BlueRay!

My brother got my parents a blue-ray player for Christmas and at first i was like 'do we really need a clearer picture than DVD?', and i still hold to that. But I figure while i'm at home still i can be self-indulgent and enjoy 'Gladiator' in BlueRay haha. Bass practice has been put on hold until i'm back in dorm haha.


Peace out
Matt.

Digging this group!!!

enjoy :)

Holidays almost over :(

Sadly, what has been such a blessing, that is my three weeks of holidays, are almost over :(
They started out on a crappy note, but stuff happens, that is life. But, they got much better very quickly! I got to see my brother and his wife and their 6 month son Jacob (who is the cutest baby ever lol). Had some fun doing donuts in my brothers 'sooped' up Subaru, watched lots of movies and drank tons of french press coffee :)
It was great to see family and just to have time to chill. I was hoping to read lots of C.S. Lewis and lock myself in my room and learn how to 'pop and slap' on my p-bass...sadly, this did not happen and i took many naps instead :)

I did have the privilege of getting some AWESOME new cd's and concert dvd's(these are my favourite!)! Norah Jones, John Mayer, Miles Davis, Brooke Fraser, White Stripes!! That is one thing about me, i don't know if anything excites me like a good, new cd or concert dvd lol
Levi and I also had an awesome time participating in a few worship events that were a huge blessing. Tons of practice put into these but it always helps in reminding that service to the Lord is not always easy. These also were awesome reminders of how much i need Jesus in my life!!!! God uses those broken times in our lives to teach us lessons that are so necessary for us to grow as followers of Him!
On a random note, but connected to my previous comment, check out Misty Edwards, awesome worship cd. I bought one of her cd's titled 'Relentless' and it has been such a blessing to me after only days of owning it lol.

So back to school in a few days...i'm looking forward to practicing bass in my room and getting stretched musically by our awesome music teacher Doug Thompson but not to the hours of reading textbooks haha...

If you got to this point it means you suffered through my a.d.d and i commend you for that :) lol
Back to C.S. Lewis, Brooke Fraser (awesome artist!!!) and maybe some french press coffee ? That is a good night :)


Matt a.k.a Kobe :)

btw, i am a snobby coffee drinker, so the picture above does not depict how i actually drink my coffee. I drink it black the way it is supposed to be, Levi on the other hand...1 cream 1 sugar and a hazelnut shot?!?! Can you get anymore girly? ;) Love you brother haha

Sitting back and contemplating...

Hey Guys,

So I was sitting back and thinking about many a things.... And I have to admit that last week I was feeling a little nervous about meeting with the boys this week and writing new stuff. I was afraid that we'd not be able to come up with anything new or interesting. Not that I think poorly of my other fellow bandmates... NOT AT ALL. I just know how musicians, especially those without the help of expensive producers tend to fall into the realm of repeats. I know that I am also known for having weird tastes in music but I just had strong thoughts and opinions that we needed to change our approach to writing music. After much discussion with the guys and contemplative thought we had resolved many of my worries. Blah blah blah... "What are you trying to get at?" you might be saying...

I am trying to say, that after our short 3 hour jam session, I can say that there are going to be good... no Great things coming from us in the coming days. We are working on at least 2 new songs and I have to say that they certainly are pushing the limits of our musical boundaries and forcing us to think outside the box. I am very excited about this new stuff and where God might be taking it. Trying new things and building upon what we're good at, also building off of influences we have and refusing to label ourselves this or that and letting our music "label" us.

Anyways, I hope this was enlightening for you guys and hopefully excites you to see what the future holds. Thank you for listening and thank you for your on-going support and prayers.

P.S. We got a show in Barrie on Feb. 5th... more details to follow, hope to see you there!

Trev

One Semester Down

Well, I'm looking in the rear view mirror back at my first semester of post-secondary education and it was a wild ride. I finished a cd, threw some release parties, celebrated two and a half years with Amanda, nailed my midterms, discovered the parts of me that need to change, failed as often as I succeeded, struggled with pride and jealousy and learned that I have a long way to go and a lot to take in. So far so good. I just finished my last exam this morning and they didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but my circumstances weren't ideal.
For those of you who don't already know about this crazy snowfall let me just tell you... There was snow, and it fell, and it just didn't stop. We closed Blue Mountain on account of too much snow, which has never happened before as far as I know. The roads were all closed, the plowmen were working quadruple overtime and we were trapped in a winter-wonderland. Matt and I had gone home this past weekend to play at an AIDS awareness concert and we were scheduled to head back on Sunday. Sunday came along and the snow was blowing pretty good, so I took the advice of many and decided to wait it out.
Needless to say, three days later, and two exams later the wind finally dies down and we decide to make a break for the sun. We load up the car and hit the back roads because 26 is shut down. As we're traveling along airport road a big truck comes up the hill towards us. It was one of those situations where the grooves in the road where the snow had been worn down and you were expected to drive in, yeah those grooves, well they were pretty well in the middle of the road. I pull out of the grooves to give this truck space to get by and my little cavalier loses traction and starts to slide.. I look over at Matt and say, "So when we get back do you maybe want to hit up McDonalds or something?" He responds, "Nahh man. I've been looking after myself lately and I've got to keep this thing in pristine condition.."

..

It actually sounded a bit more like, "We're going to crash dude.." followed by more swerving, and eventually ending in my car face first in a big snow bank. We laugh a bit (nervously..) and I flick on the windshield wipers to fling off the mountain of snow. We reverse back onto the road and begin driving again. At this point I still have the equivalent of Blue Mountain piled up on the hood of my car (and like it's counterpart it was also closed to skiers this day) and everything just hit me. I lost control of that car.. Could have easily spun the other way and lost my bro. He wouldn't let me stop tho so we kept going.

Only to arrive at school and here one professor say, "If I had my way I'd fail you!" Fair enough.
People bug me.

If I don't see you beforehand, have a merry Christmas :)
Also, give Matt a hug (He'll love it)
Levi

Top 10 Best Songs/Albums of 2010... according to me

So everyone knows that the drummer of the band usually has impeccable tastes in music and constantly shapes the band through their immense understanding of the dynamics of sound. Well the case is no different with the Levi Denbok Band.... more like the Trevor Walker band. Hahaha, ok all jokes aside. I decided that I would enlighten the world and all daily active users of my divine tastes in music and what I think are the best albums and songs of 2010.

*Disclaimer*

These songs are from a diverse background of various genres and may not reflect the musical tastes of the entire band, even though they should. Listeners of these songs are subject to their own opinions however; those opinions are most likely wrong.

Albums:

1. "Ellipse" by Imogen Heap

Imogen's latest album fuses so many styles and genres together and actuallymakes it work. She is by far one of the most talented singersout there and her latest albums proves just that. Like poetry for the ears. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAYkvQ0V_7I

2. "Fleet Foxes" by

Fleet Foxes

Brilliant album by this folk style/acoustic band. They blended interesting instruments and put it all together to create some pretty awesome mellow and heart-felt

songs. The cool thing about these guys is that they just do what they want rather than follow a crowd, and they write all of their own stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4nkAUT-7mQ

3. "Senior" by Röyksopp

These Scandinavian

guys know how to make really deep music through the use of interesting electronic sounds and samples.

Understandably not for everyone

but one can appreciate their album's awesome 1980's synth sounds and mellow somatic sounds that putt the listeners in a trance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eV9lBciavQ&feature=related

4. "Viva La Vida/Prospekts March" by Coldplay

Even though it came out last year, I still enjoyed this album this year... its awesome. I consider both the album and the EP "Prospekts March" a

single cd and for me they worked to show

the complexity of Coldplay and their ability to continue to push the envelope... which

is a refreshing change. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXSovfzyx28

5. "Me and Armini" by Emiliana Torrini

This little Icelandic singer has caught my attention with her recent albums, but "Me and Armini" really tops everything. As a singer and musician she challenges most female

pop/acoustic singers all doing the same stuff and adds interesting twists and rhythms yet still keeping her music accesibily to those who are afraid of change. Brilliant album, beautiful voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IrJKF1gTuw&feature=related

now best songs are as follows:

1 "Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear
2 "The Alcoholic" by Röyksopp
3 "White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes
4 "Canvas" by Imogen Heap
5 "I was playing drums" by Efterklang
6 "Death and all of his friends" by Coldplay
7 "The Edge of the Ocean" by Ivy
8 "Moth's Wings" by Passion Pit
9 "Freedom and it's owner" by Kings of Convenience
10 "Sponsored by Destiny" by Slagsmålsklubben

"Help me get back to the reason I sing for you" -Jimmy Needham

Hey guys,

This is Levi checking in. I've spent seven and a half hours in class, five hours doing homework, and every other second worrying about Friday and doing all the background "business" stuff required to have anyone half interested in listening to your music. There will never be enough time in a day.. I'm sitting here feeling absolutely drained, utterly discouraged, and endlessly frustrated. Here's why.
After everything I've labored over today, and all the hours spent working my butt off, I realize that I didn't take a second to pray. I couldn't find even five minutes to talk to God, maybe thank Him that I'm, I don't know, BREATHING! Didn't thank Him for allowing me to play music with the guys, blessing me with the opportunity to go to school, bringing the most incredible girlfriend into my life. I lost sight of it all. This is what will kill us. I mean it too.. Everything that I take on, I take on with God's grace and His strength. Is it exhausting? Absolutely! Does it suck to pour your heart out doing exactly what you were made to do only to have your ministry put down by "important" people, or even put down by pastors? Yesh.. But we, as Christians are able to push on because God gives us that strength and that passion to keep praising Him. I've had the honor of being called to a life of service to Him. Whether it's through my conversations, my music or even just my smiles in the store, I'm trying to live a life that draws people to Him.

But today, and even this past week.. You know what, I'd go as far as to say this past month.. I lost it. Lost sight of the goal. Business overtook me, and "success" (what they've been telling me it is anyway) was looking close. I put my priorities in the wrong order with Him at the back and myself (and my critics) at the front. So today I'm humbled. I'm watching the old Hillsong United "Look to You" dvd listening to "All I Need Is You" and I'm right back in that spot where it all started, crazy in love with God and less than interested in myself and my agendas. I should be sleeping, because tomorrow's going to be busier than today was, but I wanted to verbalize all this before my pride kicked in. I'm just a broken dude trying to figure things out and set myself up to provide for a family someday. I don't have it figured out.. But I know that today was unacceptable, and that if you want to burn out, cutting God out of the picture is a great place to start.

We're having a cd release party this Friday at six thirty at Emmanuel church in Barrie. It's going to be an intimate night with some snacks, some coffee, and some time where we can pour our cd out to you. I hope you can make it out. I appreciate you guys. Thanks for listening. I'm not wearing an entertainer hat today. Sorry :)