Matrimony Band

Check out Matrimony Band, a duo coming out of Charlotte, NC, and now living in London.  Their music is great!  You can listen to some of their tracks at their MySpace.

Katy Perry: 'I'm Still a Christian'

Just read this blog (text below) by Mark Moring, about current pop star Katy Perry.  Let's pray for her to truly know God, be transformed by the Father's love, and live out a life that is fully devoted to Him!

Eight years ago, I interviewed Katy Hudson for a cover story for our sister publication Campus Life, our now defunct magazine for teenagers. The story, titled "The New Girls of Christian Music," also featured Stacie Orrico, Rachael Lampa, Paige Lewis, and Joy Williams, all of whom went on to enjoy more successful careers in Christian music than Hudson. But today, all four could well be featured in a story titled, "Where Are They Now?"

Not so for Katy Hudson, who has since gone on to change her name to Katy Perry, becoming one of the biggest female pop stars in the world. I could hardly imagine, talking to the then 17-year-old Hudson, that she'd someday be an international music idol, in a sense. But even back then, she seemed to be seeking craving attention in unique ways. After a concert at a local church, she met people at her merch table with the words "I'm Katy" written on her forehead with a black Sharpie. She had also put a black star around a big zit on her chin (today, ironically, she's a pitchwoman for Proactiv acne treatment), and she'd blackened out a tooth.

At the time (that's her one and only Christian CD cover, at left), I wrote, "Katy Hudson's motto might well be, 'What you see is what you get.' And with Katy, you never know what you'll see. Or get." I described her as "a regular teen, trying to figure out faith and life and everything in between." And she told me, "I just want to be real. I'll never wear a mask."

She's not wearing much of anything in the brand-new cover story of Rolling Stone, an article titled, "Sex, God & Katy Perry." (Caution: The cover photo and several inside photos are quite steamy.) And she's not holding much back as she tells her story of growing up in a Christian home, of her brief dalliance with Christian music, her longing to be a pop star, her relationship with fiance Russell Brand, and her present-day beliefs.

RS writes that "one would think her religious past is behind her, but [Perry] still considers herself a Christian." She tells the magazine, “God is very much still a part of my life. But the way the details are told in the Bible—that’s very fuzzy for me. And I want to throw up when I saw that. But that’s the truth. . . . I still believe that Jesus is the son of God. But I also believe in extraterrestrials, and that there are people sent from God to be messengers, and all sorts of crazy stuff.

"I look up into the sky and I’m just mindf---ed — all those stars and planets, the neverendingness of the universe. I just can’t believe that we’re the only polluting population. Every time I look up, I know that I’m nothing and there’s something way beyond me. I don’t think it’s as simple as heaven and hell.”

Fascinating but also confused observations from a young woman (she's now 25) who is still trying to figure things out, having come out of a childhood in a Christian home where both parents considered themselves pastors and where speaking in tongues was commonplace. "My mom and dad practice ‘tongues and interpretation’ together—my dad speaks in tongues, and my mom interprets it,” Perry told RS. “That’s their gift.” The three children, including Katy, spoke in tongues as well. “Speaking in tongues is as normal to me as ‘Pass the salt. A lot of religions use meditation or chanting as a subliminal prayer language, and speaking in tongues isn’t that different—it’s a secret, direct language to God. If I felt intuitively that I had to pray for some situation, but I didn’t rationally understand it, I just let my spirit pray for it.”

Perry said that after her Christian label shut down and that it was clear that "my gospel career was going nowhere," she started writing love songs and pursuing a pop career -- not rejecting her faith in the process, but not exactly fully letting it define her, either. "Letting go was a process,” she said. “Meeting gay people, or Jewish people, and realizing that they were fine was a big part of it. Once I stopped being chaperoned, and realized I had a choice in life, I was like, ‘Wow, there are a lot of choices.’ I began to become a sponge for all that I had missed—the music, the movies. I was as curious as the cat. But I’m not dead yet.”

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Cool Video: Hilary Hahn and Beardyman

The most unlikely, surprising collaboration--one of the best violinist in the world, American Hilary Hahn, improvising and jammin' with Beardyman, the Youtube beatboxing sensation from the UK.  Watch the two amazing videos below.  Impressive.

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• It's on: Hilary Hahn sets the bar for 2010 (timeoutny.com)

Listen to Jonsi's music album, Go

Jonsi is the lead singer of the world famous band, Sigur Ros, (from Iceland) and he has just released his own solo album.  Listen to the music on this album, titled "Go," below.

Went to see Switchfoot and Paper Tongues!

Last Tuesday night I went to see Switchfoot and Paper Tongues live at the Showbox in downtown Seattle.  It was one of the best show I've ever been to.  The show was sold-out and the place was packed.  We waited in line (3 blocks long) and it was standing room only.  Needless to say, the energy and electricity in that place was off the charts.

We all know about Switchfoot, but Paper Tongues is this up-and-coming band out of Charlotte, NC, that mixes hip-hop, rock, and soul.  The creative, fresh sound that they produce is really good and powerful.  So, if you haven't heard Paper Tongues before, check out their music below and learn more at their website.

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Check out my new violin music website, MusicFountain.org!

I have just launched my new violin music website, Music Fountain.  You can view information on my music and descriptions of all my CDs there, plus access to purchase and download my MP3s.  Just go to www.musicfountain.org
See you there!
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Matt Redman coming to OCC!

Matt Redman, Brenton Brown, and other well-known worship leaders are coming to Overlake Christian Church this weekend for a Christian Music Summit.  Check out the info here.
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Video: Riveras with Ruth Fazal, live worship

Launching Music Fountain!

My friend Marilee and I are starting a new music venture, we're teaming up (violin & piano/keyboard) to launch Music Fountain, offering live performance of our spontaneous, improvisational instrumental music for events here in the Seattle area.
Check out our website at musicfountain.wordpress.com to learn more!

Video of Relissa and Dave T. playing at the Art Walk

On 5/21, Relissa, Dave Tiffany, and I played a 2 hour set at the Art Walk on Mercer Island, WA, outdoor in front of our friend Norma's The Island Salon and Spa.  It was a wonderful evening of live, spontaneous music, with Relissa on keyboard and vocals, Dave on flute and vocals, and me on electric violin, electric and acoustic guitar, and vocals.  We just switch back and forth in different combinations to create various "sounds."  I played a few of my own songs as well.
Below is a short video that I captured with my camera, near the end of our set, so you can hear a little bit of the cool music that Relissa and Dave were creating.  Check it out!

God rocks Iceland

The past few days has been amazing here in Reykjavik, Iceland.  We have had three straight days of intense worship and prayer, with worship teams from various local churches taking shifts 24/7.  The local believers are on fire for God.  I have been playing with Tim Brock, a worship leader on guitar and flute, and we have been trading off leading on guitar and playing off each other (with me on my electric violin when he's playing guitar).  Our worship sets has been some of the best that I've played on.  God was just present throughout.
We also had the opportunity to play on other Icelandic worship teams and in a large local church.  And we have another worship/prayer set later today.  Though my left hand has not fully healed yet, I have been receiving healing prayer here everyday and I am able to play for long hours everyday without pain.  Praise God!  Please continue to keep me in your prayers.  God has been so good, and there is a birthing of the House of Prayer and revival here in Iceland.  Let your kingdom come here, Lord!

Missions Benefit Concert with Michael Larson

Worship leader Michael Larson is leading a free Missions Benefit Concert at River Glory church in SeaTac tonight.  Michael Larson is an anointed international worship leader (I saw him lead at Lakeland Outpouring, and the presence of God came in a powerful way).  He wrote the song Freedom Reigns that has been sung all over the world.  He leads on both guitar and keyboard.

 

For more info, and address of River Glory, go to www.riverglory.com

Violin Music Testimony

I was born in Taiwan and my family moved to California when I was 8 years old, and I started learning the violin in school when I was 10. I spend years studying classical music and playing in youth orchestras, but I never truly found my comfort zone in the classical arena. It was years later, in college, after I had quit playing, and never thought I would pick up the violin ever again, did I discover a different type of music that I was born to play and revel in.

My friend David was a talented musician (guitar, piano, bass, etc.) and an anointed worship leader at church. We were hanging out in my dorm room, and he had his guitar and was about to play some songs, when he spot my dusty violin case in the corner of the room. I had not played for over 3 years when he, in that moment, prodded me to take it out and jam with him. I protested, telling him that my skills had probably faded from lack of practice, and that I have never played with guitar or this style of music in my life.

He was stubborn, so I gave it a try. I could still recall the song that he started playing, "Meet with Me," and suddenly I find myself playing surprisingly in harmony to the music, (with no songsheet, just playing by ear). My fingers glided effortlessly on the violin; it seemed like they knew exactly what notes to hit. The Spirit of God was breathing all over our song, and even my friend David was surprised.

Ever since that night in 2001, Samuel musical life has been resurrected. Samuel is now jamming on a 5-string Vector electric violin, with creative improvisations to various contemporary musical styles (rock, pop, smooth jazz, folk, hip-hop, celtic, country, electronica, etc).

In recent years, Samuel had the opportunity to travel and play around the world. From in front of 40,000 in San Francisco (The Call SF), to a group of 20 at an underground church in Guangzhou, China, to remote mountain villages in the Philippines, it has been an exhilarating ride. Samuel states, "Every time I play, I know in my heart, that I am playing for the glory of God."

Josh Garrels: "Restless Ones"

Watch!

Phil Wickham "Beautiful" Lyrics

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You're beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who You are
You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You're beautiful, you're beautiful

When we arrive at eternity's shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we'll sing
You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see Your face, You're beautiful

New CD release! Tears of Joy : instrumental soaking worship by Samuel Liu & Shujen Chen

On Sunday, November 23, 2008, my new instrumental worship CD was released!  This CD, titled, "Tears of Joy," with me on electric violin and my friend Mrs. Shujen Chen on keyboard, is probably the best soaking album that I have done.  The whole session was recorded live in a continuous flow, and everything was spontaneously improvised.
In the middle of the set, the Holy Spirit led us to launch into a spontaneous arrangement of "Nothing but the Blood," and at that moment the entire soaking set went up to a higher level in the Lord.  You would have to hear it and experience His presence for yourself.

If you would like to buy the CD, it's $10 plus shipping.  Just contact me and let me know how many you want to get.  Below is my official "notes" on the album, and the explanation of the Cover Photo (above).
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Tears of Joy is Samuel and Shujen’s second collaborative album, recorded in October 2008, two years after My Offering.  Recorded at Soaking in the Father’s Love Weekend at Word of His Grace in Bothell, WA, Tears of Joy is one continuous live soaking session.  Following the orchestration of the Holy Spirit, the music was entirely spontaneously improvised.  The violin and the keyboard flowed as one river, carrying the listener into deeper intimacy with Father God.  Even the pivotal track “Nothing but the Blood” was unplanned.  The heartfelt arrangement of this classic hymn by Robert Lowry can be only attributed to the Holy Spirit.

    Samuel explains the title, Tears of Joy.  “When this album was recorded, I was in the midst of five weeks of deep inner healing.  During this time God flooded in and ministered to my past wounds and hurts.  Embracing me through the brokenness, pain, and suffering in my life, His love brought healing and restoration, and I am set free to be!  So what you hear in Tears of Joy is my heart responding to Jesus in gratitude.  The music imparts healing and thanksgiving, joy and peace, and ushers you into the rest of God.  And truly, those who sow in tears will reap in joy.  ~Ps 126:5”

About the Cover Photo:
the children and their teacher out in the Russian countryside.

It’s a picture I (Sam) took on my first mission trip in 2000.  These beautiful children were orphans and street kids in St. Petersburg, Russia, rescued by the local Christian orphanage I was serving at.  I had the privilege to befriend them and share with them the love of God.  I took this photo in the final days of my month-long trip.  I don’t know where these children are now, but whenever I look at their faces in the picture, God brings back memories and tears of joy.

Samuel’s websites: lightamp.com , myspace.com/samliumusic
Shujen’s website: www.wwgmusic.net (Chinese)

Special thanks to: Brent Thompson, Bill & Linda Boone
Mastered by: Jeremy Reimherr
Produced by: May Ridaliste

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Track Titles:

1). Tears of Joy
2). Rising
3). Playful Procession
4). Free to Be
5). Nothing but the Blood
6). Rest
7). Longing for Him
8). Discovering
9). Everlasting

Playing at the Art Walk This Thurs!

I'll be playing guitar & violin with my friend Dave Tiffany on the flute, at Mercer Island, WA.

Funny Music Video

This is hilarious!

Our God Reigns

My updated MySpace

Check out my personal MySpace music page at www.myspace.com/samliumusic!