averyfineline

No, it’s not to lie about taking time off (though it seems I’ve done that, however good my intentions were at first). According to Roger Ebert, it’s to “be an example of the process of finding your own answers” (hat tip, JM). Just so, I’d say, no matter how far short of that goal I […]

Or, what would happen if you crossed Norman Vincent Peale with Ernie Haase and Signature Sound? Find out, if you dare. (Hat tip, Jrod)

(Yes, I’m still taking some time off, but this morning I’m taking just a little time off from my time off.)
That’s because reader DE brought this Washington Post article to my attention about the effort to get right-leaning Christian music culture to look left, and I wanted to comment on it while it’s still freshish. […]

I’m taking some, away from the blog for a bit. NQC for me compresses what feels like a month’s worth of intensive daily listening, processing, writing, and revising into three days that leaves the sg part of myself more or less exhausted, and I need some time to recharge and attend to the rest of […]

Are jingles and advertising ditties the new driving force of creativity in music? So says David Singer (hat tip, M):
This year’s other giant smash has to be “Free Credit Report Dot Com,” with multiple versions clogging the airwaves. The real toe-tapper is the seven-note phrase that punctuates their radio commercials, its placid female harmonies beckoning […]

I will keep this brief, at least by my standards. Saturday night was something of an experiment insofar as the Fan Awards were moved from Thursday to here at the end of the week and though the Awards Show itself was nothing new, a Saturday slot for it definitely changed the feel and pace of […]

[NOTE: Comments are now closed, since most people stopped saying anything new or illuminating a long long time ago.]
The Washington Blade covers  CCM’s Ray Bolz and his decision to be honest and open about his sexuality (this mainstream media treatment of Christian entertainment subculture echoes GQ’s article on Kirk Talley a few years ago; […]

Some thoughts on Friday afternoon’s Celebration of Phil Cross’s Ego Phil Cross’s Songs of  a Lifetime songwriters showcase, in no particular order.
The sound sucked. Mikes weren’t on for most of the singers and speakers for the first few minutes, including Cross’s. Songs had to be restarted including the first one, the Booth’s unremarkable “Welcome […]

Friday night the Easters had Connie Hopper join them for part of “Thank you, Lord,” in what I assume was a continuation of the effort to pair up different groups that’s been going on all week. Hopper sang this verse:

I know I’m not wealthy
These clothes, they’re not new
I don’t have much money
But Lord I have […]

Tonight’s lineup looked much stronger on paper than it sounded in person. Gaither and EHSSQ brought the crowds, as planned, but it wasn’t entirely clear that we got we thought we were paying for. More on that momentarily. It wasn’t just the centerpiece acts, though. As you’ll see from the fat cluster of comments in […]