Well, after waiting a month to process the two Sufjan Stevens concerts my wife and I attended in New York City, I think it’s about time to get it on paper (or the internet, or blogosphere, or whatever you call this thing). To be honest, laziness was probably more of a factor in waiting a month than the processing part; but whatever. I’ll post the review in three sections over the next three days: Intro/1st night, 2nd night, and final thoughts.
Intro
First, I’ll give a little background. Sufjan Stevens is an artist residing in Brooklyn, NY who mixes autobiography, religious fantasy, and regional history to create folk songs of grand proportions. Born in Detroit, Stevens studied music at Hope College in Holland, MI and was in the masters program for writing at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Stevens’ album Come On! Feel The Illinoise! was the most critically praised album of 2005 and just won Paste Magazine’s “Best Album of the Decade” award. Needless to say, Stevens has become a huge success in the independent rock/folk world and until September of this year, he had not gone on a U.S. tour since 2006. So, when my wife and I heard that Sufjan was going on a small east coast tour this fall we decided if we could get tickets we would go to New York. Even though every show sold out within half an hour of when they went on sale, we managed to snag tickets to two shows: one at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and the other at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
1st Night
The first show was at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on October 4th. We arrived an hour before doors were supposed to open. While this was a good idea (there was already a line going around the block), we had no idea that we were embarking on 5 1/2 hours of standing. Standing aside, we had a great spot four people/rows back from the stage. Considering the venue was standing room only and general admission we were lucky with our proximity to the front. Cryptacize, fellow Asthmatic Kitty label-mates with Sufjan, was the opening act. Their sparse and whimsically arranged pop music was exciting and creative. The energy was perfect and set the mood for what was to come. We had seen Cryptacize before in Seattle and loved them, but this time they had a full band and had obviously developed and become more confident. While their albums are great, seeing them live is much better. Nedelle Torrisi’s (lead singer) voice was flawless and it was nice to see her again when she sang bgv’s in Sufjan’s band. They had a solid set that lasted about 1/2 an hour. Usually, people don’t love the opening bands and want them to finish so that the main act can come on, but I got the impression that people wouldn’t have minded hearing more from Cryptacize; which is a testament to their great music and stage presence.
After a too long but understandable wait for the stage to be set, Sufjan and his band began. The set started with a banjo and a voice; the fundamentals of a stereotypical Sufjan Stevens tune. The song, “The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, the mind that knows itself),” allowed the band to slowly come alive as harmonies, horns, guitars and percussion built a beautiful texture around the simple melody. After this humble introduction, Stevens and the band that barely fit on the small stage presented their large and experimental sound with the new song “Impossible Souls.” The eight-member band included: banjo, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards/synths, drums/percussion, bass, french horn, trumpet, trombone and two background vocalists. An integral element to the sound was the number of effects pedals that were wired to every instrument. There were over forty pedals on the stage, with the trumpet player having the most! Stevens joked that before the tour they all went to Guitar Center for a couple of hours and had a lot of fun buying everything they liked. The new sound created with this band and their arsenal of electronic gear was explosive and captivating.
Though the new songs (he did 3 in NYC and 4 in Brooklyn) contained all the elements of Sufjan’s previous works (catchy melodies, tight harmonies, developed arrangements, overlapping textures and melodic passages, subtlety vs. explosiveness) they also contained experimental electronic and jazz/fusion breaks that challenged the listener. The sound was a mixture of Stevens himself with Sonic Youth, Miles Davis’ Bitches’ Brew, Radiohead and Simon and Garfunkel. Sufjan did strip the band back down for classics like “Casimir Pulaski Day” and “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” and it was in those moments where I was able to see and hear the beautiful simplicity that first got me hooked on his music. Though I had looked forward to hearing Stevens perform his hits and older material, it was the new songs that stood out and captivated the audience the most. The creativity and ability to keep his trademarks while introducing a completely new sound was impressive and after 13 songs and 2 encores, we left the concert shocked, amazed and speechless (our legs also felt like they were about to fall off).
Tim Keller with an amazing answer to an important question:
Exodus 13
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. [a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.
Exodus 14
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him.
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. (NIV)
This Sunday, Scott Dudley will preach the sermon “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” as we continue the sermon series Prison Break through the book of Exodus. In this passage of scripture, the Israelites had fled Egypt and with Pharaoh’s army in pursuit they were halted by the Red Sea. They were stuck and did not see a way out and were trapped. Sometimes we feel trapped like the Egyptians. Whether it’s the bondage of an addiction, or a bad relationship, or money issues there are problems that we feel we cannot escape. We can also feel bored and trapped in a life with no adventure. Just like the Israelites were being pursued by Pharaoh, we are pursued by the devil. And when we begin to break free through the power of God, sometimes it gets bad before it can get better. The Egyptians escaped slavery, but their long trek through the desert was certainly not the easy way out.
There are four ways in which we can begin to break free from the bondage that we are in, just as Moses and the Egyptians found in the story of the Exodus:
- We have to want to be free. There is always a price that we have to pay and we have to be willing to pay it. Bondage is often safe and temporarily fulfilling. We have to want freedom more than temporary comfort and satisfaction.
- Sometimes, for our own good, God makes us take the long way. Taking the long way can help us mature. The Israelites had a slave mentality and they needed time in the desert to learn how to become a nation. God builds our character and forces us to face our fears when we take the long way.
- We need to step into God’s promises. Moses parted the Red Sea, but one of the hardest parts was taking the step and walking between the walls of water. Sometimes we need to take a leap of faith and trust that God will be with us.
- We need to surrender everything we have to Jesus. This step relates to the previous sermon with the idea that we need to give everything to Jesus and trust him with our lives. Moses surrendered his staff and it ended up parting the Red Sea and leading the Israelites to freedom. When we follow God’s will, he sets us free.
So what’s your bondage. Surrender it all and you’ll be free. The songs selected this Sunday were chosen to focus our minds and hearts on Jesus so that we can lay everything at his feet in worship.
- Kingdom Come – Ben Fielding
- Centre of it All - Tim Hughes
- Mighty to Save – Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan
- Sweetly Broken – Jeremy Riddle
- Soon – Brooke Ligertwood
- Run – Joel Houston
I suppose you would call this do-it-yourself vocal harmony. Here is Jamie Lidell performing “The City” on From the Basement in London. Note: I think the best part is around 5:50.
In November the Global Conversation focuses on the prosperity gospel—the teaching that true Christian faith results in material wealth and physical well-being. While it has its roots in America, it has found fertile soil on other continents as well. To accompany the lead article in Christianity Today by Ghanaian scholar Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, director Nathan Clarke went to Ghana to explore the forms the prosperity gospel takes in that West African nation. (www.outofur.com)
For the whole article, go HERE. (For full-screen go here)
I am so confused. It is quite apparent that Weezer is still a band who doesn’t mind taking risks. I’m not sure if they were going for a serious musical risk or just a hilarious one here. In any case, it’s an amusing video featuring Seattle’s own Kenny G and his brand new pair of Converse All-Stars. I guess the lyrics “This aint believable; this aint predictable” have taken on a new meaning in the song.
Exodus 3
7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Exodus 4
1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”
2 Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” ”A staff,” he replied.
3 The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 ”This,” said the LORD, “is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. (NIV)
This Sunday, Scott Dudley will begin the sermon series Prison Break with the story of Moses in his sermon “Throw it Down.” The theme of the sermon series is breaking free from the bondage that holds us back from God’s plan for our lives. Moses had some problems, but when God convinced him to lay his flaws down and follow Him, he had an amazing adventure. What oppresses you? How are you in bondage?
There are two major truths that God reveals in this passage. The first is that whatever your bondage is, God’s dream for our liberation is bigger. Moses’ dream was to kill an Egyptian that was treating an Israelite slave poorly. God’s dream was bigger; He gave Moses a new nation. God’s dream is always bigger than simply fixing a problem. The second major truth is that we have to throw it all down. After God invited Moses to do His will and free the Israelites, Moses gave two chapters of reasons why he couldn’t do it. Unless we throw down our comfort and security, we can’t fulfill our heart’s desires. One of the easiest examples of throwing down comfort and security is to faithfully tithe. Giving frees us from financial worry and frees us to see more clearly what God is doing in this world. It’s not always easy, but to be free we have to throw everything down. There are plenty of excuses we can give for not surrendering our money and time to God’s will, but the only way to be freed from material bondage is to surrender it.
Some people might think that they don’t have much to offer. Moses only had a shepherd’s staff. However, when Moses surrendered to God’s will, this simple staff was used for great miracles; including parting the Red Sea. So what’s your bondage? God is bigger. Throw it down at His feet.
The songs selected this week are intended to help surrender ourselves to God’s will and glorify His name.
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
- Hosanna – Brooke Fraser
- Never Let Me Go – Joel Houston
- This is Our God – Reuben Morgan
- Came to the Rescue – Joel Davies, Marty Sampson, Dylan Thomas
- Bless His Name – Jeremy Riddle
My good friend Luke and his friend Christian have a group called Thousands. They’re super awesome and play creative and beautiful acoustic-based music. Check it out:
Sufjan Stevens‘ film soundtrack “The BQE” (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) was released on October 20th on Asthmattic Kitty. Check out this great little interview with Stevens about the project on NPR HERE.
Alright. First off, don’t get the idea that we at modern worship support the lyrics in this song. In fact, they are horrible and unintelligent. However, the song is both hilarious and amazing at the same time. And honestly, it’s really well written (the music, not lyrics) with great harmony. So sit back, unplug your amps, put down your drumsticks and enjoy this classic.
