So we’ve been working on a TV broadcast recording for our local Asian stations for the Vietnamese Youth Convention. It comprises recording with 3-4 cameras,  recording the music, editing the video,  editing the sound, and lots and lots of time. This is our official shout out to anyone who’d like to help with the Conference and/or to get involved with ministry. If you are in college looking for intern credits or just a person interested in film, we can introduce you to our special friend, Joseph Hoang (Anh Vu), get some experience. Facebook message (UnderSky Ministries) or Twitter DM (#USMinistries).

Hopefully by the end of April or early May:

• Publish the two new tracks with video: You Are the Way (unofficial title) and Kingdom Come. They are “finished”; they just aren’t “finished.” They’ll be finished when they are finished.
• We’re planning with Paul from WORD and Paul from VYC 3 to put on a rally (mini) before the rally (Conference) to give a lot of those people still deciding whether to come a sneak peek into what VYC 3 will be like. This will be around June 6th. Worship, speaker, food, free stuff, energy, Holy Spirit,  and all that good stuff.
• Get the Twitter finalized on UnderSky.org.
• April 24th is A Call 2 Serve (Fr. Ben’s ministry) at the VCC. Check the Event Schedule for more information.

These pics are on the Myspace

So we have some new pictures up on our myspace and a secret video of a song we’ve got coming along.

Keep your eyes peeled, we’re going to be uploading some songs in the coming weeks!

Also, just a reminder, VYC 3 is coming!

So what are we doing in ‘09? 

• Retreats, and more retreats – We just finished our first batch of Confirmation retreats for some local parishes. We’ll probably be finishing up the last of them next week. 
• Conference – we’re playing at the Vietnamese Youth Convention in July. There’s a lot going on here. We’re working on the tech and liturgy committees. It gets pretty intense month to month planning out sound systems, lighting, etc…  What’s more exciting is that we’re working on writing music for the conference like the theme song and what not. We’re working on some recordings next week.
• Music – yes, we’re working on music. The challenge to write high quality music higher than any other time that I would expect.  Especially worship music these days. It’s hard to write something that you feel people would enjoy not only listening to, but praying to. That’s a lot of pressure. Secondly, it’s even harder to like what you write. There’s a lot of songs that go unrecorded. If anything we’ve been cranking out psalms for Mass which puts us in the practice of melody fishing. Preparing for the conference is particularly motivating as well. We’re trying to think positive. We’re pretty set on releasing a few songs this year. 
• What else is up in ‘09? Figuring out what’s actually going on on LOST.

There was a great difference between the first time I went to the Columban retreat and the second one.  Most importantly, it was the people.  The first retreat, I had no idea who anyone was outside of the band.  I was able to break a few barriers that retreat.  But as months passed from that retreat to this one, I was able to make a few bonds and now found myself talking a bit more people.  There’s a lot that could be said about this retreat, but I think the one that takes the top spot: IT RAINED.

To give you a perspective, there are no asphalt roads, everything was dirt.  Now add rain to dirt?  Mud.  But before we get to the meat of the retreat, let me tell you story of the setting up at retreat.  We arrived at the retreat center, with practically three SUV’s full of equipment.  But for some reason, we managed to forget microphones and our acoustic pedalboards.  I mean, those things were practically essentials.  We went wild trying to come up with solutions.  But Kim Pham-Vu, bless her giant heart, made the seventy-five mile drive to just to hand those things to us.

Okay, back to the events.  The night was pretty relaxed.  We were all exhausted and decided to go to our cabin and try to recoop for the next day.  We ended up watching a movie.  Day broke and we went for breakfast.  What a hearty meal it was.  Eggs, sausage, gravy, biscuits, oh, I drool thinking about it now.  Anyway, we went back to our dorms and began watching another movie.  As lunchtime rolled around, we added to our already bursting stomachs.  Then, we took the walk of shame back.  Oh, how we felt like pigs.  The retreatants went out to do their activities, and in that time, we continued where we left off in the movie.  But as the kids began to trickle in, I noticed something.  A lot of them were covered in chocolate pudding.  I have yet to get an explanation from someone about that..

The second half of Saturday changed the tone of the retreat.  As the sessions began to end and evening came crawling in, it was time for the heart of the retreat.  As the skits unfolded and we went into  worship of the Blessed Sacrament, we found ourselves sitting next to Jesus.  Conversing and confessing to him.  It was very heartfelt and meaningful.  Oh, almost forgot to mention Mike’s talk abut being consumed, it really stood out to me.  But as the Adoration transitioned to Face of Faith, thing began to lighten up a bit.

Now, this next part, to give you background, there’s a saying, “What happens on retreat, stays on retreat.”  Some stories are just TOO good to pass up though.  As I urged the rest of the band to go back to the cabin, THEY DECIDED TO STAY.  Follow me, you’ll see where I’m going with this.  So they decided to sit on the fireplace, in front of everyone.  As Becky was assigning dances to the group to do, (note, we’re still sitting there), someone decided to shout, “Hey, the band should do one!”  And thus we were assigned one.  Ballet, to be precise.  The song?  Dancing Queen by ABBA.  So we went back to our cabin and decided.  Are we going to just suck and be embarassed up there, or were we going to blow the fish out of the water and actually try to choreograph something?  We decided to go with the latter.

After a good 5 minutes of choreography, we went back into the room only to find out it would be postponed until Sunday morning.

Then it happened.

Then we dominated.  What. Up.

We’re still very proud of or title of dance crew champions of the February 2009 St. Columban C2 Retreat.

But yes, it was a great retreat.

And I’ve had a higher word count in this blog than any paper I’ve written for school this semester.

This retreat was truly a surprise.  After we received the theme song, we told ourselves, there’s cheesy, and then there’s cheesy.  It happened to be the latter.  We didn’t expect many people to enjoy it.  But after the second listening to the song at the retreat, we found ourselves in those circles, dancing, clapping, being a strong tree.  But let’s talk about the retreat!

The drive up was windy and filled with sing-a-longs and laughter. And as we got there, we explored the area.  We ended up driving around, getting stuck in snow, and freezing our buns off.  But as we got into McNeil hall to set up, we saw the kids beginning to swarm in.

This weekend, I was given the task of play the djembe.  Pretty much, it’s a drum, a single one, where you could make several noises.  It requires you to strike it with your bare hands.  I thought, “Hey, this couldn’t be that bad, it’s just like tapping on a table in class.”  By the end of the weekend, there were popped blood vessels in my fingers and plenty of bruises.  If I found out anything from this, it’s that Ken’s job is not easy.

I really connected to my kid side through this one.  I ended up playing countless rounds of tetris with the boys.  I also realize, I have this thing where I like to leave things in the sink.  I’m not entirely sure why I do it, but it just kept happening.  water bottles, soda bottles, flashlights, trash!  They still give me mouth about it now.

The food was great.  Filling that many stomachs could not have been easy, so I tip my hat to all the people that spent hours preparing our food.  The talks topped the food.  They were all heartfelt testimonies of how God came into their lives.  Honestly, if I ever get the chance, I’d want to be a speaker when I get older.

But to sum things up, this whole retreat was a pleasant surprise.  After being away from the mountains and the snow for a few years of my life, it was nice to be reacquainted.  It played as an allegory to me finding my much more childish side, and in turn, finding God.

P.S.  Sorry this blog took so long, we got really busy and I never got time to finish.

As we end 2008 and begin 2009, we hope the best for all and best luck on the New Year resolutions!  We’ll put up some of our resolutions to share with you guys later on.  Until then, have fun with your families!

On the eve of one of the most important days of all time, we’d like to wish you and your loved ones a very, merry Christmas.   May good cheer fill your houses alongside the smell of peppermint and grandpa!  But don’t forget that Christmas is the birth of Christ, the Savior to all.  So please keep Him in mind as we celebrate this joyous day with our loved ones.  Good tidings to all!

What happens when you put 125 teens, Catechists-In-Trainings, and adults in a room?  A lot of interesting talks, heartfelt worship, and ridiculous activities.  It’s been a little over a year since I’ve been to / helped out at a retreat.  I remember the last time I helped out at a retreat, I felt that I was too sick of them to come back, but here I was, at Green Oak Ranch, doing it all over again. It was my first time actually playing with the guys.  Here’s the weekend, recapped:

Note to drivers: If you like hills, take the 73, it was so much fun driving them.

1. The night started with a talk from Ken, and ended a lot earlier than I thought.  Sleeping in a cabin with Thom is very interesting though.  Late night antics with Victor trying to find a solution to our snore-somnia was even more interesting.

2. Saturday started with one of the most wholesome breakfasts I’ve had in my life.  Sausage, bacon, eggs, potatoes, and OJ.  Oh, and it was unlimited.  A happy tummy for a happy day.

3. After a short worship session, we moved into the next phase of the retreat, the other talks and activities.  I’m definitely guilty of staying up late the night before playing video games and then going into my dorm during the activities to nap.

4. Lunch came quickly after the activities and the grilled cheese could not be any cheesier. 

5. The night came quickly, and well, aloing with its emotions, too.  Hearts of stone turned into hearts of mush.  

6.  Staying up on Saturday night is a great deal of fun, but it makes you miss breakfast the next day.

That pretty much wraps up the retreat.  We had a great deal of fun watching everyone just be foolish.  Nothing beats shenanigans for Jesus.

More often than not you will have someone asking, “Can you turn your amp down?” or stating “You’re amp is too loud”. This has also applied to bassist and drummers. Isolation is one of the most sought after applications for today’s churches. You find that even a lot of mainstream stages doing it as well. For example, internationally renowned country artist Keith Urban has 9 empty matchless dc30s with a 15 watt 1×12 Bogner cranked.

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