Where Should Catholic Music Go From Here?

[abercius24]

[quote name='abercius24' post='1312581' date='Jul 4 2007, 05:56 PM']I know its still early to draw conclusions from the polls (cause you need at least 30 responses before they are statistically viable), but the responses are somewhat expected and somewhat surprising. There are a lot of other votes in the "move away" section (which tells me I didn't make as good choices there as I should have). Any further explanations as to what consistutes "other" in that poll?[/quote]

Bumping to promote the vote!

[jeffpugh]

Just replying to O/T, is this for the mass or just music in general? If it's for the mass, the Church tells us we should be singing chants... there is a whole book devoted to it...

As for some worship circles that are not necessarily the mass, I personally don't mind a bit of variety. The only danger I see (from my own experience) is stuff surrounding the Praise and Worship scene. As far as I know, it is music that sorta came out of protestantism. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm thinking if there is going to be more direction in that music, we should work to make it more Catholic. We need to stick out a bit. Also, there is that simple hippy music that people play in masses with their geetarrs that end up being 3 chords.. like "peace is flowing like a river" and the like. Is that praise and worship? Some tend to think so. I think it needs to be defined in the public. What I really wanna say in the end, though, is always remember the traditional stuff. Don't throw it away. Doing so would be Marxist in a way, because he deemed progress as throwing out the old and making way for the new... now, I'm not condemning anyone here. I'm only replying to OT. Sure. Let's have some Hip-Hop, some easy listening, and such, but for the mass, try and lean traditional. My piano teacher once told me that music for the mass should be like wallpaper in the room. It is there to set the mood, but is not the main focus. Not saying it can't be a focus, because some music (no matter what genre) can be very ornate, but still, it shouldn't turn into a concert with the Eucharistic celebration. Concerts should be left in the protestant halls, to put it bluntly. Sorry for the rant, everybody. I'll try and remember to come back and read some posts later. Maybe even talk a little more specifically.

[susanbailey]

I'm glad I listened to Rob Kaczmark from SpiritJuice and visited this forum!

Catholic music is an obsession with me. I've been an artist for 14 years and have turned my attention now full time to my magazine, GrapeVine, found at www.gvonline.net.

GrapeVine is pretty much the magazine of record on Catholic music (except for the excellent Lolek, a Spanish arts and entertainment magazine), and we are the only one that publishes an actual printed magazine. We have been around for 7 years (with an interruption in between) and publish 4 times per year. We also have a weekly podcast, the GrapeVine News Minute, which covers current news in between issues.

Along with the printed issues we offer free PDF files to download, and you can also subscribe to the GrapeVine News Minute podcast on iTunes or any other podcatcher to receive the latest issue which came out in June. We also have the articles online. The magazine is normally about 40 pages in length and is professionally designed. We have interviews with artists, reviews of CDs (and we're now expanding into books and DVDs), news about the Catholic music scene and much more.

GrapeVine has paid advertising and has many supporters including EWTN, OCP, Relevant Radio, ALBIE Entertainment along with scores of individual artists, bands and podcasters.

I do this because I love Catholic music and want everyone to experience the numerous blessings that I have received by listening to it and performing it. And I want to promote any artist who is serious about their music and about evangelizing and encouraging the faithful through the music.

I am a 50-something and my tastes run to acoustic and devotional but that doesn't mean I don't want to give equal time to any style that promotes Jesus Christ and blesses people.

I am most anxious to make sure GrapeVine covers ALL of Catholic music and represents all styles fairly. But I need your help to do that. The current issue is running a short story on the After Mass compilation; I have also run stories on Fr. Stan, Cheer Up Charlie, Oremus, Last Day, etc. This time around I ran a review of Sammy Blaze's new CD.

I encourage all of you to visit the GrapeVine site at www.gvonline.net, look over the 8 issues we have posted, listen to the podcast (we have a player for easy listening) and let me know what I can do to better represent rock, hip hop and other newer styles of music.

The print edition of GrapeVine is one of the best ways to show people Catholic music who may not live on the web like we do. It's very important not to stay cloistered in the web only. Too many people do not have easy access to the web, or don't understand it. I realize it's mostly people who are middle-aged and older, but these people can be very supportive. Showing people a professional print publication that openly supports Catholic music can be a powerful tool.

My email address is on the website - write me if you have suggestions on what I can do to better represent this community.

Peace, Susan
www.gvonline.net

[jeffpugh]

I got some time to read all of the posts... so here goes some more babble..

[quote name='abercius24' post='1304781' date='Jun 28 2007, 08:50 PM']...
My friend Barbra Nicoloisi from Act One Productions once said to me:
"The biggest problem with evangelization is that everyone does it one-on-one. After you speak with that one person, they return to the community they live in and they go back to their old lifestyle. They find it too hard to deny their environment just to become Catholic. What we need is to do is evangelize their community. If we make changes to their community, we make the one-on-one more effective. And you can only change a community with culture -- music, film, literature and art. That's where evangelization need to go." [paraphrasing]

After almost 10 years working as an evangelist, I've come to realize that Barbra is sooooo right. I've seen people on fire for the Lord after a good talk, and the next day they are out clubbing with their not-so-holy friends doing those not-so-holy activities. Imagine if they went to a show and found a Catholic band convicting them and their friends. Imagine the conversations they and their friends would have afterwards. That's what it's about, and that what Catholic musicians are called to do.[/quote]

This part got me the most out of what you said in this post... evangelise the group in order to bring more people. Music is the way to do it for sure.

[quote name='abercius24' post='1305228' date='Jun 29 2007, 04:30 AM']Just to clarify, you can vote for more than one option in all the polls. The idea is to get a general consensus of what Catholics would like, or not like to see happen. I am assuming that the proper music is used for the proper venue if you think someone in the Church should devote themselves to the particular expression.

The last poll is to help understand what people think of when they say "Catholic Music", particularly when it comes to supporting it. You and I can have two totally different definitions for it and find ourselves in a disagreement as to where limited resources should go even though we both "support Catholic music." Again, just to clarify.[/quote]

It is good that you have the divisions set on where the music should be. A lot of people want to tread on the grounds of mass to "appeal to the people". Not going to happen. The Church isn't going to move for people's tastes. It changes. That is why we have traditional music.

[quote name='Akalyte' post='1307387' date='Jun 30 2007, 11:18 PM']I feel there is a lack of interest in Catholic hip-hop, hip-hop in general. Though we are doing this for the greater glory of God and for his Church. When I was promoting massmatics in Austin, people just didn't seem interested. More annoyed than anything. I didnt get much support, i gave my cd to priests down here and posted flyer's, i even gave away free cd's to some youth. Many of the youth are too tangled up in lil john and kanye west and couldnt care less about hip-hop preaching the truth about God and religion..shoot, many catholics down here dont even know if there catholic! lol

We are not for having hip-hop in the liturgy. I know I'm not. I'm a traditionalist.(not schismatic so calm down) In love with orthodoxy. What can we do to get people more interested? How can we reach the youth?[/quote]

Good post, Akalyte. It's good that you have interest in tradition as well. Try and work some of that stuff in your music, if you haven't done so already.

[quote name='gurlie4godsd' post='1310100' date='Jul 2 2007, 09:09 PM']Catholic Ska would be lovely....anyone?[/quote]

Hehehe.... I told a Ska fan about Five Iron Frenzy, the Christian Ska band (now broken up). The guy thought it was an oxymoron... "Christian Ska." Those kinds of fans are into the "ska saves", not "Jesus saves". We will change that though. I'm a saxophone player if anyone needs me :.

Anywho, good posts. I'll keep this thread in mind. Just one question, though. What exactly is hip-hop? Is it a lose Genre or is it specific? that is more what i mean to ask. Also, where can I hear some of this fine Catholic Hip-Hop that is focused on here in Phatmass?

God Bless my fellow Musicians.

Jeff

[abercius24]

[quote name='susanbailey' post='1315488' date='Jul 6 2007, 04:41 PM']I'm glad I listened to Rob Kaczmark from SpiritJuice and visited this forum!

Catholic music is an obsession with me. I've been an artist for 14 years and have turned my attention now full time to my magazine, GrapeVine, found at www.gvonline.net.

GrapeVine is pretty much the magazine of record on Catholic music (except for the excellent Lolek, a Spanish arts and entertainment magazine), and we are the only one that publishes an actual printed magazine. We have been around for 7 years (with an interruption in between) and publish 4 times per year. We also have a weekly podcast, the GrapeVine News Minute, which covers current news in between issues.

Along with the printed issues we offer free PDF files to download, and you can also subscribe to the GrapeVine News Minute podcast on iTunes or any other podcatcher to receive the latest issue which came out in June. We also have the articles online. The magazine is normally about 40 pages in length and is professionally designed. We have interviews with artists, reviews of CDs (and we're now expanding into books and DVDs), news about the Catholic music scene and much more.

GrapeVine has paid advertising and has many supporters including EWTN, OCP, Relevant Radio, ALBIE Entertainment along with scores of individual artists, bands and podcasters.

I do this because I love Catholic music and want everyone to experience the numerous blessings that I have received by listening to it and performing it. And I want to promote any artist who is serious about their music and about evangelizing and encouraging the faithful through the music.

I am a 50-something and my tastes run to acoustic and devotional but that doesn't mean I don't want to give equal time to any style that promotes Jesus Christ and blesses people.

I am most anxious to make sure GrapeVine covers ALL of Catholic music and represents all styles fairly. But I need your help to do that. The current issue is running a short story on the After Mass compilation; I have also run stories on Fr. Stan, Cheer Up Charlie, Oremus, Last Day, etc. This time around I ran a review of Sammy Blaze's new CD.

I encourage all of you to visit the GrapeVine site at www.gvonline.net, look over the 8 issues we have posted, listen to the podcast (we have a player for easy listening) and let me know what I can do to better represent rock, hip hop and other newer styles of music.

The print edition of GrapeVine is one of the best ways to show people Catholic music who may not live on the web like we do. It's very important not to stay cloistered in the web only. Too many people do not have easy access to the web, or don't understand it. I realize it's mostly people who are middle-aged and older, but these people can be very supportive. Showing people a professional print publication that openly supports Catholic music can be a powerful tool.

My email address is on the website - write me if you have suggestions on what I can do to better represent this community.

Peace, Susan
www.gvonline.net[/quote]

Great to see you here, Susan! It was actually one of your shows on CM247 Radio's Catholic Music Hour that prompted me to include the third poll. You had mentioned on the program that the Catholic Music Association Awards were internally debating what should be considered Catholic Music, and thereby qualify for their awards. Maybe the folks taking that poll will be useful in helping the CMA Awards in making their decision.

To everyone else, Susan and her crew have been doing an amazing job at taking Catholic music to a new level of publicity and advertising. Her magazine is very entertaining and informative for anyone who loves Catholic music -- performers and fans alike. Anyone interested in learning more about good Catholic marketing should also hook up with Susan.

Edited July 6, 2007 by abercius24

[abercius24]

[quote name='Sacred Music Man' post='1315588' date='Jul 6 2007, 07:15 PM']Anywho, good posts. I'll keep this thread in mind. Just one question, though. What exactly is hip-hop? Is it a lose Genre or is it specific? that is more what i mean to ask. Also, where can I hear some of this fine Catholic Hip-Hop that is focused on here in Phatmass?[/quote]

As far as the definition of Hip Hop, I'll leave that to one of the rappers to answer. You can hear these guys at Phatmass at the following link:
[url="http://www.phatmass.com/radio/radio.php"]Phatmass Radio[/url]

And if you like what you hear, please let these guys know.

[abercius24]

bump for the vote...

[jeffpugh]

Thanks for the clarification. Sweet lyrics. Good stuff.

[abercius24]

[quote name='Sacred Music Man' post='1317404' date='Jul 7 2007, 10:17 PM']Thanks for the clarification. Sweet lyrics. Good stuff.[/quote]

Yeah, I agree. They are definitely a blessing for the Church to have. Very clever stuff. They touch a side of our identity as Catholics that you usually don't hear reflected in modern art.

That's actually another "selfish" reason I have for promoting Catholic music. Music at its core is emotion; everything else is just sounds and words that are meant to highten that emotion. Praise and Worship and Traditional music cover certain emotions we Catholics share -- particularly joy and thankfulness (P&W), and reverence and adoration (traditional). But we as human beings are made up of many more emotions, for example, regret, pain, confusion, sorrow, playfulness, amazement, determination, self-doubt, etc. Contemporary Catholic music gives artists a chance to invoke some of those other emotions within listeners and help them understand them from a Catholic point-of-view. They help us to better understand who we are as Catholics when we feel those emotions. I find Catholic music has ministered to me in many ways on that level -- particularly in helping me deal with some of the hard times I've faced in life. Catholic Rap tends to invoke emotions of encouragement and spiritual determination in the face of temptation and societal pressure. Very healthy stuff for a ministry to support within believers.

[abercius24]

bump to promote the vote...

[abercius24]

bump to promote the vote...

[Guest]

catholic hiphop needs to go to the clubs, the stripclubs, the rich suburbs, the rough neighborhoods, it basically needs to go where the sinners are......which is everywhere......catholic hiphop also has to be very distinct but also very clever......

[abercius24]

Promote the vote!!!

[abercius24]

[quote name='Delivery Boy' post='1321187' date='Jul 9 2007, 07:25 PM']catholic hiphop needs to go to the clubs, the stripclubs, the rich suburbs, the rough neighborhoods, it basically needs to go where the sinners are......which is everywhere......catholic hiphop also has to be very distinct but also very clever......[/quote]



Rap is a confrontational form of art, no doubt. It makes sense that it should be right there on the front lines. How do you get on the front lines, though? How do you be confrontational to the sinner without getting at least someone angry and ruining your chances of returning? It almost sounds like protest rallies are a good venue for Catholic rap. What do you think?

[Didymus]

[quote name='Delivery Boy' post='1321187' date='Jul 9 2007, 07:25 PM']catholic hiphop needs to go to the clubs, the stripclubs, the rich suburbs, the rough neighborhoods, it basically needs to go where the sinners are......which is everywhere......catholic hiphop also has to be very distinct but also very clever......[/quote]

amen!