this blog has moved…yet again…

it’s been forever, i know…but a new blog is freshly wrapped, and ready for you over here:

http://circleslide.net/blog

this is where you can read updates…and yes, there will be weekly updates…for the foreseeable future.

see you there,

gabe

Writer’s Strike Ends and Touring with Salvador

Good news everyone, the writer’s strike that was affecting this blog has been called off as both parties have resolved whatever petty differences they once had. Now, it our pleasure to bring you, without further ado…gabe’s rantings, and meaningless drivel…brought to you by the maker’s of ‘axe body spray’… ‘axe’, it smells like crap, but guys still buy it because of our marketing campaign. ‘axe body spray’…ha, ha, we got you, suckers!

 

(just spray this stuff on guys…same thing)

Hello, dear readers. The world is a much different place when we last had a conversation. Allow me to recap: Your fearless and deeply flawed heroes had wrapped up a tour of the northeast…highlights included performing for amazing people in New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and Indiana, eating pizza in times square, and writing new circleslide tunes.

Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and other varieties of coffee were consumed by the gallons.

An old van died with 386,000 miles causing our faith to be tested…a new one was miraculously purchased, causing our faith to be bolstered… and, already less than a month old… it already has 5,000 miles.

Circleslide returned to Nashville and began recording with Salvador’s Keyboard player/producer Chris Bevins. A fine, fun time was had by all. The result was three new songs: “Ever going to win”, “Gone”, and “Looking UP”. The songs were recorded at Chris Bevin’s studio and at my house, which I’ve decided to call, “reveal” studios…it’s actually just a room above my garage…but I’m going to insist on telling my wife, “hey, I’m heading up to ‘reveal’…be back in a second”…and wait for her to blow her bangs up and roll her eyes at me. Yay!

Recently, Nic Gonzales, (Salvador) invited me to join his band and his lovely wife, Jaci Valasquez on a couple of shows in Austin and Corpus Christi, Texas. The only thing is that there wouldn’t be room on the bus for the rest of the guys…would I mind opening the show by myself? Hmm. I thought about saying no… It’s a bit terrifying to be up on a stage, alone, when you are so used to having a full-fledged rock band that’s got your back, night after night. Circleslide is a band, after all…and it just felt a bit weird.

However, it might be good for me to be forced to open the show, just me and an acoustic guitar…get back to my roots…the coffee house days…trying to stop the conversations in the back of the room…try to let the baristas hear a lyric …try to get all of us to share a moment together. So I’m doing it. The bus leaves on Thursday…I’m excited, nervous, scared and I might fall off the stage…so, I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, thanks for sticking with me as I took a break from blogging. There was no ‘real’ writer’s strike…and yet, there kinda was. Once we got back from the road, my mac died on me. The hard drive just quit. Thankfully, I had backed everything up…and I had Apple Care. But I went without the computer for about a week…and it felt kinda good. But, I’m back…and the hiatus has allowed me to think of some cool ideas for this place…and once, again…I’ll be at the computer…over sharing…and trying to have some kind of dialogue with you…some of the coolest people around.

from darkness to light…

Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with thee;

Words cannot express the gratitude I feel. We drove to our concert in Maine in a brand new van.

It’s been a rough three weeks. I’ve been reminded of past lessons, found in places like 2 Corinthians chapter four verses 16-18:

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

After a grueling trek back to West Virginia to return the rental truck…we said goodbye our old van. I know it was only a machine…but after spending most of the last 7 years of my life inside of it…it felt like saying goodbye to a family member. Sentimentality is one of my weaknesses…and in the tradition of fight club…we gave it a name in death…presley.

‘presley grey–goodnight, sweet prince’*

We gathered up belongings left behind…and we drove the rental car back to New Hampshire. I was feverish…strep throat…my common advesary when i don’t get enough sleep…was fighting me again.

But we made it, with a few naps here and there, back to Concord, NH. And over the weekend, some amazing people had decided to help us towards getting the van. That’s really all I can say. Gifts have been coming in the mail, some from friends, some from strangers…even up here at the Camp. We’ve been driven to tears by the generosity.

And on Tuesday afternoon…we drove off the lot in a silver 2009 Chevy Express 3500. Debbie says it’s got ‘Spurs’ Colors’. A happy coincidence.

We were both too exhausted and sick to really enjoy the moment. Typical. But when we pulled over on our way to Maine for the first gas fill up…right by Kennebunkport–of all places—I was overcome with gladness, awe, amazement, disbelief, and praise for this moment. We were in a new van. Our God provided. We thought we might have to cancel these shows…go back to nashville…and re-think it all…but we’re still here. We’re still fighting. We’re still kicking and screaming our way to the finish line. We haven’t yet finished our race. We may be on our knees…but that’s how battles are won…that’s the way to get the attention of God…he gives grace to the humble.

We don’t deserve this new van, not by a long shot. I know my temper has been shorter these past few weeks…my desire to wallow in self pity has been insatiable. But in all this, I’ve seen this band, including Debbie…refuse to give up on worshipping the Lord…a no-surrender attitude in Trusting in Him…Eric fasted for about a week…we prayed together…we believed God would provide…and He did. Great is his faithfulness…indeed.

Some of you have expressed an interest in giving towards this new van. You can email us at circleslide@bellsouth.net for more info…thank you, so much.

*(goodnight sweet prince is a sarcastic internet meme…just in case you thought i was getting carried away)

West Virgina, mountain momma, take me home…sort of.

400 kids singing at the top of their lungs…makes for a great weekend if you’re in this band.

But the weekend is over and we have a concert in Maine on Thursday.

The good news is that there might be a break-through with the van situation. We are so grateful for all the prayers! Seriously. Thank you so much.

The truck we’ve been renting is from the dealership in Morgantown, West Virginia. It’s their truck. Not like ‘enterprise’ where you can drop it off almost anywhere. So we got to drive tonight, and return it tomorrow morning. Deb rented another car, here in Concord, New Hampshire…and she’ll follow me there.

We’ll settle up on the truck in the A.M…and gather belongings left behind in the the old grey van…and I’m pretty sure I will be sad to see it in such a state again.

We’ll get a little sleep…and drive the rented car back here to New Hampshire…and we’ll continue to believe for that new vehicle.

I hope that when I blog again on Wednesday…I’ll have some good news.

till then…get some sleep for us.

Hymn of Faith *update*

Getting ready to eat lunch with the pastor here in Smithtown…but read this…and had to post it:

Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJ
” Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.”

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

a psalm, a video, and an update

Two things are happening simultaneously:

One of them you’ve already read about; the van breaking down.

Since that’s happened I’ve just been stuck on this one particular psalm…Psalm 86.

here are some highlights in the NIV, NKJ, NAS, and the message translations:

Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.

Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant
who trusts in you.

Be gracious to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry all day long.

Teach me Your way, O LORD;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.

You’ve always been great toward me—what love!
You snatched me from the brink of disaster!

Turn to me, and be gracious to me;

give your servant the strength to go on,
save your dear, dear child!

Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

I know…I know…David was probably writing this psalm as spears are flying overhead, or he was sleeping in a cave with the sound of Saul’s army searching for him…and John Ray is right…I can tend to sound like a ‘drama queen’. We all do, don’t we? When it’s our skin on the line?

But it has been a tough week. Let me just say this: I have an enormous amount of respect for anyone out there who has been into a bank recently looking for any kind of loan…auto, small business, etc…and has been rejected for one reason or another. It’s an exercise in humility…and when you’re not home…on the road…you’re basically sitting around waiting for a phone call that may or may not come.

That having been said. I believe we may be close to getting a new vehicle for us to travel in. We’re just, you know, waiting on a phone call.

I’d also like to say, How amazing everyone has been. Everyone in the band is getting phone calls, emails, facebook comments from all over…and it’s how people are praying for us…people are asking what they can do to help…there has even been a check sent to us, HERE, in Hebron, New Hampshire of all places…towards helping us with our situation. And it was sent by people who I know are giving from their need…not from an abundance. Just, you know…Unbelievable.

We just want to say, Thank you. It’s amazing.

Here’s the other thing happening simultaneously. Our times of singing these worshipful tunes have been getting better and better. If I’m singing, “every blessing you pour out I’ll turn back to praise, when the darkness closes in, Lord…still I will say, ‘blessed be the name of the lord’.”…it just feels more authentic, I guess. We’re up there on stage…and we’re singing this stuff…and it’s raw…like an exposed nerve…and these really young kids, many of them who are not used to our ‘style’ of worship- music are joining in with us…and it’s pure joy. We get done and I’m exhausted, but refreshed…that’s a contradiction, I know…but that’s what’s happening.

Here’s a video to show you what I’m talking about:

So, there you have it. Tonight, we’re in New York…Long Island…getting ready to sleep. Got a concert at Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle. We’ll keep you posted.

An end of an era…

Our van, in happier times, loading in to open for 'the newsboys'.

So, about midnight on March the 6th…we were driving through the mountains of West Virginia. We were already running a bit behind schedule…(see the post “Stuck in a moment”)…so I was going a bit fast…trying to make up some time.

Our destination was Camp Berea in Hebron, New Hampshire. We’re booked for three weekends, where we lead worship for the campers (kids of all ages) play some of our own tunes and have snowball fights, drink frappes, and generally have a jolly good time.

The guys are in the back seats, asleep, when they pop their heads up and say, “Gabe, we smell something…smells like burning rubber.” Thinking it might be the tread inside one of the tires coming apart I quickly slowed down…and pulled over at the next gas station. It’s one of those 24 hour truck stops with a diner inside…one of the sweetest ladies on earth is there serving coffee.

As I pull over the odometer reads 386,000 miles.

I stop at one of the fuel pumps. Smoke billows from underneath…it’s coming first from the catalytic converters, then the exhaust, and finally from under the hood. The band quickly exits the vehicle, coughing and the smoke engulfs the entire truck stop.

I turn off the ignition and begin to realize the gravity of the situation. This van is no longer going to have the ability to carry our trailer, not to mention us to our destination. It’s now 12:30 am…and we’re in the middle of nowhere…and there’s no one who can take a look at the engine…much less fix it.

Debbie, goes into action immediately…calling AAA…and looking for locations that can both diagnose the problem and possibly rent us another vehicle with towing capability. She quickly figures out that about 3o miles back is the closest Chevy Dealership. They open at 7am. I made one final push for driving the van as far as it would go…but she talked me down from my madness.

The Tow truck arrived around 4am…we are exhausted…he tries to talk  us into towing us to HIS shop…but Deb is adamant about the dealership.

He tows the van, our trailer, and debbie and me…and another tow truck carries Jon, Eric and Lee. The two drivers talk over the CB’s incessantly, mocking each other’s looks, driving ability and social skills with the opposite sex. They are actually really cool guys, but I was tired…and it got pretty annoying after the first 15 minutes or so.

They drop us off at University Motors in Morgantown…and we hop in the van…cover ourselves with all available blankets and attempt to sleep through the bitter cold night. Deb, however wakes up at 6:45 and waits for someone to show up at the dealership’s service dept…and someone does…right at 7am, sharp.

She hops out, introduces herself and declares that she needs some serious help…but FIRST, she must use the bathroom. The guy she meets is Roger, the friendliest dealership manager ANYWHERE. She proceeds to tell him of our plight and he tells her he’ll look at the van, and also procures a toyota tundra for us to rent that has the ability to tow our trailer for the remaining 600 miles. Debbie also talks him into giving us a great rental rate.  She then mercifully wakes us up at around 8:30am…and we squeeze into the pick up truck…she has already arranged for the trailer to be attached…and we start off for New Hampshire.

We are making great time. Our gas stops are fast and efficient. Then we hit traffic between New York and Connecticut…and again near Boston. Stand still traffic. We lose an hour.

Debbie calls Isaac from the Camp…who is sympathetic to our dilemma…but wonders if we’ll be able to make it to perform for the 325 kids who are waiting for us…some of them are actually fans of the band and have waited all year for this. Crazy, ain’t it?

She tells him we’ll be there at 8:45pm…the camp starts at 9:30pm. can they push the time back a bit? He says yes.

We arrive at 8:45pm. The camp volunteers are there and help us unload in record time. We set up the sound system in less than an hour. We haven’t showered in a couple of days. I had developed a nice little beard. We didn’t have time to stop and clean up…so we take the stage looking like a homeless band…and smelling like one too.

Debbie set up my guitar amp, and did the sound check. Are you getting the feeling that she is the heroine of the story? I hope you are.

The weekend came and went. We were able to pull it together and we had some wonderful times of worship. Jeffery Dean, from Nashville was the guest speaker and was phenomenal. There was a tragedy that took place at the camp…something I’ll discuss, maybe later…and it added to the bewilderment I was already experiencing. Lack of sleep kept me in a state of numbness.

Today, I was able to assess what’s happening. I’m able to thank God that we are on tour, but that this week we weren’t able to get any bookings. It’s allowed us to figure out what to do, while still having a place to stay here at the Camp. In other words, we don’t have to be on the move, right this second.

I’m grateful for the staff at Camp Berea who understood that we would be running late, but didn’t hold it against us, and worked so hard to make it work for us when we arrived.

I’m grateful for these guys in the band, who didn’t complain…not once about how tight it was in the back of that pickup for 12 hours…or how fast we had to set up…or how much energy it took to hang out with the kids that weekend. I’m with some amazing men…and it’s humbling.

I’m grateful for Debbie.

I’m grateful for all those prayers you guys are sending up for us. The van’s engine is cracked. It’s going to cost close to $7,000 to fix it. Seems like that’s not the best use of that money. Today, Deb and I drove to Concord, NH to look at what a new van would cost…and we’re looking into some other options as well.

And that’s the situation…I know some of you had questions…that’s the best I can do for now.

We made it to New Hampshire, but…

…OUR VAN DIDN’T.

i’ve been up around 38 hours…and we did manage to get to camp berea…we set up the entire system in less than an hour and were able to perform…I’ll blog about it tomorrow after sleep.

Stuck in a moment…

“she packed my bags last night, pre-flight zero hour 9 am…”

Today I woke up, totally excited about this upcoming tour we got going on.

All our bags were packed. The microphones and guitars tucked away into the trailer. Our goodbyes had been said, and we as a band were prepared to make the long trek to the great northeastern part of the nation…when I felt a little tremble in the tires as I went to gas the van up.

“Though I’m passed one hundred thousand miles, I’m feeling very still…”

I had it checked out by our trusty mechanics at Gateway Tire and Services in Franklin, TN…no that’s not a plug…it’s just a factoid thrown in for the sake of the story.

They found that we had no brakes. One of the rotors was cracked. Brake lines busted. Not the best news when you’re getting ready to drive from Nashville to New Hampshire.

So we put it all on hold. They couldn’t fix it tonight…but they will start first thing in the morning.  I called the guys told them to enjoy another night in Nashville. Deb and I got a bite to eat. And we drove home to watch Los Spurs lose to Los Mavericks, and I stayed up to catch U2 on letterman. Their top 10 was pretty funny.

“bright and early for the daily races, going nowhere, going nowhere…”

But, in all actuality…I’m a bit bummed out…I was totally ready to make that trek…and it’s going to cost a lot to fix the problem. Hopefully, the kind folks at the shop will find a way to NOT make us call the whitehouse and ask for a special stimulus package from President Obama to help us out.

However, I’m also grateful…I’m glad they found the problem now rather than some other kind of scenario that involves us driving without brakes. This makes me thankful that we have people praying for us out there. I know who you are. And as a way of thanking you… I’m making tomorrow’s trip…the gratefulness trip…I know…it’s not very catchy.

“I run for the bus, dear, while riding, I think of us, dear…I say a little prayer for you”

But here’s the deal:

Leave us some prayer requests as comments. We, as a band, will use tomorrow’s travel time to pray for each of them. Just know that I might keep my eyes open while I drive…hope that sets well with some of your theology.

Seriously, I know a lot of you personally, and some of you are going through much worse things than our little van breakdowns…and we just want you to know…we’re with you.

to be continued….

How Beautiful…

You might have noticed that i stopped updating here. I’ve been like Dostoevsky’s Underground  Man, writing and writing.

this is what I looked like the other day:

And this is me now, with debbie watching me write:

So, yeah. ha. ha.

Sometimes I’d write in the kitchen, sometimes the rehearsal room. Sometimes i’d drive in the van. The band I are tweaking things now. Recording demos. Eric  had to go back to Seattle, he had a very dear and close friend of his family die. Jon  was in Texas working out some issues with his insurance and car tags etc.

Meanwhile, my sister, Serena gave birth to a daughter…’Amelia Faye’…what a cool name! I’m so proud of her. Mother and child are doing well. My friends Nic and Jaci Gonzales also had a baby, Soren Arthur, and my other two good friends Gabe and Elisa Wilson are due any day now. And I found out that my other friends, Rich and Sue Chavez live two blocks from Nadya Suleman aka: ‘the octomom’…(which is a cruel media name, no matter how you feel about the person)

So i guess this has been a  very fruitful time for everyone.

Meanwhile, I’m glad that ‘Slumdog’ won best picture at the Oscars. I couldn’t help and wonder at the production and the star power in the room. With all the glitz and glam and fashion and awards…I thought I’d give a shout out to some heroes of mine. They may never get to walk down a red carpet. They may never have Robert DeNiro say something kind to them in front of millions of people. They are friends of mine who travel across oceans, to live as  light to the world. They scrimp and save and write letters trying to raise money so they can live in places like India, Africa, Afghanistan, and other little islands…they are my missionary friends.  They are my mom and dad and people like them, pastors of small churches, stubbornly faithful, serving the inner cities and forgotten communities across the world. As Twila Paris, one of my favorite all time artists wrote so eloquently:
“How beautiful the feet that bring
The sound of good news
And the love of the King.
How beautiful the hands that serve

The wine and the bread
And the sons of the earth.

How beautiful is the body of Christ.”

Here’s to them. And here’s to you. I’m back and it feels good. Can’t wait for you to hear the new stuff.