Updates on Our Next Single, CD, and Concert |
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J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
hope you had a great week! I got to go out to eat on three straight days! Woo hoo! That wasn’t so unusual when the band was touring, but I’m a homebody now.
On Sunday night, my wife, Lisa, and I went out to Longhorn Steakhouse to celebrate her birthday … a day late. No, I hadn’t forgotten her big day; we planned it that way. On Tuesday, we took our three youngest kids to a Dairy Queen Brazier to celebrate our son T.J.’s 14th birthday as per his request.
Meanwhile, on Monday morning, Lisa and I had breakfast at Christy’s restaurant in Ellwood City PA with fellow ApX members Tom Milnes and his wife, Barb, Keith Haynie, and Rich Mannion. We spent the afternoon together, too.
Keith’s wife, Krista, and Rich’s wife, Nettie, couldn’t come because of work. I would have loved to see the other three current members of the band (Tom Tincha, Wayne Bartley, and Jimmy “Vegas” Tanner) and their wives, but they had other commitments that day.
I did see Jimmy and his wife, Eve, in the studio on Tuesday, as usual, and I had nice phone conversations with both Tom T. and Wayne the previous Wednesday. Of course, I do a lot of texting with all six of the guys at various times during most weeks.
It’s hard to get us all together at once. That’s why it was so amazing to have all seven of us in one place at Immortal Fest on Labor Day Weekend last year in North Versailles OH. We’re coming back this year, too. We've included a big update about that in this newsletter. Check out the second article below.
Meanwhile, we sent all of the artwork for our next CD, ApologetiX ‘77, to the manufacturer on Wednesday, followed by the the master recording on Thursday. We plan to start taking orders for that in early February. In the meantime, we have a new single slated for release Sunday night, Lord willing.
You can read more about that in the first article below. O.K., I don’t want to stand in the way of progress any longer, so I’ll sign off!
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We hope to release our fsecondsingle of 2025 by the end of this weekend, Lord willing. Here are your clues. Want to really impress us? See if you can spot all of the references in both entries. We counted a total of 18.
SONG #1
Humankind has an identity crisis stemming from daddy issues; there’s too much talking about Mother Earth, not Father God. They’ve got some funny, funny theories, but if they took a level-headed approach, they’d recognize the obvious. To tell the truth, they’re afraid to own up to the fact that we’re all accountable to a Creator for our actions.
SONG #2
Ever feel like the black sheep of the family of God? Actually, each of us has a desperate heart that’s sensitive to light and difficult to cure, but that’s why the Son of God came down to Earth. Though the devil loves hunting humans, Jesus is a freedom fighter with the power to silence the enemy’s lying voice and rescue you from the danger zone.
Once the new single is released, we'll announce it in our news bulletin, on our website, and on our Facebook page. |
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ApX at Immortal Fest 2025 - Live and Livestream? |
As we mentioned earlier this month, ApologetiX has been asked to return for the fourth annual Immortal Fest Part II, which will once again take place on Labor Day Weekend (Immortal Fest Part I takes place in late July). This time around, we’ll be playing on Saturday night, August 30, at 8:15 p.m.
But we just got a really cool update about that ...
For those of you who are unable to attend in person, there’s a good chance the event will be able as pay-per-view live-streaming. We’ll include info on that in the last section of this article.
THIS YEAR’S ARTISTS
Here’s the current line-up for that night we play:
James Durbin - 4:30 p.m.
Les Carlsen, lead singer of Bloodgood - 5:45 p.m.
The Daniel Band - 7 p.m.
ApologetiX - 8:15 p.m.
Bride - 9:30 p.m.
Other artists scheduled to play this year include: Ignescent, Images of Eden, King James, Neon Cross, The Protest, Sacred Warrior, Randy Stonehill, Stryken, Trytan, and Weapons of God. The emcee will be the legendary Pastor Bob Beeman of Sanctuary International.
LOCATION, LOCATION!
Saturday, August 30, 2025
Immortal Fest II
BMI Event Center
791 E. Main St
Versailles, OH 45380
BMI Event Center is Miami Valley's best concert venue. The 1500-seat indoor concert hall includes a 330-seat balcony.
Here are some nearby cities and how far away they are from Versailles:
Dayton OH (45 miles), Muncie IN (50 miles), Cincinnati OH (95 miles), Columbus OH (100 miles), Indianapolis IN (110 miles), Toledo OH (130 miles), Ann Arbor MI (175 miles), Lexington KY (175 miles), Detroit MI (190 miles), Louisville KY (195 miles), Cleveland OH (225 miles), Chicago IL (250 miles), Pittsburgh PA (285 miles), Saint Louis MO (350 miles), and Nashville TN (365 miles).
TICKETS & MORE INFO
CLICK HERE for more info on the artists, the schedule, the event itself, and tickets.
LIVE-STREAMING
The organizers of Immortal just posted the following today on their Facebook page:
We have reached an agreement with a company on live-streaming Immortal I and also on making a one-hour documentary to include behind-the-scenes activities.
Multi-camera (11-16 unique cameras) live video production, including IMAG switch to our existing projectors/monitors. (IMAG stands for "image magnification." It's a technique used in live events to project images of performers or speakers onto screens so that the audience can see them better.)
We will use the screens on stage right and stage left above the dressing rooms for live feeds of the bands. This will look pretty cool. |
We will use at least three, but not more than five manned cameras We will use four static "lipstick" cameras We will use four PTZ robotic cameras We will switch each concert live for IMAG (and Livestream program) All cameras will be switched live during the show from a Control Room - location TBD - from which the robocam PTZ cameras will also be controlled.
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We are hoping to have this on sale in a week or two. If we sell enough to cover the cost of doing this, we will plan to livestream Immortal II.
This company really worked with me to make this happen, they will have seven employees on site, and I believe this will be very professionally done. |
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We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, BUT we just started the New Testament on January 1, 2025, so there’s still time to jump on the train before you get too far behind!Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on Bible Gateway. 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. |
CLICK HERE to see the reading plan for the whole year. |
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New ApX Songbook (1992-2024) Is Here |
At last, the new digital interactive ApologetiX Songbook (1992-2024) is now available. And it's over 1350 pages long!
The songbook is available for a donation of $50. |
indexed by original song title, original artist, and year original was a hit indexed by parody title, topics it pertains to, and Bible verses covered each song's page has icons showing what albums it appears on each song's page has a commentary from lyricist J. Jackson each album's page includes liner notes and track listing J.'s original handwritten rough lyrics to 40 ApX classics photos from ApX's first and 25th-anniversary shows print any pages you like or use for slides in church list of ApX parodies most likely to be redone list of the first ApX concerts in each state discography of out-of-print cassettes DVD discography and synopses downloadable in PDF format
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New features in this edition: |
1359 pages long (173 more pages than previous edition) photos from the ApologetiX concert at Immortal 2024 pertinent topics listed on each song’s lyric page over 94 new parodies and journal entries three new full-length feature articles profiles of current band members never-before-seen rare photos lyrics for 906 parodies
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click on any page number in indexes or TOC to go to that page click on any album icon to go to its liner notes and track listings click on any song title on an album page to go to that song click on any subject on a song’s page to go directly to that subject in the index click on any artist on a song's page to go directly to that artist in the index
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Note: This e-book is a download only (416 MB) and doesn't include sheet music. |
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Get Our Complete Library for $100 |
We recently revamped the downloadable version of our complete library. Now it comes in a PDF with pictures of every album and single for easy reference. You just click on the ones you need to download them instantly.
We're giving our complete library on download to everyone who donates $100 this week.
That's 1740 tracks, including various versions (studio, live, rarity, album, single, EP, revised, remastered, etc.), plus side projects ... even our most-recent single and our latest CD. |
Standard CDs 1993–2024 (955 tracks) Remastered Classics CDs (219 tracks) Singles, EPs, Rarities, Side Projects (566 tracks)
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New USBs Include Latest CD & Single |
Our new ApologetiX USB thumb drives include our latest CD, X-Tract, and single, “Run Unafraid / In the Garden of Eden."
Our ApologetiX USB thumb drives contain the digital versions of all of our CDs, plus any singles, EPs, or rarities that aren't on CD.
Emblazoned with the band's logo, they have a storage capacity of 16 GB, and they’re write-enabled, so you can add more music to them if and when you get future ApX downloads.
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. |
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Influential Albums #1717–1723 |
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the latest entries in the "albums that influenced me" series I started writing in May 2020.
Note: Just because an album appears on this list doesn't mean I give it a blanket endorsement. Many of the secular albums on this list are mainly there because they wound up being spoofed by ApologetiX.
1717. Just Reword - ApologetiX We called our 71st CD Just Reword, because it sums up what we do in ApologetiX. Of course, that title in itself is a pun exemplifying such rewording. Merriam-Webster defines the term just reward as "a deserved outcome or result." In a sense, biblically speaking, only some people get their just reward. Wait a minute ... if the LORD is a God of justice, how can that true? Well, the Bible says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). It also says that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). So if the wages of sin is death, and we all sin, then we all deserve death. Thankfully, the second half of Romans 6:23 says, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Yes, we all die, but Jesus says, "The one who believes in me will live, even though they die" (John 11:25). You see, the LORD is also a God of mercy, and "mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). That's not just a New Testament teaching; God has always been just and merciful, as evidenced by Isaiah 30:18: "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" His ways and Word don't change. As Isaiah says later, in verse 40:8, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." That's why we just reword songs, not Scripture. We hope you'll find our rewording rewarding. Released in mid-October 2023, Just Reword included parodies of The Beatles (twice), Phil Collins, Crowded House, Guns N' Roses, Julio Iglesias, Janet Jackson, Men at Work, Willie Nelson, Procol Harum, Queen, Paul Simon, and Soul Asylum. 1718. Best of Both Worlds - Van Halen Although Van Halen isn't really thought of as a pop band, they managed 16 Top 40 singles in their career, and all of them appeared on this collection: "Jump" (#1 pop, #1 mainstream rock), "Why Can't This Be Love" (#3 pop, #1 mainstream), "When It's Love" (#5 pop, #1 mainstream), "(Oh) Pretty Woman" (#12 pop, #1 mainstream), "I'll Wait" (#13 pop, #2 mainstream), "Panama" (#13 pop, #2 mainstream), "Finish What Ya Started" (#13 pop, #2 mainstream), "Dance The Night Away" (#15 pop), "Dreams" (#22 pop, #6 mainstream), "Love Walks In" (#22 pop, #4 mainstream), "Top Of The World" (#27 pop, #1 mainstream), "Can't Stop Lovin' You" (#30 pop, #2 mainstream), "Black And Blue" (#34 pop, #1 mainstream), "Feels So Good" (#35 pop, #6 mainstream), "You Really Got Me" (#36 pop), and "Dancing In The Street" (#38 pop, #3 mainstream). Released on July 20, 2004, Best of Both Worlds contained 16 tracks with the group's original lead singer, David Lee Roth, and 20 with his successor, Sammy Hagar, including three live cuts with Hagar covering songs originally sung by Roth: "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Panama," and "Jump" (although the original studio versions were on it, too). Hagar had recently reunited with Van Halen for a tour, so the album introduced three brand-new songs with him: "It's About Time" (#6 mainstream rock), "Up for Breakfast" (#33 mainstream), and "Learning to See." At the end of 2020, Van Halen was officially recognized by Billboard chart authority Joel Whitburn as the #1 mainstream rock artist of all time (#4 in the '80s and #3 in the '90s). Thirteen of their tunes topped the mainstream chart. I mentioned six of them already. There were two others on Best of Both Worlds— "Poundcake" (#1 mainstream) and "Runaround" (#1 mainstream). The band actually had five #1 mainstream hits that didn't make it onto Best of Both Worlds: "Won't Get Fooled Again (Live)," "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)," "Humans Being," "Me Wise Magic," and "Without You." That last one featured their third lead singer (1996-99), Gary Cherone of Extreme, who only appeared on one album with the Van Halen. Best of Both Worlds entered the Billboard 200 at #3 and peaked there, ultimately selling a million copies in the United States. Van Halen almost certainly would have had more #1 mainstream rock hits, but Billboard didn't introduce that chart until March 21, 1981 ... after VH had already put out three massively successful albums in 1978, '79, and '80. Just about all of the remaining selections on Best of Both Worlds were staples of rock radio: "And The Cradle Will Rock..." (#55 pop), "Right Now" (#55 pop, #2 mainstream), "Hot For Teacher" (#56 pop, #24 mainstream), "Runnin' With The Devil" (#84 pop), "Beautiful Girls" (#84 pop), "Not Enough" (#97 pop, #27 mainstream), "Best Of Both Worlds" (#12 mainstream), "Unchained" (#13 mainstream), "Eruption," "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love," "Jamie's Cryin'," and "Everybody Wants Some!!" ApologetiX has spoofed eight songs by Van Halen, all of which appeared on Best of Both Worlds. 1719. The Best of Middle of the Road - Middle of the Road I first came across the Scottish pop group Middle of the Road in the 2010s while checking out a list of U.K. #1 hits from the '70s. I noticed they'd done a version of a song I fondly remembered from my childhood, "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep." That tune was originally performed and co-written by British singer-songwriter Lally Stott in 1970 but only went to #92 on the U.S. Hot 100. I was familiar with Mac and Katie Kissoon's remake (#20 U.S., #41 U.K.), but I later learned the Middle of the Road version was the biggest hit internationally, going to #1 not just in the United Kingdom but also in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland while making the Top Three in numerous other countries. In fact, it sold over 10 million copies worldwide: in the heyday of vinyl records, fewer than 50 singles ever did that. Four Middle of the Road singles sold at least a million copies, the others being "Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum" (#2 U.K.), "Soley Soley" (#5 U.K.), and "Sacramento (A Wonderful Town)" (#23 U.K.). They had one other Top 40 U.K. hit, "Samson and Delilah" (#26 U.K.), but no Hot 100 hits here. I enjoyed 'em all — my favorite being "Soley Soley" — and every one was on the 1972 compilation Best of Middle of the Road, along with six others. Among the non-charting cuts, my favorite was "Queen Bee." Middle of the Road's sound reminds me a little bit of early ABBA and bubblegum hits from the dawn of the '70s. 1720. Silverball - Barenaked Ladies When my oldest daughter, Janna, and I saw Barenaked Ladies live at Stage AE in Pittsburgh PA on June 20, 2016, this was their latest album, although it had already been out for a year by then. Released on June 2, 2015, Silverball was BNL's 11th studio LP. I can't recall how many selections from it the group performed at the concert — I wasn't totally up to date on their most-recent material at the time — but I remember them playing the opening track, "Get Back Up." I'm surprised that song wasn't issued as a single. The two that were, "Say What You Want" and "Duct Tape Heart," did not chart. Those are fine tunes, but "Get Back Up" became an instant classic with my kids and me. My other favorites are "Piece of Cake" and "Silverball." I also like "Here Before" and "Toe to Toe." All of the above were written and sung by BNL lead singer/guitarist Ed Robertson, who wrote and sang 10 of the 13 tracks. However, two others written and sung by keyboardist/guitarist Kevin Hearn turned out to be gems as well — "Passcode" and "Tired of Fighting With You," about the highs and lows of relationships, respectively. Silverball peaked at #46 on the Billboard 200 but rolled up to #3 on the Canadian Albums chart. 1721. The Singles - The Clash If you've been reading my entries from the beginning, you may recall that I've already written about four other LPs from British punk band The Clash: their eponymous debut, London Calling, Sandinista!, and Combat Rock. Released in November 13, 1999, this 18-track collection assembled the single versions of all The Clash's official singles from the classic Joe Strummer-Mick Jones era ... hence the title, The Singles. Only three of those were pop hits in the United States: "Rock The Casbah" (#8 U.S., #6 U.S. mainstream rock, #30 U.K.), "Train In Vain (Stand by Me)" (#23 U.S. only), and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" (#45 U.S., #13 U.S. mainstream, #17 U.K.), although two additional tracks made the U.S. mainstream chart: "This Is Radio Clash" (#45 U.S. mainstream, #47 U.K.) and "Hitsville UK" (#53 U.S. mainstream, #56 U.K.). One more, a cover of "I Fought the Law" by The Bobby Fuller Four, was issued as a U.S.-only single before the days of the mainstream rock chart and it didn't make the Hot 100, either. The remaining dozen were exclusively U.K. hits, although none of them reached the Top 10 there: "London Calling" (#11 U.K.), "Bankrobber" (#12 U.K.), "Tommy Gun" (#19 U.K.), "English Civil War" (#25 U.K.), "Complete Control" (#28 U.K.), "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" (#32 U.K.), "The Magnificent Seven" (#34 U.K.), "Clash City Rockers"(#35 U.K.), "White Riot" (#38 U.K.), "The Call Up" (#40 U.K.), "Know Your Rights" (#43 U.K.), and "Remote Control" (#52 U.K.). Four of those songs were reissued as U.K. singles in 1991 and charted in conjunction with the release of this album, and the first, "Should I Stay or Should I Go," went to #1, giving the group their biggest hit on either side of the Atlantic. The next three had decreasing levels of success: "Rock the Casbah" (#15 U.K.), "London Calling" (#64 U.K.), and "Train in Vain" (#79 U.K.). ApologetiX spoofed "Should I Stay or Should I Go" in 2003 and "Train in Vain" in 2022. I'd love to do "Rock the Casbah" someday, too. I loved all three of the originals. My other favorites on The Singles are "Clash City Rockers," "London Calling," "The Magnificent Seven," "Hitsville U.K.," "The Call Up," "I Fought the Law," "Know Your Rights," and "Bankrobber." 1722. Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection - Boyz II Men From 1991-97, Philadelphia R&B vocal quartet Boyz II Men were an irresistible force on the charts, and their chart-topping singles often seemed to be immovable objects. First, there was "End of the Road” in '92 (#1 for 13 weeks), which broke a 36-year-old record for most weeks at the top spot previously held by Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel / "Hound Dog" (#1 for 11 weeks). That record was broken shortly thereafter by Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" (#1 for 14 weeks). Not to be outdone, Boyz II Men equaled Houston's feat in '94 with "I'll Make Love to You” (#1 for 14 weeks), which was knocked out of #1 by their follow-up single, "On Bended Knee” (#1 for six weeks). It was only the third time an artist had back-to-back #1 hits. Elvis had done it in '56 with the aforementioned "Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog" and "Love Me Tender" (five weeks). Then The Beatles had three in a row in '64 with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (seven weeks), "She Loves You" (two weeks), and "Can't Buy Me Love" (five weeks). As if that weren't enough, Boyz II Men teamed up with Mariah Carey in '95 on "One Sweet Day," which set a new record of 16 weeks at #1. The group's final #1 hit, "4 Seasons of Loneliness," only spent a week at the summit, but they'd also had a couple #2 hits along the way, "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (four weeks) and "Water Runs Dry" (one week). And don't forget their #3 hits: "Motownphilly" (three weeks), "In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" (three weeks), and "Hey Lover" (LL Cool J Featuring Boyz II Men) (eight weeks). Released on October 30, 2001, Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection included all of those tunes, plus their final Top 10 hit, "A Song for Mama" (#7). The two remaining tracks were "Pass You By” (#104 pop, #27 R&B) and "Doin' Just Fine" (#33 R&B). The deluxe edition added "Uhh Ahh" (#16), "Thank You" (#21), "Please Don't Go" (#49), and "Brokenhearted" by Brandy featuring Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men (#9), plus a second disc of remixes that also included "I Will Get There" (#32), "I Remember" (#46), and "Vibin" (#56). The only Hot 100 hits missing were "Thank You in Advance" (#80), which appeared on the Japanese edition, and the Christmas hit "Let It Snow" (Featuring Brian McKnight) (#32). My favorite Boyz II Men numbers are "Motownphilly" and "Water Runs Dry." For the curious among you, "One Sweet Day" is now tied for third on the list of singles that have spent the most weeks at #1. "Don't Speak" by No Doubt and "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber logged 16 weeks each in '96 and 2017, respectively. The top two on the list are "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas V Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus (19 weeks in 2019) and "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls (18 weeks in '98). 1723. Alone Again and Other Hits - Dokken
I first learned of Los Angeles metal band Dokken when I was in college. My housemate and eventual roommate Lance had their second LP, Tooth and Nail. Many years later, ApologetiX bassist Keith Haynie played them while driving the band minivan. Led in their glory days by founder, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist Don Dokken, and lead guitarist George Lynch, the group never had a Top 40 pop hit and only cracked the Hot 100 three times. However, three of their studio albums (Tooth and Nail in '84, Under Lock and Key in '85, and Back for the Attack in '87) sold a million copies apiece and 10 of their tunes made the mainstream rock Top 40. Released on October 10, 2003, Alone Again and Other Hits, featured six of those: "Alone Again" (#64 pop, #20 mainstream rock), "In My Dreams" (#77 pop, #24 mainstream), "Dream Warriors" (#22 mainstream), "The Hunter" (#25 mainstream), "Just Got Lucky" (#27 mainstream), and "Breaking The Chains" (#32 mainstream). I didn't really listen to Dokken in college, but the main two I remember from fan rides with Keith are "Just Got Lucky" and "Breaking the Chains." I bought most of the tracks on Alone Again and Other Hits in the late 2000s in effort to educate myself on metal I'd missed, My personal favorite is "Dream Warriors," from the movie Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The other four tracks on Alone Again and Other Hits were something other than hits: "Stop Fighting Love," "Heaven Sent," "Slippin' Away," and "Jaded Heart." I'm not sure why those were included instead of Dokken's other hits — "Burning Like a Flame" (#72 pop, #30 mainstream), "Into the Fire" (#21 mainstream), "Too High to Fly" (#29 mainstream), "Prisoner" (#37 mainstream), and "Walk Away" (#48 mainstream) — but the 1999 album The Very Best of Dokkenincluded all of them except "Prisoner" without sacrificing the others I already mentioned. I particularly liked "Too High to Fly," "Into the Fire" and "Walk Away." The instrumental "Mr. Scary" is pretty cool, too. Lynch went on to form his own band, Lynch Mob, who scored four mainstream rock hits in the early '90s — "Tangled in the Web" (#13 mainstream), "River of Love" (#19 mainstream), "Dream Until Tomorrow" (#23 mainstream), and "Wicked Sensation" (#31 mainstream) — and they all rock! I learned more about Dokken and Lynch Mob in April 2021 when I read the book Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion by Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock, which had just come out the previous month. |
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If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, there are a couple ways you can do it. |
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
Although the donations are not tax-deductible, they will be received very gratefully and used immediately. Thank you! |
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But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 |
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P.O. Box 101705
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
USA
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