Courageous is about four men with one calling: to protect and to serve. As law enforcement officers Adam Mitchell (Alex Kendrick), Nathan Hayes (Ken Bevel), Shane Fuller (Kevin Downes) and David Thomson (Ben Davies) are confident and focused yet when they go home at the end of their shifts they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle – fatherhood.

Life keeps happening, day after day until one day … tragedy happens. Veteran police officer, Adam Mitchell’s family begins to unravel and he understands he has to do something. He goes to his source of strength, God and begins the journey. He puts his plan into action. His police force brothers gather around him and together they take up the challenge of being the best they can be in a totally different arena.

The latest installment of life according to Sherwood Baptist church in Albany, Georgia, shouldn’t be dismissed lightly. The picture-making church keeps stepping up to the plate and hitting it out of the park. I have to admit that I’ve seen all four films. They went from a sweet little film called Flywheel to their next film, Facing the Giants. Then with the help of Kirk Cameron, the only actor with any name recognition to be in any of their films, they made Fireproof. They had finally pulled out of the totally low-budget movie ranks and made a film of substance. With Courageous, Sherwood has once again stepped up their game.

As their fourth film, this action packed police drama will make you laugh, cry and cheer as you are challenged and inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kind of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.

Hokey? Probably, but none the less, I loved it. I loved that there are still real men in this world that put their families first;  men who are passionate, yes, passionate about being good old-fashioned family men. Not the best CEO, not the best truck driver, not even the best doctor … the best dad. Men who take pride in being the best they can be and understanding in the depths of their souls that HONOR BEGINS AT HOME.

I’m sure most would agree that Courageous doesn’t have the best acting, the best directing or the best anything when it comes to film making. This film will never win an Oscar, but somehow I don’t think that is what it was meant to do. I suspect it was meant to do just what it’s doing, making us think about how we live our lives on a day to day basis. Courageous does a wonderful job of making you listen a little more, throw the ball a little more and savor every moment.

So, if you’re interested in a life of significance the message of Courageous is Fathers, Man-Up. Once again, I’m open to your insight at chastings@rockcliff.com.

Origins

Although, bluegrass music has elements of English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, and German influence, its roots were inspired by immigrants living in rural towns and villages in the Appalachian Mountains. The music was further enhanced by African Americans.

Early on, bluegrass music was used to accompany the rural area dances known as clogging, flat footing or buck dancing. This genre of music wasn’t called bluegrass when it first evolved. It was simply called “old time mountain hillbilly music.” In the early part of the 20^th century, this form of music slowly made its way into larger areas (cities). It no longer was just an accompaniment for dances, but was listened to for its own intrinsic value by a growing number of fans.

Music historians cannot pinpoint a date when this musical form was first called bluegrass but they agree it was in the early 1950’s. It was named after the father of the genre, Bill Monroe. Monroe was from Kentucky (the bluegrass state). He formed a band in 1939 and named it “Bill Monroe and The Bluegrass Boys.” Monroe and his band established the instrumentation and sound that is the model for today’s bluegrass bands.

 Instrumentation
During the early years of bluegrass music, many combinations of acoustic instruments were tried by various groups, among them, “The Bluegrass Boys.” It was the latter group that finally settled on the instruments that are still used today. They are: the violin (fiddle), five string banjo, guitar, mandolin and string bass. Vocals, both solo and group, are also an important part of blue grass music.

The fiddle is the lead voice and will sometimes play in 3rds and 5ths, filling in between the vocals. The guitar doubles the notes of the bass and strumming gives the music its basic rhythm often described as “boom-chick.” The banjo is played with three fingers picking style.  It also plays continuous eighth note rolls. The mandolin plays chords with a fast tremolo and also fills in between vocal lines.  The string bass is the foundation of the chordal structure of the music. It plays the basic rhythm and harmony. The bassist plays pizzicato the majority of the time. It alternates between the tonic (first note of the scale or Do) and dominant (fifth note of the scale or So).

The learning and playing of bluegrass is summed up by Pete Wernick, aka, “Dr. Banjo.” He states, “Bluegrass is a team sport, and if you just learn to play a lead by learning a rote arrangement at home, that’s really not learning the language of bluegrass anymore than learning a Chinese poem phonetically is learning Chinese,” says Wernick. “You need to be fluent, and be able to change gears, like switching between lead and backup. Those skills are really critical for playing bluegrass music.”

You can experience authentic bluegrass music in many movies including: O Brother, Where Art Thou, That High Lonesome Sound, Bill Monroe, The Father of Bluegrass (documentary), Deliverance, Bonnie and Clyde, and Bluegrass Journey (documentary).

Believe it or not, you can actually get a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Bluegrass and Old Time Music studies. The program includes courses in bluegrass and country music-both academic and performance oriented. This major course of study is at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. To my knowledge it is the only four-year university offering such a degree.

Please submit your questions and comments to banddirector01@comcast.net

Visit our website at www.danvilleband.org for up-to-date information about the Danville Community Band.