Wednesday Tunes: “Revelation” by Third Day
Sep 3, 2008 Just Plain Awesomeness, Music
First off, a little bit about my “music management” habits.
I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300 cd’s. With that many, sometimes it is difficult to decde what to listen to. So, what I do is go into iTunes and make individual playlists of different albums. I will do this to about 10-15 albums at a time. As I listen to them, I will delete the playlist. When they are all gone, I will do it again, only with different albums.
The latest cd by Third Day, Revelation, is one playlist that has not left iTunes since I made it months ago. I have listened to that cd at least 30 times straight through. Other playlists come and go, Third Day’s Revelation has stood the test of time so far. I think Confucius said that or something.
Anyways, the cd is a great rock cd. Not alternative, not really pop, just rock. The same way you could describe the Black Crowes, Collective Soul, or Lenny Kravitz. You know, Rock N’ Roll, man.
Each track really stands on it’s own, and unlike most cd’s these days, there isn’t any “filler”. You know, the crap included on a lot of cd’s to get the track-count up. Nope, each one of these songs is solid. From a production standpoint, it’s flawless. The guitars and vocals are layered to perfection.
There are a lot of “little things” that for some reason or another, I just love. For example, on the opening track “This is Who I Am”, there is a little drum fill coming out of the bridge going into the last chorus. It’s like this:
…bah dunga dunga dunga dunga…
Trust me, if you listen to it, you’ll know just what I’m talking about. I love that part!
The harmonies are top notch (Slow Down), one song has a guest appearance by the lead singer of Flyleaf (Run to You), and one song has cowbell (I Will Always Be True).
Seriously, go to Amazon MP3 Store or iTunes, listen to some samples, and by the album!
Tags: Music, revelation, rock, third day
Long-Distance Recording
Here’s a darn cool idea. Patrick Witherow and I are going to record a song together. Only, apart. What I mean is that he is going to record the drum tracks, then send me the recording. I will then try and do the rest. Hopefully, during the recording process, I will be able to stream live video of everything. Follow me (and him) on Twitter for updates!
Tuesday Tunes: “Children 18:3″- self titled
May 6, 2008 Music, tuesday tunes
Hear me out on this one please. This new band is actually really good, dispite how scary that dude in the middle looks. These guys and gal have a sound very similar to Rancid, Roots Radicals era. It’s punk rock, but not the pop-punk that seems to be popular. Heck, the song”Even Sleeping” has a bit of ska in it. These folks are the real deal. And if that wasn’t enough, the 14 song cd on Amazon MP3 is only $7.99.
From CCM Magazine:
With super-energetic performances that make the songs actually fun to listen to, and influences from east coast to west coast, old school to new wave (I can even forgive the one song that borderlines on ska), they rock. The melodies are catchy and the vocals are bold, with great interplay between the male and female voices, as the singing duties are shared by David and Lee Marie. Standout songs include “LCM,” “Homemade Valentine” and “Ditches.” But really, if you like punk, this is an album not to be missed.
Amazon MP3 link (Only $8 for the cd!)
Tags: children 18:3, Music, punk, rock
After Edmund - an awesome band for you to check out
May 2, 2008 Just Plain Awesomeness, Music
After Edmund is a new band that recently released their debut cd entitled “Hello”. Imaging if Coldplay rocked 10 times harder then they currently do, and you might have an idea of what these guys sound like.
Also, I went to college with some of these guys. I was in a college band with Mitch, the lead singer, so not only do I like the record becasue it ROCKS, but I am also friends with some of them. So, go listen to some samples of their tracks, and buy their cd. It’s one of those albums where the whole album is solid and flows nicely together.
Tags: after edmund, coldplay, Music, rock
Tuesday Tunes: Moneen - “Saying Something You Have Already Said”
Mar 4, 2008 Music, tuesday tunes
I would classify Moneen as an emo band. Lots of emotion in the lyrics, and that sometimes can lead to some screaming and what sounds at times like wailing, if that makes sense. Listen to some of their older stuff, you will hear what I am talking about. Well, this latest release, Saying Something You Have Already Said, is different. First of all, it is an EP, so there are only 5 songs on it. Most of the songs are acoustic, and surprisingly refreshing. There are some great arrangements musically, and vocally, the wailing and screaming is gone. What you are left with is the same emotion delivered a little more gently. Definitely worth the $4.95 on iTunes. Give it a try!
Add a tuner to your guitar’s volume knob
Feb 28, 2008 Music
As a guitarist, the lighter your load, the better. As it is now, every time I play, I have to hook up several pedals, one of which being a tuner pedal. This nifty little invention would replace that, thus making my load a little bit lighter.
From their website:
The N-Tune Onboard True Bypass Chromatic Tuner is the world’s most convenient solution for fast, accurate guitar tuning. Whether you’re in the studio or on stage, simply pull your guitar’s volume knob and use N-Tune’s super-bright display and silently tune up in seconds. Then push it back down to play — with perfect tone, thanks to N-Tune’s true bypass design which removes all tuning circuitry from your guitar’s signal path.
Third Day and Brad Avery part ways
Feb 28, 2008 Music
It looks like 13 years of awesomeness is about to take a sharp turn. Brad Avery, lead guitarist of Third Day, is parting ways with the band. From the official Third Day blog:
Third Day and Brad Avery have made the very difficult decision to part ways.
We appreciate Brad’s many contributions to the band’s career to date, including his work on our forthcoming album, but the time has come for us to follow our separate paths.
He has been an important part of Third Day for the last 13 years as we’ve traveled the world together and performed over 1,000 concerts. We will miss him as a band member but he will always remain our brother and our friend. Brad is a wonderful person, gifted songwriter and talented musician. We trust that God has amazing plans for his future.
I have been a huge Third Day fan since 1994 or so, and Brad has been a big part of that. He brought the rock to the band. If you ever saw them in concert, you would always remember the funny faces he made while shredding on a solo. I know Third Day will go on to make awesome music just like they have for the last 15 years or so, but this is still a pretty big blow.
We’ll miss you, buddy!
Here is a picture from WAY back in the day. Brad is on the far right. (click for larger image)
