Happy New Year (What I've learned)

There is only a little over 7 hours left in 2008...maybe more or less depending where you are reading this from. I thought that I might close the year by relaying to you a few of the things that I learned this year. This list isn't complete... but pretty close to it, given that I'm a slow learner.

1) Blogging once a week is harder than I thought.
2) Just about everything worth doing is harder than I thought.
3) When the stock market crumbles, the less you have, the less you lose.
4) Children are more important than work.
5) Most of the answers in life are non-existent...
6) ...and that's okay.
7) I have more fun writing, recording and playing music than I thought I would.
8) Now that my hair is getting thin, I don't care.
9) It is better for me to not have, than to cause someone else to go without.
10) A full box of Pot of Gold chocolates will not make my dog sick (I learned that one Christmas eve)
11) It's much less pointless to model my life after people that "are" rather than people that "have" or "can".

I wish you all the best in the new year, and I hope that this year is even better than the last one. Thanks for all your support in 2008, and I'll see you next year.

Welcome RBBH Shoppers!

The fine people at RBBH (Book and Bible) in Grand Falls have so graciously agreed to put one of my promo flyers in the bags of unsuspecting Christmas shoppers. If you are one of those people who are checking out my blog because you recieved one of those flyers, I'm glad you're here!! Please feel free to read through my blog and leave a message. I'd love to connect with you and find out who you are.

You can also check out my other websites:

www.danbursey.com
www.myspace.com/danbursey

And to join my email list, and receive free downloads, you can check out:
www.reverbnation.com/danbursey

Merry Christmas!!

"People Make Me Happy"

On Saturday, I was sitting in Subway with my two year old daughter. We were sitting at a table next to a window, and the place was packed with people, most of whom were obviously taking a break from Christmas shopping. We, on the other hand, were in no rush.

As we leisurely ate our lunch, we watched a 5 foot robotic Santa dance and sing everytime someone passed. It was sort of annoying and a guy a few tables up from me was obviously bothered by the constant "Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!" Then it would break into a redition of "It's the most wonderful time of the year..." in a key thay was much too low. But my daughter loved it. I loved watching her because she was so content.

Then out of the blue, she said to me, "I'm happy". Naturally I asked her why she was happy and expected the standard answer which usually has to do with cookies. She thought hard. I knew she had a reason in her 2 year old brain but was having trouble finding words that could convey it. Then she slowly said..."People make me happy."

I knew what she meant - being out with Daddy and having his undivided attention made her happy. But I liked the way that she put it..."People make me happy." I think I might give that a shot this Christmas. I might make more of an effort to enjoy people, and then tell them how happy they make me.

Saturday Song Stories - "Enough For Me"

Well here we are...this is the last song story. I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I have. If you are anything like me, a song means so much more to you when you know the history behind its creation. I will still blog regularly, so keep checking back.


"Enough For Me" seemed like a natural fit for the end of the record. I had trouble with the song order on the album, but that one screamed to be placed at the end.

It was actually written on-the-spot at a youth pastor's seminar. I was leading worship at this seminar, and the speaker gave a talk on God being all that we need. Before his presentation, he asked if I knew "Your Grace is Enough" because he wanted it played at the end. At the time, I didn't know the song, so I said, "No but I'll figure something out." During his presentation, I didn't listen to a word he said, but ended up writing some simple lyrics in my head. When his talk was done, I picked up my guitar and improvised a chord progression and melody line.

That might explain the simplicity of the song. That doesn't happen to me often. Some guys I know are great at coming up with spontaneous worship songs. Me...not so much. I love improvising songs that are meant to be funny and working off of the crowd, but the serious stuff doesn't come easily.

Some time later, I picked up a dobro that I had borrowed and thought, "Hmmm...I wonder." And sure enough, this song laid better on the dobro than it did on my regular acoustic. I don't play this song live often, simply because I don't own a dobro. Which reminds me...

If you would like to donate money to the "Buy Dan a Dobro" fund, please contact me. Please...

Saturday Song Stories - "California"

The concept behind this song is pretty straight-forward. Boy has desk job. Boy comes to dislike desk job. Boy quits desk job. Boy packs car full of people that make his life worth living. Boy drives 20 hours to California.

Michelle and I used to live in Kelowna BC. The aforementioned scenario was a very real temptation because Los Angeles was 20 hours of driving away from our door step. We didn't actually make the journey to California. Although, when I did quit my job, I put my family in a plane and went to Newfoundland. It's not exactly California, but most of the people that we love live there, so that counts for something.

Although I did lead a youth missions trip to Tijuana. We drove straight from K-Town to L.A. and then on to Tijuana. As we drove up through Oregon and California, I was simply amazed at how close the landscape was to what I had seen on the Road Runner cartoons. But in a 15 passenger van with ten people for such a large amount of time, there were times when I wished Wile-E-Coyote would come and eat me. I would have gladly surrendered to his "Acme" bombs.

I really like the line, "Everything in moderation, except love." That was sort of a reaction to the way people indulge in everything but the things that they should indulge in. It's just a roundabout way of quoting the great James Taylor, who wrote, "Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel."

You can check out California on my Myspace Page.

Saturday Song Stories - "Everybody Hurtin'"

Everybody Hurtin' is a song that I think most people can relate to. The song is written in C6 tuning, which is actually a Led Zeppelin tuning...they used it in Bron Yr Aur (I think that's how it's spelled) and when I tried it, it seemed to work very well for blues and slide.

The version of Everybody Hurtin' that is on the album is not the original. That is the second version that is floating around...the first being a full on rock-blues tune with a bit of a Colin James feel to it, that was recorded for "One of a Kind", a songwriting competition and compilation album that I was a part of last year. This version that is on "Hope" has more of a delta blues sort of feel to it.

After I had come up with what I thought was a pretty cool lick, I began to think about lyrics. My origianl idea was to write something that was so stereotypically blues that it would almost be satire. But what came out was a song that dealt with the idea that there is a spot in each of us that is empty, hence the fact that on some level we all are hurting. I think that most of the vices in which we find ourselves snagged have such a hold because of the fact that we are trying to fill a void.

This one was recorded without a click track. Here's a secret...the tempo changes slightly throughout, but that doesn't bother me because I like it when songs have that human quality. And besides, you can make a game of it...see if you can count how many times the tempo fluctuates! It will be sure to add some life to your next party!

The Bob Baker Experiment...

On a recent post, Bob Baker, independent music marketing guru, and author of the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook and a thousand other titles, including thebuzzfactor.com , talked about how he is now using Google Alert to track who is talking about him on the internet. On a monthly basis, Bob will post links to blogs that have linked to him. Here's the post: http://www.bob-baker.com/musicpromotionblog/2008/11/music-promotion-link-love-train.html#comments

So I want to shamelessly do my best to see if I can get "Hope Will Blog" on that list.

Here's how I see it...I am an independant musician, writing a blog with a pretty good fan base. I am the poster child for who Bob Baker is trying to help. Please Bob...put me on the list.

I love Bob Baker.

I even bought the Guerilla Music Marketing handbook.

Thanks in advance Bob.

MusicNL Conference and Awards...

I didn't get to post a song story this week. Here's why: I was attending the MusicNL awards and conference in Gander this past weekend.

First of all, I was nominated for Gospel Artist of the Year. I didn't take home the award, but it was an honor to just be nominated. Janet Cull and Kelly-Ann Evans won the category and deserved it to the fullest.

I also had a chance to perform at the CBC Song-Writers Circle on Sunday afternoon. During my first song, which was "Like Your Love", I pushed against the microphone with my mouth and the mic-stand started to swing away from me. So I stopped, and fixed it. So...There is a pause in my first song that I'm hoping the merciful people at CBC will edit out before they play it nation-wide (Yes...nation-wide. It is slated for broadcast on CBC Radio 2 some time in the new year, as well as Province-wide on CBC Radio's performance hour on Saturday November 22nd.) The second song that I did was "Hope Will Rise". No micrphone incidents with that one.

Later that night, I had a chance to perform at the awards gala at the Arts and Culture Centre. I used the Loop Pedal on "Create in Me". It was a very good show all-around. MusicNL needs to be commended for their professionalism and hard work.

Anyway, that's the scoop. I'll be back with a Song Story on Saturday.

If Music Was Sport

Hey everyone...

I read this and thought it was very cool. So I want to pass it along to you. It's from a blog called "Music Think Tank" and was written by Andrew Dubber. Hope you enjoy...



"Just for fun, here's a thought experiment. It illustrates that things in the world of music (and the business of music) need not necessarily be configured the way they are...

If music was treated like sport:

-Schools would have plenty of equipment and kids would have places to play and practice
-People who didn't do any music at all would be considered a bit lazy by their peers
-Professional musicians wouldn't get asked by their parents when they were going to get a real job
-Most people would play music and almost none of them would expect money for it
-Every weekend, you'd get a televised battle of the bands
-Players in top acts would change bands for millions of dollars
-Every four years, the best amateur acts would come together for the largest music festival on earth
-There'd be significant funding for community music programmes
-Most bands would have coaches as well as managers (and a physiotherapist?)
-Schools, pubs, churches, villages, and even workplaces would have their own bands
-If you went to a gig with a videocamera, you wouldn't be considered a thief
-Big acts would sell season tickets at their own venues
-Government-funded television campaigns would encourage non-musicians to take up an instrument and practice for just 30 minutes a day...
-Children from the age of 6 would know all the stats on their favourite bands
-There'd be movies where people escaped from POW camps by playing the guitar
-TV channels would get into bidding wars for the rights to show concerts
-All the top bands would regularly hold auditions for new members
-You'd join your first band at the age of five
-The more musically inclined would routinely play in different bands in different genres
-Audiences would bet on the outcome of concerts
-University scholarships would be awarded on musical aptitude
-Kids would dream of one day representing their country in Hip Hop
-You'd play another genre of music in Summer - jazz is a Winter music
-Band members would switch instruments from time to time (she's been on drums all season - let's give her a turn on vocals)
-Bands would have reserves
-You could swap out every member of a group and it'd still be the same band
-In American teen films, trombonists would beat up the kid who got picked last for the orchestra

And so on... Of course music is not sport. It's not even like sport. But it's interesting to think through the things that we do in a different field of human endeavour, and realise that the way that we approach music and the business of music is not a logical necessity - it's just how we've chosen to put it together.

And since that's true, we can choose to do it a different way.

Personally, I like the idea of some of these outcomes. Especially the first one. I'm sure you can add some of your own too.

If music was sport... what else would be different?"

Saturday Song Stories - "Main Street"

Wow...I can't believe that we are almost through the song stories. This is week 11 and there are only three more after this.

Main Street was written in one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring parts of our great country...Tim Horton's. I find that I concentrate best in busy coffee shops and for some reason much of my best reading and writing is done there.

It's hard to say if there was a specific situation that inspired Main Street. I don't remember one, but it was written as I began to think through some of the ways that us humans exist. I was probably watching my fellow coffee addicts interact with each other. Anyway, Main Street is a metaphor for the way that we all live according to the patterns of this world without really thinking about them. For instance, the first verse talks about how we dare not show weakness ("in our dresses and suits we try to hide the bruised truth") and how we work to build wealth without asking why we need so much ("fanning the flame of ritual gain"). The bridge sums it up well..."The tragedy of all this is that we're convinced that this is all there is. This is where everybody lives, and after all what option does life give?"

When we renew our minds and do not conform to the patterns of this world, it is almost as though we are singing a song, barely heard among the clamoring bustle, as verse two mentions. But when others see an alternate way of existence to the way of the masses, they sing along as well.

I know that that sort of talk rings a bit hollow these days, partly because everyone talks about making a change and doing things differently. The only way that I can see these ideals having meat on their bones is if one imitates Jesus. Anything else is just walking up the same street on a different sidewalk.

Saturday Song Stories - "Deal Justly"

Michelle and I used to live in Kelowna BC. On Canada Day 2002, we were walking downtown, simply because we enjoyed the busyness and the people, not to mention the fireworks on the crowded lake shore. While on one of the less crowded streets, we heard some yelling. When we took notice of what was going on, we were shocked to see a group of three or four young white girls verbally harassing a young native lady. I won't tell you what sort of names they were calling her. Why were they doing it? No reason. Just because she was there.

She obviously felt threatened, and in an effort to find some security, (I guess we looked harmless enough) she came over to us. She was visibly shaken by the ordeal, and as we talked, she admitted that that sort of thing had happened before. She made a statement that stopped my heart...she said, "I don't trust white people." We talked for nearly 20 minutes, before we offered to walk her to where she was going. While on the way there, a friend of hers rode by on his bicycle and stopped. "Are these whiteys giving you a hard time?" "No, they're okay." She said.

That is the first time I had seen blatant racism at play. I had seen other minority groups on job sites do more work for less pay. I had heard jokes told by people who would not consider themselves to be racist. I had always known that some people groups get labelled and are often trapped within oppressive systems. But this is the first time that I had seen someone threatened, and verbally attacked because of their nationality.

I went home with too many emotions to count, and this is the song that came out. God called us to "Deal Justly, Love mercy, and walk humbly with our God." The line about how I would "rather not place myself in history's hands" is a reference to what I see as a strong need for God's people to make amends for past injustice, and work hard at bringing about a kingdom where the oppression that exists in our flawed system is done away with.

When I was in college I worked on a tree farm with a half dozen or so men who were from other countries. In conversation with a gentleman from India, he asked what I was studying in College. I told him Theology. I guess he thought I said Geology, because he got very excited. With his hand on my shoulder, he told me of how in India he was a university science professor who specialized in Geology. "Good, good, good" He said. Here is an academic professional, hoeing weeds on a dusty tree farm in Canada for much less than minimum wage. Justice? No.

Saturday Song Stories - "Struggling"

After a week-long absence, the Song Stories are back. I know, you've been losing sleep ;)

When I first started to develop a style of guitar playing, using my fingers rather than a pick, I wrote a chord progression that I thought was pretty catchy. The lyrics that went along with it were a bit of an anti-war protest thing, that focused on the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. I know, pretty light stuff...

But it was one of those songs that I liked but I didn't want to put on "Hope".

During the time I was recording the album, I remember sitting on the couch with my daughter. All I really wanted to do was hold her, but she kept getting up and down, up and down. I wanted to sit with her for a while, but she wanted to use me as a piece of playground equipment.

Then it sort of dawned on me; I do that to God. Why can't I just sit with him? Why do I get up and get down, up and down? Often I am not good at abiding in Him. I am much too restless for my own good. Anyway, I wrote the lyrics to "Struggling" and coupled it with the chord progression that I spoke of earlier. "Struggling" was born.

Tripping Larry Norman...

I know this is a long post, but I thought that in light of last weeks close encounter with Leeland, I'd tell you about another encounter that I had with a famous musician. It is also a bit of a tribute...Hope you enjoy.


When I was a teenager, I bought a couple of tapes from an older friend of mine who was selling off his cassette collection to buy CDs. For 5 bucks each I got a couple of Larry Norman albums, "Something New Under the Sun", and "In Another Land". Those albums, although they had been out for decades, changed the way that I viewed Christian music. At the time, I was cutting my teeth on the polished, overproduced sounds of Petra and Whiteheart, but when I heard the raw, honest lyrics, and the creativity that seemed to come from a heart that loved Jesus but was wrestling with real issues, I was floored. I'm even now struggling to find words that can explain how I felt. Here was a man with a perspective that I had never been exposed to. I felt as though this man had real issues, had lived in a real world, and had experienced a real Jesus, and now was bringing a real message to real people. I've only had that feeling once or twice since, the feeling of honor that you get when you know that you are listening to something that is more simple, yet so such more profound than anything you've heard before.

I had a chance to see Larry Norman live in concert in November of 1996. He spent two hours with a nylon stringed guitar in a packed church in Peterborough.
After the concert, he signed autographs in the foyer of the church. There were scores of people crowded around him, and I had worked my way up to him, to the point where he was standing directly in front of me, with his back to me. I remember being so close that I had no other choice but to closely examine the back of his head. I remember thinking that his hair was so light that I wanted to confirm that it was actually blond and not grey. As I was staring at the back of Larry Norman's scalp, he took a step backwards and stepped on my foot. He lost his balance and almost fell to the floor. Luckily he caught himself. I will never forget the glare that he turned and gave me. And I remember thinking, I almost killed the grandfather of contemporary Christian music.

In February, when I heard that Larry died, I felt a deep sense of loss. His music had shaped such a large part of me that I felt like I had lost someone who was close. I remember reading tributes to him and others said that same thing. I was genuinely mourning for him. I know that Larry Norman was a man who had problems in his personal life, but we all are incomplete in some way. We are all people that need God's provisions for us. I see his shortcomings as proof that God uses us not because we are perfect, but because we let him.

YC 2008

I'm sorry that the Saturday Song Story didn't happen this week. Michelle and I spent the whole weekend in Gander at YC 2008 with our youth group. And how's this for a big honor...I got to open for Leeland!

Someone asked me if I got to meet them. The closest that I got to actually meeting anyone famous was when I went on stage for my soundcheck. Leeland spent about 45 minutes of the hour slot doing their soundcheck, which was alright with me, because when it's just me and a guitar I only need 5 minutes. The lead singer was on stage talking with a sound guy, and he came up form behind and told me he was sorry for taking so long. I thought it was someone from the tech crew so I said something that was little more than a grunt...something to the effect of "No worries." I then turned around and realized who I had grunted at. Some artists get pictures with the bands that they open for. Not me...I grunt at them.

Later, to one of the tech crew, I jokingly pretended to be excited that my guitar was on Leeland's guitar stand. I don't think he knew I was joking, because He looked at me blankly and said..."It's a rental."

Anyway, we had a good weekend. I got to catch up with some old friends and meet some new ones.

Here's some pictures from the weekend. The first one is a great shot of my baldspot :)

Saturday Song Stories - "Restless Wanderer"

Restless wanderer is a song for my family. I love them. I wanted to write a song about them. I almost didn't include it because that sounds so cliche. So, I decided to write a song that admits my shortcomings, but also my good-intentions and desire to live up to the task at hand.

The line, "Lately I've been forming in myself the character of Cain", is reference to his disregard for his family members, and how when he had killed his brother, he lamented the fact that he would now be a restless wanderer on the earth (Genesis 4:12,14). This is how many men live their lives; wandering. Not by having affairs, maybe, but by not giving the spiritual care to their families that is required of them. To me, wandering is a metaphor for not living up to the high calling of fatherhood, and husbandhood (if that is a word) and giving more care to other things. Not settling down, I guess, or realizing just how much our actions affect our families.

In my opinion, this verse sums up the point of the song. "Little Ones with innocent eyes, reminding me to hope that the seeds I've sown in you will bear some fruit. If I've scattered weeds, I pray they're choked out by my love, both for my Savior and the love I have for you."

I really like this song because it is the most real one on the album. First of all, the false start in the intro (which my mother totally hated) is completely real. The other guy talking ("Any time.")is Dean Stairs, my producer. Secondly, as you may have noticed, there are some "accidental variations" in the chord progression at a couple of points, which I love. And thirdly, the whole song has a Blue-Rodeo doing a rough practice in a smoky room sort of vibe to it, almost like you shouldn't be there.

Good News...

I just wanted to let all of you know some good news that I found out earlier this week. It turns out that I've been nominated for Gospel Artist of the Year at this years MusicNL awards in Gander. The awards will be handed out in November, so I'll keep you posted.

"Wounded" Live Performance

Here's a performance of "Wounded (Song For The Orphans)" in a noisy coffee house - August 2008.

Monday...Ummm....I mean Saturday Song Stories: "Wounded (Song for the Orphans)"

Last Spring as I was finishing up in the studio, a man named Junior Andrews came to our church. Junior is the director of an Organization called Village of Hope in Lilongwe Malawi. Junior spoke of children who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The situation in Africa is at epidemic proportions. On that morning, Junior showed pictures. He said names. He explained individual situations. These were children that were just as real as my own.

The website www.un.org estimates that there are between 850,000 and 1.2 million AIDS orpahns in Malawi alone. The government can only afford to throw $250 000 at the problem.

I have to admit, I can't relate to this scope of need. A million children with no parents. How is that possible in a world like ours?

I went home that morning overwhelmed, so I picked up my guitar. The only way that I can explain it is that within 20 minutes this song had erupted. I felt that day that even though I wasn't able to give a home to an orphan, I could offer this. How powerful is a song? Can it make a difference? I pray each time that I perform it that it will be a tool in God's hands.

I also have a brother that is passionate about orphans in Mexico. I have seen the compassion of God reflected in my brother Rick's eyes as he speaks of real children who have been rescued, and the many more that need care.

And that compassion is essentially what this song is about. God cares for these "little wounded souls" and commissions us to be the hands that deliver his practical care. I guess as I worte this song, I pictured God reaching out to a street child in Malawi, picking him up, and whispering to him "In my house there are no orphans."

Why I like Coffee Shops...

Although I am not a historian, I believe that the concept of a coffee house originated in Turkey. There's an old Turkish proverb that goes something like this:

"The real reason that people go to coffee houses is not for the coffee, nor for the music. Those are just excuses. People go to connect with one another."

I spent this past Friday night playing a coffee house concert in Bay Roberts. It was a great time. Although, at those sorts of events, the musician is clearly the background music, that's alright. The point of these types of venues is connection. It was a great night, and it was great to meet some new friends.

"This Too Shall Be Made Right" - By Derek Webb

This is such a great song that I had to share it with you.

Song Story Will Be A Bit Late This Week

Hey everyone...Sorry to tell you, but this week's installment of the Saturday Song Story is going to be coming on Monday, September 29th.

Here's why. I'm going to be playing in the Port De Grave area on Friday night at an outreach event there, at Ascension Collegiate...sort of a coffee house thing. Feel free to drop by and have a coffee. You can get the event details by clicking here.

So, Michelle and I won't be getting back until late Saturday night, hence the lack of Song Stories for this week. Talk to you on Monday!

A great Idea... Noise Trade

I wanted to get you to check out a great site I stumbled across called Noise Trade. You can pay what you want for music on the site, or you can get albums for free by recommending them to five friends. It's a great idea, and in a lot of ways, it is how the new music industry is going to have to run as the physical CD trade gives way to digital downloads.

You can check out a lot of great music that you might not be able to get in stores. I recommend Derek Webb's album, "The Ringing Bell". The song "Savior on Capital Hill" is worth the $$ or effort to get the album.

Props to Derek Webb for trusting fans. He has a new fan in me.

Saturday Song Stories - "Dress Myself"

I've never performed Dress Myself live. It's actually the only one on "Hope" that has never been crowd-tested. I'm not sure why...maybe because it's the artsy song on the album (every album needs an artsy 3/4 time song). But I don't think that's the reason. I've never been afraid of taking risks in front of a crowd.

Maybe it's because the meaning that I'm trying to get across in "Dress Myself" is a bit more veiled than most of the others. Or maybe because the opening imagery, of Jesus wrapping a towel around his waist as He washes the disciples feet, is more dusty than sacred (Religion tends to favor the images of Jesus that are not dusty). But then that's in essence what Jesus did. He, being divine, walked our dirty roads and stepped in things that could hardly be called sacred. He was God with dirty feet.

And yet He took the time to model the attitude that we need to have, by washing the feet of his disciples... "feet that have pounded the earth, propelled by a restless heart." The chorus says, "No servant greater than his master, yet I've pursued prominence. You were humiliated for me. I will dress myself in humility". The song is essentially about conforming our attitude to be like our savior's, despite the dusty roads that we have to walk.

When I brought this song into the studio, I had no idea what it would turn out to be. But I think that it turned out to be one of my favorites on the album. Maybe I should start playing it live.

Comments...

Alright...my site meter thingy tells me that I have a pretty loyal readership. There are people literally from all over the world who are actually reading this blog, and I am grateful for that.

So, how about this...why not leave me some feedback? That way I don't get tired of my own voice. Even if you have nothing intelligent to say, say it anyway. I'd love for my readers to join in on the conversation.

Saturday Song Stories - "Create In Me"

As odd as this might sound..."Create in Me" was inspired by the writings of a man with a pretty brutal past. This man, being in a position of authority, used his power to lure another man's wife to sleep with him. After his adulterous affair with this woman, she revealed to him that she was pregnant. So in a desperate attempt to cover it up, he ended up arranging the murder of his mistress' husband. Sounds like the storyline to a daytime soap.

It's actually the story of David...the king of Israel. After this dirty laundry had been laid out, he wrote Psalm 51, with the words "Create in me a clean heart." By stating that he needed God to create a clean heart in him, I think he was implying that there had never been one there before. Whatever was there previous to this, exhibited itself in lust, illicit sex, murder, deceit. Call it what you will, it needed to be replaced, and the replacement had to be fashioned from nothing.

The second verse of "Create in Me", at first glance, seems to not necessarily fit with the rest of the song. The first verse speaks of the need for our souls to be awaked to the truth of Christ, and how the "Man of Sorrows" (Jesus), gave so much to pave the way for that awakening.

But the second verse speaks of the need for us to be agents of restoration in relationships, and feed orphans and touch lepers, a theme that is not explicit elsewhere in the song. I took the song in this direction, because I see a huge connection between us having a new heart, and us feeling compelled to do the things in our world such as feed the hungry, be agents of restoration, and touch those that are without the warmth of human relationship. How can our heart be recreated if we have no desire to bring good news to fruition in the lives of people in practical ways. The Bible is full of commands to take care of those that have lost the ability to care for themselves.

Alright, enough preaching...

By entering your email in the "Join My Mailing List" widget in the sidebar to the left, you will get access to a free download of "Create in Me" along with a couple of other songs from the album. Hope you enjoy.

Contest Winner...

Last week I told you that if you could answer a very simple question, you would have a chance to win a copy of Hope Will Rise.

The question was, "What did I see going a different direction?" And the answer is...

HER REFLECTION.

Alison Sheppard is now the proud owner of her very own copy of Hope Will Rise.

(Wait a couple of years and put the CD on eBay. My Mom will buy it from you.)

Saturday Song Stories - "Oddity"

[od-i-tee]
1. an odd or remarkably unusual person, thing, or event.
2. the quality of being odd; singularity, strangeness, or eccentricity.
3. an odd characteristic or trait; peculiarity.

When I perform Oddity live, I invariably have someone come to me and either say, "I loved that Odyssey song", or "What in the world does oddity mean?"

This song was originally recorded for the Hope In The Midst of a Storm album, a fundraiser for the Janeway Children's Hospital in St. John's. I wanted to contribute this one in particular because of the message.

Have you ever know anyone with a disease like cancer. My father is bravely fighting a battle with cancer at the moment. It's not a fair disease. In fact, there are few things that make sense in our world. There are so many diseases, inhumanities, hurts, frustrations and disappointments, that they become the norm. Pain and hatred sometimes seem like the patterns of this world. We've adapted to their presence, so much so that we do nothing and then justify our inaction.

Then love comes on the scene. I'm not talking about love that is prepackaged by the media, or a false love like "I love Tim Horton's" (Which I do, by the way). I'm talking about a love that is pure and rich and bottomless...so much so that it is an irregularity in the pattern of this world. In the way that our humanity operates, God's love can only be considered an oddity.

"You took a criminal heart and you gave it reprieve, You took a barren soul and you helped it conceive...This love is an oddity, this grace an anomaly, and I've never seen anything like this before."

Saturday Song Stories - "Hope Will Rise"

When I first stared to learn how to finger-pick (I'm talking about guitar, not my nose), I came up with a catchy pattern that I would use to impress people when we were sitting around someone's living room. I could play it fast because I would use it as a warm-up whenever I practiced, seeing how fast I could play it. But try as I might, I couldn't put words to it.

One night as I read through the writings of an ancient prophet named Isaiah, the words struck me as profound. Isaiah 35 talks about God coming to save his people, a pretty common theme in the Bible. But the imagery that Isaiah used was intense. Lines Like "Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way", "say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear, your God will come...", and "he will come to save you...Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy...They will enter Zion with singing."

It's every songwriters dream to have someone else write the poetic stuff for you (after all, Isaiah isn't about to sue me for copyright infringement). When I played around with different chord progressions, it fit perfectly with my show-off finger-picking lick.

How often in our world are we faced with fears? And how comforting is it to know that God will cause hope to rise within us because of his promises? It has happened on a few occasions that people who have heard this song, among a couple of others on the album, found comfort in the midst of storms that they were facing. That is one of the reasons why I write music.

(Please note, that the phrase "Finger-picking lick" is not an endorsement of KFC)

Contest... Win a copy of "Hope Will Rise"

I'm not kidding. I'll be sending one blog reader a free copy of "Hope Will Rise". Here's how it works...

On the Dan Bursey MySpace page I have four songs posted. In the lyrics of one of the songs is the answer to this question:

What did I see going a different direction?

When you find the answer, email me at dfbursey@hotmail.com, or message me on facebook. I will be drawing from the correct answers and will announce the winner on my blog next Saturday.

If you don't win? If you sign up for my email list on the MySpace page, you'll get a free download. That'll dry your tears...

A Spot for Everyone...

I spent all of last week at a youth camp in Lewisporte. Yeah...I admit it...I am so tired that my eyes are crossing. But that's not the point of this blog.

On Thursday afternoon, they had a talent search as part of the weeks on-going team games. It was crazy! I was amazed at the amount of talent that is out there, especially among our young people, who are definitely thinking outside the box in terms of where their talents can take them.

There was a bass duo, a metal-core band, a tender-hearted worship leader, and two guys that ripped it up beatboxing.

Why am I telling you this? I was struck again by the diversity of talents and giftings that exist in the Christ's family. Those people will be used in ways that I never could. (I doubt that my music would ever appeal to much of the metal-core community.) God designs people so that they can reach into areas of culture that others cannot. Where do you fit into God's plan.

Saturday Song Stories - "Like Your Love"

As any songwriter will tell you, there is no one way to write a song. Some come easily and others are hard work. Like Your Love, the second song on the album that talks about God's love and how it remains the same in a world that is in a constant state of change, is one of those songs that needed time to marinate...sort of like a $1.99 fast fry steak. Here's what I mean.

In early 2006, I wrote the first line, "The Sunset sets the city ablaze in a sultry yellow-orange haze", while walking in Deer Lake NL. I think it was late spring, and the setting sun was bright and orange and it seemed to be setting the whole town on fire. This line came to me, but nothing else. I wrote it down and let it marinate.

Around the same time, I had also written a song called Tired of Gone about a man whose love had left him. The song was over the top in terms of how sad it was. It contained lines like "Now their house is a park where mommas play with their babies in the noonday." The song ends with a poor old man sitting in a coffee shop dreaming about being in love with every girl that walks in. I actually performed it once in concert and apologized for how mournful it was. That song got put away to marinate.

Then, in early 2008, the night before I was to go into the studio with my contributions to the "Hope In The Midst of a Storm" Project, I looked through my notebooks. I came across these bits and pieces and they all seemed to fit together, as if they had finished marinating and were now ready to be grilled. All of these pieces - the sunset line, the bridge part from "Tired of Gone" (Seen a million faces pass me by...) a jazz inspired chord progression- all came together to make my fast fry steak into a piece of meat that doesn't taste half bad.

The moral of this story: You don't always need to rush your creative ideas. Don't force it. Ideas often need time to marinate.

Saturday Song Stories - "Not Be Afraid"

Songwriters will often talk of times when songs seem to write themselves. One of the rare times that has happened for me is with "Not Be Afraid", the album's opening track.

One Saturday night in early 2006, I turned on the news. Big mistake. There were bombings in the Middle East, train wrecks, people killing each other, politicians lying... I'm not one of those people that is always griping about the state of the world, but I have to admit that it was a particularly scary news cast. It seems that our world is fueled by fear. If this world is all there is, we have reason to be afraid.

People even try to capitalize on this fear. For instance...There is even a recent television commercial that sells bathtubs to elderly people. The commercial has clips of people who are 75+ talking about how afraid they are of falling in the bathtub. Once the comsumer is sufficiently convinced that they need to be afraid of falling in their bathtub, they are urged to buy the slip-proof tub. Ours is a world where danger really does lurk around every corner and towel rack.

And so, on my basement couch after I had turned off the news, "Not Be Afraid" was born. It started as a reaction to the fearsome problems that the world is facing, but turned into a prayer that simply says, "I will not be afraid...I am safe within your arms." Repeatedly in the Bible we are told to "Fear Not". Whether we face death, poverty, sickness, or slippery bathtubs, we have no need to fear while we rest in the shadow of His wings.

The Dirt Under My Nails

If you've ever gone through the process of recording, and releasing an album, you know all of the feelings that go along with it. Will it stink? Will it connect with people? Sort of a nervous excitement as you now get taken more seriously as a performer, writer and musician.

As I was excitedly showing my mother the album cover - me with the symbolic and esoteric mound of dirt with a hybiscus plant gently cradled in my hands - she looked at it for moment and, in the way that only she can, said "Look at the dirt under your nails!" It must always be left up to your mother to keep you grounded.