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Several years ago I went to a KISS concert for a friend’s bachelor party. I don’t remember this song being on the set list. Too bad.

I’ve never been a fan of Miley Cyrus. No offense to Miley, I just don’t think I am in her demographic. Now I do enjoy some good R&B and Acapella. I was immediately hooked on Boyz II Men back in the day and even was in a group in high school that performed this song for the senior class.

Remakes are often not as great as the original. For instance, 1997′s version of 12 Angry Men pales in comparison to the 1957 version. But Miley’s song, “The Climb”, makes an excellent acapella arrangement as performed by the group AHMIR. I have posted two versions below. The first is of the group performing the song acapella. The second is with additional accompaniment that they encourage other musicians to make. The second is great, but the pure acapella is wonderful.

Tonight I picked up Tquan Moore’s new CD, “All I Need”. The songs are as good live as they are on the CD, which speaks to Tquan’s talent as an artist.

I was fortunate tonight to be part of a wonderful house concert at a friend’s house who also happens to be a long time friend of Tquan. In addition to the music, he also delivered an inspiring message from John 14:12-14. His experience as a youth minister, speaker, and worship leader shone through in his music, message, and challenge he laid before us.

Tquan told us tonight that he believe’s God has called him to change peoples lives. Music is his catalyst. Most of his songs are originals he has composed, but his covers of other artist’s song and traditional hymns have a quality that is reflective of his passion for music and the Message.

Find a way to see him in concert. Here is his tour schedule, his website, and his Twitter page.

Here is the original…

And here is the second generation…

I listen to a wide variety of music. Think of a style and I probably have an example of it on my
superphone. However, I have never really cared for either Dave Matthews Band or Hootie and the Blowfish. They each have maybe one or two songs that I don’t mind, but I rarely make it all the way through one without changing the station.

I remember the first time I found out the lead singer of Hootie, Darius Rucker, was NOT a white guy. Noth that I cared, but from just hearing him sing, I would have never guessed. Well, he got me again this morning. I saw a video for a new country song that I really like. And guess who it is. He should have skipped that Hootie mess and gone straight to this. (Except for the untold millions that Hootie made him). I guess that success allowed him leeway from record company execs to try out some country. This may be the first of his albums (why do we still call them that?) that I buy. Take a listen…

At church this morning I somehow ended up discussing music from around the world with a friend of mine. I mentioned a cool band I found last year and had written about for this site. So, here again, is that submission.

A few weeks ago I discovered a new band and I was instantly impressed. For me, this is saying something, as I am a bit particular about my music. I like who I like and newcomers have a hard time entering my repertoire.

Yes, they are a Japanese rock/metal band. Yes, I speak Japanese, well, about 50 words anyway (Edit: now down to about 10!). Unfortunately, none of the words in my vocabulary appear in the song below so I have no idea what they are singing about.

The group is MUCC (pronounced “muku”, or for those that don’t speak Japanese, pronounce it “moo koo”). They are sometimes referred to as 69, which is pronounced “muku” in Japanese. According to Wikipedia, the band got their name from a character on a Japanese children’s program, Ponkickies.

As I am not exactly fluent in the language, I have NO idea what they are singing about. But they have a great sound and the singer has a great voice, especially when he really lets go. The video below is from their latest single, Libra. More of their videos can be found on YouTube.

Edit: The video had been removed, but I found another copy of it.

At church this morning I somehow ended up discussing music from around the world with a friend of mine. I mentioned a cool band I found last year and had written about for this site. So, here again, is that submission.

A few weeks ago I discovered a new band and I was instantly impressed. For me, this is saying something, as I am a bit particular about my music. I like who I like and newcomers have a hard time entering my repertoire.

Yes, they are a Japanese rock/metal band. Yes, I speak Japanese, well, about 50 words anyway (Edit: now down to about 10!). Unfortunately, none of the words in my vocabulary appear in the song below so I have no idea what they are singing about.

The group is MUCC (pronounced “muku”, or for those that don’t speak Japanese, pronounce it “moo koo”). They are sometimes referred to as 69, which is pronounced “muku” in Japanese. According to Wikipedia, the band got their name from a character on a Japanese children’s program, Ponkickies.

As I am not exactly fluent in the language, I have NO idea what they are singing about. But they have a great sound and the singer has a great voice, especially when he really lets go. The video below is from their latest single, Libra. More of their videos can be found on YouTube.

Edit: The video had been removed, but I found another copy of it.

The Internet has become a major gateway for new artists and bands. Many groups are discovered by posting their music and videos on sites such as YouTube. Heck, Journey even found their new lead singer (from the Philippines!) by watching performances of cover bands on YouTube for hours on end.

Now there is another site out dedicated to helping bands get their music out there. Music Nations has created a launch pad for artists where they can upload their music, enter contests, post videos, etc. While surfing tonight I found a cool song in support of our troops that is a) not negative and b) not a country song (not that I don’t like country…but it seems like that is where patriotic songs come from these days). I know nothing about the band yet, other than this song, which I think is pretty good.

The group is Citizen Reign, and the video is below. There are some mildly graphic images and some really cool ones as well, such as a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. Enjoy…