old friends, new perspectives

One of the weird things about doing what I do, and being in the community that I do it in, is that your friends have fans that see them in a completely different light than you do. Every now and then, though, you catch a glimpse of what they see when they're sitting there in their seats, watching us do our things.

Tonight I played a little in-the-round acoustic concert with my friends Matthew Perryman Jones, Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken. All three of these people are dear friends of mine. I got to know their music after getting to know them so, although I think they make wonderful music, that's not the first thing I associate with them.

I've worked off and on with Derek for years. We've toured together in a variety of circus acts, played on a bunch of the same records, and I'm now taking my turn in the role he created in Caedmon's Call. And tonight, I got his music in a way I never have before.

I realized that he makes statements that cause discussion. The one that caught my ear tonight was a line from a new song : "you're only free when you have no choice." What an interesting line. I don't know, at first, what it even really means, but it makes me think. And I think if I was with somebody else, it might make us both think, and our thinking will probably not be the same and we'll have the afore-mentioned discussion. That's so cool.

Derek's writing is littered with "statements" like that, and now that I realize it, it's fascinating. I have never written something like that. I tell stories. She saw this and it made her think of this... That's the way I get to the bottom of my thoughts. I just love that there is such a variety of ways to express ideas and get people thinking and talking and changing. And I love that I get to discover my old friends in new ways because of it.

last-minute Nashville show (Derek, Sandra, MPJ and me)

We are having a last-minute "old school" RUF Benefit concert here in Nashville tomorrow night. It'll be Sandra McCracken, Derek Webb, Matthew Perryman Jones and me. The show will be at Belmont beginning at 7:30pm. We are trying to raise money for the RUF Spring Break Mission/Vision trip to New York CIty so please help spread the word! Here are the details:

Monday Feb 26th at 7:30pm

Where? In the new Beaman Student Center across from Bongo Java. (#20 on this map)
We will be in Rooms A&B (which when joined together they call "C" - go figure) Anyway, it is basically in between the Curb Cafe and the climbing wall. If you went in the ground level entrance where that big stairway is facing Bongo then you would run right into it.

The four of us used to do these things fairly often a few years ago, and it will be a blast to do another one. Hope to see you there!

studio update

A couple photos from this week's Caedmon's session...

Josh, Cliff and I working on a tune...


my acoustics...


some of my electrics...


my amps...


drum world


percussion world

wunnin'

Well, we have officially started recording the new Caedmon's Call album. I spent eleven hours at the studio today, and it was a good day. I ended up playing bass on the two songs we tracked yesterday, and will work on electrics on those songs tomorrow. I love playing bass. If you want to hire me to play for you, just call me. I'd love to.

I brought my camera today so I could take pictures to share with you, but I didn't have time to get it out, it was such a busy day. So I'll try to get some up tomorrow and for today, here's one from earlier this week. My birthday was Tuesday, the weather was incredible, and I took most of the day off to spend with my family. Ella was very excited to go wunnin' (i.e. running) outside, so we ran around the yard for a long time. It was great.



Many thanks to all of you involved in the discussion from the past couple of posts. I have more thoughts, as usual, but I'm going to shelve them for a few weeks while I keep reading yours. I'll be back there soon, no worries.

For now, though, the house is quiet. Both girls are asleep, which won't last long, and Alison went to Target with a friend. I'm going to try to stay awake through whatever TV show I need to catch up on is first on the tape. Probably The Office. More tomorrow from the studio...

No Man's Land, part 2

Once again, let me say how much I love you people. I love that an actual discussion is being had, and that you don't all agree! If you haven't been around in a while I'm talking about my previous post and the comments that have followed.

In the meantime, the interview I mentioned last post has been put up, as has a review of my latest record The Morning. Here is the interview and here is the review.

I want to expound on a couple points brought in the above articles, as well as stuff I said last night. In no particular order, here are my thoughts, as always, open for discussion...

- Thanks to the bulk of you who advised and encouraged me to keep on doing what I'm doing. I appreciate that more than you know, and it's what I'll be doing.

- My big concern, however, is that people who might really like my music are turned off if they hear about me as a "christian artist". This is what the interviewer, A.L. Harper says, and it's why she wouldn't have done the interview had I been brought to her attention that way.

And she's right. Completely. I'm exactly the same way. I don't really listen to "christian" music, and if you give me some music to check out and you call it that, I probably won't listen to it. It carries with it a connotation of not being good, and of being music I won't like. That's a stereotype, but stereotypes don't spring up at random. They're hasty judgments based on previous experience, and while some are terribly wrong, they are also often accurate.

Most "christian" music I have heard, and believe me, I've heard more than most of you, will tend to be simplistic, preachy, poorly made and shallow. There are wonderful, incredible exceptions, but that's just what they are: exceptions. I've had enough experience to know that, as a genre, "christian" music rarely affects me and often offends me.

There are two major problems with a genre defined not even by lyrical content but by the religious belief of the artist. One is that the content has to be very surface-y to cover a wide variety of actual beliefs. Secondly, it makes great assumptions on the artist's purpose and allegiances.

Most people assume that "christian" music is evangalistic, meaning its a means to an end to convert people. And most people would, historically, be right. Until very recently that was the main goal of the genre.

Most people then also assume that the artist is pro-life, voted for the Bush family, has perfect kids (who will soon rebel) and that they don't drink, smoke or watch R movies. And again, they may be right. Sometimes. But not all the time. Just like any other group in any situation, people are people, and they are all incredibly unique and will continue to surprise you with what they think.

This broad canvas over every artist who professes this certain faith implies so much, and I don't want that, and that's what I want to know how to be rid of.

Hear me now: I am not ashamed to believe in Jesus. I am ashamed of Pat Robertson hijacking my faith for his crazy political agenda. I am ashamed of a President who confuses good vs. evil with "they have oil and I want it". I am ashamed of Jerry Falwell and Benny Hinn. I called Bruce Wilkinson, author of The Prayer of Jabez, a liar and a crook to his face. I would do it again today. Because he, like these other guys, is taking what I believe and twisting it for money and for power and, in their headline-grabbing foolishness, making the truly faithful and honest believers look like idiots.

This is the main reason I am scared of "christian" music. I don't want to listen to it, because I assume it will be shallow, preachy and offensive to those who don't agree. I don't want to be called it, because I like my music and I want others to hear it, without the Left Behind-reading, Harry Potter-burning stigma.

BUT I'm here, so what do I do?

ALSO there is a great need for the Church to overcome this negative image. The links I posted last night to Dalit Freedom, Compassion, Blood:Water are what we should be seeing. I wish that the image people thought of when they thought of Christianity was feeding the poor and freeing the oppressed instead of picketing gay-rights parades.

That is the main reason I play for Caedmon's Call. They are a "christian" band, without a doubt. And they're doing amazing things for the people in India, and they're getting the Church involved, using music to get in the door. That, to me, is incredibly worthwhile.

So I'm left with this: I don't want to play "christian" music if it means I'm expected to believe and act one way and only that one way. I don't want to NOT play "christian" music if it means I have to do the same thing with an opposite set of rules. I guess I stay where I am and make the best music I'm able.

But I don't want to just "let the chips fall where they may". Again, I have a wife and two very adorable little girls to care for. And I would like my music to have a bigger, wider audience. Suggestions? Opinions? Further discussion?