moving my blog
Hey everyone!
I’m moving my blog back over to my http://www.brandongrissom.net home page.
thanks for putting up with me!
b
tall thot dot com
blog of Brandon Grissomsinger | songwriter | worship leader
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My buddy Randy Warren is a fantastic artist and he works on media projects for an organization called Nuru International. (He’s also two inches taller than me at 6ft 8in which has always caused a little jealousy if I’m honest.) Nuru is a comprehensive aid organization that serves Kenya in the way of healthcare access, clean water, agricultural loans, education and much more. He recently sent me this project he finished titled “Francis: One Man’s Story”. And many of you know Nate Yaccino, the “fifth man” in my band, who moved to Seattle at the beginning of 2010. Nate scored the soundtrack for this piece. So…I just wanted to show off some of what my friends are up to, and introduce you to Nuru International. Check it out.
A live recording of “Exhale” captured on July 15th 2010.
New Fall Albums I’m Excited About
There are several new albums that have just released or are about to release that I’m excited about.
Pete Yorn has been a favorite of mine for awhile now. This album feels a bit more like his earlier records. It’s very guitar driven rock mixed with a springsteen-working-man vibe.
Released last week, this is a totally different direction than the Pete Yorn record. Killers frontman, Brandon Flowers, brings a very mature, almost too mature, accessible, toned down version of a typical Killers album. Brandon’s vocal tone and ear for melody is excellent.
I’ve only heard one track off of this record, due to release in a week. What can I say? I love all of their albums. Somehow they manage to stay relevant year after year.
It’s no secret that Charlie and his band have had a greater influence on me than any other band in the “christian” world. They are friends of mine and I look forward to everything they put out. I’ve heard five tracks off of this new release, coming soon, and they are some of the most accessible songs they’ve written. Their last album, The Bright Sadness, is among my favorites so I have high expectations. When it comes to my music selections for our services at willow, I really appreciate songs that are profound and accessible at the same time. I’m hoping there are a few like that on this record.
Zac Brown Band - You Get What You Give
I just picked this up today. Most of you that read this probably won’t give this one a shot because it’s country. But, Zac Brown is our Willie Nelson and people are paying attention. This is the hands down the most talented band working right now. They even threw a cover of my favorite Ryan Adams song on the tail end of the album.
Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown
The kings have enjoyed success abroad for years now. But it wasn’t until their last record that people stateside started paying attention. We gotta wait until October 19th for this one.
We’re in the middle of a series right now titled, “Does God Like Me?” It’s an exploration of the depths of God’s grace. The stories we’re sharing are raw, intense, and incredibly powerful. This is the service trailer we’ve been using to get the word out! Normally service trailers aren’t this intense but we wanted to reflect the true tone of this series.
Sunday In Review
Well…now that fall is here, I’m pretty much home, and things are back to normal I’m re-instating my “Sunday in Review” posts.
This past Sunday we joined the main service for some Michael W Smith action. Which I heard was fantastic, but I actually took advantage of the “no service responsibility” weekend and took my wife downtown for a few days. It was great: we stayed at the Sheraton towers, we dined at the Signature Room at the top of the Hancock building, we went on a dinner cruise on lake michigan (legit, fireworks, dancing, live band, great food), and my wife upgraded my wardrobe.
However, last weekend we had a our Fall Launch for Student Impact.
Creative:
Our opening element was pretty cool.
We collected lots of old footage basically themed around what I’d call “the history of flight”. Picture the Wright brothers attempting to fly their first plan, to rockets ships to the moon, to modern day jets….along with audible radio chatter and astronaut voices, etc. All of this footage was black and white so we shot all the live video in black and white as well. We introduced the song, Our God is Love, off the new Hillsong album.
We had a great crowd of students, lots of energy, and more vocalists than I’ve ever attempted to use. It was really fun.
Set:
Our God Is Love - Hillsong
Be the Change - Brandon Grissom
We the Redeemed - Jill McCloghry
Oh You Bring - Hillsong
As you can see, I’ve been attempting to do more Hillsong:) But, seriously, “We the Redeemed” was the jam at camp this past summer. I recommend it.
Shane gave a strong, visionary, message to our community on the truth staring us in the face…the kindgom of God is busting out…and has been expanding since the coming of Christ. God’s kingdom felt very “near” during our time together.
b
Never underestimate the value of a great team. The folks in this picture have become great friends, collaborators, and team-mates.
This project was a blast! Jesse Oxford shot the footage and Corry Wiens did the editing…corry also wrote the lyrics. Aaron Ruse mixed it up for us. There were a handful of friends that also pitched in…tons of fun. A great way to start our event last week.
