just found Flobots and their “new” album Fight With Tools.
very cool sound. reminds me of Jurassic 5 — with more of a social consciousness/alertness. i downloaded the album from Amazon.com for $8 – always a great deal with no DRM!
here are the lyrics to the first and last songs on their album…
Continue reading Fight with Tools
Larry Norman, a legend in the Christian music business passed away yesterday. Norman, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, was part of the “Jesus Movement” of the 60’s and wrote countless Christian hits, including “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” The song was covered by dcTalk in the mid-90’s and our praise & worship band played that song several times for various events after that.
From Wikipedia:
Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008) was an internationally recognized American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. Norman’s recordings are noted for their Christian and social subject matter and he is often described as the “father of Christian rock music”. Norman has also been described as having had a significant influence on many artists, secular and religious.
Norman has long been associated with what has been referred to as the Jesus People movement of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, although it has been reported that “he did not particularly identify himself with the youth–oriented ‘Jesus movement’ of the time”.
Norman began recording in 1966 and recorded numerous albums. Norman’s first album, I Love You , recorded when he was the lead singer for the group People!, was released in 1968. The bands cover version of The Zombies song of the same name reached number 7 on Billboard magazines top twenty list in June of that year as a single. Norman left People! prior to 1969 and has since performed as a solo artist, appearing both on mainstream and independent labels.
In 2001 Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s (GMA) Hall of Fame as a solo artist. In 2007 Norman was inducted into the San Jose Rocks Hall of Fame (San Jose, California), both as a member of People!, and as a solo artist. At that time Norman reunited for a concert with People!
Due to reasons of ill health, Norman performed on a very limited basis in recent years. A documentary outlining his career as a troubled troubadour will be out in 2008.
From the Monday Morning Insight:
Legendary Christian Rocker Larry Norman passed away over the weekend. A day before his death, Larry dictated one final letter. “I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God’s hand reaching down to pick me up,” Larry said. “I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home…”
Here’s a post from Larry’s brother, Charles:
Hello everybody.
Our friend and my wonderful brother Larry passed away at 2:45 Sunday morning. Kristin and I were with him, holding his hands and sitting in bed with him when his heart finally slowed to a stop. We spent this past week laughing, singing, and praying with him, and all the while he had us taking notes on new song ideas and instructions on how to continue his ministry and art …
Yesterday afternoon he knew he was going to go home to God very soon and he dictated the following message to you while his friend Allen Fleming typed these words into Larry’s computer:
I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God’s hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home.
My brother Charles is right, I wont be here much longer. I can’t do anything about it. My heart is too weak. I want to say goodbye to everyone. In the past you have generously supported me with prayer and finance and we will probably still need financial help.
My plan is to be buried in a simple pine box with some flowers inside. But still it will be costly because of funeral arrangement, transportation to the gravesite, entombment, coordination, legal papers etc. However money is not really what I need, I want to say I love you.
I’d like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the website, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.
Goodbye, farewell, we’ll meet again
Somewhere beyond the sky.
I pray that you will stay with God
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye.
Larry
Goodbye Farewell:
Sweet, Sweet Song of Salvation (Ontario – 1993)
If you just need a quick Christmas music fix, head over to NPR for the 18th annual A Jazz Piano Christmas. An hour of amazing live jazz Christmas music.
Which speaking of Christmas jazz, I forgot to mention the Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack as one of my favorites.
The 18th annual A Jazz Piano Christmas, recorded live at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., features three great pianists who have each been shaping the sound of jazz for more than half a century. Dr. Billy Taylor, Hank Jones and Barry Harris spin their original solo takes on the holiday songbook.
Here’s the lineup:
* “The Little Drummer Boy” — Andrew Hill (from A Jazz Piano Christmas XIII)
* “Merry Christmas” — Billy Taylor
* “The Christmas Song” — Billy Taylor
* “Winter Wonderland” — Joey DeFrancesco
* “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” — Joey DeFrancesco
* “White Christmas” — Barry Harris
* “We Three Kings” — Hank Jones
* “Good King Wenceslas” – Hank Jones
* “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” — Hank Jones & Roberta Gambarini
* “Silent Night” — Hank Jones & Roberta Gambarini
* “Jingle Bells” — All Artists (Taylor, DeFrancesco, Harris, Jones, Gambarini)
Enjoy!
What does an NPR music critic do when he’s flooded with Christmas music every year? He traps his family in the car and plays each of the 21 CDs – 18 hours worth.
I’ve always enjoyed hearing new Christmas music, but there’s just so much of it. Every fall, I receive dozens of new holiday CDs — countless hours of music to sift through in the long, agonizing buildup to Christmas.
This year, shortly before Thanksgiving, I decided to save them all for one epic binge during a 1,000-mile road trip to see family — to be captivated by the holiday spirit while held literally captive.
Pulling out of the driveway, I started — as one does — with A Swingin’ Christmas, by Michael Bolton. And thus began 18 of the longest hours of my life. Bolton’s “swingin’ Christmas” was my “ploddin’ Christmas,” a tensely endured soundtrack for a holiday hellride through D.C. traffic.
Stephen Thompson reviews all 21 albums for your enjoyment online.
Or if you’re interested here are some of my Christmas favs…
– I might get punched in the face for this one, but nothing says Christmas like Kenny G! The first Christmas wishes/bumpers I ever recorded for radio used this album for my music bed. “Merry Christmas KEOM listeners. I’m Jonathan Blundell, taking this moment to wish you and your’s a very Merry Christmas. One of my favorite memories of Christmas….” – Tooth and Nail artists share their own rendition of new and old Christmas songs. The entire collection is great and only one step behind A Very Special Christmas – it’s Christmas time in Hollis Queens. Doesn’t get much better than that other than U2 singing a cover of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). – I can’t tell you where my original copy of this CD is, but the tracks I still have as Mp3 are worth a listen year round. – one of my favorites since it’s release in 1996. It doesn’t get much better than Christmas Eve Sarajevo. And who would have thought Laurie would have already started an annual tradition of seeing the band live every Christmas when they come to Dallas. Awesome.What’s on your top list?
My mate Thomas over in Glasgow is helping push a concert featuring Klearkut, Ashley Ballard, Yvonne Lyon and The Glasgow Gospel Choir on Nov. 20th. The cause – STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING. I can’t make the show, but maybe Elijah and his bride and Erikito and her husband can make the show.
Here’s a brief history:
In 2001 the chocolate industry committed to eradicate the worst forms of child labour. In 2007 the world is still waiting.
Nearly half the world’s chocolate comes from cocoa plantations in the Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa
Twelve thousand children have been trafficked to work on these cocoa plantations.
We want all chocolate companies to be able to give us a traffik free guarantee: that the cocoa beans which make their chocolate have not been harvested by trafficked children.
Download resources for you and your community to fight for a traffik free guarantee on chocolate at www.stopthetraffik.org/chocolatecampaign
It’s amazing to think that human trafficking and slavery still takes place today – but it does – even in the “Good ole’ U. S. of A.”
in fact KERA’s Think had a full hour dedicated to the issue on yesterday’s show. Host Chris Boyd spoke with Journalist John Bowe. His new book, “Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy
In the interview Bowe makes the statement that most slavery in the U.S. isn’t as much about saving money – as it is about how we view others. When the cost of pesticide increased 1 cent per pound, the growers simply increased the cost of oranges. Yet when the workers asked for a pay increase of 1 cent per pound, which would have doubled many of their yearly incomes, the growers said, “No. We can’t do that.” When asked why not, the growers responded, “Look my tractor doesn’t tell me how to farm.”
Yet we (myself included) let these atrocities continue when we make uninformed buying decisions. When will it stop?
* I wonder how many people will recognize this blog post title (leave a comment if you do).
Further searching led me to a website for Agapeland Music as well.
I did botch those lyrics up on Patience, sung by Herbert the Snail.
The correct lyrics are, “Have patience, have patience. Don’t be in such a hurry. When you get impatient, you only start to worry. Remember, remember, that God is patient too. And think about the times when others have to wait for you.”
You can order all the Agapeland recordings on CD now, but I’d love to find the original records as well.