And Add One More

St. Vincent, how could I forget you? Another one that has collaborated with Sufjan of late. Her first solo effert, Marry Me is wonderful. Her soothingly jazzy voice and eccentric/eclectic style blend wonderfully together in this refreshing masterpiece!

Summer Won't Stop Giving

And by the title, I mean gooood music. So much, in fact, I've decided to dedicate a blog post to it.

Spoon's newest, unfortunately named Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, is incredible. Think ancy younger brother that won't stop making you smile...and just feel good. And there you have Spoon.





The New Pornographers, featuring AC Newman and the gang, have some summer music, Challengers, that is sure to turn heads. Odd, quirky, eccentric, brilliant. All words that apply.





Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova nearly have a monopoly over my ears these days. They are the stars of the indie-Irish film Once, which has only been getting better than superb reviews. Their music is raw, original, and quite seamless. Hansard has previously toured with fellow countryman Damien Rice, and it's easy to make a connection in their music. Check out the movie's site to hear the soundtrack.





Tegan And Sara are soon to release The Con, and it can be said to be the close, female, slightly more The Killers-esque relative to The New Pornographers.





Ryan Adams has new biz this summer as well, taking the form of Easy Tiger. It's a bit more bluegrass than some of his other works of late, but I am overwhelmingly a fan. Definitely could end up playing at every Starbucks across the nation.






The Polyphonic Spree JUST released their newest effort, The Fragile Army, and it is quite in line with some of their other stuff. I.E. You need to check it out. Too bad the white robes are gone though...





Wilco certainly carried me into the summer, so Sky Blue Sky had to make it onto the list. New guitarist means a slightly new sound, but it's a good mix of energy and chill. But in the end, it's still Wilco. I don't think I need say more...




Rosie Thomas brings us These Friends of Mine, featuring Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer, and even though it was released last spring, I just discovered it and it's too good to leave from this post. Thus, I cheat. But after you hear it, you probably won't blame me.

YouTube Goodness

...straight from Zach Lind.

Some serious, but inspiring:



Some more light hearted, via the incredibly artistic Fiest:

The 40 Days Continue...

My travels have prohibited me from keeping up to date with the 40 Day Fast. Sorry all, but I promise to back track and link to them anyway. Shaun Groves posted about his cause on Monday, and as always, his thought-provoking words pushed to status quo. He is never one to just do something like everyone else does, is he? Tuesday's post by Kristin continued the Compassion International streak to five days in a row. What an incredible testament to how the organization is actually saving lives. Today's participant is The Chaotic Hammer, so make sure you give him some lovin.

Soon enough, my friends, I will get around to posting pictures and stories and such from this weekend. Soon enough.

Day 3

Day 3 of the 40 Day Fast is today, and Sam has the goods. Fortunately, I find myself typing this message from a town called Maryville, TN, 30 minutes outside of Knoxville. A wonderful time with some friends from Belmont, but not the best condition for blogging. Therefore, today's message will be short, and more will come tomorrow. Make sure you read the post today!

40 Day Fast: Day 2

Day 2 of the 40 Day Fast. Today's post can be found on Brant Hansen's Blog. It is an incredible post, I must admit.

Here's a little bit of what he had to say:

The wall is very, very thin. The wall divides a bloody temple from Mother Teresa's home for the sick and dying, and it's a very thin wall. For the children I've met in central America, Africa, Asia -- the wall between hope and hopelessness, between smiling young engineer and disfigured beggar, is a very thin wall.

And, borrowing from Solzhenitsyn, that wall runs through me, and my checkbook, separating life and death, mercy and darkness.

The Challenge of Jesus

Today one could find my body at both of my jobs depending on which hour you looked, but my mind was elsewhere. After my first shift ended, I headed straight to the park to be able to devour a few pages. After my second shift, downtown Franklin was my destination, enjoying the tunes from a street band outside of McCreary's while I focused on the task at hand. And I did it. I finally finished N.T. Wright's The Challenge of Jesus, and all I can say is wow! Anyone unfamiliar with N.T. Wright's should become familiar very fast. He has certainly given me a new picture of Jesus and his mission in relation to the first century. And consequently, my reading of Jesus in the bible has come alive lately. I'm so intrigued by this Jesus. I want to know him. And he is radically more complex than the Jesus I grew up knowing. But the best thing about the book is not the history lesson that Wright gives, but the last two chapters where he applies the first six chapters to today's postmodern world. You really need to read it for yourself, but I will leave you with a poem that Wright leaves his readers with. It was penned after visiting the Louvre and being incredibly disappointed at the Mona Lisa being behind thick glass due to recent security concerns. He was unable to view the intricate eyes of the portrait without seeing the eyes of all the other onlookers -- including his own -- in the glass's reflection. He thought that the scenario could be seen as a great metaphor for postmodernity: "What seems like knowledge is really the reflection of your own ideas, your own predispositions or inner world. You can't trust anything; you have to be suspicious of everything." To this idea, though, he offers a challenge:

A Paris newcomer, I'd never been
Followed by those dark eyes, bewitched by that
Half-smile. Meaning, like beauty, teases, dancing
In the soft spaces between portrait, artist,
And the beholder's eye. But now, twice shy,
She hides behind a veil of wood and glass;
And we who peer and pry into her world
See cameras, schoolchildren, other eyes,
Other disturbing smiles. So, now, we view
The world, each other, God, through prison glass:
Suspicion, fear, mistrust--projections of
Our own anxieties. Is all our knowing
Only reflection? Let me trust, and see,
And let love's eyes pursue, and set me free.

In the headlines...

This really makes me want to vomit.

Fortunately, we're at least making progress. Albeit slowly. As in 2020. But progress, nonetheless.

And how bout them apples:

June 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
					22 Kat	23 Brant Hansen
24 SAM	25 Shaun Groves	26 Kristen	27 Chaotic Hammer	28 Stephanie	29 Stephen	30 Jeanine
July 2007
1 Truevyne	2 Ryan G.	3 Jeremy Thiessen	4 Steven	5 Susanne	6 Valerie	7 William Guice
8 Todd	9 Scott	10 Transition Pete	11 Marianne	12 Mark Jaffrey	13 Michelle	14 Lucas Parry
15 Tim Harm	16 Andrew Osenga	17 Shawn	18 Lorijo	19 Euphrony	20 Brody Harper	21 Amy
22 Erin Mount	23 Dray	24 Jessica	25 Los	26 Mom	27 Ted	28 Charla
29 Rick	30 Tressa	31 Toby

Isaiah 58:6-7
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

The first post is up.

Why don't you join us by placing a logo or schedule on your blog, or even starting your own. I'll do it!

The Good/The Bad

The Good:
Rob Bell has new tour dates. This one's called The Gods Aren't Angry Tour.
The Bad:
I must wait till November 29th and drive 3 hours. Don't think I won't be there, though.


The Bad:
Shane Claiborne's The Simple Way, as well as the houses and belongings of many in his community, tragically burned down on Thursday.
The Good:
People are generous.


The Good:
The U.N. reached a reasonable peacekeeping deal for Darfur that was actually accepted by Khartoum.
The Bad:
The U.S. might jeopardize the whole thing by failing to pay our pledged money.

The 40 Day Fast

A few days ago, I read about an incredible idea. It was thought of and implemented by Kat. And I get to be a part of it.

It's the 40 Day Fast:


Who:
40 bloggers who will each fast for 1 day.

What:
They will blog about the experience as well as an area of need in the world (either a cause or a country) and an organization that strives to meet that need.

They will also link to the blogger who is fasting on each day of the fast and encourage their readers to join the fast on the 40th day.

Why:
The purpose behind it is to give people an opportunity to:
1. Experience a bit of need
2. Learn about the need in the world
3. Do something about it

When:
The fast starts on June 22, 2007 and ends on July 31, 2007

Where:
The blogosphere.



So, as you can tell, it starts today. For the next 40 days, I will be linking to the blogger that is fasting so you can read up on their organization or cause and their experience. What a tremendous thing this will be!

Spinal Tap Together Again

Legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner has just brought a little more of heaven to earth... again. The director of This Is Spinal Tap has just released a new 15 minute short simply entitled Spinal Tap. And best of all, you can view the comedic genius here for free.

All this in preparation for an event that has even more monumental implications: the reunification of Spinal Tap for a live performance at Live Earth. They even are releasing a new song -- Warmer Than Hell -- specifically for the occasion.



Live Earth a great cause to bring attention to the problem of global climate change, and it will feature 24 straight hours of music from over 100 artists in concerts on all 7 continents. It's all happening on 7/7/07. 1 million people are expected to be in attendance at the concerts, with another 2 billion people having access on TV, radio, or internet. It should be good.

I may just have to turn my TV volume to 11.