This time last year I was driving to a new life...

Wow...

So now I think I know why I picked Sparky at the pet store...

I guess we're both confused and slightly frightened...hehe...















Sparky

















Baby Rod

Has it really been over 10 years?!

So I'm waiting for a piece of hardware at work to finish backing up and it's taking all my computer's resources so much that all I can do is surf some web and maybe check e-mail. I thought this would be a good chance to update faithful readers about random thoughts in my head.

So next Tuesday a compilation called "Freaked!" is being released which is a 10-year tribute album to dcTalk's ground breaking "Jesus Freak" album. That album not only shaped my junior high years, but also defined our generation of Christian music. The innovations and advancements on that record set new standards and opened gateways to Christian artists today. Safe to say, I don't think a record that perfect overall had ever been released before nor has ever since then from the Christian market. It's kind of weird, but all in the same time frame these three albums released while I was a church youth group goer: "Jesus Freak" by dcTalk, "Take Me To Your Leader" by The Newsboys and "bloOm" by Audio Adrenaline. In that order, I think were the top 3 Christian albums ever as a whole and no one since then has quite matched the artistry mixed with commerical flavor those records did. Granted there have been some great albums, and those artists put out some records that our youth group went crazy over, but those three were iconic. Maybe that's why Christian music has faded in my eyes. I really haven't listened to much Christian music the past few years and it's been mostly due to the fact that I'm very unimpressed as a whole. Granted, Sixpence None The Richer was a band that made music critics take the edge of their seats and Michael W. Smith always made a print on my soul...I'm even to this day an avid Rebecca St. James fan (her album "God" made it close to the three classic albums I named.) Smitty and James I'm more a fan of their actual talent and specific songs rather than records though. Sixpence had a couple good records too...

Speaking of Audio Adrenaline's "bloOm", I just saw that Audio Adrenaline is releasing their farewell record and accompanying it with their final tour. I can't believe that is coming to an end as well. Also, I read that Out of Eden is ending their 13 year run as a musical group. Wow...13 years?! I remember when Out of Eden was first coming together and they did the cover of Bill Wither's "Lovely Day" and then their second record came out with "More Than You Know", "You are the Sunshine" and "Then and Only Then" and I saw them with my youth group on tour with Big Tent Revival - the band, I know it sounds like some church labor day event doesn't it? I also remember "Jesus Freak" coming out a little over 10 years ago and it changing my life (I bought 3 copies of that CD because I wore out 2 of them!). And Audio Adrenaline, holy cow, where would have my junior high years been if not for "Big House", "Never Gonna Be As Big As Jesus", and that song about "13 kids in an old church van!"

I can't believe it, the walls of my history are slowly being torn down...but I guess that's what makes it history, it was and not is. I guess now at least I can hold on to the memories, I plan on getting "Freaked!" the day it comes out and soaking in the music like I did so many years ago. I've heard clips of it already, and so far I think it stays true to dcTalk's original creation with a couple new voices...there are a couple exceptions in there, but otherwise, a worthy tribute.

Ah the years go by...Russ and Ginger, who would have thought rocking out to Jesus Freak, Big House and Breakfast so many years ago would still feel great just thinking about? I think I'll have to dig up those CD's tonight and drive to Taco Bell with the stereo blaring...yeah that sounds like a plan...

-Rod

P.S. Russ, I still have that Stryper poster, it was in my bedroom in High School, it moved with me to every dorm and apartment in college, and now it is framed in my apartment in Delaware...Ginger, I still have my Scott Blackwell techno mixes and Susan Ashton greatest hits albums, every so often, I jam along with "You Move Me" or "All Kinds of People" haha...hope to talk to you guys soon...

Adventures at the Café...

So I tried to take it easy today and work from home...I finished watching Kung Fu Hustle (which I purchased and started the night before) and fell asleep on my couch. I got about an hour's worth of work done (which translates into a week's worth if I was at the office). I decided to get some lunch and a change of scenery and headed over to Panera Bread and set up camp in the café. I was here eating lunch (Portabello & Mozarella on Rosemary & Onion Foccata Bread with Olive Spread) and was starting on finishing my day's work. I thought about the Collective Soul show the other night and was peeking around the net looking to see if anyone had any photos of the concert. I sneezed and this guy sitting a couple tables away blessed me and then asked me if I was in a band because he saw me browsing photos of people with guitars (Collective Soul). I told him "No" and that I had seen Collective Soul a couple nights ago. We talked about the show for a minute and he (who was older than me) told me about the days of "The Who". There was a pause and I thought about the response I gave about being in a band, and thought to myself, "Wait a minute, I have music too though..." so I said, "Actually, I am a musician." And we talked for a bit. Thanks to free wi-fi, my laptop and iTunes, he introduced me to a unique artist - Laurie Anderson...who I will have to listen to more of to decide if I like or not. I showed him some of my material and he seemed to really dig it. (I know, I just used the term "dig" but I like it.) He was encouraging in our discussion and then shook my hand and left. It's times like these that really push me to work harder on my music.

All that said, I'm ready to leave Panera and I didn't really get much more done work wise, but I figured I deserved a day off, I'd been working weekdays and weekends for about three weeks now...so, now I finish my cherry danish and leave...good day to all... ;)

-Rod

P.S. Jacie and Anson, good to hear from you on the last comments, I'll try to be in touch soon! ;)

Collective Soul In THE HOUSE!

So after a long day of work, I got to go see Collective Soul in concert...I've been looking forward to this concert for weeks and it finally came. I remember loving them in Jr. High and saw that they were playing on the Riverfront here in Delaware. They are possibly the best live performance I have ever seen. Ed Roland is the perfect frontman, and he can really work a mic stand...it's like another arm to him...it had been sprinkling through the night (it was an outdoor concert) and during "The World I Know" it was pouring. Seeing Collective Soul perform "The World I Know" with the rain pouring down and lighting shooting across the sky has just made my top 10 experiences in life. I flashbacked to sitting in my room in Jr. High listening to that song on repeat for hours, just feeling the story so well...and then here I am 10 years later and they are right in front of me with a raging storm and that song.

The whole night capped off with the next song...they played "Better Now" which they informed was the second biggest single of their career...and they did it independently...they are carrying on strong without the record label. Anyway, it came to the part of the song where it says, "The world's done shakin', the world's done shakin', the world's done shakin' me down..." and the crowd was repeating it over and over and the rain had been seeping into the sound equipment...finally, it all gave out, and the lights flickered and all the sound went down...the whole crowd continued the song for the next 5 minutes and the band kept playing mute...Ed Roland kept trying to say, "THANK YOU" over and over...until the stage manager finally made them leave the stage...I left the concert with the thousands of other attendees soaking wet...

Tonight was a show I will never forget. 10 Years ago, Collective Soul became my hero with "The World I Know" and that entire blue album...today, I got to experience what I only imagined as I closed my eyes as a 13-year-old listening to his walkman.