Candle release

 

Today is the day! A Candle in the Darkness has officially been released. I hope you enjoy it.  Check it out on iTunes, Amazon Music, YouTube, Spotify, and others. God bless.

Bodi-wan

October 29, 2021

Covenant of Call

 

Covenant of Call—Lyrics

Bodi-wan

Copyright 2003-2021, Bodi-wan/David Hodge

 

[Editorial note: this song is my testimony song. I was saved at age 9 but my growth was largely stagnant until my high school years where I had some bursts of growth but I was still heavily influenced by secular humanist/naturalistic religions (which is a type of pantheistic paganism) through state education in my local schools. My knowledge of Christianity and the Bible was rather minimal (I heard gospel sermons and Bible stories over and over again). I had no apologetics or answers for the world that was attacking me from every direction. I even struggled to live as I should—in both walk and talk. Through a secular college, I still didn’t have much growth…until I found answers that plagued me when I was teaching engineering at the university. Then I had immense growth in my faith to then share those answers too. The Lord grew me in ways that I never expected—to Him be the glory!] 

As a child, when I was small

Peace and light were all in all

“God is great” and “God is good”

Always doing what I should

 

And then I fell

 

Rushing the world as I recall,

I was silencing the call to save my soul

Running with the devil

Unknown to myself

 

No one I could turn to, no one who would care

I was calling out in darkness

But no one would hear

My dimming soul was fading

Into the night

 

Viscous hatred spewing from my bones

Wishing to God that I had never been born

Where is Your purpose,

Sent from above

Why am I cursed to live without love

 

Then I felt a touch of light

and I saw a glimpse of sight

Knowing I’d been deceived

It was then that I believed

 

And then I tried

 

Pushing the boundaries as I walked the walk

Crying for out in prayer as I stumbled in talk

Looking to the past, as I…

Wanted it back

 

Trying ever harder as I walk the line

Being pulled in all directions of Satan’s sign

Watching my back

Ticking in time

 

Now a “Covenant of Call” that I won’t neglect

Open to the light and a new elect

Facing all my fears with a steadying mind

No longer in the darkness

No longer blind

 

Then I felt a touch of light

And I saw a glimpse of sight

Knowing them I’d been deceived

It was then that I believed

 

And then “He rose”

 

Seeing the “Kingdom of Enlightened Souls”

Piercing evil and the sacred woes

What you did to me simply

Made me grow

 

Demons I will go against your evil ways

I will steal those from your grip

Every single day

I won’t leave my God like

You left yours

 

Now a “Covenant of Call” that I won’t neglect

Open to the light and a new elect

Facing all my fears with a steady mind

No longer in the darkness

No longer blind

 

Computer Crash

 

The Great Computer Crash—How Did It Affect X-Secular And A Candle In The Darkness? 

Bodi-wan 

October 21, 2021

It was the setback that no musician ever wants to go through! It was in the days where computers had come a long ways and were excellent tools, but things were still limited in hosts of ways. 

Music files, like .wav files, are big files for those days. USB ports had just become a thing in standard computers, but most didn’t have them yet. I was using Windows 98, just to give you an idea of the timeframe and era of computers. USB ports were part of the Second edition of Win 98, where I was on a first edition. This computer was a virgin computer (i.e., it was a machine that didn’t get connected to the internet and files didn’t go to it, but it was used to provide music files as a source computer). I kept this thing safe! 

Thumb drives were not a thing yet, so an easy backup, I didn’t have. I did back things up though. I had an external optical/CD burner 2x speed. Yes—that is super slow by today’s standards. So I backed up a number of files in this slow tedious way. But it was time consuming and slow. 

After I had several weeks/months of files. I would back up the new stuff—as I remembered it. I had recently transferred to a digital system using Cakewalk—an excellent and cost effective program for recording. I loved it by the way. 

Many of my files were still tape-studio based, lower quality but effective for the pre-digital age. But even those files were being transferred digitally. Thing were going well, I could see the end in sight to get these first two albums out. Then bang—it happened. The blue screen of death. For those in modern times, the blue screen of death was almost equivalent to smashing your entire computer and hard drive with a sledge hammer over and over again. 

Everything on the hard drive was “toast”. Nothing. Nada. The latest files, the final vocal tracks, editable files, tracks awaiting vocals, all gone. All I had was some CDs with some back up files from, literally, months before. 

It was devastating. No longer was I trying to finish up the albums and polish them, but instead I was in scavenge mode to see what I even had. It took months of time spread out over years to find what I had. Then I had to get a new computer, which I did and as I got things transferred to it, that one gave up the ghost as well! So back to my backups, twice now. It was heart breaking. 

By the time I had assessed what I had, I realized I had files without bass lines, or in one case a mixed down .wav file without vocals (that was a great find as that one was a ready-to-use file to easily build on).  A number of files were unusable or not the final takes. I had lost a lot of files and tracks where I had fixed something but now I was stuck with the old files, that was no longer fixable (i.e., in mixed down form). These songs contain little glitches that will annoy me. 

For example, there was  a bass note that I didn’t strike perfectly in Flood Epic. But I’m left with an un-editable file as all I have was the mixed file. There is a glitch in Allegiance with drum timing that was easily fixable but lost. 

Another example is Wise Men, which I was working on as the computer self-destructed. It’s a  great tune, but it will always annoy me because the vocal track on it was a trial test take that I laid down to give me an idea of what I wanted. The file that survived was the very first take of me roughing though it. I was about to go back and put down the final vocal track properly with the “p” popper and slightly varied melodies and so forth. When bang, it was all gone. 

Wise Men, as we now know it, was all that was left and the file was mixed down into a .wav so I couldn’t edit out the vocals and replace them. Oh well. I almost left this song in the realms of file folder on my hard drive and not release it because I’m not pleased with the vocals; but at the last moment, I decided it was too good of a song to leave in a hidden digital room forever. So I hope it one can appreciate it as I do, knowing it could have been better. 

With the song Armor of God, the vocal tracks are too loud in my assessment (and a few other fixable things) but all I had was a mix down .wav file so there is nothing I could do about it. 

Another big setback was that many of my backup files were Cakewalk-specific files that no longer exists as it was purchased by another company and largely taken down the road of extinction. In retrospect, I’m actually surprised I was able to retrieve as much as I did. 

I’ve been working with Audacity now to help finish the albums. So when listening to the individual songs bear in mind that this was the best I could do with what survived. Nevertheless, it was satisfying to see the albums with a release date. 

Are the albums X-Secular and A Candle in the Darkness perfect? By no means and I’ll be the first to admit it. But like a sinner saved by grace, these songs were essentially dead, and by grace of what was saved (and what I’ve been able to do since then) they have been resurrected to new life.  I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for that kind blessing and pray He receives the glory in these songs.  

 

 

 

Bodi-wan

 

Where Did The Name Bodi-wan Come From?

Bodi-wan

October 18, 2021

This nickname, which had gone on to become my primary stage name, originated when I was in college. Let me give you some background information first. 

When I was young, Star Wars-A New Hope was huge. It was my first movie in a theater. I was three years old! After watching it, I wanted a lightsaber! Yes, this was the aspiration of a three year old. 

As a bunny trail, lightsabers (flaming swords) were first used to guard the path to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3:24). Nevertheless, I wanted one. 

The second movie I ever saw in a movie theater was Return of the Jedi. I still wanted a lightsaber. If I’m honest with myself, I still want one today!  Ha! 

When I was in college, the prequels came out and there was tremendous focus on Obi-wan Kenobi. The resemblance of Obi-wan to my middle name cast me as “Bodi-wan Kenobi” to many of my friends. That one stuck so well, I decided to use the first part as the moniker for my stage name. It’s catchy and memorable. 

So there it is! 

Bodi-wan

Son of Halford

 

Where did the name “Son of Halford” come from? 

Bodi-wan

October 12, 2021 

When I first started singing, it was to the few cassettes or records I had around 1986-1987 (or were already laying around the house). My untrained voice at that point really wasn’t anything special—just belting out some Top Gun, Bon Jovi, Beach Boys, or Van Halen melodies. The simple reason is that was all I had access to, besides some Journey, Foreigner, Head East, and so on that regularly played on the radio. 

Our music teacher was interested in giving me some one-on-one lessons but that fell through due to his schedule. So I decided to go it alone in teaching myself to sing better. I decided to listen to good singers and try to do what they did to find my own style. 

Then my older brother got into one of those tape clubs and things got exciting. It was 1988 and Priest’s album Ram It Down showed up in my brother’s mail. 

That was good for two reasons—one, I could listen to the rocking tapes he wasn’t cranking up at the moment (e.g., Priest …Live for instance) and second, in the truck with my brother he played Ram It Down over and over again. I loved the rendition of Johnny B. Goode and that song helped me push my vocal range (so did the whole album). 

For those who don’t know, Rob Halford is arguably the voice of heavy metal. His influence, along with the band Judas Priest (named for the famous 60’s song “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest”) is really unparalleled in 50 years with few exceptions. The band began in the late 1960s and is still active today. 

I remember my cousin and some others just backing off when we were singing along toward the end of the song when Rob Halford would jump up and belt out the energetic highs of the chorus to finish out the song. I would sing along flawlessly. 

When I got into a band later, I had years of experience singing Halford. Not a bad person to be emulating. But by that time I was also singing Dream Theater’s James LeBrie, Stryper’s Michael Sweet and Petra’s John Schlitt—among many others. 

Bodi-wan with Michael Sweet

But when I would sing cover’s, particularly of Halford specifically, I had so many people say I nailed it just like Rob Halford. I took those comments as a nice compliment. But it got to a point where there were people sincerely asking “are you sure Rob isn’t your dad?” 

Of course, he's not, but somehow I was being dubbed the “Son of Halford”. Again, I took that as an exceptionally fine compliment. Being compared to someone of that caliber on vocals is really an honor. 

But any talent that I have or have practiced to attain is by the graciousness of the Lord alone. I hope that as I culminate my music more and more that Jesus Christ receives the glory. I also pray that many of the vocalists I studied and learned through their music would repent (2 Peter 3:9) and turn to Christ for their salvation (Acts 4:12). Some have, by the way. I’ve prayed for many bands and their members over the years.

And advice to any young Christian singers: you need to be discerning about those you listen to. Some of their lyrics are acceptable by a Christian standard, but many aren't. So please exercise discernment. I had to learn a discerning heart over the years: compare these secular band's lyrics to God's Word (test everything, and hold onto the good, 1 Thessalonians 5:21).

There is nothing wrong in appreciating the style but don't get caught up in the worldly philosophies that sometimes associate with the secular religion.  

Blessings, 

Bodi-wan

Masked Metalhead

 Where Did The Name “Masked Metalhead“ come from? 

Bodi-wan 

October 11, 2021

It was back in the days of Ancient Silenze. There were a few times where I would don a mask on stage for a song or two—just for fun and for show. It was one of those simple rubber-band type of Zorro masks. 

That mask was a dreadful thing to wear—especially with me sporting a mullet!  The rubber bands would inevitably get caught in a few hairs each time. And “yank” they go! 

Also, it was difficult to keep on properly  the mask would hit eyelashes as it moved around on your face (very annoying) and there were times you could hardly see through it. Though it did look cool and added some stage presence. The problem was that I was very high energy on stage and that didn’t help with a mask moving around on your face. 

I’m just glad I have some higher quality masks to use today with much better braided bands to hold them. The firm fitting styles, when they match my face size and shape, are a blessing from God. So is the felt interior too!

But in the late 1990s playing with the Ancient Silenze, I was sometimes call the “Masked Metalhead”—which is a brilliant title to have. So it kind of stuck—even though “Bodi-wan” is a technically a nickname too. 

I have no problem going by multiple names—we all tend to have more than one name and sometimes several nicknames anyway. I always wondered how many names did Noah and his early family have after the events at Babel with all the new root languages. That is a thinker isn’t it. 😁 

God bless, 

Bodi-wan

DadDrumming

 

My Dad Was A Drummer 

Bodi-wan 

October 8, 2021 

Unlike my mom, I had the opportunity to see my dad (Jim Hodge, 1950-2014) play some live shows and practices. He played until about 1980. I was around 6 when he played his last show. Although he was often invited on stage to play a song or two from time to time when we were there. 

He played in an old fashion country/bluegrass band. The name was brilliant for that style—“Cousin Arkie and Stump Jumpers”. Who could forget that?!?! 

They played a mix of covers and originals from the early 1970s. It consisted of Dee Holder (Cousin Arkie) on vocals and guitars/banjo with Junior Fanshier playing guitar and some banjo. Finally, the band was complete with Merle Wolfe on bass. 

I remember when my dad played in Meredosia, IL (“Dōsh”) at a big town wide pork roast. We supplied the pigs for the roast from our farm. Watching my dad in the big machine shed (Holder's Country Hoedown) and old fashioned stages was like being at the Old Ryman Auditorium listening to the Grand Ole Opry live (which I’ve been to by the way). 

I don’t remember this next part, but it was related to me—whether true or a tall tale—I simply don’t know. Apparently, the band tried to do a show where they loosened the outer bass drum head so that it would fall off as soon as the drums kicked it at the onset of a concert. 

But there was more! They put a live chicken in the bass drum so that when the concert started, the drum head would fall open and the chicken would come bursting out. I’ll give them credit for originality! The concert began and the bass drum head came right off—but that chicken had no intention of going anywhere! 

That chook was perfectly content staying in that bass drum while it was being played! The crowd was awed that they had trained a chicken to sit in a bass drum for a concert. Different affect, and definitely not what they expected. 

I’m not sure if a chicken in a bass drum has ever been duplicated by any other band on the planet! And just for the record, I don’t recommend doing it either! I guess it gives a new meaning to the term “drumstick”. 

Either way, I’ve had interesting memories from those early years of mine watching my dad play some live shows and practice at Dee Holder’s place west of Versailles, IL. 

Blessings in Christ, 

Bodi-wan

RockinMom

 

Wasn't Your Mom A Rocker? 

Bodi-wan

October 6, 2021

It’s true, my mom played in a rock band in her youth. It was well before my day!  So I’ve never seen her perform. 

It was in the late 1960’s and she played in a band called Traggix. It was a rock/fun rock band. Apparently, they would play cover songs and a few originals—songs like “Wipeout”. They never made any recordings—at least not that I know of. 

Traggix played a number of shows in Western Illinois. Their heyday probably peaked around 1967-1968. 

My mom, Cheryl Duvendack or (“Duvas”) as she was affectionately known to friends, played the rhythm guitar. 

Lead vocals were performed by Steve Ingram and Patty Sides. Drums were Willie Shephard and lead guitars were done by Roger DeWitt. 

 

My mom learned guitar from her dad, my grandpa, Richard Duvendack; also pictured here with her younger brother Rick (my mom had a hand in naming her little brother and she named him after Ricky Nelson). My grandpa died of a heart problem about three years before I was born. 

Although Traggix never influenced me directly, my mom’s old guitar amplifier supplied two speakers that I wired up to an old RadioShack amplifier to be my first PA system to sing through. I wired in almost 9 speakers to that simple amp setup before things finally blew just before an informal gig in Versailles, IL in 1991. 

Those were the days—rigging things up to make it through a show.