I just got this email from an old friend from college:

I noticed in your entire repertoire there was no mention of the Nick-a-thons.  That's what I remember you most for.  If I were to hire you it would have to include a nick-a-thon. ...

The Nick-a-thon as I remember it was after the official worship was over, when your fingers had every right to be dead tired, folks would be talking and doing there thing, and a smaller group of us would sit around with you and keep praising the Lord.  It was like you could play all night.

Its a good memory.

If there's one thing I was known for in my college music days, it wasn't for my technical prowess over the guitar fretboard, or for my skilled improvisational techniques, or for my cherub-like voice.  Nope.  It was my utter tenacity.  I really could play for hours, and did, often. When others had collapsed under the duress over playing merely ninety minutes, some hours later I would still be going strong.

It should be noted that for many of my gigs this tenacity had served me well.  World Youth Day, for example, was nine specific gigs over a period of five days.  There were times over overnight retreats, where I bonded strongly with the night-owls.  And then there were the couple of instances where I played for a healing mass (after which, for those unfamiliar with this terrain, there is an extended continuous medley of praise songs, hymns, and--in my case--Gregorian chants, which fosters a spirit of openness to God's touch upon that room.  I remember one time where I did this for three hours straight.

Where do I get the energy?  I honestly don't know.  Some may point to caffeine.  Others believe that when you really, truly love something, the hours simply fly by.  For myself, I think the key to my tenacity stems from my hours of playing video games as a child.  There was this one evening where I actually played Activision's Laser Blast for four-hours straight, breaking the million-plus score.  I'm not saying that's why... I'm just saying.

Major shout-out to Eugene L. for the question.  Thanks!

Hi all!

I'm very excited to unearth my new website: http://www.nickalexander.com

It's very awesome.  Check it out!

To my great sadness, I have been stricken with an ear infection since yesterday.  Just when I thought I was going to conquer this sickness, it comes back with a vengeance... incidentally, this is what my little Matthew had, so now I've got it. 

The night before I got this, though, I had a great interview with the Duct Tape Guy.  Check it out here!

http://cc.ductapeguy.net .  

Hi all...

Earlier this week, Jeff Miller at The Curt Jester wrote a post in which he shared a parody song for "American Woman" by The Guess Who, but in this case it was called "Samaritan Woman." 

At the end of the post, he said that he wished that someone like me to come along and write a better parody.

I looked long and hard at the song, and to be honest, I didn't think the song was workable... I couldn't imagine my Savior singing like Randy Bachman or Burton Commings.  It was too strong a disconnect.

It took me a while, but I figured out a nice approach to the material.  I needed a song from the Samaritan Woman's perspective, sharing her testimony to the other villagers.  Once I settled on a song, it wrote itself.

That's When He Told Me (parody of Somebody Told Me by The Killers)

I just came back--got a tale to tell
I just came back from the Samar'tan township well...
I'm not on crack, got nothing to sell
There at that place, I had seen this dude
Looked at His face, saw that He was a Jew...

Did He not know what was plain in view
That I couldn't talk with that man, a Jew...
" Give me a drink, give me a drink" he cried.
I looked at him and wondered "Who's this guy?"

That's when he told me
That I had five husbands
--the guy that I lived with
was not real-ly my husband. Hey, look there
You pray on that mountain
You should have a fountain...

What He had said, made me want to run
Where did he get the skinny on what I had done?
As you can guess, it was just no fun.
I had tried to steer the subject far from this.
So I pointed out that he had nothing to draw with...

But as I tried to steer the gabbing far from this.
Whatever I had lobbed at Him, He would hit
Could this be Christ, could this be Christ--the proooof?
Time that I worship in Spirit and in Truth...

That's when he told me
That I had five husbands
--the guy that I lived with
was not real-ly my husband. Hey, look there
You pray on that mountain
You should have a fountain
that's welling up, welling up...

He said "I am He,
Messi-ah, who's coming."
And He's still at the well right now
O how you oughta know this guy...


[x3]
Coz that's what he told me
That I had five husbands
--the guy that I lived with
was not real-ly my husband. Hey, look there
You pray on that mountain
You should have a fountain
that's welling up, welling up ...
insi-i-ide.
---------------------------------

In other news, the new Top Ten Adoration Songs has been listed, and my "Holy God We Praise Your Great Name" came up at 3.  Yay!

Nick

I shouldn't complain.  At least I have my health.

Just this past week, Maryellen and I were looking forward to our first real-live "date" together... we were going to take Valentine's Day off (the kids would be at daycare), and we would spend the day together enjoying a rich diner breakfast and mall shopping. 

Then poor Matthew threw up.  He had caught a stomach virus.

All our lives were thrown in disarray.  We kept waiting to be sure that our little boy would be well enough... after all, this started late last week really... certainly he would be fine by then?

Wednesday afternoon, he threw up yet again.  That clinched it.  We had to cancel everything.

Furthermore, after vomiting one last time today, finally the doctor said he would see him... so that meant I had to take a half-day anyway...  too much confusion. 

Only when he's there does the doctor say that there's nothing he can do but wait for this virus to finally get out of his system.  Something that should have been said over the phone.  Ugh.

Well, there are other good things in store.  I discovered my serious song "Too Late Have I Loved You"--off my Eternal Life the Party Album recording, made a Top Ten Lent List at www.topcatholicsongs.com.  In the coming weeks, we will have lists based on Adoration, Holy Week, Easter, and more.  And you can download the tracks directly from there.

This week I have another serious song, "Holy God We Praise Your Great Name" up, in the running for top Adoration song.  Let's hope and wait and see how far this song goes...  (BTW, if you're interested in the music notation on PDF format, and have a CCLI license, email me and I will send it to you).

Nick

Hi all...

Things have been crazy-busy here in the homefront.  Not to mention the temporary death of our e-machine, less than one year after purchase (yay, warranty!)

I have also been spending a whole lot of time setting up www.topcatholicsongs.com, which will be a great site to check out for uploading songs that deal with a common theme. 

And to my joy, my song "Holy Thursday" was selected as one of the top songs of 2007.  I will post that on my site as the day grows closer.  Congratulations to Sean Clive, Teresa Smith, Joel Stein, Nick Cardolino, and News at Eleven for doing so well on this year-end list.  Check out the list at: http://www.topcatholicsongs.com/TopTen/2007List

In preparation for Lent, I have added two new songs:  "This Time of Forty Days", a parody of The Police's "King of Pain", and "Too Late Have I Loved You", an original ditty based on the prayers of St. Augustine.

I pray all of you have an exciting and life-transforming Lent. 

Nick

Last night was the first night for the parish mission at Christ the King parish.  It was a wonderful night, despite a couple of hiccups in my out-of-practice voice, and a few minor difficulties. 

Ultimately, I made it about my testimony to the Catholic faith, and there was a moment where I sang "These Beads" with the lyrics in front of me, because I had not done the song live all that much. 

Yet, for all the vocal mishaps, and slight technical difficulties, the Holy Spirit was very strong in that place.  Yes, God uses comedy for His ends.  There was a lot of interest in tonight's mission, where I plan to get a little bit more detailed with living for God, and listing some practicals that will help people in their faith walk, especially considering the influence of popular culture, which oftentimes seem to run contrary to our faith.

For those who live in the Virginia Beach area, you'll want to visit Christ the King parish in Norfolk.

Oh yeah, be sure to check out this week's "Grapevine News Minute", where I was asked questions about Advent songs.  www.gvonline.net

This very Sunday, on the eve that our secular society begins its Christmas season, the Church is celebrating it's highest holiday of the year--The Feast of Christ the King.  It is, in fact, the culmination of all that has gone before, by celebrating the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death, and our celebration of His Lordship, forever.

One great way to celebrate this feast day is thru song.  Why not cobble together all of your favorite praise and worship songs and hymns that declare Christ's Kingship in your life?  It's an incredible way to celebrate the day.

If you're looking for some great Christ the King songs, check out the current TopCatholicSongs listing of Christ the King-based songs.  It will transform your day.

And, if you're in the Virginia Beach, VA area, I will be visiting the Christ the King parish in Norfolk for a three-day mission, starting Sunday and ending Tuesday (with comedy, testimonials, practical talks, and Eucharistic adoration).  Enjoy!

Nick

When I was nine years old, I had dropped the chance to be Simon.... from Alvin and the Chipmunks.

My family had just moved to New York City, and my mother took a sales job at Macy's. One of the perks of working there is that, every Thanksgiving, you and your family all had to trudge yourself out of bed at three-o-clock in the morning, head over to a decrepid warehouse, one which had been converted into a huge costuming facility, and get yourselves made up into any number of costumes, to march in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

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