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It was the fall of 2005 and I wanted to ask a certain woman to marry me. I remember talking with my dad about it and it was almost as if I was asking his permission. I'll never forget the advice he gave me. It's so simple and practical yet so profound. He basically told me that I was the only one who could make my life's decisions because I was the only one who had to deal with the consequences, good or bad.
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Believe it or not that was some of the most freeing advice that I've ever gotten from anyone. As I was wrestling this week with choosing a job and leaving another behind, I was reminded of that moment. It was a tough choice because I put a final stamp on one chapter of my life and am taking a huge step into another. I said farewell to The Oconee Enterprise, which was difficult, and I am thankful and blessed for the experience gained over the past two and a half years. But I feel that this is my next move, I have a peace about it. Continue to pray for Megan and I as we both adjust to new job roles, and that God would lead us to a church where He would have us get involved and serve in.
*In case you're wondering, I accepted a job as a Graphic Designer with a company in Norcross, GA. That's more or less the Atlanta area for those who are not familiar with the area. I'm excited and ready to jump into this new role.
For those of you who may not know, I was in a pop punk band throughout the majority of my high school career. That in itself is worthy of its own blog. In the beginning, we were horrible. But over time, we grew into our own skin. This album was one of the biggest influences on me in that particular musical stage of my life. I love the guitar riffs/rhythms. I had a chance to catch a show of theirs at The House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. Their energy and stage presence was incredible. During the last song of the show, they encouraged people to jump up on stage. Of course the bouncers were against that idea, so NFG got mad at the bouncers. Eventually, chaos broke out and the stage was flooded with people(mostly teenagers). I think our bassist at the time ended up with a drum stick. Call it brand loyalty or what have you, but I've continued to invest in every album of their since.
If you don't own this record, Go. Buy. It. Now. I picked this up as a senior in high school. I saw a VH1 Storytellers of these two guys and have been hooked ever since. I think most people would agree that Dave Matthews is on a higher level than most singer/songwriters. You know it's Dave when you hear that percussive acoustic riff. Only Dave can sing and scat the way he does and still get away with it being cool. Plus, adding a phenomenal guitarist like Tim Reynolds is just mind blowing. I can't believe that he(Tim) can play an acoustic with that much speed and still retain its clarity and voicing. My favorite song is probably 
This album belonged to my sister. As I went to visit her one summer in Columbia, SC, we were listening to this as we drove around. Somehow I ended up going home with this. If I'm not mistaken we traded cd's. I digress. For me, this was one of the records you put on repeat and listen to over and over again. Delirious? has a very unique sound and I would count them in as one of the pioneers of Christian rock, even some aspects of worship music. I remember plugging in my Epiphone SG into my little Peavey amp and working my way through this record. 
Time is one of the first albums I was introduced and listening to when I first felt the calling on my life to get involved with performing/writing Christian music. Every song was solid. They all have a strong message, strong riffs and melodies. 
This band, native to the Columbia, SC area and also formerly known at The Doc Sommers Band, rocked my world in high school and a little of my college life. They may have had the greatest impact on me as a whole being a young musician when I discovered them. First off, one of the coolest things about the band is the fact that the lead singer's mother played the drums. Yeah, it was awesome because she rocked out better than most. The guitars were aggressive yet extremely melodic. There was passion and authenticity in the lyrics, overall great music. Sadly, they dispersed in, I think, the spring of 2005. The lead singer, Mack Brock is currently on staff at Elevation Church in Charlotte. If you haven't heard any of the worship music coming out of Elevation, you should do that right now. You might even catch a hint of Brevada in the music.
This was my first real record purchase. I was a 7th grader and for my birthday had a gift card to a record store. I had heard Semi-Charmed Life on the radio and thought that it was a good enough reason for me to buy the cd. I can listen to this album at any time and all day long. I know the content is questionable for most middle schoolers(which is crazy cause that's when I bought this), but it's poppy. I like Pop Rock. The hooks/songs are great. No doubt. You'll be singing these songs long after you have listened to them. The guitar tones are superb. There are a lot of alternate tunings which gives it a very open feel. Favorite songs are 
I wore this cd out in high school. Hanging by a Moment was one of my favorites. They write great songs with great hooks, the kind that leave you humming the melodies for the rest of the day. And somehow this guy gets the thickest guitar tones that I've ever heard. Still trying to get mine to sound that good. I haven't made it a priority to see them live, but I'm really wanting to. I've heard they put on a solid show.
My good friend Chris Lee invited me to attend a concert with him in Charlotte one time while I was in college. Since Megan was there at school I made it a weekend trip with a rock show and some time with the future Mrs. Farmer. Just happened to be an Edison Glass concert. Changed my life. These four guys blew my mind with the live show. Killer guitar rythms and leads all meshed together with great hooks and melodies, I never get tired of listening to this record. You can bet that you'll catch yourself singing one of these songs at the top of your lungs while you're driving down the road too.
I saw these guys for the first time as a freshman in college, found out they were from Charleston, SC. I've always tried to support the local music scene. Didn't get their full album until I was a junior. I wore this thing slap out. The vocalist has a very unique voice, but every song is strong. If I had to choose, I think The Mary Getaway (I Lost Everything) would be my favorite track on the album. But that's a tough choice to make.
Right when I felt I was in a drought of good worship music, here comes Hillsong United. I still have songs from this album in a regular rotation in my set lists. They have a sound that is completely their own, one that everyone else has tried to replicate, including me. But these songs connected with me on a very deep level and they still do today. Salvation is Here and 'Til I See You are two classics.
I stumbled across this album sometime around my sophomore year of college. It was extremely inspirational, and always motivates me to worship authentically and try to write songs out of that worship. I think that his version of I Love You Lord is genius. There is No One is probably my favorite worship song of all time. It basically states that there is no one like our God, so let's worship Him with all we have.
Derek Webb is a very passionate songwriter. You may not recognize him, but since he is formerly of the group Caedmon's Call, I'm sure you'd recognize something that he's written if you've been listening to Christian music. This album is all about the church and it's flaws. It's very convicting yet encouraging at the same time. I got to meet him once and after talking with him I walked away with a greater appreciation for his music. Nobody Loves Me, Crooked Deep Down, Saint and Sinner, and Wedding Dress are four of my favorites on this album(hard to narrow that one down). I would cover Nobody Loves Me when I played shows in coffee houses.
Meet Ted. You can call him Ted, Teddy, Theodore, Cat, or a few other choice names that I will keep to myself. He likes to perch himself on my night stand and one night Megan and I got tickled at him and nicknamed him Keeper of the Night Stand. He reminds me of the lion statues you see on either side of a driveway or something like that. Ted is the first cat that I've ever had. I've always been a dog person. My family have always been dog people. So there was a bit of a learning curve for me when I brought Ted home to live with us for Megan's birthday surprise. There are a few differences between cats and dogs that I've encountered.
Today I started a new chronological Bible reading plan, so obviously I started in Genesis. It seems over the course of my life I've probably read this book a dozen times and heard many sermons and talks on it as well. But it never seems to amaze me that something new and very relevant pops out at me.