Way Before The Blog

Your Attention Please

2009-07-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Lyrics here. Sorry, no video.

Primrose was one of those songs that I didn't really "get" even after going over the lyrics. I wish I could find a link for you all to see, but I stumbled upon an interview where Jeremy lays out what he was thinking when he wrote this song.

It was somewhat of a response to Bill Clinton being elected in 1992. The way Jeremy put it, there was all this adulation coming from celebrities and everyone thinking that the country was going to be perfect now that he was elected (sound familiar?). Pent-up frustration led to an overflowing and outpouring of all hopes and dreams pinpointed on this one elected official.

I was only 15 during that election and I can remember that in a "straw poll" in art class I picked Ross Perot over Bush and Clinton. I didn't really follow politics at that time or any other time really over the next 10 years or so. It didn't interest me and it's probably why I couldn't pick up on the themes in this song. I didn't even really know the difference between right and left wing, Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives. But today I get it.

Relevant would be the key word to describe "Primrose" today. There is definitely more to this song than a right vs. left, our team is better than your team anthem. People still think that just getting the right person in office will solve all of our problems. But the key here is that "we will all face God someday" and not just our elected officials. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that by pinning our problems on a left-wing donkey or right-wing elephant that we have somehow absolved ourselves of any of the blame. Abdicating our responsibility is not we are called to do.

By the same token, elevating a single person to savior status is also unbecoming, to say the least. The primrose view can overtake us and we give up our responsibilities by saying, "It's OK. He/she will take care of everything." Even though "they" are telling everyone that everything is OK, what are we finding out for ourselves? More timeless lyrics from Mr. Post.

What about the music behind the lyrics? This song is fairly straightforward (for Sceva) in its structure although it does take an instrumental journey after the verses and choruses are sung. Everything sonically marches toward the point that this song is trying to make: "Look at whose looking glass you're looking through before the primrose view overtakes you." There is no doubt left about what they want you to take away from this song.

Find out for yourself!

Awesome

2007-06-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

I'm going to stop making promises I can't keep. No more "soon"...... Instead here's something else.
Found by someone on beelerspace, the beginning of this video is hilarious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlRGNk31myY

All Apologies

2007-02-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

What else can I say? Jesus is the way! (hahaha...a little DC Talk humor for you there)

Sorry there haven't been any updates for the past...oh..7 months. It's coming. Soon.

Primrose by Black Eyed Sceva is next, I believe.

I'm also redoing most of the videos and moving them to YouTube. I didn't know it was going to blow up or I would have started there first! And there's a chat in the sidebar I'm testing out. So...there ya go.

-Joe W.

"It's (a month past) Father's Day

2006-07-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

....and everybody celebrates but me....."

Lyrics here. Video here. The man here? (last post)

I used to think that this song didn't apply to me. Well, directly anyway. It's a great and painful song about how a son is coping with his absent earthly father. He gets a letter that his mom has been saving for years that has some generic advice from his father that doesn't really help much. Thankfully Jeremy comes to the conclusion that his fallible father has been replaced by his heavenly Father. (Which is a sermon I've heard many times....how you see your earthly father translates into how you view your heavenly Father....God doesn't not make mistakes like your dad may have..and all that).

What stuck in my mind, though, was always the last line of the song. "Sometimes I wonder if I will ever grow to look anything like him." It's a completely honest question and, when I examined it closely, I realized that it had me worried. You see, when I was 9 or 10 my parents let me know that my father was not my biological father. My mother had me when she was 18 and met my dad just a few months later. I kind of knew this story growing up, but it never really clicked with me (I was a kid...you don't ponder the deep questions). My dad was the only dad I ever knew and, though my parents were kind of nervous in telling me, I never had any intention of being angry at them or running away to find my "real dad." Never knew him, never will.

But that last line started ringing in my ear. What if I'm walking around some day and I see someone who looks like me...only 17 years older? What would happen? Am I just ignoring a deeper problem? Should I go seek him out? Now, this didn't last very long, but it's something I still think about when I hear this song. As far as I'm concerned, the dad I knew was my "real" dad. I got many good qualities from him. There was no reason to look any further on earth for someone to replace him.

One thing I forgot to mention....My dad passed away in 1993 at the ripe old age of 39. When I first heard this song in 1995 it struck me that I didn't "celebrate" father's day anymore the way I used to. It was a tough song to hear in the beginning. But, in 1996 my mom was remarried and in 1998 I got married myself. Then, by Father's Day 1999, I was a father as well!

So again I find a BES song that has applied to many stages of my life and can continually have new meaning for me. How does he do it???

The Moment You've All Been Waiting For

2006-05-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

Back in 1995-96 a camera crew (was it just one man?) traveled around the world with Black Eyed Sceva and gave us something hilariously wonderful. I know there's much more I could say about it, but I'll let it speak for itself.
Sit back. Relax. Enjoy the wonder that is the Way Before The Flood longform video.

Justified Music Video

2006-04-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Finally got a working version online. My first two tries failed miserably. I don't know what my deal is.
Anyway, check it out: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3308644069799927656
I ripped it from my VHS copy and you can see the little vhs line at the bottom of the video...such is life.
And thanks to Dave for giving me his version. Unfortunately that was my first failure...but it spurred me on to keep trying!

What you believe in

2006-04-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

Cleverness lyrics here & video here.

Back in the day (10 years ago or so) I had this drummer friend (who I am currently trying to reconnect with) who claimed that Cleverness was his favorite song by BES. He liked the time signature (and how quietly the drums began their crescendo) and how different it was. Another friend of mine who was a guitarist loved the fact that the solo in this song seemed separate from the rest of it in terms of timing and melody. And yet it all fits. My bassist friend liked watching the video and seeing Jeremy and Brad so synchronized as to their instrument playing and vocals. Watch and it's like they are tied together somehow. Very fun! Something the whole band can enjoy...

This song still speaks volumes to me about how to conduct myself in a discussion. How to listen to the other person's viewpoint and not continually formulate my response without hearing anything else. You know...what are we really arguing over?

I used to (and still do sometimes) tell myself that I never wanted to get into a discussion until I knew absolutely everything for my "side." I wanted to have all the clever witticisms and be ready for anything. But there's much more than just being clever. Witty sayings don't always mean you're intelligent. And that line - "what you believe in too often depends on what you want to be good for you" - convicting! Do you believe what you believe because it's comfortable or right? Or both?

This song is very similar to "Ecumenical" off of the 50,000 miles davis CD. That also has funky timing and a message that has you looking for common ground instead of what divides us all.

I Heard Him Say I

2006-03-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

Mudhouse lyrics here. Live video here. Bible reference here and here.

This song instantly became my favorite song off the album. It is very simply about the dangers of premarital sex. However it is really something more. It doesn't just say "Don't do it" or "Wait until marriage." The song really delves into the human component. The emotions represented in Erik are everything I felt.

When I heard this song I was 19 and a sophomore in college. I can't remember if I had even had a girlfriend by this time. I thought this song gave a good message, but would never really apply to me. That all changed after graduation. I found the girl I was going to marry. She still had a few years of college left and I was living 2 hours away working at my first "real" job. The morning after one romantic summer night, I was all of a sudden living out this song. Each line was my experience.

She went off for fall semester and I was still working, but she kept telling me she felt sick. She took a pregnancy test and it was immediately positive. She went to the doctor and I got a phone call: "I heard the heartbeat." Instantly I knew that I could not escape. My house was built on shifting sand...mud. I knew the word of the Lord, yet didn't put it into practice. I knew what was right and still disobeyed. And it caused someone I love to drop out of school.

About 3 weeks later, we got married. 6 months after that, we had our first child. 14 months after that we had our second! So, within 2 1/2 years of even knowing each other, we were married with 2 kids and only 24 years old. This is not something I recommend to everyone. Those first few years were a little rough, but it's good that we were young. We didn't know that it was supposed to be a lot tougher than it was. We just went with the flow. Yes, there were plenty of tears and why-me's and how do I deal with 2 screaming kids while you're at work....but also my wife persevered and finished college online. I was very proud.

We're doing great 8 years later. We have a happy home and I wouldn't change a thing. How can you imagine living without your kids?

But this isn't about me, it's about the song! There were many times, before I knew the final outcome, that I prayed and said "I wish I would have waited." And Jeremy singing that over and over again with his emotion just gets me every time. It's a mini-sermonette about not wanting to live with regret. It's a warning, but it's just reality. And I never thought it could happen to me

Mas Videos

2006-02-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

I put up four (4) more videos today. If they're not available right now they should be shortly. They are in the same poor quality as the first two, but I wanted them small to save time! Although, I guess Google optimizes them or something....anyway, you can get them by searching for Sceva: http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=sceva

Thank you speech

2006-02-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry. My few days is turning into 4 months. But anyway.....

While watching part of the Grammys last night, I decided to put myself in position of being onstage and winning an award (I do this on occasion when watching TV...reality stuff especially). I wondered who really listens to the long list of producers and personal friends. Who would I thank? I'd start off with God, my beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters, parents, extended family and friends. You know...nice! But then I'd want to change it up. Maybe thank some bands that no one has ever heard of...such as BES, ME, Five Iron Frenzy, Stavesacre, Starflyer, etc....really plug those guys and then tell everyone to rush out and see if they can buy their CDs.

Would that work? Or would everyone have stopped listening by then? It seems like a fun thing to do....if I had a worldwide stage, I think I would use it to endorse others.

BRB

2005-10-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry to anyone who checked over the last month....NOTHING NEW!

But I'm going to make a new post in the next few days (I'll give you one guess as to what song is coming next) I promise! As if you really wanted to read one guy's opinion here...but it's fun for me!

Oh...and I just found LastFM (www.last.fm) and signed up as BESFan. I know...I'm probably the last one. Whatever. Sue me. I'm BESFan on myspace (not that I do anything there) and AIM too...

Peace

Videos Online

2005-09-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've put a few individual live performances up online. I will put up more as the days go by. For now, you can go to http://video.google.com and search for Sceva. Or you can just click here.

Antediluvian

2005-09-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Definition here, lyrics to wbf here. Of course, you could sum up the title of Way Before The Flood by saying pre-deluge, but Black Eyed Sceva wanted to appeal to the common man as well.

A funny thing about this song (wbf) is that I never heard them play it live. A friend of mine (that's you, Joe Honzik) got a job working with 5 Minute Walk right out of college in May 1996. His first assignment given to him by Frank Tate was to go on the road with Sceva for a week or 10 days or something (can't remember). Rough life! Anyway, Joe told me that Brad or someone would always put wbf on the set list for the show and Jeremy would always take it off or cross it out or whatever. I don't know what that means...whether he didn't like the song anymore, didn't think it was good enough, thought the analogies didn't work, whatever...if you've heard it live, consider yourself in the lucky few!

I personally love the way the words are sung in this title-track, especially "not manufactured." Jeremy sings "the light we walk in is NOT MAN" (pause) "Ufactured..by us." The first few times I heard it I thought it was great to say the first part becuase I assumed it was saying not man-made...it's made by God..etc etc. And the last part of the line always caught me off guard. Not many people do that unless they are trying to be funny. But, as you hear with all their songs, whatever is done musically or vocally just works. It works! It was meant to be that way.

This song and its vocal arrangment also makes you forget that the words don't rhyme. A few do at the ends of verses, but for the most part they are ideas broken up by vocal inflection. The way the music and vocals are arranged make you see past your normal expectation of "rain" rhyming with "pain" or when the end of a line is. If you're reading along with the lyrics, you don't know when it's going to stop or start again (unless you've heard it a million times). But it doesn't sound like a mistake or immature songwriting. It sounds exactly as it's supposed to. Now, after I realized this I went back and listened to all the songs and found that they all kind of go this way. There's nothing 100% conventional on these albums.

It's also why I think the lyrics inside the album are printed the way they are. No punctuation, no line breaks, no cue as to what is verse/chorus/bridge. They're just a paragraph. A stream of consciousness. Read together the words are little stories in and of themselves.

The verses are split into "way before the flood," "just before the flood," and "in the flood." Stages of life, perhaps? This song is still a little tough for me to figure out (post your theories in the comments) but a few parts that stick out: "i heard the congregation roar" - someone once wrote to me that they likened this to the animals on the ark...that seemed like a neat idea to me ; "if God has called you to be a missionary don't stoop to be a king" - I think Jeremy said in an interview that this is something his pastor had said...that to serve Christ as He commanded is the greatest thing ever and even the "top job" in the world's eyes is nothing compared to dying to self, loving God, and loving others ; "why build that ark when you can't see over your own bow" - in conjunction with the next phrase it really hits home the idea of stepping out on faith...Noah built this thing that no one had ever seen because God told him it was going to rain (something else no one had ever seen)...and that was enough...even after 40 days of rain if God says it, that should be enough, even though we can't see the future or beyond our own nose.

I've rambled...I'm done.

I Hear I Hear I Hear I Hear I Hear

2005-08-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

Link to the lyrics can be found here.

Justified. The song is huge. What else can you say? Can you open an album more genuinely than with passionate vocals? “My halo’s broken…fallen down”

It describes our human condition and our paradoxical nature as Christians so “simply”. No, that’s the wrong word. Succinctly. We all have times when we are not the perfect God-fearers that we want to be. Maybe we never are; never have been; and never will be until Christ returns or calls us home. But this is where we’re at!

You’ve all seen the bumper stickers stating that Christians “aren’t perfect – just forgiven.” And that’s true. I’m not about to confess how many times my halo has fallen down around my toes. When it does, and we realize it, we often try and figure our own way out. And in doing so, we dig ourselves a hole deeper and deeper. I guess that is the only way that the halo can seem to get back above our heads.

We also don’t want our friends to know. At least, not right away. And certainly not the fair-weather friends…the ones that only come around when things are good. This is going to be gray, muddy, stormy stuff.

But, you know what? We have been justified. Taken apart, it’s just as if I’d never sinned at all. So, are we free to do whatever we want, then? As Paul often says in response to this, “NO!” Should we sin more so that grace can abound more? May it never be. If we are seeking God and in a struggle to keep our souls unsoiled, we must strive to do what is right.

Is that struggle the same for everyone? Does un-soiled-ness look the same for everyone? Does that call sound the same for everyone? Probably not…but as long as you hear and I hear, it’s all good!

I have the official music video for this song on VHS. It’s my next digitization project…If I get to it and find a place to put it up, I’ll link it for all to see. I’ve also got this one recorded live, and that one HAS been digitized. I need to find someplace free to host audio and video clips. Any help would be appreciated.

Video Hosting

2005-08-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

I finally digitized my concert footage from 10 years ago. Is there any place online to host the videos? I have a lame yahoo briefcase that holds all of 30MB. Is RapidShare the way to go?

HTML Gear

2005-03-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

From way way way way back. Check out the site:
Courtesy of the WayBack Machine

And the old guestbook...

View My Guestbook

Sign My Guestbook

Way Before The Flood

2004-12-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

It was the fall of 1995 and I was ensconced in my 2nd year of college. It was time for the annual Great America "Joyfest" concert celebration and, if I'm remembering correctly, I went by myself. Hopefully this doesn't define me as a loser... =) I just really wanted to go. My desires weren't drummed up by friends going or not going, I just wanted to see some cool bands whether or not anyone else did. And I saw some friends of mine at the park, so lay off!!!

Anyway, before one of the shows (probably Plankeye, MxPx or Dakoda Motor Co. or someone like that) a gentleman named Matt Morris got up on stage to introduce the next band. He also plugged his own radio show he had at San Jose State (I forget what it was called...much music or something) and let us know about an upcoming show. Sixpence None The Richer was going to be in Concord, CA with Plankeye! Just a few weeks later! Now, this was before Sixpence hit it big with Kiss Me (obviously) and I was a huge fan of both bands. I picked up the flyer that Matt handed out and it gave the date and time and a location called "The Screem." Sounded harmless enough. It also mentioned another band: Black Eyed Sceva. That was a weird name..but I could certainly endure some no names before bringing on the main events.

So the date of the show rolled around and no one wanted to go with me. OK. This is sounding like loner/loser territory. I'll skip that part because I eventually saw some friends at this show too (more on that later). Maybe one of my roomates, Mike, came. I can't remember. Moving along..... I found the screem and paid my $5 or whatever and ran inside for the show to begin. The Screem was like a warehouse. Err...maybe it was a warehouse. It was a warehouse turned into a church with a record company upstairs (which was home to Black Eyed Sceva I later found out).

Sceva took the stage and the only thing I could think of was "I don't know any of these songs." Just some guys playing their hearts out. Then I saw some people I knew from high school. One of them, Matt, was videotaping the whole thing. Apparently Matt's sister went to the same church as these guys and so they were fans. Well that's cool....that was some sort of connection. A friend from high school I hadn't seen in 18 months has a sister who went to church in Santa Barbara with the guys from Black Eyed Sceva. Interesting.

Throughout their set, the lead singer's microphone kept falling down and they ended up having to wrap some tape all the way around it to keep it up. About halfway through the set something happened to Matt's camera (it was on a tripod to one side of the room) so he grabbed it and started filming up close. VERY close...we were touching the stage. Not that this was a huge show (maybe 150 kids there) but we were right up on it. I can remember a lot of this because I still have the videotape that Matt copied for me.

Somewhere along the way it was announced that Plankeye would not be coming. Boo-hoo for me. At least I had sixpence to look forward to. And they were awesome. And I grabbed their set list from the stage when they were done. And I got them to sign it. And I still have it....
But the thing that caught my ear that night was the final song (before their RARE encore of Twain) by Sceva called "Nailholes." I understand anything else in that song except for the chorus: Thomas saw the nailholes. It kind of stuck in my head....

Fast forward 5 months to March of 1996. I had gotten on some Screem mailing list and it turned out that the SAME show was coming back in March: Sceva and Sixpence. Well, I was still a fan of Sixpence and I had 2 friends that wanted to go, so we went! This time I was determined to by the Sceva CD for, if nothing else, the nailholes song. It was all awesome again and I bought a 6pence hat that each member signed (but the signatures have since worn off). I also bought the Sceva CD "Way Before the Flood" and had each member sign it. Now THAT is something I'm excited to still have....

I brought it back to school and listened to it over and over and over and over and.... I let my friend Joe borrow it and he listened to it over and over and over and...They became my favorite band (and his as well. Then, as he was graduating college he decided to work for that same record company...but that's another fun story). I really listened to the songs and read the lyrics. They were deep deep and the way Jeremy arranged his vocals around the words was really something. Each listening created a bigger fan in me and I was just blown away with the musicianship time and time again.

It was amazing but I think it only spawned one radio "hit" (if you can call it that) in Justified. Which just so happens to be the first song on the album ....

That's Right

2004-12-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I bought www.blackeyedsceva.com. And promptly did nothing with it. I've always wanted to do a tribute to the band(s) but I never got around to actually completing one.

There was a time when I had a Sceva website at college (now available on the wayback machine...just put in www.uop.edu/~jwebb/sceva) but it was limited...born in the early days of the world wide web....way before the blog

This is probably going to be a limited blog, updated sparsely. My goal is to make a post for each song of theirs (from the two albums and ep) with my thoughts. Then...that's it.

Perhaps I'll think of something else to do with it later, but for now, what you see is what you get!