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More music reviews from Ron today…I got some cash for my birthday, and I used some of it to pick up Derek’s new CD “The Ringing Bell” from iTunes.

I’ll be totally honest here. I like Derek. He’s a great guy, and he’s doing some great things with his music, but I don’t always immediately fall in love with his stuff. There are at least 2 reasons for this: I’m not familiar enough with him and his writing style, and his writing is far more intelligent than I’ll ever be.

Over the past 4 or 5 months, I’ve been consciously trying to get to know Derek’s music better. I can’t necessarily make myself more intelligent, but I can try to appreciate good music, right? Well, I must be doing something right, because I absolutely loved “The Ringing Bell” from the first listen.

When trying to cram “The Ringing Bell” into a genre, I guess I’d call it a rock album. I can’t find another genre in my iTunes list where it would be a better fit, plus that’s what Derek calls it. I saw somewhere that some guy called it Alt Country, but I think that’s a wrong label. It sounds a lot like something The Beatles would have done, which makes me like it a little more.

Lyrically, “The Ringing Bell” is full of lines that make you think.

For example, the first verse and chorus from “A Love That’s Stronger Than Our Fear”

What would you do
if someone put a gun to your head
and asked you to tell them a lie?
What would you say
if you were pushed that way
to betray yourself to keep yourself alive?
Is life worth so much?

There’s got to be a love that’s
stronger than our fear
of everything being out of control

and “A Savior on Capitol Hill” is another of my favorites, which includes the lines

So come to DC if it be thy will
because we’ve never had a savior on Capitol Hill

and this one always makes me laugh, probably because it’s so true.

You can always trust the devil or a politician
to be the devil or a politician

I may break some world’s record for longest blog post if I mention all the noteworthy lyrics in this album, so I’ll not keep going. You can hear the whole album over at theringingbell.com if you’d like to try before you buy.  I suggest you do both.

I have intended to post about Jeremy Casella’s new CD “Recovery” for some time now, but I’ve not really had the time or the words. I’ve got time now, but I still struggle for words. It truly is beautiful music.

I spoke to Jeremy in Nashville last fall (Octoberish, I think) and he was telling me about the CD he was working on. He told me of strings and drums and horns…I could tell his passion for the art he was making, but I struggled to truly understand exactly what he was describing.

When I had the option to pre-order the CD (and download immediately, which was nice), I jumped at the chance to finally hear what Jeremy had done. I listened in awe - it had grabbed my full attention. I listened to all these instruments blend together in ways that I’ve rarely heard anywhere before.

Reading the liner notes, I see the following instruments:

• acoustic guitar
• grand piano
• upright piano
• bass
• pedal steel
• drum kit
• chamberlin
• cello
• viola
• violin
• french horn
• flugel horn
• concert bass drum
• snare drum
• electric guitar
• slide guitar
• accordian
• bass
• mallet drums
• tympani
• sleigh bells
• cymbals
• wind gong
• tambourine
• trumpet
• bass harmonica
• clarinet
• water jug
• 12 string guitar
• trombone
• tuba
• flute
• bass clarinet
• microkorg
• indian drum
• glockenspiel
• organ
• tom toms

What a list! I’ve had this music for a while now, and I’m still nearly speechless when I listen to the music and the way it has been so finely crafted.

The best part about reviewing “Recovery” is that I can let the music speak for itself instead of trying to find words good enough to describe it. You can hear the full CD over at virb.com under Jeremy’s profile. So go listen. And then go get it here.

Well, things have been quiet out here lately. I’ve been really busy lately, and this blog just hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. I know there are millions of people out there wondering what’s going on, and I should work harder to keep them updated.

This week has been a good week of concerts for me. My friend Drew called me last weekend to let me know that Andy Gullahorn was playing at his church in Chattanooga on Sunday night. So my friend Chris and I drove up for that. Good show, indeed. And we went to Zaxby’s after the show. That’s always good too.

I didn’t get pictures from Sunday, mostly because we were way in the back and not really in a prime spot for photos. The backs of heads aren’t all that thrilling to see.

So then on Tuesday night I drove up to Knoxville to a benefit concert for New City Cafe. They’re not going to be New City Cafe anymore…they’re teaming up with some folks in Knoxville to do a mission-oriented project in the city. It’ll be good; I’m certain of that, but I don’t really know all the details of what’s going on.

Andrew Peterson, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, Randall Goodgame, Matthew Perryman Jones, Alethia, and Ryan Long (I think that’s everybody) came out to help raise some cash for New City Cafe. It says a lot about New City that all of these guys were willing to take a night out of their schedule, drive to Knoxville for the show, and do it for free so that New City could benefit even more from the ticket sales.

If you ever get a chance, ask some of these guys what they think about New City. I’m sure they’d be glad to tell you all about what New City has meant to them.

I did get a few pictures from the night. They’re not great because 1)the lighting was really, really weird (spotlight behind the artists and colored lights directly on them) and 2)I refuse to be “that guy” with the flash popping all the time during a concert. They’re over here on my flickr page.

I’ve got a few thoughts about New City that I’m organizing into a separate post. It’ll be one of those deep thinking posts that I come up with about every 3 months. I’m overdue for one of those anyway…

Tonight I’m taking my favorite 6 year old up to Dalton to see (once again) Andy Gullahorn. The real reason I’m going up there is to get our stroller back from him (I had to leave it at his house in December because of the impromptu drive to Huntsville with Eric, Sandra and Jill). And, since we’ll be there anyway to get the stroller, we’ll sit and listen to the music…since we’ll be there anyway.

About a week ago I thought it would be a while before I got to another concert.  This weekend, I got to see 2 concerts featuring 3 of my favorite musicians.  And the concerts were free.

Last week I got an email from Katy Bowser letting me know she was playing in Atlanta on Saturday.  The Spine Doctor and his wife were gracious enough to babysit for us, so we had a date night listening to some music.  Katy and crew did a fabulous job.

Katy’s husband, Kenny Hutson, is an amazing musician.  He’s from the Atlanta area, so his family was all at the show.  That also means that they played a lot of stuff that featured him working his magic with his guitar.

Then last night I drove down to Lagrange to see Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken play a concert for a few hundred college kids.  Sandra played a new song that (if I heard right) will be sung by Danielle on the next Caedmon’s Call CD.  Derek played some new stuff as well, and he mentioned that his next release will be May 1.

I’ve been chasing the buffalo for some time now, and I finally got one. My friend Curt has insisted this is one of the best CDs ever made. I’ve only heard it a few times through, but I really have been enjoying it. That Pierce Pettis is pretty awesome, in case you didn’t know.

Thanks, Curt.

There have been some pretty big holes in my collection of music that just haven’t been filled, for whatever reason. I’ve picked up some new music in the last month (thanks to Christmas, mostly). I’ve enjoyed the new tunes, and I decided to blog about it.

Sara Groves
“Add to the Beauty”
I picked this one up for my wife, but I’ve listened a little bit, too. Sara was at Andrew Peterson’s Christmas concert in Nashville, and I really enjoyed the songs she played. The CD isn’t the greatest in my collection, but to be fair, I’ve only listened to it a few times.

Pierce Pettis
“Great Big World”
I got this in Nashville last month, and was pretty much blown away (again) by Pierce’s music. He’s got a voice that might take some getting used to, but this guy can tell a story in song unlike anybody else.

Pierce Pettis
“Making Light of It”
This is an old CD (1996), but I’m late to the party for Pierce, so I grabbed this one courtesy of an iTunes gift card. It’s interesting to hear the old Pierce Pettis stuff and think “wow, he’s even more amazing now.” This one has a song about Absalom that I like, and I really enjoyed “Satellite Sky” as well. This one is still very new, but so far, I have really enjoyed it.

Pierce Pettis
“Everything Matters”
Another old (1998) CD from Pierce that I finally got. It’s also very new to my collection. I now have 4 of his CDs - enough to put them in one playlist and get lost in the music for a few hours. Somebody please tell me why Pierce isn’t a name that everybody knows.

Sandra McCracken
“The Builder and the Architect”
You take old hymns, rewrite the music, add some Sandra McCracken, and you get pure awesomeness. Brilliant CD. Sandra amazes me.

Indelible Grace (3 and 4)
If you haven’t heard of the Indelible Grace stuff, you should check it out. They took old hymns and rewrote the music, and just got some great arrangements of some wonderful old hymns. They are mostly an acoustic folk-rock sound and are very well done. It’s nice hearing a new sound to the old hymns.

Chris Mason
“Not So Gracefully”
An internet friend was kind enough to share his extra copy with me. The production is good, but Chris has definitely matured as a musician since this recording. I liked the line “If I had a talking donkey, I would treat her right” in “Balaam’s Place.”

Sufjan Stevens
“Songs for Christmas”
I mentioned this before in a previous blog post. I’ll probably listen even when it’s not Christmas time.

Sufjan Stevens
“Illinois”
I’m still getting used to Sufjan, but I like him a little more with each listen. He’s very talented, and the music is well-produced…it just takes some getting used to (for me, at least). Illinois (the album, not the state) is worth your time.

Justin McRoberts
“Christmas EP”
It’s only 3 songs, but it’s good. Justin McRoberts singing “O Holy Night”…that’s worth the ticket price any day.

Randall Goodgame and Andrew Peterson
“Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies”
It’s for the kids, but I’ve enjoyed listening, too. Randall and Andy never cease to amaze me. I’m sure I’ll tire of hearing this one (the kids demand it every time we get in the car), but at least it’s not Barney the purple dinosaur.

Caedmon’s Call
“In the Company of Angels II - The World Will Sing”
Not their greatest stuff, I know. It’s not even close, I know. But I like the influence Andrew Osenga has had on the band’s sound, so I bought the CD.

Sufjan Stevens is…

• Pronounced “soof-yon”
• Weird
• Great with song titles (like “Come on! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!”)
• Amazingly gifted
• Strangely addictive
• Free here

Seriously, I’m new to Sufjan and his music. Geof and Gaines absolutely won’t shut up about his awesomeness, so I’ve started listening to see what all the fuss is about. I’m not ashamed to admit it, but I don’t get it - yet. I’ve been listening to his “Illinois” album, and more recently his 5 CD box set of Christmas music called “Songs for Christmas” (thanks, Tim).

I like “Illinois” a little more with each listen. The Christmas stuff is still weird, but I liked most of it on the first time through. Maybe that’s because it’s good. Maybe that’s because I’m getting used to his weirdness.

You can download a song of his (”That was the Worst Christmas Ever”) at the iTunes music store because he’s the single of the week. Check it out. Maybe you’ll find some more music you like. Or maybe you’ll think I’m crazy. At least I’m no more crazy than Gaines or Geof.

Remember when you were a kid, and your mom would try to get you out of bed? When that happened, I would always mutter “five more minutes” and bury my head under the pillow. I enjoyed the sleep so much, I didn’t want it to end.

That’s how I feel when I see “Behold the Lamb of God.” The evening starts where I’m glad to see friends, then I get excited about seeing some of my favorite songwriters. Then I see the awesomeness in the fact that the Christmas story is true. Then it ends, and I want to see it again.

This week has been much like those rare mornings when Mom would actually let me sleep another five minutes. I got to see BTLOG on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night. Each time I left the venue thinking that I wish I could see it again. Last night, the final night of the tour for me, I left a little sad, knowing it would be 11 months before seeing that show again. At least I’ve got the DVD.

I’m not usually very good with words, especially those pesky adjectives. Trying to review the show 3 different times has been difficult for me. Some nights the band plays better than other nights. Some nights the sound is better than other nights. Some nights the “in the round” portion goes better than other nights.

I’m reminded of what Randall Goodgame told Andrew Peterson when Andrew was putting the songs together. Andrew, concerned that he wouldn’t do the story justice, was told that he can’t mess it up. There’s a lot of truth in that statement. When you tell God’s story, the way it actually happened, you just can’t ruin it. So the little echo in an auditorium, and the vocalist fighting a cold, and the guitar pick that breaks in the middle of a song just fade into insignificance because the story being told is a true story.

The BTLOG tour is still out on the road. They’re in Florida tonight and tomorrow, then they’ll have a show in Ohio, North Carolina, and then South Carolina before the month is through. If they’re anywhere near you, I’d encourage you to go out and see it. If they’re not near you, go listen to the songs on Andrew’s web site. Or, if you’re near me and you want to see the DVD, I’d be glad to loan my copy to you.

Yesterday, with the exception of about 10 minutes, was a pretty stress-free day.

I got a chance to meet the newly arrived Sadie Osenga, and though she slept through my visit, I did get to see her. Her big sister Ella (such a cutie) was fun to chat with for a few minutes as well. Sadie is a pretty baby, which of course means she looks like her mom. No offense to Andy, but…

After chatting with the Osengas for a few minutes, I went back to the Peters’ house (that has been so kindly opened to me when I’m in town) and had a bowl of Danielle’s “Chicken Noodle Yahoo” which was formulated and named all within about 10 minutes. Basically it’s a chicken noodle soup, but so much better than any other soup I’ve had.

Eric and I left his place and went to pick up Sandra, where I got to meet the Webb’s dog Levi, the most absolutely brilliant dog in the world. The dog actually understands English. It was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen. Sandra got Levi’s attention and told him that he was going with their friend for a few days. They opened the door, and Levi ran and jumped in the friend’s car. It doesn’t sound so impressive now that I’ve typed it, but it was pretty cool to watch.

From there, we picked up the formerly voiceless Jill Phillips and headed south to Huntsville. The trip went pretty well, except I made Sandra car sick. She says it wasn’t my fault, but I think she’s just being nice. The wind was blowing, and the car was hard to drive.

We got into Huntsville and were looking for a road when we got a flat tire. I’ve been driving for many years, and I’ve never had one. Of course, these are people who are traveling for a week, so they all had suitcases in the trunk. I unpacked the trunk while Eric tried to break the lug nuts loose. Getting the tire off of the car took a little more weight than Eric had available to put into his efforts.

We got the tire changed and were back on the road in about 10 minutes. It seemed like it was much longer because the crazy cold wind was blowing. It was actually fun to watch Eric since he’s the type who gets cold if the temperature drops below 60.

After that, we were back on the road and at the church in almost no time at all. We found where we were supposed to go and then got ushered over to eat a pretty awesome meal. It was catered in “The Lodge,” which was an enormous recreational facility for the church’s youth group. They have 2 pool tables, a foosball table, and an indoor basketball half court.

Don’t ever challenge Derek Webb to foosball. You’ll lose.

And, for the record, Andy Gullahorn did not make the over-the-shoulder-while-not-looking-at-the-goal shot from behind the 3-point line as Derek said “Would you make a shot already?” It’s our word against his.

Then I went back over to the church to get a seat. I met up with some message board folks for a quick “howdy” and then we settled in for the show.

The performance was really good. Seeing Jill in the group was nice. She was really missed on Wednesday. Jill, Andy Gullahorn, and Ben Shive joined Eric in the round for “Squeeze” and it was (as you might expect) awesome. Geof recorded the show, and I’d be thrilled if just that one song turned out to be worth hearing. The Christmas portion of the night was nothing short of breath taking.

Mr. Peterson apparently got overcome with amazement in the realization that the Christmas story really is true, and he was fighting back tears for the final 3 or 4 songs of the evening.

I bid everyone farewell and headed for home. I got back about 2:00 this morning.

I got up in time to take my girl to school, and then I spent 3 and a half hours at Kauffman Tire in Hiram. Those were probably the last hours (and dollars) I’ll ever spend with Kauffman. (More on that later…)

Now it’s time for me to pick up my 1st grader and bring her back home. They’re heading to see our favorite spine doctor, and I’ll be heading down to Fayetteville for tonight’s BTLOG show. It’s an exhausting time, but I love every minute of it.

Andy’s telling of this story amazes me every time I hear it, and I’ve heard it a lot. You can listen to the whole CD online over at Andy’s site. Just go to www.andrew-peterson.com and click on the “Open Player” link.

Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame have teamed up to release a CD of songs they wrote for their kids.  “Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies” releases today.

More than just a bunch of kids songs, SBL was designed to help kids wind down at the end of a day.  There are songs about pirates, eating vegetables, bears eating children, and the creation of man.

You can listen to two of the songs here.  You can buy it here.