Reviews With Mike Furches: October 2008

Monday, October 27, 2008

The Creek, Trailer Park of Terror, And Independent Horror Movies

Horror, it has been so commercialized that I sometimes wonder if we as members of the viewing community have forgotten about the roots and fun that the “bad” horror movies, also known as the “B” or Independent movie can bring. Thankfully with the recent influx of Independent film makers and direct to DVD releases we have an abundance of new, fun, “bad” movies.

Now the first mistake one can make is to assume that a “B” feature, direct to DVD release, “bad” or Independent film can’t be good, fun, and flat out enjoyable. The truth is, in the terms mentioned, with the new technology available a “B” feature don’t have to be a “B” quality, a direct to DVD release can be as good as a theatrical release, and a “bad” movie can fit the contemporary definition of bad by being really good.

During the month of October I always try to engross myself in some horror. I have to admit, even at the blasting of many Christians, I love this genera. I happen to believe that no genera of film address real spirituality as eloquently as does horror. I try to watch at least 31 horror movies during the month, not to focus on Satan, but to focus on how good overcomes evil and God reigns supreme. This month, I have watched more than my fair share of independent, “B,” “bad” (really good) movies. In this article I want to focus on two of those. The Creek an independent direct to DVD written, directed, edited and produced by Erik Soullaird, and the “B” direct to DVD release of Trailer Park of Terror featuring among others Trace Adkins. While I want to focus on each of these two movies, I will start with Trailer Park of Terror.

Trailer Park of Terror frankly reminded me of Dawn of the Dead and a comedic version of Rob Zombie’s House of 1,000 Corpses. This movie is targeted towards the audience who likes a contemporary horror, mixed in with some gore, a good soundtrack, and some comedic moments. In those departments it delivers on all counts.

While some will have issue with these concepts, this movie addresses spirituality right off the bat. It seems as if a group of High School problem students is being taken by a good Reverend to a camp to work on some of their behavior issues. Along the way, the Reverend looses his temper, ends up wrecking the van in a thunderstorm, but thankfully there is a trailer park nearby where the kiddies, albeit, a little crude kiddies in their late teens, can get out of the storm they are in.

Unfortunately, the Reverend and kiddies don’t realize the seemingly abandoned trailer park is run by a sexy, voluptuous young lady who in reality is a zombie who had some years earlier made a deal with the devil. With that being the case, how much more could the devil and zombies that are hiding in the town enjoy the opportunity to cause the young derelicts, and Preacher to fall into sin?

If seeing a movie like this you likely aren’t looking for a Citizen Kane performance. You are looking for a little gore mixed in with some humor and thrills, and in that regard this one delivers. There are a couple of things I will mention to give an indication of how fun this movie is. One of the classic zombies in zombie films appears in Trailer Park of Terror. My personal favorite was Roach, a guitar playing, drug addicted individual prior to becoming a zombie, and thankfully, still a guitar playing, rough singing, drug addicted individual after he becomes a zombie. I don’t know if there has ever been a zombie like this before, but to my recollection he is the first. Not only that though, but poor ol’ Roach when accidentally getting blown up by a land mine, has dear zombie friends who find another benefit of duck tape in putting a zombie back together again.

This movie obviously addresses spiritual themes, from Pastor Lewis who is weak in his own areas, to The Man, (Trace Adkins) who takes on the role of Satan in having others sell their souls for temporary gain, and long term damnation. Even when a decent, seeking a better life character sells their soul to the devil, there is hell to pay. It would make one wonder of the real benefit of selling out to Satan. As Trailer Park Terror shows, there is no real benefit to being among the living dead.

While Trailer Park Terror is built in part on effects, gore, and a much higher budget, The Creek is a ghost story built on character development and story. Eric Soulliard had a much smaller budget to work with. In fact, he takes on the role of editing, directing, writing, producing, and acting alongside his wife Nancy Soulliard.

This coming of age ghost story has a few unique twists that keeps the interest of the viewer and has them guessing as to what is going on until the final moments of the film. While I would have liked to have had better lighting for this film, I was actually pleased with the story.

One of the things about The Creek is that the making of the movie, the love and desire to make the movie is as impressive in many ways as the movie. The Creek is in many ways what Independent film is really all about. It is about the love of film and the desire to birth and see film come about. While some may watch a film like The Creek and be disappointed, I remind those individuals, to understand the root of horror, understand the intent of what the genera is all about. It is often times, especially for young film makers like Soulliard a process of going from one film to another, hopefully breaking even if not making a profit to go to the next film and make the next one better. It is if you will a sort of working resume. We have seen that type of resume take place with other film makers, I suspect a few years from now we will know more about one Erik Soulliard.

There are some good moments in The Creek. I liked the ghost techniques addressed and the movie does a good job at addressing evil. While one may think the evil comes from the dead, often the real evil that exists exists among the living. We can become so preoccupied with the dead that we refuse to see the evil that is around us. We see this played out really well in The Creek. We see this often times in the real world, especially among certain religious groups who presuppose that The Devil is responsible for all evil, while all the while ignoring that some of us bring about our own evil.

While The Creek isn’t a top of the line horror movie, it is a pretty good Independent film. It is a film that those involved with should be proud of as it doesn’t depend on gross gore, superficial special effects, to tell the story. It depends on story to tell the story, and for many horror purist, this is something we appreciate. It doesn’t take itself so seriously that we as the viewer aren’t allowed to have fun, and that is one of the fun things about horror that we often forget about.

Regarding The Creek, I have to admit, I watched the film twice, the first time I was tired, actually at 3:00 AM, and was barely able to stay awake. I watched it again a few nights later and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the story and character development. While the acting was not Oscar noteworthy, there were good performances and Soulliard showed some promise in directorial skills as he was able to do a good job with casting to get what he wanted out of the characters. Soulliard knows this is an Independent film and a passion of love.

Both of these films are doing well on the Independent Film Circuit. They are both deservedly getting good reviews from horror publications, both print and other media. I think they deserve that, they deserve an audience and one of the things they have done is make it easy to access their film, whether purchasing or renting. From NetFlix to Blockbuster and Best Buy, these film makers have taken their love for film, and made it available to those of us who love this style of film, whether based on gore, or based on story, there is something for all of us.

Unfortunately, and to some extent understandably so, there will be many who never see an Independent Film, or either of these movies. I understand for those having issues with gore, Trailer Park of Terror is certainly understandable. On the other hand, The Creek could have easily had a pg or pg-13 rating. Those things don’t bother me, there is a theme of evil that is addressed and is worth seeing, discussing, and supporting.

Leaving the typical review numbering system behind I am going to give some love to both films, here goes.

If loving gore, comedy, and good music, check out Trailer Park of Terror! While the sinners have their way for most of the movie, it is amazing at what God can do for good through the most unlikely of people. A Terrific, Terrible Bloody Good Time!

If story is your forte, you will appreciate The Creek. One of the best Ghost Stories to come about in a long time, thankfully real evil is addressed in a real way. We don’t always have to be afraid of the things that go bump in the night; sometimes it is the things that go bump in the day. The Creek is well worth seeing, and well worth discussing as to the themes addressed.

In conclusion, I had the opportunity to throw some questions at Erik Soulliard about the making of The Creek and Independent film making in general.

While the interview with the Writer, Director, Editor, Star of The Creek Follows, make sure to check out the following two videos. Just click on the video to watch, and if the video don't appear, just click on the provided link.

Trailer Park of Terror Movie Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLAC52C7rms

A Closer Look at Trailer Park of Terror

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14JXvfBGonc

The Creek Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORCAujlwhXk

Interview Follows:

Mike: What are some of the difficulties of producing and putting out an indie horror film?

Erik: This is a loaded question. Part of me wants to say, "What part isn't difficult." It's tough when you're ultra low budget because you literally beg, borrow, and steal when it comes to the equipment you need, the amount of crew you have, and the talent you acquire. We were very lucky and got some great deals on our lighting kit from WM Productions in Lancaster and Location Lighting in Orland, Pa. I found that in order to maximize the money we had I specifically took advantage of anything that would save us money. This sounds like an obvious choice but in reality it's limiting.

The Creek was written specifically for locations we knew we could get for free. Some of the characters were written for talent we knew we had at our disposal. All these things can be restrictive.

Mike: From a director’s perspective, how do you get the talent out of the actors you do?

Erik: I found that casting was critical. If you choose well in casting then the job of directing becomes infinitely easier. We had a great cast and a great location. People don’t tend to need a lot of coaxing to be scared when it’s 2am in the woods at a creepy cabin. My personal technique in directing is very collaborative. I would let the actors show me what they brought to the table first. At that point I would work with them to tweak where they were at to where I wanted them to be. Sometimes they would do something that wasn’t what I had in mind but it worked. As an actor myself I feel as though you should never underestimate a good actor’s instincts. They can completely surprise.

Mike: It seems as if most horror addresses moments where there is spiritual themes, The Creek is no different as we see things like crosses, prayer and so forth. Why is that?

Erik: I think spirituality is just a universal human experience, especially when you’re dealing with death. A lot of brave men become very religious when faced with death. So horror lends itself to spirituality much more than any other genre.

Mike: What are the hopes for the future?

Erik: The Creek is an ultra low budget movie that we essentially made as our calling card. I am ecstatic that we’ve gotten it out there to major retail outlets so hopefully we’ll reach the right people. Our next film 12 Bells is a big step up and we hope to find backing so that we can do the film justice.

Mike: The Creek has been doing pretty well on the Indie Circuit regarding film festivals and all, why do you think that is?

Erik: We took a lot of time in post production to give The Creek a polished of look as possible. We did color correction, ADR, cleaned the sound, and all the little things that a lot of independent film’s dismiss. I think this helped us a lot. I also think The Creek’s story was a benefit. Most films on this level really don’t attempt to do a strong story. The Creek is dialogue driven and not just a slasher film. I think that hurt us with some horror festivals but I also think it broadened the appeal of the movie to non-horror audiences.

Mike: What was the biggest challenge with The Creek?

Erik: The budget or lack thereof was definitely the biggest challenge. A movie takes a lot of people and we were lucky enough to find some very talented individuals for cast and crew. However, we definitely could have used quite a few more but the money just wasn’t there. Everyone did an amazing job filling the gaps we had in crew but I think all would agree that life would have been much easier with those few key positions filled.

Mike: You look like you have pretty good distribution for the film, how did you come about that?

Erik: Distribution was a long process. We were offered multiple deals but after researching some of the early offers we realized that those companies were not very filmmaker friendly. After sending out a lot of screeners we found our current distributor Indie-Pictures. They are a great company that supports independent filmmakers.

Mike: What should fans of horror expect here that they won't get in another horror film, in other words, how is The Creek Different.

Erik: The Creek is different from other horror films of its budget because it is dialogue driven. Don’t get me wrong, we have a good amount of killings and blood but that’s not what drives the film.

Mike: You wear various hats, from writer, to director and editor, what was it like getting everything done?

Erik: In a word, tiring. Those three jobs are actually pretty separate because you write the script and then you direct the film and then you cut the movie. They weren’t really the issue as much as the producing and marketing. Marketing starts early with the website and that overlaps the post production. Functioning as the producer on set while directing was also not a fun experience. It’s tough to set up a shot with the DP when people are asking you where the milk is and if we have paper towels. Despite all that the shoot went rather smooth. I know the shoot was going to be a mad dash to the finish so I tried to have as many things organized and ready going into it. This allowed narrow down the number of distractions that came up. Needless to say the next film WILL have a line producer to find out what happened to the milk.

I did enjoy being able to write, direct, and cut the movie. There’s a level of creative control there that you usually wouldn’t get on most big budget films. Although, it also puts everything squarely on my shoulders. I frequently tell people that the down side to it is that I have no one to blame. The buck basically stops here.

Mike: Special effects seem to always be a large expense of Horror, yet you seem to have been able to get by on limited dollars, what were your thoughts in this during the filming process?

Erik: We knew from the outset that we did not want a solid ghost. You can do amazing things with good make-up and Final Cut Pro. We also wanted it to look a little more polished so before shooting we did test shooting. Then we went to Michael George and Justin Harrell and had them show us what they could do with the footage. This allowed us to plan the plate shots needed and know what we could and couldn’t do within our tiny budget.

Mike: Not really a question, but anything you really want to say, go ahead and say it; I will do my best to get it in the review.

Erik: Thanks for the story! The Creek has gotten out there due to persistence and grass roots support from horror fans and review sites. It’s truly amazing to finally have the film come out. Hopefully people enjoy the film despite the budget limitations. I’ve found that most people usually go in with low expectations and then we surprise them. Please note I said “most” and not “all”. Seriously, to have such a small film actually reach the mainstream retail market is amazing. We are very excited and appreciative of everyone who has supported this film.

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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Quarantine

Quarantine was released on October 10, 2008. It would be October 19, 2008 before I would see the film, and what a rush I had the opportunity to experience. Somewhere between an Andronima Strain and Night of the Living Dead, this movie directed by John Erik Dowdle and co written alongside his brother Drew Dowdle, leaves enough scares and jumps to keep one going through the season of horror, the month of October.

While not falling into the true Zombie format, this film shot in the tradition of Blair Witch Project, and Cloverfield and numerous others does something some of this genera have forgotten about, there is a backdrop of character development with underlying themes of societal issues addressed in the underlying plot. Not to put down either of the above films mentioned, they are fun in their own right, but Quarantine held my interest, had me jumping, and eventually questioning society more than any film in recent memory.

Quarantine starts out following television news reporter Angela Videl played in a terrifyingly beautiful way by actress Jennifer Carpenter. She is on a dream assignment of covering a fire station through the night shift in Los Angeles. She hopes to catch the thrills of a fireman while on duty and what she catches on film is far more than what she would have ever dreamed.

Interestingly enough director Dowdle does a wonderful job at not only developing the characters during the fire station scenes, but we get a glimpse of the happy go lucky attitude of Videl. She is about having fun, and doesn’t realize the seriousness of the work firemen do. She plays up the fun and the firemen play right alongside her. It isn’t long during the night shift that all things change. The station she is reporting on is called out to a call, and upon their arrival she quickly realizes this isn’t going to be a typical call or experience.

This is a very difficult review to write without giving any kind of a spoiler, but I will do my best. Upon the arrival of the fire patrol, Videl and her cameraman, we quickly realize that something resembling a virus has taken over many within the apartment complex. It isn’t long before those attacked by the virus take on the appearance of zombies and begin to attack the living. It is here that a great deal of social commentary is provided if one is willing to look for it.

One of the things I love about the horror genera is its ability to address social themes, and those themes are I believe, addressed here in a frightening, thought provoking way. It is as if society is so caught up in all of the fun that we don’t see or realize the horror and destruction that is taking place all around us. Whether the refusal to see the things that would kill us or the simple things like the development of relationships around us, we seem to be so self focused that death and destruction are inevitable. Then there is the issue of terror and the destruction that comes about as a result of hate. It is ultimately that hate that we tend to blame the downfall of our society on, but at its core, we are all to blame. Of course there is a swipe at the lack of responsibility and care from the government for those they are charged to care for and serve. While many will watch this and see a blood fest of horror, the real horror is the situations surrounding the story that ultimately draws the viewer in. The things that are really scary are the things that are in actuality happening in our society, our world, and our lives.

I haven’t been drawn into a movie this much in quite a while, but I realize while saying that, there are many who will have a tough time with Quarantine due to the gore, albeit limited, and the fear factor displayed in the movie. While I understand that, I also question the ability to question societal issues addressed in this movie in any other way. The things this film addresses in its underlying plot are scary, but then again, so are the things each of us face in our lives, whether we realize it at the time or not. While there is benefit to living happy lives, go lucky lives, have we become so self consumed that we don’t realize the horror and potential around us? Do we truly realize the damage society has done in its focus on loving self as opposed to loving the populist? Do we really care about our neighbor, or are they only worthy of a passing hello or goodbye?

This is not a great film, but it is a very good film that seems to have picked up additional interest via word of mouth during the second week of release. After seeing it this weekend, I understand why, it is a good, scary, thought provoking film. It is a film that explores our willingness to be so self focused that we forget about the things around us that lead ultimately to death and the downfall of a society that should be showing love and compassion for each other.

There are scary things in the dark; there are even scarier things that we seem to have little or no control over. We don’t know who to trust, and ultimately we are left to our own demise. In a world where we want to root for a good guy or gal, it seems as if we have few heroes any more. We are partially to blame, and then there are those outside influences that don’t help matters much. I won’t go into a ton of detail here other than to say they often raise their heads during political seasons.

Ultimately, and often way too late, we realize that along the road we could have taken life more seriously, we could have spoken out against the injustices that surround us instead of being so preoccupied with our own pleasures and our own desires. While Quarantine helps illustrate how for some it may be too late, we have to ask ourselves the question “Is it too late for us?” If the answer to that is no, we have to then ask, “What is it I can do to change the future?” The answer to those questions, while not thought about by many, is a large part of what Quarantine is about. The isolation, the hiding behind closed doors is not a pleasant place to always be. Far too often, when behind those closed doors, we realize too late that instead of locking ourselves away from danger, we have locked ourselves in with danger. May we all realize that being locked in is in many ways, not the best place to be, but in fact, the worst place, not just for us, but a society that is so desperately in need of salvation.

On a scale of 1 – 10, for the thrills, chills, and questions, I give a heart stopping, 8 to stay away from that flat line as much as possible.

To see the trailer for Quarantine simply click on the video below, if the video don't appear, just click on the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0rpW71KQ5U

See some of the comments from the cast below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d6MArsjpVE

Click Here to Go to The Virtual Pew Daily Verse and Read The Bible in a Year Passages

Click here for booking information to have Pastor Mike come speak or perform, from speaking to music or magic, something for all groups.

Click to visit with Pastor Mike regarding any of your needs. He will respond to each request personally, and if need be refer you to one of our other pastors.

Click to visit and join the new group The Virtual Pew, at MySpace. Become a part of a different kind of Christian group, check out the page for more information,all welcome, including those who are not followers of Jesus.

Click to visit the Virtual Pew Website and become a part of that ministry.

Click to subscribe to my blog

Click to visit and join our sister group at MySpace Hollywood Jesus.

Click to visit Mary Jane Furches' new MySpace Page

Now for those that do not know, make sure you check out the numerous articles and blogs by checking out the archives. If visiting The Virtual Pew or MySpace they are archived on the left hand side of the page. Scroll down to where you see newer or older listed under archives and then click there. There are hundreds of postings so make sure to check out the archives. You can also contact me for a free e-book pre edit version of The Keystone Kid at mike@thevirtualpew.comYou can visit http://www.thevirtualpew.com/ and on the front page down on the left side you sill see our store. Your purchase provides needed funds to The Virtual Pew. If you do not see something to purchase you can click on the search engine, (do not put anything in the search box at this time). You will be taken to Amazon where you can search for anything you desire. Hopefully you will consider a gift to The Virtual Pew.

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Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Hard Core Review of Blessed Is He & I Am Alpha & Omega

I’ll admit, I have always lived a more complex life, trying new things, from food to music I have seemed to like it all. Unlike my former father in law, he was a meat and potatoes man. Nothing complicated for him I can recall him saying, “I wouldn’t eat pizza for anything, looks like it’s already been eaten once.” There were few things in life I could relate to Ed on, other than his love for baseball we were almost polar opposites.

With Ed I learned that if I wanted to win him over I would have to focus on the one thing we both loved outside of his daughter, I would have to focus on baseball. In other words I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life with his daughter, and I had better find something we could relate to. Thankfully the concept worked as we ended up spending some years together prior to his death. That lesson was one of the moments in life that I learned.

I am a kind of eclectic guy, I have to admit, I have on a few occasions listened to music that I really didn’t care much for. One of those, commonly known as Hard Core, involves some of the new heavier rock styles that has a lot of screaming. It is music I just didn’t care much for. I’ll listen to everything from Josh Groban to Ozzy Osbourne, and from Garth Brookes to Aretha Franklin, but I just couldn’t get into the screaming. While that is the case, I also realize the need for being able to reach various cultures, I realized my responsibility as a pastor of a church to teach the importance of finding ways to get them to understand, relate to, and reach the culture.

I have been doing a series at the church I pastor called Back to the Basics and as a part of that series I was doing a sub series titled Prayer as a Prelude to Revival. I was on the last of that series when I was going over the message titled The 10 Common Characteristics of Revival. One of the important characteristics in the history of revival is the ability to use the music of the culture to reach the culture, in other words, taking contemporary forms, relating them to the message of Jesus while keeping the style. We have all seen this, including the hymns despite the arguments of extremely conservative groups. The wonderful video from Amazing Grace featuring the music and commentary of Rick Wakeman, former keyboardist from Yes, goes into the history of the hymns. We are reminded over and over again, that often times, the writer of the hymns and the author of the music of the hymns come from two different periods, the reasoning is because of the adoption of the music into the culture of the day. The greatest example of this is Amazing Grace by Newton and A Mighty Fortress is Our God by Luther. It is likely that in the case of John Newton that he never heard Amazing Grace in the way it has commonly become known.

I have realized the importance of reaching the culture for some time with music, it is one of the things that was critical in my own life, and one of those things I was aware as being important in the life of others in society. I have been saddened over the years that one of my spiritual fathers, David Wilkerson has taken a hard stand on this. I will never forget, and have shared hundreds if not thousands of times my story of marching forward to receive Jesus into my life while Dallas Holmes was playing the song Halleluiah. Holmes had come out of the Rock ‘N’ Roll scene and while mellow would still be considered as having a ‘Rock’ influence in his style. Over the years Wilkerson has I believe wrongly begin an attack on the style of music. While it may be appropriate to offer negative comment on some of the lyrical styles, or even the life styles of some involved in ‘Rock,’ it is wrong to categorically become critical of the style. I have seen thousands of people come to know Christ through music, I know that the styles if given the message of the cross could, and in fact, has reached people.

Now let’s get back to my initial distaste of Hard Core. Sometimes being a Christian means we go out of our comfort zone, we go out of our comfort zone because the salvation, and building up of Christians who are different are more important than personal taste. I know for example at Mosaic Church here in Wichita, as well as with The Virtual Pew, there is a need and a desire to find a way to reach people where they are at. Taste is not nearly as important as effectiveness, especially when that effectiveness has to do with the message of Jesus, seeing people become followers of Jesus and then seeing those followers become dedicated to the teachings of Jesus in their lives. If in fact, I wanted to see the church continue to reach the Goth Community, to reach the Hard Core, or Skater communities, I would have to be open to seeing the church use styles that would be effective. Now it isn’t that the church has the desire to reach only this community, we and I have the desire to reach any community that seems to have given up on church or maybe has been neglected by other churches because of their background or lifestyle. The message of Jesus is for all people, but not all churches do a good job of reaching out to all people.

In the Bible there is the story of this dude named Saul. Saul was this educated well rounded guy who hated Christians. In fact while working for the Roman government, part of his responsibility was to persecute and get on to Christians, even in some situations overseeing their deaths and murder. Then on the way to another city, he meets Jesus. Jesus literally knocks him off his horse, blinds him, and starts a journey that will enable him to become one of the great Christian leaders of all time. Now I am not claiming all of the Paul experience, just the being knocked off the horse part, but the bottom line, I recently went through an experience that was like being knocked off my horse by God to show me a new direction, well not necessarily so much a new direction, but a direction that would cause me to change my perspective.

In my early faith walk I realized the importance of music in my life. One of the things I was convinced of, one of the things I heard was that the music that was important to me prior to me having a relationship with Jesus would have to no longer be a part of my life. I had a future that had the hymns or a style that seemed awfully similar to Country music to me being the only music I thought I could listen to. It was after several suicide attempts that I had a youth pastor introduce me to the music of Larry Norman. It was like a bright and blinding eye that gave me hope that my faith wouldn’t have to be boring, wouldn’t have to be void of one of the things I loved. I was so impressed with this potential that I would become involved in the later stages of the initial “Jesus Movement” which involved a number of Christians like Love Song, Larry Norman, The Second Chapter of Acts, Tom Howard, Pat Terry and the list goes on and on. I actually would eventually start to work with some of those bands including the band The Rob Cassels Band.

In the early days of the ‘Jesus Movement’ I begin to see many of the old hippies love for Jesus. I loved the early days because of their compassion to reach their generation with the message and life changing hope the message brought to their generation. In the early days, groups like Resurrection Band, Love Song, The Rob Cassels Band and others would go places to play their music, not worried about getting paid, not worrying so much about anything because they knew the blessing of sharing their message was more important than anything. There was if you will an innocence that enabled these bands to be extremely effective at reaching their culture. You would see the bands staying around for hours after the concerts sharing and talking with people, one on one. You would see them praying with people, sharing in lives, you would see a genuine concern. To quote Billy Crystal, to see these bands involvement and love for what they were doing was, ‘Maaaaavvelllouuuuuussssss.”

This last week at Mosaic we hosted two national touring bands, I Am Alpha and Omega and Blessed is He. I had discovered these bands through MySpace after a common friend had contacted them about me and the church. It wasn't long before Peach of I Am Alpha and Omega contacted me, I did some research, and trying to be true to my view of reaching the community decided to bring them to town.

There were a number of things about these two bands that impressed me, first was their desire to just have a place to play on an off night on their way to Missouri. It was obvious right away because their honorarium was minimal compared to what their costs were. While they may have been traveling in an old bus that runs off of used cooking oil gathered by asking restaurants, there was still costs involved. Then while having them here, hearing their per diem per day was only $5 per person, they often don’t get to eat, and they are totally dependent upon the blessings God throws their way. I was impressed, in fact, I was reminded of the old early days of the Christian music scene when people were being reached.

Then I realized after the band arrived that they didn’t care so much for large numbers, not that they would mind, but these bands saw it a honor to share their music and their lives with people, no matter how many people were there. Again, this was something that reminded me of the early days of the ‘Jesus Movement’ music. Not only would these guys give a great performance, with every single band member dropping and throwing sweat before their second song, but they had worked hard at their craft, understanding the importance of quality of music, but also the importance of entertaining others. In fact, this was one of the most entertaining concerts I have ever see, out of hundreds if not thousands, and the bass player for Blessed is He, was the single most entertaining musician I have ever seen. Not that the primary importance is entertainment, but the entertainment is one of the things that enables and gives the people the desire to stick around and listen to the message and then, even stick around for hours after a concert to talk to the members of the band.

Blessed is He and I Am Alpha and Omega didn’t just provide quality music though, they did something else that reminded me a great deal of the old ‘Jesus Music’ days, they took the time to share of their lives and to share Jesus with the people they had just finished playing for. I’m not talking about a few moments here, or a few moments there, I am talking about hours. These guys had stated that they were there to serve the people at the concert, you know what? I believe them. Don’t get me wrong, they also spoke during their musical sets, but it was then, and afterward that their lives really came through. It reminded me, that just like in the early days of ‘Jesus Music’ there were still artists that played because of their love for Jesus, and in return, their love of Jesus would be transformed out to their love for the people, which is really what the love of Jesus is all about.

Over the years, I had developed a bad taste in my mouth regarding the Christian Music Industry. Truth is, I still have a bad taste to some extent, but I Am Alpha and Omega and Blessed is He gave me hope, hope that there still exists some of those same types of people who existed during the ‘Jesus Movement’ days. These are people who had as their primary passion ministry. People who hadn’t had their music, opinions, and life polluted and destroyed by an industry that had a larger concern about things like profit than they did things like souls. Don’t get me wrong here, these guys like the others doing real ministry deserve all of the success they can get. Phone bills still have to be paid, children still need to be fed, and I could go on and on, but these are areas where we who also believe in these passions, also believe in this type of ministry can come in and help out and support. Hopefully God chooses to use us to do that.

One of the guys in my church, Chris realized how he could help out. Seems as if these two bands were having some trouble with their bus electrical system or something and Chris had some knowledge in this. Chris didn’t really have the money for he and his family to get into the concert. As is always the case, I will let someone in free to something like this if they don’t have the money. Chris’s wife brought homemade cookies for the band, and Chris ended up working on the bus to try and help them along. Chris realized there was ways he could help out without giving money. If we all think about things like this we can all find ways to help each other out. While money is nice, the things money provides can be provided by other means than money, by things like labor, service, and showing love by cooking a meal, offering a shower or you can imagine any other number of things. These are lessons and experiences we can all experience if we have reminders of love and service like these guys provided for me and the others at the concert the other night.
I had an eye opening, blinding experience on Monday night, September 29, 2008. I learned that I as well could learn to love Hard Core music. While my hair is back in a pony tail most of the time, I had a friend at the concert that encouraged me to let my hair down, literally, I did. It wasn’t long before there I was, an almost 50 year old guy, head banging with the best of them, while allowing my long glorious hair do some of the talking for me. I was having fun, even finding myself understanding the lyrics, which dumbfounded some, but I found myself, more than anything, entering into a place of worship that I was not expecting. I found myself having fun, being ministered to, and worshiping Jesus in a loud, Hard Core way with a new generation of people needing in their own way the very thing I needed when I was growing up and needing the music of Larry Norman, Pat Terry, Resurrection Band, Rob Cassels and numerous others. I was reminded of the love these forefathers of Christian music had, because I was seeing that love continue on in bands like Blessed is He and I Am Alpha and Omega.

For those wanting more information about these bands, contact them through their MySpace pages. Just click here to contact Blessed is He, and click here to contact I Am Alpha and Omega. I encourage churches, youth groups, or others who promote concerts to contact these guys. My hope is to have them again at some point in time at Mosaic. Not just these guys but any group that is willing to go out of their way to reach their cultures, from Bluegrass to Country, and from Rock to Hip Hop, finding ways to use music to reach the culture is worth it, because the people who make up the culture are worth it. Next time, I want both or one of these bands for 2 days, we’ll be doing a skate park where I raise funds to do that, then a school, or something like that prior to the concert at the church or other venue. Why, because now I am sold on at least these two bands because I have seen their heart. Hopefully others on board reading this will be willing to do the same.

On a scale of 1 – 10 for the live concert of these two bands, Hard Core and all, I give an old time, enthusiastic 10

To view some of the bands videos, just click on the video below, if the video don't work, just do a simple search at YouTube.

Blessed is He Videos Here