Bjork!

I had the privilege of seeing Bjork perform last night at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Setting: It was a misty cool evening, but really the weather was perfect and provided a nice relief to the heat Denver has faced the past few weeks. The crowd was jovial and happy, yet still contemplative and very respectful to the music.

Opener: Joanna Newsom opened the show. She is a folk singer whose main instrument is the harp. She also has a violinist, a banjo player and a percussionist. I have heard her latest cd a few times, and frankly was not impressed. She just seemed like such a try-hard with her awkward/over the top voice. I must say, my impression of her was slightly raised after seeing her live. Musically she is fantastic. Her musicianship on the harp, and every other musician on stage was fantastic. I still, however, do not like her voice, and I thought it was distracting.

Bjork: Now for the main attraction! As she took the stage, her band consisted of an 8 piece horn section (all dressed in brightly colored clown-like costumes), a drummer, a sequencer, a DJ and a pianist. The stage was covered in flags and television screens. The sequencer and DJ both used very visual controls for ring modulation and program selection; it was hard to explain with out seeing it yourself. Quite simply, Bjork blew my mind. I wouldn’t say it was the best show I have ever seen, simply because I don’t have the same emotional connection to her music as I do with other bands. I will say, however, that this was the best sounding show I have ever been to. The natural reverb of Red Rocks seemed to just love her voice. I could not believe how loud it was for an outside show. I can see why Bjork has been playing for so long. She is just way to talented to be ignored. Bjork played a mix of songs. Mainly off the newest album, Volta. She did also play songs off pretty much every other album, even Medulla (with some musical accompaniment). Her set lasted for approximately and hour and a half, and had one encore. I felt very privileged to witness a show of this caliber. I have heard she is only playing 13 shows here in her North American tour. If you ever have a chance to witness the wonder that is Bjork, DO IT!

(crappy camera phone pic)

Peace like a River...

My mom just called me 10 minutes ago and informed me that Amy Fosholm passed away. Amy was a lady that lived with my family for a period of 8 years back when I lived in North Dakota. She was one of the godliest women I have ever come across. I would dare say that I probably wouldn’t be a Christian today had I not seen and experienced the love of God that was so evident on Amy. She used to sit in her room for hours up hours praying and interceding for people. I can still remember being a 6 year old sitting in her lap and praying together. Even after she moved out, she would write me letters with prayers and words of encouragement for me.

Amy was well into her 90’s and her health had rapidly depleted in the past year, so this death was not overly unexpected. Either way, it hits me hard. What will my legacy be? I desperately want to love people in the same way that Amy did. In some ways, her death re-ignites a flame in me.

Amy, you will be missed.

If you think about it, please pray for Amy and her family. I know she is in a much better place right now.

(past blog I made about Amy)

Top 5 Vehicular Music Annoyances

Okay, so I was reading over Sean Brage's blog, and I got inspired to list my top 5 musical annoyances when it comes to listening in the car. (I was probably guilty of these at some point)

1. Constant song switching. Most of the girls I know are guilty of this. They listen to 15 seconds of a song, then switch it. I literally want to end it all when this reoccurs. (This is one I am mildly guilty of, but pretty much only when I drive in the car with Jonas and Mark)

2. Playing any form of hardcore after a loud show. The scenario: We just get done seeing Converge play at 140 decibels for 2 hours, I get in the car, and my buddy throws on Municipal Waste with the volume cranked. When this happens, I feel like putting my appendages in a wood chipper and sawing my ears off. After shows, it's either mellow music or nothing.

3. When people feel awkward by just listening to music in the car. If I am familiar with you, and comfortable, I don't feel the need to fill the air with words. I hate it when the music is constantly being turned down just to say some asinine thing that doesn't matter. Sometimes, it's best to just stay silent.

4. I am pretty good about appreciating other people's taste in music. I will admit that sometimes I get annoyed when I have to listen to certain bands for a long trip. I would list bands that fall into this category, but I think the list might be longer than the bible.

5. Over-controlling car DJs. I realize with this entry, I probably seem like a music nazi in my car, but I am not. I usually let my passenger choose the soundtrack for our journey. However, I H-A-T-E it when people are over-zealous with their DJ responsibilities. If you are in my car don't assume that everyone wants to listen to what you do. I will totally sit on your face a use it as toilet paper if this continues.

The end.

Love

I apologize for my lack of blogging lately. Honestly, I think I am going through a time where I am sick of “talking” and ready to start “doing”.

I am extremely excited about this summer.

Interesting Quote

"Search for Truth is search for God. Truth is God. God is, because Truth is. We embark upon the search, because we believe that there is Truth and that it can be found by diligent search and meticulous observance of the well-known and well-tried rules of search. There is no record in history of the failure of such search. Even the atheists who have pretended to disbelieve in God have believed in Truth. The trick they have performed is that of giving God another, not a new, name. His names are legion. Truth is the crown of them all."

- Mahatma Gandhi.