The faithful at St. Aidan's celebrate a baptism and Fr. Gregory teaches on the significance of the Troparion for the Feast of Theophany.

Bobby Interviews Jane G. Meyer, the author of the AFP children’s book Sweet Song: A Story of Saint Romanos the Melodist.

Bobby Maddex interviews Fr. Lawrence Farley, the author of the new AFP book A Song in the Furnace: The Message of the Book of Daniel.

Bobby Maddex interviews Sylvia Leontaritis, the author of the new AFP book Songs of Praise: A Psalter Devotional for Orthodox Women.

On another live pop-up edition of Ex Libris, Bobby Maddex interviews Sylvia Leontaritis, author of the blog Adventures of an Orthodox Mom and the new AFP book Songs of Praise: A Psalter Devotional for Orthodox Women

"Ancient Faith Presents" an interview with Mat. Robin Freeman, one of the conductors of an upcoming concert by the St. Vladimir's Seminary Chorale. This audiovisual presentation is titled Orient: Sacred Song and Images, and it will take place in New York City on May 7 at 7:30 PM.

Bobby Maddex interviews Valerie Yova, the Music Director at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara, California, about a new CD by the St. Athanasius Orthodox Church Choir.

Bobby Maddex interviews Richard Barrett, the Artistic Director of the St. John of Damascus Society, about his Psalm 103 project.

More than 200 people have now died from the flooding in Valencia, Spain, in Europe's deadliest weather disaster since the 1970s. / Reuters

Long a crime that targeted Black and Latino people, jaywalking is now legal in New York City. / HuffPost

"Even liberal yuppies in my Brooklyn neighborhood lined up at a community board meeting in May to complain that there were just too many migrants at local shelters." The crime of human movement. / The New York Review

See also: Contrary to what Republicans are campaigning on, Biden and Harris worked behind the scenes to get the border crisis under control. / The New York Times [+]

The history of Electrical Audio, legendary recording engineer Steve Albini's studio, which is searching for a way forward after its founder's death. / Inc.

See also: "Anyone who has streamed a song on their phone for free can sense that something has changed." The decline of the working musician. / The New Yorker

Instagram allows male nipples but not female nipples—but in cases of transition when and how is that distinction drawn? / 404 Media

In response to a fake, AI-generated ad, thousands of people showed up for a Halloween parade in Dublin that never happened. / Engadget

Retail stores may soon have access to facial-recognition technology that can detect shoppers who "sweetheart" workers in hopes of scoring discounts. / Gizmodo

Mathematicians calculate there's not enough time left in our universe for monkeys to ever randomly type out the complete works of Shakespeare. / BBC News

Black plastic kitchen utensils contain high levels of fire retardants, which have a nasty habit of leaching into food. / The Atlantic

Legalized gambling is turning football upside down for fans, gamblers, and players alike. / Wide Left

It's the end of an era as the last in-flight magazine for a major carrier goes digital-only. / Columbia Journalism Review

"In a quiet, unremarkable town in Ohio, everything has begun to disappear: first shoes, then street signs, then pets." A links-based mystery game. / Question Mark, Ohio

View Post →

On the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos to the Temple, Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon preaches on Mary's canticle of thanksgiving, found in Luke Chapter 1.

Today our comment and review media lurch from Hot Takes to History without pausing for a moment to get a sense of what actually happened. The concept of the One Year Later Review was that we might be able to get a better understanding of what mattered and what effects it had with a little […]

1. Song Jae-lim, South Korean Actor, Dies at 39  Variety
2. South Korean actor Song Jae-lim dead at 39  CNN
3. South Korean Actor Song Jae-rim Dies in His Seoul Apartment at 39  PEOPLE
4. South Korean actor Song Jae-lim found dead at 39  CTV News
5. Song Jae Rim death: South Korean actor's last Instagram post sparks concern among fans  The Economic Times

The actor shared why one particular track from Swift’s album ‘Fearless’ holds a special place in his heart.

Michael Smith’s fraudulent activities cheated them out of millions, and it’s now time for him to “face the music”

Several major record labels are asking the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for a rehearing en banc in their piracy lawsuit against Grande Communications. They argue that the court erred in holding that piracy damages should be calculated per album, rather than per song. They argue that this decision, which will lower the $47 million damages award, doesn't reflect the way that music is commercialized today.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Eminem, Boy George, George Clinton, Sheryl Crow, Janet Jackson, the Doobie Brothers, N.W.A. and Alanis Morissette are among the nominees for the 2025 class at the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an eclectic group of rap, rock, hip-hop and pop pioneers.

Song Jae-lim, a South Korean actor known for his roles in K-dramas "Moon Embracing the Sun" and "Queen Woo," was found dead at his home in capital Seoul. He was 39.

"Castiglione (Acoustic Demo)" is now available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

The post Local band releases song honoring former Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione appeared first on Boston.com.

April sixth through eighth of this year marked the beginning and bitter-sweet ending of yet another All About Worship “Kingdom Songs” retreat. Another group of talented writers passionately chasing their calling filed in and out of life-giving workshops with seasoned “pro-writers” like James Tealy (songwriting professor at Belmont University and writer of “Light of the World” recorded by Kari Jobe), co-writes with peers and pros like Krissy Nordhoff (writer of “Your Great Name” recorded by Natalie Grant) and Michael Farren (lead singer of Pocket Full of Rocks, writer of “Let It Rain” recorded by Michael W. Smith and number #1 Lauren Daigle cut “Trust In You”), worship sessions, Q&As, song critiques, and so many more activities featured in the packed schedule of education and encouragement.

Writers come from every corner of the country, the world even, to spend a weekend equipping themselves with tools and knowledge to cultivate their calling to write what the body of Christ needs to hear, to better capture the heart of God through song. The end of every conference is genuinely a bitter-sweet moment, traditionally marked with a prayer by the staff over the writers to strengthen, encourage, and protect them as they set out to pursue their gifts. The bitterness is found in having to say goodbye to newfound friends, fellow writers who share your struggles, your triumphs, your worries, and your unique joys. But the sweet is in knowing that right now, there are empowered songwriters with renewed confidence, sharpened skills, and rejuvenated spirits conquering fears and fighting for songs that will change this world and bring about the kingdom of God. The desire of All About Worship in putting on this event is fulfilled in writers taking what they gain from this conference and bringing new life into their homes and congregations (some even literally, congratulations Rezwana!). Dustin Smith (staff writer at Integrity Music, author of “Miracles” recorded by Jesus Culture) has been known to say on more than one occasion that, in writing songs for the Kingdom, we “put words on the lips of the most powerful force on earth - the church”, and as they settle back into their homes with new contacts, revitalized hearts, Skype co-writes brewing, and minds creating, they pick up their weapons and prepare to do just that.

“God is using music and praise to Him as weapons to tear down strongholds and I am in awe of how He goes about it all. His voice is ringing clear and the air is trembling with His spirit” – Rezwana Derbyshire, Kingdom Songs attendee.

To be able to continue an ancient practice of crafting songs to lift up to the one true God is an awesome, in the truest sense of an underappreciated word, responsibility and privilege. Kingdom Songs and the entire staff and crew are proud and humbled by the opportunity to come alongside songwriters, link arms with them, and walk out this journey together.

From the ancient psalmists, in every language, from edge to edge of this earth, the people of the most high God will praise His name. Because if we do not cry out, the rocks will. 

For thousands of younger Gen Xers and older Millennials who were raised in the church, much of our maturing as worshippers is marked by the poetic lyrics and fluid vocals of the duo known as Shane & Shane. I personally remember having Be Near on repeat during a difficult season of transition in my personal life. And I don’t know about you, but just about every guy in my high school youth group could be found working their double strum on acoustic guitar at any given moment.

But it wasn’t just their original songs that sunk deep into the hearts of their listeners. Barnard and Everett also have this uncanny ability to take songs recorded years earlier or made popular by big names such as Hillsong or Passion and make them fresh and accessible to our generation of worshippers. 

They are capitalizing on this significant gift through their latest ministry effort called The Worship Initiative (TWI). I recently got the chance to talk with Shane Barnard at length and hear more about their journey through ministry, how they juggle it all, and their hopes for the future. Hopefully you’ll find the perspective and insight he offered up as encouraging as I did.

When I asked him to share the story of how the vision of The Worship Initiative came to be, he jumped right into an impassioned explanation. They had been doing the touring, writing, and recording thing for years and gotten to experience worship from and with just about every kind of stage, venue, and demographic. As they got to know hundreds of worship leaders from everywhere you can think of, they began to see a gaping hole . . . that being the understanding of the true weight of the calling of the worship leader.

A scripture that they’d read hundreds of times and even used as a sort of mantra throughout their ministry also played an enormous role in their starting TWI. Colossians 3:16 says,

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

One day a word jumped off their pages in a way that opened their eyes afresh – THROUGH. These times of worship they were leading on a regular basis were not just a means to an end. They actually serve as one of the primary ways the Church conveys the message of Jesus to raise up a generation of Christ followers who can change the world. Yet somehow, this position has gotten watered down to nothing more than a song leader in most church settings. They suddenly felt a whole new level of responsibility.

So the two set out to discover a way to pour into worship leaders around the world, both spiritually and practically. They started by taking a more personal look at their own gifts and bents. Barnard says about Everett, “I can’t think of a better salesman or evangelist . . . He’s just loud, funny, always cutting up, and can win anybody over to do anything . . . and unleashing that in an overseer role and our relational PR person has been awesome to watch. I think God dumped the PR side and evangelist side of Shane so hard into him that I think we still have yet to see what God is going to do in that regard.” Whereas for Barnard, his skill in songwriting and producing contends with just about anyone you could name. Over the last 20 years of ministering together, they’ve learned to “embrace who God has made [them] and not be disappointed in that anymore but just know that this is how God has made [them].” They’ve worked incredibly hard to figure out how to balance all of the overlap between their personal and professional lives, which is inevitable when you’ve worked so closely together for that long. “You would think we would have some kind of system after 20 years, but we are getting better. I would say that a few words come to mind . . . simplifying, strategizing, doing things on purpose. These are the things that have kind of been a banner over our lives the last two or three years.”

For a long time, all the different aspects of their lives were spread out all over the DFW area of Texas. Their studio was far south, much of their steady worship leading opportunities were at a church in the heart of Dallas, and they were living a good jump from either of those. So they are in the process of bringing all of those components closer together so that doing life with the families, church community, and ministry partners is easier. Taking this step has made it easier to grow their efforts with The Worship Initiative more rapidly.

So what is The Worship Initiative and what does it look like for someone to participate or take advantage of these resources?

Basically, an individual can pay a yearly fee and access a list of over 150 (and constantly growing) worship songs that each have multiple tutorial videos and charts accompanying them. These videos break down how to play the songs in different keys, on different instruments, and with varying skill levels. A worship leader on staff at a church can also pay an annual group fee, based on the number of people, for his team to be able to access everything as well. There are also craft training videos for everything from the different instruments and vocals to tech/production and using the number system. If that’s not enough, the site has an entire section dedicated to heart training, where they break down all the different spiritual and practical components for worship leading with the likes of John Piper and Ben Stuart. There are even creative devotionals to accompany every song on the different TWI records. TheWorshipInitiative.com truly is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom for anyone looking to grow as a leader or team member, and there are still exciting things to come. Shane shared a bit about what’s ahead for TWI. “Our next phase of The Worship Initiative is to create what we’re calling learning paths. Some people love to be given a world of information to explore on their own. But most people would really love to be told what to do to get from point A to point B. We will take our existing content and add to it and give them a year long path to stick to and see measurable growth in both skill and leadership.”

Given the length of time and the platform they’ve had over these last two decades, I asked Shane how he feels his perspective of worship both personally and within the Church has evolved over the years.

“I think worship, and even the idea of worship, has come a long way, in a good way. I think we’ve seen a pretty good uptick on understanding the Romans 12:1 life of worship. I often think back to a time when I was leading worship in a basement or college dorm room for several years, and it was always the oddest songs ever.” He recalled singing, with hands lifted, Make It Right by Kenny Marks (and yes, I might’ve gotten a solid 30 second serenade over the phone . . . it’s fine!) and other obscure songs that really had no purpose or meaning to the one worshipping. Yet, what we see all throughout the Psalms is “this gut-wrenching, very honest, it is okay to pour out your heart to the one who cares for you mentality. . . and that language is okay.” He remembered hearing the words to Breathe for the first time, where it says “I’m desperate for you,” and thinking “is this okay to have this kind of language in front of people? But yes, it is okay even in a congregation or corporately to say ‘I am thirsty for You in a dry land where there is no water.’ In fact that can be really helpful to the person sitting next to you. That can be us ‘singing spiritual hymns and songs to one another’, just that opening up of the heart and the embracing of singing those honest songs and using them to allow ‘the message of Christ to dwell among us richly.’”

Learn more about The Worship Initiative, as well as Shane & Shane, at www.theworshipinitiative.com. Here at All About Worship, we believe in what these guys are doing and the ministry they are fostering. We can’t wait to partner with them in the future as God continues opening those doors.

Michael King and Michael Farren continue the discussion on the main focus areas for All About Worship - Power of His Presence, Power of His People, and the Power of a Sound.  King catches up with Farren in the middle of the KINGDOM SONGS BOOT CAMP and there are some amazing takeaways.

“Stop leading songs and start pastoring people” - Michael Farren.

Not sure you’ll remember the right rate for giving CPR compressions? Shake it off, calm down and turn on some Taylor Swift.

Allee Willis was your favorite artists’ favorite artist decades before Chappell Roan. Allee Willis was a truly fascinating, wildly-creative artist who worked almost exclusively behind the scenes. She was your favorite artists’ favorite artist decades before Chappell Roan. Allee Willis: creative force behind the Friends TV Show Theme, Dangerous Woman to Soviet newspapers Allee Willis: Creative Force, Dangerous Woman, Queer Songwriter Behind Friends' Theme Further Proof That Friends Is Queer-Coded by Melissa Locker

Whether you watched the show or not, you can probably hum the theme song to Friends. Do you know who wrote it for the Rembrandts? And "September"—the Mercury's second favorite song—do you know who co-wrote that with Earth Wind and Fire's Maurice White?

Not to sound like a weird TV pitchman, but what if I told you they were written with the same person. Specifically,  Allee Willis—who was once dubbed “the most dangerous woman in the world” by Pravda, the the official newspaper of the prelapsarian Soviet Union.  

Willis is the star of a new documentary, The World According to Allee Willis, which celebrates its Oregon premiere at the QDoc Film Festival on November 16. The doc is worth your time to burnish your bar trivia skills, but also because Willis was a truly fascinating, wildly-creative artist who worked almost exclusively behind the scenes. She was your favorite artists’ favorite artist decades before Chappell Roan.

Willis had insisted on documenting her life, since 1978, long before reality TV was a thing, so there's plenty of her archival video found in the film. "I've always known that my final art piece would be someone putting together the trail I've left behind," she says in one clip. 

In 2019, Willis died at age 72, and director Alexis Manya Spraic became responsible for following that trail. Spraic intersperses the footage with a cavalcade of famous faces—Paul Reubens, Lily Tomlin, Cyndi Lauper, Pamela Adlon, Paul Feig, Sex and the City director Michael Patrick King, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, as well as—somewhat inexplicably—billionaire Mark Cuban. Their interviews confirm that Willis really was a Hollywood power player, even if you don’t know her name.

Raised in Detroit as Alta Willis, the artist admits that growing up in the shadow of Motown influenced her work. She also did a stint in New York where she wrote her one and only album, Childstar, which had “great reviews and zero sales.” Eventually Willis moved to California because “if she was going to starve to death, she was going to do it in the sun.” ["Not me!" -Portland creatives.]

Willis lived on welfare in that sun, until "Godmother of Soul" Patti LaBelle heard her music, and kickstarted Willis’ songwriting career. Then came Earth Wind & Fire and “September,” the track that made Willis a songwriting star.

"Allee said she was lucky to meet us. We were lucky to meet her, too,” the group's bassist Verdine White says in the film. “That was life-changing for all of us.”

Earth Wind & Fire followed the success of "September" by co-writing another hit “Boogie Wonderland” with Willis, helping her become the music industry’s go-to “rock doc” who could fix up a song and turn it into a hit. 

In addition to being a wildly successful songwriter, Willis was also an art director and set designer, creating the backdrops for Debbie Harry music videos, among others. She continued to collaborate on songs, behind the scenes, and won both a Grammy and a Tony for her work on the musical The Color Purple.  The Friends theme was nominated for an Emmy, but didn't win.

While Willis was able to find professional success, that never quite translated into financial solvency. She also faced challenges in her private life—partially because she was queer at a time when it was extremely difficult to be open and out. She struggled with loneliness for much of her life, Lauper says during one of the film's interviews.

Willis did eventually find love, and then had to contend with the near-universal struggle of balancing work, creativity, and her personal life. When you’re looking at The World According to Allee Willis, it's a wild,  wonderful, and sometimes painful view, but well worth watching.

The World According to Allee Willis screens as part of QDoc Film Festival at Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Sat Nov 16, 4:30 pm, $12, tickets here. Some streaming starting Nov 22. Visit alleewillisdoc.com for more.

The Netherlands won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv Saturday, with Duncan Laurence's doleful piano ballad "Arcade" crowned champion of Europe's annual music extravaganza.

Nearing 80, the solo artist has a new album out. Decades after she brought a gospel score to the civil rights movement with The Staple Singers, she remains hopeful in her enduring mission for change.

Bill Johnson’s Bethel Church in Redding, California, announced Sunday that it has planted a new church in Sydney, Australia, where Hillsong Church is headquartered. 

Added May 11, 2006:

[Inter-Korea] :
North Korea said Friday that the missile it launched the previous day was the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) and declared the test a success. The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said the Missile Administration conducted the test under the guidance of North ...

[more...]

[Inter-Korea] :
The South Korean military believes the Hwasong-19, the intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) that North Korea test-fired on October 31, is a new model that Pyongyang may have developed with technological assistance from Moscow. In a report disclosed Monday by the office of ruling People Power Party ...

[more...]

[Culture] :
A U.S. music magazine has picked “Ditto” by the K-pop girl group NewJeans as one of the top songs of the 2020s. According to the group’s agency, ADOR, Thursday, the song ranked 23rd on Paste magazine’s “100 Best Songs of the 2020s So Far.” According to the U.S. magazine, no K-pop group has ...

[more...]

NewJeans’ hit “Super Shy’ has earned a spot in Pitchfork’s list of the best songs of the decade. It was the only K-pop track to be featured on Pitchfork’s list of...

[more...]

File: Queen's Freddie Mercury has his mustache groomed.
; Credit: Steve Wood/Express/Getty Images

The new Queen compilation "Queen Forever" includes three previously unreleased tracks, but the one that has people talking is a collaboration between two legends: Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson.

The new song, "There Must Be More to Life Than This," was an unfinished track recorded during studio sessions for the 1981 Queen album "Hot Space," according to a press release on the new compilation. Queen also looked at the song for 1984's "The Works," but still don't go with it — the song finally landed, sans Jackson, on 1985's Mercury solo album "Mr. Bad Guy."

Listen to the new version of the song here:

Michael Jackson/Queen Soundcloud

Listen to the originally recorded version of the Queen/Jackson collaboration below:

Michael Jackson/Queen collabo

The new version was produced by William Orbit, who also did a remix of the song.

"Hearing Michael Jackson's vocals was stirring. So vivid, so cool, and poignant, it was like he was in the studio singing live. With Freddie's vocal solo on the mixing desk, my appreciation for his gift was taken to an even higher level," Orbit said in a press release.

The song is a call for peace, talking human rights in a general way. It almost didn't end up on the album — Queen's Brian May said that working with the Jackson family and Jackson's estate was like "wading through glue," according to Philly.com, but the track ended up making the cut.

The album also includes unreleased song "Let Me In Your Heart Again" and a new version of a song Mercury released solo, an acoustic take on "Love Kills." "Let Me In Your Heart Again" was previously recorded and released by May's wife Anita Dobson.

"Freddie sounds as fresh as yesterday," May said at a press conference while the new compilation was in the works.

Listen to Mercury's solo version of "There Must Be More to Life Than This" below:

There Must Be More To Life Than This, solo

Listen to Anita Dobson's version of "Let Me In (Your Heart Again)" below:

Anita Dobson track

; Credit: John Rabe/KPCC

Off-Ramp fan, KPCC member (!), and Tom Petty and Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench III joined John in his old Mercedes with his large, but portable Casio.

Tench has lived in the hills of Tarzana for decades, in a perfectly good house, but in the 100-degree heat, John outfitted his car with condenser mikes to record a farewell ode to Off-Ramp, Tench's "Like the Sun."

The full band version of Benmont Tench III's "Like the Sun"

"Like the Sun" helped Tench get back in the songwriting groove a decade ago after he burnt out on being professional songwriter in Nashville. He based the lyrics on tours of Los Angeles given to him by a friend, and takes the listener (with his Southern accent) from a restaurant called Michoacan to a hill top tent city. Tench also told John how he and his wife Alice explore Los Angeles.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The USGS is working with federal land management agencies to develop a series of structured science syntheses (SSS) to support National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. This new synthesis is the third publication in the SSS series and provides science to support NEPA analyses for agency decisions regarding oil and gas leasing and permitting.

Patricia Blake's new podcast, "To Protect and to Serve," debuts with a pair of engaging episodes, while anticipation builds for the upcoming release of the "SEND ME!" theme song in May, and more songs to follow this year.

Williamson, a music-industry veteran and serial entrepreneur, paves the way for artist-first technology

The season one finale of 'Soul-Bridge with Toby Evans' has finally arrived, showcasing a feature-length episode over a year in the making, also marking the debut of two original songs with a unique twist.

Mosongo Moukwa lends years of expertise to his work with Hathaway Advanced Materials

XScale enables up to 24 channels from a single ATSC 1.0 encoder

American Windsong Music is proud to release Dallen Fox's second EP, "Silly Songs & Lullabies".The multifaceted talent is back with a sequel to his musical journey that promises to touch the hearts of children everywhere.

Childrens's Book ''Joey Wants to Sing" Published by Joe Little III (Lead Singer of the RnB 90"s Group Rude Boys)

Branch & Dean - "Us Back in USA" and the official music video on all platforms now!

If you have never heard singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer Ken Lehnig's music this album will make you a fan.

Stream "Malibu" by Bekka Dowland and get a sneak peek of the "Malibu" music video filmed in Cape Coral and Fort Meyers, Florida!

Rising Music Powerhouse is back with another reggae hit!

"Norwegian takes your money, they took our money honey… Booked on a cruise to where they cannot go… Kiss your money and your dreams goodbye!"

Runny Nose Rudolph instant classic Christmas song

An 11-track album that delves into the multifaceted nature of life.