LOOKING BACK AT '22 - FAVORITE SONGS (PART 2 OF 6)

 

Reclaim The Day, from Get To The Point Festival. Left to right - WVIU bassist of the year Logan Morehouse, drummer Tristan Harris, lead vocalist Becca Sugg, and WVIU lead guitarist of the year Marcus Sugg. Did this band have any songs on my 15 favorite songs of '22? If so, how many?

Those of you familiar with my blogs and posts know I give lists on both fiction and non-fiction books. But how about music? 

To be honest, our budget for new books and records is usually zero, so I make use of the library for my reading. I regularly get CDs from there as well, but most of the time it's classical with some music like Yanni, and for the purpose of relaxing at night (which is why I don't check out Stryper). It's recently I started listening to more recent music on Spotify (and I also plan on listening some next year to WVIU and Silent Witness Radio (click here if you missed my interview with Gothdad of SWR).

So this year, I'll list my 15 favorite songs from this past year. With my books, I don't claim my favorites were all written that year, but rather were read that year (which allows Agatha Christie and Allistair MacLean to compete against Kerry Nietz, Nancy Mehl, and Donna Fletcher Crow). The music, I'm trying to deal with '22 songs, though a '21 song might sneak in there. (For example, one of my favorite songs came out last year as a single, but was on a EP and won the WVIU award for best rock song this year, so it qualifies).

Part of the reason of these lists is to encourage the artists included, but I want to be a good dad and not show favortism, so I pick a number (often, 10 is too limited so I make sure I expand it to include all my strong favorites), and then list the entries alphabetically by title. After all, I don't want an author or musician to think, "Oh, I'm #10 on a list of 10? I just barely missed it."

Before I start, I'll state that all of these songs can be found on Spotify. There are some artists who are yet to be on Spotify that I really enjoy (e.g. True Revival Band) or have a single out this year that didn't get on Spotify yet (e.g. Worhol) that I'd love to have on the list, or a song I heard live that's not recorded yet (speaking specifically of "Relief" by Tempus Unum). Hope to see them next year!

I'll admit I haven't seen the lyrics for most of these songs, so some of those comments will be more about style. But I really enjoy each song on the list. So are you ready? (And again, the numbers don't relate to ranking.)

1. "Captain Rescue Me" by Hubbards Marsh. Hubbards Marsh consists of my good friends Gary Wixtrom and his wife Amy Shreve. Amy has several excellent albums out as well. (By the way, I'd love to interview Gary and/or Amy for the blog.) This is probably one of the mellower songs on this list.
   
2. "Fear" by Divine Martyr. I absolutely love this song, which deservedly got nominated for best rock song in the WVIU awards.
   
3. "Framing My Perception" by Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh (aka GFM Band). Some of this band's songs are a little too hardcore for me, but I especially enjoy this song. GFM consist of three sisters, for those who haven't read my interview with them.
   
4. "Future" by Undefeated. A good rock song by another family group (two sisters and a brother; definitely want to get to hear them!).
   
5. "Give Me Faith" by Becca Sugg. Becca is lead vocalist and guitarist for Reclaim The Day (pictured above), which also has other entries on this list. I think this is a song that technically is a '21 song, but I'm counting it because I just discovered it a week or two ago.
6. "God of Revival" by Forsaken Hero. I love the title of the song, and I absolutely loved the song. When I interviewed Casey Price, I learned this was a cover of a Bethel music song, but I like this version better than the original. This also got a nomination for the WVIU awards (Another band I want to hear live.)
   
7. "Mystique" by Divine Martyr. This is a unique entry on the list because it's the only instrumental. 
8. "Remnant" by Ignescent. The title definitely got my attention, because I think the American Church too often forgets God usually works through the remnant. This hard rock song is as good as the title.
9. "Send Down The Fire" by Beth Hall. This is one of two songs by Beth on Spotify, the other being a Christmas song. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from her.
10. "Sentenced To Life" by Reclaim The Day. I fell in love with this song when I first heard it. This song was the winner for Best Rock Song in the WVIU awards.
11. "Testimony" by Hush Harbor. This song blew me away first time I heard it, and I had the privilege of hearing them do this song at the Get To The Point Festival.
12. "Truth" by Divine Martyr. Yes, the third and most recent Divine Martyr song on this list. And would you mind if I mentioned it's my favorite by them? One night last week, as I was lying half asleep, this song was going through my brain (with Bruckner's 6th symphony, 1st movement alternating with it).
13. "World Gone Mad" by Upstanding Gents. This band's music reminds me of Lifesavors and Altar Boys from the '80's. 
14. "You Chose Me" by Toni LaShaun. The most uplifting song I heard this year. Thus, I wasn't surprised when it won the award for "Songs that remind us of our purpose."
    
15. "Yours Alone" by Reclaim the Day. If you count Becca's solo song, Reclaim the Day tied Divine Martyr with most entries for this year's inaugural list.

But what will be on my list this coming year? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE ENGLISH, BASSIST/VOCALIST FOR GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH (AKA GFM)

 

Gold Frankincese and Myrrh (GFM): L=R Lulu (drums), Maggie (vocals, bass), and CJ (vocals/guitar)

Yes, another band I discovered as a member of Female Christian Rock & Metal FB group. This group is the group known as Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh, or for short, GFM. I'm honored to interview Maggie English, the bass player and vocalist. The rest of the band is her sisters CJ on guitar and vocals and LuLu on drums.

JR: Welcome to the blog, Maggie. I'd like to start with asking how you to introduce yourselves. How did you all come to Christ, and did you get interested in music? 

ME: Thank you for having us! We had the privilege of growing up in a Christian family, so we were introduced to Jesus at a very young age. Each of us had a time in our lives when we decided we wanted to figure this faith thing out and make sure we weren’t just believing it because our parents did. Obviously, we still are learning every day and trying to grow closer to God, but around middle childhood is when each of us really established our faith.  

We were introduced to music by our parents, and our music teachers actually introduced us to the heavier style of music we play today. We got the chance to go to Welcome to Rockville in 2014, and seeing those bands that day helped us decide our music style!  

JR: I believe you have a new EP coming out. Could you tell us about both the project and the title track, "Framing My Perception?" 

ME: We are very excited for everyone to hear the songs from "Framing My Perception." We always want to create songs that are raw and personal, and we were able to discuss issues of complacency in the church and root issues that tear relationships apart.  

The song "Framing My Perception" is really a call to arms. It encourages people to take a step back in order to re-evaluate their current situation. If we view things as a way to learn and overcome, we become stronger and more resilient.  

JR: As I looked at your web-page about your tours, there are
three venues/tours that I'm curious about your experiences there: 

1. The Axes and Anchors cruise (what was it like performing on a boat)?
2. The festivals in Germany (both my wife and I went on Mission trips to Germany). 
3. The current Save The World tour with Fozzy. 

ME: The Axes and Anchors cruise was one of the first major events we performed at. It was strange playing while a boat was moving, and we had to make a conscious effort not to fall over on stage. But there was free ice cream! 

The festivals in Germany are always a blast, and we’ve formed such a lovely family over there. The crowds are crazy, and it’s always fun to see them getting into the show. We’ve had moshing at acoustic shows, people backflipping into the crowd, and crowdsurfing! We also had the opportunity to lead worship in one of the churches there, and it was such a beautiful experience.  

The Save The World tour with Fozzy was another surreal experience. We were met with packed out venues each night, and the road family we joined was so supportive. The boys in Fozzy and their manager Avery were such a blessing to travel with! 

JR: I've always believed that Christian musicians on the
cutting edge are on the front lines of spiritual warfare, since they are invading the enemy's territory. Where do you all find spiritual strength? What type of spiritual support do you have? 

ME: Being sisters and family on the road, we have learned to become a unit. We’ve learned how to be open and communicate with each other and hold each other accountable. Because of the pandemic, our churches also provide online streams, so we’re able to attend church while on the road.  We make it a goal of ours to stay involved with Bible reading as well.  

JR: Related to the above, how has God worked in your ministry? What areas of growth have there been since you started working on "Identity Crisis" back in 2016? And how have you been able to encourage others during the pandemic as well as everyday life? 

ME: Any progress that GFM has made is because of God intervening on our behalf. The opportunities we have received can only be explained in that way. 

We’ve been able to speak with so many people and walk alongside them on their recovery journey, and it’s just been a blessing to be used by God in this way. We try to make sure we are always available at shows and online, so that people can have the chance to talk to us if they’d like.  

JR: Thank you very much for your time, and may the Lord bless your ministry. I know you'll be at the Kingdom Come Festival in Kokomo this year (playing Friday, June 17th; unfortunately I won't be able to make that day). How can everybody keep up with what's new with you ladies? 

ME: Make sure to follow us @thegfmband on all social media sites (such as our Facebook page)! Information goes there first, and we are very active! Our webpage is https://www.thegfmband.com. Let us know if you have any questions, and please don’t hesitate to reach out!