To New Beginnings Together
Tabled friends
Plated substance
Mated lovers
Fanciful celebration
Beautiful Saviour
Joyful union
Momentous occasion
Wondrous event
Glorious day
Two Children of the King have become one.
APN.
Copyright 09/29/207
Is This Art? (aka — What gives them the right?)
I attended this event over the weekend, thanks to some free tickets I won 3 weeks from one of my favorite radio programs, one I’ve been listening to fairly consistently for almost 7 years. As is my nature, I was on time, even though I know that musicians don’t share that punctual nature with me and the show wouldn’t start at 10pm, as advertised on the flyer. It’s a hard habit to break.
So, while watching the first DJ set up his booth and arrange his wax for his hour-long set, someone at the venue, most likely one of the bartenders or hostesses for this specific event, put on a documentary entitled Infamy, which chronicled the lives of some well-known graffiti artists and crews from certain key locales across the nation. Read the rest of this entry »
Interview with Athlete
Amy Grant - Greatest Hits
Amy Grant
Greatest Hits
EMI/Sparrow; 2007
Rating: 5.3
UPDATE!! This review has been linked on Amy Grant’s Official Website.
Biases are rather hard to overcome, hard as you might try. Case in point – one of the more difficult aspects of building a career as a writer has been leaving the ranks of “informed music listeners who have opinion about everything†and becoming a member of the “people whose opinions are supposedly worth something†crowd. As much as I’ve grown to love receiving free music from a variety of sources, writing about said music, and hearing the feedback from my editors and the readers of the publications in which my work has been featured, there are times when I want to revel in my fandom. Dare I say there are still times when I wish I could be a drooling, fawning, “this band/singer/artist can do NO wrong†person, even for a few moments. Being able to over-the-top in directing my affections towards an artist is a privilege I have come to miss, though only in small doses.
So, when first presented with the opportunity to obtain an advance copy of the new Amy Grant Greatest Hits album, I jumped at the chance. Yes, my hipster, indie-rock-lovin’ friends – my love for Amy Grant is the guiltiest of my guilty pleasures and I’m not afraid to admit it. And sadly, I was less than impressed with this entire offering – there’s just nothing really special about this album. All of Amy’s hits are here, arranged in reverse chronological order (newest to oldest), and are predominantly influenced by tracks from her House Of Love and Heart In Motion albums (the albums that pushed her into the contemporary pop spotlight). But that’s it – just the songs, no filler, nothing that really reaches out to grab the listener. Read the rest of this entry »
Decyfer Down Interview
Decyfer Down
Standing Up Strong
[UPDATE: This interview can also be found here!]
Young bands have to take a great deal in stride as they hone their craft and follow their dreams. There are pressures they face in the studio, on the road, on the stage, and in their personal time that can easily make or break a group. And no, I’m talking about the noxious carnal pleasures that have become all too cliché over the span of music history. I’m referring to conflicts regarding a band’s artistic style and substance as well as situations that might call for a band to compromise their beliefs, convictions, and faith. So, when I learned that the Christian rock band Decyfer Down would have their song “Fight Like This†be part of the key promotional material on YouTube and the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) website for the fight on September 8th, 2007, I was more than curious how this might have come about. Was the band behind the decision to have their song endorsing a product that some observers might consider bloodsport? Or was the decision out of their hands and they had no way to counter the use of the song? Filled with such questions, I decided to seek out the band (via their PR people) and ask them myself, which then led to me having this engaging conversation with Josh Oliver, the band’s drummer.
APN: Hey there.
Josh Oliver (JO): How’s it going man? This is Josh from Decyfer Down. Thanks for rearranging the time for the interview. I had some stuff come up earlier.
APN: No worries man. I just appreciate the opportunity to talk with you today.
JO: You’re welcome. Thanks for wanting to talk. Read the rest of this entry »
