Moody Men's Collegiate Choir

Last Thursday night, Nick and I attended a concert of the Moody Men's Collegiate Choir at Fellowship Bible Church here in Texarkana.  The choir sang a number of great hymns celebrating the power of God and the saving work of Christ.  There is something quite amazing about the blending of strong male voices.  Both the depths of the basses and the strength of the tenors give such choirs real punch.  The song selections were outstanding. In a day when Psalms are all too often neglected (or tied to painful tunes) and traditional hymns are forgotten, hearing this choir sing Psalms and hymns was encouraging.

They also had some popular music in their concert, and a couple of comedy skits.  The choir director, Dr. H. E. Singley, said that many of the singers had never heard the song "When I Fall in Love" until they learned it in their choir.  That song, made famous by the great Nat King Cole, is a good one for Christians to take and bring into our world, for it fits the Christian worldview quite well. 

This choir will be going to Egypt and Jordan in the late spring and early summer.  Our prayers go with them and our appreciation for their God-honoring music.

Christian Music and Worship at LRBC

Yesterday, the family and I had the great privilege of attending worship at Little Rock Bible Church.  I would have loved to have heard a sermon from the senior pastor, Lance Quinn.  I don't know him, except through his contribution to and expansion of the book The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Documented, and Defended by my former pastors David Steele and Curtis Thomas.  (That book has convinced many a Bible student of Calvinistic soteriology.)  But instead of Pastor Quinn preaching, the sermon was given by George Lawson, the student ministries pastor.  Normally, I cring at hearing a "youth leader" preach.  I felt encouragement and conviction, but no cringing.  Pastor Lawrence's sermon was tremendous.  It was on evangelism and was thoroughly Reformed and Biblical, and it included quotes by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and R.C. Sproul. 

For purposes of this blog, I want to celebrate the great music we heard and participated in.  All too often, Reformed worship includes deep, but obscure hymns sung to tunes that are dirgelike and extremely hard to sing.  (You would never find yourself whistling the tunes while working on your car or scanning a T.S. Eliot poem.)  On the other hand, my wife and I attended a college chapel worship service recently that had music that was most unappealing.  I think it is called "Praise and Worship" music, although it leads me to neither response.  It was repetitive, shallow, tuneless, and pounded out with loud drums.

Claude Goudimel was a great Dutch Christian and leader in the Dutch Reformation of the long-time agos.  When Abraham Kuyper was showing that Calvinists and the Dutch also produced artists in his classic Lectures on Calvinism, he cited Goudimel as an example.  I am sure that Brother Goudimel produced some lively, singable tunes.  They just got lost. The ones that I usually experience are hard to sing, obscure, and often leave me dragging.  I call them the "Tunes of the Unknown Singer:  Known But to God."

Back to yesterday's worship:  I was thankful to enjoy a mix of more recent Christian music, along with older, but familiar hymns.  Yes, there was contemporary Christian music in the service, including one song by that Christian hipster, James Montgomery Boice, Presbyterian theologian and pastor, who died a decade ago. His hymn was built upon a paraphrasing of Romans 8.  And the Little Rock Bible Church had an orchestra, but instead of the musicians putting on a performance fit for either the "Screaming and Hollering" youth music crowd or the "Round Mouth" grey-haired concert goers, the music was fitting for a worshipful environment and fitted for enhancing the songs.  Trumpets, after all, ought to be used in every "Regulative Principle" group.

All in all, I was thankful to find that what I kept thinking must exist, does exist.

Nick's European Tour and My Music Listenings

Nicholas, on the left, with classmates and friends touring the Parthenon

The music scene around the House-household has been all-together too quiet this past week. Nick left last week to go with some of his fellow students and others on a tour of Greece and Italy.  With his MP3 player full of the eclectic range of his musical interests, I am sure he has been listening to lots of music.  Hopefully, he has been able to experience some of the music of the Mediterranean world.

Meanwhile, back home, I have been listening closely to the 1980s song hit "Some Old Side Road" by the late Keith Whitley.  It is hard to believe that he and I would be the same age, if he were living.  His talent was incredible and potential unfulfilled.  Ralph Stanley discovered Whitley and another boy by the name of Ricky Skaggs.  These two kids were performing old Stanley Brothers songs so well that Dr. Ralph thought the music was coming from old recordings. Stanley hired the two boys who had to balance their playing with Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys along with high school.  (If I had the talent, I would trade all my high school for a year of perforning alongside of Ralph Stanley.)  Just as Skaggs went on from the bluegrass beginnings to play traditional country music for a good many years, so did Whitley.  Even in the days when he performed with Stanley, alcohol was a demon for him.  Keith was incredibly talented, married to the lovely and talented Lori Morgan, and successful.  Alcohol sent him to an early grave.  My consolation for him is the great gospel song he wrote titled "Great High Mountain."

You don't have to move that mountain

Just help me Lord to climb it
You don't have to move that stumblin' block

Just show me the way around it

We must climb a great high mountain

To reach God's gracious kingdom

In His words you'll find the strength

If you will just believe them

Well, the way is filled with pitfalls

And sometimes we may falter

You can have His grace, my friend

On your knees down at the altar

You don't have to move that mountain

Just help me Lord to climb it

You don't have to move that stumblin' block

Just show me the way around it



Letters from the Music Teachers and Others

Dear Mrs. Presley,
I had to discipline young Elvis in class today. He wiggles and squirms too much during the singing; he is overly concerned about fixing his hair; and he distracts the other students, particularly the girls.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mrs. Lewis,
I regret to inform you that your son, Jerry Lee, has been removed from the piano class.  After repeated warnings, he continued to play in ways that are inappropriate for a piano and he continually puts his feet on the keys.
Signed:
The Principal

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Cash,
The principal and I have decided to move John R. from music class into shop.  He does have some potential in the baritone section, but he tends to sing in a monotone style and sings out of the side of his mouth. We think he might be much better off working with his hands.
Signed:
The Music Teacher and the Principal



Dear Mr. and Mrs. Webb,
After having taught your daughter Loretta (Lynn) in music class, I have come to the conclusion that she cannot be a part of our choir.  She seems unable to enunciate her words properly.  Usually, this comes out in her inability to pronounce the "g" sound in words ending in "ing," such as loving, living, working, drinking, etc. She simply must have some speech therapy before she can return to music class.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mr. Monroe,
Bill's vision problems are hindering his ability to read music, but the more serious concern is his voice.  We have no soprano slots open in the choir for young men. After his voice changes, we can reconsider
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Dear Mrs. Stanley,
I am sorry to inform you that Ralph is failing music.  His voice does not exactly...blend well with the choir. I think you should encourage his interest in agriculture, especially in raising pigs.  I have also notified the counselor of some of his particular comments.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Counselor to Music Teacher:
You are exactly right. Young Mr. R. Stanley has an unhealthy and morbid view about death and graveyards. His brother, Carter, shows the same tendencies, but with an emphasis on the death of his mother.  I am concerned about where these two boys are headed.

Dear Mrs. Parton,
The multi-colored coat you made for Dolly does not fit in with our choir outfits.  Therefore, she will not be able to participate in our upcoming concert.
Signed:
The Music Teacher

Principal to Music Teacher:
Please drop Jennings and Nelson from your fifth period music class.  They have both been expelled from school.
Signed:
The Principal

Note to Principal:
If Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, and Gary Rossington, dont get that hair cut off, they cant come back to my gym class. I done told them twice.
Coach Skinner

A Country Legend: Stonewall Jackson

Stonewall Jackson's Greatest Hits sung alongside a host of Country Legends


In the late 1980s, people began discovering, or actually rediscovering, traditional country music. Singers like George Strait, Randy Travis, and Alan Jackson awakened large numbers of people to country music and drew huge crowds who fell in love with their traditional country sounds and styles of singing.

With the popularity of the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” in 2001, once again people rediscovered traditional music. Periodically, when these rediscoveries take place, the music listening public seems astounded by the new music, featuring acoustic guitars, fiddles, and steel guitars. The songs, emphasizing loves lost and loves found, heartbreak and happiness, and cheating and fidelity capture the range of human emotions and experiences. The emotions of the songs resonate with the souls of people. Even people who have never lived in the country or in the south and who do not have ties to a little country church, music on the front porch, or falling in love with the girl next door find themselves attracted to the music.

So, no matter what trends come and go, no matter what extravagances occur in the music industry, and no matter whatever harmful actions are taken by music producers, traditional music will survive. It will periodically re-emerge and appeal to whole new crowds of people.

There are, however, some singers who have always sung traditional country music. Before Elvis and after Elvis, before the Beatles and after the Beatles, and before the advent of the orchestrated, violin dominated Nashville sound and after that, some folks stuck to singing traditional country music. In fact, it is something of an oxymoron to call it “traditional country music.” If it is, in fact, country music, it is traditional.

Saying this is not to criticize other music genres, artists, and tastes. Beethoven was great, but he wasn’t country. And it is true country music that we speak of here.

Stonewall Jackson is a true country singer. Of course, with a name like Stonewall Jackson, a man would have to be tied to the deepest rooted parts of southern life. Jackson began singing in the 1950s. He was quite a popular country star during much of the time from the 1960s to 1980s.

The whole period from the 1950s through the 1980s was a golden age for country music. That time period encompasses the careers of the greatest of country singers. The art of the music was defined by the combination of technology—records and radio—and ideology, by which we mean defining beliefs about the music. The temptation to change the style of the music was always there, and the pressure of trying to appeal to newer, younger audiences was always present. But the heart of country music was middle class, hardworking folks who had grown up in a time when entertainment largely consisted in picking up WSM’s Grand Ole Opry on a Saturday night.

Country fans were loyal and solid. When they heard an artist sing, they politely applauded the new songs, but they expected to hear the old songs. If a number one hit from 1963, sung a thousand times by a singer was not sung, the country loyalist felt cheated.

These were people who listened to country music on the radio, who watched the Saturday afternoon country music shows, and who made a pilgrimage or two to the Opry at the old Ryman auditorium in Nashville. Because these kind of people were the bedrock country fans, they never grew tied of the traditional country sounds.

The vast majority of those country artists are now gone. I can remember hearing Tex Ritter sing “I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven” on the Opry. All of that generation that included Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, and Ernest Tubb are now dead. In the past several several years, we have lost Porter Waggoner, Billy Walker, Charlie Walker, Hank Snow, and (quite recently) Hank Locklin.

Thankfully, we still have some legends around, like Ray Price (who in his eighties is still performing), George Jones, and Stonewall Jackson.

This CD collection of Stonewall Jackson’s hits sung by him with is friends is a gem. Over a dozen of the artists who appear on these songs have died since these songs were recorded. This collection is a virtual “who’s who” of real, roots country music.

Great Jackson hits like “Don’t Be Angry” (which every husband needs to sing to his wife every day), “I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water,” and “That’s Why I’m Walkin’” are all here. And yes, of course, his great hit “Waterloo” is the concluding work where he is accompanied by a vast throng of singers.

These selections may not often be heard on the radio and this CD may not be found in your local stores, but it is worth getting hold of. If you never have heard of Stonewall Jackson the singer, or if you, like me, have been a fan for many decades, you will enjoy this collection of music.


"Stonewall Jackson and Super Friends" can be ordered from
The Ernest Tubb Record Shop .

Fleet Foxes

My Sony mp3 player happily informs me that “every moment has its music” whenever I turn it on. This is partly true. Due to the advent of mp3 players, people can now take their music everywhere. This can make life exponentially better. Instead of taking a walk in the park, you can take a walk in the park with The Beatles or The Shins. Or, to put it in a more negative way, trips to Wal-Mart can become made worse by having Nickelback blasted into your eardrums.


However, some of us dislike the claustrophobic closeness of the earbud. Listening to music with earbuds is like having a conversation with a close talker-no matter how interesting it is, you feel like your personal space is being violated. Around-the-ear headphones are better, but the pair I have are emblazoned with huge skulls, thus making me look like I should be pierced, tattooed, and listening to The Misfits.

CD players, computers, and those nifty chords that let you hook up your mp3 player to the stereo system if you press the “Aux” button, are all good, but when it comes to listening to music somewhere other than the comfort of home or the car, I am at a loss. A boom-box would be pretty retro, but I would feel wrong playing anything on it that wasn’t old-school hip-hop. Carrying my own instrument would be a good idea, but I don’t own a strap for my acoustic guitar. Personal minstrels are out of the question. I would simply have to do without, and hope I that the stores I want to go to play Jefferson Airplane and not Miley Cyrus.

What if, to solve this problem, music was supernaturally played at appropriate times and places? For example, say you’re walking along and you see someone and know that she’s your soul mate. (Assuming you’re a guy.) Suddenly, music from Air Supply magically begins to play. Or every time you were coming back from some event where you had to wear a suit and had to run into Wal-Mart to get some eggs, “Sharp Dressed Man” by ZZ Topp was heard in the immediate radius. It seems like some music is tied to specific sorts of places or situations. Just try to work out and listen to Jack Johnson.

If walking out in the woods just before dawn had a soundtrack, it would be Fleet Foxes self-titled debut album. The album brings up images of early morning sunlight coming through the trees. The four-piece band from Seattle plays a spectral brand of folk-rock, with a bit of a retro pseudo-60s sound. Don’t expect any blues jams or screaming guitar solos.

Fleet Foxes mixes different folk styles, blending American folk with British, Celtic, and Renaissance music. “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” actually sounds like a real folk song. The music on this record sounds like it was coming from a cave, or maybe a room in a castle. The reverb-heavy approach is a recipe for boredom in less talented bands, but fits perfectly with Fleet Foxes’ minimalist style. Lead singer Robin Pecknold’s voice is a bit odd, (He pronounces “staggering as “stagger-eein’”) but is not in the least annoying, and has a strange beauty. He’s backed up by a shimmering electric guitar, and some subdued drums. The drums and guitar on this record are probably the least obtrusive I’ve ever heard. They don’t try to upstage the vocals; instead, they support them. The songs aren’t highly technical, but they’re very tight. There is not a wasted note on the record. Fleet Foxes manages to have a lot of diversity on their record, from the rousing “Ragged Wood”, to the calming “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song.” The record is full of good melodies and even better harmonies. The harmonies are so tight, it seems like one person is singing, and the reverb-laden backing chorus is the high point of this album. The album is essentially flawless.

This record is great for listening to early in the morning while drinking coffee, at night when the moon is full, or any other time that is full of atmosphere. It is haunting without being depressing If you like 60s folk rock like Simon and Garfunkel or Steeleye Span (Great Celtic rock band), or if you’re looking for something new and different, check out Fleet Foxes and their self-titled CD. Words cannot accurately describe it. It must be heard to be believed.

You can check out Fleet Foxes' Website and by some of there music here.
Currently Listening: Stockholm Syndrome, Derek Webb.

Recent Concerts, Part One.

Bradley Hathaway, Us and the Ship


Location: The old I Love Evelyn building

Friday, January 28



Due to a prior commitment, I arrived at the Bradley Hathaway concert about thirty minutes after the door opened. When I walked in I found that the show had already started, but was surprised to see that Bradley Hathaway was already playing. It turned out that, in order to make sure everyone stayed at the show, the out-of-town headliner was playing first, and the local band (Us and the Ships), was playing last. Not exactly how it is supposed to be, but this is Texarkana.


I didn't actually take this picture, but I didn't have my camera at the concert.


Bradley Hathaway, sporting long hair and a mustache, sat alone onstage accompanied by his acoustic guitar. I did not get there early enough to hear very many of his songs, but his style consists of his playing a simple, repetitive line on the guitar and talking over it. The only artist I can think to compare him with would be mewithoutYou if Aaron Weiss got into Americana and mellowed out considerably. His style was challenging, and it will probably take repeated listening to him to fully appreciate him. There was a lot of giggling in the audience when he got to the lines in one of his songs, “Adam and Eve were naked in the garden, and I want to get naked too. Let’s all get naked. But no, I can‘t do that.” etc. Although it makes sense in the context of the song, it seems as if the song lyrics are directed more toward shocking or amusing the audience as opposed to making a genuine artistic statement. Perhaps I’m wrong.
After he finished playing his songs, he recited a couple of his poems. Bradley Hathaway is no Wordsworth. He falls prey to most of the pitfalls of modern poetry, its egotism, its morbid introspection, and its total ignorance of any poetic devices such as similes.. And his poem about wanting Jesus to give him a hug seemed to skirt the edges of irreverence. However, his poem “Manly Man” was a humorous take on the difference between true Christian manliness and the world’s definition of manliness.
Once Bradley Hathaway finished his poetry recitation, he went to the tedious business of selling T-shirts and Us and the Ship took the stage. I found that this band was fronted by lonely poet Keith Tubbs and one of the members was Skyler House, who had played rhythm guitar for Israel and Fordreamsalike when I saw them open for Abel. The band’s style was described to me as hardcore-influenced indie, sort of in the vein of Edison Glass.

Guess which one can change a tire.

Us and the Ship’s was a band that tried too hard. Keith Tubbs, who is already unable to sing without sounding like he has a stomach virus, gave us a new feature to his onstage persona-dancing. Flailing would probably be a better word-the poor guy looked like he either had some sort of nerve disorder, or that he was being attacked by a swarm of angry wasps. The rest of the band did synchronized head banging, which looked very amateurish. The drummer‘s idea of being good was playing as loud as possible. The songs felt like they lasted forever. A good band can take a twenty-minute long-song and make it go by in a heartbeat. Us and the Ship dragged out five-minute long songs into eternity. I’m not in any way against experimental song structure, but if you are a beginning band, it is a good idea to keep to the tradition verse-chorus-verse structure. It’s pleasing to the ear and makes it easier to write good songs. Amateur songwriters may claim that it makes their music “too pop”, but anything that is not classical or traditional folk music is pop.


I didn't take this picture either. This is why you should always remember your camera.


Us and the Ship’s songs had the typical features of indie bands that try too hard. There were repetitive sections of the music that lasted too long, tempo changes, a pseudo breakdown. Keith even pulled out a harmonica, to do his Dylan-wannabe bit. The final song was the best, one of those indie songs that tries to swing with a bluesy rhythm, but the lyrics were complete gibberish.
My biggest complaint was not with the band, but with the audience. Despite the loud rock music being played onstage, and the energy of the band, they stood stock-still during the entire performance. This is completely unacceptable. It is just as rude and disrespectful to stand still at the front row of a rock concert as it would be to jump and scream at a symphony performance. Standing still during the band’s set says to the band “I don’t care.” I was informed that this was a Texarkana thing, and I can see why. Since Texarkana has almost no music scene to speak of, most people have never been to a concert before, and have no idea what to do once they’re there. If you go to see some sort of rock band, don’t stand still. Jump up and down, clap your hands, bang your head, do the Charleston, do something. But don’t stand still.

You can visit Bradley Hathaway's Facebook page here and Us and the Ship's Facebook page here.

While you're here, read and comment on the other posts. There's some good stuff waiting to be read.

Currently listening: Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes.