Music – Page 3 – Just Charlie

March 4, 2008 / 0 Comments

I Heard That…

I don’t need to make millions. There’s a lot more to music than just being funneled through the giant music machine. What it really comes down to is if people leave your show feeling uplifted; they’re going to come back. It’s more a labor of love. You have to love it because you’re most likely not going to strike it rich.

People e-mail and write letters to tell us how our songs have helped them. I keep them all. I’m blessed — I get to play music and travel and meet lots of cool people and hopefully make a difference in people’s lives. (Deseret Morning News, 11.22.2006)

March 3, 2008 / 1 Comment

New Music Monday Night Unwind, 03.03.08…

I’ve gotta tell ya…I’m a sucker for girl singers! And I discovered a new one yesterday on the way home from church!

Bob Edwards was interviewing Tift Merritt on his weekend radio show. She just sounded like loads of fun, and the snippets of her tunes grabbed me. So I’m now her newest fan, and courtesy of iTunes, I’m unwinding with Another Country, Tambourine, and Bramble Rose. Good stuff…

(Oh, did you notice she sings?)

February 17, 2008 / 0 Comments

Sunday Night Unwind, 02.17.08…

Laid-back sounds of Jim Pearce after a long, rather stormy day. Along with the very smooth sounds of Pearce and his players, there’s the great title track, sung by Rene Marie. Talk about smooth!

January 17, 2008 / 0 Comments

Snow Day Unwind, 01.17.08…

The best big brother I’ve ever had turned me on to The Derailers the other day. Seems he heard them on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion or somewhere. Good stuff. As their website says…

Hangdog honky-tonk at its best!

January 3, 2008 / 0 Comments

New Year Listening…

Tonight I’m hooked on Pandora’s Hillsong United channel, playing Hillsong United (of course!) and other related stuff. Right now, “God He Reigns/All I Need Is You” from Hillsong’s “big church” is playing.

What are you listening to this year so far?

December 24, 2007 / 0 Comments

Oscar Peterson, RIP…

Just saw the news that a jazz giant has passed. Oscar Peterson, (at the time) the only living Canadian besides a sitting ruler to be honored with a postage stamp, died yesterday at his home in Ontario.

Some of my most favorite music of all is the great “Oscar and…” albums on the old Pablo Records label. His collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Pass, Clark Terry, and others still float my boat.

Think I’ll listen to some right now…

December 17, 2007 / 0 Comments

New Music Monday…

Well, “new” for me at least!

Here’s a sampling of some tunes that have made their way into my ears over the past couple of days…

Never Alone, by the late, great Johnny Adams. Along with the great (and still alive – would that be “early, great”?) Aaron Neville. This old gospel classic took on new meaning for me in this a cappella version. I heard it this morning at 5:00 on the local jazz and gospel public radio station. What a way to spend a few minutes driving!
40 by U2. I re-discovered this treatment of Psalm 40 on DaveFM’s Acoustic Sunrise the Sunday I preached at Fusion Church. I saw Tim and the gang at Revolution did it yesterday, and that reminded me of how much I liked it.
Have a Little Faith in Me. Another early-morning drive discovery today. I probably ought to know who John Hiatt is, but it just sounded very Van Morrison-esque, and I dug it.
Keep On Growing from Sheryl Crow’s If It Makes You Happy. Just good fun stuff from Ms. Crow. (Did you notice she sings and plays guitar?)

December 15, 2007 / 0 Comments

Another Saturday Night…

Taking a break from last-minute preparations for tomorrow. Here’s what I’ve got on my mind and in my heart right now…

Surprise, Surprise! Went into the office this afternoon, and had a package in the mail from Fusion Church. Inside the package was a copy of The Blessed Life and a brief little note from my buddy Tony McCollum. When I preached at Fusion back in November, I mentioned the book at the resource table, and wondered if there were any copies available that day. The gracious Fusioneers told me they’d be sure to get me a copy. I told them I’d just pick one up later. Well, I forgot about that conversation until today! Thanks, Tony! Blessed, indeed!
Joy Has Dawned, one of Stuart Townend’s hymns is floating my boat right now.
So is music from Talking Heads, specifically a couple of tunes from the movie Wall Street – Once in a Lifetime and This Must Be the Place.
Other music I’m listening to right now? You Get What You Give by New Radicals (Don’t give up, you’ve got the music in you…), When Love Comes to Town by U2 and B.B. King, and others!
Watched It’s A Wonderful Life for the umpteenth time last night. Somehow I’d missed or forgotten the great exchange between Clarence and Joseph at the beginning: “Is he sick?” “No, worse. He’s discouraged!” Hmmm…

December 9, 2007 / 0 Comments

Sunday Night Unwind, 12.09.07…

Got one of those “not-really-an-actual-album” compilation things going for tonight’s Unwind…a thrown-together selection of Christmas music by Alabama and Ronnie Milsap. Pretty good country Christmas stuff…especially Ronnie Milsap’s spectacular rendition of O Holy Night. And of course, there’s Joseph and Mary’s Boy, Santa Claus, I Still Believe in You, and the great classic (at least in my family!) Christmas in Dixie!

Some other thoughts that dropped out tonight…

I pretty much stunk up the place with my message today. Just never seemed to click. I guess that’s what being tired will do for you!
But then again, any Christmas message that includes references to J.I. Packer, T.S. Geisel, and M.H.Tormé can’t be all that bad, I suppose.
“The Boy” (recently dubbed “Whiney Boy” by “Mr. Know-It-All”) is finally getting a little relief after his recent surgery. He had a pretty graphic description on the phone today, but let’s just say there’s tremendous power in poop and leave it at that!
Cafetière à piston. Rôti français. Ooh la la, and pas mal, mon ami!
The things one can’t help but notice when helping people get set up on weight machines at the YMCA…
I love friends who challenge you and encourage you without even knowing it.
Hey, how ’bout that Tebow kid for Heisman! I’m still a large Gator-hater and always will be, but it’s pretty cool to know that an historic Heisman Trophy winner is the brother of one of my best ministry friend’s daughter-in-law! (Yeah, yeah…six degrees and all that jazz!)
Did I mention I stunk up the joint this morning?
Did I mention our folks were gracious and forgiving?
I love type! I’m not a great – or even good! – designer, but playing with fonts floats my boat!
One of my strengths, according to the StrengthsFinder assessment is Input, meaning I collect things that may have real value in the future. I’ve come to the conclusion that the collecting is not nearly as big a deal as the retrieval. And I need to work on that. A lot!
John Maxwell still pulls my chain after all these years!
The fact of the Incarnation is staggering!

December 6, 2007 / 0 Comments

Even MORE Christmas Music…

No matter what you think of Barbra Streisand and her left-wing, looney-tunes, whacko political views (C’mon, Charlie! Tell us what you really think!), she could – and still can – sing like nobody’s business!

Category: Music (page 3 of 8)