Norfolk talks Christianity, N.L. wanders to hollowed practice grounds - By N.L. Belardes
I wandered down lonely Chester Avenue last night. I walked past a Hong Kong style restaurant; no one seemed inside but the staff. I headed past the boarded up windows of old unknown businesses and saw an old limping Filipino woman. I didn’t say hello, and she didn’t smile back as all her energy seemed focused on how to take her next step as she limped her way along, followed by two young children.
James’ white van sat behind a building on the east side of Chester. Norfolk practiced in a building right across the street from a Veterinarian where a big statue of a horse has been sitting on top of a building since I was a young boy. I don’t think people actually bring their sick horses into the foyer; I don’t think they ever did. But it is an icon of old Chester Avenue from yesteryear with its strange Deco décor.
Norfolk practiced. They argued. They laughed. They threatened each other; they smiled. They rearranged songs; they put them back together again in thought-provoking fashion. Peter Prevost helped save a new song by layering into the beginning an interesting melodic riff he seemed to pull out of an old country hat. James even brought me a glass of water. There was no air conditioning in the yellowed wallpaper room. This was the apex of creation for an exciting local Bakersfield alt country band, and it was more than exciting to be a fly on the wall...
I had recently stirred up a bit by tossing out the idea that Norfolk could be called be a Christian band. Boy was I wrong. I used the term loosely, and did so in a way that was meant to draw more than a smirk. I hoped for some ire, for a little heatedness so that good folks would take the time to define a bit about Christian labels. And it worked. Skyler recently gave his two cents. And then James did too. He wrote me a poignant letter about his own feelings on Christian band labels and set the record straight: that Norfolk steers from such a label and do not define themselves as such. And neither do their lyrics.
Here’s what James had to say…
Norfolk is a Christian rock band?
I have no problem with the fact that I am very into God. At what angle I'm into him is getting harder to tell day by day. Nothing about "Man's Search for God" is obscure and its what drives our existence (Victor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" {not a Christian book, its about logotherapy).
But what is ridiculous is contemporary Christianity. I'm not talking about just marketed Christianity, I’m talking about the state of American Christianity. I don't want to touch it with the longest pole you can find me. At the moment I see God more when I’m driving for work and looking at nature, then I do when I’m sitting in church.
I see God more when Im around everyday people, then when I’m surronded by "Christians". I think Love is the key to everything God is doing and its not a new revelation. The Beatles got it too "All You Need Is Love". Writing songs about anything less than my convictions would be shallow of me, but why should I be labeled "Christrian Rock"?
I either write music by painting a picture and inserting my feelings with out saying "me" or "I" or I may just try to paint a picture like writing a movie script. Rarely do I write from first person. It tends to be self-infatuating. I don’t do it to slip undercover Christian lyrics in a song, but to keep the attention off of me and focus more on the concept of the song.
A good example is the two songs you know. "Attic" is a story with my personal
feelings inserted about a parents devotion to a child. "Broken Heart" on the other hand, is just a story for pure creative purpose; I wanted to write a song that wreaked in heartbreak. Other than you knowing some of my personal history and Peter being in an actual Christian band, the Christian band statement would have never been made…
You can see Norfolk and Johnny Come Lately perform tonight (Thursday) at The Boiler Room at 23rd and O Street.
James’ white van sat behind a building on the east side of Chester. Norfolk practiced in a building right across the street from a Veterinarian where a big statue of a horse has been sitting on top of a building since I was a young boy. I don’t think people actually bring their sick horses into the foyer; I don’t think they ever did. But it is an icon of old Chester Avenue from yesteryear with its strange Deco décor.
Norfolk practiced. They argued. They laughed. They threatened each other; they smiled. They rearranged songs; they put them back together again in thought-provoking fashion. Peter Prevost helped save a new song by layering into the beginning an interesting melodic riff he seemed to pull out of an old country hat. James even brought me a glass of water. There was no air conditioning in the yellowed wallpaper room. This was the apex of creation for an exciting local Bakersfield alt country band, and it was more than exciting to be a fly on the wall...
I had recently stirred up a bit by tossing out the idea that Norfolk could be called be a Christian band. Boy was I wrong. I used the term loosely, and did so in a way that was meant to draw more than a smirk. I hoped for some ire, for a little heatedness so that good folks would take the time to define a bit about Christian labels. And it worked. Skyler recently gave his two cents. And then James did too. He wrote me a poignant letter about his own feelings on Christian band labels and set the record straight: that Norfolk steers from such a label and do not define themselves as such. And neither do their lyrics.
Here’s what James had to say…
Norfolk is a Christian rock band?
I have no problem with the fact that I am very into God. At what angle I'm into him is getting harder to tell day by day. Nothing about "Man's Search for God" is obscure and its what drives our existence (Victor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" {not a Christian book, its about logotherapy).
But what is ridiculous is contemporary Christianity. I'm not talking about just marketed Christianity, I’m talking about the state of American Christianity. I don't want to touch it with the longest pole you can find me. At the moment I see God more when I’m driving for work and looking at nature, then I do when I’m sitting in church.
I see God more when Im around everyday people, then when I’m surronded by "Christians". I think Love is the key to everything God is doing and its not a new revelation. The Beatles got it too "All You Need Is Love". Writing songs about anything less than my convictions would be shallow of me, but why should I be labeled "Christrian Rock"?
I either write music by painting a picture and inserting my feelings with out saying "me" or "I" or I may just try to paint a picture like writing a movie script. Rarely do I write from first person. It tends to be self-infatuating. I don’t do it to slip undercover Christian lyrics in a song, but to keep the attention off of me and focus more on the concept of the song.
A good example is the two songs you know. "Attic" is a story with my personal
feelings inserted about a parents devotion to a child. "Broken Heart" on the other hand, is just a story for pure creative purpose; I wanted to write a song that wreaked in heartbreak. Other than you knowing some of my personal history and Peter being in an actual Christian band, the Christian band statement would have never been made…
You can see Norfolk and Johnny Come Lately perform tonight (Thursday) at The Boiler Room at 23rd and O Street.
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Thursday, June 02, 2005.
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