Theocracy: A Band You Should Know About...and an Unforgettable Father/Son Weekend

This past weekend, my 17 year old son Tommy and I took a roadtrip down to Atlanta, Georgia to catch Theocracy, our favorite band, in concert. It was a weekend to remember.

Theocracy is a relatively new band (3 CDs now) and perhaps new to you as well. They play a style of music called Progressive Power Metal. For those of you who like any kind of heavy metal or hard rock, Theocracy is a band you'll love. If you're a little hesitant about heavy metal because you're imagining loud, discordant songs with vocals that are growled or so harsh that you cannot understand it…that is NOT Theocracy. Theocracy's brand of power metal is symphonic, melodic, multi-layered goodness. And, if you're a Christian, you should know that this band is bringing glory to God in major ways. Just check out some lyrics:

...from the song Mirror of Souls:

"I must get across and get to that light
For it represents my only hope tonight
But when I saw the chasm, all that hope was lost
I've spent so long in the dark and the rain
That the sight of the light made my heart sing again
But the gulf's so wide, and there's no way across"

The stranger smiled, and took my hand
He said, "But you are wrong, my friend
You cannot cross the gulf yourself, that's true"
He led me down toward the edge
And pointed just over the ledge
And said, "Behold, I built a bridge for you"

From the song I Am:

I am the light upon your path when you have lost your way
I am the footprints in the sand the ocean’s tide can’t wash away
I am the shelter from the storm that rages on and on
The incorruptible foundation that the wise man builds upon
I am the bread that feeds a starving man upon the street
I am the bounty on the table in the palace at the feast
I am the rain upon the earth after a scorching drought
I am the quenching of the thirst you never thought you’d be without

I am the melody that weaves its way inside your soul
I am the symphony, the masterpiece, the actor’s greatest role
I am the poetry that speaks to you with every rhyme
I am the songwriter who seems to write your life in every line
I am the simple truths that shaped your world from your birth
I am the vast volumes of knowledge spanning all across the earth
I am the whisper of the wind you feel, but cannot see
I am the alpha and omega, first and last, eternally

See what I mean? It's worship. And Theocracy is reaching people who might otherwise never hear about Jesus. I hope that you'll support them and / or tell friends who like the music style.

Here's a link to the Theocracy Website: http://www.theocracymusic.com/

Now, onto the weekend. The roadtrip down was fun simply because my son Tommy and I were together, but certain developments made it a lifetime memory and another footnote of God-at-work for our journals.

Just before the concert, I said to Tommy, "The only thing I'm bummed about is that they won't have my size t-shirt for sale." I wear a rather large size, you see. One so large that I shall not mention it here out of sheer embarrassment. lol We get to the concert, rush into the merchandise area, and ask about the shirts. They had a shirt and a hoodie in Tommy's size. We bought both. Then the lady said, "Oh, we do have one other shirt, but we only have one and it's this size." I looked down. It was my size. Unreal. Seriously, folks, you don't understand. Unless you're in a Big and Tall Shop, most places don't carry this size or even the next two sizes down.

There were three bands before Theocracy, so Tommy and I went out to the restaurant part of the concert hall to have dinner. Afterwards, Tommy went to check out one of the other bands. So I'm sitting at the dinner table, and none other than Theocracy vocalist Matt Smith comes walking up to my table to personally thank me for making the long trip. I was thrilled to meet him, but Tommy was in the other room. I texted him urgently, but he didn't show...until after Matt had left.

It was like a bad sitcom. "Tommy, where were you?"
"What, why?"
"Matt Smith just came to our table."
"No way."
"Yes. He was right here. We talked for five minutes. I signed a book for him."
"Why didn't you text me?"
"I did!"

Fortunately, Matt came back to the table to meet Tommy and took a pic with him. It was just about the kindest, coolest thing. Matt Smith is a rock star. I mean, really. He is virtuoso at guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, oh…and he sings like a combination of Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden and Dennis DeYoung of Styx. Seriously. That good, and yet, Matt is as humble and gracious as can be. 

Then, the show was incredible. Theocracy played each and every song Tommy wanted to hear AND played the title track from their new yet-to-be-released CD. It was the first time they'd played the song live. WHOA. The show was just mindbogglingly good. And yes I, the 46 year old teacher/author, was headbanging all night.

Afterward, God thing number 2 happened. The stage manager gave Tommy the "set list" from the stage. Bands often have a single sheet of paper with all the night's songs printed on it, and they tape it to the back of a PA monitor or onto the stage floor. This is a pretty cool piece of memorabilia, and the stage manager gave it to Tommy. And then, the entire band signed it. And then we took a group pic with the band. Amazing.

Tommy and I went to sleep that night with major post concert euphoria. Blessing upon blessing, upon blessing.

Here are a few more pics of the show:

Do you have the passion? Musical Fuel for Writing, Episode 2

Greetings, all. If you've been visiting my blog for any length of time, you know that I like to listen to music while I write. Symphonic, cinematic rock seems to be the ticket for me. It's grand, it's powerful, it's intense, it's beautiful, it's epic--all the things I want my stories to be. It is some of the most melodic and technically brilliant stuff out there. And over the last coupla years,  I've been blessed to discover some amazing bands. The first band I blogged about was The Orphan Project. To read the interview with OP front man Shane Lankford, click HERE and HERE.

Next up is a band called Stream of Passion. Their first CD Embrace the Storm caught my attention simply because of the concept "Embrace the Storm" really resonated with me. Jesus told us in this life we would have trouble. And yet so many of us get struck with hardship and wonder "Why is this happening to me?" Just the CD title made me think about how I respond to calamity. And I wonder if maybe I ought to just embrace the storm as something Jesus will use to refine my faith, something that will force me to my knees because I have no other place to go. I don't think this is what the band Stream of Passion had in mind with the song, but that's where it took me. 

So I got the CD and listened to it on a long drive to Scranton PA, and WOW. It was so different, so unusual, melodic and delightfully crunchy, that I instantly became a fan. All the musicians in SoP are phenomenal--and I mean literally musicians of the highest order. SoP vocalist Marcela Bovio has a voice that defies category. We'll still try of course. She has the lilt of a Celtic balladeer, the gut punching soul of Nancy Wilson of Heart, and the restless melancholy of Amy Lee of Evanescence. Just make sure you understand that Marcela and SoP are not clones or even derivative of ANY other band. Seriously.

Marcela was kind enough to agree to do an interview for Enter the Door Within, so here it is. Enjoy your visit with Marcela and SoP. 

1. First, could you introduce yourself and the band? My name is Marcela Bovio, I’m the lead vocalist and violinist of Stream of Passion. Together with me in the band are Stephan Schultz (lead guitar), Eric Hazebroek (rhythm guitar), Johan van Stratum (bass), Jeffrey Revet (keyboards) and Martijn Peters (drums). I’m from Mexico, but I live in Holland as the rest of the band who’s all Dutch. 

2. If you were trapped on an island that just happened to have a solar powered CD player, but you could only have one CD to listen to, what would it be? Why?
Just one? Wow… Can it be an MP3 CD player? And can it be a CD filled with MP3 so I can squeeze more in it? J I don’t think I could ever choose for just one CD… But well, if you make me choose right now I’d go for my latest acquisition: Pablo Ziegler – “Tango and all that jazz”.

3. Same scenario as above, but what CD would you beg, “Anything but that!”?? Explain.
If you leave me on a deserted island with a reggaeton CD that would just be plain cruel…
4. Finish the simile. The sound of Stream of Passion is most like ______a hurricane_____________. Why?
Name a Weather Event
We aim to create music that sweeps you away, that strikes you with its intensity and emotions. I think a hurricane is a good description!

 
5. You’ve obviously pleased a lot of ears (mine included) with your outrageously cool sound, but given the powerful messages in your songs, have you heard back from fans about the impact your music has had on them? If so, do you have a favorite letter you could share a piece of?
I don’t have any specific examples, but I have had wonderful messages from people telling me just how much our music has touched them or inspired them. It’s the biggest reward you can get as a musician, to know that people can find themselves in your music.
6. In The Flame Within, it seemed you explored some very different shores from Embrace the Storm. Would you comment on that?
Embrace the Storm was an album that Arjen and I wrote back then without any specific ideas as to where the music should go. We started with some acoustic guitar ideas of his that I worked on and the songs evolved to be what they now are. For The Flame Within we had a way more specific idea of what we wanted, which was to make a more energetic, more live orientated album; we had the intention to write songs that would reflect the intensity of our live shows on how driven we are on stage.

 
7. With a voice like yours, you could have chosen just about any musical genre. Why progressive metal? It’s a genre that allows you to do a lot, and that’s why I like it. There’s the chance to do very delicate soft parts as well as louder passages, use classic technique, you name it.
8. The Art of Loss is an incredible opener. Can you give us some behind the scenes insight as to how Stream of Passion decided on that track as the first track?
We thought it really summed up what we wanted to say as a band with this new album; it has a lot of drive, some exotic feel to it, very melodic as well as heavy moments.

 
9. What’s next for Stream of Passion?
We have some more dates planned, and hopefully add a couple more cool gigs for the year. Besides this we’re already busy writing stuff for a new album.

10. Finally, just wishful thinking here, but if one of my books were to be made into a movie, would Stream of Passion consider doing a track for the movie? Never done anything like that, but it would be a nice challenge!

Again, huge thanks to Marcela Bovio for taking the time out of the very busy SoP schedule. Check out Stream of Passion's newest CD: The Flame Within!

Note: As always, with ANY media that you watch or listen to, please use discernment. 

Next up in the Musical Fuel series: Theocracy.  

 

Ready to rock? Curse of the Spider King Music, Track 1

Christopher Hopper and I are pleased to announce the official release of The Lost Ones, our new single for the Curse of the Spider King. We batted around the idea of putting it on iTunes and numerous other online providers, but felt it was better simply to offer it to you directly through our websites. For free. If you'd like to donate a dollar for the song download, that's appreciated, but please don't feel obligated. This is a small 'thank you' to all those of you who have been so faithful to help promote our works through your enthusiasm.

If nothing else, please leave a comment to let us know you've downloaded the single.

"The Lost Ones"
Music by: Christopher Hopper
Words by: Wayne Thomas Batson & Christopher Hopper
Performed, Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by: Christopher Hopper
Sprig Records 2010

DOWNLOAD "The Lost Ones" (5.9Mb)

Music

If you've visited Enter the Door Within often, you may have just noticed the little iPod music player in the sidebar and the cool theme music. That music is a theme for Isle of Swords (and Isle of Fire) written and performed by 14 year old reader named Jon. Can you say, super talented?

Well done, Jon!

Interview with Orphan Project, Part 2

Tonight, I'm continuing an interview with Shane Lankford, the lead vocalist for a new Christian Rock Band called Orphan Project. I had the opportunity to catch OP live last weekend, and they ROCKED the house for Him. You can just tell there's passion in and behind the music. Orphan Found, their first CD is available for sale. Click HERE. It's a CD that will instantly become one of your faves.

And now, the interview with Shane:

1. Some Christians get a little uneasy about Rock Music--even more so with heavy stuff. How do you respond to that? Do you feel that the Christian message can mesh with hard rock?

Shane: well, my initial response is...most of the people who say that are pretty old and don't "understand" the younger generation, but with that said...there is alot of horrible music out there and a decent amount of it can/is lumped into the "hard rock" genre. I believe there is good music and bad music...and I'm not too keen on saying there's Christian vs. secular music. I believe God gives us music as a blessing and if it's played with your talents to glorify God, and it is GOOD musically then it is good music and all must appreciate it.

I don't like the fact that it seems like everyone you meet these days is a "musician"...I think instruments are learned and focused on too much by people who really shouldn't be playing an instrument, but they want to 'cause it's "cool". Again, back to the original question...yes the Christian message can definitely mesh with hard rock, but you must be prepared to play/create/write whatever style you are writing to the absolute best of your ability (and seriously...some people's best cannot really be considered good music...imho) to the glory of God...not neccessarily speaking/singing about Christ...but the Spirit of the Gospel must be sensed in what people hear...that way your music is as deep as the weight of the message. Boy, I hope that makes sense, but it's a subject that I believe the mainstream Christian populus doesn't take seriously enough.



2. I read on your bio that you are actually an adopted orphan. Is that right? How has that impacted your experience of God?

Shane: yes, I was adopted when I was 4 months old...so not really an orphan off the street, but adopted nonetheless. The impact on me spiritually is tremendous! What greater representation of God's grace to me, when He called me by the Spirit's leading into His family! What happened to me physically has also happened to me spiritually...very cool! Adoption into the kingdom is such a blessing and I don't believe it's making as great an impact as it should. I think the issue is that I believe that God "chose" me first (predestined) and I didn't choose Him...therefore He adopted me into His family!!! Praise the Lord!



3. Okay, I'm going to get a little weird--I'm a writer; it's what I do. LOL But here's the situation: You've just been welcomed into heaven. You've had some meaningful time with the Savior already. While wandering some streets of gold, you notice some people coming towards you. Turns out, they listened to Orphan Project when they were on earth. Now here's the question: what would you most want to hear these people say to you?

Shane: Wow, now that's a great question...I guess in a nutshell I would hope they'd say that OP gave them a message of hope found only in the Gospel of Christ. In the darkness of ourselves Christ breaks through and cleanses us and gives us hope from ourselves! I just want to be as real a messenger of the Gospel as possible and how it impacts man in real life.


Take care & God bless,
Shane Lankford
Orphan Project
www.orphanfound.com
www.myspace.com/orphanproject
www.shoutlife.com/orphanproject

"Voice of Visual Cliff"
www.visualcliff.net
www.myspace.com/visualcliff

"we are all orphans until..."

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:8,
NIV).

A Special Visit!

I am so stoked about this weekend. 6PM this Saturday evening at Chaplegate Presbyterian Church, one of my favorite new bands, Orphan Project, will be live and in concert...and I'm going!

I was fortunate enough to become an online friend to their lead vocalist, Shane Lankford. And Shane kindly agreed to do a three-part interview here on Enter The Door Within. So enjoy meeting Shane and Orphan Project. And, if you like powerful music with a powerful message, pick up their debut CD, Orphan Found. You can find it HERE.

Hey, Shane. Thanks for agreeing to let me interview you and your band Orphan Project. For the folks who don't know you and the band, would you introduce yourself, the band, and tell us a little about how you got together?

Hey man, thanks alot for giving us a chance to tell our story! Anyway, I'm Shane Lankford and I do lead vocals, and the other members of the band are Bill Yost (bass & vocals), Tim Kehring (drums & vocals), Scott Spivey (guitars & vocals) and unfortunately we are currently looking for a keyboard player. As far as how we got together, this lineup of Orphan Project is a remnant of the original lineup of 6 members. Actually, the new music and new direction is mainly due to Bill Yost encouraging me to continue on with OP after John Wenger (responsible for all music on Orphan Found) left. Way back in the beginning (2002) I wrote the concept for "Orphan Found" and met with John Wenger to have music put to it. When we got in the studio to record the cd we called in some session players (Scott Spivey being one of them) and so from there, in order to take the sound live we formed a band. The 2 new tunes we have written will be typical of the "band sound" of Orphan Project: (www.myspace.com/orphanproject)

I heard the Orphan Found track on CPR#2 (Christian Progressive Rock Anthology #2) and bought the CD that instant. Like the first chapter of a good book, it hooked me. Then I bought the Orphan Found CD and love it.The music is so rich. How would you describe your sound?


Our sound would be described as a musical version of "desperation meeting Hope." Musically and lyrically dark & deep growing into the knowledge of Hope...Hope being Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God! (Note from Wayne: When you listen to OP, you'll hear influences of Kansas, Rush, Dream Theater, etc., but they really are just influences, echoes that resonate, but believe me Orphan Project has a sound all their own--soulful, artistic rock that haunts and blesses at the same time.)


The message of your first CD, Orphan Found, is powerful. Does it reveal a bit of your mission as a musician? How so?

Yes, I believe it does. Well, I believe that music first is a gift from our Creator, a blessing from above so therefore the opportunity to be involved in music (or anything in life) must be taken seriously. We are called to do our best in all things...so, writing powerful, thought provoking music should be our goal...ultimately glorifying God in all we do.

Take care & God bless,
Shane Lankford Orphan Project
www.orphanfound.comwww.myspace.com/
orphanprojectwww.shoutlife.com/orphanproject
"Voice of Visual Cliff" www.visualcliff.netwww.myspace.com/visualcliff

"we are all orphans until..."

“I will not leave you as orphans;
I will come to you” (John 14:8, NIV).