Mike's Blog

Mike’s Top 5: Rock | #5: Reeve Oliver – I Want Burns

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, and while a holiday week may not be the best time to start, I figure I should do it while I’ve got the time. Today, I’m introducing a series of “Top 5” countdowns here on the blog, simply because I want to share my favorite things with you. Many of these countdowns will be music related, but who knows – maybe in the future I’ll share my thoughts on books, food, religion, etc. My hope is that by reading these posts, you’ll discover something you like, too.

It seems that people generally appreciate my opinions on music*, so for starters, I’m going with the familiar: rock and roll. This week, I’ll be sharing my top 5 favorite rock songs with you.

Please note that these are my favorites. I’m not taking historical significance, critical reception, composition, production, or anything else into account. I’m just sharing what I like. You may discover that you don’t like it at all. You might disagree with every single thing I write for the next five days, and that’s totally fine. Musical taste is a subjective thing. We can still be friends.

So without further ado, let’s begin…

#5: Reeve Oliver – I Want Burns

I stumbled on Reeve Oliver back in 2004 when I was browsing through new Militia Group artists on Purevolume. From the very first time I heard the song I Want Burns, I was hooked. No, seriously…I bought their Self Titled record the day it came out, and soon enough I had amassed almost everything they had ever released.

I guess Reeve Oliver is a pop-punk band; Sean O’Donnell  used to play in Dogwood, and after Reeve disbanded he joined Yellowcard for a spell. But to write these guys off as another Starting Line or MxPx isn’t a fair comparison. I Want Burns certainly displays a “Weezer meets Green Day” flare, but if your curiosity is even moderately piqued by what you hear, I strongly recommend checking out the rest of their work. Here’s the link to their Magnum opus, Touchtone Inferno, on iTunes.

Bonus: check out their appearance on Yo Gabba Gabba. Who doesn’t like sandwhiches?

*So long as I’m not being an elitist jerk about it, which occurs more frequently than I’d like to admit.

Relient K and Biting My Tongue

Relient K – Photo by Jered Scott

From time to time, one of my friends will ask, “Hey, whatever became of the Relient K ordeal?” This is my attempt at answering that question…sorry it took so long!

A few months ago, I saw that Relient K had posted a teaser video for their upcoming album. I’m a longtime fan of Relient K, so naturally I was excited to hear new music and see some behind-the-scenes footage. But when I clicked on the link and the video started playing, what I heard didn’t sound new at all. Instead, I heard the main riff of one of my own songs, Biting My Tongue.

For comparison, here’s Relient K’s video:

And here’s my song:

Flight Metaphor has been playing Biting My Tongue live for more than two years; the studio version above appears on 2011’s Eastmost Peninsula.

As I watched Relient K’s video, my head started spinning. I didn’t know whether to be flattered or upset. I knew that if their song appeared in a finished form on Relient K’s new album, it meant that I’d have to defend the integrity of mine. It would only be a matter of time before someone accused me of “ripping them off.”

I showed the video to a few of my close friends, and almost all of them flipped out. A few told me to seek legal counsel, others started “ralllying the troops” for an online revolution, and I started composing a reactionary blog post. I dug up all the demos I ever recorded of Biting My Tongue, preparing to “put Relient K in their place.”

Thankfully, none of that happened. Instead, my friend Dave passed along Ethan Luck’s e-mail address, as he receives the music credit in the video (For the uninitiated, Ethan plays drums for Relient K). Remembering Jesus’ teaching on conflict and Paul’s exhortation to stay out of legal disputes with other believers, I decided to send Ethan an e-mail presenting my dilemma.

The next day, I received an extremely gracious and kind response. Ethan assured me that he had never heard my song before, that it was a freak coincidence. What follows is a portion of his e-mail:

I’m pretty blown away that the first chord/melody is pretty identical! So crazy. I put that RK video together and needed some music behind it. I, literally, wrote and recorded that guitar thing about 10 min before posting the video. I hope you don’t think there was any ill will here. I apologize for the confusion! Also, we have no intention of using that for our new album. Again, it just came out quick, while playing guitar.

He even went so far as to offer to take the video down and re-upload it with different music, but I told him it wasn’t necessary. I was happy enough with the fact that I could keep playing my song without having to justify it to my audiences.

All in all, it was a pretty surreal experience. Never in a million years would I expect to pull up a video from one of my favorite bands and hear a song nearly identical to something I had already written. Thankfully, the entire matter was wrapped up in less than a day, and Ethan was real cool about everything. Moral of the story: following God’s instruction can keep you from doing something stupid.

As for Biting My Tongue, every version I ever recorded of it appears below. I’ve always wanted to make a blog post highlighting the “evolution of a song,” and this experience has afforded me the opportunity. Enjoy! (Oh, and be sure to pick up Relient K’s new album when it finally drops 🙂 )

Demo #1
December 25th, 2009, 2 AM – Instrumental Idea

Demo #2
December 2009 – Vocal Idea

Demo #3
February 2010 – “Wait And See” Full Band Instrumental Demo

Demo #4
March 2010 – “Wait and See” Full Band Demo

Final Version
October 2010 – Biting My Tongue (Biding Time) Studio Version, Released June 2011

Seminary Enrollment Article & Spring Update

I was quoted in Sioux Falls Seminary’s latest news release, Seminary Again Sees Record Enrollment. Those of you who have invested in my seminary career may be interested in reading it:


Beginning in Fall 2011, the Omaha program is partly a contributing factor to the seminary’s growth. A total of 15 students have enrolled in Omaha courses for the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 semesters–a number that seminary officials believe will continue to increase as they continue to visit with churches and individuals.

Mike Harvat, Worship and Student Ministries Director for Community Covenant Church in Omaha, NE, had been praying for the opportunity to further his education without relocating for years. He was thrilled to hear about the seminary’s new Master of Divinity program in Omaha and seized the opportunity to further his education while continuing his current ministry role.

“I am very thankful for the opportunity to plug in to Sioux Falls Seminary while continuing to serve in my church. I am already applying what I have learned in my classes; my relationship with Christ, my approach to ministry, and my teaching and preaching have all been affected.”

[Read the full article here.]

I pray that the fruits of my labor may become increasingly apparent in the work I do at CCC – not merely for personal betterment, but for the glory of God. As always, I appreciate your prayers!

And speaking of prayers, I have a specific request: I feel as though I’m in the “thick of it” right now. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and writing, and in the coming weeks I’ll be spending a good amount of my time at the library working on a number of research papers. Please pray for me to keep on top of things and for me to learn and grow from my experiences. Thank you!

A New Semester

Hi friends!

If you’re like me, you’re reeling from the fact that we’re already well into February. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been all over the place:

  • My band got back on its feet with a couple of concerts with Abandon Kansas and Remedy Drive
  • I traveled to Kansas with a couple of friends to catch a performance from one of my new favorite bands, the Civil Wars
  • My work at church has kept me busy getting students registered for a ski trip and this summer’s big youth conference, CHIC
  • I visited Chicago with my friend and church’s intern, Brooke, for the Covenant Youth Workers Connection

And, oh yeah – classes started up again last week. Something tells me I’m going to have trouble catching my breath in the coming months!

What follows is my support letter for the spring semester; if you have a moment, please read it through. Having been to a couple of class sessions already, I can already tell that I need to trust in God for strength and rely on the prayers of those who care for me:

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…
– Philippians 1:3-5

These words sum up the gratitude I have in my heart for each of you! Because of your prayers, I was able to remain focused, work diligently, and excel in my classes last semester. Furthermore, a handful of you committed to supporting me financially, and my educational expenses were paid in full.

I assure you that I haven’t taken my work lightly. On several occasions this fall, the temptation to give less than a sufficient effort was warded off by remembering that I have a responsibility to God, myself, and to all of you. Jesus deserves my best effort, and I am striving to make the most of every opportunity he gives me.

This semester, I took two classes: Sermon Preparation and Vocation and Spiritual Formation.

Sermon prep, obviously, was all about developing and honing a discipline of sermon preparation. Our motto for the class was, “The world does not need another mediocre preacher!” I learned many practical techniques that I’m already applying to my teaching and preaching.

Vocation and Spiritual Formation was all about soul care. In the midst of an increasingly hectic and potentially stressful season of my life, this class has given me numerous tools to ensure that I remain grounded in my faith. It left me better equipped not only for ministry, but for fully living into the person God created me to be.

Next semester I will be taking three classes: Sermon Delivery, New Testament Literature, and the first of my Supervised Ministry courses. I will be sharing my experiences in these classes throughout the semester at my website, mikeharvat.com

As always, there are two primary channels through which you can support me:

  1. Prayer. Please pray that I will trust in Christ alone to provide the spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial stability needed to complete my studies.
  2. Financial Support. Through Sioux Falls Seminary’s LIFE Fund program, you have the opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation toward my educational expenses. [For more information, you can download and print off a copy of the LIFE Fund pamphlet here]

Thank you for investing in the work God has called me to do. I hope and pray that, through your support and encouragement, Jesus will be glorified as a result of my seminary studies.

Sincerely,
Mike Harvat 

Seminary Update – Fall 2011

This update is coming a little late, but I wanted to make good on my promise to share some of my coursework from last semester. What follows is an excerpt from a “reflection journal” I wrote for my Vocation and Spiritual Formation class. These journals chronicled our experiences with the various spiritual disciplines we explored throughout the semester.

My view from the picnic table where I wrote my reflection

Last week, I took advantage of Omaha’s beautiful weather and followed this exercise outlined in Calhoun’s section on Meditation:

Take a walk in nature, meditating on the handiwork of God. The lilies of the field and the birds of the air spoke to Jesus of God’s care (Matthew 6:26-31). How does God speak to you in his creation?

I split my time between two days: on Monday before and during a run with a friend, and on Friday during a distance run.

On Monday, I spent some time in the park where I was to be meeting my friend. I’m especially fond of this park for its large trees that almost completely cover the ground with leaves during autumn, so I made a point of coming early and sitting in solitude and meditation for a while.

I silently observed my surroundings and wrote the following in my journal:

Trees, grass, bushes, and all plants are sustained by things unseen. Light, air, moisture seeping into roots…when a tree is rooted in good soil, it is able to survive the harshness of a storm, the cold of winter, and the dry heat of summer. It does not seek shelter or sustenance elsewhere when the going gets tough. It is firmly planted, and, because of intangible, unseen provision, full of life.

In the same manner, I pray that I will be firmly planted in Christ. I have buried my roots of faith in good soil, and I will rely fully on the Lord’s provision. He is all I need. Amen.

It wasn’t long after I wrote these words that my friend arrived and we went for our run. About halfway through the run we stopped, rather spontaneously, and prayed for each other. I cannot help but think that this was somehow shaped by my meditation experience from earlier – that by spending time in prayer with God, I was attuned to the spiritual needs of a close friend.

On Friday afternoon, I went for a run at another park, this time listening to one of my favorite bands on an mp3 player. All the right variables were in place – the weather was wonderful, it was the perfect time of day (about an hour before the sun started to set), and I left my stopwatch at home so I wouldn’t be distracted by my fitness goals. On this run, I was nearly overwhelmed by God – the music in my ears, the beauty of nature in my sight, and the joy of running itself were all offered back to God as an act of worship. As I ran, I found my mind returning to the excerpt from the Heidelberg Confession of Faith found in Calhoun’s section on Meditation: “I belong, body and soul, in life and death, not to myself, but to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ…”

Since I started running about a year and a half ago, I’ve found that some of my most meaningful prayer experiences occurred on runs when I was intentional about opening myself to God. Being able to incorporate this into my coursework (and more importantly, into my spiritual development) has been a blessing.

In my next update, I will be sharing my thanks to those who supported me last semester and my prayer concerns for the future. I’m excited for the spring semester to begin!