Mark's Most Memorable Albums!

Mark Lajoie has been the lead singer in the band, a composer, arranger, et al. SO! He has had some affect on the type of music Living Waters has produced. Our lead guitarist Greg's love of Rush, The Who and U2, among others, has certainly had an impact. Tony's mastery of jazz drums, Mike being a main songwriter, as well, have added to the flavor. Everybody who's sung or played has contributed a piece to what LW is. But it would be interesting to see what has influenced Mark. Going in time order, Let us join Mark as he lists his top most influential albums:

1.    "Meet the Beatles"!

I was seven when the family went to Roseland Restaurant in Augusta, ME circa 1964. They used to have jukeboxes right in the booths where you could put in the tunes, and they would play throughout the restaurant. I don't know why my dad kept feeding me the quarters, but I played "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" about 13 times in a row! Soon the whole restaurant was looking over at our booth - I can't say that I blame them! I watched the Ed Sullivan show, listened to their other songs from that first album released in the US. As an addendum, later on that year, I walked into Woolworth's five-and-dime and bought my first single with my own money; it was "Hard Day's Night/I Should Have Known Better".

This built upon listening to all my brother Danny's 45s when I was younger than this: these included Everly Brothers, Motown, teen idols, and a lot of Dion. Later on, when LW members played school dances and such as a secular band, called "Siloam"(!), we actually performed several of the songs from these early albums.

2.    "Peter, Paul & Mary"

This would soon include the folk rock of the Byrds, and others. This happened because after taking advantage of Danny's 45s, I began to devour Don's LP albums during the mid-60s! One I wore out over and over was the double live album by PP & M. This included "Jesus Met the Woman", "Rock My Soul", "The Hour That the Ship Comes In" and more. This affected me! You can hear some of this in the demos I made of "A Stand of Courage" and "Ring the Judas Bell", which also has a fuzz bass like the next entry....

3.    "Rubber Soul"

You may think I wore out PP & M?? Well! I just consumed Rubber Soul! The first fuzz bass ever was in "Think For Yourself". Dave came up with the intro to "Sing to Jesus", but I ran with it in a Rubber Soulish direction; it sure sounds kind of like "I've Just Seen a Face", doesn't it? Of course, all the other Beatles stuff found its way to my ears. You can hear later John Lennon in my "Booze Blues Cruise".

4.    Classical Music

I got very tuned into chorale-style classical music. At one point, I sang in the city chorus doing "Seven Last Words of Christ" on the altar at St. Augustine's in Augusta. I absolutely loved Handel's "Messiah", and that played a BIG part in my conversion experience later at 15. A love for the Romantic composers was followed by an obsession with Bach and Mozart. As an older adult? Vivaldi is my man.

5.    "Best of Cream"

Around 1970 or so, at a time when I felt very lost, I immersed myself in Top 40 radio (a great time to do it, as it turns out), but I once again appropriated one of Danny's albums, The Best of Cream. I just loved it! What a discovery for me! I especially loved "Badge". I had gotten a cheapo $20 guitar from A & P grocery store. I would figure out how to play some of it by ear. Sometime that guitar was missing strings, but that didn't stop me! I just re-tuned it any old way I could get it  to talk for me. My very first recording was of "White Room" where I laid down the bass on a cassette recorder and then played the lead over it. I did the same thing with Ringo Starr's "It Don't Come Easy".

6.    "Boston - Boston"

The very year our band officially started, when we were living at the retreat center, and were playing music on a regular basis, one of us bought this album. I remember Jim, Mike, and the guys were in Dave's apartment, and put on this album. Our jaws hung to the floor. This was incredible! The local connection was big for us, being in the same area as them. We even tried to do "More Than a Feeling" for Mike Higgins' wedding reception, where we played as "Siloam". No one can do that like Boston. You can hear their influence in a LOT of ways!

7.    "Servant - Shallow Water"

Here's where the early classic Christian Rock began to affect us. It was hard to get this cassette!! And it was rushed out so fast, the song order was messed up! But I listened to this SO many times, and then to "Rockin' Revival". I would drive around in my 1970 Mercury Marauder, windows open, blasting this album. They seemed to be very genuine people. I lost track of them when they segued to 80s-type albums. Some of us went to go see one of their live concerts in Mass., and even helped them to load their bus after. That was one of the best concerts I ever saw. That affected me!

8.    "JMT - The Lord's Supper"

John Michael Talbot was a leading Christian music guy, who became somewhat of a contemplative monk-style musician. We were Catholics, so I knew this album would be right up our alley; I didn't know how utterly impressive the songwriting, arrangements & orchestration would be! It is a masterpiece. We actually regularly did a couple of responses from this album when we did weddings, Confirmations and such, as we often did. We got to play a concert with him in 1988, which is a precious gift indeed. I later also enjoyed "Heart of the Shepherd", "Come to the Quiet" and others.

9.    "2nd Chapter of Acts - Rejoice"

I went out to Estes Park a couple of times in the early 80s, to the Christian Songwriters' Conference, once by myself, once with Mike. I really began to radically tune in to those doing similar music to what we were doing. The classical-tinged power vocals of the Wards just utterly floored me. I latched onto this album in particular, because it featured the matchless guitar of Kerry Livgren of Kansas. Perhaps you can catch a whiff of this album in some of the later songs I wrote. At one point, I was singing "Bread of Life" with a choir I had.

10.    Christian music - all sorts

(U2 was a major influence on us in so many ways, but I am not including them. I feel like they sold out in several ways; I don't want to patronize them. They were an adjunct to Christian music in the 80's and 90's, but I will not talk about them here.) I will toss in a couple of other Christian albums that I wore out and had a big effect on me. Phil Keaggy's "Play Through Me" is one, and "Something New Under the Sun" by Larry Norman is another. I've definitely had a bluesy streak in me, as in "Roll the Rock Over" or "It's Not the Same", and I think Mr. Norman probably helped with that. There is so much more music of all sorts that I could mention, but I think I've hit the big ones that are part of me and colored my writing style. :)

I hope you enjoyed this little tour. Go and listen to some of these and then listen to Living Waters, and see what you can hear!

Pentecost Has COME!

 

A Reflection by Mark Lajoie

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, ‘What are we to do, my brothers?’

Peter [said] to them, ‘Repent and be baptized,^* every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

– Acts 2:37-38

 

“What are we to do?”, the crowd at Pentecost asked. How can we find peace, and be saved? We are all in this most crucial predicament.

In today’s Gospel, the Risen Christ comes through the locked doors on Easter night, and appears, in order to give to His Apostles the great Gift that solves this dilemma for us all:
“Peace be with you”, He said…
“Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Why is this the Gospel for Pentecost? This took place 50 days before the Birth of the Church in the Upper Room. Why? Because Easter night is the moment the King gave the Apostles the power to do what they did as His official representatives, as promised, on that glorious day of Pentecost fifty days later. They received the Gift so we all can receive the Gift. Because they are made Bishops and Shepherds in persona Christi, we sheep can be fed and led in the power of grace.
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”  

All of creation, all of salvation history had been leading up to that Day which Joel and The Prophets foresaw, when all could receive God’s Spirit. As St. Paul remarked, the Apostles are appointed as “ministers of Reconciliation”. Forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace came on Pentecost through the Baptism of 3000, and the first “breaking of the Bread”. The Lord’s Spirit, the “Father of the Poor”, as today’s Sequence calls Him, is ‘poured out’ on their neediness through the teaching of Peter and the Sacraments of the Apostles.

The first reading tells us the exquisite timing; because it was an important Jewish feast, “there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven”. This new and perfectly fulfilled ‘Davidic Kingdom’ was meant to bring perfect unity from total diversity, to bring that long-desired peace and holiness through the Apostles. All those thousands Peter and the Apostles baptized, all those to whom they gave the Sweet Bread of Life that day, went back to every part of the world with the Good News. From Day One, the Church is one, holy, Catholic (universal) and Apostolic, first given to these Jews of all places, and then, to all Gentiles and to the ends of the earth.

The message from this day is clear: You can find out what to do! You can find holiness and be saved, wherever you are from or whoever you are! What must we do? Repent and change our hearts! Be baptized! Listen to the sure teaching passed down by Peter and the Apostles and recognize Christ in the breaking of the Bread as the two disciples did in Emmaus! RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT in the Sacraments instituted by the King!

And, so, it has come to us the baptized today through the Church. I can turn to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation; I can go to Mass, I can pray and intercede with power, filled with grace, just like that Mother of the Cenacle with whom I am now praying every day. It is a great Gift, this Holy Spirit, in my daily life, in my heart of hearts.
 
But with a great Gift? comes great responsibility! In one of the optional readings for today, Galatians teaches,
“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.”
In the Gospel for the Vigil for today, Jesus promises:
"’Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.
As Scripture says:
‘Rivers of Living Water will flow from within him who believes in me.’
He said this in reference to the Spirit
that those who came to believe in him were to receive.”

Every one of us can “belong to Christ Jesus”, can be that one who believes, so that he can receive THE Gift! the Gift of the Holy Spirit, which flows for us poor sinners; it flows for those who are ready to give Him their entire hearts and lives! It is a worthy and gracious exchange: we give him what little we have, and He gives us Himself; He gives us Everything. Let us together receive this Gift in Communion and Charity.

AMETUR COR JESU!

Loved be the Sacred Heart of Jesus…Who gave us this Greatest Gift!

 

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into Heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and Your Love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the Light of Your Divine Truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence toward God and may dread in any way to displease You.  Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit.  Amen.

Pentecost Playlist by LW on Spotify 

 Pentecost is Coming!

On Day One of the Church, three thousand received forgiveness through Baptism, the "breaking of the Bread", and the Gift of powerful prayer. Let us pray these next few days with the Apostles and Mary in the Cenacle, that, on Pentecost, we too may be filled to the fullest with grace!

Pentecost Playlist on RN
Pentecost Playlist on Spotify

Looking at Videos!

 Looking at Videos!

With the recent great success of our video, "Let It Reign", we thought we'd take a look at a few of the other videos we have on "LivingWatersUtube". (CLICK!)

If you put them in order of popularity, the next most popular is our fun skit, "The Parable of the Talents", captured at a 2004 concert. Third most popular is, "Booze Blues Cruise", a song we never actually did in concert; it has just a few pictures used for the video, with emphasis on the music. We have several photo montages like "Do What He Tells You to Do", which comes in fourth. Our first photo montage, showing a rough history of the group, comes in at number five, and is appropriately backed with "Love's in a Name".

After that, it is worth noting several of these. Mary Gillis' loving tribute, "Lonely Dancer" is something VERY special to us. We have a lot of rough concert clips here, notably "Love in Arms" played just a few years ago. There are several photo productions that have gotten some attention, like Mike's "Take Me" and "Stay!" and the recent very successful song "Anna Post Writing" put to video. A couple of Mark's older songs, "This Loving Stream" and "Perfect Gift Song" were captured back on his wedding day. We did also put our first podcast out here. 

There's so much we've managed to save, create or otherwise present to you. We invite you to join, peruse, and celebrate with JOY the Good God's goodness to our family!

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