The Blah Blah

The Blah Blah Has Moved!

Jake Stimpson — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:57:30 +0000

In case you didn’t catch the previous memo, The Blah Blah has officially moved on to it’s own website www.theblahblah.net.

Our new rss feed is… http://www.theblahblah.net/?feed=rss2, so go on and update your readers.

Goodbye, WordPress!

Jake Stimpson — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:00:04 +0000

In the hopes of continuing to expand The Blah Blah, I’ve taken the site off of WordPress and onto my own domain. I seem to have reached capacity here at WordPress, and now it’s time for bigger and better things.

Head on over to www.theblahblah.net and subscribe to the blog there.

Also, if you’re interested in writing, shoot me an e-mail (jake@theblahblah.net) and we’ll talk about it.

And as always if you have some awesome new music and want me to write about it, send it my way. Don’t bother sending me your crap though, because I’m not gonna say anything positive about it unless it really is great. I’m tired of polishing turds.

I do mean that in the best light possible. :)

Sarah McMillan – The Other Half of John Mark

Jake Stimpson — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:47:48 +0000

Sarah McMillan. Wife to John Mark. Soon mother to Jude Williams. Master potter. Musician.

Ever since I started listening to Sarah’s music, I’ve found myself referring to her inadvertantly as “Sarah Mark McMillan,” but her music is nothing like her husband’s. Where John Mark’s music hearkens back to 90s alternative rock, Sarah’s goes a little further back… more toward the 1890s than the 1990s. Drawing on folk, roots, and country, with some bluegrass twang thrown in, Sarah’s songs put you solidly in a slightly modernized Pentecostal camp meeting from the early 20th century. It’s equal parts Enter the Worship Circle and O Brother Where Art Thou?

I gotta admit, I have a soft spot in my heart for folk and old-school country music, and Sarah fills that soft spot well. I’m listening to her album Under Your Bright Wings now and, yeah, she is so country. She may be even too country to throw into the alt-country category. Doug Burr’s alt-country. William Elliott Whitmore’s alt-country. Sarah is country. Country like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr, and all those other guys you just love because their music catches something about America, God, and life that resonates with your soul.

Lyrically, she’s a little more straightforward than her husband and a little more obviously worship-centered, but still she does a great job of steering clear of the standard worship terms and phrases. Sure there are a few in there, but they’re not so predominant as some of the pop worship songs of today.

How about some personal history? On her website, she writes:

Sarah McMillan grew up in Vidalia GA, a rural southern town famous for sweet onions. Her passion for worship and the arts swelled in the late 90′s while touring North and South America with performance companies like Ben and Robin Pasley’s “Enter the Worship Circle”.

Relocating to North Carolina in 2000, Sarah planned to study and develop her skills as a potter. At the same time she developed relationships with singers of the area and became heavily involved in the flourishing community of worshipers and artists. Before long, she began to write and sing her own unique variety of sweet, rootsy material. Sarah McMillan’s folky compositions are intimate, anthemic, accessible and always sincere.

Hope you like these two samples, and now go buy the rest of the album. Check out her awesome pottery too while you’re at it:

Bright Wings - Download - Stream
He Waters My Soul - Download - Stream

Website: www.sarahmcmillan.com
Myspace:www.myspace.com/sarahmcmillanmusic

Buy MP3s from Amazon.com
Buy CD from John Mark’s website

Note: All MP3s will be removed after one week

American Idol is Destroying Rock-n-Roll

Jake Stimpson — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:09:17 +0000

I’ve never been a huge fan of American Idol but I caught myself sucked into this season’s first episode last week. It was entertaining to see so many songs tortured by well-meaning singers with delusions of grandeur, I admit, but I found myself a little annoyed afterwards.

American Idol is destroying the very thing that makes rock-n-roll what it is. Chuck Berry would never have made it past the tryouts. Elvis Presley would have been laughed off the stage. Little Richard would have been ignored. Joey Ramone would have been censored. Bob Dylan would be crucified and Mick Jagger would be told to stick to his day job.

I tried to think of anybody who I really like to listen to who might have what it takes to be the next American Idol, and I couldn’t think of any. Sufjan Stevens is too whispery. Robbie Seay is too gravelly. Michael Nau is too sad. David Eugene Edwards (Woven Hand) is too depressing. Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYou) won’t even try to sing. Jesse Coppenbarger (Colour Revolt) screams too much. Aaron Strumpel’s range is too limited. Vincent Voss (The Singing Mechanic) has an odd vocal style. Daniel Smith… well Daniel Smith wouldn’t even be allowed to sing on American Idol if he wanted to.

Pretty much anybody I like to listen to would probably not even be allowed past the tryouts. And chances are that anybody who would do good on American Idol wouldn’t last long on my playlist.

When rock-n-roll came on the scene, it was fighting against staid, overly-perfected songs that dominated American listeners, replacing that with music that burst forth from the gut. By its very nature, rock-n-roll emphasizes experimentation, self-expression, and raw emotions. American Idol is destroying all that.

Joe Garner – Earthy

Jake Stimpson — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:43:35 +0000

Finally, I’m back blogging, and here is another of my posts that is way late in the coming, but I hope it helps point a few of you in the direction of an artist well worth it.

Joe Garner is one of my favorite artists I downloaded from NoiseTrade a while back. With a subtle, earthy folk sound and songs that bring to mind a slightly more modern and way more indie version of classic Johnny Cash ballads, Joe Garner’s songs tell stories of broken, desperate people in need of a Savior.

I won’t waste your time or mine by boring you with a mediocre review, so just head over here for a good little interview by Brent at Colossians Three Sixteen.

Besides that, Joe says about himself on his MySpace:

Recorded at a mountain studio in east Tennessee and released independently, Garner’s is a sound definitely grown from the ground. Earthy, honest and plaintive; Mourning Birds beckons back to the folk ballads of a simpler time and at the same time casts a shadow of unease on its own mirth. Compiled with a handful of friends giving sparse and simple accompaniment to his guitar, Garner’s first effort includes six tracks that display the enigmatic range of moods that make this burgeoning songwriter and storyteller a haunted soul not soon forgotten. Songs like ‘Bury the Hatchet’ and ‘June and God’ usher the listener into the quiet moments of human longing and the subterranean rage that either break our spirits or make us whole. These stories of squandered love and utter desperation place us as near voyeurs in the midst of lives unraveling and eroding before us. Idiosyncratic yet empathic, the images conjured up by Garner’s characters evoke a time and place hauntingly too near. Other songs, like ‘They’re All Gone’, move hesitantly out from the shadows. In his way, Garner captures a glimpse of hope’s somber release, the silent joy of discovering that some of life’s darker doubts and questions cannot be answered, not yet. Son to a life-long and road-weary Country ‘n’ Western picker, Garner comes by his music honest. While not too concerned with slaying the forefathers of his genre or recreating the wagon wheel, Joe Garner has been able to move in and inhabit the best sensibilities of a songwriting once known as Country Music, but upon its exit from the country now labeled ‘Roots’. May his roots grow deeper; we’ll sit and listen.

The Mourning Birds EP is simple heartfelt folk. Definitely go get yourself a copy, and keep your eyes open for more songs by Joe. In the meantime, here’s a couple of samples:

Bury the Hatchet - Download - Stream
They’re All Gone - Download - Stream

Website: www.joegarnermusic.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/joegarnermusic

Download MP3s at NoiseTrade.com

Note: All MP3s will be removed after one week

Confessions of a Delinquent Blogger

Jake Stimpson — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:18:02 +0000

This is just a quick note to let everyone know I’m still alive and kickin’. Well, not really kickin’. I haven’t kicked anything in a while. No footballs, cans, walls, or even small puppies.

I am alive however.

I’ve just been really busy lately again, so I’ve been trying to focus in on what really matters in life, my relationship with God. It’s been a great week of focusing in on Jesus, devoting more time to Him and all, but now that the craziness of the holidays is slowing down, I’ll probably be back with some more great artists in the near future.

With that said, hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Years’ and I’ll be back in a few days.

Have a Blah Christmas 2008

Jake Stimpson — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:29:56 +0000

Merry Christmas! It’s once again time for The Blah Blah’s annual Christmas mix cd – Have a Blah Christmas. Hope you like it.

Download or preview the MP3s individually, or get the whole thing (complete with cover art) in one massive zip file here.

Otherwise, I apologize but the songs aren’t edited to be in the correct order according to track number. You’ll have to do that yourself. I just ran out of time.

Enjoy the mix, and stop by the Sounds Familyre Blog for A Familyre Christmas, Vol. 1 and 2, with more great Christmas music.

1. Rosie Thomas – Christmas Time is Here (Download or Stream)
2. Lenny Smith - Finally, It’s Christmas Eve (Download or Stream)
3. Sufjan Stevens – We’re Goin’ to the Country (Download or Stream)
4. Over the Rhine – Little Town (Download or Stream)
5. Anathallo – Come Ye Sinners (Download or Stream)
6. Elin Smith – Oh Holy Night (Download or Stream)
7. Threnody Ensemble – Cello MiscO2 Mix01 (Download or Stream)
8. Joe Dorsey – Silent Night (Download or Stream)
9. Alli Rogers – O Little Town of Bethlehem (Download or Stream)
10. All Stars – Jesus is the Reason for the Season (Download or Stream)
11. Ryan Dean – To Us a Child of Hope is Born (Download or Stream)
12. Robbie Seay Band – Song of Hope (acoustic) (Download or Stream)
13. Mike (?) - Greensleaves (Download or Stream)
14. Joshua Stamper – Immanuel (Download or Stream)
15. Sleeping at Last – Merry Little Christmas Volume Up (Download or Stream)
16. Over the Rhine – One Olive Jingle (Download or Stream)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Note: All MP3s will be removed after one week.

And now for something completely different… Sermon Jams

bdstimpson — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:26:46 +0000

A few years ago, I was doing a lot of driving, and I wanted to get more time in God’s word, but I didn’t want to spend any money on an audio Bible. So, what do I do? I go online of course, for the world’s largest collection of downloadable mp3s ever! In my searching, I came across the work of John and Nicole Mahshie, the founders and artists behind Relevant Revolution and Sermon Jams, a collection of mp3s amounting to much more than an audio Bible.

I downloaded a few tracts and was instantly hooked. So, of course, I had to go get more. John views his work as a ministry and, like Keith Green before him, offers his music for a donation, even if that means he never makes a cent for it.

So, what kind of music does he make? It’s hip-hop… but with a twist. The artists at Relevant Revolution take great sermons and re-mix the audio to a backdrop of some innovative, creative, and emotive (ooh… lots of “-ive” words…) hip-hop beats. It’s really great for meditating on the things of God. I was an instant fan, and I’m not even big on hip-hop.

Not only is this great music, but check out their mission (taken off the website at www.relevantrevolution.com):

“Our desire is to promote a reverence and passion for the supremacy of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom and our focus is on the foundational truths of the Christian faith…. The verse we have picked to represent this ministry is Romans 10:14 which states ‘But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?’”

Later, their website states: “Our goal is to flood city streets, universities, and other public places with the Gospel message.”

The focus is bringing Jesus’ good news to those who haven’t yet payed it any attention. I love it!

John Mahshie began the ministry (according to an interview with Jeannie Choi found on page 120 of Outreach Magazine, May/June 2007, volume 6, issue 3) during a time in his life when he was searching for God’s guidance and direction. He was listening to sermons given by such preachers as John Piper and Ravi Zacharias while playing wordless hip-hop tracks in the background. He noticed how the beats and the preaching seemed to flow together naturally, and that started him with an idea and a ministry that would come to impact hundreds and perhaps thousands.

And this is just some guy who makes good beats and wants to love God with all his heart. Awesome!

You may not be a big fan of hip-hop, but I would encourage you to check out the mp3′s below. If you like them, head on over to his site at www.relevantrevolution.com for more sermon jams and a link to send in your donation.

Here are two of my favorite tracks:

Go - Download - Stream
Life - Download - Stream

Note: All MP3s will be removed after one week

An Ever-Expanding List…

Jake Stimpson — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:00:33 +0000

I was thinking about it this morning (well, actually, two mornings ago, by the time you read this), and there are very few worship songs with really good (or even decent) bass lines. I play bass on my church’s worship team, and this has bugged me endlessly.

For bassists to be so harshly discriminated against in the worship music industry simply because of their lower-end frequency nature is simply injust.

It’s with this in mind that I’m starting a T-shirt company which will raise money to help fund underprivileged bassists on worship teams throughout America, Europe, and other bass-discriminatory nations.

Seriously, I thought it’d be fun to create an ever-expanding list of worship songs that have at least decent (and possibly awesome) bass lines.

Here’s what I have so far, and leave any comments with your own thoughts and additions:

All Slow Down (Chris Tomlin)
Be Lifted or Hope Rising (David Crowder Band)
Deeper (Delirious?)
Found (Hillsong United)
Jesus Garden of My Rest (Robbie Seay Band)
Make a Joyful Noise / I Will Not Be Silent (David Crowder Band)
Oh Jah! (MorningStar Worship / Leonard Smith)
Rain Down (Delirious?)
Rend the Heavens (Isa Courvertier)
The River is Here (Vineyard Worship)
Sing Like the Saved (David Crowder Band)
Tell the World (Hillsong United)
We are Free (Robbie Seay Band)
You (Waterdeep)

Alright, that’s what I’ve got for now of the worship songs I can think of with good to great bass lines. Help me out and add some to the mix.

Michael Nau Covering Starflyer 59

Jake Stimpson — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:11:10 +0000

Wow. If you haven’t seen this video yet of Michael Nau (Page France, Cotton Jones Basket Ride) playing Starflyer 59′s song “I Was Seventeen,” you’ve gotta check it out. Wow. It’s intensely sad.