Seriously, buy the album here. Right now. 
Saturday night I was down at La Zona Rosa for the Music For The City album release party and it was a really good show. Great mix of bands, and some good new discoveries for me, with the bonus of helping some great organizations here in Austin.
What I am really excited about is the organization itself. Music For The City is a 501(c)3 non-profit and is part of the Austin Community Foundation. This is not a Christian organization, but it is an organization with many Christians involved. From the board to the artists participating there are several Christians deeply involved in this effort. It’s a great model, it’s a way of living out our faith in a real way in partnership with others who may or may not be Christians, but share the same passion for justice. What a great way to work for change in the city while building deep relationships with folks in a way that allows us to demonstrate the gospel in a very personal way. This is an organization that I am pulling for. If you want a clearer picture of what these folks are all about, check out the video below.
If you want to support this cause, go buy the album here. I’ve listened to it a couple of times, and its a really solid compilation. You should buy it.
As for the music… Alpha Rev headlined, and put on a very good show – I really enjoyed them. But their sound on their albums are too pop for me, so I’m still not a real fan. My opinion of these guys: live >>> recorded.
Aaron Ivey played right before Alpha Rev and played a great set. I have no idea how many folks in the crowd were believers, my guess is not the majority but a good number, and he played a set that showed no pandering, and held the gospel up high. Amos Story, Found, Let Your Kingdom, and some others I forgot – it was a great set, these songs stand up on their own in any environment just fine. I feel blessed to have Aaron as our Pastor of Worship at the Stone, his heart for the city and musicianship are gifts to the church.
My new discovery from the night is The Soldier Thread. I really enjoyed their set. Fantastic musicianship and a wonderful female vocalist. I bought their album on iTunes while they played and I really like it. You should check them out.
All in all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday night. I’m looking forward to seeing what these folks do next.
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