8th June 2009: Monday Mosh #5

8th June 2009: Monday Mosh #5
Welcome to another Monday Mosh. Vaughan here again. I sit here at 5.00am on an absolutely freezing Perth morning. Many of you will know I am a school teacher, so I have get this written and published before I leave for school in a couple of hours. Since I gave myself the job of doing the Monday Mosh, my Monday mornings have been pretty hectic. The really cool thing has been the response we have been getting.

Last week’s mosh was definitely the most controversial yet. You will remember I made a comment about the downloading situation with our new album This Day Forth. I got a lot of emails in support of what I was saying, but I also got a few people suggesting that the gospel should be free. The implication was that I should be pleased people are downloading the album for free. It got me thinking all week and I can say I am pleased the gospel is going out to people through Grave Forsaken music, and that is to me is the only positive side effect of this downloading situation. Our primary purpose is to share the gospel, but we cannot and will not support illegal uploading and downloading of our material (and anyone else’s for that matter). Please buy the CD – every sale helps the ministry. Trust me, I’ve poured thousands into this band.

As promised, there is a brand new episode of Grave Forsaken TV up right now. Episode 9 is entitled “Freeway North: Part II”. It documents our recent trip up to Dave’s house to rehearse and watch the footy. This was Simon’s first jam with the entire band, so it has historical importance for us. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWeASf1idw . Some of you may have been expecting the next chapter in the history of Grave Forsaken series, and I can assure everyone that that is coming next month. Those episodes require a little more work as I have to dig through old footage and photo’s to put them together.

The band has a live gig next Saturday night (June 13th) at the Castle in Northbridge. The Castle is located at the Corner of Newcastle Street and Stirling Street. We are playing with 3 other bands, and we will be on at 11.00pm, or thereabouts. Doors open at 8.00pm and entry is $10. We are asking that all our local supporters come out to this gig. As we start our next push into the local heavy metal scene, we need as many Grave fans as possible to come to each gig. Copies of our new album will be available, along with shirts and other merch. We hope you’ll be there. For those in different states and countries, I’ll give you the full run down of the gig next Monday. Personally, I am super excited about the gig. It is the first with Simon, and it is the first gig since the new album came out.

We spent another afternoon out at Fattdog Studio yesterday, jamming on some material. Elias has a stack of song ideas that we are looking at consolidating into the next batch of songs. As I’ve said before, we are the kind of band that is always working on new ideas. It helps keep the creative juices flowing. Plus we figure there will come a time when the ideas and inspiration run a bit dry, so we need to strike while the iron is hot so to speak. We look forward to sharing the results of this recent work with you sometime down the track.

A band I’ve been listening to a bit lately is Arnion. They have an album out on Retroactive Records called “Fall Like Rain”. They are a really great Christian thrash band, and I thoroughly recommend them. There’s not all that many bands doing Christian thrash, so I like to get into every little bit that I can. Check them out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1GCc7gteq8&feature=related . I’ve also been listening to the new Mortification album “The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine”. I can thoroughly recommend this one as well. I’m finding the album to be catchy as heack, and I love the huge production Steve has gone for. This album is a must for all fans of Christian metal.

God has really been teaching me some lessons this year with the band. The main one is patience. I’m your classic quick off the mark but slow to finish kind of person, and I suppose I’ve transmitted a bit of that onto the band. The thing I’ve been learning is too take a deep breath and just let things be a little more. Sometimes we try to control every little aspect of our lives, but we really do have to let God be in control. I’ve learned this the hard way so many times, so I’m thankful that God is teaching me just to go with the flow a little more. Sure, we need to be proactive – we can’t just sit around waiting for God to make our dreams come true, but there is a time where we have to let God to his work at His pace and not ours.

On that note, I’m going to sign out for the week. Hope to see as many of you Perth Moshers as possible next Saturday at the Castle. Until next time

God Bless and Mosh On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken