adam brooks webber
adam@webber-labs.com
316 park avenue west
princeton, IL 61356

Welcome, friend or stranger.
I hope you enjoy my songs.

I have two children, Fern and Fox. We're homeschoolers— unschoolers, to be more specific. My wife Kelly and I don't like the idea of institutionalizing children unnecessarily. We didn't enjoy our own public school experiences. This song is a sort of anthem for unschoolers.

I enjoy cooking and eating.

Voulez-vous sauté avec moi (ce soir)?

I am the keyboardist, composer, webmaster, and general dogsbody for my church: the Open Prairie United Church of Christ in Princeton, Illinois. I even preach a little, when our pastor is on the road. Open Prairie is a very progressive church. It welcomes persons of every gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, economic status and ability. In our rural midwestern town, that makes us controversial—especially that part about sexual orientation.

Back before we started this church, I was upset about the way my gay friends were being treated by organized religion. I wrote this satire on it. (As you'll hear, I'm a fan of Tom Lehrer.)

This religious piece is a song setting of an ancient prayer: the Breastplate of St. Patrick. This is just a simple recording: me and my keyboard, as seen in church. Some day I'll get around to producing a more polished version.

When I was a boy, my family went to a little church where the minister's wife was the organist. She was a nice old lady but a terrible organist. Being kids, we all made fun of her. Now I am her. Isn't that the way?

Experiences of God's presence can be intensely frightening. I had some when I was a boy that made me think I was going crazy. (I still have them at times; I just don't care as much about whether people think I'm crazy.)

I recorded this one with Reverend Curran Reichert. Reverend Curran had a performing career before she turned to ministry. Funny old life, isn't it?

This is a humorous and irreverent song, but it has a serious idea inside. It's hard to think of any mistake that has caused more grief in the world than this one: the belief that your religion is right and all others wrong. I think there are many ways to know God.

The song needs a big gospel choir sound in places—I think you'll hear where. I haven't found the time or resources to produce a mix with that sound yet.

"Prophecy is easy; comedy is hard."

I am a student of a traditional school of Karatedo: Karatedo Doshinkan. Here's something most martial artists know: what to do when you're falling.

This is an arrangement of the Dies Irae. There have been many translations of this ancient Latin poem into English; this was made by William Irons, an English clergyman, in 1848. Irons was inspired to make this translation after witnessing the memorial service for the Archbishop of Paris, who was a victim of the French revolution of 1848—a rather grisly memorial service, during which the murdered Archbishop's heart was on display in a glass casket. The translation is a loose one, but it preserves the rhyme and rhythm of the original Latin.

The tune is a plainchant melody, also of medieval origin.