e-holiness

you are free

if only i was in canada tomorrow for the first showing of the docufilm of joseph arthur called 'you are free', i will be searching for more info on this film, but please see here for a short trailer of the film and have a look at what some people claim to be and i quote 'one of the last true artists left in the world', josephs music is amazing and this film captures the first show of the 2005 tour, of which i saw three shows!, this guy is so deep and his music and paintings (which were created during his performances, you had to be there!), captures human emotions like no other i have heard. whats more he has a new album, his fourth this year, coming out next monday.....more of that in another post.

amazing joseph....

last night we were joined by our good friends, ross and lizzie and pete and rachel, the only two couples who could spare a friday night not only to see the most amazing joseph arthur but spend a night with us as we ventured to b'ham to see jospeh for the last time before we make our trek to south africa......shame!...my only prayer is that he will perform in the uk one more time before we move out in october, but that i would imagine would be a miracle!

anyways the man was a great as ever performing some of his newer work in an acoustic set, joseph played to an crowd of around 100 fans in the small studio at the glee club, again some of his lyrics really challenge me to wonder where his faith is....this is a man who is certainly seeking the truth that our great God only provides...to see what i continue to rave about please visit this link to a couple of new videos, including one of my most fav songs 'she paints me gold'....

freedom folklore event

we just wanted to say a huge thank you to all the bands and artists that took part in the freedom folklore event held last saturday night, it's amazing what people will and can do to help support the work of thembalitsha in south africa as we fight HIV AIDS on the ground.

we have updated some photos of the evening on a freedom folklore flickr group, see link here and wanted to encourage you to visit and listen to some of the music via each artists myspace and or web page therefore in no particular order please visit

john zealey myspace and web page

this is freedom

lightbox

lara jayne

thanks must also be given to andy gilbert (a thembalitsha uk director) and ed and pete who don't seem to have a web page....and if anyone knows of the three robs link then please add as a comment. we also wanna say a big thanks to pete warner (another thembalitsha uk director) for serving coffee all evening, (i (tim) am sure it was great but i don't drink the stuff so can't comment!)

we must also thank those bands which played at the may feast in whitchurch were further funds were raised, please visit their sites at sirenide, the unchosen, lionsex (another great name!), slanislav and the kranx.

once again it's amazing to see so many people involved in raising funds and the profile of this wonderful charity, your help and support is much appreciated.

sing it out....

just a short note to anyone who fancies hearing some live acoustic music from some great local artists and wants to help support the work we are doing in south africa via the uk charity thembalitsha uk. the event, freedom folklore, is gonna be held at southcourt baptist church on saturday evening. please come along to enjoy a great night and help support a worthy cause.

need a little help?

i am currently listening to a couple of great new albums, the first is the latest and much waited for from the greatest rock band in the world, REM, wow they must be good to get capital letters on e-holiness!, i have been a 'fan' of REM for years, seeing them twice, mk bowl and hyde park, and it's good to see that they have recaptured the 'old' sound on this new album called accelerate. as usual some of the mikes lyrics are quite a challenge and none more so on this album than the title track accelerate (i never like reading too much into the lyrics of a song just in case i am so far off the mark but this song certainly does smack of a guy searching for something).....here goes for those 'help me' words...

sinking fast, the weight chained to my feet
no time to argue with belief
i'm not alone, a thousand others dropping
faster than me
what put me here?
nothing to hold on to
nowhere to brake

where is the ripcord, the trapdoor, the key?
where is the cartoon escape-hatch for me?
no time to question the choices i make
i've got to follow another direction (although fall down is much cooler)

the last thing i remember was climbing up the stairs
i threw the window open in challenge and despair
i don't know what i needed
i needed time
i needed to escape
i saw the future turn
upside-down and hesitate.

where is the ripcord, the trapdoor, the key?
where is the cartoon escape-hatch for me?
no time to question the choices i make
i've got to follow another direction

accelerate.

the vista i see now is changing
uncertainty is suffocating
our hope has never felt so great and
lit up down
a pounding pulse
to make it go
make it slow down,
go.

where is the ripcord, the trapdoor, the key?
where is the cartoon escape-hatch for me?
no time to question the choices i make
i've got to follow another direction.

the city's burning, it's like it's ready to explode
accelerate to make it slow
make it go
accelerate to make it slow
make it go
i'm incomplete
i'm incomplete
i'm incomplete.

there are other tracks on the album with that same feel, i wonder what's going on in his head when he writes these words.

it's taken 7 years for REM to release an album, the last i remember listening to in hospital when i was a little under the weather in 2001, a lot has changed since that wake up call i can tell you.

the second album, or should i say extended play, is from an artist that needs no introduction on e-holiness, he is the one and only joseph arthur, a guy who doesn't take so long to write songs, in fact his lastest 'could we survive' is one of four albums that he will be releasing between now and june!, wow this man can write and once again he has written some amazing and challenging lyrics....i would love to sit down for a chat with him about his beliefs...

in the sun (son)

after many months i've eventually managed to get a short video uploaded onto youtube, the clip is of joseph arthur performing with his lonely astronauts in swindon, as with all of joseph's gigs this one didn't disappoint and it was good to hear some of his newer stuff before he came back on for an encore of a couple of well known favourites, including 'the honey and the moon' and 'in the sun' (see clip here).

as i have said many times before, i'm not at all sure where joseph sits with his beliefs and trying to read more into any lyrics is very hard to do, especailly when you don't know the guy but any man who can write the lyrics, 'Jesus loves you more than you know' and 'may God's love be with you, always' is certainly searching for something.........

we are together

just a short post to promote the wonderful film 'we are together' which follows the plight of aids orphans in south africa, have a look, and listen, at their web site and i hope you might take time out to find a cinema where the film is showing, which is released tomorrow in the uk.

marc james

we lead a 'kinship' (small group, homegroup for all non vineyarders) at our home each wednesday evening, this group is made up of people who attend our church in aylesbury and we are quite diverse little group. each week one of my tasks, some would call it a ministry, is to lead the worship, fortunately this doesn't involve any musical skill on my part, but i do like to challenge the 'norm' in selecting songs which might not 'fit the mold' in our sunday services....this isn't to say that we sing along to sham 69 or the pogues or in fact that the artist and tracks that i pull together are 'out there'.

last week (the start of lent) we focused on Jesus in the wilderness, his temptation and the hope that is found at the end of easter in the culmination of his death and resurrection, i played a few tracks from marc james' album 'king of glory, king of grief' which is a wonderful collection of simple songs which fitted in so well to our focus, we sung a couple (abba father and let the power of the gospel) and had the tracks 'sacred king' and 'thankyou' playing as background as we took communion together.

have a listen to marc via his myspace page, where you can hear a live version of 'abba father', the lyrics of this track are a real prayer of mine as we seek to share the light of Jesus to this broken world.

'you step down to reach us you bore the shame of the world

the only one who freed us you broke the devils hold when you gave up your life to see the kingdom come

and i wanna shine your light to the broken fill me with your love, abba Father, wash me in your blood, come Lord Jesus open up my eyes, Holy Spirit i wanna shine your light, to the broken world

you reached out with healing open the eyes of the blind you said all believing would do the same likewise and greater things than these to see the Kingdom come

i wanna shine your light to the broken fill me with your love i wanna lift your truth to everyone I see.

Son of God made man, son of God in me i wanna follow you, let you have your rule given me your all, give it back to you.'

sing

i bought the latest annie lennox album, songs of mass destruction, for my wife, maz, as a Christmas present and i am once again encouraged by annie's commitment to hiv/aids in south africa. one of the songs on the album called 'sing' has a web site dedicated to rasie the profile of this disease and aims for affordable treatment for all who are infected, it also calls for the education for mothers to be as they are the most affected group of people.

annie has teamed up with 23 other female artists to highlight this major issue and i recommend all of you to view the short video she has put together.

we are currently looking for a patron for the new uk arm of thembalitsha and i would love someone like annie to be involved in what we are doing, anyone with any links please comment below!

sarah mcmillan

i am enjoying sarah mcmillans debut album entitled 'under your bright wings', we had the pleasure of joining john mark and sarah last year in aylesbury, if you like a slighly folk/rock sound i am sure you will love her music, follow all the links above for further info.