BTLN ORIGINAL SERIES - THE BATTALION OLYMPICS

 

The 14th annual Battalion Olympics is next week so I thought that this would be a good time to do the Btln Original Series. Actually this will be the 15th year for the Olympics, the first year we did not have an overall champion(there were champions for each individual event) or a trophy. Fred Klassen was the Captain the first year that we had the Olympics and he was the one that introduced 3739 to those triangles that make the Olympics work. The following year Fred had left Battalion but his ideas were here to stay. The first Major at Btln was the Ping Pong tourney and we were looking for a Major for the second half of the year so we changed a couple of the events, added a scoring system and the trophy. The first year the events were Arm Wrestling, Hockey(shooting a puck through a whole in a board) and Basketball(21). The first year that we had the Trophy, Hockey changed to a shootout, but probably the best change we made was changing Hockey to Box Hockey. Box Hockey is by far the best event at the Olympics and is usually the difference maker when it comes to crowning a Champion. In 89-90 the Championship came down to one game of Box Hockey between Aaron Friesen and Nathan Klassen and in 03-04 Dan Neufeld took the title because of Box Hockey. Since that first year we have also added the Football Toss, so the events are now Basketball(21), Arm Wrestling, Football Toss and Box Hockey. We now have the four Majors at Btln but The Battalion Olympics is still my favourite. Here are the Champions.

1995-96 COURTNEY FRIESEN
1996-97 COURTNEY FRIESEN
1997-98 AARON FRIESEN
1998-99 AARON FRIESEN
1999-00 DEREK TAYLOR
2000-01 JUSTIN BEKKER
2001-02 JUSTIN BEKKER
2002-03 JUSTIN THOMPSON
2003-04 DAN NEUFELD
2004-05 BEN JEPSEN
2005-06 BEN JEPSEN
2006-07 CAM THOMPSON
2007-08 DEVIN CHURSINOFF

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN ALUMNI DECEMBER 27TH!

 

 

Just a reminder December 27th 2008 is the third annual BTLN 3739 Alumni reunion! Make sure to mark it on your calender. It is just over a month away! See you there!(at the gym)

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN BIRTHDAYS - NOVEMBER

 

It's a good thing that I have a month to get this done, but better late than never. Happy birthday guys, sorry that this was late, the room has been taking every spare moment that I have. Styles has moved away but I figured it would be a good reminder to pray for him as well as for Dan, Devan and Nathan.

STYLES SADLER - NOVEMBER 9
DAN TRITHARDT - NOVEMBER 9
DEVAN ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 19
NATHAN BALL - NOVEMBER 20

THE CAPTAIN

BETTER THAN THE BLARNEY STONE?

 

 

 

The Blarney Stone has been around for hundreds of years, has been kissed by millions of people and has all kinds of tradition, but does that make it better than our post? The Blarney Post has been around for sixty years, has been kissed by one and kissing it will not bring you any luck, but who cares? Is there really any difference? The post has been supporting the church for sixty years, reminds me of the fact that Jesus has also been supporting the church over the last sixty years.
The Battalion year rolls on and it always amazes me how God just keeps bringing new guys out to Battalion. Some guys only come once and some guys keep coming and become part of the core group, and either way they are exposed to God's Word and that makes everything that we do worth it. We started the night with bump which is a good game to get lot's of guys involved. After squad meetings we played handball and D-Pod and I were taking a beating from Charlie(Charlie was trying to soften us up), although I don't think he scored to many times(I was playing net and D-Pod was playing defense). The score ended one to nothing, like every other time that we have played handball. We were playing next goal wins, and after what seemed like ten minutes Charlie's team scored to take the win.(I guess Charlie's strategy worked.)
Aaron led the Bible study and the passage that he was speaking on was 1Timothy 4:1-4. The passage talks about people abandoning the faith and following deceiving spirits. Aaron pointed out that if we use God`s word as a guide that we will not be deceived.
Spencer(Big Chris`s little brother)capped off two big weeks at Btln by winning Bulldog!(Last week Spencer won the lightweight division at the Royal Rumble)Congrats Spencer!

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN MUSIC

I have been telling Bent about this song for a while now, and I never remember to play it for him, so I thought I would post it. Al Martens(my Cousin)pointed out this song, I had heared it before but had never really listened to it. Take a listen, this is probably my favourite Newsboys song. Enjoy.

THE CAPTAIN

Bulldog Music Reviews

JON FOREMAN-WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL EP'S



~FALL~
1. The Cure For Pain*
2. Southbound Train*
3. Lord, Save Me From Myself*
4. Equally Skilled*
5. The Moon Is A Magnet
6. My Love Goes Free

~Winter~
1. Learning How To Die*
2. Behind Your Eyes
3. Somebody's Baby*
4. White As Snow*
5. I Am Still Running*
6. In Love*

~SPRING~
1. March (A Prelude to Spring)*
2. Love Isn't Made*
3. In My Arms
4. Baptize My Mind*
5. Your Love Is Strong
6. Revenge

~SUMMER~
1. A Mirror Is Harder To Hold
2. Resurrect Me*
3. Deep In Your Eyes
4. Instead Of A Show
5. The House Of God Forever
6. Again

Alright so first things first a big congrats to Drew Brown for winning the belt! welcome to the club my friend! Outside of Lance and myself i dont know anyone else who listens to Jon Foreman so this one goes out to the Captain!

So i realize that there are 4 CDs being reviewed here but total they make 24 songs roughly 2 full length albums but i thought i would just do all his stuff together here! that being said he just put out a cd called limbs and branches that have a collection of these songs as well as a new recording! so if you dont want to buy 4 eps (or they also come in 2 double cd packs) then pick up the new one with a collection of them, which kinda makes me mad cause i would like to hear that new song but i dont need the other 11 songs i already have.....i guess thats what itunes are for.

Now just in case you were asking yourself "who is this random Jon Foreman guy" you need to know hes not all that random or new to the music scene, since he is in fact the lead singer on Switchfoot! that right there should be proof enough that the cds should be good! but what does Jon Foreman sound like without the rest of switchfoot? can he actually pull of good music without the boys from switchfoot? well the answer is a big fat YES! dont get me wrong the guys on switchfoot are all really talented at what they do and though Jon Foreman is most likely the biggest part of switchfoot the rest of the band contribute more than you may think and make what switchfoot is today!

so when i heard that Jon Foreman was putting out some of his own stuff i was really excited, especially after seeing what guys from bands that do solo stuff on the side can do, like Dustin Kensrue from thrice, or Dallas Green from Alexisonfire. i was also excited to hear that it was going to be a more acoustic/mellow style which is one of my favorite styles of music.

I ended up getting all 4 discs by the end of creation fest this summer and i honestly cant think of a single song i dont like! Jon sings about his relationship with God as well as songs about his love for God and some songs on the beauty of God. there are some songs as well that talk about the love and beauty of women (maybe in his life) and how that relationship works at times in our lives.

Jon Foremans skills as a musician blow me away, not even with his skills on instruments but his skills to write amazing lyrics. one of the greatest things about these cds is its not just him and a guitar but he gets some horns, percussion, and even some clarinet in there which works well! on top of the slow and mellow songs Jon throws in some fast pace get into your head music which is also done very well.

I had very high hopes for his stuff and he went way past my expectations. if you havnt listened to any of his stuff do yourself a favor and go check it out! again if your looking for some switchfoot sounding stuff then dont go for his stuff, its nothing like there switchfoot stuff (which makes sense since he doesnt need to go do solo stuff to do that). if your a fan of city and colour, andy shauf, Ben Harper, or even some copeland and mae then this is the stuff for you!

thanks for reading (if you made it through) stay posted for some more!

overall i give these albums 10/10 each one is amazing! its hard to not put a * beside each song.

THE ROYAL RUMBLE 2008

 

 

Tonight The Royal Rumble was held at The Pound(the gym). The night started with Rawkfist by TFK, the music was pounding as the guys walked into the gym. Last year we made a change to the program as we had lightweight(grades 7-9) and heavyweight(grades 10-12) divisions. We kept the same format, so we started with the lightweights and after a lot of wrestling it was down to Spencer(Big Chris's little brother) and David(Thomas Hecht's little brother). These last two guys seemed to last forever, but in the end Spencer outlasted David and took the lightweight division. Next it was time for the big boys to enter the ring, and let me tell you, the blower had a hard time keeping up! Spencer and David from the lightweight division started with the heavyweights, and Spencer made it to the final four! Once Steve and Drew made it into the ring they teamed up and dominated. It was amazing how fast they cleaned the ring out! Teamwork definitely pays off in the Rumble. So it was down to Drew and Steve, I guess it was the way it was it was supposed to be. The battle did not last long, but these two friends did fight hard and in the end Drew came out on top. Congrats to Spencer for taking the lightweight title and also to Drew for winning the first Btln Major of the year!

THE CAPTAIN

ROYAL RUMBLE 4

 

This is the 4th time we have had the Royal Rumble and the 7th time that the guys have competed for the belt. Ben Jepsen won the first Royal Rumble(wrestling) as well as the first Winter Slam(boxing). Jason Hayashi won Royal Rumble 2. Devin Chursinoff won Winter Slam 2 and Royal Rumble 3. Steven Feenstra is the current holder of the belt as the winner of Winter Slam 3. Now it is time for Royal Rumble 4, will Steve defend his title or will someone step it up and take it away from him? I love the Royal Rumble, can't wait until Wednesday!

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN UPDATE

 

 

 

 

Wednesday has come and gone and it has been way to long since I have updated the blog so here goes. We started the night with basketball, it was like old times. Ben, Jason and Dalton were there so we played three on three, Saskatchewan verses B.C.. Jeremy, Charlie and I gave those Saskatchewan guys all that they could handle, and in the end we defeated the prairie boys and defended our provinces honor. For the second week in a row we played murder ball and again the games were awesome, my team was an underdog and we fought valiantly, but lost anyway.(Maxwell got a ball in the eye which gave him a shiner, but he kept playing!)Ben did the Bible study and he talked about how we have to listen to our Captain, Jesus Christ. After listening to Ben we headed back upstairs to play some B-DOG and after many rounds Zac pulled out the big win, his first of the season!
Remember it is The Royal Rumble this week, come early!

THE CAPTAIN

MORE FOOTBALL PICS

 

 

Here are a few more pics from the football trip. A special thanks to all of the Alumni that came out, it was good to see all of you. There were a few surprises, I still can't believe that the Neufelds were there, that Jason actually got the waitresses name tag and that Dalton actually picked that piece of food off of his cup with his teeth. Again this year we did not get to play the Director's Cup but we did confirm with the Captain from Langley for next year. I can't wait!
Ben, Jason and Dalton will be with us at Battalion this week and Ben will be doing the Bible study, so make sure you are there.

THE CAPTAIN

AIR FORCE ONE?

 

John Launstein, the President of CSB Canada will be in Grand Forks Thursday night. John would like to meet with all Brigade Leaders, Btln Alumni and any other guys that would like to come out. We will meet at the church at 8:30 p.m. after Stockade. It would be nice to have as many guys as possible, hope you can make it.

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN Football 2008

so another football trip has come and gone and what a trip it was! We started out on saturday meeting at the the church. it appeared that everyone was there when we realized that our good friend Dalton Erixon was missing! we all jumped in our vehicles and went over to his place to get him. i went to the door and Dalton answered wearing nothing but bed head and boxers! haha the conversation went something like this Ben "Hey" Dalton "Hey...........O NO!" haha o man what a start i love ya Dalton.

We continued on our way with Lances Expedition, my Dads Truck, Jers truck, and Abes Van that Aaron drove. Though every vehicle had their own adventures on the road im sure each was a good time! we stopped in Chilliwack (no clue how to spell that) at the mall with that sweet sports store then took forever to fill up on gas and leave but we left none the less.

Most years we would stop in at house of james but due to time and wanting to hit up Authentix we decided to go straight to Van! We had received a call from Dev and found out that Joe, Dev, Ryley, Tyler, and Kenny were already there waiting for us, that was the good news, the bad news was that our field we use for football was fenced off!!! This was disappointing but we were still really exciting to see the alumni!

We quickly made a stop in at Authentix (one of my all time favorite stores) and then headed over to BC PLACE! we went to the place we usually park and were reunited with the alumni! it was awesome to see the guys again even if its for a short time.

we hung out at the parking lot with the rest of CSB from around BC and shared some pop and hot dogs which is always good, makes me excited for the 3 B's night! we found out that there was going to be no football game since no one was ready to play us! this was a bit frustrating i was ready for some football but o well we are just way too intimidating i almost dont blame them! the guys received their shirts and we took a group photo for victory number three! not the best way to win but a win none the less! so so far for wins we had 1!

It was now Lions time and we headed over to the game as soon as they opened the doors because the first 3000 people who came got Clairmont bobble heads which is awesome! by the looks of it pretty much all the guys got bobble heads so it worked out well!

we made our way to our seats and got ready for some CFL football!!! i was really excited to see the game since its been a year since i have gotten to see them live! as we waited we tried to find where joes season ticket seat was and we found him! we took my camera zoomed in and took pictures of him to see what he was up to.......ya it was kinda creepy! haha!

The game finally started and it turned out to be a great game close at moments but im pretty sure BC was ahead the entire game! they ended up winning which gave us 2 wins for the night, and just before that win we found out that the canucks had beat the oilers 6-3 which gave us win number 3! while the game was going on we saw people getting escorted out by security, my dad getting about 5 free blankets for signing up for credit cards, and THE NEUFELDS! Dan and Andrew were just in front of us and we didnt even see them till the 2nd quarter! haha it was pretty awesome to see those guys, when they were in GF they came to Battalion all the time great guys! we also got to see my cousins which was a nice treat!

Once the game was over Dan (the captain from k-town also a btln alumni) organized a meeting with some Christian football players (and one ex player who helps coach now). it was pretty awesome going downstairs in BC Place to this cool room with these guys hearing about their lives. the best part was when Dan asked one of the players how much he could curl but he asked Nick but there was no one named Nick so they were all pretty confused haha! thanks Dan it was pretty awesome and better then sitting in our vehicle waiting for traffic to clear out!

So we all got into our vehicles and headed over to BP! I love BP but on this trip i also hate it cause once the meal is over we have to say our goodbyes to the alumni which is never fun! so after our stomachs were full we headed outside to say our goodbyes to the alumni! always great to see you guys glad you guys could come out!

we then headed out to the Best Western the official hotel of 3739. we dispersed into the 5 rooms and called it a day.

the next day we checked out but it wasnt time to head home yet! we got to go to the mall and then over to Red Robins (prolly my favorite restaurant of all time). it was awesome to be all together in the restaurant eating and laughing about the trip, but the highlight of the day was again Dalton. we had pooled 5 bucks in change for Dalton to bite off a piece of food from his cup that had stuck on from who knows where. Dalton being a college student agreed to eat it but as he did his gag reflex kicked in and he nearly puked haha o man it was hilarious! he got it off and then didnt eat it!!! so we took our money back but i would pay 5 bucks to see him try again haha!

after we had eaten once again we decided it was time to head back to GF, so we headed out for the road trip back! it was good times driving back talking and meeting up with the other cars along the way! we finally arrived in GF around 7ish and after getting everyone home called it a weekend!

so thanks again for those who planned out the trip and drove and everything else! it was a great trip and im glad i was able to come out once again! me dalton and jay will be there on wed night so you better be there too!!!

-bent ;)

BTLN UPDATE

 

 

 

 

This is a little late but my schedule has been a little hectic lately, what with the Locker Room and work being so busy. Some random thoughts.
Probably the most guys that we have had all year, not sure how many, the gym was full.
Stephen Lawrence won Bulldog, way to go Stephen!
We played murderball and even though I thought the teams were not even in the end the series was really close.
In Bible study and the squad meetings we talked about God not wanting any of us to perish and that he(Jesus) was the only way to heaven.(1Timothy 2:3-5)
I can't wait to go to the Lion's game.
Sure is uplifting to see the Alumni when they come home.
Can't wait to see the rest of the Alumni at the game.
I wonder if I will find something to buy at the Canucks team store.
The Locker Room is perfect for doing the Bible study.
We are thinking about putting rubber floors in the Locker Room.(Like in a hockey dressing room.)
Will anyone ever get a name tag from a waitress?
I hope Pike can get a team together.
The Director's Cup will be the highlight of my trip, if we get to play.
We leave in eight hours.
I hope that I haven't forgot anything.
Free Jason Clermont bobblehead's if we are early.
good night!

THE CAPTAIN

BTLN 3739 ROSTER - DIRECTOR'S CUP 2008

 

 

This is not finalized, but it is very close to the team that we will be fielding for the 2008 Director's Cup.

NATHAN BALL
DREW BROWN
MITCHELL BEKKER
DEVIN CHURSINOFF
DALTON ERIXON
STEVEN FEENSTRA
RYAN FLOESSER
TYLER FRANCIS
AARON FRIESEN
CODY HARP
JASON HAYASHI
CHRIS HENDERSON
SPENCER HENDERSON
RYLEY HEPPNER
KALEB HORKOFF
BEN JEPSEN
BRUCE JEPSEN
SAMMY JEPSEN
KENNY JOHNSON
JOE KRAFTCHICK
JEREMY MARTENS
LANCE MARTENS
MAXWELL NICHOLSON
DAVID PODOVINIKOFF
TANNER SCOTT
DALTON SHORE
OWEN SPISAK
JORDON WALSH

This is a strong team, I can't wait to play!

Make sure to check out the new poll and count down on the side of the page!

THE CAPTAIN

THREE-PEAT?

 

I know that the coast wasn't able to put a team together last year, but that wasn't our fault. Hopefully they get a team together because we need someone to beat. The Director's Cup has had a permanent home in G.F., and that's the way it should be. Anyways the final roster is almost set, and it looks like we will have enough vehicles to get us all down there, the only thing left to do is to go down there and three-peat!

THE CAPTAIN

Bulldog Music Reviews

THE CLASSIC CRIME-THE SILVER CORD



1. The End*
2. Just A Man*
3. Grave Digging*
4. The Way That You Are*
5. 5805*
6. Salt In The Snow
7. Abracadavers*
8. R&R
9. God and Drugs
10. Medisin
11. The Ascent
12. Sing
13. Everything
14. Closer Than We Think
15. The Beginning (A Simple Seed)*

This post goes out to Drew Brown the only other Classic Crime fan i know! so i picked up this album over summer during Creation Fest, now that i think of it i picked up their first album from creation fest as well. now the first album "Albatross" was amazing (check out the song "the fight" and youll see what i mean) but their second (LP) is surprisingly even better! i wasnt sure how they would pull off an even greater album but they did!

The Classic Crime seems to be one of those bands that is super talented but no one really knows about them, or if they do its "ya i heard about them." they are in my opinion a hidden jewel. they recently put out a softer/acoustic EP titled "The Seattle Sessions" that was also amazing! its actually quite shocking how no one really knows these guys due to three great albums!

once again we run into the norm from "tooth an nail records" the question of what is the difference between a "Christian band" and "Christians in a band?" well for these guys this is what i found out from an interview with the band (Matt Macdonald is the lead singer). Some fans have assumed that The Classic Crime is a "Christian band" due to being signed on to Tooth & Nail Records. However, The Classic Crime does not label themselves a 'Christian' band. Matt spoke on the subject saying "We believe faith is personal, and can be only held by an individual person. To entitle a group "Christian" would be to assume that the group has a collective soul, or at least individual souls tied to a solid collective belief. Not everyone in our band is decidedly set in their faith, and we respect that."Justin DuQue (guitar) stated that "3 of the 5 members in the band are Christian. We get that a lot being on a pseudo-Christian label (Tooth & Nail) but no we are not a Christian band. Our lyrics are very positive and hopeful though". Also, in an interview, vocalist Matt MacDonald spoke about how The Classic Crime does not like the Christian music industry! all this being said it would appear that a band to be a "Christian band" all members must be Christians! ha i think over these reviews we may slowly resolve this again lets move on!

Anyway overall this CD was a great surprise and i found that i was loving each song! the thing that these guys do real well is there guitar riffs and making each song exciting and fun! i also love how they have the entire band doing vocal parts together throughout the album. this album also takes on a bit of a heavier darker sound compared to their last album "Albatross" which i hope they carry on to their next album.

So talk to Drew he will tell ya anything you need to know over in GF, my opinion is more people need to be checking out this band there are a lot of great bands on tooth And Nail but these guys are prolly one of my favorite of the tooth and nail roster. again if your an anberlin, emery, the almost fan then you will love these guys! a great album to listen to while playing sports or rocking out in the car (or even better 4x4ing up Motto).

check out the album at http://www.purevolume.com/theclassiccrime just copy and paste this on your search bar! keep it real and thanks for reading my spree of music reviews! ill keep trying to fire them out through out the week!

Overall i give this album a 10/10

-bent ;)

Bulldog Music Reviews

ANBERLIN-NEW SURRENDER



1. The Resistance*
2. Breaking
3. Blame Me! Blame Me!
4. Retrace*
5. Feel Good Drag
6. Disappear*
7. Breathe*
8. Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)
9. Younglife
10. Haight St
11. Soft Skeletons
12. Miserabile Visu (Ex Malo Bonum)*

I know yet another music review! but i had time so i thought i would crank as much of these out as i could! hope someone is enjoying these haha!

Well i picked up this album a couple weeks ago when it came out and to be honest there wasnt as much hype around it as the other albums. i remember waiting for the day cities came out to go and get it, but for new surrender i kinda forgot they were even coming out with a new one! none the less i was still excited to pick it up for 9 bucks and listen to one of my favorite bands as of late! I still remember listening to never take friendship personal for the first time not having any idea who anberlin was and being very happy about my purchase! (still my favorite anberlin album of their 4). i also saw them a few years back at creation fest right before they started recording cities and loving their show, unfortunatly the rest of the Battalion guys were too tired, didnt know who Anberlin was, or didnt care! its been great to see them do so well over the years!

now their has been some news surrounding anberlin this year on their faith. for their entire career (which started with some of them still in highschool.....MxPx anyone?) they have been on tooth and nail which can be classified as a Christian record label though not all bands on the label are "Christian bands." this new album is on Universal Republic a secular record label. now all that being said im always happy to see christian bands make it big and have their music played world wide (relint k, jars of clay, sixpense none the richer, P.O.D., switchfoot, just a few names that come to mind) but there is a difference between a "Christian band" and "Christians in a band" and this year Stephen Christian has clarified that- "I think we're categorized like that a lot because we're on Tooth & Nail Records, which, years ago, was known as a Christian label and never lost that reputation. I don't care who listens to our records. If it helps people in whatever circumstances they're in, that's amazing, but I definitely don't classify us as a Christian band." now all that being said its hard to know where every band out there is at with God and what not! not that i doubt these guys' faith because they have made known to all that they are in fact Christians even members from Fall out Boy who they used to tour with commented on these guys' faith and said in an interview that they didnt know anything about Jesus until they met the guys from Anberlin which i think is awesome! but where is the integrity within a band whos members are all Christian but dont want to be labeled as a Christian band? im not sure and its one of those big questions within the music industry that i will no longer comment on for now, maybe another day.

BUT back to the band its great to see Anberlin get signed to a big label and be given even more opportunities in the music industry (much like Relient K did last year getting on Capitol Records). that being said i cant help but wonder if they had to whip up something quick for the label so they can get a new cd out, cause at times in this album it seems to be thrown together quick and wasnt given as much time and thought as "Cities" or "Never Take Friendship Personal." one example is having Feel Good Drag return, i know im getting a bit too critical but i think its a DRAG (man am i funny or what) that they had to put an old song on a new cd. i also understand that this happens all the time but come on did you not have another song somewhere to throw on the cd? im sure in a couple months there will be a special edition cd with three new songs tagged on why not put one of those on the original instead of this one? anyway still a great song.

Now all this being said i still really liked this album, i still got that great Anberlin sound and the talent of frontman Stephen Christian shows up once again in this album. great bands have this super talent with them, guys like Matt Thiessen and Jon Foreman are just a couple examples, and Anerlin has this super talent (Stephen Christian if you didnt catch on) and it shows and thats why they are getting even more popular! (a super talent band like DC Talk has three of these guys it doesnt seem fair does it?). the other thing i liked about this album is the balance with fast fun songs (The Resistance) and laid back mellow acoustic songs (Breathe), i especially liked the last song on the album that shows more of the experimental side of the band and reminds me of the last song on cities which i also loved!

so if you enjoy some feel good music that you can sing to and your a fan of bands like relient k or even the almost then go get this album! or even better if your looking to get some Anberlin i suggest never take friendship personal or cities, even blueprints for the blackmarket is good before you embark on this new Anberlin!

overall ill give this one a 9/10

-bent ;)

BASEBALL REVIEW

Baseball is always fun, especially under the lights, it makes you feel like a pro. Just turning the lights on was a thrill.(Yah I know, I'm strange) The guys that came early took a few practise swings with the toss machine, Owen had one bomb that was about ten feet from the fence! When it was time to get going we split up into two teams and played a two-inning game. While we played Jeremy cooked the Menno. A problem surfaced as the BBQ would not heat up. The BBQ was from Extra Foods, this is the second time an Extra Foods BBQ has let us down.(Owen's BBQ did the same thing at the Three B's) After this episode I have decided that Coleman will be the official BBQ of Btln 3739. (I'm not sure what this means, it just sounds good) Anyways Jeremy and Dylan went to Dylan's house and we used his BBQ. A disaster was avoided!(Baseball isn't the same without Menno) After baseball we ended the night the way we always end it, yes even at the ball field we play Bulldog. We play in the infield, the only thing difference being that you can't touch the base lines or the pitching mound. This is probably my favourite Bulldog of the year, because it is so different playing on the grass. Sam S. started us off, and after some tough rounds Sergeant Drew Brown won his first Bulldog of the year. Congrats Drew! Another good night at Btln 3739!
Just a reminder to the Alumni, I need to know if you are coming to the Lions game so that I can get you a ticket. I think that Ryley is coming, what about Calvin, Kenny and Tyler? If you hear from these guys, let me know, we are running out of time. Thanks!

THE CAPTAIN

Bulldog Music Reviews

FAMILY FORCE FIVE-DANCE OR DIE



1. Dance or Die*
2. Get Your Back Off the Wall*
3. Rip it Up
4. How in the World
5. Fever*
6. Party Foul
7. D-I-E 4 Y-O-U
8. Share it with Me
9. The First Time
10. Wake the Dead
11. Radiator


First things first i apologize for the long break between the two reviews one reason is that it was impossible for me to get this album since no one on this planet wanted to sell it to me!!! but i got it yesterday finally! luckily my friend lent it to me a while back so i could give it a proper review! also i have realized that i write a lot in these things so my hats off to whoever can actually get through the entire review! if you do please leave a comment simply saying "i survived a bulldog music review" haha ill be very proud of you! i love writing about music so i tend to go forever, Jesus freak hideout here i come! by the way the * by the songs are my favorite songs on the album. and if there are cds you want me to write about (old or new) please let me know on the comments i would love to write on any cd! (so long as its not Pure NRG)

One of the greatest things about this band is the family aspect of it! i know dumb thing to say but they dont call themselves family force five for nothing. Solomon Olds (Soul Glow Activatur) is the frontman of the band and fitting since hes the oldest of the 3 brothers. Also featured as a guest vocalist in the song "The Journey" of one of Showbread's new albums, Nervosa, and featured on the Falling Up song "Moonlit (Neon Predator)" from the album Exit Lights. Jacob Olds (Crouton) brings the drums and more vocals for the band, he is the younger brother of Soul Glow and is Fatty's twin brother. Joshua Olds (Fatty) gives the bass and even more vocals. He is the younger brother of Soul Glow and Crouton's twin brother. Nathan Currin (Nadaddy) is one of my favorite members of the band due to his plethora (yes i used that word if you dont know what it means go do yourself a favor and watch the 3 amigos) of instruments he plays, which consist of Keytar/Family Force 5000 Machine/Turntables/vocals/Hardcore Tambourine/percussion! Finally we have Derek Mount who plays lead guitar! one thing that really helps a band is having multiple vocal talent (DC Talk) and they use this well on this album not having Solomon doing all the work which works really well! It actually surprises me how well it works and how much i enjoy this band due to the 80's style look and how weird these guys are with their v neck shirts and tight pants! i saw them last year at YQ and they put on a great show and you can tell they just love it which says a lot for the fans!

Now the thing about the first FFF (family force five) is it came outta nowhere! i remember hearing about these guys a week before their first album "buisness up front, party in the back" (referring to mullets i assume, which fits these boys) came out and heard a sample of "Replace Me" and loved it! since there first album came out on Gotee Records i assumed it would be good since Toby Mac is an amazing musician and knows talent when he hears it (Relient K anyone?). so that being said im not sure how popular their first record that came out in 06 was until somewhere in 07 when it took off and was recognized by all listeners (Christian or not). with their popularity rising their new record was highly anticipated by all, i would have to put it in my top 10 most anticipated CDs for this year!

All that being said how did this album do? well after listening to it dozens of times i have to say they went above and beyond what i had expected. with their first album doing so well and being such a fun/party mix its hard to come up with something equally as great, but they seem to have done it!

The album starts with the album name "Dance or Die" and is my favorite song on the album. if your not a synth, keys, big drums, electric guitar, and voice altering mics kinda guy then stay away! in fact run for your life because thats what this album is all about and they deliver it well! they still give you that feeling that you want to get out and dance till you die much like their last album, yet they have changed the way they do it, a little softer in some areas but still dance party music. though these boys are still crazy and funny they have a bit more meaning to their lyrics and it seems to me that they have put a bit more thought into their lyrics which is a very good thing, but dont be fooled they keep their style of PARTY. and though this cd may not be deeply spiritual its obvious that they keep God in the center of what they are doing!

Overall i loved this album, and highly recommend it! now since pretty well everything on this new series on the blog is going to get great reviews since i am doing cds i like haha then i want to try and give you knowledge and introduce you to music that may be similar to bands you already like! that being said this album is a total party cd, one you would put on if you had a dance floor at your house and want to get your back off the wall! its a fun one to sing along to maybe not as catchy as relient k/switchfoot style but still fun to sing to. another great thing about these guys is that they dont really sound like anyone else, i will say that they are a bit heavier then your audio adrenaline and newsboys cds, but no where near your underoath and haste the day collection! ha hope that helps. so if you can find this cd out there i would grab it, i have played the opening song 20 times on my iTunes now and it never gets old!

overall this album gets a surprising 10/10

-bent ;)

Stay tuned for a review on the new Anberlin! (hopefully soon)

BTLN BASEBALL /08

 

Just a few pics before I go to bed, enjoy!

THE CAPTAIN