Starting this week, I will be doing a new type of post on the last Monday of each month. I'm calling it my Artist of the Month. This monthly post will be about a great artist that I have been listening to a lot that month and has some really great music, but doesn't necessarily have as many listeners/fans that other, more well known artists do.


This month's artist is: Seventh Day Slumber!


I first heard about Seventh Day Slumber at my church's Youth Group. Our youth pastor, Greg Hahn, had been talking about having the group go and see a concert. I was all for the idea. And then I found out the band would be Seventh Day Slumber. I had no idea who they were and that kind of made me less excited. However, the concert was free, so I was like, yeah sure, I'll go I guess. And I went... and they rocked it! They have some great music with great meaning behind it.


SDS's lead singer's name is Joseph Rojas. He had a terrible life as a boy. He was drinking, doing drugs, you name it. Then, he tried to commit suicide and failed. On an ambulance on the way to the hospital, Rojas got saved.


Now, Rojas has committed his life to help as many people who were like he was as he can. His music focuses on the issues of drugs and abuse mostly, and his message is for kids to not be who the world thinks they should be, but who they are in Christ.


Another really cool thing about SDS is their drummer, Blaise Rojas, who is Joseph's son. He is only 13, and he is AWESOME at the drums! Even though I don't know him, I really look up to him, because he is already in a band at the age of 13, and he is really good!


--Have you heard Seventh Day Slumber before? What did you think? Do you like the "Artist of the Month" post idea? Let me know what you are thinking in the comments!
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A few weeks ago, I made a post about my favorite 5 artists/bands. At the end of the post, I asked what artists/bands you guys liked, so I could check them out! I got 4 responses (thank you!), and I have been listening to them! Here are my thoughts on 3 of these bands (more to come later!)


For King and Country (suggested by Jenny Veldkamp)


This is a really cool band! This (actually, all of the bands I am talking about today) is one of those bands that I had heard a few of their songs and liked them, but didn't know who wrote them. Well, when I received this suggestion, I went and listened to their music and I found out! "For King and Country" is a great band that writes music with a great purpose. And my favorite part: The two members of the band are brothers! So basically, they are living out my dream right now! My favorite songs by them are "Shoulders" and "Fix My Eyes".


Lauren Daigle (suggested by Angie Doughty and Jen Veldbloom)


I first heard Lauren Daigle on the K-LOVE radio station. I really liked the song, and she has a beautiful voice, but again, I didn't know who wrote the song. But when I started listening to her music after the recommendation, I got to listen to the rest of her music! She is a great singer, but I'm not sure how much I will be listening to her, cause it isn't really the type of music I usually listen to (I generally listen to songs that are more upbeat, and with more instruments). My favorite songs by her: "How Can it Be?" and "Trust in You".


Kutless (suggested by Eirik Nelson)


I am definitely going to keep listening to them! Kutless is exactly the type of music I like to listen to. I have actually heard a lot more of their songs then I realized. Kutless is definitely a band I will continue listening to, I have added a bunch of their songs to my playlist! My favorite songs by them are "Strong Tower" and "What Faith Can Do."


--Have you heard any of these bands? What do you think of them? Let's talk about them in the comments!

This week we are taking a look at MercyMe's album "Welcome to the New". This is a new type of post I haven't done before, but if it is successful, then I will do some more! So let's rewind to about a year ago.


So, we were going to the state fair that summer. Sounded cool. We were going to see Hillsong Young and Free and MercyMe. I was pretty excited for Young and Free, but I had never really listened to MercyMe. Sure, I'd heard of them, but I had really only heard a few songs, and I didn't really like them that much. But when we were walking out after the concert, I was blown away. They were awesome! Their lead singer, Bart, was really funny, and their music was really good! So, when we got home, I started to listen to some of their other albums and music, and this new album was really a step up from the others. Now, "Welcome to the New" is one of my favorite albums. Now, before I begin the rankings, I just want to say: Just because some songs are at the bottom of the list, doesn't mean I don't like them! Usually, when you get an album, there are at least one or two songs that you just don't like. This is one of the rare albums that I really like all of them!


So, here are the songs, with my favorites at the top and least favorites at the bottom.


1. Gotta Let it Go
--Love the instrumentation in this song!


2. Welcome to the New
--Great way to start the album. Pretty awesome!


3. Shake
--A really fun, catchy song!


4. Burn Baby Burn
--Talking about being the light of the world (burning). Another fun song!


5. New Lease on Life
--Singing about how we are changed in Christ.


6. Finish What He Started
--Great song with a great message. We must finish the work God began!


7. Greater
--I love the lyrics on this one! God is greater than anything in this world...


8. Flawless
--God is perfect, and he made us the same way through Christ's death.


9. Dear Younger Me
--Very thought provoking...


10. Wishful Thinking
--It's not about us!


Have you heard the album? What do you think of my rankings?  Do you agree? If not, what do you think they should be? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Music is my passion. It's something I think about all the time. I'm always listening to new artists and new songs. I love playing for our church worship team, and I love just jamming out to music in the basement (where I keep my drum set). I'll just shuffle my playlist of songs and go downstairs and play along with the songs, and I really enjoy it. I spend hours of my time with things involving music.


Honestly, being a drummer or a singer is my dream job right now. There is nothing I would rather do. There are so many different jobs out there to consider, but when you can take something that you enjoy more than anything and turn it into a job? That's a dream come true. And it is possible to do, with a lot of hard work and talent.


Another thing that I want to spend time doing is reaching people for God. I don't want to be just another guy on this earth. I want to be someone who can make a difference for the Kingdom. I want to take the talents that God has given me and use them to the best of my ability.


YouTube is constantly growing. I hear the question "What did we do before YouTube?" all the time. You can look up pretty much anything on YouTube and find what you're looking for. And it is a great way for music lovers to go and listen to their favorite songs.


And that's why I created this YouTube channel. I think it is the perfect way to use my talents for God's glory. I'm performing these songs and putting them out there so anyone can see them. And I want those songs to be able to speak to people's lives and have an impact on them. I think that YouTube and the musical talents I have been given combine perfectly to help me do what God has created me to do: Use the talents he has given me for His glory.


"Each of you should use whatever gift you have been given to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace." --1 Peter 4:10

I listen to music a lot. With that said, it was really hard to choose all these songs and artists. It is so hard to choose which band you like better than another, especially if you like multiple different types of music! But here we go! Here are my Top 5 favorite artists, and a few of my favorite songs by each!


--Note: Chris Tomlin would be on this list, but because he is part of the Passion band, I decided not to include him.


1. Passion


Passion is an AWESOME band. Basically, what it is is a bunch of worship leaders from all over the place (like Kristian Stanfill, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, etc.) writing songs together. They have GREAT worship music. My top 5 songs by them:

• Even So Come (from the album "Even So Come")
• Shout Hosanna (from the album "Even So Come")
• The Cross of Christ (from the album "Even So Come")
• My Heart is Yours (from the album "Take it All")
• Jesus, Only Jesus (from the album "Let the Future Begin")

2. TobyMac


Everyone has heard of TobyMac, right? He has a few different styles of music, usually changing the type album to album. Sometimes rap, sometimes rock, sometimes something else. He is extemely talented and probably one of the most well-known Christian artists. My top 5 songs by him:

• Tonight (from the album "Tonight")
• Get Back Up (from the album "Tonight")
• City on our Knees (from the album "Tonight")
• Captured (from the album "Tonight")
• Ignition (from the album "Portable Sounds")

3. Matthew West


I just started listening to Matthew West about two months ago. He is a great artist that I have begun listening to more and more. His songs always have a really great message, and they are very inspirational! I'm very excited about seeing him at Lifest this year! My top 5 songs by him:

• Into the Light (from the album "Into the Light")
• Hello My Name Is (from the album "Into the Light")
• The Motions (from the album "Something to Say")
• You are Everything (from the album "Something to Say")
• Strong Enough (from the album "Story of your Life")

4. Newsboys


Newsboys is probably one of the first bands I ever heard, back when Peter Furler was the lead singer for the band. However, I didn't really listen to them much and didn't listen to much music at all at that point, so I have mostly heard the Michael Tait Newsboys. They both are very good though! Here are my top 5 favorite Newsboys songs.

• Breakfast (Furler Newboys, from the album "Shine: The Hits")
• Shine (Furler Newboys, from the album "Shine: The Hits")
• We Believe (Tait Newsboys, from the album "Restart")
• Escape (Tait Newsboys, from the album "Born Again")
• God's Not Dead (Tait Newsboys, from the album "God's Not Dead")

5. Skillet


Another great band. I have probably listened to them the second longest, next to Newboys. I've started listening to them more and more as well, they have really good songs! Here are my favorite 5 songs by them:

• Monster (from the album "Awake")
• Awake and Alive (from the album "Awake")
• Hero (from the album "Awake")
• Circus for a Psycho (from the album "Rise") (weird lyrics but instrumentation rocks!)
• Sick of It (from the album "Rise")

Honorable mentions: Disciple, MercyMe, Red, Lincoln Brewster


Who are your favorite artists? Share them in the comments below! I would love to see what you guys like!