My 2009 Music Awards
December 12, 2009
It’s that time of year again! Time to look back and remember this year in music!
MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM AWARD
- OneRepublic’s “Waking Up.” I love it that these guys are bringing piano-driven pop back in a cool way. The textures of the programming in their sophomore release really hit the sweet spot.
- John Mayer’s “Battle Studies.” Runner up is John Mayer, who has been on my radar ever since he released his live album, “Where The Light Is.” He’s a massively talented dude, as you can tell from seeing him perform live, but his pop efforts sometimes fail to show his full potential.
BEST DRESSED AWARD
- Lady Gaga. OK, just kidding. She gives me nightmares. But I will give her this: Her music is infectiously catchy, and she knows how to turn a performance into a spectacle people talk about for days.
BEST SONG WRITING AWARD
- Taylor Swift. Taylor’s songs tell a story — an engaging, memorable story that connects with your experience. That level of creativity is rare these days. I only wish her singing matched her mad songwriting skillz.
WORST STAGE PRESENCE AWARD
- Kanye West. I think President Obama said all that needs to be said about this jackhole… We need to install a seatbelt on his chair at the awards shows.
- Miley Cyrus. Miley is proof that even I could have a successful recording career. I’m a big fan of her hit singles, “The Climb” and “Party In The U.S.A.” She’s proven she can do country ballads and teen pop hits and everything in-between. But to hear her attempt those songs live on stage reveals that a lot of magic has gone on to make her studio recordings sound as solid as they do.
BEST ACCORDION SOLO AWARD
- Green Day. At MTV’s Europe Music Awards, this punk band proved once again that nothing goes together better than pyrotechnics and accordions. From one accordion player to another: props, dude, props.
WORST CAREER MOVE OF 2009
- Switchfoot leaving Columbia Records. Everybody is hailing Switchfoot’s latest album, “Hello Hurricane,” as their return to greatness. They regained complete creative control of their sound after leaving Columbia Records. But I kinda liked their sound better when it was record executives who molded the final product into what they knew the public liked. Say whatever you want, but “Nothing Is Sound” will always be the gold standard for me, and this new album is very, very rough in comparison.
STUPIDEST NAME AWARD
- Souljah Boy Tell ‘Em. Really? Can your name be a whole sentence with a verb and everything?
OBVIOUS AUTO-TUNING AWARD
- The Glee Cast. They’re tuning these poor kids to death. And that’s a shame since some of them, like Lea Michele, have awesome voices without turning them into T-Pain.
WORST MASTERING AWARD
- Kristian Stanfill’s “Attention.” Great collection of songs. Hard to listen to. Man, I wish I had the opportunity to re-master these so the crash cymbals wouldn’t eat the entire mix alive!
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT AWARD
- U2′s “No Line On The Horizon.” Although their newest CD contains my favorite U2 song of all time, “Magnificent,” the rest of the tracks completely miss the mark. They’re one of my favorite bands, but “weird” is the only word I have to describe the strange style they’ve adopted for this effort.
- David Crowder Band’s “Church Music.” Given how much I love programmed music and the DC*B, this album should have been a shoe-in as my favorite of 2009 But, it’s dark. Dreary. Strange, even. And rather than taking us through the history of church music (starting with the Phos Hilaron and moving forward), it remains in one gear the whole way through. Big disappointment from one of my favorite bands.
- Christy Nockels’ “Life Light Up.” This Watermark and Passion Conferences veteran has always been one of my favorites. Unfortunately, her solo debut on sixsteps records doesn’t capture her awesomeness at all.
PLEASANT SURPRISE AWARDS
- Owl City’s “Ocean Eyes.” The polar opposite of David Crowder’s dreary CD, Owl City’s unique brand of feel-good programming rocks! The newest album inspires me to greater levels of creativity when using Propellerhead Reason for programming my own music.
- Derek Webb’s “Stockholm Syndrome.” Super original programming. Tight lyrics. Killer album from a guy who turned his career around by ditching the acoustic guitar for some hip hop beats.
- Fee’s “Hope Rising.” Unexpectedly, Fee has become one of my very favorite Christian artists. Unlike some albums that take a few listens to grown on you, this stuff hooks you from the first listen. (Mad props to Eddie Kirkland for co-writing a bunch of these awesome, original, God-honoring songs.)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Chris Tomlin, for making a Christmas worship album. Awesome!
- Casey Darnell and James David Carter, for being my new favorite indie artists! Hey, I predicted Fee and Kristian Stanfill. Will I be right again? Somebody give them a record deal, already, so I can be right (and we all can get some good music)!!!
DISHONORABLE MENTIONS
- Matt Redman, for a bland new album that doesn’t represent what he’s capable of.
- Avalon, for not breaking up. It’s over, guys. It’s over.
Who were your favorites from 2009?
Thermometer or Thermostat?
October 23, 2009
In Seth Godin’s new book, Tribes, he writes:
A thermostat is far more valuable than a thermometer… The thermometer is an indicator… The thermostat, on the other hand, manages to change the environment…
Which are you?
Thermometers know when something is wrong. Thermometers known when it’s too cold in church. Thermometers can see your house’s paint is chipping and lights are burning out. Thermometers can tell you that your Internet service is down… again. Thermometers watch and complain. But they do nothing.
Thermostats take action. When it’s too cold, thermostats turn the heat on. When home repair needs to be done, thermostats grab a paint brush and a ladder. When computer problems happen, thermostats try solutions until something works. Thermostats don’t complain. They do something.
The world has plenty of human thermometers.
What we need are more thermostats.
[ht: Photo by Axel Bührmann]
Coming to a Church Near You Soon… Hip Hop?
October 20, 2009
As a worship leader and musician, I’m always looking for ways to make church music more understandable and accessible to the culture outside our church’s four walls. It’s been a growing and a learning experience. I’ve been at it for almost a decade, and the one thing I’ve learned is that everything changes. In fact, musically speaking, change is the only that stays the same.
Church music has always been evolving. From simple Hebrew melodies… to Gregorian chant… to harmonious choirs and majestic pipe organs… to soft-pop ballads with the acoustic guitar… to “praise teams” singing highly repetitious “praise choruses”… to stadium-rocking anthems driven by electric guitars. Change is the only thing that has remained the same over the centuries of musical evolution.
A lot of churches have pushed the pause button at their favorite era of church music. If they’ve made it to “contemporary music” at all, most churches in my area are stuck in the “praise team” thing, with over 10 singers doing their rendition of “Lord I Lift Your Name On High” or “As The Deer.” One problem with that. “Contemporary music” is not contemporary any more. Since when do you turn on the radio and hear a “team” singing anything? Since when have choirs been all the rage in pop culture?
That’s why I’ve set up our music ministry differently. Just like any song you’d hear on the radio (pop, rock, country, even Christian radio), our sound is driven by drums, bass and electric guitar, with hints of acoustic guitar, keyboards, drum loops, synth programming, strings and other sounds added as necessary. Top it off with a lead vocal and one or two harmonies, and there you have your recipe for making music that has the potential to sound like the CD’s people buy off the shelves or the latest hit single on the radio. When the unchurched visit our services, they don’t have to enter a strange musical subculture to become Christian.
For years, this rock model has been the standard. But is it time to change again? I’ve been a fan of Derek Webb for many years, and for all those years, his name has been synonymous with acoustic guitars and folk songs. He chose to write in this style because folk songs were the vehicle culture had been using to carry the ideas of a generation. Then came his latest album, Stockholm Syndrome… and a very abrupt departure from the style that had characterized his entire career beforehand.
Relevant Magazine asked Derek this question:
Part of your appeal is that people know they’re going to get good music with challenging lyrics that doesn’t fit into any one box. With Stockholm Syndrome, that’s proven true with the sound as well. It’s changed and progressed from a folk sound to a more synthetic vibe. Can you explain how your sound has changed and if you’ll ever go back to a more acoustic feel?
Derek’s response:
The one consistent thing for me, the thing that hooked me early on, was this posture or approach of these folk musicians—the protest movement of the ’60s, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan—the people who were really representing the stories of the people, telling the unfiltered stories of what’s happening in culture. They put a voice on the issues of the day. That’s the thread that I follow. Where I have picked up the thread again over the last 10 years or so is hip-hop. Hip-hop is contemporary folk music. That is one of the only genres that really seems to be fearless in terms of the way it speaks on behalf of the people. That style and the sound of the music started to just kind of infect me a little bit.
Those are brave works from a brave artist, willing to leave his comfort zone to speak in the heart language of a new generation. I pray I might have the same courage as church music continues to evolve. Even though I love where we’re at now, may I never be guilty of selfishly hitting the pause button so that I can have my preference while the world moves on.
Songs We Use In Worship
October 17, 2009
A while back, I posted about the strategy we use in choosing songs for our worship service. Now, thanks to a CCLI reporting period that just ended, I’m able to tell you exactly what songs we’ve used at the Wade Center lately! Check it out, and let me know what you think of the list. (This list doesn’t include any public domain hymns or original songs.)
So there you have it! I know, I know. For some people, the songs are too old. For some people, the songs are too new. But that’s exactly the point.
While we’re not trying to be everything to everyone, we are: 1) Balancing the styles of our younger and older congregants. 2) Picking meaty songs with good melodies and great lyrics, regardless of their age (we’ve found most of these come from EMI-CMG). 3) Selecting songs which illustrate the topic of the sermon well to help make the service unified and memorable.
An Explicit Christian Album?
July 23, 2009
As I mentioned in my last post, Derek Webb has come out with a brilliant new album called “Stockholm Syndrome.” Its creation was surrounded in controversy because of a track that uses language worthy of the “explicit” label. Thatsong, “What Matters More To You,” is an indictment of today’s church, which seems hell-bent on condemning homosexuals and people who use bad language, all while looking on with apathy as thousands of people die everyday directly from its lack of compassion.
Check out the music for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC0j6FTg1xU
The lyrics:
You say you always treat people like you like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
‘Bout what you believe, make you sound like a freak‘Cause if you really believe what you say you believe
You wouldn’t be so d*** reckless with the words you speak
Wouldn’t silently conceal when the liars speak
Denyin’ all the dyin’ of the remedyTell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?If I can tell what’s in your heart by what comes out of your mouth
Then it sure looks to me like being straight is all it’s about
It looks like being hated for all the wrong things
Like chasin’ the wind while the pendulum swings‘Cause we can talk and debate until we’re blue in the face
About the language and tradition that he’s comin’ to save
Meanwhile we sit just like we don’t give a s***
About 50,000 people who are dyin’ today
Isn’t that true of the church today? Following in the steps of the Pharisees, we’ve become the righteousness police. Our leaders are only known for condemning homosexuals and movies that have bad words. All the while, 50,000 people die everyday from extreme poverty — a needless situation we could change if we wanted to. But we don’t care. We’d rather police people about their sexuality and language.
We set up a standard of righteousness we can achieve and boast in that, while condemning everyone else. All the while, mercy and justice fall by the wayside. The question for now, though is, “Brother, what matters more to you?”
All this reminds me of Tony Campolo’s famous quote:
I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a s***. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said s*** than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.
So if people are upset with Webb’s use of language on this track, it might just go a long way toward proving his point. That’s just one of the many thought-provoking tracks on this album. You owe it to yourself to check it out at paradiseisaparkinglot.com!
UPDATE: Christianity Today has published an excellent review of the album, the controversy surrounding it and the controversial issues it takes on.
Brilliant Album from a Two-Man-Band
July 20, 2009
Derek Webb is back, baby! You probably first learned of Derek like I did, through his involvement with Caedmon’s Call years ago. He left the group and has since been recording solo projects that, in my humble opinion, have been a little underproduced and rough around the edges.
Don’t get me wrong. His message is always original, challenging and on target. But until his latest album, the hoarse, raspy voice, combined with acoustic guitar was a little hard on the ears… and repetitive.
However, with his latest project, he’s breaking out of that box in a big way. I’d describe the music as “vintage experimental.” (I just made that term up.) By that, I mean that almost all the instrumentation are of the soft-synth kind (generated in a computer) with heavy effects applied to sound old and distressed. The coolest part — all the instrumentation you hear was created by Derek Webb and Joshua Moore, a two-man-band with a Mac Pro and a bunch of Pro Tools plug-ins (and a real drummer on some tracks).
Listen for yourself:
Stockholm Syndrome Trailer from Derek Webb on Vimeo.
Part of what makes this project unique is the way it was marketed. After years of giving his music away for free, Derek has started charging again. I never thought he’d be able to pull that off, but I ended up paying $30 for the album. For that price, I got two physical copies of the CD (explicit and clean), digital downloads of the MP3′s, ringtones, a making of the album movie, a T-shirt, a one-year subscription to get a new song from Derek every month, etc. Other packages are available from $8 to $60 at paradiseisaparkinglot.com.
If you are wondering what’s up with the “explicit” version I mentioned above, that comes from the song “What Matters More To You.” And that, my friend, is a worthy of a separate blog post in itself…
Best Anniversary Gift Ever!
June 24, 2009
Check out my second anniversary present: a Schlagwerk 2-in-1 Deluxe Cajon! I haven’t gotten it perfectly tuned just yet, but I think it’s still pretty cool!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cw__LttcWQ
Expectations for Musicians
April 15, 2009
As a band leader, I’m constantly engaging in a balancing act of pressing people toward excellence while respecting that they are volunteers with limited time. Where do I draw the line? What can I reasonably expect from my volunteers?
Rick Muchow told Leadership Journal this about his expectations for volunteers involved with music ministries at Saddleback Church:
From the beginning, I have tried to raise the bar at Saddleback. During the audition process we emphasize three core commitments: commitment to attendance, commitment to spiritual growth, and commitment to musical excellence. Team members are expected to fulfill their commitment to the ministry season by attending at least 80 percent of the rehearsals, sing in all five of the services (once a month), and memorize their songs. We ask that everyone be involved in a small group and make it a priority to complete the church’s core curriculum.
Sounds like my vision too! Any other band leaders out there have policies or expectations I can compare notes with?
Worship Confessions – An Easter Experience
April 9, 2009
I don’t know why, but God always lets me in on the best ideas when there’s only a day or two left to put them into action. That’s the way my last sermon’s theme came to me (“Spring Is Coming”) — just in time for a last minute re-write.
And now, after weeks of struggling with planning our Easter service, I finally feel like it’s starting to take shape. If I’m able to do what God is showing me, it should be really awesome experience for everyone who comes. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but if all goes according to plan, our opener will make full use of both our new surround sound installation (see pictured to the left) and our ability to control of each of our HD projection areas independently. Sound and video and lighting will literally be coming from everywhere!
I aim to create an orchestra, one instrument at a time that will totally immerse the audience. This will be followed by testimonies of “What Easter Means To Me” scattered across the screens (and speakers). Visually, a lot of great video vignettes will fill your field of vision. And all the while, underneath the voices will be a song I’ve scored for this day that will lead into “Happy Day” by Tim Hughes. “All Because of Jesus” by Fee will probably follow. There will be Scripture readings, prayers, and Laurie will lead “My Redeemer Lives.” Pepper in some special music and a traditional song or two, and you’ve got yourself a quite a service!
It’ll take about every second between now and then to pull it off… as well as the full abilities of my creative and technical teams on Sunday morning. But I think we can do it! I pray it will be a powerful moment for all who come!
File Under: Told Ya So, Part 2
April 2, 2009
Almost two months ago, I wrote about how I had predicted that Kristian Stanfill would be signed to sixsteps records. I had known that since the very first time I saw him at 7|22. His authenticity in worship (along with great vocals) just resonated with the college community. He was a perfect fit for Louie Giglio’s record label.
Now, my second prediction has come true too. I could tell from Watermark’s albums for a long time that Nathan and Christy Nockels were probably a better fit for sixsteps records than Rocketown. Once their contract was up, I was sure they would jump ship (along with just about everyone else on that label… no offense to Michael W.).
I was right once again! They now call sixsteps records home too! I‘m so thrilled they didn’t go indie, like most of the other ex-Rocketown artists. They are a great match for six steps, and sixsteps for them. Nathan has been producing a lot of albums for them (and I’m a big fan of his work). Likewise, Christy has been lending her vocals to the Passion recordings for almost as long as I can remember. So this is a great move for them, and I’m so thrilled Louie made the decision to expand his label to include Christy and Kristian.
Half of the reason sixsteps artists like Chris Tomlin and David Crowder have been so successful thus far is the level of mentoring they receive from Louie. Having a pastor head your record label not only brings a great sense of family to an otherwise cut-throat business… it also provides loving leadership and a nearly endless spring of fresh song ideas with rich theological depth. Surely, this is how the recording industry is meant to work!
You can find Christy’s new radio single at christynockels.com and get a free MP3 download. Her album is due out in June.
Top Worship Songs
February 28, 2009
CCLI (an organization that licenses lyric display for churches) announced yesterday the new rankings of the top songs used in worship services:
- How Great Is Our God
- Blessed Be Your Name
- Here I Am To Worship
- Mighty To Save
- Open The Eyes Of My Heart
- Everlasting God
- Shout To The Lord
- Holy Is The Lord
- Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
- Forever
- Come Now Is The Time To Worship
- Lord I Lift Your Name On High
- Your Grace Is Enough
- You Are My King
- God Of Wonders
- The Heart Of Worship
- Beautiful One
- We Fall Down
- Trading My Sorrows
- You Are My All In All
Out of these top 20, we heavily rely on about 13 of them. And we semi-regularly use another 7 of them. (“Lord, I Lift Your Name On High” is the only one we do not use at all.)
I like that our church uses songs that are also being sung in churches all over the world. It makes me feel like my church is part of something bigger than just our local congregation (and it is!). Just as the Church has collected songs from across all generations that have now become part of our collective hymnody, I believe that process continues today, and it’s reflected on lists like the ones you see above.
I’ve visited other churches and felt totally out of place because I didn’t know the songs they were singing. Unlike their worship organizers, I don’t want to be too progressive… constantly sing new songs that no one knows. And I don’t want to be too behind-the-times… singing worn out “choruses” all the time. And I don’t want to be too individualistic by singing songs that I really like but that have not found broad acceptance in the church.
That’s not to say that we don’t include some home grown songs written by our own team once and a while… or a less familiar song that really sums up our mission well. A song doesn’t have to top CCLI’s charts to get a spot in our Sunday service. And just because it’s on the list doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily play it. But I do lean toward these popular songs that have gained acceptance in churches all over the world!
That’s one of the criteria (along with biblical faithfulness, singability, etc.) that I rely on, and I think it’s a valuable one to use! What do you think?
Dove Award Nominees Announced
February 21, 2009
Dove Awards nominees were announced Friday night. Check out this year’s batch at:
http://www.doveawards.com/doveawards/nominees.php
Congrats to all!
Happy V-Day, Auto-Tune! Here’s Some Love!
February 14, 2009
You may have noticed that Death Cab For Cutie was wearing blue ribbons at the Grammys. ”What’s this great charity they’re supporting?” you ask. Apparently, the issue they’re so passionate about is getting Auto-Tune banned:
American rockers Death Cab For Cutie are the latest musicians to criticise Kanye West’s use of Auto-Tune – they’re launching a campaign to have the controversial technology banned. West is one of a number of musicians who rely on Auto-Tune to help improve their vocals and it features heavily on his latest album, 808s & Heartbreak.
But Death Cab for Cutie argue it is killing the art of singing and want it outlawed. The group wore blue ribbons to the Grammy Awards on Sunday, to highlight the their campaign, ‘Auto-Tune abuse in music.’
Frontman Ben Gibbard says, “Auto-Tuning is a digital manipulation, a correction of a singer’s voice that is affecting literally thousands of singers today and thousands of records that are coming out. So we just want to raise awareness while we’re here and try to bring back the blue note… The note that’s notso perfectly in pitch and just gives the recording some soul and some kind of real character. It’s how people really sing.”
As a self-proclaimed auto-tune enthusiast, I have to disagree with these guys. I, for one, love hearing “over-produced” pop songs where everything is perfectly in tune, perfectly in time. (But then again, I do have OCD, so that may explain a lot).
Then again, I also love soulful blues music by artists like John Mayer. Auto-Tune (as conventionally applied) would kill all the great nuances in his performances.
So maybe it’s best left off in certain musical styles and left on in others.
Like any other tool, Auto-Tune can be used and misused. I think that’s a nuance Death Cab is missing here. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Even the best musician may need a tuning nudge once and a while to perfect a performance. I know I do! We use Antares technology live every week where I work and Melodyn in post-production. And I ain’t ashamed of it.
As long as it’s used correctly, I think Auto-Tuning provides a wonderful “insurance policy” in case someone misses a note badly. And, when settings are pushed ot the extreme, it can be a very cool effect (as long as it’s not overused.)
But that’s just my take. What’s yours?
File Under: Told Ya So
January 31, 2009
I’ve been predicting this since the first time I heard him sing in 2004. Five years later, I found out my gut was right. Indie artist Kristian Stanfill has finally received a long-overdue recording contract with a major record label! Louie Giglio’s sixsteps records announced that they were signing their first new artist since the label’s inception in 2000 with the release of Kristian’s EP, Attention!
I hate to say, “I told you so,” but I told you so! This guy’s got heart, talent, creativity and a passion for leading others in worship. I knew it from the first time he made a guest appearance at 7|22, singing “Indescribable.” Who’s This Guy? I wondered. He’s ready to record!
A lot of people can sing, but very few people have a recording voice that jumps out at you, and his is one of them. Check out his EP, available now on iTunes, and the full album when it comes out in April. You’ll be glad you did. (…although I do hope they’ll work on the mastering a bit more between now and the then and maybe add some synth effects to fill out the mix a bit more too… hint, hint.)
His single, “Beautiful Jesus,” will be going for adds in March, so hopefully we’ll be hearing him on the radio soon! Then, I can say “told you so” again.
Anyway, best of luck, Kristian! I know the Lord has great things in store for you!
Crowder’s Next Two Projects
January 3, 2009
David Crowder told the Gospel Music Channel this about his upcoming projects:
We are currently working under the banner of ‘church music’ and plan to explore its history. We’ll be pulling bits of inspiration from each era and making it sound current—or at least that’s what we’ve got planned at the moment.
Man, that sounds cool. I’ve actually had an interest in the evolution of church music through the decades for some time now. I can’t wait!
