September 19, 2011
September 8, 2011
Music Video: Wye Oak - "Holy Holy"
I love this song.
p.s. Starting this week we'll be posting a music video of the week every Friday (yes, every Friday) at the KNAPSACKHEROES! blog.
July 18, 2011
June 27, 2011
Movie Trailer - Life in a Day
What happens when you send a request out to the world to chronicle, via video, a single day on Earth? You get 80,000 submissions and 4,500 hours of footage from 192 countries. Producer Ridley Scott and Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald took this raw material — all shot on July 24, 2010 — and created Life in a Day, a groundbreaking, feature-length documentary that portrays this kaleidoscope of images we call life. National Geographic is bringing it to theaters starting July 24, 2011. Prepare to be amazed.
June 25, 2011
with you in the journey.
This has been a (insert adjective here) month. On June 10th, we welcomed our second child, Evan James into the world. Nine days later, my father, James Harold, died.I don't know how to feel. I know dad's in a better place. I know he was able to see his father (and mother, and brother and sister, and so many others) on when he left on Father's Day. But I don't know how to feel.
I really don't know what to write. I know I should write. I know that's what dad would want me to do.
Right now I can't.
For now I'll just say thank you to everyone who has prayed for me and my family in recent weeks. Thank you to everyone who has helped in providing food for Daphne and Jackson and me after her complicated surgery. Thank you to everyone who came to the hospital or house to visit us. And after dad died, thank you to everyone who came to the funeral home for visitation and church for the memorial service.
Today would have been Mom and Dad's 45th wedding anniversary. I looked it up and that's the sapphire anniversary, but then again so is the 65th. So, I suppose they might as well have been married 65 years.
It's my hope that I can be as good a father--and a better father--than my dad was. It's my hope that I can be as good a husband--and a better husband--than my dad was. He has taught me well in both departments.
My dad used to sign every letter he wrote with the words "With you in the journey." And even though he's no longer physically with us in the journey, I still feel him. Perhaps that's the one thing I do know I feel: I feel my father with me in the journey.
June 11, 2011
Evan Slideshow
Here's a slideshow of some photos we've taken so far. I'll add more in the next few days, so check back often.
Here's a link to the album for all the smartphone users, since the slideshow is Flash.
Here's a link to the album for all the smartphone users, since the slideshow is Flash.
June 10, 2011
June 8, 2011
Music Video: John Mark McMillan - "Death In His Grave"
I think contemporary Christian music has reentered a place it hasn't been since the seventies in that the best music it has to offer is coming from the Church. Worship bands such as Gungor, The City Harmonic, Rend Collective Experiment, and Jesus Culture are making music that is much more raw and interesting and passionate than the schlock that mainstream Christian labels are signing and putting out.
One of the most exciting success stories of the past few years has been John Mark McMillan. He's too good, too interesting, and too weird to be on a Christian label. And yet he is. And it's Integrity Music, seemingly one of the most conservative labels around. But because he wrote one of the best worship songs of the past decade, "How He Loves", he is able to put out music as excellent as the stuff on his album The Medicine.
John Mark writes worship songs that don't rely on cliches like verses that start with "I fall on my knees" or choruses that only contain the word "holy". His music has challenged me as a songwriter and I hope it's doing the same for others. And the guitars on the album are phenomenal. John Mark's lead guitarist James Duke gets some of the best tone I have heard.
Check out a great video, recorded live (I like it just a bit more than the album version), of the song "Death In His Grave".
John Mark writes worship songs that don't rely on cliches like verses that start with "I fall on my knees" or choruses that only contain the word "holy". His music has challenged me as a songwriter and I hope it's doing the same for others. And the guitars on the album are phenomenal. John Mark's lead guitarist James Duke gets some of the best tone I have heard.
Check out a great video, recorded live (I like it just a bit more than the album version), of the song "Death In His Grave".
June 6, 2011
So long but not "so long"
It's been so long since I cared enough to write on this blog. I grew weary of writing about myself. So I started focusing on worship and music and music in worship and alt worship. So I started mostly just posting one music video and one movie trailer every week. Then I got tired of that.
Here's what's going on with me:
- Daphne's due any day with our second child, Evan
- My office/studio is gone in favor of a room for Evan
- Jackson, our first child, is 3½ and the pride of my life
- We're attending McKendree UMC in downtown Nashville and love it
- My band, KNAPSACKHEROES! is still working toward superstardom.
*Or at least toward getting a freaking album done - Pray for my dad. He currently has pneumonia and it's not looking good
Lastly, in the recent year I've fallen back in love with the electric guitar. Well, I never fell out of love with it, so I should say I've fallen more deeply in love with the electric guitar and much more in love with effects pedals. So, in addition to continuing to post trailers and music, you should expect to read about my thoughts on guitar gear...all this despite the fact I currently don't play guitar in my band. I have been playing at church a lot and though I'm leading worship once a month, I've found it incredibly freeing to play while not actually being the leader on other Sundays (we have a great leader in Anthony Mangin - and he has really great guitar tone).
Anyway, stay tuned for whatever. I shall not say "so long" to you just yet.
Anyway, stay tuned for whatever. I shall not say "so long" to you just yet.
June 5, 2011
May 11, 2011
Music Video: Eisley - "Smarter"
This song marks a new direction for Eisley. I've been a big fan of theirs since they were a teenage band known as Moss Eisley. I'm loving this more aggressive sound.
April 11, 2011
April 4, 2011
Movie Trailer of the Week - Sympathy for Delicious
I have heard nothing but bad about Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut. Still, the trailer is worth watching. I think it looks pretty good. What do you think?
March 30, 2011
Napoleon Dynamite - The Animated Series!
Fox also announced a new animated series called Allen Gregory about a genius seven year old who begins attending elementary school with regular kids. Allen will be voiced by Will Forte and is written by Jonah Hill, Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul. Jonah and French Stewart will also provide voices. All I need to know to make me watch is that Guy Endore-Kaiser will also be writing for it. Seriously, seriously do yourself a favor and follow that link to read his hilarious tweets.
So, leave a comment. Would you watch either of those?
March 29, 2011
March 28, 2011
Mr. Monk and Uncle Nigel
My wife Daphne and I started watching the TV series Monk on Netflix around Christmas on last year. Tonight we will watch the two part finale, finishing the eight seasons of the USA Network show, and we're very sad to be done.
We've wondered aloud on several occasions why we never watched Monk when it originally aired. We've also wondered what show would replace Monk for us when we we finally finished it. I like USA's similar series Psych as well as their new San Francisco show Fairly Legal. But neither could really fill the void for us.
So, I was curious as to what Monk's writer/creator Andy Breckman would do next and was happy to find that he's created a show called Uncle Nigel. It was picked up by TBS and is indeed an hour-long comedy about a detective! Monk director Randy Zisk is also attached.
The show centers around Nigel Wells (Gary Cole), a Philadelphia homicide detective who hires his incompetent nephew Ronnie as a partner. Cole is always brilliant -- whether as the creepy guy (who was maybe Satan) in American Gothic, as Mike Brady in the Brady Bunch films, as Lumbergh from Office Space, as Ricky Bobby's dad, or any number of other memorable characters.
Many actors auditioned for Ronnie (EW has a wishlist here), but the job went to Matt L. Jones. I absolutely love this idea because Matt was so good as Badger on Breaking Bad.
Ethan S. Smith (below) may not have grabbed the role of Ronnie, but if this audition is any indication, the show could be pretty good.
TBS.com has no info for Uncle Nigel and I've yet to find a firm release date elsewhere. The news of the show's pilot came over a year ago, but these things take time. With a pedigree of the folks listed above as well as cast members such as Lea Thompson, we can stay optimistic I'm hoping to see Nigel and Ronnie Wells sometime soon.
March 12, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)