I know this isn’t what you want
But it’s what I need
Sleep, sleep it off
And wake up to the winds of change
Feel the joys of my embrace

So this album is one of my favorites from this past year, and this song is amazing.

Their EP Grow My Roots produced by Matt Mclellan (producer of a few other of my favourite bands at the moment, such as The Overseer, My Epic, and O’Brother) was released late last year and it is a collection of passionate, mature songs for the discerning listener who would like something that sounds a little heavier than usually found in Christian music, while staying well away from the somewhat overpopulated realm of Christian metalcore (more on that later).

A standout on the 6-track EP is Rend Your Heart. Words cannot describe the feelings I had when I stumbled upon this film clip last week. It’s just such a great performance film clip, and the power in the delivery of the lyrics is simply spine-tinglingly awesome (and I reserve the use of the word ‘awesome’ only for truly awesome events). The song also features some duelling vocals. And i frigging love it when bands do that.

The song can be read as a vague account of how following second birth, we as believers are taken astray so easily by the allure of the world. It then develops into a plea or a call to arms to embrace God’s grace and love and make him the proud father he wants to be. Powerful stuff. Watch the film clip below, and the lyrics after the jump. You can listen to the full EP on spotify here.

Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live

Come Wind- Rend Your Heart lyrics

We grew together
Me and many brothers
From the second time that we were born
To our father in heaven
Every note that was sung
Every breath in our lungs
We knew it came from him

Then we found some daughters
And they looked better than
What the author of our lives had penned
He wrote life and life abundant
I don’t know why you didn’t want it

[Chorus]
I know that you had thought that it was better

I’ll never know until I try it

The life I came to give you, it was whole

I’ll never stop until I know that I filled this hole.

He’s slow to anger
And of great kindness
A slave can now be called a son
In the morning mercy’s new again
Never exhausting love

[Chorus]

Your patient mother
How you gonna tell her that you’ve grown
You can’t hide it from her
She wants to be proud oh she wants to be proud
She wants to be proud oh she wants to be proud
Your patient father
How you gonna stand before his throne
You can’t hide it from him
He wants to be proud oh he wants to be proud (X4)
He wants to be proud
He wants to be proud

[Chorus]

Return and when I see you I’ll come running

Oh I don’t think I’m anything but a slave

Father will take you in
You’re still his son
The cup he gives you to drink will always fill you up

Tickets are $12 advance, $14 the day of.

twenty | one | pilots are actually from Columbus, and they are one of Fueled By Ramen’s most recent additions. Their debut album on FBR, Vessel, is out now, and is the album they will be supporting tomorrow night. Go support the almost-local guys!

You can also see their video for “Can’t Help Falling in Love” below:

Columbus based OceanSpeak opened the show with their unique brand of atmospheric indie rock. As Cities Burn (Come Now Sleep era) had a noticeable but not overt influence on the band’s sound, but what really made them stand out was their compelling and unique way of performing. In darkness, the show began with two black-light lit drums paraded into the center of the floor amidst ethereal echos of a didgeridoo  (yes, they had the actual instrument onstage). Dyed water was poured on the drums for a choreographed water drum routine, apparently to put the “Ocean” in OceanSpeak. Quite an opening. The band are all great musicians too! My favorite moment (other than the opening) was probably halfway through the set during “Hawa” when they had a drum duet of sorts going. “Hawa” also has a killer riff carrying it. Suffice to say that OceanSpeak is probably the best thing I’ve discovered this year from the Columbus area.

SONS followed OceanSpeak with a straightforward set similar to the past couple times I’ve seen them. It was great to see them play in a setting where people were actually into their songs, singing along. This was especially evident on “Doubt” and “Masters of the Flattery,” which bookended their set. The mild-mannered demeanor of the band shrinks a lot when performing, especially on the part of front-man Aaron Newberry. This evening was no exception. Other highlights from the set included “Believe In Something” and “Retribution,” both personal favorites from Keep Quiet.

Come Wind played a roughly half dozen song set, essentially showcasing the Grow My Roots EP, a true masterpiece of 2012. “Hesitation,” “Rend Your Heart,” and “Sleep” all moved the audience to sing and engage the music in their own way, but things really got interesting when all members began to interact with drum kits (or portions of them), creating their own breakdown. In contrast with OceanSpeak, this was less for theatrical effect and more about just getting lost in the music. While dual lead vocalists Nick Sayre and Aaron Troyer preferred their emotion to carry over in a more subdued form, bass player Tal Miller and drummer Ben Roth let their passion shine in quite the animated way. The driving, epic “Pockets” ended the night in a pensive, albeit beautiful note.

Takeaway from the evening: Come Wind, SONS and OceanSpeak are all worth your time and vastly underrated.

This EP is serving as the world’s proper introduction to the force that is Northeast Ohio’s Come Wind. The band’s name serves as an invitation to a power much, much bigger than them to move the band in their compositions as well as the listeners as they experience the music. This might be the most emotional sextet of songs you’ll listen to this year. “Hesitation” kicks off the EP with a tense, slightly panicked riff  that will have your full attention on the music from the get-go. Somewhat ironically, this is the most fast-paced tune on the project. “Rend Your Heart” follows with a structure and lyricism that very quickly has become one of the most hauntingly beautiful things I’ve heard all year. It treads subject matter covered many times before (touching on the prodigal son parable), with a Father and son echoing chorus. The song builds to a breaking point that echoes the moment of surrender implied by the lyrics. Nathan Lundquist, a music video director previously interviewed by I AM TUNED UP recently directed the renowned performance video for “Rend Your Heart,” view-able below:

“Sleep” builds on the emotion of “Rend Your Heart”, inviting those astray to rest in the arms of the Father. Nick Sayre acknowledges in earnest that this rest might not be attractive immediately, in the bridge singing “I know this is not what I want but it’s what I need…” “Pockets” and “Steady” serve as dual epics, the former standing out with a repeating theme posing a question of sorts in the instrumentals. “Steady” is the faster paced of the two, and does a good job retaining listeners’ attention while not diminishing its message. “Pockets” also begins just like a Come Now Sleep era As Cities Burn song (not a bad thing at all!). “Cease to Be” celebrates the conclusion of a personal and spiritual transformation, taking on a distinctly joyful vibe and bringing the album’s title to the forefront – the state of the singer’s roots is exactly what it needs to be. “Your roots don’t hold me anymore!”

EP of the year.

Score: 5/5

Come Wind: Facebook | iTunes

Animal Collective – “Today’s Supernatural”: The trippy music collective is back with the first single from their forthcoming record. I personally didn’t find this to be as enjoyable as their huge song “My Girls” but it still stands out as being more accessible than most of their work. My favorite description of the work thus far has appeared in the comment’s section of a Stereogum article, where a user describes the sound as “alien caveman thrash pop.” You laugh, but I think it’s actually a pretty accurate description of this. Listen for yourself:

Eleventyseven - “Long Way Down”: The pop punk turned electropop trio is exploring a new genre…folk. Baffled yet? However, “Long Way Down” is a solid track. You can still sense some rock music-like production here (i.e., I’m not used to the drums being this crisp on a folk record). Matt Langston’s vocals take on a considerably less shrill tone, and maintain the catchy vibes from the band’s pop days. Some pop influence is still present, just in a less cliche way. All in all, this experiment seems to be a success! I’m just confused by the band’s identity…unless it lies in the lack of one musically (which actually isn’t all bad).

Come Wind – “Rend Your Heart”: This Canton, OH quartet has been described by AbsolutePunk as The Graduate meets Ivoryline. I’m not familiar with the former so I cannot say how accurate this is, but I can clarify that this is a solid track! I can definitely hear a bit of Jeremy Gray (Ivoryline) in the vocals. The entire song reeks of passion and a hint of desperation. New intricacies emerge with each listen. The soaring chorus creates a mood that will stick with you long after the song is over. Look for this to be the band’s breakout single. Listen here.

Snoop Lion – “La La La”: Yesterday news swept the media in a big way about Snoop Dogg’s transformation into the alleged “reincarnated Bob Marley.” “La La La” is the first single from Snoop Lion. The weird news aside, it is a solid reggae track. It isn’t super memorable, but its produced well (but why wouldn’t it be when your guy is Diplo?) with a gritty, unpolished feel. Snoop stays in tune and even though he’s singing you can tell it is definitely him. At times its more talk-singing than full one belting tunes out.

In one sentence, give us the mission statement of Nathan William Media:
My mission statement is, “Nathan William Media, LLC. produces creative, meaningful, and high quality music videos, commercials, and films, that aim to challenge the norm and move the viewer.”

Is there a point in your life in which you can say the interest in film shifted from interest to career goal?
In my sophomore year of high-school I made my first film. It was a series of stop-motion animations that depicted people in their homes being attacked by household objects… it was therefore called, “A Series of Common Household Attacks.” It ended up winning “Best of Show” at my school’s film festival and that kind of started the ball rolling and it’s just been getting more serious and gaining momentum ever since.

You are becoming somewhat of a prolific music video director for midwest bands – did you fall into this or was this a goal all along?
Well, both. Like anybody I desire to make a living doing what I love, so I’ve definitely been strongly pursuing film-making and specifically music videos… but at the same time I have had opportunities all along the way that I cannot even remotely take credit for. So I basically said, “God, I really love doing this, and I want to continue to do this, would you please allow me to do this?” and so far he has made a way for me to do it. It’s pretty much that simple. I’m very thankful to God that he’s allowed me these opportunities, I feel like I’m constantly stepping back and feeling overwhelmed at all that he’s allowed me to do so far. Thanks Jesus.

OK, give me a memorable moment on set!
Oh man. When we were filming The Orphan, The Poet’smusic video “Invincible“ Dave Gutman (the lead actor) had to be in scenes where he was in trekking through the rain at night. Well, it was spring when we filmed and in general the weather was nice and warm… except for the day we had to film those scenes. So, Dave (a hero in by book) held up his lantern and buckled down while we blasted him with cold water in about 55º weather. The instant that we had the footage we needed Dave bolted inside our friends house and into a hot shower, fully clothed in his suit. The best part was that a week later we had to redo a shot… haha. Dave, your a champion of Maximus Decimus Meridius proportions.

Are there any hidden “easter eggs” in any work you’ve done, or any unplanned events that made it into a film? Want to tell us one (or three)?
Oh yeah. I love my easter eggs. I highly recommend reading the “Arson” news article in Wolves At The Gate’s music video for “Dead Man.” Also, if you look behind the article one of criminal record forms says, “sample” on the upper right hand corner… oops. One other one is in Wolves At The Gate’s other music video “Oh The Depths” there is one shot where Obadiah from RadioU is shredding the lead guitar instead of Jeremy [Steckel]… I’ll let you find that one on your own…

In recent months, have you been scouting projects or have clients been coming to you?
For the most part I’d say clients have been coming to me, but I’ve also pushed to direct music videos for bands whom I really love working with and want to support. So it’s a bit of both.

In today’s music industry, bands promoting themselves as a brand have become more and more prominent – one could argue music videos have become one of the prominent ways of accomplishing this.  How do you react to this statement?
I absolutely agree. Music videos are a commercial for a product, that product being the band. Earlier on I thought, “Why on earth are music videos a good idea? Bands spend a ton of money on them and they then give them away for free!” but when I realized they’re a commercial it all made sense. The better and more moving and or interesting or unique the video, the more people pass it around online, and the more people see your commercial, the more people buy what you’re selling.

I always ask bands to name one positive thing and one negative thing they see occurring in today’s music industry – as someone involved in a different way, how would you respond?
Honestly, I have no idea. I just don’t think I’m involved enough in the actual industry to really know what’s going on or have a legitimate thought on the good or the bad. Haha. Sorry.

What has been your favorite project thus far?
My favorite project thus far has probably been my most recent video for Wolves At The Gate, “Dead Man.” It was not my favorite to shoot by any means because a lot of it was green screen which is super boring, but it has been my favorite to see come together in the end. I’m certainly most pleased with it, it was a big undertaking with plenty of risk that paid off.

Do you have a director/group you draw inspiration from?
One of my favorite videos is for “Coffee and TV” by Blur. And I’ve always appreciated Weezer’s videos, many of them are really clever. Another guy who does just killer work is a Canadian director who goes by the name Jodeb, his stuff is insane. For the most part I just love videos that you can tell have had some real outside-the-box thought, especially where it comes to good stories and storytelling. Another one is the Daniels’ who did “Simple Math” for Manchester Orchestra.

Most memorable piece of film you seen, music related or else?
I just saw The Dark Knight Rises so that’s currently on the brain… I loved it. One of my favorite music videos though is Underoath’s “Paper Lung” directed by Jodeb, it’s just really visually clever.

*****

More information on his work can be found at the official site for NATHAN WILLIAM MEDIA.

This show was super packed, so I’m going to skip the pleasantries and jump straight to the bands.  Plain City’s Far From Abandoned kicked off the show with a hard hitting four song set that succeeded in getting the pit riled up despite the early set time. “Heathens”, a song frequently requested on RadioU’s Hardcore show was enjoyable.

Dayton’s Dangerkids took the stage in what can only be described as the biggest surprise of the night.  This was a good surprise, of course.  The group features ex-members from Let’s Get It and This Love, among others. Their genre blends electronic and hardcore, with a touch of hip hop.  Dual lead vocalists give the band commanding stage presence.  The band’s performance was frankly so tight that I was shocked to learn that this was their first live show as Dangerkids! I could see this band going a long way, fitting in well with genre counterparts (in a very rough sense of the word) such as Attack Attack! and Abandon All Ships.

Come Wind figuratively slowed things down a bit.  They were still hard hitting in their own way, choosing at times to have every band member on some form on percussion.  These guys were on the bill mainly on account of sharing management and friendship with Wolves at the Gate, but they definitely deserved to be there on account of musicianship.  They would be a better fit as an opener for a band like Paper Route, Mutemath, or a number of more alternative, ambient bands however.

Children 18:3 played one of the most entertaining sets of the night, spreading their set list across their discography pretty evenly.  Highlights included “Cover Your Eyes” and “Lost So Long” from Rain’s a Comin’ and “Mock the Music” from their self-titled.  The crowd also responded positively to cuts like “I Tried to Do The Right Thing” and “Moment to Moment” from On the Run.  Overall, the band displayed incredible energy and it was a treat to finally see them in a venue worthy of that energy – not that any of their other shows were bad because of the venue, not at all! They closed their set with the catchy “Oh, Bravo” and the trio wrapped up.

Write This Down is one of those mysterious Christian hard rock bands that doesn’t seem to speak out or tour as much.  I wish they did, as they have the stage presence to commandeer an audience of most sizes into a frenzy.  The band criticized sometimes for being all over the map with their rock sound went for a decidedly heavy approach this time around.  New songs “Red 7″ and “Crash and Burn” made appearances amongst older songs like “Redemption,” “Renegade,” and likely their best known hit “Alarm the Alarm.”  Bottom line: Write This Down needs to be more popular than they are.

Before Their Eyes kicked off their set much like on their new Redemption record with an intro, followed by current RadioU single “Lies.”  This band was probably the least flashy of the night but was able to commandeer the crowd just as well as their predecessors in the show.  Other hits “Life Was All A Dream” and “Sing to Me” followed, along with oldie “Why is 6 Afraid of 7″ and new song “Backstabber.”  I noticed that lead vocalist Nick Moore was having trouble staying in tune but credit has to be given to a guy that handles all the clean vocals and rough vocals in a live setting, no easy task.  The band overall could have performed tighter but I’ll chalk that up to them coming out of a dormant period with few live performances.  They ended their set with “City in a Snow Globe” to the audience’s delight.

Wolves at the Gate opened their set appropriately with their new cut “Awaken.”  The pit exploded, needless to say.  ”The Harvest” and “Heralds” followed, with the pit exploding even more, as if that were possible.  As with their previous Columbus show, one of the most worship-laden moments came in “Oh the Depths.”  The soft-starting “Slaves” was another highlight of the set that provided more worship from the pit.  Guitarist and clean vocalist took some time to share a heartfelt Gospel message, placing special emphasis on the dichotomy humans face between mercy and justice – that is, we want justice when someone wrongs us, but mercy when we wrong someone. The only thing that can solve this problem is Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, allowing God to be just and merciful at once in regard to this problem of sin.  It was a great message that resulted in much cheering and applause.  ”Dead Man” and “Amnesty” ended the main set, with former vocalist Colin Jones helping out on the latter.  The encore consisted of oldie “No Rival” and Captors album ender “Man of Sorrows” which has the guys of Come Wind helping out on percussion.  Overall it was a fantastic show and Wolves at the Gate is at the top of their game.  The only direction for them to go is up, with the guys deflecting the fame off themselves to their Creator along the way.

Central Ohio-based House of Heroes put together a quickly assembled show Wednesday at the A+R Music Bar in Columbus to test drive new songs from their upcoming album “Cold Heart Want.”

The show was only announced a week before and promoted locally, which explained the crowd of about 75, but the band’s performance was impressive.

“It’s a pleasure to be back to lovely Columbus, Ohio,” lead singer Tim Skipper said. “We just finished our new album, but these songs are too good not to be played right away.”

Bottom line, if you like the band’s previous releases “The End is Not the End” and “Suburbia,” you’ll really like “Cold Heart Want.”

“Out of My Way,” “Remember The Empire,” “Stay,” “Suspect” and “The Comfort Trap,” “Dance or Blow it All Away,” were all received well by the crowd. In addition, the band mixed in past hits “Elevator,” “God Save The Foolish Kings,” “So Far Away,” “Serial Sleepers,” “Field of Daggers, “Lose Control,” “Independence Day,” “Code Name: Raven” and “In the Valley of the Dying Sun.”

“Independence Day” was played after Skipper took a request from the audience.

“We haven’t put together a set list in two to three years,” Skipper said.

The opening acts were far from bad, but attendees were mostly there to see House of Heroes.

Hip-hop group MattiBurns had an interesting stage presence, while Come Wind had an unique blend of ambient inde rock.

Dayton alt-rock band the Orphan, the Poet – who happen to be good friends of the lonely house and Galaxy CDs – are going on tour January 26 through February 4 with another great southwest Ohio-based band, Solid State Records’ Wolves at the Gate.  Check out the video for an update from TOTP drummer Drew Ihle.  All tour dates are listed below.  Check the bands’ websites for more info.

• Jan 26 – The Active Room – Wyandotte, MI
• Jan 27 – The Auricle – Canton, OH
• Jan 28 – Wired – Mansfield, OH
• Jan 29 – Sanctuary – Louisville, KY
• Jan 30 – National Underground – Nashville, TN
• Jan 31 – Purgatory – Atlanta, GA
• Feb 01 – TBA – Cleveland, TN
• Feb 02 – Zig & Zag Tattoo Creations – Lexington, KY
• Feb 03 – Club 86 – Cincinnati, OH
• Feb 04 – lutis Hall – Sidney, OH

The more I stumble, the more stubborn I get. I may talk to God about my problems, but it’s in a way that says “I can handle this, I’ll figure it out.” I know good and well I’m broken and can’t find all of my pieces alone.

But I’m sort of a positive outlook type of guy, so I think about the fact that God will use my down falls and short comings for His glory, and I don’t doubt that. But naturally I wonder why do I keep having to relearn these lessons of sin and anger? Why must I keep returning to my darkest times of depression? Why do I still need these experiences?

A song by Come Wind has been making a lot of sense to me the last few days, saying, “I’ve got these bricks on my back, that I have to wrestle often…But who would I be without them?”

I know I’m meant to point others to Christ, but how can I possibly do that effectively if I haven’t been there myself, with the feelings they’ve felt and problems they’ve gone through?

The simple fact I’ve realized is there are so many lost people who fall back into sin and destructive pain time and time again who see no hope. My message is meant to be a sign of hope pointing to God as the source that brought me out of that life, into a new one, into the arms of Christ. Do you realize just how much your struggles mean to others’ lives?

Think about this description of God… “The God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” [Romans 4:17b]

WHAT?
UNITY FEST

A festival of Unity. The Fest starts at Noon goes until 10p.m. Food, Inflatables, Paintball, and  Live music ALL day - 7 Different Christian Bands including:

• Brace
• Chosen
• The Promise Estate
• Come Wind 
• and ending with EVERYDAY SUNDAY

UNITY FEST WITH MUSICAL GROUP EVERDAY SUNDAY  - Best Night of Our Lives

WHEN?
Saturday, August 28, 2010

TIME?
12Noon - 10PM

ADMISSION COST?
$10

WHERE?
Sponsored by Trinity E-Free Youth Ministries
Trinity Evangelical Free Church
46485 Middle Ridge Road
Amherst OH 44001

Need more information?
Call the Church Office 440.985.2419 or go to  www.myspace.com/unityfest10

Need more information about the group Everyday Sunday?
 http://www.myspace.com/everydaysunday

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Check them out here

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123047027302&ref=ts#!/ComeWind?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123047027302&ref=ts#!/FastMolasses?ref=ts

As well as the Love Nada Lounge

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123047027302&ref=ts