Last night four of us played in the Battle of the Bands at the Seekers Coffeehouse, a Christian-run business which also hosts a new church. They’ve got a fairly large concert room with wonderful sound equipment, and they do a lot of music things to attract business. For instance, Monday night is Open Mic night. Tim and Terry, Anchor’s guitarists, play regularly on Monday night. A worship team from the area hosts each Thursday night; Anchor has done that twice.
This summer, they’ve been running the extended Battle of the Bands for about eight weeks, with three bands playing every Saturday night. Last night was the final night. On Tuesday, three bands will be notified that they are the finalists, and they’ll be invited to return and do their stuff next Saturday, August 5, for the finale.
Will it be us? That would be awesome. We really rocked last night, definitely outdoing the other two acts (a jazz quartet of pony-tailed guys who were fine musicians as long as they stuck to guitars), and a lone guy from Indy who set up a big Casio keyboard and bore a nice-looking acoustic guitar, and who I had high hopes for until he opened his mouth and started singing. We had to leave, or else, like those robot models in “Austin Powers,” our heads would explode.
I had a great time. We had to do up to 45 minutes of original music–no cover songs. Fortunately, Tim and Terry have done more than enough of that, having written many songs over the years which we’ve done at Anchor. And it’s good, fun stuff. On some, like Terry’s “Confidence Man,” I was able to really let loose with some honky-tonk piano. On other songs, I hung in the background with pads, strings, and flute.
Yes, I hope we’re called back. I would love to do that set again. This was the fourth time I’ve played at Seekers, and I think it was my favorite. Just Tim, Terry, me, and Terry’s son Joe on the drums. And a few faithful Anchor fans who came to cheer us on despite the $3 cover charge.
After we played, a guy walked up to me and introduced himself as Steve Dennie. Actually as Steve Denny. When the Lowes on Illinois Road opened about 13 years ago, I used to hear my name paged over the intercom frequently, and it always freaked me out in a Big Brother sort of way. Turns out it was him. He managed that store when it opened. He and his wife moved away for about ten years, but recently moved back. I gave him my business card as proof that he had met someone else with the same name.
Yes, we have some legitimate Christians claiming to speak for the rest of us–people like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, James Kennedy, and James Dobson. But they rarely make me proud. These guys are hugely influential gatekeepers to Christian audiences. Therefore, political operatives and lobbyists suck up to them, coddle them, do whatever it takes to gain their ear. And when Pat and Jerry and the Jims speak, I’m afraid they too often parrot the sentiments of somebody lurking in the background. Which may explain why they say so many stupid things.
Marriage is mysterious, the way your relationship evolves and circumstances intertwine you in unexpected ways. Just being honest: in earlier years, there were blips when I had doubts about the whole thing–though not anywhere near serious enough to even consider ending it–or I would create distance for selfish reasons, or I would just be a typical male jerk. But then I would roll over some morning (not every morning) and see her sleeping peacefully, and suddenly realize how much I craved her approval and enjoyed her laugh and wanted to never ever hurt or disappoint her. And the amazing thing is, I would go on to find plenty of ways to hurt and disappoint her, and unfortunately I’ll continue doing so. But she continues loving me back, and that melts me.
He was hawking his Green Prosperity Prayer Cloth, which would bring physical healing and financial prosperity. The TV showed crusades where numerous people were waving the amazing Green Prosperity Prayer Cloth, and they all seemed happy, healthy, and rich. This miracle-working cloth was available for free, just like salvation is free, so it’s obviously biblical. I checked out 
