Tag: reviews

A Day Which Shall Live in Infamy

James HoganLeave a comment

A few random notes that I didn’t have time to write this morning (because I took all my time writing about my book!!)

Firstly – and I’m mostly sharing this so I can link it to Laura later, since she’s the only one who will appreciate! (Hi Laura!!) – last night had a dream about being at a Nightwish concert with Laura. It was a very weird concert apparently since…we were sitting somewhere up high and all the aisles sloped down to the stage at the bottom of the concert hall. Felt more like a concert hall for a symphony and not a metal show! And we were sitting, not rocking out in front. Terrible! As in the way of dreams, it started in the middle…at the point where we realized another singer was walking out for the next song and it turned out to be Tarja! We all started going crazy and chanting her name (or maybe I was the only one?) She sang one song with the band (and it apparently was a song that had been written after her departure, which I remember being slightly disappointed about…since she wasn’t singing a song that I knew with her voice!) and as soon as the song kicked into gear, I remember being simply thrilled. Just her voice made the song even more awesome than it already was. Hearing her sing a Nightwish song (even though I can’t remember which one?! I seem to remember it was one of their harder more recent songs…maybe Shudder Before the Beautiful?) was amazing and it was stunningly beautiful and I’m sad this can’t happen for real. After the song was over, the concert apparently had an intermission, which I didn’t know was a thing for metal shows. But again – dream! I decided I should walk down and say hi to Tarja, because. Laura and me walked down the sloping aisle to where she was chilling next to the stage, sitting on a monitor / speaker / box thing. Somehow no one else had the same idea to see her. It was just Tarja, Laura and I! I sheepishly said hello and she replied, “Hey you! Come here!” in that Tarja voice we all know and love. Gave me a hug and I asked her if I could get a picture with her. She of course said yes and I handed Laura my camera and we got a picture together…and then we went back to our seats to enjoy the rest of the show. Yes, that was literally my dream. It was a really fun dream. Pardon me sharing my dream here…but hey, couldn’t resist.

Secondly…I started reading Isaiah today. So excited!!! Simply love this book. It shall be truly wonderful these next weeks. Here are a few words that encouraged my soul this day:

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
they will be white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they will be like wool.
If you consent and obey,
you will eat the best of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

God speaks. Shall we listen? My heart is bound up in the love of my God.

Now it is lunch time…I shall write no more. Time to chomp down on some chicken and spinach wraps with my favorite Nando’s hot sauce. A wonderful lunch, yes? Yes.

Reading Between the Lines of Autumnal Tendencies

James HoganLeave a comment

Hello friends! Been a bit too long since I’ve written…and I honestly don’t even feel much like writing now, but I suppose I should at least attempt to write something. I’m sitting here at Starbucks – not for long though as it is sunny and delightfully cool outside and I shall not waste that – and sipping on my coffee…and yeah, guess I can write a few words! I’m listening to a preliminary mix of a CD I hope to be completed sometime in the next few weeks. It’s not there yet, alas. Alas. Speaking of mixes though – why don’t I share one I made earlier this year? This must have been sometime in…July? August? I actually knocked out 3 mixes in short succession and I don’t exactly remember which I made when – and I’m not going to share all three today! But going alphabetically because why not? This one came about shortly after my Colorado trip with Robbie in which fantastic and memorable times were had. On Sunday of that trip, we had a hiking day in which we drove outside of Denver some ways, found a cool path and hiked up and back. It was beautiful and so different than the Houston I’m usually in. But as we drove there and back, we listened to the music on Robbie’s Spotify – and I realised he had some most excellent dance tunes! By dance tunes (this time), I mean more modern dance/pop music…music that’s fun to listen to, even if the content is a bit lightweight! But hey – great road trip music. And so when I returned from Colorado, decided I needed to memorialize the trip by making a mix using Robbie’s music. I messed with the flow a bit…but the content is pretty much straight Robbie. Thanks man. So now – for a fun, frothy mix…I humbly present Denver 2AM:

1. The Ocean – Mike Perry feat. Shy Martin
2. Summer Air – ItaloBrothers
3. Don’t Let Me Down – The Chainsmokers feat. Daya
4. Paper Planes – M.I.A.
5. Heroes (we could be) – Alesso feat. Tove Lo
6. Alone – Marshmello
7. False Alarm – Matoma & Becky Hill
8. Havana – Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug
9. Closer – The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey
10. Faded – Alan Walker
11. Habits (Stay High) (Hippie Sabotage Remix) – Tove Lo
12. Baba Yetu (Deep Radio Edit) – Supanova
13. Tilbake (Saevik Remix) – David André Østby feat. Marie Hognestad
14. S.O.S. – Indila
15. Sugar – Robin Schulz feat. Francesco Yates
16. So Good – LZ7
17. Runaway (U & I) – Galantis
18. Reload (Vocal Version/Radio Edit) – Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash & John Martin
19. Don’t Wanna Wake Up – Capital Kings
20. Tidal Wave – Sub Focus feat. Alpines
21. Headlines – Robin Schulz feat. Ilsey

So there you go! A bit more words shall I put to page? John (Dixon! From Scotland!!) was here this past week and it was glorious. I shan’t write about all we did(honestly, we didn’t do that much! But definitely enjoyed taking him to a Dynamo game – my first too! Good times were had wandering around Houston in the grey and the rain and the cold…he picked the wrong week to come to Houston for sun and warmth that’s for sure!)…for truly the best part was just being with him again and having quiet moments talking and being together. Sitting on the couch one evening, watching the baseball(World Series – Dodgers v. Red Sox – ugh) and talking about random life thoughts. Or down the street at Christian’s, enjoying a burger, half-watching the Rockets game (but not really) and again just chatting about our past, our future, our hopes, our dreams. You know. All that good stuff. I think one night, I was texting Julie about something and once she found out I was with John – she asked, “Why are you chatting with me when your friend is there!?!” And I thought about it and see that we’re chilling in the living room, half on our phones, half paying attention to whatever was on TV and then making random comments to each other now and again and realised…this just feels like being flatmates in Aberdeen again. A normal evening together. And so having that experience this past week was…quite nice. I treasure the friendship I have with John dearly and I thank my God for that. And I pray that God continues to bless John in all things!! To Him be the glory throughout, now and forever.

Now, before I spiral off into further flights of emotion, I shall take my leave. It really is a good time to get out of this dim coffeeshop and into the glorious light.

Gramercy

James HoganLeave a comment

Hello from Houston!! (And not hello from New York, where I was just a few hours ago!) I am very deeply tired now(really looking forward to a long night’s sleep!), but wanted to write just a few words while my memories are yet fresh! For yes, I just had a brief one-night vacation in NYC. Random what! Well, exceedingly so, yes. But a few months ago, I was perusing instagram(as one does) and saw that Tarja was doing a few shows in the US. Those of you who don’t know Tarja…she is the original singer of Nightwish, one of my very favourite bands. And if I was forced to choose a favourite singer of theirs(because they’ve had three over the years), I would pick her in a heartbeat. Sadly, I came to Nightwish too late to ever get to see her live with the band. But it’s always been a dream to see her live…but unfortunately her solo career pretty much never brings her to the US. Americans are uncultured and don’t appreciate her, I guess. Anyways though – her voice is oh so gorgeous. And as I saw that she was going to four cities in the US(only four!!), I pondered for a few minutes…then spontaneously decided, “You know what? I may never get the chance to see her again – I’m going to do this.” So booked a ticket for the show in NYC, got a plane ticket…and then started second-guessing myself the next day! But I’m quite glad I did this…really just having a little mini holiday in NYC was brilliant. I had an early flight out of Houston yesterday morning, landed in Newark and then made my way to the city. Had to wait a few hours to check into my hotel and it was very grey and wet and rainy(and cold!), so I hunkered down at a corner deli, had lunch and enjoyed coffee and reading for a few hours. Reading John Flavel’s “All Things Made New” currently – some truly heart-warming and most encouraging words contained therein. How wonderful it is to read of the glories and majesties of Christ!! So yes, even some quiet hours reading old Puritan writings got to be part of my vacation. Lovely.

And eventually…I walked down to my hotel, checked in and dropped my bag off, and then made my way down to Gramercy Theatre…I got there over 3 hours before doors, but I was definitely not first in line! About 20-25 people in front of me. So settled down for the long wait. Thankfully, as one does, made friends with the people I was standing with in line – had some great chat as we waited! I met Ken, your classic metal aficionado(complete with long curly hair!)…apparently he goes to some 60-80 concerts a year!! Yeah, I could not compete. Also met this man named Bill…a guy probably in his forties who still yet loves metal. It was fun talking to him because he’s definitely not your stereotypical metal fan…works in construction in the city, part of the Iron Workers Union, just your average New Yorker. We had plenty of football and baseball chat, aside from concert talk! So yeah, it was fun to make some friends. I very much am not a fan of going to a concert on my own, but since I made that decision in this case, at least I got to meet some fun people!! Later on, nearer to doors opening, talked to this one girl(never did her name!) for a while. She was probably a couple years younger than me, and upon chatting with her, realized we both got into Nightwish about the same time, back in 07/08. We had much fun talking about our favourite songs, favourite albums…all the shows we’d been to…all the singer drama, etc, etc. I have to confess, I enjoyed that much, mostly because I don’t have many people I can discuss Nightwish with!! I ended up standing next to her at the actual show too, so we got to look at each other and get excited when particular favorite songs were played!! Oh and one more thing…while we were standing in line, a few hours before showtime…I noticed the people in line were getting louder for some strange reason. Looked over to see Tarja and her husband and daughter crossing the street! They made their way into the theatre, but she was smiling and waving at us, passing a few feet in front of me – my first time seeing her, so I was a little starstruck, ok!? – and I’m sure I had a silly smile on my face as I waved back at her. Moments like this. Fun times.

But alright, enough prologue, am I right?? (But seriously, standing in line for over four hours…always fun right???) Finally, after a bit of a delay, the doors were opened and in we rushed!! I was able to maneuver my way to a pretty excellent spot on the far left. Second row!! Yes, not center, but I’ll take it! The support band played and they were…acceptable? Not my favourite, but they tried hard and gave it their all, I’ll give them that. But then finally, finally – it was Tarja time. She came out, the crowd went crazy and the show was amazing. …I honestly don’t really know how to describe it and I fear I would not do it justice. She was energetic and fiery and passionate and radiant and it all was wonderful. Seeing the classic Tarja expressions and smiles in real life…making eye contact with her as her voice rose high…seeing her dance around the stage in joy…what a wonderful, beautiful show. I must now make a small confession and say that while I do like her solo material and seeing her sing is a treat no matter what the songs are…obviously my favourite songs of hers are the ones she sung with Nightwish. So when about halfway through the show she did a medley of Nightwish songs – I was simply ecstatic(along with the girl I was standing next to – we were so much hoping she’d do some old Nightwish!!). That was for sure my favourite part of the night – hearing her sing Ever Dream…Slaying the Dreamer…!!! I never thought I’d ever get this chance to hear her sing those songs in person. And of course…hearing other great songs of hers – Innocence, Diva, Demons in You, and more…was really happy to hear her sing Diva – love that song so much and she brings such energy to it. And of course for that song, she wore a special crown. Oh Tarja. Never change. Near the end of the show(think it was the last song, possibly?) as the band rocked out, she did some of her classic Tarja headbanging…then hilariously stood up, pointed to her neck, grimaced, smiled and laughed – as if to say, “Too old to still be doing this!!” Tarja has just a magnetic stage presence. As much as I tried to enjoy the rest of the band, it was almost impossible to keep from watching her perform. Part of what makes her a legend, I suppose!!

Now, I fear this post is getting rather long, but I suppose I will – as is tradition – also confess that I couldn’t help praying for her as she sang…in one of her talking moments, she spoke of how music was her first love, great passion, etc. And you can definitely see that passion within her! But I do pray for her soul – that she will someday find a new great love, that she will come to know Christ. So many people(very obvious at show last night!) worship her, adore her, shower her with love. May she discover that all in this life is as vanity without knowing God. This I pray. And as for me – as much as I found great joy in listening to her sing…I have a higher joy than that. May I not forget that my true love is Christ! (That’s why it was so special yesterday that I got to read for a few hours in Flavel!)

So the show ended and it was sad and magnificent all at the same time. She did three songs for an encore, then the band made their bows and Tarja had that beautiful smile she always has as she waved farewell. She truly did seem so excited and happy by the love she got from us!! But finally it was over. I eventually made my way to the hotel, feeling oh so tired and having no voice!! (Yes, I yelled a bit too much. Alas) Woke up early this morning(oh wow, it was really only this morning. Seems so long ago now) so that I could take a nice early morning walk. Grabbed some coffee at Pret and made my way through the rainy streets up to 441 W 53rd Street. What is that address, you may ask? (Well, you won’t ask if you’re Mom). Because that is where Mom worked back in the day(80-81, I think) – the “Power Station”, recording studio extraordinaire! She’d sent me the address earlier, so I couldn’t help but make a pilgrimage to see it. Took some pics and called Mom while I was there! It was pretty special, I have to admit.

Eventually though…it was time to return to Houston. Walked down 8th Ave, enjoying walking amidst all the normal New York foot traffic…even though it was *still* raining! I don’t think it was dry the whole time I was there.

Now though, I’m back in Houston, sitting on my couch while John watches some The Last Jedi deleted scenes and I am oh so tired and oh so hungry. Think I’m gonna make some mashed potatoes and go across the street to get some nice spicy chicken. A good dinner, methinks. Thanks for putting up with this rambling entry(sorry for the ill-structure and repetitiveness – tiredness does not a good writer make)…as a reward – a few pics!!

Standing in line

The rather interesting support band!!

Diva

Always love a good acoustic song!! (plus Tarja’s voice!!)

Tarja forever

Outside the Power Station!!

Thanks for reading all this. Love you all!!! Now. Dinner time.

The Greatest Show on Earth

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Saturday friends!!  I’m enjoying my espresso at Starbucks and listening to a potential-next-CD mix(power-metal themed and it shall be glorious if I do say so myself).  Interestingly enough as I was thinking on music-themed subjects earlier this morning, I remembered my old last.fm account…and somehow I was able to log back into it!  It used my ancient hotmail account but thankfully(terrifingly) I use passwords that are all related and too easily remembered and so I was able to access account after a few tries and reset my account to use the email that I actually have been using for the past…fourteen years.  Anyways!  It was fascinating to log into this old music logging site and see the statistics for all my music-listening.  I obviously used it the most during college, so my “top charts” all reflect my college music tastes.  Somewhat hilarious but unsurprisingly some of my tastes have stayed similar as well.  Relient K is in first place by almost a staggeringly shocking one thousand plays.  John Williams is second!  Muse third, Coldplay fourth.  Nightwish shows up at eighth, Green Day at ninth.  Switchfoot at 17th!  Needtobreathe is way down at 34th!  T Swift at 40!  My top album makes me happy and it actually still fairly represents me – Handel’s Messiah at 1.  Excellent.  But my top track?  This is most definitely college as it is Violet Hill by Coldplay…with 57 plays!!  What was I doing.  I mean, it’s a great song, but not quite sure why it’s 1 and not quite sure why it has so many plays.  2 is Brand New Colony by Postal Service.  A much more fitting song for 1 spot.  Ah well.  Clearly if this had been tracking my music consistently throughout the past ten years, things would be different.  Still – fun to see a time capsule of college days!  Ok, enough of music nerdery.

Not really.  I’ve for a while (and I’m sure I’ve mentioned it here before!) been wanting to chronicle a few of my favourite concerts I’ve been to.  This is quite a difficult task – even though I’m not a prolific concert-goer – for I’ve been to some truly epic shows and I can’t even imagine ranking them, but…well, I shall try.  Firstly, some ground rules and acknowledgments.  Firstly, I’m limiting myself to only one concert per artist as otherwise my top five would probably be entirely Needtobreathe and Nightwish.  Not quite tragic, but not quite truly representative either.  Secondly, confession that these rankings are very much influenced the experience of attending the show itself – i.e., who did I go with?  How was the crowd energy?  What other special circumstances made the night truly special?  Hence…it’s not just about the music!!  I’m writing this all from memory(some of these shows are near seven years ago now!!)…so….I’m sure my recollections are partly coloured by the passing of time.  No matter.

Before we go into the Top Five, a couple of honourable mentions – first goes to Mumford & Sons show in New Orleans a couple years ago.  While I do enjoy their music(not as much as I once did, true), I wasn’t really blown away by hearing them live and so I struggle with inserting them into the Top Five.  But I must acknowledge this show because I got to go with Maryanne – and being with her there was very special!!  Too bad I didn’t enjoy the show quite as much as some others I’ve been to…but being with her made it all worth it.  Second – really enjoyed going to a few Josh Garrels shows(will go to my third one of his next weekend!) and quite love his music…but he just barely doesn’t make the Top Five.  Music is just a touch too chill.  Alas.  Still – his music is aces and I shall hopefully discuss him more at a later date!  One more note – I’d love to put lots more pictures in this post, but my picture adding ability is a bit…deficient, shall we say.  So I’ll try to add at least a few more now and maybe a few more retroactively down the line.  We shall see.  And last note (for real!) – I took all the photos shown below with the exception of the one at 3 spot.  That is credit Karen Watson!

Now…enough of the disclaimers.  Here we go.  Let’s count it down, shall we?

5.  Snow Patrol
January 30th, 2012 – Aberdeen, Scotland

Snow Patrol!!  This one makes the top five(barely) for a number of reasons.  First of all, their music is simply gorgeous and is music I still enjoy heartily to this day.  It warms my heart and hits that sentimental/nostalgic part of me just spot on.  But as for this concert?  Well it was in Scotland(actually in Aberdeen!) and I have fond memories of that night for multiple reasons.  I went with Beth and Chris and Jo and what a wonderful night it was!  Beth and I had been good friends for a while by then so obviously I enjoyed her company.  But as for Chris and Jo…while we were friends, I would date the beginning of the deepening of our dear and abiding friendship to this night.  It was so much fun enjoying the concert with them – but really thinking about this concert now just reminds me of the oh so sweet friendship I have with Chris and Jo and for that reason I am very grateful I decided to go to this show!  Oh right, and the music was pretty good too!  They played all my favourites – Set The Fire to the Third Bar, Open Your Eyes, etc.  It was pretty fantastic hearing some of my fav songs live.  It was a good night.

4.  Coldplay
December 3rd, 2011 – Glasgow, Scotland

Another great band, albeit one I haven’t quite kept up with or listened to in quite some time!  Actually, I suppose the last album I bought and listed to was Mylo Xyloto, the one that came out right before this tour!  Regardless of my changing music tastes, what a night.  The energy at this show was astounding and the band was on fire!  This was the opener show to their world tour and so the band was hyped up and we were hyped up and the atmosphere that night was simply phenomenal!!  From jumping up and down to Charlie Brown to enjoying the beautiful chords of Yellow to singing along to Fix You…I mean, obviously – they did all the favourites and it was just a sublime experience.  I went with Rosemary and Beth and Bree(Beth’s sister) and we got there extra early and so actually got pretty sweet spots by the stage(as can be seen in pic above!).  Chris Martin was jumping around all night and the energy he exhibited was most definitely contagious!!  I was buzzing by the end of the night.  What a sweet show.  Hm, now I really want to listen to some more Coldplay now.  What a night in Glasgow.  What a beautiful night.

3.  Switchfoot
September 17th, 2016 – Houston, Texas

Oh Switchfoot, how I love thee.  Switchfoot is one of those funny bands that I was exposed to way back in 2005-timeframe(if not before?) and while I always thought they were good…well, I didn’t love them per se.  But the passing of time has made me wise to the beauty in the lyrics that Foreman writes and the truth that is expounded therein.  While not all of their songs are explicity from a Christian perspective, enough of them shed light on the longing we have for our true home, for our true Love that I cannot help but deeply enjoy their songs.  And hey, they rock out pretty hard too, right?  I’d never seen Switchfoot live before until a couple years ago though.  Funnily enough, they and Relient K were doing a joint tour.  In years past(back in college!) I would have ranked Relient K far above Switchfoot as a band…but just as my love for Switchfoot has waxed over the years, so has my love for Relient waned.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re still a fun band!  Just not quite as favourite as they once were.  So Relient K and Switchfoot both played this night, but obviously it was Switchfoot whose songs I most adored.  I went with a bunch of people from church(Peter, Dustin, Karen, et. al…) and we got some pretty sweet spots up near the stage.  Friends commented later that they were surprised that I seemed to know every word to every song!!!  I used my crowd-fu to manuever extra close…and so while I don’t think you can see it in the above picture, when Jon was crowd-surfing, I had my hand on his back, holding him up!!  (Yes, he was quite sweaty)  Speaking of Foreman, he was a man on fire that night – he had so much energy!!  Jumping around, singing with passion, singing with soul.  If I didn’t already respect him enough for his lyrics and musical craftsmanship, seeing his passion on display that night made me love him all the more.  What a man of God.  And my very favourite moment of this concert(and possibly my favourite moment of any concert, ever) was near the end.  They hadn’t yet played my very favourite song – Where I Belong – but then they announced they were playing their last song and then the chords of that song sounded and I was oh so happy and we started singing all together(“…this body’s not my home, this world is not my own…”) and those words near the end that bring an ache to my heart and tears to my eyes – “…and when I reach the other side, I want to look You in the eye and know that I’ve arrived, in a world where I belong” – all of us singing together I couldn’t help but look up to the heavens and praise my Father God to whom all glory is due.  Oh what a song.  And so as my heart melted in worship, I lifted my arms and pointed them up in worship to the One who knows my name.  And the song finished and I left my fingers pointed up in worship and recognition of my God.  And as the band walked off the stage to adulation…I saw Jon Foreman walk off, his two hands pointing up to the heavens.  What a moment.  What a concert.  What a night.

2.  Needtobreathe
September 23rd, 2017 – Houston, Texas

So somehow I don’t have any photos of this night.  Hm.  Alas!  Actually…of the three times I’ve seen Needtobreathe live, I don’t think I have ANY photos!!  Oh well, no matter!  Now, Needtobreathe.  Number 2.  Surely this was the most difficult for me to figure out which concert to choose for this spot.  As I said previously, if I had just put all my top shows on this list regardless of repeat artist…Needtobreathe would hold 2 of those top 5 spots, if not 3.  They are an absolutely incredible live band.  I listen to their studio albums…and they’re good, but definitely take me a while to warm up to.  For some reason, their musical craftsmanship doesn’t come across quite as well on the albums…and their sweet rock skills definitely do not translate.  But live?  Wow, they blow me away.  Every.  Single.  Time.  That’s actually how I first discovered them – a few friends invited me to a show of theirs back in 2010.  I’d never heard of them, but said yes and went.  Why not, right?  Well – I knew none of their songs.  But…the show was magnificent!  Dancing to Girl Named Tennessee and hearing acoustic un-amped Washed By The Water that night?  Mindblowing.  Honestly, I almost put that 2010 show here purely because of that moment of them pulling out their acoustics and telling us all to huddle in and be quiet before they started Washed by the Water…and me hearing that song for the first time that night and falling in love.  But no.  I decided also not to put the second show I went to with Daniel back in…2015 I think?  Mainly because while the show was magnificent and they were magnificent…this most recent show I went to was even better.  This was less than a year ago and honestly I wasn’t even going to go, even though I’d heard they were coming.  I’ve already seen them live twice, right?  But a few weeks before, Lea texted me and asked if I wanted to go.  I was the one that introduced Lea to them, so was quite proud of her!  I decided, sure why not.  Let’s go.  So me and her went…and for once, since it was a last minute decision, I didn’t get GA tickets.  Instead we got actual seats way up(shocking!).  But it wasn’t that bad once the music started!!  Their most recent album – H A R D L O V E – had just come out and it was a phenomenal rocking album.  Full of great dance songs and sweet guitar licks and even a little sax at one point!  So this show had tons of songs from that album and even though sometimes when a band plays all their newest album songs at a show and you’re annoyed because you want to hear the old ones…well in this case, the new ones were so good, I was super excited every time they started playing one!!  The whole crowd was on our feet, dancing and enjoying the show!  Thankfully everyone was rocking out, so Lea didn’t have to be too embarrassed by my dancing and singing!!  This show was just.  So.  Fun.  I love a good dance party, and this concert was it.  Great songs, great musical craftsmanship.  Again, live Needtobreathe is an incredible experience…if you’ve just heard them on the radio, trust me – doesn’t do them justice.  And actually my favourite CD of theirs to listen to is their Live From the Woods album, a live show they did in Nashville.  If you’ve heard other bands’ “live” CDs before, usually they’re not that good, right?  You might listen just for the sake of it, but they aren’t as good as studio.  This live album is best I’ve ever heard.  It’s my favourite way to listen to Needtobreathe now and if they ever put out another live album, you better believe I’ll buy it.  Too many words in this paragraph…but again, going to see Needtobreathe with Lea and having a rocking dance party to their incredible music?  Quality evening.  ‘nough said.

1.  Nightwish
May 8th, 2015 – Orlando, Florida
Number One spot – Nightwish.  Could it be any other?  Truly?  Part of the reason Nightwish is number one is purely because of musical style/genre.  I mean, sure it’s great to go see an acoustic show live.  I’ve seen Andrew Peterson live a few times and it’s great and I love him, absolutely.  But…there’s something a little more visceral and a little more emotional and a little more awesome about seeing a metal band in concert.  And Nightwish – symphonic metal band extraordinaire – knows how to put on a show.  Not my favourite band(but they’re up there!!), but in terms of live performance, they’re the best I’ve ever seen.  For Nightwish, I had a couple shows to choose from.  I could go with my first time seeing them live – Glasgow back in 2012 with Jackie! – but there’s no way I’d choose that show.  As magnificent as it was…Orlando show is and always will be first.  Why you may ask?  Well, it was a very special night at a very special show with a very special girl.  Me and my dear baby sister Laura got to see Nightwish together and it is my very favourite show I have ever been to.  I must take partial credit(and blame??) for introducing Laura to Nightwish back in the day…and so she has fallen in love with them almost as much as I have.  And so that’s why I chose photo I did to intro this.  (Also because I got no decent shot of band in concert since I was just enjoying the show!!)   Anyways…for me and Laura…Nightwish’s gorgeous songs, full of power and emotion and beauty and love…have enthralled both our hearts and so for both of us to together get to see Nightwish perform live…perfection.  And what a show!!  The openers(Delain and Sabaton) were both pretty decent themselves, but Nightwish.  Nightwish rules all.  We drove up from Tampa earlier that afternoon(listening to their newest album Endless Forms Most Beautiful in preparation!) and I made sure to leave extra early because I wanted to get as close to the stage as we could(Laura’s first metal experience and I wanted it to be an epic one!!).  We sat in line for a few hours, but it was fine because the weather was gorgeous and we took silly pictures and talked about our favourite albums to the hardcore fans we were chilling with…and then finally we saw the band walk past us!!….and then soon enough we got to rush into the venue and took our spots.  Center stage, pretty much at the front.  I got Laura to about second row so she could see properly and I stood behind her to protect her(and because I could see over her head!) and guard our spots.  And once Nightwish took the stage…we were rocking out all night long!  From the first song(believe it was Shudder Before the Beautiful) to the last, it was a gorgeous night of metal and beauty and song!!  And getting to see them with Laura…well…no words.  They played so many of our favourite songs…Sleeping Sun, Ghost Love Score, Alpenglow, Shudder Before the Beautiful…Poet and the Pendulum!!  I also somehow managed to catch Marco’s pick when he threw it out, so that was pretty cool too, y’know.  And being mere feet from the epic awesomeness that is Nightwish…Tuomas and Marco and Floor and Emppu…and witnessing their musical prowess as we sung and rocked out…yeah.  Again.  Epic.  I’ve talked of Nightwish before here, I know – so won’t belabour their greatness anymore.  Once again though – being with Laura at a live Nightwish concert…one of my favourite ever memories.  God is good in granting me this precious gift.  So is there any question this is my number one show?  What.  A.  Night.  

Incorruptible love

James HoganLeave a comment

And now as I slowly recover from being weirdly ill, I thought I shall write a post I’ve been meaning to a while, but never gotten around to…any of you remember my “TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME” post a couple years back? Ok, maybe not. Anyways, thought I’d do an update of that, but instead of qualifying them as my top five music albums EVER, let’s just say they’re my favorites of the moment. And oddly enough(or not so oddly?), these are almost completely different from a couple of years ago. Also, this is heavily influenced by the physical CDs I have available to me here in Aberdeen, since I do most of my musical listening in the car on my way to/from work. So, a touch biased…but still. Anyways, let’s count ’em down, shall we??

5. Nightwish: Century Child
Favorite Tracks: End of All Hope, Slaying the Dreamer, Beauty of the Beast
This was a bit of a tough choice, choosing between this one and Oceanborn, but in the end, there was no way I could leave Century Child off my top five list! So many seriously epic and beautiful songs. In case you haven’t been introduced to Nightwish before, check some of their songs out on youtube right now. Orchestral operatic power metal. Convinced? You should be. Tarja’s voice combined with Tuomas’ gorgeous song-writing skillz…yeah, tough to top. This whole album is just beautiful. Emotion bleeding through the notes and raging through the heights. I’m not always in a Nightwish mood, but when I am, this is my go-to. Some of these songs are even better live(Say, End of all Hope and Slaying the Dreamer – go look them up on youtube to see what I mean).

4. Snow Patrol: Eyes Open
Favorite Tracks: Open Your Eyes, Set the Fire to the Third Bar, Chasing Cars
Oh Snow Patrol. Loveliness. This is one of those odd albums that I’ve had on my computer since…2005? And yet I didn’t fully appreciate Snow Patrol until last year. Or was it summer of ’09? Anyways, I’ve always liked Snow Patrol and was happy whenever I heard “Chasing Cars” on the radio…yet when I heard their “Open Your Eyes” driving in Houston sometime during the summer…oh amazing. And ever since then, that song has been intertwined with so many amazing memories. And as I’ve listened to the album more since then, more songs have started revealing their beauty to me, like “Set the Fire to the Third Bar” and “It’s Beginning to Get to Me”. So yeah, there’s no way this album doesn’t make top five with so many emotion-wringing songs. Again, I can’t listen to Snow Patrol all the time, but when I’m in the mood, oh bliss. They also make the list of being one of the few bands I’d love to see live…maybe someday.

3. Enfield Hymn Sessions: Resolved Music, Vol. 2
Favorite Tracks: Holy, Holy, Holy; Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing; How Firm a Foundation
And here we come to Enfield!! I had a bit of a difficult time deciding which Enfield album to put first(because oh yes, they both make the top five!), but because this one’s a bit more recent and I haven’t quite had as much time to fully fall in love with it, V2 makes the third spot. Anyways, it’s possible(actually likely) that you’ve not heard of Enfield – they’re just a small band that’s played at a few Christian conferences(that I’ve never had the privilege of attending)…but their music is just amazing. I do love classic and gorgeous hymns, and these bands actually keep the traditional melodies, unlike so many other contemporary re-imaginings. And thus the power of the music is kept along with the majesty of the words and the results are…indescribable. I know their style won’t be everybody’s. But their music has touched me more than almost any other ever has. This is definitely mostly due to the glories of the words contained…and of course, when they have some of my favorite all-time songs(like Come Thou Fount and Holy, Holy, Holy), how can they NOT be one of my favs? Listen to them, seriously. If you can’t find them on youtube and really want to listen to them, let me know and I’ll send you a CD. That’s how good they are.

2. Rhapsody: Rain of a Thousand Flames
Favorite Tracks: ALL OF THEM. But specifically, Rain of a Thousand Flames, Queen of the Dark Horizons, The Wizard’s Last Rhymes
Oh Rhapsody! I’ve liked Rhapsody for a while now, ever since late ’08, I believe. But because I try not to be too impulsive, I still don’t yet have all of their albums. Slowly rectifying that(have one yet to buy, planned for this Christmas for a gift to myself!), so I picked up this EP earlier this summer. Only seven songs. But wow, not a bad one in the line-up. Every single one hits hard and hits beautiful. Rhapsody is an Italian power-metal band. That may sound a bit scary, and yes, half the time, you can’t really understand their lyrics. But the music is too beautiful to deny. And this album tops them all. Thus far. I’ve had to exert great self-control to avoid playing this album into the dust. Give it a try – Rain of a Thousand Flames is a sweet short song. Majestic, powerful, lovely. Queen of the Dark Horizons is a beautiful, sweeping epic – clocks in a little under 14 minutes. And The Wizard’s Last Rhymes…mm yes. Apparently the song-writers stole much of the music from the last song from Dvorak’s “New World Symphony”. Maybe that’s partly why I like Rhapsody so much? Their classical influences married with their power style – few can match. And yes, Rhapsody isn’t for everyone. But for me, oh yes. Also, almost perfect driving music. Give ’em a whirl.

1. Enfield Hymn Sessions: Resolved, V1
Favorite Tracks: Again…ALL OF THEM. Especially And Can it Be?, Our Great God, There is a Fountain; Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken; O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus, Be Thou My Vision…oh and ALL OF THEM.
Yeah, here we come to number 1. Enfield, yep. I’ve already introduced them, but this is the first album of theirs I’ve heard, and the more I hear, the more I love. The more I love, the more my love for our most glorious Lord increases!! Of course, music shouldn’t be the sole inspiration for our love, but if the music we listen to *isn’t* increasing our love for Jesus, then we should tread carefully. Anyways, before I go totally off tangent…this album has some of the most gorgeous songs EVER. Also, to state another reason I like Enfield so much…unlike some modern hymns that are put out by Christian bands, Enfield doesn’t cut off a hymn after only three verses. They take on all five(or six!) verses of songs and avoid cutting short the beauty! And Can it Be? was definitely my first favorite(possibly because it’s also one of my favorite songs of all time), but the more I’ve listened, the rest of the songs have jumped out at me as well. Our Great God. Beautiful(and also intertwined forever with certain memories of amazing friends). Jesus, I my Cross Have Taken. Gorgeous. Wistful. Lovely. Profound. O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus. AMAZING ahhhhh. Yeah, pretty much all of these songs are awesome. Listen. Rejoice. Praise. Worship. Bow down. And again, if you want to listen to these songs and are too lazy to look them up online, message me and I’ll mail you a CD. Seriously awesome. In the truest sense of the word.

And this post has become far too long…and I’m sensing serious hunger pains as I haven’t eaten in far too long. Probably not helping my low state of health at the moment! So time to hunt some food.

Peace, y’all.

James HoganLeave a comment

Ok, I’ve been wanting to do this for a while but just now getting around to it…and what is this mysterious thing? Well, my top five music albums…of all time!! That’s a very lofty statement to make, and really it’s going to probably end up being my top five albums right now. It’s gonna be fun. I know some people who listen to much more music than me…*coughcoughKadycough* have named their top thirty albums, but I seriously don’t know if I can think of that many that I love! Anyways, yes, this format and idea is all stolez from Kady. So props for the sweet idea…and now, how shall I do this?

5. Rhapsody of Fire: Legendary Tales
Favorite Tracks:  Warriors of Ice, Rage of the Winter, Flames of Revenge
Alright, now that is a seriously epic album cover.  Just saying.  I had the hardest time deciding which Rhapsody album to choose, but this one made the cut just because of its all around awesomeness.  A couple of their other albums have some of my fav Rhapsody songs, but listening to this album straight through is just a treat!!  For those of you that haven’t heard Rhapsody(of Fire), they’re a fusion of power metal and orchestral rock and epicness.  Yes, epic in the Tolkien sense of the word…all of their albums are fantasy themed, with heroes and dragons and demons and…well, you get the idea.  This album is one of my favorite music standbys because I can play it and rock out…no matter what mood I’m in.  That’s rare for me…I very much choose my music by my mood.  So hey, give ’em a listen.


4. Coldplay: Viva La Vida
Favorite Tracks: Violet Hill, Life in Technicolor, Cemeteries of London
I have a feeling this is probably going to be the album you all have heard of!  This is a very recent favorite of mine…dating back to when I discovered it listening to someone else’s shared iTunes music in the Christian Study Center!  It helped me dominate writing a paper…and well, I’ve loved it ever since.  Coldplay has such amazing chill music.  So relaxing.  And at the same time…passionate.  Violet Hill is one of my favorite songs of all time and the rest is simply top-notch.  This is an album I can’t really listen to only part of it…I have to go through the whole thing – it’s just that good!!  If you ever need to get some serious homework/paper-writing done…use this album.

3. Nightwish: Dark Passion Play
Favorite Tracks: Poet and the Pendulum, The Islander, Amaranth
It’s going to be hard to explain this album…it’s just amazing.  Nightwish is a sweet power metal band…and I don’t know how else to describe them!  This wasn’t the first album of theirs I heard, but it always touches me the most.  The emotions shown by the songs here is just too real to push away.  One of the first songs of this album I heard was the Islander(on youtube) and it has remained one of my fav Nightwish songs ever.  Just too beautiful.  And even if you don’t like metal, give this album a chance…it’s too gorgeous to ignore!!


2. Muse: Absolution
Favorite Tracks: Apocalypse Please, Butterflies and Hurricanes, Tsp
I didn’t originally think this album would be top five, but as I was listening to it recently, I thought there was NO WAY I could not have this album on my top five.  I originally didn’t know how good this album was until someone(Betsy!) mentioned how it was her favorite Muse album…I promptly went home and listened to it straight through and was blown away.  As I was trying to figure out of my favorite tracks, I started smiling because I realized I wanted to choose all of them.  Seriously, this is good stuff.

And now.

1. Muse: Black Holes and Revelations
Favorite Tracks: Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Knights of Cydonia
Was there any doubt?  I actually wasn’t sure how most of the top five would turn out, but this spot was always going to Black Holes.  I still remember the first time I heard it(in Chris’ car on one of our journeys to Tampa/Gainesville!) and I remember being blown away.  For some reason, I didn’t listen to it again for some time…but when I did, I remember it vividly.  Sophmore year, staying up late to finish a project.  I played this album straight through.  Three or four times.  Starlight has been one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE SONGS for a good long time and I really can’t think of any other song that shares the honors.  And listening to this album all the way through is like riding through a an ocean of emotions…sorrowful, powerful, passionate…it has it all.

And there you go.  I know I probably shouldn’t have two Muse albums taking up the top two spots…but I couldn’t help it – they deserved it.  And I feel a little bad I didn’t have any Relient K or Jars of Clay albums up there!  Their problem is that they have great songs, but their albums aren’t meant to flow together…ah well, I still love ’em.

Now, time to get my laundry and then get ready for bed!  Tomorrow’s a work day but the next day is SATURDAY!

Rock and roll, y’all!