Tag: Bo Rinehart

Needtobreathe – ‘La Diferencia E.P.’ – Album Review

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Needtobreathe is one of my all time favorite bands and one of the few bands I have to everything they do and in that search I came across this beauty. It is the E.P. called La Diferencia. It was only available on the DRIVE ALL NIGHT TOUR 2013. If you went to a show on that tour and you placed a pre-order for their upcoming album ‘Rivers of the Wasteland, you received a pre-order card AND got the BRAND NEW EP called La Diferencia on CD. I actually missed that tour so I didn’t have this and I do now. The EP contains four previously unreleased live tracks and the title is quite misleading because it would make you think their were some Hispanic language songs on here but there are not…which is fine as I don’t speak Spanish anyway. The cover art I am sure was done by band member Bo Rinehart as he has been the artistic brain behind most of their visual side of the band.

The opening track, “Difference Maker” might be the best song the band has ever written. There is such a sadness and longing in the song and lyrically, it is splendid.  For me, it raises question as to why are we here in this world and what is our place in that world.  Is God the answer?  I think that is for each of us to decide as I find faith and religion to be a personal choice.  This song helped me take a longer look at myself and I believed has helped a lot. The song is not quite a demo. They call it a “work tape” so at this point it was a work in process but damn, it is so good.

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Needtobreathe – “Brother” – 7″ Limited Edition Single

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In my quest for getting everything on vinyl for Needtobreathe, there were four 7″ Singles I had to get and I am glad to say, I now have 3 of them. There is still one elusive one that I need for the song “Keep Your Eyes Open”, so if you see it let me know. For now we are going to talk about this single for the song “Brother”. The song is actually off the album, ‘Rivers in the Wasteland’ from 2014. However, the songs on this disc are not on the version on the album.

The disc is a limited edition release with only 2,000 copies and I have one so there are only 1,999 left out there for you to find (yes, I know how to subtract). It is on a very beautiful transparent blue vinyl and it is gorgeous. It comes in a lovely jacket with a cool picture of Bear Rineheart on the front and his brother Bo Rinehart on the back which is significant which we will discuss later.

The package also comes with an insert with details about Side A and Side B and it is formatted in that same flowery motif. It is quite nice.

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Needtobreathe – ‘Live at the Paste Studio’ – 7″ Single

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Back on November 25, 2016, Needtobreathe released a two song 7″ Single to celebrate the band’s chance to record for Paste Magazine at their Paste Studio. And this is the only way you can own these songs is on the vinyl option. Otherwise you have to stream them. The band recorded the songs the previous Summer in Midtown Manhattan and the band set up to record the songs acoustically which we already know the band does so well. The band was promoting their current album at the time, “Hard Love” which is one of their best albums.

I was finally able to get my hands on a copy and not pay too much. The band has only released 4 vinyl 7″ singles and now I have 3 of them and this is the first one I was able to get. The packaging is stunning and even comes with a double sided insert with one side being the track listing and all the credits and the other side artwork that continues the theme of the packaging for the single and the album. The single itself comes in a solid black sleeve to match the color the vinyl as well.

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Needtobreathe – ‘Insiders LP, Vol. 3’ – Album Review

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As you know if you visit my site, one of my favorite bands is Needtobreathe.  I have everything they have put out on vinyl and now I am going after everything they have released on CD (that they don’t have on vinyl).  And the CDs I want the most are the exclusive fan club CDs they release each year.

If you join the Needtobreathe Insiders fan club (for $70 a year), you get a Live CD of tracks collected from the band’s live performances throughout their career (among other things such as a Needtobreathe Mug, a key chain and a free live track download ever month – that is 12 more songs or maybe the same tracks that will be on the CD, not sure yet on that).  Needtobreathe actually records every show they put on so they have a ton of tunes to choose from.  They have released 6 volumes and number 7 will be coming in December which I will get as I have now joined the club.  I had never joined prior so getting my hands on these has not been easy as it is not cheap. I am looking for the right price and most of the time it is too high.   I finally grabbed my first one at a price less than the membership fee which was Insiders LP Vol. 2 for $40 and 9 months later I got one even cheaper which was Vol. 5 and it was only $25. And then a couple days later got another for $27 which is this one Vol. 3. Sorry we aren’t going in order, but we are going in order of when I receive them.

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Needtobreathe – ‘Insiders LP, Vol. V’ – Album Review

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As you know if you visit my site, one of my favorite bands is Needtobreathe.  I have everything they have put out on vinyl and now I am going after everything they have released on CD (that they don’t have on vinyl).  And the CDs I want the most are the exclusive fan club CDs they release each year.

If you join the Needtobreathe Insiders fan club (for $70 a year), you get a Live CD of tracks collected from the band’s live performances. (among other things such as a Needtobreathe Mug, a key chain and a free live track download ever month – that is 12 more songs or maybe the same tracks that will be on the CD, not sure yet on that).  Needtobreathe actually records every show they put on so they have a ton of tunes to choose from.  They have released 6 volumes and number 7 will be coming in December which I will get as I have now joined the club.  I had never joined prior so getting my hands on these has not been easy as it is not cheap. I am looking for the right price and most of the time it is too high.   I finally grabbed my first one at a price less than the membership fee which was Insiders LP Vol. 2 and now I got one even cheaper which is this release Vol. 5. Sorry we aren’t going in order, but we are going in order of when I receive them.

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My Sunday Song – “Brother” (feat. Gavin DeGraw) by Needtobreathe

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For My Sunday Song #170, we are choosing the song “Brother” by Needtobreathe as the final song in the 10 song Needtobreathe series.  This song is the one with Gavin DeGraw as guest vocalist and not the version on the album “Rivers in the Wasteland”.  Although I liked that version, I think having the duet added a lot to the song since it felt more like it matched the meaning of the song.  The song only reached #98 on the Billboard charts, but the Christian charts had it reaching #1.

The song came about due to the issues between two brothers.  Those brothers were Bear and Bo Rinehart.  Their friendly competition turned in to more of a blame game as times got difficult for the band as they struggled during the work on the album ‘Rivers in the Wasteland’.  They finally worked things out once they actually talked to each other confessed their own personal faults.  Once that was done, they realized how important it was to have a brother working with you and beside you rather than compete with you.  They turned that in to a beautiful song.

The song has a church feel and some choir-like backing vocals to help add to that effect.  Having Bear and Gavin do it as a duet it gave the song that back & forth that it needed to give it the effect of two brothers going at it and making amends to each other.  It gave the song more dimension and heart.  Their voices worked so well together and their tones blended nicely and gave the song the emotion it needed.

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My Sunday Song – “Don’t Wait for Daylight” by Needtobreathe

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For My Sunday Song #169, we are going to talk about the very first Needtobreathe song I ever heard.  The opening track to the album ‘Daylight’ called “Don’t Wait for Daylight”.  The song that started it all for me.  The one that said…these guys are special…they have a sound I like…their songs are interesting…I can get it in to this…and I did.  13 years later they are now one of my all-time favorite bands.

This song is really interesting as a band that was supposed to be a “Christian” band (which they are not) tackled a very delicate subject.  Well, actually two delicate subjects…Suicide and Affairs.  The song is about a woman who was having an affair with man and while she was going to his house to end it, she wound up stealing his coat so she could have a piece of him to remember and never said a word.  Inside the coat pocket was a note. Not just any note.  A suicide note that he wrote for his wife.  Now here is where it gets interesting.  Does she tell someone and save him?  If she does, it will then be known she has cheated on her husband. Quite a predicament.  The song is telling her not to wait.  She has to let people know.  She has to come clean and save this man’s life even if it mean destroying her world.  Wow!

Musically, it is a great rocker, upbeat tempo and a standout opening track to an album. The guitar work is fantastic with a nice opening riff and pulsating beat accompanying Bo’s guitar.  The song has punch and has an intensity that matches the lyrics.  There is a sense of urgency in the music the same as the urgency in the need for the woman to let someone know about the note as she struggles with her decision. Bear’s vocals show range and has a maturity that most singers don’t have on their first album.  It has a little raspiness to it that gives it the grit that makes for a great rock singer.

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My Sunday Song – “Keep Your Eyes Open” by Needtobreathe

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For My Sunday Song #168, we are going to discuss one of the band’s more popular songs called “Keep Your Eyes Open” from the 2011 album ‘The Reckoning’. The song was released as a single and even as a 5 song E.P. with two versions of this song, one being acoustic, and 3 bonus tracks, two of which end up on the vinyl release of the album.  And one of those bonus tracks we discussed as the first one in this Needtobreathe series.

The song can be interpreted in many ways.  I look at it as a song of encouragement that no matter how bad things get, keep soldiering on and pushing toward the light.  Keep those eyes open for whatever positive might come along.

It also seems to be about depression and that God is there for you if you keep those eyes open and accept him in, but I don’t think it is that easy.  Depression is a powerful force and although I think God can help maybe keep you on this side of heaven, he is not the be-all, cure-all solution as I know someone very close to me that suffers from depression and it is tough road to travel even with God fully in their life.  Okay, I might burn in hell for saying that, but sorry that is how I feel.  Unless you have been through depression or know someone who has, you don’t know the daily struggle they face.  I prefer the song as a shining example of hope and encouragement that can help you push through those dark days.

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Needtobreathe – ‘Insiders LP, Vol 2’ – Album Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic9 Comments

As you know if you visit my site, one of my favorite bands is Needtobreathe.  I have everything they have put out on vinyl and now I am going after everything they have released on CD (that they don’t have on vinyl).  And the CDs I want the most are the exclusive fan club CDs they release each year.

If you join the Needtobreathe Insiders fan club (for $60 a year), you get a Live CD of tracks collected from the band’s live performances. (among other things such as a T-shirt and a free live track download ever month – that is 12 more songs).  Needtobreathe actually records every show they put on so they have a ton of tunes to choose from.  They have released 5 volumes and number 6 will be coming in December.  I have never joined so getting my hands on these has not been easy as it is not cheap. I am looking for the right price and most of the time it is too high.   I finally grabbed my first one at a price less than the membership fee.

Who is the band and the musicians on this album?  Easy enough, they tell you that…

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The first one I got a hold of is ‘Insiders LP, Vol 2’.  It is a collection of 14 live tracks from around world and let me tell you it is fantastic.  The band has spent some time with these and the production quality is amazing.  They put as much time in to them as they would a normal studio album or live album release to the general public.  The mix is done so the songs blend in with each other perfectly and it feels like a complete show.

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My Sunday Song – “Don’t Bring That Trouble” by Needtobreathe

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For My Sunday Song #167, we are playing “Don’t Bring That Trouble” by the band Needtobreathe.  The song is off their 2016 album ‘Hard Love’ which saw the band’s sound change a little adding a little more dance/pop elements without losing that signature Needtobreathe feel.

“Don’t Bring That Trouble” is the most rocking track on the record.  It has a great guitar riff opening and sound. The drum beats come banging in and though not real drums, the electronic beats pick up the pace of the song and drive in to a more rocking track than the rest of the album.  There is even a southern rock/country vibe thrown in with it as well.  Overall, it is pure fun and enjoyment and sometimes you need to let loose and let it fly and this does that.

Lyrically, there is not much substance like a lot of their songs I have featured.  The song is basically talking about how he is broken and he is trying to fix his life and problems and if you are coming along for the ride, don’t bring any trouble as he doesn’t want to deal with that anymore.  For me, it doesn’t matter as I want to crank it up and dance a little.  Sometimes, lack of substance is fine with me!!!

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