I'ma Fucking Hipster.

For shits and giggles...


Thanks for the reminder Google...

Secular vs. Christian

I will start out by saying, I grew up in a Christian home. My dad was the pastor and praise & worship leader of the church we attended. So fairly speaking, I was under strict rules. Including all my music strictly be by Christian artists. Examples of the artists I was allowed to listen to (Christian artists, that is.) are listed here:

DC Talk
Phil Keaggy
Jon Gibson
Rebecca St. James
Third Day
Tobymac
Tait
Newsboys
Delirious?
Far From Home
Sixpence None The Richer
Sonicflood
and a bunch more.

There was a time in my life...where I was briefly introduced to secular music but covers in such a way they were made Christian. the words changed around to make it "clean" for young children. Hallelujah Hop was a collection of Christian, clean covers of secular songs. One of them introduced the first Beatles song I remember. "Help, I need somebody! Help! Not just anybody! Help! You know I need someone! Help!" Makes sense, right?

Later on I was told that my parents used to sing Beatles songs to me when I was just a baby. "Golden Slumbers" was one of their favorites. They had a tape that had mellowed down versions of the songs that they would sing to me. From all that I know, this is about most of the secular music I ever got.

Switching over to a different time period, some years after we moved to Virginia, my parents got Sky Angel, a Christian Television network that showed mostly clean tv. (when I say mostly, they sometimes aired things you never thought would end up on there, like Welcome Back, Kotter.) This is where I was introduced to most of the bands I know of today. Some I still listen to. Others I've grown a strong hatred for.

There were two Music television channels. Spirit Television Network and TVU Music Television. Spirit was the clean cut artists, Christian contemporary, no screamo or indie artists. They mostly showed the artists I hate. here they are for ya;

Casting Crowns
Jeremy Camp
Chris Tomlin
Third Day
Bethany Dillion
Natalie Grant
Amy Grant
Michael W. Smith
Plus One
Avalon
Building 429
MercyMe
Point of Grace
ZOEgirl

Probably there are some others. but these are the ones that irk me the most. You want to know why? Some just look like the rich ass moms who go sing about how we need to change the world and send food to all these starving kids and yet they have all the money to get the make up they wear and the clothes they wear. Then, (my favorite hatred of them to rant about) is that most of the people we went to church with at one point, LOVED Casting Crowns and some of those others. They not only wore them out on me, they inflicted it on me like it was cool. They kept asking me "Oh why don't you ever listen to something normal like Casting Crowns, they're so good and they love the Lord" and yadah yadah. Seriously, I don't care how much they love the Lord, they are NOT good artists and maybe I would like them more if you didn't WEAR THEM OUT ON ME.

and my last reason...which is my part of my main topic I'm trying to get to here. None of them are so creative enough that they keep my interest long enough. I know Chris Tomlin does NOT write his own songs. And that worries me. because you'd think that if he is considered an "artist" they would be writing their own songs. Yeah, sure your voice is great, you can glorify the Lord with that but come on. You're only an artist because it's part of the Christian face that people put on. So that you'll look good and supposedly make Christianity itself look good. and rich. and clean. You know, I honestly gave some of you artists a listen awhile back. and even I could see how tired and how, almost unhappy all of them are. They're not creating music. They're being forced into this by the Christian labels. There is no creativity in the Christian music industry. and that is why, it's getting nowhere and the music is getting old and it's all the same. (and to you Christians out there who read this, don't think for a minute that I haven't heard the songs you all listen to these days. Trust me, I've heard, I've seen, I know. I'm not stupid.)

Now...switching back to when I had television...the other channel was TVU Music Television. This is where I first heard of Copeland. and a long list of other bands. Some were more or less considered Christian Contemporary and others...well, others were not what I expected. Even my parents thought most of the bands on there were NOT Christian. Because of the way they dressed or sang or some of the graphicness in their videos. Here are some examples of the bands on TVU;

Copeland (Indie rock)
Showbread (raw rock/screamo)
As I Lay Dying (metal/screamo)
12 Stones (heavy rock)
Underoath (screamo/metal)
Switchfoot (rock)
Deas Vail (indie rock)
Maylene & The Sons of Disaster (screamo/metal)
Falling Up (techno/rock)
Between The Trees (punk rock/indie rock)
Anberlin (punk rock/indie rock)
Hawk Nelson (punk)
Flyleaf (metal/screamo/rock)
KJ-52 (hip-hop)
and tons more

Now some of these...are questionable. Some you would've never thought they were Christian. And mostly, the music isn't considered Christian. I have heard some bands specify how they did NOT want to be considered a Christian band. Because they write to create music. If someone is lead to Christ by it, then by all means cool but for the most part, they do what they do and do it because it's their art, their trade, they enjoy what they do. They aren't putting on a face for the people. They are real. Now my parents liked to always talk back and say things like, "Well, spreading the word isn't offensive and if you're really Christian then you would spread the word and not be ashamed." It is not a matter of shame. It is a matter of caring. Some people have chosen the way they are going to go and that's it. They may change their minds later but that's up to them. Not you. So don't press it. Please.

One of the things my parents always thought was very un-Christian was this video of Showbread.


Guys wearing make-up. Nail polish. screaming. Moving their hips, looking suggestive. I remember this one struck out to them because they never thought I would like it. Of course, growing up in a strict family, of course I'll be attracted to some form of rebellion. Of course, now I don't like them as much as I did then but they do rank in my "underground" bands. I met one of my best friends because of them. (I'd also like to point out, that while I'm trying to think up for the next paragraph, I'm rocking out to this song, with my fist in the air. Good times...)

Now things have changed. my parents rules have mellowed out and even when I was still under their rule, I was allowed to listen to new bands. Because of TVU introducing me to new ideas and music and thanks to the internet and my friends I've heard of these bands since...

Fleet Foxes
My Chemical Romance
Foster The People
Gorillaz
Radiohead
The Smiths
Blur
Arctic Monkeys
Michael Jackson (I didn't know who he was till high school.)
The Almost
Anchor & Braille
The River Empires
Sigur Ros
BJork
The Black Keys
Cage The Elephant
The White Stripes
Daft Punk
Doves
Feist
The Kills
Owl City
The Pixies
Regina Spektor
Simon & Garfunkel
She & Him
...and the list goes on and on. and is still going on. always will until I die.

So what I wanted to write this blog to say was...Secular music is creative. There is sound to it. no mask or fake-face. the real deal. it's down to the nitty gritty. and Christians, there are reasons why you're music isn't great. It's not a matter about it being offensive (in some cases, at least not for me really. Not in the sense these songs talk about God.) it's a matter of whether the lyrics get to you or not, in that good way when you can relate. I know of very few Christian people, also artists, who actually can do that. Can make good, creative music and still have some human meaning in the lyrics and still yet some praise. But I am sorry, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns...no. never. they are not creative, do not sound that good, and Tomlin doesn't even write his own songs. If you want honest artists, LOOK FOR THEM. No, they are not going to be Christians half the time. But I've found a ton of real artists with real passion. that's why I'm so hipster. Because they are underground. Consider them dirty, and I've been digging for this gem in my life, and it's called..."_____" Fill in the blank. Copeland, Fleet Foxes, Foster The People, Radiohead, name some bands that means something to you because they have real lyrics. I have this gem encrusted in my life and how happy I am, thank you.

To put it simply, I think that you can glorify God, even with secular music. Love songs for example. Isn't the church the bride and God the groom and all that? Get down with God to some Marvin Gaye or The Beatles. Even if the artists are or aren't into God or Jesus, they can still glorify God with the music they make because God did give them the talent, therefore we may enjoy it ourselves. It's not a sin to enjoy what God placed on this earth, is it?

Instead of ranting on and on about how I think Christian music basically sucks and that my "underground" music is way better, this is how I'll end it. If you Christians keep thinking my music sucks and then you get offended because I think yours sucks, psht, oh well. How do you think I feel? (Actually I'll be glad you don't like some of the bands I like because you Christians tend to make everything mainstream and I wouldn't want that to happen, hmm?) But it is nice when you come across someone who listens to the same band as you (who doesn't wear it out) and you can say, "Oh, you've heard them too?" Wouldn't it be a satisfying feeling to know that what you were digging for was the most valuable gem in your whole collection? and that you can share these gems with a friend? (and to you Christians, no your music is not a real gem. It's those pieces of plastic they put in fake jewelry for kids. That's how cheap and terrible it is.)

Also, I have nothing against Christians. Just their religious ways. and their music obviously. I'm a Universalist (I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost and all that. But I don't like being called a Christian. too mainstream.) and I still listen to some of those Christian bands I listened to back then. Every once in awhile. I am very selective on what I listen to now. Ask my friends and they'll tell you I have to be in a certain mood to listen to anything new.

Anywho, just wanted to rant and talk about my thoughts on the whole creativity side to secular music. I hope I made my point clear and that someone will see my side of things.

White Winter Hymnal

January. It's coming close to an end. I don't want it to but we all know that, as time passes, so do the months. My favorite color is passing by too soon.




Along with Copeland I've experienced a great deal of peace this month thanks to this beautifully put song. Talk of red scarves, red strawberries. One of those things, it reminds you of better days to come which makes your current day the best. January being both hopeful and dull, like red and grey. this is how I perceive the connection of January and my favorite colors. That and of course what I mentioned in my Copeland blog.

This song in particular, when it would snow...I would walk out of my house in the middle of the night just to watch it fall. And I would sing this song to myself as I watched the beautiful flakes fall from the sky. Also to think that...I love strawberries. They are sweet, juicy...and refreshing. And then there's scarves...I love wearing scarves. I own a red one. I find the connection with these to be outstanding in a way that I must share. I am not a crazed fan (like Mark David Chapman was.) but I do find it crazy that the lyrics match with something I own up to.

This season, I've had the chance to enjoy it. in the past, it has always been a dull, depressing season. Now I can find beauty in it again. I think what made it so depressing was school. But now instead of focusing on school, I'm focusing on the beauty around me. It's amazing. Try it sometime.

Eat, Sleep, Repeat.

January has always been a melancholy/beautiful month for me. The melancholy side comes from how dead the season is. brownish grass, no leaves on the trees, cold air, cloudy skies. The way it is meaningful, however...is the part I will be speaking of.

Christmas 2006 was an odd Christmas for me and my family. We knew what we had, but we were not allowed to have use of our things till Christmas Day. I, at the time, only got cds. One of them being one of Copeland's albums, Eat, Sleep, Repeat.

I had a bunch of cds I received for Christmas, so choosing which one to listen to first was a hard choice. I think I saved Copeland for last because I was scared I wouldn't like it. I've been disappointed with bands before. and this was long before they became my favorite band. I think that Christmas I got Edison Glass, Sanctus Real, Emery and probably some other albums. I can't really remember.

Copeland I saved for January. After the new year. I think it was either the 2nd or 3rd, I finally opened the case. It was an interesting case. My first, ever, (I believe) where it was artisticly made to be opened the way it was made.



You opened where the people were, turning the flaps until you saw a booklet with a grey house in it. (It is because of this album grey and red are my two favorite colors.) I put the cd in my portable cd player (no, I did not have an iPod at the time. I didn't even know what one was until the next year actually.) and listened to it. I remember I had a policy that whenever I liked more than 2 or 3 songs by a band, I would get their album. WIth Copeland, the first album I got was In Motion. Of course, I fell in love with the entire album. When I got Eat, Sleep, Repeat, I was afraid I wasn't going to like what I heard. I was proven wrong (yet again.)

I didn't hate what I heard at first. But I listened to it. again. and again. and I made a habit of putting it in my cd player to listen to on my way to church, every Sunday morning. and it thus became my, "Sunday Album." From the first song, to the last song, I listened to it all the way through. This album made me feel less dead inside. With it being cold and dull in the Winter season, my heart has always been heavy with melancholy. This album made me think of Spring, in a way. The leaves suddenly growing on the trees. Flowers blooming. Birds singing. This album made me come alive. and like In Motion, it brought back memories from my childhood.



"It occurred to me at once that love gets everything it asks for, like a young girl picking flowers in the lawn. She gets every kiss and tear, she gets every smile and fear but still, she never finds the last of them is gone."

When I was younger, I used to find my escape outside. There was a particular flower bush, up a hill behind my house, that I'd rip the petals off and throw them in the air. I wanted it to be like in the movies when you saw someone get married or celebrate something when petals are falling everywhere. I laughed and giggled and had so much fun with those flower petals.

I have many more memories with this album. and with their other albums. But I think the one thing I treasure most about this album is that I thought fondly about sitting on my roof, outside my window and watch the sunrise. Every morning whenever my parents and I would get ready to leave for church, I'd breathe the cold air in and look towards the east to see, always, the most beautiful of sunrises. As I'd get in my frosted car and ride away with my parents, I'd begin this album and sometimes look behind us at the sun. And looking at how it shown light on everything else surrounding us. This...made the cold bring me hope. I adore this feeling. and this is why I love January now.

For Sentimental Reasons

I've not written in awhile. So I thought I'd share a song I have been listening to quite a lot lately.



I remember when I first heard of this song. I was sitting in my dad's room while he was getting ready for something in the bathroom. He had the radio on and I remember listening to these two old men with their banter about the good ol' days and such in music history. And then...they played this song.

I heard it and knew who it was immediately. But didn't know the song. I'm very good at recognizing artists. Even if I haven't heard the song before. And I had always loved Nat King Cole ever since I first heard him sing L-O-V-E. I quickly looked up what lyrics I could pick up from the song...and fell in love. I cried when I read the lyrics.

I distinctly remember looking up the song and this being the first picture of Nat King Cole I saw. I have this thing where a certain song will remind me of a particular thing, person, movie, picture, etc. This is what pops in my mind when I think of Nat singing the song.



I have heard many renditions of the song. But none of them, absolutely none of them compare to the beauty and strength and love that Nat King Cole puts into this one. He has two versions. This is the better one I think. I love most of the versions I've heard but again...this one beats them all.

What is a huge joy and surprise to me to this day, is the fact that I have this particular version on vinyl. Whenever I start up my turntable, this vinyl is one of the first ones I'll put on. It's incredibly peaceful and comforting. and most of all, sentimental and lovely.

This is by far the most romantic song I have ever heard in my entire life. Probably my favorite love song of all time. I don't think anyone understands the connection I have with this song. I still cry when I listen to it.

Top 20 Songs I Learned About During the year 2011

*note: Most of these songs were NOT written or produced during the year 2011, I am merely talking about the songs I finally heard for the first time and began liking during the year 2011.