The Civil Wars: World Cafe Live

Thursday night I saw The Civil Wars at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.  First, this is an amazing venue.  They played the upstairs which only holds a little over 100 people so it was amazingly intimate.  There are only about 30 tables and because the show was sold out, the remainder of the space was standing room only.  I got there early, had dinner and then waited out a spot at the front.  The Zach Williams Band (they are still searching for a name) opened for them.  I really did not know what to expect from this band not having heard of them before.  Zach commented at one point that this was the first show they all played together.  They were really impressive.  Zach’s enthusiasm as he passionately belted out the lyrics to his songs was contagious.  He was sweating so much at the end of their set that Joy Williams and John Paul White (of The Civil Wars) comically came out and toweled him off afterward.  I was really impressed with the full band’s talent, vocals and harmonies.  They are definitely a band to keep an eye on.  After the show I discovered Zach’s story from a friend.  Check out this article Relevant Magazine did on him.

Then came The Civil Wars.  Their quick rise to fame with the help of social media, their song Poison & Wine airing on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Taylor Swift’s love for them and a stellar performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is really astonishing.  Their album debuted with a quick rise to #1 on iTunes where it remained for the first few days of its release.  As independent artists and a new duo, they had no “crew” other than a few people helping them.  John Paul was setting up his own equipment prior to the show which seemed to fit their style well.

The Civil Wars is an amazing duo.  The purity of their sound is stunning, exquisite and unique.  They stripped it down to their voices and simple musical accompaniment; guitar (sometimes a resonator), piano/keyboard and the occasional concertina named ‘Giselle.’  They are simply refreshing.  I struggled for words to describe their sound adequately.  Joy Williams’ voice is beautifully and hauntingly poignant.  John Paul White’s voice is gritty and soothing.  They beautifully compliment each other and their harmonies are delicate and pure.  They sing with passion and emotion and have a playful on-stage chemistry.  Their voices are showcased as the instruments.  They have full control of their amazing range and as John Paul described, Joy knows where he is going before he gets there.  I love and appreciate music greatly with no musical ability myself.  That, however, does not stop me from belting out lyrics to my favorite songs in the privacy of my home or car.  Probably the best personal compliment I can give The Civil Wars is to say that when I listen to their music, I do not want to sing along for fear of damaging the purity of the sound.

They did a full set of their songs from the debut album, Barton Hollow, with a few others mixed in like “You are My Sunshine” and a stunning cover of “Disarm” by Smashing Pumpkins.  For their encore, they played three more songs; two of their own and a playfully good cover of “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.  Joy eloquently described the way they choose songs to cover saying ‘they sing a song until it begins to sing back to them.’

I can honestly say that I have never seen a show that has gripped me quite like this one has.  If you have not listened to The Civil Wars yet, you need to.  The best place to start is watching their videos for Barton Hollow and Poison and Wine.

Make sure to see them live because it is sure to be a performance you will not forget.

Driving music

I was listening to a playlist on my iPod on my way home tonight.  I love the power of music and how it can impact you so deeply, emotionally and spiritually.  Here are a couple of verses from various songs on my playlist that really resonated deep within me:

“I’m standing on the edge of me
I’m standing on the edge of everything I’ve never been before.” (On Fire by Switchfoot)

“I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection”  (How Deep the Father’s Love For Us)

“For once in my life I see
Pure love staring right back
Right back at me
At me” (The Guide by Borne)

“Through the ash, siren screams and red beams
I hear you sing softly to me” (Renaissance by Mat Kearney)

what is truth?

I have been on a Johnny Cash kick lately and I listened to his song, “What is Truth,” today.  Here are the lyrics:

The old man turned off the radio
Said, “Where did all of the old songs go
Kids sure play funny music these days
They play it in the strangest ways”
Said, “it looks to me like they’ve all gone wild
It was peaceful back when I was a child”
Well, man, could it be that the girls and boys
Are trying to be heard above your noise?
And the lonely voice of youth cries “What is truth?”

A little boy of three sittin’ on the floor
Looks up and says, “Daddy, what is war?”
“son, that’s when people fight and die”
The little boy of three says “Daddy, why?”
A young man of seventeen in Sunday school
Being taught the golden rule
And by the time another year has gone around
It may be his turn to lay his life down
Can you blame the voice of youth for asking
“What is truth?”

A young man sittin’ on the witness stand
The man with the book says “Raise your hand”
“Repeat after me, I solemnly swear”
The man looked down at his long hair
And although the young man solemnly swore
Nobody seems to hear anymore
And it didn’t really matter if the truth was there
It was the cut of his clothes and the length of his hair
And the lonely voice of youth cries
“What is truth?”

The young girl dancing to the latest beat
Has found new ways to move her feet
The young man speaking in the city square
Is trying to tell somebody that he cares
Yeah, the ones that you’re calling wild
Are going to be the leaders in a little while
This old world’s wakin’ to a new born day
And I solemnly swear that it’ll be their way
You better help the voice of youth find
“What is truth?”

Take a listen: http://tinysong.com/tMrh

Switchfoot’s Hello Hurricane

Well, it’s been three years since the last album release from Switchfoot and the guys have outdone themselves with their latest, Hello Hurricane.  Check out this video of their first single Mess of Me.  I can’t get enough…

Instead of a Show

I hate all your show and pretense
the hypocrisy of your praise
the hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show

Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stop up my ears when your
singing ‘em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood
of justice
An endless procession of righteous
living, living
Instead let there be a flood
of justice
Instead of a show

your eyes are closed when you’re praying
you sing right along with the band
you shine up your shoes for services
but there’s blood on your hands

you turned your back on the homeless
and the ones that don’t fit in your plans
quit playing religion games
there’s blood on your hands

Ah! let’s argue this out
if your sins are blood red
let’s argue this out
you’ll be white as the clouds
let’s argue this out
quit fooling around

give love to the ones who can’t love at all
give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
stand up for the ones who can’t stand up at all
instead of a show
I hate all your show

Jon Foreman

This is adapted from Isaiah 1:11-17.

music…

I am really not big on the radio these days, since I listen mostly to cd’s and my iPod, BUT I stumbled onto this station recently and I love it. There are hardly any commercials (and the ones they do have are short and sweet) and they rarely repeat songs in a single day. PLUS, it is all music from the 90′s and 00′s, heavy on the grunge rock. Man, I feel like I’m back in college every time I listen.

Give it a listen at http://www.radio1045.com/main.html