My girlfriend and I are going to see Mark Lowry this weekend at First Baptist Church in downtown Tulsa. There are still tickets available and if you want to come, click on the photo below for more information. Hope to see you guys there! And yes, for those who know my history with Mark Lowry concerts, I am stopping off at the hairdresser BEFORE I go to the concert. No more senior citizen fliers for this chic.
Click on the photograph for concert information
FCC DISCLAIMER: No goods or services have been given in exchange for this endorsement. A lot of my readers are fans and I wanted to share concert information. I am not associated with Mr. Lowry in any way, shape or form.
I love the soulfulness of a banjo when it’s being played well. I’m not a fan of speed so much, but the notes are rich and I enjoy that. Usually. When I don’t think I suck anyway. My hyper focused must-be-as-good-as-Alison-Brown-in-six-months dementor of a brain can suck the fun right out of this adventure of mine if I’m not careful.
I’ve been ready, able, and almost willing to chuck the banjo and start over with a kazoo many times over the past month. I had one of those really rough banjo lessons last week. The kind where I tried so hard that I crashed and burned. I was trying to get Salty Dog from 140 (Which is what I can presently play it at) to 200 (where it needs to be) in seven days. I’d achieved 170 at home, twice and with LOTS of mistakes. I mostly hung around at 160, which is still okay. My hands and brain were so tired by the time I showed up to class I could barely play. Add insult to injury, I did an emotional and mental crash and burn that resulted in my forgetting the song almost completely.
I felt so bad for blowing it, that I actually apologized to my teacher for wasting his time. Oh yeah, no issues with self loathing here. (Insert eye roll) Fortunately for all of us, teach doesn’t share my opinions on what constitutes a waste of time. We put away the books and the sheet music and just started a simple roll pattern. Good call on his part because I’m pretty sure I was on the verge of tears. Then we started picking out notes from Will the Circle be Unbroken. Awesome song if you’ve never heard it.
Instead of trying to kill myself over notes licks and speed, I get to spend the week finding this song on my banjo and writing my own arrangement to it. Do you know what? I’m having a blast. Not that I’m knocking it out of the park or anything. I don’t even have an arrangement I like yet. I have however, spent more time and have had more fun playing with my banjo, testing out chords, finding riffs, and listening to the music than I have since I started playing last year. I even found a really pretty lick (8 full measures) that I can tuck away and keep for a song some day.
I came across this video while I was researching the song. I love it and thought you guys would as well. Have a great Monday y’all.
EDITED 11/12/13 – THE ALL LUTHERAN MESSIAH IS ALWAYS THE FIRST SATURDAY AND SUNDAY IN DECEMBER.
The lights dim and a hush spreads throughout the church. The choir enters from the rear engulfing the listeners, softly humming the beginning strains of “O Come Emanuel.” Thus begins the 92nd presentation of Handel’s Messiah.
What started with a small choir at First Lutheran has grown to become an all Lutheran tradition including over 100 participants from 19 area Lutheran churches. You, too, may include yourself as you join the choir in singing the Hallelujah Chorus. It’s an experience of sight and sound and something wonderful deep inside.
The presentation are held at First Lutheran Church, 13th and Utica in Tulsa, on two days: Saturday, December 1st and Sunday, December 2nd Presentation times for both days are 5:00 pm and 7:15 pm.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard of this guy before. I really like him, and I love this song. It’s Spirit filled, uplifting, and I like the musical arrangement. This is the first single from Jason’s Album, A Way To See In The Dark, slated for release on September 13, 2011.
I discovered Jason on a page called Under the radar on Facebook. A friend turned me on to Under the Radar several months ago and I’ve been enjoying their clips of newer artists who fall into their under appreciated status. I love contemporary Christian music and this page has proven to be a wonderful resource. Considering how whiny I got about the hot weather, I thought I’d share something positive with you guys today.
Per their Facebook Page:
Founded
2008
About
Under The Radar is a weekly radio show of under-appreciated music.
Company Overview
Offering gourmet music, Under the Radar highlights some of the best undiscovered and under-appreciated tunes from Christian artists.
What is gourmet music? Well, a lot of music out there is like fast food but the stuff on Under the Radar is the gourmet variety. It’s the fine steak, not the mass-produced cheeseburger.
Description
In this one-hour weekly program, host Dave Trout shares stories, spiritual insight, and exclusive artist interviews to discover the depth of faith and creativity found in the music. Listeners participate by suggesting some of the best hidden gems in their own music collections that the world needs to hear.
Products
Under the Radar is a ministry of ReFrame Media (reframemedia.com) and Back to God Ministries International.
This post written by Deana O’Hara for Redemption’s Heart. August 5, 2011. All rights reserved. No goods or services were given in exchange for this endorsement. I only share resources that I found beneficial and believe my readers will enjoy as well.
Deana O'Hara - Speaker, Comedian, Writer 