Thoughts on Tradition

The irony of holding to "tradition" as some sort of unbreakable golden standard is that at their inception, those very traditions were new, groundbreaking and revolutionary (and sometimes controversial). Music is a great example of this axiom: classical forms, which are today considered by many to be "untouchable", were at their birth sounds or combinations of styles never before heard.

The point: lighten up, people - what is new is not inherently undesirable. In fact, the claim that "this is the way it's always been done" is mostly untenable, there was always a first time.

Learn to judge by innate quality (or lack thereof), not by comparison to a prior tradition, unless comparison is inescapable because of the nature of the form.

Follow up to last post

So the previous videos were terrible, but you can't mock this. Pity it's only representative of experimentation of 20 years ago and not more recent.

India - An Ancient Musical Culture

With great emotion, and with welling pride I present the present baton-carriers for an ancient cultural tradition of musical art of high excellence,

In instrumental virtuosity & showmanship


and in vocal excellence


Sniff. My eyes are filled with salt water.

The best of the past

A faded remnant of past glory, but to misquote a lyric from the era: Wish I was there.

The End is Here

There are many things that indicate the coming of the end of this current superpower - prophets of doom have pointed to the rise of the Spice Girls, Britney, and many such fearful cataclysms of the age.

However, I believe that when historians look back at our generation and attempt to pinpoint the one watershed event that started the fall of American Civilization, unanimously this will be it:



How can anyone miss it?

Sometimes you just need to emote.

And who better to help than Paco De Lucia.

It's a humbling thing, listening to him, because all I ultimately can do is get caught up in the emotion of the music, because to be honest I find that the subtleties of his style are hard to track with.

[for simple instance, what's with the clapping? it's like the singers prearranged it totally at a tangent from the music just to mess with my head.]

If you don't like it, well then, Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries. Thpppppt!

Prayer

Let me be the evidence of what Your grace can do
To a generation struggling to find themselves in You
May they come to know the love of God,
May their eyes be made to see-
Give me the opportunity to share the truth
that sets them free
And may unity in all things
Be the banner of Your church,
And let revival's fire begin to burn:

This is my prayer,
Lifted to You
Knowing You care so much more than I do
This is my prayer,
In Jesus' name
Your will be done, I humbly pray.

[Bob Hartman - 1990]

Endless Heavenly Fun

This site will humor my little peabrain for hours and hours. So many sound clips, so little time. From the site:

Here are 101 versions of the song that doesn't remain the same, depending on whether it's the the Australian music hall version, the Gilligan's Island version, the backwards version, the backwards splice-and-dice quarter note version, the glass harmonica version, the Doors version, the reggae version and on and on (all MP3s). Much of this came from former FMU DJ KBC's CD of the same name, which took much of it's content from this 1992 LP.

The reggae rendering is pretty fascinating actually (Elvis?!)... as is the Doors version... remarkable parody. And the Australian music hall one is plain funny. And DOLLY PARTON? What in the world.

How could you not visit? It's something to do about heaven.
Site Link

About Being Born Late

Most people who know me have this funny idea that I'm a closet hippie. Well, I guess they're right. I found a song about it too, and that makes me happy. Here's to all those closet hippies out there in the world.

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker
-Sandi Thom

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In 77 and 69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When the head of state didn't play guitar,
Not everybody drove a car,
When music really mattered and when radio was king,
When accountants didn't have control
And the media couldn't buy your soul
And computers were still scary and we didn’t know everything

[Chorus]

When pop-stars still remained a myth
And ignorance could still be bliss
And when God Saved the Queen she turned a whiter shade of pale
When my mom and dad were in their teens
And anarchy was still a dream
And the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

[Chorus]

When record shops were still on top
And vinyl was all that they stocked
And the super info highway was still drifting out in space
Kids were wearing hand me downs,
And playing games meant kick around
And footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face

[Chorus]

I was born too late to a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

(I'd take the punk rocker thing figuratively, of course)

Room Noise: Did anyone get it? Guess not.

I've been listening to this song (see bottom of post) by a band that was popular when I was still pre solid-food, physically speaking. They sure knew how to write back then!

Ironically, I had this track as part of a playlist containing Contemporary Christian Music, including some of the new commerical worship music that's out there - and sure, I like a lot of it myself. Somehow though this song became more poignant in that context.

For example, a band who's music I love sang the following:

Take control of the atmosphere
Take me far away from here
There is no better loss than to lose myself in you
In a parachute to glide, I am captive in your sky
Surrender has somehow become so beautiful

I can contrive some meaning from that, but only relative to my interpretation of those words. Or another band sang this:

Praise Him under open skies
Everything breathing praising God
In the company of all who love the King
I will dance, I will sing
It could be heavenly
Turn the music loud, life my voice and shout
From where I am
From where I've been
He's been there with me
He's built a monument
His very people
So let his people
Sing, sing, sing

Again, nothing incorrect necessarily, but there's a certain lack of solidity that makes it appealing to my generation, I think. Actually, scratch that - maybe not it's the lack of solidity that makes it acceptable, but the lack of depth in my generation that makes fluffy lyrics such as these the norm. We're in the age of "Hallmark"esque Christian lyrics, and I believe people are too quick to say "that's deep".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for Contemporary Christian Music to start singing "A Mighty Fortress" to a death metal tune. I don't think you have to be Shakespearan to have substance. Or even say the name Jesus every third line (though it would help to mention your Lord and master some of the time) - you can be solid, boldly Christian by being serious about the content of your words - guard your mouth and raise the standard of your lyrics before a Holy God. Look at Petra. Even someone like Keith Green, who I think gets a bad rap sometimes. They said something. It's sad that the so much good music we find these days is from people who regurgitate the old - I'm sure there are Christian Musicians today who seriously have something to say for the glory of God and the enrichment of the Church.

I could go on and rant and rave, but that's not my point really - I wanted to point out that this is not an old issue - people one generation before me struggled the same way, and here's a song to prove it:

Room Noise
2nd Chapter of Acts

No more Conversation
No more idle words
Pitter pitter patter
words fall from your platter

Pseudo Gospel music
Music everywhere
but not a single drop
to drink anywhere

I don't want to be room noise
generically speaking
I don't want to be room noise
no one will stop and hear me, hear me...

Down on bended knees
Doing what you please
As you say
"Gospel Gospel music's an alternative"
Then you never have to
change the way you live

Idle, Idle lyrics
floating through the air
Invisible acting
emotional snare

I don't want to be room noise
Generically speaking
I don't want to be room noise
No one will stop and hear me, hear me...

Down on bended knee
doing what you please
PHARISEE!

I don't want to be room noise...

Twenty something years later, is someone listening?