Chinese Singing Contest - Anne Marie Gets 1st!

After class one day in October, our Chinese conversation teacher approached Anne Marie and said she saw on her school file that she had a degree in music. She asked her if she could sing in Taiwanese for a concert in late November. Anne Marie reluctantly accepted the offer, feeling that she wasn't great of a singer and knowing it would be a lot of extra work on top of studying Chinese every day. We are studying Chinese, but the song was in Taiwanese.

The concert would be by one of our teacher's friends who actually wrote the song. It turned out that he was very famous and had won the Taiwanese equivalent to a Grammy some years ago, as well as other awards. We had the privilege of going to his house, seeing his awards, and getting to practice the song with him.

Our Singing Group

Every year our school, (中山大學 - Zhong Shan Da Xue) holds a singing contest for foreign students from around southern Taiwan. Our Chinese teacher convinced Anne Marie to compete with the song she was learning. She figured it would be a good trial run to help prepare her for performance in the concert. We also decided to participate with a group of 8 other classmates with a group song: Yen-j嚴爵 feat. PEACE [ 輕輕 Lightly ] Official Music Video

There was a lot of really good singers at the event. Many students who had been in Taiwan for years and had been studying Chinese for a long time competed. Anne Marie was the only one to sing in Taiwanese.

At the end, they announced the winners. The whole contest was in Chinese so I wasn't sure all the time what was going on. When she got called up to the front I didn't know why; but when she came back to her seat and showed me her prize money and certificate and I realized that she had won first place in the solo category!  We were both in shock!

Anne Marie and the other top contestants

Our group performance didn't even place. However we did get 1st place for best delivery!

*All photos provided by our school's faculty.

For Today - Album: Portraits

I have recently found a metal band called "For Today" on itunes, probably if you like Norma Jean or War of Ages you will like them too. Their last album "Portraits" came out in January 2009 with Facedown Records. I don't know their plans for a new album but I am sure one will come out soon. They have very solid, God honoring lyrics, probably the most clear and direct ones I have heard from a hardcore band. All their songs have a theme based around Christ. Check out the lyrics from the song "Saul Of Tarsus (The Messenger)" below;

Lyrics to Saul Of Tarsus (The Messenger) :
May the world know that I am yours. I
will never be silenced. I will resist my sin to the point of blood, and I will
wear my scars like badges of honor. But let my hope cry out that my God is
greater than the pain of persecution. My God is greater than this
world.

There will never be another chance to live today for God. There will
never be another name that can save us from ourselves. And so, steadfast and
undeterred, I will proclaim the name of Christ to a dead and dying world. I am
not ashamed!
We will resist our sin to the point of blood, and we will wear
our scars like badges of honor. But let our hope cry out that our God is
greater than the pain of persecution.

Blinded, I saw that Christ is Lord.
Now, may the world see you through open eyes. God, my Father, reign



If you would like to check out more of their lyrics go to Lyrics Mania.


I didn't have the full $9.90 to buy their album, so I just bought a couple of their songs instead.

New Album: Norma Jean - Meridional

I just bought the new Normal Jean album "Meridional" off of itunes for $10 using the itunes gift card I won in the beginning of the summer. Buying the Album off itunes includes 13 tracks with 1 Bonus Track and a digital booklet. Unlike a lot of my favorite bands, Norma Jean doesn't lack what I loved in their previous albums. They still have a very heavy style and the original sound you love, while keeping a unique sound and style from their other songs. The band is actually all involved in the writing of the lyrics, which is very uncommon thing. Instead of just the vocalist or a single writer, the whole band is involved in the care of the direction of the lyrics in every song. In the Song "High Point Low Output" it speaks of "Calling you Out" for you actions, staying accountable. The name of the album "Meridional" was a term that comes from historical astronomy. It used to be on celestial maps, where there are four zones of the earth and the meridional was the southern direction. The idea of the name of the name of the album is if you are going "Meridional" you'd be headed south, or you would be head the wrong direction. Probably one of my favorite tracks on the album would be "A Media Friendly Turn For the Worst" though my ear phones or a little choppy, and don't sound nice and clean anymore I may change my mind if I heard the music through something else.

Norma Jean Lyrics and Explanation

Meridional [+Digital Booklet]

War of Ages New Album

The New War of Ages Album is now out titled "Eternal". I decided to purchase one of their songs "Collapse" off of itunes, instead of investing into the whole album. From the sounds of it I don't like this album as much as their other ones, but it still is really good. Most of all their songs has some type of mention about God if not the whole song being about salvation and our need for a savior.

Scapegoat Concert

I saw fliers for a free concert going around campus that was being run by a church near by. I want with a 3 students who does Local Church Ministries with the church. There was 4 bands, one that consisted of a praise band, the other one covered songs written by other bands, another that just played instrumental (who was really good, but I don't like music without vocals), and then Scapegoat who was the main attraction. Seeing it was put on bye a church you have to understand things normally don't get as crazy as most concerts...yes, I did get in a little trouble for moshing a little to rough. However it was a good time. There was a air guitar competition, and guess who won...me. I recieved a Scapegoat cd and sticker, m&m's, gum, a monster and $10 gift card to Stewart's. I thought I deserved 2nd place, this one old guy who got 2nd was hilarious.

However the most important thing that encouraged me a lot was their love for God, he was basically preaching to introduce the ever song they were about to play. Something a lot of famous "christian" bands seem to lack.

They aren't nearly has hard as Destruction Metal but maybe someday we will be on opening band for them, or they will be an opening band for us...

Destruction Metal: Talent Show Try Outs

(This is a blog about The Talent Show in Fall Quarter)
The Talent Show try outs were coming up faster then we expected, leaving us with no time to make a skit. We quickly signed up with an idea of making music with garbage cans. So the night before the tryouts Owen and I, in his room, throwing trash can lids and banging them on the ground trying to figure out how we where going to pull this together, then deciding we needed more help quickly recruited a band to play with us. The morning of try outs as we grabbed our props for the show, we almost officially decided what we where doing, with out anyone else knowing. Owen knew most of the plans, but I still was adding ideas in my head. Right before we performed,  right after getting all the props on stage I took everyone outside the door told them what we where doing, and this is what happened...call it what you want, but I see it is beauty, in the form of a new genre known as "A Musical of Interpretive Dance Hardcore Show Destruction"



The Judges loved the show, but we did not make it.

One of the judges, Nick Charlton commented "I thought I was going to die." when describing the try outs to a student in lunch room.

Underoath Concert

Friday at 4 I headed out to Grand Rapids with my brother, Kurtis, and David Tanner, to go to the Underoath concert with other artist, Emery and August Burns Red, at the Orbit Room. The Tickets were $23 at the door. We got in, and started right at the front of the concert about 2 people from the very front. Emery came on first singing a christmas song, wearing winter coats, with christmas trees and a snowman on stage. As the show went on it keep getting more crammed in the front rows. I believe it was Josh Head, (the one with long hair and a beard) came out into the crowed, walking on top of the crowed, he stepped on my head. and then kneeled right there. I was holding up his right leg with like 7 other fingers reaching up to help me, he did his screaming part right there over us in the crowd. Everyone else one Emery didn't put on a very good show in my opinion. The crowd keep getting more and more crammed, after one of the members of Emery was in the crowd, everyone keep pushing up. I literally picked up my feet and I didn't fall to the ground because all the other bodies around me would hold me up. Then If you didn't jump with the ground they would pull you up with them. We slowly were getting pushed back, and others cramming in front of us. After Emery made some comments about August Burns Red playing soft music, they came on. By this time we where really far from the front. But no harm done, it was better back there, because it was less crammed and you could actually mosh.

During August Burns Red, it was just crazy moshing the whole time, without a stop. They just continually played, you could hardly tell when they went to the next song. I threw Kurtis up to crowd surf to the front, then David later came and sent me forward. We then returned back to the moshing, it was getting so hot, I was trying to take a break, but every time I would reach the edge of the mosh pit, I would get shoved back into the middle. IN between August Burns Red and Underoath I got a nice little break, and some water.

Underoath didn't play as hard as A.B.R. but everyone was going way crazy, because they were the last band and I thought had better break downs. It was nice moshing to Underoath because it was constant moshing you could get a little break in certain parts of their songs. However it was also during their show when the moshing got really intense, there was like 3 different pits, the ones with the 12 year old kids, the ones with everyone else, and then the ones with the guys that are ripped and huge. I couldn't settle for less then the best, so I put myself in the middle of the most intense pit. Getting shoved from one end of the pit to the other end, getting knocked around by huge guys. I got kicked in the face, a elbow to the jaw. and the worst one was when I got shoved towards this other bigger guy who rammed into me with his elbow into my ribs. It took me a little bit before I could breath again. I had to exit the show and catch my breath and get a drink after that one. When I cam back there was this small girl in her teens in the mosh put shoving and getting thrown around with all the big guys, it was pretty impressive.

I was disappointed in Underoath, they made a little mention about God, but they didn't give a clear presentation of the gospel. Perhaps they do at other shows, but they didn't at this one. And with such a huge fan base, and everyone who goes to their shows, they have a huge opportunity, that I hate to see them waste.

Underoath Concert

Tickets are $20 in advance - $23 day of show
Doors @ 6:30pm
This is an all ages show