500 Songs for Kids

I’m Atlanta-bound with my band, Lindsay Rae Spurlock on Thursday to participate in this incredible event called 500 Songs for Kids. Starting April 30th to May 9th, bands will come together each night to play some of the most passionate songs of our time!

We were given Heart’s What About Love and are totally stoked about it! We figured you either:

• nail it just as the original artist to pay homage to that great song or
• flip it upside down and put your fingerprint on an ‘oldie but a goodie’

Either way is a terrifying path that leads to either shamefully falling short of the original or desecrating everyone’s favorite song. HOWEVER, either way also could lead to rounds of deafening applause for reminding everyone why they loved that song or heralded as creative geniuses of musical talent.

WE decided to go for broke and chance being creative geniuses I mean where’s the fun in playing it safe. Haha. I don’t know, maybe we’re showing our newbie ignorance but I do think we’ve created something insane! I hope to get up a recorded clip for you to see but maybe you’ll catch us on one of these media outlets:

If you’re in the ATL area Thursday night and not at Orange then hit me up. We’ll be there all night and playing at 10:15.

Sunday Setlist April 26th – Strides & Video 2

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I think we might have hit a stride in what our worship is becoming at our church this past week.

1. Opener – Your Grace is Enough – E – Matt Maher
2. Creation’s King – E – Paul Baloche
3. All Creature’s of Our God and King – A
4. Bless the Lord – E – Laura Story
5. Offering – I Will Lift Your Name – E
6. Your Love oh Lord – G – Third Day

So we had some familiar oldie goodies (Your Grace is Enough & Your Love oh Lord) mixed with some newbies (Creation’s King, Bless the Lord, & I Will Lift Your Name) mixed with an oldie revamped newbie gone oldie again (All Creatures.) Overall, we had a good blend of rock with the folk with the mandolin and electric guitar mix that we had going on this week. It’s still just silly to me to have a mandolin take a solo on songs like Your Grace is Enough and Your Love oh Lord. It doesn’t actually provide any lift to the section of the song and it’s just squashed in a song that moving. With some attention to arrangement we could have a really cool sounding folk/acoustic worship team that could be really flexible! I’m excited about the possibilities!

This week also featured the 2nd video in our volunteer campaign and our 1st Real Woman of Jesus, Mrs. Warm and Friendly Sunday Morning Greeter:

As always, it’s an incredible honor and pleasure to be a part of Fred’s blog carnival of Sunday Setlists! Are you?

The Joint Raises the Flag with Matt McCoy

It’s going to be a music week folks! Sorry, I got behind with our trip to New Orleans so hold on tight, here we go:

Matt McCoy – Raise the Flag Again

find on iTunes or Amazon

Joel Klampert – go to Klampert.com

Synopsis: I first found out about Matt Mccoy when I would watch the live worship services from the Vineyard Cincinnati. He would cover for the BRILLIANT Robbie Reider when he needed a break. At the time I was really impressed with the guy and always wondered if he would do a CD.
He did and I like it. He has a very interesting voice. Almost like a young Derri Daugherty from “the Choir”. Matt if you are reading this you need to do some covers of them on your next CD.
Gotta love a tangent…
Matt has an awesome sound and great production on this CD. However I think sometimes his vocals are a little too hidden. The guitar parts and songwriting is spot on. This is one surprisingly great CD.

Bottom Line: I like this CD a ton. Every song on it is singable and can be done in a church setting no matter the skill. While it is good I have had to give it multiple listens so it could grow on me. Nothing really jumped out. I will continue to give it more listens because Matt is a great songwriter and you can really see his heart on this EP.

Rating:

Must Haves: What If (my favorite track), Revelation (not the remix)

In Church: As I said before you could easily do this entire CD in church as long as you eliminated the remix song. Remember when you used to have to blow into the nintendo to get it to not freak out. I wanted to blow into my ipod when the remix came on.

Alastair Vance – go to Live to Worship

Synopsis: When I first listened to this I wasn’t sure I would be able to give it a good review, but to be honest it has since grown on me (a lot).  Matt’s vocals and sound is a little like Leelands with a wee bit of Mark Roach thrown in for good measure.  I love the truths and heart yearnings that Matt exposes through his lyrics and melodies.

Before I looked Matt up online (http://www.mattmccoymusic.com/) I was convinced he had a lot of good worship leader experience and I was right! He is currently serving as a worship leader at Willow Creek Community Church.  This experience really comes across on the record – a transparency and raw honesty that we like to see in our worship leaders.

‘Raising The Flag Again’ is an EP release with only 8 tracks on the record (one of which is a remix).  A full length album is in the works.

Bottom Line: Great heart, great songwriting.

Rating:

Must Have Songs: I like all the songs on here – especially Song Of The Redeemed, Everything, Infinite Praise and What If.  If I had to cripe, it would be about the remix version of Relevation.

Church Songs: Song of The Redeemed, You Are, What If, Everything, Infinite Praise are all ready to go!  The melodies are easily followed and the lyrics speak truth and spark desire for God.

Conner Byrd – Yours truly

Synopsis: Matt McCoy’s Raise the Flag Again is a very well done 7 track intro into the heart and soul of a worship leader. He’s got some tasty guitar tones, very singable melodies, and familiar themes that seem to be relevant in modern worship now: take a look at some of the track names: Revelation, Song of the Redeemed (not a Charlie Hall cover), Treasure, Infinite Praise. The songs are very full sounding utilizing effective guitar riffs, piano fills, harmonies, etc. Everything’s very well put together.

Bottom Line: While I can’t really complain about anything on this CD, I find myself struggling to really get excited about it. I mean it’s a good project with some good songs on it but it’s like so much else out right now and if I’m honest as a worship leader about what I’d play, if it sounds like Tomlin or Fee then I’ll just play a song by them that everyone’s already familiar with. I feel bad saying that, I’m sure if I saw Matt lead worship and connected with his heart then I’d connect with the songs better, otherwise it sounds so much like what I’m already connected too

Rating:

Must have: Revelation is a great opener but don’t bother with the remix. I also dig What If. Infinite Praise is one that sounds so fun to play and I really like as well.

Church Songs: These are all great worship songs that, like I said earlier are very singable. Pick your favorite and go for it!

I…ugh…time out

I just can’t seem to post anything right now. We dropped a Joint review today but that’ll have to wait. I’m a bit behind on the news but instead of talking about me and what I’m doing I’d rather you go pray and love on another blogger today. He and his wife have had some terrible news this week. It’s much bigger than anything I could say here.

John’s a dynamite guy and an incredible tech junkie. His blog(s) keep me busy and he’s incredible at building community on his sites. I mean, I’ve never met the guy and my heart breaks for him and his wife and his little girl.

Please go now to human3rror and pray for their family. It all starts with this post.

I’m taking a time out for now.

The Office goes Broke

The Office FINALLY puts to rest this awful rabbit trail of the Michael Scott Paper Company. I mean seriously, was there a doubt that it wasn’t going to end this way? Oh wait…no there wasn’t:

The Scranton office starts floundering and Wallace boots Charles so Michael can return. Yay, smiles and what a wasted story line.

Ugh…at least now we can get back to life as “normal” for our Scranton branch of misfits! Make sure you don’t miss press release by Michael Scott as well

When all is said and done, Michael’s heroic stand against David and Charles was funtastic! Was it worth these past few episodes? Eh…

My Thoughts & Favorite Quotes

Your doughnuts make me go nuts! – Michael

Crunch. – Accountant
Did it help? – Pam

There is a hive of bees… – Dwight

Well, well, well…how the turn tables…- Michael

I’ll see your situation and raise you a situation. – Michael

I don’t think I have to wait out Dunder Mifflin, I think I just have to wait out you. – Michael

You two are morons. – Charles
Got it! – Jim

Michael. – David Wallace
That’s one of them! – Michael

Our balls are in your court. – Michael

To Beard or Not to Beard, THAT is the Question!

You choose. I’m restless. Apparently there’s a second phase of beard itch that I’ve entered into and can’t decide if it should stay or if it should go:

Wow, if the circus comes to town, I could fill in for the Bearded Woman! Hahaha. Ladies don’t be jealous of my goldy locks

Do Your Youth Pray?

Last night was our first night back at youth after a 2 week hiatus and I wanted to put some practice into the lessons on prayer we had before we hit our Easter activities so we did a ‘walkabout.’ I’m not sure if that’s exactly the right terminology but I just watched Australia and the verbage was stuck in my head. Maybe a ‘guided prayer tour’ is a more accurate description.

SO we started off in the santuary where we wrapped up our interactive games with wiffiti and I described our walkabout. We started out in the:

• Sanctuary where we prayed for our church. We have a new building coming up, searching for a new pastor, and this feels like my 1st year as full time Youth Pastor. We then moved on to:
• Children’s Wing where we prayed over the areas of ministry where most of them serve. We don’t hold high school events in the morning and many of my students serve either in in the nursery/elementary classrooms or for media in the elementary worship service. Then it was:
• Outside to the street where we prayed for the people who drove past our church and that God’s name would be spread to the community. Then it was to:
• The Bubba Shack which is a condemned building on our property that we’re trying to get rid of We prayed for the homeless and those less fortunate than ourselves. And ended up:
• In front of the church where we prayed for the worldwide church herself. That above the name of River Community church that Jesus Christ’s name would be raised up and glorified.
• We ended back in the sanctuary where I prayed for the guys and the girls and specifically for our group as a whole.

Overall, I did alot of praying…by myself. Well outloud by myself. A couple of my leaders popped in but student engagement: not so much. Now I told them at the beginning they could silently along but I was really hoping they’d engage audibly. I knew it might go down this way, we don’t have too many opportunities to pray out loud like this. I didn’t care too much though, I thought if nothing else though they’d see that everything we’d just talked about during the last lesson was something that I believed and not just something I talked about.

So what about your group? A praying bunch? I loved the excersize though. We’ll do it again. One of the best things was walking outside I asked them if anyone felt this was a little awkward and a couple said YES. I just smiled and said GOOD I like it when they’re slightly uncomfortable.

Sunday Setlist April 19th – Bluegrass and My Video!

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I know you want to talk about the music but I want to talk about my video! Hahaha.
This week we were supposed to have another Bluegrass Sunday, we do those from time to time, but we didnt have any banjo So it was still different but more folksy acoustic different than Bluegrass different. It’s still fun though seeing how white our congregation is and apparently NOT country. It’s my understanding that you clap on the upbeat or ‘and’ of the beat with the snare hit but instead we jumped on the downbeat with the kick drum hit and it was just ridiculous. But in a good way, haha!

1. I Saw the Light
2. Lord Most High
3. Come Thou Fount
4. I’ve Got a River of Life
5. Offering – Jesus, Help me to Stand
6. Communion – Amazing Grace/ Blessed Assurance
7. O Love that Will Not Let Me Go

Instrumentation this week was: Acoustic, Dobro, Mandolin, Acoustic & Harmonica, Fiddle, & Drums.

So what do you do in your church to change things up a bit?!?!

NOW we also started a new volunteer recruitment series called Real Men of Jesus or Real Women of Jesus depending on the week. It’s a bit dated I know but it was terribly fun to do! And this year that’s what we wanted to do. Highlight some real and not so real jobs in the church that volunteers do in a real fun, real quick way and then have someone live talk about it. This week’s kicked off the series and you can see we went with a real SERIOUS overtone.

It might not be as funny to you unless you know that we have these 2 geese that truly do plague our church, that the staff makes up the band, and that’s one of our elders decked out!

I hope you’re participating in Fred’s blog carnival of Sunday Setlists!

I Just Wanna Say Israel’s New Video is worth checking out

So we reviewed Israel Houghton’s new CD, The Power of One recently here and here and here on the Joint. If you remember, yours truly wasn’t a big fan. However, today the video for I Just Wanna Say dropped over @loswhit ’s Ragamuffin Soul blog and after we crashed his site, I got a chance to watch it.

I’ll tell you, for all my criticism of Israel, the guy makes up for it in energy and feel. I think the only thing that ‘bothers’ me about it is the camera angle of him on the drums and bass. It makes him look like a little guy. (Unless of course, he really is a little guy, to which, I apologize profusely.)

So check it out!

The Office gets Heavy Competition

I haven’t been crazy about this whole Michael Scott Paper Company. While episodes like tonight get some serious laughs, in the back of my mind it feels like they didn’t have any good story board ideas so they thought: hey while we come up with something good why don’t we do this? I see this ending 1 of 2 ways: 1) The Scranton office starts floundering and Wallace boots Charles so Michael can return. Yay, smiles and what a wasted story line. or 2) Michael moves on and someone else takes over the Scranton office. Boo, tears and I’d hate that even worse.

For more on the Michael Scott Paper Company make sure you check out their new site:

As for tonight’s episode, in a nutshell:
Jim pranks Andy in what seems like an effort to get over Angela.
Michael and Dwight go head to head for the top sales client in Scranton.

Thoughts and Quotes:

One of the best openers! It just kept getting funnier and made those Tiger Woods golf commercials look silly!

Am I walking down the aisle to “You can call me Al?” – Pam
You will not be walking, you’ll be boogie-ing. – Andy

It’s not a dress code, it’s a death sentence! It’s like a straight jacket! – Dwight

I just think she doesn’t want a crucifix cake! – Jim (Oh man I was dying for a visual! Hilarious!)

Let me be your traveling pants. – Andy

I…understand…nothing…- Michael

I got hit in the face with a pee filled water balloon! – Michael

I took a month and put that thing on his Blackberry which he now uses as a nightlight. – Pam

Dwight and I wear the same undies! They did NOT appear to be tighty whities but black Fruit of the Loom boxer briefs with the grey waist band! What does this mean!?!?!

I hit a bear. – Dwight

And I knew that you would do that! Their meatball sub is their worst sandwich! – Dwight
…ugh…bastard!- Michael

ARE YOU SAYING YOU INVENTED PAPER?!?!- Dwight

Great closer! Just a great way to put a tidy little bow on the whole episode!
So what’d you think?
What underwear do you wear?
Favorite line?

Discuss….