Festival of Faith and Music 2011, My Brightest Diamond and Matisyahu

Its only been two years since I posted!

Last night Calvin College's great music festival began with a keynote by Shara Worden and the opening concert. Worden was very interesting talking about her background and why she thinks music and art in general should continue to be performed by community not just by professionals. She also performed and was great using several different instruments and vocal styles to play a wide range of music.

I didn't know what to expect with Matisyahu, but the concert was amazing. Matisyahu sang and beat-boxed with two musicians on acoustic guitars. They played lots of originals plus some Marley and really improvised as they went. Matisyahu mentioned that they felt relaxed at that conference and the seemed quite eager to be creative and daring and it made for a special concert.

I'll be updating on the 2nd and 3rd day of FFM as well, which are full days of speakers and concerts.

FFM Concert -- Over the Rhine

The end of the Festival of Faith and Music ended with Over the Rhine, Julie Lee and Aaron Strumpel. Strumpel's band was a great opener. Even though the vocals are kind of weird and there is a fair amount of yelling and chanting the music is great. They are kind of a rowdier Plug Spark Sanjay and incredibly talented musicians who even traded instruments during songs. Julie Lee is not my kind of thing, but put on a decent, though kind of awkward set.

OtR was amazing. The played a ton from The Trumpet Child, but played a lot of older classics as well. As usual, they were quite flexible beginning the set more jazzy, then quickly turning into a rock band with two electric guitars and the best drummer I have seen in a very long time. They were really on their game and quite energetic. A cool end to the Festival.

FFM '09, Day 2

The Bifrost Arts project led a short service featuring the hymns and sacred music that they non-profit group has been attempting to preserve. Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making, was the first keynote speaker of the day and deftly broke down what he thinks makes excellent popular music. He used the Tom Wait song, Picture in a Frame, as his main reference and made some great points. I will be using his points in the way I look at music, especially to see if I agree with his evaluation. Crouch is a great teacher and later I went to his workshop about being consumers and creators. He defined what it means to be a pure consumer and how satisfying and Biblical it is to become more of a producer and kick the habit of consumerism. I Think that so far this has been the session that I will take the most away from.

The artist interview was Cornell West having a conversation with hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco. It was quite entertaining. The most poignant moment was when Lupe said he wanted to be remembered as one who, "did not lead them astray," or if he failed in that goal, he wished not to be remembered at all. West later delivered a powerful keynote, though I am still processing most of what he said.

My other workshop was a conversation between the great David Bazan (former Pedro the Lion) and journalist Jessica Hopper. I am a big fan of Bazan and it was fun to see him talk after hearing him play on Thursday. It was great to hear about the early Tooth and Nail days and great bands like Sal Paradise and Velour 100. Bazan's theological bent is interesting and he is becoming quite the skeptic, but is incredibly thoughtful and genuine.

Out of context phrase of the day: "...older than August..." David Bazan.

Festival of Faith and Music 2009

I am going to quickly blog from the opening day of the Festival yesterday, so that I don't get behind and never write about anything. The opening day was quite fun, beginning with a neat artist interview with the Hold Steady's Craig Finn. He talked a lot about his background and how it affects how he writes. The most interesting thing was how he likes writing with cinematic elements and about characters which allows him to write fuller songs rather than just writing songs in first-person style.

Mokoto Fujimura was incredibly interesting and deep, however, if I try to recap, I will never be able to re-capture what he said. He made a great case for art and things that might seem extravagant but make the world a better place, humanize our world and depending upon your theological bent, please our creator.

I chose to go see David Bazan instead of The Hold Steady and even though I have seen Bazan a few times, it was quite worth it. He began with a few classic Pedro the Lion songs and then played a ton from his new album coming out in August. I have always enjoyed Bazan by himself better than with a backing band (even though Pedro was great) and he was great, confident, relaxed and really on top of his game last night. I couldn't really get into his last EP, but I am now excited for the new album. Also, I have never been to the Ladies Literary Club and it is a really neat venue downtown.

best teen lit (second post)

Cairo by G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker

This is my Graphic Novel of the year (actually came out in late 2007) though there were some other worthy titles. The authors weave a story that takes place in Cairo and involves an American tourist, a soldier, a drug runner, a potential suicide bomber and a reporter. Everything fits quite well together and is somehow political, religious and recounts some legends without ruining the flow. This is an outstanding GN.

Best Teen Lit

So, I have been getting back into writing a little bit and will also start going through my Top Ten Teen books of the past year. I'm still, however, reading a lot of the potential award winners, so the list could be greatly altered as I go and some of them I read almost a year ago. Anyway, the first of my current favorites (revealed in alphabetical order) is:

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

17-year old Jenna has woke up from a coma in a new place with memories that don't quite fit with her new reality. Pearson writes a incredibly engaging story as Jenna begins to find out what happened to her. This novel blends a coming of age story with science fiction (it is almost cyber-punkish, but I can't actually go that far). Unfortunately, this is one of those books that if I say anything beyond one or two sentences I will completely ruin the book, so that is all I'm saying on this one.

Best Music in '07 that I Didn't Know About Until '08.

I'm going to be going through my favorite Cd's of the year, because year end lists are awesome, but first here are two I would have put on my 2007 list if I had heard them soon enough.

Plauge Park by the Handsome Furs.

Plaugue Park is a killer lo-fi combination of electronics, guitars and distortion. This short, 9-track disc shows off the folky sensibilities of Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner, who partners here with Alexei Perry. While this is a moody piece, Boeckner creates a hopeful soundscape that can be listened to on many levels. Obvious comparisons are to Postal Service, though it also reminds me of The Decemberists and Iron and Wine's The Shepherd's Dog.

The Ghost that Carried Us Away by Seabear

Why didn't I know about this band? The only thing I really know about them is that they are from Iceland and they are awesome. Seabear is unabashedly indie-pop and gets the disc off to a great start with the instrumental (should be used in a soundtrack) Good Morning Scarecrow. Top to bottom this is an incredibly solid disc in every way. The lyrics are also interesting like on Arms they write, "left your black gloves on my table/ left your dark horse in the stable/ thinking of a way to get you to stay/ and I'll promise to/ fight the wind and wait for you/ I'm an owl with tired eyes/ I'm a scarecrow in disguise." This is just a fun, stirring album with some traditional folk elements and indie-pop goodness. Fans of Elliot Smith and Death Cab for Cutie will enjoy this.

Oklahoma City Thunder

I don't usually blog about sports logos and stuff like that since there are already some good blogs out there. However, I'm a little perplexed by the new Oklahoma City Thunder logo. The Thunder are the relocated and re-branded Seattle Supersonics of the NBA. It is such a terrible logo, it looks generic and has very little to do with thunder or weather. I was trying to think of a major league pro team's logo that would be comparable and all I could think of was the Anaheim Ducks re-branding in 2006. At least Anaheim's word mark is slightly interesting and it relates a bit to its mascot.

Except for some of the new NBA Development league teams I can't think of any other logo this plain and out of place. I do think the red-orange color is interesting because they wanted something different than the red of the Oklahoma Sooners and the orange of the the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Anyway, maybe the jerseys will be cool, but this is a disappointing new logo.

The Rest of My Favorites of '07

I'm finally posting the rest (it is only August!)...

4. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

Adams relaxes and creates a great folk-rock album without trying too hard.

3. Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child
OtR turns ridiculously positive on this comforting album that consistently flirts with folk and jazz.
2. Patty Griffin – children Running Through

This is a confident, bold album from a great story-teller.
1. The Good, the bad & the Queen

My clear favorite of the year and I'm still listening to it all of the time. This collaboration features Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, Paul Simonon of The Clash, Tony Allen of Africa 70 and Simon Tong of The Verve. What you get is a combo of pop/rock/electronica that is incredibly compelling.

Wordless (mostly) Graphic Novels

So, there are a bunch of wordless Graphic Novels out now with Shaun Tan's timeless tale, The Arrival leading the way. Here are a couple of others:

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

There is not a lot I can say about the plot because I do not want to ruin it, but this is an incredible book. Varon writes about a dog who has a robot, but doesn't realize what could happen when he takes his robot to the beach. Things then change drastically for the two in this touching GN. The art is simple and I can't say enough about this wonderful book.

A.L.I.E.E.E.N by L. Trondheim

This is for those of us who still laugh at poopy jokes and the like. Trondheim has found what alien kids read and put this out for us to read. Actually, it isn't really wordless, but I don't know their alilen language so it is basically wordless. Aparrently, alien children really dig cutsey drawings who do disguting things and wade in disgusting things, which doesn't make for that great of a GN, but it is funny.

More Best of '08

6. Blonde Redhead – 23

Their lush sound is calmed down a little bit, but jangly guitars and some subtle electronic influences create a really cool vibe. This is a great disc with brooding lyrics and some diverse musical styles. Fans of The Arcade Fire will dig this as well.

5. Iron and Wine The Shepherds’ Dog

Yes, I kind of miss the stripped down sounds of early Iron and Wine CDs. But, yes, this is still cool and great. There are some artsy escapes here that may be somewhat unnecessary, but Sam Beam gets a bunch of musicians to fill out their sound with great results. This does solidify Iron and Wine's place in the indie-folk world and I imagine they will be there for a long, long time.

More Top Ten Music

8. These Friends of Mine by Rosie Thomas

Rosie's latest album includes help from greats like Damien Jurado, T.W. Walsh, Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer. This is a quiet, thoughtful album from Thomas that proves to be quite interesting especially on the REM cover, The One I Love.







7. In the Bedroom After the War by Stars


While this is less of an Indie-Rock/Pop album than Set Yourself on Fire, In the Bedroom After the War is a theatrical take on relationships. This album is not as good as the previous one, but it is still one of the best of '08. Which really shows how good this band is. Stars creates an awesome, layered and laid-back sound and are good storytellers as well.

More Top Ten Music

9. Neon Fire by Arcade Fire

The follow up to 2004's Funeral is not a disappointment in any way. The Montreal band reverts to more balladry and it make take a few listens to really appreciate it. Even so, the band melds hope and angst, laid-back tunes and anthemic bombast for another good album.

10. The Reminder by Feist

I'm a bit confused about what I think about this album because while it is quite good, I know that she could do better. The Reminder, stylistically, pretty much follows Let it Die, though it is even more jazzy. Lyrically, it is not as potent as Let it Die and that is my main concern. However, The Reminder is a great, quirky collection and proof that she will keep making timeless pop.

Best Music of 2007 -- The Best that didn't Make the Final Ten

End of the year Best of lists are the funnest things ever, so I can't resist doing my own again. I will post my Top 10 later, but here is my Not Quite the Top 10 but Pretty Good in 2007 list.

Wincing the Night Away by The Shins

They had a lot of pressure put on them to come up with a brilliant album, so I'm impressed that they even released a decent album. The Shins did make a poppier album this go around, which at first seems a bit calculated and maybe it is. However, there are still the cool little moments and experiments that make this a Shins album and a darn good one.

Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird

Singer-songwriter Andrew Bird presents more of his weirdly Gothic and sometimes humorous lyrics. The buzzy guitars, heavy keyboards and steady rhythms nicely complement Bird's crooning voice. Bird has been around for a while, but this well-produced disc seems to be giving him some deserved notoriety.

Boxer by The National

There is not a lot of difference between Boxer and many of its predecessors. The band just keeps doing what it does best which is a lightly adorned blues-rock accompaniment to Matt Berninger's vocals and the band's literary lyrics. This is a very good disc, which some are calling the album of the year.

Flight Vol. 4

Type: Short Story Collection
Published: Villard, 2007

These are absolutely brilliant. This is the fourth volume which includes a couple of great Graphic Novelists. A ton of writers and artists with styles from all over the map contribute to these collections. Yeah, some are weird, a couple are boring, but some of the best are genius, so I recommend all four of these titles.

Good as Lily by Derek Kirk Kim

Type: Contemporary Fiction
Published: Minx, 2007

I am mostly reviewing this to note that the titles from Minx (a DC imprint) seem to be getting worse with each release. The Plain Janes was really good and Re-gifters was solid, but Confessions of a Blabbermouth and Good as Lily are just run-of-the-mill contemporary GNs.

This is not to say, however, that Good as Lily is terrible. It takes an interesting premise in 18-year old Grace, who meets and has to deal with three versions of herself at different ages. The intriguing plot does not lead to a real deep story and this is its undoing. Readers of the previous Minx titles will probably enjoy this (and Confessions of a Blabbermouth), but that is the end of its appeal.

Notes for a War Story by Gipi

Type: Contemporary Fiction
Published: 2007, First Second

Gipi is the author of the wonderful GN, Garage Band, which I just loved. This is good as well, though much more serious than Garage Band. The Italian author follows three youngsters trying to make their way in an unnamed war=torn country. Watching them get sucked into life with some hard=core criminals is heartbreaking. The art is quite similar to Garage Band and probably matches the tone better for this GN. The viewpoint the reader is given from Gipi seem a bit standoffish considering the subject matter, but this is a very good GN.

Aya by by Marguerite Abouet

Type: Contemporary Fiction
Published: Drawn & Quarterly, 2007

Aya is the story of some African teens in 1978 before their area became ravaged by war. The setting and time really carry this story and it is a unique look at Africa. This 19-year old engages in stereotypical teen behavior worrying a lot about boys, but the changes coming to their land put the whole thing in a weird context. A bit of this dragged for me, but it is a solid and subtly presented story.

Ultimate Galactus Vol. 1: Nightmare

Type: Superhero
Published: Marvel Comics, 2005

Okay, so this is a bit old, but I had never read these despite the fact I love the Ultimate Universe and all of the titles (except Ultimate Fantastic Four). In this volume the Ultimates and the X-Men go to Russia to find the source of a communication sent to the whole planet. What they find is Russia's answer to America's program during World War II which created Captain America. Both supergroups find creature after creature that have been lying in wait since the '40s. This is a killer beginning to Ultimate Galactus so I will be reading through the rest of these.

Time to Begin...again

Okay, so I'm back. After I couldn't see things for a while (long story) I was a little busy catching up on life and just couldn't get revved up to blog again. Recently, however, I realized how much I missed it and so I'm jumping back in. I have decided to focus on Graphic Novels of all sorts and will primarily be reviewing those from now on. Thanks and enjoy, Kip.