This Guy Falls Down

Stagefright

Maybe if I demonstrate that I will actually respond to your Skribit requests, you will make more of them!  I think making anonymous requests an option would help too, but that's another story...

OK, stagefright.  It's a little known fact, but I used to get TERRIFIED right before going onstage.  And not just right before.  I would have this sense of dread all day, from the moment we arrived at the venue until we played.  It usually went away when the show started, but if I was having a bad night, it would just cripple me.

So what happened?  We were doing a show with Jars of Clay in about 1995.  Because it was near Atlanta, they wanted to play first, even though they were the bigger draw at the time.  So during their set, I stood out and watched the show.  I was having fun.  I looked around and saw that everyone else was having fun.  And it felt like God was saying "Mark, why don't you just do THAT when we go onstage?".  Then instead of dreading the performance, I was looking forward to a time when I got to have fun doing what I loved to do.

So do I get stagefright now?  No, not in the traditional sense.  If anything, there are nights when I wish I had it, just a little bit.  It helps to focus, and I want every time I go onstage to MATTER.  I don't want to act like it doesn't...

Do I get nervous before going onstage nowadays?  You bet.  But it's not in the traditional "stagefright" kind of way.  I can let myself get worried about technical things.  What if my gear's not working?  I just have to trust the team I have around me, that my guitar tech and the rest of the crew are going to be looking out for us.  I still get nervous before we play a new song - I don't want to mess it up and let everybody down.  So when we're doing the first night of a new tour and there are a bunch of new songs and a lot of technical things to think about, I'm a ball of nerves!

One more thing:  TV.  I don't get nervous when I'm playing on TV, but I do get nervous in the time leading up to it.  So, with two TV performances in the next week, I ain't gonna lie to you:  I'm nervous!  The key is to not think negative thoughts, and to channel the nervous energy into the performance...

ADDENDUM:  I don't think I clarified this well enough, but I think there's a big difference between "game day jitters" and true stagefright.  Being a little nervous before something is OK, even healthy.  It makes you take it seriously and it makes you prepare.  True stagefright comes from a different place.  That's the enemy - the voice that's telling you you're not good enough. 

As you were...

Skribit

If you'll look to your right, you'll see a little box that says Skribit.  I'm not really sure exactly what it does, but it was designed by a Georgia Tech student so it has to be good :)  Seriously, if you want to give it a try, it's a way for you to tell me what you'd like to see me blog about.  I think you just post your idea in the box, and other people can vote or add their comments to it.  Don't be nervous, don't be shy - step right up and have a try!

If it ends up being cool it would be perfect for the Third Day blog...

What country day looks like for me

Like I said in that last post, country day is so important to me.  I want to get my answer just so.  Ergo, I'm putting it in a separate post.  But first let me get this out of the way - I don't talk about it much, but I'm a MASSIVE country music fan.  I go through different phases (like my recent metal kick!), and of course I'm a rocker at heart.  But country's a VERY close second...

SO...here goes nothing:

Old School Country:

1. Buck Owens - He is not only the reason I got into country music, but a huge part of why I got into music, period.  Seeing him play that red, white and blue acoustic on Hee Haw every Saturday night was like the coolest thing in the world when I was about five.  Blame it on Buck and Ace Frehley, I guess...
2. Hank Williams - You will detect a theme here, but I give massive extra props to the rare "singer/songwriters" in country music.  Hank would've been among the first as far as country goes.  And I don't know who played steel on those old records (I should!) but he's amazing.  One of my very earliest memories in my life was my grandmother singing "Hey Good Lookin'" with me on her front porch.
3. Johnny Cash - No explanation needed, but I'll throw in a little story.  His road manager used to do shows with us from time to time. About a year before he died, those guys were on the phone right before we were taking the stage at a festival.  Mac said "Tell Johnny we think he rules!"  Word has it that Johnny turned to June and said "You hear that, June?  Those boys think I rule!"
4. Kenny Rogers - I'm seriously thinking about getting a WWKRD? bracelet.  Of course, "what Kenny would do" would involve acting in some made-for-TV movies, a chicken restaurant, and doing design work with Donald Trump. 

Others worth noting:  Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, The Oak Ridge Boys, Willie Nelson

80's/90's:

1. Clint Black - Like I said earlier, my fascination with country all started with Clint.  I've seen him in concert about three times, and they're always awesome.  He fits the singer/songwriter mold, and he's an amazing musician to boot.  If you don't believe me, track down the footage of him playing drums with Eric Johnson on Austin City Limits!  Clint had a black acoustic guitar, so I, up until a few years ago, always played black acoustic guitars...
2. Alan Jackson - Another great country singer/songwriter.  And he's from Georgia. AND the dude's got a MASSIVE string of hits!  My personal favorite is the Talkin' Song Repair Blues.  Remember When is a close second.  And Chattahoochee ain't bad either.
3. Travis Tritt - Another Georgia boy who rules.  He puts on a great show, and he's a mean guitar player.  And I'm Gonna Be Somebody is one of the best songs ever.  And it sure doesn't hurt that old Travis throws in a heavy helpin' of Southern rock!
4. Restless Heart - I had a chance to write a song with their singer Larry Stewart a few years back, and it was a huge honor.  Actually the honor was when he played Why Does it Have to Be Wrong or Right? on MY GUITAR.  It also kind of ruled when he sang on a demo for me!  I think I'll Still Be Lovin' You is the best country love song ever.  Side note:  that song was written by Kennedy/Rose.  Another country group that I LOVED during this era...

Others from this era worth a mention:  Trisha Yearwood (Georgia gal!), Alabama, George Strait, Garth (of course), Steve Wariner (great guitars), Vince Gill (more great guitars)

Current:

1. Phil Vassar - Phil's primary instrument is piano, which sets him apart from the pack.  Plus he's a GREAT songwriter with a big string of hits both as an artist and as a writer.  He came to a Third Day show a few weeks ago and I had to play it real cool so as not to freak him out!
2. Jo Dee Messina - Phil Vassar actually wrote I'm Alright and Bye Bye, two of her big hits.  She's one of those artists that you hear one of her songs and go "oh, I didn't know she sang that!"
3. Martina McBride - I think Martina's probably got the best female voice in country music, perhaps of all time (although I also dig LeAnn Rimes). 
4. Little Big Town - They've just got a cool vibe about 'em.  Sort of a country Fleetwood Mac. 
5. Jeffrey Steele - He is my songwriting hero, as far as country goes.  If you follow the genre at all, you don't have to look far to find a song you love that Jeffrey wrote.  Plus he's a great artist in his own right.

There are a bazillion other artists I could've mentioned:  Luke Bryan (another Georgia boy!), Josh Turner, Sugarland, Montgomery Gentry.  I hate to say it, but I even dig the new Jessica Simpson country song!

Get out yer boots - it's COUNTRY DAY!!!

These last few weeks have been really fun, so I'm just going to keep the music theme going on Wednesdays until the end of the summer or until I run out of ideas, whichever comes first!

Today is COUNTRY DAY, and the way you are going to participate is by providing me with either three answers or one answer.  If you decide to do three answers it will look like this:

1. Your favorite OLD SCHOOL country artist(s).  This is where you talk about the good old days and how these young whippersnappers ain't got nothin' on REAL country music.  Names like Hank and Cash and Dolly will inevitably come up.  Got it?
2. Your favorite 80's/90's country artist(s).  Many of us got on board with country during this era.  I would totally put myself in this category.  I listened to Johnny Cash and the Oak Ridge Boys with my Granddaddy, but it wasn't until I heard Clint Black for the first time in about '90 that the scales fell from my eyes.  So my country appreciation begins with Clint.  Besides Clint, names like Garth, Alan Jackson, Faith Hill and Alabama will surely arise.
3. Lastly, tell me your favorite CURRENT country artist(s).  You know, somebody who's only been on the scene the last five to ten years or so.  Gretchen Wilson comes to mind, or Montgomery Gentry, or  maybe Sugarland.  You get the drift.

OR you could go the other route.  You see, I am not naive to the fact that many of you might not like country music AT ALL.  You might not get it, or you may get it and just plain loathe it.  I don't want you to be left out of COUNTRY DAY.  All you have to give me is one response.  And it goes like this here:

1. I don't like country music.

That's all!  I have a feeling this might be the most hotly debated segment of our little musical summer...

As for me, I will get back to you.  My answers are going to require some thought and preparation, so I will wait and put them in another post.

But to give you an idea, it will probably include people like Hank, Hank Jr., Hank Jr the Third, Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam, Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, etc., etc.

(This is the country-est post to ever be a part of Watercooler Wednesday!)

You've got to check out this story...

As we still bask in the afterglow, just a couple of weeks removed from Hair Metal Day, a friend of mine shared with me about a SURREAL experience he had involving CC Deville from Poison.  Also, check out this video they made that night.  Really cool stuff!

Keep CC in your prayers.  I'm sure that's a tough environment for a new Christian...

(BTW - while we're on the subject, I didn't even mention Poison in my Hair Metal Day post.  I also left out Def Leppard, RATT, and probably a couple of other obvious choices.  Sometimes I try to avoid the obvious because I'm trying to make a point.  But let it be know that Poison did, and still do, totally rule!  I actually saw them live on two separate occasions and they put on a great show.  I just had to get that off of my chest...)

Swap a CD

As I type this, I have 9 CD's that are being mailed to me.  What did I do to receive them?  I didn't buy them on eBay.  I didn't join some lame CD club. None of that.  I just mailed off a bunch of CD's that I don't listen to anymore.  So, for little more than the cost of shipping, I'm making my CD selection a lot cooler!

It sounds like a dream come true, doesn't it?  You mail off CD's you don't want, and CD's you do want magically appear.  Swap a CD is in the business of making your musical dreams come true.  You sign up and make a list of CD's you want to get rid of.  You create a wish list, not unlike a Netflix queue.  When somebody wants one of your CD's you'll get a credit, and somebody else will mail you a CD off of your list.  It's highly addicting and it's fun!

Come join me there today!   And tell them I sent you!  I think I might get a credit or something.  My user ID is marklee3d@yahoo.com...

What I've been reading

What's the point of a Summer Reading Club if I'm not in it?  Here's what my literary life looks like at the moment:

I'm still bogged down in The Rule of Four.  I have a couple of flights coming up this week.  Those are great times to finish books!

I have to confess - I'm a sucker for self improvement/business motivational books.  I'll go through these phases where I'll read four or five of them in a stretch.  I read "The Dip" a couple weeks ago, then picked up The BrandYou50 by Tom Peters.  Both of these are excellent books if you're into that sort of thing.  The Tom Peters book is of particular interest because he was among the first to harp on the idea of personal branding.  This is kind of old hat now, but 10 years ago when he was writing this book it was huge and groundbreaking.  As a musician, this kind of book is sort of the story of my life.  We're all sort of "free agents" and every artist is a "brand".  So it made for some good reading. 

Today I was at the library and ran across an interesting book by Brian Tracy.  I honestly can't remember the title!  It has "focus" in the title I know.  Brian Tracy is a great thinker when it comes to goals and personal productivity.  Heaven knows I need a little bit of both right now!  So I'm pretty fired up about reading this.

I know.  I know.  These kinds of books don't exactly fit into the "summer reading' mold, but I've found that the secret to reading a lot of varied books is to just follow your moods and not beat yourself up too much.  OK, so I've never gotten around to reading City of God or Shakespeare, but it's working pretty well right now...

Monday Mashup #4

OK, here we go with another fun edition of the SRC Monday Mashup.  For now, I'm only including the first 7 participants.  This is just a lack of time on my part - hopefully I can do the rest as I get some more time!

First, a recap of last week. 
The book that seems to be circulaing the most is (no surprise) The Shack.  I guess I'll have to break down and read it!  Malcolm Gladwell was also mentioned a few times.
As far as music goes, Third Day wins.  Hey man, I'll take it!  Also mentioned a TON was the new Coldplay...

Oh, and apparently a lot of people have heard of Gainesville, GA.  That also doesn't surprise me.  I was just trying to point out the remoteness.  Yes, I know it's a big town, but so is, um, Victorville, and, um, Pasco.  And Odessa.  And Shreveport.  And Pottsville.  And Binghamton.  And Hickory.  You get the drift...

Read on for the mashup goodness!

First of all, Dawnifer WINS this week for her review of Cooter's book!
            

• Mark Lee’s Summer Reading Club

  Redneck Boy In The Promised Land: The Confessions of “Crazy Cooter”  by Ben Jones

  This is one of those books that you see on the shelf and buy it thinking it’s going to be mostly about the “famous” part of that person’s life. Everyone knows who “Cooter” is on “Dukes of Hazzard” right? Well, that’s what I thought too. But that very part that made Ben Jones famous is only a fraction of what real life was all about for him. He delves into childhood abuse, addiction to alcohol, broken marriages, struggling to make ends meet as an actor and the successes of a hit TV show and two congressional terms. It is a “slow read” but filled with loads of Southern culture, humor, and anecdotes.

  It just so happens that this past weekend Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted the 2008 version of “DukesFest” that Ben Jones writes about being so proud to be a part of each year. For anyone that sat like me as a kid on Friday nights at 8 o’clock watching the “Dukes”, then this one is for you! Yee Haw

              

  Trisha:
#9 Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney: This is one of my favorite kids books (I won't be sharing too many of these since I'd have about 20 a day to write, but we just read this one again and I wanted to share). I bought this book after having our first daughter and we read it almost every night to her at bedtime. Although she's getting a bit too old to enjoy it like she used to, she still picks it out for her bedtime book now and then. Little Nutbrown Hare is telling his father, Big Nutbrown Hare, how much he loves him in a form of comparing it to the measure of actual things. Of course, being a typical male, daddy has to one-up his son and go one measure up from anything that Little Nutbrown Hare says. (LOL...just kidding about the typical male jab). Just before falling asleep, Little Nutbrown Hare amazes his Dad with the statement "I love you right up to the moon." Of course, Dad does one-up this too, but only after his son is sound asleep. Anita Jeram's illustrations for this book are beautiful and the colors are perfect for capturing the sleepy-time feel of this bedtime book. I give this book as a baby gift quite often and I highly recommend it to any parent.

Summer Reading Club, Weeks 4 and 5

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day last week!  If you live somewhere else, I hope you've had a good week.  If you live in the UK, did you guys happen to get that letter we sent a while back?  :)

This is a big week here at the Summer Reading Club.  We're posting books we've read for not one, but TWO weeks!  I hope you've been doing better than I have.  I got bogged down so badly in that big thick Rule of Four book that my reading's gotten all thrown off! 

At any rate, here's your big chance.  '

1. Post a list of what you've been reading on your blog (or update a previous list!)
2. Be sure to include a link to THIS POST in your post.
3. Use the Mr. Linky tool below to tell the rest of us that you've posted.
4. Be sure you link to YOUR SUMMER READING CLUB POST, not your general blog URL!

Alright, kids.  Let's see 'em!!!

Christian Metal!!!

OK, so these music posts are turning into a little "series".  Whatever it is, it's been a lot of fun.  For this week, we're talking about Christian metal.  You can really define it however you like.  For me it's going to be split down the metal.  The first five are "old school" and the second five are either newer or more "crossover".  So Stryper wound up in that batch.  Why, I have no idea.  When you make a list you can break it down however it suits you...

I have a special place in my heart for Christian metal.  When I first began to take my faith seriously in the early '90's, this was the kind of music they were playing on the radio.  If Mac had a higher pitched voice, it's quite probable that we would have at least dabbled in the metal.  While I'm glad we didn't for obvious reasons, it's still fun to reminisce.  Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Bride:  Snakes in the Playground is one of the best records to ever be released in any genre.  Period.  No disclaimers, no "if you like so and so, you'll love this album".  Excellent album, top to bottom.  I also really love some of the acoustic, rootsy, bluesy moments on Kinetic Faith.  We've had the chance to share the stage with them a few times and they're awesome guys.
2. King's X:  I know a whole debate could break out about whether they are a "Christian" band or not, but they were integral in my faith journey at a pretty key time, so they get a mention.  Feel free to disagree.  Great vocals, great guitars, great, well, everything.  Did I mention they're opening up for Extreme in Atlanta next month?
3. Whitecross:  I still remember riding in my old Toyota Supra wih Mac when he popped in a Whitecross tape. The buzz of somebody plugging in a guitar, then HUGE GUITARS, then Scott Wenzl singing. "The rich man lived in luxury/ He was always wanting more" BLEW MY MIND.Whitecross stood out from the pack with great guitars and musicianship.
4. Ken Tamplin/Shout/Magdalen:  Ken's one of the best vocalists out there, and he was the best in Christian music at nailing that huge stacked vocal ala Def Leppard or Aerosmith.  He always had a cool guitarist at his side, too.  Lanny Cordola comes to mind.
5. Holy Soldier:  Their first record was unbelievable.  HS managed to tap into this dark melodic thing that made their music seem larger than life.  I saw them live in Atlanta in about '92.  They had not one but TWO killer guitarists.  Blew my mind.
6. Demon Hunter:  When the dust settles, they will probably be known as one of the best two or three metal bands to ever come out of the whole "Christian" scene.  They've really transcended the whole genre.
7. POD:  These guys RULE.  Hands down.  Massively successful, and well deserved.
8. Stryper:  Speaking of massively successful, these guys were another HUGE band in their day, and for good reason.  Once again, they had the combination of killer vocals and a signature guitarist.
9. Becoming the Archetype:  Let me tell you, when you're riding in a C130 over Baghdad doing a combat landing, something about these guys seems very appropriate.  It helps the coolness factor for me that they're from Georgia...
10. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster:  There's a whole subgenre of metal called "Southern metal" that I think was coined just so a bunch of other bands could try to tap into what Maylene's done.  Get in your truck, put a dip in, and turn these guys up to 11 and you will get it*.

So many other bands could and should be on this list.  Messiah Prophet, Bloodgood, Neon Cross, Deliverance, Tourniquet, Living Sacrifice, Norma Jean, Angelica, Narnia, Novella, Barren Cross...

That's where you come in.  Who did I leave out?  What's some of your favorite Christian metal?

ADDENDUM:  I can't believe I left out Guardian!  I mean, Miracle Mile, Fire and Love?  What's not to love?  I remember seeing them play an acoustic set at AtlantaFest in '92 or '93.  Never Gonna Say Goodbye, dude! Jamie Rowe is one of my favorite all time singers, and an all around good dude. Massive, massive apologies to all parties involved for my slackness!

ADDENDUM, part deux:  There are several bands, like Pillar, Disciple, RED, Mortal, and Skillet that I left off b/c they strike me more as heavy rock bands than metal bands.  All of the aforementioned acts rule and are quite worthy of being on a list such as this one!

(Proud contributor to Watercooler Wednesday!)

* I don't actually enjoy chewing tobacco myself.  I was trying to paint a word picture for you...