Before we begin, let me make this statement: this is a blog post about how I plan to blog. Weird. Moving on. I would not call myself a blogger, but I’d like to be. The biggest problem I have is I don’t know what I want to blog about. I feel that a good blog has direction and focus. A gadget blog is about gadgets. A food blog is about food. You get the point. But, I’d still like to blog a bit more than I ever have.

Here at Brian Wahl Band, one might assume that everything will be about music, but the blog is more about faith and other stuff. I guess this blog is about the things that I am passionate about – music, faith, tech and gadgets, etc.

These days there are way too many ways to put information out there . I’ve decided to categorize blogging into three things:

1. Micro-blogging
2. Mini-blogging
3. Blogging

Micro Blogging:

This would be Twitter. One might consider Facebook a micro-blogging medium as well, thinking of status updates. This is also where the largest social network aspect seems to live. In my opinion, this can be utilized for two purposes. 1: to let people know what you are up to at any given moment. And 2: to promote something to your network.

Mini Blogging:

Mini blogging seems to be the newest thing on the scene. I think of this as the ability to publish content that is a bit more mature than Twitter, and a bit less mature than a full-on blog article. Things like photos, audio, video, and longer-than-140 character updates. I see two main competitors in this field: Tumblr and Posterous. I’ve been trying both of them out, and I’ll post some final impressions later.

Strategy

I believe the strategy you should take when blogging ultimately depends on what your purposes are, and here are my objectives:

Be in contact with my social network – both receiving and sending updates. It’s cool to see what people are up to, and I’d like to think those people might care to know what I’m up to.

This is where I see the micro-blogging sphere being utilized. Think: twitter.

Share things that I find interesting, whether they are created by me, or something I come across that was created by somebody else.

Here is the mini-blogging approach.

Write more in-depth and engaging articles about the things that I really care about.

Enter the full-sized blog.

The multi-tiered approach is making them all work together in harmony. My plan is to use one service to update the other, which is a delicate and potentially annoying endeavor (annoying to those who “follow” you if you end up double and triple updating them about everything you post). My plan is to use mini- and full-on blogging to power all three mediums. Things like “status updates” and anything I find interesting, I’m going to post to either Tumblr or Posterous. Both of those then feed Twitter, which in turn feeds Facebook, where the bulk of my social network lives and interacts with me.

So that leaves this blog – my main full-on blog. It is reserved for my more in-depth articles, but I still want to update that social network whenever I post anything, so I’ve got it set to update Twitter whenever I post something, which then goes to Facebook. The question that is left is what about the people who subscribe to this site and none of my other outlets? Solution: a LiveBlog recap. (I’m calling my mini-blog a LiveBlog). Once a week or so I’m planning to post the highlights of everything I posted to Twitter/Tumblr/Posterous/Facebook/YouTube/Flickr/etc. It’s a solution that I think will work for me, and will keep this blog reserved for more meaningful posts.

So, you can keep up with me here:
Twitter – this will capture pretty much everything. Every post, update, photo, etc will get filtered here.
Tumblr – I’m calling this my LiveBlog. More detailed stuff about what I’m doing and what I find interesting.
Brian Wahl Band – More detailed and in-depth posts.

So, what is your strategy?

Today was an iPhone day. Apple held a last-minute press conference to address several issues that have been popping up about the iPhone – namely the antenna issue, which has been dubbed ‘Antennagate’.

I watched this thing via GDGT’s liveblog (which was cool), and it basically went like this:

• We are Apple. We love our customers.
• We have sold a ton of phones.
• Hardly anybody has complained about them.
• Everybody else’s smartphones do the same thing.
• But, we love our customers, so we’re going to take care of them.
• Free bumpers! (or other case of your choice)

In other news, I was expecting delivery of an iPhone 4 today. It didn’t come. Interestingly, it shipped straight from China, and I suppose flying from China to Durham, NC is not always without bumps. No big deal – it’ll get here eventually.

So how do I feel about Apple’s position? Well, I think they’re trying to do the best thing, but in a way that impacts them in the least negative way. Free bumper cases is a lot cheaper (and easier) than doing a 100% recall on the phone. I’m sure I’ll enjoy my phone when I get it. I’ve totally loved my iPhone 3G for the last two years.

Mmmmmmm. Ever wish you could just grab a can of PB&J? Well, now you can, with the Candwich! What’s even better than peanut butter and jelly in a can? How about a BBQ chicken sandwich… in a can.

Sadly, this is real.

The Bible has some strange stuff going on sometimes. Here is a story that makes me scratch my head every time I’ve ever read it. I’m curious what kind of insight may be found in it. It’s found in Genesis (mostly chapter 19).

Lot is Abraham’s nephew, and he’s married with two daughters. They have a happy little place in Sodom. This is a most unfortunate place to live, especially during Genesis 19. Sodom is so wicked that God decides to destroy it along with Gomorrah. Before God reigns down his judgement in the form of fire from the sky, he sends two Angels into the town to rescue Lot and his family. This is quite a nice gesture. The events transpire like this (paraphrased):

Two angels show up at Lot’s door (Lot does not know who they are).

Lot:

“What a pleasant surprise – please come spend the night at my house”

(what a nice host Lot is)

Angels:

“Um, I don’t think we should hang around, since God is going to destroy the city and all, but we’ll come in for just a sec”

In the meantime, ALL of the men (young and old, it says – so I’m assuming children through elderly) show up at Lot’s door with this most heartwarming request of the two Angels…

“Who are these guys that came to your house, Lot? Bring them out here so we can all have sex with them.”

Well that’s weird. And disgusting. Perhaps this is why God has finally had enough of this place. But – let’s listen to Lot’s response:

“Come on guys! They’re my guests! You can’t do that to my guests! Here, have my two virgin daughters instead. You can do whatever you want to them, but geez, guys, lay off my guests.”

What the heck is that!?! Lot would rather give his two daughters to a crowd of men than a couple people he doesn’t know? Seriously? I’m curious what lesson is to be learned from this. I think it speaks to the stigma of hospitality that existed in those cultures, which has some interesting implications if we look at the way Jesus carried himself around guests.

Lot eventually escapes the city, though his wife dies in the process. He ends up living in a cave with his two daughters. They decide that there really aren’t any good men left out in the caves, so they get him drunk and sleep with him. Both daughters become pregnant by their own father, and from those children come the Moabites and the Ammonites.

What a peculiar (and disturbing) bit of history. What do you think about it? Any insights?

Gabriel’s Sword was originally formed in 1987 by legends of metal

• Brian “Amadeus” Wahl
• Heath “Heartbreaker” Epley
• Curtis “the Destroyer” Dick
• Reid “Tommy Gun” Gossen.

These four warriors of rock met at a Petra concert (Stryper and Carmen opened), and the Sword was forged.

Gabriel’s Sword brings Bible stories to life with face-melting guitar solos, and will pierce your soul with such tracks as:

• “Who Touched My Robe?”
• “Moses is Glowing”
• “Take it to the Top (One Shot at Glory)”
• “Poor Woman’s Pennies”
• “Timothy, My Beloved Son”

Gabriel’s Sword filled stadiums in the late 80’s with their signature brand of hair, spandex, and metal. After a tragic stage prop accident (think flaming sword), The Sword’s popularity started to lose ground. Honestly, most people were afraid to see the shows due to their intense nature. Mysteriously, all four founding members of The Sword disappeared on a misty July morning in 1992. They were on a song-writing retreat in the fjords of Norway and were never seen or heard from again. It is rumored that The Lord was so pleased with their sound and Biblical lyricism that He could no longer stand to be separated from them. Some Norwegian locals claim to have seen four fiery chariots ascend into the heavens as peals of sweet heavy metal were being played by the angel Gabriel himself.

Want more of The Sword? You got it!

I was a Youth Pastor for a few years, and I’ve spent many years as a youth leader/sponsor/camp counselor/etc. From my (not so) vast experience, I’ve compiled an essential list for surviving a mission trip – or any youth trip. for that matter. I call it…

Mission Trip Survival 101

1. Make sure your air mattress can support the combined weight of three grown men.
2. Master the art of using a super-duty black accordion-style plunger. Accept no substitute.
3. Find a Dairy Queen. Order a Mississippi Mud Pie Blizzard (if it isn’t on the menu, ask for it by name). Repeat.
4. When a chicken lays an egg on your pillow, it means breakfast tomorrow morning.
5. Adding multiple espresso shots into your coffee is not recommended. Only use in case of emergency.
6. Related to my last post – coffee trumps all those energy drinks that taste like medicine. No questions.
7. The giant stuffed iguana hanging above your bed isn’t going to attack you in your sleep.
8. When presented with local cuisine, never ask, “What is this?”. Rather, ask, “where is the bathroom?”
9. 4:30 a.m. Comes early. Go to bed.
10. The emergency room is your friend. It’s more of a love/hate relationship.
11. Gas station chimichangas are not recommended.
12. Make no mistake; too much ice cream can actually be a bad thing.
13. Embrace 80′s Christian rock. Specifically, Rage of Angels. Google them.

Come out this Friday night to the Worship Night at Amazing Tone Music in Raleigh. We’ll be playing a bunch of new originals.

The show starts at 7:00p. The first hour is open mic, so bring a guitar and play a song or two. For the second hour, Alastair Vance and I (plus a few friends) will provide the entertainment.

Here’s the address:
1141 Falls River Ave #110
Raleigh, NC  27614

So with a gig or two coming up, I figured it would be a good idea to get a business card with some info for how people can get some free music. Here is my design…

Guess I was feeling a little tan last night.

Let’s face it, as an unknown independent artist, I’m not getting rich off album sales. Or sold out concerts. In fact, I have two day jobs that, shall we say, supplement my passion for writing and recording music. I’m far more interested in exposure than profit, which is why I’ve decided to give my music away for free.

I do ask one thing in return, though – I ask that you spread the word. If you like the music, tell people about it. Tweet about it. Post on Facebook about it. Email people about it. What do you and your friends have to lose – it’s free.

I’m going to be posting my latest release to NoiseTrade, and as I release more material, my entire catalog will be available at BandCamp. All for free. Both places allow you to leave me a tip, though. If you choose to tip me, I really do thank you. Even if you don’t, I’m still super excited that you are interested in and listening to my music.

So, here is where you can get my music for free:

NoiseTrade (my latest release will be available here):
https://www.noisetrade.com/brianwahlband

BandCamp (every release will be available here):
http://www.brianwahlband.bandcamp.com

There’s more to this plan. Over the past ten years or so, I’ve written enough songs to fill up about three or four full-length albums. I’m going begin releasing a series of 4-5 song EPs, starting with the best material from the last 10 years, and then moving forward as I write new material. These won’t be full-scale studio recordings with 30-piece orchestral accompaniment, but they will be high quality recordings that capture the emotion and essence of each song. Get ready for a LOT of new material. And get ready to not pay for it.

I want to be able to keep you updated when I release new stuff. There are several ways you can do that. First of all, you can subscribe to this site in your favorite RSS reader or via email. You’ll be updated any time I add anything to this site, whether it’s a new album or a blog post. Alternatively, you can join the mailing list, and I will send out an update anytime I release a new EP or get some live gigs booked.

My music will also continue to be available through more well-known avenues such as iTunes and Amazon, but I am unable to control pricing, so if you get it through these vendors, you’ll have to pay about a dollar per song.

Again, thanks so much for listening

Watch an acoustic video of my new original song called “Things”, and read the story behind why I wrote it.

I can be bought
Persuaded and sold
With fancy pictures and marketing you can steal my soul

Greed is my god
Jealousy my lord
There is always bigger, always better, always more

My society – lies to me – tells me things and I believe
My heart it longs – and all it wants – is something that will make me complete

Look at all my things
And count all my gold
Dig a hole you can’t fill and then ask for more

Sell me your dreams
Sell me your hopes
Just make sure you tell me that it’s nothing at all

You can’t buy me – I’m not for sale – I’m not for sale
You can’t buy me – I’m not for sale – I’m not for sale
You can’t buy me – I’m not for sale – I’m not for sale…
I’m already paid for

1st Chorinthians 6:19-20 has a curious line in it. It says, “You were bought with a price”. If I can be purchased, I suppose that means I’m for sale. There is a lot of imagery in the Bible that suggests (or, rather, proclaims) that we belong to God. We have been ransomed, purchased, reconciled, etc. I think if we belong to God, we could also belong to something else. If God has purchased us, that means we can be bought by someone or something else as well.

We live in a world that is trying desperately to buy us out. Through a system of greed and jealousy, we are always desiring, always acquiring, and never, ever satisfied. There is always a bigger house. A nicer car. A higher salary. Better lifestyle. The list goes on and on. If we allow ourselves to be sold to consumerism, we will never, ever be truly happy.

We have been bought with a price. It may seem odd to think about – maybe we never wanted to sell ourselves.  Maybe I don’t want to be owned, but I know I do want to be fulfilled. Complete. And I know that selling myself to whatever thing I want at the moment has never completed me. Only God can do that.