The Day after Boxing Day

Hope everyone has had an amazing Christmas! Our's was pretty good, much better than I'd been expecting actually that was good! Plus I got exactly what I wanted, which was an ipod and a BRAND NEW UKULELE!! :O

It's so cool! Haha I'm going to have fun this summer holidays trying to master that! I've always wanted to be able to play lots of instruments but this is only the second one I've took to learning since guitar.

I'm listening to Coldplay at the moment - got their new cd and it is AMAZING! Want to make music like this one day....

We had a waterfight today, even though it wasn't that hot...was still pretty fun though.

Anyways, just thought that I'd post and let you know that we'll be away for a bit so I won't be posting much. Not that I do anyway - this is only the second post I've done in December....

Sort of looking forward to this holiday cos it'll give me a chance to brush up my Italian skills (which are virtually non-existent at the moment!) and it's also great to have a break every once in a while. Sheesh I need one after working for almost a month! It's been pretty hard, but quite rewarding too. Either way I'm glad of my job. Especially glad considering the current state of the economy haha.

Anyway I better go now....drop us a line if you feel that way inclined.

Laters,

Jordan

Christmas (is coming!)

Can't believe it's that time of year again! You know, when the shops stay open late, the light collections come out for people to "ohhh" and "ahhh" at, and wherever you go it's nearly impossible to escape at least one Santa impersonator....
Really, it doesn't feel like that long ago since the start of the year. But then again TONS of stuff has happened, some of it good, some of it not so good. We've been pretty hopeless at blogging this year really, even though quite a bit of stuff has gone down with the band. Lately it's been way too quiet though, and we're still kind of a bit gutted we didn't get into Parachute. Also I work during the week now so we don't practice that much either....feels almost like a different life now! :P
Still, we really appreciate everyone who reads/follows this blog, even though we don't really post enough to keep anyone satisfied! (Sorry about that!) Just checked and found we have 28 followers! Can remember when we thought 10 was good!
Anyway this is just some random stuff I'm writing down at 11 cos I remembered I haven't blogged for ages. Thought I'd say hi, just so you know we're still alive...for the moment.
Drop us a comment and tell us how your holidays are going....like I said I work during the week now so I don't really have much of a holiday (let alone a life!), so I'd be interested to hear about what you are all up to.
Hope you have a very awesome Christmas,
Will keep this up hopefully...

Jordan

Worship 3# - In song

Sometimes we feel the need to lift our voices.
This was just a reflection of the glory we see everyday.
Often you hear people talking about miracles, searching for miracles, yet they don't really see that the world we live in IS a miracle. That just plain living is a miracle!
Think of this as you read:
"Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still and consider the wonderous works of God.
Do you know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?
Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wonderous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?"
[Job 37: 14-16]

GLORY SURROUNDS ME

The sun's outside, the birds are singing/ My heart lifts as I join their song/ Cause all around me/ I see your glory/ It's everywhere

I can't run, I can't hide/ I can't escape your light/ I can't run, I can't hide/ You're everywhere

And I will lift you high/ I'll sing you praise from mountain tops/ And everywhere, how can I not/ Give you the glory, give you the praise/ Give you the honour, O Name above names/ When all else fails, you stay the same

It's cold outside, the birds are silent/ My heart sighs as I search for a song/ Yet all around me/ I see your glory/ It's everywhere

Your glory, Your glory, Your glory surrounds me/ Glory surrounds me

Worship 2# - Silence

Sometimes we try to hard.
We want to get closer to God but we don't really know how.We wait and wait and wait and wait for an answer, but nothing seems forthcoming. This is the hardest season to worship in.

Yet God is there in the silence.

Sometimes we don't try hard enough.

We get distracted in our busy lifes. In our social networking sites. In our attempts to make all the words rhyme even though sometimes it still doesn't come out right. And even though we're busy, it can't fill up the hole left inside of our hearts. This is the hardest season to worship in.

Yet God is there in the silence.

Sometimes we want answers.

Life has so many questions, and sometimes it all gets to much. Why did this happen to me? Why is the world so wrong? Why must we tear each other apart? Where is love in a hating world? Does it even exist? Do you even exist? Sometimes it seems like none of our questions will ever be answered. This is the hardest season to worship in.

Yet God is there in the silence.

Sometimes we are broken.

Bruised and torn after the storm, we need an escape, a refuge. Some place to call home. Yet it feels like all our questions are left unanswered, and all our pain left unexplained. Sometimes it feels like the entire universe doesn't make sense. And nothing seems to offer you any hope or even an answer.

Yet God is there in the silence.

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21-23

Worship - Answers please?

Yesterday my thoughts were: "What if our prayers were in our lives, not just in our words?"
What do you think worship is?

AN ANSWERING

Hold on dear. You can't hold back the tears. These are the words you need to hear. This is an answer to a prayer.

He will be there, when you need him to be there.

Another mile south. There's only one way out. You want to take it now. Yet you have all these doubts.

Hold on dear. This is an answer to your prayer

He will be there, when you need him to be there

Amen.

Worship - Reflections

On a completely different note from my last blog, this is going to be my first in a series of posts about worship. All their intentions are is to get whoever's reading this to reflect on God's awesomeness and the grace he has for us, as well as how we should go about praising him. I wouldn't consider myself an authority on this by any means - I am on the same journey, I am just the one writing it, not the one reading it.
Enjoy

So long with so little to do...

Seems like the story of my life.

I start something off only to never complete it. It's happened so many times. The biggest reminder I have of this is a rotting, half-finished catapult hiding behind some bushes at the old house. It stands as a monument - in itself pretty impressive as a structure, but totally not useful to throw things. The discarded siege equipment lies alone, forgotten, and incomplete. It's missing it's throwing box and counterweights. Or something like that. I could never quite figure out what exactly was needed so after a few half-pie attempts at working it out I did what I seem to do best - forgot about it and did something else.

I can't believe we've been going for four years.

It dosn't really feel like it's been that long. Sheesh, sometimes it feels like we're still just little kids jamming on whatever we can find in our sitting room in an attempt to get something to work.

While I never thought this would be what it is today, I've always had this major urge to push it as far as I can get it. Back then, as it is now, it was often a struggle to even get my brothers to come practice. We'd write some cheesy songs, play off a terrible keyboard, have no rythm, no guitars, no P.A, no microphones, and no style. Half an hour later, we'd stop, go back to our lives and not even practice for another week or two.

For the first one and a half years the name "Mayday" was almost ironic because we were so out of our depth that we had practically sunk our plane into the ocean.

But it was FUN! We had no idea, and that was the best part. We thought we were cool, and I thought I could write songs. We reckoned we had it down. And it was fun experimenting with lyrics. Writing about nonsense like "Kiwi on my wall" (no-one remembers that song cos we never played it live). Playing 3 chords on a beat-up acoustic and writing an ENTIRE song around them! (which was also never played live...) Being moved by a Black-Eyed Peas song of all things so coming up with "Under this Sun" which we wrote in less than an hour (ok, we still play that one occassionally).

Now it kind of seems like all the goodness is gone. Like the fun's gone. Like as if by learning how to be proper, decent musicans (well in my case half-decent) we've lost what we had in structures, taking a whole day to write a song, complex guitar riffs, double-kicking metal drumbeats, and all the things you find out about when you're so keen to suceed you want to know all there is to know so you throw yourself into learning. And it's only halfway when you realize that by learning all this stuff it makes it so much harder to find what you had in the first place, even though it may have been just a tiny shred of it.

Originality.

And it's not like it's falling apart. We probably just need another gig or something. We just have our own tastes now, our own likes and dislikes. We just now feel more pressure to write better and better songs instead of just writing them for the hell of it. We feel the need to increase our own musical skills. But in turn this means we play together less. We haven't had a decent practice for weeks.

It just feels old. Stale. Lifeless.

But at the same time, incomplete.

And I don't get it. Why must we build only to watch our sandcastles crumble? Everyone who knows music will be familiar of the dream of being a rockstar. But all I've found out this year is that if you let the dream posses you, then all it does is drain you and get you nowhere. If you throw everything you have into this dream, and it crumbles, then what do you have left?

A few instruments, and three guys who still don't really know what they're doing.

So.

This is my challenge to you, and to me.

Is there stuff you have unfinished? Stuff you hide behind bushes? Things you were once excited for and now find yourself asking "Why am I doing this again?" ? A unfinished project? An unwritten song? A particular blog post? Something you never told someone?

To myself and anyone who reads this: there are two things you can do.

1) Move on past that incomplete work. Sure, it might have been your whole life at one stage. It might have been all that kept you sane. It might have been something you threw your heart into. But that was the past. And this is now. I'm not saying just forget it, cos you can't ever forget the skills and lessons you learnt from that work. It's just that there's something else, something better in store for you. And with that behind you, keep this in mind, and make sure you finish it.

2) It's time for a lovely word! Reinvention. Say it loooong and slooooowwwww and it sounds amazing. Maybe the work, the song, the post, the words need to be finished. Maybe its time to put all else aside, and start new on what you already have. Make it different, and make it better. Keep the heart of it there, but maybe change the focus. Change the words, change the timing, change the mechanism. Make it be a completely different product from the thing you started off with. And then, when you let it go, you let it out, you'll be so incredibly glad you stuck at it.

You, the reader, and I, the writer, have this choice.

To complete, or to move on.

Jordan

[Note to all: I hope this post inspires you to act, and is not just one of my deep musings, but something which you can all relate to, not just read. At the very least, I hope you are motivated enough to comment and tell me about your unfinished business. Discussion can be a great way to bring things out. That is why I write - sometimes I am just talking to myself.]

Ps. If anyone knows of a good catapult builder, please direct me to them at once :D

The speech I should have done at the Leavers Dinner..

(Even though there's only one or two people from my school who are actually cool enough to have a blog [and none of them are in my year anyway!], I'm just doing this cause I feel like it...and just in case you wanted to know how the last year of high school was for me! It'll happen to you one day, that is if it hasn't happened already!)

I started high school last year, and coming from a homeschooling family, it was a massive change for me. Everything was so big, and everyone was so scary! To be honest, I never really enjoyed school at all that year. I'd wake up and think "Why on earth did I decide to go to school? I hate that place so much!" I'm one of those naturally quiet guys, and I only knew one person in my year, and even then I didn't know them all that well. Still, somehow I managed to get through that year, hanging around with my brother and his mates, or just walking around hoping that someone would say hi and at least the loneliness would go away for a time while I said hi back. Not that anyone was unfriendly or anything: just that I suck at making friends and am not naturally outgoing or anything.
There was a few things I really enjoyed about 2010 though. One was hanging out with a group of Year 10s (11s now!) who I knew from Youth Group. They always made me feel welcome, said hi, and seemed to like listening to my attempts at playing guitar. :D It wasn't much or anything, but it made everything more bearable, knowing I could go there and be accepted.
The second thing was my tutor buddies! All the guys at M2 - you know who you are! - really helped me get through both years! At first I hated tutor but then I got a bit more confident and started talking more, and then found myself really enjoying it. Had some of the best chats of my life in there!
The third thing was my marks - it was awesome to be recognized for my work, as you didn't get much of that homeschooling. I found out I was much better at some subjects than I ever thought was possible! I think the comment someone said to me sums it up best "I didn't know homeschooling students were so smart!"
The last thing was the last day in 2010. I finally gathered enough courage to talk to a few people in my year group (even then I had to be invited to!) and then was the time when I started to think "Hmm, maybe they aren't so bad a bunch!"
Anyway, that was 2010. Because (in general) I had such a bad school year socially I decided right at the start of 2011 that this was the year everything was gonna change. I promised myself that I'd make some friends, and have the best year ever!
The school year started off with our Year 13 Leadership Camp. It was pretty epic, even though I was still a bit shy. I guess this was the first opportunity I got to really hang out with my year group. I was pushed outside my comfort zone a bit, but it was good.
After that, we got into some actual work. Found myself loving classes even more this year - especially my classics class, even if it was a small group, we had some good times in there! The work was harder, but with a bit of push and shove I managed to get into it. I also joined the First 11 soccer team and entered interhouse events which made up for some pretty great experiences too.
Anyway, I continued with my promise to make some friends, even managing to start discussions with some new people. Hanging out with everyone in the common room sort of helped too. I still remember how awesome that common room was at the start of term - a whole room to ourselves, with couches, promise of a pool table, and a makeshift ping pong table, where a TON of games were played - especially by Brandon!
So everything was going great! Life was all good, and I had found a couple of friends. Then everything started going downhill.
I won't go into details, but sufficent to say that there was a ton of problems happening in my life, and the fallout from this as well as the work load made me go a little bit stir-crazy for about two months in the middle of '11. Through this time, going to school was such a relief. All my friends, without even knowing it, really helped me through just by being there to talk to about random stuff (good distraction!) and just treating me like a normal person even though I felt like I was going insane under the pressure! So I'm really thankful for that.
After I emerged from that, through the grace of God, I found the year was coming to an end, and I really needed to decide what to do next year. Thankfully I had some amazing people including one of my teachers in 2010 help sort stuff out for me, and I managed to make this life-changing decision without to much trouble, even though it did take me forever to decide on my future career! But hey, its an important decision!
By this time, I'd totally forgot about the promise I'd made, until one day when I looked around and realized that I was friends with so many people! Even some people I never even thought I'd ever talk to! It was amazing to see how far I'd come.
The last term for me was so intense, trying to get everything done, but also spend time with my mates. A lot had changed by then, people had came and gone, the common room was not as cool anymore (in fact dead boring at lunch after the ping pong and couches got taken away!) but I found that overall it had been a great year. Sure there was "groups" as always, but still everyone was on good terms and once you got to know people you found that the "exclusitivity" wasn't actually all it seemed.
Last night was our leavers dinner and it was amazing! Such a defining moment in my life, and most probably for everyone else in the room too! Afterwards I went to a party, which, despite the usual shenanigans was actually really awesome! Had some good talks with people, and plenty of laughs. Even failing at driving up Hannah's really steep driveway at the end of the night (though it took me a few goes!) was absolutely hilerious.
Today was my last day at school EVER! I can truly say that I had an amazing year, and was so stoked to meet everyone in my year group, and make some friendships which will last for a long time. I'm really so glad that I decided to come to high school, cos despite the rocky start it was totally worth it! Huge thanks go to my family for supporting me and sending me to school in the first place! It's true to say I wouldn't, and couldn't have made it this far without you!
Also thanks to the friends who've been there for me since I started - Grace, for being the one person I knew in my year and really going to great lengths to help me fit in, Tommy, for being an awesome mate right from Day 1, and talking to me in tutor, and Brandon, for the competition at English (which I won at!) and ping pong/soccer (which you wasted me in!) and for all the random discussions we had. I can't go without saying thanks to the awesome mates I made this year - Courtney, who was my main competition in classics, and I always had epic as chats to, Sam, for being a good friend, Bongo, Lewis and Josh for just being good guys to hang out with, and Paul for being a great role model and McDonald House's best prefect ever!
So finally, thanks to my family, my mates, my teachers, and anyone who was awesome enough to believe in me, cos sometimes thats all you need. I can honestly say I'm going to miss it - and all of you - now that it's gone. Thank you all for a great year.

That's the speech I should have said last night.

Jordan

Ps So many people helped make school that much better for me that it would take me all night if I was to list them all! You know who you are - thanks for making it awesome, and sorry I can't mention you all.

Some bad news

We didn't get into Parachute 2012!
Extremely gutted right now.
And totally in need of some support.
So if you're reading this please leave a comment and say what you like about this band. Or just say anything really. Cos we need it.

Jordan

Mo-vember

:D

Need I say more?

Jordan

Last Post for October

Someone told me recently that they checked my blog everyday, so I realized that I'd better start updating it....
So as a result I've blogged three times in the last two days.
Anyway, I'm sorry for not blogging all October. I really do suck at this thing sometimes.
Stupid busyness.
It doesn't always make you happy - just more distracted.
And it also seems the busier you are the more you want to procrastinate.
Something I'm very good at doing...
Anyway good night! Hope you enjoyed my last post for October. And all my other ones (not that there was that many of them!)

Jordan

The best way to be

I'm no longer a boy

- I'm a man now.

But I can still climb trees.

Jordan

Moments

Like shooting stars
How brief we are
I wish this moment could last forever...
- Decyfer Down, Forever with You

Ever get those perfect moments?
You know, the ones where you just look around you and everythings pure awesomeness?
In those moments you forget all your problems. You forget the assignments you have due in. You forget your family issues. You forget the fact that you're terrified of next year. You forget the fact that we live in a world where pain is more common than it should be, a world where everything is upside down and imperfect.
All that is left behind, and you're left only thinking of how amazing life is.
It may seem selfish, to have that moment. It's not really fair, when there are so many people sunk in the pits of depression, living life with a raincloud over their heads. It's not really fair when half the world's population is struggling to meet the basic needs.
It's not really fair, but it is a truly glorious moment.
And in that moment you wish it could last forever. You look around, and it is all perfect. The sun is shining. The beach is golden. The water is warm (well, warm-ish). Your friends are all around you, and we're all laughing. You feel safe. Secure. Happy. For once, you are totally content with life as it is in that moment.
The problem is, those moments don't last forever. Sooner or later, you come back to earth. Reality hits, and it's never very softly either. You realize the world isn't perfect. That humans are flawed. That there's another cloud which covers up the sun.



And yet...




Those moments remind you of something which you have forgotten - like a song whose words have long been lost. You realize that yes those moments don't last forever - but they do still happen. And it makes you think that their are still times when life bursts out of the drab shell we so often put it in. That nothing can hold you down forever. Not even reality. Not even gravity. That one day you will finally embrace the freedom that you have caught a tantalizing whift of. That life is still glorious, despite the messes. That humans are still worth being around, even though sometimes all we do is fight and destroy each other. That it dosn't have to be the way it is.


And...



In that moment you realize this: that despite it's imperfections, it's still a beautiful world.



I had one of those moments today.

Jordan

It's been such a long time!

Feels like such a long time since I blogged last! Well, I suppose it has been really....
Anyway October's been a pretty intense month for us. We had a gig at the DHS Talent Quest at the start of the month and that went really well (even though we got beaten by a band who'd only been around for a month!). Then it was a scramble to get some schoolwork done before the holidays. They were pretty busy for me too cos I was working to save up some money for next year....
So I didn't really have much of a break, but at least this is the final stretch of school left, and for me this time it's forever! STOKED!
Oh and just in case you didn't hear the news, (New Zealander's if you don't know this you should be ashamed!) the ALL BLACKS WON THE RUGBY WORLD CUP! WHOOO!
Yeah so that's pretty tops.
:)
Hope you've all had a lovely time, and have been blogging more than me (which isn't hard to do!)
Will catch up again soon,

Jordan

Little things in life

Sometimes the little things in life cause you the most pain;

Sometimes the little things in life give you the greatest joy.

10.31 finds me...

- Happy cause I followed my own advice in seeking employment, and there is now a job application form in my bedroom!

- Exhausted from this morning's exam. English is more difficult than it should be!

- On Facebook, as usual.

- Blogging, as not so usual. :D

- Just finished writing up an interview with Mozart. It was sorta hard to conduct, seeing as he's dead, but I managed it.

- With a headache - again! Grrr...

- Wishing our internet was working so I could Youtube some Jazz. Cause I'm cool like that.

- Realizing I haven't practiced the eleteric guitar for today. Darn it, it's too late now...

- Also realizing I haven't brushed my teeth yet...

- Wearing my shoes, cos I haven't taken them off yet.

- Looking at my sisters awesome drawing at

- Wondering if I should be in bed right now...

- Praying for stuff to work out.

- Hoping that I can go see the play on Sunday AND go to Youth Group!

- Not playing music :( cause people are sleeping.

- Happy cause theres no more exams this term but also sad. If that makes sense.

- Ready for tommorrow. (I hope!)

- Finishing this post at 10. 54

Where does 10. 54 find you?

Jordan

I'd post more but I never know what to say...

I'm pressing on, pressing on
All my distress is going, going, gone
Pressing on, Pressing on

And I won't sit back and take this anymore
Cos I'm done with that, I've got one foot out the door
And to go back to where I was would just be wrong
I'm pressing on

~ Pressing On, Relient K

I suppose insights come rarely on this blog these days. Almost as rarely as posts. :D

To be honest with you though, lately I've been feeling very worn-out, tired, and like a spent force. So I take the easy way out and go to Facebook instead.

I just feel as if I have nothing to say, then maybe saying nothing is better than sitting looking at a empty blog post trying to figure out which keys on your keypad to hit to make something, a work that is relevant.

Usually I come on here only to update the news. Which at the moment is few and far between. All our energy this month has been focused on practicing and writing. And there hasn't been that much of that really either. Although we did get a good song out of it...

I guess my point here is to apologize for my lack of enthusiasm and drive. I know half of it's this annoying cold hanging over my head, but honestly. Sometimes I know I could do a lot more than I do.

It kind of reminds me of that verse in the bible "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

One of my favourite verses simply because of the statement it makes. It's straight to the point and in-your-face. Doesn't sugarcoat things. And it's so true.

Without vision, without enthusiasm, things get lifeless. Apathy sinks in. Direction is near impossible to find. It's like this blog; lying there motionless; a fire unkindled, something which could be so much more.

Recently I've had a few opportunities to go over to Palmerston and visit a fellow church's youth group (I was going to go tonight, but my headache and the fact I have an exam the next day stopped me). And I love going there. Their drive and enthusiasm is amazing. They are just so passionate about EVERYTHING! It's almost contagious, and that's why I love it.

In comparison, our youth group seems not nearly as focused. No offence intended, I'm not giving up on Knox Youth or anything. I love our youth group - it's definitely been a big part of my life in the last 5 years. It's discussions and talks have really helped me to grow in my faith and have answered some of the questions I've had. But lately I've noticed that we aren't as up there as we used to be. It's not that we don't have enthusiastic kids, it's just that we're unsure of how to utilize that enthusiasm.

Sometimes we all get tied down. We say we're too tired, we're too busy, we're not motivated, we're scared of failing. But these are all just excuses which stop us, paralyze us, from doing what we are called to do. Sometimes the vision is there - it's just we push it aside. And a vision which is unused is the worst thing of all.

Maybe theres something you want to do. Or think you should do more. You want to do it, you can feel the drive but something holds you back.

In my case it's posting blogs. And seeking employment.

Your's might be different from mine. Or it might be nothing. You don't no what vision or direction is. Last enthusiasm you felt for anything was months ago. You are only think of "drive" as something to do with cars.

People, we can't let all this stuff hold us back. Seek direction. Seek purpose. Find something which motivates you.

Or if you're like me, then sometimes the best thing to do is to follow Nikes marketing campaign. "Just do it"

Cause sometimes you're better off if you do.

I think we're going somewhere,
We're onto something good here,
We're going to make it after all.

Jordan

Exam leave

So GOOD! I'm loving the freedom!
At the moment though I have a major headache so I'm just sitting here typing on the computer and thinking about all the stuff I should be doing.
I'm so terrible at getting onto things....
The band's going good, we're just in the process of filling out our application for Parachute 2012. Hopefully we manage to get it finished, and (even more) hopefully we manage to get in!
Had a bit of a jam out this morning with a bass player named Mark who's going to do a song (or maybe two) with us at our school's Talent Quest next month. It was a pretty good practice actually, despite the absence of Dan, who unfortunately actually had to go to school. It's really different playing with a bass as part of the band - just boosts up the sound a bit more. My guitar never manages to get that deep anyway :)
Anyways, that's all for now, as I've got to go actually do something now!
Will post more soon (hopefully!)

Jordan

Update

Thought it's about time for one!
Just going to share with you guys the songs we've been working on/writing in the last couple of months.

(This one is untitled...we still haven't decided on a name!)

The moments gone like we never had it/ It's gone with the wind/ These scars are bleeding/ For you

I've done a lot of things I didn't like/ Trying to stop my own demise/ Has it been only just to end up here to say

I'll do this again and again and again if I have to/ Can it end, can it end, can it end I can't find you/ I'll scream it over and over and over/ I've just got to let you know/ That losing is the hardest part of learning how to let go

It's hard to let go when you never had it/ Clench my fists at it all/ I need release these lungs are screaming/ For you

I've done this again and again and again cos I had to/ Now it ends, now it ends, it ends when I find you/ I'll scream it over and over and over/ Although you already know/ That losing is the hardest part/ Yet I let go
(c) copyright Mayday 2011

THE DAY EVERYTHING FALLS

It will be over, before you know it/ It will be over, it will be over/ And you'll just walk away/ Leave behind what once was broken/ Because this is the day/ When everything falls

All my dreams have shattered/ So I left them in the dust/ All my plans are over/ Theres nothing left to trust

Will I let this break me/ Or will I turn around/ Can I find the strength to stand up/ When the only way is down

Everything falls, everything crumbles/ Everything crashes, everything burns/ Nothing lasts forever nothing holds together/ Still a moment is better than no moment at all/ So this is the day, this is the day, this is the day/ When everything falls
(c) copyright Mayday 2011

Please comment if you prefer one or the other, or think they're both awesome, or even if you've got a title for the first one! We're open to suggestions!
Catch you all later,

Jordan

18!

man i feel old! :)
seriously though, it feels like i'm in a major transition period. all my life people have told me i look WAY younger than i actually am. and i guess i sorta believed that. in some ways it doesn't feel like i'm ready to be 18. doesn't feel like i'm ready to legally buy alcohol if i want to. doesn't feel like i'm ready to move out into the big wide world on my own.
but i guess i'll have to be (not that i'll be doing much of the alcohol stuff haha).

i get reflective on birthdays...

anyway, nights!

Jordan

ps. oh and happy birthday to Daniel too!!!

Happy

Because thanks to God, for once I feel as if I'm finally getting on top of it all, instead of being buried under the avalanche.

Jords

In other news...

...I hate trusting my guitar to DI boxes, hoping they'll go through the system, but they don't and I can't even here if my solos sound good or not.
...I cooked the most fail meal of my LIFE today!
...I finally finished my speech! After hours of working, I extended it from 2 pages to 4! Whoop whoop!
...I'm addicted to playing this song on the guitar! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLzDJK-UJrQ
...Everyday Sunday is playing out of the computer speakers.
...I'm STILL smiling! :D
..."Superhero Movie" was a pathetic excuse for a movie. Even if it's immaturity was funny on occasion.
...It was actually sunny today! :O
...I haven't practiced my scales yet, and it's 12.00 so I probably won't actually do them tonight.
...I'm wearing shoes for some strange reason. (Actually it's cos I was to lazy to take them off..)
...In other news, there is not much to say at the moment. The entire day passed without much band practice, but we're working on it.
Anyway hope you all had a good day! God bless,

Jordan

Ps I finally thought up my stage name! STOKED! :)

oh and..

....yesterday we finally got our band room set up and had band practice for the first time in WEEKS! It was so good! Man I didn't know how much I'd missed it really! Nice little impromptu version of 'Your Guardian Angel' by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus too :D

Jordan

when we remember..

"Remember the Creator in the days of your youth, before the times of evil come."
~Ecclesiastes 12:1
Had the most amazing night tonight at youth group! I don't really know how to explain it, but everything just seems alright now. Even though it's not still, but it just feels like its getting better. Almost as if there is somehow hope when there had been despair, light when there had been darkness, love when there had been rejection. And I realize fully now how much I've been missing out on. With God in the background, life was pretty much unbearable. I woke up every morning thinking I had nothing to live for. If life was like a boat, then it felt like I was being strapped to the underside of the ship and being keel-hauled across the seabed.
For once I have a smile on my face which I know will not go away when the jokes over, or when I get under the weather.
After that I got home and picked up my guitar and was just praising God when a song I'd wrote YEARS ago came up. It wasn't one of my best by a long shot, but the words mean so much more to me now than they did back then. I can't even remember it's name, but it was pretty much everything I'd wanted to say.

I've tried to write this song, but the words all came out wrong/ but I think I'm getting it now, I just need to let it all out
And if there's one thing I'm holding onto, then there's one thing I have to say/ If there's one thing I've learnt from this it's to learn from my mistakes
The world is falling to pieces/ Do we know where piece is/ Do we know the answer/ I think I have the answer for you
We're falling pieces but he can put us together/ Cause Jesus loves you and that'll last forever/ No matter what you've done, he can overcome/ Just let it all go, cause now I know/ We're falling pieces but now we're whole
Are you listening to this song, I can't see what's going on/ I can't see past the mask you're holding now, but it's time to let it all out

Man it's incredible, when I was playing it, it seemed almost as if I was singing those words to myself. It's just one of those songs which really mean something special to you, even if they don't quite work out in the band situation..
Anyway, hope you all have a good night, and God bless

Jordan

SO EXCITED!!!

..for tommorrows two gigs!
We're going to rock things up, so make sure you get there!

Jordan

12.08 Post

Listening to: Green Day Time of your Life/ Good Riddance
Thinking about: Why blogs are called posts? Seriously, did a postman invent them or something?
Something random: My guitar's sitting on my lap as I type..
Looking at: The computer, obviously.
Wondering: what is the point of this post?
Time: 12.11 now.
Day: Sunday 31 July 2011 AD. (12 minutes ago it was yesterday!)
Playlist of the day: Woken to Bullet for my Valentine, did band practice to Journey and Bryan Adams (as well as Mayday haha), studied to Relient K and Luke Thompson, studied some more to Muse, and then finished it off with Green Day.
Recently viewed: The tv for the first time in ages! The Curious Case of Benjeman Button was on - alright but a little bit long, and not really my type of movie.
Wishing: That next week wasn't school, and that people would get along better. Oh and that it wasn't 12.16 - what happened to not staying up too late?
Parting words: That was random

Jordan

Ps I think I'm tired. That has to be the second weirdest blog I've posted this year. Think I've been on Facebook to much!

movies

I don't usually blog about these, but I've seen a couple in the last few days, and here's my opinion on them all. So if you get reeeeeally bored, you can go to the video store and get them out. That is if you trust my judgement haha. Just saying, I know more about music than movies. But every now and then, I like watching a good flick, and I used to want to be a movie director so yeah. Anyway, heres my thoughts..
(Ps if you want some actual decent advice about movies, go here:
http://filmjunkie25.blogspot.com/)

-Fantastic 4
I thought this movie was pretty alright. Then again, that just be because I like pretty much anything with superheroes in it :D . Like most superhero movies, its always slow to get started though, because it has to explain just how the heroes got their powers.

-The Mechanic
Didn't like this movie. It was reeeeal slow moving at times, then suddenly got either extremely bloody, or...lets just say inapropriate. Wouldn't recomend it at all.

-Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer
It was definitely more action packed than the first one, but I'd seen half of it already so I spent that first half satisfying my facebook addiction haha.

-I am Number 4
This was a great movie. Not nearly as mind-blowing as Inception or as beautifully made as Lord of the Rings (my two favourite movies) but really just enjoyable. Had the right amounts of action, and a decent plot. (Plus it has superpowered aliens fighting each other: what more could you want?) :D

-Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon
Despite being mildly confused about the title (am I the only one who thinks it should be called Dark Side of the moon?), this was actually surprisingly good. And I mean surprisingly because I wasn't expecting anything great after the 2nd one. Also it was cool watching it in the new 3D - its really quite impressive! (Oh and on top of that it had a pretty decent soundtrack - trust me to notice the music!)

Anyway, thats all for now, so night everybody

Jordan

hello (again)

Having a mean holiday so far! Been so busy doing tons of awesome stuff, that I haven't really even had time to do my tonload of homework! (Homework in the holidays is actually the worst thing ever, so I'm glad I haven't been able to do it!)
Anyway, turns out our lovely friends (who we're staying with) have wi-fi, so I decided to keep up with my intention of blogging more by posting a couple of blogs about our travels.
The first full day we had here we went up to the mountain and drove/hiked to the ski fields where we slid down the slopes on some random rubbish bags we were given and this real estate sign which we found on the side of the road. :) I thought we'd look like fools but turns out tons of other people had them too. Strange. Must be a New Zealand thing haha. Anyway, it wasn't really the most comfortable way to travel. The snow always somehow manages to get up your pants and freeze your legs off, and you are continuously falling off. Not to mention the fact we were all underprepared and none of us, except my little sister, had brought any gloves. So our hands kinda got a bit cold.
But apart from those minor inconviences, it was really awesome. Totally random, but lots of fun.
Hope you guys are all having a good week. Drop us a line and tell us how you've been going

Jordan

just a quick post to say we'll be going away for a few days so i won't be blogging for awhile.
hope you all have a lovely holidays!
Jordan

Songs coming out of our ears!

I literally spent all of yesterday playing music!
First of all we practiced for our gig at Wings of Worship (which was pretty awesome by the way!). Then after that we spent a couple of hours writing a metal-esque song which we haven't quite finished, but sounds pretty mean. It's more of a hardcore song than metal, but yeah :)
Then after all that I had a short break before it was over to Hosanna Baptist to go soundcheck, then about an hour later we were rocking it up on stage! Seriously, playing live is so amazing. Dosn't matter where you are, how many people are watching, how small or big the venue (that one was the smallest stage I've ever played on though!) - it's just the best feeling ever to play songs that you helped write to people and see their response to it! I truly believe the best part about music is sharing it!
When we got home, we had some tea then I started mucking around on my guitar, trying to play a bit of Green Day. Then I got a little bit distracted playing around with this nice little guitar part I'd made up (albiet slightly inspired by the song 'Blackbird' by the Beattles). And BAM! The words just came to my head, and next thing you know I'm just sitting there plucking out and singing one of the most amazing songs I've ever written!
It's quite funny how inspiration sneaks up on you like that.
Anyway, this song is about a whole bunch of stuff I've been through in the last couple of months. I'm not afraid of saying that life's been a bit hard, and sometimes it seems that unless I pretend I'm ok, I'll fall to pieces.
Actually though, I've been in some really hard and dark spaces, and although I think I'm coming out the other end, life still is pretty tough at the moment. So this song is about all this inner turmoil I've been under. It's kind of all explained in the title: Symphony of the Heart [10.50 pm]
The [10.50 pm] is a reference to the actual time that I wrote it, and the title means just what it says. This is what my heart has been wanting to say for awhile now, it's just that music is the only way I can properly express what it's feeling. This song is my expression to the world, and although half of the people I play it to will not understand just how much of my thoughts this song explains, I hope and pray there's something in there you can all relate to. Cos that's why I write music: because maybe, just maybe, some of the people out there feel the same about things as I do.
So here's the song. Hope you like it - and hope I get to play it to you one day!

SYMPHONY OF THE HEART [10.50 PM]

It's the quiet before the storm/ It's all I hear when I wake in the morning/ For a moment I pretend it's fine/ Then the loneliness hit's me again/ (This time it feels like the end)

And all this time, you could've been mine, if you'd wanted to/ And all the pages of my heart, I pulled out for you/ And they want to talk, but i'm sick of talking/ When our words mean so little/ Why can't the songs tell our stories instead?

I saw you rise like morning glory/ I watched you fall in all your shame/ Why did I expect better from you?/ You're only human and we all fall/ (Still I wish the story was different after all)

You've got nowhere to go, and no way to get there/ Still, hold onto hope or you'll drown in despair/ Just keep holding on when it's all you can do/ Just keep holding on, it's not over for you
(c) Copyright Mayday 2011

Jordan

Ps Please leave a comment with your thoughts on the song! We always love to hear from you!
Come on - it'll make our day! :)

upcomings...

Got two shows this weekend - check the Shows list on the right side of our page for further details. :)

the short blog as compared to the long blog

Either blog can make good reading material. The short one will just take less time to read
(and write!).
Seriously though, one of these days I will actually go on a proper posting spree and give this blog it's due worth! Something which hasn't really been done in a long time!
Anyway, I hope you guys are all enjoying our lovely winter we've been having! One of the good side effect of winter is the weather gives you a good excuse to be lazy and sit in front of the fire reading books...which is pretty much what I've been doing in the last few days! Unfortunately I've got the other side effect of winter which is the cold. :( So can't say I've had a very enjoyable time lately. My voice has been pretty much totally destroyed and now Daniels got it too so sufficent to say we haven't been doing to much band practice lately either.
On the plus side there's been quite a few exciting stuff happened here since Rockquest, like some new ideas floating around, a half-song which is starting to sound awesome, and now we've even got ourselves a gig in the next week before the holidays!
So it's kind of a bit late now for me to be writing to much. Got a little bit distracted playing 'Blackbird' on my guitar for a bit and now it's already five past ten. Better hit the hay before it gets any later. Oh, and before you go, please drop a comment in to tell us how things are going in your part of the world, and what you love and hate most about winter. Would be lovely to hear from you.
Thanks, and I promise I'll get round to that significant blog post one of these days!

Jordan

creativity

so many words...
but

where's

the

music?

Questions:

why do bad things happen to good people?
why do we break each others hearts?
where is there to go when home dosn't feel like home anymore?
why do we stay silent?
why does no one notice the lost?
why do we sing when there is nothing to be sung?
what do we believe in?
why do we hurt? why are we hurting?
why has all we've ever wanted come undone?
why is life such a contridiction of beauty and pain?

finally,
why are there some questions which can't be answered?

Rockquest!!!!

What a night!!!!

Lastnight was Smokefree Wanganui Rockquest, as you probably know. The venue was the Wanganui Opera House:

Our first song didn't go so well, but it was enough to get us into the Top 8. In the 8pm show, we went hundy as!!! Ripped up in our songs, it was an energetic as show! The crowd were loving it, and joined in the sways and singing. We went hard as, and had so much fun onstage!!!!! Unfortuntly we didn't end up winning, but we did win an award for the best lyrics! It was a great night, here's some moooooore pictures:Jamming in the van beforehand:

Watming up, (Nate headbanging in the carpark) :D

Haha, at the start of our 2nd song, Love Is More Than This, Nate's drumstick snapped in half due to him playing hard as :D He carried on playing with the end he was still holding onto, then casually bent down whilst playing one-handed, dropped the smaller half of the stick and picked up the slightly longer half that had landed on the floor beside him, and kept playing the whole time! Barely anyone even noticed it! He managed to keep up the big rolls and intense drumming, despite only using one and a half drumsticks. It was an epic move, here's the drumstick he was playing with:

Hahah legend. Here's one of the other bands:

A bit of the crowd: (notice the "Mayday" banner? Thanks Tania and Rachel!!)Thanks for your support guys, we had an awesome night!!!!

Mayday

Rockquest 2011!!

Sup guys!!!
We had a massive mess-up with Rockquest this year. A musical that two of our band members are in - Jordan and Daniel - clashed with Palmeston North Rockquest. Unfortuntly because of this we had to change it. Soooo, now we'll be playing in Wanganui RQ this Saturday!! A bit gutted, cause our school and some of our mates are going to Palmy, but yeahh. Also we have to practice hard as. This will unfortuntly be our last rockquest due to our age, so we're gonna go all out!!! We'll be performing our brand new song, "Love Is More Than This" (see lyrics in previous post) - which is awesome!! So, its pretty much all sorted, just gotta send of our final application tomorow morning and practice hardout.
Thanks for all the support - you guys are awesome!!
Nate

The song of my life:

If I have anything to say, it's all in this song. I had a sudden revelation late one night after talking to a friend. When I finally "got it". And by it I mean love. This song was the result. Hope you like it as much as I do! Please comment if you want to say anything about it!

LOVE IS MORE THAN THIS

If I asked the world what love is/ I'd get a lot of answers for such a simple question/ Would they all be wrong?

Cause a girl says this/ And a guy says that/ We've got different opinions/ So we'll leave it at that/ It's not some stirring song, it's not a radient glow/ Do you want to find out, or do you really know/ Do you wanna know?/ What love is

Hey girl do you really know what love is/ When you're only just sixteen/ Yet you think you know, you've got all the clothes/ And the makeup, it's another breakup/ Do you really know?/ Or are you just ready to go?

La la la la/ Love is more than this

Love is not quite what you think/ Not a poem scrawled in red ink/ If I asked the world in passing/ I'd get a lot of answers to the question I am asking/ If it was said and done would I get the right one?

Hey guy do you really know what love is/ When you're only just seventeen/ Yet you think you know, and you say it so/ Will you wake up, cause it's another break up/ Do you really know, or are you just ready to go?

There is no greater love than this/ To lay down your life for someone who needs it/ Even if you don't know who they are/ And it means so much more/ Than fairytale love, that isn't good enough/ To satisfy everything we are

Hey world do we really know what love is?/ When we're only just human/ Yet we think we know, and we say it so/ When will we wake up, or will we just break up?/ Do we really know, or are we just dying to know?

La la la la, Love is more than this
(c) copyright Mayday 2011

Best song I've ever written.

Jordan

Blogs we like to visit...

I don't know about you but I like to read. And on rare occasions where I'm on the blogging world instead of the Facebook world (instead of the real world haha!), these are the places I like to hang out:
http://imbekahope.blogspot.com/
Beka is probably the coolest girl in the world! She is an amazing designer and photographer and an all round awesome person. Plus she writes great blogs! Ok she is my sister so I may be a little bit biast but yes. You should definitely go read her blog!
http://rockofescape.blogspot.com/
Hannah is another pretty awesome girl. Plus she's from America! I love following blogs from different places of the world! I'd follow one from Italy but I don't think I'm fluent enough in the language... :( Anyway this is a pretty awesome blog to read.
http://filmjunkie25.blogspot.com/p/100-favourite-films.html
If you like movies you should definitely check out this blog! Even though I'm not as much of a movie freak as I am a Jesus freak or a music freak, I still love watching the occasional flick. Anyway, this is a good blog to read if you're wondering what to get out of the video store! The advice is almost always exactly what I like. Plus Stevee is a really good writer.

That's the ones I'm mostly on, but occasionally I like to go other places. Cody, when he's blogging at http://codypellerin.blogspot.com/ always has something insightful to say. Another great blogger is Tanner at http://tannerpemelton.blogspot.com/. His blogs are really well written and also very meaningful to me. Also go check out my mums blog:
http://www.hartathome.blogspot.com/ (it's pretty awesomely deep!) and also my friend Korina's (http://purplesoapsuds.blogspot.com/) is looking to be awesome too!
What blogs do you like to visit?

Jordan

Keen.

We have a gig at the LIONS TALENT QUEST this weekend! Prize is some $. Keen as. :)
Nate

Mumerings of Assent

You started at the centre.
And it fell apart when we moved you to the outside of our lives.
We can't hold it together any longer.
Could we ever in the first place?

We enjoy music. But should it be a struggle to make it? To create it?
What's the reason anymore?
Why are we here?
What are we here for?

I'm not even trying to rhyme this. I'm just trying to say that we started out as a group when did we go our seperate ways? Somewhere between the chords and words the lines began to fade. And we fell apart. Because it's what we do. And do you want the truth? It's all because we forgot you. The fourth member. Our breath of inspiration. Our hope in this lonely world. We clung to you through the stages. Through the places we played. Through the music. When we thought we were going to lose it. When we found our feet again.
Will we ever rise? Out from the mire we've fallen in. Take one last look at the sky. It's all darkness from here on in.
Yet we can't forget the light. That shines at our footsteps each night. Every dark way, every lonely place, you're always waiting at the crossroads, there's always an escape from all this mess we seem to make.
God, we're lost. Lost on the paths that lead nowhere. And all we hear is the voices in our heads saying we got ourselves here. That it's all because we're not good enough. That everything is our fault. That you don't love us anymore. And they feed us lies on a silver platter but that dosn't matter because it all depends on who we listen to. And surprise surprise there's other voices than the lies. Your voice shines through the fog clouding my eyes. And I can see clearly now that it's fine. Lead me on the paths of righteousness, make my ways straight. Cos we can't do it without you. Never without you again.

"It's what springs to your mind in an instant that's what you've been trying to say for a long time."

Jordan

Music

Is it something that we have to work at?



Or is it something that just is?

new song!!!

The Only One 

I have a tendency to complicate/ The simpler things in life/ And sometimes I regulate/ By replacing you with I/ Everytime I push you aside/ I wonder why I'm breaking inside
I know that I need you/ Yet sometimes I don't care/ That's not the way things ought to be/ I'm wishing I could make it clear

You're the only thing that matters/ You're the only one that matters/ I'll sing it from my heart/ Because that's the only place to start/ You're the only thing that matters to me

I have a quality of messing up/ Then making a confession/ Am I playing dressing up?/ Or have I learnt my lesson/ That everytime I push you aside/ It just leaves me breaking inside/
And I know that you love me/ Though sometimes I wonder why/ After all you've done, sometimes I still hide/ Can I tell you just what's on my mind?

Everytime I push you aside/ I wonder why I'm breaking inside/ I think I've only just realized/ I need you in my life/ So I'll sing it out tonight

I know that I need you/ Though sometimes I don't care/ That's not the way things ought to be/ I'm wishing I could make it clear

(c) copyright Mayday 2011

It's awesome when this happens!

We've finally begun writing again! I have to say, its about time. We hadn't really done anything much after Parachute because we were so busy with school and playing the occasional show. Our spot at the show for Christchurch in town went pretty well, if a little disjointed, cos I couldn't hear my guitar and got off time. But it was a great event and good for a jam. Got us a few new fans too! Anyway, we decided it was about time we had something new, as we were getting kind of sick of our old stuff. Not that it's bad, just cos it's old. Hopefully I'll get onto typing up one of our new songs lyrics sometime soon but right now I kind of need to hit the hay before it gets to late. God bless, Jordan

posting spree!

that's what i feel like going on right now.

at the moment i'm kind of wondering what i got myself into.

i've been doing that a lot this year.

so i entered this thing at school called stage challenge.

it sounded kind of fun, and i like acting. plus, shooting people from the top of a prop boat carried by a bunch of backstage people doesn't sound too hard. or does it?

now in hindsight i'm kind of wondering if i should actually do it.

you see, i like my weekends...

no actually it's just cos i've been super busy lately. and it's not that i hate business, it's just that when it all gets busy, i really start to suck at doing one particular thing. like blogging. like band practice. like having a life.

"so," you say, "why don't you pull out and be done with it?"

i wish it was that darn easy.

first of all, as i previously mentioned, it looked kind of fun. and it'd give me something to do at lunch times. at times i feel my social life is virtually nonexistant. haha :)

secondly, and more importantly, the teacher in charge made it sound like a HUGE thing if you pulled out. which it would be i guess....they'd have to go find someone else to go do it, and waste a lot of time because i didn't think i could do it. it'd drive them up the wall, and back down. annnnnnd i'd probably get in a lot of trouble. :( grrrr with all that pre-emptive warning you'd think fickle people like me wouldn't go and put their names down.

i hate my life sometimes.

and this blog post didn't quite turn out the way i thought it'd go.....

oh well,

Jordan

Jamming

I've been doing so much of it lately...
The good thing is, I think I'm getting a lot better at the guitar. For example we played one of our songs the other day and there was a solo in it I used to think was hard but I totally nailed it. without even practicing it a hundred times first. I was stoked!
The bad thing about it is that I keep jamming out instead of doing band practice, and as a result we're kind of failing at being a band at the moment. We haven't wroten a song for four whole months now and all our old stuff is starting to drive me crazy. Time for something new~

On the plus side, we've had shows coming out of our ears. Since Open Air 2011 we've had a gig at our Youth Group (which was totally insane! We had a moshpit going on with about thirty people!!!) and we played at our Church Camp this last weekend. Ok we kind of sucked at being acoustic but that's only because we're a little out of practice. And this Friday we're playing at our school's concert to raise funds for Christchurch. So that should be fun.
Anyway that's about it from us...what have you guys been up too?
Comment pleeease!
Thanks,

Jordan

Disasters.....

On Febuary the 22nd, a terrible 6.3 earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand. The disaster was a shock for everyone. The earthquake claimed 166 lives, and was a nationwide shock. The following pictures show just some of the devastating damage:Christchurch cathedral, on of NZ's landmarks, suffered badly, going from this:....to this.Nearly a week ago, on March 11, Japan was rocked by a huge 8.9 earthquake that triggered a tsunami, washing water 6 miles inland, and setting off 4 nuclear reactors. This disaster was thousands times worse than New Zealand's previous one, with the death toll expected to be above 10,000. These pictures show the devastation of Japan:

To Christchurch, and especially Japan: Our thoughts and prayers are with you, be strong, you will get through this. R.I.P. to all the people that lost their lives in these tragic events.

EXCITING NEWS!!!!!

Our ENTIRE ep, This Beautiful Disaster, is on myspace!!!!! All 8 tracks for you guys to listen to!!!! Follow the link:
http://www.myspace.com/00mayday/?pm_cmp=nav
Add us on myspace while your at it! We're keen to get some friends!!! :)
Mayday

Open Air 2011 LIVE pictures

Hey guys heres a few pictures of MAYDAY at Open Air 2011!!!!!

This was the banner:Setting up:Our show in full swing!It was amazing!! So much fun !!!

Our day:

was AMAZING! We rocked up that bandstand at Open Air 2011! Unfortunately there wasn't quite as many people there as we'd hoped and we only sold one copy of our Ep but they were only minor niggles. The rest of it was great! It was freezing but thankfully no rain came our way so our equipment was all fine. It was actually unbelievable what a good sound mix we had! Our supporting band, Out of the Ashes were great, playing soft and metal covers (awesome combination!!!) and we put on a mean show too! Haha I finally managed to convince Nate that stools actually work when you're playing accoustic guitar! Our setlist was sweet - mostly off our Ep but a few other ones thrown in the mix. My favourite though was one called "I wish you were here" which is an acoustic song, but when we recorded it we stuck some electric guitar in at the end and it sounded amazing. Usually we can't replicate this live though cos there's no way I can change guitars that quick, but tonight we got Trent from Out of the Ashes to come on and play the electric part. It sounded so cool! It was mean playing with another guitarist too.
Anyway, that's mostly it. It was a great show - can't believe we actually organized it all ourselves! Playing on the bandstand was super, totally open air, no walls or anything to bounce sound off. It was a pretty small crowd, but one of the cooler shows we've done! We should have some pictures, if not that great ones, up shortly.
Bring on Open Air 2012!!

Jordan

Introducing....

Open Air 2011!!!!!Hey guys, come along and see Open Air 2011!!!!! The venue is Dannevirke Domain Bandstand. 26th Febuary 2011, Saturday, 5:30pm, and it's FREE admission! Its gonna be an awesome evening, with MAYDAY releasing our first EP, This Beautiful Disaster!!! There'll be a stall onsite selling copies of the album, for only $10! And with OUT OF THE ASHES performing as well, its gonna be an evening jam-packed with music!! If raining, the show will be cancelled. Admission is free, bring all your friends!!!!!!

FEATURES:

-Out Of The Ashes

-Mayday

See you there!!!

Just wrote...

....possibly the best song of my life last night! Can't wait to stick some music to it!
Oh and also in keeping with the new & old theme I finished off a song which I started writing last year and it is also amazing! Loving this inspired feeling!
Bless you all,

Jordan

New vs Old: A preamble as I muse over ideas for new songs which may or may not turn into anything.

I've been thinking about newness lately.
New is the next big thing. In our generation, "new" equates to cool. We consume so much that anything new is exciting, is good. The old is cast away, labelled as "dated" or "old-fashioned", or just simply "not cool". These days whatever has a brand label and hits the shops is so widely advertised, and shown to us by actors, celebrities, whatever and whoever, that it is the "in" thing. Sometimes you get people who buy something and then after using it for a couple of hours and finding it doesn't quite give the desired results, they want the next thing. It is no longer good enough for them. It offers but a fleeting moment of satisfaction. The old stuff just doesn't satisfy: not even briefly. Music is also an example of this: New music is cool, is hip, is fresh. Old music - not so much. Some people probably can't even stand to listen to anything older than 90's music! When a band gets out a new song, a new album, it's the words on everyones lips.
But the problem with new is it becomes old. Something can simply not keep it's newness. It is impossible. It might be rediscovered by a new person, or a new generation, but it is no longer new. No longer fresh off the lead singers lips.
So why new? Why do we like it so much?
Well first of all because it's fresh. Freshness is so good! Anyone who's had a fresh, juicy corn compared to days old, dry, stale corn will know exactly what I'm talking about! New stuff gives us that thrill of energy which can only come from freshness.
I think also people like "new" because they're dissatisfied with what they have. They are searching for meaning, yet all they can grasp at is straws. New might be fresh and inspiring, but the impact is only fleeting. Like I said before, it cannot satisfy, or even hope to satisfy, that something inside of us that yearns to be satisfied. Only God can fill that hole. Only he is the one thing which stays new forever, yet is still old. It's a beautiful paradox.

So why not old? What's wrong with old? Well I think I covered most of those points already. But the thing is, we need old. We may not like it, or even want it, but we cannot live without it. Firstly, old is what shows us what new is. Stuff can't be new if it doesn't have anything old to show up.
Secondly, old is the foundation. I mean seriously, who would have got into rock if it wasn't for the Beatles laying the foundation? How would America be the superpowered nation it is today if it wasn't for George Washington? And most importantly of all, who would have heard of Christians if there was no Christ? I know so many who think old is lame. I'm sure even many Christians haven't even read their Old Testament, cos they count it as outdated and outdone by the new (or cause they think it's boring haha) . Yet you can't hope to have a personal faith in God if you don't have that foundation, that knowledge of how he's been working in the world since the beginning of time.
And now to music. I don't think much of what is new today would exist if someone hadn't gone before and done it already. I certainly know that we wouldn't have started as a band if we hadn't been inspired by The Lads waaaaay back in 2006.
So to get to the point of my little ramble: we can't hope to go onto anything new at all if we don't respect, and learn from the old. And no matter what we do, what we create, it cannot satisfy like our Creator can.
In my struggles with music, I cannot forget this lesson. In your lives, you cannot forget this lesson. To strive for newness, press towards the mark of excellence; to learn from who and what has gone before; but do not let it be the be all and end all of your lives.
That's all I've got to say.

Jordan

Greetings

How's everyone going? Sorry I haven't posted up here for ages, been real busy with school and whatnot. Mostly school. :) Had an amazing weekend at Parachute and have already got plans for the next big thing but finding it a little hard to swing them into motion. Hopefully we get something happening soon though. Anyway, while I'm on here I'd just like to thank you all for your support, it's really nice to know this blog is still getting read by people out there!
Have a good night everyone,

Jordan

Parachute 2011 pictures:

Hey guys, here's a few pictures of our live perfomance at Parachute!!!!
Mayday