By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
A loose collection of whatnot.
1. Michelle Shocked A Lost Soul.
The anarchic skateboard punk rocker has filled her troubled soul for years with a zealous Christianity that unsurprisingly led to an anti-gay rant that caused a spate of concert cancellations by various promoters including those at SPACE in Evanston, where Shocked was to appear on May 5th.
This video from 2006 at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ displays both her devotion and powerful voice.
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“West Angeles Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal Christian church and a member of the Church of God in Christ denomination,” the church says on both its Facebook and Wikipedia pages.
“‘West A’ is known for both its influential pastor, dynamic city ministries and for its celebrity members, which include Magic Johnson, Denzel Washington, Stevie Wonder, Michelle Shocked, and Angela Bassett.”
Washington, in fact, donated $2.5 million to the church in 1995.
The church believes in the infallibility of the Bible and the Holy Trinity.
SFist writes that “Shocked, who was born to a Mormon mother and whose real name is Karen Johnston, sounded fairly depressed and at loose ends in this 2005 interview with New York Magazine, revealing her religiosity, discussing her previous alcoholism and failed marriage, and her ‘political’ decision at age 22 to have her tubes tied, which she later regretted after multiple failed attempts at in-vitro fertilization.”
At the same time, Shocked has retweeted this article, expressing sympathy for gay people, since the incident.
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2. “The Most Important Song In Hip-Hop Right Now.”
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3. News from the Grave.
“Chicago’s Earthen Grave is thrilled to announce their recent signing to Heavy Rock Leader, Ripple Music for worldwide release of their debut album, Earthen Grave . . .
“Formed in 2008, Earthen Grave is a five-piece Chicago metal band that marries the sounds of metal past and future with a sweaty, pummeling live show. Earthen Grave boasts an undeniable collective metal and musical pedigree. Each member is an accomplished musician and a veteran of the metal scene, including Ron Holzner who was a member of the seminal and seismic doom pioneers Trouble – a band widely regarded as one of the most important unsung American metal bands of all time.
“In addition, Earthen Grave has that ‘extra something special’ with occasional guest 6th member live and boasting a Full collaboration on the new release with Rachel Barton Pine.
“Rachel, a world-renowned classical violinist brings her frightening classical chops to a relatively new instrument, the Viper.”
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Earthen Grave is scheduled to play at Bobby McGee’s in Chicago Ridge on March 28th.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on March 19, 2013