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

Wacky Wednesday: Do you want to build a snowman?

Build a snowman, really? This guy would ask that question on a first date… IN JUNE! He’s a bit wacky, but hey, he can work some magic with the hair clippers.

Hurt Like Hell

The inch-and-a-half cut on my finger was from a punch I landed on a jerk at the grocery store. When he hit the ground, I bent down and said to him, “Ring that up with a coupon, Sally.” The cut was deep and I knew it would bleed. But the pain, it was instant and an immediate signal things weren’t going the way they were supposed to.

That’s a cool way to tell you about the cut on my finger. However, I’m not a vigilante. I’m a dog owner. Here’s the real story.

It all started on a beautiful Saturday morning. Rare in this bitter cold winter Nashville’s having. Taking advantage of every ray of warm sunlight, I ventured off to the dog park with Piper and Asia. It’s been awhile since we were in the habit of afternoon park visits. It was a great day, the dogs seemed friendlier than usual and there were multitudes of dogs and owners at the park that afternoon. Piper, the less social one, was more social. And I was, too. After chatting with a few folks, I rounded the girls up and we headed for the exit. That’s when it happened.

I was exiting and there was another group entering. When Asia saw the dogs waiting for us to pass through the gated entry, in her excitement she hurdled towards the dogs. Holding on to the leash with a death grip, my hand slammed into the gate latch and like I said, the pain was immediate. The cut on my finger reminded me of babies when they fall down and hit their head. They get up. It looks like they’re crying but you don’t hear anything. That’s when you know it’s going to be a doozy. The hysterics begin with a loud scream and it goes on from there. Likewise, my finger was cut, but there wasn’t any blood… yet. I knew it was coming so I did the best I could to be curb the flow. Instead of getting in the car, I let my finger soak up the sunlight, raising it as high as I could without looking like a weirdo, and blew on it occasionally.

So if we ever cross paths and you ask about my wound, I might say, “Hey, you should see the other guy!” but you’ll know the truth. I cut my finger protecting a young goat from a puma.

-Out of the Wilderness