Inhale Exhale’s new album “I Swear” hits stores June 10. I have had the privilege of already jammin’ the album for over a month now and love it. The album deals with broken promises and betrayal which is something I know I can connect with and I’m sure many others can too. So needless to say the artwork must reflect that as well. Don and Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter and the design studio Invisible Creature have posted a blog entry over at the Headbanger’s Ball blog about how the artwork came to fruition. Please go check it out.

Part of my job here at The Independent Life is to be able to describe an artist’s sound. After all, it’s hard to discuss a band or musician without saying, “they remind me of this” or “they sound a bit like that.” And normally this isn’t an issue—that is until you get to a guy like Josh Garrels.

For the uninitiated, allow me to attempt this anyway. Garrels is a Hoosier-born (that means Indiana) solo artist who melds everything from Caribbean-laced folk songs to freestyle rhymes and rhythms. Some songs feature a full-on rock band while others flow on acoustic finger picking akin to a gentle stream. In short, a Josh Garrels album moves with chaotic tenderness from one end of the musical spectrum to the other.

Case in point, the two videos below are both absolutely golden.

First, check out Josh’s absolutely killer rendition of “Killing Me Softly”:

http://www.youtube.com/v/9xs0Q6MMiJg&hl=en

Then once you think you have his style pegged, check out the brilliantly moving “Yahweh.” Just don’t say you weren’t warned:

http://www.youtube.com/v/oaL6eK3G6FQ&hl=en”></param><param

The guys in Showbread are getting ready to release their new double album “Anorexia / Nervosa” next week. It’s 2 separate CD’s that are the music to the story of 2 different characters. The new issue of HM Magazine has a cover story on the band and is a must read to get some insight into this project. Where most bands are quickly going into a studio and tracking 10 songs, Showbread has created a concept album unlike anything I have ever heard before. Musically the band goes deeper into their NIN influences, which I personally enjoy hearing. Both albums were co-produced by the band and Randy Torres of Project 86, and mixed by Ulrich Wild (Deftones, Rob Zombie). So if you are sick of having the same old musical experience (purchasing and listening), then I would highly recommend checking this out. Their lead singer, Josh, has posted a video talking about the project. Check it out here.

So I just found out that one of my favorite bands, Verra Cruz, just released their new album “Innocence”. And luckily for all of us you can buy it on iTunes here in the States. These guys do alternative/blues rock better than most bands here in the USA. I can’t say enough about the primary song writer Marc James, so please do me a big favor and check these guys out!

For our first artist spotlight here on the old independent blog, we don’t even have to venture outside of Music City, U.S.A. In fact, we could probably stay here for a long time (although we’ll leave soon enough).

But if we left too soon, we’d miss out on the lovely J.J. Heller. Originally from Arizona, the singer/songwriter headed east with her husband, Dave, to make it big in the music world. Her latest effort, The Pretty and the Plain, is an acoustic pop gem. At times, the sweet vibrato takes over on songs like opener “Grow.” Other times, the songs are just pure poetry, like on the stunning “Small.” Check out these lyrics:

Broken moldings all around
Broken people hit the ground
When they discover that you’re not here for our benefit
You love in spite of us
You use the least of us to prove the strong aren’t really strong at all

I don’t want to make you small
I don’t want to fit you in my pocket
A cross around my throat
You are brighter than the sun
You’re closer than the tiny thoughts I have of you
But I could never fathom you at all

Heller’s music is attractive for its cuteness—not some glamorous singer/songwriter effort, but instead invites you in to her cozy little corner with all her idiosyncrasies and quirks.  Need your own evidence?  Check the vids below.

Here’s possibly her most popular song, “Love Me,” from The Logan Show;

http://www.youtube.com/v/qUF4Cf2JVsg&hl=en

Here’s another favorite, “Only Love Remains”:http://www.youtube.com/v/w5Hd211fJOw&hl=en

–Matt Conner

A small feature I wrote on the band For Today can be seen in the new May/June ‘08 issue of HM Magazine. You should check them out. Or you can read it below. But you should also check them out.

Sioux City just sounds tough. It has that tough guy sound to it when it comes out of your mouth. And for the five guys of For Today, there are some things in Sioux City that do make it tough for a band to break. “We have a small scene here so unlike bands from major California cities, or just big cities in general, we can’t fund a van from 1 local show or get 600 kids in the door when we play our home” says drummer David Morrison. “When For Today started we started the scene for most of the “core” genres and underground music of that type and Sioux City has tried and tried to keep it alive but local bands just continue to break up and shows have still never really exploded to the potential they could in a town of 100,000 people. There are plenty of nu-metal bands and metal heads here but it would still be “crazy” to have over 250 people at a show of our genre here.” The guys have seen some shows that give hope to a potential growth and symbolize that there are some tough guys in their area. “I brought Haste The Day and I remember at one point in their set the entire room was a pit of shirtless guys It was quite the sight to see - a bunch of shirtless dude’s from Iowa, South Dakota, & Nebraska throwing down. Though the ‘toughest’ show by definition would definitely be when I booked Seventh Star & Jesus Wept. It was really short notice and I think only 30 kids came. We had a good time though” says David, who also manages and books the band’s shows. But regardless of the lack of a huge local scene, the band caught the attention of Facedown Records by touring and performing over 200 shows independently last year. Take note indie bands, that’s how you do it, and not just tough guy bands. They also just finished up recording their debut album, Ekklesia, with producer Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, He Is Legend, Secret Lives of the Freemasons). It’s a midwest metal-core album that is as ferocious as it is passionate. Think August Burns Red meets Between the Buried and Me musically. And it’s possible that besides the lack of good local scene, the tough weather that attacks the mid-west might have played a part into the passion that drives these guys to tour…if they can get out of the driveway. “The weather can be hard when you hit winter. Looking outside my window right now I can see 2 feet of snow and it is freezing! Sometimes when we’re leaving for tour, it makes it hard to get out of town” says David. Though for throat specialist Mattie Montgomery, who just moved from Columbus, OH to Sioux City recently, the new hometown seems almost heavenly, “I imagine that heaven is going to be a lot like the mid-west–only with less snow.”

But the rewards are so abundant….

Hi CCM friends, I’m so excited to be joining the online world of fellow seekers, lovers and followers. For those of you who followed my column, Faith on the Move, thank you!
The concept there was to highlight good people doing good things for other good people…
Here, the purpose is the same.

Matthew 7:14 says that the gate to life is small and the road is narrow…

When I was younger, I used to think that that sounded almost threatening… that this thing called faith, love and salvation was so exclusive that only the few walking a straight and narrow path would make it to the finish line.
Over the years, as my mind and faith has developed and grown, I’m more convinced that straight and narrow don’t always go hand in hand. I like to think of this road as a winding narrow road, with unforeseen twists and turns along the way, taking us to places and people we didn’t even know existed… and all in the name of heavenly love.
What am I getting at? you may be asking…

Simply this — when God touches us in a way that is life-changing, soul-stirring and mind-blowing, we can’t help but think differently about the reason we’re here and the way we are to love and be loved. I know that personally, I have been prompted to give, give up something or love more tangibly through the prompting of the holy spirit. I think others have been too…

When I look around at all the foundations, organizations and people who are driven to do their part to end poverty, stop hunger, fight for a clean and healthy globe and simply love people with their heart wide open, I know that I’m looking at people who are walking their own narrow road–with one foot in front of the other along all the twists and curves, but ultimately with their eyes and hearts fixated on the eternal blessing to come.

I hope that this narrow road blog can be a place where we can have a conversation about the things in this world that need a visit from a few sojourners along a narrow road… what’s going on today in Africa, the Sudan or your own neighborhood that begs attention? Do you know someone crying for help?

Do you need help to help them?

Come here! Let us know! This is the call of Jesus — to love one another as we have been loved.
Friend, we have been loved, saved, clothed, fed and sheltered…
That seems like a pretty good place to start.

The narrow road doesn’t require that you give, do or be super human…
But a life lived trodding that path will almost inevitably lead you to be, give and do supernatural things…

It’s a new day and a blessed one… let’s share our blessings along this narrow road…

Peace and love,

Caroline

Indie. Just the word implies a certain level of “cool” or “hip”—some mixture of DIY culture mixed with honesty and grit. Indie rock. Indie rap. Indie folk. Those sorts of terms describe some of the greatest musical artists out there—those that embody the air, the aura described above.

But those artists and bands that come to mind are usually in the mainstream—that is to say that you usually don’t think of Christians in the musical arts as indie artists. But they are out there. And it’s here we want to recognize them.

That’s because indie is really short for independent. And there are a lot of meaningful artists making music outside of Nashville and the world of record labels, sponsored tours and proper TV gigs. They’re slugging it out every night on their own gas money, touring through churches, bars and even homes to sell CDs one at a time. They do it for the love of music and the calling they feel inside versus the paycheck and notoriety that comes with some of the corporate love.

Our goal, then, with this particular blog is to shed some of the spotlight on these very artists. And if you normally don’t think of Christian music or Christian musicians when the word “indie” is mentioned, I hope that will change as we move forward together.

If you know of a great independent band or artist that deserves a mention, please feel free to let me know through comments here.

Until next time,
Matt Conner

I’m sitting here thinking of the best introduction to describe the recent changes in my life, and it’s proving to be a daunting task. So many emotions related to new places and new relationships are scattered in my mind. It’s not so much the fact that I stepped out of a successful 8-5 job and into the life of a touring artist that surprises me but rather the overwhelming feeling of watching God’s faithfulness shine in my life in completely new and very specific ways.

This blog will cover the first 6 months of being a new artist. From releasing the album to my first tour with Kutless, inspirations behind the songs and simply dealing with the strange ride through this season of my life.

As I write this I am leaving Nashville heading back home to Florida. The Kutless tour has officially ended. I have spent the last 2 months traveling through 25 states; laughing, listening, and learning. And did I mention that I’ve been living with 15 guys, most of us on the same bus? One thing is for certain: I have made lifelong friends while on the road and I will miss this tour dearly.

All along the road I’ve been remembering the boy I used to be. I spent so much time in my room writing songs and singing to God. I had so much ambition and I wondered if it would be possible to sing those songs for other people, too. Night after night I recalled those feelings while singing on stage and I would almost weep into the microphone.

After coming to one of the shows my older brother Mike said, “It’s not so much the fact that you are on a tour bus traveling and signing autographs that’s cool but that you are sharing the “good news” about what Christ has done in your life.” I couldn’t agree more. It was an honor to meet folks along the way and hear their stories and testimonies of Christ’s matchless love. There is so much about Christ and His character that is worth modeling our lives after.

A huge fear of mine at the start of this tour was trying to act like I was further along in my life with Christ then I am. As the tour started moving forward I learned to not worry about that so much. Christ is the centerpiece, the all in all and simply everything. I left this tour fully embracing that. I heard it over and over from every member of Kutless, Esterlyn, our tour manager, our crew and from the constant encouragement along the way from friends and strangers.

So here I am heading home and completely thankful. I’m thankful for my family and dear friends, and for the opportunity to write and sing songs for the public, just like I dreamed of doing a short while ago. I’ll be writing pretty often in the next six months. I hope this will serve as an open book into my artistic life.
It’s and honor and the pleasure is certainly all mine. Talk soon!

Warmly,
Chris