Directly following a grueling nine months out on tour, Ben Harper had a collection of songs burning a hole in his guitar case. Being in Europe, Harper and his Innocent Criminals stepped into a modest recording studio in Paris to record Lifeline. This album is unique because it was recorded in seven...

Young bands have to take a great deal in stride as they hone their craft and follow their dreams. There are pressures they face in the studio, on the road, on the stage, and in their personal time that can easily make or break a group. And no, I’m talking about the noxious carnal pleasures that...

By Chris Alexion In one episode of The Cosby Show, Cliff Huxtable cuts a piece from one of Claire’s cakes, fills the gap with a towel, and slathers extra icing over the offending spot. Claire, predictably, nails him on it. Contemporary Christendom suffers from a similar problem when it comes to...

To Be… Just after graduating from college, someone recommended I read Walking on Water by Madeleine L’engle. The book was enjoyable, but I swiftly moved on to other people’s words, never fully allowing hers to sink in. Sometime around 7th or 8th grade, I had skimmed A Wrinkle in Time....

Artisans are a strange breed of people. Whether a graphic designer, singer, songwriter, painter, musician, sculptor, author, or poet, those folks who use the right side of their brains to ply their trade have a rather distinct manner of viewing the world around them. There’s no on/off switch...

When I heard that Kanye West was producing the new Common album, Finding Forever, I was more than excited. I have been very impressed with the hip hop coming out of the Midwest (Lupe Fiasco , Brother Ali) so it seemed that the combination of the two most respected Chi-town MCs could mean nothing but...

While at the Sojourners/Call to Renewal Pentecost 2007 conference on faith and poverty, I had the pleasure of meeting Derek Webb–a surprisingly small spiritual beast of a man with the audacity to challenge the Christian music establishment. When my friend and I heard that he would be performing,...

Despite the wondrous doors athletics has opened for you, you snub professional sports glory and attend medical school in Boston. You finish first in your class, and go on to become a world famous heart surgeon, operating on world leaders and other famous people with hearts. Later in life you make history...

If I had a choice between my own wedding or a Wilco show, I would probably choose the Wilco show. I’m deadly serious. There are not many things, which elicit the same slavish devotion I have given to Jeff Tweedy et al over the last decade. And yet during the ten years in which Wilco have been the...