Jesus Punk

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Ableton's Little Drummer Toy Sequencer App

Ableton has published a holiday themed sequencer that lives in a web page. I’ve seen a few simple web drum machines and sequencers, but this one is special. The interface is super cool and unexpected with a toolbox of great sounds. It probably won’t be around for long so check it out now!

Little Drummer Toy

Ableton’s Little Drummer Toy Sequencer App was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Beautiful Video of Skiing through the Alaskan Wilderness in Light Suits

From the depth of the creative visuals to the groundbreaking, never-been-done-before scale of the shoot, Afterglow is being hailed as one of the most cinematically profound ski movies ever made. Deep pillows and Alaskan pines, all filmed at night, with massive lights, custom made LED suits, and a national governments worth of logistics, planning, and civil engineering.

Beautiful Video of Skiing through the Alaskan Wilderness in Light Suits was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Humble Beast introduces Drum Season Sounds

We’re big fans of the Humble Beast record label. And as music producers, it’s doubly exciting they’ve started a sound design segment called Drum Season. Their first product includes 100+ sounds taken directly from the mix sessions of the “Fly Exam” album by JGivens. I can’t wait to start playing with these in Ableton.

Check out the intro video and notice the sick new Ableton Push 2 controller he’s using.

Drum Season Fly Exam Kit

Preview or Purchase

Humble Beast introduces Drum Season Sounds was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Salvation and Liberation

I’ve been contemplating two words lately, “SALVATION” and “LIBERATION”. I feel as if most believers in Jesus have barely scratched the surface in their awareness of these two words. They are ancient and powerful concepts. More than concepts, they are some of the deepest longings of the human heart.

I feel as if so much of what I have been experiencing these last few years is a genuine salvation or liberation in my soul! The revelation of Jesus Christ actually does bring a full and wholistic realization of freedom. A whole new world has been discovered. I feel so free to love, to live, to be myself!!!

Have you contemplated what salvation and/or liberation truly means? Have you considered the many paths that religion has tried to offer to achieve these realities? Do you know how complete, unique, and far reaching is the scope of salvation that is offered in Christ?

The Bible says, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) This is a powerful statement. It sounds intolerant, or disempowering to many in today’s world. But, is it so? What is salvation really?

Most Christians do not seem to have a salvation experience truly manifesting in their lives. So, Jesus has come off as just another random teacher, or maybe one among many concepts or ideas. My experience has been FAR DIFFERENT! Like I mentioned before, I literally feel a passion and ability to love and live healthy flowing through my being like a river…WOW! It is real and incredibly exhilarating! And, I know that it was not self-initiated, nor due to some secret knowledge!

I am coming to appreciate Jesus Christ more and more in the fullness of who He is, what He did, and what He gives. I sincerely believe that there is power and transformation here available. Yet, one must come to see Jesus as more than just a word, a vague idea, or another voice among many. The richness that is in Christ is vast and we are literally just scratching the surface.

I will continue to share over the years of the riches of this God-man, and His salvation. My point in this short blog is just to ask us, “Have you considered what it is that Jesus Christ really offers?” “Are you certain that you have contemplated the scope of His life and teaching?” “What is liberation, really?” “Is salvation about escaping hell, and going to heaven someday, or is it something far greater?” “Could we actually live free, happy, and healthy in this life?”

I see in Christ an everlasting and extravagant solution to the “human predicament”! I have seen it nowhere else. These are bold claims. They are almost ludicrous claims considering the current state of “Christianity”. Yet, what if Christ has something that Christianity has almost altogether missed?

Salvation… Liberation… Joy… Love… Real Life!

If anything, my heart here is that maybe whoever reads this would take just a few extra minutes the next few days and weeks and quietly ponder salvation and liberation in the light of Jesus Christ…

Find a quiet place. Contemplate. Maybe read Romans chapter six, or Colossians chapter three. Look at what He’s done, for real, for us all!

– Matt

Originally posted at: http://www.thefirehouseprojects.com/salvation-and-liberation/

Salvation and Liberation was originally published on Jesus Punk

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The Illustrated Signs of Austin by Reagan Ray

Reagan Rae is a fellow Austinite, web wrangler, designer, and all-round nice guy. We’re excited to feature his side project exploring the iconic hand-made signs of Austin through the lens of vector art. In this series of illustrations Reagan gives you a snapshot of some of Austin’s most recognizable sign art. These unique signs are pillars of the “Keep it Weird” scene and in some cases all that remains as Austin’s population explosion continues to rework the landscape of our once quaint town.

See the full Set

The Illustrated Signs of Austin by Reagan Ray was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Artist Recreates Renaissance Paintings with Blue Collar Workers

Freddy Fabris has been working as a photographer in the advertising industry for 16 years. He shoots fantastic images that capture detail and emotion. In this series he’s recreated a series of famous renaissance paintings using blue-collar mechanics in the shop.

View the Full Series

Artist Recreates Renaissance Paintings with Blue Collar Workers was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Airborne, Anchored - Breathing Life into A Lost Art Form

http://jesuspunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Noah_preview.m4a Noah

Airborne, Anchored — “The Winter Taught Us Fire”

ALBUM REVIEW

As the digital age keeps changing the manner in which we listen to, purchase and consume music, the industry in part has taken the direction of push-button marketing. By this we have seen the rise of the single and the decline of the cohesive album and EP. While the digital formats have brought greater exposure to artists who would have been nobodies 20 years ago, the consumer patterns of millenials have lead to the decline of a precious art form—The EP

Airborne, Anchored “The Winter Taught Us Fire” EP has brought with it a resurgence charging towards the reclamation of the lost art of the EP. Although only 6 tracks, each song is beautifully crafted and can work as a single. But the genius of this work is how the tracks can function as singles but also all fit together cohesively to make an album centered around a similar theme and substance–a breath of fresh hair amidst a market heavy with so-called albums that push two or three singles then are filled with filler, low-quality songs. “The Winter Taught Us Fire” EP may sacrifice quantity for quality, but is well worth it.

Sonically Airborne, Anchored’s debut EP has a lo-fi charm which pays homage to cult favorites such as Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago” or Dustin Kenrue’s “Please Come Home”. Comparisons do not do justice as the EP is very much it’s own original sound. The Lo-Fi recording quality provides a much needed space between tracks and room to breathe within the songs themselves which allows the listener to really hear, feel and consider the movement of each song. The production quality of the EP overall is solid, but the fact that it is not over-produced with extra bells and whistles makes each song more impactful.

Lyrically, this album’s poetic flourish is breathtaking. Most of the tracks could work as stand-alone poems if we were to remove the music and put them in a chapbook. The meter and pacing of the lyrics along with the layering of images leaves the listener with a lot to consider. The space of the lo-fi production allows the lyrics to take on life, and the undertones of biblical allusion bubble to the surface. All in all, the lyrical experience is thought-provoking, honest, dark in places but simultaneously hopeful. Do not be fooled, this is not a heady, intellectual album. Lyrically, the greatest triumph is how the words and music come together allow the listener to draw his or her own conclusions but will not let them escape without actually feeling something.

All things considered, this album is a breath of fresh air and well worth the $6 it costs. Six strong, well-crafted, gorgeous songs in one place is a rarity in today’s musical landscape. Kudos, Airborne, Anchored!

Buy on Amazon Buy on iTunes

The Cover Art is an original piece by Dylan Kennedy Murals.

Airborne, Anchored – Breathing Life into A Lost Art Form was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Graphic Designer Makes Stunning Lego Creations

When Kosmas Santosa, an Indonesian graphic designer, bought his son a Lego set for his third birthday it sparked a passion. Kos has now has an army of amazing Lego creations depicting everything from common household items to wild creations.

See More Creations from Kos

Graphic Designer Makes Stunning Lego Creations was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Sonic Artist Creates Music with Electric Currents from Plants

FROM MOTHERBOARD: In this episode of Sound Builders, we went to Los Angeles, to meet with Mileece. She’s a sonic artist and environmental designer who’s developed the technology to give silent seedlings a portal to their own sonic expression.

Channeling a plant’s sentience into an instrument is no obvious feat. Mileece’s background as an audiophile and programmer dovetailed to turn a garden into an organic medium for music. She pulls this off by attaching electrodes to leafy limbs, which conduct the bio-electric emissions coming off living plants. The micro-voltage then gets sucked into her self-authored software, turning data into ambient melodies and harmonic frequencies.

It’s simply not enough for these green little squirts to just spit out noise. All this generative organic electronic music must sound beautiful, too. As a renewable energy ambassador, Mileece’s larger goal behind her plant music is to enhance our relationship with nature. And if plant music can have a pleasing aesthetic articulation then hopefully we all can give a greater damn about our environment.

While some may see the paradox in an organic medium generating electronic music, Mileece does not. She sees this as a symbiotic relationship, a vital one, and one that hints to a larger relationship she’s been trying to unify, which is that between humans and nature.

To learn more about harnessing the power of music, also check out “The Distortion of Sound,” a new documentary about the decline of high-fidelity sound: http://distortionofsound.com/

Watch Episode 1: http://bit.ly/Xdj2p5

Check out Sound Builders season 1: http://bit.ly/1qCzF9t

Sonic Artist Creates Music with Electric Currents from Plants was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Richard Silver's Vertical Churches

Richard Silver, a New York based photographer, travels the globe in search of interesting snaps of life, art, and landscape. In his Vertical Churches series Silver captures fantastic vertical panoramas of intricately crafted church ceilings. The floor-eye view presents a wonderful symmetry, turning architecture into fine art.

See More of Richard’s Work

Richard Silver’s Vertical Churches was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Totally Free

Rollerskating used to be everywhere, but these days it’s nearly impossible to find people on roller skates. ‘Totally Free’ is a short documentary that explores these weirdly wonderful roller skaters, how they got into skating and why it keeps them alive. Experience total freedom on eight wheels in San Francisco, a city where anything goes.

Director and Editor: Daniel Soares (danielsoares.me) Camera: Noe Chavez & Brian Frank Original Score: Hanah Saxton Colorist: Ayumi Ashley Sound Mix: Joel Raabe

Totally Free was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Widebody Turbocharged Datsun 510

I’ve always had a special place for cars, maybe I’m just a typical dude, but they feel like high art to me. So here’s one of my all-time favorite vehicles, the Datsun 510. Maybe not the Lambo you were expecting, but I find this car to be special. It’s small, it’s graceful, and above all, it’s classic.

This particular Datsun 510 has been built especially well. The body, okay the wheel wells, have been widened, and under the hood it has an SR20DET. For those of you not into Japanese performance cars, that’s the high-end engine out of the Nissan S14 (240SX). This particular motor wasn’t available in America, but was a drifting legend in Japan (and even Canada).

So watch the video and maybe you’ll fall in love with the Datsun 510 too.

Widebody Turbocharged Datsun 510 was originally published on Jesus Punk

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3 Things I've Learned About God from Endurance Training

I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone a couple of days ago and he said something profound. “I think the concept of every answer we’re looking for already being inside of us is much more literal than we realize.” It struck a chord with me.

“I think the concept of every answer we’re looking for already being inside of us is much more literal than we realize.”

The conversation got me thinking about my own journey. How my search for truth and meaning has lead me down many paths, one being endurance sports. Over the past 3 years I’ve taken on the mantle to train like I’ve never trained before. I’ve logged over 5000 miles on my feet, and found within myself, depths I never knew.

In the process, my training has developed into a practice of prayer and meditation as much as a physical discipline. In my experience, endurance training is a greater portion spiritual and mental than it is physical.

All that being said, here are 3 important lessons I’ve learned about God and myself in the course of my training.

1 Presence is Everything

Literally. From the perspective of my training as an endurance athlete, if I am not present, I am dead.

Follow me. Presence means being present ourselves and through being present ourselves we experience the presence or greater reality of our environment. I like to call this “God in all things.” Call it what you will, but it’s that unexplainable feeling of joy and connectedness in your gut. How you know without knowing.

During my first marathon, I had a serious crisis only 8 miles into the run. At first I panicked and thought if I feel this bad, this early (I had serious cramping in the IT band on my right leg), there’s no way I’m going to finish. Instead of thinking about what was 2.5 hours ahead of me, I focused on what I needed to do right there in the moment. I shortened my stride, checked my breathing and posture, slugged some water and was on my way. Before I knew it, I had run 14 more miles, felt light as a feather and was well ahead of my goal.

Staying present in our day-to-day helps maximize our efficiency and enjoyment of each moment, even if the moment is less-than-ideal. If we listen, each moment is a teacher, whether good or bad. If we stay present, eventually we blow way past our preconceived limitations and blast forward into new territory.

3You really do have the breath of life. There’s nothing that will bring you back to the present moment like breathing. If you don’t breathe, you won’t live very long.It’s a straight fact. (Please don’t be a stubborn a-hole and try to prove me wrong. We don’t have good enough legal representation to cover that).

In the midst of a 20 mile training run or marathon, what will make or break my experience is breathing and whether I remember to do it or not. Funny, is it not? Something so simple. Something we do involuntarily and unconsciously can bring me out of the depths of a world of hurt during a race or a long run.

Let’s do an experiment. Inhale. Pause. Exhale. Pause. Repeat.

Doesn’t that feel pleasurable? Don’t you feel more balanced and at peace?

Our lives are no different. Events come and go in cycles, inhalations and exhalations. If we remember to breathe along with whatever may occur, we will make it through, learn something in the process, and maybe even find some pleasure and fun in the midst.

The divine is in everything, breathing. By being conscious of our breath, we see the breathing of God into everything else.

3Don’t Hide from Pain, Embrace It

“Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness.” —Dean Karnazes

When going out for a long training run or during a race, pain, discomfort and fatigue are inevitable. Conventional wisdom dictates, that if we ignore the pain, discomfort and fatigue, then it will all go away. This is false, both with endurance sports and in life.

If I catch a cramp, get a side stitch, feel ridiculously winded, or just don’t have it when I’m out for a run, I need to listen to what that pain is telling me. As much as society has conditioned us to avoid pain, in a situation like the one I’m describing, ignoring pain and discomfort could lead to me not finishing the race, or worse, injury down the line.

Pain, discomfort and fatigue are master teachers. In endurance sports they signal to me that I need to listen and run my body through a series of checks to determine what is going on.

In life, pain, fatigue and discomfort are also master teachers. If one of these three occur, it is God telling us to “WAKE THE F#$K UP!” Something is going on that we need to pay attention to. Any amount of pain, fatigue or discomfort is really a loving invitation to take ownership of an area of our lives we have previously ignored or left dormant

Embrace the pain. God never guaranteed you a life pain free. But God does desire that we all lead full and adventurous lives.

Follow Matthew & Stefanie Monk on their journey at: The Monks in Love

3 Things I’ve Learned About God from Endurance Training was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Adventure is Calling: Enchanting Time-lapse Photography

Have you ever looked up at the sky and been filled with a sense of wonder and awe? We live on a beautiful planet and sometimes it is good to take some time to soak it all in. Enjoy watching this exiting and relaxing time lapse by Shane Black and his friends who left their jobs to spend a few months on an incredible photography adventure.

Adventure is Calling: Enchanting Time-lapse Photography was originally published on Jesus Punk

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We Are All Leaves on the Same Tree

Several months ago I noticed the trees. Sure, I have seen many trees every day for as long as I can remember. But I don’t think I ever really noticed them before. I saw the leaves and imagined one half of the tree’s leaves attacking the other half of the tree. I thought, “Wow, how weird that would be. A tree fighting with itself.” If each leaf were conscious enough to know it is a leaf, would it also see the other leaves as separate entities? Or would it recognize that it is part of a whole, receiving the same life as every other leaf from the roots of the same tree?

Isn’t humanity much like the tree? There is a single Source of Life, from which we all originate. It seems pretty insane to see each extension of the same Life waging war with one another over personal interests, opinions and dogmatic religious belief-systems.

Why is it that ,as humanity, we are so prone to compete and separate ourselves from one another? In our minds we have erected a fortress with the bricks of our beliefs and convictions, waging war at the first hint of a differing opinion.

What is it that we are so afraid of?

Can a different opinion or belief really threaten the essence of who I am?

Can a different opinion or belief really threaten the essence of who I am? Why has humanity become so hell-bent in clinging to dogmatic belief-systems, fighting tooth and nail to defend our opinions?

“Hypocrite!” yells the man who believes God is a myth, seething with anger at the man behind the pulpit. “God is good!” yells the man behind the pulpit, just before condemning the man in the name of “God,” who would rather have a husband than a wife. Sure, God is good. In fact, the word “God” literally means “Good1.” The bible also states that “God is Love2“.

What is Love?

Love is patient and kind. Love isn’t arrogant and never speaks with excessive pride. Love doesn’t shame or dishonor others, is not self-seeking and is not easily angered. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Holds no grudges. Love does not delight in evil, but takes great delight in the truth (the opposite of deception). Love always protects, always trusts, and always stays the course even when it becomes difficult.3.

With this definition in mind, would a Being who is the very essence of Love condemn any person for believing a certain way? Love keeps no record of wrongs. If there is no record kept of anything that could be perceived as “wrong” then where is the list of accusations that would sentence this person to any sort of punishment? Have we created a deity of our own, that believes all the same things we do and who will hate those we hate and love those we love?

I think it might be safe to say that one of our greatest mistakes has been that we identify ourselves and others with the labels of our own judgment. The man who believes God is a myth is not an Atheist. Sure, he might subscribe to a belief-system that we would called Atheism, but this does not define the essence of who he is. The man behind the pulpit is not a preacher. Sure he might preach, but this does not define the essence of who he is. The man who loves another man is not a homosexual. Sure, he might take part in homosexual thoughts and activities, but this does not define the essence of who he is.

I recently heard a statement that resonated in the deepest depths of my heart which I have not been able to shake from my mind.

“We are all ripples on the surface of the same ocean. The problem is that we have become so identified with the ripple that we have lost our awareness of the ocean.”

Thankfully, I am seeing more and more people wake up to the reality that we are not separate, but one and the same. We all have the same Father and any time we see the chasm of separation between ourselves and others, we are only seeing through a lens of darkness, clouded by beliefs and opinions.

Each one of us is like the leaf of a Tree, deeply connected to all the other 6,999,999,999 leaves with the same source of Life coursing through our veins.

SOURCE

Wikipedia

1 John 4:8

1 Corinthians 13

We Are All Leaves on the Same Tree was originally published on Jesus Punk

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Bending Light with Jonathan Alvarez

Jonathan Alvarez was searching for his passion and found it in an unlikely art. Poi is the art of swinging glow sticks tied to strings. Sounds silly right? Maybe it is, but Jonathan doesn’t think so and he’s taken it to a new level. Check out this inspiring video of passion and determination.

Bending Light with Jonathan Alvarez was originally published on Jesus Punk

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EDM Electronic Dance Music Party

Mark your calendar!

FREE EVENT

JesusPunk is hosting an EDM show at Imagine Art on Saturday, September 19th.

At 7PM doors will open and Imagine Art (a local art studio and gallery) will be serving banana splits to celebrate 19 years of art! Then at 9PM the BASS DROPS.

We’ll be serving up some tasty House, Deep House, Dubstep, and more, all with a Glory twist!

Music powered by a BASSBOSS sound system.

Come out and show your support for our first ever event!

This is a FREE event, donations are welcomed to help cover our costs so we can do this again!

JesusPunk EDM Party Saturday, Sept 19 @ 9pm Imagine Art 2830 Real St. Austin, TX 78722

On the East side of Austin off MLK just before Airport Blvd.

RSVP ON FACEBOOK

EDM Electronic Dance Music Party was originally published on Jesus Punk