Mainstay: Well Meaning Fiction
Mainstay’s “Well Meaning Fiction� is derived from the sounds of Justin Andersen’s vocals and guitar, Ryan Deyounge’s drums and Dan Ostebo’s bass guitar. Thankfully, their pursuits are talented and meaningful, even if they remain in the pursuit, without having yet seen the finish line.
In “These Pages,� Mainstay seeks to make what they know about truth open and obvious for all to see. As I’m acknowledging what I believe is a Christian faith in the band, I was struck by this line as well: “we tried to give you limits that you didn’t need.� As a wave of musicians claiming Christ for their own charges into a world rejecting Christian music as cheesy or meaningless for them, Mainstay has a message to share.
The past has too much hold on the band and its attitudes and hopes in “Yesterday,� where they recognize that the grass wasn’t really greener in the past. Instead, the pursuit of change in “This Could Be� reflects a desire to make better choices but acknowledging that what they say often betrays what they mean. “Some of the words I say are so naïve- forgive me,� Andersen sings, reflecting again in “Overnight on Nicolet� on what he realizes as he ages.
Their freedom is too much in “Take Away,� but “Danger� pounds home more fully that they need this other to take more control. “Running away is just a poor metaphor,� Mainstay proclaims, “because I’m never as far as I think.� I heard this weekend of the analogy that faith is like a climber’s rope: holding on, one acknowledges the beliefs, letting go causes one to forget and lose balance, but still the safety rope remains attached to your waist, as God doesn’t move away.
The self-titled track condemns a lukewarm message, and the praise granted to a short term emotional response. Mainstay wants more confirmation and less premature jubilation, and their “Down Silver Lake� song shows their desire to hear what the other longs to communicate (in musical terms.) Every time they long to listen, Andersen sings, it ends up being a monologue. Instead, “when the ideal fades I don’t want to complain, I just want to hear you sing.�
Seems pretty interesting to me, desiring the intimate direction from a higher power, and willing to let go of what control might look like in return for freedom. These guys aren’t old (even with their side derision about their age) but they definitely carry a maturity with them that shows in what they sing—and the music itself isn’t half bad either!
In “These Pages,� Mainstay seeks to make what they know about truth open and obvious for all to see. As I’m acknowledging what I believe is a Christian faith in the band, I was struck by this line as well: “we tried to give you limits that you didn’t need.� As a wave of musicians claiming Christ for their own charges into a world rejecting Christian music as cheesy or meaningless for them, Mainstay has a message to share.
The past has too much hold on the band and its attitudes and hopes in “Yesterday,� where they recognize that the grass wasn’t really greener in the past. Instead, the pursuit of change in “This Could Be� reflects a desire to make better choices but acknowledging that what they say often betrays what they mean. “Some of the words I say are so naïve- forgive me,� Andersen sings, reflecting again in “Overnight on Nicolet� on what he realizes as he ages.
Their freedom is too much in “Take Away,� but “Danger� pounds home more fully that they need this other to take more control. “Running away is just a poor metaphor,� Mainstay proclaims, “because I’m never as far as I think.� I heard this weekend of the analogy that faith is like a climber’s rope: holding on, one acknowledges the beliefs, letting go causes one to forget and lose balance, but still the safety rope remains attached to your waist, as God doesn’t move away.
The self-titled track condemns a lukewarm message, and the praise granted to a short term emotional response. Mainstay wants more confirmation and less premature jubilation, and their “Down Silver Lake� song shows their desire to hear what the other longs to communicate (in musical terms.) Every time they long to listen, Andersen sings, it ends up being a monologue. Instead, “when the ideal fades I don’t want to complain, I just want to hear you sing.�
Seems pretty interesting to me, desiring the intimate direction from a higher power, and willing to let go of what control might look like in return for freedom. These guys aren’t old (even with their side derision about their age) but they definitely carry a maturity with them that shows in what they sing—and the music itself isn’t half bad either!
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