The Piano Guys

Imagine this pitch to Sony Records: two middle aged Mormon Dads, one playing piano and one with a small army of cellos, hang out in nature playing music to their hearts’ content. Probably not the next hit, right? Think again… since early 2012 we and a growing number of fans have grown to love these two, better known as the Piano Guys, for their amazing music and incredibly beautiful music videos. With a flair and style unmatched by any other group, they have done many mashups of current popular songs with old classical favorites as well as writing many of their own pieces. 

Their story begins in a piano store owned by Paul Anderson who wanted to come up with new marketing approach. He somehow came across Jon Schmidt, with the magic ten fingers, and the idea sparked that he could film Jon playing his wonderful pianos and hopefully sell more of them. Long before this musical endeavor, Jon and Steven Sharp Nelson (the cello guy) had been playing together for many years, but they came together officially sometime during the filming project for Paul and the piano store. They were soon filming everywhere and anywhere, taking the piano onto cliffs, beaches and eventually working their way around the seven wonders of the world, which they are still in the process of reaching! 

Late last year Jeanette and I saw the 2014 tour(age) announcement and said “haha, wouldn’t this be fun to go to?” But then we actually did! We got the tickets last December and waited and waited and got very happy each time we remembered it was coming. Last night was the culmination of our waiting with the chance to see them in person. They are indeed real people. With incredible talent and skills. Even with their mind-blowing skills, it was neat, in a strange way, to hear several mistakes made throughout the show. Because they were using so many layers of sound in their songs, throughout the show we wondered how much of it was recorded and how much was actually being played. However, when we heard those few mistakes, it made us thankful that we were actually hearing them playing live, not pre-recorded and also thankful that they are not completely infallible geniuses. Which leaves hope for the rest of us. We loved hearing so many of our favorites (which really, is all of them) and we even got to hear a few brand new songs by Jon. Some of the ones we heard were: Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascends, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Love Story Meets Viva la Vida, Peponi (Coldplay’s Paradise), All of Me, Rolling in the Deep, The Cello Song, Bring Him Home, Titanium, Bourne Vivaldi, Beethoven’s Five Secrets, A Thousand Years, Rockebel’s Canon and Charlie Brown Medley.  

They made the audience work quite a while to get an encore, but it was well worth all the clapping because we got to actually see the fun rendition of One Direction’s What Makes You Beautiful. Al Van Der Beek, the music arranger for their group, joined Jon and Steven around the piano for this performance. Paul Anderson, the group's producer, would also have been with them on stage, but unfortunately he hurt his back and was unable to be at the show. To see this awesome cover of the song (although the video has 5 guys, remember we saw it performed with only 3, which was even more impressive) go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VqTwnAuHws. 

Not only was the concert itself incredible, but the location was also amazing, at the Pantages Theater on Hollywood Blvd. It was our first time seeing the inside of the theater. We even enjoyed the small amount of hiking in the streets with our heels on. It was well worth it to see these guys in concert. After following them for over 2.5 years, it was great to see them in person instead of just ridiculously talented musicians online. 

Now go catch up on any Piano Guy's music you've missed. 

Owl City- a look at some amazing music

Owl City is one of my favourite artists. Owl City is a one-man "band" that started in 2007 in the "electronica" genre.  I don't remember exactly when I discovered Owl City, but when I did, we became good friends.  He's kept me good company through late nights of school, cleaning the house, and whatever other random times I felt like a little Owl City.

So what's so awesome about Owl City?? It's fun!  I love his lyrics.  His faith in God encourages me.  He's used his struggles and turned it into creativity.  

Obviously everyone has different tastes in music, but I don't see how his music can't put a smile on your face!  It's catchy.  It's silly danceable.  His lyrics are so funny!  They are nonsensical and yet brilliant.  His play on words are so cool.  Sometimes though it's hard to know what song you want to listen to because the titles almost rarely have anything to do with what is in the song.  But his songs stick with you and attach themselves to memories.  One of the lines that has gotten stuck in my head and always reminds me of all the museums I went to in Europe is from "Fuzzy Blue Lights" - "If I was walking through a sad art gallery and you were driving through the night I'd feel rather alone and ill at ease beneath the brilliant showroom light."  And it took me such a long time to find what song that was from, because it has nothing to do with Fuzzy Blue Lights and the words "fuzzy," "blue," or "lights" never show up in the song anyways!  How did he get that title... Who knows?!  But that's another reason I love him.  From reading his blog he talks a lot about his struggles with serious insomnia.  I can't even imagine being SOO tired and not being able to sleep.  His music is a creative outpouring from his tired mind.  He can't sleep so he writes.  And some of what comes out makes it into his lyrics.
He has the greatest puns and word plays.  "The Bird and the Worm" plays on a phrase from one chorus to the next.  "For all my pals who live in the oceans and the seas, With friends like these, well, Who needs enemies?" The next chorus says: "For all my pals who live in the oceans and the seas, With fronds like these, well, Who needs anemones?"  There's so many other great ones with really funny word plays too (check out Dental Care, Rugs from Me to You, Honey and the Bee, Plant Life, Dementia, etc.)!

If you are looking for songs that explore deep themes or have some great message, look elsewhere.  Or maybe, just look deeper into his vision.  Do lyrics have to be deep to have a deep message?  The joy of life that he exudes, infuses itself into the emotion of his songs.  Maybe the message he explains in all his songs is that explosive creativity shows the imagination that God has put into His image bearers.

One of the most encouraging things I find about him, is despite the fame that he has found, he keeps his eyes fixed on Jesus.  As a fan, I wanted to read his blog posts to find out more about him; "get to know him."  And as I read, I was amazed by his "Christian" posts. His blog is littered with Bible verses, thoughts on subjects he is working through, and reminders for others reading his blog to look to God for everything.  These are a couple posts I found on his blog recently:

"I want this real bad:
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NLT)"

And this shorty, but goody:

"Reminder: Jesus is coming back."

So maybe next time you're looking for music to listen, give Owl City a try.

Here's one that's been stuck in my head recently!

Jeanette

A Movie in Review: The Book Thief

Dec. 11, 2013 took us to the the movie theater to view The Book Thief. Jeanette had come across a review of The Book Thief on PluggedIn.com and found the review intriguing. Germany, books, fighting for what's right -- this sounds great!

Plot Nutshell:
A young girl struggles to find the meaning of home, family and hope amid the tumult of World War II and finds that words on the pages of her favorite books can take her far beyond the walls of her scared village.

Our Thoughts:
This deeply touching movie depicts both the horrors and heroes of war time in Germany, not only on the large scale, but also in the day-to-day life of a young girl struggling to find her place in a frightening world. Liesel (played extremely well by Sophie Nélisse), our main character, comes to a new family at the onset of the movie and loses her brother, all in the same train ride, which understandably gives her cause to withdraw and question the world around her, not to mention the horrifying beginnings of World War II.

Her new family seems to welcome her with only one arm open, that of her new father, Hans (played brilliantly by Geoffrey Rush). Married to an extremely hard-working and at times, equally harsh, woman named Rosa (Emily Watson), Hans is the main source of Liesel’s growth and encouragement throughout the film. We watch him treat his new little girl like a queen when others look down on her, encourage her to learn how to read in a time of book burnings, stand up for Jewish friends in a time of drastic anti-semitism, and cry tears of fear and disappointment for the uncertain times he lives in. By the end of the film, Rosa also becomes not only a new mother, but a friend to Liesel as well, offering encouragement and strength in her own way. Rosa also learns from Liesel the importance of an imagination built by wonder and a quiet calm during times of distress.

Two important supporting friends who challenge her to look at the world in a new way are Max (compellingly played by Ben Schnetzer), a Jewish refugee friend, and Rudy, her schoolmate (played by the adorable Nico Liersch). Rudy becomes her instant companion, confidently proclaiming at their first meeting, that they will be friends, against Liesel’s objections. Max, however, has a much quieter presence in her life, as he comes to the family only a few breaths from death, which he lingers close to for several stretches of the film.

Liesel's journey through the film leads her not only on a literal learning curve, but a journey of right and wrong, trust and friendship, and even wonder and magic. She learns how true friends act and what they will sacrifice for another. After following her to the mayor's house, Rudy discovers that she has been "borrowing" books from their library, but he also finds out something more important, Liesel’s family is keeping a refugee. Being part of the Hitler Youth movement, Rudy could have turned her in, but instead, he protects her secrets and shares her burdens. Another dear friend in the film, Max, encourages her to describe what her eyes truly see. "If your eyes could speak, what would they say?" He brings imagination to the pages of Liesel's books. Because he is restricted to the cold, hard basement, she becomes his eyes to the outside world, reminding him of the life that exists outside the darkness of its walls. Because of the influence and love of those around Liesel, she thrives, learning to trust again and have hope that lives beyond dark days.

Our Cautions:
While we consider this movie incredibly “clean” in the usual sense, the subject matter it deals with involves incredible pain, suffering, injustice, sickness and death, all in the context of the World War Liesl and her friends live through and learn from. This movie doesn’t have any sexual content and very little in the way of profanity. The caution we are alerting you to is in regards to the violence and sheer mental and emotional intensity of a number of scenes.

In one of the more disturbing scenes near the beginning of the movie, we see the reason Max left home in such haste, and arrived at Liesl’s house in such precarious health; Kristallnacht (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht for more details regarding this horrible event). It was a coordinated effort by the Nazis in both Germany and Austria on November 9 and 10, 1938, specifically aimed at any and every Jewish establishment that left 91 Jews dead and at least 30,000 incarcerated and on their way to concentration camps. The events of those nights are shown, including beatings in the streets, smashing of many windows (hence the name- meaning literally “crystal night”), and many fleeing for their lives.

In various other scenes, we see children fighting with each other, we see Hans receive a beating for his defense of a Jewish friend, we see a truck of soldiers overturn when a bomb hits it (although we don’t see any bodily damage), we see bombs being dropped on cities, and we see a young boy in his mother’s arms with blood trickling out of his nose indicating his death, who is subsequently buried by the railroad tracks. One of the final, more disturbing scenes is of a city that has been bombed during the night. As the town wakes up, it finds many of its occupants have died during the night and are being pulled from the rubble by soldiers. The casualties are laid over the rubble, in the street, and although they are not physically distorted, as real bomb victims would undoubtedly be, the ultimate impact is the same- death.

Intense, but non-violent scenes include a book-burning, in which Liesel and Rudy are chided into producing their own books to sacrifice on the altar of a “pure mind.” We see several air-raids in which bombs are heard very nearby, Liesel is told in no uncertain terms to keep Max’s presence in their house an utmost secret, and when his presence is finally suspected, a thorough search of their home’s basement (where Max is hiding and hanging onto his life by a thread), brings a Nazi soldier so close, it is only by hiding underneath the Nazi flag that Max’s life is saved.

An interesting point of discussion is the choice of narrator for the film. What character could narrate a story with a reach that goes beyond a single war, that isn’t bound to any certain life, or set of hopes and regrets, that would have a viewpoint global enough to understand all sides? Other than God himself, Death would be a good choice. Someone intimately familiar with every war, he adds a very intriguing angle to the entire story and adds his own observations of Liesel to the story.

We hope if you decide to watch this movie you will enjoy it and be inspired by the characters.
Chelsea and Jeanette