"Touch is the greatest thing on earth, Amen...thank the Lord 4 some sense of touch."
- Ray Charles

Merry Christmas Ya'll!!!

like Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here", this has become a staple during the Christmas Season...recorded the day after Christmas back in 07 with D-Major @ m3studios...

Jesus Is Coming

the beginning 4 the Church ya’ll
the new year starts 2day
it’s like the times square ball
when the baby Jesus lay

tis the month of the Feasts
so many I can’t keep count
Our Lady Of Guadalupe
Juan Diego there no doubt

my baby’s baking cookies
my children runnin round
Advent candle burning
Guaraldi getting down

keep ur eye on Jesus
like u keep ur eye on the star
the 3 kings r coming
Epiphany ain’t 2 far

get ur soul all ready
2 receive the Lord of Lords
practice all ur carols
better check out all the chords

Jesus is coming won’t u rejoice with me
an angel done told me in Bethelehem we’ll c
a brand new baby, the Prince of Peace He’ll b
everybody gaze upon the Lord, get down on ur knees!!!

written back in 04 on a cold iowa city nite, but oh so warm every Advent Season...

Advent

The coming of Christ
Is found in a girl
Not just any girl
chosen from this world

Hail full of grace
But how could this b
The Lord is with u
2 me let it b

Beautiful Mother Mary
God would ask u 2 carry
The Word in the womb
And power would bloom
4 all, the call

a women’s in need
no time 2 b queen
a leap from a man
baptism 4seen

u hold in urself
the creator of u
but no room in this world
a manger would do

Do not b afraid
He will b so great
And of his kingdom
There will b no end

some jams i always post this time of year...

here is an mp3 of Do U Hear

i originally wrote this demo 4 Lynn Cooper as possible inclusion on a Christmas album she released back in 2006...

if i remember correctly all the songs had already been chosen 4 her project, but she promised she would b singing the chorus around the house 4 the rest of the season :)

Do U Hear

do u hear what i hear
tis the season of cheer
this is when Bethlehem shines
and the Savior is born
in the fullness of time

snow on the ground
Nativity bound
we r just grateful 2 believe

in the still of the night
a babe would light
4 all of the nations 2 receive

a virgin is how
the kings knew 2 bow
a manger would hold His only Son

the Word of God
truly the way
and i feel the love on Christmas Day

and oh how long
did prophets long
2 c the Christ

In the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday in Advent, the angel Gabriel greets Mary in an unusual way: “Hail, favored one” (see Luke 1:28).

Kecharitomene, the Greek word translated as “favored one,” is very rare, used in only one other place in the New Testament. It comes from charis, the Greek word for “grace” and basically means “made full of grace” or “transformed by grace.”

This is how the word is used in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he describes how God “granted” His grace to all of us in Jesus (see Ephesians 1:6-7). This sheds light on what the angel means - Mary has been “transformed by God’s grace.”

Notice that the angel doesn’t mention Mary’s name. That’s odd, too. There’s no other angelic greeting like this in Scripture. It’s as if Mary’s name is “favored one” or “made full of grace.”

In Scripture, when God gives a person a new name, it reveals the person’s role in His saving plan. Think of Abraham - the father of all nations (see Genesis 17:5), or Peter, the Church’s “rock” (see Matthew 16:18). Mary is God’s favored one, transformed by God’s grace to be the sinless mother of His only-begotten Son.

That’s why the angel’s greeting is one of the biblical foundations for Mary’s Immaculate Conception, which we celebrate December 8.

- Dr. Scott Hahn
St. Paul Center For Biblical Theology

well, let's reflect 1 more once on NCYC 2009 b4 Jesus comes...

FRIDAY NOV. 20th 2009

as far as i know, no vid has surfaced of the Popple/m3 colab during Popple's set @ NCYC...we performed "T-Fig" and "Papal Disco" w Kyle and Dan...it was dope!

6pm...here r some pics...


8-11pmish...and after the Popple set...the m3 trio headed over 2 the Hotel Phillips 2 play club "12 Baltimore"...the Phatmass crew and Popple and company along with other NCYC adults came over and partied with us...it was super-fun...wish i had some vid...but this collage will have 2 do


SATURDAY NOV. 21st 2009

12:30pm...m3 trio @ The Oasis Cafe stage


1:15pm...here is a vid of Jamie, Curtis, and manuel3 jamming @ the "In Jesus Name I Play" booth on 11.21...featuring founder and guitarist Augie Leal...


1:30pm...and moments later this went down...an unplugged video shoot of 'Hope4thenew' 4 Spirit Juice Studios...thank u 2 Rob Kaczmark 4 including us in his ministry...1st is behind the scenes, then the official released vid...more info about NCYC Unplugged 2009 project can b found here


5pm...Phatmass and m3...2gether @ last


BONUS:
11.14...here is a bonus vid from a rehearsal 4 the show...


the full rehearsal mp3 can b listened 2 here

special love and gratitude go 2 my wife and family, Jamie Hopkins and his family, and the one and only Curtis Hawkins...

Advent Week 1
the waiting begins...

WOW!!!

a week ago 2day about this time, Fr. Stan visited m3 studios once again 2 mix and record some new material 4 his new album...it's gonna be fantastico!!! this vid of my daughter and Father is the only proof i have...she made the "what's up window" over at the Francesco Productions site...

Wis 7:22b–8:1

In Wisdom is a spirit
intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain,
Not baneful, loving the good, keen,
unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits,
though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.

Fr. Stan will b here in m3 studios on 11.16
we will b working on mixing his new album...Alleluia!!!

file under Pope and music...

"Music is a part of all cultures and, we might say, accompanies every human experience, from pain to pleasure, from hatred to love, from sadness to joy, from death to life...We see how, over the course of the centuries and millennia, music has always been used to give a form to that which we are not able to speak in words, because it awakens emotions that are difficult to communicate otherwise. So it is not by chance that every civilization has placed such importance and value on music in its various forms and expressions." - Pope Benedict XVI

- Pope B16 Address After Piano Concert 10.17.09

c the video...

update...
things r happening...

getting 20min set 2gether 4 NCYC in Kansas City...
will b streaming rehearsal for KC show on 10.29.09...
also, confirmed that m3 will per4rm with Popple in KC...
check out the coming of the new Popple album right here
also confirmed, m3 will jam with Sammy Blaze in KC también...and P5C as well...

Fr. Stan coming 2 m3studios mid-nov??? hmmmm...

and late-breaking news...just in...manuel3 @ Catholic Underground Chicago on 2.3.10...oh Jesus, I love U!!!

news @ 11

"The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at the heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. . . . Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer"

Apostolic Letter On The Most Holy Rosary, ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE - JP2 10.02

as many of u know, jazz music plays a huge part in my life...so i've recently been streaming some jazz videos on a new Ustream page called JAZZ VIDS...usually streaming in the AM...so check it out if u dig jazz from the past, present, and future

have u prayed 2 ur Guardian Angel 2day?

From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.

-CCC 336

"As he did with Augustine, so the Lord comes to meet each one of you. He knocks at the door of your freedom and asks to be welcomed as a friend. He wants to make you happy, to fill you with humanity and dignity...

The Christian faith is this: encounter with Christ, the living Person who gives life a new horizon and thereby a definitive direction. And when the heart of a young person opens up to his divine plans, it is not difficult to recognize and follow his voice."

Pope B16 2 the youth of the Czech Republic 9.28.09

L.A. is still calling...


watch more of the performance here: m3 live @ CULA - 9.19.09

thank u 2 tiffani, jessica, doug, danny, paul, and all the catholic brothers and sisters who attend CULA...God Bless U all

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY...
MOTHER OF OUR SAVIOR...
WE LOVE U AND THANK U 4 UR "YES"

manuel3 was 1 of 9 artists featured on a Catholic Music Special that aired on Ave Maria Radio this Labor Day Weekend...

here is a sample

thank u 2 Bill Kassel and Ave Maria Radio 4 including me on this special

Massmatics: Catholic Hip-Hop - Volume 2

manuel3 has a joint on this new comp from the Phatmass crew...it features Animosity from The Uniphonics...show dUSt & PM some love by purchasing a copy like 2day!!!

B16 got his cast off yesterday...he had tripped and fell back in mid-July

"the result, overall, can be described as excellent,"
-Dr. Patrizio Polisca, the pope's chief physician

Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones..."
Gen. 2:23

Manuel Lopez III: Drummer, pianist, composer continues musical family tradition

newspaper interview 8.15.09

The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers.

– St. Maximilian Kolbe

JUST CONFIRMED

manuel3 will b in Hollywood as the guest artist in the September installment of Catholic Underground LA...news @ 11

Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ.
– St. Peter Chrysologus

Main Entry:
3. frolic
Function:
noun
Date:
1616

1: a playful or mischievous action 2 a: an occasion or scene of fun : party b: fun, merriment

from the Rankin gig on July 18th...from left 2 right
m3 - keys, donnie g - bass, jamie - drums, mr. bentley - gtr, my Father manny lopez - trpt

and now George "Po-Boy" Rankin

my good friend Jay Foote from back in the IC days has been touring with Daine Birch...he's playing the bass and singing background vocals...he was on Dave Letterman last nite so check him out!!! FYI his brother Alex is playing guitar and also on the tour!!! GO FOOTE'S!!!!

I love U Jay!!!!!

besides performing with We Funk @ Camp Euforia and visiting with some friends from my Iowa City days 2morrow, i will also b leading a band 4 a show featuring a hometown boy named George Rankin...sort of a balledier who also sings the blues...will def take video @ sound...

and speaking of the blues, check me out from early 08 summer with Blueskillet...
UGOTTHEPEACH

God Love U

US President Makes 1st Visit to Vatican

"Benedict XVI gave to the U.S. president a copy of his recently published encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," and a copy of the 2009 letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "Dignitas Personae" (The Dignity of a Person), which deals with questions of bioethics."

New Encyclical People!!!

ENCYCLICAL LETTER
CARITAS IN VERITATE
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
BENEDICT XVI

being a stay-at-home dad can b rough...like the other day 4 instance

Ok children of God...
things r back 2 semi-normal 4 the a minute...

Fr. Stan was cool...he said "Hi" 2 all of u...

Fun City was fun!!!

here is a new vid from June 20...

Just got a call from Fr. Stan 2 come 2 NY this week 2 help on some of the new project he's got coming out...so i'm flying out wednesday and then a HUGE weekend with family and music and love...my Grandpo Lopez who i am named after will b celebrating his 80th Birthday!!! so my aunt Rita is throwing a big FIESTA!!! and i got super fun gigs lined up with friends and family this weekend...as well as a rehearsal with a P-FUNK tribute band 4 a show @ Camp Euforia...taking lots of pics and vids...so please pray 4 me and my family

well...it has been a year this coming weekend since i traveled 2 Poland 4 the Song Of Songs Festival...but until now the performance has been kept in the vault...so 2 celebrate this special blessing, here is the complete show streamed on Poland radio...

manuel3 Full performance @ Song Of Songs June 28th, 2008

thnx 2 DJ Jedi 4 hosting
thnx 2 Poland 4 love

final vid of this past weekend's gigs...

ended the weekend on Flag Day playing a fundraiser 4 Honor Flight of the Quad Cities...a local chapter of the Honor Flight Network which flies America's veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials...

vid #3

vid #2

as promised, vid #1 from the weekend...more 2 follow

Anxiety proceeds from an ill-regulated desire to be delivered from the evil we experience, or to acquire the good to which we aspire; nevertheless, nothing aggravates evil and hinders good so much as anxiety and worry.
– St. Francis de Sales

this reminds of the Concluding Rite during the Liturgy of the Eucharist when after the The Lord's Prayer/Our Father the Priest says:

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day in your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I love the deepness of the Church!!!

let's stay 2gether during June shall we?

i'm gonna try something fun and post a song/vid/pic (or all 3 if God wills it) from each gig i have this month...and i'm playing lots and with many fantastic musicians!

so on the m3 SoundClick page here we go with the 1st...a cover u all know & love by Al Green taken from this past Saturday June 7th...

m3 sings Let's Stay Together

In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life's different stresses. Our duty is not to abandons ship but to keep her on her course.
– St. Boniface

Brothers and Sisters in Christ...

another very busy June as u can c...

I have...
-9 gigs
-4 family birthdays
-1 trip 2 a DCI show
-1 trip 2 Fun City

also will b adding a wednesday Mass and thursday Adoration w/ my babies during the summer...

Thank u Jesus 4 these many blessings!!!

can i post one mo' jam from the Redstone Room Sessions?
this is a little diddy i wrote back in December when i needed a song like this in the setlist i was putting 2gether at the time...i couldn't find a jam i thought would fit, so i wrote 1...

click 2 enlarge
Our Grandpo Vallejo

since my re-conversion back 2 the faith in 2001 all songs composed have been about scripture, the Lord, the Catholic faith, etc...but 4 the past couple of weeks i have been working after hours (and during hours) on 3 songs 4 my wife Risa's birthday (which is 2day)...she was always reminding me that i had not yet written any songs about her since the faith...(i say not true, she was in every one of those songs!...but i know what she meant)

i re-cut 'Day Dreaming' which is an Aretha Franklin song and one of her all time favs...'Quality Time' & 'I Call It U' are originals...thank u 2 Andy Crawford's guitar on 'Day Dreaming' and Ian Johnson's guitar on 'Quality Time'

SO, here they r 4 u 2 download and enjoy also...(she said it was cool)

Risa BDay Jams -> via the m3 SoundClick page

this went down last thursday...i love these guys!

Universal (outro - unreleased song)
Kingdom (Christ The King Mix)
We R The Light Of The World (traditional)

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land (May 8-15, 2009)

Here is the Vatican website re-cap of texts from the Pope's Visit 2 The Holy Land...
Holy Land 2009 All Texts

Thank U Jesus 4 ur protection on B16s pilgrimage...

"Is this a good thing? or are you slamming me for being flaky? lol"
-Jedi

no, it's a good thing DJ

U might remember DJ JEDI from the old Funk And Faith nights on emancipation radio...this is a catholic brother from
Detroit (sorry about the Pistons bro, LeBron is 2 tough) and now has some old and new shows happening on FNF PODOMATIC...

support this brother, drop him a comment...he is 1 of the good ones...
much love and blessings DJ

also, a wonderful musician with the kinda chords i dig named Margo B. Smith sent this vid over about the beauty of children...a tune off her album Sending A Prayer entitled "Precious Unborn Child"...show her love 2

¡atención! ¡atención!

saturday may 2nd i will b recording all day in the upper room...
and i will b streaming live the tracks it will produce...
so tune in 4 a bit if u can...
WATCH m3 STUDIOS

Squeeky Chair = BRILLIANT!

update people, update!

4 those of u following the Catholic Soul Revolution, we r here recording some new tracks with old and new friends alike...i'm trying 2 find a balance with family and music now that spring has sprung in the "Upper Room"...i'm gonna call Chris Padgett and c how he does it...pray 4 us

a release of the long-awaited D-major/manuel3 colab is in the works...possibly being picked up by Pauline Books & Media...more news later

also been recording some drum tracks 4 a Blueskillet album...original blues from the midwest...with a few songs written by manuel3...pray 4 Monica (will give birth on May 5)

i am also ordering more hard copies of all the manuel3 cds 2 date...so if u haven't checked out any m3 music, please feel free 2 browse the official m3 website

now that Easter is here, i'm trying 2 get work on a new album...songs r coming from every direction and genre...i can't push record fast enough!!! i will try and stream more of the recording process on the m3tv stream page and have also embedded a small player on the homepage of the blog...check it out, if u dig that type of thing

keep praying every1...God is Love

Me and my sister Jacqueline on an Easter Sunday...i was mayb 4ish?

ALLELUIA!!!

Holy Thursday

To be immersed in the Truth, in Christ – part of this process is prayer, in which we exercise our friendship with him and we come to know him: his way of being, of thinking, of acting. Praying is a journey in personal communion with Christ, setting before him our daily life, our successes and failures, our struggles and our joys – in a word, it is to stand in front of him. But if this is not to become a form of self-contemplation, it is important that we constantly learn to pray by praying with the Church. Celebrating the Eucharist means praying. We celebrate the Eucharist rightly if with our thoughts and our being we enter into the words which the Church sets before us. There we find the prayer of all generations, which accompany us along the way towards the Lord.

- Pope Benedict XVI

1 Peter 5.6-9
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.

back 2 gigs and recording some songs in the upper room...planning on getting jams down this Lent 4 Lent 2010...

until then peep this about St. Joseph...

In the course of that pilgrimage of faith which was his life, Joseph, like Mary, remained faithful to God's call until the end. While Mary's life was the bringing to fullness of that fiat first spoken at the Annunciation, at the moment of Joseph's own "annunciation" he said nothing; instead he simply "did as the angel of the Lord commanded him" (Mt 1:24). And this first "doing" became the beginning of "Joseph's way." The Gospels do not record any word ever spoken by Joseph along that way. But the silence of Joseph has its own special eloquence, for thanks to that silence we can understand the truth of the Gospel's judgment that he was "a just man" (Mt 1:19).

this excerpt is from an Apostolic Exhortation given by John Paul II on August 15th 1989 entitled Redemptoris Custos...translates 2 "Guardian of the Redeemer"

if u wanna do something special 4 the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19)...u can read it

St. Joseph, Faithful guardian of Christ...pray 4 us

From the day Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Master "began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things. . . and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Peter scorns this prediction, nor do the others understand it any better than he. In this context the mysterious episode of Jesus' Transfiguration takes place on a high mountain, before three witnesses chosen by himself: Peter, James and John. Jesus' face and clothes become dazzling with light, and Moses and Elijah appear, speaking "of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem". A cloud covers him and a voice from heaven says: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" (CCC 554)

The Transfiguration is one of my wife's favorite days in the church...so this post is 4 her...i love u lovies

The Lord continually calls us closer through the liturgical year as u all know, so this Lent let us rock!


Here is the Vatican transcript of the B16 Message For Lent 2009

As 4 the m3 ministry, we've been recently turning on the power in the "Upper Room" here at m3 studio's despite the 12 gigs i've had this Feb. Whew!!!...I thank my wife and children 4 their patience...

new music 4 Lent coming...

Pray, Pray, Pray...

Happy B-Day 2 my Grandma Vallejo..."Friend or Foe"

-----
Fr. Stan lost his mother Constantina Sarabales Fortuna 2 cancer yesterday evening. In an email sent out he wrote, "Her passing was as smooth as the most amazing sunrise you have ever seen - thanks be to God Who is Love."

Please remember "Connie" and the Fortuna's in ur prayers on this Our Lady of Lourdes day...

Feb very busy with gigs...Thanks b 2 God

Have some cool vid 2 post with a band i've been jamming with when i can...news @ 11

St. Blaise pray 4 us and my throat so i can sing 2morrow...

From Zenit

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican launched today a channel on YouTube that will provide video news clips on the Pope's activities, currently in four languages, including English.



One or two video clips will be provided each day at www.youtube.com/vatican

The 44th President of the United States

Adoration is the first act of the virtue of religion. To adore God is to acknowledge him as God, as the Creator and Savior, the Lord and Master of everything that exists, as infinite and merciful Love. "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve," says Jesus, citing Deuteronomy.

- CCC 2096

If i was stranded on a desert island and could only take 2 musicians with me it would b Jamie Hopkins and Spencer Zimmerman...cuz they would b the only 1s who would probably go with me

fresh video from 1.3.09 @ Below Brady in Dav...



also, we played 'SIGNS AND WONDERS' with Claire Finley aka LADY B on 12.26.08 @ this same club...i've uploaded this jam on the m3 SoundClick page...Funky New Year People!!!

"The maternal presence of Mary assures us tonight that God will never abandon us, if we entrust ourselves to him and follow his teachings. To Mary, then, with filial affection and trust, let us present our hopes and desires, as well as the fears and the difficulties we carry in our hearts, as we bid farewell to 2008 and prepare ourselves to welcome 2009."

Pope Benedict XVI - New Years Eve Homily