The Petra Zone

Tree63 hasn't been on my radar for a few years, but this profile of John Ellis is a pretty interesting read. The idea that he's "Christian Rock's poster boy" is a bit of a stretch. I have no idea what his current faith situation is, that's between him and God. But I might go check out his album.

http://www.tonight.co.za/index.php?fArt ... fSetId=251

I've never really listened to Tree 63, but I think I may have seen them in concert some years ago.

It's an interesting read and maybe his album will be an interesting and challenging listen. That's really what we need more in christianity in general. We need to go to the edges of life and discover all the nasty bits and by getting through them see the deeper meaning of grace. And I wholeheartedly agree with his plea against the fluffy-jesus-loves-me-and-everything-will-be-alright-or-whatever-he-calls-it-mentality. I feel like this guy deserves careful attention from CCM, but I fear he will be either ignored or ostracized.

I liked Tree 63 alot.....A WHOLE lot. I'm interested in giving John's new disc a listen...but, I hope he's alright. I hope he's not doing a slow fade, ya know?

I posted this on Facebook.

By his own admission, he has no idea what it means to be a Christian.
He is a moron for getting into an INDUSTRY, when he darn well could see what would be expected of him, by what was expected of those around him, and by the fact that the industry had been trending death.
He sucked. The band sucked. His music sucked. That is my opinion. I respect yours, even if it is different. It's ok if you like them, I didn't like them.
Anytime a band puts a number in their name, they have put a shelf life on themselves. How many legacy bands in secular rock are there with numbers in their names. There are a few pop bands, but they suck too, like the B52s. In CCM there are a bunch of bands with numbers in the names, and for the most part they are forgettable. I am not talking about bands with "first", "second" and "third". It does not apply to them. Those bands are referencing something, like 2nd Chapter of Acts, Third Day, etc. The are not like Building429 or whatever that crappy band is called.
My opinion is my opinion, unpopular and all. That is fine with me. Thank God for a forum where it can be voiced. I will not argue (about this) with you guys.

This is just a hot button. There are too many brain dead people steering the CCM ship. There are too many undiscerning people making decisions on what people should consume. This is dangerous. There should be some accountability. Maybe someone should sue these bone heads for spiritual malpractice or something. Wait. Someone may actually do that one day. Spooky. For real, these people need to be checked out. There are too many gays, lesbians, heretics, hindus, buddhists, etc in CCM.

brent wrote:I posted this on Facebook.

Yea I got the brunt of it when I posted the report in a note lol. But you're right. Too many people interested in their own causes and not helping the others who are actually good cause they fear their product may be superior.

petrafreak2009 wrote:

brent wrote:I posted this on Facebook.

Yea I got the brunt of it when I posted the report in a note lol. But you're right. Too many people interested in their own causes and not helping the others who are actually good cause they fear their product may be superior.

Dude. None of that was at you, but the "industry". May it die a horrid death and burn. No business should be allowed to last forever.

What's wrong B429? I have their CDs always easily accessible in the car. I'd much rather listen to them than a lot of the Christian bands out there that really have nothing to say.

Exemption to brent's rant about numbered bands: U2.

Yep. I think they are about the only band to break the rule. Maybe it is because they were the biggest one to use a number that the rest were considered fads. I dunno. It is kind of fun to scan the Radio and Records/Billboard archives to validate it.

The key for a name that sticks is simplicity. U2 is a simple name. Building429 (and most others) is not.

I agree with Brent. There's a way to discuss hard issues in Christian music, to break the "everything's great all the time" feel of much of CCM (though there's absolutely a place for those emotions, too) without doing what the article implies Ellis is doing.

What really bothered me was the seemingly casual throwaway clause, when discussing God: "if he exists." There's a place for questioning God in Christian music, even questioning his existence. The psalms are filled with examples of this, and strongly Christian bands have written amazingly powerful songs in that vein (I'm thinking of REZ specifically, since they came up in the other thread). That's not what Ellis appears to be doing here. He appears to sincerely be questioning the existence of God, which is a terrible thing for him. Not to get all preachy and judgmental, because I don't know Ellis' heart, but it sure sounds like he was overwhelmed by the commercialism of American culture and his faith wasn't strong enough to withstand it. That's tragic, but it's not praiseworthy. It's a warning, not a model. He needs our prayers, not our praise.

I really like Tree63, I saw them at a conference at the arena on the UT campus in Knoxville, TN. They lead worship for the 2 nights I was there and they really blew me away. I'm very disappointed in what I read on the inteview with John.

Well. For those of us who liked Tree 63 and those that think they "sucked"....Let's seriously hold John up in prayer. Bottom line....Out of the heart the mouth speaks and the interview pained me for sure. I checked out his site and his YouTube site and I like what I heard MUSIC wise....Dude's got talent and drive....I just pray that the Lord works a miracle in John's heart and sets him on fire for the Word of God and to live a life that just screams Jesus!

Sounds a little similar to Pete Stewart's spiritual journey.

separateunion wrote:Sounds a little similar to Pete Stewart's spiritual journey.

I remember hearing that he had seemingly left the faith, or something similar. What happened with all that?

brent wrote:

petrafreak2009 wrote:

brent wrote:I posted this on Facebook.

Yea I got the brunt of it when I posted the report in a note lol. But you're right. Too many people interested in their own causes and not helping the others who are actually good cause they fear their product may be superior.

Dude. None of that was at you, but the "industry". May it die a horrid death and burn. No business should be allowed to last forever.

I was being sarcastic with you lol. I know how you feel. I used to be a booking agent in high school... it's a jungle out there.