There's a Charlotte Bronte quote about monotony that I've been thinking about lately, "I feel monotony and death to be almost the same"
I see monotony all the time:
- We usually work the same 8 hours every week day
- We usually do the same things on those jobs every day
- We usually do the same things every weekend or take the same vacations to the same place every year
- If you're a church-goer, it's usually the same service format every time (worship, offering, word)
- If you're a songwriter, it's also usually the same structure (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, repeat) w/ the same chords & keys
Even I'm bored w/ all those things, the same thing day after day... the same service format every single time... the same song structure... I really appreciate progressive rock because it keeps itself fresh w/ musical left-turns.
I say all that to say this: don't be afraid to shake things up, shake your week & weekend up, shake up your services, shake up your songwriting, shake up your life! Be different, be fresh, smash the box & live outside of it.
There's enough things in this life to kill you, don't let monotony be one of them.
Reply
Sometimes I wonder where the human fascination for hierarchy, pre-eminence & ranking comes from; that was even an issue w/ a couple followers of Jesus; one wanting to be on His left hand, the other on his right...
I studied the martial art of Aikido for a while & anyone who is familiar w/ the martial arts knows that it's really about the journey, not the destination (much like our Christian walk). So many people outside of the martial arts only see ranking, their first question is invariably asking about your rank = where are you on the scale of progress so I can respect you or not...
Aikido is great, it just wasn't what I was looking for & after tiring of people's obsessions w/ rank, I began to look for martial arts that have no ranking system just so I could tell people we have no ranks in this. So, I wound up studying Muay Thai (Thailand kickboxing) & Escrima (Philipino stick fighting); the progress is slow but steady & to be honest, I'm mainly taking these to lose weight & get fit so I can be healthy for the Kingdom & the work thereof.
I say all that to say this: rankings really don't mean much, in martial arts or on Reverbnation; just enjoy the journey, enjoy life & make good music, let others obsess over where you are in life, on the charts, etc....
Reply
I'm at a point in my life where I finally realized it's not about me...
'Been saved for almost 42 years now, caught a major revelation of grace in the last 5 years & just now grasping the idea of serving others in a real, tangible & practical way.
2 things in the life of Jesus have struck me recently:
1) the Master Himself washing the feet of others
2) Him continuously pointing to the Father & the Spirit most of the time, only occasionally did He speak of Himself
I'm starting to apply those things in my own life, especially in regards to the indie Christian music industry. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of great Christian bands & artists that are, as Shakespeare put it, "the undiscovered country", all they need is exposure & promotion.
I'm going to be alot more active here on Reverbnation, Google+ & Twitter in promoting other artists, I'm inviting you to do the same.
If you're a Christian artist or band, feel free to connect w/ me on these 3 social media platforms, I have a list on Twitter that you'll be promoted on too!
Love you all ~
In Him ~
Reply
This year has really been a year of change for me, well really the last 6 months have been life-altering (not shattering life-altering just several minor course corrections); I've lost a couple of family members, lost a few friends but stood strong in my faith & convictions.
I've been in & out of a recording project for the last couple of months & been praying about building a personal, dedicated recording studio which has since morphed into the idea of a semi-professional studio which has morphed into the idea of a community hub for area artists to network, perform, record, etc, etc...
So, I'm looking into what it takes to form my own record label & promote area artists, all while writing new stuff & living life the best I can & the best way that honors God & serves my community.
Well, that's pretty much it!
Thanks for checking in :)
Reply
'Just wanted to give you an update on some things happening...
'Not sure if you've heard of the "Blurred Lines" court decision, in a nutshell Robin Thicke & Pharrell were both sued in a multi-million case for copyright infringement; apparently pieces of their songs (riff, progressions & melodies, etc) were too similar to some Marvin Gaye songs from the 70's & 80's so the estate sued them & won.
This sent shockwaves throughout the entire music industry & basically set the scenario for 5 million+ artists & bands to sue anyone who writes songs that even remotely sound similar to their copyrighted work, even if these people have never heard of the bands or the music in question.
It was a boneheaded decision & will hopefully be reversed, but the only solution right now is to either quit writing songs or abolish the copyright system (which then leads to the question "how will artists get paid/compensated for their work?").
To say it's a mess right now would be an understatement & everyone is scrambling to either copyright their stuff or seeing if their songs sound like someone else's & rewriting the music/melody for them (which where I'm at).
I've spent the last couple of months doing online music research & discovered that one of my songs sounds like a Darrell Evans song, another had a riff similar to a Lincoln Brewster song & still another brand new one I was working on sounded too similar to a Van Halen song, so I had to strip everything down to the basic notes & play around w/ some delay until it sounded different, which then changes the whole feel of the song... ugh.
There's only so many notes, chords, progressions & melodies available & eventually, every song is going to sound like someone else's & this court decision will allow them to freely sue anyone over anything.
So, I'm putting the music stuff on the back burner (still writing lyrics though) until I decide a course of action.
On the flip side, I'm thinking of just going behind the scenes now & starting my own record label, promoting others, I'm getting a little old...
Reply
Hey Everyone ~
It's been a busy 2015 so far, so much going on...
Like I stated last year, I'm not too concerned w/ rankings here on RN & this year I've resolved to really connect w/ other artists, not just become a fan but really listen to their songs & promote them too.
My main social media outlet is Twitter; it's funny because a couple of years ago Twitter was my least favorite but since I've been using Tweetdeck everything is in real time & the interaction is crazy good. I love promoting different bands & artists on there.
Lastly, I've just uploaded a raw version of "Rollercoaster", I think I may re-record it though & new stuff coming!
Thanks again for being fans ~
Reply
'Just wanted to make a quick note & thank everyone who's either become my fan or connected w/ me here on Reverbnation.
It's been great meeting all of you & listening to some truly great music & like I wrote on my last blog, let's try to promote each other this year on our social platforms of choice.
Have a great January!
Reply
Happy 2015 Everyone!
My prayer is that each of you come into the fullness of what God has for you, both in your personal & professional lives.
Rankings here on RN (or in real life) are okay, but relationships & networking are so much more important; take some time to consider promoting other artists on here... follow & promote them on Google+, Myspace, Twitter or your social media of choice... give them a listen & a word of encouragement... sometimes that will go farther than any promotion packet.
Anyway, have a great new year!
Reply
Starting September 5th, 2014 I'll be hosting "Acoustic Cafe" at Lakeside Family Church in Stevensville, MI.
If you're in the area, join us on the 1st & 3rd Fridays of every month as we recreate the 60's Coffee House experience. The format is basically open-mic (though there will be some mini-concerts scheduled); you'll hear music from the 50's - 90's, different genres/styles & some original songs/compositions too ~
The format is casual & relaxed & this is a great place to network w/ other artists in the area, 'hope to see you there!
Reply
"Worship is simply giving God His breath back" ~ Lou Giglio
Job 12:10 "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind"
Isaiah 42:5 "...He Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it"
Acts 17:25 "...for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people]"
Scripture tells us that every breath comes from the Lord, every single breath: He's given us His Life, abundantly & He's also given us His breath, eternally.
It doesn't matter if you can sing or not or even sing as well as someone else; sing w/ the voice that God gave you. He made the canary & the crow & He loves to hear them both.
So, as you come before Him in private worship or as you gather together in corporate worship, return God's breath to Him in praise, in adoration, in worship...
Continue it during the week, every day, every hour, let your every breath be a sweet aroma that God inhabits.
Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" ~
Reply
P.A. Pratt / Blog
Same ole, same ole...
There's a Charlotte Bronte quote about monotony that I've been thinking about lately, "I feel monotony and death to be almost the same"
I see monotony all the time:
- We usually work the same 8 hours every week day - We usually do the same things on those jobs every day - We usually do the same things every weekend or take the same vacations to the same place every year - If you're a church-goer, it's usually the same service format every time (worship, offering, word) - If you're a songwriter, it's also usually the same structure (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, repeat) w/ the same chords & keys
Even I'm bored w/ all those things, the same thing day after day... the same service format every single time... the same song structure... I really appreciate progressive rock because it keeps itself fresh w/ musical left-turns.
I say all that to say this: don't be afraid to shake things up, shake your week & weekend up, shake up your services, shake up your songwriting, shake up your life! Be different, be fresh, smash the box & live outside of it.
There's enough things in this life to kill you, don't let monotony be one of them.
Reply
The Journey
Sometimes I wonder where the human fascination for hierarchy, pre-eminence & ranking comes from; that was even an issue w/ a couple followers of Jesus; one wanting to be on His left hand, the other on his right...
I studied the martial art of Aikido for a while & anyone who is familiar w/ the martial arts knows that it's really about the journey, not the destination (much like our Christian walk). So many people outside of the martial arts only see ranking, their first question is invariably asking about your rank = where are you on the scale of progress so I can respect you or not...
Aikido is great, it just wasn't what I was looking for & after tiring of people's obsessions w/ rank, I began to look for martial arts that have no ranking system just so I could tell people we have no ranks in this. So, I wound up studying Muay Thai (Thailand kickboxing) & Escrima (Philipino stick fighting); the progress is slow but steady & to be honest, I'm mainly taking these to lose weight & get fit so I can be healthy for the Kingdom & the work thereof.
I say all that to say this: rankings really don't mean much, in martial arts or on Reverbnation; just enjoy the journey, enjoy life & make good music, let others obsess over where you are in life, on the charts, etc....
Reply
The Undiscovered Country
I'm at a point in my life where I finally realized it's not about me...
'Been saved for almost 42 years now, caught a major revelation of grace in the last 5 years & just now grasping the idea of serving others in a real, tangible & practical way.
2 things in the life of Jesus have struck me recently:
1) the Master Himself washing the feet of others
2) Him continuously pointing to the Father & the Spirit most of the time, only occasionally did He speak of Himself
I'm starting to apply those things in my own life, especially in regards to the indie Christian music industry. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of great Christian bands & artists that are, as Shakespeare put it, "the undiscovered country", all they need is exposure & promotion.
I'm going to be alot more active here on Reverbnation, Google+ & Twitter in promoting other artists, I'm inviting you to do the same.
If you're a Christian artist or band, feel free to connect w/ me on these 3 social media platforms, I have a list on Twitter that you'll be promoted on too!
Love you all ~
In Him ~
Reply
Update 2
This year has really been a year of change for me, well really the last 6 months have been life-altering (not shattering life-altering just several minor course corrections); I've lost a couple of family members, lost a few friends but stood strong in my faith & convictions.
I've been in & out of a recording project for the last couple of months & been praying about building a personal, dedicated recording studio which has since morphed into the idea of a semi-professional studio which has morphed into the idea of a community hub for area artists to network, perform, record, etc, etc...
So, I'm looking into what it takes to form my own record label & promote area artists, all while writing new stuff & living life the best I can & the best way that honors God & serves my community.
Well, that's pretty much it!
Thanks for checking in :)
Reply
Update
'Just wanted to give you an update on some things happening... 'Not sure if you've heard of the "Blurred Lines" court decision, in a nutshell Robin Thicke & Pharrell were both sued in a multi-million case for copyright infringement; apparently pieces of their songs (riff, progressions & melodies, etc) were too similar to some Marvin Gaye songs from the 70's & 80's so the estate sued them & won. This sent shockwaves throughout the entire music industry & basically set the scenario for 5 million+ artists & bands to sue anyone who writes songs that even remotely sound similar to their copyrighted work, even if these people have never heard of the bands or the music in question. It was a boneheaded decision & will hopefully be reversed, but the only solution right now is to either quit writing songs or abolish the copyright system (which then leads to the question "how will artists get paid/compensated for their work?"). To say it's a mess right now would be an understatement & everyone is scrambling to either copyright their stuff or seeing if their songs sound like someone else's & rewriting the music/melody for them (which where I'm at). I've spent the last couple of months doing online music research & discovered that one of my songs sounds like a Darrell Evans song, another had a riff similar to a Lincoln Brewster song & still another brand new one I was working on sounded too similar to a Van Halen song, so I had to strip everything down to the basic notes & play around w/ some delay until it sounded different, which then changes the whole feel of the song... ugh. There's only so many notes, chords, progressions & melodies available & eventually, every song is going to sound like someone else's & this court decision will allow them to freely sue anyone over anything. So, I'm putting the music stuff on the back burner (still writing lyrics though) until I decide a course of action. On the flip side, I'm thinking of just going behind the scenes now & starting my own record label, promoting others, I'm getting a little old...
Reply
No Real Title...
Hey Everyone ~ It's been a busy 2015 so far, so much going on... Like I stated last year, I'm not too concerned w/ rankings here on RN & this year I've resolved to really connect w/ other artists, not just become a fan but really listen to their songs & promote them too. My main social media outlet is Twitter; it's funny because a couple of years ago Twitter was my least favorite but since I've been using Tweetdeck everything is in real time & the interaction is crazy good. I love promoting different bands & artists on there. Lastly, I've just uploaded a raw version of "Rollercoaster", I think I may re-record it though & new stuff coming! Thanks again for being fans ~
Reply
Thank You
'Just wanted to make a quick note & thank everyone who's either become my fan or connected w/ me here on Reverbnation. It's been great meeting all of you & listening to some truly great music & like I wrote on my last blog, let's try to promote each other this year on our social platforms of choice. Have a great January!
Reply
2015
Happy 2015 Everyone! My prayer is that each of you come into the fullness of what God has for you, both in your personal & professional lives. Rankings here on RN (or in real life) are okay, but relationships & networking are so much more important; take some time to consider promoting other artists on here... follow & promote them on Google+, Myspace, Twitter or your social media of choice... give them a listen & a word of encouragement... sometimes that will go farther than any promotion packet. Anyway, have a great new year!
Reply
Acoustic Cafe
Starting September 5th, 2014 I'll be hosting "Acoustic Cafe" at Lakeside Family Church in Stevensville, MI. If you're in the area, join us on the 1st & 3rd Fridays of every month as we recreate the 60's Coffee House experience. The format is basically open-mic (though there will be some mini-concerts scheduled); you'll hear music from the 50's - 90's, different genres/styles & some original songs/compositions too ~ The format is casual & relaxed & this is a great place to network w/ other artists in the area, 'hope to see you there!
Reply
The Breath
"Worship is simply giving God His breath back" ~ Lou Giglio Job 12:10 "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind" Isaiah 42:5 "...He Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it" Acts 17:25 "...for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people]" Scripture tells us that every breath comes from the Lord, every single breath: He's given us His Life, abundantly & He's also given us His breath, eternally. It doesn't matter if you can sing or not or even sing as well as someone else; sing w/ the voice that God gave you. He made the canary & the crow & He loves to hear them both. So, as you come before Him in private worship or as you gather together in corporate worship, return God's breath to Him in praise, in adoration, in worship... Continue it during the week, every day, every hour, let your every breath be a sweet aroma that God inhabits. Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" ~
Reply