Anathallo was a band from Michigan (though they later relocated to Chicago if I remember correctly?). The fluctuated in size and the arrangements grew in complexity and beauty. The early recordings are great but they don’t quite yet arrive at the sophistication of the later work. And isn’t that all of us? Hopefully as we grow older we also mature and grow more nuanced in our thinking, even learning to allow time for the quiet moments which are as much part of the story as the loud parts. Can you really feel a crescendo when it’s all loud to begin with? The hills and valleys of the journey. And I’m rambling.

So allow me to ramble a bit more.

I’m sure you know what I mean when I say that music often carries with it memories and feelings associated with particular time periods. Certain albums or artists or songs often carry with them very specific memories. And now I’m digressing. Let me get back to rambling.

I have always loved music. That’s just part of who I am. And in hindsight, I should have paid more attention to the red flags early on. I had just graduated seminary and was moving in to my first role as “Lead Pastor,” though this church used the title “Teaching Pastor.” My family had not yet moved from Kentucky to Texas yet but we had already accepted the position and I flew to Minneapolis to meet the staff and elders for a pastors conference.

I was wearing a Tortoise shirt that disappeared some time over the years. It was yellow and I wish I still had it. I was in the elevator with one of the staff members who made a comment about liking my shirt and being surprised that the new pastor knew who Tortoise is but that I might want to keep things like that to myself because the other leaders weren’t really into secular music. I’m paraphrasing of course, but you get the gist. And then we moved there.

I don’t know if you’ve ever visited a church that just didn’t feel like “home”? If you have, then you might be able to imagine pastoring a church where you felt like that all of the time. If you’ve never had that experience, just imagine that you are continually not allowed to be yourself because when you do, it just seems to cause trouble, so you create a version of yourself that pleases the other people and you have to live in it 24 hours a day. It’s something like that.

Anathallo was touring the amazing Floating World album and I took several of the college students in the church to go see them. The next day I got called in to my own office where I rebuked by the other elders of the church because I was a small group leader and had missed small group in order to attend the concert. Even though I arranged for someone to facilitate in my absence. And, even though I knew it already, it was then confirmed for me the rest of the leadership of that church and I shared very different visions and approaches. It was totally worth it.

We left Texas in 2008 and Anathallo went on “indefinite" hiatus in 2009 and I guess that’s my story.

Here is a full show from the band’s 2008 tour. Apparently this was released on a very limited (now out of print I think ) tour DVD which some fine person uploaded for the rest of us and I could pass it along to you and we could watch it together. Let’s:

From the video’s Youtube page:

Anathallo @ O-Nest Japan during their 2008 tour. I was searching for this for a long time and couldn't find it anywhere. Finally got a hold of the DVD from Japan. Absolutely fantastic band, lucky to have seen them live a few times.

1. Dokkoise House 00:00

2. John J. Audubon 07:05

3. Hanasakajijii (four: a great wind, more ash) 10:55

4. Hanasakajijii (one: an angry neighbor) 15:25

5. Hanasakajijii (two: floating world) 18:55

6. Italo 25:20

7. Northern lights 28:42

8. Holiday At The Sea 32:26

9. All the First Pages 39:15

10. Cuckoo Spring Blood (Encore) 45:40

11. Kasa no hone (Encore) 49:00

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