The Vessel Blog - Sharing Thoughts

Definately a Beautiful Collision

 The David Crowder Band’s CD is aptly named A Collision.  This album covers a wide variety of genres from bluegrass to hymns to some rock.  There is defiantly something for everyone on this CD.
Even with so many different styles of music you don’t ever feel like you’re missing something, it all flows beautifully.  Between a couple of tracks are some wonderful instrumental music that just help to tie it all up even tighter.
This CD is most assuredly one of my favorites.
1. Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven
The song is very short but it’s a strong start to the CD.
2. Come And Listen
I love this song, the piano in the background is lovely.
3. Here Is Our King
A trace of what we are looking for.  Yes, this song is defiantly a trace of what we are longing for.
4. Wholly Yours
The best lyrics ever.
5. Foreverandever Etc…
This is one of the more fun songs, my sister and I wore it out.
The song starts with a guy whistling, but no it doesn’t end there.
6. (A Quiet Interlude)
Beautiful instrumental music.
7. A Beautiful Collision
A completely beautiful collision
8. Soon I Will Be Done With The Troubles Of The World
Reminds me of my grandparents Lutheran Church.
9. Be Lifted Or Hope Rising
Good song but nothing particularly note worthy vs the others
10. I Saw The Light
One of the greatest bluegrass songs ever. My mom gave me the funniest look when I put this song on.
11. O God Where Are You Now
Good song.
12. (B Quiet Interlude)
Another interlude but this is quite different.
13. Do Not Move
I don’t wanna move! And I don’t think I should!
Good song.
14. Come Awake
A little slow but it just works where it is.
15. You Are My Joy
I adore this song.  Probably due to the way they build up the You are my JOY. Yeah, it’s awesome
16. Our Happy Home
The overlapping layers of musical instruments are pretty awesome.
17. (Repeat/Return)
The screeching totally ties with WE WIN!
18. We Win!
I love singing along with this song.
Cause we’ve already won and you don’t have a chance!! < so true!
19. Rescue Is Coming
The longest song on the album still doesn’t seem that long.
20. A Conversation
Quite humorous dialog between David and some guy, worth listening to at least once.
21. The Lark Ascending Or (Perhaps More Accurately, I’m Trying To Make You Sing)
A great end to the album.
He achieved his goal of making us sing.

Posted by: Robbie 06/16/2007

Spread the word

I finally bought Blindside’s newest album The Great Depression. It’s pretty good, but my favorite still goes to Silence. The Great Depression is aptly named because it seems to be their most "emo" album. But they still have some great fast paced songs like "Fell In Love With The Game" and "Heart Attack". Before you buy the album or check it out you have to understand the slight genre change in the majority of their songs or else you are going to think they are weak. You really have to like the style of "emo" music; otherwise you will only like 3 or so songs out of 14.
Why the name The Great Depression? I don’t know this for a fact but it seems to me they are speaking about the "whole" that seems to be in our heart before we have given our lives to Jesus. It feels like you have experienced everything in this life but still can not find the reason for you existence and it’s a sad time, sometimes even depressing. Maybe you can figure it out from the title tracks lyrics:
We are the sons and daughters of a revolution, revolutionaries walking us out of
oppression and into a
no-low promise land.
And this is leaves us with a great sense of sadness dwelling inside our soul. no
one can explain where
its’ coming from or where its taking us.
We just know that something is lost, but somehow we are lost, lost
The Great Depression - Blindside

Posted by: Robbie 06/08/2007

The Fold: One of Christian rock’s new kids

Ever heard of The Fold? If it wasn’t for the Tooth and Nail tour a couple months ago I wouldn’t either. But they may be new but they are pretty strong if you ask me. They are a straight Rock ‘n Roll band with a little Indie thrown in. Although I wasn’t able to go see the Tooth and Nail tour when it came into town by word of mouth they preformed a pretty solid show, challenged by only Anberlin and Emery. Thats all I needed to check this new band out (I love new stuff), after buying the album I was glad I did so. There seems to be no end to catchy tunes as you listen to the tracks. One even Includes Matt from Relient K (Guy gets around alot). But thats just a little added sugar to this sweet band. If I had to rate from 1 to 10 I would give them, 8/10

Posted by: Robbie 06/06/2007

New Cd’s

A couple of new albums were released today! Dead Poetic released Vices, a highly awaited release. I pre-ordered my copy a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to receive it. The t-shirt that is included is pretty cool, I feel sorry for those that didn’t take advantage of the deal. But anyway, about the album. Why do I await this CD with such enthusiasm? First of all, Brandon Rike (Lead Vocals) said in an interview that it would include a larger slice of hardcore than New Medicines. Depending on your tastes that is either a good thing or a bad thing. Personally, being a hardcore fan, I’m glad they added a little more of the genre. Second, the CD includes the single Narcotic, a song I have fallen in love with by listening to it over and over again on Dead Poetic’s Purevolume. Narcotic and In Coma quickly became two of my favorite songs. Third, well there is not third. Maybe there will be a third reason in the full review of the CD when it arrives.

I said there was a "couple" of new albums released today. Since couple means two I was referring to Jeremy Camp’s Beyond Measure. While I haven’t looked forward to it quite as much as Vices, but it should be a great album. Probably his best. The album is led by his hit single Tonight, which is a great song no matter what genre you are a fan of. I would encourage anyone who is looking forward to Vices to buy this CD as well.

Posted by: Robbie 05/21/2007

Skillet: Comatose (full review from everyone coming soon)

I just bought Comatose today, after I pulled the rather annoying plastic off, opened the case and put the CD in my computer, one of the best albums since The Beautiful Letdown played in my ears. It is one of the best albums I own beyond the shadow of a doubt. From the improved lyrics and vocals to the hard rock/classic music it is just an all around great album. Skillet is really its one genre, combining Violin, Piano, and classic rock instruments into one song with a perfect blend is truly unquie and sounds pretty good in the ol’ ear too. I like to call this clever mix: "The Skillet Genre"
What songs do I like? Well its not an album that you ask that question. Instead you ask: "What songs don’t you like?". Because there are very few songs I dislike. I don’t even dislike them just favor other songs on the album. For example Better than Drugs vs Rebirthing. I like Rebirthing for the obvious use of "The Skillet Genre" but I also like Better than Drugs for the guitar intro and of course the excellent lyrics.

Posted by: Robbie 05/19/2007

What do I mean when I say Emo?

Emo is a subgenre of hardcore punk music. Since its inception, emo has come to describe several independent variations, linked loosely but with common ancestry. As such, use of the term has been the subject of much debate.
In its original incarnation, the term emo was used to describe the music of the mid-1980s Washington, DC scene emocore, short for "emotional hardcore", was also used to describe the DC scene and some of the regional scenes that spawned from it. The term emo was derived from the fact that, on occasion, members of a band would become spontaneously and strongly emotional during performances. The most recognizable names of the period included Rites of Spring, Embrace, One Last Wish, Beefeater, Gray Matter, Fire Party, and, slightly later, Moss Icon. The first wave of emo began to fade after the breakups of most of the involved bands in the early 1990s. and its associated bands. In later years, the term
Starting in the mid-1990s, the term emo began to reflect the indie scene that followed the influences of Fugazi, which itself was an offshoot of the first wave of emo. Bands including Sunny Day Real Estate and Texas Is the Reason put forth a more indie rock style of emo, more melodic and less chaotic in nature than its predecessor. The so-called "indie emo" scene survived until the late 1990s, as many of the bands either disbanded or shifted to mainstream styles.
As the remaining indie emo bands entered the mainstream, newer bands began to emulate the more mainstream style, creating a style of music that has now earned the moniker emo within popular culture. Whereas, even in the past, the term emo was used to identify a wide variety of bands, the breadth of bands listed under today’s emo is even more vast, leaving the term "emo" as more of a loose identifier than as a specific genre of music.

Posted By: Robbie 04/16/2007

mewithoutyou:Brother,Sister

Mewithoutyou’s new album is out: Brother, Sister. I have always found their music style interesting at best. A sort of story-telling Indie with a little post-hardcore mixed in.Anyway their new CD is out and I’m sure its much better than any of their other albums so go buy it. And tell me if its good.

Posted By: Robbie 03/26/2007

Christian Rock Popularity

It would seem that Jonzetta is becoming even more popular because of their new album. OK that was cheesy. Anyway, past the cheesy lines Jonzetta is becoming very popular because of their catchy beats and original singing styles. The highly awaited album Popularity comes out in just a few days! October 3rd to be exact! I’m very excited about this new album. Jonzetta is one of my favorite bands because of their originality and uniqueness. Their music style is very different and I’m a big fan because of it. Their genre would be something like Rock/Pop/Indie, thought I would just call it "Jonzetta" because I have never heard anything like Jonzetta.

Posted by: Robbie 03/17/2007

UnderOath: Writing on the Walls MV

Well I like the song but I dunno about the video. There is about 10 or so people stuck in tiny little rooms in a house. Including: Twitching business man, screaming girl, dead guy, paranoid old woman, skinny gymnast kid and a ballerina girl. Well basically gymnast kid likes ballerina girl. Ballerina girl’s dad doesn’t like gymnast kid so he takes her away. And he gets murdered. Just so screaming girl has something to scream about. You are supposed to think that twitchy business man did it but its pretty obvious. So who kills him and what is the point of the other characters? Watch it yourself and see if you can figure it out.

Posted by: Robbie 03/16/2007

Red:The Band not the Color

Red is a new band that debuted with the album End of Silence not too long ago. Their hit single Breathe Into Me made big fans out of Christian hardcore junkies (Like myself). They have excellent vocals and twin guitarists! Yes that’s right identical twins for guitar players. Is that awesome or what? Anyway, as far as the sound goes they are pretty unique as most Hardcore bands are. Though they wouldn’t label themselves as Hardcore I would have to disagree. It really doesn’t get much more hardcore than Breathe Into Me. But they would prefer a more subtle genre such as Rock/Alternative.
Why the name Red? Well I thought the same thing. I figured that the band just thought it was a pretty sweet band name, which it really is. But that’s not why they named the band Red. This is the best part; they named the band Red for the blood of Jesus Christ which represents: passion, pain, but ultimately, redemption. I thought that was an excellent thing for a 30K Myspace fans band to say.

Posted by: Robbie 03/05/2007

Run Kid Run: New’r kids.

Number One Gun reminded me a little bit of Stellar Kart. Run Kid Run reminds me a lot of Stellar Kart. That’s probably because the dominate genre of Number One Gun would be Alternative, while Run Kid Run’s would be Pop Punk. But anyway, apart from sounding like Stellar Kart which is great, they sound pretty good. I’m a big fan of the Pop Punk genre. And Run Kid Run hits it on the nail. This is only their first album (This is who we are), but I see a big future for these guys.
To find more about Run Kid Run and listen to their songs visit their purvolume site.

Posted by: Robbie 03/01/2007

Do you like questions? I do.

Ok so I guess this post is kinda off topic. But I was just wondering how many DC Talk fans I had. So if you are a DC Talk fan (you don’t have to be a big time one, maybe just a song here and there) then post a comment that says so. And if aren’t a DC Talk fan are you a fan of them by themselves (tobyMac, Kevin Max, Tait)? And since this is my blog I can do whatever I want and in this case would be answering my own questions .
Yes I am a big DC Talk fan. Their album Jesus Freak was the first album I ever owned and really opened my eyes to the world of Christian Rock.
Yes, I am a fan of tobyMac, Kevin Max and Tait. But I liked them ten times better as a group.
Ok, so I answered my own question. Answer mine and if you want to ask a question I will be more than happy to answer it.

Posted by: Robbie 02/24/2007

Comments

First of all. A lot of people have been coming to my site, but not leaving comments! Please leave comments guys. It helps drive traffic to the site.
Also, I have changed the comment system. When you post your first ever comment  I will have to approve it. But after that first one you can just comment on a post and it will appear instantly.
Also, since you guys are going to leave lots of comment now. Would you like me to set it up so that you can sign up and make a permanent name?

Posted by: Robbie 02/21/2007

Artist News

What’s happening with the guys in Building 429?
In December, Building 429 played at the 27th annual Christian Rock Night in Ennepetal, Germany and also performed at the Heidelberg, Hanau and Baumholder US Army installations. The performances ranged from a Sunday morning worship service to a welcome home event in Baumholder for over 4,500 troops returning from Iraq. Building 429 was also invited to spend time with the troops and their families while in Germany.
"We have never been more sure of the presence of the Lord than we were as we stood on the stages in Germany and played for our heroes ... the ARMY," says lead vocalist, Jason Roy. "Every conversation that we had, and every soldier that we spoke with reminded us of just how BIG our God is. The Lord's presence was tangible on the Army bases and in the cities that we visited while in Germany, and we have returned home changed men."
While in Germany, the band also had the opportunity to use the city of Heidelberg as a backdrop for a photo shoot in support of their upcoming album, Iris to Iris . The album, which is set to release May 1, 2007, is currently receiving final touches with esteemed producer Brown Bannister. A spring tour with TobyMac is set to begin mid-March.
For more information on Building 429, visit www.b429.com

Posted by: Robbie 02/19/2007

Getting to know 33 Miles

In most cases, if something is good, you leave it alone and don’t mess with it. However, there are rare moments in which you can’t help but combine good things to make them great. Such is the case with Jason, Chris and Collin. Separately they are talented musicians and vocalists, but together they form 33Miles.
Each member is an accomplished vocalist, songwriter, and musician in his own right, but together there’s an electricity and passion that comes from a shared sense of purpose. “We know why God brought us together,” says Chris. “We really believe that God has called us to the church. We feel like we’ve been called to remind the church and ourselves of who we are in Christ and whom we serve. As Christians, we have grace, mercy and power beyond comprehension and understanding. We just want to encourage the church to look to Jesus. Don’t forget who you are in Christ.”
This purpose is reflected in their name, which is a simple metaphor for the 33 years that Christ spent on Earth, and how He lived them. “He was a friend to the friendless, He loved the unlovable, and He gave of Himself selflessly by dying on the cross in our place so that we could live forever,” Jason explains. “We want to follow Christ. We want our ‘Miles’ to have purpose and meaning and to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. We aren't promised a certain number of miles, so what are we going to do with the "Miles" that we are given?”
Jason Barton (lead vocal) followed his calling to Nashville where he signed his first recording contract in 2000. In the course of his career in the Christian music industry, Jason has become an accomplished studio and was nominated for a Grammy in 2003. Jason, however, would be quick to tell you that his greatest achievement is his family. He is married to Jennifer and they have two boys, Jake and Jonah.
Chris Lockwood (guitar/vocal) is a Mobile, AL native who majored in Music at the University of Mobile. He spent some time touring and became an in-demand session player. Later his prowess on guitar earned him acceptance to the prestigious Berklee School of Music. Today, he resides in Mobile with his wife Joy.
Collin Stoddard (piano/vocal), the group’s youngest member, grew up in Colorado Springs, CO. He then pursued a Commercial Music major with an emphasis on Piano Performance at Belmont University. When he met Jason, he saw God providing an opportunity for a new season. “He said, ‘Here’s a door, open it and step through.’
The debut disc from 33 Miles includes songs destined to become part of the fabric of the church. “There is A God” is a poignant ballad that declares the majesty of our heavenly father. “What Could Be Better (The Days Ahead)” is a high-spirited anthem co-written by Jason that is getting great reaction from all who hear it.
“This is Now” is a song that reminds the listener no matter how badly they’ve been broken, God is ready to put the pieces back together again. “Even though we wouldn't place ourselves in the worship category, we certainly had worshippers in mind while recording our record,” says Jason.
“On our album, listeners will feel a rock moment and hear a country moment and a pop moment,” says Jason. “I feel that what is going to make our sound a little bit different musically is that it integrates various musical styles. We are forging new territory, not only musically, but also in our own hearts, becoming what we want to be.

Posted by: Robbie 02/18/2007

Featuring Music From Vessel, Jessie Daniels, The Showdown, Cool Hand Luke & Russ Taff!

At 18 rockin’ minutes, this just may be the best New Christian Music PodCast yet! We’ve got Jessie Daniels stopping by to talk about his up and coming album, Praise UnTo You and we introduce you to another hot debut that Cool Hand Luke fans should enjoy from K2Rock. Indie favorite Jessie Daniels drops her national debut this week alongside new albums from The Showdown's and Russ Taff. Finally, for the rockers in our audience, don’t miss previews of new albums from Anberlin and of coursed Vessel..

Posted by: Robbie 02/15/2007

What is your word worth?

So what is your word worth? When you say that you will do something or that you will take responsibility for something, what do the people around you think? Have you built a reputation as someone not likely to keep commitments, or have you built a reputation as someone that is rock solid on doing what you said you would do.

I love the practicality of the book of James and in chapter 5, verse 12 James lays down a very simple and basic principle that we should all strive to apply to every conversation that we have. Verse 12 says this: “Above all, my brothers, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no or you will be condemned.”

Your ability to commit to what you say you will speaks volumes into your personal honesty and integrity. People will begin to make assumptions about you and you will be judged by what you say, or as James says, you may be condemned. Many of us can think of at least one time when we relied on someone to hold up their end up and failed. Personally, I can recall too many times throughout high school where I was involved in group projects and was let down by a select few. As a result, our entire group was graded poorly for our inability to do what we initially set out to accomplish.

Our ability to keep the commitments that we make to others only furthers our ability to share Christ with them. If they see us as trustworthy and committed in a non-Christian, non-religious context, not having to persuade by taking oaths, then our ability to speak to our commitment to Christ will hold much more weight.

Final Thought: The bottom line is that we need to be honest in everything that we say so that people will know unquestionably that what we say is the absolute truth.   

Posted by: Robbie 02/10/2007

Have you heard any reviews of "Amazing Grace"?

I've heard so many great things about the movie "Amazing Grace" but I haven't been able to see it yet. If you've seen it already, what do you think? Was the quality as good as it appeared in the trailer? Was the acting fantastic? Did it present the Christian life as something to be desired? Did it move you and cause you to want to do something about the slavery that exists in our world today? Share your thoughts with us on the movie "Amazing Grace".

Posted by: Robbie 02/04/2007

So here I am today starting my first blog entry.

What an interesting world we live in. All you have to do is turn on the television to see how interesting. There is such a mix of love and hate, beauty and chaos. Someone once told me that the balance of the world is based on good things happening and bad things happening, kind of like the ying and the yang of the universe. I'm not so for sure that I believe in that train of thought but who knows maybe that's way that life balances things out.

Something interesting that happend today. It looks like we might get on a real label, BEC Recordings. Everything is still in the works but they liked our demo and they seem like a good fit for our style. Anyway, wish us luck and keep us in your prayers.

Posted by: Robbie 02/02/2007

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