The Freewheelin' Jon Foreman

Jon Foreman just might be our generation's Bob Dylan. You know him as the lead singer for the band Switchfoot (one of my favorites) but he is currently traveling as a solo act, performing as a singer/songwriter in intimate settings with his acoustic guitar and his new songs.

I had the privilege of hearing him, twice, a few months ago. The first time was a private concert in someone's living room with some other musicians and college students, the second time was at his show the following day. It was one of the best shows I have seen, and I've seen a lot of them.

His music covers a lot of ground. The beautiful and understated "Learning How to Die" details the thoughts of a person on their deathbed, while the effective ballad "Your Love is Strong" is a more straightforward songwriter's interpretation of The Lord's Prayer. Some songs are prayers while others are strictly observations of life, death, and love, showing us that Jon Foreman is not living in a Christian bubble but, instead, he lives in the same world as the rest of us. (Indeed, his song, 'The Cure for Pain" was featured on Grey's Anatomy.)

If I can recommend anything to you, I would ask you to check out Jon Foreman's website and download all four of his EPs (it's well priced and worth each cent).

Not only is Jon Foreman a talented musician/poet, but I had the honor of meeting him and he is one of the nicest people I will ever know. I was nervous. I've spent hours learning guitar lines and lyrics from his work, but he made me feel comfortable and really wanted to talk to me and the other fans he met; he's an amazing guy. Here's a video of him playing some of his songs for a few fans by a train track. (It's a little grainy, but it's good.)

Switchfoot vs. The Police (Not the Band...)

Jon Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot, is not the type to get in trouble with the law, but a recent run-in with the police has really affected him.

In the Huffington Post, Foreman tells us how embarrassed he is about what happened.  After a show He was playing some acoustic music in the parking lot when a police officer came by and made everyone leave.  Foreman shook the officer's hand and went on his way, so as far as run-ins with the cops go, this was pretty tame.  It turns out that the police needed to clear the lot before they left, so it's reasonable ask people to move on.

You can find a few YouTube videos of the whole thing going down.  The officer breaks it up pretty loudly, but no one is pushed around or anything.  I agree with Jon Foreman's notion that a communication breakdown took place, because he and the officer are clearly not on the same page about what's going on.  Even so, when he is asked to stop playing he is respectful to the officer and he manages not to lose his temper at all. 

But Foreman is still embarrassed.  He's concerned that he didn't handle the situation well and seems to feel really flustered about it.  (He goes on to say some really nice things about police officers, as well)  Of course, he also doesn't understand why he was being yelled at.  He ends the post with an apology:

Mr. Fisher, if in any way you felt threatened or disrespected by my actions the other night, please allow me to apologize. That was not my intention. I was simply hoping to play a few songs out in the parking lot for some folks who wanted to listen. I'm hoping to close this awkward incident the best way I can. I would love to find out how to do this sort of thing better for the next time we pass through. We all need each other.

Foreman is a classy guy.  Some of us met him at a conference two years ago and were amazed at how nice and approachable he was, so it doesn't surprise me that he has handled this situation well.  Most people I know would have used the opportunity to criticize the police and make themselves out to be martyrs for a cause.  ("Help, help, I'm being repressed!)  Thankfully, Jon Foreman remembered that it is the meek that shall inherit the earth, and not the whiners.  That's a lesson for me to remember.

You're doing fine, Jon.

Christian Worldview 101: The Playlist

One of my favorite traditions with my husband is to make themed mix-CDs whenever we go on a road trip. 

The themes can be about anything, but many of the most meaningful have been spiritual themes. The great thing about the “spiritual” mixes is that we don’t always have enough “Christian” songs to complete the theme, so we end up using “secular” songs in ways we wouldn’t have imagined, and we see both those songs and our faith in a new way. Some of my favorites have included a different CD for each week of Advent, CDs for Holy Week, one called “notes from God,” which comprised a collection of songs that sounded like they were written from God’s point of view, and, my personal favorite, “Christian Worldview 101,” which told the Christian story of Creation, Fall, and Redemption through songs. Here are the track listings:

Creation (and its implications: Creation is good, God had a plan before time began, nature reveals God, and humanity is made in God’s image as fellow creators)

1. “Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles
2. “Before There Was Time” by Caedmon’s Call
3. “God of Creation” by David Crowder Band
4. “Let There Be Light” by Andrew Peterson
5. “Calling Out Your Name” by Rich Mullins

The Fall (Edenic fall into sin and representations of its effects)

6. “Adam” by The Bittersweets
7. “Revenge” by Jon Foreman
8. “Not California” by Hem
9. “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles

Longing for the Messiah:

10. “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot
11. “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer
12. “Peace Child (O Come Emmanuel)” by The Normals

Life of Christ -- incarnation and death on cross (okay, I know the Sufjan song is about Santa and stuff, but, as I wrote last Christmas, nothing else expresses Christmas joy quite as well as this song, for me):

13. “Come On! Let’s Boogie to the Elf Dance” by Sufjan Stephens.
14. “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us” by Stewart Townsend, as performed live by Skillet

Redemption -- from individual conversion to the general defeat of death to the eternal reign of Christ:

15. “Remedy” by David Crowder Band
16. “I Saw the Light” by Hank Williams (and others), as performed by David Crowder Band
17. “Baptize my Mind” by Jon Foreman
18. “Death Shall Have No Dominion” by The Bittersweets
19. “Raise Up the Crown (All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name)” by Chris Tomlin
20. “In the House of God Forever” by Jon Foreman

Aside from revealing some obvious biases in my music taste (you have to like folk-rock to enjoy this playlist), these songs, for me, tell the story of Christianity in a unique and moving way. I could explain each of the choices, but I think the songs speak better than I could. So, I made a Youtube playlist with all the songs. The only one I couldn’t find is “Death Shall Have No Dominion” by The Bittersweets, so here's the Grooveshark link for that. Also, while writing this, I realized that I forgot to include Eleanor Rigby, by the Beatles, but you all know that one already, right? -- Right? -- I mean, if you don't, for the love of everything good and beautiful, go buy the Beatles Number 1 hits CD right now to start your education!


Enjoy!

Derek Webb and the Ethics of Cussing (A Follow Up)

In my previous blog entry about Derek Webb's foul mouthed music, many commenters (here and in other places where the story was posted) thought that I was upset at Mr. Webb for using bad language and was pushing him away for acting "unChristianlike" with no regard for his content.

This is not true.

First, I want to say that I'm not interested in discussing the morality of bad words. I've been told that cuss words are not bad and that Christians should use them more often. Also, I've been told that Paul used curse words in the Bible (which isn't true). I'll let you read Colossians 3:8 and that will be enough for me - it's really not an interesting discussion. Since people associate bad language with bad habits, I personally avoid it.

I'm disappointed with Derek Webb because of his approach. Rather than lovingly encouraging his fellow believers he distances himself from them and talks down to them - there are other ways to get a message across.

If you haven't heard it, I recommend Jon Foreman's song, "Instead of a Show," which criticizes anyone who would put on a show at church by acting spiritual and then spend the rest of the week ignoring the poor and unloved. It sounds a lot like Derek Webb's platform, but Foreman's tone is loving and humble. (He was able to accomplish this by mostly quoting scripture.) His tone is also encouraging - rather than attacking the church he is giving believers direction and does not act superior or haughty.

Webb's language, by contrast, is very rude. But what you need to understand is that Derek Webb's approach would be rude even without the cursing. I'm not protesting the use of a swear word - I don't have that much time on my hands - but I am protesting the hypocritical dogma of a man who accuses his brothers of not showing love through a most unloving method. It's like kicking someone in the shin and saying, "That's for not being nice!"

It is not effective to stand outside of the church and yell and those who are inside no matter what they are doing wrong. Just as Jesus loved us when we were unlovable, we must love our church when it is not perfect.

Blogging the DBU Paideia Conference - Part 1

Last year's conference was a tough act to follow, particularly in the area of music. After hearing Jon Foreman, Jordan Lawheed, and the venerable Charlie Peacock (see photos of last year's event here) in concert, it seemed like the conference had reached it's apex. I was pleasantly surprised when this year's concert was just as enjoyable.

The night began with the music of the charming April Geesbreght. Her songs were beautiful and engaging, as well as enlightening. She normally plays with a band but we were treated to an intimate acoustic session which went very well.

April Geesbreght explains her next song while adjusting her capo.

Scott and Lindsy Shiffer, along with their baby maren, watch April's show.

The main performer of the evening was Pierce Pettis who, as the saying goes, "doesn't write music, he writes literature." I can't think of a better way to describe his lyrics. He is a well known folk musician who often writes songs for other people, including Garth Brooks and the wonderful Sarah Groves. On his own, he is an amazing performer. I have rarely seen such virtuosic guitar playing (his approach to the acoustic is similar to that of Lindsey Buckingham) come from such a brilliant songwriter. His lyrics encouraged me and made me think, while his playing blew my mind. A rare experience. (He's also a darned good harmonica player.)

In the wings, Pierce Pettis tunes his guitars up waiting for his turn.

Pierce plays these two guitars that were hand-made in Ireland from different companies. He told me that he waited all of his life to have then and they sounded amazing all night. (He also told people that they were made by leprechauns.)

On a break, Pierce was nice enough to chat with me while he tuned his guitars. He plays through a direct box with a tube that gives his guitars a lot of presence without too much compression. It sounded amazing.

After the show, Pierce hung around and talked to his fans, the new ones he had just made and the ones who have known him for a long time. He talked about his exceptional career and confused the musicians by explaining his bizarre but effective alternate tunings. (Open c-minor with a dominant 7 + suspension? Something like that.) I bought one of his CD's and have been happy with it, if you're into singer/songwriter stuff you might consider it. (I don't work for him, this is a genuine recommendation.)

The opening act of the Paideia Conference was a rousing success. Look for two more blog posts this week to see how the rest of the 12th Annual DBU Paideia conference went.

Album Review: 'Hello Hurricane' by Switchfoot

(Yeah, this is late. My copy got lost in the mail, so I only recently got to listen to this entire album.)

Hello Hurricane is Switchfoot's latest release, and it does not disappoint for a single moment. The new album contains everything a Switchfoot fan has come to expect from the band: great melodies, driving guitars, and lyrics that make you think while simultaneously rocking out. Personally, I think it's their best work in many years, and I love that they released it on vinyl.

The music is excellent. Each song strikes me with its clever guitar work as the three guitar players confront the listener with a well written wall of melodies that really speak for themselves. It's also incredibly well recorded; the guitars have the exciting sound you would expect from a My Morning Jacket album or an old Smashing Pumpkins tune. I don't know how, but since their sophomore album, New Way to Be Human, Switchfoot has managed to maintain the highest production values in the industry.

Now, I can listen to Switchfoot the same way I listen to Let it Be. Sweet.

Two years ago, I met Jon Foreman (Switchfoot's frontman) during his solo tour at a conference. His acoustic music (discussed here) tackled deep issues and fit right in with the heavy handed philosophical discussions we had been having all day. This is expected in a Bob Dylan-esque acoustic gig, but Hello Hurricane somehow manages to accomplish the same thing in a driving rock album; rarely can a band accomplish such lyricism without sounding corny.

The music is exciting, the lyrics are thought-provoking, and the production quality is through the roof. I can't recommend the album highly enough.