Thursdays Rock - The time has come...

Billy Bob's is somewhat of a mecca when it comes to 'honky tonks' in Texas. Not only is there a concert stage, there is also a smaller stage with a dance floor, restaurants and a rodeo arena. It's a little overwhelming the first time you set foot inside, and some what tacky if truth be told, but the performance history that place holds is impressive to say the least. On the wall, there are cement handprints of the legends. So you can walk up and put your hands in their hands in a way. And in the backstage greenroom, there are large bricks that have been painted and assigned to successful bands that have played on their stage - they typically put up the logo and then all of the band members sign. That's more fun to look at than anything IMO...

A few years back, Billy Bob's started a series of live CD's aptly titled, Live at Billy Bob's. I have many of these CD's in my collection and was actually at the live recordings for the Randy Rogers Band and Stoney LaRue.

And now it's time.

My boys, Wade Bowen and his band, are FINALLY recording one of their own! I'm so excited! I'll be traveling up to Ft Worth this weekend so I can be there for it. There's no way I could miss this show, especially having been there for two of the other CDs. I know the preparation work has been plentiful over the past few weeks - nailing down the set list, working out instrumentation details, etc. And I know it will pay off... this band is awesome and has some amazing talent, and now they get to showcase it. (Side note: most CDs that are produced in Nashville are not recorded with the band that plays on stage - they use what's called studio musicians that are used to the ins and outs of recording CDs.)

So to my boys, good luck! Love y'all and can't wait to see you Saturday night!

NaBLoWriMo: Day 19

Thursdays Rock - Worship

Christy Nockles' (formerly of Watermark) voice has amazed me since the first time I heard it a few years ago (the song was Knees to the Earth). It's pure. That's the best word I know to describe it. And she truly worships through music. It's beautiful.

She recently released a new CD, Life Light Up. It was one of the $5 deals on Amazon last month, so I bought it... and it has not left my car stereo since. It's amazing, and I love belting it out along with her in the car. If you were to drive next to me (and I'm not on the phone), you're likely to see me singing along with a big smile on my face.

Just thought I'd share in case anyone was looking for some new worship music... You can listen to some of it here.

NaBloWriMo: Day 12

Thursdays Rock - Sing, Dance, Smile...

So here's a bit of a change of pace for Thursdays Rock... but not too far, I'm going to talk a bit about another Nashville artist, just in a difference scene. Like many of you, I have stopped listening to Country Radio - it's just pathetically depressing, or maybe that's just the Houston market, but it is what it is. But what Houston DOES have is an incredible Contemporary Christian radio station in KSBJ. I listen to it as much as I can heading to work, and then home again. Unfortunately the signal is not good in Sugar Land, but it lasts for most of my drive... I find that the music uplifts and encourages me regardless of my mood. I can be having a horrible day, a wonderful day, a cryfest or be laughing at everything and that music just always fits. It might just be one line, but I can usually always get something applicable out of that 30/45 minute drive...

One of my absolute favorite artists is the former American Idol contestant, Mandisa. I've seen her twice in concert at Women of Faith conferences, and that girl has got IT. It's rare that you just see the light of Christ burst out of someone, but there is no doubt that Mandisa has it - she absolutely radiates Christ. And when you are at her shows, if you are not praising God right along with her, then you might in fact be dead.



So for those of you that are looking for encouragement, I'd highly recommend checking her out. She just released a new CD, Freedom, but her first CD, True Beauty has a number of gems on it as well. The lyrics to one of my favorites are below. And you can check her out on MySpace as well!

But before that, for those of you that are in a battle with the buldge, I'd highly recommend her book, Idol Eyes. She talks of her journey on American Idol and how she reacted to the things Simon and others would say behind the scenes. But most of all, it's encouraged me as I strive to lose weight I've kept on for way too long AND encouraged my daily walk with the Lord. She really has amazed me in many facets...

And now, for one of my favorites...

Voice Of A Savior

Some people try to listen to the bottom of a bottle
Some people try to listen to a needle in their arm
Some people try to listen to the money in their pocket
Some people try to listen to another's arms

You and I are not that different
We got a void and we're just trying to fill it up
With something that will give just a little peace
All we want is a hand to reach to
Open arms that say I love you
We'd give anything to hear
The voice of a Savior

Some people try to find it with blind ambition
Some people try to find it where no one else has gone
Some people try to find it in the crowns of victory
Some people get defeated and lose the strength to carry on

Chorus

Some people try to find it in the shadow of a steeple
Some people try to find it in the back row pew
Some people try to find it in the arms of Jesus
That's where I found it, how about you?

Thursdays Rock - My latest obsession...

Ok, so I am a bit obessed with someone. And it's not the actual person I'm after, but rather the music that this person creates. And while I enjoy the music, it's the lyrics that stun me. They make me cry, make me laugh, make me smile, make me wish, make me sigh, make me think and make me dream.

The buzz about Sean McConnell started mid-2008 when Wade Bowen and the Randy Rogers Band were both putting out CDs within the same month - and those CDs had a common tie through Sean. On If We Ever Make It Home, Wade covers two of Sean's songs, Somewhere Beautiful and Into the Arms of You, the first one being my favorite on the CD and the second one made me pull over and cry the first time I heard it (I've gotten a little better now! ;o) ) For the RRB CD, Randy co-wrote two songs with Sean, In My Arms Instead and Buy Myself A Chance - which turned out to be my favorite songs on THAT CD (along with Didn't Know I Could, but that's totally unrelated at this point). Due to the CDs coming out, and the success of these songs for each of the bands, they started bringing Sean to Texas to open for them and give them exposure. Which was glorious! Sean's played at the Firehouse Saloon a couple of times, and I've enjoyed it everytime.

All I can ask of you is that you check it out. I rarely get this excited about bands - I like a lot of bands, but I LOVE this band. When I finally checked him out on Itunes, I was blown away - I started buying anything and everything I could. And I'm still not sick of it. I could listen to it on repeat for days and have the biggest smile on my face. Just to give you brief recap of some of my favorites:

- Madly In Love With You: God's love song to us. I want the world to hear this song. And ultimately I want the world to believe this song. It's my greatest wish...

- Tired of Waiting: Oh am I ever.

- Tell the Truth: heart-breaking, but a vivid picture of a woman that cheated on a man and comes back to talk afterwards. It's his response and it's somewhat brutal, but honest.

- Bob Dylan: This is the one that makes me laugh. It's the story of a song-writers struggle.

- One Thing Right: I want this song played at my wedding should I ever get married.

"If I could get one thing right in every moment of my life, it would be to see you and me - a spark of God's divinity, and appreciate the artistry that connects us all as family, if I could get just one thing right I want to see you through those eyes..."

- Lie Baby Lie: This one is fun in concert. Title pretty much says it all.

- At Least I Have Love: Waking up from a dream that seems like reality.

- Mr. Whoever You Are: The lonely girl at the dancehall...

- Hold On: The song I want to give my friends when there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

- Somewhere Beautiful: (not on a CD, but you can hear it on his MySpace page, it's on Wade's CD). This is Young Life put to music for me.

- Saint's Heart, Sinner's Skin: Not released yet, but a GREAT song. I think a lot of us face this conflict.

And on top of all of that, Jason Castro's next single, Let's Just Fall In Love, was written by Sean as well. All I can do is urge you to check it out. I fully anticipate that he will be the next 'big thing' in Texas, even though he's not Texas music... As they say, "get it while the gettin's good..."

Thursdays Rock - Who is your musical 'ONE'?

The other night, on our way home from a show, my friend Christy and I got into a conversation about how many of us that follow the same type of music all have our 'ONE' (there was another term coined for it, but we won't get into details...)

Christy - Jason Boland
Meg - Hayes Carll
Suzy - Randy Rogers Band
Amber - Jason Eady
Me - Wade Bowen

Sure, there are others that we travel to go see, that we love listening to, but there seems to be SOMETHING about that ONE that's just a little different, that hits us like nothing else. And I really started thinking about why my favorite is my favorite.

Was there one moment? One song? One concert?

For me, it's a combination of all three. My story of following Wade Bowen (formerly West 84, and then Wade Bowen & West 84) started WAY back in 1999. I remember going to Hastings in College Station at the beginning of every school year and with leftover loan money, my roommate and I would each buy 5 CD's. In the fall of 1999, I bought 3 CD's I had wanted and 2 totally random CD's for the fun of it. I wanted to be surprised. One of the CDs I bought was West 84, because I thought the guys on the front were cute. (For the record, looking back at that CD now makes me laugh A LOT because the guys look so funny dressed like that standing in an open field... it was a little cliché for a Texas band at the time).

Anyways... the cd was ok at best. And I think most that have it, or have heard it, would probably agree. Not bad for a 1st CD, but it wasn't produced in Nashville or anything. I'd listen to it every once in awhile, but it didn't stand out.

Fast forward a few years to the fall of 2003. I was at the Firehouse Saloon on a Thursday night for an acoustic show with Bleu Edmondson, Stoney LaRue and Wade Bowen. It was the first time ever I have been 100% glued to my seat. The show ran long, my friends left, it was almost 1am and I had to work the next day, but I didn't care - I was riveted by the song writing of all 3. The very next day I ordered all of the CDs by all 3 that I didn't have. And I was a big fan of Wade Bowen's sophomore studio album (Try Not to Listen) and his Live at the Blue Light album. They were both a step up, and I started catching every show I could from that point forward. I loved it!

And that was that for awhile. Wade was my favorite because I really liked his show and his music - very basic, very surface-level (not the music, but rather my relationship with it). Then came 2006. At this point it had been AWHILE since Wade had released a CD - AND there was one already DONE and ready to be released, but they were waiting for the right time. Well that right time happened at the end of February 2006 and Lost Hotel was released. Just over 2 weeks later, my life was turned upside down. I have a hard time believing in fate or coinscidence, therefore I think it was perfectly timed that the two songs that would get me through the journey of recovery, Broken Reflection and Walking Along the Fenceline, were on that CD. The CD I had been waiting for from my favorite band for a long, long time. I believe it was during this time that I really realized how much healing power the music truly had.

Once again we fast forward to the fall of 2008, Wade released his latest CD, If We Ever Make It Home, and once again one of the songs, Somewhere Beautiful met me exactly where I was in life. Granted, Wade didn't write that song, Sean McConnell did, but it was on Wade's record, and I don't know that I would have heard it otherwise. To me, the song represents Young Life, an organization that I volunteer with and 100% believe in its' mission. Everyone that got into my car for 6 months had to listen to that song - on repeat. Ha! But that's how much it meant to me...

So, to wrap this up - why is Wade my one? Because he writes songs that hit me where I am in life. Which makes sense - we are about the same age, and while we have very different lives and families, there are still a lot of parallel themes. So to Wade, and the guys in the band, thank you for sacrificing what you do to share your music and thank you for pursuing your dreams.

My question to the rest of you - who is your ONE, and even more importantly, WHY?

P.S. I just got a call from a friend that didn't want to comment, because he didn't have one band that he felt that way about, but rather just a song... and that works too... just trying to open up a discussion and see what people think. So if you don't have a band, do you have a song, or an album that is your 'ONE'?