Oct

11

Music Mamas (dot) Com

Filed Under Featured, Music | 3 Comments

I want to announce the birth of a new site called MusicMamas.Com! I’m a collaborative part of the team though I’m not sure I will get around to more than a couple posts a month. To read more about all of the fine ladies involved in this site click Music Mamas.

The founder, Kendra, Wife of famous rap duo Mars Ill, has this to say about the site,

Music is common thread that runs through our lives. It affects each of us differently, and we are changed or moved or humbled or healed. It infiltrates every moment of our day whether we want it to or not. It’s everywhere. And so are we.

I had a notion to bring together like minded women from across the country who are in some way or another involved with music. Some of us have known eachother forever and others of us have met only once, but we share this common bond. I have a feeling this is going to be fun. And Im so glad these women have agreed to be a part of it.

kendra

Look for interesting interviews, articles on the evolution of music, favorites, links to new hot artists, and so much more to come in the next few months. Right now it is still partly work in progress but trust me, this will be a great site to be keeping tabs on. Go there and subscribe now! :)

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Jul

1

A REAL LIVE DATE!

Filed Under Family, Marriage, Music | 16 Comments

2495447821_orig1.jpeg

Yes, We did it. JJ and I. We actually went on a real date. The kids stayed with his parents and we did a nice dinner on an outside patio and went to a concert where JJ had no working obligations. There were no birthdays or anniversaries involved (unless that you count it was a father’s day gift- shoot!).

I wish we could have taken great pictures, but cameras were forbidden. Being that I am a rule-follower (yes, one of those nerds) and I didn’t want my nice new camera taken from me, I had to stow it in the car. So we have one lonely little cell phone picture as a memento of this special occasion.

We saw The Fray opened up by OK GO! (the dancing tread-mill guys) and MAE. We loved it.

We must be getting older. The concert crowds must be getting younger. I swear 12 year olds were holding beers. They were 21? No way. Except I know they were pretty strict with ID’s at this venue. Oh well despite our age youth. We had an excellent time.

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Jun

12

Sidebar Additions

Filed Under Music, Video | 7 Comments

First I want to highlight some ‘useful links’ and ‘news’ I have put on my sidebar. Many are the same links I had on my previous blog. But an addition is a link to sermons from my church. Enjoy if you wish. Also Wikipedia is a source I constantly draw from for information. Especially since I did horrible in history class while in school! If for some odd reason you have never heard of it, it is basically an online Encyclopedia that is constantly being updated. And because it can constantly grow without worrying about printing costs and the size of the collection you will find more there than any encyclopedia! My brother is even in it. You could wikipedia people you know to see if they are in it! :) You never know!

There is a link to BIBLE GATEWAY I highly recommend for looking up scriptures both by passage and topically. You can do so in any version. I *think* I have mentioned this before?

To the left I have featured some music and one video from Music Christian (dot) com. I promise I will never ever put anything I don’t love or belive in on my page. If you see it you have 100% garuntee it is something I have done very intentionally. I will change what is up there from time to time based on mood, or album release, book release etc.

The first featured is Praise Baby Collection. It is a great gift for anyone who is pregnant! Also excellent for those with babies. My son Owen LOVED these (still does even though he is older). I would put him in his bouncer in front of them while I was cooking dinner. It was so nice to have worship playing in the house accociated with images he loved to watch. I also would put it on if he was having a fit and I couldn’t seem to calm him. It almost never failed! Worship seems to calm these little ones.

The other 3 are cd’s I love.

The Fray is a band in mainstream music… but they love Jesus and their lyrics contains many themes about chuch, community, heartbreak, and walking out the Christian life. Very good stuff.

The Jeremy Camp cd Stay has touched my life so many times. I don’t know how many of you have heard of him or know anything about his story. He wrote this cd after losing his young wife. They were married young and she was diagnosed with cancer. They didn’t have long together. This cd contains many songs that are working it out with God, giving god his pain in the midst of incredible sorrow. I have cried to this cd and cried out to God. It helps me to put my pain in the right perspective and depend on God to carry me through.

Mat Kearney is an old friend of JJ’s and mine. He was around when we met and witnessed “us” becoming an “us”. He is special to our hearts. He also happens to be a great song-writer! He has a really smoothe soothing voice and mainstream radio has realized that. He can be heard on stations everywhere and has recently been on tours with Sheryl Crow and John Mayer. He is a great guy that loves the Lord and is gaining recognition in an area where I would say he is a minority.

If you are interested in learning any more on those CD’s/Video you can click that link (no i don’t make money on the click, only a small percentage on a sale :)) And you can either buy it there or look elsewhere online or in your local store. All 3 of the cd’s should be found most places. The dvd may be at your local Christian bookstore, but other than that you will have to find it online.

Enjoy! Hopefully I can turn you onto new things you will love. If you are ever offended by any product I place on my sidebar please tell me. They don’t contain the same disclaimer my blogroll does. I will definitely take something down if you find reasonable issues with them.

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May

17

Sometimes I feel like, Sombodies watching me.

Filed Under Children, Family, Motherhood, Music, Voting | 11 Comments

Watch this powerful video. Convicting. Gave me chills. Not too long, take a looksee. (Hat tip Kyle.)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVmZXaZZfsI]

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May

8

A Paris Bashing Party Anyone?

Filed Under Christianity, Current Events, Entertainment, Environment, Music | 11 Comments

I’m not a big Paris Hilton fan. I’m also not a Paris Hilton hater. I’m actually rather indifferent to her. The only occassions she comes to my mind is when I see her on t.v. or in a magazine. Other than that, I don’t think about Paris Hilton.

Today I was forced to think about her as my friend over at Non Sequitor sent me a link to this article.

Most of you know who Paris Hilton is so I won’t be pasting that part. What some of you may or may not know is that she is headed for Jail time for driving on a D.U.I. suspended license. She has appealed this sentence and will likely be unsuccessful. The diva better get used to bright orange (isn’t that what they wear these days?).

All of that really doesn’t matter to me. She broke the law and will be punished like anyone else. Seems fair right? What DOES annoy me however is what the author of the article says some Christians are doing in response. Read on…

A Christian group are planning to celebrate Paris’ jail sentence by trashing her CDs at US Hilton hotels. Mark Dice - founder of The Resistance, who have previously criticised 50 Cent and Jessica Simpson for being bad role models - will speak at Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton on June 5 - the day Paris is due to begin her sentence. He said: “The kinds of role models that have come to light recently in America are horrible. “She is an extremely materialistic, uneducated person who rose to prominence because of a homemade sex video. Now we have all these young, preteen and teenage girls who really look up to her. “We’re going to be throwing her CDs in huge trash cans and getting them off the face of the Earth.”

COME ON PEOPLE!
Look, I think she dresses inappropriately. I don’t like the idea of her leaked sex video. Many of the things I have seen her in seem anything but edifying let alone an example to our young women. HOWEVER, the girl is making her bed and will sleep in it. I do not think she is constructing a whole agenda for our generation to lead it into complete depravity. I think she wants to be beautiful, rich, and famous… and in doing so may not have the best of morals.

To hold Paris CD trashing parties at her family’s hotel chain seems absurd. Aren’t there more time-worthy causes to fight? I get overwhelmed sometimes of the mere thought of all the sad, awful things going on in the world. All the people being sold in sex trade, children being taken advantage of, babies being aborted, mass genocide in africa, abuse, the plight of the poor…etc. As Christians if we are going to advocate for something, don’t those causes seem more valid?

I guess I’m treading on the line of being judgemental and I really do not want to be like that. Maybe these people have this bizarre calling? I just don’t remember Jesus talking about rejoicing when lost people get what’s coming to them. Anyone have thoughts on this?

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May

6

I Gotta Ask… (crowd participation encouraged). Part 3

Filed Under Blogging, I gotta ask..., Music | 9 Comments

Last week not as many people participated in my little I gotta ask game. Maybe it was the quesitons? At any rate, I’ll try it again this Monday :)

1. What is your main source of news? Internet? T.V.? Newspaper? Do you care?

I probably get my news 50% from t.v. and 50% from the internet. I care a lot. Sometimes maybe too much.

2. Do you listen to music? a certain kind? All time favorites?

Yes- though I once was really up on it and now, well… I don’t get out much :) I grew up with a ton of appreciation for the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. I loved the Cure and Depeche mode but still was a fan of New Kids on the Block and Milli Vanilli (cut me some slack, I was 13). Then there was a femmes phase and then Elliot Smith. I went through a big billy holiday frank sinatra period… and now I like all sorts of things! From worship cd’s like Hungry or Matt Redman to The Fray and Camera Obscura. I think my taste is probably all over the place.

3. Do you have myspace or facebook?

Yes both. My personal myspace is private friends and family only. And my Facebook is of course private as well.

4. Is your interent dial up, cable, DSL? Wireless, Laptop, Desktop? Mac? PC?

Me- Cable, Wireless, Mac, Laptop.

5. Do you have an ipod? Other MP3 player.

Yes- I have a pink one that I got for a birthday from my husband a few years ago. And this year he gave me a pink shuffle for Vday. He has one of those Video ipods and a shuffle. We are pretty wired around here.

6. Are you addicted to the internet? How long are you on? What are you on for? work? social? research? news? all?

I hope I’m not, but close. Hence, the Fridays off. Luckily I’m pretty busy with the kids, playdates, and keeping house and life together so That keeps me from being a super addict. I would say I’m on 1.5-2 hours a day… but those are mostly nap time and night time. I am on for blogging, learning, and news.

That’s it for now, your turn. Please play :) Don’t be shy.

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May

1

CCM Magazine Changes Its Name & Enters the 21st Century

Filed Under Christianity, Entertainment, Music | 21 Comments

ccm_05.07

I’m going to admit something.

I worked in the Chirstian music industry.
My husband has worked in the industry for over a decade (though now he overlaps Christian and mainstream music). But I have never been a huge fan of contemporary Christian music, or the magazine that represents it, CCM.

I have always felt they had a good heart, but everything from the graphics to some of the artists covered, were at least a decade behind.

When I say “behind”, you need to understand that I love aesthetics of design, and innovative sound in music. Yes, plenty of music I like would not be considered cutting edge. But I still greatly admire music that is. As Christians we shouldn’t be taking cues from the world’s trend-setters and being the last to catch on. Shouldn’t we be setting the tone if we are in touch with our creator?

One of the main reasons most of Christian music isn’t hitting the charts is because much of it lacks appeal apart from the good lyrics and edifying part. And while those reasons are great reasons for Christians to listen, why should a world that does not care about edification want to listen? Shouldn’t we be creating things that MAKE THEM WANT TO LISTEN, instead of merely Christian substitutes to what is already out there in the general market?

At any rate… the main christian music magazine that has been dedicated to this industry is CCM. And I just received a press release that they are changing. THANK YOU GOD!

I have not read the first issue (pictured above), of what will now be called CCM (Christ. Community. Music.) Magazine. The mere fact that they realize that have to come of age, shows they care. They can not be the same magazine that they were 29 years ago if they want to get younger Chrisitians interested. They asked (via survey a while back) AND THEY LISTENED!

I genuinely feel that if they are truly listening to their younger readers they may actually be able to make an larger impact on them again.

Here is the Press Release (a portion):

Nashville, Tenn., May 1, 2007—CCM Magazine, Christian music’s preeminent publication, is changing its definition of “Christian music” with its May 2007 issue to raise the profile of independent and general market artists of faith.

“This month marks a historic step for our magazine, and, as a result, the fans and the industry we serve,” said CCM Editor Jay Swartzendruber. “We’re going to start mixing indie and general market Christians such as The Fray, Mary J. Blige and Sufjan Stevens in with artists with traditional Christian label affiliation. Rather than define ‘Christian music’ just by its label or distribution, we’re now defining it as Christian worldview music. CCM Magazine has always taken its role as a leader seriously, and we believe this is the way of the future.”

During the ’70s, CCM played a leading role in branding the spiritual pop and rock & roll that was known then simply as “Jesus Music.” As the grassroots contemporary Christian music scene mushroomed into a billion dollar industry, “Christian music” became widely regarded as an actual genre, even though it included rock, pop, hip-hop, punk, hardcore metal and other styles of music. As a result, many artists of faith who are reluctant to have their music defined by the Christian market have chosen to bypass it altogether. With this expanded view of “Christian music,” CCM Magazine now celebrates the full spectrum of faith-fueled music and musicians.

The “CCM” acronym – which has stood for “contemporary Christian music” for most of the magazine’s 29 year history – takes on new meaning this month as revealed by the front cover tagline: Christ € Community € Music. “CCM has always been a catalyst for community between Christian artists and readers,” explained Swartzendruber. “However, we’re taking that idea to a new level by making reader-generated content central to our new approach. In fact, our readers are literally helping us create this magazine, including their own album reviews, first-hand accounts, questions for favorite artists, and highlights from our online social networking community, www.myCCM.org”

DISCLAIMER: My thoughts about a chunk of the Christian music market have no reflection on the artist in the new issue of CCM magazine pictured above. Toby Mac is not only a great guy, but a talented one as well.

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