raganism and other musical belief systems

I have had a long-running theory regarding the differences between things that are considered to be "secular" and "religious". It's something that I have a problem with because I find labeling to be far too polarizing in most aspects of life (particularly when it comes to religion). This is exceptionally true for me in the case of "religious music" and "secular music". 

It stems back to a church my family and I briefly attended when I was young and we had first moved to Napa. Said church, in retrospect, flew in the face of just about everything Christianity is supposed to be about and was far too focused on making its own rules and regulations. More a cult than a community... 


But that's another story for another time. I mention this today in regards to one of the so-called "teachings" of this church when it came to music. The gist? All secular music is basically of the Devil and you should never listen to anything other than Christian music.

Imagine a seven year-old me asking my mom, "Am I going to Hell because I listen to The Beatles?"

Fast forward a decade and a half to find that not only have I continued listening to The Fab Four, but have more finely tuned philosophy surrounding my views on the intersection of music and religion. Now I am in no way putting down "Christian" music (many of the more popular songs I know from four years at Pepperdine and have come to love). But for the most part, I not only tend to find most of it too sheltered and guarded, but extremely segregating. It doesn't reach a broad enough audience because in the simple labeling, it will exclude anyone who doesn't define themselves as a Christian and in that, miss the chance to spread a message. 

On the flip side of this coin comes my belief system - if God is omnipresent and in everything, He is therefore in all of those things people consider "secular". Ergo, just because it's not defined as "Christian", doesn't mean that it can't bring you closer to your faith (whatever that may be). AND not only will the message remain in tact, but it will reach a broader audience. I remember Cameron (the Hood in Ryanhood) saying something to this effect about their music: if you're looking for that message, it's there. If not, you're still hearing it for what it's worth on a basic human level. 

OK, enough background. My mission here is to define for you, dear readers, my own personal canon of music. My gospel, if you will.

Mike defines this branch of our "faith" as Raganism (nod to our man Chuck Ragan and, as I have now been schooled, actually founded by Dean and Moshboy). Now this is not be confused with Springsteenianity, as preached by Dean and Jacobo. But, such is the beauty of our mutual respect for musical religions. They can worship the wonder that is The Boss and we shall profess our love for Chuck. And yes, we attend the others' services quite often... But we know where our loyalties lay. 

And so, without further ado, I present to you the artists who have been my other solid rock of faith through the past couple years and, perhaps more importantly, this last month and a half of what I can only describe as personal hell. I beseech you to click on a few of the song links and listen to some of these, see what you glean from the words and melodies. 

1. Chuck Ragan 

Albums of note: Feast or Famine, Gold Country

Songs in particular: "For Goodness Sake", "The Boat", "For Broken Ears","California Burritos", "Rotterdam", "It's What You Will", "Let It Rain", "Symmetry", "10 West", "Do You Pray?", "No Rubber Tired Vehicles Beyond This Point" ft. Nagel

2. Frank Turner

Albums of note: Love, Ire & Song, Poetry of the Deed, Rock & Roll EP

Songs in particular: "The Road", "I Still Believe", "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous", "Reasons Not To Be An Idiot", "Poetry of the Deed", "Love, Ire & Song", "Long Live The Queen", "The Fastest Way Back Home", "Vital Signs", "Pass It Along" (and the album version), "I Am Disappeared" (also, the album version)

3. Sundowner

Albums of note: Four One Five Two, We Chase The Waves

Songs in particular: "Your Self Portrait", "One Hundred Resolutions", "In the Flicker", "Whales and Sharks" (ignore the image for this one, it's the only recording of the song I could find)... Actually, the whole of both of their albums. Every song is poignant perfection. 

4. Mumford & Sons

Albums of note: Sign No More

Songs in particular: "Little Lion Man", "Timshel", "Awake My Soul", "The Cave", "Winter Winds", "White Blank Page", "Roll Away Your Stone", "Sigh No More"

5. The Avett Brothers

Albums of note: Emotionalism, I and Love and You, Mignonette 

Songs in particular: "Shame", "Weight of Lies", "The Ballad of Love and Hate", "I Would Be Sad", "January Wedding", "I and Love and You", "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise", "Ten Thousand Words", "Ill With Want", "Tin Man", "Swept Away", "One Line Wonder", "Murder in the City"

There you have it. And that's just the jumping off point. For the sake of brevity (yes, this is the condensed version) I have left others off the list to keep it at a good, solid number like five. Maybe one of these days I'll round it out and continue for the Ten Commandments (which will include other significant members of my musical pantheon such as The Beatles, Gaslight Anthem, Rocky Votolato, Matt Pryor and Ray LaMontagne). 

For now though, we'll leave it at this. There are many  places in this life where truth can be found and I think it silly to limit oneself to certain things because the label placed upon them happens to fit another label you have put on something else. You don't need a specific faith to see, and to know, that everything is connected here. And nothing happens by accident. 

Life is a beautiful configuration of things and instances and people and places. And there is no doubt one driving force behind it all. I happen to call it God, but that may not be for everyone so I'm not about to back myself into a corner and focus only on things with that same label because, as I said to start, if He truly is the all-powerful, all-knowing, omnipresent being I know Him to be, I don't need to worry about only finding him within the confines of "religion". I have the power to find Him in everything. 

What a concept. 

(photos of Frank Turner and Chuck Ragan taken at the 2009 Revival Tour at Berbati's in Portland... I will also point out that I met both of them that night shortly before taking these photos... That was a good, good night)