Eric's Eddyfications

Denver and the Mile High Orchestra

Denver and the Mile High Orchestra will be at COMMUNITY in Naperville on Sunday, July 13, performing at 7:00 p.m.  I had the opportunity to see them lead worship this morning at our Downtown Naperville location, they were great! Tonight, they will be performing a lot of the songs they performed on Fox’s Next Great American Band.  If you want a quick preview of what you can expect click HERE.  But even if you don't have your tickets yet, come and get them at the door tonight! There's still time to enjoy a fabulous concert!

See you there!

Denver and the Mile High Orchestra will be at COMMUNITY in Naperville on Sunday, July 13, performing at 7:00 p.m.  I had the opportunity to see them lead worship this morning at our Downtown Naperville location, they were great! Tonight, they will be performing a lot of the songs they performed on Fox’s Next Great American Band.  If you want a quick preview of what you can expect click HERE.  But even if you don't have your tickets yet, come and get them at the door tonight! There's still time to enjoy a fabulous concert!

See you there!

The Suffering Artist

I've probably blogged on this phenomenon before, but I'm reminded this week of the suffering artist as I get ready to go see "Fish" in concert on Sunday night. Not the Grateful Dead-esque band from the nineties, no... Fish is a scottish vocalist/poet/musician who fronted the Prog-rock band Marillion in the eighties. I had some theatre-nerd friends (as I was one too) in high school who turned me onto Marillion. They had a minor single "Kayleigh" that got some play in America, and they opened for Rush that year in the States.  Fish then left the band in 1989 and started a solo career.

I can't remember if he's ever been to North America as a solo artist, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see him in Chicago. I enjoy his solo work, though his CDs have been hit and miss. This directly connects to his level of personal happiness. He got married, "fat and happy", and bam. His music was uninspired and relatively lame.

Just last year, he was engaged to be married and endured a very severe and surprising breakup - and from that pain bore his most recent CD called "13th Star." It's easily his best solo album since his first one.

Why is it that artists like Fish are seemingly only able to create amidst great suffering? There are so many artists who fit that category... Oh well, looking forward to a great show. I'll let you know how the suffering artist fares...

You Can't Go Back

It's tough for these old rockers these days. They all seem to be releasing new CDs with brand new songs, and getting up from their wheelchairs to play at the House of Blues. The problem, of course, is that those new songs are not nearly as good as the hits that gave them the forum with which to rise from the dead in the first place. And for me, these are bands that I really liked "way back then", and so I'm curious to hear what their new material sounds like.

But sitting through an entire new CD from some rockers who really are only trying to cash in on their former fame is pretty tough. That's where my Ipod comes in. When I get a hold of one of these new CDs by an old band, I put in on a playlist with a greatest hits CD of the same band. It's the sugar that makes the medicine go down. So far this year, I have employed this trick with the following bands and their new material, and it's worked like a charm: The Eagles, Crowded House, Level 42, Asia, Duran Duran, REO Speedwagon, Styx, World Party.

There are new CDs that I haven't heard yet from Whitesnake, and coming soon... Night Ranger. Wow.

I do not recommend this plan with any new material from the Rolling Stones. They cannot for the life of them make any new music that even comes close to their legacy. So just stick with the greatest hits on that one.

The Grammys

I loved the Grammys on Sunday night, but didn't get the time I needed to blog about it effectively. But let me just say this: The evidence that I am getting older is that I really enjoyed it. This is because when "The Time" comes out and plays with Rihanna, I actually love it because I remember when "The Time" was relevant. Ditto for Tina Turner and Beyonce, and all those other pairings. I even knew who Herbie Hancock was.

But for more detailed blogging on the subject, go to Carter Moss' blog - he's probably the most culturally aware campus pastor ever, and does a good job on the rundown...

This Made Me Smile

This made me smile today. Take a moment to enjoy it. And have a Merry Christmas.

Mute Math

I found this review of Mute Math from a recent visit to NYC, and it pretty much sums up all of my in depth feelings about attending the concert in Chicago. So... read here and pretend that I wrote it.

Help Me Brainstorm

Okay everyone. Here's my problem and I need you to help me solve it.

I have a friend who is a musician. He is in a band that is achieving some moderate success in the indie music scene, they are out of L.A. and are called Run Run Run. This friend and I go back to kindergarten when we were both in Phoenix, and even wrote some music together in college. Good times.

Anyway, his band is rolling through the midwest, but their gig in Chicago (it was going to be at Schuba's) fizzled out. I'd like to help him get a gig so that 1) they can have a place to play in the city or near it so their fans can see them, and 2) so I can see him without having to travel to Milwaukee, and 3) because I feel like I should try to help.

The problem is that I have no idea where to start. So, does anyone out there reading have any cool venue contacts, or any thoughts about where to host an indie band? I suppose we could carve out some space at the yellow box, but would Run Run Run fans from Chicago come out to naperville?

Whatever you think would be appreciated. You can check out their music on their myspace page or on their website. I think they're pretty good. My friend's name is Xander Smith.

Radiohead into the Future

So Radiohead is offering their next album online, and the fan who decides to download it gets to determine the price. Wow. This article is interesting, in that it also talks about several artists who are making their own way and developing sales strategies outside of the major record labels. It's really going to be interesting to see how this thing pans out.

Daryl Hall and the Flight

Just caught the latest episode of Flight of the Conchords, a comedy music series about a couple of New Zealand musicians. The series was very promising in the first three or four episodes but has tapered off a bit in the last few weeks in both quality and funniness. Seems like they have put their best foot forward and kind of ran out of gas.

But tonight, a cameo from Daryl Hall redeemed the conchords almost instantly. I am a huge Daryl Hall and John Oates fan. In fact, it was the first concert that my parents took us to when we were younger. My dad believes that concert was the moment that he began to lose his hearing. I'm not sure about that, it's not like Hall and Oates were known for their deafening sound. Nonetheless, I thought this interview with Daryl Hall was interesting - and it includes a little snippet about having appeared on the show.

I'm excited for the gym class heroes mash up CD that is forthcoming. Should be very interesting indeed!

Shawn's Bringing It

Check out Shawn Lovejoy's recent post about worship leaders. Shawn's a good friend who has a heart for church planting and makes it happen in Hotlanta. I think that his take, coming from the lead pastor p.o.v., is very interesting. What do you think?