Contemporary Christian...more than just hymns!

The movement of contemporary Christina music has made such large strides in the last decade that it can now be considered a form of widely popular music. Many consider the beginnings of contemporary Christian to be in the 80s with the likes of Amy Grant, Petra, Michael Peace, and Michael W. Smith.

This style of music serves two purposes. The first and most primary purpose is that of lifting up the faith of Christianity...i.e.: serving Jesus Christ. In fact, many listeners of contemporary Christian music refer to it as their way of being able to worship on a daily basis. The second purpose is to spread the message of encouragement and positive attitude.
More and more people are changing the station from hate and despair to hear music from the likes of Third Day, Casting Crowns, Skillet, Francesca Battestelli, Natalie Grant and Mandisa. These recent artists along with the forerunners have created a better sense of community and purpose within the population.
A larger benefit received from this style of music is the impact on the next generation. Seeing a room full of elementary, middle, high school and even college age people standing and singing such positive music can be one of the most uplifting experiences ever. One should also never underestimate the power these people posses on the nation's and even the world's future.

Ever played a country song backwards?

The joke remains that if you were to play a country song backwards you will get your dog back, your wife back, your truck back, etc. Country music tends to have a reputation for being a twangy, sad, depressive style of music. This somewhat negative reputation is due to the older generation of music composed by artists like Hank Williams, Marty Robbins, Loretta Lynn, Jim Reeves, and many more.

Many 'modern' listeners do not appreciate the slow style of country music. The originators of country were considered by the loyal as storytellers of the truth instead of glossing over the negative aspects of life. "Tear in My Beer" is often used as the butt of jokes, except the idea is that the man is heartbroken, a feeling with which many people no matter what their age can relate.
Because of the negative feelings toward the older style of country music, artists started to veer toward pop music. Crossover success stories like Faith Hill, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood have been considered a huge boon for the country music industry, by bringing new listeners to the genre. Others consider the crossover style of music to be a type of betrayal to the roots of country. Whichever side a person falls, none can dispute that the genre's popularity today is at the highest in recorded history even with the trend leaning back to the more traditional style of music.

The innerworking of "Heavy Metal"

Hair bands were all the rage in the 80s with the likes of Bon Jovi, Metalica, Van Halen and KISS. The style was a leap out of the disco genre embraced by the 70s. Electric guitars were being utilized in a more expressive manner, up to and including the smashing of them on stage. Lead singer of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, was even known to bite the heads off of bats on stage, expressing a general feeling of anarchy. Osbourne has stated that all of those bats but one were fake and just used for effect.

Clothing was another way that these artists expressed their individuality. Tight zebra and leopard print spandex pants were a common theme at the concerts. Of course, the reason they were designated as 'hair bands' was due to the haircuts worn. Feathered sides and mullets were worn in such frequency that the general public began to adopt them as the style of the day. 
These bands also gained notariety for destroying hotel rooms. This was an extremely negative aspect of the heavy metal genre. The different band members would smash mirrors, tear down curtains, destroy the furniture and were even known to break the windows. People began to equate general rebellion with listening to heavy metal. Many movements were instigated by concerned parents and church organizations, due to the 'outbreak' of wild behavior.
Today, metal is still alive in band like 30 Seconds to Mars as well as in the longevity of Bon Jovi and Van Halen. Mars' style of music expresses the purity earlier metal bands were trying to achieve while still carving their own unique niche in the music industry.