#commentary

A La Carte (7/9)

Monday July 9, 2007 Humor: Alex Chediak made my day with this. ChurchMerch: ChurchMerch goes to a new, even more revolting extreme. Music: I found this video really interesting. The speaker, Evelyn Glennie, is a very talented deaf percussionist and she explains how to listen to music with your whole body. Books: CT recently had an article discussing the ongoing pursuit of the next big thing in publishing. Liveblogging: Adrian is liveblogging the Together on a Mission conference.

Sunday Ramblings

Just a couple of things I’ve wanted to mention but haven’t fit anywhere else… Music: – A couple of weeks ago I received Asleep in a Storm, the latest album from Sovereign Grace Ministries. “Produced by Jeremy White, a member of Grace Church (San Diego, CA), the CD features a fresh take on nine previously released songs, plus one new instrumental track from Jeremy. You’ll hear original vocals from Shannon Harris, Vikki Cook, and others, presented in a whole new …

Become a Patron

A La Carte (12/14)

Thursday December 14, 2006 Prayer: A reader made me aware of this organization that looks like a worthwhile time investment for any Christian woman. Christmas: Still don’t know what to get that special someone for Christmas? I guarantee you can find something here. You know, like the world’s largest underpants. Music: As I mentioned previously, John Schlitt and Bob Hartman of Petra fame have recorded a worship album. They also have a MySpace where you can hear clips of their …

Friday Ramblings

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day here in Canada, the day we remember veterans and those who sacrificed their lives to protect our nation. My son’s school is honoring this day today in the way many schools do: they are inviting veterans to the school and will hold an assembly. I hope my son looks in awe at the veterans as I did when I was his age, though there are fewer and fewer veterans still alive. Yesterday my son’s class made …

Top 40 Radio Examined

I grew up in a comfortable little Christian subculture. I have gone to church just about every Sunday since I was born, I attended Christian schools all the way through high school and have sat through countless Catechism and Sunday school classes. I can’t count the number of times I had to sit through sermons and presentations about the evils of popular music. I remember being exhorted not to listen to Twisted Sister and Van Halen and so many other …

Album Review – Revenge of the Supertones

I think the Supertones may be gunning for the record for the greatest amount of turnover of any band in Christian music. * Of the seven originals I believe only two are left. Several replacements have also come and gone. However, with singer/songwriter Mojo (Matt Morginsky) still firmly at the helm, their sound and general feel has not changed a whole lot. Their newest album, Revenge of the Supertones, (released June 15, 2004) reaches into the band’s past. With a …

Christian MP3 Bonanza (All Legal)

Just for kicks, here are some links to fully legal MP3s. Grassroots Music has a huge selection of legal downloads from some major releases (By The Tree, Tree 63, Derek Webb, Carolyn Arends, etc). Third Day has 3 bootlegs you can download. Jason McGibbon (a good friend of mine) has the song I Am Broken available. Dale Nikkel has five songs. Feel free to leave other recommendations in the comments section.

Christian Music & File Sharing

The New York Times reported this week that Christian music is “disproportionately popular” in the online filesharing services. For example, last month almost 350,000 people downloaded songs by Relient K and over 2 million people are offering Switchfoot songs. This is Gospel Music Association week in Nashville and apparently “high on the agenda [of the industry] will be the findings of a new online marketing study commissioned by the Gospel Music Association that suggests that Christian teenagers are nearly as …

Christian Music: Is There Such A Thing?

Two completely unrelated events gave me the inspiration for this article. The first was an awards show that I did not watch and the second was a drive home from a rather dull meeting. The American Music Awards were presented this week and for just the third year, one was presented in the category of Favorite Artist in Contemporary Inspirational Music with Steven Curtis Chapman taking home the award. Not being a fan of award shows, I merely read about …