More Than a Song: Randy Stonehill

I just reviewed Randy Stonehill's 2020 album Lost Art of Listening at Random Acts of Roller. Two songs from the album are performed by Sir Stonehill and his 2017 appearance on More Than A Song.

Last 5 Next 10 Vol III

 Summer is the time traditionally where I do a lot of reading. So far this Summer, I have read more than the anemic pace I set for myself at the start of the year.  I don't have that much to show for it as I am currently reading several books at a time but hopefully will be finishing a mess of those soon.  Here's what I've been up to recently.

Last 5 Books

I am using my HDOLL rating system.  Each books falls somewhere between hate and love with dislike okay and like coming between those extremes.

How To Hold Animals - Toshimitsu Matsuhashi

Why I chose this book: Our library has a section near the check out stations that I liken to the impulse buy aisle next to the check out aisles at a retail store.  I wondered why anyone would write, read or publish this book.  But my curiosity got the better of me.

Type: Book (read myself)

How Obtained: Borrowed from local library

Rating: Between okay and liked. 

In The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

Why I chose this book: As a substitute teacher I often end up reading parts of books to my classes to never encounter them again.  Being a big Jackie Robinson fan I decided to check this book out.

Type: Audio Book through my phone

How Obtained: I borrowed this book  from my library using the Hoopla app.  

Rating: Between Liked and Loved,

The Brave and the Bold Team-Up Archives Vol I

Why I chose this book: A few weeks ago I took my niece to our local library as she was visiting us for s few days.  I grabbed a couple of comic books off the graphic novels shelf to peruse while she read her books.  

Type: Hard Cover Book

How Obtained:  Borrowed from my local libray.

Rating: Solid like.

Black Widow Vol 1: The Ties That Bind- Kelly Thompson

Why I chose this book: I saw this book on the shelves at my local library and picked it up as the Black Widow movie was opening later in the summer and I thought it might be a good read in preparation for the movie

Type: Paperback Book

How Obtained: Borrowed from local library

Rating:Solid Like

Essential Defenders Vol I

Why I chose this book: In May I visited my friend Patrick.  He has an entire room in his house  dedicated to his comic book collection.  He had  a number  of volumes of The Defenders  which was a group of mostly loner super heroes that served as the last line of defense for humanity.  He was kind enough to lend me the first two volumes.

Type: Paperback Book

How Obtained: Borrowed from friend

Rating: Closer to Like than Okay.

2021 Book Stats as of  7/6/21

Previous estimate as of  5/25/21 25.43 books by the end of the year, 

After I finished Defenders Vol I yesterday I also finished book # 16 for the year.  This is fairly common as I am often reading multiple books at the same time.  I'll include that book in my next post but will include it in my projections for the year.  After reading 16 books in 187 days I'm on pace to o read 31.22 books  by years end. 

 

10 Books I'm  Reading or Planning to Read Soon

Farmer Boy - Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Unaborted Socrates - Peter Kreeft

News of The World - Paulette Jiles

World of Wonders- Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Schulz and Peanuts - David Michaelis

Essential Defenders Vol II

150 Glimpses of The Beatles - Craig BrownTT

The Answer is ... Reflections on My Life- Alex Trebek

The Big 50 Chicago Bears - Adam L Jahns

Sooley - John Grisham

 

The Lost Art of Listening (to an Album)

In late 2020 Randy Stonehill released a new album entitled "Lost Art of Listening". At Christmastime 2020 I became the fortunate recipient of said album. I was instantly intrigued by the title. It got me thinking that listening to an album, a process that I grew up on, is becoming an increasingly lost art, ESPECIALLY in this digital age.

Pandora , Spotify Sirius XM, and You Tube have changed the landscape of how we consume music these days. C.D. Players, Turntables and the like have been replaced with phones, smart speakers and Roku. The days of listening to an album from beginning to end have been put on an endangered list by the very conveniences that have sprung up around us. I also have had until very recently the majority of my CDs, and cassettes packed in boxes in my house since our move. I had sold most of my record albums to Half Priced Books prior to our move. A friend just returned about 60 albums I had lent him prior to our move and gave me a record player to put them on line. The only working cassette player we own is in the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee I gave my son when he graduated high school last year, so technically, I don't even own that anymore. I won't even have the severely limited access I have to it now once he moves out.

My process for listening to an album is as intricate and as simple as I am. Ideally, I'd like to set aside a couple hours and really dig into the album. These days unencumbered hours are a luxury, so I'll generally settle for a casual listen while attending to the everyday business of family life. This initial listen the album becomes is a little more than background noise and does not yield many if any lasting impressions. This type of listen is a first step though. I equate it to walking a few blocks very day especially when you can't make your usual step count.

After this initial listen or sometimes concurrent with the initial listen I try to pore through the album materials (or the J-card as they call it in the biz). Stonehill's J-card was quite extensive , often difficult for my quinquagenarian eyes to handle but filled with lots of great information.

For my second listen, I waited until I had some undisturbed free time. With everyone out of the house., I let the music , singing, and lyrics hit me where I was. This was as freeing as it was challenging since it is counterintuitive these days to try to do just one thing at a time.

After some time passed, I listened to the album in it's entirety a few more times. These listens help me get a real sense of the album but I was still short of my goal of being able to convey that sense to others. To achieve that goal I decided to listen to each song back to back and describe the songs while in the act of listening.

Here are my observations . . .

Mercy in the Shadowland - The first song starts with strains of a hopeful melancholy that mixes world weariness with the promises of unspeakable joy both in the present journey and our permanent destination. Featured Lyrics: We'll find our rest if we just confess our sad estate. OhJesus said The Poor in spirit shall walk through Heaven's gate

This Old Face- Whimsical wisdom amid evocative imagery is one of the thing's I've come to expect from Uncle Rand these many years and This Old Face does not disappoint. This song could be titled turning 70 as this is something Stonehill, born in 52, will be doing sooner than later. Featured lyrics: It's been weathered by the wind of sadness and of sin but it shines whenever Heaven's love appears.:

Beginning of the Living End - Stonehill goes into full rock and roll mode with this bluesy guitar driven altar call. Featured lyrics: Every soul is a precious jewel, everyone should count the cost. We should all take a wake up call from the thief upon the cross.

Thinly Veiled Threat -The rock show continues and slows the tempo down a notch but ratchets up the lyrical intensity with a song that could be titled the vanity vanity it's all vanity blues Featured lyrics: History repeats like a nightmare you never can forget. All our grand inventions promise us a better world and yet, they leaves us bruised and bloody and they mock us like a thinly veiled threat.

She Loves Me -

A love song about the unfathomable divinity of romantic love. As a man who is constantly amazed by the love I share with my wife this song resonates throughout my marriage, Featured Lyrics: I am much more blessed than a man can be. The beauty of her soul brings me to my knees.

Coyote Moon Every album has a song that can get blipped over in the course of the initial hearings. It wasn't until I listened to this song twice in a row that I really heard the haunting simplicity of comfort found within it. The truth in this song is an oasis. If this album were available on vinyl, Coyote Moon would make a great last song for the first side. That way, you could ruminate over it's beauty as you flipped the disc. Featured Lyrics: Here we begin hearts on the wind laughing carefree children. But then one day, they run away cause nothing stays the same,

Still Not Over You This is vintage Stonehill: 3 different verses as examples of the theme, interspersed with a bridge and a crafty guitar interlude. It's A 5 paragraph essay for the soul, with enough originality to get it placed on the top of the pile. Featured Lyrics: (I chose the bridge cause it actually has the word bridge in it and I'm a sucker  for symmetry.)Some bridges we cross, some bridges we burn sometimes the scars remind us what we learn. Sometimes you just have to turn and go the other way.

Billy Frank -A song by one of my favorite artists about one of my personal heroes, It's no big surprise that I love it. What is surprising about this love letter to Billy Graham is how Stonehill paints him in human colors and not with stain glassed hues. Featured Lyrics: You were just a Carolina boy who dreamed of playing ball who turned your heart to heaven when you heard a higher call.

Since this is my favorite song on the album I'll add some bonus lyrics:

You;ve been the voice of truth to presidents and kings.

But you've never been impressed by such things

Nothing is more precious in your sight

Than Jesus Christ the Savior crucified.

The next 3 songs are called father trilogy. This led me to tweak my process just a tad; instead of listening to each song in the trilogy twice in a row, I listened to the entire trilogy back to back . In short, I tried to experience it and thus chronicle it in the way I felt this section was meant to be experienced.

Leonard Has a Toaster Stonehill again uses comedy to broach a serious subject, family dysfunction. This song is at least somewhat autobiographical as Randy is the youngest son of the late Leonard Stonehill. As to whether the toaster is actual, vegetable or mineral, I don't know. Featured Lyrics: Age to age the dysfunction carries on, like the passing of some toxic baton.

Where Are You The 2nd song in the trilogy walks us through the pains and difficulties of having a loved one with Alzheimer's. Leonard Stonehill passed away in 2014 with Alzheimer's so this song is likely part of Randy's actual journey. Musically, vocally, and poetically Where Are You evokes memories of early Stonehill masterpieces.. Featured Lyrics: I'm becoming a stranger in your distant eyes. I am wrestling the weight of my despair. I keep wishing I could hold you close enough to heal you like some sacred prayer.

Goodbye Old Friend We say goodbye to the trilogy as Sir Stonehill serenades his father with a tender tearjerker laced with hope and regret. Again, one featured lyric is not enough Featured Lyrics 1: There's a certain tug of war between a father and a son. Words we spoke in anger , damage that's been done. I guess were both just broken like the fences we never got to mend. Featured Lyrics 2: I should have thanked you so much more for listening to my song. For all the caring things you did to help me carry on. There with me like a dusty long lost letter I always meant to send.

For the last 3 songs of the album I went back to the listen twice while composing strategy utilized prior to the trilogy

Worry About Money Billy Sprague once had an album called Serious Fun. This album could certainly be title Serious Whimsey or perhaps Juxtaposition Jukebox. Worry About Money is a down home bluegrass foot stomper that at the same time is a biblically accurate rebuke of how the material world has altered our spiritual priorities. Featured Lyrics: Money is a thing that we all need. It can serve you well but for heaven's sake it's always been the frosting never been the cake.

Angel of the Highway - This beautiful song is an encouragement of staying on the road God put you on. Featured Lyrics: It's true I'm always travelling guess that's just where I belong. Moving on from town to town with a prayer and a lover's song.

Dance Behind the Laughing Sky -

If the Lost Art of Listening is an Epistle from Stonehill to his listeners, Dance Behind the Laughing Sky is a worthy benediction.. Consider the opening lines:

Majesty on High, speaks a Holy Word and breathes a billion stars.

Love's the reason why, He molds us in his hands and tell us who we are.

Life is so much more than just a waking dream a road where dark shadows entwine.

Listening to an album may be a lost art, but Lost Art of Listening makes that art priceless.

For more on this album:

1. Read the review in CCM Magazine.

2. Listen to the album and buy songs or the entire album at bandcamp.com.

2. Watch Stonehill's 2017 appearance on More Than a Song at Dave Out Loud. It features live performances of Worry About Money and Beginning of the Living End

The Lost Art of Listening C.D.  is available at Stonehill.com for $15.00. It makes an excellent Christmas present, and I speak from experience. :  

July 4th Diving Well edition

Halftime Speech for 2021

 Today is the 183rd day of the year.  This means at Noon today we were halfway through 2021.  Tomorrow there are 182 days left in the year.  Yesterday was the 182nd day of this year.  How did those days go for you?  What did you do well? What could you start doing today to Make 2021 better than the first half?  Think about that today and start devising a 2nd half strategy before we are at the 2 minute warning of the year.