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We Need Help but We Have a New Single (and More)
February 26, 2021, 2:11 pm EST
ApologetiX Fan Club Newsletter goes out to 61,519 subscribers.

In This Issue:

New Single: '72 & '82 >>

The Stories Behind the Songs on Our New Single >>

More Music Coming Soon >>

Bible Reading Update >>

New USBs Include Latest CD and New Single >>

Get 1350 Tracks for $100 >>

Album Challenge: Week 42 >>

How to Donate & Get MP3s >>


Tell Us About You.

Help us pick new songs to parody and cities to tour in by telling us about you. At least your zipcode and date of birth. (We won't tell anyone.)

Tell us about you >>


Photos from the Road

We try to take as many pictures of our concerts and fans as possible, and we have a bunch from our concert in Gahanna, OH on Sat., Nov 12.



See the photos from Gahanna, OH and other concerts.


Come to the Show
,
Nov. 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
,
info, tix, directions >>


Were You There?

Fans love to look up the photos on our website, and email them around. These are the ten most recent concerts that we have no photos from. Pick any concert you have photos for and please upload them.

1. Pittsburgh, PA  03.28.15
2. Barrington, RI  10.18.14
3. Harleysville, PA  10.17.14
4. Chesaning, MI  07.10.10


Upcoming Fan Birthdays

Happy birthday to all our fans and friends who are celebrating a birthday in the coming week including these 250 fans:

02.26Christina P. - NE
02.26Russell V. - AZ
02.26Allen M. - TN
02.26Zack L. - MO
02.26Michele W. - GA
02.26Kelley V. - NC
02.26Standa N. - CZ
02.26David M. - TX
02.26Anthony C. - CO
02.26Shelley S. - FL
02.26Nick R. - VA
02.26Heidi B. - PA
02.26Rick G. - Alberta
02.26Ean M. - Canada
02.26Prada P. - NV
02.26Tina C. - OR
02.26Mitchell M. - NC
02.26Jeremy W. - MI
02.26Marce S. - TX
02.26Scott W. - OK
02.26Bugrhy A. - Philippines
02.26John D. - ID
02.26Stephanie D. - VA
02.26David R. - NY
02.26Steve M. - FL
02.26Jason A. - WA
02.26Jessica E. - CA
02.26David B. - SC
02.26Brandon B. - PA
02.26Jenipher D. - TN
02.26Mark S. - WI
02.26Zachary D. - SD
02.26Richard H. - ME
02.26Sean F. - TX
02.26Allen S. - VA
02.26Austin L. - OR
02.27Stephen C. - TX
02.27Jim D. - GA
02.27Paul F.
02.27Brandi A. - IL
02.27Andy K. - NC
02.27John Z. - IN
02.27Elijah S. - KY
02.27Michael M. - Canada
02.27David P. - IN
02.27Brandi A. - WI
02.27Richard G. - VA
02.27Audra K. - KY
02.27Cory F. - PA
02.27Shannon C. - TN
02.27Cory F. - PA
02.27Deanna B. - VA
02.27Brandi A. - IL
02.27Jon F. - TX
02.27Carol N. - VA
02.27Mark F. - Australia
02.27Timothy J. - NJ
02.27Timothy S. - WA
02.27Marlene M. - IL
02.27Steve C. - TX
02.27Kristopher R. - AR
02.27Aaron G. - IL
02.28Shawn M. - IN
02.28Reyanna L. - CA
02.28Frank M. - MI
02.28Chris V. - NY
02.28Jordan B. - KY
02.28Todd D. - GA
02.28Corey B. - WI
02.28Russ M. - Canada
02.28Esther A. - KS
02.28Marcus H. - MN
02.28Snepe K. - Indonesia
02.28Blair F. - GA
02.28Rodney L. - Victoria
02.28Frank M. - MI
02.28Rich W. - TN
02.28Elizabeth A. - Canada
02.28Danielle P. - PA
02.28Ally N. - ND
02.28Linda T. - IL
02.28Marie A. - OK
02.28Dan S. - FL
02.28Daniel C. - Peru
02.28Chris V. - NY
02.28Anne E. - AL
02.28Dustin T. - CO
02.28Blair F. - GA
02.28Michael M. - CO
02.28George M. - PA
02.28James C. - CA
02.28Chester L. - RI
02.28James C. - CA
02.28Joesy P. - CA
02.28David B. - VA
02.28Corey B. - WI
02.28Chelsie G. - VA
02.29Amanda S. - NH
02.29Nathan N. - CA
02.29Clay V. - Canada
02.29Samantha R. - OH
02.29Andrew P. - NY
02.29Eedee W. - OK
02.29Jennifer D. - NY
02.29Marlin B. - OK
02.29David E. - OH
02.30Lopez J. - Costa Rica
02.30Fdsxccvx F. - NM
02.30Chanel C. - VA
03.01Wes B. - NC
03.01Denni T. - WI
03.01Daniel D. - Canada
03.01Michael L. - KY
03.01Michael H. - MO
03.01Amber M. - WA
03.01Kenneth N. - KS
03.01Patricia W. - KS
03.01Brad C. - TX
03.01Mike C. - OH
03.01Zachary T. - PA
03.01Gregory M. - MA
03.01Colleen M. - WA
03.01Mitchell C. - FL
03.01Lonnie C. - MI
03.01Jim M. - NY
03.01Elizabeth J C. - PA
03.01David B. - MS
03.01Andrew W. - IL
03.01Stephen E. - Queensland
03.01Jerry S. - CA
03.01Noah S. - TN
03.01Maxine M. - PA
03.01Lonnie B. - TX
03.01Jen H. - VA
03.01Garrison S. - MI
03.01Steve R. - AZ
03.01Andy W. - IL
03.01Jeffrey P. - VA
03.01Scott M. - ID
03.01Stacey T. - VA
03.01Trish M. - AZ
03.01Vernon F. - OK
03.02Eric B. - TX
03.02Matthew Z. - MO
03.02Dani G. - OH
03.02George W. - SC
03.02Anne C. - NY
03.02Eric T. - AL
03.02Deon C. - Australia
03.02Ken M. - CA
03.02Jennifer C. - MO
03.02John S. - IL
03.02Bonnie C. - OH
03.02Amber D. - ME
03.02Scott H. - IL
03.02Rodney H. - Australia
03.02Matt G. - SD
03.02Dani G. - OH
03.02Sandy T. - KY
03.02Leo T. - MO
03.02Lisa B. - KY
03.02Jennifer W. - TX
03.02Ken G. - OK
03.02Deon C. - Australia
03.02Arthur P. - PA
03.02Christine C. - HI
03.02Andy B. - NH
03.02Daniel N. - FL
03.02Ed F. - IN
03.02Diana Q. - Guatemala
03.02Ray W. - PA
03.02Jakes S. - South Africa
03.03David B. - United Kingdom
03.03Renee O. - IL
03.03Matthew T. - United Kingdom
03.03David M. - AR
03.03David M. - AR
03.03Julie B. - IN
03.03Lynn S. - WI
03.03Lidia Sadlowski L. - AZ
03.03Brad D. - NV
03.03Deby F. - CA
03.03Julie S. - CA
03.03Sarah G. - TX
03.03Daniel S. - PA
03.03Jeffrey S. - GA
03.03Graham S. - New South Wales
03.03Megan C. - PA
03.03Andrew R. - WA
03.03Linda K. - CA
03.03Mary C. - MO
03.03Terrance G. - AR
03.03Steven K. - VA
03.03Matthew P. - AZ
03.03Mark B. - TN
03.03Stephen C. - CA
03.03Pat G. - South Africa
03.03Deb S. - PA
03.03Jim D. - IL
03.03Igor N. - PA
03.03Dave S. - Ontario
03.03Jerry H. - WY
03.03Donald T. - NC
03.03Jessica F. - MI
03.03Megan C. - PA
03.04Natalie H. - NY
03.04Mark S. - Australia
03.04Philip P. - CA
03.04Louisa K. - Russian Federation
03.04Dakota A. - PA
03.04Erin M. - PA
03.04John K. - IL
03.04Philip P. - CA
03.04Ednor (andy) R. - TX
03.04Philip P. - CA
03.04Tracy D P. - CA
03.04William L. - Australia
03.04Doris S. - OH
03.04Heather L. - MO
03.04David G. - AZ
03.04Bill E. - KY
03.04Roxanne N. - CA
03.04Evan G. - PA
03.04Kristina S. - MN
03.04Ben G. - Australia
03.04Greg L. - MI
03.04Josh H. - MO
03.04Scott B. - IA
03.04Royce E. - MO
03.04Uwe F. - Germany
03.04Randy S. - CA
03.04Joanna P. - United Kingdom
03.04Erin M. - PA
03.04Jon P. - NC
03.04Edward M. - PA
03.04Darren C. - OK
Make sure we know about your birthday -- For your name to appear above, your profile has to have your correct first and last name and in the correct fields.Tell us about you >>


Wanna Help the Band?

We're often asked if we accept donations. Yes we do. Like other ministries, we have many expenses. Although the donations aren't tax deductible, they are immediately put to good use. If you'd like to donate, thanks.

J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.

I attend a non-denominational church now, but I grew up in a Catholic family, so we went to confession fairly regularly, though I dreaded it. When you went in, you always had to say how long it had been since your previous confession. The longer it had been, the more embarrassed I felt.

Sending appeal letters reminds me a bit of confession; it forces me to bare my soul, reminds me of my inadequacy, and fills me with dread. But with appeal letters, the longer it's been since the previous appeal letter, the better I feel.

We usually have to send one about every two to three months. Our last one went out the first week of November, so it's been almost four months. Considering the COVID economy and the fact that we didn't put out a single for almost three months, that's pretty miraculous, praise God.

The good news is we finally did release a new single Sunday, and it looks like we'll be able to do them on a bi-weekly basis again, Lord willing, as you'll read later. Not only that, our new digital songbook is so close to being done (after 11 months and 1000 pages), I can almost taste it.

The bad news is ApologetiX has a lot of big expenses that will start coming due this Sunday, March 1. And the band is almost five months behind in paying me. Thankfully, God has provided in many ways, including our stimulus check and unexpected assistance from our church. But now my family also has some significant expenses coming up.

ApX is still supposed to receive a very large tax-credit refund because we haven't laid anybody off, but we've been waiting for that since last July. Our accountant told me one of his other clients finally got theirs last week. We'll keep hoping, but in the meantime, I have to take care of business.

If you'd like to help, here are some options:

1. Pray (it's #1 for a reason)
2. Get our singles and CDs:
http://apologetix.com/store/store.php
3. Get multiple MP3s for one donation:
http://apologetix.com/news/news-details.php?news_id=3564
4. Get our complete library (over 1350 tracks) on MP3 for $100:
http://apologetix.com/news/news-details.php?news_id=4024
5. Get our USBs: http://apologetix.com/store/store.php#USB
6. Give online: http://apologetix.com/store/store-donate.php
7. Give by mail: ApologetiX, 208 Charlemma Dr., Pittsburgh PA 15214

Donations aren't tax deductible. Please only give if you feel led and able. If you'd like us to pray for you, email me at j@apologetix.com. Thank you.


New Single: '72 & '82
February 22, 2021, 11:40 am EST

We've just released our first single of 2021. It spoofs hits from 1972 and 1982 by two of the most popular American male recording artists of all time.

http://www.apologetix.com/store/store.php#SheGotAway

Here's what's on it:

She Got Away - She's Got a Way - Billy Joel
Learning Love - Burning Love - Elvis Presley

There are now 160 singles/EPs (326 songs) in our "downloads for a donation" series, including our latest, "She Got Away" and "Learning Love."

To get multiple downloads with one donation go to http://apologetix.com/news/news-details.php?news_id=3564 for a complete list of songs and how to do it.

Although donations are not tax-deductible, they will be put to good and swift use! Thanks!


The Stories Behind the Songs on Our New Single
February 26, 2021, 12:13 am EST

J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.

Here are the stories behind both sides of our new single:

SHE GOT AWAY

The subject of this song is the accused adulterous in the eighth chapter of John's Gospel. We've sung about her before —way back in 1992 — remember "Rocky Day Woman #8 & 3-11" on our Rare Not Well Done downloads? "She Got Away," however, takes a much more serious approach.

ApX has released a number of Billy Joel parodies over the years, and I have lyrics for others in various stages of completion, but I had never considered "She's Got a Way" until October 10, 2020. Here's how it happened:

Rich Mannion and I were brainstorming to see if we could find a song to spoof that only had keyboards and vocals. Jimmy was in the midst of moving his studio, so we wanted something that didn't need drums. Rich suggested a ton of tunes by assorted artists, but this was the very first one he brought up, and the most feasible.

Once we decided to do it, my initial idea for a title was "We've Gotta Pray" — about the scary world we're living in today — but I wasn't getting too far with the lyrics. Then I thought of "She Got Away," which seemed like a stronger spoof. Even so, I went back and forth between the two for a very long time before making a final decision.

With that part settled, I knew it would be about the aforementioned adulteress, but I still had no idea where the rest of the song would take us. I was really amazed and pleased with the ending God provided. However, I don't want to spoil things for those of you who haven't heard it yet.

I finished the lyrics on January 22, 2021 — the first new parody I'd completed in over three months. Holy writer's block, Batman! But several others would follow soon after, including this one:

LEARNING LOVE

Jimmy and his wife, Eve, were the ones who suggested we do "Burning Love," back in February 2020, I think. They had Tom Milnes and a specific guitar they owned in mind. I've always liked that song, so I was game.

I got the title for "Learning Love" in June 2020 but wasn't sure what it would be about. I definitely didn't want to cover 1 Corinthians 13 again! Don't get me wrong; it's a great chapter. I was just hoping to discuss some part of the Bible we hadn't previously delved into.

So I put this parody on the back burner for a while to let things marinate. Months later, I got the opening line about feeling my temper rising, and that eventually led me to the topic of turning the other cheek.

Rich Mannion did a stellar job on the backing vocals. Those high-pitched "Hey!" parts at the end are him, too, and they crack me up. In addition to that, he also played the keyboards and some of the guitars.

This was the second spoof I finished writing in a week, after three months of nothing. The first was "She Got Away," so considering the topics of those two tunes, I found myself in the midst of a real forgiveness fest!

It didn't dawn on me until recently that we were releasing "Learning Love" just two singles after "Lonesome Leper." I'm sure it wouldn't have escaped Superman's notice, since he had to deal with Lex Luther, Lois Lane, and Lana Lang. Then again, there probably aren't too many things that escape the notice of a man with x-ray vision and telescopic vision.


More Music Coming Soon
February 26, 2021, 12:04 pm EST

J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.

Now that we're back in the groove again, we plan to release our second single of 2021 next weekend, Lord willing. I recorded my vocals for the first song a few weeks ago and my vocals for the second song yesterday.

We already have the instrumental tracks done for two more. We also have drums and keyboards finished for yet another. I've written all the lyrics for one of them already, so I'm hoping to go into the studio soon to record the vocals.

I'm working on lyrics for quite a few other parodies, too, and other guys in the band are learning and/or recording their parts for them.

Some of the topics those tunes tackle include:

Humility
Mary Magdalene
The calling of the prophet Samuel
Grace
Divine healing
Training up children in the way they should go
Perseverance
The calling of Abraham
Sobriety from addictive sins

There are others in the works besides that, but some of them defy description right now.

Please pray that God will guide us in our endeavors and provide the inspiration and ability to bring them to completion. Thank you!


Bible Reading Update: John 7-Acts 28
February 26, 2021, 12:01 am EST

We began our latest trip through the Bible on May 6, 2020. Here's our Bible-reading plan for the next two weeks for those of you reading along with us:

Sat., Feb. 27 - John 7-9
Sun., Feb. 28 - John 10-12
Mon., Mar. 1 - John 13-15
Tue., Mar. 2 - John 16-18
Wed., Mar. 3 - John 19-21
Thu., Mar. 4 - Acts 1-3
Fri., Mar. 5 - Acts 4-6
Sat., Mar. 6 - Acts 7-9
Sun., Mar. 7 - Acts 10-12
Mon., Mar. 8 - Acts 13-15
Tue., Mar. 9 - Acts 16-18
Wed.,, Mar. 10 - Acts 19-21
Thu., Mar. 11 - Acts 22-24
Fri., Mar. 12 - Acts 25-28

Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on http://www.biblegateway.com. They have about 60 different English translations/versions there to choose from, plus translations in many other languages, many of which also have multiple translations/versions.


New USBs Include Latest CD and New Single
February 26, 2021, 12:05 am EST

We recently got a new batch of USB thumb drives. They not only include our latest CD, they even have our new single.

Emblazoned with the ApologetiX logo, the USBs include the digital versions of all 61 of our CDs, plus any parodies or rarities we've released that aren't on those CDs.

They're available for a donation of $150 or more. If you've donated for our complete library before, they're available for a donation of $50 or more.

http://apologetix.com/store/store.php#USB


Get Over 1350 Tracks for $100 This Week
February 22, 2021, 11:35 am EST

We're giving our complete library on download to everyone who donates $100 this week.

That's 1369 tracks, including various versions (studio, live, rarity, album, single, EP, revised, remastered, etc.), plus side projects.

Standard CDs 1993-2020 (772 tracks)
Remastered Classics CDs (219 tracks)
Singles, EPs, Rarities, Side Projects (378 tracks)

Just make your donation at http://www.apologetix.com/store/store-donate.php

After we receive your donation, we'll send you an email with links for all the downloads. Want to gift our library to a friend? Tell us their name, and we'll write 'em a personal email saying it's a gift from you. We'll send it and cc: you (or you can send it yourself).


The Never-Ending Album Challenge: Week 42
February 26, 2021, 12:10 am EST

289. Sandinista! – The Clash
I already had cassette recordings of "The Magnificent Seven" and "Somebody Got Murdered" courtesy of my old friend Michael Ranieri, but it was another Michael — my housemate Mike Brechbill — who opened my eyes and ears to the many other great songs on this triple-album. He was downstairs playing "Police in My Back" and "Washington Bullets" (he must have been on side four) and they sounded great. I would go on to discover other great tracks such as "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe," "Career Opportunities," "Hitsville UK," "The Call-Up," and "Charlie Don't Surf." I don't think this album is as consistently good as London Calling, but it might come close if they trimmed it down to a double like that one.

290. Physical Graffiti – Led Zeppelin
I awoke with a start. What was that noise? Was there a dinosaur downstairs? Turns out it was "In the Light," the ominous, brooding, thundering, first track on side three of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. Mikey Brechbill had it cranked on his stereo for the whole house to hear, way too early for a college student on a Saturday morning. I'd never really gotten into that particular Zep album (Yeah, I know some people consider it their finest effort — I only knew a couple of the songs back then), but that got my attention. I recorded some of the songs from Mikey's record. My favorites were the opening tracks on each of the four sides — "Custard Pie," "Houses of the Holy," "In the Light," and "Night Flight" — although I Iiked plenty of others and eventually bought the CD for myself. ApologetiX went on to spoof "Kashmir" in 2007. Incidentally, "In the Light" was later used to great effect in the season-one finale of the TV show Mindhunter.

291. 20 Golden Greats (Buddy Holly Lives) – Buddy Holly
This is the third album in a row Mikey Brechbill (whom we also affectionately called "Monkey" and "our Mikey") inadvertently introduced me to — by blasting it throughout the dump the five of us called "home" senior year. I knew Buddy had influenced many musicians, and I'd heard some of his songs ("Peggy Sue," "That'll Be the Day," etc.), but I didn't realize how many other great tunes he had, many of which were covered by other artists on albums I owned or had on tape ("Not Fade Away" by The Stones, "Words of Love" by The Beatles, "Heartbeat" by The Knack, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" by Linda Ronstadt, etc.). Among the 20 included in this collection, I especially liked "Rave On," "Peggy Sue Got Married," "Well All Right," "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," and "Oh, Boy!" I went out and bought a similar anthology called A Rock and Roll Collection. It had 24 tracks, but was missing a few key songs — "Everyday," "True Love Ways," and "It's So Easy" — so I'd recommend this one. Buddy even made glasses cool for a while. Unfortunately, that time had already passed long before I had to get them in third grade.

292. Power Windows – Rush
I can't remember how I ended up with this cassette, which came out in the fall of 1985. The songs I already knew and liked from the radio were "The Big Money" and "The Manhattan Project," both of which hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. "Territories" is the other song that has really stuck with me through the years. "Mystic Rhythms" is pretty good, too. "The Big Money" almost became a Top 40 hit, stalling at #45. Alas, Rush only ever had one of those, "New World Man," a #21 hit in '82. Ironically, Rush lead singer Geddy Lee had his biggest U.S. hit with SCTV stars Bob & McKenzie — "Take Off," a #16 hit earlier in '82.

293. Baby Boomer Classics: Folk 60's - Various Artists
This collection contained a dozen folk hits from the 60's. My favorites were "Walk Right In" (The Rooftop Singers), "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" (The Kingston Trio), "Green, Green" (The New Christy Minstrels), "You Were on My Mind" (We Five), and "I'll Never Find Another You" (The Seekers). But I enjoyed the other seven tunes, too. Play that folky music.

294. The Breakfast Club – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
This movie came out during my junior year in college, but I didn't see it till senior year. Even though it was about high-school students, it had a profound impact on me. I watched it multiple times and wound up memorizing large portions of the dialogue. The opening track on the album, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds, had been a number-one hit in 1985 and was probably my favorite song of that entire year. "Fire in the Twilight" by Wang Chung was also released as a single from this album but didn't fare as well — it only went to #110! But it, and other songs on this album like "We Are Not Alone" by Karla DeVito and "Love Theme" by Keith Forsey, instantly took me back to the movie, like any good soundtrack should.

Note: Just because the albums on my list influenced me back then doesn't mean I give them all a blanket endorsement now. I started actively listening to music in the early 70's and didn't become a born-again Christian until early 1988, so it's going to be a while before we get to the Christian albums, but there will be many of those when the time comes (literally).


How to Donate & How to Get Multiple MP3s
February 22, 2021, 11:35 am EST

If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, you can do so online at http://www.apologetix.com/store/store-donate.php

If you prefer to mail a check or money order, please make it out to "ApologetiX" and send it to:

ApologetiX
208 Charlemma Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15214-1414

There are now 159 singles/EPs (324 songs) in our "downloads for a donation" series, including our latest single, "She Got Away" and "Learning Love," featuring parodies of Billy Joel and Elvis Presley.

To get multiple downloads with one donation go to http://apologetix.com/news/news-details.php?news_id=3564 for a complete list of songs and how to do it.

Although the donations are not tax-deductible, they will be received very gratefully and used immediately.


Isaiah 61:8
"For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.

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