bliss

hey....so no posts in awhile and there won't be any for a little while longer. i'm getting married on saturday!!! waahahhao;segha;e!!!

....excited....apparently so excited that i somehow pronounced a semi-colon in my ranting....interesting.

but married nonetheless! please pray for me and katie on saturday and for all those who are coming that the day would be a time of incredible worship to our God and King.

i'll write more after the honeymoon! peace!!!

house & home

a huge answer to prayer:

my parents, nevin and janene, who have been trying to sell their house in coralville, iowa for the better part of 16 months have, in the last week, closed on their house AND had an offer accepted on a new home in west des moines. not only that, but my mom has also been hired to work for the women's ministry at their new church, des moines valley e-free. all of these blessing have come on the heels of hardship for them both, and we all feel so blessed that God would answer so many questions and prayers all in the time-span of just a couple of weeks!

dixie

so, random story...

katie and i were looking for some furniture for our apartment last weekend, and while we were talking to our salesman it came out that he plays for a semi-professional (whatever that means) dixie band in bristol. we talked for awhile and when he found out that i play guitar and some other things, he invited me to practice with them. i went to one rehearsal with this seven piece dixie/big band and they then invited me to play with them in a gig they had the following night for mardis gras (i've never played so many 7th chords in all my life). so now i'm on their roster to play paid area shows with them....pretty strange, but fun nonetheless.

oh, by the way...

my wedding is three weeks from today!!!

first

praise God! katie has her FIRST ever, music therapy assignment since moving out here and starting her business. next tuesday she'll be leading a session for some residents of a nursing home in bristol. the coordinator for the home has told katie that, depending on how this first session goes, she would like to come up with a weekly arrangement and also refer her to other homes and care facilities!

pray:
first, thank God for opening up this door.
second, that her session would go well and that any anxiety would be assuaged.
third, that this would lead to other opportunities with this and other facilities.

you can visit katie's music therapy web page here.

prophet series

this semester, journey, the college ministry i lead worship for, is entering into a series on the major prophets of the old testament (minor prophets to come next semester). i'm personally very excited for this series; the prophets are a set of completely understudied books of the Bible, and the passages that are studied frequently leave something to be desired of the remainder of the messages they have to communicate. it's going to be a fun ride!

leading worship for this series has already presented some challenges, given that i enjoy tying the music we sing to the message preached during a given week, but some of the passages we're going to be studying contain language and ideas not commonly stylized for musical purposes. however, one of the themes i have come to associate with studying the prophets is that of God's consistency; His unchanging, eternal nature. Too often it is thought that separation between old and new testament is necessary because God is somehow "different," as though he changed His mind about the whole thing half way through, but the pure and simple truth is that God has remained the same from eternity past and will continue to remain unchanged long after time is measured. so i settled on some songs that communicate God's everlasting quality as "theme song" for this semester. the lyrics of one of them are below, as is the url for the series...check it out!

Everlasting God
Glenn Packiam

One thing I know that I have found
Through all the troubles that surround
You are the Rock that never fails, You never fail.

One thing I know that I believe
Through every blessing I receive
You are the only one that stays, You always stay.

You never change, You’re still the same
You are the Everlasting God
You will remain after the day is gone and the things of earth have passed;
Everlasting God

go here: http://theprophetseries.com

...and please pray for this semester:
-that first of all things, the Spirit would lead the ministry and that God's will would be done.
-that those who attend would be deeply impacted by God's words and unalterably motivated to service for the kingdom of God.
-that those who lead would bathe each and every decision in prayer and follow the Lord's path for His people.
-that an eventual move to a new venue for the ministry will not only go smoothly, but also promote growth and healthy change.

obama

it's hard to know during an election season which candidate to support. most of the time, those who follow the news of the election trail, keep up with the issues, watch the debates, only get to see the side of a candidate that he (or she) chooses to display, but one candidate i have been watching closely for a number of months has, or is (i should say) doing something during the primaries and caucuses that truly shows what kind of president he would be.

it has been reported that barack obama, in the midst of the insanity that are the primary elections, has been negotiating peace with his father's homeland of kenya, africa. between rallies, town hall meetings, and impromptu interviews, sen. obama has been predominantly on the phone with the kenyan government and secretary of state rice trying to aid kenya's journey to democracy by getting the various political factions to talk to each other and "calling for calm."

here's a more comprehensive account from Time writer Joe Klein...

what a remarkable story: while the other presidential candidates clamour about obama's lack of diplomatic experience, here he is, behind the scenes, completely unsung, negotiating international peace when the other candidates can seldom make it back to d.c. for votes on legislation.

new year

happy new year!!

so it's obviously that time of year when the resolutions come out. we've waited all winter, piling on the pounds, ignoring our goals from the previous year, just to make it to january 1 when we can start fresh and be motivated by a new number at the end of the date. honestly, i haven't been much of a proponent for making new year's resolutions since i was about ten and my resolution to become a major league baseball player didn't really pan out, but this year is different, this year is special....this year...i'm getting married.

marriage, or the idea that in less than two months i will be married, has brought about in me a desire for some new kinds of resolutions. sure i want to lose ten pounds by my honeymoon, but there's something else there. there's now a spiritual pressure to be something more than i have been, do something more than i have been doing. it is altogether indescribable, but i do feel it is healthy. God has marked my life by placing challenges in my path to continually transform me into something He can use for His kingdom, and this is a big one, to completely understate it. in 54 days my life will be forever changed by the woman i love joining me in marriage; what then should my resolution be for this new stage? what can i resolve when i don't know what to expect from this year?

i suppose that the best i can do is to resolve to be open to the change God is likely to bring; resolve that life this year will be completely different from all the years past; and that no matter what happens, i must resolve to be God's son and to let His will govern my and katie's life as we start out into the unexpected.

....but i'm still going to loose those ten pounds ;-)

fukudome

as most of you know, i've been a die-hard chicago cubs fan all my life, so, of course, i keep track of what they're up to during the off-season. last winter the organization made a big splash with the acquisitions of all-star alfonso soriano, and pitchers ted lilly and jason marquis; they also began the process of retooling the management by hiring legendary manager lou piniella, a process that will continue this season as the ownership changes hands from the tribune co. to the highest bidder. the spending spree of last year's off-season propelled the cubs to a division title and a select status as one of the only clubs in history to go literally from last place in one season to first in the next. this off-season, while not as financially taxing as the last, is starting to pick up steam. at the winter meetings last week, cubs made very little noise with a minor trade involving the atlanta braves for a top relief prospect in jose ascanio, but the buzz among many of the representatives there was whether or not the japanese native kosuke fukudome would leave japan to become the next big-time mlb transplant (following the like of hideki matsui and ichiro suzuki, players to whom fukudome has been likened). just two days ago his agent announced that he would play in the majors, and just last night cubs report that he has agreed to a four year 48 million dollar contract with the cubs, giving them them left-handed hitting power right fielder they sorely needed. you can check out the full story and all of fukudome's stats from his nine year career in japan at cubs.com.

webb (part 2)

i posted not long ago on a musician named derek webb and how one of the songs on his latest album "the ringing bell" impacted me, and two nights ago journey, the college ministry i lead worship for, was able to persuade derek to use one of his days off from touring to join us in worship. his show was amazing. he just brought his twelve-string taylor and his voice and blew us all away. his heart for the world and his views on living a life of discipleship are the kinds of things this world needs to hear more of.

a funny side note: katie and i have decided to use another one of his songs from the new album called "i want to marry you all over again" as the recessional for our wedding coming up in march. our reason behind choosing this catchy tune is a line from the first verse that says, "i want to marry you all over again, i want to meet you and i want to be friends, i want to chase you all the way to tennessee..." as katie more or less chased me here to tennessee we thought it would be fitting. well, before derek's show at journey the other night, the college pastor was having dinner with him and told him about our story; during his first set he decided to dedicate that song to us and played it for everyone...it was hilarious, and now that song will be forever embedded into katie's and my anthology of memorable songs from our relationship.

home again

so here's what's up:

my wonderful fiance katie brannan has now arrived in tennessee where i have been living and working by myself for the past three months. i am overjoyed to have the love of my life actually back in my life once again. here's a time-line of events for the past seven months that we've been apart.

march 20th(ish) - katie leaves iowa city to begin her internship with musicworx music therapy company in san diego, ca.

april 1st - katie's internship in cal. begins.

may 15th - i graduate from the university of iowa.

may 20th(ish) - katie visits iowa city for the weekend.

june 25th - i interview in bristol, tn for a resident director position at king college and am offered the job after the interview process.

july 1st - katie becomes a senior intern at musicworx.

july 13th - i fly to san diego to visit katie and propose engagement that night on the beach!

july 16th - our one year dating anniversary.

july 26th - i move to bristol, tn. to start my job with king college.

sept. 30th - katie finishes her internship in san diego and drives back to iowa city to spend three weeks planning our wedding, visiting friends, and packing.

oct. 20th - katie arrives in bristol!!

it's been quite a ride these past seven months. God has brought both of us a long way, but the whirlwind is far from over: katie is now starting the process of starting her own music therapy business while working part-time in the area. i will continue working at king and pursing college students through music ministry, and both of us will continue praying for God's direction as we transition to marriage and to our eventual move overseas to become missionaries. thank you to all of you who have been praying for us during this time apart; your prayers and considerations have meant the world to both of us. i'll continue to keep you all updated.

osteen

i just watched joel osteen (pastor of lakewood church in houston, tx.) give an interview with byron pitts of 60 minutes, and while i was all prepared to get on my soapbox about how his ministry only presents the "happy" side of christianity while leaving out all substance, i'd rather not spew out any more rhetoric than this controversy (as i see it) is due. plenty of theologians and professors have been well obliged to challenge mr. osteen's ministry, but the name of that ministry's game is prosperity, not challenge. so i leave it to you to form your own opinion. below is a clip from osteen's interview, and directly underneath is a bit of a message john piper gave on the "prosperity gospel." both men claim to be engaged in God's global purposes: osteen through his television broadcasts, personified by his massive rotating globe, and piper through his missions mobilization efforts. see what you think and post a comment; it would make an interesting discussion.

nigeria

this is a report from christian solidarity worldwide of an ongoing occurrence in nigera; the latest happening just two weeks ago. please pray for these families and that God would heal this broken country.

Dear Friends,

We are asking for urgent prayer for Christians in northern and central Nigeria.

Over the weekend at least nine Christians were killed, churches were set on fire and businesses and homes owned by non-Muslims were destroyed by Muslim youths in the Tundun Wada area of Kano State following unspecified allegations that Christians had blasphemed the prophet Mohammed.

According to Christian sources on the ground, not a single Christian church, house or business has been left undamaged. Furthermore, an unknown number of people were injured and/or displaced during the violence. In a worrying development, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has received reports indicating that in an attempt to disguise the true extent of the violence and injuries the authorities in Tundun Wada have evacuated Christians and other non-Muslims from the area into neighboring Bauchi State, where victims are said to be receiving shelter and treatment.

Confusion surrounds the reason for this violence. One theory, which has been discredited, is that an unidentified Christian cut out a cartoon of Mohammed and pasted it on the wall of a mosque. However neither the mosque nor the picture has been located.

According to another story, members of Nigeria’s Youth Corps assigned to the area had held a prayer meeting in a classroom and left the name of Jesus on a blackboard, thereby occasioning offense. However, this incident is said to have occurred two weeks ago, and is therefore also unlikely to have been the trigger for the recent violence.

Yet another report contends that tensions have been rising throughout northern and central Nigeria following stories of the publication on the internet of a new cartoon depicting the prophet Mohammed. This may refer to a publication in a Bangladeshi newspaper that was meant to caricature some of the nation’s cultural traditions, but was deemed by some to be offensive to Islam, and led to the jailing of the young cartoonist.

The final report contends that violence erupted and spiraled when students from a local Islamic school rampaged after mistakenly assuming that a serious disagreement between students from a nearby secondary school was religious in nature.

Kano is a notoriously volatile state where regular bouts of anti-Christian violence have usually resulted in massacres. According to the Kano Chapter of CAN, over 2000 non-Muslims died during the last bout of violence, which occurred in 2004, and prior to the current violence Muslims in the Kurna area of Kano were initially reported to have threatened a similar rampage once the month of Ramadan comes to an end on 12 October.

Speaking on behalf of the Christian community following the violence, CAN National Secretary Eng. Samuel Salifu said: “We are pleading for the government to step in. I am directly telling President Yar’Adua because this may be a very good litmus test for his administration”. The government responded positively by announcing plans for a national religious conference to address the problem of religious violence in the country.

Tensions also continue in the Gwoza area of Borno State in the north east of Nigeria where Christians are once again facing imminent violence from the Al Sunna Wal Jamma group. Also known as the “Taliban”, remaining members of Al Sunna Wal Jamma fled into the Cameroon hills in 2004 after a resounding defeat by the Nigerian Armed Forces. Recent events indicate either that it has regrouped, or that it has been reformed by people sympathetic to its aims and objectives.

Please pray

• For an end to the tension and violence;
• For God to protect Christians in both Kano State and Borno State and comfort and provide for those who have lost loved ones, livelihood and property during the recent violence;
• That God would prevent any attempts by the ‘Taliban’ or their supporters to regroup or to harm Christians in any way;
• That state authorities in northern and central Nigeria would act decisively to forestall any further violence, ensure adequate protection for Christian areas and bring those responsible for religious violence to justice;
• Praising God for the initial response of the new federal government to the violence in Kano, and praying this translates into effective action to end the cycle of religious violence and discrimination in northern and central Nigeria.

Thank you for standing in prayer with Christians in Nigeria.

for more information, visit christian solidarity worldwide.

right

sometimes God chooses to reveal to you things you never knew before, but at other times He allows forgotten realizations to return from a dark memory often clouded by the unimportant and mundane. it could be from a certain conversation, a few lines from a film, or, as it was for me tonight, from a book and a new song. however one's memory is sparked, it is always simply wonderful to return to a state of mind you had lost and to recall a notion that once made you happy.

it is often times a struggle to live a christian life in a world that is so obviously broken; it is even harder still to lose sight of one's christian purpose because of that brokenness, for when all one sees are the things which are wrong, one can hardly be assured of the right that is to come. a track on derek webb's new album entitled "this too shall be made right," webb puts his own spin on ecclesiastes 3 (as the byrds did some 40 years ago with their hit "turn turn turn"). in its original, solomon writes, "there is an appointed time for everything. and there is a time for every event under heaven." i highlight "under heaven" because the writer goes on to list the contrastive elements of life as a part of this creation: birth and death; killing and healing; love and hate; war and peace, etc. it is reality from a christian perspective (and perhaps from a secular one as well, though i would not feel confident enough to comment) that things in this world just aren't as they should be, and webb translates this sad state for this generation with his lyrics. here's the transcript of the song:

people love you the most for the things you hate
and hate you for loving the things that you cannot keep straight
people judge you on a curve
and tell you you’re getting what you deserve
this too shall be made right

children cannot learn when children cannot eat
stack them like lumber when children cannot sleep
children dream of wishing wells
whose waters quench all the fires of Hell
this too shall be made right

the earth and the sky and the sea are all holding their breath
wars and abuses have nature groaning with death
we say we’re just trying to stay alive
but it looks so much more like a way to die
this too shall be made right

there’s a time for peace and there is a time for war
a time to forgive and a time to settle the score
a time for babies to lose their lives
a time for hunger and genocide
this too shall be made right

I don’t know the suffering of people outside my front door
I join the oppressors of those who i choose to ignore
I’m trading comfort for human life
and that’s not just murder it’s suicide
this too shall be made right

when i am confronted by the reality that this world is ripped at the seams, that we have ultimately failed, i can't help but wonder if it's just fantasy to hope and dream for a mending; to believe that everything will come 'round in the end of it all. but such disillusionment is my own human short-coming, for it is precisely because of my dissatisfaction with the state of creation that i know beyond any doubt that there is more to this than what we see here.

c.s. lewis puts it best, "the christian says, 'creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. a baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. a duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. if i find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that i was made for another world. if none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.'"

my friends this world can never meet our deepest needs, no matter how hard we try to make it. all of our happiest moments are nothing more than glimpses into the life we were meant to have before the fall; this shadow of an existence is merely a hint at the reality of heaven, the reality of a perfect life with our Father, and if we would only embrace this notion and truly believe that God will make everything right one day, that we aren't foolishly chasing some unattainable illusion, then we can begin to live a life unfettered by our insecurities and released from the weight of this broken world. it was the eloquent julian of norwich who said, "all will be well, and all will be well, and all will be well." i'm finally starting to believe it.

(check out derek's new album at derekwebb.com)

farris

i just picked up a new cd by a relative unknown named mike farris. he describes this project as a "traveling tent revival," and when you hear the sound you'll understand what that means.

check out his website to read his amazing story and to sample some of his great tunes.

update

...an interesting development with the situation in burma.
time news feed.
continue to pray for these people literally trapped in this country.

myanmar

please pray for the nation of myanmar.





this country (formerly called burma) has been a hot bed of chaos for the past few hundred years, but just in the last several months, protesters have rallied against the corrupt government to try and force, among other changes, a democratic nation. new york times reports that the protesters have "also called for the release of all political detainees, including daw aung san suu kyi, the pro-democracy leader who has been held under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years." yesterday, 9/27, the government's military forces opened fire on protesters in the streets of yangon as well as inside of a number of monasteries. the times also reports, "the violence of the past two days has answered the question of whether the military would fire on buddhist monks, the highly revered moral core of burmese society. for the past 10 days, the monks have led demonstrations that grew to as many as 100,000 before the crackdown began." the number of dead and injured cannot be accurately calculated at this time as many of the journalists covering the conflict have also come under attack. one japanese reporter was shot while photographing a street raid, continued taking pictures while lying on the ground, and died a short time later. other reports from the monasteries indicate that government forces entered the buddhist temples where a number of monks were beaten and between 70 and 150 more arrested. all told it is estimated that nine demonstrators were killed in a singular attack yesterday while 11 more were wounded.

belief

this message from brennan manning (one of my favorite writers) opens up some deep wounds of mine. it certainly is not intended to call anyone out for their faith issues or individual christian perspective, in fact, that is nearly antithetical to the entire premise for his statements; it is, rather, a simple request to look inwardly at yourself in order to discover the honest truth about what you believe about God. for me, this is very difficult, because, to be perfectly honest, i have a difficult time believing that i am loved by God and that my life means so much to Him. this may sound off-kilter to many, but i'm sure that if you asked yourself candidly whether or not you believe that God loves you, that you mean something to Him, that He cherishes you, you might find yourself in a similar predicament as i.

it is easier to think that we have no place, no identity; that we are faceless servants in a hoard of others running about seeking purpose (at least it is for me), than to trust that we are loved unconditionally. i would rack my brain trying to come up with some reason for which God would need me, and the plain and simple answer is that He doesn't. i've heard an extension on the analogy that God left in us a space only He could fill: that we fill a space in God only meant for us. i do not think that is the appropriate way to go about this, for if God needed something from us, if we met some need in Him, then He simply wouldn't be the all-powerful God of the universe (read a.w. tozer for further insight into this particular idea). so at what conclusion, then, can we arrive? if God doesn't need us, but loves us so much and has such value for each one of us that He gave His very own life so that we might live, the only possible resolution i can find is that He wants us. He chooses us.

it is far more difficult, a much bigger leap of faith, to believe that this kind of love exists, and to be honest once again, i'm not altogether sure i'm there yet. it will take a great deal more time spent wrestling with God to discover just what my true identity is as result of His powerful love; that is where our identity truly comes from: the love of our Father. do you believe that He loves you?

fall ball

three games up with six left to play, my beloved cubbies are playing their best baseball of the season and are in good position to make a serious play-off run. wrigley has already taken on a post-season atmosphere, and more than any other team in the league, the cubs can say that they are feeding off of their fans' enthusiasm. this season, the franchise set a ball-park record in attendance, not only for wrigley field, but for every single other athletic venue in the city of chicago; more than the bears, bulls, blackhawks, white sox.....ever. 3,252,462 in attendance on the season and counting. after 99 long years, let's see this thing through.

GO CUBS!

temperance

fun title, huh.

have you ever had a subject that you weren't necessarily thinking about just keep presenting itself in random places? well that's what has been going on with me, and unfortunately the subject just had to be temperance, which is kind of ironic if you think about it. so in an effort to exercises the demons, so-to-speak, i'll just write about it a little.

some months ago when i was still living in iowa city a good friend of mine was telling me that he and his family had had quite a heated discussion about drinking alcohol and whether it was right for a christian to do so. now, i will enjoy a drink now and then; i like the taste of good wine properly paired with food, it's nice to have a beer while enjoying music or a game with some friends at a pub, so my response to my friend's debate with his family was more a matter of justifying my own actions than a straight-up biblical rationale (which does exist, and i'll get to it in a moment).

i had, quite frankly, put the matter out my mind until recently when the subject of temperance ran itself out in front of my road once again. during a good discussion at 'journey,' the college/young adult ministry i lead worship for, we were discussing the nature of sin while we read 1 john 1 (a chunk of scripture that speaks candidly about sin among those who believe in Christ), and as all those who attend this ministry are in their college years, the idea that drinking alcohol somehow doesn't coincide with being a christian was one of the first, among many, of legalistic issues raised. i provided the same stock responses as before when i spoke with my friend months ago: "romans 14:22 says, 'the faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.'" that drinking in moderation is fine, et cetera, et cetera. and i preceded to put it out of my mind.

God doesn't seem to be done addressing this issue with me.

today, as i was reading in c.s. lewis's 'mere christianity,' i came across the chapter dealing with the cardinal virtues, one of which is temperance, and lewis was careful when writing this to note that temperance did not always carry the meaning it does now: that one is not to drink, but rather translated itself "to all pleasures..." he goes on to say that "one great piece of mischief has been done by the modern restriction of the word 'temperance' to the question of drink. it helps people forget that you can be just as intemperate about lots of other things. a man who makes his golf or his motor-bicycle the center of his life, or a woman who devotes all her thoughts to clothes or bridge or her dog, is being just as 'intemperate' as someone who gets drunk every evening." obviously there's more going on here than just whether or not one should have a drink every once in a while; in fact, drinking is barely a significant part of this issue.

isn't it very interesting how we are so easily distracted by one vice and place all our emphasis on it as being particularly nasty (i don't really need to list what those commonly thought-of hot-seat discussions are) while at the same time completely ignore the others that completely consume our lives? almost as if we say that as long as we don't fall prey to alcohol or drugs or anything else this culture has labeled unsavory, then we're perfectly free to pursue other vices because they just 'aren't as bad.' as lewis states, anything we place at the center of our lives instead of God is sin, which directly corresponds to the message of the Word.

'if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us' (1 jn. 1:8) means all sin, not just those we have placed at the top of our own established hierarchy.

rhythm 'n roots

this past weekend i was fortunate enough to experience the 7th annual rhythm & roots bluegrass festival here in bristol. coming from the midwest where bluegrass is scarcely found, i had little idea of what to expect, but i was pleasantly surprised. this event was wonderfully organized and offered an eclectic sampling of all that the bluegrass genre has in its arsenal; yes, you heard me correctly: i used the words 'bluegrass' and 'eclectic' in the same sentence...i was shocked too. but if you look hard enough and find yourself at festivals such as this one, then you're bound to run into something you didn't expect. twelve stages and approximately fifty bands all along historic state street (the place where rca first recorded country music), with all the vendors and colorful people you would expect, comprised this past weekend in downtown bristol.


but as we all know, it's really about the music, and this event didn't disappoint. bluegrass has apparently been redefined over the years to the end of producing some truly unique sounds that popular music will never be able to accomplish, and believe me, it's a tragedy that most of these band will go unheard-of by a majority of radio listeners. here are a few of the concert highlights i found from this past weekend (their band names are links the their websites).

the carolina chocolate drops

with a sound that belongs to the deepest south, this trio of african-american string players blends the beginnings of soul, gospel, and blues to bring back a sound that simply can't be heard anymore. they make their way through the midwest, so be sure to check them out some time.

the everybodyfields

a good way to get yourself recognized is to take something old and make it new; this band is gaining recognition for doing just that. a quartet from the tennessee area , the everybodyfields draws influence from country, rock, and blues to paint sounds that make you sit and pay attention; not only that, but their powerfully morose and doleful lyrics pull you in until you're completely lost in the experience of listening. they have a new cd just out called 'nothing is okay' with the picture of an upside down cartoon rainbow on the cover...enough said.

the wiyos

ragtime vaudeville is back! that's right, you heard me...there is a place in music still for the vaudevillian sideshow and this trio proves it. if i had only heard this one band all weekend, it would have been enough. a certain crowd favorite (for good reason), the wiyos provide non-stop entertainment with their shtick and banter while backing it up with the most amazing musicianship i heard throughout the entire event. tight rhythms and even tighter three-part harmonies, wonderfully nuanced compositions (some traditional tunes but many of their own), and a condensed sound that seems it should be coming from an old victrola; top it all off with a washboard, harmonica, kazoo, megaphone, etc. (played by a musician who actually knows how to play each of those instruments) and you'll start to have some idea of what this group offers.

of course i didn't have time enough to sample every band there, which, in my opinion, is a good thing; there really was something for every one; a sonorous taste for every musical palate. kudos to each band that participated in keeping the spirit of bluegrass alive. i can't wait for next year's event.