Thrice and "Christian" Music

So i've been thinking a lot about the idea of "christian"music and the christian music industry, and i havce to say that it's definitely time i wrote about it. It s a subject of controversy in a good deal of religious circles, that never seems to get resolved. Bands like Stryper, who have religious themes in their music, then go and let loose the f-bomb at concerts, often get blacklisted and shunned for the rest of their lives. Others, like Thrice, have cryptic messages that are imperceptible to many non-religious listeners, but more intuitive listeners can guess at their meanings. For instance, on "Vheissu", there are references to the Apostle Peter's denial of Christ ("Like Moths to Flame"), how humans are made in the likeness of God ("Image of the Invisible") and Peter's miraculous escape from jail ("The Earth Will Shake"). However, most people don't categorize Thrice as a "christian" band because their songs don't directly reference God, or they don't have typical "praise and worship" themes to their songs.

So what to do? Is Thrice "safe" for Christian radio? Granted, their post-hardcore stylings are hardly KTIS-friendly, but say softer songs like the ones on The Alchemy Index; Earth, Air, and Water. Surely thes are ok for Christian radio.

Frankly, I don't think it matters. I don't think we should have "Christian" radio or music or any of the above. Last I checked, it was humans that accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, not CDs, radio waves, or songs. There are musicians who happen to be Christians, and there are songs that are specifically written to praise and worship our Heavenly father, but there is no such thing as "Christian" music. To ask if a band is "Christian" is equally ridiculous as asking if a Ford Taurus is a "Christian" vehicle.

For far too long, the world has looked at Christianity as a "members-only" exclusive club, with it's own music, radio, MTV, gathering places, and so on. Outsiders are intimidated by this, it being entirely foreign to them, and it makes it that much more difficult for us to relate to non-Christians, and them to us. For me as a musician, i have found few better bridges than a common interest in music. My varied interests in multiple genres makes it easy to pick a subject of new music, and it's only a matter of time before either I or the other person begins to rave about the talents or skills of the musician we're talking about. This is an easy stepping stone for me to say something like "This is proof that there is a God, and he loves us and wants us to be happy, because he made _______ to make music for us." Granted, it comes off kinda stilted, but if you drive at that more often, that God is the ultimate author of all music, you can have a good discussion about eternity, God, and what Jesus did for us on the Cross.
I seem to have rambled from my original subject... hmm. Well, i suppose all i have to say in conclusion is, if you're a follower of Jesus' teachings, don't limit yourself to only-"christian" music. It narrows your horizon of understanding in the music world, removes a great way to relate to non-christians, and you miss out on a lot of good music. I remember a road trip i was on, and i thought i'd spice things up on the MP3 player and play some led zeppelin. Everything was going fine until the lyrics kicked in (the song was "Bring it on Home", for those of you who want to go search for lyrics) and they immediately asked me who the artist was, and whined, "can we listen to some christian music, please?" I not only felt like a heretic for being the only one in the car that wanted to listen to non-"christian" music, but it seemed like there was an air of "holier-than-thou" for the rest of the trip. I don't hold it against the guys, but the mood definitely hung around. Besides, Led Zeppelin has some really great tunes. Seriously. They don't know what they were missing out on.

\m/(^_^)\m/

Post-College "Depression"?

Well. It's been a year since I wrote last. So much has changed... and yet, many things remain the same. Where to begin? I suppose I could try to summarize my past year at Northwestern... Since The Manhattan Stories sync with my facebook notes, it seems like it might be redundant. That and not many people read The Manhattan Stories, if any at all. Oh well. Here goes.

Last year was a whirlwind of activity for me, what with it being my first year of college, first year being away from my family, and so on. I invested in many friendships, ones that I hope will endure in the year to come. I learned some lessons, was exposed to some, and, I hope, grew in God through it all. I wish I could say that I am eager to return next fall, but unfortunately this is impossible. Not having an adequate GPA for the fall semester, i have been placed on academic suspension until i can bring my grades up.

I would launch into a tirade in the vein of "why do i do this to myself?" or "I'm so stupid" or "if i really valued my time at northwestern, i would have..." but I would like to think that i'm more grown up than that. I'm 19 years old, turning twenty this year, and I'm too old to throw myself a pity party. I will certainly miss my friends, professors, and even the architecture at Northwestern, but pouting and wishing for what might have been will not bring them back to me. What WILL bring them back, is hard work and sacrifice on my part. I have the opportunity to take either distance education classes to bring up my GPA, or I can go to a community college (probably MSU) to get credit for some classes for cheap and show that I can study properly on my own, that I have what it takes to be a college student. I know I do. I just need to apply myself so that I can re-join my friends come fall 2010.

What with having all this "free" time, i've been keeping pretty busy. My dad is quite the disciplinarian (no, he didn't spank me), we've been working our tails off to get the basement all renovated in time for our former pastor, Steve Mathewson, and his family to come stay for his daughter's wedding here in MT. Hence, I get precious little time to spend on the computer or on my instruments of choice, which may be a problem when i join the bozeman city band for paying gigs. hopefully i can get my chops back in shape in time for my first rehearsal next week. i guess i'll find out. It's only a summer gig, playing concerts every week at Bogert park. Mostly marches and trash like that. Nothing against marches, really, but they aren't much fun on a trombone. Walking bass lines and playing on the "and" of the beat the entire time. Not my idea of fun. oh well.

I guess i've vented enough. Hopefully i will be a little more consistent about posts (i can't get much worse than I have been, a whole year between posts), and maybe i can look back on this as a learning experience, see how i've grown in the past year. If nothing else, it'll be fun to look back on this as a journal.

But it's time for bed. Getting up at 5:30 is no picknick, and that's exactly what i have to do tomorrow.

Until next time.

RLC