Taken

I saw Taken this past Friday evening. Well worth the outrageous cost of a movie these days...

A Life-Changing Event

I thought that I would share a life changing event that I still remember very clearly to this day. It requires a little bit of background information.

When I was younger (12-16), my older brother Jonathan and I got hooked on hardcore and punk music. It wasn't as popular or accessible as it is today, which is probably what got us so hooked. We listened to bands that people had never heard before and the music itself was pretty "underground". We very much enjoyed being "different". We didn't listen to the music that everyone else listened to. Of course, with the music that we listened to came a pretty unique style. We had our ears pierced and gauged (you could stick your finger through the hole in my ear!) and our hair was long and in dreads, or short, bleached and spiked, or incredibly crazy. I had this hair cut that was pretty much a "reverse mullet" that was inspired by the Misfits. My bangs were about 5 inches long and the rest of my head was buzzed! Many people would say we looked like "freaks". And I guess we did.

Being "punk" meant that it wasn't cool to listen to popular music. I never listened to the radio. I never bought the CD's that everyone else had (okay, except for Brittany Spear's first album...I can't believe I just admitted that!). The crazy thing is, you could say that my siblings and I were raised to appreciate classical music.

And appreciate it we did. I played piano for four years while my brother played the cello and our sister played the viola. My favorite mornings were the ones that I would wake up to my mother playing J.S. Bach's cantatas and concertos. Looking back, I attribute my listening to hours of classical music as giving me the ear for music that I have.

And that is why my parents just couldn't understand why my brother and I enjoyed hardcore and punk. We just wanted to be different. We wanted to listen to things that nobody else was listening to.

One evening, I was doing my homework in our family room. My father was in the living room watching TV as he so often did. All of a sudden it occurred to me that he wasn't watching sports or the AMC channel that he usually watched. Instead, I heard an incredible sound. It was a band. Actually, it was The Band. I had to check it out. I knew from the moment that I heard that music that this was one of the best bands I had ever heard. I remember walking into the living room and asking my father what it was that he was watching. A&E was showing The Last Waltz which was the final performance of The Band. My father proceeded to tell me about a group of musicians who would forever change my life and how I listened to, played and appreciated music.

The Band is the best group of musicians that I have ever heard. I find it hard to put into words just how much of an impact that they have had on my appreciation for music. Over the next year, I came out of my punk phase and began to emerse myself in their music. Along the way I discovered musicians that I had heard about, but never actually heard. Musicians such as Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Clapton, and of course, Bob Dylan. These musicians were heavily influenced by five men who made music come alive.

I'm not sure why that memory has remained etched in my mind after about 10 years. Since discovering The Band, I've developed a profound love for classic rock. I owe it to The Band. In my opinion, there is nothing better.

Except for Bach's cantatas and concertos.

Some Excellent Fuel!

Somewhat recently I've discovered that Saint Louis carries the best coffee - Dunkin' Donuts. I'm familiar with DD, as there are thousands of walk-in locations up and down the East Coast. Unfortunately there are none here in STL. But a local grocery store does carry the DD coffee. If you haven't tried DD coffee, you should. It beats that other place's stuff by a long shot. It is a bit expensive, which is why we can't purchase it every week, but that is okay by me. It makes having it that much more special. Do yourself a favor and grab some DD coffee next time you see it!

Getting It Right...But Oh, So Wrong...

Recently my wife and I attended the national prayer breakfast in Washington D.C. It was neat to see and hear President Obama speak. However, for a few reasons, I didn't particularly enjoy his speech. At one point, the President said this:

There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know.

I wholeheartedly agree with this quote, even though many would argue what exactly is meant by the phrase "innocent human being". If by innocent, he means "has done no wrong", then we would have to further examine what is meant by the word "wrong". This of course is another subject for discussion altogether.

What has me so upset at this statement is the fact that it was made by someone who supports legislation for ending the life of both the unborn and born child. Not only does the President support legislation for partial birth abortion, but he supports legislation for refusing to give treatment to babies who are victims of failed abortions. This absurd and sickening practice is called "infanticide".

I do not see how someone who is fighting for an individual's right to extinguish the life of an unborn and born child can make the above statement with any sort of credibility as someone who believes what they are saying. The President's policy towards the lives of our unborn and born children is sickening.

Major Delay! Sorry!

Hello all. Sorry for such a delay in posting. Really, no excuse for it other than the fact that my PC crashed and is now dead. I just purchased a new macbook yesterday! It is totally awesome. SO - back to blogging in a short time. I've got to update you on El Monstero, which was AWESOME.

I'm currently taking care of a sick wife. Please pray that Lindsay will recover quickly as we fly to Washington D.C. this week for the National Prayer Breakfast. We'll also get to spend next weekend with my family in Richmond, Virginia. We are very excited. That is all for now.

Jeremy

Concert Update

Going to see El Monstero (Pink Floyd tribute concert!) this Sunday night!!! Also potentially going to see Dave Matthew's Band in April '09...we'll see.

Jeremy

Concert Update - ZZ Top

So I thought it would be cool to begin chronicling my concert goings, which I consider a hobby of mine (though an expensive one at that!). I've seen some pretty awesome ones in my lifetime. Maybe one day I'll do a top 5 - I've always wanted to do that.

On September 30 I went to see the legends of blues rock, ZZ Top! I had heard that the Top put on an amazing show - and that definitely proved to be true! After the opening act (Georgia's "Blackberry Smoke", who were actually very good) performed, the stage was set and then the lights went off. Of course, the place went nuts. All of a sudden one could see neon lights outlining two guitars as the microphone stands began to glow neon blue and green. The lights went up as Gibbons and Hill walked in simultaneous steps toward the front of the stage while launching into "Got Me Under Pressure". It was one of the best opening songs I have ever seen live!

The coolest part in the evening was when Billy Gibbons told of how they drove into St. Louis the day before on their day off. The previous evening they spent the night visiting a couple of blues bars in downtown St. Louis! SO COOL! Could you imagine being at a bar when the Top walked in? Its not like they're incognito or anything.

Gibbons went on to say that St. Louis has always rocked the blues and that they were very inspired from the night before. That being the case, they would play some of their older stuff as well as some covers (and they did - Muddy Waters, Hendrix, and even an Elvis tune!). It was a very special night as we got to see them play a few more songs than they usually would. This definitely made up for the fact that they did not play my favorite ZZ Top song - "I'm Bad, Nationwide". But they did play just about everything else, including: "Jesus Just Left Chicago", "Cheap Sunglasses", "Just Got Paid", "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", "Legs", "La Grange", and "Tush".

Would I put ZZ Top in my top five concerts? I would have to say "yes". They brought the rock and the energy was top notch.

I just bought my tickets to see John Prine in February. I'm very much looking forward to seeing yet another music legend. If I see anything before then, I'll definitely post about it. Until next time,

Jeremy