Echoes and Moments

I wrote in a previous post on the abundance of high quality, richly textured music that we've been able to consume, to digest, to chew on, to sit with, to allow to mess with us over the last year. I still believe now, as I did at the end of last year, that we are in a new age of music, one where artists have the potential to go beyond the constraints of the medium of their chosen tools: sound and voice, to arbitrate culture and influence the conversations that shape our society. To reach the standards set by Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, and even (as divisive as he is) Kanye West, is to dialogue with the biggest questions of our existence: what is important? Why are we here? What makes us human? This last question concerns me as I survey the variety of music available for us to choose. As a form of art, music is inherently a description, sketch, and reflection of the humanity that creates it. You can see the ideas that my favorite band, Radiohead, wrestles with when they mov...

Zdzisław Beksiński, 1981. Of all the things that I've longed to write about, this post's subject matter might be the most complicated and convoluted. Without knowing where the tangled threads of this identity will lead, I still find it critically important to unpack the implications of my heritage as a white man: both how I personally engage, understand, and value my white ethnic identities, as well as how the current political and social climate forces me to grapple and wrestle with this whiteness. It is a journey not without pain, but like all questions of identity, a deeply meaningful one. Each stream in my multivalent identity as a person of mixed ethnic backgrounds has developed in dramatically different ways, and at critically different points in my life. My Latinidad has stayed with me the longest, manifested as I was curious enough to critique the implicit racism I saw imbedded within the culture of my (mostly white) suburban school in Virginia and contrasted w...

As the rain mist gently cools the air outside the creaky windows of my home here in Fresno, the world slows down a bit and I am afforded the perfect opportunity to listen to some new music. It is, after all, Friday*, and as we herald the weekend, let's reflect on some of the best new tunes to cross our airwaves. There are many candidates to consider, but for now I'll focus on three artists and their latest releases. So far 2016 has been a great year for new music, and there seems to be more to come on the horizon. I am, of course, giddy with excitement over the new Radiohead release on Sunday , and although I lament that I could not come close to getting tickets for their summer tour, I can enjoy a new video release in anticipation of their imminent album drop. That album will have to wait for a review of its own, but for now I'll dive into the three featured albums that have stayed with me over the past few weeks. To begin, I travel sonically to the land of my birth, th...

What a year 2015 has been, and although this post may strike you as a bit late (thank you late-winter chills and El Niño storms), I've compiled my annual list of music to satiate your earbuds for the time being. Per tradition, the music is listed by artist, followed by album title, and is listed from my lesser favorites to the number one (which should be no surprise to those of you in conversation with me). Thus, without further ado, I submit my list for your humble consideration. 10. Kamasi Washington, Epic Washington has come a long way as an artist rising out of the sublime musical swamp that is LA, and, because he was featured in Paste Magazine  and other musical pulp, he grabbed my attention immediately. What we find is an incredible blend of hip-hop and jazz; twinges of radio-ready beats mixed with the newest and most progressive expressions of right hand wizardry. I love this because it is, as I've come to learn, the sound of a city coming together. LA is one luck...

The last few weeks have put me through the wringer. I can scarcely remember the last time so many converging factors amounted to a barrage of crises to manage. External circumstances and the changing landscapes of work launched me into a realm of terrifying speculation about whether or not I would have a job at this time next year. If things stayed the same, or continued to develop at their current rate, I would be forced to leave my ministry assignment at the end of the academic year, earlier than I would have planned. My mind grappled with a catastrophic sense of having to make a decision without the freedom to do so unencumbered by the failures of others. I have been reeling to recover a sense of rhythm, clarity, and peace in the midst of a difficult and ongoing process to move forward. Luckily, I had the chance to have a literal escape by visiting some close friends for the weekend. Although Santa Barbara is in the midst of its warmest months of "summer" (a phenom...

26 Martyrs of Nagasaki, Japan. When it comes to literature, as with any other art form, there come to mind a few standouts of the many books I've read over the past year or so. I've let Dostoyevsky take me through Raskolnikov's anguish in Crime and Punishment. I liked the book so much that I eagerly took up The Brothers Karamazov, drawn to the story of intertwining lives as Alyosha, Dmitri, and Ivan find themselves amidst the brokenness of their family and how it shaped their (quite different) worldviews. Then there are the sci-fi greats: Frank Herbert brought me to Arrakis and I watched Paul Atreides ride sandworms to overthrow the villanous Harkonnen dynasty that usurped his family's claim to the planet they all call Dune. I picked up Walter Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz, which let the realm of monastic life provide a terrifying lens through which we view an apocalyptic and fatalistic future. All of these books have left a mark, introducing me to cul...

2015 is shaping up to be a good year for music. Already we've had immense and game-changing releases from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket, Tame Impala, and Wilco. This year we can expect our horizons to be further expanded by Foals, St. Vincent, and (as I go into giddy fan mode), Radiohead. It's easy in the midst of this to forget that there is a good deal of art out there that recognizes the intensely spiritual side of our human journey. Lamar and Stevens' latest efforts are obvious choices for those artists not being played in church settings (although they arguably could). But more on that later. My concern is to look back through the realm of contemporary sacred music from across traditions to see just how our Christian faith shapes our expressions today. Unfortunately, much of the landscape is bleak. I've had my issues with the label "Christian" as applied to music, and I would agree with Michael Gungor that applying ...

"Americana." "New Folk." "Southern Rock." Each of these labels brings with it different connotations and influences on music across the rock soundscape, sometimes for better, and often for worse. In the wake of two huge releases this week, I'd like to reflect on what makes a good American album, seen through the lenses of two related, but far different pieces of music in quality and execution. Riding the crest of the wave that has popularized the blend of rock music and folk, making the banjo ubiquitous on the popular rock scene. Mumford & Sons has conquered their niche through a relatively brief tenure: only two albums and a smattering of singles and TV appearances led them to sold out concerts across the globe, a host of Grammy nominations, and a sound that has been copied by scores of lesser bands, both popular and (oddly)  religious . I have to clear the air and state the obvious: for all the banjos, foot stomping, and flannel shirts, th...

It's no secret that sci-fi is one of my favorite genres. Though I was raised consuming volumes of fantasy novels, sci-fi is cut from the same cloth. A good science fiction story draws upon enough believable material to make us engage with the story, with some good imagination and speculation to draw us into deeper, unknown, and perhaps bolder territory. I just saw a great example of how science fiction engages our deepest, very human questions, asking us to think and feel familiar things while venturing into new narrative territory. But before I talk about the film I'll give you a little background on why (and how) I came to love the genre. The journey began with some classic novels new and old (although science fiction is a relatively new genre, coming to prominence only in the middle of the 20th century). Some highlights include Frank Herbert's 1965 masterpiece Dune , where I followed the Messiah-like Paul Atreides on his quest to seek justice for the injuries again...

I keep an ongoing journal to collect my thoughts, scribble reflections, prayers, and even poetry that I create or find inspiring from others stunned by the beauty and sophistication of the world. Since I started taking my faith seriously, I mean really seriously, it's been the journaling that has helped me organize my thoughts and give words to reflections and meditations that should be processed or else could get lost amidst so many other priorities. One of the quickest aids to writing, journaling, and especially, in learning to share your thoughts beyond the unedited pages of a handwritten notebook, is the gift of following in the footsteps of a skilled teacher. Reflecting on the pages of my journal can be a difficult task, but revisiting some of the works that inspired my writing, beyond scripture itself, is a rich and rewarding experience that I hope will continue to influence me. Thus I'm compelled to chart this journey of spiritual formation by noting the most influen...