Music Video Monday: Night Beat Classic Edition

Welcome to an all new edition of Music Video Monday, where we play the latest music videos on the web. Scratch that. This is Summer, and we are shaking things up.

The Night Beat started in 1984 as a radio show, and this Summer we are going back in time to share the music videos from when the show was on the air and during the time that the show and concept was in hibernation. So roughly we are talking 1984-2010. 

We start with the 77's. One of the founders of Christian Alternative music along with The Choir. They got their moment in the limelight stolen from them by their label which also had rights to an obscure group from Ireland called U2. From their 1984 Exit release All Fall Down. This is Ba Ba Ba
Next up we go to Jesus Music Era band (at least the later portions) DeGarmo and Key. This is the music video for 666, the most famous and controversial Christian Video of All Time (banned by MTV).

Finally we check out the ceremony of the Altar Boys. From the 1986 release Gut Level Music, this is the video for You Are Loved.
That does it for this special collection. We will try to hunt up more classic videos as the Summer heats up. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Flashback Friday: The Bootleg Boogie

If you've been with me for any considerable length of time know that I go way back in the area of Christian Music. Pretty much all music. I grew up listening to the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Wings, Chicago, Bad Company and The Eagles, among others. And of course I had a whole supply of 45's (ask your grandparents) from the 60's. Of course after I got born again I had a giant yard sale and sold it all and went pretty much all in to Christian Music. That would be 1975. These days I think that selling all those records was a big mistake.

Vinyl was coexisting nicely with the cassette tape, and while the walkman and its knock offs made things easy to listen to music on the go way before the invention of the iPod. The only drawback was it was play only. If you wanted to create a tape you needed a cassette tape recorder, commonly known as a tape recorder.

Somewhere between 9-12 inches long and about 4 pounds in weight, you would think that it would be to bulky to smuggle in to concert venues but that is exactly what we did. It was better during winter concerts as you could smuggle it under your winter coat.

(Image Courtesy of Pinterest and bing)

One of the excuses of people regarding sin has been "Hey, everybody is doing it". Well everybody may be a slight exaggeration, but it would not be much of a stretch to say that in a concert held in a college gymnasium which held about 1,000 people (small Northeastern Christian Colleges), about 25o would have a tape recorder. 25% is not everyone, but it was enough to make a successful bootleg record company a pipe dream. After all, the commercial value of a recording is partially based on the rarity of the product, and when a quarter of the audience has a bootleg copy, rarity is out the window. You would have to rely on quality.

And that was the other problem. An audio copy made with a cheap recording device with a 2 cent microphone set up over 50 feet (at least) from any sound source is bound to be less than stellar in quality. No one doing this was seated anywhere near the stage. But it was all about "The experience" being captured live. I mean why buy a studio recorded cassette when you could have one of these.

I am pretty sure the statute of limitations on these things are up. Certainly the cassette tapes have long since deteriorated. The dream remains alive, however. With the advent of the smartphone and Facebook and YouTube Live we can have our own television station. The Second Coming of MTV.  I for one am glad to have a commercially produced live album and music video however.. Summer is here and with it Flashback Friday. Come with me to the 80's in my time machine. Until next Friday, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: The Breakup Song

Welcome to an all new edition of Music Video Monday. Happy Summer everyone. The weather is heating up, and so is the music. The bands are ready for the action. This is Seventh Day Slumber saying Bring it on.

Next up we have one of my all-time favorite bands, Evanescence. From the orchestra accompanied Synthesis tour, this is Hi-Lo featuring Lindsay Stirling. Emeralds always look better in a setting of Stirling Silver.

I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair. Sorry, musical flashback. Well the South Pacific song is about a relationship breakup. Our final video is from Francesca Battistelli, and a different kind of Breakup Song.

That does it for this edition of Music Video Monday. Until next time, I am awaiting your reply.

Night Beat Rewind: May 2018

We are slowly getting things up to speed here at Night Beat HQ, and I do mean slowly. It is time to wrap up the May 2018 releases. Since we still have a half-month of June to go, I think we can pat ourselves on the back. Lightly. May was a very active month. We begin with the songs released during the month. This was very active.

The Singles Scene

• Antarctic Wastelands - Evolve 4.75 Emeralds
• Anthem Lights - Class of 2018 Medley 4.75 Emeralds
• Blanca - Shattered 5 Emeralds
• Braille = Set The Table 5 Emeralds
• Building 429 - You Can 4.75 Emeralds
• Celldweller - The Imperial March (Pegboard Nerds Remix) 4.75 Emeralds
• Celldweller - Purified (Sebastian Komor Remix) 5 Emeralds
• Steven Curtis Chapman - Remember To Remember 5 Emeralds
• The Choir - What You Think I Am (Hard Times Remix) 4.50 Emeralds
• Circle of Dust - Dust to Dust (Zardonic Remix) 4.25 Emeralds
• Circle of Dust - Hive Mind (The Anix Remix) 4.75 Emeralds
• Circle of Dust - Humanarchy (Blue Stahli Remix) 4.75 Emeralds
• Riley Clemons - Better For It 4.50 Emeralds
• Aaron Cole - Right On It ft Toby Mac (Rickshaw Remix) 4.50 Emeralds
• Color Theory - The Fifth of July 4.50 Emeralds
• For King and Country - Joy 5 Emeralds
• Free G - Jump Again 5 Emeralds
• Austin French - Why God 4.75 Emeralds
• Daniel Gale - Dawn ft Jeremy James Whitaker 4.75 Emeralds
• Jamie Grace - Wait It Out 5 Emeralds
• Hammock - Clinging 5 Emeralds
• Hammock - The Night You Caught On Fire 4.75 Emeralds
• Hnst-T - No Look Pass ft Mvkeyyj 3.75 Emeralds
• Iairvs - Dear God (Original Mix) 5 Emeralds
• JSteph - Broken Heart (Iairvs DJ Remix) 4.75 Emeralds
• Mosaic MSC - Miracle 4.50 Emeralds
• Plumb - Beautifully Broken 5 Emeralds
• Salt of The Sound - Renew ft Narrow Skies 5 Emeralds
• Scandroid - New York City Nights 5 Emeralds
• Stars Go Dim - I Look To You ft Social Club Misfits 4.75 Emeralds

30 releases isn't a record, it just feels like it. We had more a few months back. On to the albums. We begin with the releases which will not make the pool.

Missing The Mark

• Andre Balboa - Preaching to The Choir 3.50 Emeralds
• Dru Bex - In God's Good Time 4.25 Emeralds
• Dee Black - Fight Club 4.25 Emeralds
• Flight School - For The King, For The Culture, For The City EP 4.25 Emeralds
• Taelor Gray - The Love Don't Last Long 3.75 Emeralds
• Jabari Johnson - Day of Redemption 4.25 Emeralds
• JSteph - Conquer 4.25 Emeralds
• Various Artsits - Top 15 Praise Songs: The Well 4.25 Emeralds
• Vineyard Worship - Fill Us Again 4.25 Emeralds
• WHATUPRG - Pleasant Hill EP 3.75 Emeralds

10 Missing the Mark gives me encouragement that my critical meter is working fine. On to the gems in the basket.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Bethel Music - Moments: Mighty Sound 5 Emeralds
• Lincoln Brewster - God of The Impossible 5 Emeralds
• Kaina - Rise 5 Emeralds
• Michael W. Smith - Lullaby 5 Emeralds

Kaina is a new artist with a great voice. And she gets produced by Future of Forestry. Things are looking up. Now to the releases in the middle.

Semi-Precious Metal

• Bizzle - Light Work EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Aaron Cole - Virginia Boy EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Toni Harper - Seasons EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Mat Kearney - Crazy Talk 4.75 Emeralds
• Mark Lee - Unshakeable Heart EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Life Worship - Speak to The Storm 4.75 Emeralds
• Millennial Reign - The Great Divide 4.75 Emeralds
• Jason Nelson - The Answer 4.75 Emeralds
• Shope - XXY 4.75 Emeralds
• Smalltown Poets - Say Hello 4.75 Emeralds
• Transform DJ's - Wildfire EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Upperroom - Moments EP (Live) 4.75 Emeralds
• Worship Central - Stir A Passion (Live) 4.75 Emeralds

That's it. May is in the Bag, and I am making progress on the June releases. Time to get back to those releases and the entrants in the #PlatVnyl8 pool. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Resurrection

Welcome to an all new edition of Music Video Monday. Christian music is all about the resurrection. And forgiveness and redemption. All three things are involved in this edition of Music Video Monday.

We begin with another Choir Video. A lyric video isn't what they used to be these days. Now there isn't much of a difference between a lyric and a regular music video. from Bloodshot this is the lyric video for The Time Has Come.

Next up we have Owl City. The band has released Cinematic this month, and it is an interesting Pop/Dance mix. It is a good example of stretching professionally. This is the video for Lucid Dream.

Finally the resurrection part. There was a metalcore by the name of As I Lay Dying which soared to the top of Night Beat Rankings. And then one of their members was convicted of attempting to hire a hit man to kill his wife. The attempt failed because the hitman was an undercover cop. The band member went to jail. The band broke up and was resurrected as Wovenwar. Two albums were released. Jail sentence over, the member has asked for forgiveness for things said in jail, forgiveness is given and the band is reunited. This is As I Lay Dying, Part Deux, and My Own Grave.
That does it for this edition of Music Video Monday. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Musical Industrial Complex: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr (Jan - Mar, 2018) - Modern Worship

Our final genre in our second quarter wrap of 2018 is Modern Worship. Cue the giant yawn from my long time readers. New readers, you'll learn.

Modern Worship

• Pat Barrett - Pat Barrett
• Paul Baloche - Ultimate Collection
• City of Bright - Fearless EP
• Travis Cottrell - The Reason
• Elevation Collective - Evidence
• Elevation Worship - Do It Again EP
• EQ Worship - Push Out The Dark
• First Free Music - Awake/Alive
• For All Seasons - Clarity EP
• Forerunner Music - Fully Alive
• Freedom Church - Thunder Reign
• Steffany Gretzinger - Blackout
• Passion - Whole Heart
• Rend Collective - Good News
• River Valley Worship - Million Lifetimes
• The Rock Music - Your Love Remains
• Michael W. Smith - Surrounded 
• Zealand - Liberated

That is it. We are finally finished. Just as we are starting the final month of the third quarter. We will be back here before you know it. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Musical Industrial Complex: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr (Jan - Mar, 2018) - Rap

The second genre in the Penultimate Tie is Rap and Hip Hop. Even though the genre had nine entries that does not get the top prize. That is reserved once again for Modern Worship, which had eighteen entries.

Rap/Hip-Hop

• Beacon Light - Loud Drive Home
• Flame - God Knows
• GodzG - Grayscale
• KJ-52 - Jonah, Part 2
• Steven Malcolm - The Second City, Part 1 EP
• Germaine Martel - Human 3: The Holy Trilogy 
• Social Club Misfits - Into The Night
• Swoope - Sonshine
• T-Bone - Broken English

A nice mix of established and newbies. Modern Worship wraps things up. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Musical Industrial Complex: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr (Jan - Mar, 2018) - Pop

We continue with our rollout of the 2nd Quarter of 2018 Pool Entries for the Platinum Vinyl Awards (#PlatVnyl9). A tie is next. Pop and Rock tied with 9 entries. Pop Music is first up.

Pop Music

• Dave Barnes - Who Knew It Would Be So Hard To Be Myself
• Leanna Crawford - Crazy Beautiful You (Deluxe)
• Jordan Feliz - Future 
• Jaxon - The Journey EP
• Marc Martel - My Way, Volume 1
• Mass Anthem - Through People Like Me
• Mercy Me - I Can Only Imagine: The Best of Mercy Me
• Nicole C. Mullen - Like Never Before
• Michael W. Smith - A Million Lights

Marc Martel (formerly of Downhere) did a cover album of Mainstream Classic Pop, sort of like Kevin Max Starry Nights. It is a very good album. All the rest are more "traditional" Christian Albums. Rap music is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Musical Industrial Complex: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr (Jan - Mar 2018) - Adult Contemporary

We are continuing our rollout of the 2nd Quarter of 2018. Our next genre is Elevator Music. No, seriously, it is adult contemporary, but I dare you to separate the two.

Adult Contemporary/Inspirational

• Corey Asbury - Reckless Love
• Audrey Assad - Evergreen
• Brad and Rebekah - Sound of Heaven
• Tommy Faulk - Come What May
• Heather Schnoor - All In EP
• I Am They - Trial and Triumph

There was a tie this quarter, and it was between Pop and Rap. Both genres had 9 entries this quarter, and we shall get to Pop Music next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Musical Industrial Complex: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr (Jan-Mar 2018) - Dance

We move on to our single genre postings as we reveal the albums which made the PVA Pool for the Second Quarter of 2018. I think that calls for a celebration. Let's Dance. I guess it's fitting that the first genre up happens to be dance music.

Dance-Synthpop

• Equippers Revolution - CLRS EP
• FF5 - El Compadre
• Jerry Fee - The Bigger Picture
• Jordan Feliz - Witness (The Remixes)
• Jared Miller - Chasing Me Down

Next up is Adult Contemporary.Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Californians On Ice

Welcome Back to the long forsaken Music Video Monday. Can you believe it was March the last time we were together in this format (March 12 to be exact). We are back, hopefully for good. Let's start the videos.

First up we have For King and Country (Joel and Luke Smallbone, brothers of Rebecca St. James).  This is the music video for Joy. 
Next up we go Metal. The Lamb and The Lion are not yet playing together, but we seem to be in the Millennial Reign. From their new album The Great Divide, this is Break The Tide.
Finally June began with a somewhat surprise release by Alternative Pioneers The Choir. There has been so much discussion about the 25th Anniversary of Kissers and Killers and the 30th Anniversary of Chase The Kangaroo. With so much on the table it is easy to miss the new release of Bloodshot. This is the lyric video for Californians on Ice (an unmitigated disaster). I think they have been taking lessons from Steve Taylor in sarcasm.

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

The Musical Industrial Complex: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr (Jan - Mar 2018) - Alternative Instrumental Rock

The final of our multi - genre posts combines Instrumental Music, Rock, and Alternative. From now on all the represented genres meet the minimum bar of 5 entries in a quarter. Let's get it going.

Instrumental Music

• Bright City - Still, Volume 2
• Future of Forestry - Union
• Charlie Peacock - When Light Flashes, Help Is On The Way

Alternative Rock

•  My Epic - Ultraviolet EP 
• Samuel Lane - The Difference
• Off Road Minivan - Spiral Gaze
• Cameron Moore - Alpenglow

Rock Music

• All Above Me - Return to the Battlefield
• Pastor Brad - Highway To Heaven
• Pax 217 - Live 6/3/17
• Mark Lee Townsend - 1919: The Ballad of Rexford 

It's time to Dance. That's the first single genre post. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

 

The Musical Industrial Complex: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr (Jan - Mar, 2018) - Electronic Gospel

Continuing with our rollout (late) of the 2nd Quarter Nominees, we have our second of three multi genre posts. This time we have Electronic-Industrial and Gospel/R&B. Let's get right to it.

Electronic-Industrial

• Future of Forestry - Union
• Narrow Skies - Awakening
• Salt of The Sound - Lent, Volume 1 

Gospel/R&B

• Bee Ardoin - The Truth About Waking
• Todd Dulaney - Your Great Name 
• Jonathan McReynolds - Make Room
• Various Artists - WoW Gospel 2018

One more multi-genre post to go. Instumental Rock and Alternative are last to go, and then it is all single genre from then on.