The latest in music videos, music reviews and contest information. Plus, random stuff we find that we think you'll like. Check us out at http://www.purpledoorradio.com.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Hands by The Almost

notice the sign for "lonely wheel"... clever, very clever


Hand

The Almost | MySpace Music Videos

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

CD Review: Flyleaf "Memento Mori"

After what seems like an eternity, Flyleaf has finally released their sophomore project, Memento Mori. And friends, the wait was well worth it.

I've only had the pleasure of seeing Flyleaf live once, and when I did I was so moved by the presence of God that they brought with them on stage. I recently came across an interview with David from The David Crowder Band (who covered a Flyleaf song on their latest release, Church Music) where he describes the first time he met Lacey:

"They're like right down the street from us in Temple area, which is about thirty minutes from Waco, so they would pop up to services occasionally, and [I] didn't know who they were but this group of people would occasionally appear and they usually would take up the front section of the deal and they'd just be quite exuberant in their posturing of worship. Finally, one Sunday, this very diminutive girl comes up and says, "Hi, my name's Lacey, I have a note for you." And she gives me this little note and along with it a CD. She says, "I'm in a band," and this is really before they took off, y'know? I hadn't heard of them until this moment. I read the note and it starts with this, "Every night we go into the pits of Hell and pull people out and your music has been an inspiration for us. It's very bleak and dark where we are, and we need bits of light and your music has been that for us. "

I loved that wording, every night we go into the pits of Hell and pull people out. Granted, I saw Flyleaf in a very Christian gathering, which is an unusual place for them to play. Usually they are on secular tours in not the most typical "Christian" places. With Memento Mori, they are providing more fuel for pulling people out. Lyrics that are beautiful in every sense of the word. Describing the true grace, love and hope available for everyone. For instance, in their song "Missing," the lyrics point to the need that we have, and the realization that others will leave us...

Oh, something's missing in me, I felt it deep within me, As lovers left me to bleed alone.

Other highlights on the album for me included the tracks, "In the Dark" (with the echos of Lacey's voice and the momentous build into the chorus of Jesus heal me inside this,
Raise me up to live again, Like you did), "Set Apart This Dream" and the description of Lacey's conversion experience on the track "Treasure."

Memento Mori is Latin for "be mindful of your mortality." I believe Flyleaf is doing that by taking every opportunity they have to promote Jesus in every situation they find themselves in. Mememto Mori is definitely one of the best albums - lyrically and sonically to be released in 2009.

★★★★★★★★★☆

Find out more about Flyleaf here:

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Friday, November 13, 2009

Favorite 2009 Albums Contest

Congratulations to Joel from Mechanicsburg! He was the winner in this year's contest. Keeping listening to PDR for your chance to win fun prizes... like Joel!




Which albums have you had on repeat this past year?

Purple Door Radio wants to know!

Email your top 5 albums of 2009 with your name, age and address to pdr@wjtl.com by December 26th to get entered into the contest.

One lucky winner will be walking away with 5 of PDR's favorite albums plus...




an autographed Disciple skateboard deck!

If you need some help remembering all of the music that was released this year, check out this site for a recap.

Listen to Purple Door Radio Sunday, December 27th from 9PM to midnight as we recap the great music that came out this year, countdown our top 5 favorite albums and announce the winner of the autographed Disciple skateboard deck!


The Fine Print:
*Must be 13 years of age to enter
*One entry per person
*Entries must be received by midnight on Saturday, December 26th



Tuesday, October 13, 2009

CD Review: Relient K "Forget And Not Slow Down"

Have you ever listened in on a conversation that was way too personal for you to listen to, but you couldn't help yourself? That's how I feel about Relient K's latest effort, and first album on Mono vs Stereo, Forget And Not Slow Down. This album is written in the aftermath of a breakup. To which, I have no knowledge of reasons or circumstances - but that doesn't matter. A heart affected is a heart affected. This album to me displays the full gamut of a heart in the weeks and months that follow brokenness.

AbsolutePunk streamed the album before the release and I kept listening to it over and over again... I couldn't get enough! Especially the last track "(If You Want It)." It's the same song as the track previous to it, "This Is The End," but the musical styles are entirely different. "This Is The End" displays a raw emotion while "(If You Want It)" seems to be full of sadness, but a beautiful sadness at that. One of my favorite lines is in that song, nourished back to life by Life alone. Beautiful.

By no means is the whole album full of downers, there are lots of fun songs too. Other standouts include: "Candlelight" and "Savannah." "Savannah" is so infectious. Another thing that made me super excited about this album are the special guest appearances that included: Matt McDonald of The Classic Crime, Aaron Gillespie of Underoath and The Almost and Tim Skipper of House of Heroes. All of these guys join in on the song "Sahara."

If you purchased the album from Amazon you got a bonus song called "Terminals" that featured Owl City. This song has Owl City written all over it. In an interview Matt Thiessan said if he ever formed a side project it would probably be with Adam from Owl City. So perhaps "Terminals" is just a foretaste of what might be in the future.

Overall, the album breaks my heart because I know where it came from. However, each song is so well crafted and Relient K continues on in their quest of providing thoughtful lyrics and throwing in some fun along the well.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Find out more about Relient K:

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Did you know Edward likes PDR?

Friday, September 18, 2009

CD Review: The Letter Black "Breaking the Silence"

Tooth & Nail Records signed The Letter Black (formally known as Breaking the Silence) just a few months ago. According to the band's myspace the meaning behind the name is that, "all of us go through different chapters in our lives. In these chapters we write letters of good and bad times. Some letters in our chapters we are happy to share. Others, we are not so proud of. The Letter Black reminds us of the past mistakes we have made and helps us remember to not keep making the same mistakes." Now this five piece band is hitting the ground running with their debut album due out September 22nd and embarking on the huge Awake and Alive Tour this fall with Skillet and Hawk Nelson.

This is a hard review for me since I can be fairly particular when it comes to female fronted bands. The lead singer is Sarah Anthony and her husband, Mark, joins in with some background vocals here and there. I like Sarah's voice on certain parts of some songs, like "Hanging on By a Thread" and "Best of Me" but other times it just doesn't do anything for me. The six songs on this album are filled with very meaningful lyrics which I greatly appreciate. Like in the song "Collapse," It didn't take long to forget what I once learned, I never believed that there was someone out there who loves me, Until I found the One who loves me as I am. I can't live without You. My heart will collapse into your hands. The Letter Black is definitely rocking it out the whole way through. "Best of Me" has a bit more of a pop feel to it, but the majority of the album is straight up rock and roll.

If you're a fan of the likes of Illia or Eowyn, I suggest you check out The Letter Black. To me they have very similar musical styles.

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Find out more about The Letter Black:

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CD Review: Hawk Nelson "Live Life Loud"

I find myself very confused and perplexed. When I think of Hawk Nelson I think of sweet pop music and the teenage girls going wild singing along. I mean how many other all boy bands can cover "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?!?" But it works for them, and I can appreciate that. With that said, Live Life Loud isn't fitting into my perception of Hawk Nelson.

Granted, there are the Hawk Nelson must haves. The pep rally anthems are present ("Live Life Loud," "The Job") and the slow singalong Lord work in my heart songs ("Shaken," "Meaning of Life"). However, that's only four songs out of the twelve on the album. I love the short "Ode to Lord Stanley" in all of it's ukulele and vocal harmony bliss, plus the fun rendition of the classic "Tis So Sweet." But some of the other songs seem a little off to me. The talking part in "Never Enough" doesn't quite work for me and Jason's voice seems significantly raspier on this track and other songs on the album compared to his previous work.

Nevertheless, Hawk Nelson is consistent with their lyrics. Providing blatant, impossible to misunderstand lyrics that point to Christ and the continual pursuit of living a life that is pleasing and honoring to Him.

Overall, an album that has it's highs and lows and seems fairly transitional to me. Can't wait to see how these Ontario boys continue to progress.

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Find out more about Hawk Nelson:

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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Interview with Deas Vail at Purple Door 2009

CD Review: Thousand Foot Krutch "Welcome To The Masquerade"

Thousand Foot Krutch was one of three bands chosen as the winner of Taco Bell's Feed The Beat contest earlier this year. In conjunction with winning the contest they released "Bring Me To Life," which would be the first single off of their forthcoming album, as a free download.

When I first listened to the song I melted. My heart leaped for joy at the thought of new TFK music reminiscent of my favorite album of theirs, Phenomenon. Needless to say, I've been anxiously awaiting September 8th, the day it would be possible to get my hands on their new album Welcome To The Masquerade.

So now I have it, and my thoughts? It's good. Really good. Not quite sure if I'd say it would beat Phenomenon, but time will tell as this disc gets played on repeat for the next couple weeks. Here's a breakdown of some highlights on the new album.

Many of the tracks represent classic TFK material to me. Songs like, "Welcome To The Masquerade," "Bring Me To Life," and "E for Extinction." Simply great rock songs, along the lines of previous hits like, "Falls Apart" and "Absolute."

It wouldn't be a TFK album without the sports anthems either. "Fire It Up" is already slated to be on the video game for NHL 10. "Smack Down" is another anthem that I'd say is my favorite song on the whole album. The clapping, screaming and foot stomping is infectious to say the least. It makes me wish I was still in high school so I could put it on the warm-up tape for the basketball team.

An element I so appreciate about TFK is their ability to slow the music down and sing some poignant lyrics that hit home - hard. Once such song is "Look Away," a song that Trevor says is based on emails and letters from fans over the years. The lyrics read, "I will not look away this time, take all these cuts and make them shine, I don't want to be perfect, just alright." The closing track, "Already Home," provides the same, "I'm on my knees cause you're everything I need and I've made a mess of myself on my own, and now I'm on my face and I calling out your name, and I won't run away cause I'm already home."

Overall, if you've been a Thousand Foot Krutch from the days of Set It Off, this album will not disappoint. By far, this is one of the best rock albums to hit stores this year.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Find out more about Thousand Foot Krutch:

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Monday, August 24, 2009

CD Review: The Glorious Unseen "The Hope That Lies In You"

I fell in love with The Glorious Unseen after they released their debut album, Tonight The Stars Speak. To me it was a fresh new way of worshipping. It was a mellow version of worship that sometimes I needed. I wasn't always in the mood for "raw raw yeah Jesus" worship. Sometimes you need something a little less amped. And TGU's album did that for me. I got to sit down and chat with the guys at last year's Purple Door Festival. It was encouraging to hear lead singer, Ben Crist's thoughts on worship, TGU and what they were going after.

Needless to say, I was more than excited to hear new music from them. The EP's they released over the past couple months were great... but a full length was much appreciated.

Their new album, The Hope That Lies In You is very much in the same vein as their last album. There wasn't any crazy change in the style or sound of the music, but Ben does not change the honest, raw lyrics that captivated me from the start. Thanks Ben.

I feel like the only way to listen to The Glorious Unseen's albums are in their entirety. I have to listen from start to finish. It's not a song by song album. To me it's a collection that by the end has stirred my spirit into worship.

The Hope That Lies In You has some standout tracks to me. The guys do a notable job on covering John Mark McMillan's "How He Loves." Their cover transfers that raw passion that John Mark sings with. It's the best I've heard at accomplishing that so far, at least in my opinion. Other songs that immediately grabbed my attention were "Awakening" - the hallelujah chorus is wonderful at the end, "Sustain," a song that asks the tough questions like, "why do You let evil have it's way, how can You let orphans die in vain, when will You give answers for the pain, is there a place where hope can still sustain?," the title track "The Hope That Lies In You," and the closing track "Sweet, Sweet Sound."


All in all a great addition to anybody's worship collection. If you aren't really into the whole worship category of music, I highly suggest that you check out The Glorious Unseen. This isn't your typical worship. If you don't believe me, check out this video below of some very well known artists sharing their thoughts about The Glorious Unseen's music.



Find out more about The Glorious Unseen:

Twitter: @gloriousunseen

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

PD Fan Pack Week 4 Winners

Congrats are in order for the following:

Moses Keener of Mount Joy
Alyssa Kachnycz of Oxford
Tighe Eshleman of Hershey

You have until Friday at midnight to enter this year's Fan Pack Contest! Make sure you sign up to win!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

PD Fan Pack Week 3 Winners

Congrats to:

Vicki Colby of Dillsburg
Sheena Rae King of Quarryville
Josh Weaver of Coatesville

We're getting down to the wire... be sure to enter! Grand Prize Winner will be announced August 2nd on PDR.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

PD Fan Pack Week 2 Winners

Congrats to week two's winners!

Al Mylin in West Willow
Chuck Musser in Manheim
Alexa Kylen in Mechanicsburg

Only two weeks left in the contest! Be sure to get your entry in every week for your chance to win!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

PD Fan Pack Week 1 Winners

Congrats to the following... our first week's winners in the Purple Door Fan Pack Contest.

Katie Harding in Harrisburg
Chelsey Meyers in Johnstown
Kirby Strohmaier in Oxford

These lucky folks just picked up a CD from an artist playing this year's festival plus got entered into the grand prize drawing.

You too can get in on the fun. Enter here

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Woo Hoo, FREE music!

Who doesn't like free music? And who doesn't like free TOOTH & NAIL music?!?! Songs from TFK, ABR, Haste the Day, Living Sacrifice, Copeland, Children 18:3, Showbread, Underoath and more.

New Music Video from Between The Trees!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Impressive

I can hardly dribble... let alone dribble to a beat.




Creation

Once again I got to enjoy the largest Christian festival known as Creation Fest. I attended my first Creation at the age of 16 and since then I've gone every year (working the last four years). Here's a couple highlights from Creation for me this year:

Skillet:

Hands down they put on one of the best live shows in the business, and they didn't disappoint. I was excited to hear them play some of their new music which we'll be able to hear on their new album called Awake due out in August. They played "Hero" and "Monster" two new tracks. Both of which excite me for their new project. Jen Ledger is A-mazing. She impresses me more and more every time I see Skillet live. On the Comatose tour they did last year, Jen would sing on the song "Yours to Hold" and from what I hear so far, it seems like she'll be getting even more vocal time on the new album. Her voice is the one heard on their latest radio single called "Hero." Plenty of good stuff to look forward to. They'll be headlining the Awake and Alive tour this fall that features Hawk Nelson, Decyfer Down and The Letter Black.

Lecrae and Friends:

The program said only Lecrae for the 2pm slot at the Fringe stage... except Lecrae came with some friends including Flame, Tedashii, Sho Baraka and Trip Lee. Their stage performance was great and what stood out to me the most was the fact that it wasn't all about Lecrae and his music. They sang everyone's songs. It was a true team effort. A true reflection of the body of Christ. It makes me even more excited to see Lecrae at Purple Door, and I'm hoping the family vibe continues there.

House of Heroes:

First time I got to see these guys live, and they made me love them even more. If you haven't picked up, "The End Is Not The End" - you need to. My favorite album of 2008, and the live performance is equally as good. Some bands just can't pull off certain sounds live, but HOH is not one of them. Be sure to check out their acoustic ep and their tribute ep to the Beatles.

Family Force 5:

So much energy. So much fun. I wouldn't say I'm much of a dancer by any means... but when these guys hit the stage, it makes me want to be one. They came decked out in football pads, and EVERYONE had purple capri pants on. Soul Glow wasn't the only one rocking them this year. It's official... Friday night at Purple Door will definitely be a dance party that you need to be at.

The Classic Crime:

Since these guys are from the Northwest I wasn't sure if I'd be able to catch a live show often. They haven't toured our area a lot, so I wasn't too optimistic. But then I saw them on the Creation line-up and I was stoked. They were by far the one band that was on my must see list. Their latest album "The Silver Cord" is filled with meaningful songs that dig deep into the core of who we are as humans. Matt McDonald's voice was spot on, and I loved hearing the crowd echo back the lyrics. Great set, and I'd see them again in a heartbeat.

Good times all around. I made some new friends and I brushed up on my Mario Kart skills. Which by the way, pretty soon you'll be able to bid on a Wii signed by many Creation artists (like John Cooper from Skillet, Matt from The Classic Crime, John Reuben, Kevin from Disciple, Crouton from FF5 and more!)

What was your highlight from Creation? What band blew you away? Let me know!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Welcome to the PDR Blog!

We'll be adding news here soon - Thanks for your patience while we get things set up!

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