40 GRAND FOR BATTALION HEADQUARTERS!

 

It is funny how everything seems to happen all at the same time. Today the blog hit 40,000 visitors and tomorrow The May Long camp out starts! (As I write this I am listening to The May Long theme song, "Flood" by Jars of Clay) It looks like there are four guys that saw 40,000; Danimal, Bent, Cody H. and Ryan F. We might do the draw at the May Long, so if anyone else saw 40,000 they need to let me know pretty quick. Like I have said before, thanks to everyone who visits the blog! The support that this blog receives is amazing! Special thanks to Bent for starting the blog! (Bent still posts on the blog.)

THE CAPTAIN

Bulldog Music Reviews: TobyMac-Tonight

Well the man who has been making music longer than i have been alive has struck again with his 4th studio album. Toby has never let me down and i dont think he ever will. Starting out with the popular and possibly greatest Christian band of all time DC Talk, Toby has been the most successful of the three member band as he continued to run Gotee records and start his solo career with ForeFront Records (Audio A also had its home with ForeFront).

Along with Skillet and Switchfoot Toby puts on one of the greatest live shows ever! even if you HATE TobyMac you would enjoy his show, its an amazing experience. Much like i said about Switchfoot the great thing about Toby is that he has surrounded himself with a solid band that has stayed together throughout every album. this helps not only the live show but also the consistent solid sound for each album!

When it comes to Toby's albums my favorite is still "Momentum", however every album Toby puts out is amazing and has a new sound or distinct difference from the last. When listening to "Tonight" i was curious where Toby would go after putting out a very organic sound from his last on "Portable Sounds". It would seem that he has gone in the exact opposite direction and has given us a more computer sounding album, which seems to be very popular right now, especially when it comes to the rap scene.

The album has Toby's vocals auto-tuned on purpose which i am not a huge fan of. some bands use auto-tune to make their lead vocalist sound better and now bands are using auto-tune to make their lead vocalist sound cool or different which is slightly better than the former. however im still not a huge fan of the effect and would prefer it to not be used on this album but that is where music is going right now and Toby knows this and uses this to give "Tonight" a more party and dance feel to it!

Throughout the album Toby has featured rising and big name artists. On the opening track as per usual Toby starts with a party in your face track with John Cooper of Skillet which works very well. he also gets new music partner Matt Thiessen to join him on my favorite track "Wonderin". and near the end of the album he has Israel Houghton to jump on and give a more gospel feel to the album. having these artists join him for "Tonight" was a very good move on Toby's part and it brings the album some variety which is always nice!

In the end however im not sure how i feel about this album in comparison to his others. having tracks like tonight, funky Jesus music, and show stopper will go down as some of Toby's best tracks, yet im still not sure that this album contends with portable sounds, or even diverse city. none the less its still a solid TobyMac album and that will always be enough reason for me to pick it up! If your looking for a good party album look no further.

1. "Tonight" (featuring John Cooper of Skillet) (4:20)*
2. "Get Back Up" (3:14)
3. "Funky Jesus Music" (featuring Beckah Shae & Siti Monroe) (3:20)*
4. "City on Our Knees" (4:27)
5. "ShowStopper" (2:51)*
6. "Changed Forever" (featuring Nirva Ready) (3:36)
7. "Hold On" (4:00)
8. "LoudNClear" (TruDog '10) (1:35)
9. "Hey Devil" (3:15)
10. "Wonderin'" (featuring Matt Thiessen of Relient K) (3:40)***
11. "Captured" (3:38)
12. "Start Somewhere" (3:36)
13. "Break Open the Sky" (featuring Israel Houghton) (6:14)*

TobyMac-Tonight 9/10

-bent ;)

40,000!

 

In February 2009 the blog had 20,000 hits, then in November 2009 we made it 30,000, now we are about to hit 40,000! Like I said last time the support that the blog has received has been amazing! It is the same deal as the last two times. If you see 40,000 visits and can prove it(take a picture)then your name will be entered into a draw for an 8GB iPod nano. There might only be one person that will see 40,000 or it could be a few guys. All of the names will be put into the draw. Who is eligible? Anyone who is a part of the Btln Nation!

Again, thanks for supporting the blog!

THE CAPTAIN

Bulldog Music Reviews: John Reuben-Sex, Drugs, and Self-Control

When it comes to rappers John Reuben is hands down my favorite. He is able to mix humor and be straight forward on tough subjects all at once! As of late Reuben has really been improving.

When it comes to Reuben's albums one of his best was his very first, much like Jars of Clay. however after his first album he dipped into a direction that i am glad he didnt stay in with "Hindsight". "The Professional Rapper" went in a more of a rock rap direction with some solid tracks but then he really hit it off with what i still think is his best album to date in "The Boy vs. The Cynic". With "Word of mouth" he went a bit more on the experimental side of things which was fine, some odd tracks, but cool. and now we have "Sex Drugs and Self-Control".

With this album i am a bit lost, im not sure what to hold on to while i listen to this album...but i love it. Some tracks im not exactly sure what he is talking about, maybe thats the point, none the less within the mystery of this album there is solid lyrics, humor, and outside of the box music! overall i would say his 2nd or 3rd best album, for sure up for best between "Are we there yet?" and "The Boy vs. the cynic".

If your a rap fan and your looking for something that isn't just a DJ with some beats and rhymes then John Reu is the man for you! (ya i just dropped a rhyme within this post). check out some tracks on you tube or the Gotee site, i recommend confident or no be nah! have a good one.

John Reuben-Sex, Drugs, and Self-Control=10/10





-bent ;)

MAY LONG FOOD

 

Food at the May Long is different for just about anyone that makes the trip. Some guys show up with a package of hot dogs and then supplement this with moths or water beetles. Other guys catch enough fish to keep from getting hungry and then there is the Martens and the Jepsens that almost always come home with food. Remember four or five meals a day are common! Make sure that you bring enough food!(Bring plenty of snacks and Pepsi!)

THE CAPTAINS MENU
hot dogs
hamburgers
steaks
Mennonite sausage
beans
bacon and eggs
one block of cheese
cinnamon buns
hash browns
roll kuchen and Rogers golden syrup
chips
cookies
Snickers
coconut fingers
trail mix
Spitz(seasoned)
Pepsi
D.Q. fries

THE CAPTAIN

BULLDOG MUSIC REVIEWS

 

Just wanted to make sure that you didn't miss Bent's new post here on the blog. Scroll down and check out his post on Switchfoot's new album Hello Hurricane!
Nice to have you back Bent!

THE CAPTAIN

MAY LONG WEATHER REPORT 2

 

It looks like we will be having normal May Long weather this year. I doubt that there will be heavy rain but I would definitely recommend a tarp. In all honesty I have missed the rain the last couple of years,(Ya I know this sounds strange.) as long as we don't get a downpour.

THE CAPTAIN

Bulldog Music Reviews: Switchfoot Hello Hurricane

Well i always enjoyed writing these and there are a lot of albums to write on since i have been slacking off with blogs as of late! so now that i have a bit more time i want to get back at it and bring you some of my opinions on 2009/2010 albums! Lets start with Switchfoot!

Switchfoot has been quickly climbing higher and higher and growing more mature in their lyrics and music. I will never forget getting to the main stage before Audio Adrenaline at Creation Fest hearing the band Switchfoot play their last song, wishing i had come an hour earlier to hear their full set! Once Audio A took the stage they said to the crowd that they had wished that they would have opened for Switchfoot and not the other way around...that was 7 years ago and Switchfoot has become even better since then.

Looking at the Christian music scene today it could be argued that Switchfoot would be in the top 3 most successful and sought after bands. Their last few albums have been absolutely amazing. "Nothing is sound" got them even more radio time, "Oh Gravity" showed that they could step outside of the Switchfoot box (one of my favorite Switchfoot albums) and now Hello Hurricane has caught the eye of music lovers both in the Christian and secular circles.

Hello Hurricane in my opinion is Switchfoot's best album. They have no doubt put forward some very impressive albums but none that have been this solid all around. every track is done to perfection and has become my new favorite switchfoot song. there is a whole new level that these guys have entered and they seem to be a new amd stronger band altogether!

one of the main reasons why i believe that Switchfoot gets progressively better is due to the fact that they have maintained the same group of musicians since they started. when you are able to maintain a group in a band for 14 years you will start to get better and better as a group. you can see this in a major way when they play live. i saw them a few months back when they played in Saskatoon and you can tell that they are loving being together on stage and they all work so well together, very similar to Toby Mac's band, you can just see them mesh together and work like a well oiled machine. the opposite of this was when i saw Relient K. over the years the entire band has changed save Matt Thiessen, they are still a solid band but when i saw them last summer with their new drummer it just did not work, i felt like he coulndt wait to get off the stage! this is where Switchfoot has a step up on the competition and even though Jon Foreman is the core of the band it just wouldnt be the same Switchfoot without the rest of the members!

Like i said earlier i was able to see these guys perform this album live and it was one of the most amazing shows i have ever seen (and i have seen a lot). They got on stage and played tracks 1 through 12 so i got to hear the entire album live and i hope to again. if you are a music lover and have yet to pick this one up you HAVE to get a hold of it! Stay tuned for more music reviews in the coming days! (maybe even another one today haha).

1. "Needle and Haystack Life" – 3:49*
2. "Mess of Me" – 3:27********
3. "Your Love Is a Song" – 4:22
4. "The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" – 3:47*
5. "Enough to Let Me Go" – 3:52*
6. "Free" – 4:03*
7. "Hello Hurricane" – 4:04*
8. "Always" – 4:20
9. "Bullet Soul" – 3:24
10. "Yet" – 3:53
11. "Sing It Out" – 5:17*
12. "Red Eyes" – 4:50

*=favorite tracks

Switchfoot's Hello Hurricane-10/10

-bent ;)

THIRTY YEARS OF THE MAY LONG

I found a few old May Long pictures, so we mixed them together with the other old pictures along with the newer pics and this is what we came up with. If this doesn't wet your appetite for the May Long nothing will!

THE CAPTAIN

MAY LONG SUPPLIES

 

This time next week we will be at Treadmill! We might be playing crib, poker or Risk. We could also be hot tubbing or cooking Menno on the B.B.Q., I just can't wait to get there! There is a lot things that I need to make it happen, here is a partial list.

THE CAPTAIN'S SUPPLY LIST
The Ark
tent & tarp
cot, sleeping bag & tarp
lantern
heater (12,000 btu's)
chair
Coleman kitchen (The kitchen sink)
B.B.Q.
slow cooker
propane tank & tree
oven
deep fryer
hot tub
generator
bathing suit
shovel & axe
paintball gun, paintballs & mask
crib board, cards & trophy
fishing pole & license
parka, hat & toque
lighter
t.p.
the boys from 3739

THE CAPTAIN

M.M.M. FROM BATTALION 2

 

So here are the answers to the last post.

1)RYLEY HEPPNER - F)When Devan's arm was snapped in half by a murderball.
2)JOE KRAFTCHICK - H)First night with the new small murderballs and I absolutely let one rip and it nailed Mike Hughes square in the junk.
3)JASON HAYASHI - A)Creationfest and May Long
4)BEN JEPSEN - I)First time that I won the Olympics
5)NATHAN KLASSEN - G)Late night Wednesday "vigorous discussions" with Lance et al.
6)GERRY NICKEL - D)The mill
7)CALVIN PETERS - B)Burning down the tree on Old Glory and the ensuing run down.
8)SAM JEPSEN - E)Seeing the boxing ring for the first time.
9)JORDON WALSH - J)Driving to Castlegar Boston Pizza in the Katie's Kiddie Care van and it overheating on the way over.
10)OWEN SPISAK - C)Kenny and the goalpost.

THE CAPTAIN

M.M.M. FROM BATTALION

 

One of the questions from the "Meet The Btln Nation" feature is "What is your M.M.M. from Battalion?" I figured that it would be interesting to compare answers to a single question. I was also wondering if it was possible to match the answers to the Member, anyways here are the guys and the answers.

1)RYLEY HEPPNER
2)JOE KRAFTCHICK
3)JASON HAYASHI
4)BEN JEPSEN
5)NATHAN KLASSEN
6)GERRY NICKEL
7)CALVIN PETERS
8)SAM JEPSEN
9)JORDON WALSH
10)OWEN SPISAK

A)Creationfest and May Long.
B)Burning down the tree on Old Glory and the ensuing run down.
C)Kenny and the goalpost.
D)The mill.
E)Seeing the boxing ring for the first time.
F)When Devan's arm was snapped in half by a murderball.
G)Late night Wednesday "vigorous discussions" with Lance et al.
H)First night with the new small murderballs and I absolutely let one rip and it nailed Mike Hughes square in the junk.
I)First time that I won the Olympics.
J)Driving to Castlegar Boston Pizza in the Katie's Kiddie Care van and it overheating on the way over.

Leave your answers in the comments.

THE CAPTAIN

MAY LONG WEATHER REPORT

 

This is our first look at the weather for the May Long this year.(May 21-24) It looks like it will be cloudy with sunny periods, not too bad. This is only a trend and the weather report could change, but so far it looks pretty good.
The May Long is less than two weeks away!

THE CAPTAIN

MEET THE NATION / BTLN TRIVIA - TYLER FRANCIS

 

Cody had it right, it was Tyler! Nice work Cody! Anyways here are five more answers from Tyler.

(1)Who is your favourite pro sports team?
(A)Detroit Red Wings
(2)If you could be a superhero for a day who would you want to be?
(A)Superman
(3)What is your dream job?
(A)I would like to mow the lawn at Wrigley Field.
(4)How do you spend most of your time at the May Long? Fishing or playing Cribbage?
(A)Fishing
(5)What is your M.M.M. from Battalion?
(A)The dirt bag in Fernie that wanted to fight us.

For the rest of Tyler's answers go to Dec. 30/09

THE CAPTAIN

MEET THE NATION / BTLN TRIVIA

 

We have featured nineteen Members over the last three years in our "Meet the Btln Nation" here on the blog. We will give you ten questions and the answers that the Member gave. Your job is to figure out which Member gave this set of answers. Here is the list of Members and when their feature was posted on the blog.

RYLEY HEPPNER - OCT. 16/06
JOE KRAFTCHICK - NOV. 21/06
JASON HAYASHI - FEB. 25/08
BEN JEPSEN - MAR. 17/08
DAN TRITHARDT - APR. 15/08
DEVAN ENGLAND - JUNE 21/08
BRAD PAULS - JULY 6/08
TIM FEENSTRA - JULY 21/08
NATHAN KLASSEN - AUG. 12/08
GERRY NICKEL - SEPT. 21/08
CALVIN PETERS - NOV. 25/08
DREW BROWN - APR. 4/09
CHRIS HENDERSON - APR. 7/09
CHARLIE LANGIS - NOV. 9/09
SAM JEPSEN - DEC. 5/09
TYLER FRANCIS - DEC. 30/09
JORDON WALSH - FEB. 15/10
ALAN MARTENS - MAR. 7/10
OWEN SPISAK - MAR. 20/10

(1)Who is your favourite band?
(A)M*X*P*X
(2)What is your hat size?
(A)7 1/2
(3)What is your favourite sport?
(A)Hockey
(4)What is your favourite Battalion shirt?
(A)Blue, yellow and red Super "B"
(5)What do you miss most about Battalion?
(A)The fact that Wednesday was better than Friday and Saturday.
(6)You arrive at the boat launch on your way out to the May Long when you realize that the boat doesn't have enough room for both your tarp and your food. What do you leave behind? Your tarp or your food?
(A)My tarp, it doesn't rain at the May Long anymore.
(7)What is your favourite restaurant?
(A)Red Robin
(8)What is your favourite flavour of chips?
(A)Honey and roasted garlic
(9)When you were in high school would you have rather called the girl that you liked or climb into a cage with a hungry bear?
(A)The bear
(10)What is your favourite book of the Bible?
(A)Job

Leave your answers in the comments.

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN 3739 SECOND HALF REVIEW

The Second Half is just as busy as the First and is definitely not the weaker brother.(I was gonna say "not the weaker sister" but some how it just didn't seem right.) The Second Half had Winterslam, Ping Pong, Btln Night, Hockey Night, The Masters, Btln Football and Last Night.(and Pop n Dogs) Not sure how we could fit anymore in!

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN 3739 FIRST HALF REVIEW

It is hard to believe how much we jammed into the first half! So many good times!
We are already starting to plan for the first half of 2010/11! Can't wait to make some more memories!

THE CAPTAIN

THE 2009/10 BTLN 3739 HELMET WINNERS

 

 

 

Just a recap of the Helmet Winners from the 2009/10 Btln 3739 season. Congrats to all of the Winners! It is never easy to win. Again congratulations to Sam for winning Winston!

WINSTON STANDINGS (FINAL RESULTS)
SAM SCHIESSER - 6 Helmets and 2 Majors
ZACH GOBBETT - 5 Helmets and 1 Major
STEPHEN LAWRENCE - 5 Helmets
DALTON SHORE - 3 Helmets
SAMMY JEPSEN - 2 Helmets
CHRIS HENDERSON - 2 Helmets
KALEB HORKOFF - 2 Helmets
ZANE LAWSON - 2 Helmets
PARKER STEADMAN - 1 Helmet and 1 Major
RIK BROWN - 1 Helmet and 1 Major
OWEN KNOPP - 1 Helmet
LEVI HIEBERT - 1 Helmet

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN BIRTHDAYS - MAY

 

Often Birthdays can be a time of reflection. (How was last year? What did I do right? What can I do different next year?) This passage should offer some very good advice for the next year of your life.

1Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

It will not be easy to follow the guidelines of this passage, but with God's help you can do it and you will have a better year because of it! (Not that everything will be perfect, but you will learn to be joyful and thankful in all circumstances.)

Happy Birthday and may God bless you this year!

Tyler Hanson - May 7
Derek Taylor - May 7
Brad Pauls - May 9
Dalton Shore - May 19
Joel Feenstra - May 21
Rik Brown - May 23
Cody Harp - May 29
Sam Schiesser - May 31

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN HEROES 2009/10

Thanks to all of the leaders that have helped out this year, Battalion 3739 would not be the same without you! We here at the blog salute you!

THE CAPTAIN