Some Thoughts on a Friday Night (or music from Caedmon's to Argentinian Rock)
Well, I began my writing this entry by trying to figure out when I went to see Caedmon's before because all I could remember was that it was in Jacksonville, we stayed at Liz's and we went ice-skating,ls but December 15, 2003 says something like "Caedmon's and Jars of Clay was great--RETURN OF THE KING IS COMING OUT SOON OMG" and Lindsay and Liz's blogs weren't much more helpful. Why do I blog if my memory is just as good? Well, it does kind of make me feel like I never change; in trying to find that entry I found one where I linked to the X-Men 3 trailer--and I was considering posting the X-Men Origins: Wolverine trailer just the other day.
Anyway, I went to see Caedmon's last night as part of a protestant youth ministry conference that I didn't actually attend, but it was running a little late so I ended up being there for about an hour before the band went on. As I mentioned lated in the band Q&A, Malcolm Gladwell argues there are two things that will get your attention--something slick, or something real. You have a pile of mail and you see something with a lot of bells and whistles, and you see a handwritten letter you pick those two up and the rest aren't quite slick enough or aren't quite real enough. If you are creative or have funding or it's your style, slick is great. I mean, I think one example of slick that really works is the Passion Movement--slick website, podcast, blog, they have visual consistency and they market well, but I guess the thing that keeps me interested in staying with Passion, in going back to another conference is not just that I'll get to hear famous speakers or some good concerts, it's that I think I can trust Louie to speak the truth and ultimately be real. I am convinced that Louie's message would be every bit as convicting with or without the tens of thousands of people in the audience or the stage props.
When I was trying to help the youth group at my church start back up again with a shoe-string budget I was part of a brain-storming session where the adult leaders kept suggesting we do a dance or social event, and I kept saying that we cannot compete with the drama and cool music and whatnot of their high school dances or the dances the local high school sorority puts on--we couldn't afford to be slick, we didn't have the money (or really, the desire) to put on something slick enough to get attention. What we had was the gospel and our experience as Christians, and we needed to use that. I don't remember what they ended up doing.
Anyway, so I get to this youth ministry conference and Rick Warren's wife is giving the kind of over-emotional plea for us to be 'ruined' and 'seriously disturbed' by the world around us and to be serious about doing something in the face of suffering in the name of Christ. I felt distinctly uncomfortable, not because I disagree with her, I think she's right, and not because I didn't respect the story--she was convicted to start raising awareness and money for AIDS orphans while comfortably being a housewife and preacher's wife (which is a job unto itself, admittedly). That is admirable, but the talk just didn't feel real. Maybe that's my emotional response. I mean, I've seen Derek Webb play four or five times and he makes the same comments and jokes, it's not ad-libbed, but it still felt more real. I don't know what the difference is, and I don't know if some people just need to hear it the way Kay Warren says it and some people need to hear it the way Derek Webb says it, and one isn't better than the other.
However.
After the talk the house band came up and sang Mighty to Save while the lyrics scrolled over pictures of doves flapping in slow motion from different angles and disaffected youths looked disaffected. The band's guitar player looked like he's been taking fashion tips from Chris Tomlin. I love Tomlin, but if emulation is going to take place, it should not be fashion wise. Of course, I chose to wear my Over the Rhine t-shirt and converse all-stars so what does that say about me? I had a sudden moment of panic. I love Hillsong, I am a praise and worship snob, I admit it, and it annoys me that we sing 1970s hymns in SPO, but this just again felt really fake.
So I was relieved when Caedmon's finally took the stage. They really only sang a few songs, but I was thinking about how much I like This World earlier in the day, and I love the song Hold the Light (made more enjoyable by Andy's guitar playing, not least because Andy enjoys playing the guitar). I was glad they played Share the Well, I do think that album is underappreciated, and it has some awesome percussion.
I went to the Q&A afterward even though I didn't want to be a super loser (and I had forgotten we were going to go hear Tim play with the Argentinian rock band) and Cliff repeated several times that their early music was very self-conscious and self-aware, in good and bad ways, and that they were more than a little punky in their goals at first. I don't really find that disappointing, and even if they are conscious about how they self-fashion now, I still feel like they are real in the sense that they are speaking from where they are as best they can, and if that place is angsty-twenty-something or married-with-kids or angsty-twenty-something-with-kids, that's fine.
Afterwards I went to Oldfield's where Tim was playing keys with the Argentinians. It was fun, Andy, Sarah, Liza, and Daniel were all in town and the music was good, but it and the stage banter were Argentinian so we were a little left out (it was hilarious to watch Tim, because he didn't have a clue what was being said either). Anyway, it kind of struck me that this is the kind of Christian I am, at least right now. I am more than a little hypocritical, I am a worship snob about music, but want to value any attempt at worship. I am the kind of Christian who believes that Christ alone is what satisfies, but I still go with my friends to have a few drinks at a bar.
And I'm the kind of Christians who is running late for church because she spent too much time blogging...
Anyway, I went to see Caedmon's last night as part of a protestant youth ministry conference that I didn't actually attend, but it was running a little late so I ended up being there for about an hour before the band went on. As I mentioned lated in the band Q&A, Malcolm Gladwell argues there are two things that will get your attention--something slick, or something real. You have a pile of mail and you see something with a lot of bells and whistles, and you see a handwritten letter you pick those two up and the rest aren't quite slick enough or aren't quite real enough. If you are creative or have funding or it's your style, slick is great. I mean, I think one example of slick that really works is the Passion Movement--slick website, podcast, blog, they have visual consistency and they market well, but I guess the thing that keeps me interested in staying with Passion, in going back to another conference is not just that I'll get to hear famous speakers or some good concerts, it's that I think I can trust Louie to speak the truth and ultimately be real. I am convinced that Louie's message would be every bit as convicting with or without the tens of thousands of people in the audience or the stage props.
When I was trying to help the youth group at my church start back up again with a shoe-string budget I was part of a brain-storming session where the adult leaders kept suggesting we do a dance or social event, and I kept saying that we cannot compete with the drama and cool music and whatnot of their high school dances or the dances the local high school sorority puts on--we couldn't afford to be slick, we didn't have the money (or really, the desire) to put on something slick enough to get attention. What we had was the gospel and our experience as Christians, and we needed to use that. I don't remember what they ended up doing.
Anyway, so I get to this youth ministry conference and Rick Warren's wife is giving the kind of over-emotional plea for us to be 'ruined' and 'seriously disturbed' by the world around us and to be serious about doing something in the face of suffering in the name of Christ. I felt distinctly uncomfortable, not because I disagree with her, I think she's right, and not because I didn't respect the story--she was convicted to start raising awareness and money for AIDS orphans while comfortably being a housewife and preacher's wife (which is a job unto itself, admittedly). That is admirable, but the talk just didn't feel real. Maybe that's my emotional response. I mean, I've seen Derek Webb play four or five times and he makes the same comments and jokes, it's not ad-libbed, but it still felt more real. I don't know what the difference is, and I don't know if some people just need to hear it the way Kay Warren says it and some people need to hear it the way Derek Webb says it, and one isn't better than the other.
However.
After the talk the house band came up and sang Mighty to Save while the lyrics scrolled over pictures of doves flapping in slow motion from different angles and disaffected youths looked disaffected. The band's guitar player looked like he's been taking fashion tips from Chris Tomlin. I love Tomlin, but if emulation is going to take place, it should not be fashion wise. Of course, I chose to wear my Over the Rhine t-shirt and converse all-stars so what does that say about me? I had a sudden moment of panic. I love Hillsong, I am a praise and worship snob, I admit it, and it annoys me that we sing 1970s hymns in SPO, but this just again felt really fake.
So I was relieved when Caedmon's finally took the stage. They really only sang a few songs, but I was thinking about how much I like This World earlier in the day, and I love the song Hold the Light (made more enjoyable by Andy's guitar playing, not least because Andy enjoys playing the guitar). I was glad they played Share the Well, I do think that album is underappreciated, and it has some awesome percussion.
I went to the Q&A afterward even though I didn't want to be a super loser (and I had forgotten we were going to go hear Tim play with the Argentinian rock band) and Cliff repeated several times that their early music was very self-conscious and self-aware, in good and bad ways, and that they were more than a little punky in their goals at first. I don't really find that disappointing, and even if they are conscious about how they self-fashion now, I still feel like they are real in the sense that they are speaking from where they are as best they can, and if that place is angsty-twenty-something or married-with-kids or angsty-twenty-something-with-kids, that's fine.
Afterwards I went to Oldfield's where Tim was playing keys with the Argentinians. It was fun, Andy, Sarah, Liza, and Daniel were all in town and the music was good, but it and the stage banter were Argentinian so we were a little left out (it was hilarious to watch Tim, because he didn't have a clue what was being said either). Anyway, it kind of struck me that this is the kind of Christian I am, at least right now. I am more than a little hypocritical, I am a worship snob about music, but want to value any attempt at worship. I am the kind of Christian who believes that Christ alone is what satisfies, but I still go with my friends to have a few drinks at a bar.
And I'm the kind of Christians who is running late for church because she spent too much time blogging...