CINCINNATI, OH – Cincinnati-based singer and musician, Kyle Boreing, is excited to announce the release of his new country music EP, Who Am I To Say, from Blaidecton Enterprises. The project was recorded primarily in Kyle’s home studio during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
“When you’re home for days on end, you need to find something to keep from going crazy!”, says Kyle. “I started tinkering with some songs I’ve loved for a long time, and the more I played around with them, the more excited I became. I didn’t set out to record a new album; I was just having fun.”
Who Am I To Say Blaidecton Enterprises
That fun has evolved into a 6-song project that includes some help from friends in the music industry, including Chris Golden, Paul Martin, Garland Craft, and Kyle’s brother, Kevin Boreing, who each contributed parts to the album. “The more I worked on these songs, the more I wanted to do something special,” Kyle explains. “I reached out to some folks that I’ve known for many years and invited them to take part. To me, it really elevates the songs and gives this album a special sound. The fact that it could be done ‘remotely’ also added to the uniqueness of the album.”
Who Am I To Say also marks a new direction musically for Kyle, who has primarily been known as a Christian music artist. “I grew up listening to all kinds of music. Although my solo projects have usually been gospel efforts, throughout my career, I’ve played or sang everything from gospel to country to rock to reggae…a little of everything!”
Kyle says that this project was very much a labor of love, stating, “I never set out to make a record; I just wanted to experiment, see what could be done within the constraints of the pandemic and using what I had at my disposal.”
Who Am I To Say is distributed by Blaidecton Enterprises, and arrives on streaming and digital platforms November 13th, 2020. A limited-edition CD is also available from kyleboreing.com.
TRACKS: 1. I Need You All The Time 2. Who Am I To Say 3. I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You 4. Come On In (You Did The Best You Could Do) 5. The World Ain’t Slowing Down 6. Point Me In The Direction Of Albuquerque
A few years ago, I decided to stop doing what I call “exposure” dates. These are usually gigs that don’t pay anything, and have no real benefit other than simply giving you exposure to audiences. They’re great for folks who are just starting out as singers/performers, or who simply want to go out and sing. They’re NOT ideal, however, for someone looking to make a professional living as a music artist.
Usually, when one does an exposure date, they are not paid anything for their services. They are allowed (hopefully) to sell product before and after their performance, however. That doesn’t guarantee that anyone will BUY said product; it just means that you have the CHANCE to make some money on product sales. This could be an incentive to give the best performance you can, as you are gambling on your ability to win over an audience enough to make them want to buy your music before they leave. The problem arises, however, when there IS no audience.
The last few times I agreed to do an “exposure” date, I sang for very few people. One such gig, I sang for exactly 3 people: the sound man, a lady who sat in the back row, and my wife, who watched out of pity. The lady in the back row bought a CD for $10. After deducting the cost of making that CD, as well as paying for lunch for myself and my wife (food was provided, but everyone, including the artists, had to pay for their meals) and gas, I wound up losing money. On another date, I was asked to provide music while another event was going on. While there were more people this time around, not one of them paid any attention to my singing or playing. I was background music. I didn’t sell a single CD that day, so even though I ate beforehand, I still lost money on travel expenses.
For you die-hard gospel/Christian music fans, I already know what you’re going to say – “You’re obviously only in it for the money!” Most musicians will laugh and tell you that being in the music industry for the money is like going to Walmart for designer clothes. You might LOOK like you’ve got a lot of money, but you know the truth.
“But if you’re singing Christian or gospel music, shouldn’t you be in it for the ministry, not the money?” The short answer is, yes. I am in it for the ministry. I’m not asking you to pay me to sing or play. I AM, however, asking you to compensate me for my services, which include travel expenses (gas, wear & tear on my vehicle, insurance, food, etc.), preparation and assembly for my singing such as loading in any equipment and/or product, sound checks to ensure a comfortable listening experience, and even my education.
What’s even more expensive than all of that is my family’s time. If you want me to come sing or play for you, there will always be an expenses cost included, just so I don’t wind up losing money. What determines the final rate is what my family is doing at that particular time. If my family doesn’t have anything scheduled for a particular day, then I’m happy to come work at your event for a fairly low cost. If my wife and/or kids have a special event already planned for that day, and they want/need me there, then the price just went WAY up. I totally understand if that makes me unaffordable for your event. I’d rather miss out on a concert date than miss out on date night with my wife or seeing my kids getting a base hit in little league or scoring the winning soccer goal.
You see, while music is definitely a passion of mine, it does not override the passion I have for my family, and I believe they deserve more than a husband and father who isn’t around because he’s out singing or playing somewhere. And unless I can guarantee that doing so will give them a better life in the long run, then I’d just as soon stay home.
Most every Christian (and many non-Christians) are familiar with the story of the prodigal son. A father has two sons and plans to leave a sizable inheritance to both upon of them upon his death. The younger son, being impulsive and impatient, demands he get his inheritance now while he is still young enough to enjoy it, and he promptly heads out into the world to live the “wild life,” blowing through every penny until he is left poor and homeless, living in a literal pig pen. At the lowest point of his life, he realizes that even his father’s servants live better than he does – at least they are fed and given shelter! He swallows his pride and heads back home, intending to ask his dad simply to have a job as one of his servants after all he’d done. His dad, however, sees him coming home, and immediately orders a feast and celebration, declaring, “My son was dead, but now he is alive! He has come home!” It’s a parable that is very well known.
But what about the firstborn son? Where does he fit into this story? Jesus tells of how the firstborn son was confused, and even bitter towards his father’s reaction when his younger brother returned home. Here he was, a loyal and faithful son, working for his father and earning his share of the inheritance. He never squandered his money, and he definitely was more deserving of a party than his brother was. And yet it was his brother who got the celebration after doing the exact opposite! The firstborn son was so angry that he refused to even come to the party. When his dad asked him what the problem was, he responded by asking, “Why does HE get a celebration?! I’ve stayed loyal, I’ve done your bidding, and I haven’t even gotten a young goat to share with my friends. That brat comes home after blowing everything, and you gave him the biggest steak we have!”
On the surface, it makes perfect sense why the elder son would be upset. I mean, he has a point. He never led the wild life. He was always at his father’s side, doing what was asked of him. And yet he never was given any sort of celebration. And in reality, it probably was never even expected. I mean, if you do what’s asked of you, why do you even need a celebration? It’s just part of life! But when your brother takes half of the family’s money and blows it, coming back home smelling like a pig pen and begging forgiveness, why should HE get a feast?! He got what he deserves!
How many of us are “firstborn Christians”? How many of us were raised in the church, or are long-time church members who show up every Sunday, volunteer for events, pay tithes, and play a large part in our church? Don’t we deserve to be celebrated? I mean, it’s because of US that there’s even a church here, right? If we didn’t show up every week, there wouldn’t be a place for prodigals to come. That’s why WE are the ones who matter here, not those losers who keep screwing up.
Or is it????
As the prodigal’s father explained, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” The firstborn was already guaranteed everything the father had because of his loyalty. Why did he need his father to give him a young goat (or anything, really), when he already had everything he needed? And aside from that, why couldn’t the firstborn be happy that his brother, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, had returned home?
Why can’t we as Christians, especially “firstborn Christians,” celebrate when sinners are found instead of complaining about how “our needs are not being met.” God has already met everyone one of our needs, and will continue to do so. So put away your griping and let’s welcome the lost, for they now are found.
There’s no doubt about it; we are by far the most informed generation this world has ever seen. We are bombarded literally by the minute with information, whether it be the latest news, celebrity gossip, sports scores, movie showings (and spoilers), and even personal family events. All we gotta do is pick up that magical little gizmo we carry everywhere, tap the screen a few times, and we can get pretty much any information we want.
We also have the unprecedented ability to SHARE information with each other. It could be mundane, or it could be life-changing, but we can let everyone know what is going on pretty much instantly through social media. Bored at work? Turn on Facebook Live, and all of your friends can watch you be bored at work! Just got a passing grade on an exam? Shout it from the virtual rooftops with a picture of your score on Instagram. Heck, even the President of the United States seems to be addicted to Twitter (for better or worse).
While this ability to share information and stay informed is unlike any we’ve seen in history, it also comes with inherent problems. Prior to social media, information had to be obtained through a bit more laborious methods – trips to the library, buying a newspaper, or tuning into the nightly news. More often than not, this information went through at least some form of vetting prior to being distributed. That’s not to say that the information was more accurate in the past than it is now; it just means that more was at stake if said information was incorrect. If a newscaster wanted to keep his job, he had to be trusted by the general public, so his reputation was on the line with every single story he broadcast. Same with journalists and publishers. Sure, some still had an agenda (anytime a human is involved, there will ALWAYS be some sort of bias), but the risks were such that one or two “fake news” stories or pieces of misinformation could make or break a career (just ask Dan Rather).
Today, “fake news” is all the rage. It’s not about information so much as it is about attention. Want to look like a moron? Go for it, but at least you’ll look like a moron with millions of views and likes, which can be translated into monetary gain. Just look at the recent meme phenomenon/trainwreck, Danielle Bregolli, the 13-year-old delinquent whose single appearance on Dr. Phil turned her into an instant celebrity for being nothing more than a teenage brat. She’s now making all kinds of money, including commercial deals, from a criminal attitude and one single, poorly-enunciated phrase. She is this year’s “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”
That’s not to say that we can’t be entertained as well as informed. In fact, some of the most entertaining individuals are also the most informative. Look at The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight. Both shows feature biting satire, but also with a heavy political and social commentary tied to them. Again, bias is heavy, but it just goes to show that, if you have the right platform, your word can spread like never before thanks to online viewing and clips on YouTube.
But that leads us to the question – who should we trust for information?
In the past (I’m talking at least half a century, not last week), information was primarily obtained from folks who were older than us. Parents, teachers, mentors, clergy, they all played a part in making the next generation who they were in some way. They passed on what they learned to the next generation, who would repeat the cycle in perpetuity. Once again, bias was still present, as all of these folks had at least SOME sort of reason for passing along this piece of information over that, but for the most part, children learned from their elders, and young adults gained their knowledge from those older and more experienced. And aside from the schoolyard experience, that’s how information was accepted.
Today, however, with the never-before-seen amount of contact among our peers, self-education seems to have overtaken the history of passed-down education. Teenagers and young adults (millenials, if you will) are questioning, challenging, and often outright rejecting education from elders in favor of learning from each other, and in a way, it’s hard to blame them. Why continue to rely on one or two sources of information we we literally have a whole world of information at our fingertips? It also has resulted in a lack of trust among the current generation. With so many different variations of the same information, it becomes difficult to determine what the truth actually is (just ask Sean Spicer).
So the question then becomes, should the current generation start looking again to the previous to help vet some of this information, or has that model been completely outdated by the amount of (and access to) information available to us? Is it safe to learn with (and through) each other, or do we as a society NEED the wisdom and guidance of past generations?
From a Biblical standpoint, you can find many instances of being referred to wise counsel, and while that sometimes refers to elders (either as a governing body in the church or just someone older than you), it does not reserve wisdom and guidance SOLELY to them. If you are a Christian (as I am), you believe that God (through the Bible) is the one true source of wisdom, but how this wisdom is obtained depends on the person. Many churches, however, take this to to mean that ONLY previous generations have the authority and/or ability to train up the next generation. In fact, some church leaders take this to an extreme, refusing to accept any sort of input from younger generations, which is viewed as inherently flawed (“How can THEY possibly have more knowledge or wisdom than me? I’m older than them; I have authority over them; I MUST be right, and they MUST yield to me!”). Obviously, they never paid much attention to the books of Samuel, and how an 11-year-old boy was given knowledge of the fall of his mentor’s entire dynasty.
So again, back to the question at hand: is the time-honored tradition of passing down information from one generation to the next now outdated by the amount of knowledge and information available to us? In all honesty, I think the two models (learning from each other and learning from those who have gone before us) should work hand-in-hand. We have such an abundance of information, but we seem to lack the wisdom to determine what information we should take as definitive, which is where having guidance comes into play. Sure, we can question and challenge, but we should also be willing to accept that there are some folks who DO have the experience and wisdom to help you determine what is and is not right.
‘Tis the season – so to speak – when our televisions are bombarded with various Christmas programs and specials. It’s A Wonderful Life, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, It’s Christmas Charlie Brown, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and a whole slew of cartoons, Hallmark movies, and music concerts fill both network and cable time slots in an effort to display the holiday spirit. Some are very well done, others are simply phoned in; nevertheless, they play virtually endlessly through December 25th.
One in particular that I remember from my own youth seems to be all but forgotten. I never would have seen it myself had it not been for my mother recording it on VHS from cable (WGN if I remember correctly): George and the Christmas Star – a tale of a young man who, while decorating his Christmas tree, decides that a standard paper star on top simply won’t do.
That premise, in and of itself, isn’t all that outlandish in comparison to most other specials. What makes this 24 minute cartoon stand out is the lengths that the titular character goes to find the perfect tree topper….
For starters, the ultimate decoration he desires is an actual star he sees outside his window. But how to get it? Simple! He gathers “a few odds and ends” from his home and builds a fully functioning space ship (at this point, one gathers that “logic” is a moot point in this story) and launches himself into outer space to catch this star.
Ok, a bit unusual, but not ENTIRELY out there, compared to a magic snowman or a deer with a neon schnoz, but we are only 3 minutes in. Throughout George’s journey, he meets an alien robot who owns a planetary motel (but all he ever wanted to be was a piano player), is ordered by space rangers (also robotic) that star hunting requires a permit (of course!), is captured by space pirates, meets a lovely female astronaut, and has to deal with an evil space bike gang.
I couldn’t make that up if I tried!!
Ultimately, George does catch that shiny star and makes his way back home, only for the star to immediately shoot back off into the sky where it belongs. At this point, he realizes that Christmas is not about decorations, but about being with his new found friends.
So how, you may ask, is this show a favorite of mine? How is a plot that seems born from a bad game of Mad Libs even remotely entertaining?
The answer comes from its execution. The story is narrated by the main character in a largely understated, calm, and almost dismissive tone, as if the entire series of events was just another day. For as off-the-wall as each scenario may be, George never once even raises his voice in emphasis. Of course he flew into space and did all these things. Who wouldn’t? The strange and outrageous scenes are not played directly for laughs; they’re simply odd for the sake of being odd, but there is such charm in them that you almost forget that you’re watching one of the few sci-fi Christmas cartoons. And at no point does the story talk down to the audience.
This special was produced in Canada in 1985. I was 4 years old when Mom recorded it, which means that it aired at least once in the US in 1987. Since then, that VHS has been completely worn out. A few years back, I found a VHS copy on Amazon, as well as a DVD that includes other “Christmas Classics” that I’ve never heard of, both for under $10 each, but this past week, I found the entire special on YouTube in one full 24 minute clip. I sat and watched the whole thing on my iPhone and was just as amused now as I was 25 years ago (the video has since been removed from YouTube).
If you are tired of the usual Christmas specials and are looking for something different (and I DO mean different), look up George and the Christmas Star.
‘Tis the season – so to speak – when our televisions are bombarded with various Christmas programs and specials. It’s A Wonderful Life, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, It’s Christmas Charlie Brown, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and a whole slew of cartoons, Hallmark movies, and music concerts fill both network and cable time slots in an effort to display the holiday spirit. Some are very well done, others are simply phoned in; nevertheless, they play virtually endlessly through December 25th.