A FreeFest Recap

FreeFest. When I first heard about it, I thought, "This is too good to be true." But no. It was true. A free, one-day festival at the historic Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland, somewhere between Baltimore and DC. Donations ($10 a piece for Jorje and I) made to a local charity. And it's super legit.

A little about the festival:
Three stages, shows from noon-11pm (Sept. 21st), a ton of booths and food vendors, and random things like Waterfall Swings, heart-shaped foam machines, and free suckers.

So Jorjette and I really enjoyed the day. I don't think either of us could have done more than a day (especially if there was camping, etc. involved) but it was a super solid chunk of shows and we would totally go back next year if we could score tickets again.

One quick story: We got "stuck" at the Pavilion Stage (the main stage) once we realized that if we left, we probably wouldn't be able to get back under the pavilion... and it was down pouring... and two of the main bands we came to see were on the docket. So we stuck it out for a solid six hours. It was a miracle we didn't pee our pants or eat an arm or something.

Oh, the only artist we wanted to see but didn't get to was Robin Thicke. Mainly because it was raining and that stage had zero shelter.

I could go on for a while so I'll just give a couple thoughts on each band.

Ghost Beach
Dance Forest
This new group from NYC started the day off with a lot of energy. Poppy, an electronic bent, and some great hooks. The lead singer was intent on making sure the crowd was 100% into the show, demanding "hands in the air" about four or five times throughout the show. But the band was tight and put on a good opening show.

Washed Out
Dance Forest
I've been grooving to Washed Out through the last few albums, loving the general vibe they set. Front runners of the chillwave genre, they know how create a mood. With that said, I wasn't sure what the live show would look like, especially as it's a heavily produced album. I was happy to see a full band (drums, electric, acoustic, bass, synth, plus a number of mixing boards), a surprise considering many bands in their genre rely solely on prerecorded tracks. So, good vibe, people were excited to be there, and they weren't quite as pretentious looking as I would have expected them to.

Chvrches
West Stage
Perhaps one of the most hyped bands of the year, I've been trying to avoid liking this band. But they've got something about them that just sticks with you. We missed the start of this set but, what we saw of it, they sounded great. They relied primarily on tracks and synth (not a favorite of mine) but they had a lot of charm and their vocals were on point. Also, the crowd was eating it up.

Icona Pop
West Stage
I only know this Swedish band through their radio single, I Love It, a sugary, easy-to-forget summer hit. To be honest, their live show felt about the same. Two female vocalists, occasionally playing an instrument here and there. They sounded decent but primarily came across as a parody of a European pop group.

City and Colour
Pavilion Stage
Shortly before the festival, I checked out City and Colour's album on Spotify and was loving the lead singer's raspy, soulful lead vocals over the band's full sound. Their live set showcased this very well. With that said, their genre of music may not have the most energy for a live set. Very glad to see them. Note: this was the first of four shows we saw at the Pavilion Stage, never leaving our seats. Also, how great is this venue?

MGMT
Pavilion Stage
Hmm, how to describe MGMT's live show? They're holding strong to their acid-rock vibe, politely ignoring the success of their two or three hit, pop singles. They sounded good, backed by their trippy computer-generated insect-men type videos playing in the background. It was a sitting concert... except for Time to Pretend and Electric Feel. 

The Avett Brothers
Pavilion Stage
Wow, the total highlight of the day. These guys brought an hour and a half of energy and passion to the stage. They were so excited to be there, performing and doing what they love. While their recorded albums sound great, they come across as relaxed and soothing folk. Live, they sing with so much conviction and emotion that it's hard to even reconcile the two. The stand up bassists wouldn't let his instrument touch the ground for whole songs, due to so much energy. The next song, three of them would gather towards the center of the stage, slowly singing a folk-ballad of theirs. They could have gone all night and I would have been entertained.

Vampire Weekend
Pavilion Stage
Modern Vampires of the City is my front runner for best album of the year. Although Jorjette and I have seen Vampire Weekend live before, I was psyched to catch their new material performed. I wasn't disappointed with how great they sounded live. And they hit all my faves off their new album: Diane Young, Step, Ya Hey, etc. For that, I was thrilled. Besides that, following The Avett Brothers is difficult. VW are masters of producing incredible sounds in the studio, yet performing their smart, preppy, world-music influenced rock with a lot of energy doesn't seem to be their top priority. I will say, since seeing them last, the crowd-response has become much more enthusiastic. Note: this is the fourth show we saw in the Pavilion Stage, a solid six hours without food/bathroom - we're diehards.

An Alt-J / Lord Huron Show Recap

This past Wednesday (9/18) I had the chance to catch the Alt-J and Lord Huron show at the 9:30 Club in DC with my buds Ben, Jeremy, and Taylor. Alt-J has always held a place of intrigue in my mind though I wouldn't count myself a super-fan. With that said, their music is so full and unique that, when given the chance to catch them live, I jumped at the opportunity.

Front row!

As Jeremy did all the organizing/purchasing, it was only a few days before the show that I found out that Lord Huron was opening. Their latest (only?) album has been a favorite of mine over the last year, commonly creating a perfect atmosphere of smooth, folksy goodness.

As their music has a relaxing vibe, I thought the show might sound good but be a little bit of a bore, especially as the guys came out in their J. Crew / Levi gear. Yet I was surprised by how exciting of a show these guys put on. The lead singer lost his cowboy hat a number of times due to rocking out or playing percussion in addition to his guitar (something I absolutely love). We were able to nab front row spots, giving us a great view of the electric guitarist's fantastic skills in creating a great sound. All in all, they sounded great and put a ton of energy into making an engaging show. Check them out sometime if you get the chance.

Onto Alt-J. These guys just exploded with their first and only album. We were catching them on the first night of two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club. The crowd was psyched to be there. And we could feel the energy up front.

The four piece band came out arranged in a neat row and started right into their song, Intro. The word "calculated" was mentioned many times in describing their show and I think that's fair. They enjoyed playing their music for their fans but they weren't necessarily intent on creating incredible stage presence, perhaps an indicator of the specific *ahem* culture their music creates.   

The lead singer, big red beard, all black outfit and floral shoes, sounded great both with his super distinct vocals and guitar picking. Bleached-hair bassist and pizza-delivery-boy drummer were on point. And put-together keyboardist created just about every distinct sound to fill in the gaps. While their album has some super creative sounds on it, it's always a little disappointing when the interesting parts are created solely by a synth... I guess my desire for a live show is to see something I wouldn't see elsewhere.

When performing off of just one album, filling a headlining setlist usually requires some additions. Perhaps the anecdotal highlight was Alt-J's cover of College's "A Real Hero" (the standout track from the Drive soundtrack). That, in addition to the pretty dynamic light-show that accompanied, made for a real good show. Again, check them out live and, perhaps more importantly, check out their album.

Movies: A Fall, 2013 Preview

August has arrived and, for those in higher ed, that means work. Over the summer, I reached my goal of an insane amount of media intake - 14 seasons of various tv shows, 27 movies, 9 books. So there was a lot of catching up on shows/movies/books and discovering new ones happening. My one downer with summer is the low amount of quality movies that are released. There's always a few exceptions but nothing I was able to get to blew me away this summer. Perhaps Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, or the latest "before" installment, Before Midnight, would have proved me wrong.

With the onset of the fall comes a new school year and all that it entails (full schedule, new students, etc.). As for movie releases, this means some award-seeking movies are headed our way. I'm intrigued by Neil Blomkamp's Elysium (out this weekend) though it still falls squarely in the summer blockbuster genre. And the holiday season promises at least a few more great action blockbusters such as Ender's Game, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

As I troll the internet for exciting new releases, the following are a few that have my particular attention. I have the movies' websites hyperlinked and a quick rationale for my excitement. Do you have other movies' that you're particularly excited about?

The Counselor
Director: Ridley Scott
Written by: Cormac McCarthy
Starring: Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz
Release date: October 25
Why I'm excited: Cormac McCarthy is a masterful story-teller. Add Ridley Scott and a stacked cast, something decent has to emerge, right?

Her
Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson
Release date: November 20
Why I'm excited: Spike Jonze never fails to bring an insane idea to magical life on the big screen.

Inside Llewyn Davis
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: Oscar Issac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, Justin Timberlake.
Release date: December 20
Why I'm excited: It's a new Coen brothers movie.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig
Release date: Christmas
Why I'm excited: The visuals in the trailer are just fantastic.

Marilynne Robinson's Writing: "Home," etc.

I recently finished reading Home by Marilynne Robinson. This novel is also loosely tied to her Pulitzer-winning book, Gilead. I think I valued Gilead a bit more in that there's non-stop wisdom and heartache pouring from the protagonist's thought process. But Home created the better character interactions as showcased here between central-figure, Glory, and her tormented brother, Jack.

"She said, 'I don't care if you were in prison,' but the words cost her a little effort, and he heard it and smiled at her for a moment, studying her to be sure that she meant them.
He said, 'You're a good kid'" (p. 290).

I had a chance to see Robinson in a Q&A format at a conference last year and while I was a little lost on the content of the session (having not read any of her books at the time), I was struck with her sense of calm and patience. Regardless of the style and despite the lack of excitement factor, Robinson provides the kind of writing that contains a level of wisdom that's worth every minute of reading it.

Silence

Wow, what a full week of incredible experiences. I’m not going to try to recap the whole of my experience on the Civil Rights Tour but I would like to post one final thought.

I noticed a theme from a few of the people with whom we had the opportunity to interact. Ms. Lisa McNair, sister of one of the victims of the 16th Street Bombing, spoke about what it was like to grow up in a home that had a missing member. The family recognized their daughter’s death but it was rarely ever spoken of, it was simply the way things were. We also heard from Ms. Phyllis Brown, sister of one of the Little Rock Nine who integrated Central High School. In describing the Nine’s reunions decades later, many of them would share stories that none of the others had known about. Again, there was a sense of silence.

I find a quiet beauty in this. Many of the people that we met with were simply trying to live their lives well. I believe there’s room for the Lord to speak within silence, moving people in ways our words cannot. But I am also so very thankful for the many incredibly moving words we heard this past week. I am thankful for people that are committed to sharing their story, giving others a small glimpse of one of our nation’s most important eras. Personally, I hope to allow room for the Lord to speak while also giving voice to what I have experienced.

A Few Questions: Two Days In

The Civil Rights Tour continues! A lot has been jam packed into the first few days, visiting Greensboro, NC and Atlanta, GA. In addition to a lot of sites visited, I've done a good chunk of reading and documentary-watching on the forever long bus rides.   

When any serious time is given to really experiencing and learning about the Civil Rights Movement, it's hard not to quickly be confronted with the thought, "How could people be so hateful, so blind, so stubborn?" The inhumane words, actions, and systems were horrifying. 

After that initial question, a couple other series of questions quickly follow.

The first is this: "What kind of life would I have lead if I were transported to the 50's/60's? If I was a white student growing up in the Midwest, would I have been compelled to act? How about if I was an African-American in the South, would I have had the courage to fight the system, and to do so non-violently?" 

I'm ashamed when I think about the honest answers.

The second question, and perhaps the more haunting, is this: "What systems do I turn a blind eye towards in order to live the life I do today?" 

Dr. Eskew (a GSU professor we heard from today) elaborated on the economic and political context of Birmingham leading up to the Civil Rights Movement. In many ways, segregation and poor worker treatment was utilized to make the city successful at producing iron. It was at that point that Dr. Eskew asked what unjust systems are we a part of today, where are our iPhones or Nike shoes produced? (Hint: probably not in some local, worker-friendly environment.)

It's difficult dealing with internal prejudices that effect those in my closer community. When I start to think about the systems that I belong to that inhumanely disregard others across the globe, it starts to become a little overwhelming. Yet I think this is an appropriate emotional response. And I remain hopeful, surrounded by beautiful examples within the Civil Rights Movement where both personal and systematic injustices were overcome.

Here's Hoping: A Civil Rights Tour Prologue

I’m thrilled to come together with colleagues and students from both Messiah and Geneva in order to witness, discuss, experience, and process the Civil Rights Movement on an eight day tour all over the South. There'll be lots of hotels, charter buses, museums, and interesting conversations.

As in any educational context, the hope is that the knowledge doesn’t just go in one ear and out the other. Working in residence life, my hope with my RAs and residents isn’t that they just survive dorm-life or stay out of trouble. Rather, I hope that my students encounter a transformational learning experience, stumbling upon the inherent value in committing to one another or carrying conversations from the classroom/chapel over into the lounges (or a plethora of other things).

Likewise with this trip, I hope to be changed. I hope to learn a lot about the movement but I also want to be renewed in my sense of understanding of what’s come before me on issues of diversity and reconciliation and what that looks like today. I hope to recognize subtle (and blatant?) forms of prejudice in myself and work against those. I hope to discover new ways to challenge the students I work with to be courageous and inclusive. I have a lot of hopes…

Summer: A New Season

Summer has arrived. Well, for an RD, summer sorta comes on graduation weekend. Then, after another few weeks of office-y work, summer really comes. And then there's two sweet, sweet months of absolutely nothing. (Followed by two months of non-stop work... but we're not going there mentally quite yet.)

Back to the two months of nothing. I lied.

Jorje and I are going on a mini-vaca, belated anniversary trip. A night in Annapolis. A night in Lancaster. We live in PA. We're going to see what there is to see. This part is total chilling out, maxing, relaxing or coolin' or shooting some b-ball outside of school.

But then I head out on a Messiah sponsored, eight day Civil Rights Tour, tromping all over the South, meeting some legit figures from the movement and seeing, in person, the places (and subsequent museums) of some of the major events of the time. There'll be plenty more blogging on that subject.

All that to say. Busy first two weeks of summer.

On to the real point of summer (this blog). I feel lucky to be in a position where I can really (like, really) relax. I have plenty on the Netflix queue (House of Cards, Louie, Arrested Development, a few documentaries, etc.) and a slightly unrealistic reading list (the next few: Boyd's Repenting of Religion, MLK Jr.'s Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community, Robinson's Home) that I'm thankful I'll have some time in which to soak.

As I'll be gone three strewn weeks of the total summer eight, I didn't try to land a job. So I also hope to work on some project-y things and futilely do for Jorje as much as she does for me throughout the rest of the year. The hope is that we'll also have space to lounge and take day trips and go for walks on a normal basis.

And then there's the coming of the fall. I want to go into year number two a little more thoughtfully. I no longer have the "it's my first year" excuse when it comes to thrown-together-staff-times, etc.. But the hope is that some of the reading/watching/reflecting will eventually be beneficial for not only myself, but for the students with whom I work.

There you have it. The spring ended well (albeit, "busy"-feeling) and I'm so very grateful to be where I'm at. Apologies on the purely "update-blog" but I thought I'd mark the start of this season with my general feeling.

Here's to the cyclical nature of higher ed.

Coffee Shop Crawl (#springbreak2013)

Since my spring break plans to visit alma mater Taylor U. didn't pan out as planned, I tried to make the most of the week doing what I do best: relaxing, reading, listening to music. What better place to so than a local coffee shop? So I thought I'd tack on a tour of the local coffee shops, most of which I had yet to visit.

What follows are one sentence reviews of the six places I visited in the last week.

LITTLE AMPS || harrisburg, uptown || website || best overall
This being the one shop that I had been to before, I knew I was going to experience an expertly made drink (a pour-over) in a minimalistic, friendly environment with vinyl playing in the background.

YELLOW BIRD || harrisburg, midtown || website || best food, cutest

This newly opened shop is really a bakery and soup/sandwich place (that serves Little Amps coffee) but it made this list due to its charming interior, crazy good fresh bread, and laid back coffee shop vibe.

THE CRIMSON FROG || camp hill || website || biggest, most hippies
I enjoyed my iced coffee while sitting on a comfortable duct-taped couch, next to a large plant, with the faint smell of smoke wafting through the air.

JUICE & JAVA || mechanicsburg || website || best use of space

While the Steve Harvey talk show inexplicably blasted on their overly large TV, I enjoyed the ambiance otherwise, my French roast coffee was mediocre, and I'm excited to return for one of their many smoothies.

SQUARE BEAN || dillsburg || website || friendliest, most small-town
I wondered into this coffee shop (originally mistaking it for a residential house) and was pleasantly greeted with warm service (not too overbearing), a good iced coffee and a simple sitting area inhabited by groups of elderly folks and well-meaning high school students.

OLDE TOWNE BOOKS & BREW || mechanicsburg || website || saddest

Located in downtown Mechanicsburg, this place had potential for having the most character yet I walked into the shop to find some not so pretty book shelves, a weird tasting vanilla latte, and an announcement of their closing in a week.

Faith and Jazz

"... I live with the tension - that I am called to tell others that they are called, yet I don't know precisely what my calling is. A jazz-shaped faith needs to be content with tension and paradox, even when it is close to home."

Robert Gelinas visited Taylor University a little while ago. After seeing a number of Taylor Tweets and hearing a recommendation from StAustin on his credibility, I thought I'd check out his book, Finding the Groove. I really loved Gelinas' analogy for our faith, helping to frame the way we can approach our faith akin to jazz. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the analogy is the commitment to being highly skilled (read: practiced, experienced, dedicated) Christians who also have the freedom to improvise.

The book read quickly, covered a variety of jazz and faith aspects, and used jazz and civil rights heroes effectively in communicating its message. Check Robert Gelinas out on his blog or give his book a read.