Many of you know and have heard Eric Orson sing. From the moment I first walked in the doors of Fellowship Church back in the fall of 1999, his voice was the first voice I heard. Having previously served on praise and worship teams for churches; I was immediately imprisoned by the music and worship at Fellowship Church. For almost 10 years now Eric has led Fellowship Church in song, in worship, in praise, and in prayer. Very few people have the passion, heart, sincerity, and the immeasurable raw talent that Eric has.
Whether it is an event for President George W. Bush, a nation wide church conference, a youth camp, a weekend service at Fellowship Church, a missions group in Africa, or just a small group of ten people; Eric's ministry and passion for music has touched a number of people far to large to be counted. Anywhere in Dallas/Fort Worth, he's likely to be asked for his autograph. Even when in Mexico, or while backpacking in Europe, he's sure to be stopped with the question, "hey, aren't you that guy that sings at Fellowship?"
Little did I know back in 1999 that Eric and I would eventually become close friends. I could not foresee that Eric would invite my future wife to 1824 (the single's ministry) in 2002. I could not foresee that we would eventually rent a house together, serve in ministry together, and eventually stand in each other's weddings. All that to say, I've been blessed to come to know the man that Eric is, not just hear the voice he has.
Eric and his wife Emily are now accepting the challenge to a whole new life adventure. After months of hard consideration and prayer, they are moving to Honolulu. Certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity, Emily has accepted a position with one of the top marine institutes in the country and will be working with dolphins, which is her life long dream.
I know I speak for many when I say they will be missed here on the main land. Eric's ministry, reach, and impact to the masses has no bounds. I have to guess that there is a lucky church somewhere in Hawaii that might soon be blessed the way Fellowship has. I can not wait to see what the future holds.
With much love for the Orson's, we wish them well in their new adventure. If you would like to do the same, feel free to leave a comment here (which he'll get), or comment on his MySpace page at: www.Myspace.com/EricOrson
(Thanks to Bill Harned for the Video Montage)
For you folks in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, hours of laughter are waiting for you at Monty Python's Spamalot. Katie and I saw the show this past Thursday, and laughed until it hurt. If you are going to catch a Dallas Summer Musical this summer, this is one to catch. Spamalot carries unbelievable sets, technical stage elements, and most importantly, creative - hysterical writing. At times, I would be laughing thinking, "How did they do that?!!"
Winner of the 2006 "Best Musical" Tony Award, the show is complete with coconut clacking horseback riding, the Flatulent Frenchmen, and an array of hysterically diverse Knights of the Round Table. Katie and I loved it so much we're making plans for later this summer to see the Vegas version which is at the Wynn Las Vegas where John O' Hurley stars as King Arthur. I can't even imagine seeing O'Hurley's humorous persona take on Spamalot's King Arthur.
Let me first say that I try not to let rants run my blog, but I have to let the steam out of this one. I think the combination of a really long day and a ludicrous finale of American Idol calls me to comment a bit here on the ridiculousness that was shown last night.
I can't really figure out which element served as the magical ingredient to turn the American Idol finale into the circus that it was, maybe because there were too many deficiencies present. We have a fairly good entertainment system here in the Murph household, but I am forced to assume that the audio for video people were on the same medication that Paula was on. Oh Yes, I know she tripped over her poodle or something like that, but I guess that even with Hollywood money, the finest doctors in the land prescribed her some type of make-me-silly medicine that she obviously shared with the audio team, because all I heard were thin vocals and insane high end from the percussion. Guitars, bass, keys.... what about the other 15-20 instruments in the room? Didn't here an ounce of that on the tube... nope.. sure didn't... the sound was radio-shack-portable-speaker-bad.
And seriously, what's up with making them both sing A Moment Like This, I mean, Here is My Now. Of course Jordan can blow that song out of the park like it is nobody's business. The key to AI finales is the cross-over power ballad... which of course is good for the pure vocalist. But making Blake sing A Moment Like Here... I mean Now.... I mean Here is Now.... whatever.... is like asking Aerosmith to sing My Heart Will Go On?!?!? Mismatch... just maybe. Those two go together like a bottle of vintage chianti and a bowl of Lucky Charms... mmmmmm yeah..... good pair. They might as well have Jordan sing "Try to Catch me Ridin' Dirty". Don't get me wrong.... I think Jordan is a phenomenal talent, but I do wish the scales could weigh in a little more evenly on the set list for the final night.
The good news is this: Blake reached a level 4-5 weeks ago that put him in Daughtry-land, which means... it doesn't matter if he wins. He'll reach the same success whether he wins or not (and frankly Jordan is there too). Katie and I both think Jordan and Blake are well deserving talents... but the finale being a joke dealt Jordan the royal flush.
A couple months ago, there was a lot of talk going on about Steve Jobs' (CEO, Apple Inc.) open letter challenging record labels to forget about copyright protection software like DRM. I am glad he wrote it. I don't think for two seconds that he wrote it with the purest of intentions, but I'm glad he wrote it. Maybe he read the memo about music e-tailers in Germany removing DRM, whose sales went up 40 percent as a result. Who knows? Maybe my trust for too-cool-for-school Stevie will grow if he's found free and clear of his stock options scandal... or maybe when iTunes starts putting more money in the musician's pocket instead their own. You know... maybe more than the if-and-when 11 cents per song could go to the artist for starters.
I'm going out on a limb here to talk about the future of the RIAA, DRM, and record labels. The word of the day is R.I.P.
Rest in Peace
It was fun while it lasted wasn't it? RIAA supports the record labels, who support DRM, who support, no not musicians, but the business and legal savvy that prey and capitalize on the creative musicians. The truth hurts.
RIAA - it's time to evolve... it's either that, or disappear. Your choice, though I prefer the latter.
Record Labels - I'd put your bankruptcy lawyer on speed dial if I was you. You're going to need it. EMI already has the Chapter-11 lawyers in their favorite five. Thanks to Coldplay, they get to keep the lights and A/C on for another year. Perhaps their financial difficulty is why they announced today (news release) they will allow Apple to sell most of their catalog without DRM. EMI needs the cash more so than ever.
DRM - It is a lot like Vanilla Ice. Fast to the top, faster to the bottom.
I look forward to the future; when the music business goes back to just music. Music was great before business came in and corrupted it. Business doesn't have to be corrupting, but it sure did corrupt music. The big 4 label oligopoly; the RIAA suing everyone and their dog that don't do things they way they want them to; payola, seriously... it would be nice to hear more than the same nine songs on the radio in a given month. DJs aren't disc jockeys anymore, they're just voice and personality puppets that run their mouth between songs (in automated play-lists). Such a shame.
Thanks to people like Alexandra Patsavas, independent music is going straight from MySpace into shows like Grey's Anatomy, Shark and The O.C. It's nice to see that there are avenues for music other than big-label-narrow-minded-directed-radio-play. Whoaa that was a lot of hyphens.
I have a great hope that the tides are changing for music. I know it doesn't sound like it, but I am extremely optimistic about the future of music. I'll be doing my part, but I can't talk about that yet. It shouldn't be long before bands can stop going in debt to their labels. It shouldn't be long before the phrase "shopping the labels" is a phrase of the past, and bands could care less if they are ever "signed".
Hollywood and Rock-Stardom have gotten so good at teaching our society that fame and fortune is the ultimate goal, which is ridiculous. Doing what you love for a living is a much better goal. And soon, musicians will be able to do what they love for a living and not have to depend on the vulture like business side of music. Good times are coming. They're just around the corner.
Here is a reason to celebrate for you music lovers out there. Another step in the right direction was taken recently in the battle between the FCC and the payola ridden radio airwaves.
This recent settlement has four major radio groups paying 12.5 million dollars in fines due to payola practices. It's the largest collective fine in radio history.
Entercom Communications - $4 million in fines Clear Channel Communications - $3.5 million in fines CBS Radio - $3 million in fines Citadel Broadcasting - $2 million in fines
Last year Warner Music Group paid $5 million in payola fines and Sony BMG Music Entertainment paid $10 million in payola fines. At Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's initiation, recent payola fines have totaled more than $36 million.
As part of these settlements, the 4 major radio groups are also being forced to set aside 8400 hours of programming to promote artists of independent record labels and local musicians.
This is a major step in the right direction to someday broaden the narrow nine song rotation that is so rampant on today's radio.
Well I tell you what, it's been quite a little adventure so far in this year's American Idol journey. The tryout process all but crushed dreams, caused eating disorders, and long term psychological damage for the thousands of contestants that were ramrodded with the judges comments. At the same time, I can't feel that sorry for them. Five seasons have come and gone, so I feel certain they know what they're signing up for.
Tonight, they'll kick off 4 contestants. What they need to do is kick off 15 contestants and let the real competition begin. The gap between the talented and the terrible is wider than ever this year!
If I was a contestant this year on American Idol (season 6), I would take one hard look and the mirror and ask myself some questions. The first question I would ask myself is, "Am I of African American descent?" The second question I would ask is, "Am I a woman?" If either of those two questions come back as "no", then it's time to do as Simon might say, "book a plane ticket home." This season will be owned and run by the 5 girls who can answer yes to both of those questions.
New poll on the left. / Contestant information here.
Well folks, you know what it's time for. It's time again for American Idol to resurrect itself here in the blogosphere. It's the TV ratings freight train, second only to the Super Bowl. You either love it, or love to hate it. Never the less, it's about to dominate televisions all across America. Last season, MattMurph.com was fortunate enough to be visited by tens of thousands of American Idol fans, and at times found itself second only to Fox.com in the major search engines. I look forward to seeing what this season's American Idol will bring to the world of music.
Check back soon for weekly voting, polls, and predictions.
Click here for American Idol update on 2/22/2007.
Like many others out there, "O' Holy Night" is my favorite Christmas song. The problem is, I don't own a single copy of that song, despite the fact that everyone and their mother seems to have recorded the tune.
My mission is to obtain the single best version of that song that exists. And that is why I write now. I need your help. If anyone out there thinks they know of a good version of the song, let me know whose version it is so I can go buy it. Thanks ahead to anyone who makes a good suggestion.
While being forced to wait in a waiting room at my local Acura dealership yesterday (which is a whole other post), I was forced to entertain myself for about 2 hours. I picked up a copy of the Dallas Morning News and found the following article in the Entertainment section. I got the biggest kick out of it (I loved it). Enjoy.
You better sit down for this one. A new and very exciting edition to the blog has finally come to fruition. It has taken many, many, countless minutes to reach this milestone, but alas, I shall delay no longer.
We all like top ten lists, right? Well now I have my very own dynamic, ever-changing top ten list there on the right side of this blog. This ground breaking list comes complete with song titles and artist names with links to preview (or buy) the songs from iTunes.... So knock yourself out. Or break a leg... your choice.
But wait, there's more. Sometime in the not-so-distant-future, I will release news on yet another musical milestone which just might take the world by storm. More on that later.
For now, blog on...
There are two questions I get all the time regarding music and raw guitar shredding talent: 1. So who is your favorite guitarist of all time? 2. Who is the best guitarist in the world? Answer: Monte Montgomery
Now, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but trust me on this one, I'm right. : ) Agreed, he doesn't get a lot of radio play, BUT... for better or worse, Monte is the musician's musician. It's tough for those silly radio stations to squeeze a 10 minute song into their already decided payola rotation.
On to the point of the post.... I recently caught wind of a YouTube clip of Monte Montgomery instrumentally covering Little Wing. If you want to see someone whip the shenannagans out of their guitar, just check it out. If your pressed for time, skip to about 4:00 on the slider (as in four minutes into the tune), to see what it's like when the dust settles and all that's left is Monte's guitar.
It's also come to my attention that his "Little Wing" clip has received honors as one of YouTube's top rated music videos... which doesn't surprise me at all.
For you musicians out there, keep reading... everyone else, watch the video. You can try and buy the same guitar and same effects... to try and sound like him.... but I have already tried that (shown here), and it doesn't work.
Long ago, say... six/seven years ago, I built him some stuff for his website using Flash (which was a foreign word at the time) to teach fans how to play some of his songs. You can check it out here. Just click a song title to let the learning begin. I tried to patent that technology back in '99, but the U.S. Patent office wouldn't have it. Not to mention (but I will)... they move just a weeee bit slower than a snails pace. I'm pretty sure I could build a resort/hotel on the side of a cliff (by myself, without tools) in the time they fulfill a patent request.
Anyway, enjoy the guitar lessons, and enjoy Monte Montgomery's "Little Wing".
Ahh.... the never ending world of TV talent show competitions. Have you seen any of this season's Rockstar Supernova? Wow. I am a little concerned for Supernova's future. Why? The show pitches week in and week out that "the best" unsigned rockers are there to audition, but seriously.... Out of 15.... 4 or 5 of them belong on the show. I can't help but to laugh when I hear them say, "we have the best unsigned rockers".
So here you have it, there's a poll on the left side there where you can place your vote. To be fair, I'll put all the remaining names on the list.... well except Zayra. If you really think she will be the winner, then feel free to comment and tell me how wrong I am. Deep down, I think the final four will be Dilana, Magni, Toby, and Storm... with either Dilana or Toby winning it. I'll promise you this, if Lukas wins, Supernova's career will be challenging. He's got everything it takes to be a rockstar.... except the voice. Vocals with rock and rasp still need pitch and presence. Though Dilana looks like the spawn of satan, her voice is huge, and it fills the room. Combined with her unmatched strangeness (which is good), and performer talent, I think she's going to go a long way. Boy if only Lukas could learn to sing from below the neck, he'd be a force to be reckoned with, with his style, performance, and arrogance. He certainly looks, walks, and talks the part.
They should make a rule, that if you've been in the bottom 3, three times, you're off. Obviously the voting pool just isn't digging the chili if they vote elsewhere week after week. So that's all I'll say about that.
Vote on Rockstar Supernova Now!
Today, I have updated my original American Idol Prediction post from long ago. I was checking the blog stats and realized that about 60 billion people are getting here by searching "American Idol Predictions" on Yahoo.com. So since 60 billion people are reading old material, I figured I throw out another 2 cents on the American Idol thing.
Who do you think will win? New poll on the left!
The radio is poop. It's been poop for so long, and I can't even remember back to when it was non-poop. Here in Dallas, I can flip from station to station to hear the same 9 song rotation played over, and over, and over, and over, and over n over n over-n-over-n-over. But occasionally, the ridiculous 9 song payola rotation shrinks down to about 2 songs, and good-hearted innocent civilians (like you and I) are forced to listen to stuff like, "I had a bad day" and "you're beautiful" in a two song rotation.... over-n-over-n-over-n-over. The DJ's responsible for carrying this out (because you know they don't make even the smallest of decisions) should really be ashamed of their actions. Shame shame.
Fortunately, the only time I'm forced to listen to the radio is when I'm in the car and not driving. The radio is at the control of the driver. I've always believed that. I feel like I read that somewhere in Robert's Rules of Parliamentary Procedure, or perhaps it was an eleventh commandment or something. Point being, that's as good as law around here. If you're in the car with me and you even flinch like you're going for the dial, I hope your hand is very securely attached to your arm because you might loose it. Then there might be a wreck from the onboard commotion, and now look what you've caused. Somehow I'm reminded of the wise words from Chris Tucker: Don't ever step in front of a black man at the buffet.
Yet as I reflect (because that's what I'm doing), I can't remember a time when I ever actually liked radio. It was always records and tapes, then of course CD's. I remember the records of Van Halen's 1984, and Def Leopard's Hysteria (and Pyromania). And I can remember thinking at a young age; why would anyone listen to the radio? Why would you give full control over to some stranger over what you listen to? How could I possibly hand the reigns over to an (obviously) unqualified musical decision maker? At that point, I might as well be letting a stranger choose what I eat, and what I wear. It's all just very strange. Last thing I want to do is get in the car hear booty booty booty booty rockin evy-ware (you know it if you've heard it). That only goes to show that the radio plays more than just music in the tiny (payola) rotation..... because that is not music. At best you could call it a structured, recorded rambling in a rhythmic compilation of hog wash (or hog warsh, if you live in East Texas). Of course that's my opinion.
In closing, Candlebox rocks. Hear me now, believe me later. If they released that first album today, it would be a hit all over again. Pearl Jam's TEN. Seriously. Killer tunes man. (I just re-acquired those albums after an unexplainable several year break)
Hats off to our boy eRock (aka Eric Orson) for his appearance in this month's issue of Dallas Modern Luxury! The full page spread is a part of their "Men of Style" feature. In his words, you can buy the magazine at all the "fancy-schmancy" shops around Dallas, TX.
Click the images above for larger versions.
For you music lovers out there, here is a picture that will exercise your mind. Word around town is that there are over 75 bands represented in this picture. See how many you can find! Click the image for a larger version.
Well folks, if you have not heard the word yet, the word is that Rock Star: The Series, will be returning to television for season 2. That's right. So if you, or someone you know is a future rock star, send them to the official website for more information. With that said, I'm looking for a certain piece of information that has escaped my preliminary round of research and internet digging.
Who is the band for Rock Star Season 2?
If you have any credible information, please share. If you have time, try doing some digging and see what you can come up with. If you have connections...call them. If you are a prophet, tap into that and get back to me. And something else... I know what you're thinking... (that is... if you have half a brain cell), you thinking, gosh.... Eric Orson could win that show hands down in an embarrassing and drastic landslide only to severely humiliate the runner up with a piddly number of votes. Yes... you are right.... and I agree... that's all I'll say about that.
Alright folks, I cannot promise this will be my last post about the massive musical ratings freight train we call American Idol, but they might sparse out a bit. Thankfully, last night justice was served to the women, but I think the male results were a little off. So here and now I am giving everyone the chance to vote now on your pick for the winner. Vote on the left side of this blog.
On another note, I've never minded the blatant Coca Cola advertising and the giant red Coke cups on the judges table... but after last night, I have to wonder if there was a little rum in Paula's coke. Here randomness and overall demeanor actually reminded me of an old college roommate who smoked weed rather consistently. And if that wasn't strange enough, Brenna was reminding me of Omarosa, like they were strangely related or something. That's all I'll say on that.
Naturally, I'll start off the voting. I'm placing my vote on Paris. I think she'll win. However, I would like to see Taylor, Ayla or maybe Chris win. Taylor is one of the few people who actually has music in his blood. So many people want to be stars, and they can put on a good act, and pretend that music flows in their veins... but often times it's just misguided passion, good acting, and an infatuation with being a star. Taylor is strange. And as I have said before, if you are a musical front man, the stranger you are the better.
So without further delay, Vote Now! And share your mind if need be.
Updated May 12
I've been saying it for weeks. Chris Daughtry will achieve the same amount of fame and career development whether he wins the competition or not. So the fact that he is out is not as big of a deal to him as it will be the others. Why did he get voted off? It's simple. Chris did not evolve as well as the others. Chris was amazing from the start. He was star quality when the show started, and he was star quality when he was ousted. That's not a bad thing. But each week, someone gets voted off, and as a contestant, you have to up the stakes to gain the new votes from the ones who voted for the week's loser. In times when you need to be great, Chris had a couple of "good" weeks in a row. Unfortunately, people don't remember good, they remember great. They remember the top 2 or 3 performances. As many others stepped it up, they gained attention and new voters, while Chris retained all his fans week to week. His voter growth just did not grow like it could have.
So where to from here? Katherine McPhee has an amazing voice, but she is usually a hit or miss. It's going to be tough to predict her American Idol outcome. They toss her another week like "Elvis Week" and she will be heading upstream without a paddle. Elliot Yamin has evolved quite remarkably. He is hardly the same contestant that he was so much as five weeks ago. His steroidal vibrato is a little heavy for my taste, but he is a great singer. But apples to apples, I don't think he has as much versatility as Taylor Hicks, whom I think will now win the blue ribbon. Taylor can "turn it on" like professional performers can. He can sing a wide variety of material, and he performs like a champ. Taylor is a little strange, which is a much needed quality in vocal showbiz. You can't act like, talk like, and sing like everybody else. Taylor is Taylor and no one else can offer the same package that he can. If Katherine could hit on all cylinders for the remainder of the show, and knock some songs out of the park like she has the capacity to do, I truly believe she could pull away and win. But her consistency isn't all there yet. The judges harp and harp on song choice, and it's like some contestants don't believe or understand that. Kat is going to have to choose the perfect song and play her A game if she is going to stay in this thing.
That's all for now. : )
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I am going to go out on a limb here and make a prediction on the top 4 women in the American Idol competition. If I wasn't addicted to the show, I would just skip the next several episodes until the 24 was refined down to about 6 or so (having not seen the guys yet). Unfortunately, we all have to wade through several episodes of people getting voted off the island who shouldn't have been on the show in the first place. : ) I tend to weigh heavy pitch, tone and range... performance and showmanship can be learned in the weeks ahead. You can disagree if you like... that is your constitutional right. So without any further delay, here are my rankings.
1. Paris 2. Ayla 3. Katharine 4. Mandisa na. Lisa na. Kinnik na. Stevie na. Kellie na. Melissa na. Becky na. Heather na. Brenna
