Music Video Monday: Be A Radical

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled edition of Music Video Monday, where we bring you the newest and the best Music Videos in CCM and the Fringe.

We begin our musical tour with one of my favorite bands with a name that may inspire some bait and switch action. With a name like +Disciple Rocks (actually Disciple, they added the Rocks) you may think they were Southern Gospel, but that's only half right, they are Southern Rock and on the Attack. This is Radical.
Up next is +Remedy Drive. More about the Pop/AC arena for this band. This is the title cut from their new album Commodity.

And finally, we have a lyric video from +JJHellermusic. This is I know you will.

That does it for this edition of Music Video Monday. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

A Classic Replay: Flashback Friday - A Real Guitar Hero

Welcome to another Classic Replay of Flashback Friday. Today's Post, which originally posted on April 20, 2012 can be found buy clicking on the link. Since there may be some broken link issues after two years, I am re-posting it below. Enjoy.  

Here are some statistics for you. A career now in its sixth decade, over forty studio albums, seven live releases, and other music credits two numerous to mention in this blog post. And let's not forget the Seven Dove Awards between 1987 and 2002 (all for Instrumental Album of The Year). Is it any wonder why I called my award for the best guitarist in CCM the Keaggy Award.

Philip Tyler Keaggy (b. March 23, 1951 in Youngstown, OH), one of ten siblings. Though losing one of his fingers in a childhood accident, he took to the guitar. He started his musical career with the Squires in the 1960's, but he really came into his own as a member of Glass Harp. Here is a video of them from the 70's. Phil is the one with short hair and beard.

Glass Harp put out three albums: Glass Harp (1970), Synergy (1971) and It Makes Me Glad (1972). Keaggy left after the third album and the group never entered the studio without him. Since he accepted Christ at about the same time as he joined the band, the music of Glass Harp has been long accepted as a Christian Band of sorts, though it is officially a mainstream group.

What a Day (1973) was Phil's debut. The song is about the joy we will have in Heaven, and it is always masterful on acoustic guitar. This video is an extended acoustic version of around six minutes in length. Listen and watch in awe.

Three years elapsed in between Phil Keaggy's debut and his sophomore release. During that time Keith Green and Randy Stonehill wrote Your Love Broke Through, and legend has it that Green personally chose Keaggy to be the first to record the song. If that is true then he was a tremendous judge of the impact that this budding guitarist would have on the CCM community. Not surprisingly, Love Broke Thru (1976) was a breakout album. Here is Your Love Broke Through as performed by Phil.
During his forty plus album career Phil has blessed us with several instrumental masterpieces. To me, one of the most memorable of these was The Wind and The Wheat (1987). I was in college at the time and when it was time to do my senior project, I used this album as my slide presentation soundtrack. I took the easy route. I just hit record and let it play. It was a whole lot easier than trying to find the right piece. When you hear his music, can you pick a wrong piece. This is a short one from the album.

As Steve Jobs would say "One More Thing". How about a live guitar solo.

While doing research for this post I discovered an album recorded by Keaggy that will be a shoe-in for the Platinum Vinyl Awards this year. Live From Kegworth Studio. It will definitely win the Keaggy award.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Everyone acknowledges that Phil Keaggy is one of the top 10 guitarists in the world. I wonder who #2 to #10 are? As always, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Without You

Welcome once again to our regularly scheduled edition of Music Video Monday. We have three great videos for you today and for one of them I would issue a mandatory hanky alert. First up we have electronic master Andy Hunter and his best vocalist Beth Bullock collaborating once more in perfect Harmony.

Harmony drops Tomorrow, so this is a bit of a scoop for us.  Now for the next video don't say I didn't warn you. Grab your hanky. This is a tear-jerker of a video from For King and Country. 

Finally we crank things up with Colossus which helps us to exorcise our demons.

That concludes this edition of Music Video Monday. We will return next week with an all new batch of videos. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

A Classic Replay: Flashback Friday - Love Beyond Reason

We are returning to some sort of normalcy here at Night Beat HQ. With the Video and Song Awards announced on social media, and only wrap posts to do here on the blog, I thought it time to return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Welcome to the latest edition of Flashback Friday, where we bring the modern music enthusiast up to speed on some of their history. After all, if you don't know where you've come from, how can you know where you're going.

Round Two of Flashback Friday centers around the Classic Christian Song Love Broke Through. There were four people involved in the song, but we are concentrating only on three of them. Two were involved in the writing, Keith Green and Randy Stonehill. One made the song famous in the singing and performance, Phil Keaggy. Last week we covered Keith Green. This week it's Uncle Randy time.

Sometimes, in the straight laced world of Christian Music, and artist emerges which most people may think is (slightly?) deranged. Of course such non-conventional behavior just assure that the kids will love him. Such is Randy Stonehill, or as he is affectionately known, Uncle Randy. Musically he is stylistically linked to James Tayor, though his fans love him because he acts like Robin Williams. Of course, while he may have a crazy manic persona, he is still relatively down to earth. I mean, to my knowledge, Uncle Randy has never donned a dress and heels for a music video or in concert (Steve Taylor, Lifeboat. But that's another post altogether.

We will begin our musical tour with a live video of Randy performing Your Love Broke Through.

This is a great video if your purpose is showing off Randy's Acoustic Guitar talent, which is beyond question. It does little to show the twisted sense of humor that he has. So from the sublime to the ridiculous, we will go to one of the DJ favorites during my college days (and the bane of the administration. He belches in the song) American Fast Food which was on Equator (1982)


A straight up Christian Song, but the Concept Video shows his sense of humor nicely. This is gods of men from Love Beyond Reason. (the video isn't great, but the song is)

One more humorous video. This is the title cut off Love Beyond Reason. I'm only disappointed that the beginning was edited. It had Randy asking to drive the tour bus ("How Hard Could It Be") and the long and winding road they took until it said, "from our Lost Somewhere in Central America Tour".

Randy Stonehill has quite a body of work. The link is just to mp3 albums alone. Discovered by the great Larry Norman, he released his debut album (and it was an album at the time), Born Twice, way back in 1971, and he is still recording. His latest is Spirit Walk, which was released last September. He's still got it. FYI, this is his 24th Studio Album. Rock On Uncle Randy.

It is probably appropriate to have a post on one of the more unbalanced fathers of Christian Rock be somewhat unbalanced itself, but I still apologize. Next weeks Flashback Friday should be a bit more even as we move on to Phil Keaggy. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Come On In

We are back in business. Welcome back to our regularly scheduled edition of Music Video Monday. Since two-thirds of the #PlatVnyl4 results are in, it's safe to resume normal operations, so here we go.

We begin with a new video from a #PlatVnyl4 Winning Artist. +WHOSOEVER SOUTH has already won Hip Hop/Rap Album of The Year, and the announcements are still not done yet. They have an opportunity to win three more awards, so keep it tuned here for the results. From their album which will release October 7, they say Come On In.
Next up we move on to the dance hall. This is Capital Kings, and Fireblazin.
And finally we have one of the most beautiful voices in Christian Music, Lara Landon, with a home video tribute to her Father, who recently moved to heaven. This is the touching song I Want To Know You. 
Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: August 2014

Can you believe it's September already? Who knew that Summer was over. Around Night Beat HQ one hardly knew it began. There's only one month left to get in your entries for #PlatVnyl5. Due to this years delayed awards things are going to get pretty crammed up.

We begin this edition of rewind with song releases, or as I like to call it:

The Singles Scene

• Boiling Point - When You've Lost it All 4.50 Emeralds
• Capital Kings - Fireblazin 4.50 Emeralds
• Kevin Max - Light Me Up 4.50 Emeralds
• Transparent - Str8 Like That feat Ada-L 3.75 Emeralds

Now, as I have said before, this is just a Song of The Year bookkeeping method. There will be no automatic pass through. At least not yet. Now, on to the albums. First up, as always, are the releases which, while good, aren't award worthy. 

Missing The Mark

• Bringing Home - Bringing Home 3.75 Emeralds
• Family Force 5 - Time Stands Still 3.50 Emeralds
• Mouth of The South - Struggle Well 3.75 Emeralds
• Sleeping Giant - Finished People 3.75 Emeralds
• Various - Revelation Song: 11 Essential Worship Songs 3.75 Emeralds

Now I know a lot of people like FF5, but this one was too tame for me, and while the songs for Revelation Song might be essential, the artists they picked didn't always ring true (Take the title cut, how could they not pick Kari Jobe. She owns the song)

On the other end of the spectrum, there was one album that just wowed us here at Night Beat HQ, and did it with the help of Pure Emotional Manipulation.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Lindsay McCaul - One More Step 5 Emeralds

The emotional manipulation in question belongs to the title cut, a journey of a young girl from birth and childhood until the death of her father. It brought the staff to tears. Thankfully not all albums are like that or we would be a snivelling mess, unable to do any serious work. (Of course there is some question whether we do any serious work at all).

Semi-Precious Metal

• Adia - Behind Enemy Lines 4.50 Emeralds
• Bluetree - Worship and Justice 4.50 Emeralds
• Lincoln Brewster - Oxygen: A Worship Album 4.75 Emeralds
• Cody Collier - Breaking Free 4.25 Emeralds
• Darkness Divided - Written In Blood 4.75 Emeralds
• Colton Dixon - Anchor 4.75 Emeralds
• Julie Elias - Love Rain Down 4.75 Emeralds
• Lexi Elisha - Rope EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Esterlyn - Love 4.50 Emeralds
• Amy Grant - In Motion: The Remixes 4.75 Emeralds
• Steffany Gretzinger - The Undoing 4.75 Emeralds
• Group 1 Crew - #Faster EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Hamilton Hardin - Just Wanna Say 4.75 Emeralds
• Shawna Harris - God Is Able 4.25 Emeralds
• House of Heroes - Smoke EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Jars of Clay - 20 4.75 Emeralds
• Brent Jones - Joy Comin 4.50 Emeralds
• Crystal Lewis - 25 4.75 Emeralds
• Tasha Paige Lockhart - Here Right Now 4.75 Emeralds
• Manafest - The Moment 4.50 Emeralds
• Rachael Messini - Honestly 4.75 Emeralds
• Da T.R.U.T.H. presents Mixed Bag - Normal is Overrated 4.75 Emeralds
• NF - EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Needtobreathe - 60/50 Oceanway: The Live Room Sessions 4.25 Emeralds
• VaShawn Mitchell - God My God EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Smokie Norful - Forever Yours 4.75 Emeralds
• Andrew Osenga - Soul EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Selah - You Amaze Us 4.75 Emeralds
• Rhyan Shirley - High Above 4.50 Emeralds
• Shope - EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Swoope - Sinema 4.50 Emeralds
• Isaiah Templeton - Roll in The Dirt 4.50 Emeralds
• Thousand Foot Krutch - Oxygen: Inhale 4.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Reverence: An Offering 4.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Holy Hip Hop, Volume 18 4.50 Emeralds
• Willet - Searchlight 4.75 Emeralds
• Woven War - Woven War 4.75 Emeralds

Since we are right in the midst of #PlatVnyl4 I will be forgoing links. I'm behind on updating rewind posts as it is. Keep checking back as links will be added. Music Video Monday Will be returning Next Monday. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.