Manaala

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Music

“My guitar is not a thing. It is an extension of myself. It is who I am.” ~ Jett

Three years ago I was in my room when suddenly I realized that Dad had a guitar and it was in my closet (because my twin sister played a little… occasionally… somewhat… practically never). Immediately I got it out: a little old guitar that’s probably worth a lot as an antique. I sat down and said, “Okay, Andi, what’s a G chord?”

That’s pretty much how it all began. I learned the G chord, and D, A, Em, and C ~ with those five chords you can play a multitude of songs. Dad had a few old hymns in the guitar case that he used to play when he played in church. Sometimes he used to play them at home, too, when we did our family devotions. I recognized some of the chords ~ G and D especially ~ from watching him play so many years ago.

I loved it. I learned fast and before long those old hymns just weren’t enough anymore. I played every day until my fingers hurt (okay, maybe not that long, but I was caught up in the dramaticalness of the whole story) and Andi started playing again too. That guitar quickly became a major part of my life, and I definitely stayed more entertained when I added it to my list of possible things to waste my time on.

I quickly found out, however, that playing guitar was not a waste of my time. Before long Andi and I got a binder and started printing out songs to play (we’re probably the main reason my family is always out of printer cartridges). The binder filled up fast, and by that first Christmas, I was ready to get my own guitar.

I took my time on deciding which I wanted. I liked the old style guitar, your typical western-like acoustic, but I think that was mostly because I was used to playing Dad’s old guitar (I have this problem with letting go of things. I tend to get attached too easily). I checked reviews and brooded about strings and sizes. Finally I picked out a Yamaha guitar. Andi chose a Rogue cutaway and we put together everything we would need: capos, straps, stands, picks.

That was the longest wait I ever had. I was so excited to get my new guitar somewhere around Christmastime. I was always excited for Christmas, but this time it was different. I wasn’t just getting candy canes or toys or scarves, I was actually getting an instrument, something I would likely spend many years of my life using (in other words, something truly useful).

The guitars arrived by Christmastime but we had to wait until Christmas Day to check them out. I remember that morning, getting up, finally rousing Mom and Dad from bed, and sitting in the middle of the room full of crumpled wrapping paper with my new guitar in my hands. It was beautiful. It was shiny and new, and it looked like something you’d see in a magazine. The only problem was that the strings were horribly out of tune.

It took a long time to tune it, but finally we did and our song collection continued to grow. We started exploring with capos and picking. We got good fast ~ good enough to play together, and for other family members. That helped me out with my talking problems (and general socialization issues), and I could actually sing in front of somebody (as long as I was playing guitar as well) without too much heartburn. Before I hardly sang at all; with the guitar, my voice improved, and I don’t think I sound that bad (but then I don’t know what I sound like to other people, which frightens me). I don’t think any material thing has made as much of an impact on my life than my guitar.

Now I’ve been getting tougher and tougher songs, tougher both for picking and for singing, mostly by watching Boyce Avenue acoustic covers and copying the patterns. I can switch between using a pick and not using it in the middle of a song, and because of my guitar ~ which I dubbed Manaala (“perfect harmony” in Elvish) ~ I have gathered more and more instruments and learned to play them, I have started pursuing a career in the music industry, and Andi and I co-wrote our first song. Manaala has changed my life completely and is my fondest friend, and it all started with a G chord.

“If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing.” ~ Peter Pan

Roar

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Anthem Lights, music review

Roar is like an epic description of how I feel. When Caleb starts it off, his voice is so soft and full of tenderness. Alan’s voice leads so perfectly into Joey’s prechorus, which he obviously loves. Then Cabe sings the chorus so purely that something in me melts. But the fun in the oh’s puts an inescapable quality into it.

I love how Chad’s voice blends perfectly with Alan and Joey’s. And I love that he watches them when they’re harmonizing, like there’s a real connection and magic in their music. Then when Cabe leads on the second chorus, I can just feel the fierceness in his voice. I love it! And when Chad sings Eye of the Tiger ~ ohhhhh! It’s perfection. And then Caleb says “I got the eye of the tiger!” and there’s no doubt that he DOES. His background parts ~ he puts his heart and soul into that music. And they end it with the same softness they started it with.

This song is just pure solid art on a soundtrack and it gives me goosebumps (even if they’re just under the skin). I can’t get over it. I can’t imagine anyone singing like they do. I have heard the original version as well as covers by Royal Tailor and other artists, and they weren’t nearly as good. And when they sing, I can just feel that no matter what the lyrics are, they’re singing to God ~ the MUSIC is to God ~ and it gives me a feeling I can’t explain.

All fangirling besides, Roar is a song of a silent person’s vengeance on those who underestimated, misunderstood, and took advantage of them, which is exactly why I relate so easily to it. It starts out speaking about the singer’s past habits of insecurity and their attempts at not making anything worse than it was. This person didn’t want to take sides and didn’t want to speak up about their opinions and beliefs. In a way, their individuality decreased, or at least the evidence of it did. They forgot that they have their own thoughts and ideas, and that it’s okay to have them. They let people push them beyond what they should have been asked to tolerate, all in the name of not fighting back. They had nothing to stand for and no desire to have anything to stand for, so I think maybe they suffered of gullibility.

In the pre-chorus, the singer begins to find the will to fight back. Seeing as this is a secular song, I know that this is probably not the reason, but I like to think that the singer found hope in Jesus. For whatever reason, they realize that they have been dishonored, disrespected, and degraded. They build their character, and their assaulters begin to realize that something is changing. They hear the “thunder” of the once-silent singer’s newfound identity.

The chorus speaks volumes of the singer’s new confidence and security. They’re saying, “That’s it, I’ve had it. You can’t just toss me aside or take advantage of me anymore, because I know my worth, and you’re going to see what I can do. I’ve been patient and tolerant, and I’m just not going to do that anymore. I’m not going to let you take advantage of me anymore.” The second verse tells us about the change that has come about in the singer’s life. They have worked hard on gaining respect and identity, and their life has changed drastically for the better.

The addition of Eye of the Tiger to the song was a good move on Anthem Lights’ part, not only because they fit so well together musically, but because they fit as a story as well. Eye of the Tiger is not only sung by a band by Survivor ~ it is also an anthem from the point of view of a survivor. Now our singer is telling other people the name of the game. This is what it is, this is how it feels, and this is what it takes.

My favorite part of the song is when Caleb sings “Can you hear me?” in the final chorus. It’s like a dare, but so gloriously sung. It’s amazing how many different feelings can be packed into just four words. I can hear the joy and fun that he’s having as he sings it, as well as the defiance of the song. It’s like he’s saying, this is me. This is who I am. You treated me wrongly once, but just look. NOW do you see?

The singer’s story is an inspiration to any who listens. We all know that one can hear a song without really listening to it, which is a subject I’ll get to in a different post. And Anthem Lights delivers it with power and feeling. What more can one want?

My Greatest Prediction

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Anthem Lights

My greatest prediction to date came two years ago when Anthem Lights was going to choose a new member. I was sad that Kyle left, of course, but I wasn’t devastated, exactly. I knew that they had a better chance at replacing Kyle than, say, Chad, whose voice is just insane. But anyway, my sister and I were talking about the new member, and I had always thought it was so cool how Caleb, Chad, and Kyle’s names kind of fit together–you know, the “c-k” thing–which made Alan’s name even easier to remember–I know, ironic, right?

So my sister and I were talking about it and I remember saying, “You know, his name probably won’t even fit in right. It’ll probably be something completely random, like–Joe.” Because how much of a chance is there that the new guy’s name would just happen to start with a “c” or a “k”?

Well, you see how THAT turned out. Anthem Lights were doing a live video chat thing on May 14, 2012, in which they would introduce their new member. I wasn’t able to watch it live, but my sister and I went back later and watched it. They started out just kind of talking about stuff, which I don’t remember really. Then came the big announcement.

“And our new member is…JOEY STAMPER!”

Our jaws dropped and we just sat and stared as Joey came into the frame and joined the guys on the couch, Mickey Mouse pants and all. Joey? You CAN’T be serious! But yes, they were serious.

Needless to say, that took some getting used to. Not only because we still missed Kyle, but because I didn’t entirely believe that the guy’s name was actually Joey. I was only off by one letter, after all. Joey definitely had to earn my respect, though I must say his performance in Give Your Heart a Break, the first time I ever heard him sing, helped. He only rose higher as he sang with As Long As You Love Me, and finally, after I joined Twitter and saw how ridiculously–well, ridiculous–he was, I admitted that Joey was worthy of my respect. And now I have even seen him perform and spoken to him personally. He’s risen quite high.

Welcome to Anthem Lights, Joey Stamper.

Heart Stops

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Music

by David Dunn

I love this song for many reasons, one being that a good friend of mine led me to it. Another is that it has a good beat and is great fun to play on the cajon, which is currently my favorite instrument and one that I MUST GET. SOON. But that’s not what we’re talking about at the moment.

In addition to having great sentimental meaning to me, this song is important because it’s incredibly thought-provoking. I mean, think about it. What would you do if your heart stopped beating?

The first verse sounds like it’s talking about the end of the world, not just death. The sun doesn’t stop burning when you die, and neither do trees wither.

What does the pre-chorus mean, though? “If your heart stopped nonstop.” That doesn’t make much sense, does it? But it does. Have you ever seen a movie where a person’s heart stopped beating and they were dead for a moment, but then someone administered CPR or something and brought them back to life? Like the TV show LOST, Charlie’s heart stopped and Jack brought him back to life by pounding on him. (Way to go, Doc.) His heart DID stop beating, for a moment. But that wasn’t real death. It was just unconsciousness. He wasn’t dead yet, even though his heart wasn’t beating for a few moments. I think that the pre-chorus of this song, the addition of the word “nonstop,” implies that there’s no coming back this time. You’re really and truly dead.

The chorus gives so much to think about. Dying is really the end of all you know. You don’t know what it’s like to be dead. You don’t know what heaven’s like. All you know is what you’ve seen here on earth, and very few people that have been truly dead have come back (and I’m not talking about Agent Coulson here…sorry, Phil, you’re fictional).

Pretend you’ve just died. Look back at what you’ve done in your life. So what about it? Has the life you’ve just stopped living left anything to show? Did you do anything truly meaningful in your lifetime? Anything worthy of note and remembrance? Or was it all wasted on meaningless pleasures and things of this earth that account for nothing in eternity?

The second verse gives you a little more to consider. I love that first line, “If the heart that pulsed within you.” It’s a really beautiful line and it brings sparks of pleasure to my brain. So if you lived like time was short, if you did everything you could to make a difference in this world, would more people turn to Jesus? Would they realize the truth about the God you serve (or don’t serve)? Would they see Him in you?

The bridge is brilliant. “Tell me what you’d do if you knew this for sure, that every breath that you breathe will be accounted for. Would it make a difference if you knew that all your life is being seen by the Maker of all?”

So tell me. What would you do? The Lord is not a blind God. He can see you, every moment of the day, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. You can’t get away from Him. And He’s going to judge you for your actions at the end of time. Does knowing that make a difference to you? Does it change the way you will choose to live your life?

“But they will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” ~ 1 Peter 4:5

Beautiful Melody

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Music

“I do music because I can just pick up my guitar and sing, and completely satisfy, instant gratification. I don’t need a script, I don’t need people, I don’t need anything, cameras, I just have myself and my guitar or keyboard.” ~ Jeremy Renner

Music is beautiful that way. It touches you in its own way, and it means something different to everyone who listens, even if it’s the same song. Sometimes you’re listening just because you like the beat or the sound of the song. Sometimes you’re listening for the lyrics, because you know they can touch you in mysterious ways.

God loves music. That’s one thing I know. He created music and He loves to hear us praise Him with it. I don’t know if there’s any better way to show God how much you love and appreciate Him.

That’s one reason I love to play guitar. I can just pick it up, on some days, and play a song that will totally sweep me away into another realm. On other days I play just for the fun of it, because it sounds good (usually) and makes me happy (and kills time).

But what is music about, really? Why does listening to it make us feel so good, and make such an impact on our current mood?

Here’s my answer: I don’t know. I have no idea why music hits us so hard. It can’t really be explained. It’s a part of everyone’s life, maybe the one thing everybody has in common. Everybody enjoys music in their own way, for their own reasons. Maybe that’s why the music industry is so popular, because it might be the only thing able to bring us together.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche