As you may or may not know, I am part of something known as Habañero Collective. Habañero Collective is dedicated to beautifying the everyday of suburbia. In Jeremiah 29, God tells His people living in exile in Babylon to seek the betterment of their captors. He tells them to plant gardens, to marry and to seek the welfare of the city in which they find themselves.

As I wrote for Gospel Centered Discipleship a while back:

“God tells His people to seek the welfare of the city of their captivity. For me, that is suburbia. Not cool suburbia where gentrification has transformed the past-its-prime strip mall into vintage clothing stores and hip coffee shops. We have Chili’s and Target and if it’s crowded, don’t worry because there’s another one just a couple of miles down the road. Our color palette is various shades of beige and the term “cookie cutter” adequately describes our home architecture. One day, when we moved back to Phoenix in 2008 to plant our church, we visited some friends in a neighboring subdivision. Turning into their neighborhood, one of my boys said: “We’re home!”

I live in Suburbia and I love music, especially live music. Suburban exile means that live music has been stripped from the fabric of our culture with the exception of the occasional lip-sync act at the mall food court. It’s as if the Taliban came in silencing the music, but the special forces are outside the camp trying to drive us out by pumping in “lowest-common-denominator, auto-tuned, mid-era power pop” until we snap. I have to drive close to an hour for quality live music venues.”

So, some time back, we started hosting concerts in our homes. This has been a great experience and I’m privileged to be able to say that we have actually hosted some of my favorite live musical moments ever.

We are humbled to welcome, from Dallas, TX Air Review, for a house show this Friday night, June 21, 7:00pm at the Thomas Listening Room (see here for for details and to RSVP). Paste calls the bands recent album “Low Wishes,” “A beautiful and well-crafted collection of songs.”

Check out the band’s video for their track “America’s Son:”

• Find more information and RSVP for our upcoming house show
• Visit Air Review’s official website
• Buy “Low Wishes”

I know, I know, I just posted about the Habañero Collective house show with Ramsay Midwood and Shawn Skinner. But I am seriously excited.

I mean, Shawn is a great friend whose music I also happen to love. Check out his new video for his song “Mainstay” to see why.

And then there’s Ramsay Midwood. What do you really say about Midwood’s music? Allmusic.com says:

It isn’t likely that anyone is going to accuse Ramsay Midwood of being glossy or ultraslick anytime soon. Earthy, gritty, rugged, and soulful, Midwood is an Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter whose folk-rock, Americana, and roots rock owe a major debt to the blues — in fact, his songs are soaked in blues feeling.

Paste says:

With a voice as craggy as a Colorado gorge and a Dust Bowl-tinged instrumental style, Midwood captures the essence of country blues while folding in healthy doses of his own artistic quirks and darkly skewed sensibilities.

No Depression describes Midwood’s music as “Gospel Music For Inspired Barflies” and says: “Ramsay Midwood’s music is at once highly idiosyncratic but also as familiar as a bad habit.”

My wife and I have been listening to Midwood’s music ever since I stumbled across him on a Germon record label’s website looking for import releases by Rainer Ptacek.I ordered “Shootout at the OK Chinese Restaurant” and the rest has been history. We were able to see Midwood play solo while we lived in Kentucky, then, when we lived in Texas, we drove to Austin to see him in a tiny bar for our 10th anniversary.

Here is some sort of two-part documentary/profile in which Midwood tells the story about finding out what’s at the end of a “Snowbow” and plays some songs.

Part One:

Part Two:

• RSVP for the Habañero Collective house show.

As many of you know, I am part of a group known as Habañero Collective. This is a group dedicated to bringing culture to suburbia.

We are humbled to have partnered with the amazing Kha Do on a video for Shawn Skinner’s song “Mainstay.” Please check i out and let us know what you think:

If I had a bucket in which I kept a list of things I wanted to do before I died, I would soon be able to cross one thing off of that proverbial list.

Around 15 years ago, I was looking on the Glitterhouse Records website looking for releases by Tucson legend Rainer. They had 30-second samples of songs off of several albums and one of them caught my ear. It was bluesy country with soul and humor without being cliché.

It caught my ear enough that, after winning a bet with my wife, I ordered the CD. Ramsay Midwood‘s music has been art of our life ever since. We were able to see him play a solo show in Louisville, KY with a good friend. And then, when we lived in TX, we were able to see him play in Austin for our 10th anniversary.

And now he will playing in our living room.

Not only that, my main main Shawn Skinner will be opening the show.

Find out the details here if you’re interested and able to make this show. I promise you won’t forget it.

Check out Ramsay Midwood performing Arlo Guthrie’s “Jonah”:

 
Here’s Shawn Skinner performing “Charlie and William:

• RSVP for Ramsay Midwood and Shawn Skinner house show

Hope you can make it to our Habañero Collective House Show tonight!

I hope you can make it out to the Crescent Ballroom this Saturday night to support my friend Shawn Skinner as he opens up for The Cold Desert and others.

• More information here.

Here is the band performing “Fear Thou Not:”

• More information here