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There is nothing I love more than sitting at my neighborhood coffee house near the fireplace, listening to great music and sipping on my fav cup of java. It makes the hectic day, just flow away...
This is a great article that I think really gives a great description of what this music is all about. I wanted to feature Jason Mraz since he is the first artist that I heard while enjoying breakfast at a coffee house in downtown Houston, and I've loved him ever since.
Some of Jason's old stuff: [YT]oieBnV_HFB0&feature=fvst[/YT]
One of my favorite videos: [YT]qKZQXnmbCxk[/YT]
Jason also has one of the funniest websites on the internet from a music artist: http://www.jasonmraz.com/# make sure you have on voice (bottom left)
The visual picture I get when I try to describe this music isn't stereotypically "Christian", but it does convey the feeling. Picture a laid back dark-paneled jazz or blues bar. There's a slight smoky haze in the dimly lit room, and a band's on stage. Their style makes you feel like you're an old friend. You feel relaxed with the band, and with all the people who are listening to them. You trust these people: the band and the patrons. There's a real feel of Christian love here, but it's not an in-your-face gushy love. It's there for everybody, but comfortably. If you want it, you can get it, but if not, it'll pass you by.
In your hand, you've got a cup of the best tasting coffee you've ever had. Of course, if you don't like coffee, you've got tea, soda, warm milk, prune juice, spring water, or whatever might be particularly relaxing for you. At times, your eyes go shut and you smile as you wallow in the sounds. It's got a pleasantly anesthetic quality about it. I hesitate to say this, but the music and its atmosphere is almost like an aural drug.
The vocalists sing like they're only singing to you. They're not trying to dress up their voices with gimmicks like so many other Christian artists. They seem to make their music for the sake of its beauty or artistic qualities. They're not out to please their audience, marketers nor anyone else, but themselves. And if they're Christians, they'll make their music to the glory of God. These are real people, and not the stereotyped "rock-stars".
This is comfort music, but not the soft and cuddly sort which inspires squeels and "Aww"s like when new parents bring their new baby into church for the first time. In this sort of music lies real art --ear candy, if you will. If you want to find the artists in a town, go down to the coffeehouses. If they're not there, you'll at least get really close to finding them. I think that's why I'm calling their music coffeehouse music. It's not so much that it's where they play, but it's the artistic qualities associated with coffeehouses.
An art school parallel comes to mind. I've got to use visual arts, because I've not taken many formal music classes. Coffeehouse artists are the graduates of art school. Pop artists are still in school, doing what the teacher assigns. We had a big cow skeleton in one of our classes, and visitors walking the halls could tell at a glance, that the work on the walls was from drawing one. Some students didn't do as well as others, but you could still say, "Yup, same old cow." The edgy students would do the cow, but from a different angle. They'd get up high, or lay on their backs to draw it. They might even draw only the negative space, but it'd still, ultimately be the cow. Coffeehouse artists don't have to draw the cow. They might do the pasture, or even a steak. That's probably why their sound is so hard to pin down. It's too creative!
Read more at Suite101: The Coffeehouse Genre http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/christian_rock/98439#ixzz0bUObvJRA
I'll feature other artists each month!
Discuss and enjoy!
This is a great article that I think really gives a great description of what this music is all about. I wanted to feature Jason Mraz since he is the first artist that I heard while enjoying breakfast at a coffee house in downtown Houston, and I've loved him ever since.
Some of Jason's old stuff: [YT]oieBnV_HFB0&feature=fvst[/YT]
One of my favorite videos: [YT]qKZQXnmbCxk[/YT]
Jason also has one of the funniest websites on the internet from a music artist: http://www.jasonmraz.com/# make sure you have on voice (bottom left)
The visual picture I get when I try to describe this music isn't stereotypically "Christian", but it does convey the feeling. Picture a laid back dark-paneled jazz or blues bar. There's a slight smoky haze in the dimly lit room, and a band's on stage. Their style makes you feel like you're an old friend. You feel relaxed with the band, and with all the people who are listening to them. You trust these people: the band and the patrons. There's a real feel of Christian love here, but it's not an in-your-face gushy love. It's there for everybody, but comfortably. If you want it, you can get it, but if not, it'll pass you by.
In your hand, you've got a cup of the best tasting coffee you've ever had. Of course, if you don't like coffee, you've got tea, soda, warm milk, prune juice, spring water, or whatever might be particularly relaxing for you. At times, your eyes go shut and you smile as you wallow in the sounds. It's got a pleasantly anesthetic quality about it. I hesitate to say this, but the music and its atmosphere is almost like an aural drug.
The vocalists sing like they're only singing to you. They're not trying to dress up their voices with gimmicks like so many other Christian artists. They seem to make their music for the sake of its beauty or artistic qualities. They're not out to please their audience, marketers nor anyone else, but themselves. And if they're Christians, they'll make their music to the glory of God. These are real people, and not the stereotyped "rock-stars".
This is comfort music, but not the soft and cuddly sort which inspires squeels and "Aww"s like when new parents bring their new baby into church for the first time. In this sort of music lies real art --ear candy, if you will. If you want to find the artists in a town, go down to the coffeehouses. If they're not there, you'll at least get really close to finding them. I think that's why I'm calling their music coffeehouse music. It's not so much that it's where they play, but it's the artistic qualities associated with coffeehouses.
An art school parallel comes to mind. I've got to use visual arts, because I've not taken many formal music classes. Coffeehouse artists are the graduates of art school. Pop artists are still in school, doing what the teacher assigns. We had a big cow skeleton in one of our classes, and visitors walking the halls could tell at a glance, that the work on the walls was from drawing one. Some students didn't do as well as others, but you could still say, "Yup, same old cow." The edgy students would do the cow, but from a different angle. They'd get up high, or lay on their backs to draw it. They might even draw only the negative space, but it'd still, ultimately be the cow. Coffeehouse artists don't have to draw the cow. They might do the pasture, or even a steak. That's probably why their sound is so hard to pin down. It's too creative!
Read more at Suite101: The Coffeehouse Genre http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/christian_rock/98439#ixzz0bUObvJRA
I'll feature other artists each month!
Discuss and enjoy!
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