“Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.” - Quote by Stella Adler

[HT: Randy Elrod]

yes, i am a graphic designer…but i have a challenge out there to those of you who dabble in the arts. if you are interested in mocking up a book cover for a top secret but very valid book project, please use the contact me link on the right or email me here for the details.

hush hush.

one of my favorite bands for a long time has been the band ours. frontman jimmy gnecco’s voice is as close to perfection as one can get on earth. he is certainly influenced by jeff buckley, but far more poetic and spiritual (although i am not sure of his specific beliefs).

chris and i saw them on valentine’s day at the curtain club in dallas. i documented it obscurely here. ours is returning to dallas on may 24 at the house of blues and i will be there.

there is something in his voice, his words, his mood, his stage presence and his passion that allows me to shut off the surrounding word and somehow it all meshes together in my heart and i am able to converse with god so freely through whatever it is that i am feeling inside. each of his songs somehow defines a point in my life - past, present, or future - and somehow my soul just is able to breathe through it all.

probably the most influential song in my present time is this song called “i heard you singing.” you can actually download a free legal copy (and i suggest you download as many songs as you can).

here are the lyrics to “i heard you singing:”

I Heard You Singing
Jimmy Gnecco
Unreleased

Stop thinking it’s ok
Things are gonna change
You can’t go on like this again
You can’t avoid the day
You’re the star that blasts away

I heard you singing
Heard you sing, you sang to us
You sang Hallelujah
How we’d lose ourselves, ourselves

Stop drinking it’s a waste
Things have lost their taste
The light that circled ’round you face
Has gone and now replaced with a darker tone again

I heard you singing
Heard you sing, you sang to us
You sang Hallelujah
How we’d lose ourselves, ourselves

Are we better on our own?
Are we better on our own?

Was I good?
Was I brave?
Did I throw it all away?
There’s a light in the crack
He’s never coming back
I got lost in the wind
And I messed up everything

Till I heard you singing
I heard you sing, you sang to us
You sang Hallelujah
How’d we lose ourselves??, ourselves?

I heard you singing
I heard you sing, you sang

anything sparking your soul lately? music? a book? something you’ve seen?

being a film critic (that sounds so snobby, doesn’t it?) has some perks. getting to see movies in advance and for free is one. getting to talk about them via radio airwaves is another. my favorite though is probably the giveaways we get to do. (although getting kissed by…I mean getting to meet Will Smith is up there on the list).

please allow me to touch on all three perks.

1) i saw “perfect stranger” last night. save your money.

2) matt, cindy, and i are going to be on 89.7 powerfm in dallas on sunday at 9:00 pm CDT to talk about movies and film culture and honestly, who knows what else? it’s going to be a crazy show. don’t live in dallas? listen online live.

3) we’re giving away a copy of the queen AND a copy of dejavu. one lucky winner from flowerdust.net will be chosen! you may win one, you may win both…just enter here by april 24.

ENTER HERE FOR THE QUEEN AND
ENTER HERE FOR DEJA VU

Seen any good movies lately?

i was suddenly inspired to give my blog a makeover.  play around and let me know what you think or if you find any problems.  when letting me know of an issue, please let me know what platform you use (mac or pc) and what browser (firefox, safari, internet explorer, etc.)

i hope you enjoy!

And I’ll slip out a back door
I was looking for a fire escape
And I’ll be rippin’ up the floorboards
Just trying to get away
From this sleeplessness
Sleeplessness, sleeplessness

‘Cause my mind just can’t stop movin’, I think I know why
Oooh, I know why
It’s sad, but I’m a sucker for a kind word
And I’ll just hurt until I find one
I’ll just hurt until I find one

(*currently most played album on my iPod over the last three weeks…what’s yours?)