Throwing a Pity Party All By Herself

And You're Not Invited.

One of my fondest memories of my years in Christian Music was the 2001 Inside Out Soul Festival at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire. I was a volunteer with Sparrow Records that year. Now besides the free pass to the festival, and the free swag, the inside track was the best experience.

We had to push a lot of upcoming artists, among them a group by the name of Switchfoot. (I wonder if they ever made it big?). One of the up and comers was a self-styled "garage band" by the name of Superchick. It takes a real man to say you are a Superchick. Cheerleader Rock was what you could call it, complete with Tricia Brock singing through a megaphone, an early band signature.

Fast forward a dozen years. The band has disbanded and members have gone their own ways. The megaphone was long gone, but the fun attitude always remained. Four Studio albums made with fun and plenty of attitude.

Though Superchick may have hung up the megaphone, Tricia is still here. Radiate is the lead singers debut, if you don't count The Road, her worship album under Tricia Brock. It is a fair baton pass. There is worship, rock, and plenty of the sarcasm that Superchick was known for:

Bummed out, it's never enough. Suburban living, she has it rough. She's got almost everything, but there's something missing.

Not enough shoes, not a big enough home. She doesn't even have the latest iPhone. Why does this always happen to her. She's gonna do something about it.

She's throwing a pity party all by herself. Yeah it's a pity party all by herself. A pity party all by herself. And you're not invited.

Solo debuts are a mixed bag, because you remember the band. Tricia has brought the excitement that was Superchick to Radiate . As such it is getting a near perfect rating of 4.75 Emeralds. The Revolution continues. I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Before I go, just a reminder. Go to the giveaway page and enter the Great WENC Night beat 3rd Birthday Giveaway for a chance to win one of four 5 Emerald Rated albums. It's on until September 30, so you've still got plenty of time.

The Return of Music Video Monday

Welcome Back to Music Video Monday. Things had kind of plateaued back in February, so I made a decision to shut down MVM instead of playing old stuff. Time has passed, and new videos have been released by artists who qualified earlier, new nominees have made videos, and then there are the lost video entries. Things are back to normal.

We Begin with Farah. No, not the 70's Bombshell. This is +Farah Loux , reminding of of the K.I.D.S we can all be.

Continuing with the Kids theme, we go to +yancynotnancy and Not Ashamed, from her Children's Music Nominated Album, Jesus Music Box.

And finally, we go to North Point Kids, from their nominated album Shine, this is the Books of The Bible.

One last thing. Scroll down a little more, and enter the Giveaway for 4 great albums. Welcome back to Music Video Monday. a Rafflecopter giveaway

MVM Special Edition: It's What You Want

I Was going to say Birthday Giveaway Edition, but I think that would have set +Triberr word censors all a twitter. I think that's multiple points for all those social media references.

The Great WENC Night Beat 3rd Birthday Giveaway is going on over at my Facebook page. You should enter, the prizes are terrific. 4 Winners, 4 Albums, all certified 5 Emeralds, and one Album of The Year.

We begin at the end. Possibly at the end of a legend. Joy Williams and John Paul White, collectively known as The Civil Wars. The duo are having a relationship breakup, but that didn't stop them from making a sophomore release to top Barton Hollow. This is The One That Got Away

From Folk to Rock and a good dose of Industrial. Skillet has come a long way, baby, and they took a chance with a themed album. They struck Platinum. They have done some good videos this time, and I'm going to honor that with two entries. First up we shall rock out with Sick of It.

The problem I have with lyric videos is they are pretty much static, follow the bouncing ball type videos. That is changing, and I am including two lyric videos this time around to prove it. First up is Skillet and their Chronicles of Narnia Themed Not Gonna Die.
We will close out the Lyric Video section from the only entrant to be Album of The Year. Evanescence asked fans to create lyric art on +TuneWiki. The result, while static, somehow syncs in a way that only can happen with Evanescence. Behold The Change.
Finally we close things out with our final Band, Cloud 2 Ground, er, sorry, Shiny Toy Guns. You can run, but I doubt you will find Somewhere To Hide.
That does it for this special edition of Music Video Monday. Go and enter the giveaway on my Facebook Page. Right now your odds are great. Music Video Monday returns on Monday August 26. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Falling Notes: The 2013 First Quarter - Dance

When the first quarter 2013 was originally closed out in December of 2012 (due to an abundance of Christmas Releases), there were only two entries in Dance. Dance. Not only were there two entries, but they both happened to garner perfect 5 ratings. First up was Shiny Toy Guns with III. Thousand Foot Krutch also made a showing with Metomorphosiz: The End Remixes, a remix album for their recent release, The End is Where We Begin.

The lost entries exploded this genre, with now five entries for this quarter. Since the genre got split in two, that's not so bad, but this is one of the danger genres this year.

Dance/Synthpop

• Joy Electric - Dwarf Mountain Alphabet
• Thousand Foot Krutch - Metamorphosiz: The End Remixes, Volume 1

Electronic/Industrial

• Pas Neos - Who Do You Say I Am?
• Beckah Shae - Scripture Snacks, Volume 2
• Shiny Toy Guns - III

Beginning with the 3rd Platinum Vinyl Awards, the Dance/Synthpop genre was split into the two sub-genres. While Beckah Shae normally would be in the first category, her recent work has been more trance than dance, which puts her into the second.

 

Just a few other posts to update with new results, but that concludes any new posts for the First Quarter. Don't forget to enter the Great WENC Night Beat 3rd birthday Giveaway. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Falling Notes: The 2013 First Quarter - Rap

Int the original post for Hip Hop and Rap there were three entries which passed muster to be eligible for the 4th Platinum Vinyl Awards. There are always more releases than are eligible, of course, but, when additional entries are discovered, things get a little complicated. In this case the entry list suddenly doubled, and two Perfect 5's joined the ranks. There isn't much cause for concern here, not yet. Not like, say, Alternative. Check out Confessions of the Candyman for more information. I still don't know what to do if the 5's fill the ranks of a genre. Expand or Shrink to fit. I guess whatever will cause the least griping.

Hip Hop & Rap

• Brinson - No Other Heroes
• Canon - Loose Canon EP, Volume 1
• Coffee Jones of Grits - Fresh Brew
• Japhia Life - Westside Pharmacy
• Je'kob - Hope
• Thi'sl - Free From The Trap

Brinson and Thi'sl made a perfect rating. They were pretty impressive. A few other notes on this redesigned quarter. Adult Contemporary, Pop and Metal were combined into one post and Gospel and Folk Music another. Alternative, Modern Worship and Rock will have their original posts readjusted. And still, I have to redo the second quarter and post the third. Maybe I can get it all done before the Fourth Quarter ends. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Falling Notes: The 2013 First Quarter - Gospel Folk

The lost categories. Back in December of 2012, when these posts were originally posted, there were no entries for Children's Music, Folk Music, and Gospel. Then came the lost entry debacle. A whole closet's worth of entries were found and everything had to be re-tabulated.

At the end of the 1rst Quarter, before the closet of entries were discovered, there were no entries in Children's Music, Folk/Folk Rock, and Gospel. Now that the re-tabulation is complete, there are still no entries for Children's Music. This post will cover the four releases for folk and gospel.

Folk/Folk Rock

• Warren Barfield - Redbird
• Shelly Moore - Unravelling
• Charlie Peacock - No Mans Land

The biggest WOW came from Shelly Moore. This was perfect folk music. Charlie Peacock is a classic. You really have to hear his music.

Gospel/R&B

• Freddy Washington - The Jesus Record

This has got to be one of the longest layovers between a single (Jesus) and the album it will appear on. Still It was worth the wait.

The other categories will be updated with their additions. Click to access Rock, Modern Worship, Dance/Rap/Pop, and Alternative. I May have missed a few others, so stay tuned. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your reply.

Night Beat Rewind: July 2013

The end is near. The end of the 4th Platinum Vinyl Awards eligibility year, that is. This is the time when a lot of upsets come in. Just when you think you have it all wrapped up along comes an entry in September that steals the show.

Missed The Mark

• Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir - Love Lead The Way 3.75 Emeralds
• Flyleaf - Who We Are 3.75 Emeralds
• Jonathan and Emily Martin - Set Your Eyes 3.75 Emeralds
• Mouth of the South - Transparency 3.75 Emeralds
• Owl City - The Midsummer Station Acoustic 3.75 Emeralds
• Relient K - Collapsible Lung 3.25 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Amazing Grace (My Chains are gone) 3.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Holy Hip Hop, Volume 16 3.75 Emeralds

A few surprises here. I never ever expected to confuse a BTC album with one from Hillsong. The Power is gone from this release. Flyleaf's new EP with a new lead singer. Underwhelmed on that one too. The biggest disappointment was Relient K. A totally new sound, one that no one really expects. Too poppy. We go to the other end of the spectrum

Pure Platinum

• Wayne Haun - Old Soul 5 Emeralds
• Andy Hunter - Glowing Collision, Volume 2 5 Emeralds

Hunter almost goes without saying. A word on Wayne Haun. This one was promoted on Christian sites, yet the album is very cool Jazz, secular covers.

Semi-Precious Metal

• Billy Buchanan - Fact, Fiction and other Contradictions 4.75 Emeralds
• The Burial - In The Taking of Flesh 4.50 Emeralds
• Everfound - Everfound 4.50 Emeralds
• Falling Up - Hours 4.75 Emeralds
• Falling Up - Midnight on Earthship 4.75 Emeralds
• My Heart to Fear - Algorithm 4.75 Emeralds
• These Hearts - Yours To Take 4.50 Emeralds
• Hillsong Live - Glorious Ruins 4.50 Emeralds
• Dre Murray - Gold Rush: Maybe One Day 4.75 Emeralds
• Petra - 40th Anniversary 4.00 Emeralds
• Phinehas - The Last Word is Yours to Speak 4.50 Emeralds
• Seabird - Troubled Days 4.50 Emeralds
• Shine Bright Baby - Dreamers 4.75 Emeralds
• Aaron Shusht - Morning Rises 4.75 Emeralds
• Oh Sleeper - The Titan 4.50 Emeralds
• Skyler and Kim Walker-Smith - Home 4.50 Emeralds
• Thousand Foot Krutch - Metamorphosiz: The End Remixes, Volume 2 4.75 Emeralds
• Trin-I-Tee 5:7 - Trin-I-Tee 5:7 Hits 4.50 Emeralds
• Kathy Troccoli - Worship Songs: Tis So Sweet 4.75 Emeralds
• We Came As Romans - Tracing Back Roots 4.50 Emeralds

That does it for July. Caught Up. If you come back you will see the Amazon links appear for purchasing and helping the WENC Night Beat at the same time. I want to get it out immediately. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Confessions of the Candyman

"Who can take a sunrise...." Well, that's how I feel right now, anyway. When I first started this blog three years ago I set about to set right the rampant favoritism in the major award shows. Now I think I may have fallen prey to the same malady. The Perfect 5 Emerald rating was designed for a release which "blew me away", so to speak. That seems to be happening a lot this year. At the time I vowed that there would never be a case where 5's were able to fill an entire genre. I may have to eat those words this year.

Through three quarters of eligible releases, I have handed out a whopping 27 perfect 5's (Ouch!). Here is the breakdown by genre.

• Children: 1
• Folk/Folk Rock: 4
• Dance/Synthpop: 6 (5 Remixes)
• Electronic/Industrial: 2 (1 Remix)
• Gospel: 2
• Alternative: 5
• Modern Worship: 1
• Rap: 3
• Hard Rock/Metal: 1
• Rock: 2

AC/Inspirational and Pop have zero fives through three quarters, so they and Children, Electronic, Gospel, Modern Worship, Hard Rock, Rock and Rap should be fine, but Folk, Dance and and Alternative are just about filled with 5's alone. Remember the final nominees for any genre are supposed to be seven, and there are still two months to go. 5's are a lock, remember.

Since I'm obviously in the habit of giving things away, don't forget to enter the Great 3rd Birthday Giveaway at my Facebook Page.

They say confession is good for the soul. We shall see. All I know is that it should be an interesting award season next year. And here I am complaining about the Dove's. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

When Four Times Five Equals Three

It can only mean one thing, that it's time for the big Third Birthday Giveaway here at the WENC Night Beat. (Of Course, it could always be some new math trick, but, not in this case). This blog turned three on July 8, 2013. Since then I have been trying to come up with an appropriate giveaway, and by Jove, I think I've got it.

In my first giveaway I gave one Cd. This time I will give four, each rated by The Night Beat to be a Perfect 5 Emeralds. There will be four winners of course. Here are the prizes.

Rise, Skillet (Rock)

When last we heard from the Cookware named Industrial Super group they had released the final piece of their "accidental trilogy" Awake (2009). Parts one and two were Collide (2004) and Comatose (2006). Hopes were dashed for a fourth album, however. For Rise the Cooper Union led group took on the subject of the evil and troubles in the world. From the 911 closing of the opening cut the album tells a complete story of the Christian rising up to combat the tide of evil. I've said it better in my review. While some reviewers have been less than kind. This is the perfect way to go in a new direction.


The Civil Wars, The Civil Wars (Folk/Folk Rock)

The Anatomy of a Breakup. Barton Hollow took the music world by surprise, and the folk duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White became overnight sensations. On the way to their encore however, Williams became a mom, and the duo have been rumored to broken up. While lightning was bottled twice, we may never get a chance for three. If so, this follow up to the 2011 PVA Album of the Year may strike platinum again. It is obvious that they gave all they had in the studio. Here's to hoping that they are not the one that got away.



III, Shiny Toy Guns (Electronic/Industrial)

One of the first perfect albums of the eligibility period came from the Dance arena. Formerly known as Cloud 2 Ground, the duo of Chad Petree and Jeremy Dawson, here teamed with Carah Faye Charnow also rose above the competition. Since the album came from the Dance arena, it is safe to say that the bar is among the lowest to clear. However, aside from the remix album. only two albums have made a perfect 5 from the genre this year so far, and this is one.

Each of the first three releases from this current eligibility year has the potential to become Album of The Year. Our Fourth Album has.

Evanescence, Evanescence (Rock)

"Hello, Hello, remember me. I'm everything you can't control." 2012's Album of The Year could have been called "Revenge of The Fallen". The rock group named after the rapture proved that they would not suddenly disappear. Never has lead singer Amy Lee caught the dark emotions the band is known to relate to. Fallen went 7x Platinum, and, while this has fallen far short (sorry), in some ways we have a highly superior album. Almost a themed album in some ways, the absence of rust in a group out of sight for 6 years was a testament to itself.

So here's what we're going to do. Go over to the Facebook Page for The Night Beat and sign up. Four winners will be picked. In order to make sure that the winner is happy, I am going to ask you to specify which album you would like to win if picked. If you would be happy with any choice, do say that as well.

The Contest Runs from Midnight ET Tonight until September 30. I'm going to give the long time to get as many people on board as possible. You can't win if you don't enter, so enter. Until next time I am Awaiting Your Entries. Let the Games Begin.

Night Beat Rewind: June 2013

Three down one to go. June closes out the third quarter of eligibility for the 4th Platinum Vinyl Awards. This has been an interesting quarter. During April's rewind I said that no releases missed the mark. Well that was before I discovered I misplaced almost three dozen entries for April, about a dozen for May, and about the same for June. June was privileged to be completed in its entirely, but April and May and the entire first and second quarters, had to be re-evaluated. It is the aim of the Platinum Vinyl Awards to "Leave no Album Behind", and to be as perfect as possible, and that means having as complete an entry pool as possible.

Missing The Mark

• Brandy Allison - Walking on Faith 3.75 Emeralds
• Brad and Rebekah - When We Gather 3.75 Emeralds
• Maria Cederholm - Megaphones 3.75 Emeralds
• Creations - Unworthy / Humility 3.75 Emeralds
• Keisha Cory - Still Standing 3.75 Emeralds
• Hour 6 - This Is Life 3.75 Emeralds
• Graham Kendrick - Worship Duets 3.75 Emeralds
• Justin McRoberts - K 3.75 Emeralds

Thank God for Amazon and iTunes. I really never heard of any of these, and probably neither did a lot of people. I think the standard Christian outlets wouldn't have either. Sometimes I was testing the big boys as well.

Perfect Platinum

• August Burns Red - Rescue & Restore 5 Emeralds
• Caroline Cobb - The Blood + the Breath: Songs That Tell the Story of Redemption 5 Emeralds
• JSon - Braille 5 Emeralds
• Skillet - Rise 5 Emeralds

ABR and Skillet were on the initial list. Cobb and JSon made the revised list. Of the four, Caroline Cobb "knocked my socks off" the most. This was an amazing album for the folk genre.

Semi-Precious Metal

• Abandon Kansas - A Midwest Summer 4.75 Emeralds
• The Almost - Fear Inside Our Bones 4.75 Emeralds
• Audio Adrenaline - Big House to Ocean Floor 4.75 Emeralds
• Building 429 - We Won't Be Shaken 4.75 Emeralds
• Isaac Carree - Reset 4.50 Emeralds  
• Colossus - Time & Eternal 4.50 Emeralds
• Extol - Extol 4.75 Emeralds
• Family Force Five - Reanimated 4.75 Emeralds
• Ghost Ship - The Good King 4.50 Emeralds
• Heath McNease - The Weight of Glory: Second Edition 4.75 Emeralds
• Mr. Del - Faith Walka 4.75 Emeralds
• Tim Neufeld - Trees 4.50 Emeralds
• R-Swift - Apply Pressure 4.75 Emeralds
• Remedy Drive - Resuscitate: Acoustic Sessions 4.50 Emeralds
• Sleeping At Last - Atlas: Light 4.75 Emeralds
• Still Trill Christians - Kings 4.50 Emeralds
• Tim Timmons - Cast My Cares 4.50 Emeralds
• Tony Tilman - The Tillman EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Unspoken - The World Is Waking 4.50 Emeralds
• Various Artists - In Christ Alone: 25 Of Today's Most Powerful Modern Hymns 4.50 Emeralds
• Hezekiah Walker - Azusa The Next Generation [+digital booklet] 4.50 Emeralds
• We As Human - We As Human 4.75 Emeralds

Seems like the new trend in music is the Self Titled album. Seems to be a lot of them these days. Most of the 4.75's are nitpicks, as I can't hand out 5's like candy. 4.5 is where I start to really deduct points. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

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