Shanes, Shawn, and Bebo

Besides rock and punk, I also adore acoustic/folk/pop music. Shane & Shane, Shawn McDonald, and Bebo Norman are my favorites in Christian music. Not only do I love the sound of the music, but the lyrics really have substance to them. You could talk forever about two lines from a song. It is nice to have lyrics that aren't obvious and 100% literal.

When recommending a CD for Shawn McDonald, I would without a doubt pick his Live in Seattle album. For Bebo I would have to say Ten Thousand Days. For Shane & Shane I would chose Psalms. They all have multiple albums out and I own them all, but these are my favorites.

I have had the privilege of seeing Bebo and the Shanes in concert. Amazing. At the Shane and Shane concert Warren Barfield opened, who I am also a big fan of. When the Shanes took the stage they lowered the lights and had the lyrics on a screen above them. able to sing along with them. It seriously was the best worship time I 've ever been involved in. The Bebo Norman concert felt more like a concert which was justIt was so sweet to be as sweet. Brandon Heath and Aaron Shust opened. The musical ability of Bebo and his band is through the roof. I had so much fun at this concert. To add to it, we were able to take a picture with Bebo after the show. It was hysterical! We were all giggling like little girls after the picture. Good times.

If you are looking for some bands that you can totally rock out to in your car and have a blast at their concerts, Stellar Kart and Hawk Nelson are your answer. Stellar Kart is sort of a pop-punk type band and Hawk Nelson is more of a punk rock band. I saw both bands live at the Sonshine Music Festival this last summer.

Stellar Kart was on one of the small, beginner stages that was in kind of an awkward spot. Despite that, they still managed to put on a sweet, extremely energetic show and got the crowd into every song. In the picture above, my friend Theresa and I are just chilling with Stellar Kart.

Hawk Nelson was on the main stage and they rocked out! I had so much fun jumping around and dancing to their music. Jason Dunn, the lead singer, took full advantage of the large stage and even went down into the crowd for a while. They told very random, but hilarious stories during their set, too. On the left is a picture of my friends David, Theresa, and I in the midst of the crowd at the Hawk Nelson show. These two shows were my favorites at Sonshine. I can't explain how much fun and the pure enjoyment I get out of concerts!

Thank God for music.

I want to clarify the fact that I don't only listen to music that is classified as Christian. Yes, it is sweet when you know the group is Christian, but I also can appreciate some really awesome music that isn't under that classification.

A couple days ago I bought the new Jonny Lang CD. Jonny's music is Blues/Alternative. I have only had a chance to listen to it once, but it is so sweet! The songs are about the love of Jesus and how there is still hope for those that are struggling. It is really cool to hear these lyrics from someone that is classified as a Christian artist. I would highly recommend this CD for any Blues fans out there. Unfortunately, Jonny's CDs do not do his abilities any justice. He is an amazing guitar player. I saw him live a few summers ago and I was in awe of how well he could play. His skills are insane! Check him out at http://www.jonnylang.com/

Mae is one band that I could listen to at anytime. You don't need to be in a certain mood to jam along with them. Mae is kind of a pretty sounding rock band or a pop band with a rock edge. I don't know of any one band to compare them to. One might compare them to Augustana, Anberlin, or Something Corporate. Whenever I start talking to people about what bands I like I always make sure to bring up Mae. It almost never fails that the people like Mae. They are just an overall good band.

The beginnings of something beautiful...

I was approached recently by a few members of my church (Cornerstone Community Church) and was presented with the idea of starting a blog just showing people what kind of music I like. It sounds ridiculously simple, but music is such an awesome thing to share with people. Hopefully, people can be exposed to some bands they have never heard before. The bands that will be shared are ones that can affect people. They praise God in a way that may be foreign to some people. For all of the bands that I talk about you can click on their name and it will go to their main website. A meaningful ruckus... this is my blog about my passion for music.

I'm gonna lay it out there for you right away, I don't have a mainstream taste in music. I have managed to find some really sweet music that praises God, though. Worship music is great and all, but it doesn't really fall into the genres that I normally listen to. Fortunately, there are more and more Christian bands every year that are acoustic, rock, emo, pop rock, etc.