The Ichthus Pictures.

My thanks to John for putting these into a manageable format and hosting them for me.

Ichthus (Opens in New Window)

The Ichthus Awards...

Pictures will be up soon, but I wanted to go ahead and do this. Rather than writing an actual review of the festival, I thought it would be fun to give out my own made-up rewards for various parts of the festival. Here goes:

Best Performance - Haste the Day [Great stage presence, heavy music, front row position, wild moshing, etc. The end of Ichthus (literally and figuratively) for me].

Most Unexpected, Honorable Performance - Sanctus Real [These guys REALLY surprised me. Very magnetic performance, even if I didn't know all the songs...]

Best Worship Time - Newsboys [I thought it would suck and I wouldn't have fun, but it was actually quite enjoyable. The lead singer is kinda flamboyant, but I enjoyed it.]

Funniest Show - The Showdown [These guys were full-on metal, but the lead singer was an absolute riot on stage. Awesome show and humor...great mix.]

Best Part of Ichthus - John and Ashley [I hadn't seen either of them in quite a while, so it was great to get together for some quality time.]

Worst Part of Ichthus - 30-Minute Storm [I hate to be cliché since everyone is talking about this (even though it was rather lame). Ruined the mood, destroyed property, scared people, etc. Not fun at all.]

"Haunting Memory" - The Girl at Deep End [I met this really cool girl at Deep End stage on Saturday and was going to talk to her more (maybe hit it up) but she left so I couldn't. Oh, well - praise God for the "moment" we did have :)]

Funny Part - The Horns [As I was walking in and people were checking wrist-locks I held up the horns and this guy gave me a high five, then acted all weird about it. IT'S NOT EVIL, FRIEND!]

Big Lessons - 1. Become VERY involved in God's Word (VERY much a struggle recently), 2. Become part of a Christian community (sometimes hard when you are still new in a church), 3. Become undignified for The Lord (who cares what other people think?).

Poignant Moment - MOST [This was borderline horribly depressing. The movie they showed (with the symbolism of God choosing to give His Son's life for ours) made me feel very sad. I can't put into words the entire range of emotions/thoughts I have on it, so I'll just end there...)]

Merchandise Purchased - Staple (C.D.), The Showdown (C.D.), and the obligatory Ichthus festival tee.

I can't think of any more awards right now, but understand that the above in no way shows how awesome being at Ichthus was this year. Even though I am still getting those "surreal (out of place)" feelings, I feel so great to be where I am now and to be part of this new life, community, and atmosphere. With God's help (and thankfully school ending...so hopefully the time to actually work on things) I hope to move past some of the issues/problems in my spiritual life right now - but I would not trade anything for the experiences I have had over the past six months...and I don't want to even think what my life would be like without Jesus - presently or in the near and distant future. Thank you so much, God!

Band Updates...

[Make sure to check below this post for the reviews of the two concerts I went to]

Saturday night was reserved for a get-together at my friend's house to celebrate his birthday. Nothing too unique about that. However, late in the evening (after sitting outside listening to music for a few hours) the conversation moved towards Calypso Creole - and how all of the main members (singer, guitarist, and myself) had very strong feelings about getting back together to make some things up. It seems as if there has been a revitalization and that (hopefully) soon we shall be having the great times we had in the past playing together.

It also looks as if the band will be growing a bit, too. We spoke about adding the singer's wife in on bass, and then we had another spot "reserved" for the birthday boy (whom had played keys once with us before). I'm going to look into pricing, but I hope to have some shirts for us soon...and maybe a few other interesting media items as well.

This works out great, if things indeed do shape up, because my father can work the live sound for us if we ever want to play. And, I also have a friend with a recording studio (as does the guitarist) so we can make demos or master tracks whenever we get the urge (and are a little more polished).

In the complete opposite direction (musically speaking...in a "spiritual" vs. "secular" way) I have come up with the name I want to use for my band: Forfeit Your Name. It has a really good ring to it - and speaks a lot about my convictions as a Christian. I have one song written and a bunch of other ideas floating around - but I talked to the guy who will playing guitar for us in Calypso Creole and he said that he would also lend his talents if I ever decided to go in and record my stuff. I am going through tracks right now that are purely musical on the C.D.s I already own - which I can use to at least get something recorded with my vocals.

No idea how any of this is really going to turn out...but I imagine things might get going well...which is cool.

Review: As I Lay Dying Concert

The Line-Up: Winter Solstice, All That Remains, Throwdown, As I Lay Dying

We ended up arriving to the show nearly an hour early - and because a line had already formed at the door we made the decision to park and wait. Doors were supposed to open at 7:30, yet because of matters I still do not understand, the venue didn't start searching/allowing people in until about that time or later (which meant it took about another hour for every person in line to make their way into the venue).

My dad and I waited a bit and when we finally hit the line to get in the first band had already taken stage - so I missed, I think, three songs from one of the bands I wanted to see...which did bum me out a bit. The rest of the set I did catch was VERY good however, and I have listened to their album ("The Fall of Rome") that I picked up at the show probably four times now. Very good metal band, unique singing style/vocals.

After Winter Solstice finished, All That Remains took stage. They weren't bad, per se, but I just couldn't really get into them. I have kind of left behind my attraction towards secular music - and considering the band I really wanted to see was only going to come on after this band and the next, I kind of went through a Sinai Beach moment and didn't really pay attention to anything.

Throwdown (a band which had quite a lot of crowd support) went on after All That Remains. I had already seen these guys at Ozzfest '04 - so there was really nothing new for me here. They are an okay hardcore band...but there is nothing that I would say differentiates them from any other band taking influence from that genre. The crowd (at least, the Throwdown supporters) went nuts during every song...but I sat back myself and waited for the headlining band.

As I Lay Dying, even in their paltry 30-or-so minute set, absolutely delivered. The first and last song were the two specifically that I wanted to hear. They also managed to throw in two of the songs from their new album coming out this summer - and neither disappointed. I was up on my feet the entire set - into the music without being absolutely crazy (because I was still in the bar area so I could have an unobstructed view). These guys are absolutely metal and do not stop when playing live - giving their all and leaving everyone satisfied.

Overall, the show deserves an A ranking. The atmosphere (compared to the last show) was lacking...but that is no fault of the bands playing. I also had a bit of a headache for a while, so that detracted from the experience as well. But, in the end, it was worth the money and time. Great show, great times.

Review: Zao Concert

The Line-Up: Son of Day, Still Remains, Sinai Beach, Zao

The concert was amazing - and the experience pretty much revolved entirely around Sinai Beach's enticing performance.

The night started off well, with the normal "get the crowd pumped" metal band, Son of Day. They were okay, musically speaking, but my only reason for being at the show was Sinai Beach - so I admit a bit of bias in this area. They utilized dual-vocals and had some fairly catchy guitar riffs - as well as powerful percussion. However, their set was plagued with unacceptable amounts of feedback and clipping. They could have been much better (sound quality wise) but they (in my opinion) were FAR outshadowed by the bands that followed.

Next, in the spot I thought was filled by Sinai, Still Remains came to stage. I bought their E.P. before the show began, because I had heard of them before (they will also be at Ichthus in two weeks). They were really good - but, again, I was "zoning" off. It is very hard to concentrate when the band you have been waiting months to see is only about 1/2 hour away. I intend to give them a listen on the ol' C.D. player here - but I give them their credit...they sounded great (as most of the sound problems had been fixed by then).

Now - for the show stopper. Sinai Beach is a killer live band. Again, a bit of bias, but this might have been the best 30-or-so minutes of live music I have ever seen. These guys give their all on stage - and they are one of the heaviest bands I know. Plus, I was so close to the stage that I felt the wind of the guitarist's hair when he headbanged - and I had my hand on his monitor the entire time. This was the defining moment of the night - and after they finished the one crowd-demanded encore song, I was ready to leave the venue. Enough for me, the concert is over.

It might as well have been. I ended up talking to the drummer of Sinai Beach outside the club for a bit while Zao was playing. I then got C.J. (the lead singer of Sinai) to autograph (and then get the rest of the band to sign) my C.D. jackets. He was really cool about it - willing to take it around to make sure that I got everyone's. I think I was being the crazed fan there for a while, following them around like a lost puppy (kind of)...but all in all it was worth it.

As for Zao (honestly, what little I heard) it was good as well (but not even close to Sinai...). I had actually been around the lead singer the entire night (I just thought he was some tattooed guy who kept coming to the bar for drinks). The drummer had also been walking around all night. Musically, they were good enough to buy - but I was completely out of it after the previous performance - and we ended up leaving early to beat the traffic.

If you are a fan of music (especially metal) and you ever have a chance to see your favorite band(s) at a small club - there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't take advantage of the opportunity. The atmosphere was absolutely perfect, the bands were very casual and inviting, and the performances were top knotch. Overall - A+ - and that is just the grade for the Sinai Beach performance.

A Burden Lifted.

By the grace of God I finally got the 3 quizzes and 2 case assignments completed. Had it not been for His strength and presence, I am sure I would probably either be just finishing, or staring at blank pages and unclicked links. I'm not kidding when I say that I need help in getting things done lately (or at least getting things done that I need to do, rather than what I want to do at the moment).

I am also entirely sure that I have a problem with procrastination. I originally just used it as the excuse - a name for things not getting done. But, when I "researched" it online, I found a lot more about it that fits directly to my personality. This isn't a disease - as our culture is getting progressively better at labeling everything...but it is most surely a problem that needs to be fixed if I am going to be both successful in any ventures I take - and less stressed about them along the way.

I wholeheartedly need to get back "in touch" with God. I'm not saying He has been vacant from my life - far from it. But I have been doing just as good a job recently of completely ignoring Him as I did before I became a believer. This world has been demanding recently, I have been weak, and the distractions and temptations have been plenty.

I have a gift for melodrama - I can tell by just reading that last paragraph. This is not a life-ending occasion - nor do the most recent events in my life fall in that category. However, I have noticed a lot of change in myself lately that I do not like...and that is something I can be both certain and upfront about.

Like I said earlier, God has pulled me out of yet another hole I both dug and fell into...it's up to me to try, try again. Thankfully I'm not God and He is not like me...because I would have given up a long time ago.