Surprises

I love a good surprise. Note I said good surprise.
Finding out I didn't pay my phone bill when I thought I had, isn't something I love to have happen.
Having something happen that causes joy, on the other hand. I'm all over that!

As much as I love to receive (good) surprises, I think I like to give them more. Putting loads and loads of planning and prep, dropping subtle clues and foreshadows to the soon to be surprise-e... it's a little too much fun!

A week ago today, I got to be part of a huge surprise. I didn't really do anything either. I just showed up!

Anthem for Today had a secret show at Unity Christian High in Barrie. The students thought they were going to a boring lecture or something and got hit with a rock show instead! The look on some of their faces was priceless. It was a mix of shock, awe and .... wah??? Where am I?

To commemorate the occasion, here's a quick video chronicling the adventure.



I can't wait to see these guys at Air Raid 22!

Lincoln

I've been waiting to see this movie since November. I've always considered Abraham Lincoln to be a hero. The dude helped take out slavery AND win a war while doing it.
Not easy.

The movie really shows that.

It's not that action pacted a film. Which is fine. The content was great. The amount of back room dealing, strategic press actions and careful word placement needed to make the 13th Amendment fly (the one that killed off slavery) is incredible.

Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln is amazing. Spielberg knows how to make a character drama with lots of character. Abe definitely had that. From telling little stories in the middle of a crisis to allowing his son to come into the middle of a meeting. He just felt like a guy you want to sit and talk to.

There is a bit of language to watch out for... as a heads up. More on that here.

One thing that really hit me, was the war. We've grown used to the "Gone With The Wind" civil war. Everyone in their clean suit, in clean fields, taking clean shots with their pretty muskets.

That's not what we see here.

In the opening scene people are up to their knees in mud, in hand to hand combat. It's wet, rough and down right horrific.
I've always though the civil war was a horrible time in American history, I don't think words even describe it now.

It may be a little long, but I enjoyed it from start to finish. Well worth the (overly long) wait.

Retro Weekend

I am not 50. I know that will burst a lot of bubbles, but the truth can't be hidden any longer.

That being said, I love retro music. Back in the day it was Woody's Retro Show that gave me my love for it. The history, the sound, the craziness. It was a different time for sure.

This Monday we are going back to the days of retro with a Retro Holiday Monday.

Here are some of the songs I can't wait to hear!

dc Talk - I Wish We'd All Been Ready

It's not their song, but man do they nail it! Plus, it's dc Talk. What's not to love!

Newsboys - Take Me To Your Leader

Going to space? Take Newsboys. This video is great, as is the song!


Carman - R.I.O.T

I was going to say Addicted to Jesus, but we've already got dc Talk on the list. Carman is great! And he's got some pretty sweet videos too.


On second thought... my blog, my rules. Here's Addicted to Jesus whether you like it or not!

Steve Taylor - I Want To Be A Clone

I really love quirk and goofiness, Steve has that in spades (that's one of the reasons why Newsboys were so special back in the day... Steve co-wrote a LOT!)


Keith Green - So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt

Once again... quirk! Skip to around 3:20. He talks until then.


Whitecross - The Kingdom

Annnnnnd another live video... shesh there were a lot of those back in the day!


Happy Retro Long Weekend!

Earthquake

I've always wanted to shoot a music video.

As a kid I would get super excited whenever one would come on the t.v. As I grew up, I discovered this fandangled thing called the internet. This discovery lead to another - An infinite supply of music videos. Sometimes they're the traditional "band on a roof/garage/street", sometimes they reenact the song, sometimes they just make you wonder what the band was thinking and others are flat out AWESOME!

Imagine my delight when the offer came my way to shoot a video for Anthem for Today. After dealing with the logistics of it, I accepted.

If you read Scott's blog, you likely know how the shoot went. Really, really well! A good crew helps with any production. This crew was fantastic.

It only took around 15 hours total to shoot and edit. Hard to believe in retrospect, but it's true!

So sit back, relax, grab the cat, some popcorn and enjoy!


Now... what to film next?

Skillet - American Noise

I enjoy Skillet. I'm by no means a Panhead (a Skillet fan... get it? Panhead... never mind), but I never complain when they hit the air.

It's been 4 years since their last proper release (Awake). This June, that changes! The album is Rise and the debut single is American Noise.

I love this song. It's got a real power ballad/rocker vibe to it. Starting out more mellow then building to the crescendo.

Another thing I love about it - the message.

Our lives can get cluttered up with junk really fast. With that, we can lose focus on what's important... when that time comes, we really need to take some time to focus on God. Cut out all the "noise" and just do some devotions. Get our head back into the right space.

Enjoy the new tune! I know I am!