bleach

Bleach

I love this band.

I happened upon Bleach at a festivus (Christian music festival) in North Carolina in 2000, not too long after their self-titled album came out. We went to see a couple “big name” bands we liked at the time. But on the way home only one band really stuck out in my mind. This band called Bleach.

At this particular time in my life, I was struggling with my faith. I wasn’t really sure where I fit within Christianity (or if I even fit at all), and what my purpose was in this world. I was trying to figure out who I was in God’s story. I was searching for something more than what I had been told the previous 20 years of my life…

Something real.

Something honest and true.

When Bleach took the stage, I didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t fit the mold. They didn’t look like “rock stars.” They just looked like normal people who liked to play rock n’ roll. That had a huge appeal to me. I loved the fact that they were just being themselves and having fun. It wasn’t fake.

They ended that first show with what is now one of my favorite songs of all time, “All to You.” Davy was on his knees singing at the top of his lungs a prayer to God. That song blew me away. This band wasn’t just about having fun. They were about having fun and glorifying God – two things I wasn’t sure could go together before. But Bleach proved they could, and I was sold.

That next week I bought their self-titled album, the couch album. It was even better than I expected. I listened to that thing a hundred times and never got tired of it. Now I was really hooked. I had to see these guys play again.

So, I did.

And each time I saw them, I liked them more and couldn’t wait to see them again. And each new album that came out increased my anticipation of the next. They spoke my music love language. There wasn’t a song they wrote that didn’t speak to me.

But what makes Bleach irreplaceable in my heart isn’t just how much I loved their music…I actually got to know these guys. Let me put it this way. Take your favorite artist – maybe for you that’s The Beatles, or Bob Dylan, or U2 . Now imagine going to their shows like 5 or 6 times a year, paying only $10 a show and getting a front row seat every time. And then imagine hanging out with those guys after every show for 30 minutes to an hour just talking about life.

And they listen.

And they care.

They even seek you out after the show.

That would be unbelievable, right?

Well, this is what it was like for me. I know that comparison might sound crazy, but this is really how I felt. If I could get front row tickets to see any band I wanted for free, I would choose Bleach then. And I would still choose them now. There was just something about their music that went down to the core of my being. Right down deep in my heart. I can truly say that Bleach was my favorite band just for their music alone. But the fact that I got to actually have a personal relationship with these guys was like living in a dream world. These guys became more like friends to me than celebrities, and their music and friendship played a huge part in God’s plan of showing His unending grace and faithfulness to me. Bleach helped me see the Light shining at the end of the tunnel. Even if I felt like life was out of control, God was still holding fast to me.

I remember the day I found out Bleach was retiring…

I knew it couldn’t last forever. But man, that was rough…

It was like hearing Superman had died…

I definitely shed tears that night.

In the next life, I will jam with Bleach again, for the first time. But in this lifetime, no band will ever fill the void that Bleach left. I miss those good times.

And really,

as great as their music was to me…

I miss the conversations the most.

“Celebrate”

Is this real
I hope it ain't fake
Just a dream, don't let me wake
Hands down, hands down
You're the best I've ever found

And I celebrate the day
That I met you, that I met you
Bah bah bah
Celebrate the day
That I met you, that I met you

You and me, can change the world
Move a mountain, the impossible
Is unbound, hands down
You're the best I've ever found

And I celebrate the day
That I met you, that I met you
Bah bah bah
Celebrate the day
That I met you, that I met you

The impossible is possible
The unthinkable is coming true

And I celebrate the day
That I met you, that I met you
Bah bah bah
Celebrate the day
That I met you, that I met you