Recalling the early days of his frustrations with Christian rock, David Bazan said, “It’s embarrassing to be associated with stupidity and hypocrisy, on that cultural level.” Yet years after Pedro the Lion signed with Tooth and Nail Records, Bazan is once again finding himself in the...

It was a lazy Thursday morning, and my wife and I were gradually getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house. Then we turned on the T.V. to watch the news. BBC news reported on terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Suddenly I wasn’t in the mood for turkey. We both had a sick feeling...

Bjoern and I walked into a department store the other day, and immediately upon entering, Bjoern pointed out the men’s vintage look designer jeans and said, “People in Turkey are dying making those jeans.” Turns out he had recently read an article in our favorite German online news magazine, www.spiegel.de,...

From beginning to end, I had a great time at SXSW 2009, as in, it more than met with my expectations as a event designed to showcase some of the brightest new acts and hardy, tried-and-true touring bands. All of the bands I was excited to see provided me with an excellent set (The Pains Of Being Pure...

Over the last couple years, I spent a lot of time thinking about story. Partly, this was based on discussions with Don, who’s wrapping up a book about story, and partly because it’s because I want to learn the gears and cogs that make certain stories work. One of the most fascinating aspects...

…because 2 cents is all I’ve got right now. In comparison to the billions spent on the military, weapons, and wars around the world, it’s not much… War is all around us. Always has been. Though it’s not happening on my street, at my grocery store, or at my job (though...