Guns, Roses, Me and You, too

Riding into town for a night off from working at Kanakuk in Branson, Missouri.
On our way home from school at a stop light in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Sitting in the back of a Suzuki Samurai in Newport, Rhode Island.
Driving to get food during lunch time in Miami, Florida.

There are so many songs that have left a permanent imprint from the first time I heard them on the radio. I can remember where. I can remember when. In fact, because we moved around so much growing up, my siblings and I classify music by where we were living when the songs came out. I first heard “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House in St. Pete. And I remember hearing a lot of U2 back then, but it wasn’t till working at Kanakuk one summer that I fell in love with the band’s music. Then as a junior at Westminster Christian School in Miami, Florida, my friend Jonathan Baker and I left campus for lunch and that’s the first time I heard Club Nouveau’s version of “Lean On Me.” I love that song to this very day. But long before I could drive, my sister’s friend drove us around in a Suzuki Samurai and that’s when I was introduced to “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses.

So I guess the point of all this is to say I’m glad listening to music in the car hasn’t been made illegal… yet! Road trips and quick runs to the grocery store start like any other, but those moments in the car sometimes turn out to be landmarks in my life… all because of the music.

-Out of the Wilderness

Throwing Rocks at Chuck Norris

I was driving from Tennessee to north Florida by way of Interstate 65 with my oldest niece in the back seat. I was behind my brother-in-law and his van loaded with a few other nieces and my sister. It was an old-fashioned caravan, y’all! Like the good ol’ days when they used wagons and horses and wooden wheels. Horse-drawn_garbage_wagon,_Seattle,_1915.gifTheir problems were issues like life-threatening sicknesses but mine? Mine was big time. A piece of earth with violent intentions blazing through the atmosphere with the launch power of a Scud missile and a radar locked on MY FACE! However, the small rock was intercepted mid-air by a Patriot missile… also known as my windshield. The resulting damage was a crack that slowly began to spread across the glass. Unfortunately, insurance didn’t cover this type of damage in the state of Alabama and now that I think about it, don’t even get me started on all the reasons I don’t like that state anyway! The only good things to come out of Alabama are Jameis Winston  and my Versa every time we pass through! I could’ve forked over the cash to have new glass installed but as odd as it may sound, I’m proud of my windshield so I won’t replace it.  For so long I’ve taken for granted that I have a giant piece of very strong glass in front of me, protecting me as I drive a metal entrapment down the road at blazingly fast yet limit obeying speeds. Plus, this life-protecting glass has the word shield in it and right now I can’t think of a more manly word. Shield. It’s like Chuck Norris is laying across my dashboard. Chuck_Norris -Out of the Wilderness

Just Between You and Me, I miss DC Talk

Michael Tait
Newsboys on TV

Sometimes the oddest things happen when you least expect it.

Today at the Nissan dealership I overheard a TV show host introducing a live performance from a band. The sound of their lead singer was quite nostalgic. He’s got a voice that:
1. somehow reminds you it’s all gonna be OK
2. sounds a lot like Michael Tait from DC Talk

That’s because it is Michael Tait now fronting the popular band Newsboys. But if you were growing up as a Christian in the 90s, you know Michael from DC Talk.  He, along with TobyMac and Kevin Max Smith, were the yoot’s outlet (“What is a yoot?”) for gospel rap/rock music. This band was a clear sign that the days of Carman (but not you, timeless Michael W. Smith!) were passing and it was possible to make popular and good music that just so happened to have spiritual lyrics. So of course my brother and sisters and I latched onto the band very early on, starting with a concert somewhere near Washington, D.C. in 1989. We were living in Stafford, Virginia and went to watch 3 guys (one white, one black, one swirl) rock out and it was awesome. You might hear people say they’ve loved DC Talk since the beginning when Free At Last came out, but I’m talking about songs like “Spinnin’ Round,” “Time Ta Jam,” and “Heavenbound.” Gui-gui-guitaaaaar!

We moved away from Virginia but kept listening to the band from Lynchburg as they released another album, then another one, then another one, and another one. And around 1998 when I was in college, a group of us drove to Alabama for a DC Talk concert, this one much bigger than the first one I saw. I remember singing along and Kevin Max’s bleach blond hair. I remember sneaking backstage with Nathan Oyer and acting like we were supposed to be there (I think we just walked around in circles).

Momentum Mobile3I’ve got a lot of good memories of the band, and it didn’t stop when they took a temporary (which is still going??) hiatus about 15 years ago. My very first job when I moved to Nashville was driving Toby’s Momentum Mobile which turned out to be such a fun experience. I learned a lot… like:
1. we live in a big, big country
2. how much I love music
3. leave the car running if you’re going to play music for a few hours
(yes, a fan had to give the Momentum Mobile a jump start)

Driving around the country on that tour was nothing I expected as a 5th grader watching DC Talk perform back in ’89. But it was better than my wildest dreams.

So needless to say I’m holding onto a sliver of hope that DC Talk will have a reunion tour before I’m too old to hear it! And today, just today I’m thankful my Nissan Versa needed an oil change.

A Gold Medal and Lunch with the Governor!

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine earning a gold medal during the 2014 Olympics. In fact, earning any kind of recognition at all wasn’t on my radar. But yesterday, among a select few, I bowed to accept a medal around my neck.
cupidschase6cupidschase7OK, it’s not an Olympic gold medal per se. But 1st place in my division came with perks. Namely, a medal that’s gold in color. I was speechless. Mostly because the woman who was speaking didn’t offer me the mic. The Cupid’s Chase 5k was a fun race even though Nashville weather is the true definition of bipolar. Snowing when the gun went off and sunny at the finish line.

The following afternoon I joined the Governor of Tennesseee for brunch at Cracker Barrel. OK, it wasn’t brunch with the Governor per se. But I was eating at the same time he was eating which means my Mama’s Pancake Breakfast came from the same kitchen as his meal. So that obviously makes us best friends. I would’ve showed him my gold medal but I didn’t want to hurt our friendship. To say this was a good weekend would be politically incorrect. It was a landmark weekend!
Governor Bill Haslam

A Great Big World in Nashville, Tennessee

You can’t go anywhere in Nashville without hearing live music, however hearing great live music might be a bit more elusive. But not if you were at 12th and Porter last night.

A Great Big World
A Great Big World

Loyal fans crowding the floors of the the downtown bar venue were all quite aware of the guys currently holding the #5 spot on the iTunes singles chart, but A Great Big World was new to me. I’ve heard their song with Christina Aguilera but that’s about all I knew. But before we get to them, let’s start with the openers. First there was My Red and Blue whose lead singer (I’m sure he’s heard this a million times) looks a lot like a European version of Eminem. In fact, if he announced to the crowd that he was from Detroit I would’ve shouted out, “We love you Marshall!” But he didn’t. So I didn’t. I don’t think he’s European either and for what it’s worth, this guy has a better singing voice than Eminem. But taking advice from the white rapper, My Red and Blue seems to be seizing their one shot, their one opportunity! They were really good. They performed original songs and even did a cover of Tal Bachman’s “She’s So High.” I really enjoyed their set!

Next up was the biggest surprise of the night for me. The female band plus one guy (that’s what I’m going to call them even though the guy is obviously a very important part of the team!) called Secret Someones. I have a feeling there one hit away from being the all female band plus one guy now called Not-So-Secret Someones. They were great! I don’t typically expect a pop/rock band to feature singers that can you know, actually sing. It seems like those kinds of bands are mostly rockers that can hold a tune well enough to make music. But time and time again, the vocals of Secret Someones really took me by surprise. Not only did they sing well, but they each had quarky personalities in the best possible way. They were just plain fun to watch. Plus, I always appreciate when a band plays hard, but you can still hear the lyrics. Perhaps that’s a shout out to their sound guy. So if you have a chance to go see either of these bands, My Red and Blue or Secret Somethings, you should go.

Of course, the night wasn’t near over. The headliners A Great Big World were still to come! If I’m being honest, I was worried that every song would be that sort of woe-is-me-my-heart-is-broken-let’s-go-get-some-pizza-at-Five-Points vibe you find in east Nashville. But as sure as pigs get muddy, the band kicked off with a few fast-paced songs that had me enamored with the melodies, the harmony of voices, and the lyrics the whole way through. They were entertaining, funny, comfortable on stage, and seemed genuinely happy (and thankful) to be in the position they were/are in, which is playing on a stage in Music City. Another win for them was when they incorporated a muted trumpet, a ukele, and a triangle. Yes, the triangular bar of metal you remember from church choir.

I’m so glad I was able to catch this awesome show! Much like Kings of Leon or Needtobreathe, there’s going to come a point where you’ll say, “Man, I shoulda seen ‘em back when tickets were affordable!” This is that time for these 3 bands. Check them out, you’ll be impressed and that will make you happy.

Wilderness Ratings for headliners A Great Big World:

Entertainment value: 8/10
Enjoyable Music: 10/10
Believability: 10/10
Length of show: Too short Perfect Too long
Encore: Not this time
Special Category- Did Christina Aguilara show up: Yes No
Was their music good enough to buy the whole album: Yes No
Will you regret not going? Yes No

-Out of the Wilderness