I could experience it with my sisters!

Oh, and of course, I have pictures from the adventure on Flickr! ;-)

Ages ago, when I first began my little blog, I often liked reviewing the albums I was enjoying. It wasn't too long before I stopped doing that. Not really sure why, but it just didn't happen again. However, I've found in the past year or two that somewhere in me, there's still a desire to review. So, I recently saw an opportunity, now that one of my all-time favorite bands, Stellar Kart, is releasing their new album Everything Is Different Now on Tuesday, March 9th. The album has actually been available at live shows and the band's online store since September, but on the 9th, it will be available to the general public in all stores. The review begins...

Stellar Kart's newest album, Everything Is Different now, definitely lives up to its title, and in a very good way. I can see huge growth; musically, lyrically and spiritually, on this album. The band's raw, punk sound stayed for their first two albums, until they released their third, Expect The Impossible, when it changed to more of a "power-pop punk-rock" sound (as they used to call it). Now, don't get me wrong, ETI was a fine album, and whatever I say about it is just my personal opinion; no disrespect! ;-) A couple of Stellar Kart's biggest hits came from it (as well as some of my favorite Stellar Kart songs). However, I must confess that it was not my favorite Stellar Kart album. Again, I've always enjoyed listening to it, just not my favorite. Part of it, I think, was that it was such a far cry from everything else we'd ever heard from them before. A musical improvement, no doubt, but to me, it sounded in some ways like it was trying a wee bit too hard to be different and to reinvent (again, just what it looked like to me. I don't know the guys, so I don't know that that was really happening! I've also learned since then that an artist needs to be artistic). So, is there a point to everything I'm saying about Expect The Impossible when I'm supposed to be reviewing a completely different album? The point is, I feel like Everything Is Different Now combines all the best parts of Expect The Impossible with the best parts of the first two albums, which did need some growth. Everything Is Different Now, to me, is a very balanced album. It does have a different sound from Stellar Kart's earlier material, but it's undeniably Stellar Kart. They definitely went back to their roots on this one, but progressed quite a bit at the same time. As cheesy as it sounds, I'm proud of them.

Everything Is Different Now opens with the fresh and upbeat worship song "All My Heart," which is a perfect introduction to the album, giving a pretty good idea of the things to come. Next comes a cover of the Steve Fee worship classic "We Shine," which is Stellar Kart's first single from this album. Now, some might have a problem with the fact that half of the album is made of covers. I'm not usually into a bunch of covers all being on one album, however, I think that it seemed to work out pretty well in this case. I think that the songs they've chosen to cover, as well as the new ones they wrote, express where they are as artists and as people. Some songs seem to be done as a tribute to the original artist or just for fun, and then there are well-known worship songs; the previously mentioned "We Shine" and Matt Redman's "You Never Let Go."

Musically, the title song seems to pick up where "Hold On" left off on the band's sophomore album We Can't Stand Sitting Down (not saying it's a copy or anything, just has a similar styles, mixing and harmonizing). In my opinion, it's one of Stellar Kart's best songs to date. I can definitely see it becoming the next radio single very soon. You would never know it if you've only heard their more upbeat songs, but the band has always made fantastic ballads, and that definitely shows on this album. One song I think will be popular among devoted fans and new listeners is "It's Not Over," a hopeful, encouraging, very acoustic guitar-based song, featuring a lyrical collaboration with Chasen Callahan, frontman of the band Chasen (known for their hit "Crazy Beautiful.") The album's closer "Like The Sun" is a piano-driven ballad that mildly resembles the gentler moments on Expect The Impossible in some parts. One of the greatest lyrical stand-outs and most worshipful moments on the album is "Rescue," made noticeable to me by a very enthusiastic, Gospel-centered lyric, co-written with a few members of Hillsong United (I think I heard it was with them; don't quote me on it). It keeps the classic Stellar Kart "power-pop/punk-rock" sound with an upbeat tempo, bright, crunchy guitar hooks and buzzing synths. With such worshipful lyrics, I would be surprised if it doesn't make it on the worship setlists of various Church youth groups.

Now, there is one song of which I've only heard about 20 seconds, and am looking forward to hearing in full-length. It seems that since the album was first being released at concerts, there are going to be a few minor adjustments, one of which is a song called "Something Holy," which was not on the earliest version of the album, the version I bought in September (I'm assuming the other adjustments will not be on the CD itself but on the packing, where the track list on the back of the case had mixed up the order of a few songs, and in the insert, where an old draft lyric was printed instead of the final one...I think the latter will actually be a gem to fans who bought the early version of the album, giving them the feeling of seeing a small "behind the scenes" featurette). The very little I heard of the song had what sounded like Owl City influence and seemingly good lyrics, so my plan is to buy it on iTunes the second the album officially releases ;-)

Overall, Everything Is Different Now is a huge step of growth in many ways for Stellar Kart, and I believe it will give them a broader appeal than they've had in the past, but without compromising the band's signature sound. I can see them gaining more fans and attention from the industry and from music listeners overall when this album gets out. As a fan, a music-lover and a Christian, I certainly hope that happens. My hope that people will not only enjoy the music, but be encouraged and moved by the lyrics as well. For that very reason, I highly recommend that you check out the album, and if you like it, buy it!

Where to buy:
Stellar Kart's store - MusiChristian - Amazon - Amazon MP3

This time, I'm back for real. Yes, for real! So, where are we now? Well, we have quite a bit to catch up on. As one of the things I primarily blog about is music, it's important that I address the changes that have taken place within my favorite bands! First off, I developed an official Top 5 All-Time Favorite Artists list: The Newsboys, TobyMac, dc Talk, Delirious?, and Stellar Kart. Well, that's not so huge, but I felt it was worth saying! ;-) Delirious?, as many of you know, had their last concert together this November (I am sad about their ending, especially as I never got to see them in concert and now probably never will, but I'm fully supportive Martin Smith's decision to devote more time to his family and am looking forward to seeing where everybody goes in the future!). Stellar Kart's long-time and original guitarist Cody Pellerin left the band last Summer, and was replaced by the awesome and hilarious Jon Howard (formerly of the band Dizmas). Oh, and speaking of which, God kindly provided me an opportunity to see Stellar Kart live at Awakening Fest 2009 in September (Jon is perfect for the band!), which may as well have been my first Stellar Kart concert (since the last time I saw them was at the Newsboys' GO tour, when I knew nothing about them); yes, it was AMAZING! I had the great privilege and pleasure of meeting the whole band; it was wonderful to finally be able to say "thank you" and tell them how God's used their music in my life.

Since my last post, I've also attended the Newsboys' Join The Tribe tour in 2009 and the Winter Jam '09 tour (headlined by TobyMac; AMAZING event!) in the same weekend. Reviews will come...eventually...I hope...(okay, this is getting to be a depressing post!) Well, as for that Newsboys concert, it turned out to be more important than I realized when I was there! As you can see below, my last entry contained comments about recent member changes in the Newsboys (well, by recent, I guess I mean year-old and forgotten by now!). Since my last post, there's been yet another change in the Newsboys. Pretty much all of you who might like the Newsboys or follow them a bit know, since it's been almost a year! While I was very sad to hear of Paul Colman's departure in January of '09, I contently welcomed former long-time guitarist Jody Davis back into the band. This following change in the band, however, was far more drastic than the first. I woke up one Sunday morning, March 8th and, quite unexpectedly, noticed rumors circulating on the internet about lead singer Peter Furler leaving the band. Naturally, I was shocked and very confused! As a fan, of course, the idea was sad to me. But while questions would continually pop into my head, I chose not to jump to conclusions, as there hadn't even been a press release yet. Besides, there seemed to be plenty of evidence against it...they were only eight dates into the new Join The Tribe tour (FYI, I had seen the third date of the tour two weeks earlier). They were releasing a new album in a couple of months. Wouldn't it be a little odd for Peter to drop out in the middle of all that? Nah, it couldn't be true. Things just got all the more confusing when a bunch of talk was coming up about Michael Tait (formerly of dc Talk and his band Tait) becoming Peter Furler's replacement. You're kidding, right? Two of the most popular bands in Christian music having a "mash-up?" Two of my all-time favorite bands? That's crazy. Actually, in some ways, it made a lot of sense. Michael had made surprise appearances at a couple of the tour dates, including the one I attended, to sing with the Newsboys on a couple of songs, and they hadn't said why he was there. My sister and I just figured it was a random, but cool idea for an interesting cameo. But it became far more "official" sounding when people on the Newsboys message board who had attended the Acquire The Fire conference in Texas the previous night (the 7th), said that the band came on stage with Michael Tait in Peter Furler's place, and that Michael announced later that night that he was indeed the new lead singer.

I know. It hardly needs saying. But, I'll say it anyway. It's been a whole year, and I've never made a real post. A week or two ago, however, I realized it actually *was* possible for me to start up my blog again. I must say, it makes me quite happy to return for real! I didn't realize until now just how much I miss blogging. Just let me take a moment to dance around singing, "The blog is back! The blog is back!" Anyway, I'll walk away from my non-sense and return to Grace Unmeasured: my blog about music, life, and, most importantly: GRACE.

So, I'll get to the thing that reminded me to make a blog post today. If you've ever read my blog, then you'll know that music is a great passion of mine, and that one of my favorite bands in Christian music (number one favorite favorite, actually) is the Newsboys. I've been a committed fan for almost six years now (has it been that long?), and one thing I've learned is that there seems to be a "curse of the guitarist" as one of my sisters and I jokingly call it.

Well, it's painfully obvious, but there is SO much we have to catch up on here! :-) This time, and I really do mean this time, I WILL get this place going again! Be patient, and I'll try to get my review of Alex and Brett Harris's Rebelution conference up...be back VERY soon!! :-)

1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

How many of my entries have that title? Well, I'm not gonna pretend like I didn't abandon this place for the last few months, so I will say that I'm VERY sorry about that! I've figured out how to "recover" my site, and I've still got a few things to get fixed, but other than that, I'm getting things back on their feet. Oh, and I hope you like the new layout! Yes, I do realize that it is incredibly random compared to my normal layouts...but I hope you like it :-) I promise I really will be back soon and get everything fixed/finished! Until then...