I hope this finds you well.  There are many things to talk about around here, and I have communicated miserably over the last…well, forever.  Two main things y’all should know:

1. April and I are expecting our first baby, a girl, in about six weeks.  She will be named Emma, and we are already smitten.
2. I am giving away Stand[by] for free in the month of February on Noisetrade.  Noisetrade is a fair-trade music site, in case you weren’t already aware of that.  You should be able to download it directly on this page, this way —–>

So, with those things stated, you are fairly up to speed.  There are a lot of things I’d like to be writing about around here, and I have a feeling this blog will be turning into more of a worship discussion at some point.  Time has not been my friend lately, and there are many nursery things to still prepare for Emma.

Two questions I’d like to ask you:

1. Would you pray for April and I, and for baby Emma?  Any new parent prayers are welcome.  Also, that she would know Christ.  Oh, and pray for her husband.  I’ve already become angered a few times thinking about the punk who will break her heart…poor kid.
2. If you don’t already have the music, would you consider downloading it?  If you do, would you consider sharing that with your friends and folks in your sphere of influence?  I’d greatly appreciate it.

Happy February, y’all.

I hope this finds you having a good week, wherever you are.

The end of another week calls for another new song.  This is a scripture song that I’ve been singing for a little while.  I got to put a band with it again at the Hard Rock Cafe, and I loved how it came out.

Psalm 13 has always been one of my favorite psalms in scripture.  I love the raw emotion and transparency of David in it.  It is believed that David wrote it while fleeing for his life from the hand of Saul.  The fact that David asks “How long?” four times is a clear sign of desperation, maybe even bordering on impatience.  I can certainly relate to that.  Yet, through it all he sings.  I want to relate to that more.

So, here is a recording from that night at the Hard Rock.  I hope you enjoy it.  Thanks again for the continued support and encouragement around here.  I’m humbled by it.

Psalm 13 [How Long?] // copyright: Josh Miles music // 2012

Consider me, and answer
lest I sleep the sleep of death
Everywhere I turn, there’s danger
and I’m in desperate need of help
My enemies will say they’ve overcome me
and my foes will rejoice
How long must I seek the counsel of my own heart?
Or is there even any choice?

How long must I wait for You, forever?

Consider me, and answer
lest I sleep the sleep of death
Enemies aim to conquer
The biggest one is myself

But I trust that You’re love’s unfailing
and my heart will rejoice
I will sing to the one who saves me
for He’s been so good to me

How long must I wait for You, forever?
How long must You hide Your face from me?
Forever?
How long? 

But his words have spoken to the depths of my heart on numerous occasions.  Two quotes that have always gotten my attention served as inspiration to one of the first (of a couple) new songs I’ve had in a long while, “Better Days Ahead.” The chorus is primarily made up of this quote:

Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave it with regret?  There are better days ahead than any we leave behind.

A line in the second verse and the bridge are from a classic quote from Lewis’, The Weight of Glory.  It reads:

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

I was fortunate enough to play at the Hard Rock Cafe in Phoenix at the end of July, joining with a few other bands to benefit Unlikely Heroes, an organization fighting against human trafficking.  Having a band, which is rare for me, we tried the song out.  Here’s a video of that night via a friend’s iPhone 4s.  I hope you enjoy.

Better Days Ahead // copyright Josh Miles music // 2012

Safe and sound
No one around to blame
You’ve locked yourself inside with all your shame
You look around to find that you’ve been wrongly advised
‘Cause the truth is waiting on the other side of your shame
It’s patiently saying

Has the world been so kind to you that you should leave it with regret?
If you just would take the time to look outside
You will find that there are better days ahead
than any we leave behind

Well, I know what you’re going through
’cause I’m the same
Thinking I got where I am by going my own way
Until I looked around to see that I was carried
And all this time spent wondering why
I had a holiday at the sea

Don’t let yourself be deceived
We are far too easily pleased 

And oh my, how I’ve neglected this.

A lot has happened since the last time something was posted here.  The only thing that’s changed ’round these parts on a frequent basis has been my Instagram photos.  I heart that app.

For the sake of not wanting to bombard you with information due to a lack of interaction, I will keep this brief.

Allow me to begin with this update by apologizing.  Some of you have asked me why I quit blogging.  It certainly wasn’t a conscious decision.  And, I never wanted to quit.  So, I’m sorry about that.  Quite frankly, I have been at a loss for words, writing-wise.  Seeing that I have no idea how I ever wrote songs in the first place, I feel no sense of familiarity with that.  Throw in the fact that I have been full-time at a church since September, and you’re now up to speed with the rest.  I’ve done a poor job at keeping some balance.

There’s actually much to write about.  I pray that God gives me the clarity on the “what” and the “when.”  In the meantime, I think I need to just show up.

So, this is me…showing up again.  Hi!

I hope to see you sooner than later…

It’s a new day, and that means (today) a new video.

This is another one of the non-iPhone videos that my friend Nate and I captured a couple of months ago.

Same as last time:  one take, and mistakes included.

If you haven’t heard the recorded version of this song before, feel free to go to the music page to find your way to a few minutes of listening.  If you haven’t heard the story behind the song, go here to get the gist.

Again, thanks for all your support for me and this music.  I’m looking to carve out some time to work on new stuff, which is looking to be very different than Stand[by].  I’m beyond okay with that.  No need to force anything.  Recording a new project sometime in 2012 is a goal of mine.

Feel free to share with all who have the ability to enjoy it.  I won’t be mad at you.

Have a great rest of your week!

There are learning opportunities on perspective everywhere it seems.

What’s something that gave you some good perspective lately?

image: my iPhone4

A new season will come.  

image:  Myself.  Please don’t steal photos and claim as your own.

If you’re here, then you’ll probably notice some major changes around here (If you’re reading from a RSS feed, go to the site and check out the changes).

First of all, many thanks to Shawn Landis, who really did a great job on the look and feel of the site.  Also, follow him on twitter.

Saturday was the one year mark of the release of my debut EP, Stand[by].  When I started the old blog, I didn’t have any music to call my own.  So, I didn’t think of having any clear domain name to simply point people to the music.  After telling folks “contentunderpressure.net” a dozen or so times, I realized that I better think of something else.  So, combine that fact, along with my recent job change and you get what you see today.  I’m excited about all of the changes.

Here are some changes to note:

1.  It looks different, eh?  That’s because Shawn did an awesome job customizing my old theme.  Feel free to browse all the pages.

2.  If you go to ‘Music’ you’ll see ways to purchase the EP, whether it be CDs, iTunes, or Bandcamp.  My Bandcamp page is a new addition.  You can listen to the entire EP without purchasing.  Tracks are a buck each, or you can get all 6 tracks for $5.  That’s cheaper than iTunes, folks.

3.  ‘Shows.’  This page is empty, and that’s because it needs you to see about getting me to play at your venue, church or college.  

Browse around and let me know your thoughts.

And, new blog posts coming soon.  Hope you stick around.

Happy weekend, folks.

I wanted to let you all know on this fine day that this site will soon be moving to new digs.

I started this blog almost two years ago, and, although my posting has been fairly moderately horribly erratic it’s grown fairly well.

Then last year and Nashville happened.

Questions of “do you have a blog?” turned into “where can I find your music?  Do you have a website?”  Telling them contentunderpressure.net didn’t really roll of the tongue easily.

So, we’re moving. 

You’re all invited.
Your friends and family are invited.
Heck, your pets are invited…except cats.  I reserve the right to screen them first.

The new site will still include this blog, including all past content.  However, it will be  easier to communicate to folks as I dig more into sharing my music.  I’m excited to be able to have the best of both worlds.

Oh, and that new site will be found here.  It’s currently up, but still in construction to some extent.

Feel free to take a sneak peek at it!

For you who subscribe to this blog, you need to do nothing.  I will be updating that on my end for you all.

That’s about it for now.  I’ll update more in the comments as this page screeches to a halt soon.

Hope you’re doing something fun this week, and spending time with those you love.   

Today I share with you an artist that some of you may know, David Ramirez.  If you don’t know him, you’re in for a treat of folky-pop goodness.

Even cooler, if you’re in the Phoenix area this Saturday, he’s playing a house show in my friend, Brent’s living room.  Go here for more details on that.  You can thank me when you see me Saturday.

Here’s a video of him playing his song, “Shoeboxes.”  Hope you enjoy it.