Anthony Burger: 1961-2006

My dad is the world's biggest fan of southern gospel music. As a kid, I went to hundreds of quartet conventions, concerts and hymn-sings with my parents. There was one particular quartet with a pretty big national reputation in the world of gospel music that seemed to perform in the Kentuckiana region a lot, the Kingsmen Quartet. They had a young piano player named Anthony Burger.

Now, a lot of people consider southern gospel to be a musical cousin to country music. In a sense, this is true, but there are several key differences. Among them is the fact that southern gospel is a piano-based music form, rather than guitar-based, so southern gospel music holds some of the best piano players in the world. Anthony won southern gospel's most prestigious fan award for instrumentalist of the year ten years in a row, and would have kept on winning if the organizers didn't declare him ineligible and rename the award the "Anthony Burger Award."

Anthony went on to be a solo pianist, thrilling audiences across the country with virtuoso skills. He played everything from gospel standards to classical pieces with flair and class. Later he became the pianist for the Gaither Vocal Band, and a featured performer of the Gaither Homecoming concerts. This is all the more remarkable when one considers that he suffered massive third degree burns at the age of 18 months. His parents were told that he would never have full use of his hands.
"...gradually, the Lord healed my hands because He had a job for me to do. I thank God every day that the doctors were wrong..." Anthony said.

This past Wednesday, Anthony Burger collapsed onstage while performing a solo number at a Gaither Homecoming show. He was taken backstage but efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful, and he was declared dead at the scene, with the probable cause being a massive heart attack. Anthony Burger was 44. He is survived by a wife, two sons, a daughter, a mother and father, two brothers, many friends,loved ones, and proteges, and countless fans.

Lay down your weary tune, lay down.
Lay down the song you strum
And rest yourself 'neath the strength of strings
No voice could hope to hum.
-- Bob Dylan

Jive Monkey Gold: Engaged!

This post originally ran last May. Since this time, the young couple tied the knot. Jason says he's not sorry, but I don't know ... 8-)

Engaged!

Two Nightriders got enganged to each other Friday night. Yes, I know. Inbreeding. But when superheroes do it, you don't get two heads. Or if you do, you can just chalk it up to "special superhero powers".
Former winner of the Jive To The Monkey Friend Of The Day award, "Nature Boy" Jason proposed to my evil twin, Pinhead Stacey. Total surprise for her. I must say, Jason played his part to perfection.
Stacey's cousin owns a house on the riverfront in Jeffersonville. A house with a stuffed bat hanging from the stairs. They went out for the evening (which was part of the whole engagement dinner plan) so Jason and Stacey had the place to themselves. He took her to their back deck, where they dined alone on scrumptious fare cooked and served by Joel The Metro (who wore a bow tie) and Miss Amanda. Then at 9:30, yours truly walked out onto the second story deck and seranaded them with "I Want To Grow Old With You," from "The Wedding Singer." It's the song Adam Sandler sings in the movie's climax, on the airplane.

Okay, some backstory. I was about 10 minutes late because I was coming from Guitar Chick Nikki's show at Lachlan Coffee's Java on Frankfort Avenue. Now, here is my problem: I am directionally challenged. Perhaps instead of B-Dog, my nickname should be Wrong Way Gilles. See, I often become disoriented, and I start out going the wrong way. As you could imagine, if you start out going in the wrong direction, nothing else will make sense.
I was driving east instead of west, jamming to my Ray Lamontagne CD, when all of a sudden I realized that I TOTALLY didn't recognize anything I was passing. No streets, landmarks, stores, etc. OH CRAP! I had been driving the wrong way for miles.
I spun around and headed back to civilization, just as Joel called on my cell, asking where I was. But I must say, I put my Dale Earnhardt-loving, NASCAR-watching skills to good use and I kicked some serious road-racing butt to reach my destination without much delay. Good thing I didn't run into any cops.
So I got in place on the second story balcony, guitar in hand, music stand in front of me, and began playing. One problem. The wind off the river kept blowing my lyric book shut! There were a couple random "rests" (that's some sheet music lingo that I'm using as code for "I had to stop strumming and flip the page back) before I figured out how to hold the page open with my guitar neck while I played.
Afterwards, Joel, Amanda, and I watched from a second-story window while Jason got down on his knee and proposed. It was the coolest, most special thing I've ever seen, next to the births of my sons.
Then they started kissing. And kissing. And kissing. Randy little couple. The Anderson's and I were still watching, though we gradually started to feel as if perhaps this peep show should be discontinued. See, we had intended to step out onto the deck when they were done and clap for them. That's why we kept watching. But that was one long kiss. I said, "I feel like a pervert, watching through the window." That's the Nightriders for ya -- "Voyeurs-R-Us."
Finally they came up for air, we clapped, and they invited us onto the ground-level deck to celebrate.
Jason had given her a ring that belonged to his grandma -- an authentic heirloom. How special -- I hope she doesn't accidentally drop it down a drain or anything, but this IS Pinhead I'm talking about, so you never know ....

Congratulations, Jason. Sorry you were so nervous that you spilled stuff on your shirt, but she said yes anyway so it's all good. Congratulations, Stacey. Truth is, you're barely human, but you and the rest of us have played our parts so well over the course of this courtship that Jason thinks you're a catch.

Seriously, congratulations to both of you. I'm proud to be in your lives, and to have witnessed the birth of your friendship and the maturation, which I am sure will continue, to quote Shakespeare, "to the last syllable of recorded time."

Jive Monkey Gold: Lyric Analysis/ Caedmon's Call

Lyric Review 3: Mystery Of Mercy by Caedmon's Call

Time for an in-depth analysis of Mystery of Mercy, an Andrew Peterson/ Randall Goodgame song from the record Back Home, by Caedmon's Call. Here are the lyrics:

I am the woman at the well, I am the harlot
I am the scattered seed that fell along the path
I am the son that ran away
And I am the bitter son that stayed

My God, my God why hast thou accepted me
When all my love was vinegar to a thirsty King?
My God, my God why hast thou accepted me?
It's a mystery of mercy and the song, the song I sing

I am the angry man who came to stone the lover
I am the woman there ashamed before the crowd
I am the leper that gave thanks
But I am the nine that never came

My God, my God why hast thou accepted me
When all my love was vinegar to a thirsty King?
My God, my God why hast thou accepted me?
It's a mystery of mercy and the song, the song I sing

You made the seed that made the tree
That made the cross that saved me
You gave me hope when there was none
You gave me only your Son

My God,My God,Lord you are my God.
My God,My God,Lord you are my God.
My God,My God,Lord you are my God.
My God,My God,Lord you are...my God.

c. Andrew Peterson, Randall Goodgame

Peterson and Goodgame have crafted a simple, profound song with two verses, a chorus, a bridge, and a coda.
The rhyme scheme for the verses is
A
B
C
C
although the final two lines do not present perfect rhymes, but rather, assonant (meaning that the vowels sound alike, but not the consonants. Ex: "thanks" and "came" both have the long A, but end with different consonants. An example of a perfect rhyme with "came" is "same.") When a writer is not afraid to stray from perfect rhymes (whether prefering assonants or another kind of imperfect/ slant rhyme, or no rhyme at all) he finds many possibilities. One mark of beginning, or poor, writers, is that every line ends with a perfect rhyme, meaning that their songs are filled with phrases and rhymes that have been used ad nauseum, like true/ blue and love/above. Perfect rhymes will always be a popular choice for writers of all levels, but the discriminating writer knows he has other choices in his arsenal.
The rhyme scheme for the chorus is
A
B
A
B
which aids the melody in differing it from the verses.
The scheme for the bridge is also different:
A
A
B
B
and the coda is
A
A
A
A
with all the rhymes being identical (identical rhymes are words that rhyme with themselves. In this case, it is achieved because all four lines are identical, meaning that the end rhyme is "God" each time).
Now that we've got the mechanics out of the way, let me say that:
My God, my God, why hast thou accepted me?
says more in one line than many songs say from first verse to final chorus. This line meets all the requirements of "Gray's Law" (see my post on Matt Redman's "Face Down"). 1. It is steeped in authentic Biblical teaching (making use of Jesus' echo of the prophet "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?") It is a passionate line. And it is both traditional (hearkening back to Jesus' words) and new, given how they've turned the quote around.
They've done so in a way that highlights the depths of God's love, the unfairness of Christ's passion, and the unfairness of our own redemption, paid for by that very passion. There is no end to the devotions and theological treatises that could be written based on that single line.
Caedmon's Call does this so often in their lyrics (both those they write and those they cull from the writers of their choosing) that I am confident the Church will be singing their songs long after most modern Christian songs have gasped their last.

The use of Biblical imagery in "Mystery Of Mercy", and the way the imagery is incorporated, assures that the Biblically astute Christian and the newcomer alike will understand what a great mystery it is that God would show us mercy. Take the line:
When all my love was vinegar to a thirsty King
Those of us who know the crucifixion story perk up at the reference. But the meaning was not lost on my six-and-eight-year old boys, listening with me in the car. "Why would a King drink vinegar?" they said. "Gross." "Who would give a King vinegar to drink?"
Do you see how this line is superior to so many lines in so many songs that express the sentiment in words like:
When the love I have to offer is not enough
or
When I say "I love you" but yet, still I sin.
Note that they also use contrast to show that "none is righteous; no, not one." Both the adulterer and the man with a stone are undeserving of this mercy. Both the prodigal and the grumbling stay-at-home son have fallen short of the glory.

This song works well thematically with the rest of the "Back Home" record. Randall Goodgame's "Only Hope" (an adaptation of Charles Wesley's hymn, "Depth of Mercy") starts:

Depth of mercy, can there be / Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God, your wrath forbear / Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

and follows in the second verse with:

I have long withstood your grace / Long provoked you to your face.
Would not hearken to your calls / Grieved you by a thousand falls.

Caedmon's multi-instrumentalist Josh Moore contributes "You Created," a song that furthers the mystery of God's might and love, starting with the Biblical

Who is like unto the Lord our God / Who dwelleth on high, Who dwelleth on high

even as he offers glimpses of God's nature:

You created nothing that gives me more pleasure than You.
You won't give me something that gives me more pleasure than You.

and "Beautiful Mystery" by Aaron Tate, Derek Webb, and Cliff Young returns to the theme of God and His love for us, while offering the thought that this mystery is the most profound, and the simplest. They say it directly in the first verse:

'Cause most things true are simple and complex
So it is with you; what else should I expect?

and metaphorically in the bridge:

The truth is a river where the strong can swim down deep.
The weak and the broken can walk across so easily.

What a word-picture, and, again, what a mystery. The gospel is more than enough to puzzle and challenge the greatest thinker, yet simple enough for a child to understand.

"Mystery Of Mercy," coming at the end of the record, is a satisfying period (or should I say, question mark) on an album of significant theological weight and scriptural authority. The string section, a common enough device in CCM, is full yet understated, complimenting Cliff Young's vocal delivery rather than overwhelming it, as often happens in prototypical CCM bands -- providing yet another example of what sets Caedmon's Call apart from most bands with CCM success.

Hot Chili

Okay, here's a new column for ya. A buddy thought it would be cool if I shared this story:


My old friends Lorna and Joe had a chili Christmas party every year back in the early 90s. In 92, Lorna's brother Daniel and I got there early because we'd been gloating for weeks about how manly we were, and how her little sissy chili would never be spicy enough for us (actually I'm a wimp when it comes to spices. My big, exxagerating, overly-dramatic mouth gets me in so much trouble). So she said she'd make a regular pot, and then she'd start us on another one and let that be the "manly men" one, so we were welcome to spice it up and "show her how it's done." So we did. We kept adding hot stuff, making it spicier and spicier. Then, when all the guests had arrived and we were all ready to eat, Lorna said "Daniel and Bobby are now going to demonstrate their machismo for us all, by eating the chili they made right in front of us."



We each got a bowl. All eyes were on us. We liften spoons to mouths... I like to died. So did he. I mean, we were on FIRE. Neither of us could eat more than one single bite. A couple other guys tried, with the same result. THEN, my ex (this was before we'd started dating) showed up for the party, and as a joke no one told her about the hot chili. Someone made her a bowl, to see what would happen ....



She sat there and ate it with absolutely no noticeable wincing or anything, then said it was great, just like "Uncle Tino" used to make it, and got up, made herself another bowl, and ate it again. I think I may have started falling in love with her that day, in part because of this incident (to my doom, as it turned out, except for the fact that I got the three best little boys in the world out of the deal).

And now, back to work.

Just a little hiatus

I'm swamped with work right now, and my life is, in general, frazzled, which is why I haven't been coming down from the mountain with words of enlightenment for you this week.

Things will hopefully slow down within the next week or so. Until then, check back here for some great Jive Monkey Gold -- all the greatest hits of days gone by. Witness hilarious spoofs and critical analysis of well-crafted (and some not-so-well-crafted) songs, advice, interviews -- it's all a comin'.

Monkey Maniac Of The Day: Tom Branch

My fellow bloggers, several times during the past year I have blessed various people with "Friend Of The Day" status. Now, this award gets a face lift. It will be known now and forevermore as "Monkey Maniac Of The Day." And my first Monkey Maniac award goes to none other than Dr. Tom Branch.

Tom has a heart of gold, and he's quite a prolific blogger (see his blog in my link section -- and by the way, SOME DAY I PROMISE to get around to updating that section and posting links to several of you).

Tom has put in a ton of time at the Jeff Street Baptist Center, a men's homeless shelter that takes in those who are often kicked out of other shelters -- those with substance abuse problems and mental health issues.

Tom also recently completed work on the first ever Sojourn Partners' Directory. It's no small task to get a bunch of indie-culture 20 and 30somethings to stand still for a directory photo, but Tom did a bang-up job.

Tom is always willing to lend a hand to those in need, and to share the blessings of friendship. All of this makes him an ideal candidate for the first ever Monkey Maniac of the Day award. Congratulations, Dr. Tom. Job well done.

Iambic glory, tetrametric delight

Arius (250-336 A.D.) was a church leader at Alexandria who proclaimed that Jesus was a derived creature, less than divine. He created much trouble in the church, as did followers in subsequent generations.
Several early hymn writers rose to the challenge and battled against Arian doctrine by writing doctrinally sound hymns, among them "The Hammer of the Arians," Hilary of Poitiers. Hilary set hymns to the rhythm of marching songs of the Roman army.

Hilary's work had a powerful influence on a leader of the next generation -- Ambrose of Milan (340-397), who is regarded as one of the fathers and popularizers of Western hymnody. Ambrose's hymns were shorter and more succinct than Hilary's, but he too adopted the meter of marching soldiers (which corresponds to eight syllables in an unstressed/ stressed pattern, although there are many acceptable subsitutions for the stresses that sometimes make 7 or 9 syllables appropriate, though 8 remains the standard) and popularized this form. We call it "iambic tetrameter," and it is the chief unit of line in most hymns:

He leadeth me, oh blessed thought ...
How deep the Father's love for us ...
Oh happy day that fixed my choice ...
A debtor to mercy alone ...
Come ye sinners, poor and wretched ...
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound ...
In Christ alone I place my trust ...

Here's a little something I wrote a couple nights ago. I had a killer melody for it until I realized I had subconsciouly stolen it from Derek Webb. I might give it to a melody writer/ musician at the next Sojourn Worship Writers' Workshop (which is next Saturday, the 18th, 6 pm, in Louisville). I'll probably revise it forty-eleven times before then. I will possibly add an unmetered, short chorus:

Unchanging Word that has no end;

It sets me free yet holds me in.

Delivers from the power of sin.

Unchanging Word that has no end.



Unchanging Word that draws us near;

Its message pure; its meaning clear.

Lights darkened corners -- casts out fear.

Unchanging Word that draws us near



(INSERT CHORUS WHEN WRITTEN)



Unchanging Word by which we're blessed,

It trains us in all righteousness.

Objective truth; sure promises.

Unchanging Word by which we're blessed.



Unchanging Word, our Northern Star --

A guide no matter where we are.

Shines even in the midnight hour;

Unchanging Word, our Northern Star.



(INSERT CHORUS)



Unchanging Word, eternal truth.

When we fall short it brings reproof.

Dear Lord, it pulls us back to You;

Unchanging Word, eternal truth.



Unchanging Word, a mighty sword

Wielded by the risen Lord.

Victorious forevermore --

Unchanging Word, a mighty sword.



(INSERT CHORUS)

You'll notice the second line of the last stanza (verse) only contains seven syllables. That's because I've made it trochaic instead of iambic (an acceptable substitution) due to my decision to start the line with "wielded". You naturally would read/ sing it like this: "WIELded BY the RISen LORD." So basically, it "feels" as long as the other lines if you read it as you naturally would, rather than trying to make it fit the stress of the other lines ("wielDED by THE risEN Lord"). See, if you tried to read it that way, it feels like you need another syllable at the end. Not good.

If this were not a cyber world, I would be explaining this with a chalkboard and you all would be sitting in tiny, uncomfortable chair-desks, like in the 6th grade. Your legs would be cramping. That's a funny thought.

Let's try a little online workshop

Last year I workshopped a song I'd written online, and got some good responses from several of you, so I think I'll try it again. I'll post the rough draft of something I've written recently, and you can give your thoughts. (I hesitate to do this because I generally revise and edit a lot. Therefore, to post a rough draft of something in public is like getting out of bed in the morning and going on a date without getting ready.)

This is something I wrote last week and have been stuck with. Unlike the one I wrote for an online workshop last year, this is not constructed as a modern piece, but rather is in hymn meter and, as of now, contains only stanzas (what would be called verses in pop construction). I feel it needs something but I'm not sure where to go. Right now it's constructed in an 8-7 meter,like, for instance, "My Redeemer," "Showers Of Blessing," "Jesus Calls Us O'er The Tumult," and "Precious Name (Take The Name Of Jesus With You)." This means odd numbered lines have 8 syllables; evens have 7.

It's three verses. Perhaps they merely repeat the same information -- they're not distinct enough. Or perhaps they're not unified enough. Or perhaps I need to add a refrain (what would be called a "chorus" in popular music). Or maybe ... I don't know. Maybe many of the lines need polishing or I need to do some wholesale reconstructing. See what you think. You can either post comments here or email me (click the email link on my profile):

You will find me working for You
On the day that you return,
Or until death sends me to You
(Though there's nothing I could earn).
You brought love to me -- a rebel.
You built shelter, You forgave.
I will do the same for others
Till You come or till the grave.

Lord, You bathed me in Your mercy
When I stood condemned to death.
Then You lifted with compassion
When I'd fallen, out of breath.
Now You ask me to give comfort
To the hurting I should meet.
It's the very least I could do
For the grace You've given me.

I know You will come descending
On the clouds to beckon me.
Or You'll guide me 'cross death's waters
And You'll calm the raging sea.
Just as You will give me comfort
And lead me to Eden's shore,
I will work to bring Your Kingdom
To the lost, the lame, the poor.

Hymns, Hymns, Hymns

Matthew Smith from the Indelible Grace music projects posted a comment on my last topic, so I've been browsing through his web pages. Check it out: http://www.matthewsmith.us/

From there you can check out his music, blog, concert dates, and other goodies. I would particularly recommend that you click on the "Interview" link. His discussion of the differences between hymns and many praise songs is right down my aisle.

Writing new tunes for old hymns isn't my thing because I'm not a very good musician/ writer of music, but I've been writing hymn verse the past several months, occasionally with my own music though I've been more keen to farm the hymns out to musicians/ melody writers who participate in our monthly Sojourn worship writing workshops (you can read a couple of them on posts here from the last month or so). The reason I've been writing hymn verse-style is precisely what Matthew states about the power and truth of hymns. If you're a writer, a worship leader, a Christian, or a seeker of truth and a lover of art, read the interview, and the other stuff.

I'm in love. Again.

Last night, driving home, I decided to change the disc in my CD player. I put in my AKUS "Lonely Runs Both Ways" CD, and fell in love with Alison Krauss all over again. There is no better interpreter of song, no better vocal stylist today, than Alison Krauss. Not in any style, genre, or movement. The woman is amazing.

I first heard Alison when she was a teen prodigy (we're the same age -- actually she may be a year or two older). I saw her on TV and then bought her "Every Time You Say Goodbye" CD. She and her band have been among my favorite artists ever since.

Other good albums I've been listening to lately:

Amos Lee: Amos Lee
Derek Webb: I See Things Upside Down

And speaking of Derek Webb, if you're into concert DVD's, you should check out his new "How To Kill And Be Killed" DVD, which contains concert footage, and a thirty minute interview with topics ranging from the Church, to the writing process.