A Gift To Be Alive

So tonight is one of those restless nights for my soul. Tomorrow I get to celebrate the release of a good friends CD "Gift to be Alive" and I'm incredibly stoked for him. Anytime I talk to Jefferson Jay I get inspired, I smile, and I have hope for the world. From the day I met Jefferson he motivated me to play music and live life. He loves promoting musicians and encouraging people to enjoy life. The title of his new record speaks volume and defines perfectly how he lives his life. So as I sit here and listen to his new record I'm incredibly thankful to have what I do, and I'm incredibly excited to have the opportunity to play music as a full band tomorrow. I was talking with a friend tonight about music and what it does to my soul. Music is like Christmas morning for me. Remember the first time you fell in love? How alive you felt? Remember the person that you were incredibly hopeful for and couldn't wait for them to catch a break in life? Remember the time you knew God had you in his grip and exactly where he needs and wants you? Thats how I feel when I play music. It ignites the most inner part of my soul on fire for life, for God, and for people. I write music for the people who don't have hope. For the people who forgot what love feels like. For the wandering soul who is sick of being broken and wants to feel something. I want to write a song for that soul who is staring out the window and questioning whether life is worth it or not. That brokenness is dark but there is beauty in it. Its morbid I know but I love seeing people struggle because I've seen countless time what God can do with that. We wake up with air in our lungs and that is all we need. God does the rest and gives us tools to help others out and I feel like right now playing music is a way he wants to use me. Last night I was sitting in my bible study smiling because I saw God moving in peoples lives that I care so much about. God is alive in the world and I can't wait to continue to feed that flame that He has lit in the hearts of so many people around me. I'm alive right now and that's why I'm restless tonight. I don't want today to end but I can't wait to wake up knowing I get to play music for my friends and with my friends. I've got nothing else except smiles and free hugs. I hope tomorrow you receive both after you get a copy of Jefferson's album. Check it out here: http://jeffersonjay.bandcamp.com/album/gift-to-be-alive-2

Vice Verses

So I want write a little bit about my favorite band Switchfoot and their new album 'Vice Verses.' My admiration of Jon Foreman and his songs grow more and more every single time I hear their music. Jon describes the album as "a way for me to try and grasp reality with life, death, and everything in between." We all have of coping mechanisms, we all have our ways to try and process where we are at and who we are supposed to be, or becoming. The album 'VV' is a perfect display of honest, vulnerability, growth, hope, and love all mixed into 12 songs of delicious-filled music. So lets start with a breakdown of the album and a few songs.

Track 1. "Afterlife"- a song about experiencing life now rather than waiting to die to live. Not my favorite song on the album but the best song for the opening number.

2. "The Original"- probably their most catchy/poppy song on the album and a song I imagine 25,000 teenagers jumping up and down and pretending to mosh to a non-mosh pit worthy song. Lyrically isn't that deep but is a good song that fades well and sets the tone for a song to follow with a mix of rock and your typically Jon Foreman 'punch you in the face with emotion, lyric, and phrasing' song "The War Inside."

3. "The War Inside" - lyrically this song starts to get my attention for this album and the chorus he sings "I am the war inside, I am the battle line, I am the rising tide, I am the war I fight." Jon is incredibly vulnerable and willing to accept always that he has his struggles but his way of tackling them is a quality I admire about him. We all are fighting something deep within in and that war never dies, that fight never seems to go away. If its not money, its a job, its a friend, its a death, its pain, its heart break, and its always got something that tries to feed that demon that lives within. Thats the war inside he describes I feel.

4. "Restless" - Probably in my top 3 for sure for favorite songs on this album and I've got to stir this song in for about 6-7 months now after hearing it on Switchfoot's fan site www.LandofBrokenHearts.org. The lyrics "I am restless looking for you" resonate throughout this song and the theme is how we continually tire ourselves with the daily routine of this life. "I'm looking for the well that won't run dry" and musically couldn't have put this song together anymore beautifully other than hearing a girl with a really soft voice singing on the chorus the way he did with a friend live a few months back. These are the type of songs that Switchfoot write that shatter my soul beyond measure, I experience the music, I feel the music, I relate, I'm brought to life, life stops, and I listen. I have a restless soul and I struggle with listening, sitting back and waiting, and allowing myself rest seeking the same thing that Jon chases.

(Click here to hear my cover of this song)

5. "Blinding Light" - this song doesn't do much for me until the chorus and then the lyrics "all my life I've been living in the darkest night" and its a decent song that compliments the album well.

6. "Selling the News" is Jon's first attempt at a spoken word/rap song and its my least favorite track on the record. I like the idea of trying to get us to not believe the lies that are in the news and how feeding the world with us accepting the crap that is on the news. Otherwise I could've done with this song on the album. I heard a few songs that were new SF songs that didn't make the record like "She Says" that would've been a perfect transition song at this point in the album. Not sure why they chose this song :(

7. "Thrive" - top 4 song on the album for me and lyrically is rad. A few lyrics that jump out in this song "a warm body doesn't mean that I'm alive" and "I want to thrive not just survive." I love the message behind this song and how he encourages us to not just settle for an okay life but try really dig for something greater. I love people who are passionate and believe in something. Even if its something I don't necessarily agree with I admire the intention of seeking something greater than ourselves. God didn't design us to settle for ehhh and in this song it really captures that complacency that the world settles for. Its a good encouraging song to reach for something. (Click here to hear my cover of this song)

8. "Dark Horses" was a song they wrote for an organization called "Stand Up For Kids" and they have always been a huge part of raising money and every year they do a benefit to raise money for this organization. Its an organization that invests time, money, resources, and effort into homeless teens throughout the world. Jon says these kids are the dark horses, they are the real underdogs in this world, and they are up against a big challenge going into the world with not a lot of help. I dig this song and its their "hardcore rock song" that has got some radio play and I like it.

9. "Souvenirs" - I haven't yet figured out lyrically what this song means yet but so far I'm gathering that its a song about collecting memories and things over the years that will eventually add up to nothing but can be temporary for us here on earth. I heard this song for the first time when the record came out and it instantly took my heart, placed it gently on the floor and kicked it around, and then brought it back into my body. Love, love, love, love this song and it could be my favorite track on the album. Lyrically, musically, and emotionally packs a punch and in my opinion is the definition of what a song should do. It should take you somewhere, it should challenge and encourage you, it should allow your mind to be lost for a few minutes, it should help release your soul somewhere to experience a euphoria that drugs can't.

10. "Rise Above It"- a good simple song that picks the energy up for the album after a slight emotional drop with track #9. I dig this song but nothing to write about...

11. "Vice Verses" - title track of the album and a brilliantly written song. I love the lyrics of this song and its honesty. I love lyrically how Jon isn't afraid to struggle, isn't afraid to say how he too doubts God, and questions God existence in "earthquakes, genocide, lonely nights." We sometimes pretend that we don't need help and we have everything figured out when clearly we have no control over life and God's plan for our lives. We are simply a vessel trying to cope with living on this broken world. One of my favorites on the record for sure.

12. "Where I Belong"- I heard this song for the first time when they played on the field at Petco Park after a San Diego Padres game and they played the opening riff and Jon said "this song has a big meaning to me when I come home to San Diego because even this home is temporary." It is a big sing-a-long when all 5 members of the band sing an anthem like hope song. This song competes alongside "Souvenirs" with best song on the record. This is the song you should leave people with after listening to this album. "But I'm not sentimental , this skin and bones is a rental And no one makes it out alive." Love the fact that he continues to acknowledge that we are living here for under 100 years and then we experience something greater. Some of the last lyrics on this record are

"And on the final day I die I want to hold my head up high I want to tell You that I tried To live it like a song And when I reach the other side I want to look You in the eye And know that I've arrived In a world where I belong."

Overall solid record and up there with top 3 albums they've put together but an album I can listen front to back with only skipping one song (sorry 'Selling the News'). I highly recommend taking a listen for yourself and thanks for reading.

If you want to read more about my music check out my band For The Faint at www.ForTheFaint.com

- Chris Zach

Inside the Fire

So a lot has changed in the last few weeks and I've felt a lot of different emotions. If you read my last blog post you can ignore it. Shortly after the last blog post she broke up with me and a lot happened with no explanation. In the last few weeks I've felt sad, bitter, angry, hopeful, devastated, alone, content, confused, and alive. With all of these emotions God continued to remind me how He has me in His grip and I've realized that what I'm going through is exactly where I should be. Since this happened I've had a friend lose their 30-year old best friend to Leukemia, had another buddy lose his mom suddenly, and I've had a lot of people reach out to me. We all go through a lot in life and sometimes life can seem to consume our thoughts and our minds, it gets us distracted from the real meaning of life, which is living. However you want to define life I might live mine a little differently than you may but in a way all of us are fighting against something. I call it spiritual warfare and every single day we have angels and demons fighting for our souls. I wrote a song a few years ago called "Inside the Fire" and its about thriving among the flames. When your hands and heart are burned how can you still manage to feel and reach out to others? Its sometimes disabling and sometimes I would rather help someone else than focus on me and my own happiness, or my own fire. The chorus of the song I write:

"This world is fallen so let me pick you up

Your pain and sorrow should not be left alone

So rise up, don't give up

Cause life is hard but you'll be alright

You've got time, you'll see why

When you're inside the fire"

When we are breathing these toxic flames we get lost in it. We consume our time on trying to fan the flame rather than just removing ourselves from the gas can in our hands. We struggle to let go of controlling situations and trying to fix others to allow them to breathe. What if they are fine with where they are at? What if they don't feel like they are suffocating? At what point do we let go and let God? I write to process, and I play music because it cools my soul. It allows me to breathe. Its my gas mask, its my oxygen tank by my bedside, its my steering wheel that allows me to drive, its my light at the end of the tunnel. All of these vices are things/people/opportunities God gives me that allows me to thrive. I pray for passion, I pray for desire, and I pray for the hearts of the people I come across daily. Last night I was watching the sunset and there was a 20-something year old man watching and eagerly listening to my playing and when I started to walk away he approached me. He thanked me for allowing him to process his life for the last 90 or so minutes. That then sparked a conversation and I found out what was on his mind only to find out he just got out of the military and served 2 terms in Iraq defending our country. In the last year he had lost 2 of his best friends in the war and he was trying to process how to cope among his fire. With no expression in his face my heart broke for him. I can't imagine the imagery burning in his mind and what he has seen over the last few years but I do know one thing. He was trying to experience something out there out at the cliffs watching the sun go down. He was trying to breathe, he was trying to survive, and learning how to thrive. Whatever you're going through take a step back and smell the roses. Nobody likes change except a wet baby but its sometimes what we need. It forces us to jump off that cliff and face what we've feared. Sometimes it allows us to slow down and process. Sometimes its God redirecting our hearts and our lives. God is perfect and His timing never fails. He has us exactly where He needs us and He doesn't need us, but He will use us. Thrive today. Allow yourself to feel alive today. Its the best thing to do for yourself and for this world. Don't sit in a closet with gas poured all over your soul because eventually it will swallow you whole. I end the song with the words:

"Do you feel inspired?

When you're inside the fire?"

CZ

Like father, like son

(Pictured above Chris and Jim Zach summer of 2009)

Those two clowns are probably two of the happiest people you will ever meet. Thats a picture of me with my dad, James Harold Zach. I've been hearing a lot about fathers and stories about relationships and how our relationship with our Earthly father can sometimes effect our relationship with our Heavenly Father. My dad is one of my biggest influences in life and he has done a mighty fine job raising me to be a man, and more importantly displayed with great integrity of what it takes to be a man of God. I was on my daily Sunset Cliffs visit tonight and after praying for a few things in my life I started to feel an extreme amount of happiness come over while I was thinking about my dad. I started to think about a lot of childhood memories I had of him. Some of my favorite times were certain moments. Watching him be a pitcher for our little league baseball team and taking a shot to the nuts bringing him to his knees while caught on home video (Bob Saget wasn't there to commentate but still hilarious). I remember there was a time when my dad would take one of his 3 boys out for a boys night out and we got to choose whatever we wanted to do which usually consisted of nasty greasy food and a movie. My dad and I have always really bonded on food and movies. He used to take us to Farmington Steakhouse which was this shack of a steakhouse but their meat was cheap, and the family owned joint was friendly so we continued to go back. I remember my dad wrestling with me and my brothers and how tired he would get when all 3 of his boys would gang up on him. I remember him going to every single one of my games and always making an effort to make me a better athlete. I remember the 80's moustache he rocked for so many years (and still does to this day although not as child-molestor like anymore). I remember him always trying to organize family bible studies on Sundays. I remember him working to provide for his family and he always demanded respect in our household and it was well known that he was the man in our home. My relationship with my dad wasn't always peachy keen and for most of my life I was afraid of my dad. Mainly because he had a bad temper and I knew exactly how to set him off (slamming a door, calling him an asshole, talking back, or anything that was disrespectful). When I was 16 years old it was the worst year of my life and a lot happened and a lot happened fast. I started drinking, smoking pot, and got into the worst fight I ever have with my dad and a few weeks later my parents told us they were getting divorced. I felt really guilty for a long time about my parents divorce and I avoided talking to my dad this entire time. When I became a Christian April 16th, 2000 I remember how I couldn't wait to get home to talk to my dad and tell him that I forgave him for what he did to me growing up and how I became a Christian. That was one of the first times I ever heard my dad cry and to this day is still probably one of my favorite conversations I've ever had with a human being. That day changed my relationship with my father and has brought me and my dad to the point where we are now. I consider my dad one of my best friends, a huge role model, a big teddy bear, and an amazing man of God. Sure he made some mistakes as a father but he never claimed to be perfect during his years of heavy weight lifting and mood swings. My dad has always loved me and I've always known that even when times weren't good. I'm writing this today because I need to write about how much I love my father and how he is the best dad in the entire world. I don't want for my dad's health to go wrong or something happen to him before I address it, so I guess I'll chose today. Dad, I remember when you and Karen were having problems and you were working the graveyard shift and you were in pain and unhappy but still allowed your son to reach out and pray with you, cry with you, and love you. You showed me that its okay to be a man and show emotion. You showed me how to treat a women with respect and love her for how beautiful she is on the inside and out. You showed me how to laugh and appreciate the simple things in life. You allowed me to be a stoner and have always accepted me and supported me for who I am. Now that I'm 28 years old and feel like I've turned out to be a pretty decent kid you demonstrate every single time I talk to you how proud you are of me as your son. I can hear it in your voice and how sometimes it almost brings you to tears. I can't wait to have a few kids and try and give back some of the love you've given me and I pray for you a lot and remember that day when I told you I became a Christian that you had been praying for that day for almost my whole life. That is faith, that is love, and that is what a man of God should do. Thank you for showing me life and walking alongside me as I struggled and cheering me on as I thrive in my life now. I feel invisible and like a man and it feels like I'm on the verge of something big in this world. I love you dad with all of my heart and I miss you. Thanks for making me laugh as much as you have, thanks for making me smile as much as you have, and thanks for being a rad dude that I can call my dad and friend. I hope I continue to make you proud and hope to see you at some point in 2011. God is looking down at you and He is proud of you, and I'm thankful for you every single day.
CZ

Victory

"It is not the critic, not the man who points how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly... Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with these cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt

A little breakthrough

So tonight is going to be a post that is blunt, honest, and more vulnerable than most of you will see me. Yesterday, July 7th, 2011 I celebrated my 28th birthday and it was a good one. Delicious food, overwhelmingly awesome messages on Facebook, texts, calls, and love all around blah blah blah. These last 5 days I've been struggling and wrestling with the idea about alcohol and the effect it has on some people close to me, and the effect it has on my life. I had some fun with alcohol when I was 21 years old and while I was studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina I was drinking 4-5 nights/week and being remotely responsible about it. I've never been your out of control 'he needs help' kind of a guy. I've for the most part been the 'hey he is funny and entertaining' type of a drinker. Since I've lived in San Diego booze has become less and less apart of my life, and my focus has become more and more on the God I believe in. I truly believe that God gave me a gift and a passion to influence people's lives and hearts. I've seen friends find God because I was obedient to Him, and I've probably strayed some people away because of 'X' or 'Y.' In the last year I finally felt free from the bondage of smoking weed and haven't struggled or had the desire to smoke in almost a year and I'm proud of that. I'm proud of who I'm becoming and who God continues to challenge me to be. But I cannot ignore the fact that He is knocking down doors right now and banging at the door of my heart harder than ever. I'm listening God, I am. And as I write this I'm reacting and feel like I'm doing well, but I too fall my friends. I've seen friends get DUI's, go to jail over drinking, marriages become broken, lives destroyed, and addiction take over a lot of peoples lives in the 11 years I've been walking with God. So before I go on a tangent let me tell you why I'm writing this post. July 8th, 2011 is my last day with booze for what I feel is going to be a long, long while. Why? Because God is doing too many things in my life and for one second I don't want to be buzzed enough to miss that opportunity, or miss that chance of making an impact on someones life. Am I stopping because I have a problem with booze? The answer is no but I'm not here to justify, I'm here to respond. Respond to the life I have and the path that is in front of me. Alcohol damages my voice, is expensive, is temporary relief, is empty, and nowhere close to being as fulfilling as my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Am I quitting to set an example for people? Partially yes. Am I letting it go because I don't need it? Yes. Am I going to fill this now void with something else? Absolutely and its name is Jesus. I don't know where I'm supposed to be or what I'm supposed to be doing in my life. But I do know that following God is the most important thing in my life and the only thing that matters to me. Music is fun and temporary but not even playing for a bunch of friends feels remotely close to the euphoria my God fills me with. You couldn't hand me a bottle of Southern European wine thats 200 years old to fill what I have living inside me with God. So I write this God as a written acknowledgment to confess that I'm nothing without you, and will not sufficate to something of this world if it distracts me even for a few minutes to what you have/want for me. You have my full on attention and I will continue to prove that to you until the day I die. I pray for my friends that struggle with booze, and who have lost control of their lives and don't know what to do other than drink. If it buries anger for a brief moment don't let it. If life feels better for a few minutes that will die off too. Let me help you and if you are willing I'll tell you about my God and show you the life I've been seeking for the last 11 years because its beautiful. Its real, its alive, its fun, its joy, and its where I need to be. Goodbye Sierra Nevada and Coors Lite and hello to the whatever comes. I'm ready and anxious for what July 9th, 2011. I'm not afraid of having the shakes from a lack of booze in system. I'm excited to see what challenge is next and what is going to happen. While I'm celebrating the age of 28 I want to see souls be saved and impact peoples lives every single day. I want to make an impact on 365 peoples lives this year, and I want to no longer work behind a desk job working a 7-4. I want to experience life, I want to play music, I want to encourage people, I want to give the world hope, I want souls that are shattered to cry out for help, I want people that are struggling to say one word and let God do the rest. I seek with all of my heart the desire to show people what I'm living on a daily basis. I don't say "I'm living the dream" because it sounds cool. I say it because I honestly feel that way. I'm better than I deserve and its sucks people are dying inside more and more everyday. Yesterday while I was at work I got a message from one of my friends that said "Happy Birthday Chris I'm proud to know you." It was probably the 50th birthday wish I had already received but I felt loved, I felt alive, and I felt like I need to give it back more and more everyday. I'm sorry I've slipped up and I'm sorry I disappointed two people today. My God and a dear friend whom I admire her heart more and more everyday. Thank you for making me feel alive and giving me air in my lungs to live.

Needle and Haystack Life

Pictured above is Stephanie Converse (S-Verse), Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot, Fiction Family, and San Diego), myself; Christopher Charles Zach (2009,'10 hair model of the year), and Kyle "Pfluegnasty" Pflueger of L.A. Mesa. Why do we all look beyond stoked out of our minds? Because this was the first day I met Jonathan Mark Foreman (born October 22, 1976).... As many of you know I'm extremely passionate about music, musicians, and artists and their processes. Jon (that's right barely in my 3rd sentence and already on a 1st name basis but come on I have a picture with the guy so we are pretty good pals already) has a way of processing life, and enjoys a lot of the same things that I do in life. He enjoys using music to try and understand this life, God, women, grace, and pain. Lyrically he is the Bob Dylan of our generation and musically he displays a passion thats so incredibly open in every song and challenges you to find out what he is writing about, or try and relate to a situation he is trying to describe. On their last album Hello Hurricane the first track is a song called "Needle and Haystack Life" and some of the lyrics of the song are "we are once in a lifetime." Jon writes with such vulnerability and transparent honesty in his music, such optimism that has got me through a lot of days/months. I remember my first year out in San Diego I was heart broken and used to listen to one of his songs and the lyrics "the shadow proves the sunshines" over and over and over and many times it brought me to tears and gave me hope. I love that music can bring on such intense emotion to our souls. I.E. the opening chords of "Tears in Heaven" makes me think of painful song written through the eyes of a shattered soul mourning his son's death. Or hearing Dave Matthews scream from the top of his lungs live during the song "Bartender." Trent Reznor and Johnny Cash singing "you could have it all, my empire of dirt." Music is a powerful tool that God gave us and it continues to save us. This last weekend I saw Jon Foreman perform 4 separate sets and was inspired more musically than I've ever been in my life, which is a bold statement because I've seen hundreds of concerts and heard a lot of music. Leaving after the 4th show I was thinking and praying to God that I hope one of my songs or one of my lyrics can pierce someone's heart the way JF's music has pierced mine. I write music for the hopeless, I write music because its the most powerful thing other than God I've ever experienced, and I write music because I love music more than Mt Dew and a burrito combined. Music changed my life in a way that has given me a burning passion to help people process life the way JF has allowed me to through his music. If you're having a crappy day listen to your favorite song or favorite band, and I promise you it will make you smile or at least sing along for a moment or two. My dream is to one day wake up breathing music while being inspired and inspiring people to find their passion and their dream and allow them to let it become a reality. A few weeks ago I told my fellow bandmate Kyle that I'm going to meet Jon Foreman and hand him a copy of our CD "The World We Live In" EP this year. On June 17th, 2011 at about 5pm P.S.T. that happened. I have a lot of dreams and aspirations and I believe with 4093% of my heart that I'm going to make a big difference before I leave this world to be with my God. While I'm here and kicking I've decided to let God be #1, and let Him decide the rest. Right now He has allowed music to be a huge focus and is opening up lots of doors for me to make it happen. I'm responding and make big strides and having a lot of fun while doing it (see picture above). A few weeks ago I felt incredibly restless because He knew I needed a break and to get recharged, and when I was ready He said "okay go meet your biggest musical influence, see him live 4 times, and continue to write music to change the world you live in." Well I'm doing that and nothing is going to stop me. 2011 is a little over half way over and I've accomplished almost everyone of my goals so far this year. So whats next? I'm going to continue to live with God as #1 and pray for His will to be done in my life. If its not what He wants I'll probably strain my vocal cords again or fracture my wrist. Until that day there are a lot of people that need to hear these words in a song, need to feel this love in their hearts, and are seeking a life better than they have but don't know where to go. In the words of Jon Foreman "love is the final fight." I believe that everyone can experience what I do on a daily basis and it takes a lot of work, a lot of focus, and a lot of passion. Music fuels me more and more everyday and tonight I got to play guitar for about 30 minutes and it was the highlight of my day. I sit and smile, I process, I write, I experience, I create, and I do what I feel I should be doing right now. Music is my tool, whats yours?

Chris Zach
"To hear or experience our music check out"
http://www.ForTheFaint.com