CJ Casciotta

Behind the Music - My Childhood Hero

CJ Casciotta — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:58:40 -0800

Ok so this post is a little old, but I don't think anyone's posted it on Conversant yet.

Check out the opener for this past year's Saddleback Worship Conference that pays omage to the original king of Christian sub-pop.

If High School Musical is too Hard Core for You...

CJ Casciotta — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:00:57 -0800

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prPXjVVRi5I

(I'm purposely not embedding and taking you to the URL so you can read the comments too.)

Why Why WHY do things like this keep getting made???

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Review

CJ Casciotta — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:25:45 -0800

On the heels of a new year with hopes for a more prosperous, less chaotic tomorrow, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button debuts with a timely and sobering declaration: “You never know what’s coming to you.”

…bummer. So whether we brave the recession storm to see our 401k’s intact, whether our facebooking efforts successfully manage to adjust our identities as they appear to others, or whether we blanket our emptiness with credit card purchases collecting more stuff to fill the void, there will come a point where we cannot control the life, the ambitions, the relationships, or the bank accounts we’ve worked so hard to maintain.

And that’s where the tale of Benjamin Button begins, at the apex of this conundrum…a hospital room. A deathbed provides the backdrop for the film’s narration where an old woman with a faint and withering breath admits, “I’m curious what comes next.” What follows is a stylistically unconventional narrative about the significance of “letting go.”

From a single quote, to a short story, to a screenplay, and finally to a 2 ½ hour-long cinematic representation, the story of Benjamin Button has gone on a journey as unpredictable and exhaustive as that of its title character. The film is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald who, in turn, was inspired by a quote from Mark Twain: “Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.” Amazing how a solitary thought can carry with it the capacity to shape culture more than a hundred years later.

The film is directed by David Fincher, best known for his relentless questioning of human nature and motives in films like Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac as well as his earlier work as a visual effects specialist for groundbreaking technological endeavors such as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series. Button proudly displays Fincher’s expertise in both fields, as an introspective narrative about the human condition and as a visually stunning technological achievement. In fact, if it weren’t for the technology available today, the film may never have been made.

For nearly a century after Fitzgerald penned the tale, Hollywood toyed with the idea of making it a feature film but always came to the same conclusion that it was too elaborate to accomplish. That is until technology caught up with the story and acclaimed screenwriter, Eric Roth, took a stab at a script. Roth, whose award winning writing credits include Forest Gump and The Insider, does an excellent job of conveying Fitzgerald’s original beef with early 20th century American culture, that it was too materialistic, self-centered, and greedy. Nothing like today. Where Roth tends to lose people is in the constant brigade of “Gump-like” clichés that over-season the film. “We’re all going the same way, it just depends on how we get there;” “It’s not how well you play, it’s how you feel when you play it;” “You’ve got to do what you’re meant to do.” There’s no doubting Roth’s incredible storytelling capability, but he may need to put the box of chocolates and fortune cookies down while writing. There are one too many crumbs in this script.

Stylistically, Button pulls off a huge risk. The entire film is an unconventional series of flashbacks, time moving backwards as a man’s life propels forward. It’s visually striking, rich in metaphor, with an acute attention to detail. The third act unveils itself with a beautifully crafted montage depicting the film’s overarching theme of fate’s dominance over life that could easily stand alone as a short film. While we’re rarely told how old Benjamin is at any given moment in time, numbers on doors, places in life from which he enters and departs, give us a conjecture.

Most engaging about the film is its exemplary cast of lead and supporting actors. Brad Pitt, in quite possibly his most accomplished role yet, is calm, poised, a straight man to the swirling anthology of capricious personalities that surround him. Pitt plays Benjamin up until the last few moments of the film flawlessly pulling off the unprecedented portrayal of a young boy in an old man’s skin both in delivery and physical appearance. Benjamin’s lover, and, at times an antagonist to everything the film fights for, is Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett. Blanchett embodies, all too realistically, the human drive for self-preservation, pride, and the desire never to be seen as weak and vulnerable. She is everything we wish we could change about ourselves. We feel for her. She is passionate, conflicted, strong but delicate. Both Pitt and Blanchett deliver a kinetic friction between their two characters as seasoned actors in stretching, challenging roles.

It’s Button’s supporting cast, however, that illuminates the film’s memorability and major themes, among them the notion of a creator. When advised by a doctor, “some creatures aren’t meant to survive,” Benjamin’s adopted mother Queenie, played by Taraji P. Henson, tells the infant Benjamin, “You still a child of God.” Ted Manson gives a small but profound performance as Mr. Daws, an absent-minded old man residing in the retirement home Benjamin grows up in. After recalling throughout the film seven random incidents when he was struck by lightning, wisdom from the depths of dementia finally surfaces: “God keeps reminding me I’m lucky to be alive.” Jared Harris, plays Captain Mike, a gruff tattoo artist haunted by his father’s demands to follow the family lineage and work a steamboat. Don’t be surprised if a few of these names come up during Oscar season for best supporting actor nominations.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a story about a world rapidly spinning out of our control and the inescapable reality of time pushing forward. It invites us to let go, to forgive, to wear the scars and wrinkles that define us with illogical joy. A cinematic achievement that will stretch far beyond the 2008 holiday season, Button is a creative and ambitious outlook on life and all the imperfections that make it worth living.

Worship & The Generation Gap

CJ Casciotta — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:27:07 -0800

What's gonna follow is really a blog and a half. I'm just warning you, it's kind of lenghty. It's an email exchange between me and a guy I greatly respect who came to me while I was doing worship ministry at Biola and asked if we could discuss some things over email. We'll call him Joe. I really like Joe because he's an older gentleman who likes things a certain way...but had the courage and humilty to step outside himself enough to ask a young punk like me what I thought of the things that didn't sit right with him. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't see that too often. What follows is a dialogue between me and him about worship in the church.

JOE: I believe that worship is a clear indication of our view of God. Worship is intended to be an offering to God, not a means of entertaining us or our guests. Since He is holy beyond our ability to understand, acts of "worship" that are designed for purposes other than a true means of adoration, confession, or praise are suspect. An act of self-indulgence cannot be worship since it is directed at self and others, not to God. What I see in 90% of churches today is "worship" that is designed to evangelize or entertain or indulge, not really to declare God as God and express our submission to Him.

ME: I agree with you up until the last sentence. I believe that the common evangelical has been brought up to associate the word "worship" with the type of praise music sung in church. However, I have had the privilege to work along side some of today's post-contemporary song writers and worship leaders and they would be the first to say, not only in their music, but in conversation and pastoring, that worship encompasses so much more than the music we sing in churches. The part of the worship service where music is sung and there is congregational singing should really be called "praise" as a small part of worship, which is a much bigger concept, mainly offering your body as a living sacrifice.

JOE: This kind of thinking appears in every worship style. I see it in people who want to impress everyone with their knowledge of Bach, but I also see it in those who want to show how "cutting edge" their "worship" can be.

ME: Now, here comes the struggle. For the past thirty or so years America has developed this "seeker sensitive" movement in a vast majority of our churches where we've put such a strong focus on the presentation of our services from aesthetics to sound to food services to bookstores, etc that we've lost touch with what it means to be the church, a group of real, broken sinners coming together in desperate need of a Holy God. Instead, we've tried so desperately to make everything look and sound perfect that we have ended up fooling ourselves as well as a generation of non-christians into believing we can actually attain perfection apart from God.

Flip Side: God is control of everything. He has given us all unique gifts and wants us to use those gifts for his glory. I firmly believe that art, whether it be visual, audio, or technological can be used as an offering of worship and praise to God. I attend a church that changes its "set" monthly. Every month you walk into the sanctuary and it looks completely different. You are surrounded by paintings and sculptures and different lighting elements and it’s truly beautiful. It is evident however, that these elements were not created to simply draw people into the church or to showcase the artist, but to glorify God out of servanthood and the creative skill he instilled in man. Now, a lot of churches have this backwards mind you, doing "cool things" simply to look cool, or cutting edge or what have you. But if that is their main motive they've missed the point. I am excited to see my generation rise up and counter this trend, using their skills and talents to worship and glorify God (which draws people in because it's beautiful).

You might not agree with my last sentence. I think there is a huge chasm between what helps your generation see God and mine. My culture is so media driven you can't escape it. Movies cause men to sin. Images cause women to think lowly of themselves. Songs teach kids to swear and resort to violence and defile woman.

Our generation sees it as a divine command to be counter cultural, redeeming art for its original purpose, God's glory. Worship songwriters have come such a long way from repetitive choruses like "Shine Jesus Shine" and "Our God is an Awesome God". They are borrowing from the deep theological truths found in the hymns of the past while speaking directly to the present culture, all the while trying to be as scriptural as possible.

JOE: Most of the time, when I see Christians performing, I want to stand up and say, "STOP!" You are just putting on a show! You need to be--figuratively--on your face before God as you lead His people in worship.

ME: Haha, I hear you. Here's the problem that I think has always been around and won't go away. Worship leaders are fallen people...and they're artists. They're number one sin is usually pride (I heard once from somebody). So there's this constant war in art between creating so that you're name will become significant and creating because you want God's name to become significant...and I think every artist has struggled with this at one time or another. But check out these lyrics from to 2 of my favorite "cutting edge" worship songs

Our hearts unfold before your throne
The only place for those who know
It's not for us, It's all for you
Send your holy fire on this offering
Let our worship burn for the world to see
It's not for us, it's all for you
(excerpt from "Not to Us" by Chris Tomlin)

Your will above all else my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame
(excerpt from "From the Inside Out by Joel Houston)

Post-contemporary writers are speaking against pride in a pretty significant way, and like many hymns, focusing their attention from themselves back to God (I believe this can be done even if the words "I" or "me" are used in a song. You have to consider the overall theme).

JOE: If you read scripture carefully, and comprehensively, you will see that from Genesis to Revelation, the dominant response to a clear vision of God is reverence and fear, not a warm fuzzy, feel-good thing. For those who see that as the "Old Testament God," see John 20:28, II Cor 7:1, Eph 5:21, Hebrews 12:18-29, I Peter 1:17, 2:17 Revelation 1:17, Rev 4:10-11, 5:13-14, 14:7. Instead of healthy fear of a totally holy God,worship today seems to breed familiarity, and a cheapening of God's majesty and power.

CJ: I don't think a lot of modern songs are meant to give congregational members the warm and fuzzies nor do they cheapen God's power simply because they view God as relational. It's true that many songs focus on the joy and celebration we have because of God's redemption (a concept which many older churches fail to make a big deal about) and there aren't a lot of songs out there that go something like "How Wrathful is Our God" =). But we already defined that songs are sung more as a time for praise. There are songs that talk about God's justice, our depravity, and utter dependence on him. MANY songs bring hope and are meant to remind us that even if we are a broken and messed up people, our joy, our strength, and our salvation are found in God alone. I don't think this simply gives people good feelings about God, it reminds a desperate and godless culture that salvation, hope, love, and peace are found ultimately in Him and nothing else…I’m convinced these are truths worthy of praising God for.

This is not to say all songs aren't shallow. I personally try to weed out ones I think are weak when I lead. But we all need to keep an open mind and remembering the global church is pretty dang diverse. For example, I may think that some gospel songs are repetitive, but they work for that community, and I wouldn't dare say they're "doing worship wrong" or "I can’t worship to that music." Those are just ignorant statements, but it's sad how many people say these things flippantly without stepping outside themselves.

**If you braved this long blog out and want to weigh in on this discussion. Please post your thoughts.

Booty Shakin' Fun For the Christians

CJ Casciotta — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:59:20 -0800

5 points to you if you can tell me what's wrong with this picture:

Redemption

CJ Casciotta — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:22:37 -0800

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

- 2 Corinthians 5:17

God bless us...everyone.

3 New Christmas Albums Worth Listening To

CJ Casciotta — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:58:28 -0800

Here are some new Christmas albums you may not have seen advertised at Wal-Mart or Target, but are definitely worth giving a listen to:

Rosie Thomas – A Very Rosie Christmas

The Michigan native distinguished by her melancholy acoustic poems brings forth a collection of covers and originals with more pop and commerciality than her non-holiday albums. “Why Can’t it Be Christmastime All Year,” the first track on this month’s Paste Magazine sampler, breaks open with a pounding piano hook and catchy horn stabs. For the most part, Rosie removes the glitz and fluff from many holiday standards expanding upon their nostalgia and thematic roots. She even manages to reinvent the classic Chipmunk tune “Christmas Don’t Be Late” as a sentimental ballad that effectively communicates adult feelings of hope and longing. Her renditions of classics like “River,” “Silent Night,” and “Christmastime is Here” are cadence driven, rhodes sweetened creative retellings that seem to hang in mid air before they slowly drift back from the nostalgia where they first came. On the other side of the coin, Rosie’s original pieces push the envelope but remain commercially listenable. “Alone at Christmastime,” is a capturing of holiday loneliness and struggle while “Snow Day” is an ambient instrumental tribute to those oh so popular Manheim Steamroller holiday collections. Rosie’s comedic alter ego, Sheila Saputo, makes a guest appearance along with her husband Jeff Shoop and brother BT. The album is a testament to the values of Christmas ending with a personal message from Rosie thanking friends, fans, and family for their love and support.

Sojourn – Advent Songs

Sojourn is a community of modern day psalmists based in Louisville, Kentucky whose organic, truthful tunes in the style of Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken have been featured on Noisetrade.com. Their dedication to the ancient style of hymn-writing juxtaposed against their musical modernity makes their collection of “Advent songs” anything but dull. Just eight tracks long, the album transitions from tranquil folk renditions to more explosive electric versions of well-known Christmas carols. There’s a refreshing community aspect to the project with different voices, both male and female, contributing to melodies and harmonies. This collection undoubtedly breathes some much-needed new life into some of these classics that have grown stale, but their re-shapings and arrangements may be too unusual for some. That said, the production and arrangements are excellent, laden with classical integrations of strings and brass. In addition, the original songs featured, birthed out of the Sojourn church community, are a breath of fresh air in an over-produced, U2 sound-a-like, worship music scene.

Shane & Shane – Glory in the Highest

“Glory in the Highest” is exactly what it sounds like: Shane & Shane performing Christmas songs…in the style of Shane & Shane. Not that that’s a bad thing. Radio stations still play Bruce Springsteen’s Springsteenish “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” because it’s a hit. What Shane and Shane bring to the Christmas table is what they’ve always brought, powerful pop vocals, a clean-crisp production, and hauntingly truthful lyrics...except when they cover “White Christmas.” The voice famous for the emotive chorus “I want to yearn for You, I want to burn with passion” just doesn’t seem to fit with “the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door.” But there are some gems here. Their version of O Holy Night might just be the most energetic and tasteful out there and their stripped down chorus of “O Come Let Us Adore Him” is truly captivating. Fans of both the duo and acoustic pop in general will enjoy this holiday effort.

Weigh In - Christmas Song Countdown

CJ Casciotta — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:46:35 -0800

So because I know sometime throughout your busy week you thought to yourself, "Gee, I wonder what CJ likes to listen to at Christmastime," I decided it's only fair to answer this question with a top 10 list and put your wonderings to rest. Here's a list of my favorite renditions of Christmas Songs. Some new, some old.

10. I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing in - Sufjan Steven - If you haven't picked up Sufjan's Christmas CD from 2 years ago do it today. There are some great renditions of carols and hymns along with some original Christmas tunes in the classic Sufjan style.

9. White Christmas - The Drifters - If no one is around, you know you break out into the falsetto part during the second verse. Don't lie.

8. Baby it's Cold Outside - Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald - Not to be confused with the Louis Jordan version. This duet is one of my favorites...and what better way to celebrate Christmas then with a song about pre-marital seduction?

7. O Holy Night - Shane & Shane - From their newest album that came out about a month ago, "Glory in the Highest." An excellent pop-rock rendition with the strong vocal arrangements I've come to expect from these guys.

6. Silver Bells - Dean Martin - My grandfather used to manage Frank Sinatra. I'm a sucker for the Rat Pack. Dino's Christmas stuff instantely brings back memories of being a little kid at big family Christmases...plus it's got those great Dino "I'm pretty drunk right now but I'm still gonna lay this track down" vocals.

5. Linus & Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio - Classic. Nuff said.

4. Baby it's Cold Outside - Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone - Ok. Confession time. I'm in love with Zooey Deschanel. Zooey if you're out there reading my blog, a.) wow, that's cool. thank you. How did you find about ConversantLife? and b.) Will you marry me?

3. River - Joni Mitchell - For when Zooey dumps me.

2. It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas - Bing Crosby - Still remember my grandmother spinning this on vinyl. She had some mad skills and some pretty tasty jams.

1. O Tannembaum - Vince Guaraldi Trio - The first track off the Charlie Brown Christmas album. When you hear it you know it's official: Christmas is coming. The album and Vince's work on it stand alone as an incredible jazz collection.

Ok Conversant Community. I'm interested. What are some of your favorites?

Kanye West - 808's & Heartbreak Review

CJ Casciotta — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:54:55 -0800

“Graduation” may have come too early for Kanye West. In his new album, he retreats to an admission of discontent, loneliness, and heartache. In short, Kanye wants his soul back. As a result, he’s produced one of the most important albums for spiritual discussion this year. An enormous departure from his last album both in lyrical content and musical composition, Kanye carefully and thoughtfully crosses genres to communicate his brokenness through honest, often haunting stories.

The good life just doesn’t seem to be cutting it for Kanye anymore. In 808s & Heartbreak, the rapper-turned-singer paints himself as a modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge, a man so obsessed with his own self preservation, he’s haunted by what’s passed him by. You’d have to tune out every verse, chorus, and bridge not to catch Kanye’s spiritual search and hunger for redemption as the album’s overarching theme. Each song takes the listener on a personal, honest journey through the age-old question, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” In “Welcome to Heartbreak,” Kanye confesses, “Chased the good life my whole life long. Looked back on my life and my life gone. Where did I go wrong?” The first single, “Love Lockdown,” is about a relationship that won’t work because of his inability to step outside himself and give: “I have something to lose so I got to move. I can’t keep myself and still keep you.”

Yet throughout the journey there are profound echoes of hope. “Paranoid” and “Robocop” are both songs that promise fidelity, authentic love, and a commitment to rise above the media noise. On “Streetlights,” he begs the question “do I still have time to grow?”

One has to hand it to Mr. West. It’s not cool for rappers to get emotional, to expose themselves as raw, desperate, and deprived. Kanye boldly rises above his superstar persona by daring to descend below it.

Musically, there’s a refreshing simplicity to this new venture. In a world where the overuse of electronics and sampling dominates the music industry, Kanye brings a whole lot of class, originality, and roots (“Paranoid” is an old school throwback that would make Stevie Wonder proud) back to hip-hop. Many of the tracks feature unique string arrangements and instrumental song breaks that allow the listener to meditate on Kanye’s words and warnings. “Welcome to Heartbreak” features an expressive upright bass track and various world percussion instruments lay the foundation for many of the album’s beats. Is Kanye taking a giant leap here? Can classical instruments, if arranged correctly, still pulse through a stereo? The album successfully shows off Mr. West’s innovation as a composer and producer. As a singer? Another risk. His stronger tracks are the ones where he doesn’t depend on Cher’s hand-me-down vocoder for protection. The guy’s got a good voice. It should stand on its own more often.

Like it or not, 808s & Heartbreak is huge on many levels. It has the capacity to bridge cultural gaps musically and spiritually. More than any praise & worship album might do for someone searching for truth and fullness, Kanye’s story as it unfolds has the potential to generate a profound cultural conversation between Christians and non-Christians about hope, redemption, and freedom this holiday season. But maybe he should “re-gift” Cher’s vocal tricks and give them back to 1999.

Are You a Jesus Person?

CJ Casciotta — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:10:22 -0800

Here’s a clip from an upcoming independent feature called Jesus People. Personally, I think it’s hilarious and I’m excited for it to come out for a ton of reasons. But there’s a strong possibility that some people could be offended. Though the writers and director are believers, the webisodes and the movie take a pretty satyrical look at the Christian subculture. What do you think? Go…