Burnt cookies, VIP passes and Jars

@16bitcatholic I love you! @jarsofclay concert this weekend is gonna be awesome. I'm the best fiance ever for getting us tickets :)Wed Apr 13 20:48:18 via webAllicia
alliwait

My fiance knows how to make me happy.

A few weeks ago, she decided to give me my wedding gift early. Something she knew I'd love more than anything in the world, besides her of course.

"A Jars of Clay concert!" I exclaimed when she showed me the two tickets. But, there was more. Turns out they weren't just general admission tickets to the show in Shrewsberry, Pa. Oh no, these tickets were V.I.P. tickets. She had contacted the tour manager, explained that her fiance was a huge Jars fan, and that we had a wedding upcoming.

So off we went to meet Jars of Clay, Matt Maher, Audrey Assad and Derek Webb in person. This was going to be amazing. In my zeal to meet Jars, I needed something fun to give them. I couldn't just meet them empty-handed. This band had done so much for me, I had to give something back.

But what could I give? Money I don't have? A lousy gift certificate? An autographed photo of Lino Rulli? None of those would do. I decided to go into the kitchen and whip up my best recipe. The famed Chocolate Clouds (see blog entry "Chocolate Clouds bring embarassment, joy" for the recipe). Lead singer Dan Haseltine mentioned in a blog entry once that he loves Oreo cookies, so chocolate cookies just had to be a perfect fit.

@jarsofclay Hope y'all like cookies!Sat Apr 16 20:13:42 via Echofondustin Faber
16bitcatholic

Well...something went wrong in the cooking. Probably the fact that I put them on the bottom rack instead of the middle, because five minutes into the 35-minute baking period, the bottoms of the cookies were nearly burnt. I moved the cookies to the middle, and the tops came out great...the bottoms were as black as a tie.

Twenty-four cookies ruined. Thankfully I had enough dough left for 24 more cookies, which were enough I suppose, but I wanted a huge plate so that everyone on the tour could get a bite. I was out of time, otherwise I would have made more, so I jotted out a card to Jars thanking them for all the good times their music brought to me, plus my web address (because I'm a self-promoting jackass).

Surely a few burnt cookies were the only thing that could go wrong, right. Yeah, let's hold off on that optimism for a few seconds.

See, we never got any details on the VIP part of the show. So Allicia and I had no idea what VIP meant. Was it hanging out back stage? Playing connect four with Charlie Lowell? We had no idea, we just knew the doors opened at 6 p.m.

So we get to the church, driving through the worst rain storm I've ever been in. No exaggeration on my part, 3.46 inches of rain is a record. Grace Fellowship Church, looks like it was built inside of a former department store, like a K-Mart or something. Intriguing way to recycle an old building. We get inside the door, go toward some special desk where they check in people who are special, and let them know that we are on a VIP list.

A woman, who seemed like she would be a terrifically kind, nice person in any other atmosphere, said that our names weren't on the list.

"We have an email, let me show you," Allicia said, and I pulled out the iPhone to show the email from the tour manager. I thought that would make it an open-shut case. You can't argue with the written word.

The woman said she would go check with someone, but I don't think she ever did. Instead, another woman, grumpier than our neighbor who hates my bird-feeder, said that there were only two spots open to get in for the VIP, but that the VIP was over, and we would have to just use the general admission tickets.

"But I have cookies for Jars of Clay, I was really hoping to give them to the band," I said in a less-than-manly tone, half annoyed, half depressed that my hard work was for nothing.

"You can't take them in, but you can leave them here and we can see if we can deliver them," she said with her sympathy tank on E. So I immediately took to Twitter and tweeted to Jars of Clay letting them know that I had left cookies with the front desk.

@cdlowell Missed the VIP session with yall! I left a plate of cookies and a card with the people up front. Hope u can eat them!!Sat Apr 16 22:35:32 via Echofondustin Faber
16bitcatholic

But I had zero hope that they would get those cookies. The band was probably getting ready for the show, and by the time they saw my tweets, those cookies would be in the trash.

Regardless, I told Allicia that we would still have a great time. I mean, it was still going to be a great concert, and we were next to an aisle, which made taking pictures very easy to do (a lack of a zoom lens means that most of them did not turn out very well, but there will be some I'll post in the next few days).

And the concert every bit as great as I had hoped for. Audrey Assad opened things up on the piano (that girl has some pipes!), followed by America's favorite Catholic, Matt Maher. His music, if you've never heard it, really puts a love of God into your heart and a skip in your step: it's just so much fun to listen to. Derek Webb of Caedmon's Call fame was next, and did a strange electronic music set. I liked his acoustic stuff better, but the electronica wasn't so bad.

@mattmahermusic sitting here at your show amazed. Very powerful, heart-wrenching/uplifting words you are singing. "the cross." Wow.Sat Apr 16 23:48:44 via Echofondustin Faber
16bitcatholic

And then, the moment I had waited for since May 2009 (my last Jars concert). Jars of Clay hit the stage, opening up with Two Hands. As much as I loved the last concert, I enjoy this one much more. Partly due to the fact that I didn't have to stand in the rain, but hearing picks from The Shelter, an amazing album, made this a treat for the eyes and ears.

I think what I really enjoyed about this concert, compared to the last one, is that it seemed to tell a story. Jars of Clay in Toad Suck in May 2009 felt like the band was just playing a greatest hits list (which was fantastic, btw). Here, there seemed like more variety in their music when it came to selecting tracks from multiple albums.

I especially loved hearing Matt Maher sing with Jars on "Love will find us." It was a very haunting rendition, with the blue lights being the only color on stage, and the words really hitting every inch of your soul with thoughtful lyrics.

So hard to feel the fires of home
When all we see is darkness
We forgive but not our own and grasp what's around us

Till the dawn starts to break around you
Let all the stars in the night remind you

These orphan hearts (Will find a home)
Run to these arms (Be not alone)
Light is leading
Love will find us all
Love will find us all


My other show highlights? Hearing their versions of "All My Tears" and "Nothing but the Blood." "All My Tears" was one of my favorite songs from Good Monsters, and Nothing but the Blood was originally recorded with the Blind Boys of Alabama. It's impossible to nail down my absolute favorite performance, as the whole show was memorable.

So not getting to do the VIP thing? It didn't hurt the night, as Allicia and I enjoyed the show immensely. But there was light at the end of the tunnel. See during the show, I happened to check my twitter, and got this notification:

@16bitcatholic We planned the rain. Sorry. I will single-handedly eat the cookies- thank you!Sun Apr 17 00:00:40 via Twitter for iPhoneCharlie Lowell
cdlowell

So they got the cookies after all. My hard work didn't go unnoticed. I'm wondering if the people from up front actually took the cookies to them, or if Jars got my tweets and said to someone, "Hey go get those cookies before they get tossed."

And then after the show, to my amazement, the band, Audrey and Matt were signing autographs after the show. I figured that part came during the VIP session that we missed. And with it being so late, I wouldn't blame the singers if they decided to call it a night. But there they were. So Allicia and I hopped in line, anxious to finally get a John Hancock on my Much Afraid vinyl album.

By the grace of God, I was able to maintain some sort of composure. Not since meeting Lino Rulli had I got to speak face-to-face with someone who was so influential in my spiritual life.

First up was Stephen Mason, guitarist, and I mentioned to him that I enjoyed not having to watch in the rain like I did at Toad Suck Daze in May 2009.

"Oh I remember that, it was so cold," Mason told me, also mentioning that he still had his Toad Suck shirt. Next was Charlie Lowell, to which I asked if he had gotten the cookies.

"Oh your dustin? Good to meet you," Lowell said as he shook my hand. "Those cookies were so good!"

The rest of the band agreed, which sent one solitary thought running through my head. 'Holy shit Jars of Clay liked my cookies!' I don't think I'll ever get a compliment on my cooking quite like that again.

And when Dan Haseltine signed the Much Afraid album for me, I felt humbled. So humbled, like I wasn't worthy of that signature. And not because he was some famous singer or something. See, a few days ago I happened to read an entry in his blog about listening to that album for the first time in years, how Much Afraid was an album whose theme was about the process of crawling out of depression.

How do you ask someone to sign something like that? Every time I see Dan's signature on that album, I'll always think of that blog entry, and the demons that everyone, from King David to your next door neighbor, has to fight at some point in their lives.

And last, Matt Maher recorded a message for Lino Rulli (video at catholicguyshow.com) and newly-wed Audrey gave us two wedding tips: pray together and don't let your emotions cloud your judgement.

A great night, one that I'll never forget. And for a cherry on top, I found this on my Twitter feed the next morning.

@16bitcatholic good to see you in person!! Those cookies were SO good!Sun Apr 17 05:14:23 via Twitter for iPhoneCharlie Lowell
cdlowell

Not as good as your music Charlie. Thank you Jars of Clay for a great night and a lifetime of memories.

Jars of Clay, minus the flood and soggy socks

Jars of Clay, May 2009. Photo by dustin Faber (me)

I had the utmost blessing to see Jars of Clay in concert at Toad Suck Daze in May 2009 in downtown Conway, Ark.

I was amped beyond belief that my favorite band would be doing a free outdoor concert just 200 yards or so from my place of employment, so I rearranged my work schedule to attend and get front row seats (I even wrote a column in Conway's newspaper about my happiness at seeing the band that saved my life).

So what happened that Sunday afternoon? The angels and saints had a massive water balloon fight. Their game lasted all weekend, drenching all of us on planet earth. It rained so much that I thought the concert would get cancelled. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and Jars of Clay came to town and created beautiful sounds

Jars of Clay is good. Like, really, REALLY good. I really think that if they had marketed themselves as a "secular" band, Jars of Clay would be considered by mainstream media as one of the five best bands in the last 20 years.

So yes, I take pride in the fact that I stood in the rain for nearly two hours to stay in the front row. Was I miserable? Of course! I was drenched! I can't remember if I had an umbrella (and if I did, it was a flimsy little thing), but I definitely lacked a rain coat. Just me and my camera, and a lousy illness to keep me company the next day. But I kept telling myself that I'll look back on this memory and be proud of my endurance, and two years later, I'm very happy that I stuck it out.

After that experience, Jars of Clay isn't the only one who can sing about being in a flood. I had the soggy socks to prove my devotion.

Dan Haseltine and Matt Odmark of Jars of Clay, May 2009. Photo by dustin Faber (me)

And now, I have the opportunity to see the band again in Shrewsberry, Pa. on Saturday. This time, I won't have to stand in the rain, since it will be indoors at a church instead.

The 26 letters in the alphabet can't put together a word to describe my excitement for this concert. My fiance Allicia was able to get VIP passes to the show, which also includes America's favorite Catholic, Stephen Colbert Matt Maher. Right now, I'm trying to decide what kind of cookies to whip up for the band. I'm leaning toward chocolate clouds, but classic chocolate chip cookies might do.

Regardless of the baked goods I decide on, I'll definitely have photos and video this weekend of the event.

Bands I've proclaimed as my favorite have come and gone. When I was a kid, it was dc Talk. During college, U2 had my heart. And after college, I stayed up countless nights listening to Pink Floyd. But, as I detailed in the newspaper column earlier, the music of Jars of Clay really uplifted me in one of the darkest times of my life.

Yes that's a cliche. We all have dark times, and most of us get out of them banged, bruised, but better off. But since August of 2006, the music has carried special meaning. Perhaps everyone has that special connection with one band, when you can find a nugget of wisdom in each track.

It's the band I go to when I'm happy, and when I want to slam my head against a wall. It's the band that comforts me, reminds me of a God who loves me despite my being a sinful pile of shit.

An album I've listened to over and over is The Shelter, which was released in the Fall. There are so many good tracks on this album, such as the title track here.



I could go on and on about this band. And I'm sure I will in the future. But I'll leave you with the lyrics to "Eyes Wide Open," a song that has really slapped me in the face with the way it describes my life and my hopes/fears/prayers about my upcoming marriage.

Talk to me, ‘cause I’ve been talking to myself
Help me get these thoughts out of my own head
I don’t believe, most days I don’t believe
Mercy is true, it’s hard to live with the things I do


So God, bruise the heels we’ve dug in the ground
That we might move closer to love
Pull out the roots we’ve dug in so deep
Finish what you started
Help us to believe


Keep our eyes wide open
Love is kind and love is daring, everything we need to keep our eyes
Keep our eyes wide open
Love is kind and love is daring, everything we need to keep our eyes


We can’t go on, it seems this conversation’s done
It’s so hard to win these fights and love you at the same time
So take my hand till grace makes her way to bend
Till the things I’ve set to ruin only lead to my own end


Draw us in, send us out
Draw us in, send us out
Draw us in, pour us out
Help us to believe

My new favorite album

I didn't think anything would ever top Good Monsters by Jars of Clay as my favorite album of all time.

When I was a kid, favorites came and went. Aladdin was my favorite movie for about three months, until I saw The Lion King the next summer, which held until Toy Story hit, which eventually gave way to the Back to the Future trilogy, which...well you get the point.

Eventually, the things you love become solidified in your life. Goldeneye found its way into my life back in 1998, and 12 years later its still my favorite game. I discovered how amazing the Boston Celtics were in 2001 (screaming for joy in game three of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals when Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker led the team to a 24-point comeback victory over the New Jersey Nets), and they've pretty much been top sports dog in my life since then.

And in the early fall of 2006, I heard Jars of Clay's Good Monsters album, and fell in love with how great the band was (so great, that I stood in the rain for two hours waiting to hear them do a free concert at Toad Suck Daze 2009). The album really touched my life, really lifting my spirits during a down time in my life (I wrote more about the topic in this archived Log Cabin Democrat column). The album had it all: Great production values, lyrics that haunted every single brain cell, an uplifting message, and AMAZING instrumental music. If you want a Christian album that doesn't beat you over the head with overdone praise and worship music and offers something unique and original, this alt-rock album is for you.

Amazing tunes and a very high sentimental quality? Never gonna be dethroned, right? In early October, all of that changed. Ironically, Jars of Clay was dethroned in my mind's musical wrestling ring by...Jars of Clay.

"Jars of Clay presents The Shelter" was released a few weeks ago, and it's the closest that I'll ever come to buying a praise and worship album (the genre has been beaten to death). I don't think I'd even call it a praise and worship album, but I could hear some of the songs being sung during a Lifeteen Mass.

Anyways, this is a BEAUTIFUL album. The album features many CCM artists singing along with Jars, including Brandon Heath, Mac Powell of Third Day, Matt Maher, and Amy Grant. When I heard that the album would be a collaborative effort, I really wasn't sure if it would work. Yeah, I expect nothing but greatness from Jars of Clay, but I just didn't want it to sound gimmicky or off-balance.

But the guest performers are used extremely well. Powell helps out on lead vocals on 'Eyes Wide Open,' and other artists such as Maher, Grant, and tobymac, among others, provide amazing background work.

The album does a nice job of switching from upbeat and fun (Small Rebellions, We Will Follow) to hauntingly soul-stirring (Run in the Night, Psalm 27). They are songs you could easily play in Church, crank up in the car, or use as background music during Bible study. Easy to sing along with, even easier to get sucked into. The musical craftsmanship on this album is nothing short of remarkable.

What makes the album truly great is the only track with Jars of Clay going solo on 'No Greater Love.' Perhaps your experience will be different, but I got goosebumps from start to finish hearing that song. If I was going to choose a song to summarize Blessed Mother Teresa, I'd choose 'No Greater Love.'

The lyrics speak for themselves:

Is it still my turn

I think I’m the last one left to learn

That the life I lose

Is the least of my concerns

Show me the beauty of a life

Show me the beauty of a life

Show me the beauty of a life

Laid down

I'm so overwhelmed by images of Blessed Mother Teresa when I hear this song. The amazing sacrifices she made for those less fortunate was the most beautiful life one could possibly hope for. Her love for others truly made her the most beautiful woman that ever lived.

I tweeted my thoughts about the song being written with Mother Teresa in mind to Jars of Clay frontman Dan Haseltine and pianist Charlie Lowell. Lowell tweeted back at me "not very specifically, but you are right, it fits perfect!" while Haseltine wrote "She is a great example of a life well poured out. She knew we belong together."

An amazing album that reminds me with each listen of the great sacrifices made by our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ? Now that's the best album of all time.