Category Archives: Articles
My Biggest Fan Story – Vol. 2
My story all started in July of 2000 and the founding of IndieVisionMusic.com. What was once a dream, a figment of my imagination, had become a reality by the time July of that year hit. I had started the site with one simple premise: to share my hope in Jesus through a website, which at that time happened to be selling independent music from a wide variety of faith based artists. I started Indie Vision Music to share my love of music and my Faith in God with a global audience of avid music listeners. I never dreamed at the time that my little (cheesy) website would go as far as it would over the course of 14 years on the web. This isn’t about the history of IVM because that quite frankly would fill pages and bore you to tears, this is about my time working on a little known Tooth & Nail compilation album called “I’m Your Biggest Fan Vol. 2” that if you blinked, you probably wouldn’t know existed. In fact, it’s not even listed on any digital networks and tough to find on CD these days. I guess Capital Christian Music Group (Tooth & Nail Records back catalog current owner) would rather keep that title under lock and key. Read on for my story about I’m Your Biggest Fan Vol. 2….. Read the rest of this entry
Freedom Like a Top100: Most Influential List
Top 100 Album Challenge:
Have you ever been “nominated” by a friend or acquaintance on Facebook for one of these Top 10 Favorite Album challenges but struggle to create a list of your own? Have you sat there in the quiet ambiance of your room or office and been left struggling to find the words to type? You tremble to express just how much 10 albums meant to you over the course (in my case) 36 years of life!!! (triple emphasis) Well that’s me and that’s my story. This is why I haven’t exactly been so keen to commit to these “challenges” and would rather relegate it to my blog here than post it on Facebook/Social media.
So with my best foot forward I am going to attempt a “list” and try to gather thoughts together and try to somewhat assemble what I think are my favorite 100 albums. These are albums that have made an impact at some point in my life over 36 years. Yeah that’s right, I can’t do 10, because in 36 years, far more than just 10 albums have influenced me. So instead of doing just some lazy quickly slapped together “List” meant to impress friends and hipsters alike, I have decided to dive in a bit deeper. Below you’ll find a list of 100 albums that have influenced me at different points over the course of my life. These albums are not in any particular order or arrangement. I just posted them the best I could from memory. I tried to avoid my LastFm playlist because that throws me off every time. I have to consider that pre-2007 (when I signed up for LastFm) I listened to a lot of the below listed albums more heavily and at different times. So join with me and feel free to discuss your likes, dislikes, and general distaste for what I consider MY personal influential list. Remember folks, these are just the albums that impacted me most over the course of my life. No offense to any band or friend left off this list. I know there were handfuls of “independent” artists that have influenced my listening habits over the years but in respect of this overall list and what I listened to the most, I have included my selections below.
Also, before you start asking “why aren’t there very many “NEW” titles in your LIST?” It’s tough to organize so many albums that were listened to at lengths over the years and assemble them in some sort of list off of memory. I am excluding a lot of more recent releases just due to the fact that I haven’t spent quite nearly as much time with these albums (except for My Epic, EISM, The Hotshot Freight Train, etc.). Anyway, I hope you understand.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.
New Sounds: Sean O’Donnell “Spirit Junkie”
I just recently purchased this new album from Sean O’Donnell titled “Spirit Junkie” off of iTunes and so glad I did. Sean has been playing in bands for nearly two decades including such groups as Dogwood, Yellowcard, and Reeve Oliver. Heck, his band Reeve Oliver even appeared on an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba that my kids were watching one day, that’s big time right? Anyway, back to the music. Sean has truly perfect his craft from years of past experiences songwriting and slinging the guitar around. It pays off on “Spirit Junkie”, a alt-rock gem hidden among and endless trove of bands all clamoring for the spotlight. Sean’s witty, and sometimes sarcastic lyrical input, gives these songs a certain charm lacking in today’s modern alternative rock. The songs strike me as finding a balance somewhere between Death Cab For Cutie, Yellowcard, and Jimmy Eat World if that makes sense.
I still remember watching Sean shred on stage many nights behind Josh Kemble (Vocals/Dogwood), some shows even I booked. Best show I witnessed was with Thrice and Dogwood at House of Blues of Anaheim in 2001. BEST.SHOW.EVER! Enough about that. Spirit Junkie is the album you absolutely need to add to your collections as soon as possible. It’s available in most digital formats including bandcamp here or on iTunes.
A Day in the Life: October 2014
Hi friends, welcome to my first official “blog post” here on Freedom Like a Song. I am going to label all my personal blogs as “A Day in the Life” and just kind of sum up what has been going on at that particular moment, a snapshot if you will. So here we go.
Mxpx “Pokinatcha” Turns 20
It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the release of “Pokinatcha”, the album that put this little Bremerton Washington pop-punk band on the map. I still remember walking into a “Christian Bookstore” (remember those?) a year after it released and discovering this band everyone was beginning to talk about and going “Whoa!”. It was under produced and RAW but had that punk rock spirit and real heart. If it weren’t for bands like MxPx, Plankeye, The Blamed, The Crucified, Stavesacre, Focused, Strongarm, Unashamed, Bloodshed, Blenderhead, and all the other amazing faith based artists of the time especially Tooth & Nail Records. I probably wouldn’t have given thought about rekindling/recommitting my life to Christ which would have caused a chain reaction disrupting the space time continuum to where I’m at today 😉 Seriously, I am so grateful for these bands and especially the music of Mxpx. So thank you Mike Herrera for sticking with it all these years and fighting the good fight against all odds. Read a little retrospective by the band as posted on facebook today and a video from Mike, below. -Brandon Jones / Freedom Like a Song
Welcome to My New Blog
Welcome friends to my new personal blog and music fansite titled “Freedom Like a Song”. The blog takes it’s name from a Five Iron Frenzy song called “Juggernaut” (2001) and basically sums up my love for music, the freedom that comes from listening to it and the healing that can come through a simple song. Freedom Like a Song, The Weak Shall Be Made Strong….
So join with me and let’s talk about what’s important, our love for music and life. Here there are no boundaries or constraints for what we can talk about or discuss. I’ll share some personal experiences over the coming months as well as some “lists” and maybe a few “reviews”, “interviews”, etc. as time permits.
This is NOT a full time gig nor is it going to replace my time at IVM. This is simply a personal blog that will fill time in between my full time job and family time. A hobby as you would call it.
In case you didn’t know, I am in the process of transferring ownership of Indie Vision Music to another interested party and will announce more in the coming weeks.
Thanks friends for joining me on this new adventure and following my exploits through life. Take care and God Bless!
-Brandon Jones
#freedomlikeasong
Twitter: @freedomlikesong
Facebook: facebook/freedomlikeasong
Freedom Like a Song 