The Sidelines

On Friday Night we played main stage at the Creation East music festival. It was one of the best days I’ve had since joining Hawk Nelson. We played our HN set, and it was one of the funnest festival sets we’ve ever done… but the fun wasn’t over!

A few hours later, we came back on stage, and performed a 5 songs with Amy Grant! This was our set list:

Lead Me On
Love of Another Kind
Takes a Little Time
If These Walls Could Speak
One Little Miracle

The last song was a song of ours that Amy was kind enough to sing on for the special edition of our record, “Hawk Nelson is my friend”.

I can sincerely say that being on stage, as a part of Amy Grant’s band, was one of the highlights of my career so far. The band consisted of Justin, Daniel, and I (drums, bass, and guitar for Hawk), along with Will Owesley on lead guitar, and Bryan Ward on keys. Will and Brian are excellent musicians, and it was so fun to be a part of something that felt so professional! Russ Long worked the front of house console, and Daniel Smallbone put together a killer light show.

I’m hoping to have some pictures or video to post on here quite soon… There were plenty of cameras around, so it’s only a matter of time!

Yesterday was my 25th Birthday. I realize 25 isn’t all that old in-and-of itself… But the implications that 25 carries for the future are pretty serious. It’s halfway to 50… but much more immediately scary than that is that it’s 5 years short of 30, which has always sort of been a universal “party’s over” mark to me. I’m starting to get more comforable with the idea of 30, since I have some good friends that are well past 30, and I still think they’re really living, and haven’t become old men yet (rw for example).

I have noticed some changes in my life perspective though…..

The other day I drove past a highschool and thought…. “Look how young they are. I wasn’t that young in high school…” Which, of course I was. I also noticed that they’re kinda scary. Maybe I just happened to drive by Hot Topic High, but I don’t remember quite that much eye makeup on the boys in my school.

I actually enjoy learning far more now than I did in high school. I guess it has something to do with studying things I actually want to know about… but there’s definitely been a change in my thinking there. A few weeks ago I read a book about the last 60 years of American foreign policy. I was thrilled by it. That NEVER would have happenned 7 years ago in school. Wait, did I say 7 years? That went fast.

Then of course there’s the fact that I’m married. That strikes me as unbelievable every now and then. Sometimes Jess or I will turn to the other and say, “We’re Married”, as if we have to somehow convince each other that it’s true. Then Tilly jumps on me and scratches my face, and the moment is over. :)

All in all, I don’t think I ever could have imagined a life so blessed. I have a wonderful wife, a job I love, lots of good relationships with good people (rw for example), and a more optimistic perspective on life than I’ve ever had before. I am a lucky boy… Ok, I’ll say it. Man.

(p.s. I decided I wanted to mention RW 3 times in this post…. so………. this is the third. )

We played several festivals this weekend, most notably Alive Festival in Ohio…. It was such a great show! We played as the sun was going down, and it was a beautiful evening… Thanks to everyone at Alive for being so good to us!

One more adam taylor quote. “if dave ramsey went bankrupt do you think everyone would burn their money?”

This is Adam Taylor… our beloved merch guy / tour existentialist.

As long as he’s around, we don’t need TV, movies, or video games.
The following are examples of actual questions he’s asked me…

“Hey, What if the earth was flat and nobody told us?”

“Hey, Do you think colors really exist?”

“I believe in bigfoot. Why couldn’t there be a bigfoot?”

“I don’t get weather. How can it always be humid in portland, and always dry somewhere else?”

“If someone paid you $10,000 to not shower for a whole tour, would you do it?”

“Dude, time travel is totally possible. Why does nobody believe me?”

I was answering a few emails this morning, and found myself writing some thoughts on God to a girl who wrote me to ask about how HN is doing… I thought they were worth posting…

To be honest, some days I feel closer to God than others. I think that’s fairly normal. I have ups and downs with my relationship with Him… however…. He’s always there when I need him, and I’m getting better at talking to him in the good times as well… not just when I need help.

Like any other relationship, it seems to mature with time. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve relaxed a little bit…. It’s like a friendship with a best friend…. It doesn’t seem to be about striving to be close, as much as it is just about taking time… and He will draw near as a result. You know what I mean? You don’t try to be close to your best friend… You just are close, as a result of the time you’ve spent together, and how open you’ve been with each other.

One huge thing I’ve learned is that he never leaves us…. which is actually pretty astounding. It’s kind of hard to wrap our mind around the notion of unconditional love. I think that’s why we pull away from Him sometimes… We feel unworthy of such a love… and while we are unworthy, He is always reaching for us… wanting to be our best friend… wanting to love us no matter what. How cool is that.

It was so hot this weekend. Like, this hot.

or maybe this hot.

or maybe this hot.

PARIS? Didn’t you try to patent that phrase? Oh, paris. So silly……………. uh, I’ll have a cheese coney and a diet cherry vanilla coke please.


So this weekend, as you can see, was hot. We played our first 3 baseball shows of the year, in Mobile, Birmingham, and Huntsville… it was humid and nearly 100 degrees. I’m surprised people came to these shows! Wow… talk about being troopers.

The best and worst thing about these baseball shows is the park dogs. Last year we played about 35 baseball games, and every day involved the same little ritual. I’d have a good old baseball park hot dog, and then say to myself… “ugh…I never want to touch one of those again.” However, as sure as Taylor Hicks’ therapist appointments, I’d wake up the next morning and think…

“You know, I could go for a good old park dog today!”

Ok. I love cereal. Growing up in Canada, I wasn’t allowed to have sugar cereals…. and that caused a sugar cereal binge when I finally struck out on my own. Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, Lucky Charms…. yummy. But since moving down to the USA, I’ve notices some disturbing differences between what I grew up with, and what I see now.

This is the Sugar Crisp I knew and loved…..

But down here, it’s called “Golden Crisp”?!!! Same great taste, less accurate name. Let’s be honest, they’re not golden. They’re SUGAR.

Then there’s the Corn Pops. These are your Corn Pops down here…. Puffy sweet rice. I’m confused, isn’t that suspiciously similar to your precious “GOLDEN CRISP”?

This is what Corn Pops look like in Canada. They’re round and delicious, and they’re nothing like the puffed imposter at the Spring Hill Kroger.

Now, If you decide you want a nice wholesome breakfast… The options are ENTIRELY different. This cereal was my Dad’s favorite. Personally, I liked it with heaps of brown sugar. I kid you not, they did a special box when Ninja Turtles were cool like 20 years ago… You know, the Shredder? Yeah he loved these this cereal…

My Dad’s other favorite was Harvest Crunch…. it was very healthy…. but basically Rabbit Food. Kind of like GoLean, but WAY before GoLean. Quite disturbingly, this is the only picture I could find of it.

Riiiiiiiiiiight. I seem to remember my dad developing that same blank stare after a bowl of Harvest Crunch. Maybe it’s the zoloft they put in it.

In any case… Cereal is more than a breakfast food. It’s a great dinner or bedtime snack. I’m hoping I can get some sort of cereal endorsement some day. I’ll wear a Post shirt all day for free cereal.

Can’t get enough of that Sugar Crisp….. Uh, Golden Crisp. gosh.

**
GEAR NERD ALERT
**

this post has gear-related content. i try to refrain from gear talk on here, but every now and then i need a little indulgence. bear with me.

thanks,

the editor.


**

I spent today at play, tweaking with different guitar/pedals/amp/cab choices. Those who know me well know that I’m never fully satisfied with the way my gear sounds, and I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to set up a guitar rig. This is what my studio room looked like today. as you can see, I’ve been interested in combo amps recently.
(and I’m thinking about selling that Marshall Bluesbreaker in the back… email jonathansteingard@gmail.com if you’re interested…)

Some of the amps I have at the moment are more expensive than others, and it’s always interesting to see how they compare in a head-to-head match-up (pun intended). As happens often, the most expensive gear did not win. Here was the winning combination:

Ugly as sin, right? Well a good friend once told me that rock and roll is supposed to be ugly. I think I’m starting to agree. This looks like a 7th grade science experiment strapped to a second-hand microwave…. but it sounds great! I’m gonna play this rig all over the place this summer. I can’t wait to see the scowls I get from some of my guitar-player friends… Randy Williams, Micah Sannan, Ben Kasica, Tim Roseneau, Jon Schneck, and a few others. They’ll all say I’m out of my mind… but my tone will leave them running for the nearest port-a-potty.

So what the heck is this contraption, you ask? Well, it’s actually the guts of a mid-90’s Peavey Classic 50 stacked onto my trusty Heritage 2x12 cab. No, it’s not solid state… There are EL84s and 12AX7s under there. Geez. Take it easy.

I’ve gone through so many amps, I can barely keep track… but this is an amp I’ve always been impressed with (and bought twice). There is a clarity to it that is hard to match. I can always hear every note in a chord, and the overtones are wonderful. It also LOVES pedals, and since I’m a pedal overdrive kinda guy, it’s perfect for me. The EQ is very responsive as well. Here’s what the combo looks like.

You can find them used for like $250-$350. There are 4x10, 2x12, and head versions of this amp. To be honest, the stock speakers are pretty awful, but the guts of this amp are fantastic. It only really shines if you use it with a separate cab or replace the speakers… but for the price?!! It’s hard to beat. So if you see one kicking around, BUY IT!

So, Randy. Make fun of me all you want. Wait til you hear my freakin tone. It sounds great in the house. :)

Hey All…

I’ve been receiving some emails from folks that have gotten my email address off this blog. I really enjoy hearing from people, and I’ll do my best to write back to everyone that writes me. By all means contact me if you feel so inclined…

jonathansteingard@gmail.com

peace love and good fuel economy.

jonathan

A few weeks ago we finished up our Green Tee Tour, and we’ve been taking a little bit of time off over the last month…. *emphasis on little :) Last week we went on a cruise and played a few times, alongside a bunch of other Christian artists… Tobymac, Leeland, Casting Crowns, and loads more. It was our third time doing this kind of a cruise, and we had a blast. There is more food on those boats than you can imagine!

In a few days we start another run of the Baseball Tour! We’ll be playing a few shows at minor league baseball games, similar to what we did last summer. However, we’re on a new record, and we’ll be playing plenty of new songs!

I’ve got one more week at home before we start out on this tour, and I’m going to be spending it wisely. Today, that means test driving one of THESE!

Oh, and I PROMISE that I’ll blog more! I’m sorry! ….. I SAID I’M SORRY!

Gosh, you don’t have to get so mad at me.