We Fly Acoustic Airlines

We fly Southwest Airlines almost exclusively. Traveling with a child, you can't beat their luggage policy. Now here's just one more reason we'll keep flying them ... I can hardly wait to see who's going to show up on our next flight! (If it were Mat again, I wouldn't be disappointed.)

Who's the artist you'd most like to surprise you with an in flight concert?

Stan Walker

Working at Compassion has it's perks. Yesterday was definitely one of those. Stan Walker, winner of Australian Idol, came to visit the headquarters and did a special chapel service.

Now, to be honest, when I heard that an Idol winner was coming here, my immediate thought was Oh great. Another wannabe pop star who's using God as a platform to fame. I had prepared myself to be unimpressed.

Um, okay. I don't think I could have been any more wrong. YouTube him. Seriously.

I can honestly say Stan Walker is a true lover of Jesus Christ. He has perhaps the most powerful story of redemption I've ever heard. He shared how God saved him from a life of abuse, crime, drugs, alcohol, women ... and much more. But the thing that is so moving is that when he talks, it's obvious that it's more than just words. He really means it. He clearly believes God has called him to be a wooer of people to the love of Christ. He sees God's allowing him to win the singing competition simply as a platform to praise the name of Jesus. It's unbelievable to hear his authentic love for Christ, knowing his whole story.

And on top of that, you should hear the guy sing. He sang this one for us...



All I can say is I look forward to singing praises to Jesus in eternity alongside this guy.

Covered in Rain

In the absence of time to write, I'm posting my favorite live version of my favorite song by my favorite singer.

Right about 6:00 he kicks it into high gear. Oh my word.

No matter how many I see ...

these clips never seem to get old.

This is Danyl, a teacher from the UK auditioning for a television show called the X-Factor.

In case you missed them, here are the other two.

I Just Haven't Met You Yet

I saw Michael Buble at the Wang Theater in Boston with my siblings a few years ago and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

Guess what? He's got a new CD out!

Here's the video for one of his new ones ... great stuff.

He's kind of a goofball. But my word, the man's got some pipes!

Flamenco

A little something I discovered living in Spain.

Besides sangria, a love for flamenco music was one of the best things I took away from those four months.

So here's a little taste.


What do you think?

Music is My Soul Food

Music.

It makes me dance.
It brings a smile to my face.
It's one way God reveals Himself to me.
There's a joy I find in music that I can't find anywhere else.

But it's not just me.

Watch how spontaneous singing on a French subway wins people over.
(Although sadly they're never able to get to the John Travolta look alike.)

And then there's this video ... one of my all time favorites.


This is the song that does it for me. I can't NOT dance when I hear this one.


What's your dance song of choice?

John on a Friday

It's Friday! That makes me happy.

I can think of no better way to celebrate than some good tunes from my fave ... John, good to see you again. It's been far too long.

(I DARE you not to get your groove on as you watch this.)

Who Said the Flute is for Sissies?

I dedicate this video to my cousin, Peter.

(If you can watch the whole thing, do it. You won't regret it.)


Happy Friday!
P.S. Sometimes I wish I worked at Google. :)

Britian's Got Talent, Indeed

Remember this guy? And this guy? Seems Britain's Got Talent has a thing for discovering hidden treasures.

Well, prepare yourselves for this one.

Susan Boyle. Not only is she an aMAZing singer, but she sings one of my all-time favorite songs.

Simon's reaction is great.

JJ Heller

Hi guys. It's Friday! I'm so glad. Even though Monday was a vacation day and this was a shorter work week, I'm desperately in need of some down time. Who's with me?

Anyway, I have a new music discovery to share with you - JJ Heller. She played last night with my friend Luke this coffee shop near my house. Her voice is FANTASTIC! She wasn't feeling well last night and still her voice was flawless. For any Ingrid fans out there, she has a sound very similar to Ingrid Michaelson. (Especially on her song Grow.)

You can listen to some of her music on her MySpace page.

This was the first time she's played in Colorado Springs. There wasn't a very big crowd last night. (Not sure why - usually when Luke plays the place is packed out.) So we sat on the couch about two feet from the stage.


I hope she doesn't judge Colorado Springs on the poor turnout last night and never come back. She's super and you should go see her if you ever have the chance.

Movie = 0, Music = 1

Oh my goodness, it's hard to keep up two blogs! And even harder to do it and have a life, too. I put a few new photos on the photo blog, and later this week, I'm sure I'll have more from the wedding. Someone commented to me that most of my pictures lately have been of food or drink. BORING. I'll try to branch out.

Anyway, how was your weekend? Chris and I celebrated eight months together at The Blue Star on Friday! So that's exciting. :) Then on Saturday went to see a movie, chosen primarily for the convenient time. Ummm ... I recommend you NOT make your movie choice that way.

We saw Taken. LAME-O. I recognized the girl in it, and later figured out she was Shannon from the first couple seasons of Lost. Remember? The rich, snobby girl who suddenly falls in love with Sayid and then gets shot? The one who can't act? Yeah. Her acting just as bad in this movie.

Oh and thanks to my friend Asheley, who has an excellent taste in music, I've discovered a new favorite ... Bon Iver. You should check him out and then let me know what you think ...

Led Zeppelin 101

Last night Chris and I were watching the Grammys. Well, half of them ... those shows are LONG.

Anyway, here's the exchange we had right after Alison Krauss and Robert Plant won an award.

Chris: Wow, Robert Plant is looking old.

Becky: You've heard of that guy?

Chris (with obvious surprise): Yeah! He was the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.

Becky: Really? He's the lead singer? Why would they name their band after a guy who is not the lead singer?

Chris (looking at me like I'm from another planet): Are you serious?

Becky: You mean Led Zeppelin's not a person?

(Chris laughs his butt off. For the rest of the night.)

Wowzas! (As my grandpa likes to say.)

I'm sure you know by now how much I love music. I especially love artists who play their own instruments.

You might understand, then, how videos like this one blow my mind.



Or how about this one?



Yeah ... I know.

ht: Carlos, Alex

Bono on Music

“The music that really turns me on is either running toward God or away from God. Both recognize the pivot, that God is at the center of the jaunt.”

~Bono

Kingdom Coming

Shaun Groves is a passionate advocate for Compassion. He wrote the song Kingdom Coming as a result of his experiences with the poor. You can download it below. For free. No strings attached.

You should. It's a very good song.

Music to My Ears

For all you fellow music lovers, I'd like to share with you a few recent additions to my collection, all of which I highly recommend:

The Weepies
Band of Horses
Heidi Talbot
Blind Pilot
Seal

And last but certainly not least ... I was excited to read in a recent post on his blog, that John Mayer is currently working on a new CD.

Finding new music is one of my favorite things in life.

Stop the Pop

I think I have a pretty eclectic taste in music. I pretty much like a little of everything. The music I listen to depends entirely on my mood. Even the stuff people normally hate (country, rap, pop) I occasionally get a craving for.

But this morning my pop music tolerance was pushed over the edge. On my way to the dentist I heard the new Britney Spears song "Womanizer." Have you heard it yet? It is without a doubt the worst song I've ever heard. EV. ER. I'm not exaggerating. The lyrics are ridiculous (there are about five words in the whole song), the beat is annoying and the singing (if you can call it that) is atrocious.

I was going to give you a sample of the awfulness that is this song, but when I went to link to the video on YouTube, I found out that the majority of the video is naked Britney. I mean buck naked. It's disgusting. I feel a little sad for her, actually. She's obviously desperate for attention.

In other pop music news, did you know that Vanilla Ice has a new album out today? Oh yeah. Hip Hop Classics. But the best part about it? He does three mixes of Ice, Ice Baby. Hello, Junior High, remember me?

Ugh. I feel dirty. I think I'm gonna have to go listen to some Andrea Bocelli just to cleanse my music palette.

So what's the worst song you've ever heard?

You Have Really Big Glasses

It's Friday! Let's laugh.

Ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video? Well now they do.

Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels"


And here's another ...

Aha's "Take On Me"


Catch ya on the flip side.

It's Gonna Be a Good Day

Guess what? I heard some exciting news yesterday! Joshua Radin has a new CD out on September 30! Check out what is currently my favorite tune of his ... I'd Rather Be With You.

You can listen to it on his MySpace page. What do you think?

Yeah. Finding new music pretty much makes my day.