Winners Never Quit

For several years now, one of my favorite singer/song writers has been David Bazan. Bazan is best known for the music he released under the moniker Pedro the Lion, though he also is the brains behind the all-analog electronic ensemble Headphones and most recently released an EP under his own name.

Bazan's songs have a philosophical depth that simply is not present in much of modern music. His simple, straight forward lyrics are complimented by minimalist guitar work which together communicate profound and often startling honest themes. One of the most brutal examples is also one of my personal favorites: Transcontinental off of the album Achilles Heel. In the beginning of the song the main character is run over by a train. Bazan spares the listener no detail of the accident, declaring very stoically:

laying back on shoulder blades
cargo rushing past
missing limbs beneath the cars
twitching on the tracks

At the end of the song the singer mourns:

Now I'm left to bleed to death
now all the man i've ever been
north am transcontinental

A similar theme is explored in the song Penetration from the album Control:

Have you ever seen and idealist with grey hairs on his head
Or successful men that keep in touch with unsuccessful friends
You only think you did
I could have sworn I saw it too
But as it turns out
It was just a clever ad for cigarettes

Bazan's usual pessimism is surprisingly absent in the dark though tragically beautiful Headphones song Slow Car Crash:

your purse hit the wind shield when I locked the brakes
airbags inflated, seat belts engaged
a semi was jack knifed because of the rain
a hundred yards up blocking 3 lanes
we knew it was over and we both looked away
right at each other with spare time to say
babe, i love you and babe, i love you, too.

Rush Hour

Yesterday I put the down payment on this Bike.

It's very pretty.

Whole Foods

I am officially in love with Whole Foods... well I at least have a serious crush anyway.

Somehow it took me two and a half years of living in Louisville to make it out to one but I finally did last night and I am quite glad I did. It reminds me a lot of a favorite chain of mine in Arizona, Trader Joe's.

I picked up a wide variety of gluten free/ organic foods, including an energy bar made from honey called a Bumble Bar, a gf frozen pizza (delicious), and some excellent gf granola.

I'm definitely going to be frequenting this store.

Longing For Redemption

On Thursday Dr. Orrick preached a sermon on Romans 8 in chapel. The focal point of the message was that those who are in Christ have only been given the first fruits of salvation. Meanwhile, our bodies, along with all of creation, are groaning for redemption. Death, pain, and suffering do not belong in the created order. They are a result of sin and one day they will cease to be.

Until recently I have never really thought about my body as fallen, as corrupted by sin. I mean from a theological standpoint, sure, but in actuality I am suppose to the prime of my life. I bike to work, I exercise regularly, last semester I ran a 5k. I’m doing pretty good.

At least that was my state of mind until Monday, when I couldn’t swallow anything, food, liquid, even water, without a shooting pain in my chest. This condition worsened on Tuesday into a dull, incessant pain that would only intensify when I tried eat anything. Literally two bites of yogurt had me curled up in agony, barely able to move.

I ended up spending most of Tuesday in an urgent care facility. They drew my bloodwork, x-rayed my chest, and performed an EKG to try to figure what exactly was wrong.

Today I saw a gastroenterologist to get an official diagnosis. He said that the condition is most likely being caused by an antibiotic that I was taking. Basically, it was destroying the lining of my esophagus, which I assure you is just as painful as it sounds. The healing process is relatively slow for the esophagus, so it may be an entire week, even with prescription drugs, before I’m fully recovered. Until then I cannot consume solid food, coffee, or juices high in citric acid.

I definitely am longing for the day when our bodies will no longer be plagued by the curse and we are set free.

Various Colors

I'm a big fan of Various Colors by Kaori Ishitani, the new show at The 930 art gallery (Kissing Under the Mistletoe shown).

Katie and I (along with a handful of other committed art lovers) ventured out in the blizzard last night to go to the opening of this exhibit and the Brooks Ritter and Sarah Elizabeth concert that followed. Due to her limited English, Kaori Ishitani, a Japanese artist who lives in New York City, read her artist statement.

She explained that in her compositions she tries to explore the three questions, "Where did we come from?", "Why are we here?", and "Where are we going?". Interestingly, these are three of the questions that are behind every person's worldview.

She also explained the importance of color in her compositions (hence the title). For Ishitani, color is both a reflection of her emotions and feelings as well as her Japanese heritage.

It's a fantastic exhibit that definately deserves a trip up to the 930, even if you aren't a member of the Sojourn community.

The Photographic

It's been a while since Cole Robertson turned me on to The Photographic, but boy am I ever glad he did. Using simply a drum set an electric guitar, this Louisville-based instrumental indie duo creates elaborate sonic landscapes that are just bursting with texture. Very much akin to Explosions in the Sky or fellow Louisville natives Interstates.

After taking a couple of years off, they finally have new material out. It's mind-blowing. Do yourself a favor and listen.

Show @ Sunergos

After talking about it for two years now, I am playing a show with Kelsey Waldon on March 15th at Sunergos. The show will have a bit for everybody, from electronica to americana.

If you are in town I would love for you to come out.