The Media Says

Have you heard the Atlanta band The Media Says yet?  I’ve been around Ray Garrison and Tyler Freeman of the band from time to time.  Really good dudes; it’s not uncommon to see them helping out as “roadies” at a 2nd Wave concert, which really shows their great hearts and their support for the next generation of rockers.  The band grew out of the Northpoint youth scene under the tutelage of Jayce Fincher, late of Marvelous 3.

 

Download the band’s song Dance With Me here for free.

 

 

Breaking the silence.

 

Sorry for the blog silence.  Panda’s “Chadski” Pearson has some pics from our New Year’s Eve party, which I’m trying to get my hands on.  Hoping to post some soon.  Meanwhile, the ONE Atlanta “braintrust” has some meetings this week to do some planning for ‘09 projects.  Excited about what this year could bring.  

 

Speaking of which, there’s a young artist Dan has been working with that is really impressive.  She’s a former Atlantan who has been spending time in the ATL recording.  Check out some of Emily Lynch’s live stuff at her Myspace page.

 

One more.

Here’s Meghan Coffee Arias singing her own arrangement of What Child Is This?  On background vocals is my former (sadly) assistant, the talented Rachel Bos.  The event is Married Life Live Goes Christmas.

 

 

 

 

I Pray On Christmas

Dan Hannon sings a Harry Connick Jr Christmas song, with ONE Atlanta artist Rudy Vaughn on sax, at the recent Married Life Live Goes Christmas at Buckhead Church.  Thanks to Chris Green for the video.  And don’t miss the previous post, either - video from the same event.

 

 

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS from ONE Atlanta.

 

 

Silent Night

Rudy Vaughn, from the recent Married Life Live Goes Christmas at Buckhead Church.  Thanks to Chris Green for the video.

 

Pop Goes the Christmas Carol

 

Last year, when I was still music director at Buckhead Church, we (along with the other Northpoint campuses) did an arrangement of Little Drummer Boy (pictured) that borrowed heavily from Van Halen’s You Really Got Me and The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again.   (Thanks to Life Church for that arrangement, by the way.)

 

This past Sunday, Northpoint mixed a couple of songs from pop culture with traditional Christmas carols in some interesting ways, too.  

 

Below are some live audio samples.  I think there’s some really good stuff here, but I also understand that many would say there’s a fine line between clever and cheesy. Would love to know your opinion on blending the old with the new. Some dang good vocalists on this stuff, too. 

 

Do You Hear What I Hear? (sample)

(Featuring Chris Coleman and Ryan Stuart on vocals.)

 

Angels We Have Heard On High (sample)

(Featuring Eddie Kirkland on vocals.)

 

Little Drummer Boy sample

(Featuring ONE Atlanta’s own Dan Hannon on vocals, guitar, AND drums.)

 

 

What do you think?  And can you name the artists and songs referenced in the other two arrangements?

 

 

 

Final ‘08 Small-ish Group

I’m thankful I’m in a Community Group, or a small-ish group (16 people) as we call it, for many reasons. (We’ve also been dubbed the Band Of Misfits.)  Two nights ago, we had our final meeting of the year, and group member Casey Darnell led us in an awesome worship time.  The night was kind of a small group meeting/party/worship time/communion service.  There were way too many pics by Billy Nolan to post them all, but here are a few.  Thanks, Billy.

 

 

 

Glorious Interruption (free song download)

(If you don’t want to read this whole post, at least skip to the end for instructions on downloading an amazing song and watching video of the song performed live.)

 

The posts have been somewhat infrequent this holiday season. I’ve been doing planning and preparation for Christmas programs/services at 3 different churches.

 

Today I borrow a page, literally, from my friend Casey’s blog, because it contains an amazing song that he wrote for Married Life Live at Northpoint and Buckhead Church. I played it for the pastor of Connection Church, where I’m playing on Christmas Eve with Rudy Vaughn and others. Not only did he decide we should put it in Connection’s Christmas Eve service, but he’s now building his sermon around the song.

 

In Casey’s words:  Imagine your wedding plans and all the wonderful dreaming that takes place when you’re planning for marriage…your hopes for what life will be like, etc.  Joseph and Mary were no different then anyone else who was planning for marriage and dreaming of their lives together.  So the song takes place in the middle of what that story might have been like for them…as things took a different turn one night.

…speaking more to what their marriage and their plans would have been like as it was interrupted…gloriously…by Jesus, the son of God! The reality of how He wants to interrupt us…invade our plans and our dreams and show us more than we could ever hope for…by His glorious interruption in our lives.  

 We’ve all been through things that have made life difficult at best.  Our plans were altered, tragedy happens…or your life isn’t turning out as you had hoped.  

My hope for this song is that it will speak to that, and highlight the reality of Jesus IN our lives, our circumstances, pains and heartbrakes…good and bad, and that when Jesus is IN the middle of it…we begin to see it all differently and purposeful.  I keep asking this of Him, how might He want to interrupt my plans this season…this year…and give me more than i was expecting.

 

It’s a beautiful song, with piano by Davis Harwell and strings by John Carrozza.  You can download the song here at Casey’s page.  Please do.

 

Also, and this is way cool, you can watch Casey’s performance of the song live, along with a few words from Married Life director Ted Lowe at the Married Life web page.

 

Merry Christmas.

 

 

C in the C pics

Christmas in the Cul-de-sac pics courtesy of Zack Arias.

 

 

Comments?

 

 

The rest of the week

Married Life Live at Buckhead Church is the reason that I’ll be pretty much living at Buckhead Church this week.  Between vocal rehearsals, band rehearsals, production rehearsals, the event itself on Saturday, and then Sunday services, I’ll be there for 40+ hours this week.  I’ll be joined for MLL by Rudy Vaughn, Dan Hannon, and plenty of other friends.

 

And here’s some Big news.  I’ve been asked to play keys for a couple weeks at BigStuf next summer. They must have read this blog post from last summer.  No.  Actually, a buddy put it in a good word for me and reminded them that I don’t have the ol’ day job anymore, so I’m available.  Should be a hoot.

C in the C photos forthcoming…

Sorry for the blog silence. Christmas in the Cul-de-sac rocked. About 150-200 people braved the cold.

 

Thanks to Amy from Student Life for coming over from Alabama to interview the kids. And to Debbie from the Greater N Fulton Chamber of Commerce for being there as well.  Thanks to Chick-fil-A and Space Walk for participating. Thanks to the parents for all their hard work, and finally to all of you who attended!  

 

Photos from the awesome Zack Arias forthcoming.

 

 

2nd Wave shirts hit the press today.

 

 

Some of you have already pre-ordered.  Others, let me know.  We’ll have them at Christmas In The Cul-de-sac this Saturday.

A Blue Canoe Christmas

My ATL friend Joseph Patrick Moore of Blue Canoe Records is part of a Christmas project that is worth getting yours ears on, called Christmas Time Is Here.  From the Blue Canoe website:  

 

It was only a matter of time! Blue Canoe Records artists Dan Baraszu and Joseph Patrick Moore have collaborated on work for each other and for other artists for years. The chemistry between them is unmistakable - and finally, a collaborative effort has arrived that features both Dan’s masterful guitar work and the genius of Joseph’s bass and production work. Both musicians share a special gift and love for jazz. Both have made careers of writing creative, contemporary jazz music and interpreting the music of others in a jazz context. Now, the two join forces in a special interpretation of Christmas standards in a contemporary voice blended from their two unique, individual voices.

 

Check out and/or download the album here.

 
Get a preview of the album in this video:

 

 

I like it.

 

 

My weekend

 

Saturday morning, ONE Atlanta took a group of musicians and singers to Safehouse, to play for a chili outreach block party for the homeless of Atlanta; things like haircuts and some basic medical care were also available.  Most of the event was moved indoors, but it was still a great time of celebration. Reuben Bidez led worship for us.  He had help too; one dude stood right in front of Reuben through nearly the whole set, “singing along” (he didn’t know the words) and almost sharing the mic with Reuben!

 

Here’s a beautiful story from Saturday, as shared by Alicia Benton whose husband Drew works for Safehouse:

The Annual SafeHouse Chili Outreach was an amazing day … despite the pouring rain. There were hundreds helped, clothed and fed. I wish I could share with you all of the stories of the day, but I narrow it down to my favorite …

Verizon Wireless loaned us 20 cell phones with free service and unlimited minutes so that our homeless friends could call their loved ones. Many, many of them took us up on this and made contact with friends and family that they had not spoken to in months or even years. 

One of the many who used this service was a young man who had not spoken to his mother for quite a long time. He made contact with her using our Verizon Wireless Call Home station. They spent over 45 minutes on the phone. When the conversation was over, he hung up the phone, with a huge ear to ear grin handed it to one of the women working this station, gave her a big bear hug then proceeded to walk to the corner of Ellis Street and Courtland Street and hop in the car with his mother!! Even retelling this story now brings tears to my eyes. 

 

Saturday night I went to this event at the fabulous Fox Theatre.

 

Right now (Sunday), I’m at Buckhead Church playing with these guys.  Check out the new Christmas single at their myspace page.  We’re doing it today, and to quote Will Ferrell impersonating James Lipton: “It is a delight!”

 

 

 

Christmas in the Cul-de-sac

Come to the party, and hear 2nd Wave rock such Christmas classics as We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Angels We Have Heard On High, Here Comes Santa Claus, and Joy to the World.  They’ll also be performing Trans Siberian Orchestra’s Wizards in Winter , a new song called Mary Mother of Jesus, and some favorite songs from their regular repertoire.

 

Last year’s Concert in the Cul-de-sac on an October Saturday saw 200 people pack Volte Court in the Dressage neighborhood of Cumming GA, on Post Road near Vickery.  We’re hoping for even more folks this time!

 

We’re hopeful of having some concessions for sale, but feel free to bring snacks and drinks just in case, or to eat before you come.  The party starts Saturday Dec. 6th at noon, and the band will kick off at 1pm.

 

Click here for map/directions.

 

Will we see you there?

 

 

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