How do you make an already amazing night like Skull Church even more amazing? There are multiple correct answers to that question, however, the easiest of them would be by simply factoring in Greg Laurie and the band The Myriad.
Having Greg Laurie out was awesome, but this blog is not about him. That is a blog all in itself. This blog is about the Myriad and that’s how I intend for it to stay.
Now, to the matter at hand. When I was in college I had a friend who is smarter than I think I’ll ever be. His name is Daniel and he isn’t the “geeky” kind of smart. Daniel is the book, super genius kind of smart. He was always reading some book of the classics that was way beyond my reading level (which I tend to think is above average, thank you very much). (I have always been the kind of person that loves to buy books but only get’s halfway through before I buy and start a new one.) Daniel was a history major at the time, and that in itself has to qualify someone for being some kind of smart. He enjoys music of old and I’m sure some sort of music of new. His facebook picture was always some kind of abstract image of himself. “Well rounded” is what I would call Daniel. All of this is still somewhat beside the point.
Recently there has been a trend on facebook where everyone has been changing their profile picture to be one of their doppelganger. A doppelganger is some who looks ghostly like yourself. Your twin look alike who isn’t really your twin.
It was exactly one week ago that I walked into the Liberty Theater and saw Johnny Rodger, the bass player from The Myriad. I immediately texted one of my college friends and said, “I am looking at Daniel Vildasol’s twin!” He obviously was not his twin, but when I had the opportunity to interview him up in the radio station, the similarities in their personalities where uncanny. Johnny and I talked about the band, touring, mainstream music versus the Christian music industry, and in addition to all of that, we talked about God, struggles in life, and even books, authors, and thinkers of great.
I’ve learned that every interview is different, each band is different, and every interview is fun in its own way. With each person I speak to, I find some sort of inspiration or practicallity from them, whether it’s from Kristian Stanfill showing me what it looks like to truly pour your heart into worship and glorifying God, or Poema taking me on the journey of getting that “big break” and becoming practically famous in what seems to be over night while all the time just being normal teenagers. With The Myriad interview I found myself challeneged to grab one of those books sitting on my bookshelf and finally finish reading it. Maybe I’ll start with J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye or C.S. Lewis’ The Problem of Pain. Some times it’s nice just to turn up some music, whether it be Bach or Beck, just pick something that makes it easy for you to relax and take some time to do something other than stare at a screen reading my blog. Take the time to look at and listen to beautiful things, because like Johnny said, if you trust in God he will open doors for people, for the gospel.
I really want to encourage you to listen to the interview if you have a chance. It’s not too long and the content on which we spoke is so relevant especially to our stations unique selection of music.
Also, before I go, I want to ask you guys to be continually praying for The Myriad’s drummer, Randy. He’s a great man of God and is fighting cancer. So, continue to keep him, his family and friends in your prayers, as I know I will.
Listen to the interview here: An Interview with Johnny Rodger
A Blog By Elisha Guido