Recently in Music Category

Okay, so the new year isn't really that new anymore, but here I am now, with my first post and first new layout of 2008 :-) Yes, as you can see, the layout is very, very different from what I normally do. But I recently found an old coke machine and just had to take a picture of it ;-) Oh, that reminds me! I got a nice camera in December, for which I am EXTREMELY grateful. It take pretty good photos and I'm having loads of fun with it! Oh, and of course, you can see all of the photos I've taken with it on Flickr ;-)

Oh, and speaking of Flickr, it seems that my picture of a half-eaten oreo has gotten unexpectedly popular since I posted it on Sunday night. It's already gotten a little over 100 views just in a few days, and normally, it takes months for one of my photos to even get near that. What can I say, I'm flattered to have my first "claim to fame" on Flickr ;-D

Of course, I couldn't forget to mention that the new Stellar Kart album, Expect The Impossible, is less than two months away! It officially releases on February 26th, and it's already available for pre-order (I already took care of that for myself, of course ;-). On top of that, you'll get to hear a new song from the album every Tuesday (starting at 10:00 AM EST, 9:00 AM WST). As for my thoughts on the new album...well, the JFH has song clips available in their Album PReview section, and judging by what I've heard, I think the previous work of Stellar Kart is far better (especially the amazing "pink and black album," We Can't Stand Sitting Down). The only complaint I have about E.T.I. is that it tends to be a little over-produced at times (in other words, it sounds a little more run of the mill and "not Stellar Kart," if you know what I mean), but aside from that, I definitely do like it and plan to enjoy it! So far, my favorite songs are "Innocent," "Shine Like The Stars," and "Letters." Ah, and here's a link to the graphic I made in honor of the up-coming album...

As my mind is a bit empty/drained right now, I plan to be back soon with more important things to talk about :-) TTYL!

Funny: It seems that my niece, Emma got a little confused about how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. She said, "Let's play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Okay, I'll be the rock, you (Juliet) be the scissors, and you (Jordan) be the paper."

Verse: "...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16 (ESV)

Here's an awesome video of the ever-wonderful sisters in BarlowGirl performing their song "Average Girl" that I just had to show you guys!...

To see what else I have to say, click "Continue reading"...

How are you all doing? It's been about two weeks since my last post, and I felt the need to come back. Let's see...where do I start?

Well, I've updated my Flickr a good bit. I also added a sample of my yet-to-be-completed remix of "The Mission" by the Newsboys to the mixes section here. What else has happened?

Well, as expected, I miss Spencer very much. I have to say, now that I'm the only child left in the house, it's actually been very quiet since she got married. Well, it's not just because I'm the only child in the house but more because Spence was always the one with the outgoing, fun personality. I've always been a lot more quiet and a bit shy, so I always look forward to seeing her so my fun side can "wake up" a bit ;-) Of course, whenever she's not available, I can go visit or call my nieces, in which case I'm bound to get at least one good laugh ;-) Anyway, Spencer is enjoying her married life immensely, for which I'm extremely grateful! To borrow something my dad said, I'm more happy for her than I ever was sad for myself.

I also got to see the musical Annie on stage! That was an extremely enjoyable experience. I've grown up loving the movie (the 80's version), so I was very excited to see the stage version! In my opinion, the most exciting performances were of the songs "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here," "Easy Street" and "I Don't Need Anything But You." Also, a friend of our's was playing Daddy Warbucks, which added to the excitement! He did an amazing job, too! Anyway, I'm very glad I got to see the play! It reminded me how much I've always loved that musical.

So, I admit I don't have much else to say. But, one thing. I'm thinking of signing off all my future blog entries with one funny thing (picture, quote, etc.), and one verse from the Bible. Does that sound like a good idea to you? I guess I'll start here...

Funny: Here's something Juliet (my niece) said when she was praying recently: "Lord Jesus, please help God to give me good sleep."

Verse: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

So, I got to hear some awesome music and see some awesome bands yesterday at Awakening Fest! Headlined by TobyMac and co-headlined by BarlowGirl, it was a wonderful day! Before I say anymore, I'd like give a HUGE thank-you to my dad, without whom I could not have made it to Awakening Fest! Thank you, Daddy, for enduring the cold wind and pain and making it from early morning to late night. I enjoyed the time with you and I'm glad you enjoyed it too!

So, moving on, BarlowGirl put on an awesome show and sang just about every song I hoped for. As for TobyMac...well...let's just say that he and his band put on the most amazing concert ever! I was completely blown away the first time I saw him back in 2005, but last night, he was even better, which I didn't think could be possible! Overall, it was an amazing day, and the best parts were the moments where the crowds settled down and simply worshiped and sang to the Lord. If you've ever been to a large concert/event, it's chilling and beautiful to hear hundreds of different people coming together to worship the same God.
I won't say anymore now, because I'll be working on the review, which I hope will come along okay, because I'm actually having a lot of trouble remembering everything right now. Hopefully it'll all come back to me, though! But anyway, to tide you over 'til the review is done, I'll let you see my pictures and videos!

Pictures
Videos

Btw, please excuse the lack of TobyMac pictures and videos. My camera ran out of space before his show, so I took my dad's camera, which had only enough space left for two videos. Sorry! Hopefully there'll be a next time, though :-)

Oh, and I hope you like the new layout! Obviously, it's themed with TobyMac, as it has lyrics from one of his songs and the logo of his latest album ;-) I figured it was time for a change and I thought this new one fit :-)

Be back soon! :-)

Well, first off, many new photos have been added to my Flickr. Maybe I should start adding some variety to my photos, taking pictures of things other than just food? ;-) I don't know, maybe it's just that it's been a long time since I've gone to any places that have good photo opps. I'll try to find something soon :-)

Ah, but what I especially wanted to share with you in this post is an amazing song that I've only just recently discovered. You see, I've been listening to Rebecca St. James for about 5 years now, so you'd think I'd be up to date on all her music. Well, I do know all the stuff she's released, but there are some songs of hers that I, for some reason, just haven't bothered to listen to. When the time comes where I finally do get around to listening to a song, I wonder why I never listened to it before, and that's definitely been the case with her song "Forgive Me," to which I'm posting the lyrics. I listened to the song about a week or two ago, and it's really meant a lot to me. I think we can all really relate to the words, and at the end it reminds us of God's amazing grace...

For all the times I’ve failed You, Lord
Forgive me
For all the ways I’ve fallen short
Lord, forgive me now
God, I’m so in need of grace
I fall upon my face
Forgive me

God we praise You for Your grace
Before You we are raised
Forgiven
God we praise You for Your grace
Before You we are raised
Forgiven

Oh, I forgot to mention, I also added some of my new mixes to the My Music page, one of which is a TobyMac remix :-) So...I'll be back soon, people! Have a great week!

I recently stumbled across the music of an old Christian group called Sozo, which consisted of ex-Newsboys keyboardist Corey Prior and his wife. I've found their obscure music thoroughly enjoyable whilst wondering what the word "Sozo" could possibly mean. After a small bit of reading and google-searching, I realized just how cool this Greek word really is. Here are three descriptions which I think define the word "Sozo" perfectly...

Dictionary: "To exit a life of danger / distruction and enter a life of safety and wholeness."

Cory Prior (from Sozo): "As Christians we are called to live a pure life before God in every way. We want kids to know that they can live a pure life through Jesus Christ."

Titus 2:11-13: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."

Good stuff, huh?

If you want to check out some music from the band Sozo, you can go to THIS page at iTunes to sample and/or purchase their album, The Walk. Mostly soft pop/rock, but "Global Culture Sega Child" and "Life Cycle" are two very upbeat techno tracks for people like myself ;-)