Matt Wertz

Matt Wertz is a great singer/songwriter, and right now he's giving away a free download of a live album on his website.  So click HERE and then click on the icon at the top of the page.  It's really, really good.

My blog buddy Annie posted this a while ago, I grabbed my free download and then forgot to tell anyone else about it....sorry.

Hey Goat!

Thanks Sarah.

The Swell Season

The Swell Season, the amazing pairing of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who won an Oscar for THIS song, released a new album last week.  They're streaming some of the new songs at their website (look for the player on the right-side nav bar, and click the song title to play), the album is incredible!

Life

I was going through an old box I found in the garage the other day, and came across this poem I wrote a long time ago.

Life is like a dream, that you hold in the palm of your hand,

A grain in the hourglass falling, lost in a sea of sand,

A hope that is whispered, lost in the pouring rain,

A strength that finds it's comfort, in the presence of deepest pain.

Facing down your fear, and losing every fight,

Seeking the voice you hear, crawling towards the light,

On bloodied knees I kneel, as a single tear roles down my cheek,

Surrounded by evil, aware only of the Love that I seek.

Seeking, be not far, but I will ever tarry,

There is no pain or burden here, that I alone can carry,

With Truth I stand firm, ever ready for the fight,

For lost at sea, my dreams forgotten, I am a child of God tonight.

I stare longingly at the horizon, waiting for the Son,

To the coming generations, I will speak of what He has done,

Held captive by the Light, surround me evermore,

Seek and you will find me, and all my dreams, at heaven's door.

So burdens bring your pain, and sorrow bring your tears,

For the best you can do will fall short of the Truth, and be lost in an ocean of years.

So Father I walk with you; my love, my savior, my friend,

Forgetting what is behind, seeking what is ahead, and loving you to the end.

-JMH

Apparently, I've always been bipolar, I just never knew it:)  It's interesting to me that for so many years I romanticized depression, and assumed it was part of the eternal struggle of/for faith.  A soul battle to be fought and won.  I used to be quite intrigued with David, the psalmist, and his blunt honesty.  He never glossed over the pain and struggle.  The truth is, that poor guy was just as messed up as I am.    I wonder how many others are lost and confused in that same place?  Completely oblivious to a chemical imbalance, and wondering why so many others find faith to be such a simple task in the face of insurmountable odds.

Song of the Week

"The Weight of Us" by Sanders Bohlke. (really good stuff, check out his page)

Missy Higgins "Any Day Now"

"Buy me the fastest car, and throw me the keys."

Willy Porter

Oh.my.goodness.
This isn't new, but it's new to me, and wow.

If you like Bon Iver, which I do, then you'll enjoy Volcano Choir.  It's a group that was formed back in 2005 and their album "Unmap" is the full-length debut from the collaboration between Collections of Colonies of Bees and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. The album was just released last month, and you can stream it in it's entirety HERE.

Laughing When You Shouldn't

If you're in the need for some serious laughter today, FOLLOW THIS LINK.  It's a youtube video that I found in Tripp Crosby's(a very funny guy himself) archives this weekend.  You'll laugh 'till you cry, feel a little bad about laughing, and then laugh some more!

It's a video from a foreign telivision program.  This particular episode was interviewing victims of medical malpractice.  Due to time constraints, the host wasn't able to meet the guests before the show...the rest is self-explanatory.  Embedding has been disabled on the video, so you have to follow the link to see the version I chose w/translation, the other ones leave you a little out of the loop.

Enjoy!

BBRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

As I mentioned in a post earlier this year, a few of my family members and I went to see Joshua Radin and Meiko play. Twice actually. The second time was at an outdoor block party in old-town Scottsdale. Good times. Below is a picture of my cousin Cat, and Josh. We were watching Meiko open, and Cat tugged on my sleeve and pointed him out, just hanging out with the crowd in the back watching the show. So we got his picture, and I promised Cat I would put it up a long time ago...better late than never, right? :)



In honor of the fact that it got down to almost 65 degrees at 3a.m. the other night in Phoenix, I give you "Winter" by Joshua Radin.

Paper Route

So this band, Paper Route, will blow your mind. You'll start, and never stop, don't say I didn't warn you. Stop by their myspace page HERE and take a minute to have your musical horizons expanded.

Katie Herzig pt. 2

Here's the official widget for you guys to get the free live album from Katie Herzig.

Katie Herzig

Katie Herzig is an amazingly talented singer/songwriter and she just released an acoustic trio album for free on her website! It will be free for the month of October, and will then be regular price. So go get it! She also used an old children's chorus and turned it into one of the catchiest covers of all time...check it out.

I Love Her

Rosi Golan

Break Up

Critics hated on THIS ALBUM sooo much. Personally, I think it's excellent.

Watch the full performance HERE.