come alive
a magazine for young christian kiwis |december 2015 - janury 2016 | issue eight
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EDITOR GRETA YEOMAN DEPUTY EDITORS NICOLA FROUD EVONNE KEY THE ALIVE TEAM PAUL MCDONALD CHRIS SPARK ANNA GREENWOOD SUB-EDTIORS EVONNE KEY (GRAMMAR) GRETA YEOMAN (DESIGN & LAYOUT) enquires COMEALIVEMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM WWW.ALIVENZ.WORDPRESS.COM ALL THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS MAGAZINE BELONG TO THE INDIVIDUAL WRITERS AND ARE NOT REFLECTIVE OF COME ALIVE AS A WHOLE.
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editor’s note: Well it’s almost Christmas and we’re well on our way to the end of the year also. What a year this has been... We’ve got a whole lot of goodness in this issue, including a chat to the Wilson sisters behind the popular TV and web series Keeping Up With Kaimanawas, plus plenty of wonderful observations and Festival One bits and pieces. Hope you all have a very lovely Christmas and New Years and we will hopefully see you again in February with a new issue and lots of goodies for the new year along with reviews of Festival One and Loud. Thanks again for reading, Greta PS Strahan is crowdfunding his new album on Kickstarter - if you feel like donating some $$.
INSIDE
Keeping Up With The Kaimanwas pg 4
Brady Toops pg 8
Does Jesus’ death and birth overshadow his life? pg 12
Opinion: “We’re Both Wrong’’ pg 6
Black Boy Peaches pg 10
Live and Loud pg 16
The Refugee Crisis pg 7
The Man of Festival One pg 11
Summer Reads pg 21
MORE INSIDE... TOP 10 ALBUMS FROM 2015, MOVIES TO VIEW PLUS PLENTY MORE! 3
LOCAL LEGENDS
keeping up with the kaimanawas: kelly wilson by anna greenwood Professional showjumpers and wild horse trainers, the Wilson sisters, have become national celebrities since the release of their first book and reality TV series, ‘Keeping Up with the Kaimanawas’. Vicki, Kelly and Amanda Wilson have become inspirational figures for young and old alike, pursuing their passion for riding, while making a real difference for the wild horses in New Zealand. The girls grew up riding, but their interest in training wild horses only developed after they bought and trained a Kaimanawa in 2010. ‘Watch Me Move’ went on to win the prestigious 2012 Pony of the Year Grand Prix with Tegan Newman, and the Wilsons were invited down to the Kaimanawa Ranges to see the horses in their natural environment. Kelly Wilson says that’s when it all started. “We didn’t see wild, scruffy ponies, we saw ponies that had the same confirmation and potential 4
as our other horses”. Since 2012, they have saved 25 horses from slaughter as part of the government culls in the Kaimanawa Ranges, she said. For these girls, life is all about horses. For Kelly, the horses are her hobby and her outlet, while she pursues her career as an author, freelance designer and photographer. For Vicki and Amanda though, the horses come first, and anything
lives to the public would be a great way to raise awareness, and to inspire a whole generation to love these wild horses. Kelly’s new book, Stallion Challenges, discusses the journey with the Kaimanawas from the 2014 muster and those featured on their TV show. Working with these horses presented many struggles and challenges, but the three girls are each other’s biggest encouragers. Despite the injuries endured and
“The girls believe that the core values of their faith set them apart from other trainers, and they’ve adopted Matthew 5:17 as a part of their work with the horses: “Do to others as you would have them do unto you.’’ else has to fit around that. Undoubtedly, the Wilsons are living the dream. Initially when they were approached about being the subjects of a reality TV show, the girls were opposed to the idea. But after a lot of thought, they decided that opening their private
the heart-breaking decisions they had to make, the lessons learned and the experiences gained have made it all worth it in their eyes: people are now aware of the plight of the Kaimanawa horses. They might be recognized everywhere they go, but despite becoming local celebrities, Kelly says
their lives haven’t changed at all. They now have to deal with publicity, book contracts and a TV show, but they remain the most down-toearth girls, who work hard for their horses because they love it. The Wilsons were raised with a strong Christian faith, and that is still an integral part of who they are and what they do, Kelly said.
taught them something, and the girls are grateful for the upbringing they had, believing that riders who don’t necessarily have much money have, “better feel [for riding] and better purpose”. That goes beyond the horse scene and can be translated to anything in life, Kelly said. When people are working hard for
“We didn’t see wild, scruffy ponies, we saw ponies that had the same confirmation and potential as our other horses.” The girls believe that the core values of their faith set them apart from other trainers, and they’ve adopted Matthew 5:17 as a part of their work with the horses: “Do to others as you would have them do unto you”. They don’t force their horses to do anything, they let them choose their own training and move forward in their own timing by trying to make every training session fun and positive for the horses. Growing up, the Wilsons didn’t have the kind of money many equestrian families do, but every horse they’ve worked with has
their results and not having them handed to them on a silver platter, your purpose is heightened and your skillset increases, she said. But Kelly’s number one piece of advice for those chasing their dreams is simply this: It has to be fun. The underlying core values of what you are doing are most important. Don’t pursue money and fame because they’ll never make you happy. Pursue what you are passionate about and what you find fun, and life will always be an adventure. “If you’re not enjoying it, you’re not in it for the right reasons.”
anna greenwood is a wellington-based student.
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opinion
opinion: “we’re both right” Of course, being wrong itself is easy – we do it all the time! But In the long hot summers in North admitting you are wrong – that’s Canterbury, a friend and I used hard. Bic Runga has a song on to spend our holidays working her first album called ‘Sorry’, and in a field – picking potatoes and it has a line ‘it’s not that hard to pumpkins, harvesting blackcursay, so why can’t I say it now?’ The rants to be sent off to Ribena (I reason she can’t say it is that sayhave never enjoyed the smell of ing sorry means admitting you’re blackcurrant juice since). We wrong - and we hate doing that! weren’t really farmers – we were But here’s the thing – somewhere saving our pennies to buy guitars towards the heart of Christianiand cymbals. So to pass the time, ty is admitting we are wrong. In we used to talk about science fact, continually admitting we are fiction, music, and philosophies of wrong. 1 John puts it this way: life. And every now and again we’d “If we claim to be without sin, we reach a point where we disagreed, deceive ourselves and the truth is and we knew we weren’t going not in us. If we confess our sins, to win the other person over. So he is faithful and just and will we invented a phrase: ‘we’re both forgive us our sins and purify us right’. from all unrighteousness.” (1 John ‘We’re both right’ is a cracking 1:8-9 NIV) little way to finish a discussion. If we confess our sins - in other Because then neither of us had to words, if we say we are wrong. admit we were wrong. And the That’s the hardest thing. reason that felt so good is because But it is also the most beautiful. of something deep down in the See, the whole point is that we are heart of our humanity: we all hate wrong, but Jesus is right for us. being wrong. John goes on to say “if anybody
by CHRIS SPARK
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does sin, we have an advocate with the Father-- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 2:12) He is the righteous one. We are wrong, but he is right(eous). Which is good, because we don’t have to keep pretending we are right. We can admit it when we are wrong, without thinking that our world has fallen apart. We can handle it when others think we are wrong, because Jesus’ right-ness is what matters, not ours. We’re not both right. We’re wrong. But Jesus is right enough for the lot of us.
Chris Spark is an assistant Minister in Christchurch and helps lead the cpit christian group.
photos: A21
on the frontline of the refugee crisis: a21 by GRETA YEOMAN “You have to understand, no one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than the land.” This line from “Home’’, a poem by Warsan Shire, a Kenyan-born poet from Somalia who immigrated to Britian, has resonated around the world in the face of the refugee crisis. If you want to see what the situation is on the frontline of the refugee crisis, the A21 Campaign are doing a pretty good job of bringing it to the world. The anti-human trafficking organisation is in Greece, helping refugees arriving in boats from Syria. As Greece is a focal point for the organisation in regards to anti-trafficking, the group are assisting refugees and providing information to people to prevent the risk of trafficking. A Facebook post from the organisation in mid-November tells of their arrival. “Every day, small rubber boats packed with Syrian refugees are photo: A21
reaching the Greek shore. Men, women and children step onto land soaking wet and freezing from the dangerous ride. For most of them, the journey to safety has just begun. We are honored to be working at the border along with partners and organizations to bring relief to these displaced people who are at risk of falling prey to traffickers.’’ A21 has been providing blankets and clothing, fresh water and a place to rest to the refugees, with much of their help coming through donations from supporters of the organisation. Founded by author, inspirational speaker and generally incredible woman Christine Caine in 2007, she said their focus as an organisation was to be willing to rescue one person from trafficking at a time. “If we are able to rescue one survivor, prosecute one trafficker, or educate one student, then everything that we do is worth it. We are making a difference one life at a time.”
You can donate to a21 at www.a21.org follow a21 on social media for updates on the situation. 7
photos: Supplied
festival one
brady toops: ahead of festival one to experience Israel without his ly, I wrote about my experiences guitar, Toops said travel has with the divine. Spirituality will opened his eyes to the incredible always be a real core of who I am Festival One is just around people and experiences outside and what I write about. But I think the corner, so Paul McDonald I started to see the divine in a caught up with one of the head- America. “I love seeing the world, there’s way more than just a Sunday line artists, Brady Toops, ahead something about seeing the world morning song at a church. of his second performance at that expands your view of life, “In the midst of exploring some the annual festival. and people, God and boundaries. new themes in my writing, I felt a “Get ready to feel something, real freedom and a real because life is too short not to feel “So going to Israel, or going to Australia and New Zealand. It’s a expansiveness to articulate more it.” This is the message Brady Toops “I think when I started originally, I wrote about my experiences has sent to his New Zealand fans ahead of his second appearance at with the divine. Spirituality will always be a real core of who I Festival One next January. am and what I write about. But I think I started to see the divine After his performance at the inaugural festival at Mystery Creek in a way more than just a Sunday morning song at a church.” this year, the folk/soul artist was of life and that has been really invited back for an encore perfor- lot harder to have enemies, or it’s harder to say ‘we are better than satisfying for me on a personal mance, something which Toops others’ after meeting really beautilevel. I feel like there has been a was eager to put his hand up for. ful people in places around the new well inside of me to open up “We just had the best time, the world.’’ and to write new songs.” response from the people of New Now he is back from exploring Toops said he was telling people Zealand was just overwhelming the world, Toops is back in the the new record would sound like a and welcoming.” studio recording his first new blend between Johnny Cash, Since his performance at Festival album Boys 2 Men and Modern Beats One, Toops spread his wings and since 2013 and eager to explore and would be out “whenever it’s travelled the world. new themes about “more of life”. done” in 2016. With tours to Thailand, Hong Although he has spent the past Kong and Australia, plus a chance “I think when I started original-
by paul mcdonald
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seven or eight years writing music, strumming a guitar is Toops’ second career, as he dedicated 20 years of his life playing baseball where he played collegiately at high level and professionally for the St Louis Cardinals. When asked what new fans could expect from his performances at Festival One, Toops said it depended which stage you caught him on, but he loved to try and make the room smaller to create moments with and for people. “I think that connection between the heart of the artist and the listener is a really special thing and my goal is to make distance shorter between my heart and their heart or their ear.” He said one of the best parts of writing music was the run-ins and shared comradery with complete strangers who come up and share their story with him.
IKE NDOLO Ike Ndolo has been personally recommended by Graham Burt, the director of Fesival One, who described him as singing “with the passion of the weight of Africa ... and the beauty and strength of his faith in Jesus Christ”.
Strahan One of the folky favourites of Come Alive, folk psalmist Strahan returns to his familiar stomping ground of Mystery Creek after performing at Cloud Festival last summer. He’s also funding for an album on Kickstarter currently!
emily rice Emily Rice will be coming back from a stint in Europe,with the rising local talent set to return to the stage at Festival One. Graham Burt also made note of her music, describing her new music as “really good”. 9
festival one
black boy peaches: songs from the south by paul mcdonald Paul McDonald played Q&A with Dunedin-duo Black Boy Peaches ahead of their performance at Festival One in January. Here is what drummer Tom Mepham had to say. Q: What are the pros and cons of playing a big festival style show vs an intimate concert with a smaller audience? A: Festivals are all about the hangouts on the days and nights surrounding the show... lots of people are gathered, and we’re all in it together. When your tent is set up on site it’s a much more immersive experience than a regular weekend gig, and it sets the context well for doing what we do. Regarding intimacy... a small crowd in a big room doesn’t always equal intimacy, and larger crowd can still connect deeply. So either way can work! Q: What has the past 12 months looked like for the band? 10
A: We both have one-year old daughters, so... can’t remember! We gigged at an event called Catalyst in South Auckland, and have recently handed over our upand-coming album to our mastering engineer. So, on the band-front it’s been quiet, but things have been cooking below the surface.
“Festivals are all about the hangouts on the days and nights surrounding the show... When your tent is set up on site it’s a much more immersive experience than a regular weekend gig.” Q: What would you say have been some of the highlights of your journey as a band so far? A: That’s a cool question. I think we are really stoked to be growing closer as friends, and are getting more settled about what
music means for us and where we want to take things. Our optimism has matured... Another: we did a great gig a bunch of years ago where we booked out a big theatre in Dunedin and designed a show that we were delighted with. That was cool. Also, surviving the transition from four people to two has been a highlight. Q: For those attending Festival One who have never seen a Black Boy Peaches live show, what can they expect? A: We are a duo: drums, guitar, two vocals. We’ll be putting our best foot forward by performing newly recorded tracks, with a couple of oldies thrown in. You can expect an energetic, catchy, passionate alternative rock set... hope to see you there!
PAUL MCDONALD IS A CHRISTCHURCHBASED WRITER FOR COME ALIVE. catch Black Boy Peaches at Festival One, from January 29 to February 1, 2016 in Hamilton.
local legend festival one
THE MAN BEHIND FESTIVAL ONE: GRAHAM BURT on community - with the entire campground stopping for lunch and dinner. Watching people come to know “We’re interested in showing peoGod as part of a community is ple what the Christian faith looks what inspires the man behind like, not just singing about it.’’ Festival One. Auckland-based director Graham He said he enjoyed the fact that they were not just music-based, Burt helped set-up the festival, which made its debut last summer, citing the big festivals such as and greatly enjoyed wandering the Coachella or Lollapalooza as campground hearing the stories of inspirations for their event. “People will talk to you [about people’s experiences of God. those festivals] for five minutes He said they did not force the running before they mention a faith on anybody attending, but the “truth of the Gospel’’ was just single band.’’ In addition to his work with subtly in the background. He said the “endless stories’’ that Festival One, Graham voluntarily chairs the board of Laidlaw Colpeople came and told him about lege and works in marketing and their encounters with God, just advertising jobs as well. blew him away. He also wrote and produced a vid“It still gets me,’’ he said. eo series called LongStoryShort, The festival was organised in which unpacks the stories of the the space of four months, after Bible. long-running popular Christian Graham was looking forward to music festival Parachute announced its closure in May 2014. people enjoying the community of the festival, the fresh bread and Graham insisted, however, that meat, and lots of people hanging they were not trying to fill the spot of Parachute, though they ran out together. Festival One at the same time and “I see the small things rather than the big.’’ location as Parachute did. He said they were not just a music As for the acts he was looking forward to, he quoted the lyric of festival, but had put a big focus
by greta yeoman
headling act All Sons and Daughters’ song ‘Great Are You Lord’ as a reflection on looking forward to the worship. “It’s Your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise.’’ Graham said Emily Rice’s new music was “really good’’ and Derek Lind’s new album “was extraordinary’’. Amanda Cook from Bethel’s new album was “really lyrically solid’’ and Brady Toops had been writing a lot of new songs also, he said. Graham was also really looking forward to America-based African songwriter, Ike Ndolo, who he said Life FM had just started playing, but though no-one had heard of him they had wanted to bring him to the festival. “He sings with the passion of the weight of Africa ... and the beauty and strength of his faith in Jesus Christ.’’ But in the end, the highlight of the festival is seeing people finding faith in community. “It’s the most beautiful thing to watch.’’ greta yeoman is the editor. thanks to yvonne heng helping to organise this interview.
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FOCUS FEATURE
does jesus’ birth and death overshadow his teachings?
photo: Unsplash.com by Kimson Doan
by greta yeoman Jesus’ birth and death were certainly powerful, important occasions - but in the midst of those two events, do we forget the life and words that Jesus left on Earth? The oft-quoted ‘Liar, Lunatic, Lord’ comment of CS Lewis may ease the burden for some Christians not to take Christ’s words to heart, instead focusing on his birth, death and resurrection and the hope of heaven, but Jesus did not spend his life building up to a short few years of ministry for his words to be discarded. 12
The full quote of Lewis’ comment talks about the “foolish’’ claim by people to accept Jesus as a moral teacher but not the Son of God. “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet
and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” The issue with Lewis’ quote is that it suggests that, if you wish, you can disregard Jesus’ teachings and focus on the fact he was God in human form, dying to forgive sins and give eternal life. While that is all good and important, however, the fact that there are four books of the Bible dedicated to Jesus’ teachings and the interpretations of his words by his followers after he returned
“So if God is love and we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, along with loving our neighbours, then really is not love what this is all about?.’’ to heaven means we cannot just ignore what he taught. And what was it that Jesus spoke about? Love. He challenged the religious leaders of the day for being caught up in the law and processes of life that they forgot to love God and love each other. I began writing this feature a couple of days before the Paris attacks that took place on November 13. It went on hold over the weekend that the news was pouring in, so now on Sunday night (I don’t normally do Come Alive things on a Sunday, but it needed to be done), a shadow hangs over this writing, with the knowledge this feature’s topic is even more prominent and important to remember than usual. The gospel of Mark, chapter 12, tells of Jesus teaching to crowds and being approached by the religious leaders of the day. Noticing Jesus’ clear and good answers to questions being asked by the crowd, one religious leader asked him what the most important commandment was. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,’’ Jesus replied, quoting the Old Testament book of Deutronomy (which was part of the Jewish ‘Torah’ during the days of Jesus, for of course they did not yet have the “new testament’’ to which there could also be an “old’’). Jesus then carried on to say “the second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no com-
mandment greater than these”. So if God is love and we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, along with loving our neighbours, then really is not love what this is all about? 1 Corinthians 13:13 states “and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love’’ and 1 John 4:7 comments “dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God’’. Jesus challenged people. He certainly did not make a lot of
“Though we can look forward to heaven, it must not be our focus. We need to find hope on earth and we can find being the hands of Christ on earth.” people feel very comfortable. He acknowledged the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, the unjustifiable wealth of many others and chose to hang out instead with the people on the margins. While Jesus birth and death are both certainly ridiculously important parts of the story of Christ coming to earth, is the focus we put on the story of Jesus also similar to our life on earth? As Jon Foreman of Switchfoot sings of looking for a home in a world where he belongs, it often reminds me of the issue of finding so much hope in reaching heaven and in death (surely, is
that not a little morbid?) that we forget how to find hope in the thousands of days we spend on earth. There’s a lovely wee saying when you’re out in the wilderness to leave the places you camp in the same state you found them. While this is all good for many things, leaving this earth behind in the same state that you arrived in it does nothing good for anybody. From the events of November 13 and the numerous other wars, atrocities and other painful occurrences from around the world, we should surely not feel comfortable with the gift of heaven to just leave God’s gift to us in the same state we found it. There are wars, famines, refugees fleeing in their thousands escaping a place they can no longer live in, there are attacks, hatred, greed and despair surrounding us, it is very easy to become bogged down by the awfulness of the world. But with love we can fight back. Show people you love them. Once again, as so-called “Muslim extremists’’ are named as the perpetrators of the Paris attacks, our Muslim friends need our love. Just as not everything committed in the name of Christ is a viewpoint we share (think of the KKK and LRA), many Muslims have condemned the violence in the name of Allah. Website thinkprogress.org quoted Shuja Shafi, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, who condemned the attack by ISIS. “This attack is being claimed by the group calling themselves ‘Islamic State’,” he said. “There is nothing Islamic about such people and their actions are evil, and outside the boundaries set by our faith.” 13
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photo: Unsplash.com by Giandrea
With France having launched attacks on IS just two days after the attacks, vowing to fight back, the world must realise we can fight a war with something bigger than weapons. We must realise that through love, hope, peace, community, friendship, acceptance and kindness can flourish and change the world. Though we can look forward to heaven, it must not be our focus. We need to find hope on earth and we can find hope being the hands of Christ on earth. As the oft-quoted, possibly incorrectly attributed to St Francis Assissi, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words’’ reminds us, though Jesus taught many people, it was also his deeds, his love and his willingness to hang out on the fringes of society that gained him many of his disciples. As the Switchfoot song ‘Where I Belong’ continues, “this body’s not my own, this world is not my own, but I still can hear the sound, of my heart beating now,’’ we can look forward to life after death but if heaven is our only hope, then what are we living for? We need to find our life on earth and live it strong and right, not focusing on just bringing people to Christ but just loving them for who they are, so some day, they may, guided by God, make a step of faith. While I believe Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection are certainly important points in his life, we need to shift the focus of Christianity from sin to love, from judgement to acceptance and from religion back to Christ. With a world so diverse, we need to get rid of the need of being right to just accepting the numerous different viewpoints around us. You cannot change someone’s heart by just telling them they are
“if going and serving and loving in the name of the Lord was something we could do today, tomorrow and every day ahead, before we finally take that step in to heaven, we might just make the world a better place.“ wrong, we need to demonstrate, in love, the way that you could be instead. Jesus did that. Yes, he did have harsh words for people, but those were the people that could deal with it. The rest of us, well, he’s telling us stories, healing people, loving them, just hanging out. Just like CS Lewis said, “to love at all is to be vulnerable.’’ We cannot happily exist on this earth without sharing the love. We must give love and we must receive it. At the end of an Anglican church service they say “go now to love and serve the Lord, go in peace’’ with the response from the congregation, “amen, we go in the
name of Christ’’. If going and serving and loving in the name of the Lord was something we could do today, tomorrow and every day ahead before we finally take that step in to heaven, we might just make the world a better place. So go, go in the name of Christ.
greta yeoman is the editor of come alive & lives in dunedin.
What’s the perfect
gift for someone who has everything?
A GIFT FOR SOMEONE ELSE
Give the malls a miss this December. For meaningful gifts like clean water for a child, head to worldvision.org.nz/smiles
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live and loud IN OUR EARS Head Full of Dreams Open Heaven/River Wild Coldplay Hillsong
25 Adele TOUTED AS THE ALBUM THAT COULD SAVE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY (I’M NOT REALLY SURE HOW ONE PERSON’S ALBUM CAN AFFECT THE REST OF THE BROKE MUSICAL POPULATION OF THE PLANET, BUT OKAY) ADELE RELEASED HER THIRD ALBUM ‘25’ ON NOVEMBER 20. HER NEW RELEASE FEATURES THE SINGLE “HELLO” (WHICH HAS INSPIRED MANY PARODIES), PLUS WITH 111 BRAND NEW SOARING SONGS.
The seventh studio Two of our writalbum from Coldplay ers are part of this is also rumoured to album.... oh, along be the band’s last. with the thousands of “It’s our seventh others who attended thing, and the way Hillsong’s conferwe look at it, it’s like ence in Sydney earlithe last Harry Potter er this year, but that’s book or something beside the point. The like that,” Chris Mar- Aussie-based worldtin said. He added the wide group that have band were putting turned out so many everything into it as church hits, and prothey did not want a duced this live album final album to be a from the event. minimal departure.
Over The Moon Ginny Blackmore
So, i actually thought this album had been released months ago, but it turns out it hasn’t. Rising kiwi pop star Ginny Blackmore will share her debut 14-track album “Over the moon” out to the world on December 4. This will follow up her hit single “Bones” and “Holding You’’, which she sang with Stan Walker..
SAMSTOCK // LOUD Samstock is back with a new name and a new venue! Presenting LOUD Music Festival, Saturday, December 5. With workshops, live music, a talent quest and more will be a part of the rebranded event at Dunedin Elim Church. There will be many fun activities throughout the day for youth to enjoy, such as a bouncy gladiator jousting ring, giant jenga, an op shop tent and Fun Pirates leading the activities. The line-up includes 16
Stevie Tonks, Christchurch-based worship act Majestic Sounds Like, Bazi Baker, Six Years, Sahara Skye and plenty more acts yet to be announced. Equippers Church Auckland pastor Byron Marchant is one of the workshop leaders, along with Johnny Hoff, Prof. Murray Rae and Bazi Baker (who was part of Satellite at Southern Eastercamp earlier this year). Tickets are $45, but will be discounted if you are part of a group.
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FEATURED APP WALLET: Google’s Wallet app can help you keep track of your finances, and it’s rather fantastic. Though Wallet is only an Android app, there are plenty of apps like it for iPhones and other systems.
in your ears: the top 10 2015 albums Feel The Night Strahan’s latest EP, Feel The Night, is a stunner, so there’s no reason for it not to be at the top. This kiwi folk artist writes worship from the heart
Brutual Romantic A new sound for Brooke Fraser, but nothing less than her previous albums. Though her sound may have changed to more electro, the lyrical depth is there if you listen.
True North
Wilder Mind
Ah, The Soorleys. Our favourite Aussie family band bounded back into our ears with five more lovely upbeat folky tunes. These folk will brighten any bad day..
Nothing wrong with a bit of Mumford and Sons and in reality, I’d declare this album their best yet. With the electronic guitar folk, it all just sounds so wonderful.
For The Weary Traveller
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Holly Arrowsmith is gradually being recognised around the country, and at only 21, this lovely lady is one to keep an eye on, having performed with many top local acts.
Couldn’t miss Florence and the Machine off the list. Their new record again shows the stunning voice of Florence Welch while also capturing her fantastic band.
Strum Strum
Drylands
The latest EP from Luke Thompson may have passed many by, but the record is another in Luke’s already stellar collection. ‘The Climb, The Fall is the highlight.
Heading east back to the drylands... Mel Parsons is a lovely kiwi musician, who has swung away from country back into the realm of folk. Get your hands on Drylands.
Sun/Son
We Are For The Wild Places
Miss Ebony Lamb only began writing songs six years ago and is slowly exploding across the folk/ country scene, picking up fans including John Campbell himself.
and of course, we couldn’t leave the poppy tunes of Dave Baxter and Avalanche City off the round-up. Presenting another album full of upbeat goodness. Thanks Dave.
Interested in writing for come ALIVE? Contact Greta at comealivemagazine@gmail.com 17
live & loud featured video
The former front-duo of Dukes returned with a lovely live performance from their Terrible Sons project - shot in the Christchurch gondola. Check out ‘Tears Don’t Fall’ on You Tube.
Spotlight
Son of Saul
Youth
Follows the story of the Boston Globe reporters as they try to uncover the truth behind the shocking child molestation and cover up scandal within the Catholic Church, in Boston. Hold on to your seats everyone, we’re all in for a ride.
This Hungarian drama won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, and looks to be a powerful and tear-jerking film. IMdB says, ‘In the horror of Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival upon trying to salvage from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son.’
A retired classical composer reflects on his life, with a film making friends in a resort high in the Swiss Alps. If nothing else, go for this quote: ‘You don’t need words or experience to understand it, it just it.’ Michael Cain as Fred Bollinger, in Youth.
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Possibly the most anticipated film of the year, The Force Awakens airs in cinemas December 17/18. The hype around this new episode in the generational and international phenomenon that is Star Wars, has been building for over a year, with the main story line and even some characters still tightly under wraps with little under a month to go. Not that it really matters, because by simply being another instalment in the Star Wars franchise, af18
ter ten years since the last one, this movie will most likely blow everything else out of the water. Especially since no Star Wars fan was expecting to get another movie. But will it live up to its superb trailer? Will it live up to the well-loved Original Trilogy? With new faces at the reigns, and on the screen, along with promise of a completely new story line, outside of the Star Wars Extended Universe, We’ll just have to wait and see.
THE FORCE AWAKENS OPENS IN CINEMAS ON DECEMBER 17.
by evonne key
work and art. Not only does it involve photography, one of my When I was told that I had the op- many part time passions, but it portunity to receive a review copy does so in a very raw and honest of ‘Humans of New York: Stories’, fashion that is hard not to appreI literally could not contain my ciate. It’s not just that; Humans of excitement. Brandon Stanton New York tells such a wide range started the now internationally of stories. From Christian, to Jew, famous Facebook page and blog, Muslim, atheist, divorcee, marin 2010. The page now has over ried, single, recently broken up, 16 million followers on Facebook child, teenager, adult, elder, conalone, let alone other social media struction worker, lawyer, student, websites. The simple concept of cleaner, artist, musician, actor, photographing ordinary people model, rubbish collector… what on the streets of New York, and I loved about this book, was that now, even abroad, and telling their it told the world from as many stories in interviews along the perspectives as possible. It didn’t way, has captured the hearts and try to portray a certain image of attention of people everywhere. the world, it didn’t try and force And reading Humans of New any belief on anybody else, its York: Stories reminded me of why sole purpose was to tell people’s I personally love this grand, stories to the best of its ability, in seemingly never ending piece of such a beautifully authentic way.
giveaway winners!
It told life from all avenues. As an aspiring author, I thrive off stories, and I thrive off an unfiltered view of the world, a brutal, raw view of the world from the everyday person’s perspective. The layman, the workman, the tradesman, the mother, the doctor, the homeless, the child, the wanderer, the lost, the alone, the broken, the troubled. These are the people’s voices that we so often overlook, and what is so wonderful about HONY: Stories, is that it tells these voices and their stories. It tells your story. And my story. And the world’s story.
“Humans of New York: stories” is available in bookstores for $45 (rrp). thanks to Karen from lighthouse pr for the review copy and giveaways.
in the memetime
Congratulations to Chelsea Yeoman and Livvy Yule, who won copies of ‘Humans of New York: Stories’ and Sophie Bang and Corey Reddish who each won a copy of ‘Live, Love, Lead’. 19
photo: Unsplash.com by Sasha Oberheizer
live & loud
summer watch by evonne key You can never tell, if a movie will be as good as its trailer is. And as someone who regularly stalks the internet and watches almost every single movie trailer, as soon as it comes out, I can almost 100 percent guarantee you that at least half of these movies, won’t be as good as their trailers. Which is a shame, because there were some mighty good trailers this year. None the less, the amount of possible good views this summer is rather splendid. There’s Creed, the third big franchise instalment expansion of the year, after Jurassic World and Star Wars, following on from Apollo Creed and Rocky, with Creed’s son. Also called Creed. Obviously. Macbeth; a live action, R-rated retelling of the famous Scottish play. Not for the light hearted or light stomached. In the Heart of the Sea; a movie adaption, of a book, based on another book, based on the true 20
story that inspired Moby Dick. Another literature classic. Can you tell I love classics? Yeah well, apparently so does Hollywood. Legend; could be Tom Hardy’s finest hour. 1950’s English Crime Drama? Yes please! The Lady in the Van; Maggie Smith and that not-really-new genre I like to call John-Greenand-life-expectancy. You know, commentary on ordinary or strange lives, bit of weak philosophy thrown in, maybe a poignant death or two? All the rage these days. Joy; they really love milking Jen for all she’s worth, don’t they? You can’t deny she’s a good actor though. Do I smell another bias Oscar? Quite possibly. The Hateful Eight; Quentin Tarantino. Apparently that’s all I need to say? Concussion; I think the only way to describe this in short is: football or gridiron, medicine, America, ground-breaking discovery, drama. You know the type. Point Break - action! Drama!
And the best stunts of the year! (They actually filmed a sweet as wingsuit dive through a canyon, that’s never been done before.) The Revenant; Leonardo DiCaprio. In fur-trapping post-Civil War America. With grizzly bears. The Fifth Wave; the latest YA dystopian drama, this time staring Chloe Grace Mortez. I think that’s all the explanation that one needs… Risen; Well you might have heard a rumour, that there’s this massive group of people, taking up almost a third of the entire world’s population, and they believe this Jesus guy rose from the dead, right? Well, now imagine you were a Roman centurion. And you’ve got to find this supposedly risen Jesus’ body, because you know, dead prophets claiming to be God and all that, aren’t really the finest look for Rome, you know? Kung Fu Panda 3; do I… do I really need to describe this one? It’s… it’s KFP3… like, it’ll be like the last two. Funny, stupid, funny, but with more pandas!
photo: Unsplash.com by Alexander Solodukhin
by evonne key The Big Four, by Agatha Christie. Take a blast to the past with some good old fashion crime and murder mystery, in Christie’s fantastic 1927 (yes, I did just say 1927) novel. This is the fifth Hercule Poirot book, which follows Hastings and Poirot’s chase to find the meaning of the number four and uncover a dastardly international plot. Make Me, by Lee Child. The latest Jack Reacher thriller actually came out in late August/ September, but if you’re looking for an intriguing story line, with just the right amount of grit, blood and bone to pass a sunny summer day under the sun, this would be a good choice.
SUMMER READing A Sting in the Tale, by Dave Goulson. Working part time at a library means you find all sorts of interesting non-fiction books. This is my favourite example at the moment. The bestselling book of English biology professor and entomologist, Dave Goulson, it follows his adventures with bumble bees, their ingenious air conditioning system, their history, their demise in the UK, and what he is trying to do about the latter. Full of beautiful witticisms and stories, this is a well written, informative, and simply lovely read. Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. Set in World War II, Unbroken tells the tale of a young bombardier, his survival at sea, and then in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. It tells of his bravery, de-
termination, and strength of mind and body to overcome extreme odds. From the bestselling author of Seabiscuit comes an unforgettable tale not to be missed. The Glory, by Lauren St. John. If you like horses, and grew up reading Pony Pals, Malcom Saville and Monica Edwards, you will love this book. This charming YAF novel was a refreshing read. Not only was the story interesting, it is all about the horses, and building relationships, with the beast and with man. Not your usual YAF love triangle first time schmuck. Which I think our teenagers all need more of. Not too complicated, and filled with lots of action, snakes and snow storms, this is a definite summer reads pick.
Evonne key is deputy editor. 21
What’s the perfect
gift for someone who has everything?
A GIFT FOR SOMEONE ELSE
Give the malls a miss this December. For meaningful gifts like clean water for a child, 22head to worldvision.org.nz/smiles