Music Musings: Concerts and Such

Despite the fact that I love music, I don't actually like concerts that much. I agree with Uvulapie when he wrote, "I don't really care for live music (too uncontrolled and often disappoints compared to a carefully crafted studio album)." I think we actually are brothers somehow. Anyway, I don't like concerts for much the same reason. It's way too loud and, being an introvert, I don't really like being jostled around by people I don't know. I'd rather watch a concert on television or maybe a coffee house. I prefer unplugged shows like VH1's Storytellers where you get up close and personal.

There's also another kind of weird reason that's going to sound really religious. I think concerts, in essence, are worship services for the artist. Think about it: the band is up on stage - your entire being is focused on just how awesome and wonderful that band is. Is that not worship? Now I'm not saying you can't go to concerts or anything. But for me they have that dynamic. That's why I prefer smaller shows. They feel more relational. Instead of basking in the artists glory, they're sharing their hearts and fellow-shipping with us. Again, it's just a personal thing for me. 

Now I'm going to totally copy Uvulapie and see if I can list all the concerts I've been to. Keep in mind that my town did not have a music scene at all so Kingdom Bound was the mainstay of my concert experience. Though, as I've said before, my mom and aunt drove us all around God's green earth to go to concerts too.

Kingdom Bound 1990

- Carman

- Sacred Warrior

Kingdom Bound 1991

- Whitecross

- Petra

Kingdom Bound 1992

- Bride

- The Choir

- Rachel Rachel

- Scary Cats

- Sacred Warrior
- Novella

Kingdom Bound 1993

I don't remember actually going to any concerts this year. I did catch the end of Bloodgood's final show. Had I been a wiser lad I probably would have been at that show. This is the year they moved the alternative/metal stage. They also used the brand new Performing Arts center for the big concerts.

Kingdom Bound 1994

- The Lost Dogs

- The 77's

- Dakoda Motor Mo.

- Sixpence None the Richer
- Phil Keaggy

Kingdom Bound 1995

- Bride

- Johnny Q Public

- Supertones

Kingdom Bound 1996

I  think MxPx was scheduled to play but got rained out. My memory's a bit muddled for the 95/96 era. 

Let's see, now for regular concerts:

1990 - Michael Peace - some church near our town

1990 - Some band called Fortress

1991 - Whitecross and Sardonyx - In The Kingdom tour (some school in Pennsylvania)

1991 - Holy Soldier - Last Train tour (A different school in Pennsylvania)

1991 - Seraiah - Seraiah tour (Same school as Holy Soldier)

1991 - Michael Peace (At our church)

1992 - Carman - Addicted to Jesus tour (War Memorial - Rochester, NY)

1992 - Michael Peace (at Southside High School in my hometown) My cousin and some friends for youth group opened up for him under the name C.F.C.

1992 - Ray Boltz - Moments for the Heart?? (Don't remember where)

1993 - Carman - The Standard tour (War Memorial - Rochester, NY)

1993 - Newsboys at Eastern Nazarene College (Didn't actually watch the concert, I hung out outside and talked to people.

1994- Newsboys (I didn't actually watch the concert either, I chilled outside with my girlfriend at the time)

???? - Mark Lowry (Clemens Center in my very own hometown!)

???? - Alvin Slaughter (Faith Temple in Rochester, NY)

2005 - Emery - The Question tour (The Social in Orlando, FL) Gym Class Heroes opened up for this one or the Flyleaf concert. My wife and I go to see them before they blew up on the radio.

2006- Flyleaf - Debut album tour (The Social in Orlando, FL)

That's all I can think of for now. I'll update it as I remember stuff.

Music Musings: Things I Miss

Every now and then I take a look back at my childhood (okay... maybe more than "every now and then") and think about some of the things I miss being a music fan back in the day.

1. Music Magazines

Now I know there's still music magazines out there, but I'm talking specifically about the Christian ones. CCM, Heaven's Metal, Harvest Rock Syndicate, and even This Prophecy were all part of my childhood. I still get magazines in the mail and it's still a thrill. Unfortunately  every single one of the magazines I mentioned died off at some point. Of course, the Christian music scene isn't what it once was but I still miss reading about the newest releases, news, and interviews. On the potty.

2. Demos

This one is kind of silly. It's a LOT easier to listen to samples today on Itunes or Amazon or whatever. Even so, I still kind of miss taking a fistful of tapes to the tape deck and sampling the latest releases. I always thought it was kind of weird that secular stores never did that sort of thing. I guess the Christian bookstores didn't want to deal with returns, so they let people preview what they were getting.

3. A Lack of Information

At strange as it sounds I kind of miss the days where you didn't know everything about everyone all the time. Where information on your favorite thing wasn't mere keystrokes away. There was a lot more mystery about your favorite artists. If you found someone who'd met one of your "idols," it was fun to listen to their stories of how they were like. Scandals could be contained - so as to preserve my illusions that these people I looked up to were actually living the kind of lives they sang about. I guess I could just not read the internet anymore, but c'mon! That's un-possible!

4. Surprise Releases

Closely related to the last point - the lack of information provided many wonderful surprises back in the day. I'd walk into the local Christian bookstore and surprise! A new Deliverance or Tourniquet. It was like a mini-Christmas! Nowadays I pretty much know months in advance when something is coming out. And while waiting for that release date can be fun (as well as preordering for special bonuses), I do enjoy the surprise. It actually happened recently with the new Coheed and Cambria album. Still don't know how I missed that one!

5. The Christian Music Scene

Is there one anymore? I don't even know. Granted, I do think it's actually better this way. However, I won't pretend that I don't miss it... just a little. It was a cool little community to be in. If you met someone who liked the same bands you became instant friends. Christian music festivals were a dime a dozen and featured a lot of great bands.

Don't get me wrong - there are a lot of things I like about the present. I like having to buy CDs online because then I get packages in the mail (which is like mini-Christmas). I do like being able to window shop for any band or style on Itunes. So it's not bad at all. This site's mostly about my nostalgia anyway - so there ya go!

Music Musings: You Kids These Days...

You kids these days... you don't realize how good you have it! You go into one of these new-fangled churches and what do you see? A gull dern rock band! Right on the platform! With drums! Then they play these songs that have actual rhythms and beats and what nots. Youth groups go to these Christian rock festivals, AND IT'S NOT EVEN THE KIDS' IDEA FIRST! It wasn't that way when I was a boy.

When I was your age the only music we had was hymns. There were two instruments - piano and organ. We were only allowed to sing music written between 1750 - 1900. Anything newer was an abomination! We had to listen to SECULAR rock! Where they sang about all manner of sin (my personal favorite was the sex - but that's neither here nor there). Then this Christian rock comes out. Good Christian rock, like what was on the MTV. And by golly, you considered yourself lucky if your pastor only reacted to it with ambivalent suspicion instead of vehement opposition. You had to cajole and convince the youth pastor to drive you to God knows where to see Whitecross. Sometimes you even had to sit down with the pastor and defend the faith of people you didn't even know but had to be investigated if you were to listen to their music.

Now...good gravy. If you tell your pastor you like a certain secular band he'll probably give you a list of Christian bands that just sound just like the one you like.

I tell ya what. You kids have it easy.

Music Musings: The Weather

The hot weather makes me enjoy music less.

Seriously.

I don't know why but being sopping wet with sweat every single minute of every single day makes me cranky and tired. It also makes music impossible to enjoy. I suppose it's a good thing this summer has been pretty lacking in new music. Partly that's because we're broke and can't get any new music but the other part is because since Devin Townsend's albums there's been NOTHING all summer I've been interested in.

I was able to get a CD the other day by selling off some game guides I had. I actually considered postponing listening to it until the weather got cooler.

So that's why there's isn't as much action here lately. Now that I think of it I think I already told you all of this before. Oh well. The heat has finally fried my brain I think.

Music Musings: Gear Shift! - Adventures in Shuffle

Good grief...

This has been the hottest, longest summer I've ever suffered through. We've had temps down here in southern Georgia of over 100 for weeks at a time. Ugh! Also, since Decon and Ghost there's not much music coming out until October when Megadeth and Evanescence release their new albums. Bummer. So, I've done something I usually never do - put my Ipod on shuffle.

See, I'm an album person. I listen to albums - in their entirety. I consider all the songs, the order of the songs, etc. My wife is the opposite as she listens to single songs, not albums. So in this musical drought I decided to switch it up a bit and let fate decide what songs I listen to.

My friend and I had an idea for a radio show called "Gear Shift." The idea was that we would play something really heavy then play something really mellow just to mess with people. My shuffled Ipod is pretty much the very definition of that. It'll play Sixpence None the Richer, Mortification, Steve Taylor, Ayreon, The Choir, etc. What's funny is that sometimes the transitions are really good. Occasionally you'll get this totally mellow track then some heavy song will come on but it totally works. It's been fun.

It's also interesting to note just how "random" random actually is. Sometimes it will favor a particular artist or album. One time I got a lot of songs from Steve Taylor's On The Fritz. Other times it will pick a theme - like early 90's Christian metal, or straight up pop songs. It's like my Ipod actually has moods of its own. Weird.

So anyway, not much of an update - for which I apologize. I've got a few albums for the next couple of months but it's going to be a little sparse. At least until new albums come out or I can get some money that I'm not spending on games for my PSP.

Music Musings: My Dream Project

Hey everyone!

Today I'm going to let you inside my head for a bit. Scary, I know. This may surprise you but I do a lot of thinking about music. I often rewrite songs in my head, assign new projects to vocalists, and dream up concept albums. Since today is a rather slow day and I don't have anything else to do I'll let you in on one of my "dream projects."

Concept Album about Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection.

I'm aware that this has actually been done before. A bunch of people got together and did Hero which I believe was a rock opera featuring Christian music's best and brightest. Michael Tait (DC Talk) played the part of Jesus. Mine would be a lot different. First, it would be a LOT heavier but progressive - like an Ayreon CD but with more heavy. Secondly, it would feature both Christian and non-Christian talent. I don't have a set cast list but here's what I've been thinking.

Mary - Hayley Williams (Paramore): I picked Hayley for Mary because she's young and has proven to me that she can tackle a wider range of styles and emotions than "angsty." Though to be honest having to birth the Son of God might make anyone angsty so there's another point for her.

John the Baptist - Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian): I love Hansi's voice and think he would be perfect to play the voice in the wilderness.

Zechariah - Terry Scott Taylor (DA, Swirling Eddies, Lost Dogs): Our friend Terry would have one good song, namely, "Benedictus." It would be soft, acoustic, moving, and beautiful all at the same time. It would perfectly capture the mood of someone able to die feeling fulfilled.

Herod - Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine): We need somebody nice and bombastic for Herod. I think Eric fits the bill nicely.

Jesus - Jimmy P. Brown, II (Deliverance, Jupiter VI): As a huge fan of the D I'm convinced that Jimmy has the passion and pathos to voice the Savior.

Peter - Damien Wilson (ex-Threshold, Star One): Damien's voice is another one of those that just gives me chills every time I hear it. I think he's got the gusto to match Peter's strong emotions yet the ability to also reflect Peter's regrets.

John - Dug Pinnick (King's X): Because we need some soul up in this joint.

Judas - Roger Rose (ex-Mad at the World): I was going to pick Randy Rose for this spot but I thought that might be a little too predictable. Randy's Morrison-esque voice would be too obvious. I think Roger's more sensitive vocal style would be a little more interesting also, let's be honest here, Roger can handle hard rock vocals just fine.

Mary Magdalene - Anneke Van Giersbergen (Various Ayreons): Anneke could provide a sensitive and quiet counterpoint to Jimmy's emotion, but she can also belt it out when the time is right.

Pontius Pilate - Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria): Claudio the vocalist spends most of his time question his place in the world as Claudio the character. Who better to as the question "What is truth?"

Satan - Devin Townsend (Devin Townsend Project) and Steve Rowe (Mortification): Do I really need to go into why these two would be perfect for the part? Satan's voice would be layered with Devin handling the higher register and Steve's old school death metal growl handling the lower register.

The Magi - Joey Belladonna (ex-Anthrax), James Hetfield (Metallica), and Dave Mustaine (Megadeth): I admit this one's a little silly but I find the idea of three of the "Big Four" lending their voices to the Magi to be too awesome not to consider. Heck, if he's up for it we can throw in Tom Araya (Slayer) too.

That's all the vocalists I have spots for in my head. As for musicians we'll have Rex Carroll (ex- Whitecross) for the facemelters because he's the MAN. We'll also have John Scheaffer (Iced Earth) on tap for some of those super-fast thrash riffs. Oh yeah, we'll need Derri Daugherty (The Choir) for the ambient stuff. We'll have Ryan Van Pooderuyan (or however you spell it) on the drums. Tim Chandler will be providing the bass on the more melodic parts and we'll go ahead and let Steve Rowe handle the bass on the heavier parts. We'll need a keyboard guy too but since I don't really have a favorite you'll have to think up your own.

There you have it. Feel free to post your own suggestions if you have any!

Music Musings: Fighting Depression

It might surprise you to know this, but I often struggle with depression. Okay... maybe struggle isn't quite the word because sometimes I like it. Not on days like today though. Is there music that makes you depressed? I have some albums that I listen to when I'm depressed, but there are some that actually make me depressed. Like... take me from a happy or medium mood to depression. That's not good.

I actually noticed that when some friends and I took a week and only listened to worship music, just to see if we noticed a difference in ourselves. We were trying to do worship music for some thing or another and we really wanted to see if it would help us get into the anointing faster. I don't know if it really helped us at all, but I think God did point out some albums to me. I think it was God anyway. That's not really the point, though.

I say, "God said" but it's really more of a feeling. Like God put a sign on those albums in my heart that says, "You shouldn't listen to this." A few of them were King's X albums. Dogman, Ear Candy, Tape Head, Mr. Bulbous, and Manic Moonlight. That's why you don't see them on this site. All of these have some songs that just drag my mood right down. On Dogman it's "Cigarettes" and "Pillow" for example. Now I'm not saying that YOU can't enjoy these albums and songs, I'm just saying I have to stay away from them because they just make me depressed - and I don't need any help in that area.

There are a few albums that actually make me feel better no matter what mood I'm in. Grave Robber's Inner Sanctum, Devin Townsend's Addicted, and lately Gama Bomb. I mean seriously, how can you not feel better after listening to a song about Final Fight?

Wow... got a little personal there. Sorry, I'll try not to let it happen again.

Music Musings: 5 Christmas Songs That Need Updating

Even though it’s only November I’ve pretty much said, “Screw it, I’m doing Christmas now.” So in my head it’s Christmastime and will be until January 2nd. That being said, I’ve been thinking about Christmas music and which songs should be updated. There are some more obscure songs that I think need a fresh coat of paint. Likewise, there are some songs that should be remade, yet remain “original.”. Quick note: just because a song is on this list doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with the original.

1. “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” by Gayla Peevey – I first heard this song a couple years ago on the radio. Up until then I’d never heard of it. I had no idea that a song about wanting a hippo for Christmas would make me giggle like a school-girl, but it did. There’s also something about Gayla’s Shirley Temple-esque vocals that appeal to me as well. I think it’s about time for a fun pop-punk version of this song. A band like Paramore could probably pull it off. Anyone know Paramore’s phone number?

2. “Snoopy’s Christmas (Snoopy vs. the Red Baron)” by the Royal Guardsmen – When I was little (and I mean little, like 4 or 5) I had this record with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang. It was a Christmas record and I remember listening to it over and over. “Snoopy’s Christmas” was one of the songs and my personal favorite. I heard it a year or two ago on the radio and thought that it was time someone did a good cover of this tune. I’m not sure what direction you could go but I think this is a song that deserves some more airplay. After all, it does have some basis in fact – during WWI Allied and German soldiers would call a temporary truce on Christmas Day. Sometimes they even exchanged gifts! So the story of Snoopy’s one-day truce with his nemesis, the Red Baron, is a holiday story that deserves more exposure than it currently has. Also, if anyone knows what record I’m talking about, please let me know because I can’t find any information on it.

3. “Last Christmas” by Wham! – I have included this song not because it’s one of my favorites, but because it is one of the most over-played songs of the holiday season. You’ll hear it at Walmart, Walgreens, the radio on your car, the elevator, the doctor’s office, any restaurant with music. Doesn’t matter where you might find yourself during the season you will hear this song. It is inevitable. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!! Um… so anyway, it’s time to update the synth-tastic original. Also, George Michael’s whispery vocals annoy me for some reason. I propose a nice acoustic guitar version with a decent singer that’s NOT Jon Mayer.

4. “Same Auld Lang Sine” by Dan Fogelburg – Here’s another song that’s didn’t make this list because it’s a favorite. In fact, I hate this song. If this song were a person I would probably punch them right in the throat. If you read my “5 Worst Christmas Songs” list from last year I think this was number 2. This song’s presence on my list is a request. I’m calling on a metal band to do a full on metal cover of this turgid holiday turd. I want fast down-tuned riffs, death “cookie monster” growls, blast beats, and a few face-melting leads. That would be the ultimate salvation for what is one of the worst Christmas songs ever.

5. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” traditional – I know what you’re thinking. “But Adam,” you say, “there’s, like, a zillion versions of this song! Why does it need updating?” Well, gentle reader, I will tell you why - because among that zillion there is not one version that I like. Not. Even. One. I don’t know what it is about this song, whether it’s the repetitive nature of the lyrics or the fact that no one has really done anything spectacular with it but we need a “definitive” version of this song.

Music Musings: UR DOIN IT RITE - Music Availability

If you're a regular here it's pretty obvious that I like older music. Someone once said that one's favorite music is usually between the ages 12 - 14. Yep... sounds like me. I went through a period where I wasn't listening to any music at all and got rid of a TON of music that I wish now I would have kept. Yeah... hindsight. Anyway, I've been having a blast over the years reacquiring all this music and even checking out bands that I missed along the way.

Naturally with all of this music gather my biggest problem is finding the CDs to buy. A lot of great stuff is ONLY available by download (illegal, by the way). I'm not really opposed to this as usually the market has long past and the band has long since seen any money from them. My personal download policy is to only download stuff that is out of print and at least 10 - 15 years old. I won't hesitate to buy stuff that's new and the only reason why I don't buy the out of print stuff is that I can't hardly find it anywhere!

But that's not really what this edition of Music Musings is about. See some bands complain a lot about downloading. That's understandable. Absolutely. However, occasionally these same bands have no way to access their material at all. They don't offer it on their own websites nor is it available to purchase. Now this entry isn't really about justifying illegal downloading. What I wanted to do is highlight a couple bands who I think are helping us help them by having their music (all of it) available for us to purchase so we can support them.

The Choir - This band has been around for a long time and remains one of my favorites to this day. One of the things I'm most thankful for is that they have almost all of their catalogue available. Their official store carries a decent selection but you can find their earlier and more obscure stuff on both Itunes and their download store. If you want actual CDs, their stuff is plentiful on Amazon. There's pretty much no excuse to drop some coin on this band. You may have some trouble finding Chase the Kangaroo but that's only one album out of several.

Mortification - Morty main man, Steve Rowe, has been VERY vocal about downloading. He once even compared illegal downloading to fornication. Yeah... I don't necessarily agree with him on that point but no one can say that his stuff is hard to find. Almost every album is available on Itunes. Also, all the early Intense Records discs have been reissued either by Soundmass or by other labels. These aren't crappy KMG two-disc-in-one-with-some-songs-cut-out either. These are high quality editions that include liner notes, photos, and extra tracks. While I disagree with some of Steve's rhetoric in regards to downloading, he's practically bent over backward making sure that ALL of his music is available legally and for that I salute him. I also purchased a bunch of Morty CDs too!

I'd love to provide an example of a band that's doing it wrong but the best example I have is one of my favorite bands so I think I'll refrain for now. I will say that their store is testing my patience.

I'd also like to take an opportunity to compliment Matthew Hunt and his Amazon store, Massive Groove. Matthew, I think, runs Retroactive records and by extension, Massive Groove. I have never once had a problem with ordering from him. The shipping is quick and the service is always great. Most times I'll get little extras in my package like compilation CDs (I may review one or two of them...) or posters. One time we had a little snafu with Deliverance's River Disturbance reissue. It took forever to arrive but Matthew was always quick with his communication and went out of his way to take care of me. I don't know how many River Disturbances he sent me, but I'll always be thankful for the way he took care of me. Now whenever I have to get any Retroactive or metal stuff, I always see if I can get it from Massive Groove. You're the bomb Matthew!

Music Musings: 5 Underrated Drummers

The title says it all. Here are five drummers that I think are underrated for one reason or another. Basically when the subject of "awesome drummers" comes up these five names are seldom (read: never) spoken, which is a shame. I will endeavor to remedy that now.

5. Jerry Gaskill (King's X) - King's X probably makes more "underrated" lists than just about any other band I know. Jerry's never been a huge "technical" player. He doesn't need some 100-piece set, he's just a wonderfully consistent drummer. He lets the guitar and bass do what they do in the song and adding his own little flair when appropriate. He's number 5 because he's probably the most recognizable name on the list which makes him less underrated than others.

4. Ryan Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Band/Devin Townsend Project) - I can tell whenever Devin hires this guy to play drums because the drums aren't just background anymore. He's phenomenal! He's just all over the place with fills and is a monster with the double bass. I like it when drummers have their own style and character. He's number 4 because I think he's still young yet and could very well become "un" underrated if he hooks up with the right people. Though hooking up with Devin Townsend is a pretty good start.

3. Chris Hyde (Deliverance, Vengeance Rising) - I'll tell you what impressed me about Chris Hyde. I was listening to (or I should say slogging through) the third Vengeance Rising album, Destruction Comes. It's not very good. The production is muddy the songs aren't that great. However, as I was listening my attention started drifting to the drums. They really made that CD just a bit more enjoyable. If the guy can fight through all of Roger Martinez's craziness, overcome that album's terribleness, and make me smile while listening to the single worst Vengeance disc, I think he deserves to be on this list.

2. Steve Hindalong (The Choir, Lost Dogs) - Steve's another drummer who's not necessarily a "technical" player. You won't here mind boggling solos or double bass or triplets or blast beats, but that's okay. He's got his own unique style that comes through on whatever record he's on. It sounds like he uses brushes and those sticks that are little sticks wrapped up together (I don't know what the technical term is - drummers feel free to educate me) and it lends to his peculiar sound. Not to mention that I think he'll use just about anything that makes noise to drum on. I suppose using the term "sloppy" to describe someone's drumming style wouldn't be considered a compliment, but in this case it is.

1. Jayson Sherlock (Mortification, Horde, Paramaecium) - If anyone asked me who my absolute favorite drummer of all time is, it's Jayson Sherlock. The Mortification debut is a great example of his skill. Sure he can play fast, sure he can do double bass, but he's got this flair that brings the drums right out front and center with the rest of the instruments. He uses the bass drum, toms, and cymbals like an artist uses color and brings vibrancy to death metal. It's never just pounding away as fast as his hands can pound - he is an artist. His drumming truly brought something unique and interesting to those early Mortification albums. He's number one on this list because I think he is truly an underrated drummer in every sense of the word. I also think he doesn't quite get as much recognition because he's usually playing death metal.

So there you have it. 5 Underrated Drummers. In the future I'll be featuring other underrated musicians in bass, guitar, and vocals. Let me know if you have any nominations for those areas!

Music Musings: A CD Hunter's Guide

I miss the old days. Granted, that's not much of a surprise. After all, this entire website is mostly constructed with nostalgia. One of those things I miss about the old days? CDs. Not CDs being for sale, but going to a store and finding several discs that I wanted and only having money for one. It's one of those feelings that's agonizing but totally fun at the same time.

These days I have to buy online for the most part. There's a few mainstream releases that I like to pick up (as evidenced by my last few posts) but there is NOWHERE to find obscure stuff anymore. Have you been in your local Christian store? Good luck finding the latest CD from the Lost Dogs or the 77's. Interested in Retroactive Records stuff? Hope you like buying online.

There's still hope though. That's what this edition of Music Musings is about - where to find CDs. Good ones. I'm going to go through a few CD hunting methods and give them an arbitrary rating that I will think of off the cuff.

1. Christian Music Stores - This used to be my "go-to" place for music but as I've gotten older and the Christian music industry has changed I don't find anything there anymore. And unless you like the "flavor-of-the-month" in terms of music you won't either. Chain stores like Lifeway and Family Christian Stores will occasionally have some lost gem for cheap, and I do mean occasionally but for the most part they stock music like Walmart - extremely current. It's understandable - Christian music is such a niche market they have to stay current to make any money. Though I'm pretty sure that when I went into stores back in the day they'd have more than just the current album of a certain band. Your only real luck will be through mom & pop outfits that aren't constrained by a corporate system. Rating: "O How the Mighty Have Fallen" Award for being awesome and then totally sucking.

2. Pawn Shops - Pawn shops are a pretty mixed bag and depend mostly on your location. If you live in a bigger city with a good music scene you'll find better stuff. I used to live in Ft. Wayne, IN and they had a large church-going population as well as a thriving music scene. I found a TON of good stuff in the pawn shops there (Daniel Amos' Motorcycle and the Choir's Diamonds and Rain were among my many finds). Now that I live in Nowhere, Georgia the pickings are slim as there's only three styles of music down here: country, southern gospel, and Lynard Skynard. I still go in them every now and then but never find anything exept the same sun-bleached copies of Enigma that were there a year ago. Rating: "Amazing" Award for how you can find cool stuff in one shop then bupkiss in another.

3. Goodwill - Goodwill is actually worth looking into. Even where I live I've found several discs that would have been good finds had I not owned them already. Also in Lexington, KY where I popped into a Goodwill while visiting in-laws, even they had good stuff. So if you've got a Goodwill in town head down there and check out their wares. You may be shocked and happy at what you find! Rating: "The Rifleman" Award for being surprisingly cool.

4. Chain Stores - I'm talking about the FYEs and the Sam Goody's of the world. I used to be able to find the odd gem here and there (did I mention I found Now the Truth Can Be Told for $4? Yeah... I think I did) but in the last couple years they've stopped taking stuff they can't sell right away. If that CD doesn't come up in their system they won't buy it. Which means people can't get rid of just anything anymore. Which means the chances of you finding a copy of Vengeance Rising's Human Sacrifice is about slim to none. It's worth looking once to see if something is still there but once you've seen what they've got they're not getting anything new.
Rating: "Children of Time" award for being slavishly devoted to what's current and "cool."

5. Amazon.com - Amazon has been my main provider for just about everything. You can find some pretty good stuff for CHEAP! You have access to sellers that are willing to sell just about anything. The only downside is that if you want a mint copy of The Swirling Eddies Let's Spin you're going to have to pay for it... but at least they have it. Also, you don't get the experience of being in a store and checking out all the new stuff which I always think is half the fun. But still... Amazon remains my go-to place for music.
Rating: "Restore My Soul" Award for helping me collect so much cool music over the years.

6. E-bay - I used to use Ebay a lot but haven't bothered with it in forever. The main reason? I can usually find what I want on Amazon and don't have to worry about being outbid or having the price balloon up to some absurd amount. Rating: "Terrible Mystery" award for the people who list CDs for hundreds of dollars. C'mon people... they're just CDs.

7. CD Trading Websites - Lala.com and Music Boomerang.com are dang near useless. If you sign up you'll get some decent discs right off the jump but it will slow to a trickle and dry up soon. See here's the problem: people want GOOD CDs and they don't want BAD CDs. What does this mean for you? It means there's a million people wanting to get rid of their Hit Me Baby One More Time dust collectors, but few wanting to give up their Alarmas or Doppelgangers. Rating: "Yellow-Haired Monkeys" Award for being a silly idea in the first place.

These aren't the only places to get stuff. If you're lucky enough to have a used CD shop in your town make sure you kiss the owner on the lips and then buy lots of stuff. Those shops are a dying breed and once they're gone they NEVER come back. You can also find music on sites like Rad Rockers or Divine Metal Distro which usually carry the always-awesome Retroactive stuff.

Finally, I've been wondering how long it will be before music goes completely digital. My 15-year old niece has tons of music but doesn't own one single disc. Everything is digital on Itunes. It won't be long before you won't own ANYTHING at all. You'll pay ten dollars to sort of have permission to listen to music that you downloaded. As much as I'm for advances in technology and how they can help musicians, the digital movement, in my opinion will be a way for record companies to charge something for nothing. But that's another column for another time...

Music Musings: The Things You Do For Pretty Girls...

Now that I've gone through just about everything on my Ipod I won't have as much to post. Sad I know. I'll only rely on the new stuff that I can get ahold of and with a baby due any minute now I don't know how much I'll be able to get. However, I don't want to just leave this blog sit, so I'm going to start a new column: Music Musings. Basically whatever I feel like writing about music. I'm going to start with a story or two which might not be interesting unless you've read most of my entries and wonder how I developed such strange tastes in music.


The Things You Do For Pretty Girls...

When I was younger my music taste was pretty myopic - strictly metal and rap. Mostly metal. If it was slow I wasn't interested. Ballads? No thanks. Experimental? Ick! Give me distorted guitars and meaty riffs... give me METAL! My teenage music collection consisted of Deliverance, Tourniquet, Mortification, SFC, Dynamic Twins, etc. Actually *ahem * I guess it still does, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, I can remember when I finally started branching out into other styles of music.

See just about every year our youth group (Known as "The Hippy Youth Group" - a story for another time...) went to Kingdom Bound, a Christian music festival at Darien Lake Theme Park. We were in Elmira, NY and the festival, which was in Batavia, NY was the ONLY one we could ever afford to go to. Oh, we longed to go to Cornerstone but the cornfields of Illinois were one promised land we would never reach.

The year was 1992 and the only act I can remember from that year was Bride. This was just before they were to release Snakes in the Playground. It was the third year we had attended and we had a habit of picking up some strays that weren't actually part of the group and took them with us. Not off the street or anything just random people we'd somehow hooked up with. One of those was Ben. He was a quiet dude that my cousin was enraptured with because he had long black hair and played bass in a metal band. He was pretty funny and we got along well. He and I were walking around the park between concerts and noticed several people wearing King's X shirts. Now both of us being the King's X fans that we were, were a little jealous. I spotted a cute girl with an Out of the Silent Planet shirt on. Now you have to understand how weird that was. Where I was from girls liked Vanilla Ice or whatever crappy pop diva was popular in the early 90's. Seeing a pretty girl in a King's X shirt was like seeing a real live unicorn. So with all the suave sophistication I possessed at thirteen I blurted out, "Where are all these people getting these King's X shirts?!"

We walked over to her and interrogated her as to the origins of this shirt and she said that she had brought it from home. We were sad. But not so sad because the cute girl, Melissa, was a pretty cool chick. That was one of the best things about Kingdom Bound back in the day - it always seemed like you could go up and talk to anybody and become best friends. Christians get a bad rap for being douchebags these days but I can tell you that I never felt more at home than at Kingdom Bound. Just about every person in the park could be a potential friend. You could strike up a conversation with the random dude next to you and end up praying and blessing one another within a span of minutes. Everyone was so friendly! But I digress...

So, yeah, Melissa was cute and I cannot stress that enough because it basically provided the motivations for everything I did at the festival that year. I went on the friggin' Viper for that girl. The Viper. That's the upside-down roller coaster at the park that I was terrified of. I hate roller coasters. But I went because I was in the presence of a hot chick and I refused to be seen as a weenie gosh darnit! So anyway...Ben, Melissa, and I talked a lot about the kinds of music we liked (a lot of metal) and parted ways. If memory serves we met up with her again at another show and the three of us were inseparable after that. One day she suggested that we go see this band called The Choir. She said they weren't metal but they were pretty good.

"Eh, alright." I thought. Of course when a pretty girl who likes most of the same music as you asks you to a concert you friggin' go no matter who it is. So I went. The Choir was awesome. I'd never heard anything like them before. I became a lifelong fan right then and there. The band had just released Circle Slide and I bought it as soon as I could. I listened to that tape to death. It was the most mellow thing I'd ever let through my earholes, but I was enraptured. It wasn't long before I was buying the band's back catalogue. My voracious appetite for new music prompted me to check out EVERYTHING after that. That's how I found Adam Again and Daniel Amos and how I can to this day appreciate just about every genre of music from grindcore to Lady Gaga.

As for the pretty girl? Well we continued to hang out throughout the entire festival. After it was over we wrote letters pretty frequently to one another. I could almost predict the days that I'd get one (this was WAY before email, folks). It was amazing how consistent we were! We wrote letters for a year or two and met up at Kingdom Bounds after that. I was always hoping we would actually date and if I had been a bit bolder we probably would have. Eventually we drifted apart for two reasons. She lived a couple of hours away and long distance anything is just too much maintenance for a 14 year old. The second was my fault. I remember the last conversation we had over the phone. She talked about some of the stuff she'd gotten into and was doing. It made my Christian heart very sad. That was when I decided it was too much effort and that we would probably never have any kind of future together (not that we were ever going to anyway! LOL). In retrospect it wasn't fair to her at all but we were drifting apart long before that and that conversation was just the last nail in the coffin. I have no idea where she is now or what she's doing and I'm okay with that. I hope she's got a great marriage with some great kids and is loving life... I know I am right now.

Meeting Melissa and going to that concert gave me a completely new paradigm on what good music could be and is one of the main reasons why you see so much different stuff on here.