I guess I’m just in the mood to suggest choice music, but I wanted to write about another remarkable singer/ songwriter named Austin Cunningham.  Austin is from Texas and now takes up residence near Nashville, Tennessee.  My husband and I have been able to hear him play twice in home concerts in our town, and he is an outstanding writer as well as performer.  He has had songs recorded by Hank Williams Jr., Martina McBride, Dolly Parton, and others.  He writes from his heart about real stuff, and he is just an amazing person.  I am not usually a huge fan of country music, but  I would drop any plans to see Austin any day of the week.  He is that good, and he is fun to listen to.   Oh, he has a new album out this year also, so if you want some good new music, try it out.  You can also download his music on iTunes.

Here’s a little taste of the best of Austin, a song Wynona Judd recorded:

Chris Thile from the well-loved bluegrass group Nickel Creek has taken a turn in his career, with a blue grass quartet, Punch Brothers.  I am a lover of Nickel Creek and I got to see them on their last tour before disbanding in November 2007.  My favorite songs include The Fox, Afton, and When You Come Back Down. 

Recently, the Punch Brothers (Chris’ new group) came to our little town on their introductory tour, getting the word out about themselves.  Until then, I knew Chris was amazingly talented, but I did not realize the extent of that talent.  He is a musical prodigy, which his mom realized when he could sing perfect pitch at age 2.  One of the best mandelin players there has ever been, and a composer of genius stature, Chris is taking a new direction in creativity.  The name of their group comes from a Mark Twain short story, entitled Punch Brothers, Punch.

One of the songs they played that night at the concert here in town is called, The Blind Leaving the Blind, a very clever play on words if you ask me.  The song has four movements, and the song itself lasted almost half of the concert.  I was lost through parts of it, because although I love music, I have very little technical knowledge of it.  To me the most profound part of the song is the last movement.  Listen to it below, and check out the Punch Brothers if you get the chance!

Here are the lyrics to the 4th movement of the song:

I’m coming back my friends
From the deep and bitter end
Where I was so concerned
That we would be the ones who burned
The more scared the safer
The more grateful for the grape juice
And the wafer

I sound done
And I feel done
But I’m not done
Unless he’d give up on a lost son

I need to hear him say
You and your friends can come in
Your thoughts and that girl can come in
Your parents and brothers are here
I let them in
Who told you I wouldn’t let you all in
You are my children

Heaven shine through the stars
The city lights and the nearest bar
Where I’ll be with my friends
Hiding from the bitter end
The armor and the weapons
Were a strange way to show them my affection

I sound done
And I feel done
But I’m not done
Unless you’d give up on a lost son

Aaah.  Bliss.  It is here.  And it was worth the wait.  Full of good stuff.  Spent my afternoon curled up in bed with both my girls beside me, watching the cool graphics on my computer while I listened to U2’s new album, while reading and digesting the words.  It’s going to be fun to get familiar.  And, their tour dates will be announced next Monday, March 9th. . .  Gonna be a great year!

Here’s a review worth reading at Blog.Listen, and here Bob Flayhart is taking a journey with the songs and their meaning on his blog.

Oh, and can I just say that the deluxe version, with digital video is so worth it.  Get it!  iTunes.

We saw this video of the song “Who am I” by Casting Crowns at Jonathan and David’s karate graduation tonight.  They both got their orange belts after 4 months of karate instruction.  Hurray, hurray!!  There are so many lessons to be learned from the discipline and self control used in karate and jujitsu, and it has been such a positive experience for us.  I just thought I’d share this video that his instructor played tonight at the graduation.  It took awhile for us to figure out that it is people dressed in black wearing white gloves and using black lights to make them glow.  Pretty cool.  Enjoy.

This is one of my favorite U2 songs ever!  The above video is well worth watching.  By the way, when I was listening to U2 back in high school in 1985, one of the youth workers who volunteered his time with us teens, tried to convice me that U2 could not possibly be “Christians.”  First of all, if that were true, their music would still be wonderful.  But more importantly, no one should try to say whether someone else is a Christian or not, just because they aren’t the same kind of Christian we are.  And, 23 years later, I am more sure than ever that he was wrong, well-intentioned maybe, but wrong.

This song has reminded me of the gospel in so many ways at so many different times over the past year and a half since its release.  It is like a parable, a golden box full of truth if you want to look for it, but stuff you might not notice if you don’t take the time to dig through the rubble in the box a bit.  I have worshiped in rhapsody right along with Bono many times:

The shackles are undone
The bullets quit the gun
The heat that’s in the sun
Will keep us when there’s none
The rule has been disproved
The stone it has been moved
The grave is now a groove
All debts are removed

Oh can’t you see what love has done?
Oh can’t you see what love has done?
Oh can’t you see what love has done?
What it’s done to me?

Love makes strange enemies
Makes love where love may please
The soul and its striptease
Hate brought to its knees
The sky over our head
We can reach it from our bed
You let me in your heart
And out of my head, head…

Oh can’t you see what love has done?
Oh can’t you see what love has done?
Oh can’t you see what love has done?
What it’s done to me?

Oh, oh, oh, oh…
Oh, oh, oh, oh…
Please don’t ever let me out of you

I’ve got no shame, oh no, oh no

Oh can’t you see what love has done?
Oh can’t you see?
Oh can’t you see what love has done?
What it’s doing to me?

I know I hurt you and I made you cry
Did everything but murder you and I
But love left a window in the skies
And to love I rhapsodize
To every broken heart
For every heart that cries
Love left a window in the skies
And to love I rhapsodize

Here’s one more YouTube video entitled Bono : A Conversation About Christianity, if you are still unsure.