These seem appropriate to post on a Sunday. This is the latest update from the Caring Bridge Journal as of yesterday morning: ICP looks good being clamped. They clamped it at 7am. He has fever. Blood pressure is high. Heart rate is bouncing between 99 & 106. Doing a chest X-ray now. Read more
Nothing can cheer me up like a good slab of old-time pop cheese. Below are some of the morsels that have inspired me lately. Aged 30-50 years for exceptional flavor… (more…) Read more
This story has been exploding all over the news for the past week or so, and I think it’ll warm the cockles of the hearts of any pianists among my readership. First, the background: One of the nicer things about legendary rock musician Billy Joel is his passion for music education. For decades, he’s held seminars, master classes and Q & A sessions where he shares his personal knowledge and experience in a relaxed audience setting. Recently, he visited Vanderbilt... Read more
After a rocky start, the server is finally stabilizing a bit for me, but it’s still not entirely reliable. “We Need Each Other” — entire group. Step-outs from Jim Brady, Ernie Hase, Doug Anderson, Joseph Habedank and the Isaacs. Joseph’s pastor Dan Scott — bluegrass acapella. I don’t know this song, but I love it! It’s got an “Oh Brother Where Art Thou” feel to it. Here are some of the lyrics: “Jesus tells me not to fear. For he... Read more
I started this series a while [read, two years] ago. For those who can’t remember when or why I started it up, I started it to honor those tenors who measure up to my pretty strict standards of what a great tenor should sound like. When done right, the tenor is my favorite part. In this series, I choose a performance where I can’t think of ANYTHING I would change—not one little nit-pick. And that’s saying a lot. Previous installments... Read more
Just watch it and you’ll understand: Read more
Interested readers can read two more pieces I’ve posted at the site The Retuned since I was invited to be a guest contributor there. One of them examines the biblical symbolism of justice and mercy in a song from Les Miserables entitled “Who Am I?” The other discusses secular love songs that are beautifully written but offer a vision of romantic love/passion that their authors themselves feel is too good to be true. I view the songs from the biblical... Read more
I recently had the opportunity to interview Ernie Haase about Signature Sound’s latest project, Glorious Day. Enjoy! 1. Tell us about this new spin on “Glorious Day,” your new single and the title track. What do you do when you’re trying to stay true to yourself and yet reach another level of musical art? EHSS has always tried to answer that question with taking a blast from the past and giving it our “Signature Sound.” (more…) Read more
I knew Wesley could sing, but I didn’t know he could preach like this! Enjoy this recent rant against the evils of post-modern thought and the relativization of truth in our culture: There was a little comment at the very end of the sermon, when he was offering an invitation of sorts, that struck me. This was what he said, and I like this a lot: (more…) Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In