In case you didn’t catch the previous memo, The Blah Blah has officially moved on to it’s own website www.theblahblah.net.
Our new rss feed is… http://www.theblahblah.net/?feed=rss2, so go on and update your readers.
In the hopes of continuing to expand The Blah Blah, I’ve taken the site off of WordPress and onto my own domain. I seem to have reached capacity here at WordPress, and now it’s time for bigger and better things.
Head on over to www.theblahblah.net and subscribe to the blog there.
Also, if you’re interested in writing, shoot me an e-mail (jake@theblahblah.net) and we’ll talk about it.
And as always if you have some awesome new music and want me to write about it, send it my way. Don’t bother sending me your crap though, because I’m not gonna say anything positive about it unless it really is great. I’m tired of polishing turds.
I do mean that in the best light possible. 🙂
Sarah McMillan. Wife to John Mark. Soon mother to Jude Williams. Master potter. Musician.
Ever since I started listening to Sarah’s music, I’ve found myself referring to her inadvertantly as “Sarah Mark McMillan,” but her music is nothing like her husband’s. Where John Mark’s music hearkens back to 90s alternative rock, Sarah’s goes a little further back… more toward the 1890s than the 1990s. Drawing on folk, roots, and country, with some bluegrass twang thrown in, Sarah’s songs put you solidly in a slightly modernized Pentecostal camp meeting from the early 20th century. It’s equal parts Enter the Worship Circle and O Brother Where Art Thou?
I’ve never been a huge fan of American Idol but I caught myself sucked into this season’s first episode last week. It was entertaining to see so many songs tortured by well-meaning singers with delusions of grandeur, I admit, but I found myself a little annoyed afterwards.
American Idol is destroying the very thing that makes rock-n-roll what it is. Chuck Berry would never have made it past the tryouts. Elvis Presley would have been laughed off the stage. Little Richard would have been ignored. Joey Ramone would have been censored. Bob Dylan would be crucified and Mick Jagger would be told to stick to his day job.
I tried to think of anybody who I really like to listen to who might have what it takes to be the next American Idol, and I couldn’t think of any. Sufjan Stevens is too whispery. Robbie Seay is too gravelly. Michael Nau is too sad. David Eugene Edwards (Woven Hand) is too depressing. Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYou) won’t even try to sing. Jesse Coppenbarger (Colour Revolt) screams too much. Aaron Strumpel’s range is too limited. Vincent Voss (The Singing Mechanic) has an odd vocal style. Daniel Smith… well Daniel Smith wouldn’t even be allowed to sing on American Idol if he wanted to.
Pretty much anybody I like to listen to would probably not even be allowed past the tryouts. And chances are that anybody who would do good on American Idol wouldn’t last long on my playlist.
When rock-n-roll came on the scene, it was fighting against staid, overly-perfected songs that dominated American listeners, replacing that with music that burst forth from the gut. By its very nature, rock-n-roll emphasizes experimentation, self-expression, and raw emotions. American Idol is destroying all that.
Finally, I’m back blogging, and here is another of my posts that is way late in the coming, but I hope it helps point a few of you in the direction of an artist well worth it.
Joe Garner is one of my favorite artists I downloaded from NoiseTrade a while back. With a subtle, earthy folk sound and songs that bring to mind a slightly more modern and way more indie version of classic Johnny Cash ballads, Joe Garner’s songs tell stories of broken, desperate people in need of a Savior.
This is just a quick note to let everyone know I’m still alive and kickin’. Well, not really kickin’. I haven’t kicked anything in a while. No footballs, cans, walls, or even small puppies.
I am alive however.
I’ve just been really busy lately again, so I’ve been trying to focus in on what really matters in life, my relationship with God. It’s been a great week of focusing in on Jesus, devoting more time to Him and all, but now that the craziness of the holidays is slowing down, I’ll probably be back with some more great artists in the near future.
With that said, hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Years’ and I’ll be back in a few days.
Merry Christmas! It’s once again time for The Blah Blah’s annual Christmas mix cd – Have a Blah Christmas. Hope you like it.
Download or preview the MP3s individually, or get the whole thing (complete with cover art) in one massive zip file here.
Otherwise, I apologize but the songs aren’t edited to be in the correct order according to track number. You’ll have to do that yourself. I just ran out of time.
Enjoy the mix, and stop by the Sounds Familyre Blog for A Familyre Christmas, Vol. 1 and 2, with more great Christmas music.
1. Rosie Thomas – Christmas Time is Here (Download or Stream)
2. Lenny Smith – Finally, It’s Christmas Eve (Download or Stream)
3. Sufjan Stevens – We’re Goin’ to the Country (Download or Stream)
4. Over the Rhine – Little Town (Download or Stream)
5. Anathallo – Come Ye Sinners (Download or Stream)
6. Elin Smith – Oh Holy Night (Download or Stream)
7. Threnody Ensemble – Cello MiscO2 Mix01 (Download or Stream)
8. Joe Dorsey – Silent Night (Download or Stream)
9. Alli Rogers – O Little Town of Bethlehem (Download or Stream)
10. All Stars – Jesus is the Reason for the Season (Download or Stream)
11. Ryan Dean – To Us a Child of Hope is Born (Download or Stream)
12. Robbie Seay Band – Song of Hope (acoustic) (Download or Stream)
13. Mike (?) – Greensleaves (Download or Stream)
14. Joshua Stamper – Immanuel (Download or Stream)
15. Sleeping at Last – Merry Little Christmas Volume Up (Download or Stream)
16. Over the Rhine – One Olive Jingle (Download or Stream)
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Note: All MP3s will be removed after one week.
A few years ago, I was doing a lot of driving, and I wanted to get more time in God’s word, but I didn’t want to spend any money on an audio Bible. So, what do I do? I go online of course, for the world’s largest collection of downloadable mp3s ever! In my searching, I came across the work of John and Nicole Mahshie, the founders and artists behind Relevant Revolution and Sermon Jams, a collection of mp3s amounting to much more than an audio Bible.
I downloaded a few tracts and was instantly hooked. So, of course, I had to go get more. John views his work as a ministry and, like Keith Green before him, offers his music for a donation, even if that means he never makes a cent for it.
Wow. If you haven’t seen this video yet of Michael Nau (Page France, Cotton Jones Basket Ride) playing Starflyer 59’s song “I Was Seventeen,” you’ve gotta check it out. Wow. It’s intensely sad.
The Blah Blah 