A Story About "O Holy Night"

A Story About "O Holy Night"

O Holy Night (live) Click and listen!

Living Waters just LOVES Christmas! For decades, starting in the 70's, we did Christmas concerts every year, increasingly featuring our original Christmas songs. We loved doing the carols and our crowd-involving "Twelve Days of Christmas" with the placards. 

We kept it going all the way into the 90's, when we stopped 'touring' in a regular fashion. A couple of years ago, we did it one more time with all the trimmings; how glorious that was! It was just SO awesome! Here are some pictures:

 

One time in the early 90's we were going to do a really big Christmas show at what was our home base at the time, the Sons of Mary in Framingham. As I recall we were doing the concert with our good friend Jon Polce. Jim had set up off-the board straight recording lines that night, so it really captured our live performance well. I also remember it as one of the most electric-feeling concerts we've done. Something special was going on! Many of the live Christmas songs we've posted to our online sites and on our album are from this night; that's how good it was.

We had another guest, a married couple who performed through stylized actions and dance, like St. Francis. They came up to me right before the concert and asked me to play "O Holy Night" for them to perform to. They wanted to do two verses and then add the end of another verse. I loved the effect of this choice. Without any prior preparation on my part, the time came during the concert, and I just began to sing. A lot of times you can't really tell how well you're singing on a given night; you just trust and do the best you can. But this? This was special. I knew it was something special right from the start. I really meant every word of this wonderful carol with every fiber of my being. I think the lyric choice they made had something to do with that. It is on our album.
So, sit back and tune in to this. A Blessed Christmas to all of you....

O Holy Night (live) Click and listen!

Peace & Love & JOY,
Mark LaJOIE! of Living Waters

There's a Woman....MARY Christmas!

There's a Woman....MARY Christmas!

As Christmas approaches, our mind goes back to our old song, "There's a Woman". It features our classic vocal blend of Mark, Denise, and Dave, Greg on organ at the beginning and end, and Dave's infectious bass line. There's a classical feel to it, but it is also a rocker in that special LW way, featuring Greg at his best. We actually improved the song further after this multi-track was done. Please! Enjoy it with our compliments and prayers. Click below:

There's a Woman (multi-track) on ReverbNation
There's a Woman streaming on Spotify

An Award for Contemporary Christian Song!

An Award for Living Waters!

Yes, Living Waters has won the 2017 Radio Music Award for "Best Contemporary Christian Song", for our recent song, "Do What He Tells You to Do". It is given out by the Indie Music Channel in LA, and our song got featured on their site as a result of this. We qualified for the award, because our song was played on Adoration Radio and some other small stations. One person - one whom I happen to deeply respect! - said he listened to it 15 times in a row! Guess it's good. Here it is on YouTube and Spotify



Do What He Tells You to Do on "Alive Again" EP - Spotify

Peace & Love & JOY!
Mark LaJOIE!

The Great Mercury Chill: A Faith Story!

The Great Mercury Chill: A Faith Story!

This is just an example of a '70 Marauder; mine is long gone!

The big early chill we are going through around here has brought to mind an amazing faith story that happened to me that bears re-telling. It involves not only low mercury, but a Mercury...the car.

Back in 1983 I was driving around my first car. It was big, bright red boat of a car, a 1970 Mercury Marauder; it had a 390 V8 engine that guzzled gas at probably less than 10 miles per gallon. The wooden bumper fell off in the street in Natick, so, up in Maine, my dad made a new one from mill steel; he had to rig struts going up to the middle of the vehicle because the whole back was so rotted out there was nothing to attach to. Well! That bumper was something! If anyone had rear-ended me with that steel bumper? they would have totalled their car!

This was back in the days when Living Waters was in full concert swing, but before we had moved into the 505 Pleasant band house. I was working at the detox in those days (plus many other endeavors!). It was Christmas Eve, and I decided to drive home to see my mother in Augusta, Maine. (I probably had a back seat full of dirty laundry! Bad boy.) I was going to leave detox in the evening and drive straight through. One problem: it had gone deadly cold! The temp had gone many degrees below zero, plus more from the wind-chill. But, I didn't give it a thought and set out. By the time I got to the Maine Turnpike, there was absolutely NO ONE on the road except me. (It was only later I figured everyone had been strongly warned NOT to go out. It was one of the coldest nights in history!) After awhile, the engine started to lurch and whine. It would slow down, stutter, speed up again and act erratically. Pumping the accelerator did nothing to help. [By the way, the explanation for this is that the gas line was FREEZING SOLID!!] I began to feel an immense fear. If I stalled, I knew it was so cold that I would die very quickly. And, as I said, there was not a soul anywhere.

I began to pray urgently for help from my guardian angel. (I've said for years I must have several big fat guardian angels looking out for me! I really should have been dead several times.) I remember calculating how far it was to the next rest stop in Gardiner, and it was too far for me to make it. But, suddenly, I was there pulling in. I pulled right up to the gas station and stalled out for good there! The guys in the gas station had to use a blowtorch to thaw out the generator so they could give me a start and fill me up. I ran it for a good while and then made it all right the next short distance to Augusta. I really believe some special angelic help saved my life there, or so it would seem.

Now, here' s the rest of the story! Many years later, I used to read stories to my students from the book "Where Angels Walk" by Joan Wester Anderson:

For years, I read the story in the book by the author about her son's angel encounter that led here to write the book in the first place. Her son was driving home Christmas Eve with a buddy when the car started to stall, chug & surge in the freezing cold. It totally died, and then a tow truck came out of nowhere and brought them to his friend's house, without leaving a trace, not even tire marks. Well, believe it or not, I never made the connection between this and what happened to me until many years of reading the story. Finally, I said, 'wait a minute! that's what happened to me!'. Well, at last, it occurred to me that what happened to her son took place on December 24, 1983, the very same night I had experienced the very same sort of thing! That really validated her story in my mind, let me tell you!

So, if things get really dangerously cold in your heart and life, ask the Good God and his angels to help you warm up...and come alive!

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE! of Living Waters

https://www.reverbnation.com/livingwaters/song/18794218-song-of-love-rough-demo

https://www.reverbnation.com/livingwaters/song/21697149-alive-again

Giving Thanks Through Teaching and Song!

Giving Thanks Through Teaching and Song

by Mark Lajoie, Theology Teacher
(An article for "Guertin Pride" about Mark)

“Thanksgiving”. That word means so much to me, as to faith, as to my band, and as to my school.

When I was a teen, I was such a sad case in so many ways, but the Lord saw my poverty and reached out to me in my need. Our Mother, Mary, and her Rosary saved my life and gave me joy and a purpose in faith & music, mostly through a young group of friends who became my band and my faith family, Living Waters. (I also became an academic who loved research, learning, and teaching.) Here is a song that Mike and I wrote together, around the summer of ’78, in which the ‘thanksgiving’ just poured out of me. Click to listen: “Song of Love”. Many years of great music, faith, and friendship followed.

I continued to grow and experience so much! As time went on, I got married to Julia from the band, had kids and, late in the game, I began to teach Theology to high school kids, which seemed so perfect for me. Then, in 1999, I lost my job and most everything, and we had to leave the place where we were living immediately, with nowhere to go and a newborn baby! The mover we contracted to store our stuff took one look at our stuff and drove away, leaving us in an impossible quandary. I called my best friend in the band, Chuck Rossignol; within an hour, almost the whole band family showed up with two moving vans and moved our stuff into WHY storage in Nashua and got us set up at the Residence Inn in Merrimack! You cannot buy friendship like that; I am forever grateful for this kind of love they have always shown. Every Thanksgiving I truly celebrate how many blessings like this we have received from this group!

Around this time, I interviewed at Bishop Guertin and I was amazed at how active the service club and campus ministry was, how alive the spirit was, how perfectly the Brothers seemed to fit my own background and temperament. I prayed and prayed I could get in there – and the Lord heard my plea! I was SO happy and thankful! I told everybody that I felt I had ‘landed POW! right in a pot of jam’! I got up at the Faculty Meeting in the A/V Room and said ‘I LOVE this place!!. (Coach Mac used to make fun of me for this, but I would just say, ‘well, it’s TRUE’. It STILL is true!) It has been over 18 years and I know how blessed I am to be here. Here is a recent song I wrote to express this! Do What He Tells You to Do Video

This all fits our Catholic faith here at BG. A sacrifice of thanksgiving is what Abraham sought, the bread & wine offered by Melkizedek. Eucharist means, “thanksgiving” or “Good Gift”. We could not get a better gift than our Risen Lord truly present with us at Mass and in our life of faith and charity. I have been able to experience this fully in my band and in the wonderful school known as Bishop Guertin High School!

My band gave a song to Pope John Paul II, and, in recent years, we have won awards, thrived on line and worked on new recordings. You can read some of the stories of our band on our official blog AND you can listen to the music we have produced for over 40 years on Spotify and other streaming services. Here are some links below!

Living Waters Blog

Living Waters on Spotify

Living Waters on ReverbNation

My most recent work: Light of the World DEMO

Third Straight Week: Our Song is TRENDing!

Third Straight Week: Our Song is TRENDing!

LW's "L of the W" DEMO is indeed trending, 'cool clapping' and all.... 

*Clap!*   *Clap! Clap!*     *Clap!*   *Clap! Clap!*

This is so exciting! It's like a blast from our 70's past. Click the link and listen!!:

LW's Light of the World DEMO!

LW's L of the W DEMO!

LW's L of the W DEMO!

Light of the World DEMO

*click above! & listen

This is the GarageBand demo that prompted our current full-band studio recording efforts. I am very happy with the feel of what I did here, although the bass is NOT Dave at all. I include a prospective cover for your perusal as well. Think it is worth hearing. Enjoy!

Summer "So long"!

Summer "So long"!

"Love in Arms" Video Click this line to watch!

Living Waters couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye to the summer than this. Cantcha feel the love out here surround you?!!

You Should Listen 2 "YOU"!

You Should Listen 2 "YOU"!

"You" by Mike McBride on RN - Click on this line to listen!

Mike McBride's RN Site

Mike McBride has written another beautiful song! This one is a straight-out love song with no explicit theology, and it is all his own. (It is quite all right for talented Christian artists to make things of beauty that are not totally explicit on faith, btw! Mike certainly has expressed his faith very well already in his music.) This one has a gorgeous melody; it plays a lot with experimental key changes & arrangements. Josh Loell gets credit for producing, mixing & bringing this vision to life. It really is a thing of beauty, that's been getting amazing reactions so far.

Since Mike has returned to the group the last few years, he's had a musical renaissance, pouring out so many new songs. Some of them sound like his Living Waters style, and some he has performed with us, like "Save Me". But there are some that are Mike McBride as Mike McBride. It is our intention to put out an album, at some point, that includes all the work he has done during this time of musical rebirth. It will be in his own name, not "Living Waters" per se. (There is at least one more tune by him in the pipeline, so wait for that.) If you want to check out his newer catalog as a whole, & anticipate this coming album, you can click on his ReverbNation site link above. That is well worth the listen!

Meanwhile, work is ongoing this summer on old band songs, "Light of the World" & "Sing to Jesus" in preparation for a new LW album. That is so exciting! Mike also said he will be adding something to "Covenant Love". We are SO very happy to be sharing these blessings with you all!

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!

A Brand New Covenant Love!

"A Brand New Covenant Love"!

An earlier symbol used by the Covenant House ministry to runaways

Click this line below to listen!

"Covenant Love" New Studio Production

We are very pleased to present to you a new version of one or our classic concert songs, “Covenant Love”. I originally wrote out all the parts. Dave edited this along the way, and added his wonderfully authentic bass line. I spent a few days recording in my closet; I tried to give some idea how it sounded to hear this song in person back in the day. Josh added his wonderful mixing skills, and the result is a true Living Waters treasure. I don't think there is one of us who can hear this song and not remember the amazing 'anointing', power and joy we had back in those days. There was one church in Worcester, in particular, that I was remembering, where the hospital walkie-talkie kept breaking into our show all night! The local paper was impressed with us during this show and quoted this song and “Light of the World” in particular, at some length. (A new version of L of the W is coming soon, by the by!) Below, I reprint a previous discussion about how and why we became involved raising money for Covenant House in New York. Please, enjoy!

We were wearing these t-shirts at the time we visited Covenant House & raised money for them

Early on, the group was invited to play at St. Anselm College Chapel for a talk on behalf of Covenant House. [Ironically several LW kids have later gone to St. Anselm for school.] We were impressed by the plight of runaway kids in New York City. Many of them are snatched up by pimps and others into a world of white slavery, drug addiction and disease (something we call “human trafficking” today). Some of us especially Chuck Rossignol and Tony Vassel strove to make contact and see if we could help. (After all, Kids and teenagers were our ministry as well with our Confirmation days and youth-oriented concerts.) They met a fantastic guy with Covenant House named Joe Donnelly, who was a highly effective advocate and organizer. Chuck remains friendly with to this day as he works at the UN). We ended up doing fund-raisers and benefit concerts. Then, we went to stay at Covenant House right in Times Square [when it was really bad, pre-Giuliani]. We gave a concert there in the late 1978; this was when Omer Bourque was managing the group. I remember sleeping on the floor in the Chapel there and I actually lived there for two weeks. We did an early version of “Rock and Boat” (or “Boat of Peter”) with my guitar hooked up to a phlanger! Julia’s friend joined up with them and went to the Covenant House in South America for several years; they really do some great outreach.

St. Anselm where we first found out about Covenant House

Later, we came again and gave a concert right in the lobby of Covenant House for the kids. I had written a couple of songs specifically with them in mind. We performed “Covenant Love” there and we did it a lot in concert at that time. “In the streets of New York City, you’re a kid without a home…” This is one of which I’m pretty proud – it draws an analogy between the ‘covenant’ offered by the workers to the kids and the New Covenant the Risen Jesus makes with us in the Eucharist, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. This is also one of the few times we performed “Streetwalker”, which pictures one of these kids out there stuck in prostitution. The song got limited, I think, because it could be so easily misinterpreted if the context of Covenant House was not understood.

Later on in 1984, we were doing that big show at Providence Civic Center (when we had that whole “Prodigal Daughter” production going on). We were standing outside (waiting for the Union workers to carry our things a few feet further in order to wait for the next Union worker to carry it a little further!) Chuck heard us jamming unplugged on “Streetwalker” and he freaked, “That’s fanTAStic! It fits the theme of what we’re doing so well and it’s AWESOME…” or something to that effect. But then he had us play it through some more and decided we shouldn’t do it. I remember two reasons: it was ‘too upbeat’ and – once again – it could be misunderstood. So, it went by the boards and, probably, rightly so. But it sure is one cool, happening piece of jive.

(Mike McBride also did many related songs like “Prodigal Song”, "I Will Not Stay", or "Don't Run Away" which formed the backbone of the Prodigal Daughter show.) Here a couple songs mentioned in our story:

"Prodigal Song" Classic Live

"Streetwalker"

Summer Songs!

Summer Songs...

And some aren't. Mark Lajoie here. Just got some excellent news! It seems Josh is available in the studio this summer! I was thinking we could not expect that we would be producing music with him anytime soon, but it turns out this summer his studio is open for business. Mike and I have been doing some of our own work at home with GarageBand, but now we can work with Josh toward getting some exciting material made together.

The current project is our old concert staple, "Light of the World". I worked up most of it, but now Mike is adding keyboard and vocal, and Greg will add his classic guitar. It is already sounding so wonderful and so evocative of our early days! Be on the lookout soon for that.

Josh has said he wants to do more things with Mike and I, and "make magic happen". It seems the window is wide open for us. This is exciting! Can't wait to see what blessings await us.

In the meantime, you can check out what Mike and I have been doing. the two latest? "Hail Mary" and "Anna Post Writing".

LWReverbnation

LWSoundCloud

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!

Anna Post Writing!

Anna Post Writing!

I (Mark) have created a little GarageBand version of our old rocker, "Anna Post Writing"! Click the link (the words "Anna Post Writing" below)& have a listen!

Anna Post Writing!

The story told in this song is a little dated now; it's an imaginary story about a woman who loses her husband and loses herself in her job as a newspaper reporter. (Any relation to any real "Anna Post" is purely coincidental! It mentions papers and typing: very 1980's!) She is so lost, but, like St. Augustine ("tolle et lege"), she picks up the Bible and God's Spirit of Love speaks exactly what she needs to hear. She doesn't hold it against her estranged husband and reaches out to try to tell him about what she found.

This song was written during the time I was living at the McBride's in Natick (1982?) We didn't actually perform it that much but it was pretty cool when we did. This is not exactly how we did it. Greg used to really drive this. But I think I have captured the spirit of the song. Here is what I wrote to my band mates when I first worked this up on NoteWorthy Composer:

Mes amis,
Voici un chanson vraiment etrange. I kept in all the weird stuff, even the "creeping", the "crawling" and the "crying". Part of that bridge sort of reminds me now of nascent 'rapping' before it was cool and before it quite gets cool. All that notwithstanding, I think this is some really cooking '70's-type happening weirdness! What do you think?

And then Dave Babish replied thusly:

"Ahh - Anna Post. Perhaps, in my opinion, one of Living Waters' most "undersung" grooves, and perhaps one of the purest rockers. I found this one on tape while in college. A real showcase of the above-average Living Waters vocals in that chorus. Space for Tony to drive. The song that perhaps most deserves a pulsing lighting rig. The reason for Greg's high tops.

Mark, Greg, Dave, etc, I always liked how many of your songs were about a particular story, a particular experience. A lot of your music was written from first person:

"I see a boat on the horizon..."
"I prayed for you..."
"Make me free."
"When I look at myself and at others..."

Good stuff.
thanks,
Dave"

It really was one of our best pure 'rock' songs I think.

Quite a different story created out of a...PLAY ON WORDS!...imagine that.

Enjoy...Peace
Mark L.

Sacred Heart Playlist

Sacred Heart Playlist

We have created a collection of Mark's songs that mention the Loving Heart of Our Lord or have the Sacred Heart as its theme. These are the songs:

1. Home is Where the Heart Is

2. Forever

3. Carry On (live)

4. Jesus

5. Make Me Free

Make Me Free's first verse is directly based on the Sacred Heart Prayer that I memorized as a teenager after my conversion experience. Enjoy!

CLICK on this!

Sacred Heart Playlist on Spotify!

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!

Ave Maria....

Ave Maria....

"Hail Mary" song Click this to listen!

Mike has worked up a new song version of the "Hail Mary" prayer on GarageBand. It's beautiful! In Latin, that is "Ave Maria". During the times of persecution, the earliest Christians used various monograms on the walls of the Roman catacombs where they hid. One of the commonest was the 'chi-rho', a 'p' over an 'x', symbolizing Christ, which most of us are familiar with, or the 'p' with an 'e' under it for the keys of St. Peter. According to archaeologist Margherita Guarducci, another popular monogram was an 'A' over an 'M', for "Ave Maria". The words of the Angel Gabriel were being used as a prayer even then. "The Almighty has done great things for me....all generations shall call me blessed...."

There are many wonderful versions of the "Ave Maria". We are happy to present one created by one of us, Mike McBride, that is pretty wonderful. Enjoy!

Peace & Love & JOY,
Mark LaJOIE!

“When He Came Into My Life" He set my heart on FIRE! 2017

“When He Came Into My Life" He set my heart on FIRE! 2017

c. 1978; left 2 right:  Mark Lajoie, Danny Gagnon, Chuck, Jimmy, Joline, Mike & Dave out of sight

"When He Came Into My Life" Click this to listen!

This is a VERY old song written by Danny Gagnon & Dave Bourque back at the very beginning in the 70's. Mike's been busy using GarageBand himself, so! I thought I should get off the snide and do something, too.

In the early days, Danny & his brother Jimmy Gagnon were in the group. Jimmy was our drummer for those first few years and also with our secular band which we called Siloam [another water reference; that became a problem to pronounce just like in that movie “That Thing You Do” where no one can figure out “The Oneders” is pronounced “Wonders” and not “O-need-ers”!]. Danny played guitar and sang and he really wanted to write songs, too. Dave Bourque seemed to help him every time (except for “He’ll Be There” which involved Beth Medeiros?) It’s funny because sometimes Dave and Danny could get testy with each other, too, but they did manage to write some good songs. The one song the group embraced totally and used extensively was “The Lord Will Come” and I sure wish we had that one on tape somewhere! It included an awesome bass line contributed by Dave and I think the dancers did something, too. I have one flash of memory of Danny singing that song for the Steubenville Youth Conference (1978?) and it was wonderful! It got quite a reaction.

I do have one song to offer in regards to Danny. I took one song he and Dave wrote and tried to write it up on the Noteworthy Composer midi program you see featured on this site. In the process, I altered the arrangement and presentation. I had always imagined a bass line in my head for this that was never actually done and that is what I put down here. In that regard it’s similar to “The Lord Will Come”: Gagnon melody, Bourque-like bass line.

I asked Danny if it was OK to use his song and he said it was. I like the simple emotion of the lyrics: ‘He really helped me when it was bad; He can help you, too’! That’s what Danny is still saying I guess in everything he’s doing now.

Enjoy!
Mark Lajoie

Mike & Mike Again!

Now...and then! Mike now with his daughter, Clio, & back in the day with Eddie McKay & co.

Mike & Mike Again!

Mike has been hard at work, not in the studio, but by himself now, using GarageBand. He is especially doing re-makes of our old Living Waters concert songs written by him. (Btw, Mark, now that he's done teaching, has also produced something new from something very old on GarageBand.) We thought it would be interesting to put the old and the new side-by-each and let everyone take a listen.

First, let's listen to one of my favorites, "You Were There". We have often - and recently - used it for our weddings. First, let's listen to a classic (shortened) concert version:

"You Were There (live)"

and, then, the new version! The lyrics are a little different:

"You Were There 2017"

Mike has also re-done "With You I Am" into a totally different style. Here, we have an old 'classic live' version from way back and the brand new creation!:

With You I Am (classic live)

With You I Am 2017

Mike has also done his own version of a "Hail Mary". He is on fire!! Stay tuned for more from him...and me!

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!

"Home is Where the Heart Is” [live] Redux!

{A re-print about the song that is on our latest album, "Still Flowing"}

Home is Where the Heart Is (live with the whole band) 

click this line above to hear the song

*a picture of my dad, who fought in the Solomon Islands during WWII; his conversion story is told in the entry entitled "Booze Blues Cruise" on this blog


This song was almost like a prediction.  I will explain that in a moment.  It’s a unique song in that I wrote it with no consciousness of Living Waters at all.  At the time, in my mind, Living Waters was moribund as a performance group. We had become inactive.  There was not the slightest expectation I would ever do the song with them.  Well, lo and behold, the 2004 Reunion happened and, while we were practicing and planning, as an afterthought, I brought out this song.  Someone must have asked if I had written anything in those past few years.  Well, this was it.  It gelled almost instantly.  I believe we were practicing in Tony’s cellar.  In our more recent jams this past year, this is one we’re going to every time.  We love it, and why not?  It doesn’t get anymore JOYous than E-ternal life, my friend!  The transition from the bracketing quiet intro and ending with that catchy, rejoicing cant in the middle alludes to both the solemnity and desperateness AND the total joy of the death experience.  I left the final chord unresolved on purpose to hint at eternity.

I remember walking outside in Hudson, MA when this song dropped on me like a rock.  This was a horribly stressful time when we were losing everything.  In the song, I felt deeply what it must feel like to be at the dying moment, feeling my trust in my Savior being stretched and tested to the ripping point as I struggled with accepting the process of what felt like dying.  It was amazingly real.  And then came the blessed answer:  the Heart of the Lord.  The pierced Sacred Heart is the ultimate symbol of just how much we can trust Jesus.  The answer:  make my heart like your own Heart.  As long as we give all we have in love, we are already at home with the Lord and dying is just a minor transition.

And now for the prediction part. The next year my father died with great suffering.  And then the following year, my mother died.  It felt like the song was a gift meant to prepare me for these two things. I was able to be with my mother and it was a holy death.  She had had an operation for water on the brain a few years back.  It was done by the man who invented it and he had a success rate of 99% or something.  Well, this was the 1%.  My mother lost most of her short term memory.  Do you know how bad people get worse as they age and good people get better?  With her filter gone, the kindliness and sweet charity my mother had built up came flowing out, the fruit of a lifetime of virtue.  All of the VA loved her so much.  She was a saint.  It was then in 2001, watching my mother die, that it fully struck me what the song had been about all along.  It had predicted what happened with my parents.  It was a perfect preparation for my experience with my mother.  I eulogized her at her funeral Mass and testified to everyone there about the fact that she and my dad had PROVED that to live in the love of God is eternally worthwhile.

This live band version captures classic Living Waters at its best: Dave, Denise & I blending  our vocals, Greg's stellar rhythm/lead driving us, Tony playing in his familiar and brilliant style. So vibrant! So exciting! I hope you like it!

Timely Title! "Sunrise"

Timely Title! "Sunrise"

Well!




Mike has been busy making his own new music on Garageband. The Living Waters family rejoices in this tune, just in time for the ultimate Son Rise, Easter! It is beautiful. Enjoy it in good spiritual health.

Click the link!

Water Words in "Still FLOWing"!

Water Words in "Still FLOWing"!

Still Flowing on Spotify

Still Flowing on Bandcamp

Still Flowing on Reverbnation

Still Flowing on Soundcloud

Water words doing in here? Obviously, that often present word, "flow" is included in the title! Here are some of the other 'water' references found in our newest album:

1.     Booze Blues Cruise     

(First, there are wave and wind sounds at very end if you listen closely!)

The whole song concerns a figurative ship in a bottle

"Let the Spir-it come in, let it blow a-way 

Let it wash me in the seas Let my ship out of this bot-tle With a gen-tle warm-ing wind Let the wind in my sails, let it blow a-way Let me be born a-gain"
[Sailing references remind us of our previous "Rock and Boat (Boat of Peter)"]

2.     Take Me

"So, steady ahead & we will get to end, & we will catch eternity"

(This is a sailing term, that connects to the previous song). It is about going home, which makes us think of St. Therese of Lisieux's "The world is thy ship and not thy home".

3.     Home is Where the Heart Is

"A tear rolls down my cheek as I lay dying" This continues the FLOW of the home theme from "Take Me".

In

8.     Let Me In

Rain and flowing water sounds begin and end the track!

9.     Forever

"You were born in blood & pain

my blood fell like rain from the Altar of my Love."

This connects to the sounds from the previous song! The Blood & Water referred to in John 19 and the First Letter of John point to Baptism & Eucharist.

11.   Tell the Whole World Lots of WIND in this one, which reminds us of Booze Blues Cruise, though water is not mentioned directly. Pentecost, though dominated by fire & wind, ends with the Baptism of thousands.

12.   City of Joy (Reprise)

"There is a place to go where joy will OVERFLOW"  This song connects back to "City of Joy" in both "Refresh" and "The Joy".

And our cover is the Falls of Songs, which resemble our Refresh waterfall, the flowing stream of "Alive Again", and Niagara Falls on "The Joy".

Written on March 19, 2017, Living Waters Sunday when the Gospel is John 4.

Mark A. LaJOIE!

The FLOW in "Still Flowing": Forever in love....

The FLOW in "Still Flowing": Forever in love....

There is a LOT of thematic AND sonic flow in our new album, "Still Flowing"! We've noted some things already in recent posts. This album brings up a lot of the transitory difficult things we face in this life: the death of loved ones, the trap of sinful or addictive behavior and loneliness, and so on. And, yet, because of the Lord's Mercy from the Cross, precisely in these things we can hear the echo of "forever", the scent of heavenly incense. Listen to "Stay" (which Mike had thought of calling "Forever in Love"), and, then, "Forever". Married covenant love, and all its struggles, leads us to Calvary and....FOREVER! Listen to one and then the other, and find out what you hear and see.

"Still Flowing" on Spotify

"Still Flowing" on Reverb