Austin Glidden's Inner Monologue

Music and My Calling...

2011-09-24T21:49:00.020-04:00

When I was twelve-years-old I started playing the drums. I guess you could say the first band I was in was the youth group worship team at my grandfathers church. I remember before ever sitting behind a drum set, I used to watch my cousin Ross play every week. I studied his style, predicted his actions, and memorized his mannerisms. All the while I was listening to hardcore/metal bands and audibly learning how to use a drum set to make different sounds. From the beginning I could listen to a band and understand what they were doing, without seeing the drummer play it. Once I sat down on the throne for the first time, I realized that because the bass drum was so large, I never saw my cousin's feet. Thus, I had no idea how to use the bass kick. But aside from that, I could play a beat, keep a tempo, and do simple but solid drum fills. All this from listening and watching.

I was really big into writing music by the age of fifteen, so much so that I started playing guitar having only dabbled occasionally before then. I started playing metal and worship. The latter meant learning how to strum an acoustic, one chord at a time. Once I had learned how to form a "C," "Am," "G," "Em," "D," and an "F," I wrote several original worship songs; songs they still play at the Youth ministry today.

I was brought up in music. My mother sang all the time, around the house, in the car, etc. She was also the choir director at the church -- until the choir's gradual demise -- and later became full on Worship leader. My uncle Denny Lee played in bands and had "gigs," as my grandma liked to call them, every weekend. My other uncle, John, sang too. Sometimes the three of them would get together and sing songs that made my grandparents cry, along with half the church. Most of my family was musical in some sort of way, I guess, but you couldn't call any one of them proficient musicians, but they were all good at what they did. I learned from this, but was bound to be more than just good, I was like any other teenager... I wanted to be the best in town.

When I was about sixteen I was asked to lead worship on Wednesday nights at the Youth service. I decided to play acoustic guitar and sing. I had never really sang before, but at that time I "didn't care what people thought" and had the mindset of screw them if they don't like it. I sound like a great person right?

I promise I wasn't a douchebag, and I also promise that I never had intentions of being an egotistical, elitist, control freak. But I was a teenager who was given a position of power, in some regard. Can you blame me?

Anyways, I grew out of that immaturity and by the age of seventeen I was leading a full band every Wednesday: two vocals, two guitars, bass, drums, violin, and keyboard. Three of us were in a metalcore band together, so we would have band practice right beforehand, and then come in with the worship team and play at the same volume. Needless to say, our worship rocked. It was loud, passionate, and merciless toward any old fogey that wanted to shut us down (again, the glowing embers of a rebellious teen were still burning faintly).

I loved playing worship. I loved singing praises to my God. I loved leading people into a place of submission and bliss. I was right there with them... eyes closed... singing my little teenage heart out. I miss it. I want it back.

In 2004, I was nineteen, I moved to Chicago to attend a bible college called Christian Life College. You must understand, I really was humble and modest about my musical talent. I'm making myself out to be a monster. But if I'm going to be honest with myself, there was certainly an ego deep down inside trying to inflate my already large head. I say that because I thought I was hot stuff in Chicago. Within the first week I was on both worship teams as lead drummer (I was the only drummer). There was the A-team -- not to be mistaken with the 1980s TV series -- which was made up of the elite musicians... only those proficient in their field made this team. Then there was the B-team... this consisted of everyone else... everyone the worship coordinator was afraid to tell sucked at what they did. I was the only drummer, so by default the job was mine.

B-team was cake. A-team... not so much. I realized then that I wasn't the genius I thought I was, but rather, an amateur in expert's clothing. These musicians were outstanding. They knew what they were doing to a tee. They understood the music, they understood how to sound like the bands on the cds, they knew how to be a band.

We were sent home with burnt cds of worship mixes we had to learn. We were supposed to take it home, learn our parts there, and then come prepared to rehearsal where we would work out any kinks. After the first few unprepared practices, you begin to stand out among the rest. Thus, discipline began to seep into my thick skull. I started practicing (with the help of my good friend Jeremiah, the lead guitarist), I played to a metronome occasionally to work on my tempo and pacing, I learned how to incorporate dynamics in percussion, etc. By the end of my first fall semester, I was able to play with the band, not without my share of mistakes, but we all got through it nonetheless.

That spring, the A-team were asked to play a major youth rally put on by the college and the church that overlooks it -- Christian Life Church. The rally is called Ascension Convention and it attracts approximately twenty-five hundred youth. I was ecstatic. My grandfather's youth group had been attending Ascension for years, and here I was about to play on it's larger-than-life stage. It was in preparing for this event that I learned what it meant to be a true worship leader.

We must first be worshipers; not performers, but rather ushers. Secondly, we must be musicians. And only after those two stages can we become true leaders.

After being accepted as the "house drummer" for the rally, I remembered back when I was thirteen or so, being in a bible study surrounded by old men. I remember God speaking into my heart and telling me, and I paraphrase...

Your calling is to play music and help young people.

I can't remember if I heard an audible voice or a faint whisper in my spirit, but I heard my calling spoken to me. SIDE NOTE: Just because I'm called to play music and help young people doesn't mean my career has to be in this field. I'm studying to be a university film professor, but that only gives me all the more opportunities to help youngsters. But besides, I know God wants me to play music and I see it being a part of the rest my life. So his plan for my life will be fulfilled. I say all of that because I know some people hear their calling and think they have to go into that field as a career. This isn't always true. God leads you places that don't always make sense at first, but when his divine appointments arise, it becomes clear very quickly.

Ascension Convention came quickly. We were as prepared as we could be, having essentially toured churches in Illinois and some surrounding states leading worship for their services and promoting the youth rally. I'll never forget seeing all of those people in front of me. I don't think I've ever cried as much at a rally as much as I did that year, because witnessing thousands of people giving their all to God is a powerful sight. The messages spoken that year were extremely powerful -- I may share them in another post sometime -- and the other bands that played did awesome.

I'm writing this post more for my own catharsis and encouragement, frankly. Remembering what God spoke to me those many years ago, and seeing how my calling has manifested itself in my life, in a very real way. That is really motivating.

Lastly, I am in the process of making a worship album. I've spoken with a recording engineer friend of mine to start production this winter at his studio. He accepted the project. I'm glad because this has been on my heart for many years, even before I went to Chicago. I feel lead to give it away for free. I plan to raise money and get it mass produced so I have hard copies to hand out to people in need. This will all take time, but as long as I am faithful to his calling, the desires of my heart will come to fruition.

Have a wonderful day everyone.
Take care,
Austin

When two or more are gathered...

2011-09-24T17:53:00.004-04:00

(New American Standard version)

Since the birth of Melissa and I's baby girl (Evelynn "Evey" Rose Glidden), I have been thinking about the role of family in America, in the Church, and in our individual lives. I've been thinking about how happy I am with Melissa, and how strong our marriage is. That's not meant to sound like I'm bragging -- which I am, I guess -- but simply an encouragement to all that marriage can be good, even great in fact. We watch TV, movies, etc... we see our friends' families, our colleagues relationships, and so on... and form an idea of what marriage is. This ideology comes default in the average American mindset, implanted through cliches, generational hand-me-down knowledge, and the media. It's like the saying " let them suffer like the rest of us," said by someone married, referring to unmarried couples planning to be wed.

We see marriage, in this country, as expendable. These days we divorce as if we're just returning an unwanted item to a department store. It's as easy as filling out some paperwork, spending a little cash, and finding a new place to live (I'm oversimplifying, of course, but you get the point). We have forgotten how sacred, wonderful, and powerful marriage can be. We see television shows where the husband is having a beer with his buddies and says something along the lines of,

"Man I'd love to hang out longer but I have to get back home before the ol' ball-and-chain comes after me..."

Why do we see marriage as that? It certainly shouldn't be, and it absolutely does not have to be. Marriage should be between two BEST friends, the kind of relationship where when things are tough, you naturally go to one another in unity as opposed to distancing one's self. This has always frustrated me. I have always wondered why some people even get together in the first place if they can't stand one another. Or why they get married if they aren't certain about their loved one, or aren't ready altogether.

I believe God put this on my heart to teach me something. I've been thinking a lot about this scripture lately. My wife, Melissa, was in labor about two weeks ago, and from the night of the 9th and into the morning of the 10th, we listened to various sermons (mostly pastor Matthew Chandler) and worship music (band of choice: Jesus Culture). Pastor Matthew Chandler has been responsible for many of my epiphanies as of late. He will say something in a certain way that opens my eyes to the content completely. I started thinking about things... all sorts of things... but one scripture kept coming to mind, Matthew 18:20. I've used this scripture many times when talking to the Youth as an encouragement to remember he is always with us, but I had a realization that evening...

I thought about how much Satan hates the idea of family. As individuals we can only do so much, but as a strong family unit we are nearly immovable and unstoppable. I put Matthew 18:20 into this concept and thought:

Wow, that means when two or more are gathered in his name, like a family (which is two or more), then he is with them always. Satan has no place in their lives.

I pondered this for a while to solidify my new thought. Then I pondered a even further:

That means God is always with married couples too. In a healthy relationship they are always there when one needs the other, thus two or more...

This explained everything to me (on a spiritual level, of course). The ever-growing rate of divorce, the social notion that families are meant to be unhappy, the constant rivalry between loved ones, etc. This is Satan's plan. This is what he wants. And that's not to say he's solely responsible for all of the broken marriages, heartbreaks, etc -- because humans are equally if not more responsible -- but Satan uses these things in his motion to kill, steal and destroy. He wants to see families, relationships, and friendships ruined. He wants to get each and every one of us alone, because it's always easier to lead one astray instead of two, four, six, etc.

Thus, Matthew 18:20 is not only directed toward prayer, but it can be used within the institution of marriage and family.

Not only has this empowered me as a Christian, a husband, and a friend... but this has built my faith. I know Satan has no power over me. I know he has no place in my home. And I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he will stop at nothing to break me, but my faith is not built on sand, but on the my rock, my father, my God.

I hope this helps everyone reading this to realize our security in the Lord.
Take care,
Austin

Roger Ebert's review for "Moneyball"

2011-09-24T10:54:00.006-04:00

I find it interesting that that my prediction for "Moneyball" was exactly what Ebert's review says. Not that I thought I'd give it a 4/4 rating or anything, but rather, that it had more to offer than your typical, run-of-the-mill sports flick. I thought it looked very interesting, with solid talent surrounding it. All in all, this post is a TAKE THAT to everyone who immediately prejudges a film just because it has qualities of something cliche (in this case, it's a baseball movie) or because certain actors are in it, haha.

On another note, I'm not saying that because Ebert said it, it's gold. He and I disagree often, but I've seen reviews like this from other writers and critics. This film is getting a lot of good ink. So... yeah. Enjoy.

"In the 2002 season, the nation's lowest-salaried Major League Baseball team put together a 20-game winning streak, setting a new American League record. The team began that same season with 11 losses in row. What happened between is the stuff of "Moneyball," a smart, intense and moving film that isn't so much about sports as about the war between intuition and statistics.

I walked in knowing what the movie was about, but unprepared for its intelligence and depth. It centers on the character of the Oakland Athletics' general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), who after a bad start as a MLB player, moved over to management and was driven by his hatred of losing. In his previous season, he'd taken the A's to the World Series, only to have them lose and see their best three players hired away by richer teams offering much bigger salaries.

Faced with rebuilding the team at bargain basement prices, Beane became persuaded by the theories of Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a nerdy recent Yale graduate who crunched numbers to arrive at a strict cost-benefit analysis of baseball players.

He persuaded Beane that he should hire based on key performance statistics that pointed to undervalued players. Together, they assembled a team that seemed foolhardy at first, but during the course of an agonizing season, proved itself the biggest bargain in baseball.

"Peter Brand" is based on people described in the 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. Jonah Hill's performance is understated and fascinating; a pudgy kid who has never played a baseball game in his life, Peter has analyzed decades of baseball stats to prove that game-winning qualities are not always the ones veteran scouts look for. He's shy and quiet, advancing his theories tentatively but with firm certainty; he's an amusing contrast with the team's grizzled, tobacco-chewing scouts — who are looking for all the wrong things, Brand argues.

Pitt's Billy Beane is an inward and lonely man, recovering from a failed marriage and doting on his daughter, Casey (Kerris Dorsey). He's so driven, he can't bear to watch a game in the stadium, and sometimes drives aimlessly while listening to it on the radio. He's fully aware that if he follows his theories for the full season and they fail, that will make him unemployable. He faces fierce opposition from his bullet-headed team manager, Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who feels his experience is being insulted by a manager mesmerized by some half-baked Ivy League theorist.

The director is Bennett Miller, who also directed Hoffman in the title role of the radically different "Capote." "Moneyball" is not a traditional sports movie, and indeed should be just as gripping for non-sports fans. It's not a series of Big Games. When it goes to the field, it's for well-chosen crucial moments. Its essence is in terse, brainy dialogue by the two accomplished screenwriters Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Network") and Steven Zaillian ("Gangs of New York"). As in "The Social Network," abstract discussions reflect deep emotional conflicts. There are a lot of laughs, but only one or two are inspired by lines intended to be funny. Instead, our laughter comes from recognition, an awareness of irony, an appreciation of perfect zingers — and, best of all, insights into human nature.

This is really a movie about business. None of the individual players have major roles. The drama all happens in the mind of a general manager and his numbers guy. They bet against tradition and in favor of numerical analysis. That goes against a century of baseball history, although for all of those years, fans have thumbed through their baseball almanacs and issued mind-numbing statistical theories on talk shows. What the numbers crunchers demonstrated is that a computer can assemble a team better than human instinct.

That's melancholy, but then this is a melancholy movie. Pitt has some soul-baring scenes with Jonah Hill in which he wonders what it all means, anyway. It doesn't matter if you have a 20-game winning streak. All that matters is that you win the last game of the season. Even the players are merely inventory, and there are dramatic moments here of players being traded or moved down to the minors. Baseball is a business. Only we fans love it as a game."

My Short Film: Elena Riley (Working Title) rough edit

2010-11-25T14:11:00.007-05:00

Written & Directed by: Austin Glidden
Director of Photography: Andrew Quinn
Starring: Lisa Ermel as "Elena", Austin Glidden as "Ethan", and Melissa Glidden as "the other girl"

"Elliot" Official Trailer

2010-11-25T14:10:00.002-05:00

Directed by: Austin Glidden & Derek Hoover
Written by: Austin Glidden
Starring: Austin Glidden as "Elliot", Joel Shrock as "Reverend Michelson", and Alison Cariello as "Rebecca Friedman"

2010-11-25T01:17:00.002-05:00

2010-11-25T01:09:00.007-05:00

Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)

2010-07-22T15:32:00.019-04:00

Platform: Playstation 3 (also available on Xbox 360 & PC)
Developer: Rocksteady Studios

Genre: Beat'em Up/Detective
Approximate Playing Time: 12 hours
Austin's Rating:

Recently, I started playing, what was hailed by critics as, the best super-hero game of all time. Despite my PS3 being ill and freezing every fifteen minutes, I stuck it out and played the whole game through to the end. I must say, it was an extremely pleasant experience.

Batman: Arkham Asylum takes the player back to the cartoon from the nineties, and stays mostly accurate to the Batman comic book series. However, I've never known a Batman plot to be so sadistically dark. Christopher Nolan's films (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) made the villains tangible; someone I could really imagine existing. But this game made me realize just how sociopathic those very same villains are.

The story's backdrop is Arkham Asylum, a high-security mental institution that resides on an island off the coast of the infamous Gotham City. Gotham's most twisted and corrupt criminals are there, including: Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Bane, Harley Quinn, and of course "Mr. J" himself, the Joker. Also, the voice of the Riddler makes an appearance as you find hidden riddles and maps that belong to the king of confusion. READ MORE...

This game has a flawless fighting system. Now, let me say that the fighting does become a bit redundant, but I never found that to be a con because it's so fun to beat the hell out of the enemy. But fighting is really only a third of the game. The real fun is in the detective element. The story is really fleshed out and the small island you're on is used to its utmost potential; as the story progresses, every time you return to a place, it is different, making it seem new and giving you new things to explore.

I love this game. Check it out!

2009-03-31T13:41:00.004-04:00

2009-03-31T13:39:00.003-04:00

2009-03-31T00:40:00.003-04:00

Little [French] Girl Remix

2009-03-01T02:15:00.000-05:00