Anberlin.

Anberlin is a Christian band that I personally don't listen to very often. But they have a great sound and a great message in their music, so that is why I chose them as my next Christian band to cover.

Anberlin: There are a few reasons as to why Anberlin's name is in fact, Anberlin. But, the name was formed by lead singer Stephen Christian. Christian says that the band was sitting around trying to think of names, when he mentioned that he wanted to name his daughter Anberlin. The band was named Anberlin under the pretense that someone would think of a better name sooner or later; no one ever did, and the name stuck.

Originated in: Winter Haven, Florida.

Genre: Alternative.

Albums: Blueprints for the Black Market (2003), Never Take Friendship Personal (2005), Cities (2007), New Surrender (2008), Dark is The Way, Light is a Place (2010) (Tooth & Nail Records/Universal Republic Records).

Mission: A lot of the media has classified Anberlin over the years as a Christian-rock band. Anberlin, though, does not classify themselves as a strictly-Christian band. Though, some song lyrics contain Christian references. Stephen Christian says, ". I don't care who listens to our records. If it helps people in whatever circumstances they're in, that's amazing..." and also remarks, "[My faith] affects every single aspect of my life, but I'm not a preacher, I'm an entertainer" (Wikipedia 2010). The band members are Christians, and live their lives in a Christ-like manner. Anberlin is out to make good music with a good message.

Tour: Anberlin is currently on tour promoting their newest album "Dark is The Way, Light is a Place". Bands featured include Crash Kings and Civil Twilight. The closest venue is at the TLA in Philadelphia on October 29th. A list of tour dates is online at http://www.anberlin.com/. Tickets are on sale now.

Website: http://www.anberlin.com/. Log on to see a list of tour dates and to buy tickets. 

The Christian Aspect?: Music for me, is extremely powerful. When I hear something that I really like, like an acoustic guitar or a bluesy harmonica, I can't stop listening to it. In my life, there are rare instances where I hear a song and it just strikes a chord with me, and I can feel it down into my soul. "The Unwinding Cable Car" by Anberlin, is one of those songs. 

My boyfriend is constantly making me mix CD's, trying to expand my taste in music, and the last CD included The Unwinding Cable Car. He had previously told me that it was one of his favorite songs, and after listening to it, I can see why. The first time I heard it, it came close to breaking my heart. It's strange how music touches me sometimes; it doesn't have to be anything special or complex. The Unwinding Cable Car starts off with two acoustic guitars harmonizing, and it is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. The lyrics, as well as the music, are extremely touching. 

The lyrics of The Unwinding Cable Car definitely contain a Christian aspect. To me, the lyrics talk about someone who is going through some sort of trouble in their life. They have a decision to make; they need to choose, but they don't know which way to turn. The person feels alone; like they're not worth anything. The song goes on to say that the person has been deceived, that they are worth more than they know. Here are the lyrics:

Emotive unstable you're like an unwinding cable car
Listening for voices, but it's the choices that make us who we are
Go your own way, even seasons have changed just burn those new leaves over
So self-absorbed you've seemed to ignore the prayers that have already come about

This is the correlation of salvation and love
Don't drop your arms
Don't drop your arms, I'll guard your heart
With quiet words I'll lead you in

La lalalala, la la la, la lala, la
La lalalala, la la la, la lala, la

Backing away from the problem of pain you never had a home
You've been misguided, you're hiding in shadows for so very long
Don't you believe that you've been deceived? that you're no better than...
The hair in your eyes, it never disguised what you're really thinking of

This is the correlation of salvation and love
Don't drop your arms
Don't drop your arms, I'll guard your heart
With quiet words I'll lead you in

This is the correlation of salvation and love
(Don't drop your arms)
Don't drop your arms, I'll guard your heart
With quiet words I'll lead you in

You're so brilliant, don't soon forget
You're so brilliant, grace marks your heart
You're so brilliant, don't soon forget
You're so brilliant, grace marks your heart
You're so brilliant (This is the correlation)
Don't soon forget (Between salvation and love, don't drop your arms)
You're so brilliant (I'll guard your heart)
Grace marked your heart (With quiet words I'll lead you in and out of the dark)

La lalalala, la la la, la lala, la
Don't drop your arms
La lalalala, la la la, la lala, la

This is the correlation of salvation and love (La lalalala, la la la, la lala, la)
(Don't drop your arms)
Don't drop your arms, I'll guard your heart (La lalalala, la la la, la lala, la)
With quiet words I'll lead you in

This is the correlation of salvation and love (La lalalala, la la la, la lala, la)
(Don't drop your arms)
Don't drop your arms, I'll guard your heart (La lalalala, la la la, la lala, la)
With quiet words I'll lead you in

The lyrics are beautiful, and I feel like Jesus is the one speaking, specifically in the chorus and bridge. In the chorus He's saying not to give up, that He'll protect you and catch you when you fall. Many people try to hear God, thinking that He'll speak to them in a loud voice. So many times though, God speaks to us in a gentle whisper. He's saying in this song that with "quiet words" He'll lead you in. In your troubles, God will lead you through. The bridge is God reminding us that we are brilliant and full of grace: if we mess up or make a mistake on our walk, God gives us grace. God provides us with infinite grace, so that we no longer have to live in sin. He doesn't want us to forget that. He tells us that we are brilliant, and we are: we are fearfully and wonderfully made. In God's eyes, we are beautifully created, and so often we tend to forget that.

This song is beautiful, with so much meaning. I encourage you to listen to it, in the youtube video posted in the blog below. 

Thanks for reading :). God Bless.

Anberlin - "The Unwinding Cable Car"

Tenth Avenue North.

The first time I had ever heard of Tenth Avenue North was at the summer camp that I go to called Delanco. We were sitting outside of our cabins having devotionals, and our counselors passed around slips of paper that had the lyrics for their song "Captivate" on them. It was the first song by Tenth Ave that I had ever heard, and it has been my favorite by them ever since.


Before Tenth Avenue North was signed by Provident Label Group, they played small shows around the South Jersey area all the time. I've seen them a total of four times, three of which being before they were signed. Here's a little bit about the band:


Tenth Avenue North: The name come from the street where Mike and Jason lived during college.


Originated in: West Palm Beach, Florida, at Palm Beach Atlantic College. 


Genre: Christian/gospel.


Albums: Don't Look Back (independent), Speaking of Silence (independent), God With Us EP (independent), Over and Underneath (Reunion Records), The Light Meets the Dark (Reunion Records).


Mission: To see people encounter truth. Tenth Avenue North wants to be more than just entertainers. All of the band members came from church backgrounds and saw plenty of emotion in people but they found that, if emotion doesn't come from truth, it just doesn't last (Mike Donehey). Their mission as a band is to bring the truth of God to their fans and listeners.


Tour: Tenth Avenue North now tours all over the country. They are currently on the road touring for their latest CD, "The Light Meets the Dark". The closest venue to Eastern on their tour is at Grace Fellowship Church in Timonium, MD, on November 5th. Opening will be Addison Road and Matt Maher. Tickets are on sale now. 


Website: http://www.tenthavenuenorth.com/. Log on to find more details on tour dates, and view photos and videos.


The Christian Aspect?: The one song that I'm going to focus on by Tenth Ave is Captivate, as I've mentioned earlier. I won't lie, every time I hear this song, it still rocks me to the core. It's so deep and honest, you can't help but feel connected with the words; it feels as if it's you that the song is about. The song is all about surrendering to God and giving Him your all; everything that you have in you. As human beings, we all mess up; it's in our nature. We all have secrets and we all have things to hide, and we all have things that take us fall farther and farther away from God. But if we surrender to God, He will make our slate clean. His grace and love for us are overflowing; if we come to Him with an open heart, He will make all things new. Here are the lyrics to Captivate:


From the surface of my skin
To the depths of my soul within
I give you all of me
All the secrets of my heart
Every word and every thought
I give you all of me

Oh my heart's in need of holding
And my soul's in need of truth
Come be near me
Come surrond me, yeah

I lift my hands in sweet surrender
I'm falling humbly on my knees
I fix my gaze upon your splendor
How I love your majesty
You captivate me

Come into my darkest place
Step inside, invade this space
I give you all of me
All the secrets of my heart
Every word and every thought
I give you all of me 


Oh my heart's in need of holding
And my soul's in need of truth
Come be near me
Come surrond me, yeah

I lift my hands in sweet surrender
I'm falling humbly on my knees
I fix my gaze upon your splendor
How I love your majesty
You captivate me
Yeah, You captivate me


I think the thing about the lyrics that gets to me the most is one line in the chorus: "I lift my hands in sweet surrender". It's so simple, but I find that so many people have trouble lifting their hands to God. Mike always says at his concerts, "What do babies do when they see their daddy? They lift up their hands, and they want to be picked up." God is our Father, and He does the same thing for us. He lifts us up when we need Him; He holds us high above the flood. Lifting our hands to God is a sign of surrender, and when we surrender to Him, He'll pick us up and hold us, just like our daddy's would. 


If you're going through a rough time in your life, I encourage you to listen to this song. And even if you're not, I'm positive that you can relate to it in some way. 


A video of the song is posted below. Listen to it; leave a comment, tell me what you think.


Thanks for reading :). God Bless.

Captivate Tenth Avenue North

Mae.

The first band that I will be reporting on is Mae. Mae is my favorite band in the entire world. I've seen them twice in Philadelphia, and have tickets to see them in October. So, here's the lowdown on the band:


Mae: Stands for Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience.


Originated in: Norfolk, VA.


Genre: Mae has been classified as all of the above: Alternative, Indie, and Religious, so you make your distinction.


Albums: Destination: Beautiful, The Everglow, Singularity, (M)orning, and (A)fternoon ((E)vening is due to come out soon).


Mission: To offer listeners music without a record label. The absence of a label allows Mae to have no limitations: anything goes. And because they have no limitations, all of the profits that they receive from digital music downloads on their website will go to different Humanitarian projects year round. Mae's first project was building a house for a family in Newport News, VA. Mae raised, with the help of fans, $65,000 in downloads and donations to help Habitat for Humanity build the house. Their current project is centered around Donorschoose.org, which is an education focused organization. Mae continues to ask for donations from fans in hopes to make a difference.


Tour: Unfortunately, Mae's last tour is taking place this fall (*sobs*). The band members all want to take a chance to experience new things in their lives, and perhaps settle down with families of their own. Their last tour will be called, "Mae: Goodbye, Goodnight", and are touring all over the country. Their most local show will be at the World Cafe Live In Philadelphia on October 22 (I already have my tickets and my tissues). I encourage you to go!


Website: http://whatismae.com/index.php/home. Log on today to see what they're all about.


The Christian Aspect?: There is one song in particular by Mae that I would like to focus on. It's called, "The Fisherman's Song (We All Need Love)", which happens to be one of my all-time favorites. The song is about a musician who has a song to write, but can;t finish it. So he decides to go down to the ocean to seek inspiration. While he's there, he meets a fisherman, who asks him to come out on his boat with him. The fisherman proceeds to give the musician tons of advice on how to live his life the proper way. The fisherman says this:


I'd like to give you just a little somethin'
And you may think it's nothing on first listen
In the time it takes for you to make love
You can break love
Waste love
And throw it all away

But all you need is faith
And hope will bring a brighter day
And every time that you love
Let it lift someone else up

If someone tries to burn you
Give him your hand and turn and pick him up
When he's all alone

Now if you find yourself getting frustrated
Try not to get too jaded or 
You could go insane, like me.

As the song goes on, the musician struggles with loving the way that the fisherman tells him to. And when they get off the boat, the musician turns to face the fisherman, but he's already gone when he turns around. And it's then that the musician finds the end to his song, and discovers how to live, in these simple words: WE ALL NEED LOVE.

The song is very deep, with underlying messages. It took me a few times listening to the song to discover that the fisherman is Jesus. And he was telling the musician (which could be any one of us) the ways that we should be living our lives. The song has a great message, and I encourage you to listen to the song, which is posted below this blog.

It's a little long, but I promise, it will be worth your time :).

So, thanks for reading! Keep checking for new posts!

God Bless.

Mae - The Fisherman Song (We All Need Love)

About My Blog.

Hello, bloggers! This blog is going to be all about Christian music. In the bible, it says, "Sing unto the Lord a new song." God wants us to honor Him with music. So, this blog will be about doing just that; music that praises God.  The title for my blog is a song by the band Switchfoot; Switchfoot is a big Christian band out today. The song is all about God's love for us (I'm sure to post it, so watch out for it). Enjoy, and keep checking for new posts on new bands, and give them a listen!