first snow fall i've witnessed this year!!

It was great.

Walk out of class and see snow falling! Just like in the picture! (no not at all like the picture lol)

But it was enough to remind me of Christmas and not the winter driving!

I say this now...but i can acknowledge come January i will be hating the drives from Cambridge to Stayer haha.

Just an weather update from the bassist :)

Oh yeah 75% on one of my mid-terms!! Not bad for some casual midnight studying the night before!

Peace out :)

Matt

back to work :(...

What a weekend! (no sarcasm intended :) )
Started out with Levi and i getting lost on the way back to Stayner. Oh yeah, and prior to getting lost, while in the parking lot of Tim Horton's we find out that our sound check will be cut short due to a wedding rehearsal!! So actually, prior to even being lost, we were both a little stressed. The tension in the car was thick, if it wasn't for the assurance that we were going to get to play some sweet music in just a few hours, one of us may have had a black eye haha. Those moments of stress are when you learn how much you can handle, and thankfully we have Jesus then just like every other moment :) .

It was a huge relief arriving at the venue. Unloading was a Huge stress relief. It was all worth the drive haha. Our sound check was one that was not as smooth as hoped. Our nerves got the best of us and there were some ugly mistakes. And of course, me being the high-maintenance bassist that I am, I had to bug Roger Robinson about the monitor situation. Thankfully he extended tons of grace towards me. He tweeked my in-ears perfectly and the bass was pounding! Thankfully, we had a small second sound-check that went much better. There was a mild confidence in the rest of the guys (especially Trevor, he's always so chill) that calmed me down. We had a sweet prayer time prior to our set which helped put things into perspective (especially for me). I didn't get much of a listen to the opening acts of Andrew and Aimee Bowins (brother and sister duo), and Chuck Baker. All I heard was great stuff about their performances though :) .

Then our set! It was so much fun. Playing with these 3 guys never gets dull. Trevor is such a great drummer and it's fun to watch the guy play. There's never a show we play without hearing about 10 comments about how great our drummer is! This is awesome because all it takes to get me smiling and laughing on stage is to hear one of his crazy drum fills or see the huge smile that he always has on! Then Drew, always calm and collected. He's never content with his tone, which I love because I see this quality in every great guitar player. We always have our moments of laughing at some crazy note Levi hits or again some crazy drum fill Trevor does haha. Levi, he's the best. He just loves when we go into some funky instrumental. He starts groovin' and we just follow where he leads (sometimes it's Trevor who takes the reigns haha). The night consisted of all these things happening. We're all so thankful for all those behind the scenes who put so much work into getting the place ready. I was so thankful, all I had to do was plug my bass in and start jamming :) .

I had some family time on saturday which was super sweet. It's amazing how much you start to miss your parents (especially the cooking :) ) and brothers after a few months of living away from home. Then, as Levi loves to do to me haha, I was summoned to attempt to play back-up acoustic for a fundraiser Saturday night. It was another good night. Much more low-key than the night before which was great. Some originals and covers that were fun.

Sunday morning consisted of awaking to the alarm clock at 6:20, earliest i've been up in some time :) . A shower, some clean clothes, packing up the bass and amp, a great breakfast, a great trip to a coffee shop, and then to the church for worship practice. A great morning all in all. I thought Levi's voice would be gone after the second service but he managed to talk on the car ride home haha (anybody who knows us knows that i'm the one who never shuts up).

...back to work :( . A.k.a school. It's nice to be back. Enjoying a coffee from my fresh new French Press from Starbucks :) . Lots of reading and studying to get done, which is surprisingly a nice change from a busy weekend. It's amazing how much stress being in school can add to a musician. Usually a few shows in a weekend wouldn't phase me, but i've found myself praying for more strength than ever these past few days. Awesome weekend overall :)
Music is the best isn't it?

Peace out.

-Matt

TOMORROW NIGHT!!

Can you believe the release party is here?? I mean seriously.. This thing came so stinking fast.. wheww..
I'm just doing breathing exercises trying to stay relaxed right now. I'm excited/nervous/proud/humbled.. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I would love to present you with an incredible, unforgettable night. We've brought in Andrew and Aimee Bowins to open things off, and that's going to be a lot of fun. Then Chuck Baker is going to come on and show you some of the craziest local talent that you've ever seen. Roger Robinson is behind the board with Kyle Cleary making everything sound smooth and perfect. These guys know sound, and it's going to make the night that much better. And working her fingers to the bone will be the lovely Amanda Cramer, making sure everything is pleasing to the eyes and getting all the volunteer bakers organized.. Oh yeah, free desserts and coffees for everyone. Ya dig??

Finally I get to take to the stage with Drew Peterson, Trevor Walker and Matt Szkarlat: Three talented gentlemen who've been working so hard this past year and a half to make sweet music with me. Last night Trevor drove 2 hours here and 2 hours back just to practise. That's commitment.

We often struggle with the entertainment side of things.. How do we own the stage and keep everyone engaged and entertained without trying to bring the glory to ourselves or distract from God and what He's doing.. The balance is hard to find, and we'll never be able to please everyone. But we're determined to please one guy in particular and if we can do that than we've succeeded. Tomorrow night at 6:30 PM @ NewLife Church in Collingwood we're going to have an awesome night and we would LOVE to see you there. It's absolutely free, so what's stopping you? Bring some friends, here some great music, eat some free pie, buy some cds and make it a Friday night to remember. You know you want to ;)

Whether we see you there or not, I want you to know that we really appreciate you. All of you. Thanks :)

Levi

Would You Go

I know you don't need to be reminded (because you've been waiting anxiously all year... right?) but our DEBUT ALBUM CD RELEASE PARTAY is 6 DAYS AWAY! I'm not excited at all.. why would you think that?
This album is a four year collection of songs. It's been two and-a-half years in the making. It's got some upbeat pizazz, and some slow it down lets think about thisness.. It's got character. And if you relate to it or not,(what can I do about that?) it's genuine. We didn't build it for radio hits, mosh pits or the famous groupie ditz.. We wrote it to tell a story. We recorded it because we liked it and wanted it to last, and through two and-a-half years, two different producers and a changing of the band, the original feel we were going for was still able to come through.
A friend of mine from work mentioned that he would check it out even though there would probably be some "strong Christian undertones". You know what, I wont pretend that he's wrong.. I'm a Christian, and that passion is going to flow into what I write, how I perform, who plays with me and what I desire. If you're a friend of mine or you like the music but you don't happen to be a Christian I hope you'll check out the album anyways. I try not to be a "shove it down your throat every chance I get" kind of guy. This music is my way of expressing what I believe and how I see the world. It's no different than someone who loves to party singing about how much they love getting drunk and going to the club. So give it a shot.

A while back I said I'd go into the stories behind the songs. Well, I'm going to start that today with the story behind the title track "Would You Go"

It was close to 11 pm in a Haitian refugee camp in the Dominican Republic. There was a medical clinic in the village which had a separate living quarters for visiting missionaries. Amanda lived here and I lived in a hut down the hill. My little hut had no electricity that night (This happened a lot)and I felt like reading so I was chilling in the kitchen reading a book called "The Shack". I can't remember the author's name right now.. Anywho, this book stirred up some controversy in religious circles so I had to read it.. It was about a guy who had lost his daughter to a rapist and was lured to a shack (thus the title) by God. (I think this is where the controversy is found?) Well the thing that sparked me was the idea of actually spending a day with Jesus. I mean, what would He say? If we were just chilling, walking around, shooting the basketball, what would that conversation look like.

So I sat there and I started writing intently. It started pretty laid back

"We skipped a stone across the lake,
And watched the shivers it would make
Lay down your head and rest a while
And know you always make me smile

I would go, I would go, I would go to the unknown for you

Just as the tide, it needs the shore
My need for you is so much more
Your breath alone invades My heart
Oh how I loved you from the start"

Pretty cheesy when you look at it from a guy's perspective.. But I'm thinking about what He said in His word and the way that He lived.. He loved me deeper than I love my brothers. How does a friendship or a relationship that deep look? He's just overflowing with love for me.. love that made Him do some crazy things.. And then I remembered that crazy thing and I grasped how real it was. I thought about Jesus for the first time, as being real, flesh, my best friend.. I'm not lying, I literally cried the first time I sang the next two verses

"Then with the darkness overhead..
They pierced my side, pronounced me dead.
It was your sin that hung me here,
The very heart I hold so dear

But I would go, I would go, I would go to the unknown for you

My precious child is who you are
It was for you I bore these scars
And as you know this was My choice
But how I'd love to hear your voice

Would you go? Would you go? Would you go to the unknown for me?"

I screwed up, and someone had to pay for it. So my best friend stepped up, was killed, felt God literally turn away from Him, and went to Hell. The comfort is that it was always His plan, and He conquered death and Hell and came back with the promise that the price was paid for everything I've done if I just believe in Him. I'm a long ways away from death (I hope) and it's easy for me to lose sight of the day when I'm faced with all the choices I made, and I face the reality that justice demands a punishment. He took that punishment for me. It's crazy..
Now, if you just decided that you'll never read a blog again because I'm too preachy, just look back on my past posts.. I'm typically not like this. I keep quiet, because I respect the fact that you're going to ask if you want to know, and I don't need you to believe what I believe to keep our friendship going. But today I'm telling the story behind this song, and there's just no way of avoiding the most integral part of the story.

Would you go is the question it drives into in the improvised ending.. We were just jamming away in practise and I started singing out some random melodies and lines all centered around that question. Sometimes (not as often as in the past) I'll pray over the guys or sing some improvised words of encouragement when we're jamming. Just let it flow it out y'all.. Any ways, I was doing that here, and as I was singing it out I just felt something crazy happening in the room and I blurted out "Here I am". It just felt like God was letting me, and my boys, know that this was exactly where He wanted us. It was taking up all our time, all of my money (I mean ALL of it) and it was difficult to explain to our friends and family (School? No, I'm in a band..). But in that moment I knew that this is what He made me to do. I just keep going now, because if He could die for me, than I can take every last song and chord in my arsenal and use it for Him.

So the question.. Would you go? If it costs you everything? How far would you follow? We built the album on it, because I can't think of a more crucial or important question to ask. If you wont go, than what's the point? He did it for us.

This is as long as my posts get. Forgive me guys. And hey, I can apologize to you IN PERSON at the CD RELEASE PARTAY! Please come, and bring your friends! It's going to be an awesome night.

Levi

Song Writing

Well, it's been a pretty great week with a couple bumps along the way.
I met a guy.. there were fireworks. Well not really, but he was full of good advice, and I love meeting people that can insert some wisdom into my life. His name is Joshua Seller, a worship leader from Harvest Bible Chapel in Oakville and a singer, songwriter. Find him on facebook and pick up his cd.
Well he put this little idea in my head, and I thought it would be selfish not to share it. After talking about some strategies and theology on leading a church into worship (Which many of you will find less than interesting..) he gave me some advice for musicianship (which a quarter of you will find interesting) (I recognize that three quarters of you wont be interested and I'm not even remorseful..)
The advice was this. Jon Foreman is the lead singer and writer for the band Switchfoot. You may or may not have heard of them. They're a relatively recognized band that's stumbled onto quite a bit of success. Jon makes it a discipline to write one song a day! A day! And that is one, finished, entirely written, bridge included, pre-chorus-figured-out song. I have the hardest time finishing a song, because once you label it finished, you leave it alone and you can't bring new stuff in. The mind-set behind the one a day song plan is this.. Every new song is better than the last, so keep pushing them out so you can keep improving. And at the end of the year you've got 365 songs to cycle through to look for that pearl.
Joshua has incorporated this into his ministry and he requires every one of his interns to write and record one song a week which they will show to him. It seems small, but if we want to grow as writers and we want to stretch our music than it makes perfect sense to force ourselves into a discipline that will stretch us. I wish I could show you some of my early songs.. no I don't.. they were terrible.. But I had to get that junk out to figure out what works. A friend of mine Scott Jackson from Life 100.3 has told me that his pet peeve is artists who rhyme, "Love with Dove". It's been done. It's what we all resort to when we're struggling with lyrics.
I know this is long.. I'm sitting in a class right now that's not even mine and I can only focus on homework for so long. Moral of the story. Discipline leads to greatness. Stretch yourself, be it songwriting, musicianship or your spiritual life. Hard workers take the lead when talent stops working hard.. or something like that.
The Raptors start their season this Wednesday night and I'm going to be sitting at home watching the game with my dad and a doctor pepper. Does life get any better?
Check out our little song on the facebook page. And hey, go write a song

Levi

"Christian Music" & Jonny Lang

Hi, it’s Drew.

So, the other day I was killing time, and I happened to catch a performance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno that would really spark my interest. I usually just turn on Leno, watch the monologue, and stop paying attention or fall asleep. Luckily this time I stayed awake and saw the musical guest.

On this particular night the musical guest was Cyndi Lauper, y’know that “girls just want to have fun“ lady. I generally wouldn’t have been interested, but as I was watching I noticed she had an amazing band behind her, in particular the guitar player she was singing a duet with caught my attention. His name was Jonny Lang, and though he has been around for a while, (He put out his first album when he was 14) I had never heard him before. I ended up enjoying their performance quite a bit, (click HERE to see it) and immediately googled Jonny Lang.

I started listening to some of his stuff on youtube, and a day later bought his “Live at the Ryman” album off itunes. As I listened to the album I couldn’t help but notice the inspirational lyrics, and Christian messages embedded into his music. After doing a bit more research I found out that Jonny is a born again Christian, and has played on some Steven Curtis Chapmen and Israel Houston records... but I really wasn’t surprised after listening to his music.

Jonny is an AMAZING guitar player, and has played with some blues legends like Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, Herbie Hancock, Eric Johnson, as well as playing with Carlos Santana. Even though he is so young... he’s really been around the block.

What I found really interesting about him was how he incorporates his faith into his music, even though he is not tagged as a Christian artist. We have all heard of these types of musicians before in the industry. Christians who are playing music, but not labeling their music as “Christian”. I’m not going to name any names, but what set Jonny apart from these artists was how his faith actually shines through his songwriting. You can really hear the influence all over his album. Not just in a generic, positive message kind of way, but in a blatant, unapologetic statement of his lifestyle. Just listen to the ‘live at the ryman’ CD and you’ll know what I mean...

It really got me thinking about what it means to be a Christian and a musician, and all those bands I’m not quite sure what to think of regarding their faith. Sure there are a million artists who label themselves as “Christian”, thank God during awards, and come from a religious background. But how can I tell who really lives it? I think Jonny is the best example of a Christ follower, playing music in the secular music scene.

His love for God, and inner passion can’t help but burst through his songwriting even though the genre he plays doesn't call for it.. And doesn’t that make sense for all of us... that the thing which is most important to us, and the most influential part of our lives, shines through our art form even if we aren't applying a certain label on ourselves.

I dunno, the whole thing just really made me think and it's hard for me to put on paper. But I guess that's why I write guitar parts and not lyrics.

Here’s some of his lyrics that really spoke to me, as we are getting ready to release the CD, and launch a new season in our musical journey with The Levi denBok Band.

“This one might not ever be a single
Just something on my heart I hadda’ sing ya.
I hope they play this on the radio,
Gimme a chance to let somebody know,
That we can change the world one boy, one girl, one person at a time”

“Sure be nice to go triple platinum,
but there’s no guarantee it’s ever gunna happen.
And if I can only reach one set of ears
I know that I’ve fulfilled my purpose here.”

One Person At A Time - Jonny Lang.

Can't believe I didn't hear about him, until after he was in Kitchener this August. Wish somebody would have told me about how amazing this guy is earlier.

Anyway, hope you're all well, and hope that I'll see you in November at the CD release. Come talk to me, I may seem tired at first, but I really love talking to people after we play.

- drew

Ramblings from the gutar section.

Time to hear from the guitar player...

And... surprise surprise, I’m going to talk about guitars. Over the past couple of days my mind has been crammed full of guitar stuff, it’s almost all i’ve been thinking about on my spare time. This is mainly do to a documentary I watched the other day called “It Might Get Loud" (<-- click for trailer). If you are a guitar player, you must watch this film. It’s life changeingly good. Three generations of guitar players, each with a unique approach to playing, get together and chat about the one thing they share in common, a burning passion for the guitar. Anyway, enough about the movie, check it out it’s great.

For all the guitar players out there, I want to talk about gear for a minute . I have never claimed to be the greatest guitar player out there, I know I have so much to learn, and lots of improving to do. But, one thing I’m always very interested in, and have spent a lot of time learning about, is the more technical side of guitar playing, and how different types of hardware effect our sound. For me, it’s a super important factor and something i’ve become rather obsessed with. The pursuit of the best guitar tone possible... of course in relation to my playing style and level of ability.

For me, good tone is the number one factor concerning good guitar playing. It’s all very simple... DOES IT SOUND GOOD? I’ve met so many guitar players who are so much better than I am in technical ability. Guys who can shred a crazy solo, or play with tons of energy and can do things with the guitar neck i’ll practice my entire life and never get right. But so many times, it just doesn't do it for me. Sure it’s crazy, and looks amazing... but it just doesn't sound that great. And what good is the toughest guitar solo in the world, if at the end of the day it sounds like garbage. When all is said and done (especially when playing worship music) it is most important that what I’m playing sounds good, and improving the overall sound quality of the band you’re playing with. (by the way, this isn’t just a guitar players concern...)

Anyway... I bring all this up because I want to talk about guitar strings. I’ve spend so much money in the past on pedals, amps and guitars but have overlooked the most simple part of hardware that effects my tone... the strings. Sounds silly right, spend thousands on gear that will help me sound good, but then just pick up the cheapest or simplest pack of strings to slap on. They’re very important, and if your a guitar player it’s something that you should be thinking about too... what type of strings compliment me most?

Basically this is how it boils down. On my tele (my main guitar) I have played GHS Boomers 11’s since my last setup. I went up a string gauge 2 years ago when talking to a guitar tech about how a thicker string gauge helps your guitar stay in tune better and improves tone for a variety of reasons. Before that I played some kind of Ernie Balls, and Elixirs. But, after talking to some older guitar guys, who I consider the best kind of expert, I’ve made what I consider to be a significant switch in strings.

So here’s a little history to explain what I’ve been thinking...
Back in the day, when electric guitars were really starting to pave the way, guitar strings shifted from being made of primarily out of brass and bronze to nickel. In the late 50’s early 60’s Nickel was the industry standard for electric guitar strings. However, because of the increasing need during the Korean and Vietnam war, quantity of nickel decreased, and subsequently prices increased. So... in the late 60’s string manufacturers started marketing steel strings, with nickel plating to cut costs. Since then nickel-plated steel strings are almost exclusively used by electric guitarists. All the brands I mentioned above are steel core strings.

So here’s where my shift began. I began reading about pure nickel strings and found out that they are characterized my a warmer, mellower sound. Steel core strings tend to be louder, and brighter. Brightness is a good thing and sought after for many guitar players. But if any of you have heard me play, you know the last thing I need with my tele and vox is a brighter sound. So I’ve decided to switch to pure nickel strings. I just feel that a more original and natural approach is better in this situation, and that it is possible that string manufactures use steel core as a cost efficient way to distribute their product. But I would l like to find out if it is the BEST way. Pure Nickel strings are a little more expensive... but again, why spend so much on you guitar and then skimp on something as important a strings.

Recently I loaded up my guitar with DR ‘pure blues’ strings (11-50), and so far so good. They feel nice, and are easy to play. Nickel strings are softer I guess... so there is less string tension. They are easy to play, I may even go up to 12’s. The thing I like about DR strings is that they are handmade, and have a round core opposed to a hexagonal core which is part of the reason they bend easier and feel nice. The pure nickel strings help take the edge of my tone and definitely have a nice bluesy sound. If you’re a metal player, you might need that additional output you get from the nickel plated steel strings. but so far I don’t feel I’m lacking in loudness. So I’m going to stick with these for a bit, and see how they fare in the long run. I think it is important to test out new strings to help tune in the best sound to fit my style. I mean, I could try out 20 different kinds of strings, 20 slightly different sounds, for the price of one pedal that effect my sound.

Anyway... that is my rant. Longer than I though it would end up, and probably pretty boring for a lot of you, but important none the less to us guitar players and gear junkies.

Hope to see you guys out at the CD release party.

- Drew

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