Rain

Most of you who know me know that I spent my early twenties rolling around with a band called The Pedestrians.  I played guitar, wrote, and provided the occasional sour note on background vocals.  We weren't amazing, but it was a great time and we got to see a lot of cool places while meeting some lifelong friends along the way.  One of those friends is Tony Brown.  We first met Tony when he was booking for a great little club in Texas called The Underground.  Throughout the latter years of the band's tenure, Tony became a close friend who was a huge help in managing, promoting, and mentoring the group.

A few months back, Tony and I cooked up a crazy idea.  What if we got back together for one more show six years later?  If I remember correctly, I think I just shot it to Tony as a joke, but lo and behold, he has us booked within a day.  If it started as a joke, it became a reality pretty quick.

Once it was settled that all of us except our rhythm guitarist Noble was in (schedule conflicts), I knew we had to get some fresh material going.  Of course we'll play our old tunes that people know, but there was no way I was going out there without some new songs superior to those that were recorded back in like 2000-2003.  Luckily, the songs just seemed to come.  Sometimes they don't and it frustrates the crap out you as a songwriter.  This wasn't one of those times.

Within about three weeks,  I think we had five or six potential new tunes for the show.  At this point, we have four that have made the cut for the reunion show this week.  We could have worked up more, but practice time has been at a premium and we'd rather focus on a few and nail them than a bunch and sound like a bad cover band covering our own songs.  One of my faves is a tune called Rain.

When I was working on new songs, I thought back to a song called Reach off one of our previous albums.  That song was inspired out of an instance in which something dumb (but harmless) I said set off a little controversy among some pretty conservative folks who we were networked with for promotion/booking purposes.  We basically felt like they were making a big deal out of nothing and wrote the song about how quick people are to tear others down rather than to extend grace and overlook things that are not of eternal significance anyway.

Rain kind of hits on a similar idea, but is more personal in that it points the finger back at me.  In the years after the band, I got a real job and a house, joined a local church, and basically "grew up" as some would define it.  However, as I looked at my life since the band, I realized that I'd actually become much like the folks I was calling out in Reach.  I noticed that I often tended to speak out against situations, groups, institutions, or individuals who frustrated me with the self-righteous attitude that I was honorably "standing up for what's right" or even "proving that I loved others by speaking brutal truth."  In all honesty, I'd just become pridefully negative.  Rather than being an encourager who spoke words of life and blessing to others, I typically saw folks as on my side (right) or on the other side (wrong) and endeared myself to them or bemoaned them accordingly.  I'm not saying we shouldn't confront people with truth (if that were true, Paul would be in serious trouble), but the problem was the ugly motives that were hiding behind my words.  I felt I could throw what I saw as truth in people's faces without actually having a God-inspired love for them in my heart.  I thought I could convert them to my way of thinking without really giving a rip about them.  Thus, I found myself tearing others down instead of building them up.  As James says, salt water and fresh water don't flow out of the same spring, and as I look back, I just see too many times my mouth was spewing salt water pretty dang liberally. 

I could explain further, but I'll just let the song speak for itself.  Here 'tis.

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Rain (The All-Too-Familiar Saga of Debbie Downers and Negative Nancies Everywhere)

God bless your soul

A good man is hard to find

Critics come a dime a dozen

When will you learn

Throwing stones is not a hobby

Every bridge is not to burn

Your compassion-colored wine tastes like blame

Do my ears deceive me

When all I hear is rain

Pouring down

We’re all clinging to the raft

While you’re flooding the whole town

The clouds roll in whenever you do

And everyone is wishing that you

would come in from the rain…

Another tongue untamed

Why bother holding back when

Sticks and stones just come so easy

Such a cute little game

Sounds so bad to call it discord

Let’s just call it “honesty”

You preach love but in your wake you leave pain

Do my ears deceive me

When all I hear is rain

Pouring down

We’re all clinging to the raft

While you’re flooding the whole town

The clouds roll in whenever you do

And everyone is wishing that you

would come in from the rain…

Please know I’m listening,

But it’s so hard to hear you

When all we hear is rain… 


The good news is that in my age I've learned enough humility to admit things like this.  I'm not always right and every little frustration is not worth drawing a line in the sand and polarizing all those around me.  It's my prayer that when people speak of me, they'd call me an encourager, not a firestarter. I pray that I could live out the following words:

Ephesians 4:29-- Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

James 4:11--  Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

Matthew 5:9-- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.


Oh, and if you're in Texas this Friday, you should definitely come see the show (or just make a sweet road trip that you hadn't planned on until right now).  I'm totally biased, but the new songs are really strong...strong enough that it's hard to get fired up to play the old stuff.  The back catalog kind of pales in comparison musically and lyrically.  Kim Scowden, our keys player and co-vocalist has written one of the most beautiful tunes we've ever played and I'm chomping at the bit to perform it live. Will post some vids from the show next week.  Wish us luck!!!

Friday "Rockomendations"

In addition to being the uncontested queen of concession stands, Sue Roweton is also master of the "reccomendations" post.  If she says it's good, it probably is.  Thus, I'm not going to try and compete with her picks.

Instead, I offer these to you on a rainy Friday afternoon.  Here are my "Rockomendations" for your listening pleasure.

1. Something Old: Hocus Pocus by Focus

When one of my buddies first sent this to me last summer, my immediate thought was that this had to be some kind of joke.  Surely this was not an actual song recorded by a serious band.  Still, it wasn't five minutes after I walked away from the computer before I realized that the signature opening lick was on repeat in my head.  It's a great rock lick and has earned this tune a place on my workout playlist.  Oh, and as far as the yodelling, goes, the whole thing kind of reminds me a Friends episode.  Joey's eating jam straight out of a jar and Chandler asks Joey to choose between a hot girl at the Xerox place (holds up one hand) and a big tub of jam (holds up the other hand). Joey's response is "Put those hands together."  On a musical level, I'm pretty sure that sums up how I feel about yodelling and rock music.

2. Something New(ish): The Story by Brandi Carlile

I can't say this one is really "new" as it came out in 2007, but Carlile is someone whose career I didn't really follow until I caught her Austin City Limits performance last fall upon a friend's reccomendation.  I suppose that makes her "new" to me.  Carlile has melodic sensibility on par with someone polished like Sarah McLachlan, but mixes that musicality with a level of grit and growl that just stinkin' rocks; no other way to explain it.  This tune in particular is one of my faves because of the way she pushes on the yells.  Love it.

3. Something Borrowed: Redemption Song  "borrowed" from Bob Marley by Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell is easily in my top-ten favorite vocalists of all time.  There was some talk that his voice had tailed off some near the end of his run with Audioslave, but after so many years of rocking, that would make sense.  It would be tough sing most of the early Soundgarden catalog for as long as he did and expect to still have fully-functional vocal chords forever.  Despite that, from what I've heard of the recent SG reunion tour, his voice is still as strong as ever.  CRAZY!  Cornell is best known as as a metal/rock singer with signature screaming ability, but this is one of those moments where he totally removes himself from that context and shows the range as an artist and singer that make him great.  Oh, and if you think Marley is the extent of that range, be sure to check out Cornell's version of Ave Maria HERE.

4. Something Blue(s-based): ZZ Top's Just Got Paid by Joe Bonamassa

This could have just as easily been my "something borrowed" since it's actually a ZZ Top tune, I believe.  When it comes to bluesy rockers, Bonamassa is a bonafide stud.  As a kid, he got a guitar at the age of four and was playing Stevie Ray and Jimi Hendrix tunes by age seven.  There are some people who were made to rock and this video pretty much proves it. 

Effective Score: 11/10 as a nod to "This Is Spinal Tap"

For Your Weekend Entertainment...

Funny things from ye olde interwebs.

1. Darth Vader is Catholic

2. Yes, Lionel.  It IS you we are looking for.

3. Statistical evidence of Meat Loaf's claims.

4. Rest easy, fellow citizens.

5. Depressing.

Effective Score: 10/10

Manly Men...

I hate "Two and a Half Men."  I really hoped the whole Charlie Sheen thing would blow up enough to rid television of its presence, but it looks like I'm not going to be so lucky.  Why do I have such a disdain for this show?  I hate it because of the song that rolls during the credits.  You likely know the tune.  "Men, men, men, men, manly-men..."  What drives me nuts is that at the end, this show attempts to reinforce the idea that what you have just seen is a portrayal of some sort of male ideal.  Who better to define manliness for us than Charlie Sheen (in person or in character), right?  Absurd.

I realize that this show is just one of many which are currently defining what manhood looks like.  Some argue that the media is setting the agenda, some argue the media is simply giving us what we want.  I know where I stand on that, but that's another discussion for another day.  I'm not interested in a chicken/egg debate.  What I am interested in, however, is acknowledging that the very idea of what it is to be a man has been perverted.  Criminals, womanizers, abusers, thieves, bums, drunks, addicts, and playboys are celebrated by young men as idols who are not only worthy of adulation, but also emulation (Li'l Wayne, the Jersey Shore cast, Ron Jeremy, Hugh Hefner, Charlie Sheen, Jesse James, etc.).  Progressively, I've become far more passionate about this topic.  I suppose three truths have contributed to my lack of tolerance for those who flaunt this false image of what it means to be a man.

1. Age has a tendency to reduce one's tolerance for lies.
2. I am a father of two boys and thus take Ephesians 6:4 more seriously than I used to.
3. I've worked around teenage boys all day for eight years now and see the misconceptions about manhood that plague our sons.

Here are the two most troubling lies I see our young men being taught as truth and buying into on varying levels.

Misconception #1: When a real man is pushed, he must push back with greater force.
I cannot begin to express how pervasive this idea is among the young men I work with.  I had a conversation with a young man earlier this year that typifies this thinking.  The young man in question had basically been raised with only one male role model, his uncle.  The only trait he ever told me he admired in his uncle was that he was "a cool dude with a sweet car."  One day this kid was talking with other kids in my class about whose (butt) he was going to kick for keying his car.  I intervened and asked him what good it would do to repay their aggression with aggression.  All of the young men in my class looked at me like I had just claimed the world was flat and that I was Poseidon.  While all of them acknowledged that the kid in question could end up facing jail time for his retaliation and that it wouldn't fix the paint job on his car to beat down the aggressors, they all readily agreed that the only course of action was to fight fire with greater fire.  Here was my question: "What would be harder for you: to carry out your wrath or to forgive and move on?"  The inevitable answer was that it would be nearly impossible to forgive and walk away.  To this, I left them with, "Then why does it make him more of a man to take the easier route?" 

Obviously, these young men are not seeing forgiveness practiced.  If their role models consistently choose vengeance, then why would they have any reason to see forgiveness as the more desirable option?  Instead of heeding the words of Proverbs 29:11, our young men are taught to instinctively react with fury against all trespasses.  Much less are they taught to carry out Jesus' words in Matthew 5:39 or Matthew 5:44. 

Misconception #2: A woman is a sexual object for a man's pleasure
Here's a tough one.  Our culture has become so hyper-sexualized that shady, shady things have become the status quo.  Bottom line, we are tossing our young men to the wolves because we "normalize" things that seem like such innocent, minute things which slowly allow lust to creep into their hearts at the cost of love.  I know this is an unpopular stance, but I have a real problem with the "I (heart) Boobies" bracelets that have become common among high school (and middle school) boys.  Of course, we hide the clever marketing ploy under a sincere concern for breast cancer awareness.  FYI, if you think most young men are wearing it because they want to promote breast cancer awareness, come do my job for a few days and watch how they treat young women.  Ask teenage boys about their vast knowledge of breast cancer statistics.  Ask them if they've been personally affected and been forced to watch the devastation of this tragedy.  The majority, you will quickly find, wear them simply because they do indeed love breasts...not women.  (Sarcasm Forthcoming) That's what every girl wants, right?  A man more concerned with the contents of her shirt than the contents of her heart.  That's the kind of guy a father wants for his precious daughter, right?  A man who, foremost, wants people to understand that what he truly loves in that wondrous, beautiful creation of God is her chest?!!!  This is insanity!!!!!  If a young man shows up to my house to date my daughter wearing one of those, I will quickly send him home so that I don't do anything to him which would force me to start a prison ministry from the inside.  The WORST part is that some people will say I am making a big deal of just a silly little word.  I've even had people tell me I clearly don't care for those affected by cancer despite the fact that my grandmother died of cancer and my dad has been twice affected.  This is more than semantics.  This is not about words...this is about young men's souls.   

What do I want for my sons?  I want them to view females in the context of Proverbs 31:30.  I want them to love a woman so much that they take to heart the words of Ephesians 5:25.  I do not want their future wives to be objects of lust, but rather objects of sacrificial service.  What more could I hope for my daughter in marriage than that she find a man who had committed himself to loving her in the same manner which Christ loved us?  With the advent of technology, instilling and defending this mindset is becoming an uphill battle.  Today, men are bombarded with images and messages that years ago could only be received through shady, shady means.  Many moms might be thinking, "Oh, that's not my son."  Does he have a computer?  An iPod with internet access?  Friends who do? Trust me, that's your son.  My advice?  Engage him in this discussion proactively.  If our young men are left alone in the world to discover what gives women worth, I guarantee you they will receive a polluted, deceptive message that will destroy them and their future relationships from the inside out. 

So, what do we do about these lies?  We attack them with truth.  We go on the offensive, not the defensive.  Too often our course is to shoot for "behavior prevention" rather than "truth revelation."  As an example, I remember going through a "True Love Waits" study several times as a teenager.  All I can recall from those studies are debates on "how far is too far," signing a pledge card promising to abstain until marriage, and a temporary spike in purity ring stocks.  Seems like good intentions, but were people really thinking, "Whew, now we're good.  In the moment of greatest temptation, those kiddos will feel the weight of that purity ring, remember that they signed a pledge card promising not to have sex, and draw the line clearly at involved kissing"?

Age or youthful ignorance could have erased my memory, but what I don't recall is anyone attacking the underlying idea that was the true root of the problem...idolatry; elevating sex to an object of worship rather than seeing it as a good and beautiful gift from an infinitely good Creator who prescribes a context in which that gift can be safe, rewarding, and honoring to each other and Him.  Is that a tougher sell than, "PLEASE, DO NOT HAVE SEX!!!"?  Yes it is.  However, the difference is that one goes after the root while the other merely hacks at the limbs springing from a heart that has bought into deadly lies.  When it comes to lies about the nature of manhood, we cannot afford to modify behaviors, but must use truth to combat the lies from which those behaviors grow . 

How else do we attack these lies which falsely identify what it is to be manly?  We need men who will live like THE man, Jesus Christ.  Too many young men have no model to follow, but are left to figure it out on their own.  How do we model this behavior?  We forgive those who don't deserve it (Luke 23:34).  We serve others in humility (John 13).  We give ourselves up for others at all cost (John 15:13).  We love our wives as Christ loved the church and "gave himself up for her." 

Show me that kind of man, and I'll find him infinitely more impressive than a man who can dunk a basketball, fight any challenger, rule his wife with an iron fist, drink others under the table, have sex with any woman he wants, sell a million albums, or gain the whole world yet lose his soul in the process.  In comparison with what Christ did, those things seem pretty easy...and I've never known a real man to take the easy way out.

Note: I promise lighter fare for next blog.  Maybe something about alpacas...