Forever Young

From the first day of freshman year, high schoolers have the American dream of furthering their education drilled into their heads from parents and teachers alike. During my four years, I was forced to listen to the endless babble and debate on which prestigious university would lead to the brightest future outside of Maine. Their anticipation in my mind was not only a waste of time, but grossly misguided. After all, I was the smart one; I was taking the same exact classes for nearly three-quarters the cost. And Central Maine Community College wasn’t awful looking from the outside either. Yeah, maybe the campus was a little small, but it was built right next to the beautiful Lake Auburn. [Which is great until you feel the arctic air blow in right off the lake.]                  

My first semester at CMCC was a blur. I bumbled through the halls, checking my course schedule to make sure I wouldn’t walk into the wrong classroom. This wouldn’t have been so bad if I wasn’t checking it 4 weeks into the semester or taking more than 5 classes. Despite my compulsive attention to detail, I still learned from countless newbie mistakes. Rather than focus on the virtually unlimited educational resources at my disposal, I picked up real-world experience. If only I had a guide back then with things I could tell myself about; things to look out for; almost like street smarts for college.

Things To Know About CMCC:

• The meditation room is not an ideal place to enjoy a quiet breakfast. Especially if it’s a sausage breakfast sandwich. [Mediation room = Somali prayer lounge]
• The computer lab monitor will get irritated if she finds out that you have been signing your name as “McLovin’” on the sign-in sheet all semester.
• Stay away from kids wearing trench coats.
• Having a racially diverse mindset is a crucial part of attending CMCC. The school prides itself in giving everyone an equal opportunity to attend school and shows appreciation for steps made to shatter racial boundaries.  Example: The broadcasting President Obama’s inauguration across campus. [Still can’t figure out why they held classes that day, though, considering it was Martin Luther King Day.]
• Religion is held in high regard by some at CMCC. The Campus Crusade informed me that as a Christian, it is my responsibility to celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month. [Which is in October, if anyone wanted to know]
• Don’t take Substance Abuse. After passing the class, I was expecting to receive a 6 month chip rather than college credits. [It was also the first time a group presentation turned into an individual one because the guy I was working with went to jail for possession.]
• Who said video games would never get you anywhere? A proud member of the CMCC Gaming Club was allowed to use his Halo clan experience for a resume in Technical Writing.
• When you realize that a Subway sandwich choice trumps you midterm studying, it’s probably time to learn better time management skills.
• No matter how much you think your teacher has a sense of humor, bringing a picture rather than a 1,000 word essay is always a bad idea.
• You’re probably smarter than half of the people at CMCC. Some kid who dropped ENG-101 the semester before complained about a teacher who marked points off his “gramicly perfect” papers.

When I first applied at CMCC, I thought I was getting a bargain. Instead, I got a special needs home where smoking booths are a more popular attraction than the library; where half of the students seem to be over the age of 30. Those students are the worst. The kind of people who think they’re brilliant when in reality, someone in middle school brings just as much intellectual value to a conversation. Critical Thinking was filled with them; wannabe philosophers debating our own existence in a class run by an absent-minded pot head. [Who also happened to look like Jesus.] My parents always used to say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover, people are nice if you get to know them.”

It’s not that I don’t think they’re nice, I just think if they shut their mouths they would look smarter. But what do I know? I just attend community college.

In the state of Maine lies the small, agricultural town of Livermore with a population of roughly two-thousand people. It is here, within the confines of a humble home studio, where brother-sister duo Joel & Janna recorded their debut album The High Road for a 2008 release.

Since then, Joel & Janna have toured all over New England, performing concerts from local churches to SoulFest; at one point, playing 60 shows in less than 6 months. But getting to this point wasn’t easy. “We tried and failed recording our debut album at least five times,” Joel says, “It was discouraging because we weren’t getting the results we wanted.” Recording an album at home proved to be a challenge, but with unwavering support and encouragement from family and friends, they never gave up. “We were actually using Joel’s walk-in closet as the vocal booth, and his living room as the drum room. It definitely wasn’t working for us,” Janna says.

Realizing they needed a more professional studio, Joel & Janna decided to launch a two-year building project. During this time, Joel packed his bags for Nashville to spend time learning under influential mixing engineers. This experience proved valuable by giving both the opportunity to not only grow musically, but spiritually. The High Road is an album that was years in the making, while representing Joel & Janna’s journey while walking the high road. Both spent many sleepless nights experimenting with different sounds, and searching for their niche; finding beauty in the freedom of songwriting.

The ultimate goal of The High Road was to bring an inspirational, thought provoking message to a world in desperate need of our Savior’s love. “I think we accomplished what we set out to do with this record,” Janna says, “but it’s also something we realize we can build from.”

While most bands are about being loud and filling a room, Joel & Janna strip it all down and let their voices and an intimate, piano-driven sound carry the emotions. Musically, Joel & Janna bear resemblance to artists such as Keane, The Fray, or Sixpence None The Richer, and commend songwriting inspiration to artists like Sara Groves and Mat Kearney.

The debut album has since garnered great response from fans, instantly became a favorite, rising to #1 on the PureVolume Christian charts for two weeks. The sudden growth in the fan-base was furthered by constant touring across New England. But even with this recent rise in popularity, Joel & Janna have stuck to their modest roots, keeping everything homemade, from CD packaging to their t-shirt designs.

During the past year, Joel and his wife Melissa were blessed with a son. A baby boy named Noah. “Having a son changed my life in so many ways,” Joel says, “I think I’ve matured and become more heartfelt and honest in everything I do.” And as far as the future is concerned, Joel & Janna are giving it all to God. When asked where they see themselves in a few years, their answer was, “As time goes on, I think we’ll find ourselves still trying to hone our skills, pursuing the heart of God and keeping a level head.” After a year of constant writing, touring, and opening for acts such as Rush of Fools, The Wrecking, and Paul Colman, there is a sense that something bigger is coming for Joel & Janna. But for now, we can only anticipate what the future holds in store for them.

2010 - A new beginning

Everyone’s growing up, we’re getting bigger and better, like we imagined when we started this.

It’s been a crazy summer so far. I don’t blog anymore, I use Twitter instead. Keep in touch and follow me there: www.twitter.com/thelastsummer