Saturday, January 29, 2005
I'm Beat!
I don't know when I've ever been so tired. Yesterday I spent the day in Presho, SD, playing with a church group. The actual playing ended up being about 40 minutes, but set up and tear down was a couple of hours, and drive time was a total of about 6 hours. I remarked as we gassed up in Murdo on the way back that it felt like it was about 2am; it was just a little after 10. Got back home just a little after midnight, checked the email and phone messages and started downloading video into my computer. I took on the task of making a video of our concert. I did a little compelation video of the trip out and set up - less than four minutes of video - it took about 5 hours. Granted, editing the footage of the concert shouldn't be as bad, but still, what have I gotten myself into?!?
Our church group opened for a band called "Lost and Found" in Presho. I don't mean to sound offensive to anyone, but I normally find Christian music that tries to be hip just a little bit creepy. The hearts of people who create this music, I'm certain, is in the right place but that can't change the way I feel about it. So I was skeptical about these guys and didn't really expect to enjoy myself. Boy, was I wrong! Let me start by pointing out that "Lost and Found," as well as myself, are Lutheran, and Lutherans tend to be a little conservative. I actually find this ironic since Martin Luther's battles with the Catholic Church in the reformation make him one of the greatest liberal thinkers of all time. Lutherans are a bit staid. For example, you won't see a Lutheran healing people on TV on a Sunday morning. Before "Lost and Found" I never new that Lutheran rockers existed. And in truth, it weren't really what you'd call rock and roll. Their music was along the lines of Barenaked Ladies or (gasp!) Mojo Nixon. In fact, I think if Mojo Nixon were Lutheran, he would have founded "Lost and Found." OK, he would have had to clean up his language a little bit, but it could've happened.
And like BNL or Mojo, they're hilarious! Their stage banter was among the funniest I've ever heard, a joyful silliness that you couldn't help but giggle at. "The Lutheran Song," sounding much like Adam Sandler's "Hannukah Song" has worked it's way into heavy rotation on my mp3 player (yes, I use radio programming terminology for my mp3 player, doesn't everyone?).
So now we come to the potentially creepy part, the message. Well I'm pleased to report that "Lost and Found" played a nice mix of secular and Christian tunes. When there was a message, it was pretty light handed. It's pretty clear that they think Jesus is great, but they didn't feel the need to tell us that over and over. Refreshing. "Baby" had a wonderful, light handed message, "Slide Girl" could be a BNL tune the way it involved the audience and depended on quick improv by the musicians.
In short, "Lost and Found" embodied my personal philosophy of Christianity: Don't tell me you're a Christian, show me. They showed it all night without beating us over the heads with it. As St. Francis said, "At all times preach the Gospel, when necessary use words."
I'll be back next week with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times......
BOJ
Our church group opened for a band called "Lost and Found" in Presho. I don't mean to sound offensive to anyone, but I normally find Christian music that tries to be hip just a little bit creepy. The hearts of people who create this music, I'm certain, is in the right place but that can't change the way I feel about it. So I was skeptical about these guys and didn't really expect to enjoy myself. Boy, was I wrong! Let me start by pointing out that "Lost and Found," as well as myself, are Lutheran, and Lutherans tend to be a little conservative. I actually find this ironic since Martin Luther's battles with the Catholic Church in the reformation make him one of the greatest liberal thinkers of all time. Lutherans are a bit staid. For example, you won't see a Lutheran healing people on TV on a Sunday morning. Before "Lost and Found" I never new that Lutheran rockers existed. And in truth, it weren't really what you'd call rock and roll. Their music was along the lines of Barenaked Ladies or (gasp!) Mojo Nixon. In fact, I think if Mojo Nixon were Lutheran, he would have founded "Lost and Found." OK, he would have had to clean up his language a little bit, but it could've happened.
And like BNL or Mojo, they're hilarious! Their stage banter was among the funniest I've ever heard, a joyful silliness that you couldn't help but giggle at. "The Lutheran Song," sounding much like Adam Sandler's "Hannukah Song" has worked it's way into heavy rotation on my mp3 player (yes, I use radio programming terminology for my mp3 player, doesn't everyone?).
So now we come to the potentially creepy part, the message. Well I'm pleased to report that "Lost and Found" played a nice mix of secular and Christian tunes. When there was a message, it was pretty light handed. It's pretty clear that they think Jesus is great, but they didn't feel the need to tell us that over and over. Refreshing. "Baby" had a wonderful, light handed message, "Slide Girl" could be a BNL tune the way it involved the audience and depended on quick improv by the musicians.
In short, "Lost and Found" embodied my personal philosophy of Christianity: Don't tell me you're a Christian, show me. They showed it all night without beating us over the heads with it. As St. Francis said, "At all times preach the Gospel, when necessary use words."
I'll be back next week with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times......
BOJ
# posted by Blind Orange Julius @ 7:10 PM 
