Why You Should Listen to Eyedea
In the year 2000, when I was first getting into underground hip hop, I came across this rapper from Minneapolis who blew my mind. Edit 12.12: Eyedea was from St. Paul Eyedea was a musical prodigy, beginning…
We Don’t Need A Holiday To Give Thanks!
As Quakers, we traditionally do not honor traditions such as Christmas, Halloween, the naming of weeks and months, swearing on the Bible. Wait… what? Does anybody actually do this anymore? Nobody that I know. The Quakers I…
What is a Quaker Ministry? (What Isn’t?)
In 2006 I chose to turn to the model of Quaker ministry to inform my making music. Getting low. Being humble. Only writing songs that felt like a message from the Spirit. Knowing that the message is not my own. Attempting to be a vessel. Releasing my agenda, knowing my limited perspective. Letting go and letting God.
Support a Minister. Sell Your Meetinghouse.
Vital ministry is essential to vitality. Vital ministry breaks us open, stirs us up, inspires conversations, exposes us, makes us uncomfortable, puts us through the refiners fire. Ministers activate people. In short, without vital ministry, we are lost.
Is it Time to Strip Quakerism Naked?
Our spiritual forefathers and mothers spoke of a “Light” that was an intense spotlight, something distinctly uncomfortable, that would shine on the the dark places inside of ourselves and reveal the things that we are trying to hide. This “Light”, honestly, sounds horrifying. It is no wonder they also called it the “refiner’s fire”.
Stop Robbing Us of Your Gifts.
But here is my point: we spend too much of our lives feeling insignificant, feeling not-powerful, waiting for someone to tell us that its okay to use our voice now.
Stop waiting for cultural credentials to write your book. Write it now. Stop holding back from singing in the streets. Stop waiting for an “appropriate” message to stand up with in Meeting for Worship. Stop robbing us of your gifts.
“Clothe Yourself in Righteousness” Video Song
When I released my new album, “Clothe Yourself in Righteousness”, last Fall, I promised to myself (and to you!) that I would edit all of the footage I had taken during the recording process and turn each song into a videosong.
I got through 8 of these videosongs, and then needed to take a step back and rethink the way I was approaching them. Video editing is an entirely new skill for me, though there are some aspects that are akin to audio.
Websites that Feature “Clothe Yourself in Righteousness”
I have been a bit too busy working on video editing to continually update the “press” section of my website on the fly, as coverage comes in. Most of the attention so far has come from blogs, which (luckily) leave the posts up forever. Here are some of the blogs mentioning my project since its release:
How I Built Myself, With My Mother’s Help
“How I Built Myself, With My Mother’s Help” from the album “Clothe Yourself in Righteousness” by Jon Watts Produced by Jake Thro Violin by Marina Vishnyakova Download the song Lyrics
Why Being Told I Wasn’t a Quaker Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me
Yesterday my co-minister and partner in crime Maggie posted a blog entry entitled “YOU’RE NOT A QUAKER (so please stop calling yourself one)” The post has provoked some great discussion and obviously real feelings from some of…
Limits & Emotions (New Instrumental Album)
Jon Watts instrumental album.
This is Just a (Love) Song
“This is Just a (Love) Song” from the album “Clothe Yourself in Righteousness” by Jon Watts Produced by Jake Thro Violin by Marina Vishnyakova Download the song Lyrics
Together We Compose This Bloody, Bleeding, Beating Drum
“Together We Compose This Bloody, Bleeding, Beating Drum” from the album “Clothe Yourself in Righteousness” by Jon Watts Produced by Jake Thro Violin by Marina Vishnyakova Download the song Lyrics