John Mark McMillan

Tonight my good friend Bill Phillips and I went to Magnolia, TX to see John Mark McMillan and his band play as the opening act to the Robbie Seay Band, and boy were we blown away!  As an opening act, their set was short, but very powerful.  They opened up with Breaking Down and followed that with Out of the Ground.  Next was the wonderful How He Loves.  I'm a huge fan of this song, but seeing it live was more powerful than I ever imagined.  They closed the night with Skeleton Bones.  Another wonderful song.  After the set, they went to their merchandise table and mingled with fans.  Bill and I talked to him and the band for a good 20 minutes or so.  We supported the cause by buying their album - yes, on vinyl - and they gratefully signed them for us.

One of the things that really suprised me was how approachable the whole band was.  Really down to earth and very nice and obliging to the fans.  I noticed John Mark praying with two girls about a situation that the girls were clearly concerned about.

Me and John Mark's guitarist, James Duke.

Getting back to the vinyl albums, he made a comment that there is an art to making music and an art of listening to music.  When you have an album on vinyl, there are sounds there that don't exist in digital media.  You have to engage yourself to the music because you have to put the needle on the record, flip the album over, etc. to listen to it.  Well, when I got home, I broke out Kim's old record player and prayed that the years had been good to it.  After a few crackles from the needle, the sweet sounds of Death in His Grave came out of the tiny, dusty speaker as though it was travelling through 20 years of time and space.  I was in Heaven.  It has been over 20 years since I've put a record onto a turntable, and it was no doubt, Pink Floyd's The Wall.

The album is heavier and thicker than what I remember albums feeling like.  Thank you, John Mark, for reminding me of what music is supposed to do to us.

What a long, strange trip it's been.