Jack White talks about working when he doesn’t feel like it, deadlines and doing things the hard way
27 August 2012
tags: creativity,
music,
video
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Only me!
I have written before that I’m not a fan of today’s church music. Apparently a lot of other people aren’t too. Today Christianity Magazine posted an article asking Has Worship Music Lost Its Soul? (Short answer: yes.)
In the article, some church music industry mavericks point out how boring church music has gotten, some pundits explain why there’s a problem, the established superstar defends the status quo – so far it’s what I expected, especially since most of the stuff in the article happened elsewhere on the Internet months ago – and then (this is where I get depressed) a solution is offered. The solution is have a play around with some other styles of music, i.e. Why stick to bad parodies of Coldplay when you could also be ripping off Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, some whale song and Snoop’s rap break in California Gurls? If the kids like the dubstep, do some dubstepping for Jesus. C’mon everyone! This will be fun! (I’m paraphrasing a little bit.)
THIS ISN’T A SOLUTION! THIS IS THE MUSICAL EQUIVALENT OF APPLYING A DIFFERENT INSTAGRAM FILTER TO THE SAME LAME PHOTO OF YOUR COFFEE MUG AND HOPING THAT THIS TIME IT WILL WIN FIRST PRIZE IN THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO COMPETITION. NO! IT WON’T WIN!
Ranting is easy. Let me try to say something positive now.
I’m a church music observer, not a practitioner, which means I’m that guy. Nevertheless, with apologies, here are my suggestions to help church music people find the soul again.
- Don’t change anything publicly yet. You don’t know what needs changed.
- Except for essential church band duties, ban church music from your ears for at least six months. A year would be better. You need a musical detox.
- Get to know the giants on whose shoulders you are standing. Find out who the musical heroes of your musical heroes are. Listen to their music. A lot. Find out who their musical heroes are. Listen to their music. A lot. Go back further than that. Follow the detours. Explore your history. Listen to the greats of every genre, even the stuff you don’t like or don’t get. Listen to understand. (This is not expensive anymore thanks to YouTube and Spotify.)
- Sing and play your instrument every day. Learn songs (not church songs) and make up new stuff. Do it alone and with others.
- Read great writing, especially poetry.
- Watch great performances of all types.
- Read your bible. Untranslate.
- Find a way to immerse yourself in your local community’s life. Find a place to serve nonchurch people in a practical way. This probably means volunteering somewhere. You need to spend time outside the Christian bubble.
- After a year, see what starts happening. It will probably be interesting. After two years, it will probably be amazing.
You are already full of soul. This list is only my suggestion for how to let it out. You may know of a better way, but there aren’t any shortcuts.
11 July 2012
tags: church,
creativity,
music
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Christian music
I’m not a fan. With the exception of a few bits here and there I have not found any Christian music to like for the last 15 years, which is why I’m posting these three links.
1. Gungor (whose craft and attention to detail I really admire but whose style I don’t really get into – I bet I would like them live) explained better than I could why Christian music is so terrible.
2. Sandra Billy, who I never heard of before yesterday, wrote a short, compelling article about the songs we sing in church.
3. Josh Garrels is an singer/songwriter/beat poet/rapper(?) whose music I stumbled upon a few years ago. Even though he makes really overtly Christian music, I’m a fan. I downloaded his latest album a couple days ago. I’ve listened to it three times already. This is unusual for me.
I think I like Mr Garrels’ stuff for two main reasons. First, he sounds like Josh Garrels, not a religious knock-off of a proper artist. (Do you like Garbage? Why not try this Christian singer lady whose album was definitely not made by musical geniuses and who mostly sings about happy bunnies praising Jesus and if she does mention the messedupness of life it’s sure to be fixed before the last chorus fades.) Second, he talks and sings about life in big imaginative, apocalyptic ways with words that fit and flow and make me wish that I had written them.
30 November 2011
tags: music
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The Priestly Blessing
It is amazing what you can create using only a few simple tools. I made this video using nothing more than a few young people; an iPhone 4 running the Songify and Mail apps and the video camera; a MacBook running a few apps: iPhoto, Garage Band, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, iMovie; and the worldwide computer network we call the Internet.
24 July 2011
tags: music,
ot,
silly,
video,
youth
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Help for church music people
Have you retired your U2-style songs from the 90s? Are you bored of your mid-tempo wannabe Coldplay ditties? Are the folk stylings of Mumford and his sons wearing thin? Worship pastors, it’s time to go vintage! I, Jeff Gill, Pastor, Prophet, Poet, &c., proudly (with deep humility) present the next big thing in church music:
All you need to do is change a few lyrics:
Such a feelin’s comin’ over me
There is wonder in most everything I see
Not a cloud in the sky
Got the Son in my eyes
And I am certain it is not a dream
Everything I want the world to be
Is now coming true ‘cause God loves me
And the reason is clear
It’s because You are here
You’ve brought me near to heaven — oh glory
CHORUS
I’m on the top of the world lookin’ down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that You gave ever since my life You saved
Your love’s put me at the top of the world
The Spirit in the wind has called my name
And He’s tellin’ me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
There’s a pleasin’ sense of happiness for me
There is only one prayer on my mind
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will be
Full of more and more glory
All I need will be mine if You are here
You’re welcome.
5 March 2011
tags: music,
silly,
video
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In which I get all devotional with my bad self
I woke up this morning with Break It Down Again by Tears for Fears playing in my head.
Not a bad way to wake up at all. One particular lyric stuck in my mind:
And all the love
And all the love in the world
Can’t stop the rain from falling
My next thought was from Jesus’s sermon on the mount:
[Your Father in heaven] causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
These two thoughts rushed together. All the human love in the world — it’s a nearly infinite amount — is nothing compared to God’s basic care for humanity: sunshine and rain. God’s love for us is utterly unfathomably great. No wonder the apostle Paul prays that we would be strengthened so that we could begin to understand it for ourselves.
13 May 2010
tags: god,
music,
video
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Everyone should watch this video...
…especially those of us who are American Christians.
Yes, but it’s too naïve and idealistic.
Oh, you mean kind of like that guy Jesus Christ was when he thought he could save the world by dying for it? Isn’t he the one we’re supposed to be following?
20 July 2009
tags: kingdom of god,
music,
non-violence,
video
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Kylie and Jason have nothing on us
Christine and I created these characters that visit our church on a regular basis. Myfanwy is a lovely but bossy and slightly dim girl from the valleys of South Wales. Jedediah Garcia – all his friends call him Tex Mex – is a sort of grumpy Texas cowboy transplanted to North Wales. He owns a monkey ranch just outside Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on the island of Anglesey.
Tex Mex and Myfanwy have been sort of falling in love over the last couple years. This past Sunday they sang a duet together. Here it is:
12 October 2008
tags: drama,
music,
silly
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Possibly the best thing I have ever seen in my whole life
12 June 2008
tags: music,
silly,
video
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Her humps
While we are all waiting around for me to have time to write the next installment in our money story, let’s watch Alanis Morrisette’s rather brilliant satirical cover of the Black Eyed Peas song My Humps.
In that same vein, have a read of Tia Lynn’s article on the book Ten Lies the Church Tells Women and my Seven Cheers for St Paul.
28 January 2008
tags: blogging,
leadership,
music,
silly,
video,
women
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