Jive Monkey Gold: Ain't Love Grand

Ok, so I'm a month behind on celebrating this anniversary with a reprint of my Jive Monkey column last September, but congrats to Jason and Stacey on celebrating one year of marriage. And now, let us relive the day with this column from last September 10:

Ain't Love Grand

So Pinhead Stacey and Nature Boy Jason were married outdoors on the grounds of the Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville last Saturday evening. It seems like only yesterday that they got engaged, and a day or two before that when we Nightriders met Jason (well, actually I'd met him previously, because we worked together). Weird how time flies.

Although it was UNEARTHLY HOT, I must say the wedding was beautiful. Clear blue skies, a magestic Victorian mansion, a sparkling outdoor fountain, a nice-sized dance floor and stage on the grounds ... what more could you ask for? (now that a year's gone by, I'm less emotionally scarred by the memory of oppresive heat. I'm remembering the day more and more fondly. - ed)

I must say, Stacey was gorgeous. Obviously, she takes after her big brother .... 8-)(however, once a pinhead, always a pinhead. - ed)
I was the "wedding singer" (take that, Adam Sandler) and I must say, I was so lucky to get to perform with Little Lorie King and Jive Tone Nathan Stites. Those two could make anyone, even me, sound great.

Nathan played keyboard with me during the reception. I had written a funky little blues tune for the occasion, and Nathan came up with a boogie woogie piano part that fleshed the song out and made it dance. I was so pumped after that song that I wanted to tell the DJs to go home and let Nathan and I take it from there. I'd heard Nathan do some classical stuff and modern worship stuff before, but let me tell you -- Nathan is a closet blues man. It's in his blood. Somebody get that guy some dark glasses and a fedora.

Lorie's voice blows me away. It always does. As music director for a gospel radio station, I used to have to judge a lot of talent, and I can honestly say Lorie is one of the best pure vocalists I've ever heard. It's so versatile -- no matter what she's singing, she sounds great. I'm thinking of not writing songs anymore. I'm just going to write out names from a phone book -- enough for about 3 minutes of reading -- come up with a melody, and have Lorie sing the names on my demos. They will sound like masterpiece songs because of her voice.

Harold Best has written several times on the need for more artistic "home town heroes" in the Church. He says the Church has gotten very good at creating "Christian Celebrities": big time worship "stars" who tour all over and sell tons of CD's, but what we need more of are artists who are every bit as talented as these "big names" but who will make themselves useful in a local church body, and who will dedicate their talents to a specific community. It's like he had Lorie and Nathan in mind when he wrote those words, because that is what they are. If you ever get a chance to hear either of them or work with them, you should jump on it.

As to the married couple -- I understand that their planned honeymoon in Myrtle Beach has been changed, do to Hurrican Ophilia. I'm not sure where they're headed now, but I wish them the best. Even though I and my co-conspirators have a key to their house, and some, uh, interesting plans for its use before they come home. When the cats are away, the mice will play .... (fortunately for the cats, we mice couldn't coordinate our schedules during that week they were away, so no pranks were pulled in the honeymooners' home. Oh, and I will add that they've since bought a new house. It's gorgeous. -- ed)