However, my favorite band that happens to be Christian and/or deal with faith, is a group called Brave Saint Saturn.  Some people may remember a ska band called Five Iron Frenzy that disbanded ages ago.  This was that band’s side-project.  Reese Roper, lead singer/songwriter and guitar player for the both bands, used BS2 as a platform for more serious subjects and oftentimes depressing moments.  Because really, can you picture a ska band singing about the Challenger explosion?  Me neither.

Brave Saint Saturn did something really interesting and fun, that you don’t see often.  They told a story with their albums.  It wasn’t anything intense, and oftentimes the songs didn’t relate to the story, just little filler tracks in the albums did, but it was there.  The narrative was about a group of astronauts on the USS Gloria who get lost around the moon Titan of Jupiter.  There’s a lot of metaphors in this, with space being loneliness, light being hope, the return home being like coming to Christ, and so on. The music is spot on and flows really well.  The story, however disconnected it actually is, feels pretty connected.

The real strength of this band though is the composition of the serious songs, though not all of them appear to be so serious.  A prime example of this is Enamel.  Roper wrote this song after his fiancee went down to Mexico and proceeded to break up with him over the phone.  To be honest, it’s a bitter song.  But it’s incredibly well put together.  The lyrics are fantastic:

“The phone lines down in mexico are slow and maybe tired
I think all your devotion, got lost inside the wires
Well I hope you cannot sleep, and I hope you cannot smile
And I hope that you are burdened with your guilt for quite a while”

It has a great bridge too, featuring a phone conversation with a translator and losing communication.

Some songs are more faith oriented too, like I Fell Away and Heart Still Beats.

But possibly the strongest song on any of the three albums is Estrella.  Roper wrote what the song is about better than I ever could, so here’s what he said, from the liner notes:

This song is about a dear friend of ours Matt Estrella. Matt suffered from a rare genetic disease called Neurofibromatosis 2, which causes tumors to grow on the myelin sheaths of the outer nervous system.  Eventually the nerves will stop functioning. Our friend Matt was deaf when we first met him. He was losing his sight and a lot of feeling in parts of his body. The tumors were large, and very noticeable in some places.He was about the same age as I was, but I was living an amazing life for a 25 year old, while he carried this enormous and hideous burden. It seemed that anytime that I would complain to God about something fair or unfair, somehow I would see or hear from Matt. He was the only person that I had met that had any right to complain to God about what unfair or unjust in his life, but he never did. His faith was beyond measure, and that is why I loved him. Last spring, he died while undergoing an operation of removing one of his many tumors. This is just some stupid song I wrote in a basement. It will never make up for what is missing from the world now Matt Estrella is gone from it…But it is the best I could do. Shalom my friend we will see you again.

-Reese Roper February 4, 2003

An amazing band.  Of their albums, the second (The Light of Things Hoped For…)is the strongest, though I should probably listen to the third that was just recently released some more.

This was a good choice.  It’s a fantastic album.  I’m not going to review it though.  I’m going to figure out what the hell it is/he is.

The first song grabbed me, which is always good, but not in a way I was expecting.  Allmusic compares LaMontagne to Justin Townes Earle, A.A. Bondy, and (<3) Ryan Adams.  So I click play.  And…it’s soul.  Well, not actual soul.  Neo-soul.  Like, neo-Memphis soul.  Hm, what’s an easier way to say this?  I expected Sam Cooke or Al Green to sing, if that gives you an idea.

Here’s an Al Green song, for reference.

Here’s the opening track of Gossip In the Grain.

Can you hear it?  I mean, it’s not a copy, but it’s very soul influenced.  In fact, the thing that it reminded me of most was Donavan Frankenreiter’s Move By Yourself, both the album and the individual song.

However I’ve been assured that’s not Ray’s sound or style.  So I then go to YouTube to further understand this, and pull up the title track from Trouble, which I guess is his most well known album:

A little less soulish, but damn if that ain’t a Frankenreiterish sound.  Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing.  In fact, this is a very good thing, it works for him.  So, am I missing something?  I really do want to know if I have completely misunderstood Ray LaMontagne.  I mean, not all of his stuff sounds this way, like Hey Me, Hey Mama on the aforementioned Gossip In The Grain.  But it’s there, Let It Be Me proves this isn’t just a coincidence between Trouble and You Are the Best Thing.

Anyways, I highly recommend this album.  It’s fine.  It is the best thing.

Anyways, I got this song from watching Scrubs, where it’s in a fantastic engagement scene.  And I liked it for years, but never pursued anything else by them.  I had heard other things by them, but never really listened to them.  Then one day I go to Best Buy and on a total whim purchase Alive & Wired, their 2-disc live album.  And it was so good.  Especially Timebomb.  After that it was like falling in love.  I bought the new album: Blame It On Gravity, their most famous album: Too Far Too Care.  And these filled my summer.  Rhett Miller’s two solo albums both ended up in my iTunes after a fellow Ryan Adams/Ed Harcourt fan recommended them to me.  The other day I got Drag It Up by the Old 97′s, which I’d heard good things about.

So, why are they so good?  Everything they do has a level of excitement or joy in it that few artists can claim to have.  Listening to their stuff makes you just know that they had fun making it.  A lot of fun, in fact.  Rhett Miller’s lyrics for both his solo stuff and Old 97′s stuff is witty, smart, and enthusiastic without being full of itself.  i.e. from The Fool on Blame It On Gravity

“He came from Phoenix in a borrowed VW bug
He was the kid voted most likely not to return
To Phoenix in a borrowed VW”

And he has so much better, in Timebomb, Our Love, and so on.

The sound of the Old 97′s is also pretty enthusiastic.  It’s pretty rock oriented, but a mix of equal parts twang and garage.  His solo stuff though loses that, and focuses more on a power pop sound, which works just as well.  It’d sound more fleshed out with the band behind him, but that’s not so much what he drives for.

Then August rolled around and the real campaigning started.  I remember back in May when both candidates were promising to run clean positive campaigns.  Oh how quickly that went down the toilet.  I can’t watch prime time TV without being told McCain is old and out of touch and probably has Alzheimer’s and Obama is a secret terrorist hiding in my closet.  I can’t walk down campus with out being told Obama is a bleeding heart liberal and McCain is another Bush waiting to happen.

I don’t want that.  I’m a happy person, I think.  And I like being happy.  And helping other people be happy.  But this political season is so negative and really bringing out the worst in people.  From out-right lies to subtle slanders, it doesn’t stop.  I couldn’t pick a candidate to support without being judged.  And the worst part was, it was more about parties than about the actual candidates.  The former Hilary supporters who would rather burn their pant-suits than vote Obama in the primaries are all about him now.  And the former hard-line right wingers who’d rather buy pant-suits than vote McCain in the primaries are completely in love with McCain.  Politics became more about issue voting than about responsible voting for the best candidate.  And that’s not how it should be.  If I’m going to vote for someone, I want to do it because I believe that they’re the best for the job, not because they agree with me on abortion or economic policies or who’s the better duck: Donald or Daffy.  And I’m not given that option.  I have to pick based on what they say they believe.

So no, I’m not playing this little political game anymore.  I’m tired of it.  And no, I haven’t become a cynic.  I believe that both McCain and Obama truly want what’s best for this country.  But they aren’t doing anything to show it.

I remember when I was a wee lad (by which I mean 12) my parents would drag me to the concerts of a local bluegrass band called Nothin’ Fancy.  I hated it.  And so for years, I hated bluegrass as well.  Then I started hearing about this upstart band known as Nickel Creek from California.  I ignored this, of course, until Fiona Apple went on tour with them and they came to Charlottesville.  I love Fiona Apple, and so of course, I had to see her.  So, by myself, armed with only the knowledge that they were bluegrass, I went to this concert.

I half ignored Nickel Creek, until they played one song that just blew me away:  Anthony, a two minute song off of their last album, Why Should the Fire Die. Chris Thile and Sarah and Sean Watkins gathered really close together, the lights dimmed, and it was just beautiful.  At this point, I fell in love with bluegrass.

To be fair, Nickel Creek isn’t traditional bluegrass.  They’re progressive bluegrass.  But it was a good intro.  I started listening to Alison Krauss and Union Station, the Watkins Family Hour, this ridiculous Maroon 5 tribute band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and so on.  Anyways, blue grass is not a terrible genre for hicks and rednecks like most people think.  It’s amazing.  So shut up.

This is Nickel Creek with Fiona Apple.  Excuse the terrible recording quality, I didn’t make it.

Trent Wagler and the Steel Wheels

I wish I could remember where I picked up Ed Harcourt from.  It was probably Allmusic.com or something similar. Regardless, it was a good choice.  He’s incredibly talented as a songwriter, and his performing is spot on too.  He’s like Ryan Adams without the twang and a little bit more in the way of pop hooks.  I started listening to him at the beginning of the summer when I was bored out of my mind, and he filled about a week, which is impressive.  I have a pretty short attention span.  Anyways, I first listened to the album From Every Sphere (2003, Heavenly Recording).  It was good.  None of the tracks particularly blew me away, but I liked them all.  Some were a little too discordant for me to really like them, but it was still good.  This led me to Here Be Monsters (2001, Heavenly) which was his debut album.

This blew me away.  Something In Your Eye was absolutely gorgeous, but two tracks later, is what is now one of my favorite songs ever: She Fell Into My Arms.  That song has every thing a song needs for me to love it.  Poppiness, but not too much, fantastic songwriting, but it doesn’t dwell on itself.  It builds well, goes somewhere, and has fun doing it, while not being a joke song.

Next is number 18: John Butler Trio, G. Love, and Tristan Prettyman in concert.

But I did some thinking- I’ve listened to a lot of music since I turned 19 one year ago.  A lot.  So what are my favorite things that I’ve found since then: bands, songs, albums, etc.  So I’m going to write about my 19 favorite musical discoveries that happened over my nineteenth year of life at a rate of one a day.  I’ll start tomorrow with Ed Harcourt.

So when I heard about Josh Rouse, I was doubtful.  He was a singer-song writer named Josh.  Do you know how many of them there are?  Josh Radin, Josh Kelly, Joss Stone- whoops.

Anyways, it was with reluctance that I investigated Josh Rouse.  It was with gusto and enthusiasm that I bought his album Nashville and then Country Mouse, City House.  He has beautiful lyrics that are accentuated by a simple, but enjoyable voice.  Most importantly, he doesn’t let the melody underwhelm the lyrics.  There’s more to it than just chords.  There’s a second guitar part often times, layers of his voice, some simple drums.  And it all flows so naturally.

Nashville was a great introduction to him.  It’s very focused on a particular sound (quiet & wintry but somehow upbeat) yet varies within that sound.  It’s The Night Time is probably the best song on the album, it builds very well, but doesn’t overdo it.

Another great song, is the muted Sad Eyes.  

I’d recommend ignoring the video and just listening to the song.  It’s a House fan tribute video, so unless you want a laugh, hit play and walk away.

In short, Nashville is a quiet, happy, and beautiful album worthy of fans of Ryan Adams and Mason Jennings.

There are several methods to picking.  Some will garner you the respect of others.  Some will make you hated but also make you look like a winner.  You must pick what is right for you.

First type of picking: Geographical.  This is really quite simple.  Pick the team closest to you.  Or the one that has the easiest access to you.  The problem is, this does not guarantee a successful year for you.   Yes, you will have the respect of your neighbors and the hatred of the bangwagoners (covered later on).  You must also be consistently optimistic, that is until you’re mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and claim that you want your team to have the number 1 draft pick.

Second type of picking:  Family.  Another simple one, and for more casual fans.  Does your dad happen to own a Green Bay Packers hat?  Congratulations- you’re a Packers fan!  Did your great great great grandfather go to a White Sox game once upon a time?  Hoorah for the White Sox!  However, keep the relative that associated with the team in question a direct relative.  No cousins, second cousins, uncles, etc.

Third style of picking: the bandwagon.  This one’s easy.  Take whatever team was both popular and won a lot of games the previous season- because you want to be a winner.  But it can’t just be that.  It must also be the most visible team.  For instance in hockey, it would not be bandwagoney to pick Detroit since they’re an old team with history and consistency, even though they are the Stanley Cup champions and are quite popular.  No- it must be a flavor of the season team.  Like the Penguins perhaps.  In baseball, the bandwagon team would be the Red Sox, but they also fill another category.  However, when the team goes south, first complain, and when nothing gets corrected, JUMP SHIP!  You are a winner and as such cannot be associated with losing teams.  Also, mock people who support losing/not winning teams whenever possible, because they are not winners like you are a winner.

Fourth style of picking: Boston.  This is really a subsection of bandwagon, but has developed into a section of its own due to douchebaggery.  You cannot actually be from Boston or living in Boston for this to apply.  If you have direct relatives there, this also does not apply.  Both of those conditions would qualify you for either geographical or family, which are respectable.  No, you must pick a Boston area team (except the Bruins) and support them rabidly.  You must justify your support with claims that your 4th cousin 19 times removed lives in the “Boston area” and once met Kevin Youkilis/Tom Brady/Bill Belichick/Kevin Garnett on the street or at the barber.  You must also brag about Tom Brady’s sexual and football conquests as if they’re your own.

Fifth (and last) style of picking: Don’t learn anything about any teams.  Just pick one.  Not based on the name, or seeing it around.  Just pick one.  You can put names on a spinner, in hat, on a dart board.  Any of these will work.  And explain this when people want to know why you’re a Phoenix Coyotes or Toronto Blue Jays fan.  Do this entirely for the looks of confusion it will generate when they know you’re not from that area.

This series of posts will answer all these questions.

The first decision you must make is “”Which sport do I like?”

This is a very critical decision, as it says a lot about you as a person and will cause everyone you know to judge you.

I will cover the big five sports.

Baseball: A sport rich in history, tradition, steroids, and way too much thinking.  To be a baseball fan you have to decide how you feel about a million and one issues.  Inter-league play, steroid usage, instant replay, flavors of chew, Barry Bonds, the list goes on.  But wait, you have to think more.  To be a serious fan you need to learn statistics, sabermetrics, and the entire history of the sport.  You have to know every single World Series, every single record.  And every single douchebag move Bud Selig has made.

Football (the American variety): The cool guy’s sport.  You can take it seriously, but other football fans will think you’re a nerd.  So how do you watch football if you’re not thinking seriously?  You buy a jersey and get drunk.  Football is all about being a man. You watch sweaty men tackle other sweaty men and yell when the wrong ones get tackled.  Some would argue this is a simplistic view of the sport.  Guess what?  They’re nerds.

Football (soccer): Be careful when picking this sport.  If you are from Europe or Australia or South America or anywhere that’s not USA, it’s totally cool and normal to pick this sport.  In fact, pretend the entry about American football is about your football.  For the Americans, this is the emo sport.  You buy scarves and pretend to watch games for teams that you probably can’t even pronounce properly.  Madrid Real is not said like reel, douches.  It’s said “Ray-ahl”

Hockey:  This is a tricky one.  It’s an exciting game with both history and violence, but you have to complain about abso-freaking-lutely everything.  Did fights go up this month?  There’s too much fighting in the NHL.  Did it go down?  There needs to be more, so get rid of penalties.  Is the league shrinking?  Stop denying small markets their rightful teams.  Is the league expanding?  We should be playing with the Original 6.  But most of all, you must complain about Gary Bettman.  He’s the commisioner of the NHL, and everything he’s done is flat out wrong.

Finally, Basketball: This is the most expensive of games.  You must own a jersey of your team, a Kobe Bryant jersey, and a pair of shoes designed by every NBA superstar, starting with Michael Jordan.  But you have to hate him, while admitting he was the best.  It’s a fine line to walk.