The RadioChicken or the RadioEgg
Current mood: curious

Hey webcoasters,

So the boys from Radiohead have a new record comin' out in 10 days (unless you're reading this in like November or anytime in 2008, in which case it came out months ago).  I've never considered myself a Radiohead fan, and amongst my turbo-fan friends it's become a bit of a running joke and my disinterest in the band has become a mythical hatred just so we can make little jabs and comments to each other, thus avoiding those pesky and costly deep and meaningful converstations.  It's self preservation really.

That being said, I don't really hate them.  While my record collection and favorite bands Facebook list doesn't contain much of Radiohead, I do appreciate what they do and can dig on some of their stuff.  At the very least I have mad respect for their art and their undeniable influence on popular (and unpopular) music today...which sounds like a cop out, but it's true.  (It kinda sounds like when you rip on somebody for 5 minutes and then finish it off with "super nice guy though, big heart, loves the Lord..." - but that's not what's going on here, I promise.)

Anyway, all that to bring me to this.  I was on their site today, pre-ordering the new record (hey, I'm at least curious), and I found myself jealous of how "cool" their stuff is.  Their site just kind of oozed this "we don't really care" euro-hip thing that obviously everybody is drawn to.  And it's not like the site is fantastically complex, it's in fact ridiculously simple.  Which got me to thinking...if someone else had done it, would it be as cool?  The chicken and egg of coolness:  Did Radiohead do it because it was cool, or is it cool because Radiohead did it?

That was a long and strange journey in getting to the point, but I think we're arriving, I promise (and apologize if you're disappointed).  All that got me to thinking (when I should've been doing other things) about Christian art/music and so on.  That's the knock we often get, and more often deserve, is that we're reactionary.  We don't generate cool, for want of a better word.  Our art is often a Christian version of what's popular in the "mainstream".  There was a day when the church drove the bus on the art and culture highway...commissioning the best of the best to paint upside down on scaffolding for months to trick out their ceilings and so on.  Now we live in the day of the "Sound-alike Chart".  Now we do it because it's cool and it's not cool because we did it.

How come?  Well, granted, we do it to ourselves often...there's some bad Christian art out there.  But it makes me wonder if the person behind the paintbrush or SM58 has more to do with it than maybe it might seem.  Or more accurately the People Group behind the person. 

We've kind of put ourselves in this position, as the church in the west, where the popular culture already has their mind made up about us.  I don't mean in reference to art, just in life in general.  They've got us pegged, rightly or wrongly, and the result is often skepticism, cinicism and many other isms, often before we even open our mouths.  Again I say, in many cases, probably deservedly so.  The Church isn't exaclty looked upon with fond love and respect amongst our culture today.  I'm not getting into the whys of all that, I'm just making the point that it's hard to argue the presence of that perception.

When Radiohead does something, their fans assume it's going to be cool.  They expect the results to be cool.  Because Radiohead has a track record of cool.  They have the right to express themselves in popular culture, the right to experiment, the benefit of the doubt...all these things because they've earned the right, culturally speaking.  Beyond proving themselves to be cool, they've proven their art to be "true"...by that I mean non-commercially driven (not that that's entirely possible, but in comparison to the Backstreets and Britney types I should say) and honest and raw.

So what's the parallel here?  (Wow, you're still reading this random nonesense?  You need a hobby...)  What it's got me thinking about is earning the right, or earning the benefit of the doubt.  For example, I'm not sure the Church really has a right to speak about love and compassion unless we do a better job of demonstrating it.  When we step up to the microphone to speak our minds about an important issue related to humanity, our previous track record comes with us like those network guys from the Verizon ads.  We've damaged our right to speak, from the public's persepctive, by our actions in many cases.  I know those are vague and sweeping generalizations, but I just wanted to set up the point to bring this thing full circle.  (or oval at least).

I think truth in art is important.  I think people sniff it out.  I don't think they want perfect or ideal, in fact quite the opposite, but they want truth.  They want honesty.  Yes I mean in regards to content, lyrically and so on, but also artistically.  Most of the Radiohead fans I know love them, at least in part, because they do what they want and produce an original and unique sound in the face of the pre-fab manufactured music milieu.  And because it come across as their honest expression, not their expression tempered by what they hope will sell the most records.

If that's true, if honesty and truth between art and artist is important, what does that mean for Christian art?  I think it poses a problem and might just keep us out of the main flow and have us end up trivialized, internalized and ostricized to bookstores.  Oh wait....

Obviously Christian art is associated with Christians, who are associated with the Church.  The public perception of the Church and who's in it isn't necessarily a flattering one as a whole.  That can't help but affect the assumptions made about our artists, rightly or wrongly.  I don't think the problem is entirely that the message in Christian art isn't pallettable, I think that it simple hasn't wrung true for people.

There's the one side where assumptions are made about what's being produced based on the view of the producer given their association with a Church with a black eye.  Often the content serves to fuel the fire of the perception of incongruence, if not hypocricy.

Then there's the other side, like Bono says.  I heard him speaking once and he talked about Christian art's lack of tension...how it has a tendency to need to wrap things up in a pretty box and bow, rather than exude the real human stuff which can be messy and unanswered at times.  I think that's pretty accurate.  I think we have had a fear of leaving unanswered questions or tipping our hand about struggles, doubts and imperfections in our art.  Perhaps we think more of ourselves than we ought, or just don't simply trust our audience enough, but we tend to be afraid of honesty of Derek-Webbian proportions in our art.

Now, there's more to it.  I know, I know, more?  You're free to go when you choose.  I think that those things I just mentioned have served to create the problem, but they're not currently the problem.  The problem is we're not in the mix.  As a result of our trivial and fenced-in place in the scope of culture we kind of end up in this artistic ghetto.  We only listen to each other's art and create art for ourselves.  Some of it sounds like it's for others, but if so, why is it only sold in Christian bookstores and bought by Christians?  Once in a while someone will either venture out into the big bad world or make their way in from the cold bringing with them something new and hip just in time for us to knock the edges off it and get it out to our audience a year or 2 after it was hip out there.  Again, not true across the board, but where would we be without generalizations?  Generally speaking...

And there are they....those who create art that drives the bus rather than rides in that back of it...and yet call themselves Christians.  The Great Hip Hope.  What happens to them?  Often times the honesty that made them attractive to the mainstream is the very thing that repulses and frightens the Christian ghetto and not soon after they're not even associated anymore.  They send cards at Christmas and poke each other on Facebook, but really, the relationship is over.  So they make their way in the big bad world as 'that kinda religious guy' all the while the Christian art scene (my context is music, admitedly) misses out on what their association and contribution could bring to our fold.

I dunno, I'm rambling and thinking outloud.  All that to say, do they do it because it's cool or is it cool because they do it?  Not sure.  Not sure if we even belong in that conversation.  But I kinda wanna keep having it anyway.

I'm a creep.

Jeff.

Currently listening : OK Computer By Radiohead Release date: 01 July, 1997

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Dance with the One who Brung Ya

No, it's not just an uber-wicked Petra song from the glorious early 90s.

It's also a clever adage with wisdom to fill the cracks left by the grammatical impact.

We've had an up and down summer...sometimes really busy, sometimes not feeling like we're even in a band for lack of busyness. Lately we've been having to "think" and "meet" and "plan" a lot, which for musicians and ministers can eventually make you want to "puke" and "wretch" and "hit someone in the face with a roll of quarters tucked into an old gym sock". So to speak.

What I mean is we've been thinking a lot about what comes next and what our next move is. It's one of those seasons when we need to make strategic and/or business type decisions with regards to our future rather than just getting out and playing and making music (as "totally dude" as that sounds).

When God blesses you and decides to use you it's a fantastic ride. We've had that experience certainly in the past. The danger is that it can tempt you to want to cling to that feeling and manufacture it for yourself...or bring with it a sense of entitlement, that it will 'always be this way'.

I think to avoid those scenarios, we need to constantly remind ourselves of what it was we were asked to do in the first place...when God chose to move, what call were we answering? Are we still being the stewards we need to be of the things that God has chosen to bless, or have we gotten distracted from our first love?

I'm not sure why I decided to ramble on about all that or if it even made sense, but I've been thinking about it lately since fall has begun to arrive and things sort of 'begin again'. It's funny that when trees and plants starting to die, Christian programming and TV shows are coming alive again. Anyway, with our monthly worship event, The Spot, starting up again and things for me personally heating up in my position as a local church worship leader, I'm looking forward to a chance for God to recharge my passion and focus in those areas. Afterall, they're the simple "yesses" I answered in the first place that openend the door for so many other thigns God has done.

So in the midst of our journey in writing a new album and wrestling with the details that come with it, I'm trying my best to stop and smell the roses...or see the forest for the trees...

...or dance with the one who brung me.

Sunny

PS - See you at The Spot this weekend!  (www.hitthespot.ca)

Currently listening : Wake-Up Call By Petra Release date: 09 November, 1993

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Summer mini-tour blog!
Current mood: exhausted
Category: Music

Hey Friends,

What's up? Not much here… well, ok, much here. We just got back from our mini summer tour thingy and we're exhausted. A lot of driving, a lot of pests & vermin, and a lot of great music. Not too mention a little Krispy Kreem, Denny's, and sweat.

Where do we start? We had such a blast traveling to NH, then Ontario, then NY. Ok, well the travel part wasn't always fun, but it's always interesting what happens with 6 guys trying to make their way through New England and back. I'll be sure to try to include (and exclude) as many stories and facts from our trip as I can… phewf… deep breath and here we go…

-          we wanted to leave Moncton for Soulfest (in Gilford, NH) at around 9am on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, Evan decided he wanted to do all the things he should have done the day before the morning we left. That's ok. We love Bernie and his perpetual barrage of methane-gas clouds. We left Moncton around noon or so.

-          we picked up our drummer, Adam, in Fredericton around 1:30pm or so. From there we went to the Woodstock/Houlton border and had our first road-block. Customs wouldn't let us bring in our merchandise (about 150 CDs and 100 t-shirts) through to the U.S. So, after a painful 3 hour wait in the customs office, Jeff, J and Evan had to take the shirts and CDs back into Canada while Adam and I waited in Houlton, ME.

-          An hour after that (and a terrible meal at Pizza Hut witht he worst pizza I've ever had), we were on our way. The 9 hour drive to Laconia, NH took about 11 hours as we got lost in the woods of New Hampshire. After an hour of aimlessly meandering, A guardian angel in the form of a US policeman appeared as if out of nowhere and pointed us in the correct direction (which turned out to be our first route that we discarded), after which he disappeared in a cloud of fairy dust. I truly believe he was an angel… an angel with a .357 magnum and baton.

-          We finally got to our hotel in Laconia, NH called the 1848 Motel. Indeed, we believe it was first built in the year 1848. After waking up Ross & his family (they were smart enough to travel a day earlier) for our room key, we nestled in our quaint room. Evan and I pulled back the covers of our bed, and found a cockroach scurrying from under the pillow. Sunny also found one in our shower that didn't drain (we weren't interested in discovering what clogged the shower).

-          The next day (Thursday), we caught a few bands (including a Tim Hughes set and  a fantastic show by Toby Mac) at Soulfest. Toby Mac's show was amazing. We were blown away, not only by the musicianship, but the entertainment value. Wowzers. Good stuff. Also, earlier in the day, Evan, J, Sunny, and I took a stroll down from our "motel" and took a dip at the most beautiful beach ever called Weir's Beach. The scenery was great, the water was perfectly proportioned to the heat/humidity of the air, and it was an excellent way to escape the 108 degree heat (serious... pic include).

Later that night, we played our Soulfest set. It went pretty well, actually. Although the heat subsided to a mere 89 degrees, our smaller stage was brightly lit by 2 sets of 5 cans close enough to the stage to boil our skin. Needles to say, we were soaked in sweat by the end of the night. Our smaller crowd enjoyed our set, and though the only merchandise we had to sell was stickers, we sold $28 worth, and some older ladies who enjoyed the set blessed us with another gift of encouragement. We were grateful; so was "Jactus Cacks" (a great Mexican place).

-          On Friday we ate at Friendly's for lunch. It was a special day at Friendly's; we seemed to blend right in. They have the best sandwiches ever. Yum. We also caught Tree63 ("where's the toms?"), Storyside B ("it's hotter than a runaway slave out here"), and Matt Maher at Soulfest. Unfortunately, all the acts we really wanted to see were playing on Saturday… the day we left for London, Ont.

-          Adam and I left at 11pm on Friday night for London, Ont.  Ross and his family also left earlier in the evening while Sunny, J, and Evan left early Sat. morning. What mapquest.com says is an 11 hour drive from NH to ONT, turned out to be a 15 hour trek. This wasn't the greatest day. We were tired already, and 15 hours in a car wasn't the funnest thing. But, luckily Adam and I chose to leave earlier; giving us ample time to setup the soundgear at the church we were playign at teh next morning. The other 3 guys arrived late into the night for a 1am soundcheck. Fun.

-          On the bright-side, J, Sunny, and Evan got to stay in the GINORMOUS home of a lawyer and doctor. Complete with 2 BMW cars, marble countertops, rich dark hardwood floors, a 3-floor spiraling staircase, and full kitchen (mmmm… KitKat ice cream). The beds were plenty enough to satisfy teh stay, but the rest of the home was bonus.

-          Sunday morning we led West London Alliance church in worship. We had a great time, and it didn't take long for the congregation to get familiar enough with us to sing along. We taped the service, so maybe you'll see some footage. After church we had a fantastic meal at Moxie's (my wife's favorite restaurant). Jeff and Adam particularly liked this restaurant for some reason...  After the meal, we relaxed in the ginormous home that was left for us (unoccupied, I forgot to mention). After an hour of resting and watching golf, we had another pesty visitor. A tiny bat (aptly named Bruce Wayne) was flying around the living room at full tilt. I briefly escaped to get the video camera, J huddled himself in the nearest corner and shrieked like a girl, while Jeff, Tim (our WLA host), and Evan armed themselves with a casserole dish, a butter holder and pillow. I got all the action on tape as Evan "batted" (no pun intended) Bruce Wayne out the door with a pillow. Sigh… no rabies.

-          Early evening we set out for Buffalo, NY. Adam and I got stuck in customs traffic in Buffalo for 2 hours, while Sunny, J, and Evan took the long route and got stuck in traffic at Niagara Falls. We ended up in Buffalo around the same time… later than we wanted to be. Barb, J's wife, and Dan Guptil met us at our hotel. It was good to see some fresh faces. Our hotel room was great… but, guess what? More pests… I saw a rat (or large mouse) scurrying along the floor near the laundry room in the hotel. At this point,no pest, be it bat, cock-a-roach, or rat, was going to bother me. I jsut wanted sleep.

- the next day, we went over to the Darien Lake Theme Park where Kingdom Bound was being held. After checking out our stage at the worship tent (pretty much the coolest "tent" I've ever seen), Evan, Dan, and I ran like little girls to the roller coasters. We spent the whole day doing the coaster thing, while the other chilled and relaxed with their families. Jeff and Adam went back into Buffalo, prepared a bit for out set later that night, and joined us at 4:30 for setup. Much to our chagrin, Adam realized he left his keys to the van (which contained all of our gear) at the hotel which was about 30 minutes away; both ways. Picture this: it's 4:30. We have to setup at 5pm. We play at 6 pm. The keys to our gear are an hour drive away, and it takes at least 30 minutes to unload, setup, sound-check and prepare. But, God did a cool thing, and reminded Adam that there's a keypad combo to get into his van, he called his mom to get the number, and through much rushing and worrying, we got the gear to the tent, setup, had a decent soundcheck, and prepared to rock the worship tent.

-          Robin Mark played right before us, while Desperation Band and Lincoln Brewster played after us. Although we didn't have the crowds that they did, the worship tent was a great experience for us. We really connected with our audience and played great. It was a load of fun. Really cool atmosphere. We hope to do it again next year!

-          After our set, we did a few more rides, and got awesome V.I.P. seats for David Crowder Band's set. We snapped a few great pics. they were awesome. As good as we thought he'd be. Can't wait to see his show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC in November. After that, we rushed back to the worship tent to catch the last half of Lincoln Brewster's set. I was especially excited cuz Lincoln is one of my guitar heroes. He's a smokin' player. He blew me away (again, as expected). I got to meet him afterward, have a brief chat, and get a CD signed). Real genuine guy and seems really humble. I called him a guitar hero and he laughed at me. I really think we connected…

-          We went back to our hotel and slept. Adam and I left for Moncton early in the morning while the other guys left for NYC to see a Black Crowes show. We get a full weeks rest before we play again. So, if you're in the Moncton area on Fri.., Aug 17^th, come check us out at 97 Hildegard Rd (near Ryan Rd) @ 8pm. You'll like it, we promise. We are rehearsed up, so it should be a good show.

Well, that's out tour story in a nutshell. Sunny will be putting together a short tour video and you will have regretted reading this novel of a tour story. Stayed tuned for the video! I'm sure it'll be awesome. If you're lucky, it'll be filled with cock-a-roaches, bats, live performance, and many travel complaints. Also, you may even be lucky enough to get a free audio download of one of our live performances… like I said, it you're lucky. Are you?

Much Love,

Jamie (& the SOMERS crew)

Some pics for you visual stimulation!
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound022.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound007.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound014.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound039.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound044.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound069.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound074.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound085.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n291/JamCam0702/SoulfestKingdomBound097.jpg

Currently listening : Let the Praises Ring: The Best Worship Songs of Lincoln Brewster By Lincoln Brewster Release date: 07 November, 2006

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What is new with SOMERS?
Current mood: excited
Category: Music

Hey Folks,
Just letting ya'll know what's going on in the world of SOMERS in the next few months. Last week, we began re-demoing some songs from our large arsenal of new tunes. Our friend (and Origin of Moonlight engineer), Danny Bourgeois, was laying down some drums tracks at his studio for his and we then imported them over to Sunny's Studio 54 to begin tracking the other instruments. After a few listens to Danny's mad grooves on "Of Kings and Rulers", Ross laid down some bass trax and I was soon to follow with a rhythm track (the first of many, I'm sure) and some other licks. Jeff and J will lay down their parts (more rhythm guitars, the turn-around hook, keys, and vocals) within the next week or so. Danny also finished drums our song "Ever" (rumor has it, it only took him one take!) so Ross will lay down bass sometime soon so we can throw in guitars, keys, and any other goodies. If those two songs can get done sooner than later, Danny may have some time to flesh out some drums for "Drums of Justice" (which may be my favorite song of the new tunes). I really look forward to tracking that one.

Anywho… other than demoing some new songs, we're also preparing ourselves for our summer shows in August. We're excited to be playing at 2 major Christian music festivals, and honored to be joining West London Alliance in London, ONT for their Sunday morning worship. Our gigs are as follows:
Aug. 2nd @ Soulfest 2007 (Gilford, New Hampshire) – 9:00 pm (Deeper Well stage)
Aug. 5th @ West London Alliance Church (London, ONT) – 10:00am
Aug. 6th @ Kingdom Bound: Six Flags Darien Lake (Buffalo, New York) – 6:00pm (Worship Tent)
Aug. 17th - Presbyterian youth event: (details TBA) (Moncton, NB)
Sept. 21st @ Moncton First Church of the Nazarene (Moncton, NB) – 7:00pm

Also, we're excited to have our new bass player, Ross Cunningham join us for all the festivities. He's got mad skills. And, our new friend, Adam Wright from Fredericton will be playing drums for us for the next few gigs.
Be sure to keep up-to-date with SOMERS and our album-making process by frequently checking us out at http://www.somersfortherecord.blogspot.com

Thx MySpace-ers,
Your "friends",
SOMERS)

Currently watching : The Office: Seasons One and Two Release date: 12 June, 2007

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Show this Saturday in SUSSEX!

Hey Folks,

SOMERS are proud to be apart of LOVE SUSSEX, a community outreach event held by the local Susesx churches. Check out more info here: www.lovesussex.ca
SOMERS will be playing outside at Burton Park in Sussex, NB this Saturday (June 23rd) @ 5pm. You may even hear/see a few "new" surprises (both in musical and human form) as well as some classics, so you're going to have to come check us out to see what it's all about! Cya there!

Also, be sure to keep an eye on our Album Blog to see what's happening with SOMERS over the summer and in preparation for our sophmore release.

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Summer Festivals!!

Hey all, it's Jeff here - TV's "Uncle Jerry".

Just wanted to let you know that SOMERS will be rearing our ugly mugs on stage at a couple of cool festivals this summer. Check out the links below to find us!

SoulFest - Gilford, NH (Gunstock Mountain)
http://www.thesoulfest.com/2007/soulfest/artists.html

Kingdom Bound - Darien Lake, NY (Six Flags Amusement Park)
http://www.kingdombound.org/schedule1.html

See you there. I'm just sayin'....

- Those SOMERS Boys and their Complicated Shoes

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Album Blog

Hey,

For updates on our progress and general ridiculousness concerning our quest to make our next record, follow our blog, "Somers:  For the Record" at somersfortherecord.blogspot.com.  We'd love to hear from ya over there as well!

SOMERS

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"Faithful" hits January's Top 10!

We just wanted you to know...
Our third single from Origin of Moonlight, "Faithful", hit #8 on January's National Canadian Christian Radio CANCON AC Top 10.
Thx to the stations across Canada who are spinnin' the track and for those of you who requested it. We appreciate

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Attention Guitar Nerds

Cam's Famous!
Well, not really, but you can check him out on the Morris Amps website (http://www.morrisamps.com/artists.php). He's been using a custom built (point-to-point) amp built by Glen for some time now, and we all love it. Cam's a gear pig and tone-hawg, so him being truly happy with an amp is a surprise for the rest of us! (check out Cam's gear page, for all you geetar-nerds out there: www.myspace.com/mygearpage) If you're in the market for a serious amp built just the way you want to hear it, check 'em out - you won't be disappointed!

...And don't forget to look for our pals Matty and Dennis of "The Silent" on the Morris artist page...2 more happy customers!

-SOMERS

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Insulation, Drywall, Windows n' Tunes

Well, these days we've been in demo mode, writin' a lot and working on demos towards a new record.  There's a lot of details and so on to be worked out on the new project, but its been fun to kind of immerse ourselves in the whole writing/demoing thing.  Betwixt and Between the recording, been doin' a lot of work on our little space, "Studio 54".  Moved an oil furnace and hot water heater out of the now control room (Timmie almost killed himself unhooking the heater...apparently we flipped the wrong breaker...the sparks were neat though).  Installed a window between the control room and the rehearsal/tracking room (thanks Waddell's!  www.jaymelwindow.com), and now in the process of insulating the wall and re-drywalling...blah.  I'll be happy when its done, its nice to have a comfortable and functional space to rehearse and record.

Its also been cool to be rehearsing again.  We're preparing for this month's "Spot" event (www.hitthespot.ca) and we have been out of the live mode for a bit now.  So getting in the room and playing together has been really cool.  Incorporating some new worship tunes and its been fun to learn and rearrange 'em.  Really looking forward to this month's event.  It's been a different season lately for Somers and it has been great and will be awesome to focus on what we exist for, to lead worship.  Really looking forward to just doing what we do this weekend.  Hope to see lots of you there!

Sunny

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