Easter Playlist from Living Waters on RN

Easter Playlist from Living Waters on RN

Easter Playlist from Living Waters on ReverbNation CLICK

The Easter Season has begun! Here is a short LW Playlist which includes "Light of the World" from the new album. "Roll the Rock Over" is an old salvaged tape where the volume goes low on you, but it is well worth turning up the volume!

1. Alive Again

2. Light of the World

3. Save Me From Myself

4. Roll the Rock Over (classic live)

5. Forever

Easter Playlist from Living Waters on ReverbNation CLICK

Living Waters Social Media Milestones

Living Waters Social Media Milestones

ReverbNation Fan Stats as of 5/5/2018

We've been on these internets since 2011. It was a thrill finding and posting our old music, & to start creating new recordings. I have to say, though, I (Mark) made a lot of mistakes of many kinds at first, trying to 'promote' our music. Apologies to any who were adversely affected at that time; we pray that love may cover over such sins!

In the end, I decided to try and take a more organic approach, making each direct encounter as real as possible, refraining from 'techniques' or gimmicks as much as possible. And, slowly and steadily, we have made a lot of good friends and have reached a lot of people in many places.

The current look of our Twitter site....

So, now, we can announce that we have reached the 9000 level on Twitter AND the 4000 level for our band site on Facebook.

A glimpse of our FB, which features a rolling video of our album covers....

SO! Overall, we now have over 21,000 fans on our many sites.

Such numbers don't mean a whole lot in the eternal picture, but we will rejoice in any sign that our seeds are indeed being planted and WATERed! ;)

We are by no means done, though we are getting older, no doubt. Recording is still going on and our faith and unity are "still FLOWing", to turn a phrase. Please, come check it out, and REFRESH!!

Peace & Love & JOY!

Mark LaJOIE!

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 New Album: "City of Joy"...AGAIN

The New Album: "City of Joy"...AGAIN!

Our newest album has roots in our previous work. One of the strongest tethers of connection is our song, "City of Joy". It was partially inspired by the book of that name and also by the appearance of the Christ child to St. Francis at the first live creche scene in Greccio, Italy, in 1222. The live version we did was included on both "Refresh" AND "The Joy"! That is a little low in volume, but the performance was scintillating. The drive of bass, guitar and drums was perfect, and I don't think we ever performed the vocals better...and it all got caught on tape! Here is that version: 

"City of Joy (live)" on Spotify

In the early 90's, we tried to capture the song on multi-track. In fact, the album we never did quite finish at that time was going to be named "City of Joy". This version was definitely not as good in comparison with the live version, but I include it here for comparison purposes:

"City of Joy (multi-track)" on ReverbNation

On that intended album, I (Mark) had had an idea of doing a short 'Reprise' of "City of Joy" at the end of the album. In recent years, I worked up exactly how that would have sounded, if we'd managed to record it. And now! We end our latest album with this very Reprise, only delayed by about 20 years! Here is that latest work!

"City of Joy (Reprise)" on Spotify

This song has gotten quite a response. My favorite comment is this: "Listening to City Of Joy now, I hear a blend of vocal harmonies most of us can only dream of..." Thanks so much, guys!

— The Stonehouse Band

True joy lies in total sacrificial devotion to ever-flowing Mercy of the Lord's Heart. Nothing can be truer or more real or more beautiful. His Joy and Mercy are "Still Flowing" for YOU!

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!

“Take Me” on Video!

Take Me Video (Click this to go to LivingWatersUTube)
Take Me Video on Reverbnation

 

We are so happy to present a new video for Mike’s beautiful song, “Take Me”. It is the second track in our new collection, “Still Flowing”, and it is a thematic and sonic tone-setter for the whole album. When Mike ‘came back’ to us, he was finally free to let out a torrent of fantastic musical expression and this was the first big result. On the album, the song flows quite naturally into the next song, “Home is Where the Heart Is”, as it expresses that yearning to “take me home with You”.

Mike told me the trigger for the song was the awful shootings at the theater in Colorado, and then what happened at our own Boston Marathon. (I’ve included photos from those incidents.) It is about that terrible pain when you lose someone you love, and, yet, your deep knowledge of the Lord lets you know they’re all right. And you want to be with them, but, more, your heart wants to beat with that Heart Who is the Unbeatable Source of all goodness, truth and beauty, the Heart that provides this ideal solace in the first place.

I tried to express all this in the pictures I chose for the collage. Included is a famous picture of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati climbing the mountain cliff; his saying was “verso l’alto” (“to the top” or "to the highest”). He wanted the Lord to take Him home, by making every effort, by His Grace, to be holy, to love and give to the poor all the way. I also have a relevant saying of Saint Therese: “The world’s thy ship and not thy home”. Both of these are modern young people who died in an untimely manner at 24 years old. (I hadn't realized this till after the video was done!) This is perfect for this song and gives us hope in the middle of senseless tragedy. The theme is quite appropriate to this “Year of Mercy” and provides the Gospel answer to the accelerating violence and dehumanization in the world today.

So, without further ‘adieu’, I present to you the video for “Take Me”.

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!
https://www.reverbnation.com/artist/video/14696009

New Album! "Still Flowing"

New Album! "Still Flowing"

*Now on all major sites!

12/28/2016

Click here to listen to the album on Reverbnation!

Click here to go to Bandcamp to listen or buy!

As of December 28, 2016!

Click here to stream on Spotify!

Click here to buy on Amazon Mp3!

This is a collection of some of our recent work. Josh Loell has been the producer on most of these, doing a real pro job especially on Mike's songs. A few I had worked up only on Garageband with some help from Josh, so the quality is somewhat uneven, but I think these are all worth hearing. One special treat is a full-band live version of "Home is Where the Heart Is"; that is special! 

There is a theme: this is not shying away from 'negative' feelings and situations, but discovering that that is precisely where Our Merciful Lord is found. There is the struggle with alcoholism in "Booze Blues Cruise", the desperation and loss of "Take Me", dealing with death & loneliness, the need to be saved from oneself, the realization we are all sinners, the realization I need to be a Good Samaritan, and so on. Bono had recently said he wished Christian rock bands today could 'get real'. I really think this does that.

The picture was taken at the Falls of Song in New Hampshire and is oh so appropriate, n'est-ce pas?

The title is not only a reference to the fact that we've been continuing to make & play music. It is a deep realization that the grace flowing from his pierced Heart is continuing to flow uniting our faith family in the midst of all our troubles, & that nothing can ever stop it. It is Living Waters, man!

Please, listen, come to this Water...it is still FLOWing for you....

Peace & Love & JOY,

Mark LaJOIE!