DAY TWO: HOUSTON TEXAS/ The Music Re-Builds Tour

The original venue was the Cynthia Woods amphitheater. All of the MBT shows were set in outdoor arena type venues. Due to Hurricane IKE, there was a last minute venue change. There were a lot of last minute changes making this show one of the special evenings of the tour. First, instead of rising money for Habit for Humanity, ALL proceeds for this show went to rebuilding the Houston/Galveston area. This show was broadcast live on KSBJ and filmed for later TV viewing audience. RED had turned things down a bit. My seats for this show were front row, and since it was indoor arena the seats were closer to the stage than the ones for Dallas.

I was able to get some great photos of all of the bands for this night! This is a picture of Stephen Mason from Jars of Clay.




During the show Tai Anderson began to give his, bass-player-with-a-mic routine that he starts off with, “Earlier this year we had the chance to tour Iraq.” Only tonight it too was different. No sooner had he gotten the words out, he was given (what the band later has stated as) the longest standing ovation of the tour! It was very moving, to witness the gratitude of the crowd towards the men and women of the armed services, no matter what side of the election you are on.

This show had the largest amount of Gomers than any other on the entire tour. Gomers are THE main reason I attend so many Third Day shows each year. As a member of the Third Day “Wired” club, I got backstage passes for the meet & greet. As it turns out it was more about meeting up with fellow Gomers than spending time with the band members. Occasionally they would interject into our conversations, as if we would/could leave them out!


Again I ended up being one of the first to get to the venue, and one of the last to leave. (Hence the Gomer motto: Come early, stay late & WEAR ORANGE!) Of all three days of living-like-a-rock-star this was my favorite! Seeing old friends makes for time well spent! I got to sleep in my own bed this evening for another whopping 4 hours then…Off to San Antonio!!!

Safe to Land by Jars of Clay~ Lyrics

I have a tracker that compiles stats for me from this blog. The number one search engine request that directs people to this blog, after the two years or so that I've been up is: Safe to Land by Jars of Clay~ Lyrics

Let me say that I have interviewed Jars Of Clay. And I have written a review of their new EP CLOSER. However I am in no way affiliated with the band, their management, promotion team (even though I'd love to do that for a living!).

This is what I believe the lyrics to Safe to Land are (feel free to leave me a comment if you feel as though I have gotten any of them incorrect and I will edit) :

Getting tired from all this circling
Not much grace left on a broken wing
I feel the wind trying to push me down
It happens every time I get to town

I search for shelter near the mines we swept
I guess forgiveness hasn’t happened yet
There are no words that I can say to you
That turn this careless sky from black to blue
So I’m asking you is it safe? Is it safe to land?
‘Cuz I’m not going far on an empty heart
Is it safe? Is it safe to land? It’s the long fall back to earth is the hardest part

I’m in no weather for apologies
I need your runway lights to burn for me
And if you say that I can come around
I’ll love you right, yea I won’t let you down, I won’t let you down

‘Cuz I’m coming home, if these wheels touch down
I’m coming home I’m waking you up in the middle of the night I’m not giving up
I’m gonna stay ‘til we make it work
We’re not going down even if it gets worse
We’ll work it out. Yeah we’ll work it out.
I need light to guide me in
Oh, Yeah is it safe?

Music Builds Day one...

All and all we’re just another brick in the wall…

The Music Builds Tour has rolled across America laying the foundation & building awareness for Habit for Humanity. I joined the “tour” with a handful of my favorite people, the Third Day Gomers for what we dubbed the “Texas Trio.”

They say everything’s bigger in Texas. Not sure if that’s entirely true, but having seen the MBT in Nashville in April I can yesly tell you that Texas was a rocking set of shows.

Late planes and Dallas traffic almost foiled the pre-show kick off party for us. But in true Gomer style we focused on what was the most important thing to us, each other. Yes there was this little thing called a concert but what was most important was that we were seeing each other for the first time in YEARS. For some it hadn’t been that long, for others it was a first “in person” meeting. (We live together online at www.Thirdday.com/boards) I love this community of people. There is nothing that we wouldn’t do for each other… *single tear drop*… OK in all seriousness, we always make fun when we get together.

For the concert? Oh yeah, the concert. My seats started off on row 2 stage left. RED was too loud. There is no other way to describe them. I like their music on CD. But live? My ears were literally hurting, and I had ear plugs in. WAY TOO LOUD RED. (and NO I’m NOT TOO OLD!) Jars of Clay is hit-or-miss with the audience response. Their stage show is very good. I love the all white outfits. It was strange to see how the crowd in one city sat with arms folded while the next city rocked…the set/delivery was exactly the same. One of those things that make you go, hummm. Switchfoot delivered a great show. Its always a crowd pleaser when Jon Forman jumps off the stage and runs through the crowd. Security nightmare I’m sure, but good theatrics. Due to the sound ordinances each band cut their show a little shorter so we didn’t get the same set each night. By the time Third Day took the stage, the “Friends of the Foot” had cleared out to go to their meet & greet with the band so I was able to get front row. Its always fun to have Third Day say something about their psycho fans (as Mac has so lovingly dubbed us). After a short but rocking set we all headed back stage for some face time with the guys. It was nice to see the wives there interacting with the fans as well. They’re always a treat. After the show back out to eat with the Gomers. Surprisingly not at Waffle House either! Then off to the hotel for the first night of 4 hours of sleep. God its great to live like a rock star!!!

Love done right

Every once in a while you meet, "When love got it right." Not too often. Mostly you hear complaints of everything bad. Enough ammunition to keep me single. Maybe you just know someone too well and thats why you endure all the "dirt" and none of the praise in their relationship. Some of my friends never say anything good or bad about their spouse...makes ya wonder.

I got a chance recently to meet a good "love story" couple. You can follow her here.



Nice to meet you Stephanie!! :)

If the World could vote

I got an email today with a world map asking the question, if the world could vote, who would the next President of the United States be.

You can click the link and check it out for yourself.

Don't forget to VOTE!!!

Jars of Clay MBT interview

I originally submitted this to the site I write for as a new article, prior to the end of the Music Builds Tour. However it never made it to "print" so I edited it as a past tense version. Since they've never posted it, I'm going to.

This interview was recorded at Cypress Gardens Florida earlier in the Summer. Enjoy!


I heard Bono proclaim that, “I don’t believe that Rock-n-Roll can really change the world.” The Music Builds Tour rolled across America this year in hopes that Rock-n-Roll could really change one person, one place at a time. Hoping that if they can draw attention to cause of Habitat for Humanity, then maybe they can raise the level of awareness needed to make a difference in someone’s life. And that my friends would begin to change the world.



This tour featured 3 Redlight managed bands: Third Day, Switchfoot, and Robert Randolph and the Family band, along with the independent Jars of Clay and RED.



I recently sat down with Jars of Clay to discuss their involvement in the Music Builds Tour. What I found was not what I expected. Who knew that Jars of Clay were such funny guys? When asked, “How did you guys get involved with this tour?” Matt Odmark chimes in with, “Strategery.”

“We’re not even sure if we’re really on the tour” adds Stephen Mason. Laughter is the main recording of this whole interview.



When this tour was first announced, and the details began to become hot topics on the various message boards and forums for the bands, there was a cry of outrageous ticket prices, with a minimal amount donated back to Habitat for Humanity. Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay offered a very eloquent rebuttal on the Jars of Clay message boards. “I suppose the point is not that $1 per ticket is the end of the giving opportunities for Habitat during the tour, it is just one of the ways Habitat will raise funds. A tour like this has layers, just as most do. The tour is very high profile, so that will give Habitat a bit of exposure. It is also just a great line-up.”



I read on your blog that your in the studio working on a new CD. Do you have a release date for that?

“We have an EP called CLOSER” Charlie Lowell
Closer to being done with the CD?

“Closer than a couple of months ago!” Charlie

“For the [CD] we’re probably looking at March of ’09. But the EP is going to have a few sneak peeks on it. You’ll also be able to digitally get the EP. So it will only be available on the tour or digitally online. So those not lucky enough to make it out to the Music Builds [Tour] you can still pick it up on iTunes or wherever you go[online].” Matt





By now Jars of Clay has pretty much toured America . Is there any city that you’re excited about playing again, or excited about going back to?

“ Chicago ” Stephen

“ Des Moines ” Matt

“We’re not in Des Moines ! Oklahoma City guys!” Charlie



Oklahoma City was on my list until the dates changed. Now I’m just doing the Texas Trio.



“Fair enough” Charlie



Being a recent Houston transplant, I was hoping that Texas would have been one of the “favorite” hot spots.

Stephen, the jester I’m assuming, quips, “Well we love our Texas . We love our Texas food. We love our Texas people. We love our Walker Texas Ranger.” (Laughter rolls again like thunder) “We didn’t realize how many warehouses with empty boxes there were in Texas!”



“That he can just run in and blow up” Charlie



“Ne'er-do-wellers living there.” Matt



“Shenanigans!” Charlie


More laughter rolls out of the tent holding the interview. The tour manager is now popping over to see what is going on in this interview. Sanity has been misplaced, replaced by sheer humor accompanied with laughter. Sensing a loss of control over the interview process, I asked one last question. “Have you ever sat in these interviews and wished that [the interviewer] would ask you a particular question and they never do? If so what would that question be?”

“No, I’m usually up for whatever you find interesting. Then I try to bend that toward what I’m interested in!” Stephen



“There’s the trick.” Matt

“The secret of the interviewee” Charlie

Matt adds, “I’ve sat in some interviews and wished someone would say, hey man you need $20?” (Roar of laughter)



So if you ever see Matt, ask him if he wants $20, or you can just donate it to Blood Water Mission on behalf of Jars of Clay.



Jars previewed some of their new music from the EP CLOSER with good crowd response. You can pick up the new EP online from JarsofClay.com , or from iTunes.