May 2007
Don't Judge A Band By Its Label
05/04/07 09:16 AM Filed in: Media
I need to see some
hands. How many of you have purchased, or at least
listened to, the newest Chevelle CD, Vena
Sera?
I've long held the opinion that bands should not be dubbed "Christian" or "Secular" simply by their label. I also hold to the opinion that a band, made of Christian members, should not be judged simply because every one of their songs does not say "Jesus" or "God" somewhere in it. In general, appearances shouldn't deceive you. Don't look at a band and say, "I think this and this" about them. Pick up the CD and listen to it. Go to the bands website. Look at the members lifestyles. Then make a judgement.
P.O.D. is a band that is often critisized for headlining Ozzfest, playing on MTV, or touring with bands like Korn. But I like what P.O.D. has to say to that in an interview with FamilyChristian.com.
---
"You know what, we're not trying to play for the Christian. It's been almost 10 years that P.O.D.'s been for the people that don't know God. To get to this point where God puts us in front of millions of people that don't know God, that's a dream come true and it's an act of prayer for P.O.D."
---
On a side note, P.O.D. was originally produced by the Christian record label, Rescue Records. They have since then by produced by Atlantic Records (Tooth & Nail Records helped distribute The Warrios E.P .) and Rhino Records, both owned by the Warner Music Group. They are currently produced by Columbia Records, owned by Song BMG Music Entertainment. P.O.D. has currently released 12 albums, and is planning on releasing their newest album in the early Summer of 2007. I say all this to point out that P.O.D. is produced by well known record labels. Mainstream record labels. And they are still a Christian group. It's silly when people say, "Why are they playing in front of millions of Non-Christian with that terrible band?" Um... why not? Do you witness to people sitting on your couch watching Veggie Tales? No! You go out, you build a relationship, you learn how to relate, then you share God's love. That's what P.O.D. is doing.
Let's look at the flipside. Chevelle just released their latest effort, Vena Sera (which means vein liquid and is said, by band frontman Pete Loeffler, to describe "the blood of the band and the work we put into the album"). The album was released on April 3rd, 2007. It was the bands third album release produced by Epic Records, owned by Song BMG Music Entertainment.
Chevelle released their first album, Point #1, in 1999, produced by the little-know record label Squint Entertainment. Squint was owned by Word Records. Word Records was owned by Warner Music Group. Word Records was known to be the Christian label of Warner Music Group. Perhaps you've heard of Mark Schultz? Stellar Kart? Jaci Velasquez? Nicole C Mullen? Building 429? Amy Grant? Those groups are all also produced by Word Records. So Chevelle's debut CD was immedietly thrown into Christian stores. At the Dove Awards in 2000, Point #1 took "Hard Music Album" of the year award.
After hearing Mudvayne's album L.D. 50, Chevelle was inspired to sign with Epic Records for their next album release, Wonder What's Next. Christian stores still held their CDs. The band members made no claim not to be Christian, and they had clean lyrics, so why not? Wonder What's Next went Platinum in June, and this attention landed the band as co-headliner for Ozzfest, 2002. Guess who was helping headline Ozzfest that year. That's right, P.O.D.! (And, of course, Ozzy Osbourne... Duh.)
Just like with P.O.D., as soon as Chevelle went to Ozzfest, everyone started questioning. This whole broadening your horizens and witnessing thing is a risky business, you know. Unlike P.O.D., Chevelle remained neutral about their faith. They didn't see a big reason to point it out to people who didn't already "know", and for those who did know, well... they knew. That was all they needed.
In 2004, Chevelle release This Type Of Thinking(Could Do Us In). Hands down, their best effort, musically, vocally... lyrically? Christian stores didn't accept This Type Of Thinking due to a few mild expitives on the album. However, Christian book stores still kept the bands two previous albums in stock. After all, those albums were still Christian, right?
The first single from the album, This Type Of Thinking, does attempt to make a vague observation of Christ's death with the lyrics, "Could we have known, never would I, helped to nail down. With nothing to gain, here's the clincher: This should be you. Now saturate and touch. Now saturate the Earth!" Assuming you're able to make out those lyrics amongst the screaming, you might say, "Hey, they're talking about Christ's death on the cross, and how it was for my wrong doings that he was 'nailed down'." However, they don't really make it a point to go out of their way to confirm that's what they're talking about.
Chevelle is kind of known for making their lyrics cryptic. Never finishing sentances. Leaving you saying, "That song was great, but uh... what was he talking about, anyway?" That song was because of the musical style, but it's hard to make out what he's talking about between his cryptic lyrics, soft mummblings, and loud screamings.
In 2007, Chevelle finally "came out"! They didn't waste their time with "mild" explitives on Vena Sear. They got right to their point, and it seems that the other bands at Ozzfest might have rubbed off on them just a bit. Though they still did end up stearing away from a "Parental Advisory" sticker, which doesn't really say much with today's music...
In an interview with Entertainment Insiders, Chevelle happily stated that they "had nothing to do with the Christian rock industry" and, if anything, they were "recovering Catholics," they said, laughing. To that, the interviewer said, "I feel qualified to state that there are no sermons detected on the album. Now I can enjoy Chevelle's music without fear of subliminal Christian messages intruding my subconscious. Thank God, no pun intended." Well, that's encouraging...
So how is it that Chevelle got the Christian name in the first place? Loeffler says, "It's something that's probably going to follow us around forever and that's fine. It's pretty simple. We originally signed with a record company that was backed by Word, so the record was in Christian bookstores. It was really an accidental thing." So Chevelle never even realized they were signing with a Christian label in the first place. Don't you just love parent companies?
As of their latest album release, if you go into most any Christian book store, you won't find any Chevelle CDs. Not even Point #1.
Here's a quick biography. Chevelle is made up of three brothers: Sam, Pete, and Joe Loeffler. Originally homeschooled and from a family of nine in the suburbs of Chicago, the brothers wanted to form a hard rock group to make use of their musical talent. Pete played lead guitar and screamed vocals, Sam was the drummer, and Joe played bass. Since their formation in 1994(ish), the band has been a definition the Hard Rock/Metal/Thrash Metal genres.
Hey, wait, back up... where did Joe go? I don't remember seeing his name as "Bassist" for Vena Sera. Oh, yah, about that. In 2005, Chevelle announced that Joe was leaving the band due to due to "irreconcilable differences." That's what Pete and Sam said. According to Joe, he didn't "leave the band." He was fired. When Pete and Sam came to him and asked him to "stay home." To which Joe replied, "The only way I'm staying home is if you fire me."
Joe says, "I told them I would never quit and they would have to fire me. They were trying to get me to quit and told my managers that I did. I called Sam and said, 'Why are you doing this?' and he said, 'We don't want you to come back.' I said, 'I will not quit.' The next day Pete called for the first time and said, 'Did (our managers) call you and tell you you're out?' I said 'No, were they supposed to?' He eventually said in that short conversation, 'You're fired.'"
Well, that's brotherly love isn't it?
The entire affair ended in a lawsuit and Pete and Sam have not talked to Joe since it was all "resolved" in late 2005, according to Joe.
Pete was kind enough to include a song, Humanoid, dedicated to Joe on Vena Sera. The lyrics are something like, "I paid you, squeaky wheel. Go try healing this too. That said, you're full of it. On a bend. Beg to fail. Properly holding your grudge. That said. You're full of it. Try accepting this. Why not face today. Forever one to crawl out. Fade out next to lazy. End it all within." I don't think I need to go on... I'm sure you can clearly see the love in this relationship.
That said, I don't recommend Chevelle's new CD for adding to your "Christian" collection. And let that be a lesson to you. Don't judge a band by its label! Chevelle isn't the only artist that I've asked, "How did I buy this from a Christian book store?" Don't stereotype, and don't judge by appearances. That rule can be applied to anything, not just bands.
I've long held the opinion that bands should not be dubbed "Christian" or "Secular" simply by their label. I also hold to the opinion that a band, made of Christian members, should not be judged simply because every one of their songs does not say "Jesus" or "God" somewhere in it. In general, appearances shouldn't deceive you. Don't look at a band and say, "I think this and this" about them. Pick up the CD and listen to it. Go to the bands website. Look at the members lifestyles. Then make a judgement.
P.O.D. is a band that is often critisized for headlining Ozzfest, playing on MTV, or touring with bands like Korn. But I like what P.O.D. has to say to that in an interview with FamilyChristian.com.
---
"You know what, we're not trying to play for the Christian. It's been almost 10 years that P.O.D.'s been for the people that don't know God. To get to this point where God puts us in front of millions of people that don't know God, that's a dream come true and it's an act of prayer for P.O.D."
---
On a side note, P.O.D. was originally produced by the Christian record label, Rescue Records. They have since then by produced by Atlantic Records (Tooth & Nail Records helped distribute The Warrios E.P .) and Rhino Records, both owned by the Warner Music Group. They are currently produced by Columbia Records, owned by Song BMG Music Entertainment. P.O.D. has currently released 12 albums, and is planning on releasing their newest album in the early Summer of 2007. I say all this to point out that P.O.D. is produced by well known record labels. Mainstream record labels. And they are still a Christian group. It's silly when people say, "Why are they playing in front of millions of Non-Christian with that terrible band?" Um... why not? Do you witness to people sitting on your couch watching Veggie Tales? No! You go out, you build a relationship, you learn how to relate, then you share God's love. That's what P.O.D. is doing.
Let's look at the flipside. Chevelle just released their latest effort, Vena Sera (which means vein liquid and is said, by band frontman Pete Loeffler, to describe "the blood of the band and the work we put into the album"). The album was released on April 3rd, 2007. It was the bands third album release produced by Epic Records, owned by Song BMG Music Entertainment.
Chevelle released their first album, Point #1, in 1999, produced by the little-know record label Squint Entertainment. Squint was owned by Word Records. Word Records was owned by Warner Music Group. Word Records was known to be the Christian label of Warner Music Group. Perhaps you've heard of Mark Schultz? Stellar Kart? Jaci Velasquez? Nicole C Mullen? Building 429? Amy Grant? Those groups are all also produced by Word Records. So Chevelle's debut CD was immedietly thrown into Christian stores. At the Dove Awards in 2000, Point #1 took "Hard Music Album" of the year award.
After hearing Mudvayne's album L.D. 50, Chevelle was inspired to sign with Epic Records for their next album release, Wonder What's Next. Christian stores still held their CDs. The band members made no claim not to be Christian, and they had clean lyrics, so why not? Wonder What's Next went Platinum in June, and this attention landed the band as co-headliner for Ozzfest, 2002. Guess who was helping headline Ozzfest that year. That's right, P.O.D.! (And, of course, Ozzy Osbourne... Duh.)
Just like with P.O.D., as soon as Chevelle went to Ozzfest, everyone started questioning. This whole broadening your horizens and witnessing thing is a risky business, you know. Unlike P.O.D., Chevelle remained neutral about their faith. They didn't see a big reason to point it out to people who didn't already "know", and for those who did know, well... they knew. That was all they needed.
In 2004, Chevelle release This Type Of Thinking(Could Do Us In). Hands down, their best effort, musically, vocally... lyrically? Christian stores didn't accept This Type Of Thinking due to a few mild expitives on the album. However, Christian book stores still kept the bands two previous albums in stock. After all, those albums were still Christian, right?
The first single from the album, This Type Of Thinking, does attempt to make a vague observation of Christ's death with the lyrics, "Could we have known, never would I, helped to nail down. With nothing to gain, here's the clincher: This should be you. Now saturate and touch. Now saturate the Earth!" Assuming you're able to make out those lyrics amongst the screaming, you might say, "Hey, they're talking about Christ's death on the cross, and how it was for my wrong doings that he was 'nailed down'." However, they don't really make it a point to go out of their way to confirm that's what they're talking about.
Chevelle is kind of known for making their lyrics cryptic. Never finishing sentances. Leaving you saying, "That song was great, but uh... what was he talking about, anyway?" That song was because of the musical style, but it's hard to make out what he's talking about between his cryptic lyrics, soft mummblings, and loud screamings.
In 2007, Chevelle finally "came out"! They didn't waste their time with "mild" explitives on Vena Sear. They got right to their point, and it seems that the other bands at Ozzfest might have rubbed off on them just a bit. Though they still did end up stearing away from a "Parental Advisory" sticker, which doesn't really say much with today's music...
In an interview with Entertainment Insiders, Chevelle happily stated that they "had nothing to do with the Christian rock industry" and, if anything, they were "recovering Catholics," they said, laughing. To that, the interviewer said, "I feel qualified to state that there are no sermons detected on the album. Now I can enjoy Chevelle's music without fear of subliminal Christian messages intruding my subconscious. Thank God, no pun intended." Well, that's encouraging...
So how is it that Chevelle got the Christian name in the first place? Loeffler says, "It's something that's probably going to follow us around forever and that's fine. It's pretty simple. We originally signed with a record company that was backed by Word, so the record was in Christian bookstores. It was really an accidental thing." So Chevelle never even realized they were signing with a Christian label in the first place. Don't you just love parent companies?
As of their latest album release, if you go into most any Christian book store, you won't find any Chevelle CDs. Not even Point #1.
Here's a quick biography. Chevelle is made up of three brothers: Sam, Pete, and Joe Loeffler. Originally homeschooled and from a family of nine in the suburbs of Chicago, the brothers wanted to form a hard rock group to make use of their musical talent. Pete played lead guitar and screamed vocals, Sam was the drummer, and Joe played bass. Since their formation in 1994(ish), the band has been a definition the Hard Rock/Metal/Thrash Metal genres.
Hey, wait, back up... where did Joe go? I don't remember seeing his name as "Bassist" for Vena Sera. Oh, yah, about that. In 2005, Chevelle announced that Joe was leaving the band due to due to "irreconcilable differences." That's what Pete and Sam said. According to Joe, he didn't "leave the band." He was fired. When Pete and Sam came to him and asked him to "stay home." To which Joe replied, "The only way I'm staying home is if you fire me."
Joe says, "I told them I would never quit and they would have to fire me. They were trying to get me to quit and told my managers that I did. I called Sam and said, 'Why are you doing this?' and he said, 'We don't want you to come back.' I said, 'I will not quit.' The next day Pete called for the first time and said, 'Did (our managers) call you and tell you you're out?' I said 'No, were they supposed to?' He eventually said in that short conversation, 'You're fired.'"
Well, that's brotherly love isn't it?
The entire affair ended in a lawsuit and Pete and Sam have not talked to Joe since it was all "resolved" in late 2005, according to Joe.
Pete was kind enough to include a song, Humanoid, dedicated to Joe on Vena Sera. The lyrics are something like, "I paid you, squeaky wheel. Go try healing this too. That said, you're full of it. On a bend. Beg to fail. Properly holding your grudge. That said. You're full of it. Try accepting this. Why not face today. Forever one to crawl out. Fade out next to lazy. End it all within." I don't think I need to go on... I'm sure you can clearly see the love in this relationship.
That said, I don't recommend Chevelle's new CD for adding to your "Christian" collection. And let that be a lesson to you. Don't judge a band by its label! Chevelle isn't the only artist that I've asked, "How did I buy this from a Christian book store?" Don't stereotype, and don't judge by appearances. That rule can be applied to anything, not just bands.
|
"So... What Do We Do Now?"
05/03/07 08:31 PM Filed in: Academia
Today, Thursday, May
3rd, was my last day of Lectures at Kirkwood.
Granted, I still have Finals left tomorrow and the
beginning of next week, but I generally consider
myself "done" as soon as the last lecture is over.
I was in Java class. It wasn't actually Lecture, it was Lab day, and we were all turning in our final assignments for the year. I turned mine in. After turning it in, I found five errors (none of which Jerry noticed while looking it over) and corrected them before the 50 minutes was up, then turned it in again without Jerry really noticing. (For the record, he wouldn't have really cared if he had noticed.)
Java class is always my most amusing class. And the most fun. Today, Jerry was checking over my program and set his keys down on my desk. After reveiwing my program he looked at me and goes, "Your average is wrong. Why is it 6?"
"Um... it's the average length of all the words. Why wouldn't it be 6?"
"It should be a decimal number."
"Why would it be a decimal? You can't have half a word!!"
"No, but say one document has 4.101 for it's average word count and another has 4.909. Both would look like 4 in your program, but there's a difference still. One is closer to 5."
"Ok, whatever... I don't agree with you though."
"Yah, well, it's your grade. And I'm the teacher, so I'm right."
"Fine, you're right, Jerry."
"Good, I won't dock you any points then. But don't let it happen again."
"What, like next semester?"
"Yah, like in Java 2."
"I'm going to a different college then, and I'll be learning from a better, higher paid teacher than you."
"Well then I might have to consider docking you points..."
He moved on to review the next persons program. He left his car keys on my desk. I heard from across the room, "How did you get 4.325 for an average word length?"
"I don't know. Isn't that right?"
"Well... technically no. Although, I guess it's more accurate than 6."
I shouted from across the room, "I heard that!"
"That was the point..."
"Yah, well, you left your car keys over here. You better watch yourself."
"Oh, no... my car keys?" Jerry said, trying to pull of a severely sarcastic tone. "Please don't steal my car." It worked. Jerry's never been one to have difficulty being sarcastic. He then stated, "I rigged my car for my Java 2 class, but none of them were stupid enough to go out there and try and steal it... Oops, I just gave it away! Now you won't either. Actually, knowing you, you still might."
It came about that 3:50, the end of class, came and went. It was a sad moment. But only a few people left the room. We were all having too much fun. At about 4:10, we decided it was probably time to leave the room. I removed my flash drive from the computer, grabbed my back pack, pushed my chair in, and slowly walked to the door. Sid was right behind me. I opened the door and held it for him, and we both walked out simultaneously, bumping into eachother on the way through the door. I arrived outside the classroom in the hallway. I stopped... I just stood there, staring ahead at the white wall. I slowly looked left, mind in a daze, everything starting to get dizzy. Empty hallway. I realized I had been standing their for quite a few seconds, possibly minutes, so I looked right. To my surprise, Sid was still standing their too, unmoving, staring ahead at the white wall. We both looked at eachother.
"So... What do we do now?" He asked.
"I'm not sure... I've never had this feeling before."
At this point, Michelle and Jennifer walked out of the classroom, nearly hitting Sid and I because we were still standing right in front of the door.
"What are you two idiots doing standing out here?" Michelle said in the most loving tone.
"Do you have an evening class?" Sid asked.
"Yah, so I can't go home." I replied. "Well, I mean, I could go home... but I shouldn't."
"Yah, you always have the option," Sid said.
"We're going out for supper to celebrate Java being over," said Michelle about her and Jennifer.
"Celebrate? We're not really sure what to do," Sid stated.
"About what?" Jennifer Asked.
"I don't know. I mean, I feel like my life has no more meaning," I said, blankly. The door opened behind us and Jerry walked out.
"Shouldn't you guys be gone? I thought I kicked you out minutes ago."
"Alex and Sid are having an emotional breakdown."
"Oh?" Jerry asked. "Why?"
"Usually when we leave Java class, we have projects that are due, so we go program more Java. But we just turned in all our projects. We don't know what to do now!" I blurted out to Jerry. He grunted and laughed.
"They need help," said Michelle.
"There is no help for those two. You guys are ridiculous. Get a life," he said as he walked down the hallway to his office, still laughing. Michelle and Jennifer started walking down the hall to the doors.
"Are we really that lame?" Sid asked, turning to me.
"I think so..." Sid and I attempted to follow Michelle and Jennifer, but at a significantly slower pace because we couldn't seem to find any motivation to move quicker. I could tell Sid was trying to hold back the tears with each step away from the classroom we got. I was too. We started talking about VisualBasic. We got to the doors and stood there for another ten minutes talking about programming, since we didn't actually have anything TO program. Sid finally left. I went to the bathroom.
So... what do I do now? Socialize?
I was in Java class. It wasn't actually Lecture, it was Lab day, and we were all turning in our final assignments for the year. I turned mine in. After turning it in, I found five errors (none of which Jerry noticed while looking it over) and corrected them before the 50 minutes was up, then turned it in again without Jerry really noticing. (For the record, he wouldn't have really cared if he had noticed.)
Java class is always my most amusing class. And the most fun. Today, Jerry was checking over my program and set his keys down on my desk. After reveiwing my program he looked at me and goes, "Your average is wrong. Why is it 6?"
"Um... it's the average length of all the words. Why wouldn't it be 6?"
"It should be a decimal number."
"Why would it be a decimal? You can't have half a word!!"
"No, but say one document has 4.101 for it's average word count and another has 4.909. Both would look like 4 in your program, but there's a difference still. One is closer to 5."
"Ok, whatever... I don't agree with you though."
"Yah, well, it's your grade. And I'm the teacher, so I'm right."
"Fine, you're right, Jerry."
"Good, I won't dock you any points then. But don't let it happen again."
"What, like next semester?"
"Yah, like in Java 2."
"I'm going to a different college then, and I'll be learning from a better, higher paid teacher than you."
"Well then I might have to consider docking you points..."
He moved on to review the next persons program. He left his car keys on my desk. I heard from across the room, "How did you get 4.325 for an average word length?"
"I don't know. Isn't that right?"
"Well... technically no. Although, I guess it's more accurate than 6."
I shouted from across the room, "I heard that!"
"That was the point..."
"Yah, well, you left your car keys over here. You better watch yourself."
"Oh, no... my car keys?" Jerry said, trying to pull of a severely sarcastic tone. "Please don't steal my car." It worked. Jerry's never been one to have difficulty being sarcastic. He then stated, "I rigged my car for my Java 2 class, but none of them were stupid enough to go out there and try and steal it... Oops, I just gave it away! Now you won't either. Actually, knowing you, you still might."
It came about that 3:50, the end of class, came and went. It was a sad moment. But only a few people left the room. We were all having too much fun. At about 4:10, we decided it was probably time to leave the room. I removed my flash drive from the computer, grabbed my back pack, pushed my chair in, and slowly walked to the door. Sid was right behind me. I opened the door and held it for him, and we both walked out simultaneously, bumping into eachother on the way through the door. I arrived outside the classroom in the hallway. I stopped... I just stood there, staring ahead at the white wall. I slowly looked left, mind in a daze, everything starting to get dizzy. Empty hallway. I realized I had been standing their for quite a few seconds, possibly minutes, so I looked right. To my surprise, Sid was still standing their too, unmoving, staring ahead at the white wall. We both looked at eachother.
"So... What do we do now?" He asked.
"I'm not sure... I've never had this feeling before."
At this point, Michelle and Jennifer walked out of the classroom, nearly hitting Sid and I because we were still standing right in front of the door.
"What are you two idiots doing standing out here?" Michelle said in the most loving tone.
"Do you have an evening class?" Sid asked.
"Yah, so I can't go home." I replied. "Well, I mean, I could go home... but I shouldn't."
"Yah, you always have the option," Sid said.
"We're going out for supper to celebrate Java being over," said Michelle about her and Jennifer.
"Celebrate? We're not really sure what to do," Sid stated.
"About what?" Jennifer Asked.
"I don't know. I mean, I feel like my life has no more meaning," I said, blankly. The door opened behind us and Jerry walked out.
"Shouldn't you guys be gone? I thought I kicked you out minutes ago."
"Alex and Sid are having an emotional breakdown."
"Oh?" Jerry asked. "Why?"
"Usually when we leave Java class, we have projects that are due, so we go program more Java. But we just turned in all our projects. We don't know what to do now!" I blurted out to Jerry. He grunted and laughed.
"They need help," said Michelle.
"There is no help for those two. You guys are ridiculous. Get a life," he said as he walked down the hallway to his office, still laughing. Michelle and Jennifer started walking down the hall to the doors.
"Are we really that lame?" Sid asked, turning to me.
"I think so..." Sid and I attempted to follow Michelle and Jennifer, but at a significantly slower pace because we couldn't seem to find any motivation to move quicker. I could tell Sid was trying to hold back the tears with each step away from the classroom we got. I was too. We started talking about VisualBasic. We got to the doors and stood there for another ten minutes talking about programming, since we didn't actually have anything TO program. Sid finally left. I went to the bathroom.
So... what do I do now? Socialize?