loPEZ Dispenser

I know you guys are sick of hearing Steve and I rave about these guys but they truly are awesome musicians and they put on a great show. I finally had the chance to go see them on a headlining tour.

They played at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia. I had never been to venue. It was very small and I’m amazed that they were even able to fit the whole band on the stage. We opted for front row views from the balcony. The sound wasn’t too good up there (the vocals were hard to hear) but I didn’t have a problem with that.

They played a healthy mix of their new stuff and their old stuff. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t do any of their piano ballads but they made up for it by closing with their hard hitting song “Someone Else’s Arms”. The venue wasn’t set up for a fancy light show but Mae, in their typical fashion, introduced a multimedia aspect to the environment that was a cool touch.

I got some video of two of their songs (Brink of Disaster and Anything) but the audio quality isn’t great. Enjoy! Oh, and pick up their new album Singularity which releases today!!

So I finally was able to see my current favorite band in concert. I know Steve already did a review of their show a while back. He mentioned that the vocals seemed a little weak at times. Well, I must say that their time off from touring has done them some good! Their performance was spot on. Every note, every riff, and every word sung were right were they were supposed to be.

There was only one disappointing aspect of their performance. Their set was way too short. Unfortunately the were not the headliners of the night and their set was limited to about 35 minutes. I believe they played seven songs in all. We did get a sneak peak of one new song that will be one their new album. The song was called Waiting and the album, due to release this summer, will be called Singularity.

On Kiddie Bands

I have a better understanding of what Steve meant when he discussed “kiddie bands”. There we were, five twentysomething grown men, standing in line surrounded buy immature teens and youth pastors. After watching them a few minutes we really decided that it made us feel like old men.

I thought back to when I was in High School. For events such as this I would dye or paint my hair strange colors, hook up my longest and shiniest wallet chain, and wear the band shirt of my current favorite (unless it was the band playing…thats a no no). I would be down in the front right in the middle of the pit bumping and shoving all the others like me.

For this show we all retreated to the balcony. It was there we were joined by other likeminded “old” people who share our respect for the bands, reluctant fathers who would do anything to be somewhere else, and those youth group kids who were not allowed on the main floor for safety reasons. For this show I wore my special hifi earplugs to protect my hearing. There was no jumping and not even any sweating (but we did do some headbanging and air guitar…you can’t really help that). I was quite comfortable. I never thought one of my most enjoyable concerts would be described as comfortable.

I guess its because I don’t go to shows anymore to be rowdy. I go to hear the music of bands that I have come to love and respect. I’d rather watch the musicians create their art then be trapped in the middle of a crowd drenched in sweat and emitting adolescent hormones.

On Theatrics

Three bands played at the show Saturday. Mae, as described above, was awesome. Relient K, the headliners of the evening, were also excellent and entertaining. This brings me to the third band: Sherwood. They were the openers of the evening. Their music isn’t bad (although their sound was terrible at the show) so I thought they might perform a nice show. It didn’t take long to find out that they were one of those “weird” bands. This was particularly evident in their piano/keys player. He decided that it would be fun to dance while he played. Normally that wouldn’t bother me much but this guy looked like Andy Dick wearing 80’s rockers clothes (a la tight jeans) and his dancing was a cross between a ballerina and the Elaine dance from Seinfeld. Actually, I wouldn’t even call it a dance. It was more of a prance. Towards the end be blindly threw a tamborine over his head across stage and I watched as it headed directly for a piano belonging to one of the other bands. To close the show out he took a handful of sunflowers resting on his rig and started beating the keyboard with them only to again blindly throw them across the stage. Whats the point?

These theatrics seem to be popular right now. Maybe they always have been. Groups like the boy bands and solo acts like Baldy Britney and Beyonce rely on theatrics to keep the crowd entertained. Groups like Mae and Relient K rely on their talent as musicians to keep the crowd entertained. Thats what I am looking for.

Until Saturday it had been three years since I had seen Third Eye Blind in concert. For a long time I considered them my favorite band; their blend of intricate guitar riffs, lots of off-beat drumming and Stephan Jenkins’ lyrics and voice created, to my ear, a perfect blend of fun rock music. A lot of their “popular” tracks are more poppy than the rest, which often gives people the wrong impression about the band. I cannot count the times that I told someone how much I love 3EB followed by them saying something to the tune of “That isn’t rock music.” Oh how wrong they are. You must experience them live to truly understand them. They are a great rock band; loud, heavy and talented. When performing live they completely brush off any tinge of being a pop band. Their debut album is simply one of the best overall albums I have ever heard. Every track is good. “Losing a Whole Year,” “The Background,” Graduate,” I could go on and on.

All through college and for a while afterward I considered them my favorite band. Their third album, “Out of the Vein,” was decent, but did not live up to the previous two. After that album and the subsequent tour in 2003 they have been fairly quiet, so my passion for them began to fade. I still listened to their music every once in a while, but not like I had in the past. That glut ended Saturday. To provide entertainment for visitors in town for Orlando’s two Bowl Games last weekend, the city and some other sponsors put on a free 3EB concert. When I found out about it I definitely wanted to go, but I was not excited about it like I have been in the past. They had no new album to promote, it was free and it was outside, three things that I thought would cause them to perform a little below par. As with all of the previous 3EB concerts I have attended, my wife tagged along. She has never been a fan to my degree, but she likes most of their music. The concert was outside, on the banks of Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando. It was a beautiful day, 72 degrees, slightly breezy and perfect blue skies. They came on playing “Crystal Baller,” one of the better songs from Out of the Vein. They were very energetic from the start, and appeared to be having a lot of fun. The set list was the best of any 3EB concert I have attended. They played both “Narcolepsy” and “Motorcycle Drive By,” two fan (and personal) favorites, both from their debut album. Neither of those songs received any radio play when they were released, which is a testament to the fact that Third Eye Blind doesn’t just play their “hits.” The musical quality was perfect, as were Jenkin’s vocals. It is great watching Tony Fredianelli play the guitar. He is as much of a clown as a guitarist, but it makes for an entertaining show. The one dissapointment was that their normal bass player, Arion Salazar, was not playing. Apparently he has been absent at a lot of concerts lately. He is a very good bass player, so I hope they don’t lose him. The substitute played fine, but he didn’t really have any excitement to him.

The band was on stage for over an hour and a half without losing any of their energy or the crowd. Seeing how much fun they were having helped all of us in the crowd enjoy the show even more. I knew at least 90% of the lyrics for all of the songs that were played, and amazingly so did a lot of the people around me. It is great being at a show where so many people are true fans. I left the concert completely satisfied with what I had just experienced. My shattered faith in the band has been fully restored, and I will not lose it again. They played two songs from their new album, which Stephan claimed was almost complete. I can only hope that when it is released later in 2007 it will be accompanied by another tour, with a stop in Orlando, Tampa or Jacksonville. If so, I will be first in line to buy tickets. For those of you who have never gotten to know Third Eye Blind I implore you to listen to their debut album, cleverly titled “Third Eye Blind” from start to finish without pause. You probably won’t be a fanatic like I used to be (I am just a big fan now, not a fanatic), but I think that you will enjoy it.

Growing up in a strictly Christian household, we were limited to the select types of music only found in Family Christian Stores. Yep, thats right, armed with our 7Ball Magazine in hand we would travel to the store in search of the next hot Christian band.

Looking back now, I’m somewhat embarrassed that some of my first albums were Petra rock. Steve, I’m sure, is embarrassed to have me recollect him videotaping himself singing in his deodorant stick Michael W. Smith’s My Place In This World (he loved that album). It wasn’t until I became a musician that I started to realize what lie outside the world of Christian music.

Don’t get me wrong here. I still primarily listen to Christian music because I prefer to engross myself in more wholesome lyrics. There are plenty of good Christian bands out there but I must say that there are many more of them that are bad.

I’ve been saying something since I started playing in worship bands. It was embodied in the release of the Cutting Edge album by Delirious?. As Christians we should be on the cutting edge of music. We should be defining what is good lyrically, musically, and overall artistically. Sadly, we are mostly behind this game. For every popular secular band out there CCM belches out its own variety. I remember a few years ago, when the boy bands were popular (thank GOD that is over), to counter the BSB and N’stinks, this group (I can’t legitimately call them a band) called Plus One came out. I didn’t even have to listen to know it was bad.

So why am I leading an all out assault on CCM? Well, I’m not. You see, there is this band that came out recently. From the minute I heard their first single I knew I would love them. I was shocked when I discovered that the lead singer was only 17. The sound is mature, the vocals are deep and melodic. The album covers a range of sounds dipping into several genres but manages to weave them all together masterfully. Most of all, its a worship album without being a worship album. You can sense the deep love for God in every note played and every word sung. I admire that. Their name is Leeland.

I’ve had the album now for a few months and have listened to it frequently. For some reason today I decided to visit their website and read up on them and how others view them. I discovered that they are, in fact, a byproduct of the machine that is CMM. Leeland Mooring, the lead singer, actually collaborated with none other than Michael W. Smith on Smith’s new album. This doesn’t bother me at all because to me good music is good music regardless of the label, studio or producers.

Well in my search for Leeland info I stumbled upon a site that I found utterly intriguing and disgusting at the same time. The site is called the CCM Patrol. I believe they take an honest look at some of the products of CCM and write their take in a very sarcastic and witty format. While some of their content may be spot on, these guys are so cynical it makes me feel like an altar boy (for those that know me, that is a huge claim!). Their banner claims that it is a place where “WHERE CHRISTIAN MUSIC IS ALLOWED TO GET BAD REVIEWS. REALLY BAD REVIEWS.” My only problem with this is that the reviews are so cynical and critical I don’t think I read a single positive word on the site. There is a point that is crossed where a negative review becomes plain mean. This site crosses that line easily and frequently.

Another site I go to, RELEVANT Magazine, which I have been following since it’s birth a few years back has taken the same road. Its demography stretches from HS students to post-moderns in their 20s. They take a snobbish attitude toward politics, religion, the environment and media. If you don’t like artsy movies or indie music you are worthless. Sufjan Stevens (who I can’t stand) is their musical idol. Its all about being trendy. I don’t have time to follow trends.

Its not enough to just disagree on whether an artist or album is good. The RELEVANT message boards attest to that as there are thread upon thread of arguments about said topics. Has the Simpson generation become too cynical?

Even though I disagree with some of the attitude and ideals I will still frequent RELEVANT. Despite the cynicism, I will now start visiting the CCM Patrol blog periodically. I can’t help it.