I have to admit, it was pretty tough to find a new not well-known band that I could recommend. The most talented bands seem to be already well known. When you look for bands not well known, there usually is a reason they aren't well known. Who would have thought? But I found one that a friend recommended. (Thanks Meeko!) It's a band called ABANDON.


Abandon is awesome. They are not new, but they have had a lot of lineup changes over the years, so the newest guys haven't been in the band very long. But they are pretty good! Of course, they still have work to do, there's definitely stuff they can improve on, but if they keep it up, I think they could be a big band someday.


Their band name was inspired by Matthew 10:38, which says "And the that does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven." That's something that I like knowing. I always wonder how bands choose their names. It's cool seeing bands that have names inspired by Bible verses (that's what I did!).


Originally, the band was made up of two brothers, two cousins, and a friend. (Which is awesome.) Unfortunately, they have had a lot of lineup changes over the years, so it is no longer relatives, but it's still cool that it originally was that way.


I definitely recommend them. Some of my favorite songs by them: "Talk to Me", "Live it Out", and "Under Fire". Their 2012 album, "Control", is definitely my favorite of their albums! Go check them out!


--Have you heard Abandon? Do you like them? If you haven't, what is a not-very-well known band that you like? Let's talk in the comments!

As promised, this week I'm talking about some more of my favorite performances from Lifest 2015! (I know there aren't many... I promise, if I'm still blogging by next year, there will be MANY more!)


Chris Tomlin

Chris Tomlin was awesome!! It was so cool to see him in person. He is my favorite worship leader, ever. I can't understand how he can come up with so many great songs, and not have albums like 5 years apart! It's incredible. So happy I could worship with him and his band and Louie Giglio and all of the people there!


Jeremy Camp

Unfortunately, I was not at the grandstand for Jeremy Camp. But I was within hearing distance, and he was awesome! I didn't really think I liked Jeremy Camp, but now that I have heard him live, I'm a big fan. I'll be listening to him a lot more now! (Also, he is ripped. He was doing one handed pushups on stage while singing, and he didn't miss a note. That is so cool. If you missed it, check it out here: 


Disciple

Disciple is a not super well known band, but they should be. They are pretty awesome! I had to stay up past midnight to see them, but it was totally worth it. I would do it again! Definitely check them out! They are very similar to RED. Speaking of which...


RED

I had to stay up past 2:00 AM to watch them, but it was cool! They put on a really good show. My only complaint is they started half an hour late (I think they were having some technical issues) so I was exhausted the next morning, but it is what it is! Maybe next year they will start on time. Either way, I'll go see them again!

WOW. Lifest was absolutely AMAZING. It was SO awesome to finally see so many of my favorite bands in concert, and see a few new ones as well! There is so much to talk about with Lifest, I'm going to have to make two separate posts about it. This week, I'm going to be talking about my favorite performances of Lifest 2015! Next week, I will talk about the rest of them. (They were all good, but the ones talked about today were my favorites!)


Matthew West

Matthew West is tied for first place of my favorite performances! He is a great singer, and he is hilarious! He even had to improv and just talk for about 15 minutes after power went out on half the stage, and he did it so well, I didn't even know that the power went out until later, I thought it was planned!  But it was awesome to see one of my favorite artists for the first time, and to hear the stories behind the songs! That was a really cool thing he did that most bands did not. But it makes the songs even more powerful when you hear their stories (at least for me!).


Skillet


Tied for my favorite performance! Skillet. Was. AWESOME. Their pyrotechnics were incredible, almost all the band members played multiple instruments, and they find a way to incorporate a violin and a cello. Who else can do that? No one that I know of! I liked Skillet before, but I like them even more now. Especially their drummer, she is incredible, and she sings at the same time. Another super unique thing about them, and really cool thing too! (Random question: John Cooper said Lifest 2015 was the best audience they had all summer. Does he always say that? Just curious) Can't wait to see them again next year!


Newsboys

Another toss-up here, Newsboys tied with another band (come back next week to find out which one!). The Newsboys were great! I don't really like the way Michael Tait changes the melodies when he does them live, but overall it was still awesome! Also: seeing bands in person is so much better than listening to recordings, especially when you have the crowd's energy! (Side note: Watching Duncan is hilarious, he is so funny when he is drumming.)


Were you at Lifest this year? Or any year? What were your favorite performances this year, or favorite performances of all time? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

I've been thinking about and working on my YouTube channel lately. And I was thinking about how it all got started. I already talked a bit about my motivation for creating the channel, but today I just want to talk about some artists in particular that have inspired me. These bands both have meant a lot to me and are some of my favorite bands of all time.


The Newsboys are the first band that really inspired me. I really admire them for how unashamed they are of what they are singing about. I want to do what they do: be able to write awesome songs about God, and be proud of it. There are people that HATE the Newsboys because of this, but they just keep writing songs like "God's Not Dead" and "We Believe." I want to be able to write songs that are as great as theirs are and still be unashamed of my Lord and not worried about what others think of me for it.


Paul Baloche is great teacher on worship. I have done multiple workshops that he teaches, about vocals, songwriting, etc. And there are more that I have will have to check out I'm sure! But his workshops are really helpful! I really enjoyed both workshops I have done so far and learned a lot from them.


Matthew West is the latest artist to inspire me, just because of the music he writes. For example, one of his songs, "Strong Enough", is probably my favorite song by him, both because it is a great song and because of the meaning behind it. It talks about how we can't do it alone, but when we ask God to help us, he is faithful, and will always pick us up when we fall. I definitely recommend checking it out! It is in his album "The Story of Your Life." And check out the rest of his music too, they all have great meaning and are very thought provoking!


--Who are some artists who inspire you? (Maybe not for music itself, but inspires you for anything!) Share your thoughts in the comments!