Jesus in the Cracks.

So, this week I'm situated in a small town in Florida that I can't quite pronounce the name of. I know it starts with an O. My pal Chesley is down here with me and we're calling it detox from the road or normal life. I mean this in the most glorious and non glorious of terms. We're staying in a cabin with other families (including children) all in the name of Jesus for a Young Life camping event held at South Wind Camp. There are middle school aged kids here. It's non glorious in the ways that come along with trying to relate to an age group of folks that you're not accustomed to. I'm here to play my songs and to lead what young life calls "club songs"....basically I lead the pep-rallying crew in pop anthems and campfire ballads alike. And it's like medicine. The "least of these" come clearly defined around here. The insecure, developing, worried. Everyone comes together in the details...to put these kids first...so they can somehow fall in love with Jesus like we did some time ago...and when you're part of a vocation that requires a dangerous introspection that more times than not leads to self-absorption...it saves me to get to places like this. To see people love until it hurts. To become a friend to the friendless. To treat loving with the same vigor and discipline as a world class athlete or CEO. It's just important to me...to get out of the bitter, cynical, competitive plow of an indie musician and remember to do what I can to love Jesus and people in all the simplest but profound ways. It's very important. It's the point I'd say. I'm the same as the kids. Jesus grins and weeps with me as I develop and slip. He does you like that too I think.

A Big Problem

This is a simple post just to create an awareness for those of you who are in the dark about this. Any commentary I would give, unfortunately, might prove insufficient and ignorant. I know this is a problem. It's worth dialogue and action.

Did you know that 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes in Darfur, Sudan? Each day, they face threats that are hard for us to even imagine including rape, disease, and starvation.

These people need our help to put an end to the genocide and they need it NOW.

Please join me in taking the first step to stopping the violence.

Click here to sign the Save Darfur Coalition's petition urging President Bush and UN Secretary-General Ban to take immediate steps to stop the killing.

Together, we can make a difference in the lives of millions of people in the region who desperately need outside help.

The Save Darfur Coalition is urging the international community to prevent further killings, displacement, and rape by deploying the UN peacekeeping force that has already been authorized, strengthen the understaffed African Union force that is already in Darfur, establish a no-fly zone, increase humanitarian aid, and ensure access for delivery of food, medication and other essential supplies.

Please do not stand by while the violence continues - you can make a difference. Click here now to get involved.

Then please forward this message to your friends and family and ask them to join you.

If you'd like to make a donation to support the campaign, click here now. www.savedarfur.com

Thanks for your help.

I Am A Winner...

There is no theme to this blog; however, I am a winner. I flew in from Minnesota last night. Dan picked me up, and they lost my instrument. Air Tran lost my instrument. Then the woman who was in charge of lost baggage claims got extra angry at me because I lost my airline ticket with the baggage claim number on it.....this was only confusing for several reasons but only one worth mentioning. I am the customer and the customer is always right. Whether I come in with 3 heads, a golden ticket, or no baggage claim ticket....I am not the one who lost my instrument. Air Tran did....collectively. I was steaming until I saw the gentleman who had helped me before...who had, before, seemed mostly indifferent and tired...he found my instrument, and all was well with the world again.

I do have some interesting news. So when we recorded Advancement (the last EP I put out)...my extremely talented friend and vocal mentor Jason Eskridge was given vocal production responsibilities (side note: I did not give him due credit in the liner notes, and I'm ashamed). We had decided to put a "choir" on most of the tracks or, rather, to stack a bunch of vocals on top of each other. Anyways, he calls me and says " Check it. I'm going to call my homegirl Melinda to double these tracks with me." He may have said it like that...not sure...that's the way I'll re-create it though. So he called this Melinda. I came in to Jason's character-ridden basement studio and heard her do her thing. She sang for real. She put sensibilities on my tape that I didn't deserve. I should have asked her for a receipt. So, the session ended. Advancement was sent through post production with 7 months of elbow grease, and I didn't see much of anybody from those sessions...including Melinda. Fast forward. 3 days ago Jason calls me to check in. We rap. He says " Have you seen this season's American Idol?"....I say "no, why?"....(note: I don't watch much TV, but I really dig in when I do. Like the little boy who never had candy...when he got it....he knew how to enjoy)...He says " Melinda is on this season, and she is killing it".....Melinda Doolittle...couldn't believe it. Hopefully, this is all I'll say about knowing her...but probably not. If I hear anyone remotely even mention American Idol....it's going to take loads for me not to say "hey, how bout Melinda Doolittle? yeah....it's crazy...she uhh sang on my last record...he..wild eh?"...
Right on Melinda. I knew you when. If you do, in fact, watch American Idol...cast your votes for Melinda....I haven't seen the show yet, but surely...she's the best.

I made a small step yesterday....I bought Pearl Jam's greatest hits...and I bought nice slacks from the Gap (smaller step than the preceding)...anyhow..that's what's on the minds in the A.M....

M.C.D.

Home. Road. Rhythm.

I've been home maybe a grand total of 4 days since the day after Christmas Day. Seriously though...5. I think. I've been home for 3 1/2 full days now, and I'm uncomfortable. The strangest dynamic in traveling and playing tunes for a living is the ability to fall in and of a rhythm. For a while, I'd composed the home living rhythm. I'd even call it a sort of routine. Both good and bad gigs poured in, so I left home and played them. So then my rhythm got lost. Like Crazy Horse...I mishandled my rhythm. But my road rhythm began to develop. Here...too..you could say I'd developed a routine. I have time off now, and I'm more frantic than everyone else. I'm so excited to see everybody that I haven't seen in quite sometime, and I'm mostly confident that it's bothersome. Genuinely strange to most. Well it's downright intense. When you see familiar faces against the backdrop of ticking watch. You think: MAXIMIZE. You over-commit. You disappoint. Then, you get back on the road. You think to yourself, "Micah, you should ensure for yourself a wife or a full time band...or develop a strong sense for real estate development". All my friends either think I want more from them than they can give...or they wonder why I just won't sit and rest. People excite me more than rest for now. Especially people that I see less than 10 times a year that are fantastic human beings. Folks that have inherent rhythm. This all sounds dramatic, and it most likely is, but it's disorienting. Fast food relationships. Good news: I watched "Of Mice and Men" yesterday, slept through half of it, and still almost lost it at the end...I got myself a library card, and tomorrow I'm going to develop some photos. I haven't bought groceries since May so I see no reason to start now. But I did buy milk and Honey Bunches of Oats with my CVS card earlier in the week. I think to myself: I'm off a good portion of the month..I can hear the crackle of the snare coupled with the ol' bass drum in the distance. Feels like rhythm.

This live footage of the tune "Jet Lag" is courtesy of FilmMeFirstFilms out of Atlanta.

Check it Out.

Click on the question mark.

Carolinian Times

I don't know much of the title of this blog. Seems like a newspaper name, but not sure. Anyways, I'm playing a handful of times this weekend throughout the Carolinas. Thanks to all the people who came out to the Charlotte show. Three things happened the day of the Charlotte show that were disheartening to say the least: 1) I was pulled over by a policeman for "following too closely"...he asked me to step out of the car....he asked me if I had a slew of drugs on me...to which i cordially responded no...then he aksed me if I had over $10,000 US currency in my vehicle...I said that I wish I did...he kind of laughed and then got serious again really fast...and the words that followed as the bookend to our bizarre dialogue were astonishing. He grilled me on the whole weapons front..ie...any firearms, etc....then he asked me if I had a SWORD. Again, I laughed. This man was inadvertently putting me in extremely high spirits. Ryan and I then felt a rhythm. We saw a bunch of other black people pulled over, and we concluded that they were looking for the real life version of Blade's Wesley Snipes. I can only guess that they need his specialty skills in terms of dealing with vampire carolinians. 2) I broke a string on the first song of my set the other night: Blame it On January. I feel cool sometimes when I play that song....probably more so than the majority of the other ones. Therefore, I the embarassment was maximized. Then I changed the string and broke it again when I was trying to tune it. I feel like I'm always having to play off technical difficulties...then I turn into some sort of circus clown trying to maintain until everything gets under control. 3) Someone told me my yellow argile sweater was "awful"....I didn't care too much, I knew it was a risk...but awful? How so? How sure can you be that somethng is truely awful? Mad respect to the fashion poilce in full effect.
If you're from Atlanta, and you're reading this, I'm playing Monday night supporting Ryan Horne and Jon Black...at the Red Light Cafe.. 7:00...$5...I'm performing all new material with a sensible band, and it's going to slam. Please, do come.
MD

The Essential Mathew Linton

Good morning.
I've decided to give you a first hand look into a dialogue had between my friend Mathew Linton and me. Mathew played drums on some of my new material we recorded at Smoakstack Studios in the Berryhill district of Nashville. He might be the funniest person I know. In fact, I think he is. This is an "interview" I threw his way in the kitchen of the studio. Now, understand...this video might not get you the way it got me. It's just a preference thing. Anyways, happy president's day. I'm more than thrilled that I've landed home for a couple days. No snow. No problem.