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5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 21 | https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/bun-b-on-faith-sin-integrity-and-hip-hop-as-religion/ | en | Bun B on Faith, Sin, Integrity, and Hip-Hop as Religion | [
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"John Nova Lomax",
"Bekah McNeel",
"Nate Blakeslee",
"Skip Hollandsworth",
"Michael Hardy",
"Russell Gold",
"Wendi Aarons",
"Andrea White",
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] | 2015-02-24T20:15:04+00:00 | The veteran rapper won’t perform his music at Rice for any amount of money. School is for teaching. | en | /apple-touch-icon.png?v=121421 | Texas Monthly | https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/bun-b-on-faith-sin-integrity-and-hip-hop-as-religion/ | To the layperson, especially those older than say, 45, the idea that hip-hop and religion intersect is absurd. To some people, hip-hop seems so sinful, even the idea that there can be “Christian rap” is laughable, as all rap is the music of “thugs” and drug dealers and others utterly estranged from God.
Especially that of Bun B (seen above, at left, next to Dr. Anthony Pinn of Rice University), whose group UGK, in its earliest days, was consummately street, as song titles like “Pocketful of Stones,” “Cocaine in the Back of the Ride,” and “Murder” attest, and whose more recent solo work contains some of the same themes and plenty of salty language.
According to a fairly recent statistical analysis of profanity in hip-hop from 1985 to 2013—yes, somebody when through and counted all the cussing—UGK’s self-titled album was the third-most profane record of all time (793 naughty words) and Bun’s solo song “Some Hoes” (113 cusses) the most profane rap song of all time.
That was why it was such a big surprise to hip-hop agnostics and haters when, in 2011, Bun (born Bernard Freeman) was asked to be a distinguished lecturer at Rice University (that ivoriest of Texas towers) for a course called Religion and Hip-Hop Culture, under the auspices of that school’s Religious Studies Department and its head, Dr. Anthony Pinn. (The course is now available online.)
Freeman responded at the time to critics of the hire:
Yes, I do have some music that would probably, in a religious aspect, be indefensible; some of it would even be considered immoral. I can agree with that and I can handle that, but that’s not the only message I’ve sent through my music or that you’ll hear in hip-hop.
All I ask is that you don’t judge me and this course based upon the bad rap that you’ve heard, even the bad rap I have done, because, quite honestly, hip-hop doesn’t deserve that. Hip-hop has done more than that, been more creative and inspirational than even [it] has been able to show.
Those words come from the mouth of Bun B, one side of Bernard Freeman’s complex personality, and those you hear in the classroom come from “the Prof,” another of his facets. And never the two shall meet, at least not between the hedges on the Rice Campus.
Speaking recently on NYC’s Ebro in the Morning radio show, Freeman announced that he had turned down a total of “over six figures” to perform there. “I won’t rap at the school. They’ve asked me to do their Spring Fest every year since I started teaching. And I turn it down every year, because I don’t want to compromise the integrity of the course.”
Or compromise the integrity of Bun B, one might also imagine. Some of Bun’s lyrics—especially on the early UGK albums—are capable of drawing pearl-clutching gasps even from veteran hip-hop heads today, and it’s easy to imagine that they would not be well-received by some in the Rice administration and even among some students. Editing all of that out of the set would be less than “trill,” the slang word for “authentic” popularized (and lived) by Bun and his late UGK cohort, Pimp C.
Bun addressed that tension in “The Story,” his autobiographical account of the rise, fall, and rebirth of UGK.
After scuffling out of the Port Arthur ghetto with hardcore raps on tape and CD, Bun and Pimp got signed to major label Jive Records and came to the attention of Jay-Z, who gave them a prominent guest shot on “Big Pimpin’,” a huge hit and eventual Grammy winner. As is almost always the case in the music business, Jive tried to force UGK to make a carbon copy of that single in hopes of replicating its success.
Grammy nominated can’t believe that we made it
And we got a call from Jive that left us all faded
And it stated, that due to the success of the track
We here at Jive records, would like to piggy back
Get another beat from Timb, then get a verse from Jay
Let Hype shoot the video and we’ll be on the way
Sh*t it sounded okay, but me I had to ask
If we don’t do Big Pimpin 2, would you still put us on blast
A song like that would might take a n***a to the top
But my true fan base, might think a n***a flop
It’s never been about compromises for Bun B, even when the world was at his feet. And from hearing him speak about his lectures, he guards the integrity of the course just as jealously. “Rice is not easy to get into and it’s not cheap, so everyone who’s in my classroom is making a serious effort to get informed,” he said earlier this week. “That’s different than a high school classroom [and] I have to respect that intention.”
“And keep in mind this is not a music course,” he said. “This is under the religious studies department.
Or as he put it another time:
There’s this notion that a rapper teaching a course means that the students will get to learn a lot of cool things or meet cool people. And there’s room for that, but we have to establish that this is a very serious course. And in order to embrace and understand everything that Doc [Pinn] and I are doing, you’re gonna have to embrace the literature, you’re gonna have to embrace the lectures, you’re gonna have to get involved in every aspect of the classroom and in conversations outside of the classroom. We let people know early on this is not some place to drop your demo off. This is a real course, taught in a real way; Doc and I take it very seriously, and if you plan on being in this classroom, we advise you to take it very seriously as well.
Outsiders have a few misconceptions about the course and its teacher. Regarding the latter, those who get bogged down in all Bun’s cussing can’t see the other side of the man, the secular preacher and fiery truth-teller in songs like “If It Was Up II Me.”
That dichotomy is almost as old as rap. Producers and artists alike have always contended that you had to bait the hook of your message songs with others about drug-dealing, violence, flashy cars, and loose women. (Sadly, too often songs like the Geto Boys “City Under Siege” have been lost amid all the controversies over the stomach-churning sadism and gore in “Mind of a Lunatic,” which, if nothing else, got them the attention to survive long enough to release “Mind Playing Tricks,” the song that truly put not just Texas but the South on the hip-hop map to stay.)
And UGK was no exception. Their early records were studded with tracks like the anti-hard drugs dirge “Stoned Junkee,” the perils of casual sex admonishment in “Ain’t That a Bitch,” and the meditation on mortality that is “One Day.” Then there’s the conflict between the game and God inherent in “Living This Life,” which finds Pimp C rapping that he rolls around with both a gauge and a pistol in his car but yearns for the community of church. If only he didn’t feel branded as an outcast. “I wanna go to service / But I ain’t been in so long, kinda make me feel nervous / Cause they be lookin’ at me funny / Watchin’ the plate when I tithe, put in my money.”
Bun has spoken of feeling much the same way. “I didn’t necessarily need a good preacher, but a good house of faith, somewhere I could go and feel comfortable praising and taking in the message without having to dress a certain way just to be a member, or where I had to sit in the back row,” he said in 2011, just as he began lecturing at Rice.
Freeman was born into a staunch Southern Baptist home and has spoken of serving as an usher at a north Houston church as a boy. After his parents’ divorce, he remembers that church became less of a priority and even more so as his rap career ascended in the nineties. It was Pimp C who ushered him back into the church, uninintenionally, and not once, but twice.
The first time was when he went to prison and Freeman believed his rap career was over, as were his days as a strong provider. “Initially, I was a very lost soul. I was concerned about the future of my family, his family, and the career that we had built. With this came depression, with depression came more drinking and more drugging until I felt like I had almost hit rock bottom spiritually. I came out of it knowing that I needed to start anew—a rebirth so to speak.”
That rebirth manifested in his launching a successful solo career while Pimp C was incarcerated. And then, so soon after his release, Pimp C passed away, the victim of sleep apnea and an overdose of codeine. Bun found a way to emerge from that tragedy a better and wiser man, and his artistry only grew. As did the gospel influences in his music, as you can plainly hear via the sanctified organ on “Chuuch!” the opening track off his 2010 album Trill O.G.
Yeah, there are a couple of F-bombs in there, but one of the lessons “Prof” Freeman and Dr. Pinn stress is that hip-hop itself can be seen as a religion of its own. It’s more than just the music, and religion is more than a gathering of people in a building officially designated as “holy.”
Southern rap and gospel are entertwined more so than that of other regions, and on no song ever is the dichotomy of sacred and profane more clearly on exhibit than on “Mr. Scarface,” Scarface’s 1991 single, in which some of the most explicit lyrics spill out over the most maniacal church organ ever recorded. Likewise, some of Scarface’s cadences on the mike come straight from the pulpit, as on “Never Seen a Man Cry.”
Songs like those two Scarface jams made me question an article of faith about rap I accepted in or around 1990. One summer, I was touring the eastern U.S. in a beat-up Oldsmobile with the late David Schnaufer, a LaMarque native who was the greatest mountain dulcimer player who ever lived, a jazzman at heart.
As we drove some lonely road through dark Maine forests one night, the talk turned to rap. I was a big fan. Schnaufer, a generation older than me, was not, though he was open enough to actually listen to it. And engage with his buddies about it. Around that time he was performing and jamming some with West Coast acoustic guitarist and twentieth-century folk music scholar Duck Baker. Schnaufer recalled that he had just asked Baker what he made of rap.
“Black music has left the church,” Baker pronounced. It was a remark that has stuck with me ever since, at first because I believed it to be so profoundly right, and now because I believe it to be so profoundly wrong, at least on some level. My understanding of Baker’s remark was that rap’s lyrics were so profane and the music so rhythmic, so shorn of gospel melodies and call-and-response vocals, that it was a complete divorce from holy African-American music, the font from which sprang blues, soul, rock and roll, R&B, and the earliest forms of jazz.
Though I was a huge Geto Boys fan at the time, I had yet to hear Scarface’s solo work, and since then, thanks to his records, UGK’s records, OutKast’s records, and others, I’ve come to see things in a different light. In musical structure, rap was a shifting of focus from the choirs and their soloists back to the preachers, only now they were called MCs and they swore in their pulpits. In content, when at its best (a variety hard to find in mainstream pop culture today)—when hip-hop is delivering messages or functioning, as Chuck D. once put it, as “black America’s CNN”—it can be as powerful as any church service.
Take Chuck D’s Public Enemy, for example. Greg Ellis, manager of soon-to-open Groover’s Paradise record shop outside of Austin, saw PE back in their eighties glory days. “That really was a lot like church,” he says. “They had the preacher in Chuck D., the deacon in Flava Flav, and the choir in the S1Ws.” And D’s messages were fiery exhortations about black pride and moral uplift and, though tinged with spirituality, not out-and-out religious, except in the context of hip-hop being its own religion. Which is just what Pinn and Prof Freeman are driving at.
“When most people think hip-hop, they think rap music, and when they think religion, they think church,” Freeman said, speaking to Ebro on the morning show the other day.
“I think hip-hop is a culture and I think hip-hop is something you do religiously,” Ebro responded.
“You get it!” Bun said.
(Photo courtesy of Imagesbyq/Erik Quinn via Facebook.) | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 23 | https://truthintunes.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/should-we-label-music-as-either-christian-or-non-christian/ | en | Should we label music as either Christian or non-Christian? | http://www.themusiccoaches.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Christian-Music1.jpg | http://www.themusiccoaches.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Christian-Music1.jpg | [
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] | null | [] | 2013-03-06T00:00:00 | All music that is made by humankind is both expressive and subjective. Expressive, because that is the nature of music – to convey through song a thought, feeling or experience. Subjective, because someone has to be the one to write, compose and perform the tune. All forms of art carry these two primary qualities and… | en | https://s1.wp.com/i/favicon.ico | Truth In Tunes | https://truthintunes.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/should-we-label-music-as-either-christian-or-non-christian/ | All music that is made by humankind is both expressive and subjective. Expressive, because that is the nature of music – to convey through song a thought, feeling or experience. Subjective, because someone has to be the one to write, compose and perform the tune. All forms of art carry these two primary qualities and for this reason it is fair to say that all music is always creative and always flawed (both attributes coming in varying degrees, of course). Creative in the sense that it came from within someone’s heart and mind – as opposed to being something that already existed (i.e., trees, love and despair are ongoing realities of life, but each new song about trees, love or despair are new creations). In addition, there is at least some level of imperfection or flaw in every song’s message, just as there is with everything else that humanity creates or designs – because we are imperfect creatures. This doesn’t mean that it can’t be beautiful or convey truth. All it really means is this: if God didn’t create it, than it is less than perfect.
Because of the assumptions laid out above, I believe music doesn’t require spiritual categorization: especially Christian versus non-Christian categories. I am not saying it is wrong to try to make these distinctions (I do it all the time, simply out of habit). In many ways, we are forced to do it at some level (picking church service songs, etc.) All I’m saying is that it is too difficult to get it exactly right and it is unimportant to try. Now some readers might gasp or frown at this last statement. Please understand that I intend to offer an alternative to categorizing music as Christian or not and I will give reasons why it isn’t helpful to force these distinctions.
First, some reasons why Christian categorizations for music are not helpful. By the way, by categorization I do not include musical styles (jazz, pop, punk, etc.); instead, I am only referring to placing a song in either Christian or non-Christian categories. Now then, if I claim a song or artist to be Christian, what am I claiming? Are their levels of holiness and infallibility involved in this kind of claim? Or is their trustworthiness assumed and given, despite a lack of testing and biblical checking? And who decides these things for all of us? You can see how these questions foster an attitude of judgmentalism and over-analysis. There shouldn’t be these things involved in music, but I believe many people apply an unhealthy level of this kind of thinking towards music that is labeled Christian. A Christian song is not the same thing as a Bible verse, yet how many of us can claim that we are spiritually impacted more by verses than the songs we choose to listen to? If we’re all honest with ourselves, we can at least agree that the temptation to be formed more by our music than Scripture is definitely there. So music is indeed important, but trying to assign universal spiritual value to someone else’s expression of art or worship is a slippery slope.
Another reason categorization doesn’t help is because it usually doesn’t help the artist. So many music artists today are trying not to be labeled, simply because it hurts their livelihood. Music artists who are Christians trying to use their music as ministry are also feeling this tension between adhering to a label and the freedom that comes without having one. Music today is becoming more and more un-industrious, meaning there are less record label contracts and more Kickstarter projects, less manufacturing of what the masses want and more independent expressions that comfortably fit in the thousands of small niches that exist today. We even have niches for “city country music” and other paradoxical themes that simply didn’t exist before. Christian labeling and categorizing doesn’t help the artist nearly as much as it used to.
So what should the Christian do about music, if saying that music is either Christian or non-Christian doesn’t help us anymore? How do we wade through the mountain of mp3s that are so accessible and affordable today? How do we guard our hearts and steer towards the songs that enhance our worship and broaden our view of the One True God?
My solution is not complex and it is not new. It is simply this: like all other forms of expression (books, film, speakers, etc.) we must put all of it through the grid of Scripture. You can find truth in a Christian song, but you can also find falsehood. Likewise, you can find truth in a non-Christian song sometimes. Why bother making general distinctions about whether or not the song came from a “Christian” artist or label? Whatever the source, each of us ought to measure a tune’s value by the Word of God.
We often times make the mistake of assuming that it is the musicians job, if he/she claims faith in Christ, to present the full Gospel (complete with the most obvious churchy words) in every song. That is like asking a Christian pie maker to bake an evangelism tract into every pie! Would that really be considered better stewardship or better faithfulness? All Christians are indeed called to evangelize the lost, but we are NOT expected to produce a four-point outline of how someone can be saved with every breathe we take. Music artists are not inherently evangelists – no more so than pie makers. Certainly, many artists who are Christians see a calling on their lives to evangelize through their music, but it is not a prerequisite.
On the flipside, non-Christians who express themselves honestly in music can sometimes stumble upon a biblical truth and convey it with power and beauty. Paul talks about people “accidently” preaching Christ, even though they don’t have Christ in their hearts. Nevertheless, God is glorified in it anyway, if it entails the absolute truth of Scripture. It is true to think that this would be a rare thing in the secular music world, but not impossible.
What I am proposing is important for a few reasons: 1) it protects our hearts better. We are not as likely to be deceived by a heretical “Christian” song if we are not trying to just follow music categories already made for us, but instead challenging all songs by the standard of the Bible; 2) it causes us to sharpen our biblical framework, so that we are ready to discern any given song against God’s Word; 3) it gives the artist a better chance to be heard objectively. We are never fully objective, but knocking down our preconceived stereotypes certainly helps; 4) it puts the onus on us, the listeners, to filter in (or out) music in a constructive way. This is appropriate when dealing with the realm of art and media (as opposed to the realm of preaching and organized religion); and finally, 5) it enhances our worship because it forces us to discern and decide whether or not a song glorifies God faithfully, as opposed to assuming that labels and leaders have already done that for us. If my biblical antennas are up while I listen to music, then I will be more likely to get the right message from the right tunes.
In conclusion, the believer in Christ should be a hunter of excellent art that pulls out the appropriate expressions of the life and color of Gospel truths. There is no debate that art is powerful and it can be a great force for spiritual good. At the same time, wrong music can deceive, ensnare and defeat us in significant ways. Both kinds of music can come from any source at any time – and that is what labeling dangerously leads us to forget. This truth should encourage us to strengthen our Scriptural grid that we lay over our eyes, ears and heart. We should not pre-label our music (legalism), nor should we go to the other extreme and strain “truth” out of every song (license). Be fair, be open, be sober and cautious…but above all, be biblical! I truly believe that this is the best path towards the greatest amount of beauty in music, which would give God the most glory.
Sincerely, TruthinTunes guy
P.S. I intentionally left out musical examples from this article. I researched many other writings that attempted to address the same question as I did here and each time they used examples to make their point I found that the subjectivity and lack of balanced perspective took away from their arguments. Art is meant to be discerned and criticized, but this article should serve more as a primer for how to do that as a Christian, not a lecture about what grade to give every song that’s out there (and there are actually websites that do this). Feel free to comment below about specific songs or ask me what I think about any given song. You’ll also get a better idea of some songs that I like by reading other articles on this blog. | ||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 54 | https://www.erwinministries.com/ | en | Official Website | http://static1.squarespace.com/static/613e9e46fbde9e0c95467bb4/t/65eb300a704cbb68f47d8583/1709912078832/3R1A7888-Edit_LB_10000_0.jpg?format=1500w | http://static1.squarespace.com/static/613e9e46fbde9e0c95467bb4/t/65eb300a704cbb68f47d8583/1709912078832/3R1A7888-Edit_LB_10000_0.jpg?format=1500w | [
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] | null | [] | null | Grammy-Nominated Dove Award Winners, The Erwins, have been faithfully serving The Lord for many years now. A family group from a small town in East Texas these siblings glorify the Lord in all that they do. | en | https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/613e9e46fbde9e0c95467bb4/0c23e705-a2e4-4684-b962-b40907355658/favicon.ico?format=100w | Erwin Ministries Website | https://www.erwinministries.com | About The Erwins
The Erwin’s dedication to musical excellence has garnered them numerous accolades and recognition within the industry. The group's Grammy nomination stands as a testament to their exceptional artistry and distinctive sound, while their Dove Award win solidifies their place among Southern Gospel music's finest.
Beyond their musical achievements, The Erwins remain grounded in their faith. Their unwavering commitment to integrity, both on and off the stage, has earned them the respect and admiration of their peers and fans alike. | ||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 0 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NewSong | en | Wikipedia | [
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For other uses, see New Song.
NewSong is an American contemporary Christian music group that was established in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia.[1] They have had twelve GMA Dove Award nominations, and one Grammy Award Nomination.
They are also the founders of the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, the United States' largest annual Christian music tour.[2] It began in 1995, and is hosted by NewSong. Winter Jam has artists perform including TobyMac, Hillsong UNITED, Newsboys, Lecrae, MercyMe, and Skillet.[3]
NewSong has provided support for organizations working with abandoned and underprivileged children. For years they worked with World Vision. Then in 2006, the band became involved with Holt International.
The original four members included the current members Eddie Carswell, Billy Goodwin, and former members Eddie Middleton and Bobby Apon.
History
[edit]
Early history
[edit]
NewSong recorded three custom albums independently. In 1982, they signed on with Covenant Records, and released The Son In My Eyes the next year. In 1984, they signed a contract with Canaan Records, a branch of CCM label giant Word Records and released The Word. NewSong continued to stay with Word Records until 1991 when they signed on with DaySpring Records. The next year they released One Heart At A Time, The Best of NewSong, which featured 12 hits from their previous albums. In 1993, they joined up with the Benson Music Group and released All Around The World, which brought four No. 1 hits.[citation needed] In 1993, lead vocalist Eddie Middleton left to pursue a solo career, and Bobby Apon left to spend more time with his family.
In 1994, songwriter Leonard Ahlstrom, soloist Charles Billingsley, musician Scotty Wilbanks, and the lead vocalist from the contemporary Christian band Truth, Russ Lee, joined NewSong. That year NewSong released People Get Ready which brought four No. 1 hits,[citation needed] and featured a re-recorded version of "Arise My Love", which was first recorded by the original group in 1987.
In 1996, Billingsley left to pursue a solo career. In 1997, NewSong released Love Revolution. It featured four No. 1 hits, including "Miracles," which stayed at No.1 on the CCM Adult Contemporary chart for four consecutive weeks.[citation needed]
In May 1999, Apon died. He was recognized on the album Arise, My Love, The Very Best of NewSong. This featured 12 of their previous No. 1 hits. It also included two new songs which became No. 1 hits, "Can't Keep A Good Man Down", and "Jesus To The World (Roaring Lambs)", which was inspired by Christian speaker and author Bob Briner, who died later that year. They also had a third new song, "Like Minded, Like Hearted", which NewSong recorded with Out of Eden of Gotee Records.
Lee and Wilbanks left NewSong in 2000. They were replaced by soloist Michael O'Brien, Steve Reischl, and former Truth member, Matt Butler. Songwriter and electric guitarist Leonard Ahlstrom also left later to help a friend manage a recording label in Florida.
Leading up to 2000, NewSong caught the attention of radio personality, DC Daniel (then, of "Steve & DC") and began collaborating on production ideas for future projects. The partnership led to releasing the album Sheltering Tree, in late 2000.
Breakthrough
[edit]
DC, Eddie Carswell and Leonard Ahlstrom penned the bonus track "The Christmas Shoes" for Sheltering Tree, which became a No. 1 mainstream radio hit in a Billboard chart-record three weeks, topping Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart.[citation needed] Shortly after this, Clive Calder shut down the Benson label. NewSong stayed with Zomba Music, on the major Reunion label, and released a full studio Christmas album, The Christmas Shoes, which was nominated in 2003 for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.[citation needed] Along with the title track, the album featured a variety of original Christmas tunes and Christmas classics "O Holy Night". The song's success inspired Christian author Donna VanLiere to write a book based on the song.[4] The book was later made into a TV movie for CBS, called The Christmas Shoes, starring Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, which was released on December 1, 2002.[5]
In 2003, Donna VanLiere released The Christmas Blessing, the second book in the series spawned by "The Christmas Shoes" song. It was later made into a TV movie by CBS. It had an appearance by NewSong, which showed them singing their holiday single "The Christmas Blessing". NewSong also received a Dove Award for Musical of the Year for The Christmas Shoes Musical.[citation needed]
In March 2004, NewSong announced that they were leaving Reunion Records and moving to Integrity Music. In November 2004, NewSong recorded their live worship album and DVD, Rescue: Live Worship at First Baptist Church of Woodstock.[citation needed] The album was officially released in May 2005, and the DVD of the concert came out in September. In November, Wilbanks left to join the group Third Day, and to produce bands. Also in 2005, NewSong was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
In March 2006, O'Brien left to restart his solo career and Drew Cline was asked to fill in. In September, Eddie Carswell, Matt Butler, Billy Goodwin, and guest artist Drew Cline released The Christmas Hope, featuring traditional Christmas carols, NewSong originals, and three songs to complement the book trilogy by Donna VanLiere. In November, The Christmas Shoes movie was released on DVD. The Christmas Hope, the third TV movie installment of the trilogy, was released in December 2008 by CBS.[citation needed]
In March 2007, Christian solo artist Nate Sallie joined NewSong. In April, The Christmas Hope album was nominated for a Dove Award, for Best Christmas Album of the Year.[citation needed] On December 29, 2008, in an email to subscribers of his newsletter, Russ Lee announced that he will be rejoining NewSong as lead vocalist.[citation needed]
Founding member Eddie Middleton died on August 21, 2021.[6]
Discography
[edit]
Albums
[edit]
Year Album Chart positions Label US Christian US US Heat 1981 More Than Music Independent NewSong Alive All the Best 1982 The Son in My Eyes Covenant 1984 The Word Canaan 1986 Trophies of Grace Word 1987 Say Yes! 1989 Light Your World 34 1990 Living Proof 19 DaySpring 1992 One Heart at a Time: The Best of NewSong 1993 All Around the World Benson 1994 People Get Ready 16 1997 Love Revolution 25 1999 Arise My Love: The Very Best of NewSong 25 2000 Live...The Hits Sheltering Tree 5 130 2 2001 The Christmas Shoes 9 113 1 Reunion 2003 More Life 10 172 9 2004 Simply NewSong Provident 2005 The Very Best of NewSong Reunion Rescue: Live Worship 10 15 Integrity 2006 The Christmas Hope 25 5 2009 Give Yourself Away 10 149 5 HHM 2011 One True God 1 27 2013 Swallow the Ocean 3 65 2015 Faithful: Live Worship 3 88 Integrity 2016 The Best Christmas Ever — — HHM 2018 Greatest Hits[7] — — HHM 2020 Just Jesus[8] — — HHM
Singles
[edit]
Year Single Chart Positions Album US AC US US Country US Christ 2000 "The Christmas Shoes" 1 42 31 20 Sheltering Tree 2004 "When God Made You" 33 — — — More Life 2012 "The Same God" — — — 25 One True God 2017 "I Am a Christian" — — — — Just Jesus[8] 2018 "Down" — — — — "Bright" — — — — "Glue" — — — — "Already Loved"
(featuring Tedashii) — — — — "Shine" — — — — "Look Up" — — — —
References
[edit] | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 40 | https://philippians1v21.wordpress.com/why-believe-in-jesus/why-christianity-is-not-a-religion/ | en | Why Christianity is NOT a Religion | [
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] | null | [] | 2008-01-11T07:37:10+00:00 | The way to be right with God in every religion is by earning your way. It is based on works, not grace. Christianity is different from every religion in this aspect: all other religions (including Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) state that you must earn the right to be reconciled with God. It is by… | en | https://s1.wp.com/i/favicon.ico | Philippians1v21 | https://philippians1v21.wordpress.com/why-believe-in-jesus/why-christianity-is-not-a-religion/ | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 15 | https://www.liberty.edu/news/2023/01/27/liberty-universitys-seven-hills-worship-releases-first-single-under-new-music-label/ | en | Liberty University’s Seven Hills Worship releases first single under new music label | [
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] | null | [] | 2023-01-27T00:00:00 | Liberty University has launched a new music label, Seven Hills Entertainment, and has released a single from the label’s first artist, Seven Hills Worship, an assembly of students and alumni from different music groups and schools across the university who... | en | https://www.liberty.edu/favicon.ico | Liberty News | https://www.liberty.edu/news/2023/01/27/liberty-universitys-seven-hills-worship-releases-first-single-under-new-music-label/ | Liberty University has launched a new music label, Seven Hills Entertainment, and has released a single from the label’s first artist, Seven Hills Worship, an assembly of students and alumni from different music groups and schools across the university who are carrying on the worship tradition that has always been fundamental to Liberty.
Working directly with top professionals in the Christian music industry, Seven Hills Worship has a main purpose to spread the hope of the Gospel around the world through powerful music that lifts up our Savior Jesus Christ and unites churches and communities in His Name.
The first single, “Christ in Me,” is now available on all streaming platforms. The song, written by Ed Cash, Jeff Johnson, Brett Younker, and Melodie Malone, and recorded and produced from Liberty’s campus nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, captures the new life that Christians have as they live in the freedom that is found in surrendering to the Savior.
Seven Hills Worship plans to release five more tracks from the live worship recording, including three written by Liberty students, every four to six weeks until the release of a full EP scheduled this summer.
“Christ in Me” was a collaboration with two-time Grammy Award-winning producer Kyle Lee, best known for his work with CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith, Gateway Worship, Mack Brock, Micah Tyler, and TobyMac. Lee has produced numerous live worship albums, including Smith’s “Surrounded,” Sinach’s “Waymaker,” and Winans’ “Believe for it.”
“I don’t think the world needs (just) another worship album or more songs,” Lee said during a recent visit to Liberty. “I think what the world needs is more honest expression from a vulnerable, honest place. The best places to get those moments are definitely with students.”
Lee worked on the album alongside Greg Ham, owner of one:eight entertainment and former president of Forefront Records; Jonathan Sell, music industry executive; Al Denson, a former Christian recording artist and music industry executive who serves as Liberty’s commercial music industry liaison; and Liberty’s Director of Product Development and Communications John Forystek.
Ham has worked with talents such as ColdPlay, Janet Jackson, KT Tunstall, Smith, Winans, and many more. Sell, who is known for his work with Lauren Daigle, Jordan Feliz, Danny Gokey, Mandisa, Passion, Rend Collective, and many others, worked closely with Lee and spearheaded A&R, scouting talent and overseeing the artistic development of the album. He was formerly director of A&R at Capitol Records and Centricity Music.
For 50 years, Liberty has been known as a university built on a firm Christian foundation where praise and worship is paramount and where students and alumni have regularly shared their God-given musical talents to impact the world as Champions for Christ. Seven Hills Worship and the new label exist to advance that mission. Liberty alumni who have led the way include TobyMac, Michael Tait, and Meredith Andrews.
Seven Hills Worship is giving students a chance to be a part of a unique, dynamic experience with wide-ranging impact.
“Seven Hills will build upon a long legacy of praise and worship out of Liberty, impacting the world for Christ like no other school has,” said Liberty Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Scott Hicks. “Our students are not only gaining valuable, hands-on experience in creating and producing music before they graduate, but they’re also learning, more importantly, how God can use them in a big way to bring others to Him, our ultimate calling.”
The Seven Hills name was derived from two cities known for their seven landmark hills — Lynchburg, which has long been called “The Hill City,” and Rome, which carries significance in the history of the church. Lynchburg will be the city where the label’s Gospel-centered music is recorded before it evangelizes to the world just as the Apostle Paul evangelized to the Roman empire and neighboring regions. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 17 | https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Authentic_Music_The_corporate_convolutions_of_a_UK_Christian_music_company/35915/p1/ | en | Authentic Music: The corporate convolutions of a UK Christian music company | [
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"Bible Study"... | null | [] | null | Tony Cummings charts the headspinning history of Herald Records/Word (UK)/Nelson Word/Word Entertainment/Authentic Music and quizzed Authentic Music's Gareth Russell | /favicon.ico | null | Tony Cummings charts the headspinning history of Herald Records/Word (UK)/Nelson Word/Word Entertainment/Authentic Music and quizzed Authentic Music's Gareth Russell
Authentic Music is one of the big guns in British Christian music. Down the decades it has undergone name changes, buy-outs and important executive departures not to mention an ever-changing music catalogue that at some point in its history has released albums by just about every major figure in British and American Christian music. As with the ways of business connected to serving the needs of Christians, Authentic's history has been packed with twists and turns. Although Authentic Music, an offshoot of Authentic Media, didn't begin to operate under that name until 2002, its history goes back way, way before that. Back to the early 1950s, in fact. Authentic's earliest origins began when Scotsman Bill Hamilton began working for a Christian book publisher, Pickering Inglis. Identifying that just about no one was recording the church choirs and sacred soloists in Britain's churches he started Britain's first Christian label, Redemption Records, at first releasing the music emanating from the first Billy Graham Crusades in Britain in 1951. At the time of the Crusades, Bill met another Christian music entrepreneur, American Jarrell McCracken, who as a student at Baylor University had made a recording of a radio programme called Game Alive which likened the Christian life to a game of American football. It became so popular that some records were pressed up and Word Inc of Waco, Texas was born.
Hamilton and McCracken hit it off and co-produced some recordings together. Throughout the '50s Word and Redemption continued operation but where Word had a huge potential marketplace with American churchgoers and grew steadily down the years, Redemption, with a much smaller quantity of UK churchgoers, struggled to keep going. In 1960 Bill Hamilton, after working with Scotland's pioneering Livingston Recordings, moved to London and started the Herald record label, releasing a string of EPs and long players. But despite leasing some of Word's ever increasing catalogue of albums and occasionally recording a British artist or choir, Herald still found it difficult to survive and in 1967 they were part of a group that went into liquidation. But then Word picked up the pieces of that receivership and Word (UK) was born. Throughout the rest of the '60s and the '70s Word (UK), owned by its American parent, grew, particularly as the music started to change, gradually inching away from the George Beverly Shea, Frank Boggs and the Billy Graham Crusade Choir big sellers to take on board some of the contemporary styles kick-started by America's Jesus movement of the early '70s, with acts like singer/songwriter Nancy Honeytree and Barry McGuire. By the mid-'70s Word (UK) were releasing albums by British acts like The Alethians (with Dave Pope) and Nutshell as well as LPs by American artists like 2nd Chapter Of Acts, Andrae Crouch and Larry Norman leased from US companies like Sparrow, Light and Solid Rock Records. Bill Hamilton retired as managing director of Word (UK) passing the reins to his son Ian Hamilton. By the early '80s Word (UK) were the big fish in the small UK Christian music pond. UK acts like Bryn Haworth rubbed shoulders in the LP racks with the US best sellers from Evie, Amy Grant and Petra. By 1984 Word (UK) book publishing division was reformed and the following year TV's Rock Gospel Show catapulted Sheila Walsh to the status of CCM star.
In 1986 Word (UK) moved to their Milton Keynes offices with Cliff Richard opening the complex. The following year the Word Record Club, by now a key part of Word (UK) sales strategy, was revamped with an advertorial "magazine," Premier. Also in 1987 a British act signed to Word briefly made the British pop charts but amid accusations of chart hyping the Sue Rinaldi-fronted Heartbeat never quite made it in the mainstream. In 1988 Word (UK) began distribution of the quickly expanding praise and worship catalogue Integrity Music while a year later one of the most prestigious performances ever by a British CCM act took place when Adrian Snell performed his Alpha And Omega best seller at the Royal Albert Hall with a 700 voice choir.
Not everything was a success for Word, of course. Their launch in 1990 of hard music mailorder offshoot Metal Direct quickly floundered but in the same year Word (UK) could announce that thanks to sublicensing arrangements with record companies around the world, over 50 per cent of Word (UK)'s sales were now overseas. In 1991 Word signed a licensing deal with CCM newcomer Warner Alliance (The Winans, Take 6) and Amy Grant's 'Heart In Motion' was a record breaking pop and CCM best seller. But corporate problems were ahead. The company that had risen from a one-man-and-a-secretary company during the Bill Hamilton era to a seemingly thriving international business with over 60 UK employees had stood firm when parent company Word Inc was sold to the secular media giant ABC who in turn passed on ownership to the spinoff ABC/Capcities. But then Word Inc, which had risen to become world's largest Christian record company, was bought for $72 million by Thomas Nelson, the world's biggest Bible publisher.
Word (UK) were renamed Nelson Word. But in less than a year the company was stunned by the announcement that Ian Hamilton (managing director), Dave Withers (marketing director) and David Bruce (A&R director) were all leaving Nelson Word to form a new company and would be taking with them the American catalogues of Sparrow Records, Warner Alliance, Star Song and Brentwood Music. To lose all three of its top executives and the source of half its lucrative American repertoire was a shattering blow to Nelson Word. But they struggled on, appointed a new managing director, Graham Williams, formerly the founder and managing director of South Africa's Grace Music, and, as the year progressed, enjoyed healthy sales with Ron Kenoly's 'God Is Able' (from Integrity Music) and Amy Grant's 'House Of Love' (Amy coming to Britain to play UK gigs in the autumn). By 1995 the company was beginning to make up some ground again, picking up the catalogues of the new Gotee (Johnny Q Public, Christafari) and Rugged (Bride) US labels. But it still seemed, for a period at least, that Alliance had the strongest roster of US artists as well as establishing UK acts like The World Wide Message Tribe, while Kingsway Music were now firmly established as Britain's praise and worship market leader.
In December 1996 there were more corporate convulsions in the USA when Thomas Nelson sold Word Records & Music for $110 million to multimedia company Gaylord Entertainment. So once again the UK arm were forced to change names. They became Word Entertainment Ltd. By 1977 the UK arm were enjoying some big sellers with albums like The Preacher's Wife soundtrack featuring Whitney Houston while the following year British acts like Maire Brennan and Eden's Bridge were coming through with strong Christian retail sales. By 1999 Word Entertainment were getting their biggest ever African American gospel sales with Kirk Franklin. In the summer of 2000 Word Entertainment's music director Jonathan Brown left the company to run Fierce!/Furious?, the company owned by the Littlehampton rock band who'd quickly become Britain's most popular Christian act, Delirious?. Shortly afterwards Carlisle-based Send The Light (STL), for many years the big player in the distribution of Christian books and music as well as the operator of the Wesley Owen network of Christian retail outlets, announced their intention of buying Word Entertainment Ltd. As it turned out, the label was allowed to keep its Milton Keynes HQ. And as 2000 drew to a close Word were enjoying good sales with Hillsong's 'Shout To The Lord' and a various artists sampler 'Fresh' (though that was going out at the bargain price of 99p).
In 2001 Word Entertainment launched a new contemporary label, Focus, run by New Zealand-born Shelley Needham. But after a high profile launch in Milton Keynes toting the first three releases from Britain's Riverdeep and Phatfish and Norway's Salvation Street, the label fizzled out and Shelley returned to New Zealand. It was still overseas repertoire from acts like Hillsong ('You Are My World') and Mary Mary ('Thankful') who were providing Word Entertainment with their big sellers. In January 2002 the company underwent yet another name change, Authentic Media. By the end of the year the new name company were enjoying Christian retail "hits" with Michael W Smith, Hillsong and the Heart Of Worship series of worship cover versions. But then another corporate realignment occurred when at the end of 2002 Send The Light (STL) bought Alliance Music, the company started by Ian Hamilton and which for a season had threatened to surpass Authentic's UK Christian market share but which had floundered when it lost much of its American catalogue when EMI Christian Music Group left Alliance and placed their catalogue in the hands of Kingsway Music. Executives David Bruce and David Withers completed the circle and returned to Milton Keynes, Bruce to run Alliance as a UK artist label of Authentic. The new alignment brought UK acts like thebandwithnoname and Nicki Rogers under the Authentic banner while CCM-into-worship acts like Phatfish and Michael W Smith were selling well as were the WoW compilations.
But then in the summer of 2005 yet another body blow struck Authentic. One of the major sources of American Christian music, Provident-Integrity Distribution, with a vast catalogue of such acts as Michael W Smith, Third Day, Kirk Franklin, Maranatha! Music and Fred Hammond switched from Authentic to the UK arm of Integrity Music who up until that time had worked exclusively in the worship music field. Like a repeat of the Word (UK)/Alliance Music scenario of 1992, the company's US catalogue was decimated. In 2007 the veteran Word/Alliance/Authentic execs David Bruce and David Withers retired. The replacement for Withers, by then the MD for Authentic Media, surprised the Christian media world. In October the head of STL Keith Danby announced that the new managing director of Authentic Media was to be Gareth Russell, at 28 the youngest ever MD of a major Christian publishing house and music company.
Through the long corporate tangle of Word/Authentic's history, the company's ability to bounce back from the loss of key personnel and major catalogues has been impressive. As I write this, I see that such products as Hillsong, the ACM Gospel Choir, the Ultimate Worship box set, 'Wow Hits 2009' and 'Hip Hope 2009' are all registering on UK Christian retail's best sellers chart. Clearly there is still much mileage left in the company initiated in such humble surroundings by Bill Hamilton all those decades ago. Recently I had a chance to interview Authentic Media's MD, Gareth Russell. Here is some of that interview.
Tony: We are reading at the moment a huge amount about a crisis in the music industry with dramatically falling sales. How are Authentic currently finding the situation?
Gareth: There is no doubt that we are currently experiencing very turbulent times. However, I think it is important to note that the industry is not dying, it is just changing. There is change at a macro level with the economy and the stability of financial institutions; there is change at a music industry level where the format of how people want to buy music and consume it is shifting towards downloads; there is change also within our subsection of the music industry, with consolidation and restructuring; and there is also change at the consumer level and what their tastes are and buying habits.
At Authentic we have been asking some key strategic questions of ourselves and how we should best approach these changes. There is no doubt that sales have fallen significantly in the last 5 years, but I think it is important for us not just to sit back, but to look for new markets and new sales channels to help introduce our music to new consumers (and eventually fans!).
Tony: What would you say to Christian retailers tempted to dramatically cut back on their stock of albums?
Gareth: I can understand that when a retailer has a limited space they are most likely to cut the genres that are underperforming and stock up on those "quick wins" - especially in a recession. However, I also believe that retailers need to be planning on how best to impact the next generation of consumers looking for faith-based product. There is no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of 10-20 year olds are influenced more by the music they listen to (and the films they watch) than by the books they read. This is not to say we should not be encouraging that generation to read more, but we must also meet these consumers where they are at and if retailers were to cut back significantly on album stocks, I think they will find this to be a short term gain but in the long term would lose a key connection point with their next generation of consumers. | ||||||
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 77 | http://www.lucywoodward.com/news | en | News — LUCY WOODWARD | https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52c456a3e4b07ef824cc498b/e265bcb5-e189-4fd4-a4df-86f78429de2f/favicon.ico?format=100w | https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52c456a3e4b07ef824cc498b/e265bcb5-e189-4fd4-a4df-86f78429de2f/favicon.ico?format=100w | [
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] | null | [] | 2024-04-11T00:00:00 | en | https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52c456a3e4b07ef824cc498b/e265bcb5-e189-4fd4-a4df-86f78429de2f/favicon.ico?format=100w | LUCY WOODWARD | http://www.lucywoodward.com/news | It started off on a tinkling piano one day and morphed into a musical explosion the next. The project came out of lots of conversations between me and arranger/composer Louk Boudesteijn and I of “how ARE we gonna we do this?”. We wanted musical warriors and every person in this group is a beast. So when we didn’t have a project title for the project, we realized on day 1 of rehearsal it could ONLY be The Rocketeers.
It’s a little mad, layered and super rich. It was recorded live. But my soul is soothed by the end. It’s a jazz orchestra. Or a Big Band. Or none of those two things but inspired by everything from them. I want to be a part of moving that genre forward. I sing in a lot of jazz orchestras in Europe and well, I wanted my own - simply put! This was no easy task. You can’t just lightly toss a project like this together like a summer salad. It took months and months of dozens of highly caffeinated conversations and arranging. It’s different than anything I’ve ever done and as an artist trying to align with her soul in today’s world. This felt like that path.
Out on GroundUP. Listen all digital stores Buy CD/vinyl
FRAY the story: A visual deep dive into the delicate thread that holds love together, and how that same thread which bonds us can also be the source of our unraveling.
This is a film based on the story of an “unraveling” set in the landscape of music and lyrics written by Lucy Woodward & David Garza, in a song that was recorded at Sonic Ranch at the border of Texas and Mexico. The story opens up a conversation between the head and the heart, the heart being the wiser of the two. We witness the dialogue and dance unfold, as the head speaks in threads of ice blue, and the heart in threads of fiery orange.
It features Lucy dancing and entangled in thread, along with two dancers who have their own conversation with the thread as they are wrapped in a sweater made-for-two. The sweater is the centerpiece of the film, as it represents the heart and was designed and knitted to be “pulled” and unraveled in one take. It was directed, conceptualized and choreographed by Caroline Le Duc, who is also featured as one of the main dancers of the film. It also features renowned dancer and movement artist, Baptista Kawa who is a performing artist in Jacob Jonas The Company.
As Lucy attempts to wrap up and pack the different pieces of herself and a complicated love into boxes, she gets tangled in the truth, that love remains complexly intertwined … even when it’s unraveled. She observes the two dancers, that are moving in and out of connection, within the sweater made of the thread that binds them. Lucy not only observes the dancers and witnesses her own unraveling reflected in theirs, but more profoundly, she is the one pulling the thread.
I HAD A WILD YEAR. I sang at the Tunisia Opera House and learned how to bargain with locals at the rug market. I also learned quickly that I was not particularly good at this. Vendors were quite aware of this, too and probably pitied me. Started a crazy, wild and beautiful Big Band in Europe, my 2023 adventure, where vocally I am the most colorful and expressive I have ever been. The US Embassy brought me in to work with young, devoted singers in cities such as beautiful Athens (this is really the way to learn about a culture). I sang in Romania (above photo) with 103°F fever (had Covid and didn't know it) but as Bette and Judy say, the show must go on (watch soundcheck in Romania!). Can't summarize the following quickly but: I volunteered at the Poland/Ukraine border cooking food for refugees when the war started last April. This journey was one that stuck with me the longest; still does. I think I experienced PTSD in the weeks that followed and it certainly changed my perspective on just about everything. I learned about bravery, the human spirit and how to make bread pudding for 1000 people (can’t even make bread pudding for 1). I kept thinking I would write about the kitchen but I felt I had to sort of go inward more than outward if that makes sense. Maybe one day.
I just got the Master back for my 5th solo album. I listened to it twice, on 2 different headphones and 2 locations - once in my house in pajamas with coffee and the other on my bike as I casually zipped around town. One listen-through is intense, zoned in, eyes closed. The other is taking in the environment. Bridges opening and closing over canals, construction site jackhammers, babies crying.
Am I background music? Do I command attention? I have no clue. But once I sign off on this album, I will never listen to it again. I’ve always done that. I don’t know if that’s weird or common. I think I read that Joni Mitchell does the same thing so I ain’t that crazy…
I call this Music and Bravery because it is scary putting out an album. Terrifying, actually. This now means that people can criticize you! Bash your songs! Compare you to others! The trolls come out! Yay! (I have the best trolls ever, by the way). I know now that it’s just a part of the industry fabric and I’ve sure as hell gotten used to it. But I’m going to try and be courageous and not invite that fear in this time round ‘cause ya look for it, it’s gonna come find ya.
I am planning to go to the Ukraine/Poland border this week (Przemysl to be exact) to volunteer with World Central Kitchen. I don’t know if it’s stupid or brave. But it’s in my heart so as of today, my flight is booked. I will chop vegetables and stir soup for 6 hours if I have to. I sometimes get a bit woozy with slight trepidation about going but I’m keeping an eye on every news pop-up and will decide based on what I feel the morning of my flight.
Putting an album out and going into a war zone are both terrifying. And for the record, I know I don’t NEED to say this because you are intelligent people reading this: I am not comparing an album release to a war. Every image of a Ukrainian refugee slices my heart. A life boiled down to what they can fit in their backpack. What would I carry in my backpack if this was my time to run in search of a new life? So, yeah. I am thinking about my fears today and what I’m willing to put on the line. How will I put one foot in front of the other…
There is a girl next to me in a coffee shop selfie-ing away. I wonder what her bravery is behind that sassy lip gloss. At the next table, 3 girls in hijabs and Converse high tops are giggling contagiously over dessert. I wonder what their bravery is. This new album is full of songs about all of these girls. How I’ve related to them in my life growing up in NYC, on tour in Europe or watching them live a different kind of life on one of my trips to Kenya. I’m singing about all of their/our bravery.
I’m going to get on my bike home now and maaaybe have 1 or 2 more listens to the new Master. This *might* be a good sign that I *think* I love my new album (did I just say that?) and for the first time in years, I am not as critical of my voice and the stories I sing. That’s my little sliver of bravery for today. Tomorrow it will hopefully be something else.
Photo by Caroline Le Duc | |||
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] | null | [] | null | en | https://whitewingmessenger.net/2015/03/newsong-releases-faithful-live-worship-recording/ | Singer Russ Lee talks about process behind the recording and the state of the band
Faithful, a collection of new worship songs by veteran music group NewSong, releases today. The album includes the catchy acoustic-led title track, a contemporary version of “Rock of Ages” and the bouncy “Bride of Christ,” among others. Singer-songwriter Russ Lee recently discussed some of the process behind the record.
Faithful is a live worship record, right?
The songs are all live. The album is all live. There were a few guides when we did the recording. We played over the top of it. When you travel on the road with people like Matt Butler, Mark, Rico, they make it sound really good. We’re working with Nathan Nockels, who’s a genius.
Where did the idea for a new worship album originate?
We started thinking about a new project. Integrity approached us about a new project. They kept talking about Rescue, that we did years ago. Some of the songs we’ve done that have endured are those songs. We’re all worship leaders at heart. We’re all worshippers at heart. Billy Goodwin was one. That was our background. It made sense for us to do a worship album. We were doing “How Great Thou Art” and “Rescue.” We loved the idea of working with Integrity again. They know what they’re doing, with a passion. The guys with David C. Cook and the guys from Ireland. We just love their heart, their passion for worship. We met them in Colorado last year and fell in love with them. We wanted to write some of the songs and find some strong songs coming to the church, like “Creed” and songs like that.
With several lead vocalists, how do you decide who’s doing what?
We get in a room and start rehearsing and feel the song out. For instance, the song “Make a Way,” Matt has a daughter who came through difficulty and he’s got such a great testimony of God’s faithfulness. Not all of us have a story. We all need that hope. I may write a song and feel that it would be better for someone else to sing. Everything sounds great for Billy Goodwin to sing. He’s definitely the original voice of NewSong. I end up singing a lot of the songs that I write on, because I may have the vision. We feel it out in rehearsals. We make that turn and see where it lands. It’s nice on a worship album to be part of a collaborative effort because this music is not centered on us anyway. What really matters is what God wants to happen. Let’s see where this sits. If Matt Butler is singing, we figure out how to accentuate what he’s doing. It’s just us trying to be sensitive.
This core group has been in place for a while now.
I came back in 2009 and been here since. Matt’s been here for a while. It was the same four guys for 12 years. Michael O’Brien. Then they were kind of in transition looking for that person that was a fit onstage. You really learn the personalities of the people you’re working with. We feel like a band of brothers moving forward. Christ is the center of what we do. It helps us in those moments when we’re tired. It helps us because we remember it’s not about us anyway. We’ve made the decision to really pull for each other and because of that, we celebrate each other’s victories. We’re closer than family in a lot of ways. That’s one of the reasons that NewSong has endured.
When I came back, I didn’t really want to do it and God spoke to my heart, “What if it’s not about what you want to do? What if it’s coming and lifting up Billy and Eddie’s arms? – Is there a better place to be than alongside someone who’s been a champion and a legacy?” They may be experienced but musically they’re growing and they’re open to what God wants to do. Because of that, Eddie and Billy hold NewSong with open hands, not closed fists. When I came on, Billy Goodwin was the lead singer for so long but he shared that with others. It’s that mentality that helps us. . . being in a group and being able to throw the ball to someone who can carry it to the end zone.
What else can you tell us about the record?
There’s a lot of different musical ideas and faces on the record. I wrote the song “Faithful” with All Sons and Daughters. It just reminded me that you and I are alive because of the faithfulness of God. We started writing that song. All the songs we recorded were the result of what God was doing through us. We live in a day when Christians need to know what they believe. All of these songs were either born out of relationship, we’d written with Elias of City Harmonic before, he’s very intelligent. he walked into the room and we love City Harmonic. He wrote a song with us on the last record called “Could It Be?” He played guitar on this writing session. The whole process of this album was really fun. We love the local church. We’ve always been involved and very connected to the local church. We’re on the same mission and same commission.
—DeWayne Hamby
Watch the video for the lead single, “Faithful,” below:
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 98 | https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/tyler-childers/tyler-childers-new-single-in-your-love | en | Tyler Childers Gives Flowers to Queer Love in Video For New Song “In Your Love” | [
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] | null | [
"Matt Mitchell"
] | 2023-07-28T17:17:26+00:00 | Watch the music video for "In Your Love," Tyler Childers' beautiful ballad about two coal miners in love, here. | en | Paste Magazine | https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/tyler-childers/tyler-childers-new-single-in-your-love | If you don’t know who Tyler Childers is by now, the only explanation must be that you’re absent from social media. The Kentucky-bred singer/songwriter has taken the world by storm ever since the release of his 2020 album Long Violent History, especially on TikTok, where thousands and thousands of users have posted clips of his live performances. Childers is far from just an internet sensation, though. Long before TikTok got its legs, he was making some of the most essential modern country music. His 2017 album Purgatory, in particular, is a platinum-certified record produced by Sturgill Simpson.
In the wake of the “go woke, go broke” movement employed by right-wing country artists who have seemingly forgotten where the roots of the genre stemmed from, Childers is an artist who maintains the same integrity that was bestowed upon him by outlaw and folk forefathers like Willie Nelson, John Prine, Waylon Jennings and Townes Van Zandt. Childers makes records that stay true to the rebellious, blue-collar, love-thy-neighbor ethos set in stone decades ago. I’ve always been a fan of Childers because he, like myself, is an Appalachian man from a rural town.
Country music has been in the news quite a bit this year, whether it’s because of the once-cancelled Morgan Wallen’s dominance on the mainstream charts, or because of Jason Aldean’s pathetic attempt at turning small town pride into a manifesto on enacting violence against anyone who doesn’t fit into a pre-determined mold—aka a straight, white, cis male body. For reference, Aldean was born in Macon, Georgia, a town of over 157,000 people. I was born in a town of 3,500 people. Childers originates from a town of less than 5,000 people. I think it’s a shame that Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. But then again, a guy like Wallen, who makes some of most cookie-cutter, saturated and heartless pop-country has seen his song “Last Night” sit at #1 for a total of 14 weeks this year already. So what do I know, I guess.
But, if you have only spent your days on TikTok, you’d think that all of those accolades belonged to a guy like Childers, whose songs “Jersey Giant” and “Feathered Indians” are damn-near inescapable. Nearly every video gets 50,000 likes and a couple-hundred-thousand views each time, it seems. In my opinion, Childers is the most essential mainstream country musician working right now.
Which brings us to this week, as Childers has announced his brand new album, Rustin’ in the Rain. Lead single “In Your Love” is a beautiful ballad about two men who are in love with each other against all odds. Childers enlisted Kentucky poet laureate Silas House to write the video for “In Your Love,” which turned into a depiction of two coal miners who want to be with each other at a time when no one wants them together. Despite the video being a period piece, much of the turmoils and joys it reflects still intersect in 2023.
This isn’t the first time a country or folk artist in recent memory has bent his own light to that of marginalized romance. In 2021, Chris Acker put out “Nick and Joe,” an epic story of 40-year love shared between two men who’ve migrated from Texas all the way to the Bayou. It’s one of the best folk songs of the last five years. It might feel like a risk taken by Childers to release a single like “In Your Love” at a time when his stardom has never been greater and country music fans have never been more eager to embrace anti-humanity tropes. But every Childers fan I know is a decent person who values the rights and freedoms of others.
I’m sure there are fans of his out there who will watch “In Your Love” and never stream one of his songs again, because, sometimes, folks cannot open their hearts to any piece of writing that goes against the grain of bloated, propagandizing, post-9/11 country music. To have Childers put out such an empathetic, beautiful music video mere days after Aldean’s video (that takes place at a notorious lynching site) alienated millions is the righting of the ship we’ve all desperately hoped would arrive.
There’s no way, of course, that any of this was calculated by Childers. The time it takes to write, film and edit a music video is much, much longer than the time that’s passed since Aldean released his video. But, the work House and Childers do here is deeply touching, cinematic, honest, heartbreaking and urgent. He recently spoke with NPR and revealed that his cousin was a huge inspiration for him writing the song and making the video. Childers wanted that cousin, a gay man from Northern Kentucky, to have something on CMT that represented his own life.
Childers’ use of coal miners is special to me, too, as a queer man with an entire lineage from West Virginia. There is something deftly moving about seeing a familiar romance depicted in an industry that defined the lands my family grew up on. “In Your Love” is not the political agenda that naysayers will spin it into. It’s a human story told by one of our very best songwriters. There’s no hidden message of ill-will or violence, just a connection between two people who have a cord between their hearts in Appalachia—something Morgan Wallen and Jason Aldean know nothing about. “It’s a long, hard war,” Childers sings. “Ah, but I can grin and bare it, ’cause I know what the hell I’m fighting for. And I will wait for you.” I think we can all find something to hold onto within that.
Watch the music video for “In Your Love” below. Rustin’ in the Rain arrives September 8 via Hickman Holler Records. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 61 | https://www.theblueindian.com/albumreviews/john-mark-mcmillans-the-medicine/ | en | John Mark McMillan's "The Medicine" | [
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"Holly Etchison"
] | 2010-07-06T01:51:16+00:00 | "I believe it is one of the most important recordings I have had the privilege to hear in my lifetime thus far. It is the stuff of revolution, revelation." -HE | https://www.theblueindian.com/wp-content/themes/blue_indian/images/favicon.ico | The Blue Indian | https://www.theblueindian.com/albumreviews/john-mark-mcmillans-the-medicine/ | It was 2002. I was at a Christian conference. At the end of one evening, someone announced that a guy named John Mark was coming onstage. An unassuming looking guy sort of stood in the corner tuning his guitar. Suddenly sounds I had not heard from that stage or on any in such a venue began to emanate thruout the room; I began to think of the early 80s LA punk scene. As John Mark began to sing “Hey won’t you come around”, a raw song casually asking God to show up, it was as if lines of electricity were coursing thru the place. Everyone began singing together: young people, older people, ladies with bedazzled shirts and coiffed hairdos, kids wearing ripped up jeans and hoodies. It seemed God had not just stopped by, he had busted the door down, and he was there for everyone.
The year 2010 finds John Mark McMillan three albums down the road on his musical journey and it seems that his most recent music, like the wine at the Cana wedding, is the best saved for the last. With the re-release of 2008’s The Medicine on Integrity records, John Mark and his band (comprised of James Duke on guitar, Lee Worley on drums, Shae Wooten and Jon Duke on bass) are on the map as never before. The album includes four bonus tracks, including a new studio version of “How he loves,” an anthemic worship song that has become somewhat synonymous with the artist himself and is being sung in churches nationwide and rerecorded by several prominent artists. Another new song “My Only,” rerecorded off of a previous record, is reason enough to purchase The Medicine, or purchase it again. Transcendent, fluid, lifting- the strings and vocals carry you away from worries to a higher place. “Carolina Tide” is another keeper. At moments I was glad Springsteen wrote “I’m on Fire,” at others I was comforted to hear “the shore don’t care who you were before . . . you know we’re not the same.”
But what of the original tracks? The album’s opener “Reckoning Day” serves as a proclamation for what’s ahead with its Ohio-esque death march guitar and drumbeat. Quizzical lines begin filling the airwaves, stuff about lions, guns in the sand, and the admonition to come alive. A longer listen and you observe songwriting at its best. Images like “the hour taking you apart” and “the property lines of your heart drawn in the clay” evoke scriptural notions to know where you stand, that it should be not of this earth, that your heart should belong somewhere else. A crescendo of sounds and words wakes you from a slumber you had not knowingly entered:
Lift up your head
Oh you gate
Lift up your eyes
All you who wait
Daughter and son
Ashes and dust
Come untied from the weight of the age.
“Skeleton bones,“ rousing and rolling, brings to mind Ezekiel and his army of dry bones, and revisits this concept of gates- that we are somehow a kind of gate through which resplendent glory may enter and be released again, and that in this act we adore and crown him as lord of all. Represented resplendently by the guitar playing of James Duke, one begins to realize that in all this talk of blood, bones, ashes, dust and death, John Mark is presenting a gospel that’s very much alive and is beckoning us from graveyards of pews, coffee shops, bars, modern buildings with mirrored windows in which we have comfortably dwelt, sinewless.
The poetically rich “Death in his grave” continues this trend, laying the message of the cross bare. As in many of the songs, a beautifully sung bridge arrives seemingly out of nowhere, serving to connect the heart of its listeners to the concepts:
He has cheated
Hell and seated
Us above the fall
In desperate places
He paid our wages
One time once and for all.
There are lighter moments, like the title track, “The Medicine,” a jaunty bar band rocker, and the Paul Westerbergish “Belly of the Lion,” which seems to pop up out of nowhere. The action in these moments gets a little distracted for me, though the songs in and of themselves are solid and in keeping thematically with the album. The singer seems to be sharing his burden: “I’m wide awake, and there’s blood on the promenade.”
Things seem to grow more personal on songs like the plaintive “Carbon Ribs” and the narrative “Philadelphia.” In “Carbon Ribs,” the singer admits the weariness in connecting heart to head, that even in knowing spiritual truths, the realities of life here reveal our crippled weaknesses. The author recognizes himself a mere shell; now residing is a ghost that’s holy, that will one day be free to go to the place it desires above any other, a haunting refrain repeats almost in a loving whisper: “And I sit beside you.”
Reminiscent in theme of one of my favorite Springsteen songs, “Bobby Jean,” and in sound to one of his best albums, “Nebraska,” the track entitled, “Philadelphia” is the story of a friend who’s grown unreachable. The title connection to the city of brotherly love is unmistakable; that it could also hearken to the church in Revelation 3:7 that Jesus admonishes to “hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown” is pure conjecture on my part. Regardless, the pain is palpable at the end, as the singer yells, “you’re never gonna run away from what you’re hanging around your head.”
“Out of the Ground” is truly a stand-out moment, almost deserving to be put in a category all its own. The senses are resurrected with the best of the new wave rockers: James’s fingers fly with agility over chords that are otherworldy, the drums pound into your very core. John Mark proclaims “One by one, come undone, come alive, COME ALIVE!.” We can shake off the dust; we are given flight, at least for the song’s duration. And then, with the steady, folkish “Ten Thousand,” we’re alone again with John Mark and his guitar. We can sing gently like a bride who knows her worth “world I’ve overcome you by my song and the blood of a son . . . breathing like a choir of holes in the ground.”
In the end, while mostly a seamless collection of great tunes, the Medicine also serves as a vibrant message to a weary people: it confirms what I began to think in 2002–there is more here than meets the eye. It is something of a reminder: God uses what some might deem foolish- young guys who may feel like social misfits, who think “Born to Run” is probably the best album ever made, who find themselves standing on a stage in a smoky nightclub, yelling, virtually, “Prepare ye the way”; a man dying on a cross to announce victory over death to the world. The Medicine is essential music for a time of nonessentials. I believe it is one of the most important recordings I have had the privilege to hear in my lifetime thus far. It is the stuff of revolution, revelation. Sung aloud, a fire brand is placed to our lips and we may cry like the prophet of old: “Here am I, send me.”
–Holly Etchison, July 5, 2010 | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 94 | https://archive.org/details/pure-heart-album | en | Pure Heart (Lenny LeBlanc; 1991) : Integrity Media : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive | [
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] | null | [] | null | (c)1991 Integrity MusicPure Heart marked Lenny LeBlanc's debut as a lead vocalist with Integrity Music (though he had been a frequent background vocalist)... | en | Internet Archive | https://archive.org/details/pure-heart-album | Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 60 | https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2021/10/21/andre-cymone-discusses-princes-controversy | en | Andre Cymone discusses Prince's "Controversy," released 40 years ago this month | [
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] | null | [] | 2021-10-21T00:00:00 | Catch up with Andre Cymone about Prince's "Controversy," as this month marks the 40th anniversary of the album's release, and a new funk record in the works from Cymone. | en | null | Catch up with Andre Cymone about Prince's "Controversy," as this month marks the 40th anniversary of the album's release, and a new funk record in the works from Cymone. Watch a video of the interview above, and check out a full transcript of the conversation below.
Interview Transcript
Edited for clarity and length.
Sean McPherson: You're tuned into Purple Current and The Current and I'm chatting with Andre Cymone. Now Andre is an essential part of the story of Minneapolis music and he continues to tour and release albums, and Andre's story is inextricably linked with the story of Prince and the Minneapolis sound. We're talking today partially because it's the 40th anniversary of the release of "Controversy," and also because I don't need an excuse to reach out to Andre Cymone, the man is a legend. Around the release of "Controversy," Andre had just left the touring group that Prince had put together. But it's a really fertile time to understand about the relationship between these two Minneapolis icons. Andre, thank you so much for spending some time talking today.
ANDRE CYMONE: Thank you for having me. Thank you for reaching out.
I want to revisit that period 1980/1981, the album "Controversy," and when you think about the album, in retrospect, do you think about that album as an outsider who was sort of ready to move on and start your fruitful solo career? Or do you think about it as an insider who had played some of the songs live and been connected with the release--even though by the time it came out you were sort of out of Prince's camp?
Wow, that's a that's a loaded question.
I understand.
You know, I guess if I dial back in my brain, to that time period, I was writing a lot of music for myself at that time. I was doing a lot of--obviously me and Prince had been collaborating, it was first, second and third album, all that kind of stuff. We were very, very much, very involved in writing. And we always had been since our band back in the day, and all that kind of stuff. But this particular record, we definitely--obviously, I was definitely--you can hear it, if you know anything about my bass playing, and if you know anything about my history. My DNA, my bass DNA is all in it. But I will say, with this particular album, because it was midway through this album that I decided to basically take a powder. But midway through it, I was all in it, and looking forward to it, and all that other kind of stuff, and so it was a great time. What I remember about it is just, well, our attitude always was let's go rip everybody's f***ing head off. That's just, you know, and I still have that attitude. I'm sure Prince maintained that attitude, because again, when you go back to our local band, and when we used to do it, that was my attitude. That was always my attitude, that will always be my attitude. Anytime I touch a stage, anytime I pick up a guitar, if anybody's around, I want to excuse my language, but I want to f*** 'em up, I want to blow them off the stage. And if I don't do that, then I should be selling insurance or something. It's nothing against insurance, I'm sure they're wonderful. But if you're going to get into the business of music, you got to be the best, otherwise what's the point? But that was my attitude. That was the spirit, that was always the spirit of every record that I was around and participated in, as far as Prince was concerned. And "Controversy" was no different. The thing about "Controversy" was, it was controversial. I guess it makes sense that it's got controversy, because, I think, to look at it retrospectively is an interesting thing, because it's hard to go back and I've never been, in fact, I get into a lot of trouble about it--but I've never been really precious over songs that I write, because I write so many songs. It's hard to even explain, and I know, probably a lot of people say that, but I don't say that lightly, I really write way too many songs that I would ever be able to think about recording in my lifetime. So when I think about creating songs in that time period, and Prince as well, I mean, the way we wrote and created music back then, was just really special. I'm not sure how other people work, when they work together, especially if they came up in a band and did all the different things that we did from doing demo tapes and all that kind of stuff, and having the woodshed in my mom's basement and all that kind of stuff. You create a way of working, which was generally through jamming. We'd have jam sessions and we'd record them, and then we go back and listen to them, and if something came out of that we'd make it into a song, or if he had an idea he'd say, "Listen, let's jam on this," and if I had an idea we'd say, "Let's jam on that." Then we'd record it and try to see if it had some legs. And I think "Controversy" fell into that, all the records really fell into that kind of process. But "Controversy" definitely fell into it. But I think by the time we got around the "Controversy," I think the first three albums was very kind of...how do you say--innocent, because we were coming from how we used to work. But then it becomes different when there's business people, and then record executives and record deal, then it's comes out, and then it's about people getting credit for stuff and things like that. All that stuff starts to get a little bit different, and I know, for me, as it pertained to Prince, I really didn't care because this is my boy. I had his back, whatever you need, I'm there for you, so it was never an issue. But I think as certain songs surfaced, there was different conversations that started to be had, because people were bringing up things and saying, "Hey, isn't that something?" So it got to be a little interesting, and I only make reference to this as it pertains to "Controversy," because that particular album, a lot of that innocence, and those things kind of came to a head. And I was confronted with the fact that it was a different situation, for me, as a creative. As a bass player, somebody that really took pride in a bass style that I took pride in honing. I mean, my dad was a bass player, so that was something that I really took pride in creating, and everybody that knew at the time--I'd love to be able to take people back to that time period, because if you were around then and you saw Grand Central and you saw us play, you'd understand my role was a lot different than, obviously, when you become somebody's bass player people just know you as, "Oh, you're Prince's bass player." They don't know the backstory, because if you know about our band back then, the people in it, my sister who I brought in, percussionist William Dowdy who I brought in, Morris, obviously, he writes in his book, and just the clear, situation I brought him in. And me and Prince, obviously, everybody's heard the story of us meeting in high school, so I was very, very involved. So I would love to be able to one day, take people back to experience that so they can understand this process, because it's a really interesting process.
But getting back to "Controversy," first of all, I think it's a brilliant record. I've always been super proud of everything and anything Prince does, because, like I said, going back to those days I like to think we were trying to create something special, even our little local band, and it continued. Then when he did his solo thing, I still felt a part of it, because what we started was kind of what culminated in his solo thing. So I've always felt a part of it, and I always felt proud of it. It's just, at some point, you got to go and get on your own thing, especially because I never anticipated that it was going to be anything other than us being a group. I never anticipated being in his band. For the longest time, the first tour I refused to get paid, because I was like, "We were in a band together, why, now that you got this, why should I get paid?" I was doing it for free, then business people say, "But you gotta get paid." They wanted me to sign stuff, and I was like, "I don't sign contracts. This is my friend. I'm not signing." So I ended up not signing any contracts than everybody else. We're different, you know? It was a different kind of reality, and it's nothing against or anything like that. It's just a different kind of relationship. It's interesting, because again, coming back to "Controversy," I think that marks a point in Prince's career and his life, where he sort of sprouted his wings and began to fly kind of on his own. I think all of that entails is being responsible for not leaning on me to any extent, or anything that I might bring to the tables because obviously midway through it, I was gone and everybody else was just people that he'd come to know because he hired them to be part of his band or whatever. It's a different kind of thing, and I know that because a lot of those people--a lot of those folks are really good friends of mine, and I kind of helped in picking because we had auditions, and obviously, I was helping to navigate that. But I will say, a lot of those guys, all of them brought something to the table when it came to Prince and his music and this album. When I think about everything that preceded this album--The Dirty Mind album was just a raw album that we did basically in a basement, in a house that one of our managers at the time had found and got us a little 16 track studio. That was a kind of a f*** you, we don't give a s***, we don't care about anything kind of attitude. I think the pressure was a little bit on Prince to create something a little bit more acceptable. Sort of pop oriented, something more radio ready or whatever. I look at it all so different because back then, I had the absolute wrong idea of how to make records, and how you should proceed because I was coming off of a very raw, young--I knew about hit records, obviously, all that kind of stuff, because we were a cover band. Basically, we honed our craft, learning how to play everything from Earth, Wind, and Fire to Santana, to you name it, funkadelic. So it wasn't like we didn't know how to do all that stuff. But when you start to do it for yourself, it becomes different. When you're coming up, you get a budget to make a record--I mean, it wasn't maybe a month or two before that, maybe six months before that we were sitting in my mom's trying to figure out who was gonna make a cheeseburger.
So it was an interesting transition. But by the time "Controversy" rolled around, there's a lot of things that needed to get answered, because he needed to change and I think that definitely was a gateway from where he come from, to where he was going. And if you listen to the record, if you really listen, you can hear it. You can hear the DNA all over that. There's quite a few songs if you listened to the album, but then you hear other songs where it's just sort of a bass line that's kind of following the chord progression, and it kind of lets you know that there was a transition going on when you hear it, and then it set it up for 1999 and the records that he followed up with. Again, I think about those days and we just had so much fun I mean really, it was just pure creative, innocence and honesty and integrity and trying to be the best we could be. And I think the thing about Prince at that time was he had a friend in me who didn't give a s***. I wasn't trying to audition. He knew me probably better than I knew myself at that point, you know? So he knows I'm a very direct blunt kind of person, and I just say whatever I feel and if you ask me about a song I'm gonna say it sucks. If he asked me and it's great I'm gonna say that's the most amazing thing, but you need to do this--we always had that kind of relationship. You can't be in a band and not have that. He was harsh. I can think of--there was a song I wrote that he just never let me live down. It was called "You Remind Me Of Me," and this song is comedy gold. I didn't know it until he pointed it out, right? I'm singing this song, "You remind me of a beautiful day in spring, you remind me of how wonderful things can be. You remind me of the coolest guy in the world, girl you remind me of me," and he's like, "Really, really? Don't you realize?" I was completely oblivious. Obviously I was gone, but I'm not sure if he had that kind of relationship with anyone after that, that could tell him without caring one way or another. I'm sorry you don't like it but guess what? It's too bad. We used to have fun like that--dude has an amazing sense of humor. It's reflected in a lot of his music. But in "Controversy" you can hear it, like "Jack You Off". We used to actually record songs and really just see how far we could go with it. There's a recording we did of an O.J. song that is hilarious. It was "Forever Mine," or something like that. It's comedy gold.
Well all respect to Prince but you got to be pretty narcissistic if Prince is clowning you for being narcissistic, when he's like, "You Remind Me Of Me". Now you were talking a little bit about the cauldron of talent that you grew up around. I was not around for that, obviously. But I was able at Minnesota History Center to hear Spike Moss speak, and a couple other people speak about the way this spot, and that world of really communal discipline and self improvement that was shared by all these young musicians coming up. And really, I didn't understand, until Spike spoke about how professional a lot of it was. That there was real opportunities, and people were playing a lot of gigs. This obviously created a style of music that's now internationally recognized, I'm really glad you talked about the bass DNA on "Let's Work" because it's one of those songs where as a fellow bass player, I'm like, yeah, this is clearly on a different aesthetic level of quality than what you're going to hear on the majority of even great songs, you just go, "This is a hell of a line. This is a special thing." I wanted to hone in on--you sound like a person who was really comfortable, being brutally honest with somebody who maybe wasn't getting a lot of honesty in their career because if you're writing people's checks, a lot of times people aren't going to go, "That's not working, this is working," and you spoke to a higher authority, which was "I grew up with you. I'm going to keep it real with you, and the money is completely secondary." Do you feel like as things got so professional, and things were starting to ramp up towards being not only a major label act, but an iconic major label act coming up--probably the record after "Controversy" with "1999"--did it get harder to be the the guy willing to say no, and the guy willing to say, "That ain't working, this isn't a good tune," or "This isn't a good move." Did that conversation get harder to have with Prince?
For me?
Yeah.
No. [laughs] I left. Obviously I was going and making records for other folks. I was kind of off doing my own thing. But he would still call me. He'd still call me and say, "Play me stuff," or if I was in town he'd say, "You gotta listen to this," and he'd play me stuff, and then I'd give him you know, that same--I am how I am, like Popeye said, "I am what I am." I can't really get away from that. Sometimes it's not always served me well, I can understand that, but I can't help it. I call my mom and my dad, Fred Rock and Bernie Stone 'cause they're no joke. I had parents that didn't play around. I'm a product of that environment, my family--my brothers, my sisters, they're a lot like me. I was the youngest, so I had to acquiesce to a lot of--which was always hard. It's like, "You're not right, but I can't say nothing because I'll get that beat down." One of the things whenever he would see me, it was like a light switch went on, because he knew in me it's just an honesty, and this dude, I don't care how successful he got. There was this one time--a funny story that happened to Minneapolis, because I'm a pretty laid back guy, pretty humble. I'm not one of those kind of guys that, "Oh, I got to sit in the VIP section," or "I'm Andre Cymone," or whatever. I've just never been that kind of person, because I've always been humble, and I was raised that way. So I was at a club, I think Pacific Club, downtown. And I was standing in line, you know, people were giving me a hard time because I was standing in line, "You're Andre Cymone, you don't have to stand in line." And I was like, I'm just like everybody else. I'm standing in line, and blah, blah. So I'm standing in line and waiting, we finally get up to the front of the line, and the bouncer's like, "Yeah, you can't come in." And I'm like, "Why not?" "Because it's full. You have to wait for somebody to come out," and somebody's like, "That's Andre Cymone!" And they're like, "I don't care who it is, you can't come in until somebody comes out." Then Prince comes, right? And he shows up, he literally jumps on my back. And he's like, "Andre! Andre!" And I'm like, "Get off me, man. I'm trying to get in. We can't get in until other people go out," and the bouncer's eyes are huge, like, "Prince!" And they're like, "Are you with him?" I said, "Woah woah, wait a minute. Don't tell me now that he's here. You're gonna let me in." I said, "I'm leaving." So we wound up going in, but that's the kind of thing I had to deal with on that level.
I want to ask a question. I understand and I appreciate humility in all its forms and I definitely get that vibe off of you. I saw you as part of the "Controversy" symposium that happened with De Angela Duff, and I was watching another thing that you weren't involved with, but was about the "Controversy" record. Joan Morgan, a writer from New York, who wrote a great book called "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost" was talking about her posters in her freshman dorm. She said she had Prince, and she said she had Andre Cymone. I'll just tell you, to keep it 100% honest with you, Andre. Being born in 1981 it's pretty easy for me to fathom a young woman holding Prince as a big sex symbol and a person who would put a poster up. I missed a lot of the Andre wave just to be perfectly honest with you. I learned your name probably in 2002 or something like that. I go, "Okay, cool. I gotta learn about this man." There weren't a lot of posters of Dr. Fink, of Bobby Z. I love those dudes, but I just want to ask you--was your sexiness and your potential front man-ness, which you delivered--you became a major label artist, you had hits under your own name, you also produced hits for a lot of people. Do you think that there was a little bit--were you underemployed being the bass player for Prince, and then--were you threatening because you were iconic and sexy?
Phew, that's a--
Spicy meatball.
Spicy meatball! You know, let me put it this way. Honestly, I never looked at it that way. I really did not. But here's the thing, I used to wear clear pants, okay? And underneath the clear pants were just black drawers, you know? It was a thing, and girls dug it. But the management didn't dig it because they was like, "Wait a second, who's this guy?" They really started giving me a hard time. I remember one of the managers came up to me and said, "You need to tone down your makeup." And I saw the look on Prince's face because Prince knows me, and he knows that. And I was like, "Can you play bass? Can you play bass? Unless you can play bass, you don't tell me what kind of makeup I put on. And tone down my clothes? Unless you gonna go out there and play--" And so it got into a thing like that, and new management came in and they thought, "Oh, this is just a hired band. And we'll tell them what to do, what to wear." I never even understood that. But then my wardrobe started coming up missing, my bags with all my clothes in it. At first it was like, "This is weird." And I remember my mom had come out to one of the shows we did I think in Milwaukee or somewhere like that. And I was like, "I don't know what I'll wear," and my mom was like, "Well, let's go shopping!" So we went, and I remember she got me this really cool double breasted blazer, right? And I just looked like, you know, because normally I wouldn't wear something like that, but my mom picked it out. And I was like, "That's what I'm wearing." And do you know, before I got a chance to get backstage, to even put it on, I've got met with the crowd, because security is always around just Prince. And that jacket that my mom got, got ripped off. I only--I think I had a sleeve. One sleeve, the other sleeve got ripped off. And I got to the other side and said, "Sorry Mom." So to answer the question, I just never looked at it like that myself. But I think he did, and I think the management did, as I understood it later on, because then they started doing weird stuff, like moving the microphone, his microphone up mine back so that if you're further back, it looks like we're the same height and all that kind of stuff. There's a lot of weird stuff that I'm like, dude, whatever you want. If you if he would have came to me and said, "Hey, I need to really have you more in the background," or something like that, I'd have been like, "I'm gonna do this this time. But then I think we got to let you be able to mold somebody and do it that way. Part of what brought the fire and fury and all this stuff when we were first starting out and garnered a lot of the attention, because there was a couple of shows that was sold out, had a lot of celebrities there, because people had been talking about the raw nature of the shows we were doing and the performances we were giving, and it wasn't just him. But obviously it was his thing, and he was spot on. He was at a point at that time, especially during the Dirty Mind tour where he was really starting to find his performance chops. And to have somebody like me there where he could grab me by my sleeve, which, nobody else could be grabbing my sleeve, and I could grab him, or I could knock him out of the way and sing a verse or whatever, because we had that kind of relationship. I think that's what you get when you grow up in a band, and against all odds and whatever else, you become successful and you're on the world's stage. That's a rare opportunity.
I'm chatting with Andre Cymone, the occasion is the 40th anniversary of the release of "Controversy". I got two questions about the record. I want to ask one more question about, "Do Me Baby," a song that you'd been involved in as a writer--an unrecognized writer as far as the listings, but everybody's going, "Yeah, the man wrote some of the tune." But before we get to that, I want to ask you about--if you just blindfolded me, I didn't know the Prince records, and you played me all of "Dirty Mind" and you played me all "Controversy" and you said, "Which album is called Controversy?" I would probably say "Dirty Mind," right? It's naughtier. It's punkier. It's more insular, you kind of said it was our "f--- off" record. It's our we're gonna do what we want record. So I'm trying to understand, "Controversy," like you said, it's kind of more aiming for slightly more of a major label mainstream thing, not all the way--you still got a tune called "Jack You Off" on it. I'm just wondering, was "Dirty Mind" more risky? And in a sense, more controversial than the actual record "Controversy"?
As a concept, "Controversy," is a great concept. And obviously, all the things that surrounded "Controversy," because it's the record where I left, and there's reasons why which we don't need to get into, but the song "Controversy" was a song that I kind of came up with when we were jamming, and I wasn't even the one who made an issue of it. It was the band, because we had a band full of people that really didn't know the process that Prince and I had grown up doing, when we came up with songs. So, for me to jam with the band on a groove that I was grooving on, and then Prince to come in, record it and come back the next day and say, "Hey, I got this new song." It wasn't a big deal for me, right? I was like, "Great!" But the band was like, "Uhh, wait a minute. That's his," and then it became an issue. So "Controversy" was controversial, and "Do Me Baby," I don't know if you want to get into that.
Let's do it.
Well the simple part of it is--I really never bring it up, I never brought it up, I don't bring it up, it's not a big thing. To be honest with you, that was the thing that was really between Prince and myself, period, because that was a song--he knows what that song was for. I know what that song was for. There were people there, we submitted it for a specific project as that song, and me as the writer. So the people that it was submitted to--they're the ones, you know, they did interviews like, "Andre wrote that song." And I actually wrote it for a girlfriend at the time, she has a copy of it. So there's copies all over the place, so it's not a dispute for me. It was just between Prince and myself, and I had hoped that he would sort it out, because I said, "You should sort this out." And I had every reason to believe that he would. In fact, I'm credited on all streaming platforms, which, at some point, somebody decided to give me proper credit for it. Which is interesting, because just anybody can't call up and say, "You know, I think Andre should get credit for "Do Me Baby" after all these years," it has to either be the artist or the record label. I was kind of surprised when I found out that right around, I guess, 2014 2015, somewhere around there I was credited on all streaming platforms, as being co-writer. And I thought, "That's wonderful." I think Prince finally came around and did the right thing, beautiful. I just hope that he wasn't sending me breadcrumbs or anything like that, 'cause he's very cryptic like that. I think he put out a song called "Thrill You or Kill You" that I didn't--we did a group called Rebels, and we did this record. That was one of the songs that I had written and out of nowhere it came out. But at that same point, that would have been the same time where he would've decided to give me credit for "Do Me Baby," which was right around the same time, you never know, but I liked that maybe he wanted to right a wrong. Hopefully that's the case because--if it was him doing it, it's a beautiful thing.
Yeah. Well, honestly, to me, I'm just I'm glad you get a taste of the credit. That seems deserved, so that's a good thing. Have you heard the new version that's released this month? The new 1979 demo version that's come out?
You know, I have not, definitely didn't hear it. I probably heard it at some point. But I have to, 'cause I heard about it. Obviously, I woke up this morning and everybody said, they've heard it, and they said it's out. And I was gonna, scout around and pull it out and see if I can find it and take a listen. It sounds like they said it was reimagined or something like that, which is interesting, because it said it was the original, you know, it definitely is not, it can't be the original, because that would be that would be interesting. The original is a whole different approach. It was something I was coming up with at the time and I had a different sensibility when it came to how I approached it, because, you know, obviously, being a bass player was very bass-centric, and basically based around a slap bass part that is kind of--I have a couple other songs that I did around that same time that are kind of in that same spirit. But I hear that he reimagined it or something, and I'm curious to hear how he reimagined it.
Just got one more question for you Andre, and then see if there's anything else you wanted to touch on. As a person who again didn't live through this era of music, I was a little bit trying to understand how a record like "Controversy" relates to disco and the reason I ask is because besides for "Let's Work" and "Ronnie, Talk to Russia," a lot of these tunes have some kind of four on the floor thing. I guess "Jack You Off" is kind of shuffled or something like that. But you know, "Controversy," "Sexuality," "Private Joy"--a lot of these tunes have this real four on the floor thing I don't think it's a disco record, don't feel like a disco record--but disco's still in the air in a way that I could never understand because I wasn't there. So I'm curious how y'all were relating to disco as a genre, and if the four on the floor beat being pretty prevalent in the album was indicative of embracing that, or indicative of just, "Hey we just like the kick drum it doesn't have anything to do with disco."
Look, Prince and I used to go out to clubs all the time. I mean in LA, in New York, in Minneapolis we were always at the clubs. We always knew what was going on and it was just he and I because that was our thing. Studio 54--we got, I think, did we get kicked out? We might have got kicked out of there. Anyway, the Limelight, a lot of clubs in New York, and disco was a thing. But to be able to take it--because disco was, as a real musician, and you know the caliber of musician Prince was, and I like to think that I was a serious musician and disco was kind of--because we came from a different kind of--we came from the Sly and the Family Stone, Funkadelic Ohio Players, all of that. Those were musicians. Bands. Which is, to me, what's lacking right now. If I could ever get people to understand--we got to find a way to get kids back into playing instruments and learning music. That's aside, but disco was such a prevalent--it was on its way out at that point. There were still elements of it, because I think bands like Chic, even David Bowie--different people were doing different things and finding ways to use those beats because they were still working in clubs, so you can't snatch the beat out of the club, and think that somehow something's not gonna--you got to find that middle ground and I think that's what he was trying to do with with "Controversy". Trying to find that middle ground where he didn't completely strip the beat away from people on the dance floor because being at clubs you see what people respond to, and that's one of the things that was really always cool about going to these clubs. Sometimes we'd bring an acetate down there and say "Hey, can you spin this and see what the people think about it?" People didn't know who he was like that at the time, and usually it wasn't him doing it was me doing it! We'd sit back and watch to see how people responded, "Okay, we we missed on that one." But that was our barometer.
Man, what a cool story. That is incredible. If you guys did get kicked out of Studio 54 you be in good company with Chic because they had that whole tune about getting kicked out of Studio 54
Either we got kicked out or they wouldn't let us in. Because I remember the velvet rope line and the whole nine, and I was always--because I come from the other side of railroad tracks in Minneapolis so I don't have any inhibitions about saying, "Yo man listen, we get it. See this dude right here? He got a record deal, man. With Warner Brothers, right? Now he got a record out, it's called "Soft and Wet"--what do you mean? Don't take that wrong. It's good. You take that right. It's a good record!" I try to get him in there, and they'd look at Prince and they'd be like, [laughing] "Oh, come on." But I'd shoot the shot, right? Anyway, we were quite a pair.
Andre, you have put quite the smile on my face. Thank you for talking about this record, talking about your life, sharing your energy, and honestly just still being such an important ambassador of what came out of Minneapolis. We love you. We appreciate you here. Glad to have you on the air for a little bit, and frankly just thankful that you exist and that you're still doing it and still making music. We love you.
Thank you, you know, one last thing I want to say. Well, I'm kind of finishing up an album, and first time I've actually been able to do a funk album for myself. I've obviously helped other people do their thing and realize whatever--this is the first one I'm doing for myself, so I'm looking forward to it, I was gonna release it before the pandemic happened. We performed some of the songs at Paisley, New Year's Eve 2020. But I just wanted t throw that out there because I think a lot of people have been really anticipating this funk release because I've been talking about it for a minute, so I just want to let folks know that it's comin'.
Well now I got to ask a follow up--what world of funk are we talking about? Because funk's a big thing and your master of a lot of it. Is it Parliament Funkadelic world? Where we at?
It's a little of all of it, definitely Parliament Funkadelic. It's a combination of all of the things that I grew up--it's kind of like where I was at when I was maybe 15/16 I had a vision of the kind of funk that we were trying to do back when we were Grand Central. And I kind of abandoned it when I left because I was a part of Prince's whole thing. And, you know, anytime I would do something people would say I was trying to be like Prince, and they didn't understand my involvement in anything. So what I did is I completely went a little drastic the other way and made space music and decided to separate myself from stuff that I was very much a part of. So now this is kind of going back to that and reconnecting with what I did went back when I was 14/15 years old and that mindset. So it's really funky, really bass part centric, because that always comes back to that, and obviously a lot of funky guitar and just, you know, attitude, funk. Just funky. When people talk about the Minneapolis sound, a lot of people don't really understand what it really is all about. Obviously I understand what it's all about, because I was part of it.
Aw man, a funk record from Andre Cymone, my appetite is particularly wetted. Erykah Badu was in town last night, so I got to see her, so I got funk on the mind. If you get the chance to catch her, the band is sounding so good. It was such a treat. So I'm definitely in the mood for some funky music from Andre Cymone.
Definitely. Well, I can't wait to get it to you.
All right. Thank you, Andre. I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day. And thank you so much for taking some time out of your day.
Thank you too. Thank you for having me.
Andre Cymone - official site
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] | null | [] | 2021-08-01T23:59:00-06:00 | The first issue of Worship Leader Magazine had a grand total of two reviews of worship albums. Bethel Chapel’s The Glory of the Lord and Saddleback Church’s Saddleback Praises: Music With I.M.P.A.C.T. Here are 20 influential vintage albums. | en | ChurchLeaders | https://churchleaders.com/worship/worship-articles/159371-top-20-worship-albums-of-the-last-20-years.html/2 | 10. Passion: Better Is One Day Passion Band (1999)
This release galvanized a musical movement that has been multiplied and used by God to transform the lives of millions of young people.
9. Pray Andraé Crouch Warner
Some 30 years after his first record, Andraé Crouch, proved yet again that quality, creativity, and, yes, anointing can come in the same package. His personal trademarks are all here: songs full of Scripture, lyrics referencing the person and work of the Holy Spirit as well as the Second Coming, and his endearing selflessness that allowed other singers to share the solo parts with him. I mean, who knew there was such a force as Tata Vega until 1984’s No Time To Lose? God has always used him as a gathering place for some of the best musicianship and creative energy the world has ever known. His seven Grammy’s only attest to the ability of his music to touch hearts no matter what walk of life they come from. God has used him and his songs to build bridges within the Church and without.
Andraé never follows he always leads. His projects have always seemed streets ahead of their time. Pray is like one great church service from start to finish—full of power and emotion, conviction and resolve. Pastor Andraé starts out giving us the Word on the first track and finishes the project reminding us that Jesus is returning soon. Crouch’s work has always encouraged me spiritually and creatively. From a schoolboy trying to copy his piano licks, to an adult where I’ve been privileged to throw my arms around this living legend and tell him how much he has meant to me. Many a Christian artist and songwriter can thank him for paving the way racially, creatively, and spiritually. Praise the Lord—he does all things well! (Written by David M. Edwards)
8. Beautiful Things Gungor Brash Music (2010)
With Beautiful Things, Gungor expanded the boundaries of the worship genre. Beautiful, skilled, and creative, this release is a New Song.
7. Facedown Matt Redman Sparrow/sixstepsrecrods (2003)
Redman’s influence in the worship genre is ineffable. The worship leader’s, worship leader he fills his music with passion, intellect, and elegance, paving the way to a hopeful future in Church music. Facedown the epitome of his craft and anointing.
6. Hillsong United Hillsong/Integrity Music (2010)
One of my all-time favorite worship album’s is Hillsong United’s 2006 release United We Stand. Featuring foundational songs such as “From the Inside Out,” “The Stand,” and “Take It All,” these songs have impacted the Church spanning across the globe and have had a profound impact on worship writer’s and leaders alike. Sonically this album broke new ground in the live worship genre, which can be extremely elusive to all of us who make worship albums. That being said, the live worship experience, which I have been fortunate to see twice, is too great an experience for any recording medium to capture.
To me, a standout of the record was Joel Houston stepping to new heights both in writing and his presence on the album. This was also the first CD featuring Brooke Fraser, who stands out on “None but Jesus.” These songs have not only had a profound impact on the Church, but have found a way to unite a global audience worshiping God. In every aspect of society today you will find people trying to define a movement. Whether that was their intention or not, Hillsong United have done so successfully through powerful songs and voices of worship. (Written by Peter Kipley)
5. Change My Heart Oh God Various Vineyard Music (1996)
The quintessential early Vineyard release, these songs could well be the spark that started a revolution. The title track alone is one of our most cherished gifts, but there’s more here: “Refiner’s Fire,” “I Believe in Jesus,” “Hosanna,” “Isn’t He,” “More Love, More Power,” “Holy and Anointed One,” “Light the Fire Again,” this release was used by God to truly change the world in some powerful ways.
4. Live From Another Level Israel Houghton Integrity Music (2004)
It’s so easy to write about anything that involves Israel Houghton. This album, Live From Another Level was absolutely breakthrough when it was released—bringing together pure CCM, pure gospel, pure worship, and songs that really called us to come near to God. To hear the Church global make “Friend of God” their own is a true reflection of man’s desire to be closer to our creator, and to me, this album reflected our unchanging desire for relationship over religion. The other thing about this project as a whole, is that if you play it from start to finish and actually engage with the worship leadership that is woven throughout, you truly are led to the courts of our King. This is done with integrity, wisdom, and a sweet anointing that dose not manipulate, but rather, encourages us in our pursuit of Christ and his presence.
No one leads and writes songs of praise quite like our Israel. Again and again these songs that declare and announce that our God reigns, that he is to be praised, and that friendship with him is possible, are written, played, and sung with complete conviction. And to be honest, they really help a heart like mine jump over its own inadequacies, allowing me to run toward God in praise! I genuinely am thankful to Israel and his team of genius players, singers, and prayer warriors that I know spend countless hours truly bringing their finest, both musically and spiritually.
Thanks Israel, you continue to call us up to “a whole nuther level!” (Written by Darlene Zschech)
3. A Greater Song Paul Baloche Integrity Music (2006)
A Greater Song by Paul Baloche is the album that gave us “Your Name” and “Hosanna” which have been such gifts to the Church. I’ve led both of those songs many, many times and have seen God’s people experience his transcendent presence in power and in truth through them. In recent years I’ve become a good friend of Paul’s and it’s no mystery to me why God has and continues to use him in such mighty ways. His heart pounds with a passion to always sing a greater song to God here on the earth, to lift him higher still. Thank you Paul for reminding us that in his presence, all our fears are washed away and for giving us songs that carry His presence to every heart that will sing.
2. Arriving Chris Tomlin Sparrow/sixstepsrecords (2004)
Chris Tomlin is easily the Christian singer/songwriter exemplar for the current generation of worship albums. This is not an arguable statement; it’s the truth. With words and thoughts that are as beautiful as they are accessible by nearly every age range, Arriving was the beginning of the changing of the guard. Chris Tomlin showed us what we never knew we were missing in church: a combination of passion, theology, and the anthemic hook. From the moment Arriving released anthems grabbed the reigns from the praise choruses and said, “We’ll take it from here.” And it was songs like “Indescribable,” “How Great Is Our God,” and “Holy Is the Lord,” that were able to gather large portions of the body of Christ, and we were woven together in apt adoration and united in heartfelt and honest praise. Beyond all of this, its is no small thing to note that Tomlin stood out as an example to other men, willing to pour out passion and heart—to bow before the Lord our God in humility and love, unashamed. On Arriving, Tomlin is filled with charisma and optimistic praise. Arriving also marks the collaborative work between Tomlin and preeminent producer/songwriter/instrumentalist Ed Cash. Undoubtedly, this duo (along with the Passion’s various worship leaders) has been used by God to transform the way this generation offers its sung worship to our Father. And Arriving was Tomlin hitting his stride in the journey. (Written by Jeremy Armstrong)
1. Cutting Edge 1&2 Delirious? Furious? (1994)
Although known for its reserved religious expression, England is experiencing a sweeping revival fueled by contemporary worship music. At the forefront is Delirious?, five lads from the seaside town of Littlehampton who stormed the British charts—without any record deals or media exposure. (early band description, circa 1994)
If Love Song ignited the rock band as worship model, and the Vineyard continued to light the fire, then The Cutting Edge band (named after a youth movement in the UK), aka Delirious? added a booster rocket and shot it into the stratosphere. The first time I heard, sang, and danced to “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” (originally recorded on one of two cassettes and then released on CD as Cutting Edge 1&2 in 1994), I was caught up in its sheer joy and exultant declaration of God’s love … and yes, we almost did sing it forever. It was followed at service-end by “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble,” (Cutting Edge 3&4, 1995)—which in SoCal after having just survived the Northridge Earthquake was more than a lyrical concept—pulling everyone from their seats in a burst of staccato pogo-ing. This was two years before the songs were released in one double CD in the US. As in the early Jesus movement, the music flew faster than the industry’s ability to produce and distribute, circulating worldwide, infusing worship with new vitality, accessibility, and power. Sometimes called the “Delirious? Movement,” their impact on not only what we sing, but what we write, and how we reflect that faith locally and globally has been inestimable. The Delirious/U2-ing of American worship can be heard every Sunday across the land. And though we always encourage leaders to develop their own voice, emulating the truth, beauty and rock-worthy worship of Delirious? is an inspired starting point. (Written by Andrea Hunter) | |||||
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5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 38 | https://g3min.org/stop-singing-hillsong-bethel-jesus-culture-and-elevation/ | en | Stop Singing Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation | [
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"Scott Aniol"
] | 2022-02-21T12:00:00+00:00 | Update: followup post on how music embodies theology here and one on two kinds of worship music here. There’s no question about it—Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation have become a global phenomenon. And you should stop singing their music. I could give many reasons you should stop singing or listening to music from these […] | en | G3 Ministries | https://g3min.org/stop-singing-hillsong-bethel-jesus-culture-and-elevation/ | Update: followup post on how music embodies theology here and one on two kinds of worship music here.
There’s no question about it—Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation have become a global phenomenon. And you should stop singing their music.
I could give many reasons you should stop singing or listening to music from these groups. I could point out the prosperity gospel advocated by leaders within these movements, such as Bethel Church pastor Bill Johnson, who argues that Jesus did not perform miracles as God: “If he performed miracles because he was God, then they would be unattainable for us. But if he did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue his lifestyle.” Hillsong’s Brian Houston just comes right out and says it: “You Need More Money.“
I could cite theological concerns with leaders such as Steven Furtick (Elevation Church), who appears to believe in the heresy of modalism, which teaches that God is not three persons but one being who manifests himself in different “modes.” Or Bethel’s Bill Johnson, who taught that Jesus had to go to hell and be tortured for three days before being born again.
I could reference the charges of sexual abuse that have plagued leaders from Hillsong.
I could address Hillsong pastor Brian Houston’s questionable views on gay marriage.
I could give examples of theologically vague lyrics (“Only Wanna Sing,” “Wake,” “Who You Say I Am”) or theologically questionable lyrics (“What a Beautiful Name,” “Reckless Love,” “This Is Amazing Grace,” “So Will I”).
I could highlight the charismatic-pentecostal theology of these groups, often manifested in their lyrics (“Oceans,” “Spirit Breaks Out”).
I could point out that when you buy their albums or sing their music, you are financially supporting questionable theology at best, and heretical theology at worst.
I could caution that when you sing their music in church, weaker Christians might listen to other songs from these groups and be influenced by their poor theology.
All of these are legitimate reasons to stop singing music from these groups. But they are not the most important reason you should stop. The biggest reason you should stop singing songs from Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation is that their music embodies a false theology of worship.
The Pentecostalization of Evangelical Worship
All of the groups under consideration here teach and practice a Pentecostal theology of worship. Pentecostalism emerged in the early twentieth century, combining the Methodist holiness movement and revivalism with a conviction that the miraculous signs of the apostolic era continue today.
This continuationist theology and expectations concerning how the Holy Spirit works led to a redefinition of worship from that of Reformed traditions to what they considered more consistent with New Testament teaching. Charismatic theologians argue that the Holy Spirit’s primary work in worship is that of making God’s presence known in observable, tangible ways such that worshipers can truly encounter God. This theology places a high emphasis and expectation in worship upon physical expressiveness and intensity, resulting in what is sometimes called a “Praise and Worship” theology of worship. The goal, in this theology, is to experience the presence of God in worship, but praise is considered the means through which Christians do so.
Praise & Worship
Praise and worship theology seeks to provide a “blueprint for a worship service” that ensures worshipers will truly “enter the presence of God.” Fundamental to this theology is the idea that in Scripture, praise is inherently connected to God’s presence—in fact, praise is the very means of entering the presence of God. A central text underlying this idea is Psalm 22:3: “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Early Pentecostal authors, such as Reg Layzell and Bob Sorge, taught that this text and others reveal that, in the words of Judson Cornwall, “the path into the presence of God [is] praise.” This leads to the understanding that praise and worship are distinct; as Cornwall suggests, “Praise is the vehicle of expression that brings us into God’s presence. But worship is what we do once we gain an entrance to that presence.” Thurlow Spurr explains more thoroughly the distinction between the two:
Praise and worship are not the same. Praise is thanking God for the blessings, the benefits, the good things. It is an expression of love, gratitude, and appreciation. Worship involves a more intense level of personal communication with God, centering on his person. In concentrated worship, there is a sort of detachment from everything external as one enters God’s presence.
Former Hillsong worship pastor Darlene Zschech represents well Praise & Worship theology:
The word says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). It’s amazing to think that God, in all His fullness, inhabits and dwells in our praises of Him. … Our praise is irresistible to God. As soon as He hears us call His name, He is ready to answer us. That is the God we serve. Every time the praise and worship team with our musicians, singers, production teams, dancers, and actors begin to praise God, His presence comes in like a flood. Even though we live in His presence, His love is lavished on us in a miraculous way when we praise Him.
This change in theology of worship led to a new understanding of worship music perhaps best described by Ruth Ann Ashton’s 1993 God’s Presence through Music, raising the matter of musical style to a level of significance that Lim and Ruth describe as “musical sacramentality,” where music is now considered a primary means through which “God’s presence could be encountered in worship.”
Flow
This theology affected liturgical practice. Breaking from a confessional liturgical structure, Praise and Worship instead aims to bring the worshiper through a series of emotional stages from rousing “praise” to intimate “worship.” Judson Cornwall explains the process:
Praise begins by applauding God’s power, but it often brings us close enough to God that worship can respond to God’s presence. While the energy of praise is toward what God does, the energy of worship is toward who God is. The first is concerning with God’s performance, while the second is occupied with God’s personage. The thrust of worship, therefore, is higher than the thrust of praise.
Praise and Worship liturgy is centered around the emotional “flow” of the music; worship leaders are encouraged to begin with enthusiastic songs of thanksgiving, leading the worshipers to an emotional “soulish worship,” and then bringing the mood to an intimate expression where “a gentle sustained chord on the organ and a song of the Spirit on the lips of the leaders should be more than sufficient to carry a worship response of the entire congregation for a protracted period of time.” Zac Hicks suggests, “Part of leading a worship service’s flow … involves keeping the awareness of God’s real, abiding presence before his worshipers. As all of the elements of worship pass by, the one constant—the True Flow—is the presence of the Holy Spirit himself.” This kind of flow, according to Hicks, “lies in understanding and guiding your worship service’s emotional journey.” “Grouping songs in such a way that they flow together,” worship leader Carl Tuttle explains, “is essential to a good worship experience.”
Lim and Ruth describe the earliest guides written to help worship leaders achieve flow, David Blomgren’s 1978 The Song of the Lord: The flow should move continuously with no interruptions; the flow should move naturally (using connections from the songs’ content, keys, and tempos); and the flow should move toward a goal of a climactic experience of true worship of God. Blomgren spelled out technical aspects for achieving proper flow: the content of the songs in sequence makes sense, having scriptural and thematic relatedness; the key signatures are conductive to easy, unjarring, and smooth transitions between songs; the tempos of the songs (usually faster to slower overall with songs having similar tempos grouped) contributing to a growing sense of closer encounter with God.
Worship Reformed According to Scripture
This theology of worship is a distinct break from the theology and expectation of Reformed Christians in the wake of the Reformation until the rise of American revivalism in the nineteenth century and Pentecostalism in the twentieth century. Worship theology that was reformed according to Scripture taught that emotion and singing come as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life, not as a cause of the Holy Spirit’s work. Calvin Stapert helpfully makes this point with reference to Ephesians 5:18–19 and Colossians 3:16:
“Spirit filling” does not come as the result of singing. Rather, “Spirit filling” comes first; singing is the response. . . . Clear as these passages are in declaring that Christian singing is a response to the Word of Christ and to being filled with the Spirit, it is hard to keep from turning the cause and effect around. Music, with its stimulating power, can too easily be seen as the cause and the “Spirit filling” as the effect.
“Such a reading of the passages,” Stapert argues, “gives song an undue epicletic function and turns it into a means of beguiling the Holy Spirit.” He argues that such a “magical epicletic function” characterized pagan worship music, not Christian. The Holy Spirit works in a believer’s heart through the sufficient Word that he inspired and the ordinary means of grace he prescribed therein.
Further, while the NT does describe certain “emotions” that rise out of a heart of a Spirit-sanctified believer, such as the “fruit of the Spirit,” these will be characterized, not by extraordinary euphoria, but by what Jonathan Edwards calls “the lamb-like, dove-like spirit or temper of Jesus Christ.” Truly Spirit-formed “religious affections,” according to Edwards, “naturally beget and promote such a spirit of love, meekness, quietness, forgiveness, and mercy, as appeared in Christ.”
This theology of worship lead to a philosophy of corporate worship that considered it to be a biblically-regulated service of covenant renewal, wherein God forms his people through his Word, and his people respond with adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and dedication. The songs and other elements of worship are not chosen for their emotional mood or any expectation that God’s presence is made manifest through music; rather, they are chosen based on how their content fits in the covenant-renewal shape of the service.
The Camel’s Nose
Pentecostalism shifted the emphasis for corporate worship from covenant renewal to authentic emotional experience. And this theology did not stay only in Pentecostal churches. Worship that embodies Pentecostal theology began to introduce embodied Pentecostalism into broader evangelicalism, primarily through its music.
In their insightful Concise History of Contemporary Worship, Lovin’ on Jesus, Swee Hong Lim and Lester Ruth convincingly demonstrate that Pentecostalism, with its “revisioning of a New Testament emphasis upon the active presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit,” is one of five key sources of contemporary worship. They suggest that “Pentecostalism’s shaping of contemporary worship has been both through its own internal development and through an influencing of other Protestants in worship piety and practice,” including the following ways its theology has shaped contemporary worship:
mainstreaming the desire to be physical and expressive in worship
highlighting intensity as a liturgical virtue
a certain expectation of experience to the forms of contemporary worship, and
a musical sacramentality [that] raises the importance of the worship set as well as the musicians leading this set.
They explain, “Pentecostalism contributed contemporary worship’s sacramentality, that is, both the expectation that God’s presence could be encountered in worship and the normal means by which this encounter would happen,” creating an “expectation for encountering God, active and present through the Holy Spirit.” Daniel Albrecht agrees: “The presence of the Holy Spirit then is fundamental to a Pentecostal perspective of worship. The conviction that the Spirit is present in worship is one of the deepest beliefs in a Pentecostal liturgical vision. The expectancy of the Spirit’s presence is often palpable in the liturgy. . . . Their liturgical rites and sensibilities encourage becoming consciously present to God—even as God’s presence is expected to become very real in worship.”
Thus, worship in which the Holy Spirit is directly active is often necessarily connected with spontaneity and “freedom” of form. Worship that is structured and regulated is the opposite of “Spirit-led” worship in this view. As Lim and Ruth note, most contemporary worship, impacted as it is by this understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work in worship, considers “extemporaneity as a mark of worship that is true and of the Holy Spirit, that is, worship in Spirit and truth (John 4:24). This view of extemporaneity” they note, “has been held widely within Free Church ways of worship.” What Albrecht observes of Pentecostal worship has become the standard expectation for most of evangelicalism:
In the midst of radical receptivity, an encounter with the Holy Spirit may occur. Pentecostals envision such encounters as integral to the worship experience. While an overwhelming or overpowering experience of/in the Spirit is neither rare nor routine for a particular Pentecostal worshiper, the experiential dimension of worship is fundamental. The liturgical vision sees God as present in the service; consequently, Pentecostals reason that a direct experience of God is a normal expectation.
This theology is what music from charismatic groups like Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation embodies. As sociologist Gerardo Marti notes, “Hillsong represents a compelling musical pathway to an emotional one-on-one connection to God.” He continues, “Hillsong worship involves the hopeful anticipation of the Pentecostal ego motivated to participate in an event-dependent effort (the gathering of worshippers) to surrender oneself with a characteristic openness to God (which involves setting aside distractions and ‘letting go,’ that is meant to lead the earnest believer to the deployment of spiritual power.”
And we would expect nothing less. It makes perfect sense that groups with charismatic theology would worship like charismatics. We could disagree with their theology, but we would understand that their worship would flow from that theology.
The problem is when evangelicals who do not affirm or teach charismatic theology worship like charismatics, and this has come largely through the music produced by groups like these. Marti calls this the “Hillsongization” of Christianity. This point is critically important to recognize: when you sing music from Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, and Elevation, you are bringing embodied Pentecostalism into your church.
Music Embodies Theology
“But the lyrics of the songs we’re using from these groups don’t teach Pentecostal theology,” you might reply. Well, maybe, although many of them do in both overt and subtle ways.
But again, I’m not talking about the lyrics here—I’m talking about the music. The music itself has been carefully designed to create a visceral experience of the feelings that then become evidence of God’s manifest presence. This fits the sacramental theology of charismatics perfectly, but it does not fit the theology of non-charismatic evangelicals, especially those who consider themselves Reformed. And so, I repeat, most of evangelicalism worships like charismatics even if their church’s doctrinal statement does not affirm that theology.
And here’s the thing: what is more potently formative for the people in the pew—a doctrinal statement on the church’s web site, or how they worship week in and week out?
If you do not want to teach Pentecostal theology to your people, then don’t sing Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, or Elevation. Because when you do, you are shaping your people through embodied theology.
“Wait—” you might reply; “doesn’t the music from many other popular contemporary worship artists embody the same sort of charismatic theology?”
Why yes—yes it does.
Let the reader understand.
Update: followup post on how music embodies theology here and one on two kinds of worship music here.
Author
Scott Aniol
Executive Vice President and Editor-in-Chief G3 Ministries
Scott Aniol, PhD, is Executive Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of G3 Ministries. In addition to his role with G3, Scott is Professor of Pastoral Theology at Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, Arkansas. He lectures around the world in churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries, and he has authored several books and dozens of articles. You can find more, including publications and speaking itinerary, at www.scottaniol.com. Scott and his wife, Becky, have four children: Caleb, Kate, Christopher, and Caroline. You can listen to his podcast here. | |||||
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"Dennis SengTing Oliver"
] | 2023-01-11T22:28:27+00:00 | Dennis SengTing Oliver, a secular monk in the Centre for Pragmatic Buddhism in Scotland, offers a balanced assessment of the reasons for and against having secular monks within the Buddhist community. | en | Secular Buddhist Network | https://secularbuddhistnetwork.org/secular-monks/ | There are reasons to value what secular monks can give and receive. ‘Secular’ is already an option for monks of many traditions. I self-identify as secular. In my practice, I focus on this planet; I am indifferent to rebirth and understand transcendence as transformed consciousness, not living in a different world. I reject the dogmatism and authoritarianism that is often part of religious organizations. A secular layperson would have a similar attitude, which Steven Batchelor has described so well.[1] I know of other monks (from various traditions) who would affirm such attitudes. However (so far as I know), there is no Buddhist monastic Order which is avowedly and consistently secular in its approach. I’d like to see a few such movements emerge, and I hope that we shall see the contemporary soils of Buddhism nurturing such green sprouts.[2] Yet, the case against ‘secular monks’ can be substantial. You might want to add your own insights to either side of the argument.
The prosecution (the case against secular monks)
An Order of Secular Monks (using the term for all genders) might reinforce the traditional and well-established division between lay and ordained roles in traditional religious Buddhism. This dichotomy is evident in most Buddhist religious organizations and assumed in our school curriculum and broadcasters such as the BBC. The monk’s role is affirmed as a vastly superior, exemplary way of living and learning the dharma. Exemplary lay Buddhists are celebrated as exceptions. I studied with a Norwegian theologian, Kjell Yri, who refused ordination because he saw it as implying a false division among Christians. That judgment is transferable to Buddhist communities. If secular Buddhism stands for anything, surely it is the ability of all and any to exemplify the liberating insights of Gautama’s teaching. Robes, shaved heads, and unquestioned respect for the office are not the only nor the best path to awakening.
I’ve been ordained for fifty years (thirty as a Christian pastor and teacher). Looking in the mirror and at my fellow monks/clergy, I can assure you that ordination has its particular temptations (not always overcome!). There are saints and sinners in every sub-grouping of humanity. Ordination cannot guarantee a certain level of spirituality. It even includes some unique and powerful temptations. I’ve seen the dangers and the failures in myself and others. I do not idealize the role, but I respect it provisionally.
Another concern is the ideological and social reality of the monks’ hierarchical and authoritarian position within the broader religious community. This is symbolized by the Sangha Refuge being sometimes equated with the ordained community only. A dangerous aspect of this position is the assumption that monks represent the ‘true dharma’. Another is to assume that they always deserve respect and even obedience. But dharma faithfulness is an individual quality, reflecting virtues such as humility, knowledge, and integrity, not role or function.
Many monks are exemplars of positive Buddhism. But, let’s face it, many are not. Every organization needs leadership and structure. But why should we reserve such servant authority for the monks, excluding all others? Lay administrators and other dharma-based, socially relevant roles are viable possibilities. The Secular Buddhist Network proves this. My own Sangha could not do very well without its lay leaders.
Gautama’s affirmation (in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta) of the Four Assemblies[3] is extremely relevant: Monks, nuns, and householders were all mastering and teaching his dharma. Each was equally important to him as a potentially confident, competent teachers. The monks’ most common vocation was dharma study and teaching. But this role was not exclusively theirs. There were just as many enlightened householders as monks or nuns, perhaps more. But, because the monks became the self-proclaimed guardians and transmitters of Gautama’s teaching, their role is prominent in the recorded discourses. I suspect there was an unconscious bias that minimized the contribution of women and householders. (Admittedly, this suspicion is unprovable.)
Religious authorities tend to enforce dogma. But we know from the Kalama Sutta that Gautama encouraged all his followers to judge ‘views’ (doctrine) for themselves according to (1) their individual judgment of what was palpably helpful/unhelpful to them and (2) what was exemplified or taught by those whose lives had earned their respect.
The above does not imply that monks (and nuns) cannot contribute to the sangha and their wider community. But it calls into question the utility of this role as it is most often seen today.
The defense (the case for secular monks)
All that said, what is the case for secular monks? There are so many ways of being a secular monk – actual and potential. But I shall speak from the reality of the Order I belong to, the Order of Pragmatic Buddhism. It’s what I know.
The Buddha’s passion for a vital dharma expression through four different ‘assemblies’ – half of them laity - underscores the legitimacy of the monk’s role (the other half). In his time, monks and nuns ideally left all ordinary means of gaining security and income, and dedicated themselves to learning and sharing how to live an awakened life. Secular monks (of all genders) will likely be self-supporting and might have a partner. Despite these and other demands on their time, they will dedicate their lives to helping others explore the dharma and move towards buddhahood. In the Order I’m blessed to be part of, we affirm five + ten precepts, plus vows which indicate a wholehearted dedication to this work ‘for the benefit of all beings’.
Ordination is a public role, which, if lived humbly and with integrity, contributes to the greater good. In a sense, monks represent a deeper level of commitment than most practitioners. Their additional precepts and vows, provide a serious accountability within their Order, and an expectation of skillfulness, knowledge and integrity from the members of their sangha. Their impact can be great, if they live out the dharma – but that can include unwelcome pressures – especially when others expect a different kind of Buddhism than they expect. The same, of course, can be true of every practitioner.
The origin of the Pali terms for monk (bhikkhu) and nun (bhikkhuni) does not equate with the concept that is codified in the older traditions. The word is sometimes translated as ‘mendicant’, not ‘monk’. Its meaning is ‘beggar’. Originally, Gautama instructed his monks to make robes from the fragments of clothing left on charnel grounds. They were seen as ascetics, without a permanent residence and eating only one meal a day, begged from the wider population. Gautama famously said at the end of his life that the dharma should guide everyone; there was no need for appointed leaders. But, too often, traditional monasteries have rigid command systems. Its system provides securities and comforts that many find very attractive. Our cultural context is so different from Bronze Age India that few want to replicate the original model of the monk’s (nun’s) lifestyle.
Finally, monks can serve as Buddhist ‘clergy’ – blessing homes, celebrating births, marrying and burying – and on call to respond to others’ cri du cœur, the impassioned outcry for help.
Our Order is redeveloping its education pathway for those applying for ordination, which is also open to other sangha members seeking to deepen their understanding and practice. This allows people to explore the monk’s role at their own pace, with the companionship of a mentor.
Monks are accountable to their Order which, if it is functioning well, knows them well enough to provide guidance and accountability to their declared intentions.
I welcome this accountability because it demands a level of consciousness and service I might otherwise let slip. Our Pragmatic Buddhist movement provides five aspirational precepts for everyone but adds ten restraining precepts for monks (the term applying to both sexes). Thus, our Sangha affirms weekly, ‘I undertake the training of positive speech.’ Monks are under four additional speech precepts (self-enforced): ‘I undertake the training of verbal empowerment; I will abstain from useless speech. I undertake the training of kind speech; I will abstain from harsh speech. I undertake the training of meaningful speech; I will abstain from frivolous speech. I undertake the training of harmonious speech; I will abstain from slanderous speech.’ I am grateful for these explicit standards. They are helpful guides and correctives. In their light, I have recently realised my need to develop my non-violent communication and strengthen my empathy and deep listening in my conversations.
The Buddha looked for confident purveyors of the dharma. Being recognised as an acceptable dharma teacher (Sensei) by the senior monks in my Order, whom I respect, encourages me to do my homework well and to teach courageously. The Chinese name I’ve been given, Seng Ting (Diligent Sangha Member) encourages me to keep at it, and model the Buddhist life (joyous, compassionate service) as best I can. These explicit standards keep me learning from our sangha members and all others about the qualities I want in my life.
Under the leadership of my fellow Scottish monk, Beverley Hooper (Chi Zhu), we are developing a sangha in which lay leaders are prominent in helping to build our local and online communities. My role as the senior teaching monk (with pastoral and outreach concerns as strong as my love of teaching) includes strengthening the community by learning to empower others. It’s part of an ongoing process in which I’m learning to divest myself of typical ‘religious’ expectations and grow to be an appropriately secular monk.
Concluding with a personal note, I find my monk’s role a comforting recognition of my sense of inner calling, a challenging consciousness to live the Buddhist life I represent, and an extra layer of ‘fellowship’ when I relate to fellow Order members. I rarely wear my robes, but I hope to be buried in them.
[1] See, for example, Stephen’s Secular Buddhism (2017, Yale University Press).
[2] I’m happy to be part of an Order which allows both secular and religious values and patterns, but welcome a more radical, purely secular approach. Right now we are discussing how to further develop democratic governance in our Order. | |||||
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] | null | [] | null | In a recent video (which I plan to address more directly later) some claims were made related to my integrity and trustworthiness in my communication with Dr. Michael Brown. I’d like to explain... | en | American Gospel | http://www.americangospelfilm.com/9/post/2023/11/trust-integrity.html | In a recent video (which I plan to address more directly later) some claims were made related to my integrity and trustworthiness in my communication with Dr. Michael Brown. I’d like to explain and address those issues here, so that those with concerns can see the full context.
Initial Contact with Dr. Brown
In November of 2021, I sent the following email to Dr. Michael Brown as an initial email inviting him to be interviewed in AG3.
Hello Dr. Brown,
My name is Brandon Kimber and I'm a Christian filmmaker from Cleveland, Ohio and producer of the "American Gospel" documentary series (americangospel.com, watchagtv.com). In case you aren't familiar with the films, my first, “American Gospel: Christ Alone” critiqued the Word of Faith movement, and the second, “Christ Crucified,” critiqued progressive Christianity; each compared these errors to the true gospel. Both films have had an international impact, and we’ve received hundreds of testimonials of the Lord’s gracious work in saving, and delivering people from deception through the films. I come from a charismatic background but now identify from a Reformed Baptist perspective. The church I grew up in was heavily influenced by the Toronto Blessing and other revivals (my parents took me to Toronto, Pensacola, etc), and also had some Word of Faith influence. The films that I’ve made are largely based on my own personal experiences in these churches, and my desire to help my own family understand the truth.
I am currently working on a third film in the American Gospel series on the topic of the true person and work of the Holy Spirit, and the New Apostolic Reformation (You can read more about it here: http://www.americangospelfilm.com/spirit--fire-ag3.html). I know that you have spoken about these issues, often critiquing the critics of NAR, so I wanted to reach out to you to see if you would be interested in participating in a video interview for this docuseries. I know that since we disagree on certain issues, trust is likely a big concern for you. The way I often address this trust issue to offer you the ability to view how you are edited in the series before you sign your appearance release. Legally I cannot use you image without your approval, so there is really no risk. In my previous film “Christ Crucified,” I interviewed a few progressives and a secular humanist that I disagreed with. I offered them the same deal, and they all ended up signing their releases without any changes. Here is Bart Campolo (secular humanist) explaining his experience with me: ( https://www.watchagtv.com/progressive-christianity/videos/campolo-recommend ). There’s no doubt that I will want to ask you some tough questions, but I will be happy to provide those beforehand. I’m also willing to travel to you to film the interview (sometimes I also hire a shooter and conduct the interview remotely over Zoom, etc.).
My goal is to [create] an honest and balanced film, and I think your participation is a step toward making that a reality. I do not intend to approach this topic from a cessationist/continuationist divide. I intend to bring both groups together in our common critique of certain hyper-charismatic teachings and practices that are commonly connected to those who believe in the modern day offices of apostle and prophet.
Let me know if you have any interest in participating. Thank you for your consideration!
Grace & peace,
- Brandon Kimber
This email was sent as an introduction, and wasn’t meant to get into full details about the project (who I’ve interviewed, what questions would be asked, etc.). I figured that connecting myself to my past films would at least lead Dr. Brown to ask some followup questions before deciding to agree to do this. I sent this email at 12:14 PM, and Dr. Brown responded 9 minutes later at 12:23 PM, agreeing to participate and do the interview! I recall being surprised at how quickly he replied. Knowing now that he had never watched the previous AG films before agreeing to participate is hard to believe, and it makes sense now that there was some concerns relating to the interview questions that I would later send him.
The Questions
Our interview would take place on January 24, 2022. At the beginning of the month (January 6, 2022), I emailed Dr. Brown my interview questions, which you can read below. I explained to Dr. Brown that the questions were extensive (about 40k including notes to help him understand the context) and that I wanted to be respectful of his time. I explained that I was making a docuseries, which is equivalent to multiple films, covering more topics than a single film would cover— thus the reason for the extended questions. The question also revealed the topics that I planned to discuss in this project, including allowing Dr. Brown to address criticisms that have often been directed at him by critics like Justin Peters or Chris Rosebrough.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
INTRO:
Q. Can you summarize how you came to faith in Christ?
Q. Tell me about your life in ministry (thesis on Healing?).
- You’re known for writing a response book to John MacArthur’s “Strange Fire”. Can you give me a little background as to why, and your history in interacting with critics of the charismatic movement?
- In your thesis you mentioned that all healing and blessings were from God, and all sickness is from Satan. Do you agree that Scripture often presents God as one who inflicts sickness on people (including Israel) in his justice or discipline to bring them to repentance? Doesn’t the “curse” come from God? (I like to distinguish between sin and the consequences of sin; Sin is the work of the devil, the curse and the consequences of sin are the work of God in His justice in a fallen world.)
YOUR CRITIQUES OF THE CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT:
Q. Can you summarize your critiques of the charismatic movement? What things are you ‘ashamed' of that are done in the name of the Holy Spirit today in the Charismatic movement?
“While I am absolutely unashamed to be called a Pentecostal-Charismatic believer, I am terribly ashamed at many things that are done in the name of the Holy Spirit today, especially by leaders on ‘Christian’ TV.” —Authentic Fire
CRITIQUES OF CESSATIONISTS
Q. What are your concerns about the beliefs of cessationists?
Q. Cessationists say that the modern charismatic gifts have been downgraded from the NT versions. Do you agree or disagree?
Gift of Healing? (Was it instantaneous, visible?) (miracles meant to confirm that a prophet or Apostle was sent from God?)
Gift of Prophecy? (Fallible?)
THE NAR: MODERN GOVERNING OFFICES OF APOSTLE AND PROPHET
Q. I am aware that you take issue with the label “The New Apostolic Reformation,” or NAR. Can you explain your concerns and why you have pushed back against critics of the NAR?
What aspects of NAR do you reject, or embrace, according to their definition?
Q. Your critics have a number of critiques of your practices in ministry. Do you think these are fair critiques?
1. They say that that you have created a strawman definition of the NAR; you’ve portrayed it as a tightly networked global conspiracy that is working behind the scenes, but we’re defining it as a loosely organized network with similar overlapping ideas— mainly a dominionist movement which asserts that God is restoring the offices of Apostle and Prophet in church governance.
- (C. Peter Wagner observed this movement and named it NAR. Che Ahn affirms this label (NAR). But it has also been called INC, or Independent Network Christianity)
2. Your critics also say that you tend to avoid addressing the content of their criticism by:
Labelling them all “hyper-critics,” dishonest, using “destructive criticism.”
When asked about certain false teachers, you commonly say that you don’t have time to know what they teach, but point to your personal relationship with them as evidence that they are brothers in Christ.
The critics are the problem, and the false teachers are given a pass.
Q. Do you believe the Church should be GOVERNED by modern Apostles, and Prophets? Do you think they can bring new revelation? (Is this on par with Scripture?)
- Do they function like Ché Ahn describes in his book, Modern Day Apostles?
- Have extraordinary authority
- They play a critical, key role in advancing & fulfilling the Great Commission
- Social transformation, heaven on Earth overcomes individual salvation.
- Bill Hamon says modern prophets have the same anointing, authority, and ministry as the Old Testament prophets.
Q. Are you an Apostle? Are you a member of any Apostolic Networks?
- It appears you are a national council member of the USCAL in 2017:
APOSTOLIC/PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS VS. BIBLICAL PRAYER
Q. In what sense do you believe in Apostolic or prophetic declarations?
Is decreeing and declaring a Biblical model of prayer?
Prophetic Declarations:
Q. Some churches teach that we can speak things into existence, because we are made in God’s image, and therefore have the same power in our words as God did when He created the world. (Faith is more of a force or science in this sense). Do you agree with this teaching?
Apostolic Declarations:
Context: In his book, modern day Apostles, Che Ahn says that “Apostles have authority to wage warfare and make Apostolic decrees.” In 2020, Bill Johnson, Che Ahn, and some other Apostolic and prophetic leaders put this into practice by decreeing away the “spirit of racism” over the United States. They modeled their declarations after The Lord of Rings: Fellowship of the Ring film, where the wizard Gandalf defeats a demon (Balrog) by taking his staff and declaring, “You shall not pass!”
“So as an apostolic team, with the authority that God has given to us, we decree and declare that racism will end, it's over, in the ecclesia from this night forward in Jesus' mighty name. Let's lift it up and bang it!... Repeat with us! Thou shall not pass!” - Che Ahn
Q. Do you think modern Apostles and prophets should be modeling their declarations after Hollywood films, or examples of wizards/witchcraft?
REVIVAL:
Q. How do you define revival? How do you believe the Holy Spirit works in regeneration? Are you a synergist or a monergist?
Is revival for Christians only? (Vs. An awakening). An individual thing, or a movement on a larger level (our country).
Does the Spirit move apart from the preaching of the Word? You’ve referenced historical stories like where ships came into an area where revival was happening and God’s Spirit caused people to repent without the means of hearing the gospel, but just by being near a location that has a stronger presence of God.
Q. You’ve spoken at Light the Fire Again Conference in 2018. Can you tell me about the Toronto Blessing in the 1990’s, it’s impact on your life, and other ministries? How do you respond to some of the common critiques of Toronto (those who do not believe this was a move of God)?
Q. Tell me the Brownsville Revival (and your involvement).
Q. How did this revival start? Was is planned or was it a genuine move of the Spirit?
Q. Critics say the revival was planned and modeled after Toronto. In the Pensacola News Journal (11/19/97), the headline says “Pastors Orchestrated first revival.” How would you respond this this? The article makes the following claims based on watching the video of June 18, 1995 Father’s day sermon, and interviewing former church members:
- “In the months before the revival: [Kilpatrick] talked persistently about bringing revival to Brownsville, and threatened to quit if the church did not accept the revival.”
- “The Pastor’s wife, Brenda Kilpatrick and a number of Brownsville church officials travelled to Canada and observed revival crowd control techniques and prayer team methods at the phenomenally successful ongoing revival there, the Toronto Blessing.”
- Kilpatrick showed the congregation a video of a Toronto blessing service, in which people fall to the floor, “slain in the spirit,” as they feel the Holy Spirit taking over them.”
- “Kilpatrick has followers of evangelist Rodney Howard Browne attend a Brownsville service, where they functioned as an example of highly expressive worship.” (His followers manifested “holy laughter” and “hysterical convulsions” at Brownsville).
(During the 6/18/95 sermon, Steve is working hard get something to happen, prompting the people, telling them what they are going to experience before it happens, repeatedly asking people not to leave. The overall appearance is that man is in control of releasing or accepting God’s presence, not God. Do you think that is a fair assessment?
Q. During the Brownsville revival, you received a letter from a critic and read this letter while pretending to be a blind man on stage. It sounds like you believed that this critic was “blind” because all of his critiques points were the hallmarks of the Brownsville revival. Can you explain the context of this letter and your response to it?
IMPARTATION THEOLOGY
Q. Much of the stories behind the Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville Revival indicate a belief that anointings or “fire” can be transfered from person to person or “caught” (Catch the Fire). What do you believe about impartations and transferable anointings? Do you have any thoughts about the following critiques?
1. 1949 AOG paper rejected an overemphasis of:
“The overemphasis relative to imparting, identifying, bestowing or confirming of gifts by the laying on of hands and prophecy.”
2. A Pentecostal pastor, Kenneth E. Lamb, explained how he believed this was unbiblical (quotes from 6/21/98 article in the Pensacola News Journal):
“The Holy Spirit Falls upon whom God sees fit” (not where a human imparts Him).
It makes Jesus a liar (John 14:6), because you “need a particular person as an intermediary.”
“It’s the first step into cultism. It sets up a particular human as the only way to God’s power...”
With repetitive prayer, “Now! Now! More Lord! Fire! Fire!” do you think it’s fair say that you believe that the Holy Spirit is released at the commands of people who pray in this way? Isn’t this treating the Spirit more like a force that we can control?
Q. What is a Baptism of Fire?
Is it biblical to yell “Fire!” in prayer?
MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SPIRIT
Q. Mike Bickle has said that in his experience, 80% of Holy Spirit manifestations are not real, 20% are real. “It’s a learned behavior that doesn’t take the Holy Spirit to do it.” Do you agree with his assessment? How do you discern what is a biblical manifestation of the Holy Spirit?
Q. Do you believe that being “Slain in the Spirit” is biblical?
Why were you given the nickname “Knock ‘em Down Brown” in the Brownsville Revival?
Q. Do you believe that "drunk in the spirit behavior is Biblical?"
Q. Drunk to the point of not being able to speak, preach? Why would the Holy Spirit shut up his Word?
Q. In Scripture, demons manifest by making someone convulse (Mark 1:26), roll around (Mark 9:20), scream (Luke 9:39), slamming people to the ground (Luke 9:42), etc. Do you find it troubling that many of this same behavior is attributed to the Holy Spirit?
Q. Do you think that the fruit of the Spirit being self-control (sound mind, discipline) is a good way to judge manifestations?
Q. Do you believe that those who uncomfortable with these manifestations, have an anti-Christ spirit? (Are they opposed to Christ or God in any way?)
DISCERNING FALSE TEACHING AND TEACHERS
Q. Do false teachers exist? What would it take for you to publicly name someone a false teacher, and ask your listeners to avoid them (Romans 16:17-18)?
Q. Tell me about your investigation into Todd Bentley. What did you conclude?
Q. Why do you believe Todd Bentley is supernaturally gifted by God?
“We love Todd and believe that he has been supernaturally gifted by God, and our highest joy would be to see Todd coming before God and the community of believers in humility and repentance, openly desiring help to get his life fully healed and surrendered to Jesus. Sadly, we see no signs of true, lasting repentance. Instead, we see a steady pattern of compromised behavior, including credible accusations of adultery, sexting (including the exchanging of nude pictures or videos), vulgar language, and substance abuse.” https://t.co/aY4pIDcvYq
Q. Here’s a pattern that I see in hyper-charismatic circles. There could be a person who is apparently supernaturally gifted by God in healing or prophecy (Ex: William Branham), but they teach false doctrine, and are living in an unrepentant immoral lifestyle. Yet it seems like some charismatics can’t put this person into the category of a “false teacher” simply because of their apparent supernatural gifting by the Holy Spirit. It’s as if they have no category for signs and wonders that are either false or demonic in origin. I think the same applies to Todd Bentley. Since Todd has refused repent of his immoral lifestyle, and since he has not been able to provide documentation of healings or miracles, I believe he has shown the fruit of being a wolf in sheep’s clothing (false teacher or false prophet). I don’t think it’s hard to conclude that the Holy Spirit is not working through him. Have you ever considered the possibility that the signs and wonders that Todd has been operating in are from a different spirit, and not empowered by the Holy Spirit?
(Matthew 24:24) speaks of false Christs who perform great signs and wonders. Are they operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit or another spirit?
In Matthew 7:21, there are many who call Jesus “Lord Lord,” claim to operate in the gifts of the Spirit, yet Christ says “I never knew you.” (they were never born again). Does the Holy Spirit give gifts to non-believers? Or are these works done through another spirit?
Q. Many of your critics are concerned that you associate with, promote, endorse, and are friends with false teachers and false prophets (Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland) or people who promote false teaching (Sid Roth). Are you aware of that criticism?
Q. Your response to this criticism has typically been offense that anyone would damn your friends to hell. You point to your personal relationship with these teachers as evidence that they are sincere and know the Lord (”Sid Roth is genuine brother who loves the Lord”), but you also claim you don’t have time to examine all of what they teach.
I know you get offended when someone calls your friends “charlatans” or “hucksters” because that implies that they know they are lying, and are putting on an act. I’ll take your word that Sid Roth (or any false teacher) appear sincere, likable, or appear to genuinely love the Lord. But do you think that someone like Sid could be sincere, but deceived (or sincerely wrong)? Could he be like the person in Matthew 7:21-23 that emphatically calls Christ “Lord” but is a false convert?
- 2 Tim 3:13 talks about people who are “deceiving and being deceived.”
- “But evil people and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
Q. Do you believe that the appearance of sincerity overrides the Biblical marks of a false teacher or false prophet? How can you trust your subjective ability to see into their hearts, over the fruit of what they teach and promote publicly?
FALLIBLE PROPHECY & FALSE PROPHETS
Q. Why did you feel it necessary to help create the Prophetic Standards Statement?
Context: https://propheticstandards.com/
WE REJECT the notion that a contemporary prophetic word is on the same level of inspiration or authority as Scripture or that God always speaks inerrantly through prophets today, since the Bible says we only know in part and prophesy in part (1 Cor. 13:9). It is the written Word alone that can lay claim to being “the Word of God” (2 Tim. 3:16); prophecies, at best, are “a word from the Lord,” to be tested by the Word of God.
Finally, while we believe in holding prophets accountable for their words, in accordance with the Scriptures, we do not believe that a sincere prophet who delivers an inaccurate message is therefore a false prophet. Instead, as Jesus explained, and as the Old Testament emphasized, false prophets are wolves in sheep’s clothing, in contrast to true believers who might speak inaccurately (see Matt. 7:15-20; Jer. 23:9-40; Ezek. 13:23). Thus a false prophet is someone who operates under a false spirit masquerading as the Holy Spirit.
Q. How do you define a false prophet? Do you believe that the standard of Deut. 18:20-22 does not apply to testing New Testament prophets?
Q. In Exodus 20:7 the 3rd commandment says that we shall not take the Lord’s name in vain (you shall not carry the Lord’s name into falsehood, or vanity). Do you believe that giving a false prophecy breaks this commandment?
If yes, how does the New Testament make this no longer an egregious sin?
Q. The wording of this statement seems to suggest that God can speak in error through prophets today. It places the error on God, rather than man, which conflicts with an essential attribute of God— that He is Truth (Titus 1:2)
“WE REJECT the notion... that God always speaks inerrantly through prophets today,”
(Opposite: “We accept the notion that God sometimes speaks errantly through prophets today.”)
Q. What Scriptures talk about sincerity, or good intentions as a measure to test false prophets?
“We do not believe that a sincere prophet who delivers an inaccurate message is therefore a false prophet.”
KENOTIC CHRISTOLOGY
Q. Is it wrong to say, “Jesus emptied Himself of all divinity?” According to Philippians 2:5-8, what does it mean that Jesus emptied Himself?
Q. Todd White has publicly stated that you have helped to correct his language when it comes to the topic of the kenosis— Christ emptying Himself. Can you explain why you did this?
Todd White’s previous language:
“Jesus wasn't born into this world to be God.”
“He wasn't here as God.”
"He had to lay aside all divinity— every bit of it"
“He had to lay fully God aside.”
“He called himself the Son of Man.” (Not the Son of God)
“If he came as God, he wouldn't have to be anointed.”
“He didn't live his sinless life as God.”
“He didn't die on the cross as God.”
“He didn't defeat the devil as God.”
Todd’s Change: “He had to let go of his divinitive rights to act it out as God.”
Q. Do you think Todd White should be teaching a school when he has errors in his Christology? Do you consider this a first-tier, essential issue?
Q. Certain men have taken this teaching to the conclusion that we (as Holy Spirit-filled believers) are “on par with Jesus,” or should be duplicating Jesus’s works in the following ways:
All Christians are mandated to perform miracles, even greater miracles than Jesus.
“Jesus didn’t do His miracles to prove that he was the Messiah. He didn’t do his miracles to prove that He could, He did His miracles to prove that we could.”
We (as born-again humans) could have accomplished what Jesus did on the cross, had we had the same knowledge, and sinless life as Jesus.
PROSPERITY GOSPEL:
Q. How would you define the prosperity gospel? What aspects do you disagree or agree with?
Q. Do you believe that it is always God’s will to heal people now in this life)?
NEW AGE PRACTICES
Q. Are you concerned with New Age practices infiltrating the Church through charismatic practices?
“Charismatic Christianity without the cross, is new age witchcraft.” Do you agree?
Q. You were involved in investigating Christalignment (Jenny Hodge), the ministry that practices “Destiny Card Reading” (for words of knowledge). You couldn’t endorse their methods. Can you explain why?
- Bethel’s Theresa Dedmon also uses Destiny cards:
- Bethel promotes undercover evangelism at psychic fairs, where they hide Christian language/truth (”The Spirit of Creation”):
- Encounter evangelism: Evangelism that does not include these truths communicated: Christ Crucified. Repentance, forgiveness of sins (Ex: all the Darren Wilson documentaries).
FINAL PLEA TO ‘HYPER-CRITICS’?
Q. Your plea to the hyper-critics. You’ve noticed a pattern of bearing false witness against charismatics. Explain.
Dr. Brown graciously agreed to give me extra time in the interview if needed (and he did), but he responded to my questions with surprise and a number of concerns. He was concerned about the questions related to the Brownsville revival being “planned” (there are local Pensacola newspaper articles caliming this). He was also not expecting to answer questions about Todd White, thinking that these issues were not directly related to “the alleged NAR”. He asked me to kindly explain my reasoning for these questions:
“…can you tell me honestly, before the Lord, why you are inviting my involvement? Will there really be an opportunity for me to present the truth clearly in a context that will not be prejudiced against it out of the gate?” - Dr. Brown
In my followup email, I explained some of the following points:
“First, while I am focusing on NAR, this is also a film about the Holy Spirit and sometimes there are topics that branch outside of topic of modern Apostles and Prophets.” -Brandon
The topic of “revival and revivalism” is outside of the topic of “modern Apostles and Prophets,” but is still a huge emphasis in this movement. I explained my background again and connections to the Toronto Blessing, and Rodney Howard Browne’s laughing revival. I also knew that the Brownsville revival was very influenced by the Toronto Blessing, and wanting to see that same move of God happen there in Florida. I found a number news articles detailing some man-centered “planning” that occurred, which lead to the start of this revival. I explained:
“I have no context for what happened at Brownsville, other than I know it came shortly after Toronto. I think what the newspaper was describing was not necessarily “planning” (even though it says that in the headline) but having a group of people (hungry for God) hearing about a revival elsewhere (Toronto), seeing the manifestations in that, and wanting to prep their church for the same thing.” -Brandon
The reason I had questions related Todd White was in connection to this false kenotic christology teaching:
“The Todd White question is connected to my first American Gospel film. We explained the kenotic christology issue (because I consider it one of those first tier issues that is common in circles like Bethel, etc.). Todd responded to the AG film a few times, and at one point said he “repented for not preaching the full gospel.” (then he kind of recanted his repentance, and said we took his teaching out of context, but simultaneously admitted that you were helping him change his language). I would just like your perspective on this, and how you would teach a Biblical view of Christ’s kenosis (this is all connected to the teaching that all believers can do the same and greater miracles as Jesus— as if the miracles are merely examples for us to follow). I want to explore the idea of what it means to follow Christ vs. duplicate Christ. If you aren’t comfortable talking about your help with Todd, we can just focus on the kenosis.” -Brandon
Notice how I pinpointed that Todd White had publicly said that Dr. Brown had helped him changed his language on his biggest error (ontological kenotic christology), where Todd essentially says thing like, “Jesus wasn’t here as God” or “Jesus emptied himself of all divinity…”
The question that I wrote for this was:
Q. Do you think Todd White should be teaching a school when he has errors in his Christology? Do you consider this a first-tier, essential issue?
Dr. Brown informed me that he preferred to NOT talk about Todd directly (or answer this question), but was happy to speak about his view of the kenosis (Christ emptying himself) in general. My original intention here was to get Dr. Brown to “change his mind” or “repent” of this specific issue, because I think it’s a serious error to allow someone who has preached heresy to first, deny it publicly, but then help them change/correct their language behind the scenes; Brown should have had a serious conversation with Todd about his qualifications in teaching, and having his own school (LCU) to teach others. But Brown declined to speak about this, so that discussion never happened.
Finally, I explained my goals and motives, and offered him the chance to watch “AG2: Christ Crucified” if he hadn't already:
“I’ve been honest with you since my first email, explaining that we disagree in a lot of areas related to charismatic theology (I also think we may agree in a lot of areas too). My goal is to not make this film become a Strange Fire 2.0. I want more charismatic perspectives to be heard from someone in the continuatonist group, and you are one of the few people who respond to charismatic critics. I will do my best to allow you to present your understanding of Scripture clearly, but that will not completely eliminate my bias (I have interviewed people like Justin Peters, Chris Rosebrough, Phil Johnson, etc. which is why I’m asking questions that sound like they are coming from people like them).
*If you’d like an example of how I edited people I disagree with, I can send you a screener link to "American Gospel: Christ Crucified” if you’d like. Here’s Bart Campolo’s video again, explaining his experience: https://www.watchagtv.com/videos/campolo-recommend*
I want to be honest and fair, and glorify Christ with this project. Part of that will happen by exposing false teaching and practices that I have seen hurt people in my own life (by comparing to the truths of Scripture)…” (personal info removed)
“Thanks for being willing to extend our time together a bit. Let me know if this clears any confusion up.”
-Brandon
The Agreement
Leading up to our interview, Dr. Brown wanted to solidify our agreement. He expressed the following points:
“To be sure that we’re all comfortable and get to speak and record freely, it will be important to me to have specific language in our agreement that will allow you to use our interviews only based on my final approval. This would include seeing the full context in which I am quoted at any point in the series, along with any footage in which others mention me by name. Also, I’d like to have full, unedited copies of our interviews NOT for public distribution in any form but rather for my own records.”
I responded with the following points:
1. I will provide you with the full unedited interview for your reference (not for public distribution in any form).
2. I will not be able to use your interview in the series until you review the project (how you are edited among others), approve of it, and sign your appearance release. If you have any issues, I am willing to fix them (by allowing you to respond with further commentary, etc.), or accepting that you no longer wish to be involved with the project.
3. I cannot use your video in a trailer without your approval.
This language in our emails was used as the basis of our agreement. In sum, Dr. Brown knew the questions leading up to the interview, and thus, the nature of the topics in the docuseries. I tried to explain my intentions with whatever concerns that he had.
The Interview
It’s hard for me to remember all the details of my time together with Dr. Brown, but I think the interview went very well, and our conversation was very friendly. Our conversation did have points where I challenged Dr. Brown or questioned some of his beliefs or practices, as I stated in my initial email (he also did the same thing in my direction on the topic of discernment and hyper-criticism). A number of the questions that I asked were related to serious concerns that people had over Dr Brown’s past associations (Benny Hinn, Sid Roth), his refusal to mark someone like Kenneth Copeland as a false teacher, and what appears to be a pattern of downplaying hyper-charismatic errors, while elevating the sins of “hyper-critics” to an equal level of error. I also believe I pushed back a bit on his perspective on God’s will and healing. We also discussed his denial of the existence of NAR, and his alleged participation in an apostolic leadership network (USCAL) which has used the “New Apostolic Reformation” language in the past on their website.
Another thing that stood out in our interview is that I asked a question related to the prophetic standards statement, which said:
“we reject the notion that… God always speaks inerrantly through prophets today.”
My problem with this statement is explained in my question here:
The wording of this statement seems to suggest that God can speak in error through prophets today. It places the error on God, rather than man, which conflicts with an essential attribute of God— that He is Truth (Titus 1:2)
“WE REJECT the notion... that God always speaks inerrantly through prophets today,” (Opposite: “We accept the notion that God sometimes speaks errantly through prophets today.”)
Dr. Brown responded to this by thanking me for bringing this error to his attention, and he reaffirmed that he believes that God speak infallibly through prophets (who don't always hear infallibly). He also told me that he would get this language changed in the statement, which today, says the following:
“WE REJECT the notion that a contemporary prophetic word is on the same level of inspiration or authority as Scripture or that God’s inerrant speech is always communicated perfectly by prophets today…” https://propheticstandards.com/
The Facebook Post
After our interview, I posted the following on our Facebook page:
“We’re asking for your prayers for today’s AG3 interview today with Dr. Michael Brown. Like AG2, we are interviewing people we disagree with the hope of asking challenging questions and calling to repentance.”
Immediately after this post, Dr. Brown emailed me with concerns about the language “calling to repentance” and was confused as to why I used that language in front of my audience, but had not clearly communicate that to him personally. He was concerned about the public responses to the post (hyper critical bad fruit) where people would think that I was suggesting that I thought he was a “heretic” needing to repent. That was not my intention. I don’t believe that Dr. Brown is a heretic through a denial of any essential gospel issue. However, as I’ve explained above and through the nature of the questions that were sent to him, it was clear that I had a number of concerns that I wanted to challenge or “change his mind” (repent) about.
This is part of my initial response to him:
“As far as the Facebook post, I’m happy to explain. From the beginning I made you aware that we had disagreements, and I intended to ask you questions and challenge some of your beliefs by having your consider Scripture, and to consider changing your mind, or beliefs about what Scripture teaches in certain areas (This is what I meant by repentance— not necessarily in the sense of a specific sin, but changing your mind about certain charismatic practices that we were discussing).”
After more discussion on this, I edited my initial Facebook post to say the following:
We’re asking for your prayers for today’s AG3 interview today with Dr. Michael Brown. Like AG2, we are interviewing people we disagree with the hope of asking challenging questions and calling to repentance.
Update:
Yesterday’s interview with Dr. Michael Brown went well. Thank you for your prayers. The goal of the interview was to present Dr. Brown with some challenging questions concerning certain hyper-charismatic doctrine and practices, with the goal of getting him to change his mind in light of Scripture. This is what we meant by “calling to repentance.” We want clarify that we do not think Dr. Brown is a wolf, or heretic, like some in the comments have suggested. He believes a Biblical gospel (please watch his debate with Brian Zahnd on penal substitution: https://youtu.be/T27av-RF2-Y). We do agree on quite a few things including the abuses of the prosperity gospel, but there are still some remaining disagreements especially in the areas of our understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit, and how we are to associate with teachers or prophets who may be deceived or deceiving others (2 Tim 3:13).
A final take away from our interaction is the necessity of practicing loving and truthful discernment, and how to distinguish between first tier essential gospel error (heresy), and second-tier errors (which can still hurt people, but do not put someone outside the camp of Christianity).
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”
— 2 Timothy 2:24-26
This whole discussion culminated in Dr. Brown talking about this on his radio program back in February of 2022 in the episode titled, "The American Gospel, NAR, Hyper-Critics, and Me". He also asked me to post about this on our Facebook page (which you can read below):
When I approach someone with an interview request with whom I disagree, I have a few goals:
1. Allow them to express their perspective in a fair and balanced way. If someone else may be critiquing their views, allow them a chance to defend their position. We believe that this is the best way to accurately demonstrate someone’s beliefs (allowing them to speak for themselves) vs. using fair use clips of their preaching (which have the potential of being taken out of context; even if they aren’t, people love to use that to dismiss any critique). To ensure fairness and trust, we allow them to review how we edited them in the film before they sign their appearance release. This is how we handled the interviews in AG2 with Bart Campolo, Tony Jones, and the Deconstructionist Podcast. See Bart Campolo’s explanation of this process here: https://www.watchagtv.com/americ.../videos/campolo-recommend
2. I want to ask tough or challenging questions. By challenging, I mean to push back against any beliefs or practices that are unbiblical, in the hope to get them to change their mind or repent of a specific practice or belief. If they do not, I at least have the ability to create a sharp contrast in the film between two opposing views, and I pray that perhaps the overall film will help them change their mind.
The whole AG series is about comparing the “American Gospel” to Scripture. If what we believe about God, the gospel, etc. doesn’t align with what Scripture teaches, then I pray that the Lord will change your mind, by granting you repentance in that area. I pray the same thing for myself, (I don’t claim to be without error in my beliefs) knowing that when people are deceived, they don’t know it.
In this video Dr. Michael Brown talks about my initial contact emails with him. Dr. Brown was surprised by the wording of last Monday’s Facebook post, particularly the phrase, “calling him to repentance” in light of my initial email to him (it came across to him as if I was communicating to our audience that he was a false teacher, which I did not intend). In this initial contact email with Dr. Brown I explain our disagreements, and that there would be challenging questions in the interview provided to him beforehand. Perhaps I could have been more clear in saying that I considered the purpose of these challenging questions to be that I wanted him to change his mind about certain doctrines and practices (repentance). In Dr. Brown’s case, we agree on gospel essentials, but have remaining disagreements about the work of the Holy Spirit, particularly in manifestations. We also discussed our differences in who we considered to be false teachers, and when one should “mark and avoid” (Romans 16:17-18), lest we participate in their wicked works:
“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” (2 John 1)
As you can see from the email, I do not desire to create a Strange Fire 2.0 in the sense that only cessationists are featured. This approach typically gives some charismatics an excuse to dismiss anything that is critiqued because they believe “cessationists don’t believe in the work of the Holy Spirit.” (which is often said, but is not true). I believe that Dr. Brown agrees with many of our critiques of hyper-charismatic practices, but disagreements remain.
Please pray for the editing process— that it would be done with integrity, and that final product would be glorifying to God.
-Brandon Kimber
TODAY
Today, this whole issue still continues to come back up, and is used against me to attack my integrity (Again, I will address this more specifically later). Meanwhile, I still agree with what I said in February of 2022:
“Perhaps I could have been more clear in saying that I considered the purpose of these challenging questions to be that I wanted him to change his mind about certain doctrines and practices (repentance).”
I did not intend to be deceptive in my communication with Dr. Brown, but that’s how it appeared to him. When you’re dealing with a huge project like this, communicating with multiple people, working through research and hundreds of hours of footage, in the midst of the responsibilities of life... mistakes happen.
Looking back, I wish Dr. Brown would not have agreed to participate in the project so quickly. I think if he had watched the first two films, he may have concluded, “This is hyper-criticism, and I don’t want to participate.” In light of Dr. Brown’s recent decision to withdraw from the project, I still consider Dr. Brown a brother in Christ who is in error on certain issues. I appreciate his desire to help me see and turn from my own errors and blindspots in my faith, particularly in the world of online discernment. I would just hope that we all could view a “call to repentance” or “reformation” in our understanding of Scripture to be a loving act and not something to offended by.
Note: Dr. Brown recently did give us permission to post an unedited version of his interview, and roundtable discussions for the public to see (as long as they aren't part of the American Gospel: Spirit & Fire project). So if the interview questions intrigued you, you will be able to hear his answers (not every question was covered) in the future.
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5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 14 | https://gospelmusic.org/news/christian-music-leaders-launch-amplo-records | en | Christian Music Leaders Launch Amplo Records | [
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] | 2022-07-20T13:58:58+00:00 | The label launches with the signing of acclaimed singer/songwriter Nathan Sheridan to an exclusive recording contract, as well as songwriter Phoebe Scott to an exclusive publishing agreement. | en | https://gospelmusic.org/news/christian-music-leaders-launch-amplo-records | Bringing together decades of experience from various key facets of the entertainment industry, Christian music leaders Lance Wieland, Marcus Rixon and Jay Speight announce the formation of Amplo Records. The label launches with the signing of acclaimed singer/songwriter Nathan Sheridan to an exclusive recording contract, as well as songwriter Phoebe Scott to an exclusive publishing agreement.
Amplo Records will unveil Sheridan’s highly anticipated single, “Something Worth Singing About,” August 5, and the song is set to impact Christian radio August 26. Launching his career in 2018 with the critically acclaimed full-length Broken With You, Sheridan—a National Guard veteran—is a prolific songwriter and emotive recording artist drawing inspiration from his personal journey of overcoming profound adversity and loss.
West Tennessee native Phoebe Scott is a multi-genre songwriter. In addition to releasing several solo singles, Scott’s compositions have been recorded by a range of artists and her work has garnered various film and television placements.
“Nathan Sheridan and Phoebe Scott are the perfect flagship signings for Amplo,” says label co-founder Marcus Rixon. “We have long been champions of Nathan’s unique talent, and Phoebe is an inspired songwriter who we’ve had the privilege of getting to know through Writes & Bites, a monthly community-building event for artists and songwriters.”
“Marcus, Jay and I met in 2019 through our involvement in Writes & Bites,” Amplo co-founder Lance Wieland adds. “We quickly realized that we share a heart for coming alongside emerging artists to provide a strong foundation from which they can grow and flourish. We’re thrilled to be working together on behalf of the artists we believe in.”
“Amplo is Latin for amplify, and it encapsulates our vision for the company,” explains label co-founder Jay Speight. “Marcus, Lance and I share a common passion for nurturing and developing the next generation of artists and songwriters. By combining our skills and experience under the Amplo banner, we feel we’re uniquely positioned to help our artists reach a wider audience with their music, which in turn amplifies the impact of their ministries.”
About The Amplo Records Team
Marcus Rixon is the founder and president of Rixon Entertainment Group, a Franklin, Tennessee-based company specializing in artist management. Rixon Entertainment Group boasts Platinum-selling, GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-Dove Award winning artists, producers, and songwriters—including Selah, Stars Go Dim, and Chris Bevins.
Lance Wieland is the CEO of Franklin-based WieRok Entertainment Group. Specializing in artist management and creative services, WieRok’s flagship management client, six-time Dove Award-nominated hip-hop recording artist Steven Malcolm, leads a diverse roster of Christ-centered artists engaged in writing, producing, performing and promoting authentic and unifying creative content to the world.
Based in the Nashville area, Jay Speight is a sought-after songwriter and producer with more than two decades of label, publishing, production and artist development experience. His songs have been recorded by such iconic artists as Trace Adkins, Travis Tritt and NewSong, among numerous others.
For further information, visit amplorecords.com.
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5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 1 | https://www.newsong-music.com/contact-us/ | en | Contact Us - NewSong Music | [
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] | null | [] | 2011-02-16T04:23:22+00:00 | General Inquiries If you have any general questions regarding NewSong Music or our related entities, please contact us on the link below: info at newsong-music dot com NewSong Contest Couldn’t find the information you needed about the contest? Don’t worry, we got you covered. Just click the link below and let us know how we can […] | en | NewSong Music | https://www.newsong-music.com/contact-us/ | General Inquiries
If you have any general questions regarding NewSong Music or our related entities, please contact us on the link below: info at newsong-music dot com
NewSong Contest
Couldn’t find the information you needed about the contest? Don’t worry, we got you covered. Just click the link below and let us know how we can help you: contest@newsong-music.com
NewSong Recordings
Are you interested in distribution or applying to our in-house record label? If so, you came to right place. Our finely curated roster of emerging artists and songwriters may be the right place for you. Please contact us on the link below for more information: info@newsongrecordings.com. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 55 | https://gaither.com/ | en | Gaither Music | [
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] | null | [] | null | en | /wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-favicon-transparent-32x32.png | https://gaither.com/ | Latest News
August 9, 2024
Joseph Habedank Releases New Album, TV Special and DVD, ‘I’m Free: Songs That Wrote My Story,’ with Gaither Music Group
I’m Free: Songs That Wrote My Story TV Special to Premiere on Various Networks Throughout Late Summer and Fall Stream and purchase the album here NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 9, 2024) — Two-time GRAMMY nominee and three-time DOVE Award winner Joseph Habedank releases his new album, I’m Free: Songs That Wrote My Story, today with Gaither Music Group. This … Continued
Latest News
July 26, 2024
The Collingsworth Family Releases New Album, ‘Classics & Hymns,’ with Gaither Music Group
Classics & Hymns TV Special to Premiere on Various Networks to Run Throughout Summer and Fall Stream and purchase the album here NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 26, 2024) — The Collingsworth Family releases their new album, Classics & Hymns, today on Gaither Music. This 14-song collection breathes new life into beloved hymns and gospel classics, showcasing the seamless harmonies … Continued
Latest News
July 25, 2024
Gaither Music Group Celebrates Seven GMA DOVE Award Nominations
Nashville, TN (July 25, 2024) – Gaither Music Group is proud to announce that they have received seven nominations this year for the prestigious GMA DOVE Awards. The nominations honor a diverse array of artists and recordings, showcasing the depth and breadth of talent within the Gaither Music family. “Gaither Music Group is thrilled to … Continued | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 22 | https://www.mattmahermusic.com/ | en | MATT MAHER | [
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] | null | [] | 2022-03-31T03:59:00+00:00 | en | https://www.mattmahermusic.com/wp-content/themes/mattmaher/favicon.ico | MATT MAHER | https://www.mattmahermusic.com/ | About Matt Maher
Since his major-label debut in 2008, Matt Maher has become a staple in the artistic and songwriting community. A nine-time-GRAMMY® nominee and three-time-GMA Dove Award® winner, he has garnered multiple radio successes, writing and recording songs such as his Top 5 CCLI song “Lord, I Need You” and the chart-topping radio singles “Because He Lives (Amen)” and "Alive & Breathing." Along with other hits such as “Hold Us Together,” “Christ Is Risen,” “All The People Said Amen,” and “Your Grace Is Enough,” Maher has written or co-written six No. 1 radio singles. Penning numerous songs recorded by Crowder, Hillsong, Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, We Are Messengers, Chris Renzema, Mack Brock, Brandon Lake and Passion, he’s had multiple titles on the CCLI chart’s Top 500 list. With career album sales of more than 600,000 units to date, Maher was awarded RIAA Platinum® certification for “Lord, I Need You” and RIAA Gold® certification for “Hold Us Together,” "All The People Said Amen," and "Because He Lives (Amen)". He’s released ten studio albums, including his 2017 GRAMMY-nominated album Echoes, and his first Christmas album and children’s book, both titled The Advent of Christmas. Maher, an official Steinway Artist, has been headlining his own tours and performing at major Catholic and Evangelical events since 2004, including multiple World Youth Day festivals, most recently in Rio De Janeiro presided by Pope Francis. He has also participated in the industry’s biggest tours and festivals, such as Worship Night In America with Chris Tomlin, Compassion Live’s The Road Show and Tobymac’s Hits Deep. Maher has also toured with MercyMe, Chris Tomlin, and Casting Crowns. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 20 | https://americanhumanist.org/what-is-humanism/edwords-what-is-humanism/ | en | American Humanist Association | http://amhuman.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AHA-Social.jpg | http://amhuman.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AHA-Social.jpg | [
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] | null | [] | 2016-11-07T21:25:29+00:00 | By Fred Edwords The sort of answer you get to the question “What is humanism?” depends on the sort of humanist you ask! The word “humanism” has a number of meanings. And because authors and speakers often don’t clarify which meaning they intend, those trying to explain humanism can easily become a source of confusion. […] | en | American Humanist Association | https://americanhumanist.org/what-is-humanism/edwords-what-is-humanism/ | By Fred Edwords
The sort of answer you get to the question “What is humanism?” depends on the sort of humanist you ask!
The word “humanism” has a number of meanings. And because authors and speakers often don’t clarify which meaning they intend, those trying to explain humanism can easily become a source of confusion. Fortunately, each meaning of the word constitutes a different type of humanism—the different types being easily separated and defined by the use of appropriate adjectives. So it is relatively easy to summarize the varieties of humanism in this way.
Literary Humanism is a devotion to the humanities or literary culture.
Renaissance Humanism is the spirit of learning that developed at the end of the middle ages with the revival of classical letters and a renewed confidence in the ability of human beings to determine for themselves truth and falsehood.
Western Cultural Humanism is a good name for the rational and empirical tradition that originated largely in ancient Greece and Rome, evolved throughout European history, and now constitutes a basic part of the Western approach to science, political theory, ethics, and law.
Philosophical Humanism is any outlook or way of life centered on human need and interest. Sub-categories of this type include Christian Humanism and Modern Humanism.
Christian Humanism is defined by Webster’s Third New International Dictionary as “a philosophy advocating the self-fulfillment of man within the framework of Christian principles.” This more human-oriented faith is largely a product of the Renaissance and is a part of what made up Renaissance humanism.
Modern Humanism, also called Naturalistic Humanism, Scientific Humanism, Ethical Humanism, and Democratic Humanism, is defined by one of its leading proponents, Corliss Lamont, as “a naturalistic philosophy that rejects all supernaturalism and relies primarily upon reason and science, democracy and human compassion.” Modern Humanism has a dual origin, both secular and religious, and these constitute its sub-categories.
Secular Humanism is an outgrowth of eighteenth century enlightenment rationalism and nineteenth century freethought. Many secular groups, such as the Council for Secular Humanism and the American Rationalist Federation, and many otherwise unaffiliated academic philosophers and scientists, advocate this philosophy.
Religious Humanism largely emerged out of Ethical Culture, Unitarianism, and Universalism. Today, many Unitarian Universalist congregations and all Ethical Culture societies describe themselves as humanist in the modern sense.
The most critical irony in dealing with Modern Humanism is the tendency for its advocates to disagree on whether or not this worldview is religious. Those who see it as philosophy are the Secular Humanists while those who see it as religion are Religious Humanists. This dispute has been going on since the beginning of the twentieth century when the secular and religious traditions converged and brought Modern Humanism into existence.
Secular and Religious Humanists both share the same worldview and the same basic principles. This is made evident by the fact that both Secular and Religious Humanists were among the signers of Humanist Manifesto I in 1933, Humanist Manifesto II in 1973, and Humanist Manifesto III in 2003. From the standpoint of philosophy alone, there is no difference between the two. It is only in the definition of religion and in the practice of the philosophy that Religious and Secular Humanists effectively disagree.
The definition of religion used by Religious Humanists is often a functional one. Religion is that which serves the personal and social needs of a group of people sharing the same philosophical worldview.
To serve personal needs, Religious Humanism offers a basis for moral values, an inspiring set of ideals, methods for dealing with life’s harsher realities, a rationale for living life joyously, and an overall sense of purpose.
To serve social needs humanist religious communities (such as Ethical Culture societies and many Unitarian Universalist churches) offer a sense of belonging, an institutional setting for the moral education of children, special holidays shared with like-minded people, a unique ceremonial life, the performance of ideologically consistent rites of passage (weddings, child welcomings, coming-of-age celebrations, memorials, and so forth), an opportunity for affirmation of one’s philosophy of life, and a historical context for one’s ideas.
Religious Humanists often maintain that most human beings have personal and social needs that can only be met by religion (taken in the functional sense just detailed). They do not feel that one should have to make a choice between meeting these needs in a traditional faith context versus not meeting them at all. Individuals who cannot feel at home in traditional religion should be able to find a home in non-traditional religion.
I was once asked by a reporter if this functional definition of religion didn’t amount to taking away the substance and leaving only the superficial trappings. My answer was that the true substance of religion is the role it plays in the lives of individuals and the life of the community. Doctrines may differ from denomination to denomination, and new doctrines may replace old ones, but the purpose religion serves for people remains the same. If we define the substance of a thing as that which is most lasting and universal, then the function of religion is the core of it.
Religious Humanists, in realizing this, make sure that doctrine is never allowed to subvert the higher purpose of meeting human needs in the here and now. This is why humanist child welcoming ceremonies are geared to the community and humanist wedding services are tailored to the specialized needs of the wedding couple and their families. This is why humanist memorial services focus, not on saving the soul of the dear departed but on serving the survivors by giving them a memorable experience related to how the deceased was in life. This is why humanists don’t proselytize people on their death beds. They find it better to allow them to die as they have lived, undisturbed by the agendas of others.
Finally, Religious Humanism is “faith in action.” In his essay “The Faith of a Humanist,” UU Minister Kenneth Phifer declares:
Humanism teaches us that it is immoral to wait for God to act for us. We must act to stop the wars and the crimes and the brutality of this and future ages. We have powers of a remarkable kind. We have a high degree of freedom in choosing what we will do. Humanism tells us that whatever our philosophy of the universe may be, ultimately the responsibility for the kind of world in which we live rests with us.
Now, while Secular Humanists may agree with much of what Religious Humanists do, they deny that this activity is properly called “religious.” This isn’t a mere semantic debate. Secular Humanists maintain that there is so much in religion deserving of criticism that the good name of humanism should not be tainted by connection with it.
Secular Humanists often refer to Unitarian Universalists as “humanists not yet out of the church habit.” But Unitarian Universalists sometimes counter that a Secular Humanist is simply an “unchurched Unitarian.”
Probably the most popular exemplar of the Secular Humanist world view in recent years was the controversial author Salman Rushdie. Here is what he said on ABC’s Nightline on February 13, 1989, in regard to his novel The Satanic Verses.
[My book says] that there is an old, old conflict between the secular view of the world and the religious view of the world, and particularly between texts which claim to be divinely inspired and texts which are imaginatively inspired. . . . I distrust people who claim to know the whole truth and who seek to orchestrate the world in line with that one true truth. I think that’s a very dangerous position in the world. It needs to be challenged. It needs to be challenged constantly in all sorts of ways, and that’s what I tried to do.
In the March 2, 1989, edition of the New York Review, he explained that, in The Satanic Verses he:
tried to give a secular, humanist vision of the birth of a great world religion. For this, apparently, I should be tried. . . . “Battle lines are being drawn today,” one of my characters remarks. “Secular versus religious, the light verses the dark. Better you choose which side you are on.”
The Secular Humanist tradition is in part a tradition of defiance, a tradition that dates back to ancient Greece. One can see, even in Greek mythology, humanist themes that are rarely, if ever, manifested in the mythologies of other cultures. And they certainly have not been repeated by modern religions. The best example here is the character Prometheus.
Prometheus stands out because he was admired by ancient Greeks as the one who defied Zeus. He stole the fire of the gods and brought it down to earth. For this he was punished. And yet he continued his defiance amid his tortures. This is one source of the humanist challenge to authority.
The next time we see a truly heroic Promethean character in mythology it is Lucifer in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. But now he is the Devil. He is evil. Whoever would defy God must be wickedness personified. That seems to be a given of traditional religion. But the ancient Greeks didn’t agree. To them, Zeus, for all his power, could still be mistaken.
Imagine how shocked a friend of mine was when I told her my view of “God’s moral standards.” I said, “If there were such a god, and these were indeed his ideal moral principles, I would be tolerant. After all, God is entitled to his own opinions!”
Only a humanist is inclined to speak this way. Only a humanist can suggest that, even if there be a god, it is OK to disagree with him, her, or it. In Plato’s Euthyphro, Socrates shows that God is not necessarily the source of good, or even good himself. Socrates asks if something is good because God ordains it, or if God ordains it because it is already good. Yet, since the time of the ancient Greeks, no mainstream religion has permitted such questioning of God’s will or made a hero out of a disobedient character. It is humanists who claim this tradition.
After all, much of human progress has been in defiance of religion or of the apparent natural order. When we deflect lightning or evacuate a town before a tornado strikes, we lessen the effects of so called “acts of God.” When we land on the Moon we defy the Earth’s gravitational pull. When we seek a solution to the AIDS crisis, we, as the late Reverend Jerry Falwell argued, thwart “God’s punishment of homosexuals.”
Politically, the defiance of religious and secular authority has led to democracy, human rights, and the protection of the environment. Humanists make no apologies for this. Humanists twist no biblical doctrine to justify such actions. They recognize the Promethean defiance of their response and take pride in it. For this is part of the tradition.
Another aspect of the Secular Humanist tradition is skepticism. Skepticism’s historical exemplar is Socrates. Why Socrates? Because after all this time he still stands alone among all the famous saints and sages from antiquity to the present. Every religion has its sage. Judaism has Moses, Zoroastrianism has Zarathustra, Buddhism has the Buddha, Christianity has Jesus, Islam has Mohammad, Mormonism has Joseph Smith, and Bahai has Baha-u-lah. Every one of these individuals claimed to know the absolute truth. It is Socrates, alone among famous sages, who claimed to know nothing. Each devised a set of rules or laws, save Socrates. Instead, Socrates gave us a method—a method of questioning the rules of others, of cross-examination. And Socrates didn’t die for truth, he died for rights and the rule of law. For these reasons Socrates is the quintessential skeptical humanist. He stands as a symbol, both of Greek rationalism and the humanist tradition that grew out of it. And no equally recognized saint or sage has joined his company since his death.
Because of the strong Secular Humanist identity with the images of Prometheus and Socrates, and equally strong rejection of traditional religion, the Secular Humanist actually agrees with Tertullian—who said: “What has Jerusalem to do with Athens?”
That is, Secular Humanists identify more closely with the rational heritage symbolized by ancient Athens than with the faith heritage epitomized by ancient Jerusalem.
But don’t assume from this that Secular Humanism is only negative. The positive side is liberation, best expressed in these words of American agnostic Robert G. Ingersoll:
When I became convinced that the universe is natural, that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell. The dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts and bars and manacles became dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf, or a slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world, not even in infinite space. I was free-free to think, to express my thoughts-free to live my own ideal, free to live for myself and those I loved, free to use all my faculties, all my senses, free to spread imagination’s wings, free to investigate, to guess and dream and hope, free to judge and determine for myself . . . I was free! I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously faced all worlds.
Enough to make a Secular Humanist shout “hallelujah!”
The fact that humanism can at once be both religious and secular presents a paradox of course, but not the only such paradox. Another is that both Religious and Secular Humanism place reason above faith, usually to the point of eschewing faith altogether. The dichotomy between reason and faith is often given emphasis in humanism, with humanists taking their stand on the side of reason. Because of this, Religious Humanism should not be seen as an alternative faith, but rather as an alternative way of being religious.
These paradoxical features not only require a unique treatment of Religious Humanism in the study of world religions but also help explain the continuing disagreement, both inside and outside the humanist movement, over whether humanism is a religion at all.
The paradoxes don’t end here. Religious Humanism is without a god, without a belief in the supernatural, without a belief in an afterlife, and without a belief in a “higher” source of moral values. Some adherents would even go so far as to suggest that it is a religion without “belief” of any kind—knowledge based on evidence being considered preferable. Furthermore, the common notion of “religious knowledge” as knowledge gathered through nonscientific means is not accepted in Religious Humanist epistemology.
Because both Religious and Secular Humanism are identified so closely with Cultural Humanism, they readily embrace modern science, democratic principles, human rights, and free inquiry. Humanism’s rejection of the notions of sin and guilt, especially in relation to sexual ethics, puts it in harmony with contemporary sexology and sex education as well as aspects of humanistic psychology. And humanism’s historic advocacy of the secular state makes it another voice in the defense of church-state separation.
All these features led to the old charge that people are teaching “the religion of secular humanism” in the public schools.
The most obvious point to clarify in this context is that some religions hold to doctrines that place their adherents at odds with certain features of the modern world. Other religions do not. For example, many Evangelical Christians, especially those filling the ranks of the “religious right,” reject the theory of evolution. Therefore, they see the teaching of evolution in a science course as an affront to their religious sensibilities. In defending their beliefs from exposure to ideas inconsistent with them, such believers label evolution as “humanism” and maintain that exclusive teaching of it in the science classroom constitutes a breach in the Jeffersonian wall of separation between church and state.
It is indeed true that Religious Humanists, in embracing modern science, embrace evolution in the bargain. But individuals within mainline Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism also embrace modern science—and hence evolution. Evolution happens to be the state of the art in science today and is appropriately taught in science courses. That evolution has come to be identified with Religious Humanism but not with mainline Christianity or Judaism is a curious quirk of politics in North America. But this is a typical feature of the whole controversy over humanism in the schools.
Other courses of study have come to be identified with humanism as well, including sex education, values education, global education, and even creative writing. There are Christian fundamentalists who would have us believe that “situation ethics” was invented by 1974 Humanist of the Year Joseph Fletcher. But situational considerations have been an element of Western jurisprudence for at least 2,000 years! Again, Secular and Religious Humanists, being in harmony with current trends, are quite comfortable with all of this, as are adherents of most major religions. There is no justification for seeing these ideas as the exclusive legacy of humanism. Furthermore, there are independent secular reasons why schools offer the curriculum that they do. A bias in favor of “the religion of secular humanism” has never been a factor in their development and implementation.
The charge of humanist infiltration into the public schools seems to be the product of a confusion of Cultural Humanism and Religious Humanism. Though Religious Humanism embraces Cultural Humanism, this is no justification for separating out Cultural Humanism, labeling it as the exclusive legacy of a nontheistic and naturalistic religion called Religious Humanism, and declaring it alien. To do so would be to turn one’s back on a significant part of one’s culture and enthrone the standards of Christian fundamentalism as the arbiter of what is and is not religious. A deeper understanding of Western culture would go a long way in clarifying the issues surrounding the controversy over humanism in the public schools.
Once we leave the areas of confusion, it is possible to explain, in straightforward terms, exactly what the Modern Humanist philosophy is about. It is easy to summarize the basic ideas held in common by both Religious and Secular Humanists. These ideas are as follows:
Humanism is one of those philosophies for people who think for themselves. There is no area of thought that a Humanist is afraid to challenge and explore.
Humanism is a philosophy focused upon human means for comprehending reality. Humanists make no claims to possess or have access to supposed transcendent knowledge.
Humanism is a philosophy of reason and science in the pursuit of knowledge. Therefore, when it comes to the question of the most valid means for acquiring knowledge of the world, Humanists reject arbitrary faith, authority, revelation, and altered states of consciousness.
Humanism is a philosophy of imagination. Humanists recognize that intuitive feelings, hunches, speculation, flashes of inspiration, emotion, altered states of consciousness, and even religious experience, while not valid means to acquire knowledge, remain useful sources of ideas that can lead us to new ways of looking at the world. These ideas, after they have been assessed rationally for their usefulness, can then be put to work, often as alternative approaches for solving problems.
Humanism is a philosophy for the here and now. Humanists regard human values as making sense only in the context of human life rather than in the promise of a supposed life after death.
Humanism is a philosophy of compassion. Humanist ethics is solely concerned with meeting human needs and answering human problems-for both the individual and society-and devotes no attention to the satisfaction of the desires of supposed theological entities.
Humanism is a realistic philosophy. Humanists recognize the existence of moral dilemmas and the need for careful consideration of immediate and future consequences in moral decision making.
Humanism is in tune with the science of today. Humanists therefore recognize that we live in a natural universe of great size and age, that we evolved on this planet over a long period of time, that there is no compelling evidence for a separable “soul,” and that human beings have certain built-in needs that effectively form the basis for any human-oriented value system.
Humanism is in tune with today’s enlightened social thought. Humanists are committed to civil liberties, human rights, church-state separation, the extension of participatory democracy not only in government but in the workplace and education, an expansion of global consciousness and exchange of products and ideas internationally, and an open-ended approach to solving social problems, an approach that allows for the testing of new alternatives.
Humanism is in tune with new technological developments. Humanists are willing to take part in emerging scientific and technological discoveries in order to exercise their moral influence on these revolutions as they come about, especially in the interest of protecting the environment.
Humanism is, in sum, a philosophy for those in love with life. Humanists take responsibility for their own lives and relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries, seeking new knowledge, exploring new options. Instead of finding solace in prefabricated answers to the great questions of life, humanists enjoy the open-endedness of a quest and the freedom of discovery that this entails.
Though there are some who would suggest that this philosophy has always had a limited and eccentric following, the facts of history show otherwise. Among the modern adherents of humanism have been Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood and 1957 Humanist of the Year of the American Humanist Association; humanistic psychology pioneers Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, also Humanists of the Year; Albert Einstein, who identified with humanism in the 1930’s; Bertrand Russell, who joined the American Humanist Association in the 1960s; civil rights pioneer A. Philip Randoph, who was the 1970 Humanist of the Year; and futurist R. Buckminister Fuller, Humanist of the Year in 1969.
The United Nations is a specific example of humanism at work. The first Director General of UNESCO, the UN organization promoting education, science, and culture, was the 1962 Humanist of the Year Julian Huxley, who practically drafted UNESCO’S charter by himself. The first Director-General of the World Health Organization was the 1959 Humanist of the Year Brock Chisholm. One of this organization’s greatest accomplishments has been the wiping of smallpox from the face of the earth. And the first Director-General of the Food and Agricultural Organization was British Humanist John Boyd Orr.
Meanwhile, humanists like 1980 Humanist of the Year Andrei Sakharov stood up for human rights wherever such rights were suppressed. Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem fought for women’s rights, Mathilde Krim battled the AIDS epidemic, and Margaret Atwood remains one of the world’s most outspoken advocates of literary freedom—humanists all.
The list of scientists is legion: Stephen Jay Gould, Donald Johanson, Richard Leakey, E.O. Wilson, Francis Crick, Jonas Salk, Steven Weinberg, Carolyn Porco, and many others—all members of the American Humanist Association, whose president in the 1980s was the late scientist and author Isaac Asimov.
The membership lists of humanist organizations, both religious and secular, read like Who’s Who. Through these people, and many more of less reknown, the humanist philosophy has an impact on our world far out of proportion to the number of its adherents. That tells us something about the power of ideas that work.
It may have been what led philosopher George Santayana to declare humanism to be “an accomplishment, not a doctrine.”
So, with modern humanism one finds a lifestance or worldview that is in tune with modern knowledge; is inspiring, socially conscious, and personally meaningful. It is not only the thinking person’s outlook but that of the feeling person as well, for it has inspired the arts as much as it has the sciences; philanthropy as much as critique. And even in critique it is tolerant, defending the rights of all people to choose other ways, to speak and to write freely, to live their lives according to their own lights.
So the choice is yours. Are you a humanist?
You needn’t answer “yes” or “no.” For it isn’t an either-or proposition. Humanism is yours—to adopt or to simply draw from. You may take a little or a lot, sip from the cup or drink it to the dregs.
It’s up to you.
This is the text of a talk that has been presented to various audiences over the years.
© Copyright 1989 and 2008 by Fred Edwords | |||
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] | null | [] | 2022-05-23T14:37:25+00:00 | The new album from Angel Olsen was forged during a period in which she fell in love, came out and lost both her parents in quick succession | en | Loud And Quiet | https://www.loudandquiet.com/interview/angel-olsen-its-been-a-lot/ | It’s raining in downtown Asheville. The weather hangs close in mountain towns, and today a low fog hovers around the buildings, casting a hazy damp grey on everything for miles around. On days like this, Olsen likes to drive. That’s our plan today – she’ll drive us around the Blue Ridge Mountains, showing me around as she tells me about her new album and everything that shaped it.
I’m surprised. Now on the cusp of her sixth full-length, Olsen is a veteran of the music industry who is all too familiar with the rigamarole of a press rollout and music journo bullshit. She has suffered through enough pat and reductive questions about “being a female songwriter” for a lifetime, she has seen the flattening effect a profile can have on her work and her identity.
Yet here she is, welcoming me into her passenger seat for the day. Despite some palpable (and fair) scepticism about the press, she’s talkative, friendly and much more at ease than you would expect from someone about to talk about a deeply personal album with a stranger for seven hours. Experience plays in here – this isn’t Olsen’s first rodeo – but part of it is also a newfound level of comfort and confidence in her music and personal life, which she’ll discuss at length over the course of the day. Another part of it is just being home. Olsen clearly loves Asheville. She jokes with friends that one day she’ll become a tour guide.
She’d be good at it. Whipping through the mountains, she points out the river running along the road. “That’s the French Broad. It’s one of the oldest rivers in the world.” So old, I later learn, that it’s impossible to say quite how old it is, though geologists ballpark it at 325 million years. In much more recent history, Asheville has made a name for itself through its outsized cultural footprint. The area has been a fertile creative home to several artists, writers, and musicians throughout the 20th century. Thomas Wolfe and the Fitzgeralds spent time here, and the influential art school Black Mountain College, where artists like Ruth Asawa, John Cage and the Albers taught, is just 20 minutes from downtown. Today Asheville is home to globally-known artists like Olsen and the genre-bending Moses Sumney, the storied venue the Orange Peel, and a vibrant local scene. Rolling Stone called it “the new must-visit music city” a few years back.
Olsen moved here back in 2013, just before the release of Burn Your Fire for No Witness. That album, her second, was arguably her first big break; a critically acclaimed record of lo-fi tunes that drew comparisons to Leonard Cohen’s work and landed on plenty of year-end lists. Her arrival in Asheville roughly coincided with the takeoff of her solo career.
But before that, she cut her teeth in the Midwest. She’s originally from St. Louis, where she grew up as the youngest of nine in a blended family. Olsen is adopted and her parents both brought children from previous relationships. “Everyone had a different set of parents,” she notes. “My mom wasn’t the mom of everyone, my dad wasn’t everyone’s dad.” Olsen remembers her childhood as loud, with raised voices and the TV on. A household of 11 generates some serious volume.
“My dad used to be a big yeller,” she recalls. “[He] was a hard guy, but he softened over the years.” She was closer with her mother. “My mother was the most hilarious. You never knew what she would say next but it would always crack you up. If ever I’m funny, I have to give her credit for that.” Olsen, for the record, is indeed quite funny, albeit in a particularly dry way. “My family was religious, but like Baptist religious, and I wasn’t,” she says. “I tried for a little bit but I can’t. I simply don’t care for congregating. Or listening to white old dudes tell me how I should connect with God. It’s just not cute.” It comes through in her lyrics, too. On the new song ‘Right Now’, she belts out a wholehearted chorus of “Why’d you have to go and make it weird?” I tell Olsen this made me laugh and she replies with a muted smile, “It’s not your typical country classic.”
Eventually she moved to Chicago to break out of St. Louis’s orbit. Her music career began there, writing and playing in the city’s scene and, eventually, singing backup vocals with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. ‘Dream Thing’, a song on the new album, is a slight nod to those years inspired by, you guessed it, a dream Olsen had. “I was searching my mind for the words to that ‘Black Captain’ song,” she sings, “I was looking at old you, looking at who you’ve become.” I point this connection out and I suspect that Olsen, watching the road, is rolling her eyes. She gets a lot of questions about this relatively short period of her life from over a decade ago – are we still talking about this, although, in my defence, the reference on the new album makes it difficult to ignore. That chapter of Olsen’s career ended after she toured her first album, Half Way Home, and moved to Asheville, determined to step out on her own. She left glad for the opportunity but equally grateful to be “out from under the hetero, patriarchal, brooding indie rock dude bullshit” that characterized her early experience of the music industry (she makes a point to note that while this is something from which she’s mostly broken free from in her career, it remains a real problem for many).
Asheville proved itself to be a necessary haven for Olsen after that first move, and since then she’s returned there between albums and tour dates to reset and recharge. It’s a good town for that. Incredible hiking, friendly people and a comically robust healing economy (throw a stone and you will hit an acupuncturist, herbalist or Transcendental Meditation centre). But because of her career, Asheville was always a place she came back to rather than somewhere she lived. She has estimated that she spent nine months on the road per year. Then, like everyone else in the world, she was suddenly spending way more time at home.
Over the course of the pandemic, her fans were spoiled with new music. She released Whole New Mess, an album’s worth of material recorded in a studio/haunted church in Anacortes, Washington (pared down versions of the songs that originally inspired 2019’s All Mirrors), a deluxe combined version of those two albums called Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories, complete with bonus tracks and remixes, and an EP of synthy covers of ’80s hits called Aisles. She dropped an absolute banger of a single with Sharon Van Etten, ‘Like I Used To’, which will undoubtedly bring down the house when the two hit the road with Julien Baker later this year. (Van Etten is “the real thing,” Olsen tells me; hers is the first name she mentions when we discuss rare examples of true integrity in the music industry.) Throughout, she live-streamed shows and shared covers on Instagram. Even though the world stopped, Olsen’s music kept coming.
All the while, she was going through a separate process of self-discovery and struggle, coming to terms with her sexuality and confronting the illness of her ageing parents. “I was dealing with a breakup and sorting through the feelings of my first queer relationship,” she says. “And during that relationship, I wasn’t ready to come out. Everyone needs their own time to do that, and because my parents were so sick, I didn’t know how, or when.”
That relationship and its end had a profound effect on her. “That was the first time I was really being open with myself,” she says. “In previous relationships I had hidden myself, I didn’t allow people in in the same way.” In the aftermath, she had to reckon with a new sense of identity. She started exploring her neighbourhood and beyond, taking long walks and absorbing whatever the world cared to offer. “I like the things, even when I’m heartbroken, that open up to me when I’m alone,” she says. Mostly, she took her time. “Sometimes the hourglass is the best healer.”
Then, in late 2020, she met her current partner – also a writer, who, at the time, was doing a writing residency in Asheville. When Olsen talks about them, she relaxes. “When we met, we had a long hug and it was like, ‘Oh God, I feel high.’” It wasn’t long before the two moved in together.
“I’m very in love,” she says. You can tell. As we drive around she occasionally gives off that casual Zen you find in those friends who are holding it down in good, stable relationships. Olsen’s partner is responsible for that in a major way – she says they balance out her more serious, cynical tendencies. The personal growth on Olsen’s end in the months and years preceding also played a role. “I feel more comfortable being myself, I can offer a lot more.” And then there’s the fact that in a relatively short period these two have weathered a brutal time together.
With a newfound confidence in herself and her relationship, Olsen felt ready to come out to her parents and the world (she identifies as queer). She told her mom last spring. Three days later, her father died. Her mother’s condition rapidly worsened, and she passed away soon after. Her partner met her family for the first time at her father’s memorial, and they sat at her mother’s bedside in the hospice.
Olsen’s parents were already fairly old when they adopted her; their health had been in decline for some time. In some way, she felt it coming. “[New track] ‘Through the Fires’ was written before my mom died, but sometimes when I write things, it feels prophetic,” she says. “It sounds stupid, but you feel it – the impending loss.” Expected or not, death in the family is awful. Grief does not respond to preparation.
“We never got to talk more about it, but I’m glad I told her,” Olsen says of coming out, and she feels relieved that her mom met her partner. “They’ve really been there for me during all of this stuff in a way that was really sweet and really special.”
Does this feel like a jam-packed, laundry list account? A long narration of Major Life Events? It does because it is, and it is because there’s really no other way to tell it. In a few months’ time, Olsen came out, lost her father, introduced her partner to her family, and lost her mother. It was a hell of a lot.
Then three weeks later, she flew to Los Angeles to record a new album.
In an alternate universe, Big Time was never made. After the deaths of her parents, there was a question as to whether Angel Olsen could or would even want to record. Withdrawal is a common form of grief, and in the following days and weeks she often found herself at a loss for words with friends and loved ones. “I’m a talker, and you really know something is wrong if I can’t talk about it.” But ultimately, the studio time was booked. Olsen chose to move forward with the sessions.
She really is a meticulous songwriter. Consider the process that went into her last two full length releases. She wrote and recorded Whole New Mess, then spent months reworking and expanding the songs into the elaborate, symphonic form that would become All Mirrors, then released the original sessions nearly a year later. Big Time, by comparison, was a more laid back affair. She rehearsed songs two or three times with her band, then she laid them down.
A part of that is attributable to her studio experience and the top notch team of musicians on the album. Olsen recorded this record with Jonathan Wilson, best known for his work with Father John Misty and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. Speaking of Wilson’s skills as a producer, she notes: “People who are songwriters and producers understand when less is more and when something that’s gorgeous is also unnecessary.” She liked him immediately.
The same goes for the other musicians on the record, some old collaborators and some new. She says: “It’s taken me so long to get here, to a place where everyone in the room is insightful and respectful. Doesn’t underplay, doesn’t overplay. Asks questions, is engaged, wants to be there. And it’s good company. You can tell they’ve been through some shit and they still have their wits.”
More than the personnel, though, the Big Time sessions succeeded because of Olsen’s mindset. “Part of it is that I showed up without any expectation. I was ready for it to not work because I was not emotionally sure if I could do it.” But once she got in the studio, she came ready to work. There was one major hurdle – she arrived with material, but she needed a few more songs, and the words still weren’t coming.
That wordlessness became the inspiration behind ‘This Is How It Works’, the most moving track on the record.
I’ve never been too sad
So sad that I couldn’t share
When you can’t find the words
Guess it’s time to listen
Took a lot to get me here
The longest song on Big Time, it’s a slow burner about the steady, staying force of loss. Sad songs are Olsen’s oeuvre, or, for better or worse, her reputation. Much of her best work plumbs the depths of sorrow and heartbreak, and has soundtracked tear-drenched, wine-soaked nights of many a fan. When you search her music on Spotify, the first playlist that comes up is titled “sad and angry women.” To that point, there’s an impersonal, meta quality to ‘This Is How It Works’. Here is a Sad Angel Olsen Song. But it also defies that platonic ideal by finding the personal in the everyday rather than the extreme. ‘This Is How It Works’ isn’t about the worst of a feeling. Instead, it evokes the unvaried nature of grief and depression; the low hanging clouds that grey out days and months on end. Musically, it’s no dirge. A lilting ballad that veers into country territory, it floats along a stream of gentle strumming guitar and pedal steel. “I’m so tired of saying I’m tired,” she sings. “It’s a hard time again.”
Written in that difficult period between tragedy and the studio, the song is the emotional nadir of Big Time. In that same period, however, Olsen also wrote the album’s two most joyful pieces. They’re both love songs. One is ‘Chasing the Sun’ – the magnificent album closer that combines the swelling strings of All Mirrors with the simpler approach of this record. It feels like a culmination of the various styles Olsen has played in her career. The other love song from that period is more of a departure. It began as a lark, then it became the title track.
To break through writer’s block, her partner suggested they write a song together. If you’ve ever collaborated with a romantic partner on anything, from picking out linens to creating art, you know this can be tricky. “It’s scary to write a song together,” says Olsen, but she was game. “The song was an experiment, an exercise, that started out as a joke. I don’t even know which parts were mine and which parts were theirs. But whoops, it ended up being the title of the record.”
‘Big Time’ is the brightest and most direct song in Olsen’s catalogue to date. It’s a love song, straight up: “I’m living, I’m loving, I’ve loved long before / I’m loving you big time, I’m loving you more.” An homage to the little pleasures of domestic life, Olsen sings about cups of coffee, walks by the lake, and nights by the fire. A deep sense of contentment shines through.
It seems like a fitting title for the album. After all, the track reflects Angel Olsen in love and exemplifies the Neil Young-ish, country inflections that show up throughout. Moreover, there’s a warmth to Big Time that stands apart from Olsen’s other records. Despite the tragedy and tumult that led up to it, Olsen seems happier and more self-assured than ever before. For an artist known for songs that could make people cry, it feels like a big shift.
I bring up this sense of warmth to her on more than one occasion, and she doesn’t disagree, but perhaps it’s not quite right. Rather, she says, it’s “the first thing that doesn’t feel hesitant.” In the past few years, she’s found some sense of peace in her relationship, her craft, and her identity. “I feel a certain amount of freedom,” she says. “I finally feel like I’ve settled into myself or something.”
The phrase “big time”, then, is more than a term of endearment for Olsen. It’s about Big Times – periods in life, long or short, that shape who we are.
Duration and transformation are not one to one, and a relatively brief chapter can have massive implications. In the middle of our long, winding tour of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we pull over at a cafe outside of Asheville, where Olsen elaborates. Auspiciously, the spot is called Zuma – it shares a name with a California Neil Young album, also informed by loss.
After her parents passed, Olsen had dreams about time travel. Not dreams set in the past, but dreams in which she would suddenly move from one era to another. Here’s one of them:
Olsen is in a hotel with her partner. They’re heading down to the lobby in an elevator when she realises – damn, she left something in the room. No problem, says her partner, just meet me in the lobby. They get out, Olsen heads back up. But when the elevator doors open for Olsen, she’s not on her floor. She’s in a hodgepodge of earth and construction, someplace, somewhen, totally different from when she left the lobby. It’s unclear whether it’s the past or the future.
She gets out. She wanders outside for a while. It’s a beautiful place. Eventually she stumbles upon a man and a woman. They chat, there’s a problem, they need Olsen’s help, and there’s a condition. They need her to write a play, but it will take 25 years. But when she goes back to her world (her time), she will only have been gone for five minutes. Will she do it?
Of course she will. She spends a quarter of a century crafting an opus for these two nice people. Then she hands over a manuscript, heads back to the elevator and goes down to the lobby. Her partner barely notices she was gone. Who knows what happened to whatever she left in her room.
She’s had tons of dreams like this last year. No Freud here, but it seems like a lot can happen in a little bit. A short time can still be big. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 61 | https://scottwkay.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/should-christians-enjoy-secular-art-and-entertainment/ | en | Should Christians Enjoy “Secular” Art and Entertainment? | [
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] | 2007-07-17T00:00:00 | My formative years as a Christian were heavily influenced by strict fundamentalism (of the independent Baptist variety). I was taught that anything in entertainment that wasn't expressly Christian wasn't OK for a "godly" Christian to watch, listen to, read, look at, do. "Separation" from the world is one of the (if not the) chief marks… | en | https://s1.wp.com/i/favicon.ico | Scott W. Kay | https://scottwkay.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/should-christians-enjoy-secular-art-and-entertainment/ | My formative years as a Christian were heavily influenced by strict fundamentalism (of the independent Baptist variety). I was taught that anything in entertainment that wasn’t expressly Christian wasn’t OK for a “godly” Christian to watch, listen to, read, look at, do. “Separation” from the world is one of the (if not the) chief marks of a holy life. The most godly Christian life is defined as the one that is the most refrained from indulging in anything “worldly.”
“Worldly” is defined really broadly in legalistic circles. Mostly, it was applied to things pertaining to art and entertainment. Movies, music, books, magazines – anything that wasn’t clearly Christian was not acceptable – to God. In fact, if it wasn’t Christian enough, it wasn’t acceptable.
So, for example, not only was secular music not acceptable, but even most Christian music was out of the question. Especially contemporary music. So, not only was everything from U2 to John Denver “worldly” and corrupting, even Michael W. Smith and Steve Green were to be abstained from, not to mention Petra or Third Day! Why? Well, because their music was “worldly.”
You can see that with “standards” like that, that attending a movie (especially in the theater!) was even worse than listening to ungodly music. Movies were too full of worldly ideas, sinful acts, vulgar words, and ungodly attitudes. Especially movies made in color! (Of course no John Wayne movie with all it’s whiskey drinking, killing, and occasional cursing was ever really condemned, since he portrayed the kind of strong masculine toughness, unapologetic maverick individualism, and Wild West cowboy justice that fundamentalists thrive on and esteem. Plus, everybody loves John Wayne!)
Needless to say, non-Christain literature was avoided just as well, and for the same reasons. It would have been frowned upon to be known to be reading a book other than by an acceptable Christian author – someone who largely agreed with fundamentalism’s core tenants. Even if there were “good” books out there (even the classics), they are a waste of time. They just don’t fill your mind with holy thoughts and can lead you into sinful ways of thinking and living.
For now, I’ll spare you the details of my break with this kind of mentality. But I will give you some of the contributing factors. The first was a Biblical understanding of grace: that I cannot make my self MORE acceptable to God than I already am in Christ by His sheer grace – justifying grace. And that I therefore cannot do MORE righteous acts to gain more of God’s favor – I already have His full favor in Christ. The massive effect this reality has is that it frees you from performance-based spirituality – from legalism. And grace becomes a thing of sheer awe.
Once you begin to realize how you were bound by man-made rules of measuring your spirituality, you begin to question everything in your life. What you do and don’t do and why. And, germane to the question I’ve raised, what entertainment and art you can and can’t enjoy.
My thinking on this began to shift when I added another thing of awe: God’s work in creation. Yes, we live in a fallen universe. But the vestiges of God’s beauty and glory are still on bright display. And not just in the sun and stars and oceans and forests and mountains and birds and fish and animals. But also in people. Even lost people.
God made us in His image. And although due to our sin we have lost some of the reflection of God’s image in our beings, we did not loose it all. All is not lost! God’s handiwork in human beings is magnificent! And not just in our physical bodies (eyes, organs, limbs, etc.), but also in our natures and in our work.
God is creative. Oh, is He ever! Who can tell it sufficiently? Just look at the varieties of shapes sizes and colors of fishes, birds, flowers, trees, even people! Look at the color and hue of the sky. It’s breathtaking! Isn’t it amazing how much beauty and creativity and variety He has built into His creation? He didn’t just make one kind of flower and He didn’t just make them all one color. The same goes for all the rest of His hand-made flora, fauna, creatures, and heavenly bodies.
And He put this same creative urge in man. Not just saved men either. All men. God made us to be creative – to produce and enjoy things of beauty. Some of us are better than others at this, no doubt. But all of us are this way.
John Calvin wrote, “The human mind, however much fallen and perverted from its original integrity, is still adorned and invested with admirable gifts from its Creator.”
So, why can’t we enjoy the creative expressions of God’s hand-made people? A flower painted by a Christian is not by definition necessarily more beautiful and therefore worthy of enjoyment than the very same flower painted by a non-Christian. A creative and interesting story or book isn’t necessarily better just because a Christian wrote it. The same is true of a song or a movie.
We are allowed to enjoy God’s beauty, even if from the hearts and minds of ungodly men. Classical music is an easy example of that statement. But it doesn’t stop there. Is a song that tells a compelling story, but doesn’t mention God, or isn’t told from a Christian perspective, or a song that expresses deep emotions or even humor, somehow unworthy of being enjoyed by a Christian? Can we not enjoy the story or feel the emotion or laugh out loud? Are we only allowed to do this when Christians are the singers or movie makers or authors or artists?
No. We should delight in the beauty and joy of God’s creation wherever we find it. To do less is to ignore Him in it. Yes, I am saying that I can enjoy God by looking at art painted by an unbeliever. I can learn valuable lessons from books and even movies written and acted by unbelievers. I can even experience common human emotions like sorrow and joy in a song or piece of music not created by a Christian. To do any less would be an insult to God and His goodness in the gifts of creation.
Again John Calvin said it so well: “If we reflect that the Spirit of God [or Christians] is the only fountain of truth [or beauty], we will be careful, as we would avoid offering insult to him, not to reject or condemn truth wherever it appears. In despising the gifts, we insult the Giver.”
God is good and His good gifts are to be enjoyed. Not without discernment, not without thought, lest we partake of forbidden fruit. But we shouldn’t never eat this fruit just because there are some bad apples on the trees. More on that later. Any thoughts? | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 34 | https://www.chuckgirard.com/love-song--chuck-girard-remembers.html | en | Chuck Girard Remembers | [
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5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 18 | https://apnews.com/article/worship-music-hit-makers-bethel-hillsong-elevation-passion-2982ab331782af96cfcc67a974793961 | en | There’s a reason every hit worship song sounds the same | https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/66e360c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1688+0+104/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fafs-prod%2Fmedia%2F9eaef7502b494827acf7b5f23b0140d6%2F3000.jpeg | https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/66e360c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1688+0+104/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fafs-prod%2Fmedia%2F9eaef7502b494827acf7b5f23b0140d6%2F3000.jpeg | [
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"Bob Smietana"
] | 2023-04-14T19:21:07+00:00 | (RNS) — On Easter Sunday, the worship band at Bethel Community Church in Redding, California, opened the service with “This Is Amazing Grace,” a 2012 hit that has remained one of the most popular worship songs of the past decade. | en | /apple-touch-icon.png | AP News | https://apnews.com/article/worship-music-hit-makers-bethel-hillsong-elevation-passion-2982ab331782af96cfcc67a974793961 | (RNS) — On Easter Sunday, the worship band at Bethel Community Church in Redding, California, opened the service with “This Is Amazing Grace,” a 2012 hit that has remained one of the most popular worship songs of the past decade.
Chances are thousands of other churches around the country also sang that song — or one very similar to it.
A new study found that Bethel and a handful of other megachurches have cornered the market on worship music in recent years, churning out hit after hit and dominating the worship charts.
___
This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story.
___
The study looked at 38 songs that made the Top 25 lists for CCLI and PraiseCharts — which track what songs are played in churches — and found that almost all had originated from one of four megachurches.
All the songs in the study — which ranged from “Our God” and “God Is Able” to “The Blessing” — debuted on those charts between 2010 and 2020.
Of the songs in the study, 36 had ties to a group of four churches: Bethel; Hillsong, a megachurch headquartered in Australia; Passion City Church in Atlanta, which runs a popular youth conference that fills stadiums; and Elevation, a North Carolina congregation with ties to the Southern Baptist Convention.
“If you have ever felt like most worship music sounds the same,” the study’s authors wrote, “it may be because the worship music you are most likely to hear in many churches is written by just a handful of songwriters from a handful of churches.”
The research team, made up of two worship leaders and three academics who study worship music, made some initial findings public Tuesday (April 11). More details from the study will likely be released in the coming weeks.
Elias Dummer, a worship leader and recording artist, said he and his colleagues have been watching changes in worship music over the past decade. They wanted to know how worship songs become popular among churches, he said. They also wanted to know how the business of producing and marketing songs is shaping the worship life of local churches.
Dummer said many worship leaders believe the best songs become the most popular in churches. They also believe those songs become popular because they work — people respond to them during worship services and want to sing them over and over. But that’s not exactly true. Dummer and his colleagues found many of the more recent hits songs were released as singles on Spotify and other streaming services, which helps fuel their popularity.
“There are actual mechanisms by which songs become the most significant,” he said. “It’s not just whatever songs the Holy Spirit blesses that make it to the top of the charts.”
For their study, researchers compared popular worship songs written before 2010 with those written from 2010 to 2020. Those earlier songs were often associated with individual worship leaders such as Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman, rather than with churches, and came from a variety of sources.
But beginning in 2010, the most popular new songs began to come from megachurch worship bands — and the most popular worship artists began affiliating with those churches.
Of the 38 songs in the study, 22 were initially released by the four megachurches, with another eight songs released by artists affiliated with those churches. Six more were either collaborations between artists from those churches or cover songs performed by those churches.
Shannan Baker, a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor University, said the megachurch worship teams in the study also popularized songs from other artists, such as “Way Maker,” a song written by Sinach, a well-known Nigerian musician, as well as “Great Are You Lord” and “Tremble.”
“These bigger churches, even if they weren’t involved in making the songs, platformed them,” she said.
Adam Perez, assistant professor of worship studies at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, said the four most influential megachurches all come from the charismatic tradition of Protestant churches. All of them, he said, have a spirituality that believes God becomes present in a “meaningful and powerful way” when the congregation sings a particular style of worship song.
Those songs become one of the primary ways of connecting with God — rather than prayer or sacraments or other rituals. Because of their market success, these churches have changed the spiritual practices and sometimes even the theology of congregations from many traditions.
“The industry itself becomes this invisible hand,” he said. “We don’t name the theology of praise and worship — we just assume it. And we use this kind of song repertoire to reinforce it.”
The study did not look specifically at the lyrics of the most popular songs. Baker did say she’s looking at those lyrics for a different project and found a few trends. For example, she said, few of the most popular songs talk about the cross or salvation.
“A lot of it is, what is God doing for me now? And what has God promised to do for me in the future?” she said.
Baker said that in the past, artists or publishers would put out a songbook or recordings of new worship songs, and then churches would pick out the songs in those collections that best fit their context. Now, she and other researchers wonder if these megachurches are driving which songs are used in worship.
The study is based on data about popular worship songs obtained by Mike Tapper, a religion professor at Southern Wesleyan University. Tapper and his colleague Marc Jolicoeur, a worship pastor from New Brunswick, Canada, worked on a previous study about how quickly hit worship songs appear and then disappear.
Jolicoeur said any concerns about the theology of the four megachurches, or the recent troubles at Hillsong, which has had several pastors resign in scandal, don’t seem to affect the demand for their music.
The popularity of megachurch worship songs doesn’t surprise Leah Payne, professor of American religious history at Portland Seminary in Oregon. Payne, who studies the Christian music business, said it likely reflects broader worship patterns. While most churches in the United States are small, most Christians worship at large churches. The 2020 Faith Communities Today survey found that about 70% of worshippers attend the top 10% of churches.
“The fact that the worship music of megachurches has a bigger share of the worship market corresponds to the practice of worshippers,” said Payne.
Payne doubts that scandals at churches such as Hillsong will affect the popularity of their music — because people have a relationship with the songs, not with church leaders.
Payne said worship bands at the most popular megachurches have a knack for creating great pop songs. And they know how to connect with mass audiences — both in person and through streaming services.
“They can go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest acts in music,” she said. | ||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 6 | http://telling-secrets.blogspot.com/2020/01/integrity-is-dead.html | en | Telling Secrets: Integrity is dead. | [
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] | null | Integrity is dead. I’m talking about the organization, IntegrityUSA. I’m also talking about the value, the character, of integrity w... | en | http://telling-secrets.blogspot.com/favicon.ico | http://telling-secrets.blogspot.com/2020/01/integrity-is-dead.html | If you want to protect Holy Wedlock, by all means padlock the church door whenever guys who love Judy Garland come-a-knocking. But if you want to protect marriage push for a constitutional amendment to ban divorce.
And . . . If that wasn't outrageous enough for you, there's this:
From where I sit, the entire Republican Party should head to OZ – looking for a brain, a heart and a pair of testicles.
Helen Philipot
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Thomas Merton Eileen the Episcopalifem
"I can only conclude that the social contract that binds us all together in such a single unlikely country is greater than each of us who make it up." Counterlight.
"But remember - you rarely meet a disappointed pessimist."Immortal words from the mighty wordsmith, MadPriest
"I'm so glad Mary didn't wait for the formulation of a Doctrine of the Incarnation before she said 'Yes' to God." Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints, Pasadena, CA (and Giant of Justice).
"Mrs. Palin needs to be reminded that Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor." ("MJR, Michigan" via the NYT comments . I'm guessing she's a woman and an Episcopalian).
"The gay agenda? It's this: Jesus." the Rt. Rev'd Gene Robinson, Bishop of NH
"The difference between Palin and Cheney? Lipstick."
Susankay.
"There ain't nothin' more powerful than the odor of mendacity . . .You can smell it. It smells like death."
Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Lord, take me where You want me to go, let me meet who You want me to meet, tell me what You want me to say, and keep me out of Your way. Amen.
Fr. Mychal Judge, OFM, Chaplain, NYFD, First official recorded victim 9/11 attack
"You can call the dogs in, wet the fire, and leave the house. The hunt's over." James Carville after the 2nd Presidential Debate
"Literalism in any form is little more than pious hysteria."
John Shelby Spong, Bishop of Newark, retired
"Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Do what you can."
Arthur Ashe.
"Ask for help when you need it. Take it graciously when it comes. Try not to be disappointed when it doesn't. Be thankful for something every day. Do something for someone else as a way of saying thank you for your life." John R. Souza | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 50 | https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Plankton_Records__An_extraordinary_tale_of_40_years_of_Christian_music_/64092/p1/ | en | Plankton Records: An extraordinary tale of 40 years of Christian music | [
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"Bible Study"... | null | [] | null | Tony Cummings spoke to Keith Dixon to get the history of a tiny record label, PLANKTON RECORDS | /favicon.ico | null | Tony Cummings spoke to Keith Dixon to get the history of a tiny record label, PLANKTON RECORDS
Since the 1950s, record labels have sprung up in Britain to serve the needs of the UK Church. The mainstream's record labels of the time undoubtedly looked for their biggest sales and biggest profit, so that only an occasional cathedral choir or a Salvation Army brass band would get a release through an EMI or Decca. Then small independent labels, inspired by evangelical zeal, began recording or releasing from the US, a regular trickle of sacred soloists, instrumentalists and vocal group harmonisers and, by the '60s, Christian beat groups to fill the record racks of the growing number of British Christian bookshops.
Some of these pioneering companies, like Evangelical Recordings, petered out in the '60s. Others gradually grew in size and, in the '70s and '80s, through numerous takeovers and name changes, continued on. Marshall, Morgan, Scott became Pilgrim Records and eventually Marshalls; Echo became ICC and eventually Essential Christian; Sacred and Herald Records became Word and eventually Authentic; and, most spectacularly of all, Key Records became Kingsway Music and eventually Integrity.
However, all this bewildering activity of American buy-outs and even multi-national involvement is a long way from a tiny record label started in a terraced house in South London. Plankton Records began in May 1978 as a flag of convenience to release a record by a raw band of zealous rockers called Sea Stone. Astoundingly, this tiny concern has continued and down the years a trickle of releases has continued up to today.
Now, Plankton have released a various artists two CD box set, 'b. 6th May 1978: Forty Years 1978-2018', which demonstrates that passion for music and the effective communication of the Christian message, rather than big financial backing or even retail support, are all that is needed to capture on vinyl, cassette or CD music of significance. The release last year of the ground-breaking celebration of the Beatitudes by Nine Beats Collective produced three Cross Rhythms radio hits while a soon-to-be-released remix of a track from that album, "Wild World" featuring Barry Taylor, shows that Plankton may yet rise to national industry renown. Keith Dixon, one of the co-owners of Plankton, visited Cross Rhythms to tell the story of amazing record label survival.
Tony: Well, I suppose we'd better begin at the beginning.
Keith: We're celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. The sixth of May 1978 was the first ever release by Plankton Records, a 12-inch vinyl album called 'Mirrored Dreams' by a band called Sea Stone. That came about through Simon Law, who was the leader of the band and the founder of the record label. He's still a partner in the label with me today. The band had come into a studio to record an album, and they'd trawled it round the record labels. The secular labels said, 'It's too Christian for us to release,' and the Christian labels at the time said, 'It's too secular to release,' as in, 'the style of music is not what Christians are listening to.' It was blues-influenced rock. Simon and the band were very influenced by Jimi Hendrix and The Who. The lyrics were very forthright: there was nothing subtle about them. There were songs about abortion on there.
Tony: When he was releasing his own album, did Simon have any idea there were going to be other artists?
Keith: No. Because the band were a working band, going out and playing everywhere from pubs, clubs to church halls; they were doing prisons, all kinds of things: anywhere they could play to a crowd. There was a demand from the crowds: 'Have you got anything we could buy?' This was before the days of the internet. If you wanted music, you had to go out and buy it, if it wasn't on the radio. They recorded that on the back of the demand, pressed a thousand copies, sold them, made a small profit, and then at that point - they'd already called the label Plankton Records - to put the money back into the label to make more products.
Tony: Who was Plankton's next artist?
Keith: It was Sea Stone for a couple of years, while things got going. They did another single, they did an EP, and they put out a couple of projects - one for a guy called Pete Ward, who Simon had met on a mission in Hull, and there was also a band called Solid Air, who were a contact from Greenbelt. Simon had for a long time been part of the Greenbelt Festival. At that time he was very much involved in The Fringe part of the event. If people remember the Greenbelt of old, the Fringe musicians attended the bandstand. Simon, myself and Plankton Records helped to run it.
Tony: Pete Ward became well-known as a pioneer of new forms of worship music.
Keith: Yeah, he did. He was part of a youth set-up in Oxford called Oxford Youth Works. They were doing a rock communion service, which is basically putting the liturgy and the text of a Church of England communion service to music. That was something they started, and we picked that up when they stopped. They didn't back off, they moved on to something else, but we kept that going. Simon's then-band, Fresh Claim, did a lot of rock communions around the country and released some of the music from that on Plankton. Pete was very much an independent artist in his own right, a brilliant songwriter - very observational, very poetic. He did a couple of EPs, four songs on a cassette. They were fantastic, and they still hold up today, the quality of the recordings. Then he did a song with another guy under the name of Trevor Speaks. He moved on to be the Archbishop of Canterbury's youth advisor, and now he's a lecturer on theology at Durham University. We have important people!
Tony: Does he still remember fondly his Plankton days?
Keith: Oh yeah, yeah. We're friends on Facebook, and he's still very friendly with Simon Law. Simon is now a vicar, and he looks after a couple of churches in Essex. He had a sabbatical recently and spent a lot of that time with Pete up with Durham. They're still very close friends. | ||||||
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] | 2004-12-01T20:37:28+00:00 | en | /static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparrow_Records | American record label
Record label
Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group.
History
[edit]
Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records.[1] Barry McGuire was the first artist signed to the label, followed quickly by John Michael Talbot and his brother Terry, Janny Grein, and Annie Herring of 2nd Chapter of Acts; all of whom released albums with Sparrow in May of that year.[2] Sparrow Records rose to prominence with the signing of singer, songwriter, Contemporary Christian musician, and minister Keith Green. Within a year of his 1976 signing by Sparrow, Green was the top selling Christian artist in America.[citation needed]
Purchased by Thorn EMI in 1992, Sparrow's parent underwent a demerger four years later to become the EMI Group,[3][4] and the label is now part of the Capitol Christian Music Group.[5]
As of 2009, Sparrow's artists include Britt Nicole, Chris Tomlin, Mandisa, Matt Redman, Matthew West, Steven Curtis Chapman and Switchfoot. Since 1996, a popular production of Sparrow Records has been the annual WOW Hits contemporary Christian music series. In 1998, the WOW franchise then added the annual WOW Gospel series of albums. The WOW Worship series was introduced in 1999, an annual compilation of the greatest hits in contemporary worship music.[citation needed]
Roster
[edit]
Source: Artist List
Former
[edit]
Compilations
[edit]
Firewind: A Contemporary Dramatic Musical (1976)
Christmas (1988)
Passion: Awakening (2010)
Sparrow projects
[edit]
WOW Worship Series
See also
[edit]
List of record labels
Contemporary Christian Music
References
[edit] | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 44 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quentinsinger/2019/10/17/the-almosts-aaron-gillespie-weighs-in-on-the-christian-music-industry-and-debuts-new-song-in-gods-country/ | en | The Almost’s Aaron Gillespie Weighs In On The Christian Music Industry, And Debuts New Song ‘In God’s Country’ | [
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"Metal",
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"Quentin Thane Singer"
] | 2019-10-17T00:00:00 | Aaron Gillespie of The Almost and Underoath, debut's his loud power-rock rendition of U2's 'In God's Country,' and he discusses why he chose to separate religion from his brands. | en | Forbes | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quentinsinger/2019/10/17/the-almosts-aaron-gillespie-weighs-in-on-the-christian-music-industry-and-debuts-new-song-in-gods-country/ | Aaron Gillespie is man of numerous talents and renown musical endeavors. Gillespie’s most famed work pertains to drumming and singing in the grammy nominated rock group, Underoath. The band was a culture phenomenon in the early to mid 2000’s with their blend of emo and harsh metallic instrumentation, and with their 2018 album, Erase Me, Underoath has seen an incredible comeback from both their fanbase and critical reception; their 2018 record received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. While Underoath is a core component to Aaron’s career, his other project, The Almost, showcases his multi-instrumental talents, but also his admiration for melodic rock and classic songwriters like U2, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen. With The Almost’s latest record, Fear Caller, Aaron doubles down on these aspects, and gives listeners his thunderous and lively take on U2’s “In God’s Country.” Getting the chance to speak with Aaron, he discusses why he chose the desert as main source of inspiration for this record, and among other things, why he chose to part Christianity from The Almost and Underoath brands.
What has the anticipation been like for The Almost’s upcoming record, Fear Caller? It’s the project’s first record with Fearless Records, how did Fearless come into the picture?
[Underoath] signed to Fearless when we did our comeback record, which came out last year. When we signed to Fearless we felt after all those years it was time to make a change, and it was just a great fit and we love the people there. At the end of last year I was on tour with Underoath, and the first time around when I did this a decade ago, I just had these songs that had to happen, it didn’t really fit the Underoath format. For a creative a person it’s so unhealthy to have one outlet, if you’re like “I’m a painter and I’m going to work on one painting until I die,” it’s just not reality. It’s songs that don’t fit the Underoath format, and I just had this burning creative bomb happen, and I really wanted to make songs. I write songs for a lot of different people, guys that make electronic music, pop music, etc. and I just came home from this tour at the end of the year last year and I started making songs. I have a studio less than mile from my place that I go to every morning when I’m inspired, and it kind of doubled as my drum practice unit, I call it my creative hole. I started writing all these songs and out of no where I just was like, “I feel like this is that kind of confessional really honest thing that I had going years ago when I did The Almost brand, maybe I should resurrect that brand?” It had never properly been put to bed, I just stopped doing it for the time I was playing drums for Paramore for 3 or 4 years. I just got super busy, I had a child, and I just sort of put it down. So I called my manager and I was like we should have a conversation about that, and I showed him the songs and people liked the songs. The label liked the songs, management liked the songs, it just happened. Around March or April, I rented a house in Joshua Tree and me my producer buddy, and Matt Squire literally put all of my studio gear in a u-haul van, and we drove to Joshua Tree and made this record.
You state the desert was a main source of inspiration for this record, what about that ecosystem in particular intrigues you or gave you your creative flow?
I just love it there, and I always have. I went on vacation to Palm Springs as any Millennial does, and I asked somebody “hey, I want to go out to the desert.” Palm Springs is in the desert but it’s like houses and the Ace Hotel, and you’re kind of just doing the city thing. So a friend of ours drove us out to Pappy & Harriet’s, which is this bar in pioneer town that was a movie set from the 60’s that they just repurposed as a hotel, it’s really cool it’s and in the middle of nowhere. We drove all out there through the desert, and I said to myself “I need to buy property out here, make a record out here, or both.” To me I think the inspiration and the reason why I love it so much is because I feel like there are certain things that are not our business as humans, like the gestation of a child if you will. My son had all these issues in utero and he’s fine now, hes’ seven and he’s great, but I remember the doctor saying to me “life is god’s business,” and whether or not you believe in god or a deity, or no deity, there are things that aren’t anyone’s business, and I feel like the desert is one of those things. You go out there and there’s stuff happening, like if you go to Joshua Tree national park you can walk for miles or days and the landscape changes and you’ll see different things on the ground. Something is alive, breathing, and happening there but it’s no mans business, it’s no human’s business. I think that’s the most inspiring thing for me about it, and I’m also kind of scared of it. It’s that holy fear thing, where you’re like there’s something happening here, there’s something moving and changing and I have no idea what it is.
In the past, The Almost was labeled as a Christian rock group, or Christian associated act. Do you still consider The Almost to be Christian rock, or a religiously inspired music?
So I grew up in a Christian home, and initially for a long time Underoath was a Christian band, and I wanted to transfer that to The Almost and play that type of music, but as you get older your views change. You go “wait a minute, do I believe in the way this institution is ran?” I definitely have spiritual beliefs but I don’t really believe in organized religion at all anymore. That’s a place that I got to over a lot of deliberation, a lot of thought, and a lot of study. I’m just not religious, and I think that when you say “I’m in a Christian band,” or you even say like “I’m in a vegan band, “ or “I’m in an anything band,” you alienate the other people. I think the scariest thing in our country and the scariest thing in the world is exclusion. I feel like exclusion is so dangerous, and we experience that now as Americans. There’s people and groups in America who experience exclusion. It’s sad and it’s gross, but I feel like music especially should be one of the places you can go to for complete inclusion. You should be able to take something and go “oh this is for me,” or “oh this isn’t for me.” I think that already deciding that before you even put it in the store or put it on Spotify and Apple Music is super dangerous. I don’t think music has a faith, music is music. For me that’s the reason.
From you’re past experience, and being a part of Christian associated bands, how does the interaction between the music business and religious music differentiate from non-religious music and the music business, are they completely different worlds?
They are, they’re completely different worlds. With Underoath we never really toured as a Christian band, we would play some of those festivals, but we always toured with general market artists, and we were always considered by many a general market artist. For some reason that happened and I’m thankful for it, but you could do a whole literary piece about the Christian music industry, and I could tell you things that would blow your mind. It’s just a weird, weird, weird, world and that’s 99% of the reason I got out of it; the people in it and the industry of it all, and the way that they treat other people. There are good people everywhere, but you typically hear about the bad when it comes to these things. It’s wild, upside down, strange, and to be frank, I don’t know that we ever wanted to do a lot of the things we did in Underoath, in terms of the festivals, but it’s like you’re in it so you pay dues back to it. The money inside the Christian music is so much higher so much sooner for artists. It’s really interesting, and when you think about it the Christian industry is all donation based, like when you go to a church and you see a $150,000 sound system, that didn’t just fall out of the sky, that was purchased with contributions. It’s just a world that I don’t want to be associated with that I was for a long time, and the older I got the more I looked at it like “wow, this is really really weird.” But you live and you learn, hindsight always has the best glasses.
Having professional experience not only in the rock world but with pop, electronic, and mainstream genres as well, do you think rock is starting to find a place in mainstream genres like EDM, Rap, Pop etc?
I think that everything genre wise in music is cyclical. I think it just depends on the time and what people want. Right now hip-hop is pop music, and in the 90’s Hootie & The Blowfish was pop music, and then you had like Tupac and Lil’ Kim that became pop music, and then for a while emo music became pop music. It’s all cyclical, and you have a lot of guys these days that are like “man, rock music is dead and I’m pissed,” but it’s just the cycle man. You can’t look at and go “what are we going to do?” I think you just get in and create where ever you fit, and for me I just knew a lot of DJ’s and pop music producers that were fans of that early to mid 2000’s stuff that we started with. It’s been a really cool opportunity for me because I’ve met a lot of these people, I’ve played their festivals, and I’ve written on their songs. It’s all just convergent at that point, and you just wait for the cycle to come around, and you continue to make the music that you want to make. Underoath this summer, we did a Korn and Alice In Chains tour and it was 25,000 tickets a night. You had this feeling when you walked on stage every night like “wow, these two bands haven’t done a ton since the early 2000’s late 90’s, and it’s like nothing ever happened or nothing ever stopped!” I think it’s just a cycle. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 26 | https://www.facebook.com/photo.php%3Ffbid%3D10158415926237984%26id%3D29737937983%26set%3Da.429418382983 | en | Facebook | https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yv/r/B8BxsscfVBr.ico | https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/yv/r/B8BxsscfVBr.ico | [
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 71 | https://pitchfork.com/features/song-by-song/arctic-monkeys-alex-turner-decodes-every-song-on-tranquility-base-hotel-and-casino/ | en | Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner Decodes Every Song on Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino | [
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"Ryan Dombal",
"Alphonse Pierre",
"Nina Corcoran",
"Jazz Monroe",
"Boutayna Chokrane",
"Condé Nast"
] | 2018-05-11T01:43:25.920000-04:00 | The band’s lyricist and frontman talks about the inspirations behind their sixth LP: surreal art films, professional wrestling, monster trucks, and more. | en | https://pitchfork.com/verso/static/pitchfork/assets/favicon.ico | Pitchfork | https://pitchfork.com/features/song-by-song/arctic-monkeys-alex-turner-decodes-every-song-on-tranquility-base-hotel-and-casino/ | Alex Turner looks a little antsy as he scoots around on a black leather couch. He leans forward. He reclines. He fidgets with a thin black booklet that holds all the sly and strange lyrics he wrote for Arctic Monkeys’ latest left turn, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. He tells me he’s been studying for this interview. Kind of. “I was having breakfast this morning thinking I’ll get my notepad out and write down what I might want to say about each of these songs,” he says. “By the time the bill came, though, I only managed to remember the name of each track.”
The 32-year-old frontman wants to be helpful, but as an aloofly charming global rock star, he’s also got a fair amount of mystique to uphold. And throughout our chat, that conflicted calculus seems to be at work during the pauses he takes before answering many questions. He can be thoughtful. And cutting. And spacey. And frustratingly tight-lipped, even on mundane topics, politely declining to specify what TV shows he watches or what apps he uses on his phone. Then again, copping to such trivialities would bring him down to earth, while, more than ever, the new album has him setting his sights elsewhere.
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is a sci-fi adventure from a not-so-distant future, where the moon has been colonized, gentrified, and turned into a luxury resort. Turner and his mates take up the role of the titular hotel’s house band, but instead of offering the spiky guitar riffs they are best known for, they fill their retro futuristic lounge with ornate, orchestrated, vintage-keyboard-heavy pop inspired by classics like the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and Serge Gainsbourg’s Histoire de Melody Nelson. The whole thing is unsettling and louche, like flicking a half-smoked cigarette into a grimy lunar crater.
So it’s fitting that our interview takes place in a small, empty recording studio that’s as eerily calm as an airlock. Downtown Manhattan is fully alive on the other side of a double-paned window on this May afternoon, but it feels like a world away as Turner muses, gingerly, on the meaning of his latest work.
1. “Star Treatment”
Pitchfork: The album’s first line, “I just wanted to be one of the Strokes,” definitely grabs the listener’s attention.
Alex Turner: When I wrote that line, I imagined I would return to it, and it wouldn’t end up on the record. But when I circled back around to it I felt like it was right where it ought to be because of how it makes me think, “Shit. The last 12 years just flashed by.” There’s an honesty and a truth to it. The style of me writing has developed considerably since the first record, but the bluntness of that line—and perhaps some other lyrics on this album—reminds me of the way I wrote in the beginning.
Another lyric that stands out to me on the song is: “Everybody’s on a barge floating down the endless stream of great TV.” It made me wonder, are you on that binge-watching barge yourself?
You can’t help but get on the barge every now and again, but I like to keep an eye on it. I actually had the line before that one, “Here ain’t no place for dolls like you and me,” since about 2009. I even tried to get somebody else to put it in a song, but they didn’t like it. Maybe I was saving it because I didn’t have the follow-up. I’m not trying to dodge the question, but no matter how much TV I watch or don’t watch, I don’t get to that barge idea without this other thing that has been in the back of my mind for a long time.
It seems like the hidden answer there is that you’re just a big fan of the Real Housewives franchise.
[laughs] Right. No, no.
Your character on this song also sings about doing a kind of Las Vegas residency, and the whole record has this loungey feel, like an underworld version of a typical Vegas show.
I like the idea of an underworld, not necessarily in Las Vegas but somewhere in me imagination, and that idea helped me to write the lyrics on the record. I also sing about the “martini police” on this song, and there was just something about that melody with those words that amused me; I’ve begun to wonder if that’s the right name for the band that has the residency in the night club in the song. And the melody of that bit reminds me of Toto—but I’m not sure why I’m sharing that with you.
2. “One Point Perspective”
On this track, you sing, “I’ve played to quiet rooms like this before,” which seems to fit with the scene that you’re setting—maybe this is a residency that’s lost its luster. At the same time, when I think about you guys playing some of these relatively strange and subdued new songs live…
I don’t write from a place of motivation. It happens more unexpectedly, as if something in my brain has finally convinced my body to let it come out. But what has motivated me to share the songs is that they might be meaningful beyond me, and I no longer need to hold on to them so hard. I’ve been thinking about hymns a lot and how you often don’t know who wrote them, but they’ve been sung repeatedly for hundreds of years. I’m not saying that I want or expect my songs to be like that, but I like the idea of songs not needing a writer.
… it could well end up being a quiet room, yeah. That’s interesting. We played this song the other night at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and getting to sing “I’ve played to quiet rooms like this before” in a graveyard was something that I was glad I was able to do. Obviously, I didn’t know that we were going to end up in a graveyard when I penned that one, but I sensed something like that on the horizon. In my head, the whole verse, the whole song—maybe even the whole record—just tees up the idea of playing to a quiet room.
The quiet rooms thing also had something to do with the fact that, on a lot of the vocal recordings for the album, I was the only person in the building, just sitting there with my microphone and tape recorder, writing lyrics. That perhaps allowed me to do things that I wouldn’t have done elsewhere. And eighty percent of the time, including on this occasion, those are the vocals that we kept for the record.
You also sing a few tongue-in-cheek lines about loving a made-up film called Singsong Around the Money Tree—“this stunning documentary that no one else unfortunately saw.”
I feel like I was often overhearing conversations that went along the lines of, “Have you watched such and such?” I do that too, I’m only human. When I was writing this record, I was turned on to these three Jean-Pierre Melville films—Un Flic, Le Cercle Rouge, and Le Samouraï—that all star Alain Delon and have this jazz lounge club at the center of the story. And the clubs in these films were often very obviously film sets, which is something that interested me as well. At the end of Le Samouraï, for instance, there’s a shot that zooms out from one of these clubs almost to the point where you see the film lights. So when I would sit at the piano and play these types of chords, I was thinking about those Melville interiors a lot.
There’s also this movie called Spirits of the Dead, which is made up of three shorts based on Edgar Allan Poe stories shot by three different directors. Fellini did one of them, and there’s an airport scene in it with the strangest, orange sky outside. It’s fantastic. There’s also this weird award scene in it with this light up floor and a body of water next to it and a psych band playing. It’s like, “How did you think of this?”
3. “American Sports”
The album takes a bit of a dark turn on this song, and part of it is due to the sinister tone of your voice.
That vocal was done close to the beginning of recording that track at home. I feel like there’s an opportunity to capture something when you’re not even sure you’ve completely written it yet. I tried to replace the vocals later but I couldn’t do the thing that we liked about it anymore, so we left it the way it was. It’s probably not the most well-recorded thing.
The technical imperfections on some of the vocal takes remind me of that Frank Ocean line: “My TV ain’t HD, that’s too real.” You seem to subscribe to a similar ethos.
I’ll get on board with that, Frank. You don’t want it to be that real, do you?
4. “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino”
You poke fun at the sterility of our modern world here with a line like, “Technological advances really bloody get me in the mood.” Do you think there’s anything sexy about technology?
Wow. [long pause] I’m going to have to get back to you there. I suppose not.
There are a few small references to politics scattered throughout the record, including on this song. But as you were writing this album in 2016, were you ever tempted to make something more overtly political?
Well, when you suggest the idea of doing something political, I immediately think of the Windsor knot that you have to tie your tie in for a press conference; I get lost in that imagery. Though that might not be the knot anymore, even. If we’re really going to move things forward we’ve got to change the knot—we could run on that.
As far as making something more political, I think the truthful answer is I don’t know. But more of those ideas have certainly found a way into this record than anything I’ve done before.
5. “Golden Trunks”
Speaking of politics, there’s a line on this song that feels uncharacteristically bold: “The leader of the free world reminds you of a wrestler wearing tight golden trunks.”
Yeah, as soon as you say those words, it rather steals the show. But I was almost attracted to how cumbersome the phrase “the leader of the free world” is, especially now. There are some things that are really hard to get to work phonetically, but the tune somehow allows it. In this case, when I go, [sings grandly] “the leader of the free world,” it’s suddenly amusing. It’s kind of Disney, that melody.
But let’s talk about the rest of the track because that’s something I haven’t had the chance to really do. That song is definitely centered around a female character, and it’s the closest thing to a love song that’s on this record. I made this character, and she had this idea about what was going on. The line came to me through that; I thought of the WWF.
When you wrote this song, did you know that Trump really did take part in a professional wrestling match?
I did not know that then, but I do now.
6. “Four Out of Five”
This track has a sci-fi bent. It’s about a taqueria on the moon that’s called the Information Action Ratio, which is a reference to the idea of how we have so much knowledge at our fingertips but don’t quite know what to do with it.
Yeah. I lifted it from this book called Amusing Ourselves to Death. I was attracted to the idea as soon as I heard that phrase; even though it was in this book from [1985] it still seemed relevant—more relevant than it probably was when the guy made it up. I sang it into the tape recorder when I was making stuff up one day, and it ended up falling in a place where the implication was it was the name of this taco shop on the roof of this hotel complex.
Are you taking a bit of a critical stance as far as how we’re lost in this overflow of information?
I don’t think I am, necessarily. If I was doing that, I’d probably try to lay it out a bit better, rather than just naming the taco shop on the roof after it. I just think it’s interesting, something to look at.
7. “The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip”
The title of this song is based on a real event.
Yeah, it was a news story that came out one day that I clicked on. It’s remarkable. I mean, it’s definitely the most surprising thing I saw that day. It flipped forward!
How many times did you watch that video?
It might have just been the one.
8. “Science Fiction”
There’s a meta thing happening in this song, where you sing about writing songs…
… as we roll our eyes.
I enjoyed it! The song is something of an ode to sci-fi, what is it about that genre that appeals to you?
Science fiction creates these other worlds within which we can explore our own, and I wanted to write something about that idea. So, through reading sci-fi books and watching films like Fassbinder’s World on a Wire, I began to access that sort of vocabulary—then suddenly we’re talking about virtual reality moon casino experiences.
On this track, you sing about making a song that “may well just end up too clever for its own good.” Is it hard for you to turn that self-critical part of your brain off when you’re writing?
Evidently.
9. “She Looks Like Fun”
This track seems to take place in the realm of social media, and the random words in the chorus—“Good morning/Cheeseburger/Snowboarding”—are akin to scrolling through Instagram.
It’s about the characters that people create in that virtual world. As far as the “cheeseburger” line, I was actually watching an episode of the show “High Maintenance,” and there’s a part where the person’s taking their picture with a cheeseburger and posting it and all this. That part in the song also reminds me of when you’re reading a book and trying to get into it, but you can’t stop from looking at your phone. I might have been doing a bit of that when I was writing the song.
10. “Batphone”
On this track, you sing, “I launch my fragrance called Integrity/I sell the fact that I can’t be bought.” I looked it up, and there actually is a fragrance called Integrity now.
Oh, shit. I’m sure I checked when I wrote that, and it didn’t exist yet. So I’m probably going to get in trouble then, huh? With something like that, I can’t sit here and tell you I wanted to make some comment about integrity and my relationship to it, and then make a fucking perfume out of it and write a smart-ass line like that. It’s more like I see the shape of the letters of “integrity” on the perfume bottle in my mind’s eye—once you know what that font looks like, then it writes itself after that.
11. “The Ultracheese”
You’ve always seemed wary of being seen as a ponderous songwriter, but this album—and especially the lyrics—seems very properly thought out, in an engrossing way. Do you feel more comfortable in that role of a songwriter now?
Certainly more so than when I was 18. There was something wrapped up in that word that used to make me uncomfortable, but I’m marginally more comfortable with it now. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 4 | https://gospelmusic.org/news/news-integrity-musics-we-believe-songwriter-travis-ryan-simultaneously-releases-full-length-album-ep | en | NEWS: Integrity Music’s “We Believe” Songwriter Travis Ryan Simultaneously Releases Full Length Album + EP | [
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"GMA"
] | 2016-05-05T09:01:00+00:00 | Multi-Dove Award-nominated, ASCAP recognized No. 1 hit-songwriter and recording artist, Travis Ryan, globally releases his second full-length recording, Until My Voice Is Gone (Live), as well as the six-song Heartbeat EP, May 13 through Integrity Music. The recordings are meant to embolden and inspire the Church, and to be a shining testament to God’s faithfulness through both the beautiful and the tragic circumstances of Ryan’s own life and journey God has providentially led him on. | en | https://gospelmusic.org/news/news-integrity-musics-we-believe-songwriter-travis-ryan-simultaneously-releases-full-length-album-ep | INTEGRITY MUSIC’S “WE BELIEVE” SONGWRITER TRAVIS RYAN SIMULTANEOUSLY RELEASES FULL LENGTH ALBUM, UNTIL MY VOICE IS GONE (LIVE), PLUS HEARTBEAT EP, MAY 13
Multi-Dove Award-nominated, ASCAP recognized No. 1 hit-songwriter and recording artist, Travis Ryan, globally releases his second full-length recording, Until My Voice Is Gone (Live), as well as the six-song Heartbeat EP, May 13 through Integrity Music. The recordings are meant to embolden and inspire the Church, and to be a shining testament to God’s faithfulness through both the beautiful and the tragic circumstances of Ryan’s own life and journey God has providentially led him on.
Co-produced by fellow Integrity Music writer Michael Farren, as well as Grant Pittman and Ryan’s brother, arranger and composer Brandon Michael Collins, Until My Voice Is Gone (Live) was recorded live over two nights at LifePoint Church located just outside of Nashville in Smyrna, TN where Ryan serves as worship pastor. The first night of the recording, which became the critically acclaimed five-song EP released last fall, You Hold It All, combined with the second night of the recording, which makes up the brand new Heartbeat EP, forms the new full-length album. The new EP is meant to be a companion recording for those who have already bought the earlier You Hold It All EP.
All the songs on Until My Voice Is Gone (Live) are inspired by, written for and sung by Ryan’s local church. One of the songs on the new album has already traveled far beyond his local congregation. The track “We Believe,” which was written to set the tenants of the Church to music, was featured in the God’s Not Dead theatrical movie and became a GMA Dove Award-nominated No. 1 hit and KLOVE Fan Award winning song popularized by Newsboys.
“It’s the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed—it’s just foundationally what we believe as a church,” shares Ryan, a writer of the song. “God took that song on a journey, and He has used Newsboys to carry it around the world.”
Those very tenants of the Church also underlie the prophetic cry of the anthemic title track, “Until My Voice Is Gone.” “I believe we have hardened ourselves to the Holy Spirit and we’ve earned calloused eyes…somewhere we forgot we have God with us,” explains Ryan of the heart behind the song in an article wrote for WeAreWorship.com. “We do not celebrate and sing because we do not see. It’s not a singing issue. It’s a seeing issue. It’s a satiated issue…We have become so accustomed to good that we have lost our ability to be provoked by its awesome beauty.” Listen to the song below and watch Ryan share more about the song here.
Similar to the purpose behind the title track, “Your Love Set My Soul On Fire” is meant to kick up a holy enthusiasm in worship. Travis wrote this song during a season when he felt the Church needed to be awakened to a renewed passion for God and passionate worship in response to Him. First leading the song for his church’s youth summer camp, Ryan said, “Our students came alive… they loved it and began singing and dancing immediately.” Leading the song again at his church, the youth responded first, but the rest of the church immediately joined in.
“It became a dance party with the kids leading the rest of us,” remembers Ryan. “We’re a Baptist church and you know Baptists aren’t exactly known for dancing, but your denomination doesn’t dictate your worship. Your culture doesn’t dictate your worship… the Bible dictates your worship. And if David could dance before the Lord, so could we.”
New song “You Never Give Up On Me,” featured on ‘Night Two’ of the album, was written following the pain of sin as a member of Ryan’s church was restored after confessing an inappropriate relationship. “God used the experience to mark our church as a place of forgiveness and redemption,” shares Ryan. “Life is messy… grace is messy. But as God shows us faithfulness and redemption, we must show His faithfulness and forgiveness to others.”
“The Goodness of the Lord,” also on ‘Night Two,’ was inspired by Ryan’s grandfather who had come to faith late in life. As his grandfather was close to death, Ryan quietly sang hymns over him that led into a heartfelt response of worship that became the chorus of the song. Additional lyrics for the song came later as Ryan dealt with his mother’s diagnosis and ongoing battle with cancer.
Other songs featured on the album include the poignant ballad “You Are Able” that decries a circumstantial mindset for worship, “Forever Holy,” which takes cues from Revelation and further implores praises due God despite one’s circumstances, and “You Hold It All,” a song that became a source of profound strength for Ryan and his family as Ryan’s wife, Hayley, miscarried. Travis and Hayley are now blessed with three children, and are pregnant with their fourth child.
With a companion songbook, both in physical format and as a CD ROM available through IntegrityMusicDirect, the full Until My Voice Is Gone (Live) track listing follows (‘Night Two’ is also the Heartbeat EP track listing):
(Night One)
1. We Believe
2. Until My Voice Is Gone
3. Forever Holy
4. You Are Able
5. You Hold It All
(Night Two)
6. Holy Spirit Come
7. Never Give Up On Me
8. The Goodness of the Lord
9. The Cross Was Meant For Me
10. Your Love Set My Soul On Fire
11. Heartbeat
All the latest events and news about Travis Ryan, Until My Voice Is Gone (Live), and more can be found at the links below:
Travis Ryan’s website
Facebook
Twitter
www.integritymusic.com
About Travis Ryan:
Sr. Worship Pastor over all global and national campuses of LifePoint Church, Ryan has also spent seven years as worship leader at Saddleback Church and has led worship for Campus Crusade for Christ, Student Venture, The Purpose Driven Life Worship Conference, National Day of Prayer, National Worship Leader Conference and at numerous universities. Passionate about developing an authentic and thriving creative culture and community among songwriters, musicians and artists, he has toured with MercyMe, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, Delirious?, Paul Baloche, The City Harmonic and more. He has also co-written songs with Matt Redman, All Sons & Daughters, Phil Wickham, Selah and others, spent time as an associate producer for Marantha Music and further collaborated with Vertical Church, Elevation Worship, Darrell Evans, Ben Cantelon, Worship Central, Jared Anderson, Tim Timmons, Jason Ingram, Jennie Lee Riddle, Dustin Smith, Meredith Andrews, Michael Farren, Brenton Brown and more. Travis resides in the Nashville area with his wife and three children.
About Integrity Music:
Integrity Music is part of the David C Cook family, a nonprofit global resource provider serving the Church with life-transforming materials. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and with offices in Tennessee and the United Kingdom, Integrity is committed to taking songs of substance to the local church and its leaders around the world. Integrity publishes many of the top songs in the Church, including the No. 1 radio hit “We Believe” (Newsboys) as well as church standards “Revelation Song,” “Open The Eyes Of My Heart,” “Your Great Name” and “I Am Free.” Additional information can be found at www.integritymusic.com.
## | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 67 | https://www.buzz-music.com/post/prepare-to-be-blown-away-by-ricky-suave-s-dynamic-new-single-waiting-reckless-in-seoul | en | Prepare to Be Blown Away by Ricky Suave's Dynamic New Single, “Waiting: Reckless In Seoul” | [
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"BUZZ LA"
] | 2020-08-02T15:30:00.880000+00:00 | Ricky Suave comes to you from New York to shine with his refreshing, multi-faceted music. Ricky has been making music for some time now, under various names, and dabbling with different sounds. He has worked on the production, songwriting, and DJing, looking for a layered sound that he was proud of and connected with.“Waiting: Reckless In Seoul” is Ricky Suave’s latest single with his new record label “Crew of Roamers Records”. He combines influence from many genres to produce a dense, striking | en | BUZZ LA | https://www.buzz-music.com/post/prepare-to-be-blown-away-by-ricky-suave-s-dynamic-new-single-waiting-reckless-in-seoul | Ricky Suave comes to you from New York to shine with his refreshing, multi-faceted music. Ricky has been making music for some time now, under various names, and dabbling with different sounds. He has worked on the production, songwriting, and DJing, looking for a layered sound that he was proud of and connected with.
“Waiting: Reckless In Seoul” is Ricky Suave’s latest single with his new record label “Crew of Roamers Records”. He combines influence from many genres to produce a dense, striking song with a groove to it. The ethereal melody underneath the vocals expertly contrasts the quick and solid beat, which is introduced later in the song. His influences of Reggae, Trap, R&B, and more stand out through his spirited vocals and backing track.
Yellow Claw, Rvssian, and Timbaland are three childhood influences of Ricky’s that weave their way through parts of his music. You can feel the integrity and emotions in his lyrics, singing “I don’t wanna wait for another day, we only got tonight” and taking you along a story of passion and longing. “Waiting: Reckless In Seoul” is short and sweet, drawing you into the song then dropping off suddenly, leaving the listener eager for more. Be on the lookout for more from this up and coming artist.
Hey Ricky, nice to catch up with you. We really enjoyed listening to your new song! It’s so versatile, where did the production process begin for this track? Did you have an idea of how you wanted it to sound sonic when you wrote the lyrics?
I started creating the song in November of last year. I was in the middle of studying for my finals when I took a break and listened to some music, just to ease some of the stress. When I didn't like some of the tracks I heard, I looked up some samples I wrote the song with three friends and my younger sister, one of which was my friend Brandon who ended up singing and rapping in the final version. I knew I wanted the lyrics to match the feel of the overall track, which was somewhat dark and remorseful, yet demanding and light. When it came down to recording, he matched the tone and energy that was needed and the rest was history.
Though “Waiting: Reckless In Seoul” is quite fast-paced, there is also a darker, more passionate aura around the song. Do you draw inspiration from your own experiences?
Definitely. When I finished mastering the demo, I automatically got started with the writing process. I honestly didn't know how hard that would end up being. I asked my friends and family for some ideas on how the song should go and a few of them suggested I write about past relationships. The fact that I had just gotten out of an almost three-year relationship made it all the more obvious to pursue this project. The relationship itself was nice, but it left me in a position where I was vulnerable and depressed. Writing about it gave me clarity on how things should’ve been handled and how I can prevent those mistakes from happening again.
Why did you make the decision to use alias names for past releases? Do those songs represent different stages in your life?
The first alias I had represented a younger version of myself, one that wasn't fully prepared to know what the real world was like but had fun doing what he did. When I first began, I produced a ton of urban-EDM tracks with another producer friend of mine because that's what I grew up listening to. It isn't very often that you would hear a Hispanic kid from the Bronx rising up, not just in the EDM scene but in other genres as well. For that reason, I gave up on my old alias (it was AD2X.Eric for any of those wondering) and decided to reinvent myself. The songs I make now represent that same kid from back then but has learned to love himself and others with any insecurities and trauma involved.
Where do you see yourself heading with your music in the coming years? Did you enjoy experimenting with different sounds?
I really want people to hear my music on a greater scale, not much in the local scene. Most of the music I make is sort of like a reoccurring therapy session to help me navigate through life and because of that, I try not to put a barrier on the type of music that I produce. If I want to produce an R&B track, I'll produce an R&B track. If I want to produce a Dancehall track, I'll produce a Dancehall track. There's really no stopping someone's creativity when they're being exposed to many different cultures and perspectives and that's something I remind myself when meeting new people and ideas. I have to make myself happy, not just with the music but with life in general before I can even consider the wants and needs of others.
What has been keeping you inspired throughout 2020?
All of the recent protests and activism I've been seeing not just in person, but online is keeping me going at this point. We live in a world where people are constantly suffering and there isn't enough attention being placed on those issues. An artist friend and I even worked on a track a week directly after George Floyd's death because we felt that event needed to be showcased. You hear reports that men and women of color are being neglected, abused, and even killed by the systemic prejudicial cycles that plague this country and enough is enough.
instagram.com/therickysuave | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 88 | https://www.umgnashville.com/artist/parker-mccollum/ | en | [] | [] | [] | [
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5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 93 | https://thinkchristian.net/hearing-the-holy-spirit-on-mavis-staples-latest | en | Hearing the Holy Spirit on Mavis Staples' latest | [
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] | null | [
"Think Christian"
] | 2013-07-15T13:25:05-05:00 | Think Christian is a digital magazine that strives to consider how popular culture and its cultivators interact with God’s story. | en | https://thinkchristian.net/assets/favicon/favicon.ico | Think Christian | https://thinkchristian.net/hearing-the-holy-spirit-on-mavis-staples-latest | Mavis Staples, one of the most celebrated and important American artists of any genre, is enjoying the kind of late-season renaissance that her friend Johnny Cash perfected in the ’90s. Like Cash, Staples is one of very few artists who have earned the type of credibility allowing her to bring unabashedly Gospel-oriented material into both the soul and the Americana worlds with no apologies.
Staples’ latest album, One True Vine, is her second with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy as producer and follows her 2010 Grammy Award-winning album, You Are Not Alone. On it she digs even deeper into what has become a trademark hybrid of blues, gospel and soul with songs that focus on encouragement, determination and hope.
Staples has been a part of the American pop firmament since her debut with her father’s band, The Staples Singers, in 1950. She was just 11. As part of the unofficial soundtrack to the Civil Rights movement, The Staples Singers brought positive, social-message songs and flagrantly Christian material onto the pop charts numerous times throughout the ’60s and ’70s. While their faith was a clear driver of their music, their commitment to speaking into the mainstream culture earned them the tag “message music” instead of being limited to the confines of the church.
That same message-based commitment to cultural relevance has permeated all of Mavis Staples’ previous solo outings, including two records recorded for Prince’s Paisley Park label and produced by Prince over 20 years ago. After lengthy breaks, Staples began to re-appear as a contributing artist or guest vocalist on a series of special tribute projects, but her recent victory lap started in earnest with her 2004 release, Have A Little Faith, and continued through the last decade with sets produced by Ry Cooder and Tweedy. Now in her 70s, Staples’ voice possesses the same well-worn comfort of a vintage guitar and her sense of self is irresistible. But as fun as the last several records have been, there is something truly transcendent about One True Vine.
This record first came into my ears, mind and heart during a very challenging time of tragedy and pain for me and my family. It was time to review One True Vine, so I cued it up in a hotel room and heard Staples’ leathery, tear-soaked voice sing a slow-burning, low-key confession of doubt, hurt and resolution on the record’s opening cut, “Holy Ghost.” This was no flag-waving, rousing bit of chest-pumping bravado. Instead it plays like a page from the journal of someone traveling through a shadowed valley. “Some Holy Ghost keeps me hanging on,” she moans. There are times we feel so wounded and so weak that we expect to be left alone in the dark forever. But in those times - maybe especially in those times - the Holy Spirit, who has always been with us, becomes more visceral than ever.
To say this song caught me off guard is an understatement. Like she has been doing for over 60 years, Mavis Staples earned the right to speak into my pain and confusion for the next hour or so. I’m so glad she did.
What follows throughout the balance of the disc ranges from upbeat romps and shuffling Staples Singers-style pop to flat-out worship songs, all recorded with rich analog warmth and plenty of ambient resonance. Throughout Staples instructs, encourages and points resolutely to a light shining in the distance, a light she’s not ashamed to name “Jesus.” That inspires me to no end.
When the Staples Singers addressed Civil Rights struggles, poverty, war and other issues of the day, it was always through the lens of faith and as an effort to take Jesus seriously. When Mavis Staples speaks to her own frailty and our collective human condition, she continues that legacy. One True Vine is a powerful reminder that authenticity and integrity win. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 30 | https://idioteq.com/ether-coven-share-intense-single-psalm-of-cancer-featuring-dwid-hellion-of-integrity/ | en | ETHER COVEN share intense single “Psalm Of Cancer” featuring Dwid Hellion of INTEGRITY! | [
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"Karol Kamiński",
"www.facebook.com"
] | 2022-06-01T17:00:13+02:00 | Ether Coven Sign with Good Fight Music for release of new album out August 5th - share intense single “Psalm Of Cancer” featuring Dwid Hellion of Integrity | en | IDIOTEQ.com | https://idioteq.com/ether-coven-share-intense-single-psalm-of-cancer-featuring-dwid-hellion-of-integrity/ | Today, ETHER COVEN (members of Remembering Never) announce their signing to Good Fight Music and forthcoming album, The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, set for release on August 5th. The first taste of music from the record comes in new single “Psalm of Cancer” featuring guest vocals from Dwid Hellion of Integrity and Anthony Crupi of Pain Ritual.
The new single hits heavy, showcasing the band’s blend of doom metal, sludge, and post-hardcore. Soaring guitars make way for an intense breakdown, encapsulating the emotional pull of the lyrical content. Written by vocalist and guitarist Peter Kowalsky, the song documents his ongoing battle with colon cancer and entering chemotherapy.
Kowalsky expands: “This song is about my days and nights going through chemotherapy and the moments that the doctors don’t warn you about. They tell you about the nausea and the bleeding, stomach issues, neuropathy, and the lethargy. They somehow leave out the parts that surround depression and suicidal thoughts.
This is/was no easy battle and my heart breaks for anyone else that has had to deal with this or has had loved ones that have experienced this. Cancer is no joke. We figured this was as bleak as it could get, why not add a little more darkness, so we asked Dwid from Integrity to throw some vocals on top of this here and there and the result is absolutely bonkers. This song is dedicated to anyone who knows this struggle.”
Produced by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios, the band set out to get The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail sounding as close to their live performance as possible. Using actual pedals instead of plug-ins and the majority of vocal cuts being first takes, the recording process was able to be completed in just one week. The seven songs on the record are impassioned, intense, and filled with an overwhelming vulnerability centered around despair, loved ones, and the state of the world.
On the album, the band also brought in a heavy line-up of guests and friends to feature. On opener and lead single “Psalm of Cancer” the band is joined by Integrity vocalist Dwid Hellion and Pain Ritual’s Anthony Crupi (who makes several vocal contributions on the album). Listening through the rest of the tracks you’ll find appearances from Daniel Weyandt (Zao), Howard Jones (Blood Has Been Shed, Light The Torch), Tarek Ahmed (Intercourse) and Shane Post (Bird of Ill Omen).
You can listen to “Psalm of Cancer” here now and pre-order The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail via Good Fight Music.
Ether Coven is Peter Kowalsky (vocals/guitars), Devin Estep (guitar/vocals) Justin Gianoutsos (drums), and Shane Nerenberg (bass).
The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail Tracklist:
1. Psalm of Cancer (feat. Dwid Hellion + Anthony Crupi)
2. Afraid & Suffering (feat. Dan Weyandt)
3. god Hates Flags (feat. Tarek Ahmed + Anthony Crupi)
4. Of Might & Failure (feat. Shane Post)
5. The Warmth of Your Bathwater (feat. Anthony Crupi)
6. Temple of Wu (Instrumental)
7. Consequences of Self (Let the Nails Carve Our Names in Rust) (feat. Howard Jones)
Dark. Bleak. Pissed. That’s how vocalist and guitarist Peter Kowlasky’s describes Ether Coven.
The band was born from lengthy van conversations about New Orleans sludge bands and a desperation to create a sound the members had always been fans of. Ether Coven has become an outlet for brooding riffs and frayed emotions, evolving greatly since the project’s first release, 2016’s Human Error. The band then went on to release two albums with Century Media, There Is Nothing Left For Me Here (2019) and Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering (2020).
Fast forward to 2022, and Kowlasky is joined by his Remembering Never bandmate Devin Estep (guitar/vocals), alongside Justin Gianoutsos (drums), and Shane Nerenberg (bass), ready to unleash the next chapter of the band. Joining the Good Fight Music roster, Ether Coven will release their new full-length album, The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, this summer. The seven songs on the record are impassioned and intense, staggering in sound between doom metal, sludge, and post-hardcore. The album was written amidst Kowlasky’s on-going battle with colon cancer and is filled with an overwhelming vulnerability centered around despair, loved ones, and the state of the world.
Speaking on the lyrics, Kowlasky states: “With every release, we try to be as explicit as possible. Nothing is up for interpretation, and the goal is to pull emotion out of people they may not experience otherwise, in hopes someone can connect to any of what we do.”
And Estep adds, “Ether was built as a vessel for the worst feelings we could relay. We will always discuss the state of the world, but this time there is a bit more, I think, about the world that Peter was navigating during his treatments. His experience is the lens of this record.”
Produced by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios, the band set out to get The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail sounding as close to their live performance as possible. Using actual pedals instead of plug-ins and the majority of vocal cuts being first takes, the recording process was able to be completed in just one week.
On the album, the band also brought in a heavy line-up of guests and friends to feature. On opener and lead single “Psalm of Cancer” the band is joined by Integrity vocalist Dwid Hellion and Pain Ritual’s Anthony Crupi (who makes several vocal contributions on the album). Listening through the rest of the tracks you’ll find appearances from Daniel Weyandt (Zao), Howard Jones (Blood Has Been Shed, Light The Torch), Tarek Ahmed (Intercourse) and Shane Post (Bird of Ill Omen). | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 29 | https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/skillet-leaves-atlantic-new-song-unpopular-1235747219/ | en | Skillet Leaves Atlantic After Two Decades: ‘It’s Time for Us to Be Pushed Out of the Nest’ | [
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"Deborah Evans Price"
] | 2024-08-06T16:00:00+00:00 | Skillet Leaves Atlantic After Two Decades | en | Billboard | https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/skillet-leaves-atlantic-new-song-unpopular-1235747219/ | After nearly 20 years on Atlantic, Skillet has left the label and is ramping up its Hear it Loud imprint to independently release its new single — “Unpopular,” arriving Friday (Aug. 9) — and new album, Revolution, coming Nov. 1.
“After this long, we’ve learned enough about our audience to know what they want to hear,” Skillet frontman John Cooper tells Billboard of the Christian and mainstream hard rock band. “We have a pretty good handle on that now, so it’s time for us to be pushed out of the nest, or maybe jump out of the nest.”
Cooper admits making the leap wasn’t totally comfortable for him. “There’s a part of me that didn’t like it because I don’t like new things. I don’t try new food. I don’t like going to new destinations. My wife makes fun of me,” Cooper says with a smile as he sits in the living room of his spacious new hilltop home south of Nashville, where he and his wife/bandmate Korey relocated from their home base in Wisconsin.
“I had some really good relationships, so that was the hard part is that I liked the people that I worked with a lot and learned a lot from them,” Cooper says of leaving Atlantic. “But it just felt like a new season. It just feels like it’s time for a change.”
That confidence is well-earned. Since launching in 1996, the Grammy-nominated and multiple Dove Award-winning band, which also includes Jen Ledger and Seth Morrison, has placed three albums in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200, two No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Albums chart and a pair of chart toppers on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart. They have one of the most streamed rock songs of the 21st century with the five times RIAA platinum-certified “Monster,” while their 2016 hit, “Feel Invincible,” made Skillet the first Christian act to top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart since the chart’s launch in 1981. They also scored 11 No. 1s on the Christian Rock Songs chart before that chart ended in 2018. The veteran rockers tour relentlessly in the U.S. and abroad and their songs have been licensed by the NFL, Marvel, ESPN and WWE.
The Coopers and Skillet’s manager Zach Kelm formed the Hear It Loud imprint a decade ago. Artists LEDGER, Colton Dixon and Fight the Fury all released albums on the imprint through Atlantic Records (Dixon and LEDGER remain on Atlantic through Hear It Loud). Now, as the imprint morphs into a full-service label handling all aspects of Skillet’s marketing and promotion, Kelm has hired independent radio promotion, social media and marketing teams to work the new music. Vydia will distribute Hear It Loud.
Cooper says the band didn’t consider signing with another label. “If we were going to do that, I would have just stayed [at Atlantic] because we had 20 years of very successful history with good people,” he says. “They knew the band and liked us.”
Cooper says one of the factors that made Skillet, whose last album was 2022’s Dominion, opt for independence was the desire to move more quickly in terms of recording and releasing music. “One of the things about being independent is being able to make quick decisions,” he says. “There’s not this chain of people that need weigh in on it. The system takes a really long time. Instead, I wrote a song and we recorded it eight days later. That is a huge benefit. With the change in pace of technology and of the industry, that was important to me to be able to make quick decisions.”
Securing a larger piece of the pie was also a factor in going the indie route, especially when it comes to streaming. “We were looking at the amount of international streams that the band gets from touring, doing festivals and shows all over the world,” Kelm says, “and just by picking up the international piece, it was going to be worth it from a financial standpoint to go on our own.”
“The international stuff is really a big piece,” Cooper agrees. “I don’t know how Skillet became an international band, but it happened. It was like we woke up one day and went, ‘Oh my gosh we’re streaming like crazy overseas.’ We’re trying to catch up and that is a major upside of what we’re doing now.”
As to whether they plan to sign additional acts to Hear it Loud, Cooper says they haven’t decided yet. “Let’s see what happens,” he says, “but if it goes good, there’s sort of a natural progression that seems obvious and I like that.”
Cooper’s immediate priority is launching “Unpopular” to pave the way for Revolution. “I think that people hear a song like ‘Unpopular’ and they feel the same way,” Cooper says of the single, which encourages the listener to stand up for what they believe even if it isn’t popular. “That’s one of the things I hope people get from the record is courage. I think when people know that they aren’t alone then they go, ‘Oh okay, then I can stand up.’” Fans can pre-order the song here.
The 10-song album, produced by Brian Howes, Seth Moseley, Korey Cooper and YOUTHYEAR/Carlo Colasacco is a mix of the incendiary rockers Skillet is known for alongside poignant moments such as “Happy Wedding Day (Alex’s Song),” which Cooper penned for his daughter. “As I started writing it, I was like there’s no way I could sing it at the wedding. But the day of the wedding I woke up and felt like, ‘I can do it,’” Cooper says. “Korey never even heard it. Alex had never heard the song. My manager was at the wedding, and the next day I said, ‘You aren’t going to hurt my feelings at all, but I think we should record the song. What do you think?’ He was like, ‘Oh definitely!’”
Cooper says the title track reflects the spirit of the album. “‘Revolution’ really is the overarching theme of what we want to say. We really need a revolution of love,” he says. “That song sounds a little different for us too. It’s a little alternative. The cool thing about doing an independent project is going, ‘All right, let’s try something new! Why not? And don’t be afraid.’”
The band, which is also launching a new app, addresses these fractured political times on “All That Matters,” which Cooper describes as a patriotic song. “Thirteen or 14 years ago it was a very different time, and part of the message of the song is saying if we could go back to that time, it really wouldn’t matter if you’re on the right or the left, because people got along,” he says. “There were things that we agreed on, like faith, family, freedom. There were things that mattered in life, and we were going to stand up for those things, wave the flag and be patriotic. We live in a country where you are free to chart your own course. Free to worship the God you want to or to not worship God and to raise your family. That was just kind of a live-and-let-live kind of thing. It was really wonderful, and that began to change.”
Cooper says being independent had a big impact on the way the new album was written and recorded. “It was a really incredibly liberating feeling,” he says. “We only wrote songs that we loved, and we only recorded songs that we loved, and we did it all super-fast. If this wasn’t independent, I feel it would be another year before we’d be releasing new music. If you look at Skillet’s timeline, you’ll see that it was every three or four years. It was a long time between albums.”
The band will perform music from the new album on their fall U.S. tour with Seether. Then in November, they’ll embark on their first tour of the Middle East, then will conclude with dates in the U.K. “It’s just really weird that 27 years into our career, we are opening up new markets around the world,” he says. “We’re spending half of the year overseas now, and I never would have dreamt that in a million years.”
Nearly three decades into their career, Cooper is happy with Skillet’s journey. “I always tell people, ‘We’re the biggest band you’ve never heard of.’ I laugh about it,” he says. “In no way do I live in frustration about it, because I’m just so blessed. The truth is I can’t believe I’m still playing music. I’m so lucky. How can I ask for more?
Cooper believes the band’s underdog status has helped their longevity, noting that, according to their Instagram data, Skillet’s No. 1 audience is the 25-34-year old demographic. “That just plays into the strangeness of the Skillet story,” he says. “That’s why, in some ways, this move to go independent is not the most shocking thing in the world, because we’ve always done things out[side] of the box. So why not try to crank it up and be the underdog again? That’s the Skillet story.” | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 1 | https://www.al.com/entertainment-press-register/2011/06/integrity_media_shrinking_as_i.html | en | Integrity Media shrinking as it sells divisions; some jobs moving to Colorado | [
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] | 2011-06-14T13:00:00+00:00 | The deal that will have the greatest local impact is the sale of the Integrity Music division to David C Cook, a Colorado-based nonprofit ministry. | en | /pf/resources/images/al/favicon.ico?d=1374 | al | https://www.al.com/entertainment-press-register/2011/06/integrity_media_shrinking_as_i.html | Signs that a major transition was looming for Mobile-based Integrity Media were confirmed Monday, when the company announced that it was selling off divisions in a move that will cut its local work force in half.
The company’s co-founder and CEO, P. Michael Coleman, was somber as he described "a difficult series of decisions" for the Christian music and publishing enterprise.
"What we’ve done is sold the two divisions that were in the recorded music and song-publishing space," he said.
The deal that will have the greatest local impact is the sale of the Integrity Music division to David C Cook, a Colorado-based nonprofit ministry.
That organization was founded in 1875 in Chicago by its namesake, who taught Sunday school when not working in the sewing-machine parts business. Cook tapped a growing market in Sunday school materials, and has acquired a number of other makers of Christian products since the 1980s.
Ryan Dunham, who was installed as the president of Integrity Music by David C Cook, said his organization bought the song catalog, master recordings and contracts with artists, songwriters and commercial partners. Integrity produced and distributed albums and other materials by many award-winning artists.
By LAWRENCE SPECKER and JEFF AMY
Staff reporters
Cook already owns the Kingsway music label, based in the United Kingdom. Like Integrity, it focuses on worship music for evangelical Christians.
"They’re very similar, which is what led us to the purchase," Dunham said. However, he noted that Cook is a nonprofit organization focused on providing material directly to churches, while Integrity was a for-profit company that may have looked more like a commercial record label.
Dunham said Cook will keep the Integrity name and add it as its sixth major unit.
In a separate deal, Integrity has also sold INO Records, a Nashville-based record label, to another party. Coleman declined to identify the buyer, saying he wasn’t authorized to speak on their behalf.
According to a news release issued Monday morning by the company, Integrity also plans to sell international divisions located in the United Kingdom, Singapore and South Africa.
Coleman said proceeds from the sales have been used to pay down the company’s debts, and the company is still grappling with a decision about what form it will take in the future. But when the dust has settled, he said, Integrity Media will have dropped from about 60 employees in Mobile to "less than 30."
Coleman cited woes that have plagued the secular music industry as well as its Christian counterpart: New technology has made it easy to copy and hear music for free, causing revenues to crash worldwide, and a prolonged economic downturn hasn’t helped.
Integrity has enjoyed far better times: Founded in 1987 as a direct-to-consumer music club focusing on the Christian genre known as praise and worship music, the company enjoyed periods of explosive growth. It went public in 1994, experienced some ups and downs and was taken private again in 2004. According to Press-Register reports from the period, it then had more than $70 million in annual revenue, was expanding into new ventures and employed about 150 at its west Mobile headquarters.
That same campus was put up for sale this spring, signaling that major developments were in the works. Details had been scant until Monday.
For Integrity Music, a transition period lasting at least three months lies ahead, Coleman said. Some employees will have the option of moving west with the company.
"They’re conducting interviews of staff. They have hired some folks already, and I expect that process will continue over the next 60 to 90 days," Coleman said. "I don’t know how many will be offered positions or how many will choose to move."
Dunham said Cook wants to move Integrity to Colorado Springs in part because the organization has spare space in its headquarters building and wants to cut costs, but also to encourage cross-pollination between music, books, DVDs and other media.
"Our intent is the staff of Integrity Music, as many as possible, would be offered jobs, and as many as are able would move," Dunham said. "Not everyone is going to be able to be a part of it.
"I think it allows us to get much more creative in terms of product development," said Dunham, who was Cook’s senior vice president of sales and marketing before the Integrity purchase. "It’s just hard to do that from a separate location."
Dunham said Cook will offer Integrity’s artists an expanded platform.
Dunham said Kingsway will continue, as will contracts between Kingsway and EMI. Integrity, on the other hand, will maintain its contract with Sony’s Columbia Records. Cook has agreed to continue to use Integrity’s South Africa and Singapore operations for distribution, but won’t use Integrity’s British office. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 10 | https://www.scenepointblank.com/features/interviews/integrity/ | en | Interviews: Integrity | [
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] | null | [] | null | Music feature in the Interviews category with the title Integrity. | en | https://www.scenepointblank.com/static/images/icons/favicon.aa7a1d1baea5.ico | Scene Point Blank | https://www.scenepointblank.com/features/interviews/integrity/ | For Record Store Day 2014 (yes, already a month past), Integrity and Vegas paired up for a split 7” featuring two movie inspired covers. The two bands have a history together, with Integrity’s Dwid Hellion and Vegas’ T being close friends and one-time bandmates in Roses Never Fade.
To capture the magic of how the 7” came about, Scene Point Blank had a chat with Integrity’s Hellion about reuniting with the Melnick brothers, working on the 7”, and what his favorite record stores are. Conversely, we also interviewed Vegas.
Scene Point Blank: How was performing with the Melnick brothers again? Was the writing and recording of the 7" planned or was it just the inspiration of the moment?
Dwid Hellion: Everyone had a great time. It felt good to play the old songs once again with my childhood friends. The idea of the 7” was to commemorate the fact that the original lineup were performing together at A389 fest 2014. Robert Orr owns a recording studio and he handled the recording for that 7".
Scene Point Blank: Your pairing with Robert Orr has seemingly led to a creative surge with Integrity. Is this a coincidence or is your partnership yielding more fruit than the gap between, say, To Die For and your initial work with Orr where there was "The Blackest Curse" the "Walpurgisnacht" single and the split with AVM? Is there a special chemistry with how you work together?
Dwid Hellion: Rob is one of my best friends and we work quiet well together. We share many of the same interests in music as well as interests in other subjects. Rob and I definitely have been much more prolific than past eras of the band.
Scene Point Blank: Integrity has been a creative entity for quite some time (more than 25 years at this point). What do you attribute your continuing to work under the moniker? What keeps Integrity going even amongst your different side projects?
Dwid Hellion: Integrity has a certain sound and aesthetic that allows it to stand out from the other projects that I work on. There is something that is recognizable to me when creating a new song, that reveals that it will become a part of the Integrity collection.
Scene Point Blank: Can you identify that something, or is it too hard to describe? Does it vary depending on who else is in the band at the time when you're writing a song?
Dwid Hellion: There is a certain musical characteristic that defines itself as an Integrity song. Plus most of my other projects sound quite different than Integrity. They are usually more raw & noisy.
Scene Point Blank: Are there any songs that you've wavered on which project they should fall under, or is it just something you can tell right away when you get started, and then it works itself out?
Dwid Hellion: It is something like synesthesia.
Scene Point Blank: Is there an ideal situation or setting for the creative process of Integrity?
Dwid Hellion: Isolation is always ideal.
Scene Point Blank: How do you achieve that isolation?
Dwid Hellion: I moved to Europe a decade ago and live in a rather quiet area. I am surrounded by wondrous and inspiring scenery.
Scene Point Blank: Do you find that external stimulus is a distraction when writing?
Dwid Hellion: I just enjoy isolation, I am not a very social creature. Recording obviously demands a silence to the recording environment, so there is that aspect as well. But mainly I just enjoy being alone and I enjoy my own company more than that of anyone else. To be fair, I do have several close friends and family that I enjoy their presence.
Scene Point Blank: How did the split with Vegas come about?
Dwid Hellion: I have been friends with T from VVegas since the mid 1990s. Now that he has converted to an exclusive outback lifestyle, a Deutsch Klaus throwing shrimps on his proverbial barbie, T felt it was time for him to show-off his flawless Australian accent by recording Dudley Moore’s British pop classic, "Love Me.” Integ opted for the Peter Cook staple, “Bedazzled.”
T and I had discussed recording these covers for more than a decade. A few years ago, we started the recordings. It was a project that sat on the back burner for a while until recently we were able to finalize the mixes and release the songs.
Dwid Hellion: Bedazzled (1968) was the first film that I watched as a child. It had quite an impact on the younger me and the film became stuck in my imagination ever since.Scene Point Blank: What got you interested in "Bedazzed" as a cover song?
T and I finally we both got around to finishing the songs. Dom Romeo from A389 Records suggested that we release the songs as a limited Record Store Day 7” and that seemed like an appropriate way to make the songs available to a small audience.
Scene Point Blank: How did the Record Store Day connection happen?
Dwid Hellion: That was all the idea of Dom. Dom became obsessed with RSD after the success of the A389 release of Twilight Haunt. Dom really wanted to pay homage to the Twilight Haunt era of A389 and he felt that by releasing this split for RSD, it may channel some of that spirit for him.
A little known fun fact about this split is that Dom actually came out of musical retirement and plays guitar on the VVegas song with Mississippi Alex "The Beast” Henderson on percussion. A famous pop starlette from Bondi beach provided backup vocals on the VV song as well.
Scene Point Blank: What do you think of Record Store Day as a whole?
Dwid Hellion: It’s a great idea. It’s unfortunate that its often abused by eBay flippers looking to exploit the exclusive nature of the records. But, humans will always behave in their natural state of pestilence.
Scene Point Blank: What store has your favorite Record Store Day celebration?
Dwid Hellion: Neseblod Records in Oslo, Norway
Scene Point Blank: As long as we’re talking record stores, if you could magically resurrect a store that’s gone now in any city, what record store would it be? | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 33 | https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/arts/music/lauren-daigle.html | en | Lauren Daigle, a Christian Music Superstar, Is Ready for a Bigger Tent | [
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] | 2023-05-02T00:00:00 | The 31-year-old singer and songwriter is releasing a self-titled album on a major label — and bracing for the potential backlash. | en | /vi-assets/static-assets/favicon-d2483f10ef688e6f89e23806b9700298.ico | https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/arts/music/lauren-daigle.html | “I’m terrified,” Lauren Daigle said with a broad smile rather than any evident terror. It was six weeks before the release of her new self-titled album, and the biggest singer in contemporary Christian music (CCM) was sitting in a lounge at the midtown Manhattan offices of Atlantic Records, glowing with positivity.
Daigle, a vivacious 31-year-old with a whimsical streak that’s evident in her colorful wardrobe, has crossed over into the pop world with greater success than anyone since Amy Grant in the early ’90s. But this is the first time she’s written love songs that aren’t about religious faith, and she’s worried that people will hear them as references to her personal life, rather than ruminations about universal experiences.
“I’m all about writing songs to help people through things they’re questioning,” she said.
“Lauren Daigle,” due May 12, will also be her debut on a major label, after releasing three albums on Centricity Music, a Nashville indie, and it will likely propel her further into the public eye. Later this year, she’ll headline her first arena tour.
The United States has become a much more divided and combustible country since Grant’s heyday, and Daigle is no newcomer to navigating the lion’s den. She has been caustically criticized within the Christian community for some of her choices, especially for appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” hosted by a lesbian celebrity, in 2018. All performers are carefully scrutinized in the social media age, but CCM artists live under a unique microscope, and much of the audience is unforgiving. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 89 | https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mcclendon-lisa | en | Encyclopedia.com | [
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"McClendon",
"Lisa1975(?)— Gospel vocalist"
] | null | [] | null | McClendon, Lisa1975(?)— Gospel vocalist Source for information on McClendon, Lisa: Contemporary Black Biography dictionary. | en | /sites/default/files/favicon.ico | https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mcclendon-lisa | McClendon, Lisa
1975(?)—
Gospel vocalist
Bucking the early 21st century trend in African-American gospel music, Florida songstress Lisa McClendon drew her style not from the big beats of hip-hop and contemporary R&B but from classic soul music and jazz. McClendon's songs, many of them composed by the singer herself, are thoughtful and distinctive, with a laid-back vibe concealing an honest approach to the relationship between faith and everyday life. In the words of Tracy E. Hopkins of Essence, "McClendon's jazzy, honey-glazed vocals and poetic lyrics make her spiritual message more accessible to the masses." And DeAnne M. Bradley of the Norfolk, Virginia Virginian Pilot had a simpler reaction: "That's right: Neosoul is not just a secular thing."
McClendon was born around 1975 in the small town of Palatka in northern Florida. She later told Gerald Bonner of the GospelFlava Web site that "I could never write about street life…. I grew up in a sheltered environment. My mom was a missionary and my dad was a preacher, so I was never exposed to that." After several years of singing in a children's choir and practicing with a hairbrush that served as an imaginary microphone, McClendon accompanied her church choir to a neighboring church one day when she was 12. The host church's choir was decimated by no-shows, and McClendon went to her mother and announced that she was going to sing a solo. Holding the microphone in a brutal grip as a result of extreme nervousness, she finished her solo and boosted her confidence in the process.
As a teenager McClendon continued to sing in church and also entered a gospel version of the national Star Search television program. She was named runner-up in the finals. At age 15 McClendon made a commitment to Christianity, a commitment that deepened when, at 19, she "got serious" about her faith (according to her profile on the Integrity label website). "I was battling with self-esteem during that time, and Christ placed people in my life to show me who I was in Him," she said. She joined an Orlando-based female gospel trio called 3N1, which engaged in street ministry as well as musical activities.
It was a start, but it wasn't a creatively satisfying situation for McClendon. "It's hard to work with other women!" she recalled in conversation with Britain's Cross Rhythms Web site. "It was drama. Everyone wanted to be the leader…. I did acquire a great work ethic, though; we practiced all the time!" After McClendon married and moved to Jacksonville, Florida, her ties with the group gradually dissolved. She and her husband, L.T., have two children, Diamond Cherise and Joshua.
Becoming involved with the Potter's House Pentecostal congregation in Jacksonville, McClendon rose to the position of praise and worship leader. Always modest about her own talents, McClendon was quoted on Integrity's Web site as saying that "I wasn't looking to be a worship leader. Someone else saw it in me." For several years, McClendon's musical life was centered on the Potter's House and its Bishop, Vaughn McLaughlin, whom she has cited as a major influence. She wrote music for the congregation but did not perform much outside of her own church.
There were other influences as well: the jazz vocals of Ella Fitzgerald and the classic soul sounds of Curtis Mayfield and the other singers of the 1970s. Younger vocalists such as Jill Scott had begun to revive those sounds and to combine them with modern production, but no one had yet extended the trend into gospel music. That changed after McClendon's husband showed her songwriting notebooks to Maurice "Mo" Henderson, a veteran gospel producer who attended services at the Potter's House. Henderson and McClendon clicked creatively, and she began writing songs for other artists on Henderson's independent label, Shabach Entertainment. Soon McClendon signed as an artist with Shabach, and in 2002 she released her debut album, My Diary, Your Life.
The album, McClendon told the GospelCity Web site, was a journey of self-discovery. "The first album was a season in my life when I found out who Lisa was," she explained. "A lot of times when we find out who we are, it involves God and you're just like, ‘Oh my God! I didn't know that was in me.’ In My Diary, Your Life, God was shedding light to sing and said, ‘You need to share it so other people will know that they're not alone.’" In general, McClendon's songwriting was notable for its honesty and for its effort to inject a Christian message into real-life situations and temptations. "I'm bold enough to tell people they're not the only ones dealing with problems," McClendon observed to Hopkins.
The album made enough of a splash on the gospel scene that when her publicist, Kia Jones, brought a copy to her friend Jackie Patillo, general manager of the Mobile, Alabama-based Integrity label, Integrity jumped at the chance to add McClendon and her unique neosoul sound to its roster. The result was McClendon's second album, Soul Music, which appeared in 2003. The move to Integrity was a major step toward national fame for McClendon, for the label was distributed through the networks of the giant Sony conglomerate. Yet McClendon initially felt reluctant to make the change and to encounter the need for artistic compromises. Any fame she might accrue, she believed, was subordinate to the gospel message. After she became a nationally known recording star, she explained in the interview appearing on Integrity's Web site. "One day I asked God, ‘Why me?’ and He said as plain as day, ‘Not you, Me.’"
Soul Music marked the arrival of a major new talent on the gospel scene as fans took to McClendon's smooth sound. Henderson again served as producer, with an assist from McClendon herself. McClendon's songwriting could be realistic ("Stuck (Love's Anthem)" was an honest look at the ups and downs of marriage), unusually philosophical ("No religious system can substitute a repentive heart," she sang in "The Truth Is"), or humorous ("Old School" satirized the ways and manners of old-fashioned African-American churches). The album was rewarded with three nominations for Stellar Awards (including one for New Artist of the Year) and for two Dove Awards, the top honors in the gospel and Contemporary Christian music industries.
McClendon followed up Soul Music with a live album, Live from the House of Blues—New Orleans. It was recorded live in New Orleans just days before the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. The Virginian Pilot's Bradley praised the album's "Christian juke-joint vibe" and raved at the way "McClendon's molasses alto snuggles warmly against each sizzling jazz chord to deliver a hot message," concluding that "[t]his is a must for contemporary gospel music fans." After recording the album McClendon appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network's Praise the Lord program, hosted by gospel powerhouse Yolanda Adams. By 2007 McClendon's list of recorded compositions numbered more than 40, and she was among the most closely watched young artists in the growing gospel music recording industry.
At a Glance …
Born 1975(?) in Palatka, FL; father a preacher; married L.T.; children: Diamond Cherise, Joshua. Education: High school graduate. Religion: Pentecostal.
Career:
3N1, female vocal trio, member, 1990s; Potter's House, Jacksonville, FL, praise and worship leader, late 1990s-; Shabach label, songwriter, 1990s-(?); Shabach label, recording artist, 2000s-2003; Integrity label, recording artist, 2003-.
Awards:
Three Stellar and two Dove award nominations, for Soul Music album.
Addresses:
Label—Integrity Music, 1000 Cody Rd. S, Mobile, AL 36695. Web—www.lisamcclendon.com.
Selected works
My Diary, Your Life, Shabach, 2002.
Soul Music, Integrity, 2003.
Live from the House of Blues—New Orleans, Integrity, 2006.
Sources
Periodicals
Ebony, April 2005, p. 76.
Essence, December 2004, p. 130.
Virginian Pilot (Norfolk, VA), February 3, 2006, p. E8.
On-line
"Bio," Lisa McClendon's Official Website, www.lisamcclendon.com (April 21, 2007).
"Interview with Lisa McClendon," GospelFlava,www.gospelflava.com/articles/lisamcclendon2.html (April 21, 2007).
"Lisa McClendon: A Child of Soul," VirtualFrequency, www.virtualfrequency.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=62 (April 21, 2007).
"Lisa McClendon," Cross Rhythms,www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Lisa_McClendon_Classic_Soul_Not_NeoSoul/23069/p1 (April 21, 2007).
"Lisa McClendon," GospelCity,www.gospelcity.com/dynamic/artist-articles/interviews/64 (April 21, 2007).
"Lisa McClendon," Integrity Gospel,www.integrity-gospel.com (April 21, 2007).
"Lisa McClendon: Soul Music," Christian Music Today, www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2003.soulmusic.html (April 21, 2007). | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 8 | https://www.indievisionmusic.com/interviews/gaining-insight-from-john-mark-mcmillan/ | en | Interview : John Mark McMillan | [
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[Myspace] [Facebook] [Twitter]
John Mark McMillan is the type of person who can walk into a room and command attention. It’s not because he’s loud or brash or bragging, or because he’s most likely taller than everyone else in the room – but rather, due to his quiet confidence. John Mark has a very open and inviting personality. I imagine that he would willingly sit down with almost anyone and listen to their story, converse or even debate.
And as you may have noticed, he is an excellent songwriter. He possesses the talent and creativity to capture deep emotions and word them in a way that is both simple and accessible. He has penned the hit worship song, “How He Loves,” along with a total of four albums.
During my conversation with him, he vowed to “Answer any question you throw at me…except if it’s incriminating!” He held true to his word as he answered in depth, many of the questions that IVM readers had asked. Read on to find catch a glimpse into John Mark’s insight, heart and history.
In your opinion, is it possible for an artist to lose an anointing?
That’s a little bit of a complicated question, but ill give it a shot. You have to define what anointing is I guess. Is anointing the evidence of God’s…is it God endorsing what you do? That’s not necessarily true. But some people think of anointing as power, something they feel if they’re a musician.
Samson was totally using his gifts for evil. He used them for god and evil. He was given his gift by God to do good, but he wasn’t. Eventually he paid the price for it, but the Bible says that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” I think God gives you things and just because you don’t want to use them the way He wants you to doesn’t mean He’s going to take them away.
It’s possible to lose that anointing I guess? I think it’s possible to lose that connection with God that helps you become greater than who you were. It’s not like one day you wake up and something’s gone.
I think it has to do with pursuing the purpose God has for you. You might do something for a while and think – ‘this is what God wants me to do forever.” But maybe he wants to do it for a season. But because you love what you do you want to keep doing it. And because when you’ve done it , its always worked. But sometimes we need to stop and think, “what are we really supposed to be doing.”
So, can you lose an anointing? I guess you can. But you don’t ever lose the Holy Spirit unless you run away from it.
You’ve recently signed with Integrity Records. How has that been? How does your relationship with them affect/help your life as an artist?
I really like working with Integrity. It’s awesome because it’s really cool to have a team working for you. I have these visions of things I want to do. And now if I have an idea – I actually have people to call to help me accomplish them. It’s not like a bank where I can go get money or something. But if I want to record a video or do something with an album, I can go talk to people who help me get it done. Say I want to connect with people in Europe or Australia or on the West Coast – they will help me connect and pursue my goals. That’s what a record company is supposed to be. Sometimes things with labels go weird or go sour, but so far we’ve had a great relationship. They’re really excited about what we’re doing and my goals and vision and my dreams. What it came down tow as – independently I could do what I wanted to, but I couldn’t afford to do it. I recorded the albums exactly how I wanted to. I did it the way I wanted to. But then we go try to play it live and honestly half the time we couldn’t get the places we play to get the right gear, etc. everything that got done, I did myself. Now I have a team of people behind me. Obviously when you have a team you have to put up with a lot of opinions, but you also get the whole team. Things do take a lot longer to get though, I’ll tell you that much!
What has God been teaching you recently?
God’s been teaching me about people and about how to love people and how to be intentional about that. We think of loving people as being this spontaneous thing. But real love means making plans to do good to other people.
What was the inspiration behind The Medicine? I read that some of it came from your newborn son…is that correct?
I started having this resurrection theme in my writing. At the same time, my son was being born. So I watched him sort of appear out of nowhere. First he’s a little stripe on this little thing she [my wife] pees on. My whole world changed when I saw that little thing. All of a sudden he’s more there and more there and he’s getting big and then all of a sudden he’s all there.
Besides coming out of the ground, coming out of nothing idea of God creating things – He also creates out of nothingness situations and dark places and brings amazing things. It’s almost like God thrives on that.
I was looking at the resurrection of Jesus and the idea of resurrections throughout the Bible. I like the language and this idea that one day we’re all going to be resurrected. When we enter into a relationship with Him, we’re also resurrected into new life and when we daily become new people we’re resurrected. When I wake up each morning I’m resurrected from my sleep.
When you started playing music, what was your motivation? Did you plan to one day sign to a record label and be playing all these summer festivals? Did you ever think THIS would be happening? (not that THIS is a groundbreaking event or anything)
Originally, it was to impress girls haha. They weren’t impressed though. But after I learned to play I enjoyed creating. I loved sitting around and creating. I wanted to be involved in music and bands and to do that you had to have some sort of excuse.
I went through this really dark period. I was engaged and my fiancé broke up with me. I moved back home and was living with a buddy. My car died, I didn’t have a job and couldn’t sleep because I was really depressed. I’d stay up late at night with nothing to do so I’d sit on the front porch playing guitar and writing songs. Sometimes they were angry songs, sometimes just asking God why. People suddenly started paying attention to my music because I had something to say. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 31 | https://worshipmatters.com/2008/01/18/can-christian-musicians-play-secular-music-for-gods-glory/ | en | Can Christian Musicians Play Secular Music for God's Glory? | [
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] | 2008-01-18T00:00:00 | Steve left a comment on a previous post, asking about the validity of a secular music “ministry,” referencing a comment Phil Keaggy made years ago about the lack of spiritual Christians involved in the secular music field. I received an e-mail recently asking a similar question about the legitimacy of… | en | Worship Matters | https://worshipmatters.com/2008/01/18/can-christian-musicians-play-secular-music-for-gods-glory/ | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 84 | https://www.patboone.com/biography | en | Biography | [
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] | null | [] | null | en | Pat Boone | https://www.patboone.com/biography | Google Pat Boone – be warned, more than 1.9 million results show up! – and a word picture of an astonishing, long lasting, still thriving career in music and entertainment emerges. Singer, actor, TV host, producer, songwriter, author, motivational speaker, TV pitchman, radio personality, record company head, TV station owner, sports team owner, family man, humanitarian and a man unafraid to air his views, Pat Boone, 89, was a teen idol who shot to stardom via an early national talent show. A lot of Pat Boones from which to pick and choose. A lot of Pat Boones to go around. Right now, Boone – the #10 all time top recording artist, according to music industry bible, Billboard – is the Lion in Winter, nearly seven decades of recording history behind him and a busy future ahead. A very active lion… Boone runs his own record company, The Gold Label, designed for legendary artists of a certain age and certifiable talent (all with million-selling gold records to their credit) “It’s a senior tour for singers,” he jokes. “But there is a qualification: they have to be able to sell records.” Glen Campbell, Jack Jones, Roger Williams, Patti Page, Cleo Laine, Sha Na Na and others (as well as Boone himself) all lived up to the Founder’s Maxim. More than 30 Gold Label albums have been released to date and the label is now 20 years old. Boone has involved himself in a couple of personal projects: “For My Country,” a musical tribute to the National Guard that Boone wrote himself and regards as a follow-up to his Pledge of Allegiance pitch, “Under God,” recorded in 2002, which landed in the Top 20 and became Boone’s 61st hit record. Tuned to current events, close to Boone’s heart and views, both stirred up debate as well as sales. An updated pictorial autobiography, “Pat Boone’s America - 50 Years” has joined the line of more than a dozen autobiographical and motivational books. He became a book author very early, writing the still-in-print “Twixt Twelve And Twenty,” in 1958 as a Teen Idol, himself barely out of his own teens and a senior at Columbia University. That first book sold millions in soft and hard covers and was the No. 1 non-fiction best-seller for 2 years! And among many others, his next million-seller was “A New Song” about his own experience spiritually. One of his later book ventures, co-written with Cord Cooper, is “Questions About God – And the Answers That Could Change Your life.” Today Boone keeps connected to that ‘50s Generation, now pre-Boomers and Boomers. He is national spokesman for the 60 Plus Association. They hear him on two nationally syndicated radio shows, “The Pat Boone Hour” on SiriusXM’s ‘50s Gold channel 72, and “The Pat Boone Show,” which features contemporary gospel music on many local stations across America. His personally written columns have appeared weekly on WorldNetDaily.com and NewsMax.com, fearlessly embracing politics, religion, and timely causes that catch his attention. In recent months, the topics have ranged from separation of church and state, illegal immigration, abortion, the death penalty, to public education, the NEA and the ACLU. He even wrote 8 articles on nuclear fusion on WorldNetDaily.com and NewsMax.com. He and his wife Shirley were so concerned about the Cambodian food crisis in the 1970s, they initiated what is now a five-hundred million dollar a year humanitarian organization called Mercy Corps. Pat and Shirley (Foley) Boone (daughter of Country star ‘Red’ Foley) were married for over 65 years. "We lived a wonderful, blessed life together. I've parted with my better half for a little while…but we don't die, we just move on to another Heavenly place, and today (January 11, 2019) was moving day," Pat said of his high school sweetheart. "She's changed her address, that’s all, and moved to a different mansion that I expect to join her in one day." Pat Boone, of course, is a man of many interests. Not all to do with music. He thinks he may – at this stage of his career – be suffering from an Edifice Complex. “They keep naming things after me, even buildings”, he says. True. Villanova, Pa., Northeastern Christian Junior College had Boone Hall – the main campus building, established by royalties from Boone’s first million selling book, “Twixt, Twelve And Twenty.” There is another Boone Hall in the World Impact Outreach Center for Underprivileged, inner-city kids, which is supported by Boone and wife Shirley. Pepperdine University in California is the home of the Boone Center for the Family (Boone has been chairman of Pepperdine’s Advisory Board for the past 40 years), and he and Shirley gave $5 million to Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts as the lead gift to build a new facility for its performing arts program to be named the Boone Family Center for the Performing Arts. Similarly, on the campus of Abilene Christian University the recently upgraded performance venue was renamed the Pat Boone Theatre. Boone Fact #1 (that you may not know) Boone once sponsored a basketball team in Hollywood’s Studio League whose players included Bill Cosby, Rafer Johnson, Denzel Washington, players from the Rams and Dodgers – and of course Boone himself. Boone also helped start the American Basketball Association; owned the Oakland Oaks that won 17 games in a row in the 2nd season with Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry and took home the championship in 1969. In the beginning, Pat Boone was not just a rock ‘n roll star but also a symbol. Lured away from a high school teaching career by TV and radio appearances on such programs as “The Ted Mack Amateur Hour” (in which he became the original American Idol, selected week after week by the viewers), and “The Arthur Godfrey Show,” the Columbia U., New York, graduate was further turned away from academics by record producer Randy Wood of Dot Records who thought Pat Boone could sing rock ‘n roll. “I thought I would be singing the Perry Como, Eddie Fisher type of ballad,” recalls Pat. “I was a big Bing Crosby fan.” But Wood came up with a concept, one that would turn Boone into a major star and lead to Hollywood movies and his own TV shows. Also, one that would lead to Boone’s first musical brouhaha. Wood wanted Boone to record cover versions of R&B pioneers, such as Fats Domino and Little Richard, hard driving and blues based and a long, long way from Perry Como. The records were very successful but lead eventually to some critics accusing Boone of ripping off the originators. Boone does not apologize. “At that time, R&B was actually called “race music,” and the original artists were not going to get played on 90 percent of the radio stations in America,” he told fellow label chief, Joe Smith. {They} hoped and prayed their records would get covered by someone who could get pop airplay. And that meant…even more recognition in their own field and potentially crossover to a vastly larger audience. We were literally catalysts who helped R&B become rock ‘n roll. The proof is that the only R&B artists known today are the ones whose records were “covered” by pop artists at that time.” Boone also remembers the time Fats Domino brought him on stage in New Orleans, pointed to the most expensive diamond ring on his finger, and said, “Pat Boone bought me this ring.” Adds Boone, smiling: “He was referring, of course, to his writer royalties from my recording of his ‘Ain’t That a Shame’.” “As I looked back, he (Pat) really opened a wider door for me. By him recording ‘Tutti Frutti’ it made it bigger and made me accepted to a wider market and I became ‘Pop’ instantly! You know, thank you, Pat,” said Little Richard, later in his career. But in the midst of all this early success, Boone continued at Columbia University, graduating Magna cum Laude in 1958, appearing on the cover of TV Guide in his cap and gown. Boone Fact #2 (that you may not know) Pat Boone has a sense of humor about himself and his clean-cut image. He once kidded Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show that he nearly drowned while swimming and, as is supposed to happen, his whole life flashed before him. “What did you do?” asked Carson. “I fell asleep,” replied Boone. Boone’s recording career was stratospheric: from the 1950s on, nearly 50 million records sold, 38 Top 10 hits, gold, and platinum records. Boone rates #6 among artists with the most consecutive Top 10 hits, #10 with the most Top 40 hits, #16 with the most No. 1 hits, and today he still holds the #1 ranking of all-time for two charts; spending 220 consecutive weeks on the charts with one or more songs each week, and the artist with the all-time longest chart career– 70 years! He began producing other artists and also branched into gospel music, starting his first label, gospel-based Lamb & Lion Records. A Boone album of hymns sold three million in the late ‘50s, considerably opening up the market and allowing Boone to stay loyal to this genre all his life. He hosted a gospel TV program for a decade and syndicated gospel music radio shows, continuing today. He’s a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. But amazingly, in 1997 his gospel music show was suddenly dropped by its Christian network. All because he supposedly “dabbled with the devil” and recorded an album of …Heavy Metal Music with big band orchestrations! It was not only the music but Boone’s appearance on the American Music Awards. In black leather and fake tattoos, he was promoting his new album, “Pat Boone In A Metal Mood,” heavy metal songs given a roaring big band treatment. The appearance stunned the media and music world, sending the CD halfway up the Billboard charts the next week, delighting Boone and his record company. But the shock was too great in the “gospel arena” who took his show off the air until they listened to the music and finally saw what he was doing, that it was perfectly fine, and reinstated his show two months later. Pat’s comment at the time was “The AMA Awards appearance seemed, to me, like wearing a costume to a party, not to be taken seriously, but I guess I did it too well.” He was obviously in very good physical shape, and the record, “Pat Boone In A Metal Mood,” was a smash! Boone’s original teen idol success, not to mention his classic boy-next-door good looks, attracted Hollywood’s interest, leading to Boone starring in 26 movies…and they were major features, not rock ‘n roll quickies. They showcased Boone with such stars as Ann Margret, James Mason, Debby Reynolds and Tony Curtis and were box office hits. He was, in fact, Elvis’ main competition at this time, mid-fifties onwards. Television also beckoned: Boone became the youngest person in history to have his own weekly musical variety show (ABC), at times the number one show in television featuring many first time-on-TV artists like Sammy Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat ‘King’ Cole, and was an in-demand guest star for other shows, both musical and dramatic. Advertisers discovered that Pat Boone’s personality sold things. He became an accomplished TV pitchman, especially for the Chevrolet company for several years, and numerous others since. Boone fact #3 (that you may not know): Elvis Presley once opened for Boone at a big disc jockey “sock hop” in Cleveland in 1956. “I had to follow him,” recollects Boone. “Thank God I had 3 million-selling hit records already and I was the star that night. But I never wanted to follow Elvis again!” In 1960 Pat Boone wrote the lyric to the theme from the movie “Exodus,” "The Exodus Song (This Land Is Mine)," about the creation of the State of Israel. It provided him a special connection with the country, one that he has maintained for six decades. Boone has been named the Christian Ambassador of Tourism by the Israel Ministry of Tourism, and has led 20 tours of the country over the years. He also possesses an Israel Cultural Award, the country’s highest award for a non-native. He is spokesman for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews “Wings of Eagles” program, which has directly enabled 300,000 Jews from iron curtain countries to resettle in Israel, and in November, 2022 was presented the “Warrior for Truth Award" at the Algemeiner 50th Anniversary Gala in New York City. He is a Bible believing Christian, and calls himself an “adopted” Jew. Boone has been National Spokesman for the March of Dimes, the National Association of the Blind, Entertainment Chairman for the National Easter Seals telethon (18 years) which raised over $600 million for the disabled during his tenure. His own Cambodian relief organization formed in the Boone family’s living room in 1979, “Save The Refugee Fund,” is now Mercy Corps, currently operating with 5,900 team members in 40 countries and responsible, so far, for delivering 1.3 billion dollars worth of food and supplies where needed. People agree and disagree with Pat Boone – about rock ‘n roll, politics, religion, the usual stuff. Boone knows he can’t be all things to all people, but most people agree on one thing… Pat Boone has lived his life, engineered his career, utilized his talent and celebrity with integrity. Boone Fact #4 (that you may not know): Pat Boone is a non-drinker (of hard liquor), but he thinks he knows what it’s like to be drunk. In New York, waiting for the light, he heard his version of “Ain’t That A Shame” played on the car radio next to him, a car crowded with teenagers obviously really enjoying the music. “Hearing a record of mine on the air for the first time, and seeing the reactions of the kids, was the closest I ever came to being drunk”. He was 20 at the time. Among his current projects, the inspirational “IF” book and “The Mulligan” golf-themed movie, which debuted in 2022 at the legendary Masters golf tournament in Augusta, GA, is newly released on DVD, and Boone has won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Canadian International Faith & Film Festival (CIFF). When the racial conflicts erupted two years ago in the U.S., Boone released “Can’t We Get Along” that quickly garnered 5.2 million video views and featured Nashville vocalist and “The Voice” Season 21 finalist Wendy Moten. Boone wrote the words and music, but felt it should be sung by a black artist. Also upcoming for Pat, "Country Jubilee,” a commemorative double vinyl/double CD loaded with 25 all-time Favorite Classics including "Chattanoogie Shoeshine Boy," "Peace in the Valley,” "Cold, Cold Heart,” and now he’s written “Grits,” a true-blue country “novelty song” featuring country music stars Ray Stevens, The Gatlin Brothers, Lorrie Morgan, Deborah Allen, and Roger Miller’s son, Dean Miller, and a newly recorded Boone duet of “You and I” with country music icon Crystal Gayle. In the pre-production stage is a celebrity group recording of Boone’s “One” anthem calling attention to the plight of Tanzanians in Africa in daily search of water to survive. In collaboration with another charity, Pat Boone World Missions dispatched start-up funds for an 80-foot-deep fresh water well, a wood-framed school already transforming the lives of young people with an education up to the eighth-grade level, and resources for fresh vegetable gardens that serve multiple villages. Also provided to date is foundational funding for a community development center where much-needed health services are provided to families from neighboring villages. Pat and Shirley Boone successfully reared and guided their daughters, Cherry, Lindy, Debby, and Laury in the midst of Hollywood’s spotlight and he now has 16 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. When the world-famous Hollywood Walk of Fame was first instituted, Pat had the rare honor of three stars – for Recording, Motion Picture, and Television. “As for now,” he says, “I may not have much time left, realistically. But I’m still busy, healthy, singing and swimming – and I want God to use every inch of me for His pleasure and purposes. And I’m trying, as I always have, to bring as many other people to Heaven with me as I can.” ### | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 27 | https://secularismandnonreligion.org/articles/10.5334/snr.124 | en | The Meaning of ‘Secular’ as a Scientific Concept | [
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The concept of the secular does not have to mean not-religion or non-religion. The assumption that the ‘secular’ is only conceivable through some idea of ‘religion’ or the ‘religious’ – whether in static or dynamic tension – is demonstrably incorrect. The root meaning of ‘secular’ is entirely secular, by referring to the temporal and worldly, and this secular meaning of the term ‘secular’ had historical exemplifications, long before secularization or secularism’s articulation. The term’s original Latin usage, and early scientific meanings date back to the fifteenth century and are unrelated to religion. This article recounts the intellectual history of those scientific uses, which continue to lack a relationship with anything religious down to the present day.
Medieval Christian thinkers appropriated the term from the Latin of Rome, where the saeculum referred to human ages. According to the Oxford Classical Dictionary,
In Roman conceptions of time, the saeculum became the longest fixed interval, calculated as a period of 100 or 110 years (as opposed to, e.g., a lustrum of only five years; cf. “census”). The term originally indicated a “generation” or “lifetime,” but greater significance developed through its association with the Ludi Saeculares (Secular Games), which were performed to celebrate the advent of a new saeculum in Rome.
The complex story of Christianity’s appropriation of saecularis during its cultural monopoly over Europe will not be re-told here. It suffices to point out how ‘secular’ could serve as a contrasting concept precisely because the secular already had a prior independent basis. The Christian Church was socially inventive, but it did not inaugurate the wider world.
The word secular refers simply to “the world” and has no immediately antireligious connotation. Indeed, in the history of the Christian church, some clergy, such as the local priest, were called secular because they served parishioners out in the world while others remained cloistered.
The Oxford English Dictionary recognizes this etymology by noting the primary meaning of ‘secular’ as “temporal, worldly.”
Secondary meanings for ‘secular’ proved useful for Christianity’s comprehension of its relationships with non-Christian ideas and institutions. The term “secularism” as a civic and political idea is related to religion. That is why modern social theory expects, as Talal Asad does, that “The concept of ‘the secular’ today is part of a doctrine called secularism.” However, it is mistaken to assume, as Asad does, that “The concept of the secular cannot do without the idea of religion.” What sounds tautologous in one discipline, such as sociology or political theory, need not be axiomatic for another, such as intellectual history or history of science. The concept of the secular can do without either the idea of religion or secularism. As this article explains, many scientific fields apply the original concept of the secular without any idea of religion getting involved, and science did not craft its meaning of ‘secular’ in order to mark a contrast with religion.
Early sciences borrowed the Latin word saeculum and its meaning of a ‘human age’ and ‘century’ to indicate a long duration of periodic time. In worldly time, notable events can be recorded and arranged, so broader patterns to orderly events can become amenable to empirical inquiries. Astronomy was the first empirical science to use the term because the courses of the stars, the sun, the moon, and the visible planets displayed regular paths upon careful observation. Only records spanning decades and centuries could reveal longer-term patterns – what were labelled as secular patterns by the sixteenth century – such as the recurrences of solar eclipses and the precession of the equinoxes. After astronomy, that meaning of ‘secular’ was borrowed by other sciences in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Scientific understandings of the ‘secular’ are not just conceivable, but visible and practical in today’s world.
Encountering the Secular Today
Anyone who has perused textbooks of astronomy or geology can encounter the term ‘secular trend’. The fields of geography, ecology, and climate science have been using it, and people well-read in public health and epidemiology see mentions of ‘secular trend’ on occasion as well. This term can also show up in demographics, economics, and political science. The term ‘secular trend’, along with related terms such as ‘secular variation’, evidently has a useful academic meaning.
One does not have to be an academic to encounter the concept of a ‘secular’ trend or variation. A headline from Britain’s Daily Mail website in October 2017 read, “It’s true! You really are more likely to lose your hair in summer and fall, finds 12-year study.” Readers saw the following quotation from this study: “The results of this secular trend study suggest that hair loss in the population is significantly correlated with seasonality.” The idea of a secular trend can be occasionally encountered in such reports about new medical research. Other sciences are occasionally using ‘secular’. Visitors to the Science Daily blog whose attention was caught in 2017 by the headline “Earth’s Magnetic Field ‘Simpler Than We Thought’” learned about “patterns in Earth’s magnetic field that evolve on the order of 1,000 years,” including the “paleomagnetic secular variation.”
Readers of a 2014 story at Science Daily with the headline “Last Decade’s Slow-Down In Global Warming Enhanced By An Unusual Climate Anomaly” learned that a “hiatus in global warming ongoing since 2001 is due to a combination of a natural cooling phase, known as multidecadal variability (MDV) and a downturn of the secular warming trend.” Readers can also encounter the term ‘secular’ in business headlines. Talk of a “secular bull market” or a “secular bear market” is commonly heard from stock market prognosticators. A Wall Street Journal headline from May 2017 read: “‘Secular stagnation’ even truer today, Larry Summers says.” This article quotes Summers, a Harvard economist and former Treasury secretary, pointing out evidence supporting his view, such as: “If you look at the real interest rate decade by decade, it’s been going down for five decades.”
If the only familiar idea about the ‘secular’ is a contrast with ‘religious’, one might wonder when there was a religious stock market, or a religious trend to climate change. No such things ever existed, of course. That contrast meaning to ‘secular’ resides within the Christian context, set up for theological and ecclesiastical purposes. There are other contexts where the meaning of ‘secular’ has nothing to do with religion. The natural sciences, the life sciences, and the social sciences used the concepts of secular trend and secular variation during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with some usage starting centuries earlier. Early scientists did not adopt ‘secular’ so they could describe the world differently from religion. The view that science is unreligious, or even anti-religious, is a controversy from a later era. Nor were early scientists consulting their Christian lexicons for the right ecclesiastical term. The actual explanation for the early scientific interest in the ‘secular’ is far simpler. In Latin, saeculum meant a lengthy duration of time: a very long lifetime or approximately a century. This temporal measure of a worldly duration is the basic meaning to ‘secular’. The word drifted into the Romance languages as secolo in Italian and siècle in French. This temporal meaning is the root secular meaning of ‘secular’, and the sciences borrowed it to describe features of the world having a very long duration.
This article’s sections chart the intellectual heritage of the ‘secular’ that is evident in various sciences, going back to its first usage by astronomy during the seventeenth century as ‘secular inequality’ or ‘secular variation’. During the early nineteenth century, the term ‘secular variation’ was borrowed by geology and geography, then by epidemiology, and then followed by medicine by mid-century. During the mid-1800s, social statisticians increasingly focused on detectable long-term patterns in their tabular data too, so these terms ‘secular variation’ and ‘secular trend’ were next borrowed by political economy and sociology. The final sections describe how astronomers first came to use ‘secular inequality’ by applying the Latin word saeculum to label centuries of time in their tables of astronomical calculations.
Secular Trends in the Life Sciences
A short-term cycle, such as a seasonal cycle, can be tracked in populations over many years to reveal longer-term and more stable patterns. Academic writings in human biology and public health use the term ‘secular trend’ to refer to such long-term patterns. This example comes from an epidemiology textbook: “The incidence of many infectious diseases varies over time. A secular trend is a change in the incidence of disease over an extended period.” An author of a work in medical anthropology explains the meaning of ‘secular’ for the discipline of biology:
A secular trend is a gradual, unidirectional change in a characteristic over time. The word “secular” is related to the Latin word for “century” (saeculum); therefore a secular trend is one that takes place over one hundred years or over two or three generations. For example, ages at menarche have become earlier over time (Eveleth and Tanner) and height has increased over time (Bogin).
Medical textbooks have applied ‘secular’ during the twentieth century to characterize long-term trends detected in the accumulated observations of health and disease in human populations. Epidemiology was the area of medicine to first describe ‘secular’ phenomena of disease. Here is an example from the 1930s, in C. O. Stallybrass’s The Principles of Epidemiology and the Process of Infection: “The secular variations [of disease] … take place during the course of several generations of men” In another article on “Epidemiology” in Green’s Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine and Surgery (1907) gave this definition:
Some of the more important epidemic phenomena fall under the following heads:– 1. Secular mutations occurring during the course of centuries. 2. Multiannual mutations, to use the phrase of Ransome, or fluctuations in prevalence and virulence extending over periods of from ten to fifty years. Epidemic waves or explosions recurring at more or less regular intervals of a few years. 4. Seasonal fluctuations. 5. Oscillations at irregular intervals measured by days or weeks.
The most widely consulted medical text of the late 1800s, Richard Quain’s A Dictionary of Medicine (1882) contained an article on “Periodicity in Disease” which distinguished the seasonal changes of a disease’s prevalence from the longer-term secular progressions of wide-spread epidemics. The physician who wrote this article, John Netten Radcliffe, was a London health inspector and President of the Epidemiological Society during 1875–77, and he authored several reports on the spread of epidemics. In this dictionary article, Radcliffe recounts the studies of medical authorities who speculated that an epidemic’s secular course, having no local explanation, is due to a hidden connection with terrestrial climate patterns, repeating meteorological phenomena, or astronomical cycles. After citing a long list of pandemics in recorded history, Radcliffe proposes that “In these phenomena we have evidence of secular pathological changes, to which a clue is sought in studying their relation with secular meteorological and telluric changes.”
Radcliffe particularly appealed to the work of Thomas Laycock in England and Charles Anglada in France. Laycock’s articles in The London Lancet during 1842–44 on “Periodicity in the Phenomena of Life” inspired this summarization from Radcliffe:
He set forth data which suggested that those changes, as well as the periodical changes observed in disease, had definite relations to the position of the earth with reference to the sun, and to the position of the sun among the spheres; also to the periodical fluctuations occurring in atmospherical temperature, pressure, and magnetism; and in the magnetism of the earth, whether diurnal, seasonal, or secular.
Laycock prophesized the inauguration of a medical “proleptics” capable of forecasting the courses of diseases and the arrival of epidemics. Although Laycock did not use the term ‘secular’ himself, he did appeal to an analogy with terrestrial and astronomical changes, and he expected that correlations between disease patterns with those physical patterns would reveal causal relations.
Proleptics is not limited to periods of any particular duration; it applies itself alike to periods of hours or of thousands of years. It is within its province to investigate the changes induced in the earth and in society at the completion of grand cycles, as well as the changes induced during a single revolution of the earth on its axis or round the sun. It concerns itself with all astronomical phenomena, because they are eminently periodic; it traces the laws of recurrence of cosmic and telluric changes, with special reference to the influence of those changes on man, either as an individual or in society.
Radcliffe also highlighted the concept of ‘secular evolution’ from Charles Anglada, a professor of pathology at the University of Montpellier in southern France. His Étude sur les maladies éteintes et les maladies nouvelles, pour servir a l’histoire des évolutions séculaires de la pathologie.was published in 1869. Biological evolution in Darwin’s sense was not on Anglada’s mind. However, Anglada did ponder the multi-year course of epidemics from generation and transmission to extinction, and he explicitly associated the medical study of epidemics with the astronomical study of celestial phenomena.
Radcliffe would have also seen in the pages of the London Lancet additional mentions of secular change by physicians exploring the physical cycles of life. For example, Dr. Samuel Haughton’s 1868 address to the British Medical Association begins with this statement:
Man, like other animals, is born, grows, comes to maturity, reproduces his like, and dies; passing in his lifetime through a cycle of changes that may be compared to a secular variation, by a metaphor borrowed from the science of astronomy; while, in his daily life, he passes through a smaller cycle of changes that may be called periodic.
Since Haughton had already published textbooks of natural science, such as his Manual of Geology which mentions the moon’s mean secular motion and the earth’s slow secular cooling, his metaphorical step from an astronomical and geological context over to a biological context was straightforward.
The use of ‘secular’ in a medical context is very rare or non-existent prior to the 1860s, as far as book searches have been able to reveal. Connecting the courses of disease with variations in earthly or celestial phenomena is much older. The idea that epidemics are correlated with terrestrial conditions, and possibly meteorological or astronomical events, was familiar to the medical profession during much of the nineteenth century, until the germ theory of disease transmission was accepted. The term ‘secular’ had evidently made the leap from texts of natural science to medical texts by the 1860s.
Physicians familiarizing themselves with the natural sciences had at hand the finest survey: Alexander von Humboldt’s Kosmos: A Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe, published in multiple volumes starting in 1845. These enormously popular volumes, which were promptly translated into English and other European languages, use the idea of ‘secular’ (seculären in German) for very slow and gradual changes. Kosmos discusses the secular cooling of the earth, the secular variations of the quantity of solar heat received by the earth, the secular movement of isogonial lines of the earth’s magnetism, the secular rise of an area of land up from sea-level, the secular inequalities of the moon’s orbit, the secular changes in the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, and the secular retrogressions of the apsides of the asteroids Ceres and Pallas.
After the next section on the social sciences, we shall return to the natural sciences of the mid-1800s.
Secular Trends in the Social Sciences
Not surprisingly, texts in public policy and political science define the term ‘secular trend’ in the same way. William Dunn’s Public Policy Analysis, now in its sixth edition, provides this definition:
Classical time-series analysis may be used for extrapolative forecasts. Classical time-series analysis divides time series into four components: secular trend, seasonal variation, cyclical fluctuation, and irregular movement. A secular trend is a smooth long-term growth or decline in a time series.
A widely used textbook of political science from the 1960s offered the same conception of a secular trend:
The secular trend can be defined as the long-term movement in a series of numbers. Long-term changes in the size of the population — of the country, cities, a city, and so on — per capita income, votes for the Democratic or Republican party, the amount of money spent on campaigns for national, state, or local office – are all examples of data that may have a long-term secular trend.
The field of economics distinguishes a secular trend from a cyclical trend in the same way:
A secular trend is the long-run pattern of increase or decrease in a series of economic data. Cyclical fluctuation describes the rhythmic variation in economic series that is due to a pattern of expansion or contraction in the overall economy.
This shared definition for ‘secular trend’ is no coincidence; political science and economics have a common academic heritage. For example, the term ‘secular stagnation’ was due to economist Alvin Hansen, whose analyses were politically relevant during the Great Depression. He explained his concern for secular stagnation, in addition to worrisome business cycles, in this way:
Not until the problem of full employment of our productive resources from the long-run, secular standpoint was upon us, were we compelled to give serious consideration to those factors and forces in our economy which tend to make business recoveries weak and anaemic and which tend to prolong and deepen the course of depressions. This is the essence of secular stagnation – sick recoveries which die in their infancy and depressions which feed on themselves and leave a hard and seemingly immovable core of unemployment.
In Hansen’s assessment, short-term business swings are manifest cycles of economic activity, but long-term secular trends also deserve attention from the political arena.
Sociology was also at the root of this common understanding of a ‘secular’ trend. A decade earlier, sociologist Stuart A. Rice, who was instrumental to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Office of Statistical Standards in the Bureau of the Budget, introduced quantitative methods into political science. His widely influential Quantitative Methods in Politics distinguished secular trends from other features of time series data in this manner:
Variations in time in economic data are usually credited to one or another of four types of factors. There are, first, those factors whose combined influence operates with a degree of constancy, or a degree of constant change, over a relatively long period of years. The effects of these factors, when isolated, give rise to what is termed “secular trend.” There are, next, those which result in cycles of several years’ duration, giving rise, when isolated and plotted, to a more or less wave-like curve about the line of trend. Third, there are frequently seasonal influences, causing a somewhat rhythmic pulse within the yearly period. Lastly, there are fortuitous factors like the World War, unassociated with the trend, the cycle, or with seasonality.
The isolation and verification of long-term trends from shorter-term events was a much-debated statistical problem for the field of political economy, as it was known in academia since the 1800s. America’s prominent economic theorist of the early twentieth century, John Rogers Commons, published an influential paper about this theoretical difficulty in “Secular Trends and Business Cycles: A Classification of Theories” (1922), recounting views on detecting long-term trends advanced by Malthus, Ricardo, and Marx, among others. While Commons was not a exponent of John Maynard Keynes’s work in political economy to the degree exhibited by Hansen, they both knew well the landmark text by Keynes, The Scope and Method of Political Economy (1891). In that treatise, Keynes used his mathematical expertise to explain how a periodic fluctuation can swing across an average, while that average itself is probably changing over a longer term of many periods.
In dealing, for instance, with the statistics of some phenomenon over a term of years, we may seek to establish a periodicity in the movements towards and away from the average; but the average, if taken for successive periods of years, may itself be subject to progressive variations, and unless these are correctly calculated and due allowance made for them, our conclusions may be seriously vitiated. … On the other hand, if we are studying the secular movements, it is equally necessary to have analysed the periodic variations.
But behind Keynes stood the towering figure of that English polymath, William Stanley Jevons. Economists of both Commons’ and Keynes’s generations studied the second edition (1879) of Jevons’s The Theory of Political Economy and the posthumous volume (1884) of Jevon’s collected writings titled Investigations in Currency and Finance. Other works by Jevons on logic, statistics, geometry, calculus, the natural sciences, and scientific methods prepared him for understanding the fuller implications of tracking economic activity with mathematical tools.
H. S. Foxwell, successor to Jevons in the chair of political economy at University College London, edited the Investigations and pointed out the scientific significance of Jevons’s theories in this volume’s Introduction. Foxwell emphasized how Jevons tried to apply methods of inductive investigation from the physical sciences into the field of economics. Among those methods is the calculation of periodic variations (to commodities, or currencies, for example), which Jevons explained in The Principles of Science (1874). That book distinguishes ‘periodic’ and ‘secular’ variations of a measured phenomenon, such as astronomical observations of the moon or a planet: “the variation is called secular, because it proceeds during ages in a similar manner, and suffers no περίοδος or going round.” Jevons did recognize that a secular change of long duration may eventually return to some earlier state, if that fate can be predicted from enough accumulated evidence. Jevons cites Pierre-Simon Laplace’s calculations that the bodies of the planetary system will undergo their periodic changes over enough time so that their orbits remain within stable boundaries. The destiny of a secular variation is usually not determinable, so Jevons adds, “Any change which does not present the appearance of a periodic character will be empirically regarded as a secular change for the present, so that there will be an abundant supply of non-periodic variations.”
Aside from Jevons’s overview of periodic and secular variations in The Principles of Science, the word ‘secular’ does not appear in his economic writings, where only the distinction between periodic and non-periodic variations is mentioned. However, Foxwell guaranteed that students of Jevons could not overlook the term ‘secular variation’ by drawing the reader’s attention to Jevons’s path-breaking analyses of seasonal, decennial, and secular variations to the currency supply, and especially to “the great secular variation, the change in the value of money.” Foxwell cemented the importance of calculating secular variations by crediting Antoine-Augustin Cournot with establishing that illuminating analogy between economic fluctuations and astronomical motions. He even quoted a passage from Cournot’s Principes de la Théorie des Richesses, published in 1863, which explicitly makes that comparison by referring to “les variations séculaires” of celestial bodies. In fact, Cournot had already written about secular variations in an economic context in his earlier 1838 treatise Recherches sur les principes mathématiques de la théorie des richesses. With doctoral degrees in mathematics and astronomy, Cournot understood the basis to this constructive analogy between astronomy and economics.
Foxwell does not credit Cournot with conveying any astronomical analogies into Jevons’s economics. Jevons first encountered Cournot’s work in 1873, well after Jevons had proposed his own plan to study economics with methods essential to the physical sciences. In his initial mathematization of economics, “On the Study of Periodic Commercial Fluctuations” (1862), Jevons had written:
It seems necessary, then, that all commercial fluctuations should be investigated according to the same scientific methods with which we are familiar in other complicated sciences, such especially as meteorology and terrestrial magnetism. Every kind of periodic fluctuation, whether daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly, must be detected and exhibited, not only as a subject of study in itself, but because we must ascertain and eliminate such periodic variations before we can correctly exhibit those which are irregular or non-periodic, and probably of more interest and importance.
Cournot’s work was largely unknown until the 1870s, and he was not the only social theorist besides Jevons to think about economic factors in terms of short-term vs. long-term change. For example, Henry Sidgwick’s The Principles of Political Economy (1883) points out the difference between short-term changes and longer-term “secular variations” to commodity production. Sidgwick expresses his many debts to Jevons’s work, so his chosen terminology may trace back to Jevons.
Another theorist using the term ‘secular’ in a scientific manner also arrived in 1883 from the neighboring discipline of sociology. Lester Frank Ward gave his book Dynamic Sociology the revealing subtitle: Applied Social Science, as based upon Statical Sociology and the Less Complex Sciences. The natural sciences of astronomy, physics, geology, chemistry, and biology are his chosen exemplars, and Ward’s frequent use of ‘secular’ refers to very gradual and slow-working processes studied by those sciences. However, Ward undertakes no specifically economic theorizing.
Besides Cournot, only two notable social scientists who pre-dated Jevons explicitly compared the search for long-term variations in economics with the study of long-term variations observed in astronomical phenomena: Henry Dunning Macleod and Dionysius Lardner. Macleod’s The Elements of Political Economy (1858) was well-known to Jevons, whose own work on political economy took favorable notice of Macleod’s attempt to apply mathematical formulas. In this book Macleod had written,
Just as in astronomy the changes of the position of the heavenly bodies, which are at a very great distance from us, are barely perceptible after long continued observations, and they may be used to serve as standard to note the changes in position of those which are comparatively speaking close to us—such as the moon and planets. And the former are termed “fixed”, though in reality it is known that they are all in rapid motion. So for short periods, the value of money may be considered as fixed, without material risk of error; and changes in the value of money may be compared to the secular variations of the heavenly bodies.
Jevons did not use the term “secular variation” himself, as we have already noted. Jevons did make use of Macleod’s inquiries into cyclical commercial crises in order to pursue his own hypothesis that the rhythm of economic downturns are correlated with influences from meteorological and astronomical events, such as the cycles of sun spots.
As for Lardner, his Railway Economy (1850) refers to slow secular change only once, but it similarly evokes astronomical methods in the course of describing railway structures:
That wear and tear which, being due to the slow operation of time acting upon the more solid structures, produces an effect altogether insensible when observed through short periods, but which, after a long interval of time, such, for example, as centuries, must necessitate the reconstruction of some or all even of the most solid structures. These changes may not unaptly be assimilated to the periodical and secular inequalities which take place in the movements of the great bodies of the universe. The operation of time upon the more massive works of art upon the railway, such as the bridges, tunnels, viaducts, & c., afford examples of what may be called the secular wear and tear. The more rapid and visible deterioration, which is made good by repairs or reconstruction effected at shorter intervals, is analogous to the periodic inequalities.
Lardner’s book is cited in the bibliography to Jevons’s The Theory of Political Economy, but that reference did not do full justice to the extent of Lardner’s influence. The Preface to the second edition of Jevons’s Theory of Political Economy is the place where Jevons expresses his large debt to Lardner’s Railway Economy. In the words of a later editor of Jevons’s papers, Rosamond Könekamp, it was Lardner who “first gave him the idea of investigating economics mathematically.”
Besides Lardner, Macleod, and then Jevons, no pioneer of economics in the English language was appealing to astronomical ideas for assistance with the investigation of regular patterns, short-term and long-term, calculable from economic data. Neither William Whewell nor John Stuart Mill, for example, who were both familiar with astronomy’s study of periodic and secular variation, transferred that distinction into economics. In the French language, two economists who introduced mathematical analyses into their theories used the term ‘variations séculaires’: Augustin Cournot in Recherches sur les principes mathématiques de la théorie des richesses (1838) and Principes de la Théorie des Richesses (1863), and Léon Walras in Éléments d’économie politique pure, ou, Théorie de la Richesse Sociale. With the exception of Lardner, what distinguishes the four theorists who investigated short-term and long-term economic changes using mathematics (Cournot, Macleod, Walras, Jevons) was their abiding interest in tracking changes in the real value of precious metals as both commodity and currency over the course of several decades. Walras and Jevons acknowledged the acquaintance with Cournot’s work, while Macleod included a reference to Cournot’s Recherches in his A Dictionary of Political Economy (1863). It is plausible that Lardner could independently arrive at the mathematical analogy between astronomy and economics, although he did have ample opportunity to read Cournot by the 1850s. Lardner had already published several textbooks about mathematics and science, such as his Hand-book of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy (1853) which includes explanations of periodic and secular variations to lunar, solar, and planetary motions.
Having proposed that the transferal of the idea of a long-term ‘secular variation’ from astronomy to economics was accomplished in writings by Cournot and Lardner, which Jevons consulted, it should be said that the credit for securely embedding that concept within economic theory goes to Jevons’s editor, H. S. Foxwell. Practically nothing about the economic views pursued by Cournot, Lardner, or Macleod survived the critical eyes of Jevons and the marginal utility school of economics.
All the same, Cournot was the first among political economists to distinguish long-term secular variations from short-term periodic variations in Recherches sur les principes mathématiques de la théorie des richesses. The translation of the key paragraph reads,
… articles such as wheat, which form the basis of the food supply, are subject to violent disturbances; but, if a sufficient period is considered, these disturbances balance each other, and the average value approaches fixed conditions, perhaps even more closely than the monetary metals. This will not make it impossible for the value so determined to vary, nor prevent it from actually experiencing absolute variations on a still greater scale of time. Here, as in astronomy, it is necessary to recognize secular variations, which are independent of periodic variations.
There can be no doubt that Cournot’s understanding of ‘secular variation’ came from his doctoral study of his fellow Frenchman, the greatest astronomer of the age, Pierre Laplace. Laplace greatly advanced the mathematical treatment of celestial mechanics after Isaac Newton, including explanations for puzzling deviations and perturbations of lunar, solar, and planetary motions. Those motions exhibited what astronomers had called ‘secular inequalities’ since Kepler’s time. But our story must next discuss the other natural sciences.
Secular Trends in the Natural Sciences
The earth sciences, such as physical geography, geology, oceanography, meteorology, and climatology, inherited their usage of ‘secular’, in such terms as ‘secular trend’ and ‘secular variation’, from the field of astronomy.
Here is a recent example of a mention of ‘secular trend’ from a textbook of hydrology:
A secular trend is a tendency to increase or decrease continuously for an extended period of time in a systematic manner. The trend can be linear or nonlinear. If urbanization of a watershed occurs over an extended period, the progressive increase in peak discharge characteristics may be viewed as a secular trend. The trend can begin slowly and accelerate upward as urban land development increases with time. The secular trend can occur throughout or only part of the period of record.
The McGraw-Hill textbook Introduction to Geophysics (1959) explains the kinds of changes to the earth’s magnetic field: “The variations are of three types: (1) a secular variation, (2) short-term regular periodic variations, and (3) irregular transient fluctuations.” Geologist John Milne, inventor of the modern seismograph, explains the connection between rising land and earthquakes in his landmark work Seismology (1898): “wherever we find in progress those secular movements which result in the building up of countries or mountain ranges, there we should expect also to find a pronounced seismic activity.”
Geology began applying the term ‘secular’ for slow changes to the earth during the early 1800s, and it was fairly common by the mid-1800s. For example, William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) published his controversial paper “On the Secular Cooling of the Earth” in 1863. Although scientifically estimating the earth’s true age got entangled with post-Darwinian debates with Biblical creationism, that geological question had nothing to do with religion. The slow “secular” cooling of the earth’s inner heat was a purely scientific issue long before Darwin. Like Lord Kelvin, mid-nineteenth century naturalists with expertise in physical geography and geology displayed no lack of familiarity with astronomical principles. Kosmos by Humboldt is one illustration; Principles of Geology by Charles Lyell is another.
Lyell makes that same distinction between very slow secular changes and faster periodic changes, in the context of considering the potential effects of variations of the sun’s light on “secular changes” to terrestrial climates, and the hypothesis that the earth has been undergoing a “secular decrease of internal heat” since its formation. In fact, the first edition of Lyell’s Principles of Geology in 1830 phrases the question of the earth’s cooling interior as the inquiry into “whether it be subject to secular variations.” This is a very early application, perhaps the first in the English language, of the astronomical idea of ‘secular variation’ to a geological matter. Before Kelvin and Lyell, Joseph Fourier had pioneered formulas for calculating the “refroidissement séculaire” of the rate of the earth’s slow cooling in a paper published in 1820. Fourier had succeeded Joseph-Louis Lagrange as a professor of mathematics and mechanics at the École Polytechnique in Paris. Having been the student of both Lagrange and Laplace, Fourier was intimately familiar with astronomy’s problem of ‘secular inequalities’, which had been thoroughly investigated by his teachers.
Laplace’s monumental Traité de Mécanique Céleste (published in five volumes from 1798 to 1825) includes calculations and explanations for the “inégalités périodiques et séculaires” of the bodies of the solar system. England’s brilliant mathematician, Mary Somerville, published a precise yet readable rendition of Mécanique Céleste as The Mechanism of the Heavens in 1831. In her words,
The planets are subject to disturbances of two distinct kinds, both resulting from the constant operation of their reciprocal attraction, one kind depending upon their positions with regard to each other … such changes, being accomplished in short periods, some in a few months, others in years, or in hundreds of years, are denominated Periodic Inequalities. The inequalities of the other kind, though occasioned likewise by the disturbing energy of the planets, are entirely independent of their relative positions; they depend on the relative positions of the orbits alone, whose forms and places in space are altered by very minute quantities in immense periods of time, and are therefore called Secular Inequalities.
Somerville’s book was initially intended for inclusion in the Library of Useful Knowledge series of books about science, but its ample length required separate publication. The titles in this series, due to their readability and low price, became some of the best-selling texts on science during that era. The third volume of Natural Philosophy in the Library of Useful Knowledge, published in 1834, covered astronomy, geography, and navigation with chapters from multiple authors. By coincidence, Somerville’s next book also appeared in 1834. On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences covered astronomy, geology, and geography along with physics, and it was an even greater publishing success. Both books are replete with the term ‘secular’ – they talk about secular equations, secular inequalities, and secular variations, along with secular increases, secular accelerations, secular disturbances, and secular dimunitions, which are evident in both celestial and terrestrial phenomena. We may presume that from that date of 1834, the scientific use of ‘secular’ to indicate slow measureable change is firmly established in the English language.
Before 1820, the only science to rely on the idea of ‘secular’ change was astronomy. A widely-used textbook dating from the 1830s by John Grummere explains why a mathematical equation giving the formula for locating the sun’s position over years and centuries won’t be precisely correct, and that inevitable amount of error is an “inequality” that slowly changes over centuries.
By a comparison of observations made at distant periods, it has been discovered that the equation of the sun’s centre, and consequently the eccentricity of the orbit, are at the present period continually diminishing. The rate of diminution in the greatest equation is about 18” in a century. It follows, therefore, that the equation of the centre, as computed for a given time, will not be accurately true for a different time. It will, however, err but little for a few years, before and after the time, for which it is computed. A complete table of the equation of the sun’s centre, has a column containing the variation of the equation in a century, called the Secular variation, by means of which the correct equation may be obtained for different periods.
Astronomical tables published during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries often include that additional column, to provide a correcting amount for each decade or century so that an equation for the position of the moon, the sun, or a planet can yield a more accurate result. Almanacs for practical astronomy, such as nautical almanacs, provide tabular information for a few years at most, while advanced astronomy treatises may offer tables covering centuries into the past and forward into the future, requiring an additional column for the secular variation. Calculating the precession of the equinoxes, the occurrence of a solar eclipse, or the conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn, as primary examples, require taking secular inequalities for each event into account. By the mid-1800s, astronomers had closely calculated the rates to secular variations and accelerations for many celestial motions, so large tables with columns for many years and centuries were replaced by small tabular figures and a few formulas. For example, Simon Newcomb’s 1895 supplemental volume to the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac describes the rate of the ecliptic’s precession with a table that only lists the variations to longitudes and right ascensions for the years 1350, 1600, 1850, 2100, and 2350, followed by specific variations to use annually and centennially.
Before the secular variations to ecliptic, lunar, solar, and planetary motions were well understood and closely calculated, astronomers could only compile large tables to provide figures for the secular variations corresponding with past and future centuries. The slow acceleration of the Moon’s motion was announced by Edmond Halley, but he did not attain a satisfactory understanding of this phenomenon. His Tabulae Astronomicae (1749) does provide tables for corrections to lunar and solar motions. For example, the table for “Motus anomalie mediae et apogei solis” lists the needed corrections for the Sun’s position by century, starting with the year 100 at the top, continuing through 1600, 1700, 1800, and so on, until reaching the year 3100 at the bottom. His tables for the positions of Jupiter and Saturn include corrections across the centuries from 100 to 3100 AD, labeled as ‘Aequatio Secularis’ (secular equation). Another mathematician and astronomer, Leonhard Euler, published tables for the secular equations of the Sun and Moon in volume one of his Opuscula varii argumenti (1746). Subsequent astronomers followed these two precedents.
C. M. Linton explains the origin of the term ‘equation’, inherited from Ptolemy, in this context of early astronomy:
In general, the term ‘equation’ is used to refer to any angle that must be added or subtracted from a mean motion in order to account for a particular geometrical feature. This is Ptolemy’s style throughout – first the mean motions are described, and then the various small corrections, the equations, are calculated. In the case of the Sun, there was one such equation, but for the Moon and the planets there were more. Ptolemy’s quantitative solar theory was used not only to determine the position of the Sun but was also an essential part of his theory for the other planets.
When early astronomers included tables for variations to the mean motion of the Sun or the Moon that occur over centuries, ‘secularis’ means ‘by century’, so that the amount (the inequality) of a secular variation across each century can be indicated by its secular equation. Astronomy’s use of the term ‘variation’ goes back to Tycho Brahe, as Linton recounts:
In a series of observations in 1594, Tycho discovered the first wholly new astronomical phenomenon since Ptolemy’s time, and one that reduced the error from existing theories of the longitude of the Moon by almost 75 per cent. He observed that the Moon sped up as it approached the syzygies and slowed down near the quadratures. This phenomenon, which shows up as a displacement of about 40’ from the position at the octants predicted by previous theories, has ever since been known by the name Tycho gave to it: the ‘variation’.
Johannes Kepler published Brahe’s accumulated observations in the Rudolphine Tables (1627). In its Preface, Kepler remarked that a comparison with older observations by Regiomontanus and Walther reveal the need for an additional “æquationibus secularibus” – a secular equation – because the motions of the Sun and the Moon “have rather slight physical increases and decreases in an irregular way”. Kepler’s superior formulas for elliptical orbits around the Sun allowed him to calculate positions for the Sun, Moon, and planets many centuries into the past and the future. His tables placed centuries in the first column on the left, beginning at the top with the year 4000 BC and ending at the bottom with 2100 AD.
Kepler was the editor of Brahe’s Astronomiae Instauratae Progymnasmata (1602), which used a tabular labeling of successive centuries as ‘Seculorum’, most conspicuously in a table comparing calculations for the Sun’s position in 1500, 1600, and 1700. Earlier astronomical tables did not use the label “seculorum” in their tables, but the left column for successive centuries is used. A prominent example is the Prutenic Tables by Erasmus Reinhold (1551), which includes tables for the precession of the equinoxes that uses a left column for many centuries from 20 AD down to 5000 AD.
This examination of the history of astronomy finds that the meaning of ‘secular’ in terms such as ‘secular inequality’ and ‘secular variation’ originated in sixteenth and seventeenth century astronomical tables presenting calculations of celestial motions century by century from the past into the future. As improved tables began to include information for slight century-by-century variations to lunar, solar, and planetary motions, the association of ‘secular’ with very slow changes over long periods of time was scientifically established.
Conclusion
The emergence of the empirical sciences was the setting where the original and primary meaning of ‘secular’ as “temporal and worldly” was borrowed and applied, apart from conceptual relations with anything religious. This secular meaning of ‘secular’ may be uninteresting to some disciplines, such as theology, religious studies, or sociology. For intellectual history and history of science, that core meaning of ‘secular’ has an origin and independence apart from both religious and secularism trends in the civic realm. Many disciples in the social sciences, the life sciences, and the natural sciences, indebted to astronomy, earth science, and economics, have long been using ‘secular’ with its primary meaning. | |||||
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"GMA"
] | 2021-06-18T14:27:47+00:00 | Her debut song is currently in the Top 15 on the AC Indicator chart and is the most added song on radio for the 5th week in a row after it received 49 adds during its debut add week. | en | https://gospelmusic.org/news/capitol-christian-music-groups-anne-wilson-is-the-labels-largest-debut-single-launch-from-a-new-artist-in-nearly-10-years | NASHVILLE, TENN. (JUNE 18, 2021) Earlier this year, Capitol Christian Music Group’s new singer-songwriter Anne Willson released her three-track digital debut single, My Jesus, which featured her breakthrough radio single “My Jesus.” Wilson’s My Jesus is Capitol CMG’s largest debut single launch from a new artist in nearly 10 years. Her debut song is currently in the Top 15 on the AC Indicator chart and is the most added song on radio for the 5th week in a row after it received 49 adds during its debut add week. My Jesus debuted at No.1 on iTunes in the US and Russia (Christian & Gospel), No. 17 on iTunes (all genre), and the Top 15 music video on all of iTunes. It also debuted on the Top Thumb Hundred on Pandora.
The title, “My Jesus,” was literally ripped from the pages of Wilson’s journal as she quickly realized that any time she wrote about her relationship with Christ, she always described Him as “My Jesus.” Co-written with Matthew West and Jeff Pardo, the song addresses how for her, Jesus is personal and a warm invitation to experience Him in the same intimate way.
The response has been overwhelming to My Jesus since it was released. With only three songs currently available, Wilson has 6.4M global audio streams to date, with 5.1M global streams for “My Jesus.” The “My Jesus” music video has more than 1.6M YouTube views, 10M views, and 160k shares on Facebook and has reached No. 7 on Universal Music Group’s Top 50 Music videos.
“I’ve been super surprised at the response to my single,” shares Anne Wilson. “Since I had never released any music before, I was excited and anxious. I remember praying the night before My Jesus released ‘God, I’ve done what I can do with this song. This is up to you and whatever you want to do with the song.’ I had this peace come upon me and knowing that God had a plan, no matter what happened. It’s been unexpected, but it’s been so incredible to see, and I’m so humbled and honored that He’s using me as His vessel to spread the gospel and to remind people that they can have a personal relationship with the Lord. When I hear stories, where people are being specifically impacted by this song, it is such an encouragement to my heart because it reminds me that God has such good plans for us.
Supporting this incredible three-song single, Wilson will release a live EP, My Jesus (Live In Nashville), on August 6th featuring the three previously released songs recorded as live versions along with a new song “No Place Like Home,” and a cover of Little Big Town’s “Boondocks.”
“It is going to be fun to share these live songs we just recorded at White Dove Barn,” she states. “I’m really excited to share the new song, ‘No Place Like Home,’ as it is my favorite song I’ve written. It’s about my brother Jacob and I’s memories together. It’s truly an incredible song that captures the times we had together as brother and sisters on my grandfather’s farm. I’ll always cherish those memories we have with him and I’m ready to share it with the world. I wrote this song on the same day as ‘My Jesus’ with Jeff and Matthew and we wrote it in about 10 minutes! It just came together so beautifully.”
Although she has lived through the tragic season of losing her brother at a young age from a car accident, she is also in a new season of seeing God sustain her and her family during hard times. A story that so many can relate to and connect with her. Fans will be able to connect in person this fall as she can be seen on the Big Daddy Weave “All Things New” tour. Today she is also releasing a special live version of “My Jesus” with co-writer Matthew West from his recent West Friends Fest last month. Click below to watch the songwriters perform the anthemic song.
## | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 24 | https://us.ccli.com/ | en | CCLI® | [] | [] | [] | [
""
] | null | [] | null | CCLI provides information and resources for churches and copyright owners around the world, relating to copyrights of Christian worship songs. | en | CCLI® | https://ccli.com/ | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 26 | http://www.postconsumerreports.com/2016/10/the-troubled-future-legacy-of-christian.html | en | PostConsumer Reports: The Troubled Future Legacy of Christian Music | [
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 85 | https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/04/opinion/beyonce-cowboy-carter-country.html | en | Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Asks, and Answers, a Crucial Question in Her Latest Album - The New York Times | [
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"Tressie McMillan Cottom",
"www.nytimes.com",
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] | 2024-04-04T00:00:00 | Beyoncé singing country music in this political climate was always going to cause a stir. | en | /vi-assets/static-assets/favicon-d2483f10ef688e6f89e23806b9700298.ico | https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/04/opinion/beyonce-cowboy-carter-country.html | Beyoncé released a genre-bending country album, “Cowboy Carter,” last week. After listening to it in all the requisite settings — on a walk, in a car and on a plane — I finally understand what Beyoncé, a notoriously enigmatic pop star, wants to say to the world. She wants to be more than popular. She wants to be legendary. But first, she isn’t through taking everyone who has doubted her to the woodshed.
In outlaw country tradition, “Cowboy Carter” settles scores with haters and with history. Beyoncé has trilled, growled, marched, stepped, sweated and sung her heart out for almost 30 years. It is, this album argues, in conjunction with the others in her in-progress three-act “Renaissance” oeuvre, time for a little respect, for Black artists generally but also for her specifically.
Just by being Black, a woman, popular and impervious to country music’s gatekeepers, Beyoncé has made a political album. Puzzling over who is country enough to sing love songs to wheat fields and big trucks only seems prosaic. Big Country — the Nashville-controlled, pop-folk music that commodifies rural American fantasies — is the cultural arm of white grievance politics. In 1974, President Richard Nixon described the genre as being “as native as anything American we could find.” That must have been a shock to actual Native Americans. But the message was not for them. It was for the white Southern voters Nixon needed to win over amid massive resistance to Black enfranchisement. Today’s Republican Party continues that tradition. Embracing country music is a loyalty test for conservative politicians and right-wing pundits whose career ambitions align with white identity politics. Beyoncé singing country music in this political climate was always going to cause a stir.
I went into this album release expecting, like many cultural critics, that the biggest question would be: Is it country? She is from Texas, which should be enough. She also has that voice — not her singing voice, but her speaking voice. It is molasses slow and heavy-toned like Southern humidity. Doubting Beyoncé’s country bona fides is like insisting that the realest Americans can only be found in small-town diners. It is a convenient shorthand for dismissing people you would rather not think about.
“Ameriican Requiem” is a solid opening track that addresses anyone who discounts Beyoncé’s Southern résumé. Big Country produces a stylized set of tropes that artists, producers and marketing executives slather on top of meter and rhythm. In good hands, those tropes can be signposts for a road trip through a sonic postcard. In lazy hands (and so many of the hands are lazy these days), they are paper dolls of cheap sentiment. You name your small town for legitimacy. You gesture to your family for kinship to rural America’s fictive family tree. Then you sprinkle in your proprietary mix of trucks, dogs, sunsets and beer for distinction.
Beyoncé takes on these tropes in “Ameriican Requiem.” Her identity gives them weight. She sings that her small-town roots are by way of “folks down in Galveston, rooted in Louisiana.” As the “grandbaby of a moonshine man” she has a right to sing the white man’s blues, because as a Black Southern woman she can legitimately claim the blues. Turning back to the audience of doubters, she sings: “Used to say I spoke ‘too country’/And the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ’nough/Said I wouldn’t saddle up, but/If that ain’t country, tell me what is?” Given the pedigree she has just laid out, the only honest answer is that country music is everything she sings about minus the Black woman singing it.
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 93 | https://www.forcefieldpr.com/2020/07/28/jaye-bartell-shares-new-song-too-late-from-his-upcoming-album-kokomo/ | en | Jaye Bartell shares new song “Too Late” from his upcoming album KOKOMO | [
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] | 2020-07-28T00:00:00 | Jaye Bartell shares new song "Too Late" from his upcoming album KOKOMO STREAM: "Too Late" - BandCamp / Spotify "Too Late" is a ballad about waiting for the miracle, specifically related to making music or art as a purpose for a life, and to use that purpose to "be a light in the unlit rooms" and "be alive among | en | Force Field PR - Public Relations for People and Projects | https://www.forcefieldpr.com/2020/07/28/jaye-bartell-shares-new-song-too-late-from-his-upcoming-album-kokomo/ | “Too Late” is a ballad about waiting for the miracle, specifically related to making music or art as a purpose for a life, and to use that purpose to “be a light in the unlit rooms” and “be alive among the unlived lives,” to be useful as much as to have a use. It’s a prayer, although decisively not a Christian or religious one, for some form of spirit or power to simply “be here at all.” The lyrics take some inspiration from Ingrid Thulin’s monologue in Bergman’s “Winter Light,” which is a story about “god’s silence.” She angrily tears off the bandages on her hands, covering blistered rashes from eczema, and says” God, why have you created me so eternally dissatisfied, so frightened, so bitter. Why must I realize how wretched I am. Why must I suffer so hellishly for my insignificance? If there is a purpose to suffering, then tell me, and I will bear pain without complaint. You made me so very strong in body and soul but you never give me a task worthy of my strength. Give my life meaning and I will serve you.”
About Kokomo:
Kokomo the album adds up to the rejection of Kokomo the concept—that the days of your life and the things you do there are kindling for the cause of the great blaze that awaits you once you have enough vacation days or a record deal. The relationship of Kokomo the album to “Kokomo” the song ends with the mythos the song created. That and the idea for the name was too funny and too fitting to pass up. Kokomo is the Arcadia of the office park, or in the case of my mother when I was growing up, the hospitals and “care facilities” where she worked as a nurse. It was in her car, on the way to Country Convenience to play Megabucks, that my associations with Kokomo began. It’s possibly the only song I remember my mother liking. The memories of the memories of the memories have formed a story in the absence of one. Megabucks is the Great Ship that will one day sail on waters as placid as a windshield for Kokomo, where you won’t have to work two nursing jobs, and you’ll be married to someone who’s at least nice to you, and your kids won’t be total fuck-ups, andVirginia Slims won’t give you emphysema.
In “Clip-On Tie,” a diaristic essay by David Berman chronicling some days in the life of his job as a guard at The Met in the early ’90s, there’s a line, “It would be a tragedy to spend your whole life desperately wanting to be something that you already were, all along.” Working as a museum guard, or a nurse, or a farmhand pulling weeds in a strawberry field, or washing dishes at Johnny Macaroni’s, these situations are where Kokomo exists. The relief and disembodiment “someday” provides. Ultimately the songs on Kokomo contend with and ultimately overcome this “tragedy,” or at least subdue it.
Kokomo throughout my twenties and now late thirties has been the refusal of Kokomo. To be an artist, to work as a living rather than for a living, to be somehow radically sincere and yet commercially appealing but with the utmost integrity, singularity, and dignity, like Fugazi or Fran Lebowitz. “Making it” to me meant being active, engaged, part of a community, sustaining a life. But the reality behind this striving was only more waiting: for someone to publish my poems, for someone to put out my records, for someone to write about them so someone would listen to them and I could then be someone who does something useful and meaningful beyond going on vacation. The song Anyone expresses the fatigue and collapse of this impossible need to be told by someone else that you are a person. “They took my world away / but it was my mistake / because the world that I made / could be taken away. // They made glass of it all / and then turned me to stone / now everywhere I go / I make a hole. I don’t want to be anyone anymore” Such is the dream.
It’s an ongoing, active process but I’m here. After all of this personal growth that’s a matter of life or death for the one growing and tedious for everyone else, what’s left is this ten-song album, recorded in Asheville, NC, in the fall of 2018 and touched up in the fall of 2019. It’s a concept album in reverse. As is so often the case with the mysterious oracular powers of writing, the lyrics tell a story that was unknown to the storyteller in the telling. But what I love is that it’s possible that you are who you are even if you don’t know who you are. The gift of perspective shows the fuller picture. For the love of these songs and the people who made them, and for the reasons that anyone does anything, I’m releasing this record. All of this aside, I hope you enjoy and may it find you in good health and heart. -Jaye Bartell
Press photo by Alex Phillipe Cohen | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 32 | https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/darci-lynne-sounds-angelic-singing-this-worship-song | en | Darci Lynne Sounds Literally Angelic Singing a Favorite Worship Song | [
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"Elizabeth Logan"
] | 2024-06-19T11:00:03+00:00 | Darci Lynne accompanied herself on the keyboard as she sang a cover of a popular worship song from 2019, much to the delight of her followers. | en | /sites/nbcblog/themes/custom/nbcblog/images/icons/apple-touch/apple-touch-icon.png | NBC Insider Official Site | https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/darci-lynne-sounds-angelic-singing-this-worship-song | Darci Lynne, the America's Got Talent winner who is equally talented at singing and ventriloquy (and yodeling!), took a break from her usual pop covers to slow down with a worship song, and she sounds just lovely.
Accompanying herself on the piano, Lynne sang "Goodness of God," a popular Christian song from the Bethel Music label collective. She also shared one of her favorite passages from Scripture in the caption, writing, "One of my favorites to sing!!!'Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.' Psalm 150:6."
RELATED: 12-Year-Old Darci Lynne’s Vocals Were Beyond Her Years for Viral AGT Audition
About "Goodness of God" by Jenn Johnson
Jenn Johnson, one of Bethel's co-founders, began composing the song on the fly while driving in her car. She told Fox News that she was inspired by the process of adopting her so,n Ryder. In addition to Johnson, the credited writers are Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, Ben Fielding, and Brian Johnson, and the song was released in 2019. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 49 | https://www.soundslikenashville.com/news/third-days-mac-powell-returns-to-christian-music-with-new-creation/ | en | [] | [] | [] | [
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 50 | https://www.air1.com/music/blog/music-news/artist-spotlight-aaron-williams-8063 | en | Artist Spotlight: Aaron Williams | [
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] | null | en | /favicon.ico | Air1 Worship Music | null | Aaron Williams might be a new name to most, but he’s been steadily writing and leading songs of worship for years. The Texas native has been at the forefront of Dwell Songs — a musical expression birthed out of a larger discipleship movement — as well as Shane & Shane’s The Worship Initiative; and he just secured his first record deal with Integrity Music. However, up until recently signing on the dotted line, Williams has mostly released his original music independently. He dropped his first live solo effort, “The Hope of Christ,” in 2022 via The Worship Initiative.
RELATED CONTENT: Aaron Williams Enlists Mission House for Declaration of Dependency on ‘Abide’
The “Abide” singer is especially passionate about mentorship. You’ll often find him investing in worship teams around the country, seeking to help fellow worship leaders grow, mature and thrive at various stages in their journey. He’s just as content leading a seminar on worship and theology as he is sharing his music with a packed auditorium of worshipers. Moreover, he often finds his songs comfortably soundtrack intimate moments of prayer, reflection and worship in a living room just as easily as they exist in a church or concert setting.
Williams is also the founder of The Way of Worship, “a community of trusted leaders committed to discipling worship leaders, songwriters and musicians in the way of Jesus.” Still a relatively new endeavor, The Way of Worship offers cohorts, retreats and online resources to equip, educate and encourage faith-centered creatives.
In keeping with this mission, the father of three has developed multiple resources he hopes will support the next generation of worship leaders, as well as draw believers of all callings into a deeper relationship with Christ. Together with Kathryn Maack, he’s co-authored a book called “Whole,” which teaches readers how to unite seemingly contrasting aspects of the human experience with their divine assignments and unique personalities to become everything they were meant to be. Additionally, Williams has personally crafted companion material for his latest radio single, “Abide (feat. Mission House),” called “Teach Me to Abide,” a simple, straightforward guide that points readers toward living and leading from a place of abiding in Jesus. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 11 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Moen | en | Wikipedia | [
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] | 2005-12-03T17:19:43+00:00 | en | /static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Moen | American singer and musician (born 1950)
This article is about the singer-songwriter. For the footballer, see Don Moen (Canadian football).
Musical artist
Donald James Moen (born June 29, 1950) is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter, specializing in Christian worship music.
Early life and education
[edit]
Moen grew up in Two Harbors, Minnesota, where he attended high school, graduating in 1968.[1] Moen attended Oral Roberts University, a Christian liberal arts school.
Career
[edit]
He became a Living Sound musician for Terry Law Ministries and traveled with Terry Law for ten years.[2] After, he worked for Integrity Media for over 20 years, serving as creative director and president of Integrity Music, president of Integrity Label Group, and an executive producer of Integrity Music albums.[3] He left Integrity Media in December 2007 to start a new initiative, The Don Moen Company.[4] The Don Moen Company acquired MediaComplete, the church software company that created MediaShout. Moen became a radio host for Don Moen & Friends in 2009. Moen received a Dove Award for his work on the musical God with Us in addition to nine nominations for his songs.
Moen also worked with Claire Cloninger, Paul Overstreet, Martin J. Nystrom, Randy Rothwell, Ron Kenoly, Bob Fitts, Debbye Graafsma, Paul Baloche, Tom Brooks, Aline Barros, among many others. He worked with musicians, Justo Almario, Carl Albrecht, Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuña, Paul Jackson, Jr., Lenny LeBlanc and Chris Graham.[citation needed] He was a catalyst in launching the careers of Paul Baloche, Darlene Zschech, Israel Houghton, and Hillsong United.[5]
He produced 11 volumes for the Hosanna! Music series of worship albums. His first album under his own name, Worship with Don Moen, was released in 1992. His music has total global sales of over five million units.[3][6]
Moen's first album for Hosanna! Music, Give Thanks, became the label's bestseller. Produced by Tom Brooks, Give Thanks went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA. Moen followed this with a number of albums of his own including two, En Tu Presencia and Trono De Gracia, in Spanish. God with Us won the Dove Award for Best Musical. On an Asian tour in 1999 he recorded The Mercy Seat at Singapore Indoor Stadium and Heal Our Land at Yoido Park in South Korea, which was released in 2000. One of Moen's albums, I Will Sing, was recorded at Christian Broadcasting Network.
God Will Make a Way: The Best of Don Moen was released in 2003 and features 19 greatest hits. The title song was written for his sister-in-law and her husband, whose oldest son died in an auto accident while their other three children survived but were seriously injured. Moen's Hiding Place became his first studio album which was recorded at Paragon Studios in Franklin, Tennessee, and was released in the autumn of 2006. I Believe There Is More released in late 2008. His third studio recording titled Uncharted Territory (funded successfully through Kickstarter) released on March 27, 2012.[7] His Christmas album, Christmas: A Season of Hope, was released on October 22, 2012, and some songs were recorded at a studio in Czech Republic.[citation needed] Moen released Hymnbook as a celebration of reaching over 1 million likes on his Facebook page.[8][9]
Personal life
[edit]
Moen and his wife, Laura, have been married since May 19, 1973. Together, they have five children.[10][1]
Discography
[edit]
Give Thanks
Released: 1986
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, Sparrow, Epic, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Michael Coleman (Executive), Ed Lindquist (Executive)
Certification: Gold
Steadfast Love
Released: 1988
Format: CD (HM-016CD), tape (HM016), download
Label: Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, Sparrow, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Michael Coleman (Executive), Ed Lindquist (Executive), Don Moen (Executive)
Bless the Lord
Released: 1989
Format: CD (HM-024CD), tape (HM-024), download
Label: Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, Sparrow-Star Song, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Michael Coleman (Executive), Ed Lindquist (Executive)
Christmas
Released: 1990
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Sparrow-Star Song, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Michael Coleman (Executive), Ed Lindquist (Executive)
Eternal God
Released: 1990
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Sparrow-Star Song, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Michael Coleman (Executive), Ed Lindquist (Executive)
Worship with Don Moen
Released: 1992
Format: CD, tape, video, VCD, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Word
Producer: Tom Brooks, Michael Coleman (Executive), Ed Lindquist (Executive)
God with Us
Released: 1993
Format: CD, tape, video, VCD, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Sparrow, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Fettke, Tom Hartley (Executive)
Certification: Dove Award
Trust in the Lord – Live Worship with Don Moen
Released: 1994
Format: CD, tape, video, VCD, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Mark Gasbarro, Don Moen (Producer and executive Producer), Michael Coleman (Executive)
Mighty Cross
Released: 1994
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music
Producer: Tom Hartley, Michael Coleman (Executive), Don Moen (Executive)
Rivers of Joy
Released: 1995
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Don Harris, Michael Coleman (Executive), Don Moen (Executive)
Emmanuel Has Come
Released: 1996
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Steven V. Taylor, Chris Long (Executive), Michael Coleman (Senior Executive), Don Moen (Senior Executive)
Praise with Don Moen
Released: 1996
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Integrity Asia, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Don Harris, Michael Coleman (Executive), Don Moen (Executive)
Let Your Glory Fall
Released: 1997
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Long (Executive)
God for Us
Released: 1998
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Fettke, Don Moen (Executive), Randy Vader (Executive)
God Is Good – Worship with Don Moen
Released: 1998
Format: CD, tape, video, DVD, VCD, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
En Tu Presencia
Released: 1999
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Isaac Hernandez, Tom Brooks, Don Harris, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive), Dario Navac (Executive)
More of You, Lord – Praise with Don Moen Volume 2
Released: 1999
Format: CD, tape
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Integrity Asia
Producer: Tom Brooks, Russell Fragar, Don Harris, Chris Springer, Darlene Zschech, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
Give Thanks
Released: 1999
Format: VCD
Label: Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, Integrity Asia
Producer: Tom Brooks, Mark Gasbarro, Steve Merkel, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
The Mercy Seat
Released: 2000
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Integrity Asia, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
Heal Our Land (Don Moen & Paul Wilbur)
Released: 2000
Format: CD, tape, video, download
Label: Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, Integrity Asia
Producer: Tom Brooks, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
I Will Sing
Released: 2000
Format: CD, tape, video, DVD, VCD, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Epic, Sony Music
Producer: Paul Mills, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
God in Us
Released: 2001
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Fettke, Don Moen (Executive), Randy Vader (Executive)
God Will Make a Way: The Best of Don Moen
Released: 2003
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Epic, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, Don Harris, Paul Mills, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
Trono de Gracia
Released: 2003
Format: CD, tape, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Miguel Angel "Malin" Villagran, Tom Brooks, Paul Mills, Don Moen (Executive), Keith Manwaring (Executive), Dario Navac (Executive)
Thank You Lord
Released: 2004
Format: CD, tape, video, DVD, VCD, download
Label: Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, CBN, Epic, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: David Hamilton, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
23 Nonstop Best Songs
Released: 2005
Format: CD
Label: Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, Integrity Asia, Maranatha (Indonesia)
Producer: Tom Brooks, Don Harris, Don Moen (Executive)
Arise: The Worship Legacy of Don Moen
Released: 2006
Format: Download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: David Hamilton, Don Moen (Executive)
Hiding Place
Released: 2006
Format: CD, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: David Hamilton, Don Moen (Executive)
I Believe There Is More
Released: 2008
Format: CD, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Don Moen, Michael Coleman (Executive)
With a Thankful Heart: The Best of Don Moen
Released: 2011
Format: CD
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Integrity Asia
Producer: Tom Brooks, David Hamilton, Don Harris, Paul Mills, Don Moen, Andy Skarda (Executive)
Uncharted Territory
Released: 2011
Format: CD, download
Label: Don Moen Records, in:ciite, EMI Christian Music Group
Producer: Don Moen (Producer and executive Producer), Chris Thomason (Executive)
Hymnbook
Released: 2012
Format: CD, download
Label: Don Moen Records
Producer: Don Moen (Producer and executive Producer), Tom Lane
Christmas: A Season of Hope
Released: October 22, 2012
Format: CD, download
Label: Don Moen Records, in:ciite, EMI Christian Music Group
Producer: David Hamilton, Don Moen (Executive), Chris Thomason (Executive)
Ultimate Collection
Released: March 5, 2013
Format: CD, download
Label: Integrity, Hosanna! Music, Columbia, Sony Music
Producer: Tom Brooks, David Hamilton, Paul Mills, Steve Merkel, Don Moen, C. Ryan Dunham (Executive)
Hymns of Hope
Released: Fall 2013
Format: CD, download
Label: Don Moen Records
Producer: David Hamilton, Don Moen (Executive)
By Special Request: Volume One
Released: 2015
Format: CD, download
Label: Don Moen Records
Producer: Don Moen (Producer and executive Producer)
God Will Make a Way: A Worship Musical
Released: 2016
Format: CD, download
Label: Don Moen Records, Brentwood Benson
Producer: Don Moen, Russell Mauldin, Luke Gambill (Executive), Johnathan Crumpton (Executive)
Grace (Don Moen & Frank Edwards)
Released: 2016
Format: Download
Label: Don Moen Records
By Special Request: Volume Two
Released: 2017
Format: CD, download
Label: Don Moen Records
Producer: Don Moen (Producer and executive Producer)
Jehovah Wezi Manga (Don Moen & the Mahotella Queens)
Released: 2017
Format: download
Label: Content Connect Africa
Don Moen Collection
Released: 2020
Format: download
Label: Integrity Music
A Hungry Heart
Released: 2020
Format: download
Label: Don Moen Records
Return to Me
Released: 2021
Format: download
Label: Don Moen Records
Great is Your Mercy
Released: 2022
Format: download
Label: Don Moen Records
Goodness of God (feat. Rachel Robinson)
Released: 2022
Format: download
Label: Don Moen Records
Upper Room Sessions
Released: 2022
Format: download
Label: Don Moen Records
Worship Today with Don Moen
Released: 2023
Format: download
Label: Don Moen Records
By Special Request: Vol. 3
Released: 2023
Format: download
Label: Don Moen Records
Other recordings
[edit]
Hatiku (1995)
Behold the Lamb (1997)
Healing (1998)
The Smithton Outpouring (1999)
Hope Changes Everything (2000)
Mas de Ti (2000)
Sing for Joy: A Songwriter's Heart (2002)
Amor Sin Limites (2004)
American Worship Gathering (2005)
Arise: A Celebration of Worship (2006)
Hope Changes Everything (2007)
Cool Worship (2010)
A Little Boy's Prayer (2010)
Marvin L. Winans Presents: The Praise & Worship Experience (2012)
Bishop Jerry L. Maynard Presents: The Cathedral of Praise Choir (2012)
Day and Night Worship (2015)
We Will Stand (2015)
Awards and nominations
[edit]
Year Association Category Result
[11][12][13]
1992 Dove Awards Song of the Year "God Will Make A Way" Won Dove Awards Creator – Children's Musical Album of the Year I'm a Helper Nominated 1993 Dove Awards Artist – Inspirational Album of the Year Worship with Don Moen Won 1994 Dove Awards Creator – Musical Album of the Year God with Us Won 1995 Dove Awards Creator – Musical Album of the Year Mighty Cross Won 1998 Dove Awards Creator – Musical of the Year Emmanuel Has Come Nominated 1999 Dove Awards Creator – Musical of the Year God for Us Won 2001 Dove Awards Spanish Language Album of the Year En Tu Presencia Nominated 2003 Dove Awards Country Recorded Song of the Year "God Is Good All the Time" Nominated Dove Awards Creator – Musical of the Year God in Us Nominated 2004 Dove Awards Spanish Language Album of the Year Trono de Gracia Nominated 2015 Gospel Music Association Global Lifetime Achievement Award Won
Gold certification
Give Thanks[14]
References
[edit] | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 0 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_record_labels | en | List of Christian record labels | https://en.wikipedia.org/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico | https://en.wikipedia.org/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico | [
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List of record labels
Christianity portal
Record production portal | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 66 | https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/20-best-taylor-swift-songs/ | en | Best Taylor Swift Songs: 30 Essential Tracks For Swifties | [
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"Mark Elliott"
] | 2023-12-13T05:41:48+00:00 | In a career that has ranged from country protégé to pop powerhouse within a decade, the best Taylor Swift songs show a true artist controlling her destiny. | en | uDiscover Music | https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/20-best-taylor-swift-songs/ | Taylor Swift is one of the most popular singer-songwriters of the early 21st century. Ans it’s been an incredible few years for the superstar. With each fresh release, the industry rejoices in the expectation of another market-defining sales boom; devoted fans seize on every sentence in her songs or a fresh interpretation of something they already love; and millions of others find simple comfort in powerful pop hits and her increasingly surprising output. Who would honestly have predicted her path from country protégé to pop powerhouse? We pick out the steps along the way with the best Taylor Swift songs.
Listen to the best Taylor Swift songs on Apple Music and Spotify.
30: Back To December
“Back To December” is one of the most tender ballads Taylor Swift has ever recorded. Its yearning elegance sadly saw it side-lined on many international charts, but Taylor’s US fans took the song to heart, lifting it to a No.6 Billboard peak and a respectable showing on the Adult Contemporary chart. It’s hard to believe that this confessional, knowing lyric was penned by a woman then barely in her 20s.
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29: Love Story (Taylor’s Version)
The idea of an artist rerecording their back catalog as a means of re-establishing control isn’t entirely new, but Taylor Swift’s campaign to reassert control has taken the concept to a new level. In issuing a new version of her most recognized early hit “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” she had a political point to make as much as a musical one. Taken from Fearless (Taylor’s Version) it topped country charts and featured many of the musicians from the original release. What makes it particularly interesting is the confidence of Taylor’s vocal and a confident mix that anchors that performance brilliantly.
28: Tim Mcgraw
While still at high school, Taylor Swift wrote ”Tim McGraw,” a tender ballad that plays to her belief that music offers the tonic to most of life’s ills. It’s a theme Taylor would return to many times in the years ahead, with the veteran country star’s music this time offering her the support she sought amid an early romantic crisis and providing inspiration for the song. It became the track the Big Machine label seized on when it signed the teenager when she was just 14. Co-written with long-term early collaborator Liz Rose, ”Tim McGraw” justified the label’s belief when it hit the stateside country charts in the summer of 2006, and even crossed over onto the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No.40 in an early hint of what the best Taylor Swift songs would be capable of.
27: Gorgeous
After the edgier “Look What You Made Me Do” from Reputation, “Gorgeous” emerged as a midtempo ballad that harks back to a sweeter, more accessible Taylor Swift. Pop radio immediately embraced the Max Martin/Shellback collaboration and taken together both singles showcased Reputation as a bold, new canvass for Taylor’s stylistic diversity.
26: Safe And Sound
Launching in 2011, The Hunger Games was a huge international film franchise based on a trio of best-selling novels. Artists were clamoring to get their work onto the soundtracks, but Taylor’s rocky contribution, and one of her two soundtrack contributions, with “Safe And Sound,” recorded with alternative country act The Civil Wars, showed that Taylor was now finally starting to secure more favorable press.
25: Wildest Dreams
Following the high-octane power-pop of 1989’s initial releases, “Wildest Dreams,” promoted in August 2015, was a timely diversion into calmer waters. The ethereal dream-pop anthem, showcased in an Out Of Africa-inspired video co-starring Scott Eastwood, presented Taylor at her most seductive. It was another big hit and, in remixed form, became her first song to top the Billboard dance radio listings, proving that the best Taylor Smith songs can easily take her into new territory.
24: Red
Pushed as Red’s second promotional single, the album’s title track was a return to her Nashville roots, dished up with a neat, contemporary pop twist. By this stage, Taylor was only really competing with herself on the country charts, and “Red” actually got stuck behind one of her own tracks near the top of the US Hot Country Songs listings.
23: ME!
When, just 18 months after the provocative Reputation, Taylor Swift emerged with another new song, “ME!,” it was a perfectly pitched step back in time: 60s-referencing bubblegum, anthemic 21st-century power-pop, and evergreen country that perfectly suited her. A contribution from Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie added the ballast to rough up the sweeter top notes, which characterize all the obvious peaks of Taylor’s best songs. But it’s the clever blend that brings it all to life. Lyrically, “ME!” marked a return to familiar themes, but the styling was new and added considerable impact to a hook-heavy return to out-and-out traditional pop from Taylor. The pair’s performance at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards remains one of the show’s best openings to date.
22: Better Man
Written by Taylor Swift for the US group Little Big Town, and issued as a country chart-topping single in 2016, Taylor issued her own version of “Better Man” for the 2021 Red (Taylor’s Version) album as part of her campaign to re-establish the creative control of her earlier work. It’s a gloriously melodic gem that captures all the bittersweet emotion of the original. Red (Taylor’s Version) is a sizeable collection of spirited reimaginings and some intriguing songs lifted from material created during the original album project.
21: Everything Has Changed
It’s a sad reality that so many strong female icons still end up getting characterized by the men they may or may not be involved with. Taylor’s love life has generated an extraordinary – and frankly unwelcome – wider interest, but at least her relationship with Ed Sheeran was centered on the work they collaborated on. “Everything Has Changed” also appeared on Red and became a solo highlight of the album’s supporting tour. The artists’ vocal fit was indisputable, and the song became another major success, particularly in the UK, where it peaked at No.7.
20: The Man
This jagged, majestic pop cut is decorated with a synth-drenched chorus that became a worthy single from 2019’s Lover, which brought some lighter tone back to Taylor’s work after the confrontational Reputation. The video for “The Man” was a directorial debut for Taylor and led to her being the first woman to win Best Direction at the MTV Video Music Awards across its lengthy history.
19: Teardrops On My Guitar
This was Taylor Swift’s true breakthrough, hitting the Billboard Top 20 and becoming a live favorite. Though picking up the pace from “Tim McGraw,” “Teardrops On My Guitar”’s still-only-midtempo groove provided her first anthemic singalong and became a firm fixture in the star’s early live shows; the image of Taylor sparkling on stage in a shimmering dress and ubiquitous cowboy boots are forever associated with the track. Repackaged for international release, it became Taylor’s first UK hit (though it failed to dent the Top 40) and was the best performing single from her self-titled debut album.
18: The One
Opening 2020’s surprising Folklore, “The One” also raised eyebrows with its explicit lyrics but no one doubted this mellow track’s musical integrity. Folklore’s left-field folk-oriented turn from the pop temperament of Lover captured the word’s imagination in the earliest months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when life had also been turned so dramatically on its head. Issued as a single, “The One” made the Top 10 around the globe.
17: Mine
Internet leaks plague many artists, and Taylor Swift joined that unfortunate club when the lead track from her third studio album, Speak Now, sneaked online in the summer of 2010. Again supported by another strong promotional clip, later to be named the Country Music Television Video Of The Year, “Mine” was in many ways a subtle shift back towards her pure country roots. Like many of the best Taylor Swift songs, its charm lies in its steady melodic frame, even if, in hindsight, it seems its creator was perhaps considering a gear change to really lift her career to the next level.
16: Bad Blood
When a rumored remix of the 1989 album track “Bad Blood” turned out to be a collaboration with rapper Kendrick Lamar, many thought Taylor Swift was pushing things too far. For one thing, the lyrics of this song spoke frankly of an alleged business bust-up Taylor had experienced with another artist – which was a raw enough subject in itself – but the idea that America’s sweetheart would push her sound in a hip-hop direction seemed reckless to some. Taylor, of course, knew better and the track became the album’s third to top the US charts, while the high-concept superhero-inspired promo clip, packed with cameos, deservedly became MTV’s Video Of The Year.
15: Change
Taylor Swift’s commitment to charitable causes is well documented and “Change” provides further early evidence of this. With all profits going to the US Olympic Team, it earns its place among the best Taylor Swift songs as her first Top 10 single in the States, “Change” drew on the familiar themes of empowerment and overcoming adversity but added a killer pop hook and an edgier rock riff to the mix. In hindsight, the signs of the artist Taylor was to become first started to shine through on this release.
14: Cardigan
Issued as the lead single for Taylor Swift’s eighth album, Folklore, “Cardigan”’s slow-burn melancholia was created by Taylor in partnership with project producer Aaron Dessner and became Taylor’s sixth chart-topper in her home country. Perhaps more of a performance piece than some of her more obviously autobiographical work, its hazy soft-rock balladry marks another high-mark in Taylor’s artistic journey, establishing her growing confidence across the genres.
13: You Need To Calm Down
On “You Need To Calm Down,” Taylor Swift reached the pinnacle of her pop career thus far. Cleverly referencing her tabloid story in the video – named clip of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards – she was directing the spotlight (that had at times threatened to blind her) back at us all instead. Of course, there’s something deeper happening in this hook-heavy genius too. Taylor has routinely used her platform for a generous range of issues, and this song speaks to the increasingly fractious culture of the 21st Century. Great artists entertain with a message, and Taylor has plenty to say on Lover’s indisputable highlight, which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.
12: Blank Space
By the time of 1989’s release, Taylor Swift was the master of the event video. “Blank Space” may forever be remembered for its classic high-camp promo clip, but the song stands up by itself, easily earning its place among the best Taylor Smith songs. Arch, knowing lyrics served with a dash of good humor powered this electro-pop track to the top of the Billboard charts and secured Taylor more nominations at the Grammy Awards, along with wins at the MTV Music Awards and American Music Awards.
11: Coney Island
The ninth track on Taylor Swift’s ninth album, “Coney Island” is among the most interesting of Taylor’s duets. Paired with vocalist Matt Berninger and his indie band The National, the kitchen-sink drama of its lyric is a terrific highlight of 2020’s Evermore. The National’s Aaron Dessner and his twin, Bryce, helped create this triumphant indie-rock that made a surprising choice for single release, even given Taylor’s increasingly devil-may-care attitude to those who still wanted a one-dimensional predictability to her work.
10: Shake It Off
If ever a song offered a literal as well as lyrical statement, “Shake It Off” was it. Ripping free from her country roots completely, “Shake It Off” was an out-and-out pop revolution for Taylor. The lead single from her 1989 album (named after the year in which she was born), it was a bold but still mainstream move that will forever be remembered as one of the best Taylor Swift songs of all time. The song’s throwback vibe marked a charismatic reinvention that rewarded Taylor with her biggest hit to date and a chart-topping position in her homeland. While maintaining her flair for creating melodies that worked across her growing range of audiences, “Shake It Off’ reinforced the mantra that the bravest artists always stay one step ahead of their audience’s expectations.
9: Look What You Made Me Do
When Right Said Fred got the call that their 1991 smash “I’m Too Sexy” had inspired part of Taylor Swift’s 2017 comeback, “Look What You Made Me Do,” they must have thought they’d won the lottery. Indeed, they probably did! The track smashed records around the globe and rewarded Taylor and co-writer Jack Antonoff, who also produced the song, with their first UK chart-topper. “The old Taylor is dead,” she told the world. It appeared the new one would do just fine…
8: You Belong With Me
Chosen as the third single from Taylor Swift’s second LP, Fearless, “You Belong With Me” was another anthemic, pop-flavored country track that became her biggest hit to date in the US when it peaked at No.2. Now increasingly confident in her video performances, Taylor’s styling – this time as the high-school sweetheart that other young women could still relate to – was becoming more nuanced. But the striking image Taylor was crafting shouldn’t undervalue the song’s masterful composition and hooky chorus. Only the most prejudiced of music snobs were now ignoring the strong songwriting skills she was starting to reveal.
7: No Body No Crime
Enlisting Haim for vocal support, “No Body No Crime” is a stylized slab of confident storytelling that generated some of the strongest critical reviews from the Evermore album. It’s a pop-rock murder-ballad that saw the female rock band enjoy their first hit single in their homeland after more success in markets such as the UK. The only disappointment for fans? There was no video for the song, which was issued as a single in the grip of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
6: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Demonstrating not only the immediacy of the best Taylor Swift songs, but also how young artists can assert authority on their own destiny, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” was the first taste of Taylor’s fourth album, Red. Creatively, the song pitched the confident message of romantic control ahead of the era when women’s exploitation across this, and so many areas of life, was being truly exposed – and, professionally, it became Taylor’s breakout work as her first collaboration with legendary hit-makers Max Martin and Shellback. This surely was the sound of a young woman taking control of her career by the scruff of its neck. Contagiously addictive, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” became her first Billboard chart-topper and its lyrics provided plenty of fuel for the tabloids, who were becoming increasingly obsessed with this enigmatic new star.
5: Love Story
Coming from the period before she herself became ubiquitous, most international listeners would pick “Love Story” as the song that first made them aware of the rising star. Still in her teens when it was released, Taylor was cast as a romantic princess in the fondly remembered video – an interesting spin on the persona the frenzied tabloids would seize upon and distort in the years ahead. While still identifiably a country song, “Love Story”’s unashamedly pop production helped it become a huge radio hit, and the song was widely nominated in awards season. Commercially, it was Taylor’s first smash, making No.1 in Australia, No.2 in the UK and entering the Top 5 in the US.
4: I Knew You Were Trouble
On “I Knew You Were Trouble,” Taylor Swift proved she knew how to cause trouble herself, as the box she had just broken free from with “We Are Never…” clearly wasn’t one she would ever return to. Entering a period when almost every new song could lay claim to being among the best Taylor Swift songs, this insistent pop-country hybrid, built around a hooky rock riff, was another smash crossover, peaking at No.2 on both sides of the Atlantic. Another Max Martin and Shellback collaboration, “I Knew You Were Trouble” was premiered at the 40th American Music Awards in another classic live performance that showcased Taylor’s increasing stage confidence.
3: Lover
This breezy title track from 2019’s Lover is a stylized slice of 60s Americana and has been issued in different remixes that don’t quite improve on the original’s effortless air. Taylor admits “Lover” came quickly and there’s something about its waltz-like easy-come, easy-go charm that sets it above from what’s already a uniformly strong album (arguably her best and certainly her strongest pop record). “Lover” rightly made many of the lists documenting the best songs of the year.
2: Willow
Opening Evermore, “Willow” sets the tone for the parent album, and its understated groove gently draws you in and was picked to promote the project as the lead single. “Willow” is one of those songs that settles somewhere deep inside your psyche and also made an immediate impression on the radio programmers. Taylor’s gift for catchy melancholia had been indisputably recognized across the pairing of Folklore and Evermore in the strangest of recent years. The pandemic has thus far deprived audiences of seeing these songs in a live context, but the Taylor that returns to the touring circuit certainly won’t be one we have seen before.
1: Anti-Hero | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 90 | https://people.com/anne-wilson-releases-sophomore-album-rebel-exclusive-8635692 | en | With New Album, Anne Wilson Takes a Leap of Faith into Country: 'I Stuck to Who I Am' (Exclusive) | [
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] | 2024-04-22T23:45:00-04:00 | "My Jesus" singer Anne Wilson straddles genres with "Rebel," hoping to reach a wider audience with her message. | en | /favicon.ico | Peoplemag | https://people.com/anne-wilson-releases-sophomore-album-rebel-exclusive-8635692 | So is Anne Wilson a Christian artist or a country artist?
If you have to ask that question, you’re missing the point. In these genre-fluid times, the artist behind the blockbuster contemporary Christian hit “My Jesus” wants to be both, and she’s taking her leap of faith with sophomore album, Rebel, out on Friday.
“I didn’t change who I was,” Wilson tells PEOPLE, harking back to her 2022 debut album, also titled My Jesus. “I stuck to who I am and what I believe,” she says about the new album, “and it’s really cool to see how it’s all come together.”
Indeed, Rebel is a coming-together — a melding of faith-infused lyrics and country music, a sound that has unmistakable echoes in her first album. No doubt that’s what persuaded Nashville recording exec Cindy Mabe to ask Wilson to add a country label to her portfolio and release her second album to both markets.
“I was hesitant at first,” the 22-year-old artist recalls. “I said, ‘I’m not gonna change who I am to do country music.’ And she said, ‘We want you to be exactly who you are. We don’t want you to change a thing, and we need you to bring God back into country music.’”
Not that God had ever departed entirely. Faith themes are sprinkled into countless country songs. But Wilson embraced Mabe’s vision, and she has now crafted a trailblazing album that’s unmistakably both country and Christian, with a faith element in every one of its 16 tracks. It’s as entertaining as it is nourishing — chockful of lively, often sassy melodies delivered by one of contemporary music’s freshest new voices, regardless of genre.
Wilson proves she’s equally fluent in both the country and Christian vocabularies, and she capitalizes on all their overlaps, too. Her faith may be lightly dusted onto the lyrics, as she does in current country radio single, “Rain in the Rearview,” when she offers counsel to “listen to the voice that you hear when you pray.” Or it can pour out like mighty waters, as it does in current contemporary Christian No. 1 single, “Strong”: “I hit my knees with my hands held high / saying dear Lord Jesus you know I / can’t do this on my own.”
The two sides — her heart for country, her soul for Jesus — seem almost inborn in Wilson, a Kentuckian who grew up steeped in the church and grounded in her state’s deep musical roots. How she arrived at this moment in her career, though, is surely one of the most improbable journeys.
By now, her background is well known to her growing fan base: Just seven years ago, at age 15, she found the courage to sing a praise song at the funeral of her beloved older brother, Jacob, who had been killed in a traffic accident. A subsequent YouTube video, intended only for family and friends, soon went viral, and a Nashville talent scout reached out. Two years later, Wilson signed a recording contract to launch her contemporary Christian music career. She was 19 years old when she released “My Jesus”; both the single and the album reached No. 1 on the Christian and gospel chart, and the album went on to earn a Grammy nomination.
Incredible as all that is, there’s more: Wilson not only had no singing aspirations when she agreed to perform at the funeral, but she also didn’t think she had a voice. Her mother was the one who urged her to the stage after hearing her privately sing and grieve at their home piano.
“I thought I was horrible singing,” Wilson says now. “I thought I was so bad. I never believed in myself that I could be a singer. It’s just not something that crossed my brain, which is crazy now.”
Just before that initial performance, Wilson experienced a life-changing God moment, hearing words calling her to a life of praise and worship. Never in her wildest dreams, though, did she interpret that to mean “platinum-selling recording career.”
“I thought I would be a worship leader at a church,” says Wilson, who had previously aspired to use her math and science skills to become an astronaut. “I thought, I’m gonna just sing at church and hopefully encourage people who have lost someone, and I’d live in Kentucky my whole life.”
As Wilson would be the first to say, God had other plans. In fact, she says she has felt a strong guiding hand on every step of her unlikely path.
“It was ultimately a surrender to God,” she says, “and to say I’m gonna lay down my desire to be an astronaut and all the other things I want to do with my life just to go follow you. And the ride God has taken me on has been crazy. Some days, I’m like, ‘OK, God, you can slow it down’ or ‘Let’s take a break for just a second, so I can breathe.’ And it has not stopped.”
Since she moved to Nashville at age 18, her growth opportunities have arrived as swiftly as her accomplishments. Developing a recording career comes with the weighty responsibilities of running a small business and managing a team. Touring is a whole separate education.
“Some people forget how young I am,” Wilson says. “I will say I’m probably more mature than the average 22-year-old, but still, it’s really hard to do it at 22 and to manage it all. Sometimes I feel like I’m in my thirties because of all the life I’ve lived, but literally last year I became an official adult.”
Wilson addresses the cost of her artist’s life in “Milestones,” a cut on the album that she considers among her favorites. The lyrics address all the personal joys with family and friends that she’s sacrificed for this calling, and then she adds: “Don’t get me wrong / I love it, I’m grateful / I just miss having dinner at a table / gotta plate full.”
“I had a moment when I was writing it last summer and I broke down, just crying,” she recalls. “I felt like I do all this just to miss milestones.” At first, she says, she thought the song was too vulnerable to record, but then she decided, “I’m going for it, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. And I think I’ve realized over the last year — and this has been probably the biggest part of my growth — that I’m figuring out what my new normal is.”
It includes, she reports, intentionally taking time for herself and doing things that recharge her: diving into daily Bible study, volunteering in her church’s nursery on Sundays (“I love the little kids!” she raves), playing pickleball with friends, and taking the occasional long weekend to visit her family’s Kentucky farm, where her brother’s grave is located, just to remind herself “where I came from.”
At the moment, she says, she’s made little time for dating, but she wants it to come. “I don’t want to look back and go wow, I didn’t even live life, and I was on the road for all of my twenties,” she says.
Yet her drive to share her faith message is all encompassing and unrelenting. At its base is what put her here in the first place.
“Everything has to do with the loss of Jacob,” she says. “I would not be singing if he had not died. I would not be on this path. I’m standing for my faith because I know how short this life is. I think the loss of Jacob is intertwined through every single one of my songs.”
Wilson knows the grief will never go away, but she says that she, her parents and her older sister also have recently realized that the suffering has lessened. “It was a moment where we were like, thank you, God, for healing us to a point where we can reflect on him with joy instead of grief,” she says. “And then I started writing the record right after that. So I think the record is me in a healed place.”
Clearly, that place has awarded her the freedom to fully straddle the genres and open herself to the opportunities that brings. While she’s still relying on her go-to songwriting collaborators Matthew West and Jeff Pardo — both well known in contemporary Christian music — she’s also expanded her palette to include name songwriters (Casey Beathard and Nicolle Galyon, among others) from the country community. Contemporary Christian star Chris Tomlin has been tapped for a duet on one of her most religious tracks, “The Cross,” but she’s also enlisted country stars Lainey Wilson and Jordan Davis to duet on two more songs.
The two Wilsons — no relation, but they like to call themselves “the long-lost Wilson sisters” — had been DMing each other for years when Anne Wilson extended a writing invitation. They met for the first time at the session.
“I was so nervous because I love Lainey,” Anne Wilson says, but the two women quickly got to work on an idea inspired by their mothers, resulting in the album cut “Praying Woman.”
“She’s exactly 10 years older than me,” Anne says of Lainey. “She’s a big sister to me. She’s got so much experience that she’s been so gracious to share and kind of be a mentor to me.”
Wilson is hungry to keep learning and growing as she heads out to promote Rebel. The album’s title track has Wilson describing herself (as well as her Bible heroes) far more as a revolutionary than a rabble-rouser, and certainly her onstage presence — petite frame, girlish blond curls, flouncy outfits and sparkly boots — is anything but threatening. Perhaps not surprisingly, among her most avid fans is a massive throng of girls, middle school-aged and younger, who hang on her every sung and spoken word.
At an album-release event last week in the Nashville area, they made up a sizable portion of her audience of several hundred, and Wilson responded to their rapturous gazes with smiles and waves and a meet-and-greet that allowed her to hug every last one of them.
“Being a positive role model is something I really value, and I want to be that for little girls,” says Wilson, who created Hey Girl Nation, an online community to connect to this particular fan base.
Still, her overarching ambition is to spread the gospel message to anyone who will listen. This summer, she’ll be splitting festival dates evenly between Christian and country venues, playing the same set list at both. On Sept. 12, she'll launch her own 28-stop headline tour.
Out on Scotty McCreery’s tour earlier this year, she discovered how country fans are “night and day different” from the audiences at her Christian concerts.
“Christian crowds are more there to worship, whereas country crowds are there to have fun,” she says. “They don’t even pay attention to the lyrics. They’re there to have a blast. Both of them are awesome, but country crowds are actually really fun.”
That doesn’t mean she’s giving country fans a pass on Jesus. Every performance also includes an impassioned testimonial about her faith, born out of the grief of her brother’s loss. Wilson has been gratified by the reception so far.
“Sometimes it can feel hard to get up there and have the courage to do it,” she says, “but every time I do, I feel so glad I did it. Someone will always come up to me after the show and say, ‘Hey, I’ve never heard of you before, but I needed your message of hope tonight.’”
What keeps her emboldened, she says, is constantly reminding herself of her purpose. She may be carving out a new lane as a Christian and country artist, but her goal remains the same.
“Why am I actually doing this?” she asks, and then answers: “It’s for God.” | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 86 | https://lovingchristministries.com/worship-songs-about-new-beginnings/ | en | 10 Top Worship Songs about New Beginnings | [
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"Julie Pfeifer",
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] | 2019-06-06T11:00:13+00:00 | These 10 worship songs about new beginnings will be a perfect addition to your next women's retreat. Use them to add joy to your retreat. | en | Loving Christ Ministries | https://lovingchristministries.com/worship-songs-about-new-beginnings/ | These 10 songs all go along with the New Beginnings retreat theme that you will find here on the blog. You can also check out 20 Scriptures for New Beginnings to find supplemental verses to use at your retreat.
When I think back through my life, I can pinpoint each new beginning. Obviously, first days of school, learning to ride a bike, getting a driver’s license, etc. all count as new beginnings.
Beyond those mostly typical (but no less exciting) beginnings, there were also spiritual new beginnings such as with the birth of each of my children, the death of my best friend, and the start of the Loving Christ website.
Related Post: 101 Retreat Themes for Christian Women’s Retreats
I count the start of this website as a spiritual new beginning because for so many years I lived the life I was supposed to. I chose a career my family expected me to, and I let fear keep me from following a path I dreamed about.
New beginnings, especially those that deeply effect our spirit can be so emotional. That’s why it was so important to me to choose the perfect music for the New Beginnings retreat theme.
Music touches our emotions as well. I know that as each of you considers your own new beginning, the emotion overwhelms you. How perfect to have compatible music to go along with those emotions.
For the New Beginnings retreat theme, I chose love songs that are upbeat and exciting and also songs that cause your heart to swell as you take in the magnitude of what it means to love Jesus and to be loved by Him.
The Emotional Power of Music in Worship
Music has a unique way of bypassing our intellectual filters to tap directly into our souls.
A well-chosen worship song can evoke a range of emotions — from joy and gratitude to reflection and even catharsis. It’s not just about the song; it’s about the collective experience of sharing that song within a community.
The right song can elevate a simple gathering into a deeply spiritual experience, uniting everyone in purpose and sentiment.
When everyone sings together or even just listens, feeling those chords and lyrics, it’s as if the community is sharing one heart and one voice.
Criteria for Choosing the Songs
So, what makes a worship song about new beginnings resonate so well? I kept a few key factors in mind:
Lyrics that Inspire or Empower: Words are potent. The right lyrics can serve as a catalyst for spiritual awakening or recommitment, especially when they align with the concept of new beginnings.
Musical Composition that Complements the Worship Setting: The melody, the tempo, the instruments — they all come together to either enhance or detract from the worship environment. The right composition can turn a song into an anthem for renewal.
Popularity within Christian Communities: While popularity isn’t a perfect measure of a song’s spiritual value, a song that is widely embraced often speaks to universal feelings and experiences, making it a valuable addition to any worship setting.
Keep these criteria in mind as you explore the list, and perhaps you’ll find your next go-to song for ushering in a season of spiritual renewal.
These are my 10 favorite worship songs for New Beginnings:
1. Who You Say I Am – Hillsong Worship (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: This song comes from Hillsong Worship, a contemporary Christian music group from Australia, known for their powerful and emotive worship music.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “Who the Son sets free, oh is free indeed; I’m a child of God, yes I am.” These lyrics speak to the liberation and identity that come from a relationship with Christ.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: The song emphasizes our new identity in Christ, which is a central element to the theme of starting anew in one’s faith journey.
2. Eye of the Storm – Ryan Stevenson (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: Ryan Stevenson is a Christian musician from Oregon who’s been active since the early 2000s.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “In the eye of the storm, You remain in control.” These words reassure us that even when life is chaotic, God is our constant.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: It serves as a reminder that every ending or challenge is a new beginning with God at the helm.
3. Beautiful Day – Jamie Grace (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: Jamie Grace is an American contemporary Christian musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “Wake up and smile cause it’s been a while.” This lyric captures the essence of embracing a new day with positivity.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: The song focuses on seizing the day and finding joy in each new opportunity, making it a perfect song for new starts.
4. Beneath the Waters, I Will Rise – Hillsong (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: Another hit from Hillsong Worship, this song is often associated with baptisms and moments of deep spiritual commitment.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “I will rise, I will rise, as Christ was raised to life.” This lyric symbolizes resurrection and renewal.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: The song is often used to signify the act of baptism, a ritualistic symbol of a new beginning in Christian life.
5. I Will Rise – Chris Tomlin (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: Chris Tomlin is one of the most popular contemporary Christian music artists of our time.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “I will rise when He calls my name.” This speaks to the ultimate new beginning—eternal life.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: It reminds us of the eternal life promised to us, which is the ultimate new beginning.
6. You Are I Am – Mercy Me (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: Mercy Me is an American contemporary Christian music band founded in 1994.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “You’re the One who conquers giants; You’re the One who calls out kings.” These lyrics acknowledge God’s omnipotence.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: It refocuses our attention on who God is, allowing us to approach new chapters in life with courage.
7. Jesus Saves – Jeremy Camp (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: Jeremy Camp is an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “Hope is here; shout the news to everyone.” This is a call to share the Good News.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: The song’s message is about the salvation that Jesus offers, presenting the ultimate new beginning.
8. Courageous – Casting Crowns (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian rock band.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “We were made to be courageous.” This is a call to action for Christians to stand up for their faith.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: It encourages listeners to take bold steps in faith, which often involves embracing new beginnings.
9. One Thing Remains (Your Love Never Fails) – Jesus Culture (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: Jesus Culture is a global movement, awakening hearts to worship and demonstrate the love and power of God.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me.” This speaks to God’s unwavering love.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: The consistent love of God is the stable foundation upon which any new beginning can be built.
10. How He Loves – David Crowder Band (listen on YouTube HERE)
Brief Background: David Crowder Band was a six-piece Christian rock and modern worship band from Waco, Texas.
Key Lyrics and Their Meaning: “He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree.” This lyric paints a vivid picture of God’s passionate love for us.
How it Aligns with New Beginnings: The intense love described in the song gives us the confidence to embark on new beginnings, knowing we are loved and supported.
Ways to share these worship songs about New Beginnings at your retreat:
-Have a music leader who plays an instrument and sings, leading the ladies throughout.
-Play CDs or an MP3 Playlist and let the ladies sing along
-If you have a laptop and projector, display the lyrics (Be careful about copyright. Most churches have access to worship songs legally so go through proper channels.) on a screen or the wall and sing along
-Provide printed lyrics and sing a capella
Whether you use these songs or others, please take special care when choosing your music. Worship songs that bring hope will fit perfectly with the New Beginnings themed retreat.
Without music, our retreats would not be the same, would they? I’m so thankful for the gift of music!
New beginnings are a foundational concept in Christian faith. The idea of rebirth and renewal is woven throughout the scriptures. From the transformation of Saul to Paul in the New Testament to the concept of being “born again” in Christ, new beginnings are heralded as moments of divine grace and growth.
Biblical References to New Beginnings
Isaiah 43:19: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.”
These passages remind us that each day is an opportunity to start anew in our relationship with God.
Personal Anecdotes or Testimonies
I’ve heard countless stories of individuals who felt lost but found a new purpose through their faith.
Whether it’s someone turning their life around after a personal crisis or a newfound commitment to Christ, the common thread is the experience of a new beginning guided by faith.
One testimony that stands out is of a woman who, after years of feeling disconnected from her community and God, found her way back through the simple act of singing in her church choir.
Music became her bridge to a new beginning in her spiritual journey.
Final Thoughts
I encourage you to delve into these songs, maybe even include them in your next retreat, worship session, or during your personal time with God.
Each has the potential to inspire a fresh start, lift your spirits, and deepen your faith.
Music is a divine gift that allows us to connect with God, so let these songs guide you as you navigate the new beginnings in your journey.
More retreat posts that I think you’ll like:
20 Inspiring Scriptures about New Beginnings
Worship Songs about Joy
Playlist of Worship Songs about Joy
How to Plan and Organize a Women’s Retreat
Want to remember this? Post Worship Songs about New Beginnings to your favorite Pinterest board!
Be sure to share or pin for later! | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 5 | https://jesuswired.com/2016/12/02/darlene-zschech-extends-writingrecording-relationship-integrity-music-new-album-releasing-march | en | Darlene Zschech Extends Writing/Recording Relationship With Integrity Music; New Album Releasing in March | [
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"Iain Moss"
] | 2016-12-02T00:00:00 | Integrity Music is honored to announce that it has extended its longtime relationship with renowned worship leader, author and pastor Darlene Zschech and is preparing for the March release of a new live album from Zschech and her church, Hope Unlimited, in New South Wales, Australia. “Darlene has been a huge inspiration to worship pastors and leaders globally and we are honored to have her as part of the Integrity Music family,” says Adrian Thompson, Integrity’s Vice President of Song […] | en | JesusWired.com | https://jesuswired.com/2016/12/02/darlene-zschech-extends-writingrecording-relationship-integrity-music-new-album-releasing-march | Integrity Music is honored to announce that it has extended its longtime relationship with renowned worship leader, author and pastor Darlene Zschech and is preparing for the March release of a new live album from Zschech and her church, Hope Unlimited, in New South Wales, Australia.
“Darlene has been a huge inspiration to worship pastors and leaders globally and we are honored to have her as part of the Integrity Music family,” says Adrian Thompson, Integrity’s Vice President of Song and Artist Development. “She has an undoubted call on her life to build up worshippers and mentor worship leaders, aligning with what we believe God has called us to do as an organization.”
“I couldn’t be happier to enter this next season of writing and recording with Integrity Music,” says Zschech. “It literally feels like coming home. My heart is filled to overflowing with thanksgiving and songs, and I cannot wait to share them.”
Zschech’s new album is slated for global release on March 3. The project features new songs penned by Zschech and her church members along with guest writers. The album is Zschech’s first project following her battle with cancer and the first since the 2013 release of her critically acclaimed album Revealing Jesus.
Sources: Hoganson Media
Connect With Darlene Zschech
Website | Facebook | Twitter
“Get Plugged In!” To JesusWired
Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Email | Pinterest | Instagram | Soundcloud | RSS
About Darlene Zschech: | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 45 | https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/dallas-christian-artists-new-song-calls-donald-trump-the-chosen-one-19554744 | en | Dallas-Based Christian Artist Releases Bizarre Paean to Donald Trump | [
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"Carly May Gravley"
] | 2024-06-06T08:14:00 | Contemporary Christian artist Natasha Owens dropped a bizarre ode to embattled former President Donald Trump on Wednesday. | en | /favicon.ico | Dallas Observer | https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/dallas-christian-artists-new-song-calls-donald-trump-the-chosen-one-19554744 | We have a favor to ask
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5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 10 | https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1962/07/music-in-christian-education | en | Music in Christian Education | https://www.ministrymagazine.org/ | https://www.ministrymagazine.org/ | [
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] | null | What kind of music has a place in Christian education? | en | https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1962/07/music-in-christian-education | What kind of music has a place in Christian education? What kind of music belongs in the school program, in the home, in the church, in the recreational life of Christians? The foundation upon which our thinking about the answers to these questions must rest is this: All truth is of God. Therefore, music that has integrity is part of God's truth and belongs in Christian education. Truth is not confined to the spoken and written word and to such fields as mathematics and science; it relates to the arts also.
So we consider some implications, or variations, of the theme that music is a valid part of God's all-embracing truth. Chief among them is the need for breaking down the misleading distinction between sacred and secular music. What, after all, is sacred music? Well, according to common practice, it is music written for religious use. Thus there are Christians who, while suspicious of all so-called secular music as worldly, attend with clear conscience performances labeled sacred concerts in which a good deal of third-rate, sentimental music has been baptized, as it were, by association with Christian verse; or in which tawdry, tasteless hymn arrangements, false to any real musical integrity, are deemed religious.
But is the principle of sanctification by association a valid criterion for the distinction, so common in evangelicalism, between sacred or Christian and secular or worldly music? Certainly not. Rather, the only defensible criterion of the fitness of music for service as a handmaid of the glorious truths of the gospel is its own inherent quality, provided that it meets first of all the test of truth.
II
"And what," someone asks, "Is truth in music?" Now it would be presumptuous to attempt anything like a comprehensive answer to this question. But we may at least point in the direction of an answer. Consider it negatively, first of all. Music that is pretentious, music that is vulgar, music that reeks with sentimentality, that shows off by resorting to empty, ear-tickling adornment—witness the so-called evangelistic style of piano playing—lacks integrity. As music it is not true, even though doctrinally it may keep the best of company.
Now, what, positively considered, are some of the elements of truth in music? Are they not honesty of expression, sincerity in the sense of avoidance of the cheap and contrived? Surely also they in-elude such elements as simplicity and directness. But on the other hand, they do not rule out either complexity or sophistications as opposed to artless simplicity. Bach wrote some enormously complex music, yet there is no higher musical truth than his. Honesty and integrity in music are not confined to the simple and naive.
In point of fact, there is a vast body of music that has truth and integrity, yet is not fitted for church use, although Christians may enjoy it because it is part of God's truth. For example, the Chopin polonaises or mazurkas, beautiful as they are, do not convey religious feeling. They have a place in the Christian's enjoyment of music but not in church.
Is there, then, music that as music, quite apart from words or religious association, is compatible with spiritual worship?
Surely, the answer is a clear "yes." Music is not spiritual only by association. On the contrary, there is music that is inately uplifting in its appeal. To be sure, it cannot by itself convey doctrine and thus is not specifically sacred or Christian, but in its feeling and in its effect it is spiritually elevating.
Not all of Bach's religious music was written for church use. Some of the preludes and fugues, such as the great E Major Prelude and Fugue in Book II of The Well-Tempered Clavichord, are deeply spiritual. Unquestionably, many of Beethoven's slow movements, such as the wonderful Arietta and variations of the last piano sonata (Op. 1 I I), speak with a transcendental, almost heavenly voice. To speak very personally, one of my abiding memories is that of listening after my father's funeral to the Adagio of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. The Scriptures had indeed given me their unique comfort, yet music also spoke its lesser and wordless language of comfort. Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony has its religious moments and not just because the use of Ein' Feste Burg. But the Cesar Franck symphony without any such reference is also religious, even mystical, in spirit. The firm majesty of Handel, so compatible with faith, is not confined to The Messiah. Witness the universally familiar Largo which, though composed for secular use, has found such wide religious acceptance. Or take a piece like the brief Mendelssohn song without words, called Consolation, which we have in our hymnals under the name Communion; or the Schumann Nachtstiick, which we know as the hymn tune Cananbury. Granted that personal taste enters into comments like these, still the point is clear that there is wealth of absolute music that in itself is conducive to worship.
My own feeling is that more of this kind of absolute music should be used in our churches, not self-consciously but unobtrusively. The question may sound radical, but is the practice of always printing on our church calendars the names and composers of preludes and postludes and offertories a good thing? Certainly we desire to develop understanding of fine music. But a church service is not a course in music appreciation. We must be careful in reaching out for a higher level of Christian music that we do not foster what Don Hustad calls "spectatorism" in which the people look upon parts of the church musical service as a performance.
Consider an illustration from painting. A distinguished artist had finished a canvas of the Last Supper. All was done with great skill, and the chalice in particular had been portrayed most beautifully. As one after another of the artist's friends looked at the painting, they said, "What a beautiful cup!" Then the artist realized that he had diverted attention from the Lord. Taking his brush, he painted out the gorgeous chalice and substituted for it a more quietly beautiful but far less obtrusive one. So should it be with music in worship. It should not call attention to itself nor monopolize the center of attraction that belongs to the Lord alone. And it may be that the use of some first-rate music that, while unfamiliar, is in itself spiritual, will help the atmosphere of worship.
III
"But what about gospel hymns? Must all of our church music be classical?" The questions come out of a chief point of tension in evangelical Protestant worship today. Surely the answer is that, when it comes to gospel hymns and their more formal companions, it is not a matter of "either-or" but of "both-and." For the criterion for gospel music must be the truth just as the truth is the criterion for theology. Christians ought not to tolerate a double standard in worship—namely, zeal for the truth in doctrine and disregard of the truth in art.
God's truth is wonderfully comprehensive. Some of the truest music ever written, music of greatest integrity, is folk music. Think, for example, of the nobility of some Negro spirituals. It is a mistake to confine truth in music to the classical, to the sophisticated, or to the old. Christians ought not to be suspicious of music just because it is new or unfamiliar. Our respect for the classics must not obscure the fact that good music is being written in our time. And there are gospel hymns—and the number is not inconsiderable—that in sincere, artless expression are honest music. They belong in our worship and education. Included among them are hymns like "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," "Blessed Assurance," or "Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Us," a tune, by the way, that Dvorak wove into the last movement of his Violoncello Concerto.
One gets a little weary of extremists who say, "Away with gospel music; it's all trash"; or of those who say, "Away with all the older hymns; they're all staid, doleful, and joyless." The antitheses are false. Not all the old standard hymns are staid and somber; and even the best denominational hymnals contain some hymns of negligible value that are hardly ever sung. As for classifying all gospel music as trash, this is nothing less than obscurantism. It is more difficult to be thoughtfully discriminating than to fall back upon sweeping generalization. Nevertheless, discrimination according to the truth is the only responsible answer to the tension between gospel hymns and standard hymns.
IV
Now we come to the heart of the matter, which is the formation of musical taste. In his Aims of Education, the great philosopher Alfred North Whitehead has this noble sentence, "Moral education is impossible apart from the habitual vision of greatness." Let us paraphrase it thus, "Musical education is impossible apart from the habitual hearing of greatness."
Look again at the home. And permit me a bit of autobiography. It is my privilege to be the son of a great Bible teacher, one who stood firmly upon the Word of God and who preached the gospel fearlessly where-ever he went. Why am I a Christian today? Because of God's grace in using the witness of my parents in my home, the place where, as a small boy, I received Christ as my Saviour. And why am I a musical person today? Again, because of my home. Among my earliest memories is that of hearing my father and my oldest brother playing Beethoven's Fourth Symphony in a four-hand piano arrangement. Or I recall waking up on one of the Sunday mornings when my father was not out preaching and hearing him play Mendelssohn. This was long before the day of radio and record players. Yet we had music in our home. My father and brother were not fine pianists, but they loved and played good music. Yes, musical education is impossible apart from the habitual hearing of greatness—not necessarily in great performance, for that was not nearly so available in my boyhood as it is now, thanks to long-playing records, but in constant hearing of even unskilled performance of great music.
What of musical education in school and college? Here too the same principle holds. Whatever else we do, we must expose youth to greatness in music. Moreover, we need to tell them the difference between the good and the bad, between the worthy and the unworthy. Today one of the watchwords in education is the pursuit of excellence. Christian education, committed to that which is most excellent of all, the truth incarnate in Him who is altogether lovely, can do no less than seek excellence in music, as in everything else.
As headmaster of a school that stresses academic standards and college preparation in these competitive days, I deplore the imbalance of the curriculum in most of our schools. Music ought to be a major subject like English and mathematics. Yet even with the little time at our disposal, some real exposure to greatness is still possible. At Stony Brook, aside from such activities as the chapel choir (which is one of our most respected extra curricular activities), the usual class in music appreciation, private lessons on various instruments, and a rudimentary band, we try to give all our boys some personal exposure to musical greatness. Each year the whole school of 200 plus the faculty is organized for part singing. Through weekly rehearsals, we learn some great music and sing it at public occasions such as the annual academic convocation or the baccalaureate service. Thus we have learned choruses from The Messiah, a Gloria from one of Mozart's Masses, some Bach, and this year we are working on a chorus from Haydn's Creation. It is refreshing to hear adolescent boys humming or singing Mozart or Handel as they walk about the campus. Again, there is regular exposure to music of truth and beauty through daily and Sunday chapel, not only in singing of fine hymns but also through the organ. Concerts for the whole school at which distinguished artists perform fine music are a part of our program. But one speaks of these things with humility, realizing how much more should be done.
The principle remains unchanged, whatever our situation. The key to better things in Christian music is the habitual hearing of greatness in music not only in the day or boarding school, not only in college and Bible institute, but in Sunday School also. For the music that younger children hear exercises a formative influence on their taste. Not even the smallest child may safely be fed a diet of musical trash.
V
Consideration of our subject would be incomplete without a final look at ourselves. The great principle, no Christian education without Christian teachers, applies just as much to the school musician as it does to the academic teacher. No one who does not love music and know it at first hand can teach it with full effectiveness. No teacher of music in a Christian school or college, Bible institute, seminary, or church who is not himself a regenerated person, knowing through commitment of heart and life the living Lord, can teach music as an integral part of God's truth. Music is a demanding art. To achieve excellence in it requires hard discipline and unremitting work. Yet with all his devotion to it, a Christian musician must keep his priorities clear. God is the source of all talent. When He gives talent, including musical talent, He gives it, not to be made an idol of, but to be used to His glory. You may remember how humbly Haydn summed up his musical life. "I know," he said, "that God appointed me a task. I acknowledge it with thanks and hope and believe I have done my duty and have been useful to the world." Music is indeed a great gift; but it is the Giver, not the gift, who must have the first place in the teaching and practice of music in Christian education.
In his own account of his conversion, the church father Jerome, who made the Latin translation of the Bible, tells of a dream that led to his conversion. He dreamed, he says, that he appeared before the judgment seat of the Judge. Asked who and what he was, he replied, "I am a Christian." But He who presided said: "Thou liest, thou art a follower of Cicero, not of Christ." For Jerome was a rhetorician and his consuming interest and first love was his study of Cicero.
So the Christian musician must take care that the art to which he is devoted does not usurp the place that belongs to the Lord alone. He must be a Christian first, which means that everything without exception must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, who in all things, music among them, must have the preeminence.—Taken from Christianity Today. Used by permission. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 12 | https://outersparkle.com/2015/07/09/day-9-30-day-chriatian-music-summer-challenge-faithful-by-newsong/ | en | Day 9: 30 Day Christian Music “SUMMER” Challenge “Faithful” By NEWSONG | [
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] | null | [] | 2015-07-09T00:00:00 | Day 9 of the Christian Music Challenge is "Faithful" by NewSong, an American contemporary Christian music group that was founded in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. They have had eight GMA Dove Award nominations. They are the founders of the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, the United States' largest annual Christian music tour. It began in 1995, and is… | en | https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/d7dc3e24d7e1950f54c81528630b51cea7d72c2bd73ca1d67a846b9106c2a5d5?s=32 | Outersparkle | https://outersparkle.com/2015/07/09/day-9-30-day-chriatian-music-summer-challenge-faithful-by-newsong/ | Day 9 of the Christian Music Challenge is “Faithful” by NewSong, an American contemporary Christian music group that was founded in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. They have had eight GMA Dove Award nominations. They are the founders of the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, the United States’ largest annual Christian music tour. It began in 1995, and is hosted by NewSong. It has had many of the most popular Contemporary artists perform each year, including: Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, Newsboys,Anointed, MercyMe, TobyMac and Skillet. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 47 | https://www.nationalacademies.org/evolution/science-and-religion | en | [
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] | null | [] | null | Learn more from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine | en | ../_cache_2f4a/NASEM-favicon.ico | https://www.nationalacademies.org../evolution/science-and-religion | Scientific and technological advances have had profound effects on human life. In the 19th century, most families could expect to lose one or more children to disease. Today, in the United States and other developed countries, the death of a child from disease is uncommon. Every day we rely on technologies made possible through the application of scientific knowledge and processes. The computers and cell phones which we use, the cars and airplanes in which we travel, the medicines that we take, and many of the foods that we eat were developed in part through insights obtained from scientific research. Science has boosted living standards, has enabled humans to travel into Earth’s orbit and to the moon, and has given us new ways of thinking about ourselves and the universe.
Evolutionary biology has been and continues to be a cornerstone of modern science. This booklet documents some of the major contributions that an understanding of evolution has made to human well-being, including its contributions to preventing and treating human disease, developing new agricultural products, and creating industrial innovations. More broadly, evolution is a core concept in biology that is based both in the study of past life forms and in the study of the relatedness and diversity of present-day organisms. The rapid advances now being made in the life sciences and in medicine rest on principles derived from an understanding of evolution. That understanding has arisen both through the study of an ever-expanding fossil record and, equally importantly, through the application of modern biological and molecular sciences and technologies to the study of evolution. Of course, as with any active area of science, many fascinating questions remain, and this booklet highlights some of the active research that is currently under way that addresses questions about evolution.
However, polls show that many people continue to have questions about our knowledge of biological evolution. They may have been told that scientific understanding of evolution is incomplete, incorrect, or in doubt. They may be skeptical that the natural process of biological evolution could have produced such an incredible array of living things, from microscopic bacteria to whales and redwood trees, from simple sponges on coral reefs to humans capable of contemplating life’s history on this planet. They may wonder if it is possible to accept evolution and still adhere to religious beliefs.
This Web site speaks to those questions. It is written to serve as a resource for people who find themselves embroiled in debates about evolution. It provides information about the role that evolution plays in modern biology and the reasons why only scientifically based explanations should be included in public school science courses. Interested readers may include school board members, science teachers and other education leaders, policymakers, legal scholars, and others in the community who are committed to providing students with quality science education. This site is also directed to the broader audience of high-quality school and college students as well as adults who wish to become more familiar with the many strands of evidence supporting evolution and to understand why evolution is both a fact and a process that accounts for the diversity of life on Earth.
It is both. But that answer requires looking more deeply at the meanings of the words "theory" and "fact."
In everyday usage, "theory" often refers to a hunch or a speculation. When people say, "I have a theory about why that happened," they are often drawing a conclusion based on fragmentary or inconclusive evidence.
The formal scientific definition of theory is quite different from the everyday meaning of the word. It refers to a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence.
Many scientific theories are so well-established that no new evidence is likely to alter them substantially. For example, no new evidence will demonstrate that the Earth does not orbit around the sun (heliocentric theory), or that living things are not made of cells (cell theory), that matter is not composed of atoms, or that the surface of the Earth is not divided into solid plates that have moved over geological timescales (the theory of plate tectonics). Like these other foundational scientific theories, the theory of evolution is supported by so many observations and confirming experiments that scientists are confident that the basic components of the theory will not be overturned by new evidence. However, like all scientific theories, the theory of evolution is subject to continuing refinement as new areas of science emerge or as new technologies enable observations and experiments that were not possible previously.
One of the most useful properties of scientific theories is that they can be used to make predictions about natural events or phenomena that have not yet been observed. For example, the theory of gravitation predicted the behavior of objects on the moon and other planets long before the activities of spacecraft and astronauts confirmed them. The evolutionary biologists who discovered Tiktaalik predicted that they would find fossils intermediate between fish and limbed terrestrial animals in sediments that were about 375 million years old. Their discovery confirmed the prediction made on the basis of evolutionary theory. In turn, confirmation of a prediction increases confidence in that theory.
In science, a "fact" typically refers to an observation, measurement, or other form of evidence that can be expected to occur the same way under similar circumstances. However, scientists also use the term "fact" to refer to a scientific explanation that has been tested and confirmed so many times that there is no longer a compelling reason to keep testing it or looking for additional examples. In that respect, the past and continuing occurrence of evolution is a scientific fact. Because the evidence supporting it is so strong, scientists no longer question whether biological evolution has occurred and is continuing to occur. Instead, they investigate the mechanisms of evolution, how rapidly evolution can take place, and related questions.
Excerpts of Statements by Scientists Who See No Conflict Between Their Faith and Science
Scientists, like people in other professions, hold a wide range of positions about religion and the role of supernatural forces or entities in the universe. Some adhere to a position known as scientism, which holds that the methods of science alone are sufficient for discovering everything there is to know about the universe. Others ascribe to an idea known as deism, which posits that God created all things and set the universe in motion but no longer actively directs physical phenomena. Others are theists, who believe that God actively intervenes in the world. Many scientists who believe in God, either as a prime mover or as an active force in the universe, have written eloquently about their beliefs.
"Creationists inevitably look for God in what science has not yet explained or in what they claim science cannot explain. Most scientists who are religious look for God in what science does understand and has explained."
— Kenneth Miller, professor of biology at Brown University and author of Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground Between God and Religion. Quote is excerpted from an interview available here.
"In my view, there is no conflict in being a rigorous scientist and a person who believes in a God who takes a personal interest in each one of us. Science’s domain is to explore nature. God’s domain is in the spiritual world, a realm not possible to explore with the tools and language of science. It must be examined with the heart, the mind, and the soul."
— Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project and of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Excerpted from his book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief (p. 6).
"Our scientific understanding of the universe … provides for those who believe in God a marvelous opportunity to reflect upon their beliefs."
— Father George Coyne, Catholic priest and former director of the Vatican Observatory. Quote is from a talk, "Science Does Not Need God, or Does It? A Catholic Scientist Looks at Evolution," at Palm Beach Atlantic University, January 31, 2006.
Creationist views reject scientific findings and methods.
Advocates of the ideas collectively known as "creationism" and, recently, "intelligent design creationism" hold a wide variety of views. Most broadly, a "creationist" is someone who rejects natural scientific explanations of the known universe in favor of special creation by a supernatural entity. Creationism in its various forms is not the same thing as belief in God because, as was discussed earlier, many believers as well as many mainstream religious groups accept the findings of science, including evolution. Nor is creationism necessarily tied to Christians who interpret the Bible literally. Some non-Christian religious believers also want to replace scientific explanations with their own religion's supernatural accounts of physical phenomena.
In the United States, various views of creationism typically have been promoted by small groups of politically active religious fundamentalists who believe that only a supernatural entity could account for the physical changes in the universe and for the biological diversity of life on Earth. But even these creationists hold very different views. Some, known as "young Earth" creationists, believe the biblical account that the universe and the Earth were created just a few thousand years ago. Proponents of this form of creationism also believe that all living things, including humans, were created in a very short period of time in essentially the forms in which they exist today. Other creationists, known as "old Earth" creationists, accept that the Earth may be very old but reject other scientific findings regarding the evolution of living things.
No scientific evidence supports these viewpoints. On the contrary, as discussed earlier, several independent lines of evidence indicate that the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old and that the universe is about 14 billion years old. Rejecting the evidence for these age estimates would mean rejecting not just biological evolution but also fundamental discoveries of modern physics, chemistry, astrophysics, and geology.
Some creationists believe that Earth's present form and the distribution of fossils can be explained by a worldwide flood. But this claim also is at odds with observations and evidence understood scientifically. The belief that Earth's sediments, with their fossils, were deposited in a short period does not accord either with the known processes of sedimentation or with the estimated volume of water needed to deposit sediments on the top of some of Earth's highest mountains.
Creationists sometimes cite what they claim to be an incomplete fossil record as evidence that living things were created in their modern forms. But this argument ignores the rich and extremely detailed record of evolutionary history that paleontologists and other biologists have constructed over the past two centuries and are continuing to construct. Paleontological research has filled in many of the parts of the fossil record that were incomplete in Charles Darwin's time. The claim that the fossil record is "full of gaps" that undermine evolution is simply false. Indeed, paleontologists now know enough about the ages of sediments to predict where they will be able to find particularly significant transitional fossils, as happened with Tiktaalik and the ancestors of modern humans. Researchers also are using new techniques, such as computed axial tomography (CT), to learn even more about the internal structures and composition of delicate bones of fossils. Exciting new discoveries of fossils continue to be reported in both the scientific literature and popular media.
Another compelling feature of the fossil record is its consistency. Nowhere on Earth are fossils from dinosaurs, which went extinct 65 million years ago, found together with fossils from humans, who evolved in just the last few million years. Nowhere are the fossils of mammals found in sediments that are more than about 220 million years old. Whenever creationists point to sediments where these relationships appear to be altered or even reversed, scientists have clearly demonstrated that this reversal has resulted from the folding of geological strata over or under others. Sediments containing the fossils of only unicellular organisms appear earlier in the fossil record than do sediments containing the remains of both unicellular and multicellular organisms. The sequence of fossils across Earth's sediments points unambiguously toward the occurrence of evolution.
Creationists sometimes argue that the idea of evolution must remain hypothetical because "no one has ever seen evolution occur." This kind of statement also reveals that some creationists misunderstand an important characteristic of scientific reasoning. Scientific conclusions are not limited to direct observation but often depend on inferences that are made by applying reason to observations. Even with the launch of Earth-orbiting spacecraft, scientists could not directly see the Earth going around the Sun. But they inferred from a wealth of independent measurements that the Sun is at the center of the solar system. Until the recent development of extremely powerful microscopes, scientists could not observe atoms, but the behavior of physical objects left no doubt about the atomic nature of matter. Scientists hypothesized the existence of viruses for many years before microscopes became powerful enough to see them.
Thus, for many areas of science, scientists have not directly observed the objects (such as genes and atoms) or the phenomena (such as the Earth going around the Sun) that are now well-established facts. Instead, they have confirmed them indirectly by observational and experimental evidence. Evolution is no different. Indeed, for the reasons described in this booklet, evolutionary science provides one of the best examples of a deep understanding based on scientific reasoning.
This contention that nobody has seen evolution occurring further ignores the overwhelming evidence that evolution has taken place and is continuing to occur. The annual changes in influenza viruses and the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics are both products of evolutionary forces. Another example of ongoing evolution is the appearance of mosquitoes resistant to various insecticides, which has contributed to a resurgence of malaria in Africa and elsewhere. The transitional fossils that have been found in abundance since Darwin's time reveal how species continually give rise to successor species that, over time, produce radically changed body forms and functions. It also is possible to directly observe many of the specific processes by which evolution occurs. Scientists regularly do experiments using microbes and other model systems that directly test evolutionary hypotheses.
Creationists reject such scientific facts in part because they do not accept evidence drawn from natural processes that they consider to be at odds with the Bible. But science cannot test supernatural possibilities. To young Earth creationists, no amount of empirical evidence that the Earth is billions of years old is likely to refute their claim that the world is actually young but that God simply made it appear to be old. Because such appeals to the supernatural are not testable using the rules and processes of scientific inquiry, they cannot be a part of science.
"Intelligent design" creationism is not supported by scientific evidence.
Some members of a newer school of creationists have temporarily set aside the question of whether the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe are billions or just thousands of years old. But these creationists unite in contending that the physical universe and living things show evidence of "intelligent design." They argue that certain biological structures are so complex that they could not have evolved through processes of undirected mutation and natural selection, a condition they call "irreducible complexity." Echoing theological arguments that predate the theory of evolution, they contend that biological organisms must be designed in the same way that a mousetrap or a clock is designed - that in order for the device to work properly, all of its components must be available simultaneously. If one component is missing or changed, the device will fail to operate properly. Because even such "simple" biological structures as the flagellum of a bacterium are so complex, proponents of intelligent design creationism argue that the probability of all of their components being produced and simultaneously available through random processes of mutation are infinitesimally small. The appearance of more complex biological structures (such as the vertebrate eye) or functions (such as the immune system) is impossible through natural processes, according to this view, and so must be attributed to a transcendent intelligent designer.
However, the claims of intelligent design creationists are disproven by the findings of modern biology. Biologists have examined each of the molecular systems claimed to be the products of design and have shown how they could have arisen through natural processes. For example, in the case of the bacterial flagellum, there is no single, uniform structure that is found in all flagellar bacteria. There are many types of flagella, some simpler than others, and many species of bacteria do not have flagella to aid in their movement. Thus, other components of bacterial cell membranes are likely the precursors of the proteins found in various flagella. In addition, some bacteria inject toxins into other cells through proteins that are secreted from the bacterium and that are very similar in their molecular structure to the proteins in parts of flagella. This similarity indicates a common evolutionary origin, where small changes in the structure and organization of secretory proteins could serve as the basis for flagellar proteins. Thus, flagellar proteins are not irreducibly complex.
Evolutionary biologists also have demonstrated how complex biochemical mechanisms, such as the clotting of blood or the mammalian immune system, could have evolved from simpler precursor systems. With the clotting of blood, some of the components of the mammalian system were present in earlier organisms, as demonstrated by the organisms living today (such as fish, reptiles, and birds) that are descended from these mammalian precursors. Mammalian clotting systems have built on these earlier components.
Existing systems also can acquire new functions. For example, a particular system might have one task in a cell and then become adapted through evolutionary processes for different use. The Hox genes (described in the box on page 30) are a prime example of evolution finding new uses for existing systems. Molecular biologists have discovered that a particularly important mechanism through which biological systems acquire additional functions is gene duplication. Segments of DNA are frequently duplicated when cells divide, so that a cell has multiple copies of one or more genes. If these multiple copies are passed on to offspring, one copy of a gene can serve the original function in a cell while the other copy is able to accumulate changes that ultimately result in a new function. The biochemical mechanisms responsible for many cellular processes show clear evidence for historical duplications of DNA regions.
In addition to its scientific failings, this and other standard creationist arguments are fallacious in that they are based on a false dichotomy. Even if their negative arguments against evolution were correct, that would not establish the creationists' claims. There may be alternative explanations. For example, it would be incorrect to conclude that because there is no evidence that it is raining outside, it must be sunny. Other explanations also might be possible. Science requires testable evidence for a hypothesis, not just challenges against one's opponent. Intelligent design is not a scientific concept because it cannot be empirically tested.
Creationists sometimes claim that scientists have a vested interest in the concept of biological evolution and are unwilling to consider other possibilities. But this claim, too, misrepresents science. Scientists continually test their ideas against observations and submit their work to their colleagues for critical peer review of ideas, evidence, and conclusions before a scientific paper is published in any respected scientific journal. Unexplained observations are eagerly pursued because they can be signs of important new science or problems with an existing hypothesis or theory. History is replete with scientists challenging accepted theory by offering new evidence and more comprehensive explanations to account for natural phenomena. Also, science has a competitive element as well as a cooperative one. If one scientist clings to particular ideas despite evidence to the contrary, another scientist will attempt to replicate relevant experiments and will not hesitate to publish conflicting evidence. If there were serious problems in evolutionary science, many scientists would be eager to win fame by being the first to provide a better testable alternative. That there are no viable alternatives to evolution in the scientific literature is not because of vested interests or censorship but because evolution has been and continues to be solidly supported by evidence.
The potential utility of science also demands openness to new ideas. If petroleum geologists could find more oil and gas by interpreting the record of sedimentary rocks (where deposits of oil and natural gas are found) as having resulted from a single flood, they would certainly favor the idea of such a flood, but they do not. Instead, petroleum geologists agree with other geologists that sedimentary rocks are the products of billions of years of Earth's history. Indeed, petroleum geologists have been pioneers in the recognition of fossil deposits that were formed over millions of years in such environments as meandering rivers, deltas, sandy barrier beaches, and coral reefs.
The arguments of creationists reverse the scientific process. They begin with an explanation that they are unwilling to alter - that supernatural forces have shaped biological or Earth systems - rejecting the basic requirements of science that hypotheses must be restricted to testable natural explanations. Their beliefs cannot be tested, modified, or rejected by scientific means and thus cannot be a part of the processes of science. | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 65 | https://www.acmcountry.com/voting-policy | en | 59th ACM Awards & Voting Criteria and Policy | [
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Table of Contents
Awards Criteria
Awards & Voting Policy
AWARDS CRITERIA
MAIN AWARDS
VOTED ON BY ALL MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
Entertainer of the Year
[Award to Artist]
The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, consumption, success of music videos, vocal performances, live concert ticket sales, artistic merit, appearances on television, appearances in films, songwriting, success in digital media, and contributions to the country music industry. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
Album of the Year
[Award to Primary Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
An album is defined as a unified, released body of work with a minimum of either seven (7) full-length musical works and/or thirty (30) minutes in length. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
An album is considered released on the first available date that the material can be possessed by a consumer via a purchase in its entirety and/or streamed legally in its entirety by a royalty-generating service. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its highest charting position on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category.
To be eligible, a minimum of 75% of the standard edition of the album must contain recordings that have not been previously released by the artist on a prior album. “Best Of," “Greatest Hits,” and rerecordings of previously released albums are ineligible.
Only the standard edition of an album may be submitted for eligibility, as determined by the record company. Once an album is nominated in the final round, it may not be nominated in alternate configurations for future voting.
Single of the Year
[Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
Any single released and achieving a Top 20 charted position on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Mediabase Country charts during the eligibility period is eligible. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest Top 20 charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
Song of the Year
[Award to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/ Artist(s)]
The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, consumption, success in digital media and impact of the song on consumers and the country music industry with emphasis on the creative integrity of the song. A Professional Panel of at least twelve (12) and no more than twenty (20) members in the Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter, Music Publisher/PRO and Record Company categories, whose members are approved by the ACM officers, will submit a final list of at least ten (10) songs to ACM members in the Songwriter, Music Publisher/PRO, and Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer categories to select the final five (5) nominees to be placed on the final ballot, once approved by the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
Any song released and achieving a Top 50 charted position on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Mediabase Country charts during the eligibility period is eligible. If the song was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible, unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category.
Songwriter Of The Year
[Award to Songwriter]
This award is presented to an individual known predominately as a songwriter and does not serve as the primary artist on any songs in the top 20 Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Mediabase Country charts during the eligibility period. Nominees will be selected by a professional panel of judges whose members are approved by the ACM officers and composed of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization (PRO) representatives. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the ACM Board of Directors. The winner shall be determined by a vote of ACM members classified in the following categories: Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter, Music Publisher/PRO and Record Company.
The factors to be considered include but are not limited to: a commercially-released song crediting the songwriter that achieved its highest position in the Top 50 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Mediabase Country charts during the eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the current eligibility period, it is eligible, unless it appeared on a final ACM ballot.
Artist-Songwriter Of The Year
[Award to Songwriter]
This award is presented to an individual known both as an artist and a songwriter who was the predominate recording artist on at least one song that charted in the top 20 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Mediabase Country charts during the eligibilityperiod. Nominees will be selected by a Professional Panel of judges whose members are approved by the ACM officers composed of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization (PRO) representatives. The Panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of ACM members classified in the following categories: Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter, Music Publisher/PRO and Record Company.
The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released song crediting the songwriter that achieved its highest position in the Top 50 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Mediabase Country charts during the eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the current eligibility period, it is eligible, unless it appeared on a final ACM ballot.
Music Event of the Year*
[Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
Any music event released and achieving a Top 50 charted position in Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Mediabase Country charts during the eligibility period is eligible. If the music event single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest Top 50 charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category. To be eligible, the music event must be a collaboration between two or more artists who do not normally perform together and are all credited on the album track listing. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
*In the event that the Board determines that there are not enough nominees in this category in any particular year, this category may not be awarded.
Female Artist of the Year
[Award to Artist]
Male Artist of the Year
[Award to Artist]
Duo of the Year*
[Award to Artist]
Group of the Year*
[Award to Artist]
The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at radio, consumption, success in digital media, live concert ticket sales and vocal performances.
The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership. *In the event that the Board determines that there are not enough nominees in this category in any particular year, Duo Of The Year may be merged with Group Of The Year by the Board, and shall be called Duo/Group Of The Year.
New Female Artist of the Year
New Male Artist of the Year
[Award to Artist]
New Duo or Group of the Year
Presented to an individual artist, group or duo who gains initial fame or significantly greater recognition during the promotion of a debut or sophomore album within the eligibility period.
The artist must have released a single that reached the Top 50 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or the Mediabase Country charts. Any albums self-released through an independent label the artist owns and operates may not be counted as a debut or sophomore album, unless it produces a Top 50 single reported by Billboard’s Hot Country Songs or Mediabase Country charts. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership.
Any artist who served or is currently serving as a lead member of a duo or group is not eligible for individual category recognition. Additionally, any artist who has gained initial fame as a solo artist or as part of a duo or group in another genre is not eligible in these categories.
An artist may be a nominee two times in a three-year period. Once an artist releases the lead single from a third studio album, they will no longer be eligible in this category. If an artist is a winner in the New Female Artist /New Male Artist/New Duo or Group (or any respective previously named) category their first year on a ballot, they will not be eligible in any New Artist categories again. Any artist who has previously won the award for Entertainer, Female Artist, Male Artist, Duo or Group of the Year (or any respective previously named category) is ineligible for a New Artist nomination.
Visual Media of the Year
[Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/ Artist(s)]
This award is presented to the producer, director and artist for an outstanding piece of visual media released by the artist during the eligibility period, supporting a song or single. Emphasis shall be placed on creativity, production, visual appeal and impact on consumers and the country music industry across one or more platforms. Other factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success of any recording for which the content was made at radio, and success of consumption on any digital platform where the content is released. The content piece must contain 51% of the full original master. Only one submission per song will be allowed. The nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the ACM professional membership. If the content piece was released prior to the previous eligibility period, but achieved its biggest impact during the current eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has appeared on a final ACM ballot in this category.
Triple Crown
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an artist, duo or group upon receiving the New Male Artist of the Year or New Female Artist of the Year or New Duo or Group of the Year and Male Artist of the Year or Female Artist of the Year or Duo or Group of the Year (or any respective previously named category) and Entertainer of the Year awards. The Board decides when and where the recipient will be honored with this award (not always an annual award).
INDUSTRY AWARDS
VOTED ON BY THE MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIZED IN THE ARTIST/MUSICIAN/PRODUCER/ENGINEER, VENUE, MANAGER, TALENT AGENT, AND TALENT BUYER/PROMOTER CATEGORIES
Casino of the Year
[Award to Casino Venue]
-Theater
This award is presented to an outstanding theater or showroom within a casino, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The casino theater or showroom must have bought or promoted at least five (5) country concerts/dates during the eligibility period, be in good standing with all agents and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
-Arena
This award is presented to an outstanding arena or amphitheater within a casino selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The casino arena or amphitheater must have bought or promoted at least four (4) country concerts/dates during the eligibility period, be in good standing with all agents and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Festival of the Year
[Award to Festival]
This award is presented to an outstanding country music festival where artist(s) received market value compensation for their performance, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The festival must have taken place over two (2) or more consecutive days, included a minimum of ten (10) acts, with at least ninety percent (90%) of headlining acts classed in the country genre, occurred during the eligibility period, and be in good standing with all professional vendors and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Fair/Rodeo of the Year
[Award to Fair/Rodeo]
This award is presented to an outstanding fair/rodeo where artist(s) received market value compensation for their performance, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The fair/rodeo must have included a minimum of one (1) country music artist as a headliner, occurred during the eligibility period, and be in good standing with all professional vendors and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Club of the Year
[Award to Club]
This award is presented to an outstanding country music club, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The club must have bought or promoted at least ten (10) country concerts/dates during the eligibility period, be in good standing with all agents and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Theater of the Year
[Award to Venue]
This award is presented to an outstanding theater or performing arts center, not associated with a casino, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The theater/performing arts center must have bought or promoted at least ten (10) country concerts/dates during the eligibility period, be in good standing with all agents and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Outdoor Venue of the Year
[Award to Venue]
This award is presented to an outstanding outdoor venue, not associated with a casino, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The outdoor venue must have bought or promoted at least five (5) country concerts/dates during the eligibility period, be in good standing with all agents and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Arena of the Year
[Award to Venue]
This award is presented to an outstanding indoor arena, not associated with a casino, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The arena must have bought or promoted at least five (5) country concerts/dates during the eligibility period, be in good standing with all agents and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year
[Award to Individual Buyer]
This award is presented to an outstanding talent buyer, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The buyer must have bought at least fifteen (15) country concerts/dates during the eligibility period, be in good standing with all agents and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Promoter of the Year
[Award to Individual Promoter]
This award is presented to an outstanding promoter, selected by a Professional Panel of judges. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The promoter must have promoted at least fifteen (15) country concerts/dates during the eligibility period, be in good standing with all agents and help promote country ticket sales. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category
STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS
VOTED ON BY THE MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIZED IN THE ARTIST/MUSICIAN/PRODUCER/ENGINEER CATEGORY
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an outstanding session bass player, selected by a Professional Panel of judges approved by the ACM officers. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single or album embodying the player's performance, which achieves Top 20 or better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Billboard’s Top Country Albums or Mediabase Country charts during the current eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible in this category. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its largest annual charting position during the eligibility period according to Nielsen SoundScan, it is eligible. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an outstanding session drummer, selected by a Professional Panel of judges approved by the ACM officers. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single or album embodying the player's performance, which achieves Top 20 or better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Billboard’s Top Country Albums or Mediabase Country charts during the current eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible in this category. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its largest annual charting position during the eligibility period according to Nielsen SoundScan, it is eligible. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
ACOUSTIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an outstanding session acoustic guitar player, in any capacity, selected by a Professional Panel of judges approved by the ACM officers. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single or album embodying the player's performance, which achieves Top 20 or better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Billboard’s Top Country Albums or Mediabase Country charts during the current eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible in this category. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its largest annual charting position during the eligibility period according to Nielsen SoundScan, it is eligible. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an outstanding session acoustic guitar player, in any capacity, selected by a Professional Panel of judges approved by the ACM officers. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single or album embodying the player's performance, which achieves Top 20 or better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Billboard’s Top Country Albums or Mediabase Country charts during the current eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible in this category. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its largest annual charting position during the eligibility period according to Nielsen SoundScan, it is eligible. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an outstanding session piano/keyboards player, selected by a Professional Panel of judges approved by the ACM officers. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single or album embodying the player's performance, which achieves Top 20 or better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Billboard’s Top Country Albums or Mediabase Country charts during the current eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible in this category. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its largest annual charting position during the eligibility period according to Nielsen SoundScan, it is eligible. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an outstanding session specialty instrument(s) player, selected by a Professional Panel of judges approved by the ACM officers. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single or album embodying the player's performance, which achieves Top 20 or better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Billboard’s Top Country Albums or Mediabase Country charts during the current eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible in this category. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its largest annual charting position during the eligibility period according to Nielsen SoundScan, it is eligible. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an outstanding audio engineer, primarily involved in the recording and/or mixing process, selected by a Professional Panel of judges approved by the ACM officers. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single or album crediting the outstanding audio engineer, which achieves Top 20 or better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Billboard’s Top Country Albums or Mediabase Country charts during the current eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible in this category. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its largest annual charting position during the eligibility period according to Nielsen SoundScan, it is eligible. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
[Award to Artist]
This award is presented to an outstanding producer, selected by a Professional Panel of judges approved by the ACM officers. The panel will submit five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the ballot once approved by the Board. The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, a commercially released single or album crediting the producer, which achieves Top 20 or better on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Billboard’s Top Country Albums or Mediabase Country charts during the current eligibility period. If the single was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest charted position during the eligibility period, it is eligible in this category. If the album was released during the two (2) prior eligibility periods but achieved its largest annual charting position during the eligibility period according to Nielsen SoundScan, it is eligible. The winner from the previous year is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
RADIO AWARDS
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
[Award to On-Air Personality(s)]
This award is presented to an outstanding Country Music On-Air Radio Personality who best represents the country music genre, as selected by a Professional Panel of Judges approved by the ACM Officers.
The Professional Panel shall evaluate submissions from the current eligibility period based on the Personality’s body of work, as represented in an aircheck (maximum length of 5 minutes), and an essay (maximum length of 500 words) defining the Personality’s unique brand, demonstrating impact on audience and exemplifying artist discovery.
Principal personalities must be together for eight (8) consecutive months and still be working at the submitting station by the submission deadline. Personalities are only eligible to enter for one Station within one category (Major Market, Large Market, Medium Market or Small Market) and must be in the largest market in which they are eligible. The prior year Winner is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Entries will be judged using market size consideration based on Arbitron markets:
1-25 Major
26-50 Large
51-100 Medium
101+ Small.
International stations will be placed in categories based on metro population.
NATIONAL WEEKLY ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR [Award to On-Air Personality(s)]
This award is presented to an outstanding National Country Music On-Air (terrestrial, satellite or internet) Radio Personality who best represents the country music genre on a reoccurring Radio Show that is hosted on a weekly basis. Entrants must have a minimum of 40 shows in a calendar year, and will be selected by a Professional Panel of Judges approved by the ACM Officers.
The Professional Panel shall evaluate submissions from the current eligibility period based on the Personality’s body of work, as represented in an aircheck (maximum length of 5 minutes), and an essay (maximum length of 500 words) defining the Personality’s unique brand, demonstrating impact on audience and exemplifying artist discovery.
Entrants must demonstrate they air in a minimum of ten markets, across all four time zones across the continental United States, with a minimum of 32 shows airing during the submission period. Principal personalities must be together for eight (8) consecutive months and still be working at the submitting station by the submission deadline. The prior year Winner is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
NATIONAL DAILY ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR [Award to On-Air Personality(s)]
This award is presented to an outstanding National Country Music On-Air (terrestrial, satellite or internet) Radio Personality who best represents the country music genre on a Daily Radio Show. Entrants must have a minimum of 200 shows in a calendar year, and will be selected by a Professional Panel of Judges approved by the ACM Officers.
The Professional Panel shall evaluate submissions from the current eligibility period based on the Personality’s body of work, as represented in an aircheck (maximum length of 5 minutes), and an essay (maximum length of 500 words) defining the Personality’s unique brand, demonstrating impact on audience and exemplifying artist discovery.
Entrants must demonstrate they air in a minimum of ten markets, across all four time zones across the continental United States, with a minimum of 32 shows airing during the submission period. Principal personalities must be together for eight (8) consecutive months and still be working at the submitting station by the submission deadline. The prior year Winner is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR
[Award to Station]
This award is presented to an outstanding Country Music Radio Station who best represents the country music genre, selected by a Professional Panel of judges, approved by the ACM Officers.
The Professional Panel shall evaluate submissions from the current eligibility period based on the Station’s body of work, as represented in an aircheck (maximum length of 5 minutes), and an essay (maximum length of 500 words) defining the Station’s unique brand, demonstrating impact on audience and exemplifying artist discovery. Judges shall consider daypart market share/in-market rank. The prior year Winner is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category.
Entries will be judged using market size consideration based on Arbitron markets:
1-25 Major
26-50 Large
51-100 Medium
101+ Small.
International stations will be placed in categories based on metro population
SPECIAL AWARDS
REVIEWED AND VOTED ON BY THE ACM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ACM Icon Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is inspired by Cliffie Stone, and presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader who throughout their career has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions and other goodwill efforts.
ACM Milestone Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is inspired by Gene Weed and presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader for a specific, unprecedented or outstanding achievement in the field of country music during the preceding calendar year.
ACM Lifting Lives Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is inspired by Gary Haber and presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry professional who is devoted to improving lives through the power of music, has a generosity of spirit, and is committed to serving others, voted on by the ACM Lifting Lives Board of Directors.
ACM International Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is inspired by Jim Reeves and presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader for outstanding contributions to the growth of country music throughout the world.
ACM Service Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is presented to an outstanding country music artist, duo/group or industry leader in recognition of years of dedication and service to the Academy of Country Music.
ACM Spirit Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is inspired by Merle Haggard and is presented to a singer-songwriter who is continuing the legacy of country legend and 20-time ACM Award Winner Merle Haggard by following his/her own path, crafting great songs and epitomizing Merle’s spirit through genuine performances and great storytelling.
ACM Poet’s Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is presented to a country music songwriter for outstanding and longstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their career, with special consideration given to a song or songs’ impact on the culture of country music.
ACM Film Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is inspired by Tex Ritter and recognizes an outstanding television movie, series or feature film released during the preceding calendar year which prominently features country music.
ACM Lift Every Voice Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group, industry leader or affiliate/partner who plays a pivotal role in elevating underrepresented voices throughout the country music genre, transcending demographics and geography. The nominee for this category is proposed by ACM’s Rising Leaders.
Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award
[Award to Recipient]
This award is presented to an outstanding country music artist or duo/group who has dominated country music over the decade, through success at radio, digital media, sales and streaming, distinguishing events, touring, television appearances, and artistic merit.
Album of the Decade Award
[Award to Primary Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
This award recognizes an album that has impacted country music over the decade. The factors to be considered are, but not limited to the success at radio of singles released from album, album concept, commercial media, sales and streaming, artistic merit and ACM Award recognition.
Song of the Decade Award
[Award to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/ Artist(s)]
This award recognizes a song that has impacted country music over the decade. The factors to be considered are, but not limited to success at radio, commercial media, sales and streaming, creative integrity, artistic merit and ACM Award recognition.
Songwriter of the Decade Award
[Award to Songwriter(s)]
This award recognizes a songwriter whose creative works have impacted country music over the decade. The factors to be considered are, but not limited to success of body of work at radio, commercial media, sales and streaming, creative integrity, artistic merit and ACM Award recognition.
Artist-Songwriter of the Decade Award
[Award to Performing Artist]
An artist-songwriter is defined as an artist who has commercially released material, written in whole or in part by said artist. This award recognizes a songwriter whose creative works and performance have impacted country music over the decade. The factors to be considered are, but not limited to success at radio, commercial media, sales and streaming, artistic merit and ACM Award recognition.
Single of the Decade Award
[Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
This award recognizes a single that has impacted country music over the decade. The factors to be considered are, but not limited to success at radio, commercial media, sales and streaming, artistic merit and ACM Award recognition.
Music Event of the Decade Award
[Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
This award recognizes a recording performed by artists who do not regularly perform together that has impacted country music over the decade. The factors to be considered are, but not limited to success at radio, commercial media, sales and streaming, artistic merit and ACM Award recognition.
Awards & Voting Policy
MAIN AWARDS VOTING PROCEDURES
SUBMISSION PERIOD
The Academy of Country Music will open the Awards Submission Process each year to receive submissions for awards consideration in the following awards categories:
Main Awards Categories:
Album of the Year
Single of the Year
Music Event of the Year
New Male Artist of the Year
New Female Artist of the Year
New Duo or Group of the Year
Video of the Year
All Industry Awards Categories
All Radio Award Categories
FIRST ROUND BALLOT
In the following categories:
Album of the Year
Single of the Year
Music Event of the Year
New Male Artist of the Year
New Female Artist of the Year
New Duo or Group of the Year
Video of the Year
The full membership will choose one (1) submission.
In following categories:
Entertainer of the Year
Female Artist of the Year
Male Artist of the Year
Duo of the Year
Group of the Year
The full membership will write-in one (1) submission.
The Top 20 submissions will be presented for review to the Board to ensure the submissions meet all eligibility criteria. The Top 20 submissions must also have achieved a minimum of 2% or more of the vote within the respective category.
SUBMISSION REVIEW FOR BALLOTS
In between First Round and Second Round, a list of information for each Artist, Label, Producer, Director, Publisher, and Songwriter will be complied from the submission and circulated to the Artist’s label and manager for confirmation of details. The confirmed details will be listed on the second round ballot. A minimum of three eligible submissions are required to award the category. In the instance there are not three eligible submissions within a category, a professional panel may vote to allow additional considerations to meet the required minimum.
SECOND ROUND BALLOT
In the second round, up to two (2) votes may be cast in each category for the category to be counted. The five (5) submissions receiving the most votes in each category will be placed on the final ballot, except for Entertainer of the Year where the top seven (7) submission receiving the most votes will be included. If there are less than five (5) eligible submissions in any given category, the Board may elect to allow the category to proceed to the final round with at least three (3) nominees.
FINAL ROUND BALLOT
In the final round, only one (1) vote will be cast in each category. The nominee receiving the most votes in each category will be deemed the winner. In the case of a tie, all winners will receive an award.
SONG OF THE YEAR VOTING
A Professional Panel of at least twelve (12) and no more than twenty (20), members from the Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter and Music Publisher/PRO categories – whose members are approved by the ACM officers – will review all eligible songs prior to the Song of the Year Panel. Prior to meeting, they will submit to the Academy staff their top 15 choices. The panel will review the aggregated list of songs and discuss. After discussion, the panel will vote by confidential weighted ballot to determine a list of top 20. After additional discussion, the panel will then vote by confidential weighted ballot to determine a list of the top 10. The panel will then submit a final list of ten (10) songs to ACM members classified in the Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter and Music Publisher/PRO categories to select up to two (2) choices to determine the final five (5) nominees to be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of the full ACM membership.
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR VOTING
This award is presented to an individual known predominately as a songwriter, and selected by a Professional Panel of judges – whose members are approved by the ACM officers – composed of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization (PRO) representatives. The panel will review and discuss all eligible songwriters of eligible recordings. The panel will vote by a confidential weighted ballot to determine a top 10 list of writers. After additional discussion, the panel will then vote by confidential weighted ballot to determine a list of the top five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of ACM members classified in the following categories; Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter, Music Publisher/PRO and Record Company.
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR VOTING
This award is presented to an individual known predominately as a songwriter and selected by a Professional Panel of judges – whose members are approved by the ACM officers – composed of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization (PRO) representatives. The panel will review and discuss all eligible songwriters of eligible recordings. The panel will vote by a confidential weighted ballot to determine a top 10 list of writers. After additional discussion, the panel will then vote by confidential weighted ballot to determine a list of the top five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of ACM members classified in the following categories; Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter, Music Publisher/PRO and Record Company.
STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS VOTING
A Professional Panel whose members are approved by the ACM officers will submit five (5) nominees to be approved by the Board for the Studio Recording ballot in the following categories: Bass Player of the Year, Drummer of the Year, Guitar Player of the Year, Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year, Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year, Steel Guitar Player of the Year, Audio Engineer of the Year and Producer of the Year. The panel will review and discuss all eligible candidates. The panel will vote by a confidential weighted ballot to determine a Top 10 list of candidates. After additional discussion, the panel will then vote by confidential weighted ballot to determine a list of the top five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of ACM members classified in the Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer membership category. The nominee receiving the most votes in each category will be deemed the winner. In the case of a tie, all winners will receive an award. Awards to be given out at annual Honors event.
INDUSTRY AWARDS VOTING
A Professional Panel whose members are approved by the ACM officers will submit five (5) nominees to be approved by the Board for the final round in the following categories; Casino Theater, Casino Arena, Festival of the Year, Fair/Rodeo of the Year, Club of the Year, Theater of the Year, Outdoor Venue of the Year, Arena of the Year, Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year and Promoter of the Year, based on the criteria for each category. The panel will review and discuss all submitted candidates. The panel will vote by a confidential weighted ballot to determine a top 10 list of candidates. After additional discussion, the panel will then vote by confidential weighted ballot to determine a list of the top five (5) nominees, which will be placed on the final ballot once approved by the Board. The winner shall be determined by a vote of ACM members classified in the Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Venue, Manager, Talent Agent, Talent Buyer/Promoter membership category. The nominee receiving the most votes in each category will be deemed the winner. In the case of a tie, all winners will receive an award. Awards to be given out at annual Honors event.
Members must be in good standing in order to be eligible to vote in the Main Awards, Industry Awards and Studio Recording Awards.
SPECIAL AWARDS VOTING
A Professional Panel whose members are approved by the ACM officers will submit candidates to be approved by the Board as recipients in the Special Awards categories. Awards to be given out at annual Honors event.
RADIO AWARDS VOTING
A Professional Panel whose members are approved by the ACM officers shall evaluate submissions from the current eligibility period based on the station’s or personality’s body of work, as represented in an aircheck (maximum length of 5 minutes), and an essay (maximum length of 500 words) defining the station’s or personality’s unique brand, demonstrating impact on audience and exemplifying artist discovery. Judges shall consider daypart market share/in-market rank. The prior year Winner is ineligible for a consecutive nomination in this category. Radio awards to be given out (1) off-camera in a presentation one day prior to the main show or (2) depending on timing, during the telecast in some format.
AWARDS & VOTING COMMITTEE
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] | 2020-02-10T00:00:00 | Cultural commentary from a Biblical perspective | en | AlbertMohler.com | https://albertmohler.com/2020/02/10/luke-goodrich/ | Albert Mohler: This is Thinking in Public, a program dedicated to intelligent conversation about frontline theological and cultural issues with the people who are shaping them. I’m Albert Mohler, your host and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Religious freedom is a frontline issue and often a headline issue these days and one of its most ardent defenders is Luke Goodrich who serves as vice president and senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Mr. Goodrich earned his baccalaureate from Wheaton College and his law degree from the University of Chicago. During his time at Becket, Mr. Goodrich and his team have won major victories before the United States Supreme Court, including the cases known as Little Sisters of the Poor versus Burwell and Burwell versus Hobby Lobby. He’s known for his numerous media appearances. Just this year, he authored the book, Free to Believe: The Battle over Religious Liberty in America, which was awarded book of the year by the gospel coalition and world magazine. Mr. Goodrich, welcome to Thinking in Public and you have experienced not only of course as an author and scholar dealing with these issues, but also as a litigant, as a lawyer, deeply involved in these issues and many of the crucial cases of recent years. Your book entitled, Free to Believe: The Battle over Religious Liberty in America is one of those titles that isn’t particularly dated. I think you could possibly have published a book with that title in 1789 but there is a particular urgency to it in 2019, 2020. Why this book right now? Why that title?
Luke Goodrich: Well, as you mentioned, I’ve had the privilege of litigating religious freedom cases on the front lines for over a decade and in the course of my work. I’ve had a chance to speak with a lot of Christians, a lot of Americans who are very concerned about religious freedom and there are really two events that prompted me to write this book. One was about a decade ago; my church in Washington DC asked me to preach a sermon about religious freedom because we were doing a summer series on Christ and culture. That really forced me as a religious liberty litigator on the front lines to think about this issue more biblically and theologically and ask what does scripture have to say about this and the sermon was very helpful to our church community and I just dwelt on that for a while. And then a few years later, I was at a gathering of Christian leaders on the eve of the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell, the same sex marriage case. And these are leaders of denominations, of religious colleges and universities and major social service organizations. In that room, the fear around religious freedom was palpable. There was so much fear about what was coming down the line and not a lot of practical knowledge. And so I realized at that point having spent a decade litigating these cases; maybe I would have something to add to the conversation. That’s why I wrote, Free to Believe. Just wanted to take my frontline’s experience litigating religious freedom cases and help ordinary Americans, especially Christians understand why does religious freedom matter? How has it threatened in our culture uniquely today, and what can we do about it?
Albert Mohler: In a bit, we’ll talk about the new development here; the most urgent which is that inevitable collision between the newly defined sexual liberties and religious Liberty, something which by the way, the LGBTQ activists saw before. I think a lot of Christians did. They understood the consequences of what they were demanding and what they’ve now largely accomplished. But going backwards in time, let’s just look at the biggest picture across the tapestry of American history. If you were to write about Supreme Court religious liberty litigation, my theory is that if you were to even say that was your business or your expertise; say 100 years ago, people would have a hard time defining exactly what that would mean. I mean the religious liberty cases that have come before the Supreme Court or that came in the first century of the American experience, they were largely unpredictable. They didn’t follow a particular pattern and of course my argument is they basically do follow a pattern now. But what changed and when?That’s a huge historical question. What changed and when?
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. There are a number of major historical changes but I would say one of the biggest ones was the Supreme Court’s decision in a case called Everson in the 1940s and that was when the Supreme court decided that the establishment clause of the first amendment, the part that says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” but that could be enforced against the States. That really kicked off a decade’s long wrestling by the Supreme Court with the meaning of the first amendment. It really made the Supreme Court one of the major battlegrounds of religious freedom issues where before these were handled mostly by legislatures and by state courts. That was a huge change in our jurisprudence. I know there have been a number of significant changes since then and I’d also be happy to go into.
Albert Mohler: Sure. No. I think you’re exactly right to point to Everson but I want to put that in the larger context. In the larger context, that particular religious liberty precedent basically fell in line. Perhaps inevitably fell in line with the greater compromise as a federalism that had taken place with a more progressive as direction of the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary and frankly, the ambition to expand the powers of the federal government. It wasn’t as if that came out of a vacuum. It really was the next step or the next shoe to fall, so to speak; in the Supreme Court and the federal government basically taking on arrogating to itself an entire new area of responsibility.
Luke Goodrich: That’s absolutely right. We’ve seen a trend over our history toward more and more centralization of power, more and more power at the federal level. And now today we’re seeing that play out in the field of religious freedom. I mean, obviously one of the hugest religious freedom conflicts in recent years was over the contraception mandate. My firm had the privilege of handling the Hobby Lobby and Little Sisters of the Poor cases in the US Supreme Court. That was an instance where the federal government under the Obama administration issued really in an unprecedented regulation forcing religious organizations across the country to use their own health insurance plans to fund abortion inducing drugs. We’d never really seen at that wide of a scale and at that federal level, that assault on traditional Christian beliefs and that’s a major religious freedom issue today.
Albert Mohler: Yeah. You used one word there that triggers another major consideration and background. You use the word regulation and indeed the Obama contraception mandate was not an act of Congress signed into law by the president. But rather on the authority of the affordable care act, that responsibility was delegated to the department of health and human services and it was through the regulatory process. We also have the background development of the administrative state. We’re actually dealing in many ways as you were in those two cases with a regulation that had the force of law but had not actually been a matter of legislation.
Luke Goodrich: That’s absolutely right. It’s not just the contraception mandate where federal regulations are creating religious freedom conflicts. I’m still litigating a case today based on a regulation that came out at the end of the Obama administration where HHS decided that all doctors and hospitals across the country would be required to participate in and perform a gender transition procedures even when it violates their religious beliefs and their medical judgment or else they would be deemed to be discriminating based on gender identity. That was a massive overreach by the Obama administration. We fortunately got a federal court to put that regulation on hold and the Trump administration is currently reconsidering it but that’s just one more illustration of your point that federal agencies nowadays play a critical role when it comes to religious freedom.
Albert Mohler: Now, I think you and I would be an absolute agreement that a state established church of any form is a bad idea and you make that clear in your book. I appreciate that. I am in wholehearted agreement but to say that something is a bad idea is not to say it is per se, state by state, unconstitutional. It reminds me of the story about Justice Antonin Scalia, the late Justice said that he wanted to rubber stamp that could simply declare stupid but not unconstitutional. Actually, when I cited this so often; someone actually made one of those for me. I have no opportunity to act judicially using that stamp, but boy do I think of it logically many times. When you think about this, the United States constitution and you detail this in your book makes very clear in the establishment clause that Congress may make no law concerning an establishment of religion. As you point out in the debate over the constitution itself, Congress was not an accidental word.
Luke Goodrich: That’s exactly right. At the time of the founding. At the time of the drafting and ratification of the first amendment, there was a vigorous debate in the colonies about an establishment of religion. Nine of the thirteen colonies had established churches. Some thought it was a good thing; some thought it was a bad thing. And ultimately what the convention decided was a federalism solution that Congress would be limited when it came to legislating on a question of religion; Congress couldn’t set up a national established church and Congress also couldn’t interfere with state established churches. And that was how it was originally understood in the 1780s, 1790s and then over time. All of the States eventually, voluntarily disestablished their churches. Nowadays, one of the big problems is that most of us; it’s been so long since we’ve dealt with an established church, we don’t actually know or remember what an establishment of religion is. Yet, that had a definite well-defined meaning at the time of the founding where the government was controlling the doctrine and personnel of the church. It was mandating attendance in the established church. It was giving exclusive financial support to the established church. And it was limiting worship and political participation by those who were members of dissenting churches. That’s what an establishment was at the time of the founding. Unfortunately; over time, the Supreme Court has migrated its interpretation of the establishment clause to even stamp out innocuous government recognition of how religion is an important aspect of our history and culture.
Albert Mohler: Right. A more substantive, a redefinition of establishment rather than concrete. As we’re thinking about these issues, keeping our narrative straight, we’ve gone from the constitution and the definition especially of the establishment clause and we’ve tracked through a considerable territory of American history to the beginning of the progressive of this era with the federal government taking on all kinds of responsibilities, reversing the logic of federalism, and of course a jumping out of the constitutional limitation on the federal government of enumerated powers. I asked you where the turning point was and you pointed to Everson. We’re looking after the Second World War at the fact that there is another historically in the 20th century a second great expansion of government power and of the logic of the federal authority. Everson fits within that, doesn’t it?
Luke Goodrich: Yes, absolutely.
Albert Mohler: It does so by basically deciding that no state can allow school prayer and the reading of scripture. By the time you put the cases together throughout the 1950s and 1960s not even a moment of silence, by the time these cases basically come to a conclusion that such an act even student initiated would be a violation of the constitution.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right. 60s, 70s, 80s, the Supreme Court aggressively pursued a separationist interpretation of the establishment clause and has no real relation to the original meaning of the establishment clause, struck down a number of very innocuous practices, just recognizing religion as a natural part of human culture and really made the First Amendment into something that was hostile to public expression of religion in a way the founders never intended. I’d say the good news is the Supreme Court is trending back the other direction, trending back toward a more historic understanding of the establishment clause and even trending back towards more robust protection of free exercise of religion. My friend Becket in the last quarter century; we have a 90% win rate across all of our cases and undefeated at the Supreme Court and seeing a number of really great decisions from the Supreme Court in recent years. Those are some of the positive trends we’re seeing nowadays.
Albert Mohler: Yeah, absolutely. You’re not writing without hope but you are writing with a sense of urgency and frankly a rather sober-minded assessment of where we stand and where we could stand should things go otherwise. I want to use two other decisions in order to set the stage for getting us to the most urgent part of the crisis. Those are the Lemon Decision and the Smith Decision. Let’s go to Lemon first because it produced the now infamous Lemon test. I think we need to talk about that in order to go further.
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. Lemon versus Kurtzman in the early 1970s was a case involving aid, government aid, financial aid to religious schools and the Supreme Court cobbled together what it called a three part test for looking for violations of the establishment clause. Basically looking at what’s the purpose of the government action, what is the effect of the government action, does it advance or endorse religion, and then third, does the government action unduly entangle the government in religion? You say those three parts none of them sounds like a horrible idea but the problem is that test is extremely subjective and it really gave the court, the Supreme Court and lower courts licensed to reach almost any result they pleased in establishment clause cases and often took on a very anti-religion cast. That’s what produced through the 70s and 80s and end of the 90s, some of the very religion hostile decisions from the Supreme Court.
Albert Mohler: Well, you mentioned the word subjective, and that’s probably the best word for it. But the other word is a psychoanalytic; I mean with in that first part of the Lemon test about a secular purpose, it’s amazing how much has been dragged into the federal courts trying to show some hidden agenda. You’re even trying to more or less read the minds of those who at the local level or the state level or a county, or a branch of the government. It’s not subjective just in terms of the judge or justices, it becomes a matter of trying to read the subjective state of mind of individual legislators.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right. The famous quote was this test asks for quote, “judicial cycle analysis of a drafter’s heart of hearts” unquote. We have to figure out what was in the heart of hearts of the multi-member legislature when they were enacting a law. Then another layer of subjectivity comes with the second part of the Lemon test where the court looks at what was the effect of the law and the court says has deposit this, what it calls a reasonable observer. It has to imagine what a reasonable person would think when they see this religious symbol or hear about this funding for a religious group and lo and behold, the reasonable observer always ends up looking like the judge or justice who holds the deciding vote. These cases are basically decided not based on the written text of the constitution but on the predilections of the judges who are deciding it.
Albert Mohler: Absolutely. I believe the justice of the Supreme Court who coined that phrase most memorably was Oliver Wendell Holmes. And even when it was colleagues at the time said that evidently, Justice Holmes understanding of a reasonable man is by no coincidence; Oliver Wendell Holmes. That’s the way it works. Well, the Smith Decision is the other one because the Lemon Decision there in the 70s, it’s set up a basic hostility on the part of the court because that test is, and you say that three parts test about purpose and effect and entanglement. It appears innocuous but it’s actually stacking the deck because it’s almost impossible, especially on effect. This is an issue that I’ve tracked in these cases for so long. Let’s say that an unintended or ancillary effect of a law just might be arguably that some religious ministry received some benefit, that’s an almost impossible. I mean just even if it makes the economy better, it’s almost impossible for a law to have a purely secular effect.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right. I have the chance to litigate this just recently on an issue that probably affects you personally and many of your listeners and that’s housing allowances for ministers of the gospel. Pastors all across the country can take an exclusion of their income when the church pays them a housing allowance to obtain housing. An atheist group challenged this provision of the tax code, which has been around for over half a century as a violation of the separation of church and state. They said, “Hey, this is benefiting churches and ministers.” A federal judge struck that down as unconstitutional and that would’ve had a multibillion dollar effect on churches and ministers across the country. I had the privilege of appealing that ruling and arguing it in the seventh circuit and basically telling the court like, “look, when you assess whether a law or regulation is benefiting religion, you have to figure out what your baseline is. Yes, of course ministers benefit when they receive this tax exempt housing allowance but there are all kinds of secular workers who can also receive tax free housing allowances as well.” There’s a baseline problem that you have to address first. There’s also just the concern about a legitimate concern about separation of church and state. Do we really want the IRS looking at how ministers use their homes and in deciding whether that’s really necessary for the mission of the church. Fortunately the court ultimately agreed with us and upheld that longstanding tax exemption for ministers and said, “Hey, this really is neutral.” It didn’t rely just on the Lemon test. It relied importantly as we urged it on history and the historical meaning and historical practices under the establishment clause, and that gives a more objective basis for deciding these kinds of cases.
Albert Mohler: Luke Goodrich has said that he has written this book in order to help ordinary Christians to think through these issues and to be aware of the challenges we face but he’s also writing in order to define terms and of course he’s making many arguments along the way. That’s what makes this a very interesting conversation. Okay. Continuing in the line of our narrative here, we’ve got to talk about the Smith Decision. You do so in your book; because my argument is that this really becomes the hinge with what follows as a congressional response but we’ll get to that in a moment. First of all, the Smith Decision, what was it and why does it matter so much to this discussion?
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. The Smith Decision is crucial. As we shift from our discussion about the establishment clause. Smith is about the free exercise clause says Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. This is a Supreme Court decision in 1990 involving Native Americans and in Oregon had a criminal law that made it illegal to possess or use Peyote. Now Peyote is a central sacrament of many Native American religious practices. We have a government law that criminalizes the central sacrament of a religious group. The question was does this prohibit the free exercise of religion? You would think that criminalizing the central sacrament of a religion does prohibit the free exercise of religion. In a very surprising decision, the Supreme Court led by Justice Scalia said, “No. This does not prohibit the free exercise of religion.” It reinterpreted the free exercise clause as exclusively like a nondiscrimination provision said, “As long as the law is neutral and generally applicable, as long as the government is not out to get religious people or targeting religious people, the free exercise clause really doesn’t come into play.” This really gutted the free exercise clause in a very real sense. I made it very difficult to prevail under free exercise claims under the constitution and has had a long standing negative impact on religious freedom.
Albert Mohler: Absolutely. By the way, you just passed an invisible integrity test in that answer when you mentioned Justice Scalia, because I have such great admiration for Justice Scalia and yet he was the author of that majority opinion. You didn’t mention that in your book, so I was waiting to see how you’re going to describe it. But it does remind us that when you’re looking even at individual justices and even someone with a titanic influence of an Antonin Scalia over the course of a long life and career on the Supreme Court even a justice’s mind can change over time on an issue of this consequence. Justice Scalia was the author of this majority opinion. As far as I know, he really didn’t change his mind on this according to his colleagues. He really thought that it was illogical that prisoners in particular should have a religious liberty claim to use Peyote and he was basically willing to redefine religious liberty in order to get to that conclusion. I hate to put it that way, but I mean that’s the effect.
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. I mean he gets credit for integrity in the sense of adhering to his own principles but I think his decision in Smith was deeply misguided, both as a textual matter and an original matter. It’s gotten a lot of criticism from both sides of the judicial spectrum ever since. Fortunately the silver lining here is that the Supreme Court’s bad decision in Smith did prompt Congress to respond. Our Congress three years later passed the religious freedom restoration act by huge bipartisan margin. That religious freedom restoration act is now a key civil rights law that has protected religious liberty for people of all faiths, including our Supreme Court victories for Hobby Lobby and for the Little Sisters of the Poor. The constitution is not the only protection of religious freedom. That bad decision in Smith led to a good law, which goes by RFRA for short.
Albert Mohler: Yeah. I was very involved in that and that law took place the very year I entered office as president here at Southern seminary. That’s where the pulse quickens a bit in our discussion because this is where the most current debates are hottest. I mean you now have people who voted for RFRA in 1993 who are basically making the opposite argument in 2019. You are looking at a massive reversal in one generation of …Especially amongst; I’ll state it bluntly as Democrats who see “religious liberty” as defined in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as incompatible with higher goals they’ve adopted since.
Luke Goodrich: That’s absolutely right. In 25 years there has been a massive shift in the understanding of religious freedom. I addressed this in my book, Free to Believe. Why this shift has taken place. I think you can look at a few different currents but the biggest thing is that longstanding Christian beliefs about absolute truth about abortion and human life and about sexual autonomy. A longstanding Christian beliefs that may not have been uniformly held but at least weren’t controversial throughout most of our history. Those beliefs are now viewed as a threat to progress in modern culture. You also see religion playing a less important role in the everyday lives of many Americans and an increase in religious diversity and you put all those things together and that is basically flip flopped support for religious freedom. Particularly among Progressives where at least when it comes to Christian beliefs about life and about marriage, religious freedom is now viewed as a threat to progress in modern culture.
Albert Mohler: Yeah. I really appreciate the candor with which you address this in your book. I have a book coming out in 2020 and titled, The Gathering Storm in which I deal with a very similar argument. My argument is this: in the Western elites especially, let’s say, the French revolutionaries, the Jacobin traditionally, the idea was that religion itself. Any form of theism was antithetical to human freedom and had to be overthrown. It was quite graphically during the French revolution. The American tradition rooted in the English-speaking enlightenment rather than the more radical continental enlightenment came to a different conclusion as you mentioned in the book of the founders believing in the utility of religion, the necessity even if some kind of religious faith in order to give a moral basis for the society. My theory is this, that the basic framework of orthodox Christianity was recognized early by the European elites as incompatible with their understanding of human flourishing.
Albert Mohler: It was not considered that by the English-speaking elites but rather was seemed to have some functional advantages. But the current elites in the English speaking world have now joined those old European elites and believing no. After all orthodox Christianity is incompatible with a human flourishing and human liberation. I think that’s the shape of the urgency. I think that English-speaking project has changed when it comes to those who are in control of the culture. I mean that primarily in academia and entertainment, all the cultural signaling. The difference is that I think our elite culture is willing to tolerate certain forms of spirituality. Even you can have a brand name, you can have the Episcopal Church which would not have fit the French model but you have to surrender all of those doctrinal issues that are associated with the orthodox Christianity, and thus incompatible with human flourishing and human liberation.
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. That sounds absolutely right. I look forward to seeing your book because I addressed a similar phenomenon in my book and I would say you can hear a lot of Christians fear secularism, anti-religion. I think what we see today is our culture and the elites are increasingly drawing a distinction between ‘good religion’, what they view as good religion and ‘bad religion’. Good religion is private, stays in the church or their home. It’s tolerant, accepts other beliefs. It’s relativistic. It doesn’t tell others they’re wrong and it’s non-discriminatory. It accepts people for who they really are. Bad religion in the eyes of our culture is public. It affects all of life. It’s not confined to the four walls of the home or the church and affects our schools and our businesses. It makes absolute truth claims not afraid to say others are wrong. It’s evangelistic tries to persuade and it makes moral claims and is willing to condemn what it views as sin. Nowadays our culture is very willing to condemn what it considers bad religion and oppress it but it won’t really lay a finger on what it views as good religion.
Albert Mohler: Yeah. I know, Ross Douthat has made a very similar argument in terms of how the culture views good Catholicism and bad Catholicism following more or less the same logic. I think you do an outstanding job in your book by the way of laying that out, honestly, and extremely clearly. I do want to argue, however; that that is a form of secularization and so to look at a theorist like Peter Berger. He would simply say that looks like an American form of secularization, pluralization and the shifting of terms such that you really do it so long as you hold a private belief. Who cares? They’re not going to strap you into an interrogation chair to find out if there might be some shred of theism menu, but as long as you keep your mouth shut and don’t try to speak about these things in public. I think of Frank Bruni a columnist for the New York Times who said, “Keep your religion in your hearts, in your heads, and in your pews.” I think he said, your homes. In your hearts and your homes and in your pews, just don’t let it get out of that or you’re out of bounds.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right. As you say, that does have the effect of secularizing the public square and of our culture.
Albert Mohler: Yeah. It’s a softer form of secularism or secularization, we should say here. It’s a softer form because it doesn’t require you to take a church sign down. It doesn’t even require you to at this point pay taxes on your church property. It just says you may have no claim to public consequence that isn’t in keeping with. So again, they’re glad to have the secularists are very glad to have the Episcopal Church or the United Church of Christ or the Unitarian Universalist Association show up and even seek to influence public policy because they are in keeping with the spirit of the age.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right.
Albert Mohler: One of the most important aspects of your book is that I think you speak with unusual honesty to Christians about our own responsibility in dealing with issues of Religious Liberty and engagement with the public square. I want to credit you with that because it’s not as if you write this book saying there are big bad secularist enemies out there and we’ve got to rise up the defenses and go to court and beat them. You’re willing to go to court and congratulations on your record in court by the way. I have great appreciation for the Becket fund and what you do but you’re also speaking to Christians about our responsibility and you expand that out as a Christian in terms of our own responsibility as gospel Christians but then also how to be smart–or smarter–in the midst of these challenges. Speaking about that first part, why do Christians bear a particular responsibility as Christians in the way we engage these questions?
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. I think a lot of Christians approach religious freedom first and foremost as a political issue or a legal issue without always that it is before that it’s a biblical issue and a theological issue. There’s a couple of different ways we as Christians can easily get religious freedom wrong. One way, I call them the “pilgrims” in my book, is to treat religious freedom primarily as a political tool for maintaining a privileged place for Christianity in society. The other main way to get it wrong, I call the “martyrs.” It’s a reaction against the pilgrims and dismisses religious freedom as a significant issue and treat it as a culture war issue that we don’t really need to fight about and say Christians flourish under persecution and treat it as a luxury that we can abandon lightly.
Luke Goodrich: You have other Christians; I call them the “beginners.” I’m sorry, and who are just waking up to the issue of religious freedom. They may hear about it more often in the news and want to start thinking about it but they’re really not sure what to think. I’ve written Free to Believe after all of these groups and really to say religious freedom is not just this political tool for protecting ourselves. It’s not a luxury that we can abandon lightly. It’s not just a good idea; we don’t need to pay attention to.
Luke Goodrich: Rather religious freedom is a basic issue of biblical justice rooted in the nature of God and the nature of man. We need to reclaim the theological foundation for religious freedom as Christians. Take that with us as we engage in the cultural and legal issues. What are the modern threats and how do we respond to those threats? That was really my goal with Free to Believe, to start equipping us first biblically, then legally and culturally, and lastly, practically with what do we do about it?
Albert Mohler: Yeah. I think you’re right that there’s a typology of how these responses breakdown. I wouldn’t exactly label it the way you did. But nonetheless, we’ll use your labels for the conversation here. I don’t know what the pilgrims would do with your category of pilgrims in this category but they’re not here to argue so we can just move on. You’re not saying it’s wrong. I mean clearly look at your job. You’re not saying it’s wrong to go to court but you are saying that we don’t go primarily on the basis of our commitment even to the U.S. Constitution but because of deeper theological and biblical commitments beginning with Imago Dei, love of neighbor.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right. It’s absolutely not wrong to go to court or else I’m wrong every day but it matters a great deal why we go to court and how we go to court and even before we get to court. How we talk about these issues within our communities and with our neighbors. I think as Christians it’s vital to enter into the conversation of religious freedom rooted in a biblical worldview. Understanding that the religious freedom is an issue of biblical justice for all people and also that we’re called to enter into the religious freedom space, not from a posture of fear. There’s so much fear and even sometimes fear-mongering when it comes to religious freedom. They’re saying the sky is falling; our rights are going to be taken away in code red emergency.
Luke Goodrich: And yes, I mean, we’ve already talked about the dramatic shift in our culture last 25 years and there are major religious freedom challenges ahead that we as Christians have never faced in this country before. Our overarching posture in entering into these conflicts needs to be a posture of hope rooted in the person of Jesus Christ who said, in the gospel of John; “in this world you will have trouble.” He was a realist. When it comes to religious freedom, we will have trouble. In the very next breath he said, “Take heart. I have overcome the world.” As Christians we have so much confidence in the ultimate victory of Christ. That’s already been one that it really needs to inform everything we do about religious freedom.
Albert Mohler: Well, well said, and of course it does. I have a little bit of concern at this point because of very contemporary controversies that are going on discussions in the last couple of years amongst American Evangelicals and Roman Catholics and others. There are those on the left who are accusing conservatives of doing exactly what you say. I don’t think it’s entirely fair to say the least. They’re saying that Evangelical Christians, conservative believers in the United States are in a state of panic–a word recently used in a New York Times editorial–and are operating out of fear. I think we have to be really careful because we are not saying that things are not as bad as they look, so I want to be real clear about that. Things are just about as bad as they look but we’re not thinking merely out of that frame.
Albert Mohler: We are operating out of the full wealth of Christian truth and the power of the gospel. I hope I’m making sense when I say I think we have to clarify the argument that way because there are those who are trying to say things aren’t as bad as they look and on many particulars of just fact they are as bad as they look. But panic, rightly diagnosed is always the wrong thing for Christians. Being accused of panic when you say there’s going to be an inevitable collision when it comes to Christian colleges and universities with a sexual orientation and gender identity laws, that’s not panic. That’s honesty.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right. We need this sober and well informed educated, look at what the threats actually are because there are very real threats. I’m litigating them today. I’m working on behalf of a religious adoption agency in the City of Philadelphia is shutting them down because of their religious beliefs about marriage. I’m representing a religious school in Indianapolis that’s facing lawsuits, multiple lawsuits because they declined to hire teachers who are in same sex marriages. We just had a case granted by the Supreme Court today where the Ninth Circuit said the government can interfere with a religious school’s decision about who can teach religion in religious schools. We have a number of very significant threats. What I’m trying to do in my book Free to Believe is really give ordinary Christians, ordinary Americans a realistic assessment of what those threats are. Because we’re not facing … Pastors are not going to go to jail anytime in the next decade for declining to officiate, same sex weddings.
Luke Goodrich: That’s not one of the threats. Even though some people will sometimes bring that up, but there are a wide host of other threats when it comes to religious freedom. On the left they might point to like, oh, you had one case involving a Baker who wouldn’t make a cake for a same sex wedding. They would try to say that that’s the only aspect of the problem but really that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other issues that are already playing out in court today. If we want to enter into these conversations in an informed, sober and realistic way, we need to understand what the issues are.
Albert Mohler: Yeah. We have to be vigilant and alert all the time because even as you’re speaking about and I’m incredibly thankful for the record you guys have at the Supreme Court. But we also have to recognize that had any one of those decisions gone the other way, the consequences would have been truly dire. Becket does not take unimportant cases. You’re looking for appellate cases with precedential value. I get that, I respect that, but that also means that the downside of losing is that it could be massive. If you take the recent Bladensburg case about the War Memorial Cross there in Maryland, had that gone the other way? We really are looking at case by case municipality by park and facility. We just be seeing the stripping of all religious symbolism from American public space. That didn’t happen, but I think most American Christians have very little idea how close it came just in the last several months.
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. Many of these cases have been decided very closely and there are very real risks. If the cases go the wrong way. One thing I’m trying to encourage Christians to ask through my book is what if we lose some of these cases? What if we start to lose? Why does that matter? Does it matter because we won’t be winning the culture war anymore? Does it matter because we won’t be on top of the heap, or what I argue is it matters because it’s unjust when the government shuts down a Christian adoption agency because they don’t place children with same sex couples and stops the good work of that ministry? Children go without homes, and that is unjust when the government does that.
Luke Goodrich: When the government forces a religious school to hire teachers who repudiate the core religious beliefs of the school that is unjust but much of scripture was written to Christians who are facing just those injustices and even worse. As American Christians, we’ve been so blessed to live in a country that has guarded Religious Liberty so well for so long. We can sometimes forget that so much of scripture was written to the persecuted church and so I devote a number of chapters just looking at what does scripture have to say to Christians who are facing persecution and what can we take away from that in our everyday lives today?
Albert Mohler: Yeah. Even that word persecution is theologically difficult because I find it rather embarrassing to talk about persecution even in the terms we’re talking about it here. Even with dire constitutional and legal effects in the United States when you consider there are brothers and sisters around the world who are in danger of losing their heads simply for allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. The word persecution is too big an umbrella for us right now. I’m trying to get American Evangelicals not to use that word about any current or foreseeable threat to the church in the United States. We have opposition but persecution is a word that I think, just in humility, as a church historian ought to be used sparingly.
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. I think that’s absolutely right and we do often throw around that term in a very loose way and I think it’s important still to look at scripture and what does it say to Christians who are suffering because that can so inform the types of conflicts, the types of opposition that we face today.
Albert Mohler: At no point in any canonical book of scripture was there envisioned a representative democracy that would define liberty as we have known in this country since the late 18th century, that’s not envisioned in scripture. I would argue that scripture and the scriptural worldview helped to produce that and I’ll make that argument assiduously. But yeah, there’s just very little direct guidance to Christians about how to vote because no individual in the Old Testament or the New Testament and that sense had a vote. This is new.
Luke Goodrich: Well, that’s right. That’s right. I have a chapter with over a dozen stories from scripture on religious freedom conflicts. It’s really fascinating to see the variety of stories in scripture involving a conflict between the demands of government and the demands of God for people of faith. Maybe just one; we were talking about persecution versus opposition. All of us know the story of Daniel in the lion’s den and also of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and being thrown in the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to the golden statue. Those are stories of persecution like nothing we face here in America. But there’s another story in Daniel that’s much more similar to what we face and that’s where Daniel and his colleagues were invited or given the food from the King’s table.
Luke Goodrich: They were given non-kosher food and this is not the government out to get them to force them to violate their conscience. The government thought it was actually doing something beneficial for them. Yet Daniel and his friends looked at that food and said we can’t eat that. That’s a violation of our conscience and then their response is quite interesting as well. They didn’t engage in civil disobedience. They didn’t raise a huge hue and cry. They actually went quietly to the authority who was over them and negotiated for a religious freedom accommodation. They’re not in those terms but they said, “give us vegetables.” Let us prove that our religious practices aren’t going to undermine your interests as the government and the government official let them do that and basically gave them a religious accommodation. It’s a fascinating story. We don’t often think about it as a religious freedom story. But there are many, many stories like that throughout both the Old and New Testament that I think can speak to the unique religious freedom challenges that we have today.
Albert Mohler: No. I appreciate the spirit of your book. You’re basically calling on believers. Even as you’re educating believers about these challenges. You’re calling upon Christians to be faithful and vigilant and kind and rooted in the gospel but there’s a lack of belligerence and I think a basic respect and kindness baked into this cake as you’re presenting it. I think that’s very helpful. I want to raise another issue with you that you mentioned a moment ago, press back just a little bit. You were talking about infringements upon religious liberty as injustices and you mentioned, as I recall, an adoption agency or foster care that would now not be able to serve children and that the larger society would recognize that as the loss of a public good and being unjust.
Albert Mohler: I always have to make the case for your second illustration which is a religious school and its freedom to hire persons who hold to those religious convictions and not to be forced to hire people who do not hold to these religious convictions. I think they’re going to be many people especially on the other side of the great cultural dynamic here who are going to deny that that’s a social good at all. As a matter of fact, a Christian school is being Christian or for that matter and Islamic school being Islamic and Orthodox Jewish school. Being Jewish in an Orthodox mode is not contributing to the public good, but is a threat to the public good. I think that’s one of the great intellectual shifts in our time. I just don’t know that we’re going to have much traction with the people who are making me these arguments by saying that an authentically Christian school operating in an authentically Christian way as a public good. That’s the business I’m in and I intend to keep doing it.
Luke Goodrich: Yeah. We’re representing multiple Christian schools right now that are facing lawsuits precisely for that reason because they want their teachers and leaders and administrators to be fully committed to their religious mission. You’re absolutely right. That’s one of the major battlegrounds on religious freedom today. The good news is there are some helpful Supreme Court precedents are already on the books. One of those cases actually involved the Mormon Church in my home state of Utah, and the Supreme Court decided nine to zero that the constitution supports the right of religious organizations to hire people who are fully committed to their religious beliefs. There is a public case, a public argument to be made even in those who disagree with us. I mean climate, organizations devoted to environmentalism. They’re not going to hire climate change deniers or organizations devoted to abortion. A Planned Parenthood is not going to be forced to hire pro-life people. Even liberals and progressives get that, they get the idea that mission driven organizations need to be able to hire people who support their mission.
Albert Mohler: Well, they get it except when they don’t get it; they certainly didn’t get that point when it came to the Christian legal society, the Hasting School of Law.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right. They get it at a theoretical matter. They’re often unwilling to extend the same treatment to religious organizations. The good news is that that Mormon case, Amus, was nine to zero from the Supreme Court. Our Hosanna Tabor case in 2012 was nine to zero from the Supreme Court. There’s some good precedent on the books that we can appeal to.
Albert Mohler: Right. The Hosanna Tabor is just such an historic case. I think we’ll be looking if we have opportunity, I mean not individually. If I’m alive several decades from now, I’m quite certain that Hosanna Tabor is going to be cited as a key precedent. I think in some ways the analog or anti-pole to the Lemon decision.
Luke Goodrich: Right. I think this is one of the areas where the Supreme Court is a bit different from our cultural elite right now. That’s actually a good thing. I think many of the cultural elites would be glad to force religious schools to hire people who reject their core religious practices but there’s good Supreme Court precedent on the books. I think the big pressure point is going to come in the area of government benefits–like government funding, particularly like voucher programs.
Luke Goodrich: In blue states, blue municipalities, you’re going to see a lot of efforts in the next five to 10 years to place strings. To attach strings to government benefits, to place conditions on government funding and telling religious organizations. Well, you can ensure you can get vouchers but you can’t discriminate if you want to get vouchers. A lot of those issues are going to be litigated or really litigating one right now for the religious adoption agency. A lot of those issues are just going to be religious organizations having to make tough choices. How important is it to you to get government funds and can you make yourself independent from the need for government funds in order to maintain your religious mission?
Albert Mohler: Well, you’re saying exactly what I would hope you would say you said it in the book, so I greatly appreciate that. The institution I lead receives absolutely no tax money of any sort, participates in absolutely no Title 4 funding, nothing and never has. The same thing is true at our undergraduate and graduate levels. There is only, I don’t know, something like 12 institutions across the educational world of which I’m aware of that hold of that policy. We have no government grants for any research or whatever. Our federal government by the way is not tempting many theology professors with big grants in order to translate the scriptures or something. But that is a key issue and the practicality of your book is toward the end where you actually offer guidance to Christian institutions.
Albert Mohler: One of them is basically; I’ll just say, travel light. You better decide what you have to have, especially when it comes to external funding and whether or not you’re ready to go without it. I don’t think that’s going to be a choice for and you mentioned state by state. Yes. I think also program by program eventually is not going to be a choice. I also think, by the way; that some of this is non-governmental. I think one big flashpoint for Christian colleges and universities is going to be the NCAA, which is not a government agency. But boy, I tell you they have huge authority and the accrediting agencies as well that I would argue are quasi-governmental now operating on behalf of the government, but we’ve got a lot to look at here.
Albert Mohler: One other very important issue you mentioned and, as an institutional president, this is something that shocks me when I discover it. Even in the last couple of days I’ve discovered it. You have Christian institutions that do not state clearly what their Christian beliefs are in such a way that they would even be able to tell a court. This is how we hire and this is how we admit students and this is what we believe and teach. It’s non-negotiable. I’m an ardent confessionalist. I’m just surprised at how unarmed many Christian organizations are even to defend what their beliefs are because they’re not clear about them.
Luke Goodrich: That’s right. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head for where these threats come from. Some of them come from the inside and this is what I address in the book. You have some threats come from the inside. If you fail to clearly define and pursue your religious mission and you’re not wise enough in your employment practices and aligning those employment practices with your mission, you will be bringing in into your organization threats to your own religious freedom. Those will manifest in lawsuits and employments. You also have threats from the outside. And again, that can come from not clearly defining your religious mission.
Luke Goodrich: It can also be come from being too reliant on your partnership with the government or with other organizations. There are so many steps, whether it’s higher education; whether it’s small K-12 religious schools, churches, business owners, there are many steps that we as Christians can take to start anticipating religious freedom challenges before they arise and positioning our organizations and our ministries so that they can weather the storm that is ahead. And that’s one of the reasons why we need to get prepared is just a matter of stewardship and a matter of being not just innocent as doves but also as shrewd as serpents.
Albert Mohler: The author is Luke Goodrich and the book title is Free to Believe: The Battle over Religious Liberty in America. I don’t often say this on this program, but it’s the book that every pastor needs to read, every ministry leader and intelligent Christians. It’s also been a wonderful conversation. Mr. Goodrich, thank you for the conversation and thank you for joining me today for Thinking in Public.
Luke Goodrich: Dr. Mohler, thank you so much for having me and thank you for your work.
Albert Mohler: Thanks again to my guest, Luke Goodrich, for thinking with me today. If you enjoyed this episode of Thinking in Public, you’ll find more a hundred more at albertmohler.com under Thinking in Public. For information on the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to sbts.edu. For information on Boyce College, go to boycecollege.com. Thank you for joining me for Thinking in Public. Until next time, keep thinking, I’m Albert Mohler. | |||||
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] | 2022-03-04T18:00:00+00:00 | You may already love Katy Nichole’s brand new song, “In Jesus Name.” But, what you might not know is how this song came out of Katy’s journal entries after she was diagnosed with scoliosis. When she came out of the second […] | en | 20 The Countdown Magazine - Listener Line 1-888-535-2020 | https://www.20thecountdown.com/news/katy-nichole-shares-powerful-story-behind-her-new-song/ | Katy Nichole Shares Powerful Story Behind Her New Song
You may already love Katy Nichole’s brand new song, “In Jesus Name.” But, what you might not know is how this song came out of Katy’s journal entries after she was diagnosed with scoliosis.
When she came out of the second surgery on her spine, Katy thanked God for healing her physically and mentally. Her spine was healed and the cloud of depression was gone. She truly encountered the Lord in that moment.
Through that experience, the Lord had given her this song. But without being signed to a record label there was no hope for radio play or sharing her message, so she just put a video of her singing “In Jesus Name” on the popular social media app, TikTok – watch the viral clip below:
@katynichole_ Worship with me❤️🙌😭 #worship #worshipleader #worshipmusic #worshipsongs #christiantiktok #christian #christianity #fypp #fyp #jesus#voiceeffects ♬ In Jesus Name God Of Possible Demo – Katy Nichole
The video went viral and before she knew it, radio stations started playing her song before she was even signed to a record label – how amazing is that!?
Katy shared, if she could say one thing to people, it’s that God is a God of healing. God’s healed me, so I know He can heal someone else”. | |||||
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] | 2023-04-19T06:00:00+00:00 | With corporate consolidation in worship music, more entities are invested in the songs sung on Sunday mornings. How will their financial incentives shape the church? | en | Christianity Today | https://ct.go-vip.net/2023/04/worship-music-industry-business-song-royalties-ccli-ccmg/ | When worship leader Jonathan Anderson selects the song “Lion and the Lamb” for a service, he thinks about what it means for his multigenerational Assemblies of God church to sing about the return of Christ and his final victory: Every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb.
“We have older people who love to imagine seeing God’s face, who look forward to that, to seeing pure beauty,” said Anderson, who serves at Bethel Church in Tallmadge, Ohio.
Songwriter and recording artist Leeland Mooring (who performs with the band “Leeland”) started composing the song at a worship event. He found himself and those with him profoundly moved by the words and music as they took shape.
Mooring told NewRelease Today, “We were just weeping, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room …. God dropped the whole chorus of the song on me right there.”
Eight years after its release, “Lion and the Lamb” remains among the top 30 contemporary worship songs sung in churches on Sunday, with recordings by popular bands including Leeland, Shane & Shane, and Big Daddy Weave.
The song’s continued popularity means congregations lift those powerful words in praise each week, as Mooring and his cowriters (industry veterans Brenton Brown and Bethel Music’s Brian Johnson) hoped. And each time churches like Anderson’s sing “Lion and the Lamb,” it adds up—especially if the service is livestreamed—for Christian music licensing companies, corporate labels, and private investors who have come to see the Christian corner of the industry as a previously untapped income stream.
A portion of the rights and royalties for Mooring’s song, which would have once been continuously paid out to the song’s creators and label, were sold at auction in 2020 as part of a $900,000 package to a private investor. The bundle of songs had made $156,393 the year before, more than three-quarters from the use of “Lion and the Lamb.” The investor who made the winning bid was quoted an industry-projected return of nearly 15 percent.
The words and melodies that stir hearts to worship each Sunday are also intellectual property (IP) on the market, caught up in a recent surge of acquisitions across the music industry. The investment activity has become a “feeding frenzy,” according to industry executive Hartwig Masuch, with worship hits a small part of the billions invested in IP and royalty streams.
As churches worldwide sing, play, and live-stream songs like “Lion and the Lamb,” “How Great Is Our God,” and “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord),” the popularity of these songs has ushered Christian music further into the mainstream music industry and the vast economic ecosystem adjusting to make a profit in a new era.
Trends toward IP acquisition, lucrative arena tours, and corporate consolidation have helped drive record-setting revenues over the past two years—the touring industry saw $6.28 billion in 2022, and recording revenues in the US reached an all-time high of $15.9 billion, growing for the seventh consecutive year.
Many Christian artists, including those whose careers and brands are built on worship music, are benefiting from this growth.
Making money from the genre is nothing new. Christian music has turned a profit for American investors for centuries, ever since bookseller Hezekiah Usher distributed the Bay Psalm Book in 1640, the first book printed in the colonies. What’s new is the complicated web of demand, creation, and moneymaking in today’s version of the industry. The more corporate entities stand to profit from worship hits, the more they are positioned to introduce incentives and exert pressure along the way.
In the worship music landscape, each participant has its priorities: Churches seek out songs to serve their congregations, artists create music to minister to the church, the industry provides a platform and finds ways to profit from popular media, and investors look for promising assets.
Among writers, performers, agents, publicists, tour organizers, record labels, publishers, and investors, all are looking for new worship songs to become hits and for hit worship songs to stay popular and profitable. But not all of these people have equal sway in a song’s trajectory, and not every push toward success is morally or theologically neutral.
As worship music is further integrated into the economic landscape of the mainstream music industry, can it retain its distinct spiritual purpose? Will the powerful incentives of the business—fame and celebrity and financial success—influence the way worship songs are produced and promoted?
Contemporary worship music has gained the intensifying interest of the mainstream entertainment industry over the past two decades. Worship artists fill the country’s largest arenas. Instead of Christian artists crossing over with secular hits, worship songs make their way into the mainstream: Justin Bieber performs “Jireh” and “How He Loves” with Chandler Moore; contestants on The Voice sing “Oceans”; the Today show and Fox and Friends feature sets by Taya, Maverick City Music, and Hillsong United.
Songwriters and worship artists “love the church and want to provide songs that serve the church,” said Shannan Baker, a postdoctoral fellow in digital humanities at Baylor University’s Center for Christian Music Studies. But today’s top worship artists and songwriters face these intensified market pressures.
“I’m hesitant about the role money can play in elevating certain worship songs,” Baker said, sharing one concern about the industry. “It’s a music business. Money drives decision-making at the upper levels.”
Financial gain—especially financial excess—is not a neutral incentive and can narrow the kinds of artists who make it to the top.
“For evangelicals, the market has always been a way of proving God’s blessing,” said Adam Perez, assistant professor of worship studies at Belmont University in Nashville—the hub and headquarters for the Christian music industry. “Investment is a lagging indicator of success.”
“Any time someone increases their access to capital, it increases their access to power,” he said. “Now, how will that power be exercised?”
More mainstream companies and investors have recognized opportunities for profit in hit Christian artists and songs, particularly as major corporations consolidate ownership. This interest has led to major arena tours once reserved for rock stars and royalty auctions to get a cut of worship hits.
Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG), for example, has acquired major Christian labels Sparrow Records, Hillsong Music, and sixstepsrecords. CCMG is part of Universal Music Group, which held a market share of just over 37 percent in the music industry at the end of 2022. Its artists now include Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, Brooke Ligertwood, Crowder, Cody Carnes, Jesus Culture, and the Newsboys. Last year, it claimed to have 60 percent market share of the top 10 worship songs used in churches.
These songs get licensed for services and events through Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI). The organization began as a resource to keep churches from violating copyright when using lyrics and music from worship artists.
Now the music industry has begun to see popularity on CCLI as an indicator of a song’s ongoing profitability, since over a quarter million churches worldwide license their worship music through the ministry. A listing selling royalties for the “Lion and the Lamb” package noted that two-thirds of the annual profits could come from CCLI—$100,000—and that the earnings were stable.
CCLI also ranks songs based on weekly usage as reported by churches its licensing protection covers. According to CCLI, “Lion and the Lamb” landed among the top 30 songs sung at churches as of spring 2023, eight years after its release.
“A Christian radio hit makes a little money for a little while,” said Andrew Osenga, director of artists and repertoire (A&R) for Integrity Music. “Evergreen [worship] songs bring in a lot of income.”
The “song-centric” nature of the worship music market works to its advantage. In a rapidly changing industry (How often do you pay to listen to music?), revenue from songwriting and publishing royalties in the niche have remained reliable sources of income.
Osenga noted that since the beginning of the pandemic, royalty revenues for worship music have increased substantially because of the sudden rise in churches livestreaming and posting service recordings to YouTube. Before 2020, most churches covered by CCLI for the use of contemporary worship songs were paying $170–$215 per year for licensing. The right to legally stream performances of those songs required churches to add a new streaming license, which can cost another $110 a year based on church attendance of 400 people per week (the cost increases with church size).
“Think about the number of church services that are streamed,” said Osenga. “If ‘Good Good Father’ is sung in thousands of churches, many of which are livestreamed, the revenue of that copyright is huge.”
Worship songs typically don’t have a very long lifespan, but a few favorites like “How Great Is Our God” and “In Christ Alone” make it to the CCLI top 100 and stay there. A recent study found that between 2015 and 2019, the average lifespan of a worship song was four years. Between 1995 and 1999, it was 11 years.
The most successful recording artists have still been able to achieve longstanding hits on the CCLI charts; their songs now appear on sites like Royalty Exchange, where investors can evaluate them as financial assets.
Historically, there has been very little interest in back catalogs of Christian artists.
“In contrast to the general market,” ethnomusicologist Andrew Mall said in his 2021 book God Rock, Inc.: The Business of Niche Music, “in the Christian market there is comparatively little demand for (or even awareness of) older music and artists.”
But Hipgnosis Songs Fund, a Blackstone-backed music rights investment company, recently acquired a stake in the back catalogs of Third Day and Jason Ingram, a producer and songwriter who has worked with Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, Kari Jobe, Lauren Daigle, David Crowder, and Christy Nockels. Hipgnosis is the same entity that acquired the rights to Justin Bieber’s catalog in January 2023 in a high-profile $200 million deal.
Hipgnosis’s website touts Ingram as a force in the Christian music industry who “has helped shape the genre in a modern distribution world.” Ingram cowrote “Goodness of God” by Bethel Music, No. 1 on the CCLI Top 100 in 2023, as well as two others in the top 10: “Great Are You Lord” by All Sons & Daughters and “King of Kings” by Hillsong Worship.
In January 2022, the privately funded publishing and talent management company Primary Wave Music acquired a stake in worship artist Matt Redman’s entire publishing catalog. His song “Blessed Be Your Name” has spent 20 years in the CCLI top 100.
“It’s a good deal on both sides,” said Andrew Osenga. (Redman is currently signed with Integrity Music, Osenga’s employer.) An artist like Redman or Ingram can take a buyout, a lump sum from a company willing to bet that their songs will bring in additional earnings. It’s a smart way for a musician to pay off a home or send kids to college. Earnings on future songs they write will still be theirs.
The language used by entities like Primary Wave, Hipgnosis, and Royalty Exchange lays bare the purely financial motivation behind their investment in worship music. In a press release, Primary Wave described the move to acquire Redman’s catalog as one that would continue to “strengthen its position in the faith-based market.”
The Royalty Exchange listing for the 2020 auction of the asset package with “Lion and the Lamb” even named CCLI as a “notably unique and lucrative income source,” whose “earnings are quite stable year-over-year.” The listing also clarified that 78 percent of the catalog’s income came from “Lion and the Lamb,” referring to the song as “the star of this collection.”
Investors may or may not have any interest in the spiritual aspect of the music, but since their profits rely on songs’ continued use by church congregations, they have a financial interest in what churches sing on Sunday mornings.
It’s too soon to say how the relationships between investors and worship artists’ back catalogs will influence the future use or trajectory of hit worship songs. However, with financial backers poised to profit from the continued use of some songs and not others, those with a stake in a particular hit could look for ways to reintroduce it and keep it fresh in the minds of worshipers, through covers, new recordings by popular artists, or novel arrangements.
The royalties marketplace is just one example of how the revenue streams in the worship music industry—and the music industry more broadly—have introduced new stakeholders, incentives, and pressures to the process. For artists who are popular enough to draw huge crowds, touring presents the opportunity to generate revenue with less interference from labels and publishers, who take cuts of recorded work.
The Christian industry mirrors the financial incentives and structures of the mainstream music industry, so it makes sense that Christian artists would rely on touring for income. Over the past three decades, as worship artists make their way onto arena stages, the bigger venues add to the public’s awareness of monetization in the industry. “Christian listeners are increasingly encountering worship music in entertainment contexts that used to be the domain of pop/rock,” wrote Mall.
The line between entertainment and worship in these contexts has grown blurrier, even as touring artists explicitly frame performances as worship services or experiences. Chris Tomlin toured in 2022 with Hillsong United, telling the Gospel Music Association, “I always say, there’s nothing like the sound of the people of God, singing the praises of God, in the presence of God and to be able to experience that night after night is truly a gift.”
Big names like Hillsong and Bethel hold arena tours, sometimes with VIP packages and experiences like early entry, custom merchandise, premium seating, and staged photo ops. And, like Coldplay, Taylor Swift, or others performing in stadiums, they’re subject to ticket scalping.
Last year, Elevation Worship had to clarify that a $1,000-plus front-row ticket listed for their show wasn’t the sticker price but an inflated resale value.
The 2022 Chris Tomlin–Hillsong United tour—playing Target Center in Minneapolis, the United Center in Chicago, and the Banc of California Stadium in LA—initially offered a VIP ticket option for purchase, but in response to online backlash from fans, the tour removed the VIP option and replaced it with two tiers of “experience packages.”
The “Tomlin-United Experience” included a close-up seat, early access to the venue, a photo opportunity on the catwalk, a “pre-show merchandise shopping opportunity,” an “intimate on-stage experience with Chris Tomlin and United,” and “limited gift items specifically designed for VIPs by the artists.”
Christian artists often promote worship concerts or “worship experiences” as more than just performances, and the delivery of a sermon or short message can make the event feel like a heavily produced church service. And some are troubled by the prospect of paying to attend—or get VIP access to—something billed as a worship service.
“Should we ever pay to attend a worship event?” wrote UK-based worship leader and songwriter Tom Read in a column for Premier Christianity about the Tomlin-United Tour in October 2021. “Let’s be honest, there is a significant difference between paying an artist for their work and buying VIP tickets so you can have a photo on a catwalk at a worship event. What is so problematic here is the leveraging of the worship of God for the creation of personal fame and fortune.”
Winter Jam often lands among the music industry’s highest-ranking tours for the first quarter of the year. Organizers have kept ticket prices low—just $15 at the door—hoping to make each stop an accessible evangelistic event. But those looking for a more exclusive experience can still purchase additional access by joining Jam Nation, a tiered fan club with options for groups and individuals.
Attendees who join Jam Nation Max for $149.99, the highest-tier option, will get a meet-and-greet and photo with We The Kingdom and recording artist Jeremy Camp, seating in an “exclusive reserved section,” merchandise discounts, a T-shirt, and early admission.
The highly successful tour illustrates the increased blurring of the distinction between performative Christian music (like radio hits) and worship music. Winter Jam isn’t billed explicitly as a worship concert or experience, but worship and a gospel presentation are part of the event. The 2023 tour included popular worship bands Thrive Worship and We The Kingdom.
The increased consolidation of popular contemporary worship music under fewer companies—entities like CCMG—means the industry has a bigger incentive to promote worship music and bigger artists have a better chance at making solid revenue.
It also means that CCMG has an incentive to gain greater access to the Christian music market, especially anyone looking for worship music.
CCMG owns Worship Together, an online resource for worship leaders that promotes new music, puts out blogs and podcasts, and hosts an annual conference. The featured performers at its 2023 conference will be Hillsong United and Cody Carnes, both CCMG artists.
Despite the involvement of players like CCMG in the promotion and marketing of worship music, Andrew Osenga has faith in songwriters’ commitment to serving the church and in worshipers’ sense of what music belongs in their sanctuaries.
“We don’t want to sing a product,” said Osenga, a former member of the band Caedmon’s Call. “We want to sing a song that is genuine.”
He isn’t worried about increased corporate investment in worship music because he and the artists he works with still approach writing worship music as a calling and spiritual practice.
“You can see short-term attempts to monetize [worship], but they feel outside of the community,” Osenga reflected. “It’s hard to fake it.”
Earlier this year, worship artist Dante Bowe told CT, “If someone’s getting into writing Christian music for the money, they’re in the wrong genre,” given the risk and sacrifice involved.
“A lot of these guys could write anything or do anything. But they haven’t,” said Bowe, who previously sang with Maverick City Music and is launching his own label. “They’ve made a choice to serve the church locally and worldwide.”
Consolidation under major conglomerates offers new access to the marketing and promotional machinery of the music industry, access that many in the industry have welcomed.
Nearly a decade ago, the Gospel Music Association’s review of the industry touted partnerships between Christian artists and NASCAR, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola. GMA executive director Jackie Patillo expressed optimism that the report would attract new commercial partners by providing strong evidence that Christian music could be an effective marketing tool. It’s only become more lucrative since.
But the boost from corporate partnerships and music conglomerates has also widened the gap between hitmakers on the worship charts and the vast majority of songwriters.
Most people making worship music see their royalties quickly dwindle as their songs fall lower on the CCLI lists and out of use among churches—if they ever become that popular in the first place. CCLI licenses over 450,000 songs; most of them have never been performed in a stadium or streamed hundreds of thousands of times.
“You’ll get your first royalty check, and maybe you’ll be able to take your wife out for coffee,’” said Chris Juby, a songwriter with Resound Worship. “You know you’ve made it when the check covers a nice dinner.”
Juby, manager of UK-based Jubilate Hymns Ltd. and director of worship, media, and arts at King’s Church Durham, expects that corporate consolidation in Christian music will also affect the range of theological themes present in the worship of the church.
“Worship songs bear so much liturgical burden in the content of the service,” he said. “The range of [music] that could ever be successful via those channels is so much narrower than the range of what the church should be singing.”
Jonathan Powers, assistant professor of worship and associate dean of the school of mission and ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary, shares Juby’s concern.
“A lot of people are getting their theology from music,” said Powers, who recently edited the Wesleyan Our Great Redeemer’s Praise hymnal. “There is a piety being formed by music in the church—ideas of who God is, what God does.”
When left up to industry promotion and market forces, Christian worshipers often don’t get as broad of a range of expressions, themes, and doctrines as in the curation of a hymnal.
“How many songs of lament appear on the CCLI Top 100?” Powers said, remarking that it’s easy to find songs of adoration or joy but much more difficult to find songs that reflect true lament and sorrow. CCLI’s SongSelect service can sort selections by theme, with 8,658 songs assigned to “adoration” and another 19,914 to “praise.” There aren’t categories for lament or mourning; “sorrow” has 336 songs, “weeping” 35.
“With a hymnal, we’re very intentional. We want to make sure these themes are covered. We want to teach our doctrine. We want to use this to say, ‘This is who God is,’” Powers said. “Our relationship with God, God’s character, all of these ideas are being formed in worship, but I think it’s in very limited ways when the market is driving it.”
A significant portion of worshipers now attend churches where lyrics on screens have replaced hymnals, and song selection is influenced by what leaders hear on the radio, stream online, and see on the CCLI charts.
Worship songs don’t make money and climb the charts unless leaders at churches see them as theologically sound and valuable resources. As the industry seeks stable revenue, experts expect it will keep looking to the songwriters, recording artists, and worship brands that have already proven themselves profitable.
So even with more money to be made in worship songs, this inclination to stick to what works narrows the model for new artists and songs.
“Think about the limited canon of songs. A limited witness to the diversity of God’s kingdom. Limited expressions of beauty, because of a ‘market-shaped’ sound,” said Nelson Cowan, director of the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University. Worshipers recognize—and leaders try to recreate—the guitar-hook-with-delay Hillsong United perfected in the early ’00s in songs like “The Stand” and “Mighty to Save,” and the distinct vocal styles of singers like Kari Jobe and Jenn Johnson.
“This self-replicating process is extremely disheartening for me, as a worship leader, a pastor, and a theologian,” Cowan said.
Songwriter Krissy Nordhoff, who wrote the 2010 hit song “Your Great Name,” told CT last year that it’s harder than ever for a song to get in front of anyone in the business unless you’re a recognizable figure or have some powerful connections.
The model set by celebrity worship leaders trickles down to the local level, where worship leaders are expected to emulate everything from guitar effects and vocal styles to physical attractiveness and fashion taste.
“There’s such a real sense that, ‘Well, I could never be a good worship leader because I can’t carry the image,’” Powers said.
At the Asbury University revival in February, he saw Gen Z students reject celebrity performers for “nameless” worship leaders. That commitment to obscurity and humility is difficult to maintain when faced with a powerful industry with even greater interest in elevating an artist’s creative work, even if that work was created for God’s glory and not their own.
As worship songs become assets in the marketplace and the names associated with them draw crowds to arenas, local congregations continue to faithfully worship using songs that speak to their members as tools to corporately sing praise to God.
“Lion and the Lamb” still ministers to congregations like Jonathan Anderson’s every week. The song has special meaning for Anderson; it was one of the first songs he learned as a new worship leader years ago. It has become part of his church’s regular music rotation.
As he works on his first album, he hopes to record a cover of “Lion and the Lamb.” The song has transcended its connection to any particular artist or recording; in a way, it belongs to him and his church.
And yet, with every use in worship, and every stream on Spotify and YouTube, the song continues to generate revenue. It proves itself to be a smart investment. The profound impact of the song on its creators and those who use it for worship is exactly what has made it profitable. Industry and investors are taking notice.
Kelsey Kramer McGinnis covers worship music for CT. She is a musicologist with a PhD from the University of Iowa, specializing in music in Christian communities. | |||||
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] | null | [] | null | Three-time GRAMMY-winning pop star Olivia Rodrigo will return on Sept. 8 with her long-awaited second album, 'Guts.' Here's everything GRAMMY.com could find about the album. | https://grammy.com/news/everything-we-know-about-olivia-rodrigo-new-album-guts | Before this year, Chappell Roan had never even been to Coachella. Now, not only can she say she's attended — she's performed in the desert, too.
Roan played an evening set on the Gobi Stage on April 12, and is set to return for Weekend 2. Fans clad in everything from cowboy boots, Sandy Liang-inspired bows and, perhaps most importantly, jorts, gathered to celebrate their shared love of Roan's radiance, karmic kink and gay cowgirl doctrine.
Throughout her performance, bubbles breezed through the air as Roan belted out her infectious (and aptly titled) track "Femininomenon," which speaks to lover girls forced to live in an online-dating hellscape. "Ladies, you know what I mean?/ And you know what you need and so does he/ But does it happen? No!" Following collective screams of pure joy, the already enlivened crowd roused to match Roan beat-for-beat, shouting back in perfect unison, "Well, what we really need is a femininomenon!"
In an era of bedroom pop and sad-girl music, Roan has been hailed by both critics and fans for bringing fun back to pop music. Along with her staunch sense of self, Roan's penchant for explicit lyrics that are equally parts introspective and horny makes her dance-pop anthems all the more infectious.
Roan's ambitiously experimental debut album, 2023's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, cemented her status as one of the most exciting pop stars on the rise. While she only recently landed her first single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Good Luck, Babe!," her rapidly growing fan base — and an opening slot on Olivia Rodrigo's sold-out GUTS World Tour — indicate that she's on her way to superstardom.
Perhaps part of Roan's magic is that it was all on her own terms. After parting ways with her first label, Atlantic Records, she built a loyal following as an independent artist before signing with Island Records last year. Even as a major label artist, she's determined to only do things her way; her indefatigable commitment to her craft — as well as writing her own rules when it comes to fashion and makeup — is precisely why her fans are so enraptured by both her music and persona.
Her fearlessness was on full display during her first Coachella set, where the words emblazoned on her bodysuit read "Eat Me." She talks the talk, and walks the walk (in fabulous, knee-high boots, of course), matching her unabashed aesthetic with equally bold career moves; for one, the openers for her headlining tour are local drag queens.
With eyeliner winged to the heavens, near-perfect vocal stability and fiery curls ablaze, Roan's shimmering Coachella Weekend 1 performance proved that her stage presence is equally dynamic. And if she had any doubters, she had one thing to say to them: "B—, I know you're watching!"
In between rehearsals for her Coachella debut, Roan took a look back on her journey to one of music's most coveted stages. Below, hear from Roan about five of the most impactful milestones in her career — so far.
Releasing Her Debut Album, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess
I ended up signing [with Island Records in 2023] because this project honestly got too big to be independent anymore. I just wasn't willing to give up anything, any creative control or for any amount of money.
Being an independent artist was really special because I proved to myself that I could do all these hard things that I had never done. I built it with an entire friend group and many, many years of work. So it wasn't just me, but it proved a lot to me.
It proved I can make it through hard circumstances — with no money. You truly can. You do not need a label to do a lot of what an artist's career requires. You don't need a label to put on your own show, or make a music video, or even write a song, or find creative people. You don't need that s—t. I mean, a label is just money, you know? You don't need a lot of money to do this. To make it grow is, I think, where it takes a lot of money. That's what was difficult.
Music allows me to express anything, even things that I've never experienced before. It allows me to express queerness, even if it was only daydreams at that point. It allows me to express parts of me that I'm not even ready to accept yet.
I don't give a f— if you don't f— with the music. You don't have to come to the concert. That's the whole point of it. You don't have to like it. I think throughout the year, I'm like, "What can I get away with?" Because right now it's pretty tame for what it is like to be a gay artist. But I just want to push it to see how far can I go — with the most controversial outfits or things to rile people up. I'm not really afraid to do that.
Having a song [like "Casual] with the lyric, "Knee deep in the passenger seat/ And you're eating me out," and it's being considered to go to radio. That's kind of a big thing to get away with.
It's not even that big of a thing. What's that song? Is it Flo Rida? That's like, "Can you blow my whistle, baby/ whistle baby." Okay, that's obviously about like a f—ing blowjob. [Laughs.] No one cares about that. To me, I'm like, Let's talk about eating out on the radio. I actually think it has to be bleeped, but still, if I can get away with it, that's cool.
Feeling Financial Freedom & Stability
Not making money at all just sucked. But I learned how to do my own makeup and bedazzle and sew a little bit. I think that the scrappiness came from [the idea that] it's scrappy if it's fun.
I think that's what kept me going — because if this wasn't fun, I would not even be here. But it was scrappy and fun, and it was with my friends. It didn't feel dire. I was also just working at a coffee shop, and I was a nanny, and I was working at a donut shop. I was doing part time jobs all on the side too. So it was all just rough [in the beginning].
I have freedom because now [singing] is my full-time job. It provides for me now. As the project grows, I can do bigger shows and be like, I want outfit changes now, and I want more lights, and I want confetti. I can afford confetti now!
It's about expanding the universe in a thoughtful way. And not just like throwing a s— ton of money at things to make things look expensive or wear all this designer s— for no reason.
I just try to look at how we are starting to gain momentum financially and see how can I intentionally use that to, one, pay the team in a way where they're not bare bones anymore, and two, [ask ourselves] how can we honor this project and this album and the queer community? Can we pay drag queens more? Can we bring drag on the road? Now, financially, doors have opened where we can walk through them with love and intention. Just recklessly, throwing money at s— to see if it works.
Opening Olivia Rodrigo's Arena Tour
Olivia [Rodrigo] just asked. It was official, we went through our management. But I was like, Oh my God.
Preparing a 40-minute set is a different vibe than headlining, obviously. You are going out to an audience that is not there for you and doesn't necessarily care if you're there or not.
This is, like, my fourth or fifth artist I've opened for. But for an arena tour, I just needed to gather my nerves. I think that's the difference between any other show. Like, F—, there's 20,000 people out there right now. I've never performed in front of that many people. I don't know what this emotion is, and I just have to tame it right now.
Standing Up For Herself Creatively, Even When There's Pushback
I stand up for myself, I would say, every day. Sometimes, you get this opportunity, a huge opportunity with a lot of money on the table. [Yet,] I'm just like, That just doesn't make sense creatively. That doesn't align with my values. I'm not doing that.
One huge creative decision was I stood up and pushed the entire headlining Midwest Princess tour back to the fall. The album was supposed to come out while we were on tour. I was like, "This is a horrible idea!"
That caused a big ruckus, but it ended up being fine, and I was right. I'm usually right. [Laughs.] It's like a mother with her kid — a mother knows best. I feel like [that] when it comes to the integrity of my project.
I know how it is to not be able to afford a ticket or even f—ing food. A concert ticket, a lot of times, means multiple meals for someone. I get it, I couldn't afford some artists' tickets. That's why it's really important to me to try to keep them as low as I can and my merch as low as I can.
There's pushback of ticket prices being low and we're playing rooms that are so expensive. The fee to even play them is so expensive. So, you have to raise the ticket prices to just even be able to afford to play the room. There's always an argument [with my team] there, every tour. I'm in control of stuff and if I'm saying this is how it's going to be —- it's just going to be that way.
Performing At Coachella For The First Time
[After the first weekend of Coachella] I am feeling very relieved. I was so stressed about many things. How is the outfit going to work? Will the crowd really be engaged? It went so well, I have no qualms with anything. I loved every second of it.
It feels like I am partying with [my fans]. I am not performing to them; I’m performing with them. [I want people to remember] a really fun, freeing show. Very campy but very meaningful too.
4 Ways Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS World Tour Shows A New Side Of The Pop Princess
From vinyl records by the 1975 and U2, to album reissues and previously unreleased music, record stores around the world are stocking limited and exclusive releases for Record Store Day 2024.
The first Record Store Day kicked off in 2008 and every year since, the event supporting independently owned record stores has grown exponentially. On Record Store Day 2024, which falls on April 20, there will be more than 300 special releases available from artists as diverse as the Beatles and Buena Vista Social Club.
In honor of Record Store Day 2024 on April 20, here are 10 limited and exclusive drops to watch out for when browsing your local participating record store.
David Bowie — Waiting in the Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth
British glam rocker David Bowie was a starman and an icon. Throughout his career, he won five GRAMMY Awards and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
On RSD 2024, Bowie's estate is dialing it back to his Ziggy Stardust days to make Waiting in the Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth) available for the first time. The record features recordings of Bowie's sessions at Trident Studios in 1971, and many songs from those sessions would be polished for his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
The tracklisting for Waiting in the Sky differs from Ziggy Stardust and features four songs that didn’t make the final album.
Talking Heads — Live at WCOZ 77
New York City-based outfit Talking Heads defined the sound of new wave in the late '70s and into the next decade. For their massive influence, the group received two GRAMMY nominations and was later honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
While promoting their debut album Talking Heads: 77, the quartet recorded a live performance for the New Albany, Pennsylvania radio station WCOZ in 1977. The Live at WCOZ 77 LP will include 14 songs from that performance at Northern Studios, including seven that will be released for the first time. Among the previously unheard cuts are "Love Goes To A Building On Fire" and "Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town." During that session, Talking Heads also performed songs like "Psycho Killer" and "Pulled Up."
The Doors — Live at Konserthuset, Stockholm, September 20, 1968
The Doors were at the forefront of the psychedelic rock movement of the 1960s and early '70s. One of Jim Morrison's most epic performances with the band will be available on vinyl for the first time.
Live at Konserthuset, Stockholm, September 20, 1968 includes recordings from a radio broadcast that was never commercially released. The 3-LP release includes performances of songs from the Doors’ first three albums, including 1967’s self-titled and Strange Days. In addition to performing their classics like "Light My Fire" and "You're Lost Little Girl," the Doors and Morrison also covered "Mack the Knife" and Barret Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)" live during this session.
Dwight Yoakam — The Beginning And Then Some: The Albums of the '80s
Over the course of his 40-year career, country music icon Dwight Yoakam has received 18 GRAMMY nominations and won two golden gramophones for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1994 and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 2000.
On Record Store Day 2024, Yoakam will celebrate the first chapter of his legacy with a new box set: The Beginning And Then Some: The Albums of the '80s. His debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. and 1987’s Hillbilly Deluxe will be included in the collection alongside exclusive disc full of rarities and demos. The 4-LP set includes his classics like "Honky Tonk Man," "Little Ways," and "Streets of Bakersfield." The box set will also be available to purchase on CD.
The Beatles — The Beatles Limited Edition RSD3 Turntable
Beatlemania swept across the U.S. following the Beatles’ first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February 1964, setting the stage for the British Invasion. With The Beatles Limited Edition RSD3 Turntable, the band will celebrate their iconic run of appearances on Sullivan’s TV program throughout that year.
The box set will include a Beatles-styled turntable and four 3-inch records. Among those records are the hits "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You," and "I Saw Her Standing There," which the Beatles performed on Sullivan's TV across several appearances.
Among 23 GRAMMY nominations, the Beatles won seven golden gramophones. In 2014, the Recording Academy honored them with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan — From The BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge LP
Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan are two of the biggest pop stars in the world right now — Rodrigo hitting the stage with No Doubt at Coachella and near the end of her global GUTS Tour; Kahan fresh off a Best New Artist nomination at the 2024 GRAMMYs. Now, they're teaming up for the split single From The BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge LP, a release culled from each artist's "BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge" sessions.
The special vinyl release will include Rodrigo's live cover of Kahan's breakout hit "Stick Season." The single also includes Kahan’s cover of Rodrigo’s song "Lacy" from her second album, GUTS. This month, they performed the song live together on Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour stop in Madison Square Garden.
Buena Vista Social Club — Buena Vista Social Club
Influential Cuban group Buena Vista Social Club popularized genres and sounds from their country, including son cubano, bolero, guajira, and danzón. Buena Vista Social Club's landmark self-titled LP won the GRAMMY for Best Tropical Latin Album in 1998.
The following year, a documentary was released that captured two of the band's live performances in New York City and Amsterdam. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the documentary, the Buena Vista Social Club album will be released on a limited edition gold vinyl with remastered audio and bonus tracks.
Buena Vista Social Club is one of the 10 recordings to be newly inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame as part of the 2024 inductee class.
Danny Ocean — 54+1
Venezuelan reggaeton star Danny Ocean broke through on a global level in 2016 with his self-produced debut single "Me Rehúso," a heartbreaking track inspired by Ocean fleeing Venezuela due to the country's economic instability and the lover he had left behind.
With "Me Rehúso," Ocean became the first solo Latin artist to surpass one billion streams on Spotify, on the platform with a single song. "Me Rehúso" was included on his 2019 debut album 54+1, which will be released on vinyl for the first time for Record Store Day.
Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters — Skanking With The Upsetter
Jamaican producer Lee "Scratch" Perry pioneered dub music in the 1960s and '70s. Perry received five GRAMMY nominations in his lifetime, including winning Best Reggae Album in 2003 for Jamaican E.T.
To celebrate the legacy of Perry's earliest dub recordings, a limited edition run of his 2004 album Skanking With The Upsetter will be released on Record Store Day. His joint LP with his house band the Upsetters will be pressed on transparent yellow vinyl. Among the rare dub tracks on the album are "Bucky Skank," "Seven & Three Quarters (Skank)," and "IPA Skank."
Read more: Lee "Scratch" Perry Documentary Director Sets The Record Straight On The Reggae Icon's Legacy — Including A Big Misconception About Bob Marley
Notorious B.I.G. — Ready To Die: The Instrumentals
The Notorious B.I.G. helped define the sound of East Coast rap in the '90s. Though he was tragically murdered in 1997, his legacy continues to live on through his two albums.
During his lifetime, the Notorious B.I.G. dropped his 1994 debut album Ready to Die, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop releases of all-time. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the album (originally released in September '94), his estate will release Ready To Die: The Instrumentals. The limited edition vinyl will include select cuts from the LP like his hits "Big Poppa," "One More Chance/Stay With Me," and "Juicy." The album helped him garner his first GRAMMY nomination in 1996 for Best Rap Solo Performance. The Notorious B.I.G. received an additional three nominations after his death in 1998.
10 Smaller Music Festivals Happening In 2024: La Onda, Pitchfork Music Fest, Cruel World & More | |||||
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"John R. Kirn"
] | 2010-10-29T00:00:00 | Song learning, maintenance and production require coordinated activity across multiple auditory, sensory-motor, and neuromuscular structures. Telencephalic components of the sensory-motor circuitry are unique to avian species that engage in song learning. ... | en | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/coreutils/nwds/img/favicons/favicon.ico | PubMed Central (PMC) | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2888937/ | Timetable for song learning
In nearly all oscine songbirds that have been examined, song learning begins when juveniles memorize the songs of one or more adults. Auditory memories are then used to guide vocal motor development during a sensory-motor stage. The sensory-motor phase progresses through several stages beginning with sub-song, which bears little resemblance to adult song, followed by a plastic song stage where individual notes or syllables can be recognized but are highly variable from one song rendition to the next, followed finally by song crystallization, where notes and, in some species, note sequences, are sung in a highly stereotyped manner (see Williams, 2008 for review).
All songbirds studied to date require auditory experience for normal song development and in some species, exposure to song must occur during an early critical period for it to be copied (Konishi, 2004). There is also evidence for a critical period during which vocal motor practice is essential in the zebra finch (Pytte and Suthers, 2000). Among songbirds, canaries and zebra finches may represent the extremes on a continuum in terms of song learning. While in both species, song is predominantly or exclusively produced by males, and in both species song is initially learned during juvenile life, these species differ with respect to learning trajectories. The zebra finch is often referred to as “close-ended” or “age-limited” in that most of song development is over by 90-120 days after hatching, around the time birds reach sexual maturity (Immelmann, 1969; Arnold, 1975). Zebra finch song is comprised of one to several short, introductory notes, followed by 4-7 individually distinct and more complex ‘syllables’ or note complexes, which are typically produced without repetition and in a fixed sequence. This comprises the bird’s “motif”, which can be sung one-to-several times in rapid succession (referred to as a song bout). After puberty, there is very little change in the acoustic structure of individual notes, but occasional variation in note number and sequence persists (Nordeen and Nordeen, 1992, 1993; Williams and Mehta, 1999; Lombardino and Nottebohm, 2000; Brainard and Doupe, 2001; Williams, 2004; Glaze and Troyer, 2006). In contrast, the canary is considered an “open-ended” learner. Canaries sing up to 30-40 distinct notes, repeating each several times before transitioning to another, and note sequence is not fixed (Guttinger, 1985; Nottebohm et al., 1986). Canaries go through a similar early learning sequence (Marler and Waser, 1977; Marler, 1997), but the process of remodeling song continues throughout life on a seasonal basis. Canaries as old as 4-5 years have been known to learn new song from conspecifics (Guttinger, 1979). Song is remodeled by the addition of new syllables as well as the loss or modification of pre-existing syllables. Canaries also retain some syllables from previous years and there may be strain differences in the amount of new song material learned each year (Nottebohm et al., 1986; Leitner et al., 2001; Voigt and Leitner, 2008).
The open-ended versus age-limited classification of these two species is somewhat inaccurate. While it is true that unlike canaries, normally raised zebra finches cannot (or will not) learn to produce the songs of other conspecifics after song crystallization (Eales, 1985; Zevin et al., 2004), zebra finch song note stereotypy increases with adult age, (Pytte et al., 2007) and relies on auditory feedback (Nordeen and Nordeen, 1992; Wang et al., 1999; Brainard and Doupe, 2000a; Lombardino and Nottebohm, 2000; to be discussed in more detail later). Adult song refinement and maintenance may reflect an active process reminiscent of the later stages of juvenile song learning, whereby slight deviations from a target song are corrected based on auditory feedback. In support of this idea, recent work has shown that naturally occurring drift in adult zebra finch song is corrected by re-exposure to the original tutor song (Funabiki and Funabiki, 2008) and that adult zebra finches will alter note pitch to avoid masking white noise (Tumer and Brainard, 2007; also see Sober and Brainard, 2009) Thus, while zebra finches will normally not learn new songs as adults, it is likely that sensory-motor matching and error correction, used in the later stages of juvenile song development, continue well into adulthood. At the other end of the spectrum, song modification in the open-ended canary appears to decrease with adult age (Nottebohm et al., 1986) and a relatively large fraction of the syllables produced in a breeding season were learned at some earlier (perhaps juvenile?) stage in life (Nottebohm et al., 1986; Leitner et al., 2001; Voigt and Leitner, 2008). Although it is clear that adult vocal plasticity in the canary exceeds that in the zebra finch, it seems equally clear that zebra finches retain vocal flexibility after puberty. Moreover, although canaries do modify songs annually, they recycle some previously learned notes. From these behavioral insights, one might also expect more similarities in adult vocal control system plasticity than is implied by the age-limited/open ended labels.
The Vocal Control System
Arguably the single most important discovery in the history of the songbird field, from a neuroethologist’s perspective, was that there is a discrete series of brain regions dedicated to song learning and production (Nottebohm et al., 1976). This provided an unprecedented opportunity to explore the neurobiological control of a single, well-defined and learned behavior in endothermic vertebrates. Subsequent work has added important brain regions to this circuitry and refined functional distinctions. The vocal control system as well as important auditory structures is illustrated in . A timetable for the development of this complete series of brain regions is lacking and so, for the purpose of this review, the focus will be restricted to a few key structures essential for vocal learning and song production. One major pathway, often referred to as the ‘motor’ pathway, includes two pallial (cortical) structures, HVC (used as a proper name) and RA (robust nucleus of the arcopallium). HVC projects to RA and neurons of this type (HVC⇒RA) make up approximately 60% of all HVC neurons (Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1988; Kirn et al., 1991; Kirn et al., 1999). In turn, RA projects directly and indirectly onto brain stem regions innervating respiratory motor neurons, as well as motor neurons innervating the vocal musculature (syrinx). The ‘motor’ designation is based in part on this anatomical configuration, the fact that the temporal pattern of activity in this pathway closely maps onto and precedes sound production, and also on the fact that lesions at any point within this circuit disrupt adult song production, although deficits vary based on lesion placement (Margoliash, 1997). A second major circuit, referred to as the anterior forebrain pathway (AFP), is analogous to basal ganglia-cortico-thalamic circuitry in mammals (reviewed by (Bottjer, 2004). This pathway begins with HVC and a cell population distinct from that synapsing on RA. This latter population (HVC⇒X) projects to a medial striatal region, Area X, which, in turn, projects to the thalamus (DLM, dorsal lateral nucleus of the medial thalamus). DLM then projects to a cortical region called LMAN (lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium). LMAN projection neurons have bifurcating axons, with one terminal field in Area X and the other in RA (Vates and Nottebohm, 1995). A key feature of these two pathways is that they both have efferent projections originating in HVC that directly or indirectly converge on the dendrites of neurons in RA (Canady et al., 1988; Herrmann and Arnold, 1991; Mooney and Konishi, 1991). Lesions within the AFP have modest, if any, effects on fully stereotyped song but severely disrupt vocal development (Bottjer et al., 1984; Sohrabji et al., 1990; Scharff and Nottebohm, 1991; Nordeen and Nordeen, 1993; Williams and Mehta, 1999; Kao et al., 2005).
Based on the results from early lesion studies, there has been a strong tendency to parse the two pathways just described into a song production pathway and a learning pathway. While these labels accurately describe essential features of song that require the integrity of the two pathways, several lines of evidence suggest that both pathways are important for sensory-motor learning and song maintenance. For example, there is evidence that both pathways are involved in song production. Neurons throughout both pathways exhibit song-related pre-motor activity and acute, micro-stimulation applied to either pathway during singing alters song structure (Vu et al., 1994; Yu and Margoliash, 1996; Hessler and Doupe, 1999; Kao et al., 2005). There is also evidence that both pathways serve auditory functions, perhaps related to song learning and maintenance. Under appropriate conditions, neurons in both pathways respond to sound stimuli (reviewed by Doupe et al., 2004) and this is even true of the brainstem motor neurons innervating the syrinx (Williams and Nottebohm, 1985). Moreover, many neurons in both pathways are most responsive to playbacks of the bird’s own song (BOS) and in RA, this attribute is dependent on input from HVC and not LMAN (Doupe and Konishi, 1991; Vicario and Yohay, 1993). Further blurring the distinction, the very same neurons that exhibit BOS auditory preferences also display song-related pre-motor activity (Mooney, 2000; Rosen and Mooney, 2003) an attribute that has received new interest due to its similarities to the properties of “mirror neurons” in primates (Prather et al., 2008; Striedter and Charvet, 2008). Finally, select subtypes of neurons in each pathway (to be discussed later) are replaced throughout life-a process that may facilitate learning. Thus, both pathways may contain multiple sensory-motor representations of song and exhibit substantial neural plasticity. Although this poses challenges in terms of delineating the specific functions of different brain regions, it probably also points to the need for multiple stages of sensory-motor computation during vocal learning and production.
Development of the vocal control system
Much work has been devoted to delineating the timetable for construction of vocal control circuitry. This research has been driven by an interest in relating specific developmental neurobiological events to particular stages of song learning or maintenance. In a broader sense, this research may provide clues for how developmental programs have been altered in order to create a vocal control system that is present in songbirds but absent or much diminished in birds that do not learn their species-typical vocalizations.
A. Neurogenesis
The vocal control circuitry represents a network of cell populations distributed throughout the brain. It is, therefore, not surprising that the timetable for production of neurons destined for different vocal control nuclei spans a broad range of ages, from midembryonic stages to adulthood ( ; Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1994). Although a complete characterization of the timetable for production of neurons destined for all nuclei implicated in vocal control is lacking, to date two general trends can be seen. On a coarse temporal scale, the relative timing of neuron production for a particular song system region follows that of surrounding tissue. For example most thalamic regions as well as arcopallium are generated prior to hatching, as is true for most neurons in the embedded song control structures DLM and RA, respectively. In contrast, much of the striatum and nidopallium are generated after hatching as is true for Area X and HVC, respectively. However, at a more fine-grained temporal scale, neuron production for some vocal control regions is delayed or protracted compared to surrounding tissue. This is most evident for DLM, but can also be observed in HVC (Alvarez-Buylla and Ling, 1991; Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1994). These results suggest that the evolution of vocal control regions may have been constrained by the timetable for the generation of major diencephalic and telencephalic subdivisions, but also that delayed or protracted neurogenesis relative to these regions may have contributed to the emergence of the vocal control system.
Cells lining the walls of the lateral ventricles give rise to all telencephalic neurons (Goldman and Nottebohm, 1983; Alvarez-Buylla and Nottebohm, 1988; Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1998), and an important question that has not been fully addressed is whether vocal control neurons are formed in discrete locations. In the extreme, is it possible that all telencephalic vocal control neurons arise in the same location within the ventricular zone? This simple model is not supported by the limited data available, at least for neurons generated in juveniles and adults (Stellitano et al., 2003; Scott and Lois, 2007). A complete fate map of the vocal control system may shed important insights concerning the developmental-evolutionary origins of this unique circuitry and the capacity for avian vocal learning.
There is a general trend for projection neurons in the AFP to be produced early. As already mentioned, DLM neurons are formed prior to hatching, as is true for HVC X neurons and neurons destined for LMAN (Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1988; Alvarez-Buylla and Ling, 1991; Alvarez-Buylla and Kirn, 1997). This can be contrasted with the HVC⇒RA neurons, which are generated almost exclusively after hatching (Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1988; Nordeen and Nordeen, 1988; Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1990).
B. Establishment of connectivity
The timetable for the establishment of connections within the vocal control system follows that for neurogenesis. One of the most unanticipated findings was that neurons within the HVC⇒RA pathway, so critical for song motor control (Scharff et al., 2000), are first produced and establishing connections with RA after song vocal development begins and incorporation of this cell type continues throughout song learning in both zebra finch and canary ( ). Acquisition of a song auditory template (sensory learning) begins at 20-25 days after hatching in the zebra finch and the sensory-motor stage, when birds use auditory memories to guide vocal motor development from sub-song to plastic song and, finally song crystallization, spans the ages of 30-90 days (Immelmann, 1969). In the zebra finch, HVC⇒RA axon terminals do not begin to innervate RA until 30-35 days after hatching (Konishi and Akutagawa, 1985; Mooney and Rao, 1994). In contrast, many of the connections between AFP nuclei develop substantially earlier. For example, HVC⇒X neurons have already formed connections with Area X neurons by day 20 after hatching (Mooney and Rao, 1994). Indeed, many connections in the HVC⇒Area⇒X⇒DLM⇒LMAN⇒RA pathway are in place by day 20, although development of this circuit is far from complete at this age (Johnson and Bottjer, 1992; Mooney, 1992; Sohrabji et al., 1993). These results suggest that the AFP is critically important for early stages of song development.
A key question is whether the AFP is the locus of the auditory template used to guide vocal motor development (Doupe et al., 2004; Theunissen et al., 2004). Electrophysiological studies have revealed some AFP cells as well as cells in HVC in juveniles that are equally responsive to tutor song and the bird’s own song (BOS) but cells exclusively responsive to tutor song are rare (Volman, 1993; Solis and Doupe, 2000). Growing evidence suggests that the forebrain auditory area NCM may be one region involved specifically in template formation or storage. Many NCM cells respond preferentially to tutor song and not to BOS and the strength of the response to tutor song correlates with the degree to which birds copy tutor song (Phan et al., 2006). Similar results have been observed using immediate early gene (IEG) expression as a marker of neuronal activity (Bolhuis and Gahr, 2006), and recent work indicates that disruption of IEG expression in NCM and surrounding auditory structures during song tutoring prevents young zebra finches from copying tutor song, without altering performance on auditory perception tasks (London and Clayton, 2008). It is possible that sensory template information is stored in NCM and related auditory structures which relay this information to HVC and the AFP where it is used to guide sensory-motor learning in young juveniles (Bolhuis and Gahr, 2006; Phan et al., 2006).
There is strong evidence that the AFP is critical for much of the sensory-motor stage of song development. This has been confirmed by the findings that lesions of LMAN or Area X prevent normal song development (Bottjer et al., 1984; Sohrabji et al., 1990; Scharff and Nottebohm, 1991). More recent work extends these observations. HVC lesions or transection of HVC⇒RA axons before post hatch day 45 have little effect on juvenile subsong morphology. In contrast, electrolytic lesions or pharmacological inactivation of LMAN before 45 days of age abolishes subsong (Aronov et al., 2008). It is worth noting that HVC lesions would destroy HVC⇒Area X projection neurons, which represent the origin of the AFP. Apparently these cells are not critical for subsong. LMAN inactivation after 45 days of age has more modest effects whereas HVC lesions or transection of the HVC⇒RA pathway interfere with the final stages of song development (Aronov et al., 2008). These results suggest that the earliest song-related vocalizations are controlled by a pathway partially distinct from circuits involved in later stages of song development and mature song production (Aronov et al., 2008). In turn, these results are consistent with the staggered timetable for the development of connectivity within the AFP relative to the HVC⇒RA pathway.
These results point to the development of RA and the confluence of inputs from HVC and LMAN as a locus for synaptic events critical to song learning and maintenance. Synaptic terminals from HVC and LMAN intermingle on the dendrites of RA neurons (Canady et al., 1988; Herrmann and Arnold, 1991) One characteristic of the transition from song development to song stereotypy appears to be a shift in the weighting of RA synapses from these two sources of input. Changes in the weighting of inputs to RA from HVC and LMAN during development are due to dramatic postnatal changes in neuron and synaptic number. There is considerable growth of some song control nuclei after hatching. For example HVC and RA volume nearly triple in size between post-hatch days 12 and 53 in male zebra finches (Bottjer et al., 1985; Bottjer and Arnold, 1997). Increases in HVC size are largely due to protracted neurogenesis (Nordeen and Nordeen, 1988; Kirn and DeVoogd, 1989; Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1992). Few neurons are added to RA post hatch in zebra finches and canaries and so RA growth is due, predominantly, to increases in neuron size and spacing (Kirn and DeVoogd, 1989; Konishi and Akutagawa, 1990). Thus, over the course of song learning the number of HVC neurons, including HVC⇒RA neurons increases dramatically relative to the number of target RA neurons, suggesting progressive increases in RA synapses derived from HVC neurons, a finding supported by ultrastructural counts of synapses (Herrmann and Arnold, 1991). In contrast, LMAN volume decreases dramatically over the same interval. Decreases in LMAN volume are partially due to apoptosis but also the refinement of thalamic input, which initially extends to regions surrounding LMAN, becoming topographically more restricted with increasing age (Bottjer, 2004). Concurrently, dendritic spines on LMAN neurons as well as LMAN axon branches within RA are pruned (Iyengar and Bottjer, 2002a) and LMAN derived synapses in RA are reduced by roughly 80% (Hermann & Arnold, 1991).
These results suggest that inputs to RA from LMAN and HVC are in a dynamic equilibrium, with LMAN inputs dominating during early stages of song development and motor plasticity and HVC inputs dominating as song stereotypy is achieved. This balancing act may continue into adulthood. Recent work has shown that micro-lesions of HVC in adult zebra finches lead to transient song variability, which can be blocked or reversed by LMAN lesions (Thompson and Johnson, 2007). LMAN lesions can also prevent changes in song normally induced either by adult tracheosyringeal nerve transection or deafening (Williams and Mehta, 1999; Brainard and Doupe, 2000b). These results suggest that LMAN is either permissive for song plasticity or actually induces it under appropriate conditions. It would be interesting to see whether the ratio of HVC:LMAN inputs to RA in adult zebra finches changes to favor LMAN after deafening and tracheosyringeal nerve transection.
Inputs to RA from LMAN and HVC are glutamatergic. HVC⇒RA synapses contain a mix of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleproprianate (AMPA) receptors, whereas NMDA receptors predominate at LMAN⇒RA synapses (Mooney and Konishi, 1991; Mooney, 1992; Stark and Perkel, 1999). NMDA receptors have been implicated in Hebbian plasticity in a number of systems (Tsien, 2000) whereby correlated activity between pre- and post-synaptic cells strengthens synapses. Changes in the kinetics of NMDA receptor activation over the course of song development may lend themselves to the trial and error refinement of song motor programs (Nordeen and Nordeen, 2004)). The number of these receptors, their sub-unit distribution and the duration of receptor currents decrease as song learning progresses (Mooney and Konishi, 1991; Livingston and Mooney, 1997; Stark and Perkel, 1999; Singh et al., 2000; Boettiger and Doupe, 2001; Scott et al., 2004; Wang and Hessler, 2006). The developmental change from longer to shorter durations of NMDA receptor activation could facilitate the initial reinforcement and strengthening of synapses associated with production of rough approximations of a target song and then require progressively tighter temporal correlations in activity between inputs, leading to greater refinement of song motor programs. Although the precise mechanisms by which AMPA and NMDA receptors contribute to song learning are still not fully understood (Nordeen and Nordeen, 2004), it is clear that NMDA receptor activation is necessary for song development. Treatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 during song tutoring sessions (but not on alternate days when no tutoring occurred) has been shown to disrupt song learning (Aamodt et al., 1996).
By far the largest nucleus in the song system of adults is Area X, also part of the AFP, which has reciprocal connections with LMAN (Vates and Nottebohm, 1995). Between days 25-50, Area X nearly doubles in size and, as with HVC, much of this growth is due to neuron addition (Kirn and DeVoogd, 1989; Burek et al., 1991). However, unlike HVC, Area X cell addition over this time appears to be restricted to interneurons (Sohrabji et al., 1993). Many of the cells added to Area X after hatching express FoxP2 (Rochefort et al., 2007) and knockdown of this gene interferes with song development (Haesler et al, 2007). FoxP2 is of particular interest as it has been implicated in human speech comprehension and production, though its distribution in the brain is widespread among vertebrates (Scharff and Haesler, 2005).
Despite differences in growth trajectories among these song control regions, it is likely that programmed neuron death occurs in HVC, RA, Area X and LMAN at ages encompassing initial song learning, as shown by counts of degenerating cells (Bottjer and Sengelaub, 1989; Kirn and DeVoogd, 1989; Bottjer and Johnson, 1992). The growth and remodeling of these regions by cell addition, loss and synaptic remodeling during juvenile life are likely to have important consequences for song development. Conversely, the incomplete development of these structures at birth opens the door for experience to shape their anatomical and physiological properties.
Neuronal attributes that co-vary with song attributes
Before describing what is known about the relationship between post-hatching experience and vocal control system development, it may be worthwhile to describe the adult song attributes known to co-vary with neuronal structure. Songbird species can be roughly categorized along a continuum where, at one extreme, only males sing, and at the other extreme males and females engage in complex, interactive duets (Brenowitz and Arnold, 1986). There is a relationship between the degree of behavioral sexual dimorphism and the size of vocal control regions, suggesting that the capacity to sing may be constrained by the size and number of neurons in vocal control regions (Brenowitz et al., 1985; Brenowitz and Arnold, 1986). Moreover, it appears that in the case of extreme behavioral sexual dimorphism as with zebra finches where only males sing, the pathway from HVC to RA is much diminished or completely absent (Konishi and Akutagawa, 1985). This brain-behavior relationship is further supported by work in which adult female waterschlager canaries, who normally do not sing, show dramatic growth of the song system when given testosterone in adulthood and this growth is accompanied by the development of a stereotyped, male-like song (Nottebohm, 1980; DeVoogd and Nottebohm, 1981; Gahr and Garcia-Segura, 1996).
Variation between vocal control system size and song behavior has been further explored across individual males within a species. In the first study to address this question it was shown that there is a positive correlation between the volume of HVC, RA and song complexity (as defined by the number of acoustically unique syllables) in adult male canaries (Nottebohm et al., 1981). Subsequent studies have shown a relationship between song complexity and HVC volume across individuals within other species and when comparing species, genera and families (Airey and DeVoogd, 2000; DeVoogd, 2004). In most of these studies, only the volume of HVC (and other regions) was measured and so we do not know the extent to which volume differences reflect variation in neuron number, size, density or some combination of these attributes. Interestingly, a positive correlation was found between HVC neuron number and the level of accuracy with which male zebra finches had copied the songs of their adult ‘tutors’ (Ward et al., 1998). Significant positive correlations have also been found between song complexity and LMAN size (Airey and DeVoogd, 2000). Collectively, these results suggest that there is a relationship between the complexity of a learned task and the amount of brain space devoted to that task. Somewhat surprisingly, there is a negative relationship between song complexity and Area X volume in the zebra finch (Airey and DeVoogd, 2000) and Cassin’s finch (Macdougall-Shackleton et al., 2005; also see Hamilton et al., 1998). While the significance of this finding us unclear, it underscores the value of examining multiple regions with potentially different functions within the vocal control system. Perhaps in at least some species, it is the relative sizes of distinct but interconnected cell populations that is most important with respect to song behavior. In support of this notion, it has been reported that while HVC size is predictive of repertoire size in the zebra finch, the amount of explained variance in song attributes increases significantly when LMAN and Area X are added as co-variates (Airely & DeVoogd, 2000).
Although song system size seems to matter, caution must be used when interpreting its functional significance. One of the earliest reports of a relationship between song system anatomy and song showed a robust positive correlation between amount of singing and the size of HVC and RA in the seasonally breeding canary and this has been replicated in a number of species (Ball et al., 2004; Brenowitz, 2004). This raises the possibility that the amount of vocal motor activity (or auditory feedback from singing), independent of song complexity, is a better correlate of vocal control brain space. However, these two proposals need not be mutually exclusive. An intriguing possibility is that while all canaries show seasonal changes in song system volume in conjunction with amount of singing, those with the most complex repertoires have the largest HVCs. Recent work has replicated seasonal vocal control system size changes using fMRI (Van der Linden et al., 1998; Van Meir et al., 2006; Van der Linden et al., 2007). With further refinement, this method might be used to follow seasonal changes in singing rate, vocal repertoire size and song system volume within the same birds across more than one breeding season.
Neurogenesis and the addition of new neurons to some song system regions continue from early post hatch ages into adulthood and there have been several studies conducted to explore potential links between neuronal replacement (addition and loss) with song attributes. Adult neuron addition has been studied in HVC, Area X in the AFP, and the auditory region NCM (Lipkind et al., 2002; Barnea et al., 2006; Barkan et al., 2007; Adar et al., 2008b). However, the most intensive study has focused on HVC, with particular interest in the replacement of HVC neurons that project to RA. The fact that these cells become incorporated in an otherwise mature brain, manage to synapse on target cells 2-3 mm away, and achieve their sparse and highly specific response properties (Hahnloser et al., 2002) is truly a remarkable developmental feat.
HVC neurogenesis is high throughout song learning and then tapers off dramatically around the time of song crystallization at 90-120 days post hatch in the zebra finch (Wilbrecht and Kirn, 2004). A similar trend occurs with a somewhat different timetable in young canaries (Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1988). In the adult male canary, HVC neuronal replacement, including the addition and loss of HVC⇒RA neurons ( ) occurs throughout the year. However, replacement varies seasonally, with high rates of neuron addition and loss occurring at times of year when new song learning occurs ( , (Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1990; Kirn et al., 1994). Over a six-month period spanning the transition from spring, when singing rates in canaries are high and syllables are stereotyped, to fall, when song is extensively remodeled and song rates are lower, there is a 30-50% loss and replacement of the entire HVC⇒RA pathway ( ; Kirn and Nottebohm, 1993). This raises the possibility that neuronal replacement promotes or enables new song learning (Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1990, Kirn et al., 1994; reviewed by Nottebohm, 2004; Wilbrecht & Kirn, 2004). However, many song-related attributes change seasonally. As previously mentioned, canaries retain some syllables from one year to the next. Between breeding seasons, these notes become variable in structure, and it is at these times that highest rates of neuron addition occur. Thus, perhaps the process of achieving song stereotypy, regardless of when notes are initially learned, is a better correlate of elevated HVC neuron addition. Support for this hypothesis comes from studies of western song sparrows, who learn their entire song as juveniles but show seasonal variation in song stereotypy in adulthood. These birds also show higher rates of HVC neuron addition during periods of song instability that precede and follow the breeding season (Tramontin and Brenowitz, 1999). Another piece of evidence for this hypothesis comes from the zebra finch. Zebra finches continue to receive new HVC neurons throughout life, however rates of neuron addition decline with increasing adult age (Wang et al., 2002). This decline coincides with progressive, post-song crystallization increases in song stereotypy (Pytte et al., 2007) and a decrease in the dependence of song on auditory feedback ( ; Lombardino and Nottebohm, 2000; Brainard and Doupe, 2001). Thus, as song becomes more stereotyped, neuronal replacement decreases. The decrease in neuron addition is not accompanied by a change in total HVC neuron number, indicating that as birds get older, both the HVC⇒RA cell population and the song motor program become more stable. Collectively, these results support the hypothesis that highest rates of HVC neuronal addition and replacement are associated with periods when song structure is highly variable but is progressing toward stereotypy. Perhaps ongoing neuronal replacement in HVC provides birds with the motor flexibility to achieve song stereotypy, regardless of when song was initially learned. One model for explaining this process is that when new neurons arrive in HVC, their survival and recruitment depend on the extent to which they contribute to a bird’s achievement of a target song (Wilbrecht and Kirn, 2004). This model implies that there is some basis for evaluation of a neuron’s response properties, which, on a more general level, would require that experience modulates adult neuron addition, a topic to be discussed shortly.
There has been much less work exploring potential associations between neuron addition to Area X and song. The age-related increases in song stereotypy reported in adult zebra finches are not associated with changes in Area X neuron addition, suggesting that its control and functions may differ from those for neuron addition to HVC (Pytte et al., 2007). Moreover, the seasonal changes in song stereotypy in sparrows that co-vary with changes in HVC neuron addition are not also accompanied by seasonal changes in Area X neuron addition (Thompson and Brenowitz, 2005). Given that Area X is part of the AFP necessary for song learning, it would be interesting to see whether canaries, which, unlike sparrows, learn some new song material annually, do show seasonal changes in Area X neuron replacement.
The role of androgens in the development of song and the song system
The termination of vocal plasticity at puberty (zebra finch) and at the onset of the breeding season (canary) may be controlled by rising steroid hormones and, in particular, testosterone (Nottebohm, 1989; Bottjer and Hewer, 1992; Bottjer and Johnson, 1997). Testosterone (T) is detectable in male zebra finches during song development (Pröve, 1983; Adkins-Regan et al., 1990), raising the possibility that androgens or related steroids are necessary for regulating the timing of vocal learning. Excess androgens during juvenile life interfere with normal song development, perhaps due to precocious development of one or more song system regions (Korsia and Bottjer, 1991). However, normal song development depends on at least some androgenic stimulation as androgen blockade also disrupts song development (Bottjer and Hewer, 1992). It is tempting to conclude that during normal development, lower levels of androgens or their metabolites are permissive for vocal exploratory behavior and that rising T levels at puberty curtail this plasticity and promote song crystallization and song stereotypy. Peripheral circulating levels of T have been reported to surge at the time of song crystallization in young male zebra finches (Prove, 1983). However, peripheral T levels in younger birds during the plastic song phase are not necessarily lower than in fully mature males (Adkins-Regan et al., 1990). It is possible that more localized changes in hormone secretion within the brain itself orchestrate the timing and sequence of stages that constitute normal song development. Peripheral circulating levels of steroids do not always reflect levels in the brain (Remage-Healey et al., 2008), and it has been shown that all of the enzymes necessary for steroid synthesis are present in brain tissue (Baulieu, 1998, London et al., 2009) (also see Vockel et al., 1990). Therefore, some caution must be used when relating peripheral hormone levels to behavior.
There has been considerable work exploring the potential role of steroids in the establishment of sex differences in the song system, and although early exposure to gonadal steroids promotes the development of a male-like song system in female zebra finches, it has also been shown that neither the gonads, T or estradiol (E) are necessary for the initial development of song control region size and neuron number in male zebra finches (Wade and Arnold, 2004). However, it is possible that within males, more subtle variation in HVC neuron number might be related to early variation in T exposure. There is large inter-clutch variability in egg T levels as well as adult HVC neuron number in zebra finches (Ward et al., 2001), however, a causal link between early T exposure and neuron number has not yet been explored.
In contrast, androgens have been shown to play a pivotal role in the regulation of adult, seasonal plasticity in the song system of some species. In canaries, seasonal peaks in cell death and replacement are preceded by declines in androgen levels (Nottebohm et al., 1987; Kirn et al., 1994), and adult female canaries treated with T exhibit growth of song control regions that accompanies the development of male-like song (Nottebohm, 1980). The initial growth of song system regions in late winter is critically dependent on androgens in white-crowned sparrows and castration early in the breeding season (after HVC has reached maximal size, results in a rapid decline in HVC volume (Tramontin et al., 2000; Thompson et al., 2007). HVC growth and regression reflect steroid influences on neuron addition and survival. An elegant model has been developed suggesting that steroids regulate the trophic factor BDNF, which, in turn, regulates HVC neuron survival (Rasika et al., 1999; Louissaint et al., 2002; Nottebohm, 2004), perhaps by modulating the activity of the caspase family of proteases known to promote programmed cell death (Thompson and Brenowitz, 2008).
When taken together, available data suggest that steroids can influence the development of both song and the song control system. In some species, steroid influences extend well into adulthood. In seasonal breeders, there is a trend for steroids to be highest at times associated with highest singing rates and song stereotypy. Conversely, lower singing rates and increases in song variability and/or new song learning are associated with lower steroid levels. One can see similar trends with respect to steroids and adult seasonal neural plasticity. Seasonal declines in steroids are associated with regression of song system nuclei and an increase in HVC cell death. Subsequent increases in steroids that precede the breeding season promote the replacement of lost neurons, re-growth of HVC, and when birds have high steroid levels and are in full breeding condition, HVC volume and total neuron number are highest and neuronal replacement is low. Interestingly, even in the adult zebra finch, where singing and song variability are not modulated seasonally, the capacity for song modification appears to be influenced by androgens. Unilateral ts (tracheosyringeal) nerve cuts result in varying degrees of song reorganization and the amount of song rearrangement is inversely related to circulating T. Moreover, experimentally induced increases in T inhibit song modification in birds with ts nerve cuts (Williams et al., 2003). These results raise the possibility that steroids play a pivotal role in the regulation of behavioral and neural plasticity both during development and adulthood, and across species with different learning trajectories.
The role of experience in guiding vocal control system development
Due in part to the extensive role of experience in guiding vocal development there have been many experiments designed to test the role of various kinds of experience in the establishment of connectivity, size and number of neurons in the vocal control system. Most of the manipulations that have been employed to study vocal learning on a behavioral level have been co-opted to explore the role of experience in vocal control system development. Perhaps the most profound manipulation involves early deafening, which, depending on when it is done, blocks song model memorization, a bird’s ability to use song memories to guide vocal development, or both (Konishi, 2004). However, deafening deprives birds of all auditory experience. In an attempt to more selectively deprive birds of song-related sensory experience, other work has involved exposure of hearing-intact birds to an impoverished social environment lacking song tutors during development, which can delay the normal closure of the sensitive period for song learning (Eales, 1985). Perhaps the most powerful approach has been to expose birds to different song models in order to see whether variation in song model complexity and the resulting complexity of learned song correlate with song system attributes (Brenowitz et al., 1995; Airey et al., 2000a).
Particular focus has been placed on the AFP and, more specifically, LMAN, its thalamic inputs from DLM, and its projections to RA. Early isolation from potential song models delays the normal decrease in the number of dendritic spines on LMAN neurons, and the regression of axonal arbor of LMAN neurons in RA (Wallhäusser-Franke et al., 1995; Iyengar and Bottjer, 2002a). These results raise the possibility that exuberant connectivity is permissive for song plasticity and that regressive events in the AFP may constrain or terminate behavioral plasticity. The effects of isolation on at least some of these attributes depend on the onset and duration of isolation. Isolation begun on post hatch day 4 and continued until day 55 delays the normal decrease in LMAN spine densities (Nixdorf-Bergweiler et al., 1995). However, social deprivation begun on post hatching day 30 did not delay the normal loss of spines (Heinrich et al., 2005). While it could be that this later onset of deprivation allowed some earlier exposure to key social interactions, this cannot explain the fact that deprivation begun on day 30 did, in fact, delay the closure of the sensitive period for song learning. Thus, developmental decreases in LMAN spine density can be dissociated from closure of the sensitive period for song learning (Heinrich et al, 2005). As already mentioned, the ratio of HVC:LMAN input to RA may be important for song learning and so it would be interesting to see whether social deprivation affects this ratio. It would also be interesting to see how social deprivation affects the maturation of NCM and related auditory structures implicated in auditory template formation.
Deafening or rearing in white noise has also been shown to prevent or delay the normal development in the topography of LMAN terminals in RA (Iyengar and Bottjer, 2002b). Interestingly, normal changes in topography of DLM input to LMAN and between LMAN and Area X were insensitive to this treatment. These results indicate that early experience can alter the normal development and refinement of some AFP neuronal attributes, however, the specific link between developmental changes in these attributes and song learning remains unclear.
The development of HVC volume in zebra finches (Buchanan et al., 2004) and RA volume in song sparrows (Nowicki et al., 2002) are affected by early nutritional stress, indicating, at the very least, that postnatal factors can influence these attributes (but also see (Gil et al., 2006). Moreover, normal variation in HVC volume can be attributed, in part, to early parenting, perhaps including song tutoring (Buchanan et al., 2004). However, the attainment of normal adult volume and total neuron number in these regions is not affected by early deafening in the zebra finch, despite the profound effects deafening has on song development (Burek et al., 1991).
As already mentioned, HVC neurogenesis is high throughout song learning and then declines substantially by the age of 90-120 days post hatch in the zebra finch (Nordeen and Nordeen, 1988b; Wilbrecht and Nottebohm, 2004). Although complete absence of auditory function (by early deafening) has no effect on the attainment of adult HVC volume and neuron number in the zebra finch, potential effects of experience on the dynamic process of cell turnover cannot be assessed without cell birth dating techniques. When neuron replacement is measured, deafening does have an effect in juvenile zebra finches, however this effect is context-dependent. When the tracheosyrngeal nerve innervating the syrinx is transected unilaterally in juveniles, song development progresses with little impairment but relies on the intact, contralateral nerve. Since there is relatively little communication between the two hemispheres “up stream” from the ts nerve, it is possible that this surgery forces the bird to learn song entirely with one hemisphere (Wilbrecht et al., 2002). This manipulation has little effect on HVC neuron addition ipsilateral to nerve transection but there is a dramatic increase in neuron addition and replacement in the contralateral HVC, perhaps resulting from the extra demands placed on the intact hemisphere (Wilbrecht et al., 2002). Under these circumstances, deafening was found to prevent the contralateral increase in neuron addition to HVC. However, deafening alone (without nerve cuts) had no detectable effect on HVC neuron addition in juveniles (Wilbrecht et al., 2002). Given that deafening blocks normal song development in birds with intact and unilateral ts nerve cuts, neither the absence of normal auditory function alone, nor the development of an abnormal song can account for differences between these two experimental conditions. Amount of singing was not explored in this work and so perhaps song-related motor activity or non-auditory proprioceptive feedback differed between these experimental groups.
The effects of deafening in adulthood on HVC size, total neuron number and neuron replacement have been inconsistent. Early work suggested that deafening attenuated the growth of HVC that can be induced by testosterone treatment in female canaries, however, the same group was subsequently unable to replicate this finding (Bottjer and Dignan, 1988; Bottjer and Maier, 1991). Researchers working with other species also failed to detect an effect of deafening on seasonal increases in HVC size (Brenowitz et al., 2007). The first attempt to explore the role of experience in regulating adult neuronal replacement reported a dramatic decrease in new HVC neuron addition after deafening in adult male zebra finches (Wang et al., 1999). However, subsequent attempts to replicate this work were also unsuccessful, and we hypothesize that when deafening does have an effect on neuron replacement, it is contingent on other factors, including differences in the way deafened and hearing birds respond to social context (in preparation). Indeed, in more recent work we found a small but significant increase in HVC neuron incorporation in deafened birds compared to their hearing cage mates ( ; Hurley et al., 2008). At present, the safest conclusion one can draw from this work is that hearing may be important in some contexts (as was found in juveniles with ts nerve cuts), however, complete absence of normal auditory function, by itself, plays a minor, if any, role in the regulation of HVC growth or neuronal replacement.
There is evidence that the act of singing regulates HVC neuron addition in adult canaries. Birds who were not allowed to sing for 8 days had significantly fewer new HVC neurons when compared to birds that sang at high rates in response to playbacks of song (Li et al., 2000). Moreover, there is a positive correlation between naturally occurring variation in amount of singing and new HVC neuron addition (Alvarez-Borda and Nottebohm, 2002). At first glance, these results appear to contradict the finding that in canaries and song sparrows, seasonal increases in neuron addition occur at times of year when singing is very low. However, peaks in HVC neuron addition, in the canary at least, occur as birds are beginning to sing again after a dormant period (Nottebohm et al., 1987; Kirn et al., 1994). Perhaps the laboratory conditions under which singing has been shown to correlate with neuron addition are ones in which increases in singing were encouraged above low baseline levels. These results suggest that singing promotes neuron addition, perhaps by increasing the production of trophic survival factors like Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF; see Nottebohm, this volume). To the extent that singing influences a bird’s own HVC neuronal replacement, it is tempting to suggest, from all available data, that this is a vocal motor-driven process.
It is likely that adult neuronal replacement in HVC and elsewhere in the song control system is also influenced by the actions and attributes of conspecifics. Social enrichment has been reported to enhance the survival of adult-formed neurons in NC, Area X, HVC and the hippocampus in adult male zebra finches (Lipkind et al., 2002; Barnea et al., 2006; Adar et al., 2008b). In one study, males housed in small, mixed-sex groups were moved to larger cages where a) males were housed singly, b) males were housed individually with an unfamiliar female, or c) males were introduced to large, mixed-sex groups of unfamiliar birds. Males in the latter group showed more new neurons in HVC, NC and Area X compared with the former two groups, which did not differ from one another (Lipkind et al., 2002). It is unlikely that changes in general activity levels or amount of singing could account for these results (Lipkind et al., 2002; Adar et al., 2008a). NC, HVC and Area X have been implicated in auditory perception and memory formation (Scharff et al., 1998; Gentner, 2004; Mello et al., 2004) and the authors concluded that at least one potential way that social enrichment might enhance new neuron survival is by increased demands on systems underlying new auditory memory formation (Adar et al., 2008a). As already mentioned, the role of auditory function in regulating HVC neuron addition is unclear. However, the authors’ interpretation is particularly appealing for NC, which is not directly implicated in song control but serves auditory functions and projects to song control regions (Mello and Clayton, 1994; Mello et al., 2004).
Subsequent work on NC (Adar et al., 2008b) showed that varying the timing and degree of change in social complexity relative to a new neuron’s age impacted that neuron’s chances of survival. It was found that adult-formed neurons that had lived for 3 months prior to manipulation of social complexity were lost in birds transferred from a simple to a more complex social environment whereas this same manipulation enhanced survivorship of neurons that were younger at the time of social change (1 month old). The opposite result was obtained when birds were not transferred from simple to complex environments—older neurons survived longer at the expense of younger neurons. These results suggest that social stability favors survival among pre-existing neurons over newly formed neurons, whereas social change (increases in social complexity) favors survival of new neurons over older ones.
These results provide strong evidence that experience can influence some aspects of juvenile brain development and adult neuron replacement within the vocal control system. However, the relative contributions of song-related auditory and motor experience and other social factors remain unclear.
The relationship between steroids, experience, the development of song and the song system
As already mentioned, steroids can have profound effects on song and the song system. This raises several critical questions. Do steroids have independent, and potentially unrelated effects on song and song system development? This question is not trivial, as many of the experimental manipulations used to explore causal links between song plasticity and brain attributes could also influence circulating steroid levels. Do experience and hormones act synergistically in the development of song and the song system? There is substantial evidence that experience can influence steroid levels (Lehrman, 1964; Goymann et al., 2007). Even when hormone levels are ‘clamped’ by gonadectomy and hormone implants, experience can influence circulating hormone levels, presumably by effects on steroid metabolism (Raouf et al., 2000). It is possible that increases in steroids promote singing, for example, and, in turn, the act of singing might feed back to further augment hormone secretion, and both might be necessary for maximal changes in brain anatomy and function. Finally, the act of singing might have independent effects on brain anatomy/function and steroid levels.
A complete review of this literature is beyond the scope of this chapter (for a more comprehensive review, see Ball et al., 2004; Brenowitz, 2004; Sartor and Ball, 2005). However, some experiments have been conducted to explore (or at least control for) the potential effects of experience and gonadal steroids on song system structure. Recent work has shown that depriving juvenile zebra finches of tutors to delay the end of the critical period for song learning also delays the normal decline in HVC neuron addition without influencing circulating steroid levels (Wilbrecht et al., 2006). In adult white-crowned sparrows, exposure to increasing day length induced large increases in the size of vocal control regions regardless of whether males were housed with or without females, however, growth was greater in males housed with females despite the absence of group differences in circulating T (Tramontin et al., 1999). In adult canaries, a reduction in photoperiod resulted in an increase in the death of HVC⇒RA neurons without affecting circulating gonadal steroids (Kirn and Schwable, 1997). These correlational studies provide evidence for dissociations between circulating T and neural plasticity in juveniles and adults. Interestingly, in the former study (Wilbrecht et al., 2006), the delayed decrease in HVC neuron addition was associated with a delay in the achievement of song stereotypy, and in the latter study (Tramontin et al., 1999), males housed with females and who had larger song control regions also sang more suggesting an additional dissociation between circulating T and song attributes.
There is also strong evidence that T can influence adult HVC size independent of amount of singing or auditory function (Brenowitz et al., 2007). This does not, however, rule out the possibility that singing has independent effects on neural structure/function. Perhaps the strongest evidence for a causal link between singing and neural plasticity that is independent of gonadal steroids comes from previously described work with adult canaries (Li et al., 2000; Alvarez-Borda and Nottebohm, 2002). Birds allowed to sing freely had significantly more new HVC neurons compared to birds prevented from singing for 8 days (Li et al., 2000). Of course, this chronic manipulation could have resulted in reduced T levels in the suppressed group. However, in subsequent work (Alvarez-Borda and Nottebohm, 2002), evidence was presented for independent and, perhaps synergistic effects of singing and T on HVC neuron addition. When comparing castrated and gonadally intact males that sang at comparable levels, neuron addition was nearly three-fold higher in the latter group. However, among castrates, who had undetectable levels of circulating T, there was still a positive correlation between amount of singing and new neuron addition (Alvarez-Borda & Nottebohm, 2002). These results are consistent with a model in which rising steroid levels promote singing and neuron addition but that singing, via T-independent mechanisms, can also enhance neuron addition (Alvarez-Borda & Nottebohm, 2002). Further experiments suggest that both steroids and singing promote HVC neuron survival by the production of BDNF (Nottebohm, 2004). It seems clear from the work summarized that steroids and singing can have independent effects on neuron addition. The relative weighting of these variables in the control of neuron addition may differ, with T having a larger impact than singing (Alvarez-Borda & Nottebohm, 2002)). However, it is also likely that steroids, singing, and possibly other social factors, have additive effects on neuronal replacement. It will be interesting to determine whether BDNF expression is part of the story for all of these variables.
Constraints on vocal control system development
Although there is a large literature devoted to behavioral and song system plasticity, a growing number of studies suggest that there are major constraints on song system development and that variation in song system attributes is regulated by experience-independent factors. As already mentioned, early deafening, which has profound influences on song learning and maintenance, has no detectable effect on the attainment or maintenance of adult HVC volume and total neuron number (Burek et al., 1991). In other studies, it has been shown that where co-variation between neural and behavioral attributes exist, it is more likely that brain structure determines the quality or amount learned, rather than the other way around. For example, western marsh wrens have a much larger song repertoire than their eastern counterparts and western birds have a larger HVC when compared to eastern birds (Canady et al., 1984). When nestlings from the two populations were hand reared and exposed to the same song tutor tapes, western birds still learned a larger repertoire and had a larger HVC compared to their eastern counterparts (Kroodsma and Canady, 1985). Moreover, when western nestling marsh wrens were divided into two groups, one exposed to tape recordings with a large song repertoire from which to learn and the other exposed to recordings with a small repertoire, birds in the former group acquired and produced more complex songs than birds in the latter group, yet there were no group differences in the volume of HVC or RA. Interestingly, within the group that produced a large repertoire, there was a positive correlation between song complexity and vocal control region volume (Brenowitz et al., 1995). Song experience is not entirely without effects, as the number of dendritic spines on HVC neurons was higher in wrens exposed to a larger repertoire (Airey et al., 2000a). Nevertheless, these results strongly suggest that the complexity of learned song does not determine song system size and raise the possibility that song system size constrains the complexity of learned song. It is worth noting that in the very first study to show a relationship between song complexity and the size of song system structures (Nottebohm et al., 1981) the conclusion drawn was that canaries with a large HVC might produce either simple or complex songs, but that the most complex songs required a large HVC. These results suggest a model where variation in HVC volume and total neuron number are largely sculpted by experience-independent factors and that these attributes might place limits on the capacity to learn and/or produce complex songs.
So what regulates the size and number of neurons in vocal control regions? The answer to this question remains unknown but there is growing evidence that these attributes are heritable (Airey et al., 2000b). Zebra finch brothers co-vary in measures of HVC volume and neuron number (Ward et al., 2001; Williams et al., 2003) and this is also true for the size of brain regions with direct projections to and from HVC (Airey et al., 2000b). We cannot rule out a potential role of early life experience (including in ovo exposure to hormones) that has long lasting, perhaps permanent effects on these attributes. For example, as already mentioned, early dietary restriction has been shown to impact HVC volume and in cross-fostering experiments a small but significant amount of the variation in HVC size can be attributed to the environment provided by foster parents (Nowicki et al., 2002; Buchanan et al., 2004). Nevertheless, available data suggest that a significant amount of the variation in the size of HVC, RA and Area X size can be accounted for by variation in genotype.
Several studies have shown changes in HVC neuron addition can occur in the absence of changes in HVC volume or total neuron number (Alvarez-Buylla et al., 1992; Wang et al., 2002; Wilbrecht et al., 2002). However, here too, there appear to be constraints on adult neuron addition that are either heritable or the long-term consequence of early experience. Recent work indicates that adult male zebra finches derived from the same nest have similar rates of neuron addition (Hurley et al., 2008). Similarities among nest mates persisted even when one nest mate of a pair is deafened in adulthood ( ). It is possible that other types of adult experience, like social enrichment, would weaken the co-variation seen among nest mates. However, the wholesale loss and replacement of neurons represents a dramatic (and potentially costly) form of plasticity that is presumably adaptive for modifying neural circuits in response to environmental change. It seems paradoxical that such constraints exist at all. Regardless, if it turns out that nest mate similarities are heritable, this may open the door to a new approach for exploring the functional significance of adult neurogenesis through selective breeding for high and low rates of neuron incorporation.
Experience-independent constraints on total HVC neuron number may also explain the complex nature of the relationship between adult T, singing, and rates of neuron addition. T promotes neuron addition but neuron addition at times of year when circulating T has been high for some time is substantially lower than when T levels have been low for some time (Kirn et al., 1994). Moreover, although singing may promote neuron addition, as already mentioned, neuron addition is low at times of year when birds are naturally singing the most! This has led to a model where available synaptic space in HVC is a major factor in the regulation of neuron addition (see Nottebohm, this volume). In seasonal breeders, the end of the breeding season is marked by a crash in T levels and an increase in cell death (Kirn et al., 1994; Breonowitz, 2004). The increase in cell death has been proposed to free up potential incorporation sites for incoming neurons and this might explain the waves of neuron addition that occur in the fall, when birds are singing little and T is low. However, it is possible that subsequent increases in neuron incorporation are supported by gradual increases in circulating steroids and, perhaps, singing. This scenario would continue until all available space for new neurons in HVC has been occupied. By spring, when T levels and singing are maximal, no further increases in HVC neuron addition would be possible until there was once again a crash in circulating T and an increase in cell death. This model is based almost entirely on the temporal sequence of endocrine, neuronal, and behavioral events in the canary (Nottebohm et al., 1986, 1987; Kirn et al., 1994). While speculative, the relative availability of neuron incorporation sites may explain the complex relationship between T, singing, and HVC neuron addition. Moreover, selective ablation of HVC⇒RA neurons augments their replacement (Scharff et al., 2000) and recent work has shown that treatments that reduce cell death also reduce new HVC neuron addition, lending support to the notion that there is a relationship between neuron addition and the number of preexisting neurons (Thompson & Brenowitz, 2009). | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 13 | https://www.iamtunedup.com/news-release-and-editorial-the-formation-of-bad-christian/ | en | News release and Editorial – The Formation of Bad Christian | [
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] | 2013-10-19T15:23:16-04:00 | en | TUNED UP | Starting the music conversation | https://www.iamtunedup.com/news-release-and-editorial-the-formation-of-bad-christian/ | We don’t typically post press releases, but sometimes things are too paradigm-shifting to ignore. Emery have been a favorite of this writer for many years, and personally I can I say I 100% back this movement.
I’ve had several conversations over the past few years with people associated inside or formerly associated with the so-called “Christian music” industry. Let me state emphatically that I am 100% in support of bands that choose to pursue music as a ministry – as long as it is genuine. Bad Christian appears to be a direct response to those that have become jaded to the phoniness that permeates the “Christian music” industry.
Moreover, I believe Bad Christian will be key figure in a movement that is a revival of sorts. There is a trend on the rise of independent, faith driven artists that are breaking molds and creating passionate, driving music that sometimes sounds like preconceived notions of worship music, sometimes not. Other movements that have been catching on to this trend (and I hesitate to call it a trend, because those participating are not doing so to be “trendy”) include Mars Hill Music, Come&Live!, and Slospeak Records.
Anyway, read the below press release and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Your humble IATU editor, Ryan.
***
Alternative rockers Emery have amicably parted ways with their longtime label Tooth and Nail Records and plan to re-brand their growing website The UN-Learning Blog as Bad Christian, to serve as the umbrella under which they will launch a number of other ventures, including e-books, public speaking engagements, living room tours, a weekly podcast, and a record label called Bad Christian Music.
To find out about the band’s Bad Christian crowd-funding campaign which kicks off on Friday, October 18, visit:www.un-learning.org/buildbadchristian.
Emery’s next LP “You Were Never Alone” will be released via Bad Christian Music early next year and the band plans to eventually release music from other artists as well. Front man and Bad Christian co-founder Toby Morrell, explains, “Bad Christian Music is about integrity and taking the grassroots approach. We aren’t and never will be about music trends. We’re about substance and people. We value all music and hope to not only support Emery and Matt &Toby, but to eventually bring a fresh start to the music industry as a whole.” Emery guitarist and Bad Christian co-founder Matt Carter adds, “We are really looking forward to finding, creating, and releasing music that we truly love.”
Emery began in 2001, selling over 500,000 albums on Tooth and Nail Records, and playing thousands of concerts all over the world. They have always been a very honest Christian band, avoiding playing in churches, in favor of secular clubs and bars. Emery has always been open about their life, faith and opinions, garnering criticism from both Christian and secular audiences.
Controversy has always surrounded Emery, and it continues to grow as the audience for their blog explodes. The band has often drawn fire from their Christian base for “bashing the Christians”, yet they are written off and chastised by others for “preaching, and shoving religion down their fans throats”. The UN-learning blog (soon to be rebranded as Bad Christian) welcomes and even features comments and opinions that represent all different sets of belief and opinion. It has become a place where atheists, agnostics, conservative and liberal Christians can interact. The site remains virtually uncensored, as people are free and encouraged to be open and honest about everything from sexual sin and abuse to addiction. There are also confessional posts from Toby and Matt, as well as from their partner in Bad Christian, former Emery bassist and current pastor Joey Svendsen.
Emery kicks off their The Weak’s End 10 Year Anniversary Tour on October 23 in Atlanta, GA with support from The Classic Crime, This Wild Life and Peace Mercutio. It’s been over 10 years since Emery wrote and recorded The Weak’s End. To commemorate, Emery will be playing their first record front to back with original drummer Devin Shelton for this one time event. This special and intimate show will be hosted by Matt & Toby, who will be performing songs, taking questions, telling stories, and introducing the bands. Devin, will be joining Matt & Toby for some classic Emery tunes from their other albums as well. This tour will be set almost exclusively in very small rooms just as Emery shows used to be back in 2003. See dates/admat below.
“It’s not our job to make anyone believe” Emery Lyric from “Listening to Freddie Mercury”
·Emery, Matt & Toby, and more TBA will release music exclusively on the new record label Bad Christian Music
· The UN-learning Blog will become Bad Christian
· e–Book to be released later this year will be the Bad Christian Manifesto
· Weekly Podcast coming soon featuring honest raw dialogue and interviews
· Matt, Toby, and Joey will be available for teaching/ public speaking
·www.Badchristian.com will launch and have its own crowd-funding section
Bad Christian is…
– Matt and Toby and Joey. 3 guys with unique points of view shaped by being on the road and in the music/Christian music and Church world for 10 plus years, meeting counseling, and hearing from hundreds of people from big cities to small towns all over the world. We have been daily involved with sheltered home-schoolers, PTSD war vets, abused people, weirdo youth pastors, ridiculous religious people, hippy home church people, and many other assorted goofballs. We have learned a lot from all of them, and would like to both, challenge and help broaden the perspective of everyone by sharing our experiences and opinions, and continuing to entertain
– A resource to engage people from the fringes of church culture who are attracted by rawness, authenticity, opinion, and entertainment.
– To show that EVERYBODY is wrong about some stuff, we just don’t know which stuff
– To show non believers the real human side of Christians, both good and bad not the show off, or self –righteous sides that they are all too familiar with.
– A tool to encourage and support good Churches and to connect people to them who have had bad experiences and/or who are skeptical.
Bad Christian is NOT…
· A church or substitute for a local church community.
· A community that is a substitute for a real (flesh and blood, and local) community
www.facebook.com/emery
www.facebook.com/badchristians
WWW.BADCHRISTIAN.COM
On Twitter:
@xbadchristianx
@zodcarter
@tobytobyjoyjoy
@JoeySvendsen | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 49 | http://www.popular-musicology-online.com/issues/02/mosser.html | en | Mosser: “Cover Songs”: | [
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Kurt Mosser
Associate professor, Department of Philosophy, The University of Dayton, Dayton OH
I Introduction
The notion of a “cover song” is central to an understanding of contemporary popular music, and has certainly received its share of attention in writing about contemporary music, from the mainstream press to slightly more technical ethnomusicological studies such as ”Cross-Cultural ‘Countries’: Covers, Conjuncture, and the Whiff of Nashville in Música Sertaneja (Brazilian Commercial Country Music)” (Dent, 2005). In many major U.S. cities, musicians make a living in “cover” bands, recreating the music of well-known groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, U 2, the Who, ABBA, The Dave Matthews Band, The Grateful Dead, and others. Consumers of popular music will easily identify a favorite “cover,” a favorite tribute album devoted to “covers” of a particular musician or group, and often even a favorite “cover” band. In short, the term “cover” song is used without the recognition that there are many different kinds of “covers,” and thus that the reference of the very term “cover song” is systematically ambiguous. For instance, in his thoughtful discussion of two Pet Shop Boys “cover” songs, Mark Butler writes “Like hip-hop re-workings of classic soul riffs or Beethoven’s use of recitative in his instrumental works, covers provide an intertextual commentary on another musical work or style” (Dent, 1) yet fails to recognize that the kind of “cover” involved will be fundamentally relevant to what sort of “intertextual commentary” results. Similarly, in his defense of cover songs, Don Cusic notes that “From an artist’s perspective, covers are important because they (1) provide a song proven to be a hit to the repertoire, (2) show an important influence on the artist, and (3) give the audience something familiar when introducing a new act” (Cusic, 174). Yet, again, the specific kind of “cover” song involved here importantly informs all three of the criteria listed and how they are evaluated. And while usefully distinguishing between “covers” and “hijackings” of songs, Michael Coyle’s analysis of “covers” still fails to do justice to the fact that there are many distinct kinds of “covers,” with a wider range, than he successfully indicates (Coyle, 2002).
At first glance, the term cover song seems straightforward enough: artist 1 performs/records song x; artist 2 in turn performs/records song x, and is thus said to cover either song x or artist 1’s version of song x. One might be tempted to supplement this formal definition with the notion that a cover song is necessarily later, chronologically, than the song being covered; yet, as we will see, this modest addition can lead to such paradoxes as a songwriter covering his or her own song. To clarify some of these issues, and to avoid such paradoxes, I will use the term “base” song, rather than “original” song; for my purposes here, the term “base” will be used to identify a song that, due to its status, popularity, or possibly other reasons, is taken to be paradigmatic, and thus the version to which all other recordings or performances are compared. With this terminology in hand, we can begin to identify the various species of the genus “cover,” although it will be clear from what follows that such a list is not intended to be exhaustive, and that the boundaries between one species and another cannot be sufficiently sharp and rigid to prevent their being breached; both aspects indicating, again, the systematic ambiguity of the term itself.
In what follows, I seek to differentiate some different kinds of “covers” in contemporary popular music, in order that these distinctions be kept in mind in discussing the phenomenon of “cover” music. I will introduce a brief sketch of a solution, from the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein, that allows the term “cover song” to be maintained as a useful musical notion, while still acknowledging that the term itself is fraught with semantic pitfalls. (Hereafter, because it is used throughout as a technical term, “cover” will be used without quotation marks.) I should note that to avoid complications that would overwhelm this discussion, I limit myself to “popular” music recorded or performed after World War II. I have also not tried to give exhaustive lists of cover songs, but have been content to offer a few examples of each of the different kinds, and have generally remained within the ambit of music produced in the United States, with some exceptions (particularly for British artists covering American songs).
I will then conclude with an brief account of how this solution might be applied, as well as indicating a number of questions that remain.
II Species of covers
II.a. Reduplication covers
The kind of cover song I have in mind under the term “reduplication” may be regarded as one of the limits to the legitimate use of the notion of cover song; some might well object that in this case, we are no longer really using the notion of a cover song in an appropriate manner. However, in that we have an attempt to provide an exact copy of a song, a record, or a performance, it isn’t clear why such an attempt doesn’t fall under the general rubric of a cover, admittedly at one extreme of that rubric.
Obviously enough, these kinds of covers are invariably live performances; they tend to be evaluated on how precise and accurate the reduplication, or re-enactment, of the base performance is. (Were a band to attempt to reduplicate a studio recording, it would either fail as an attempt to be an accurate reduplication or generate the peculiar situation—perhaps of more interest to those doing metaphysics, or readers of Borges, than those analyzing popular music—of an indistinguishable reduplication of a recording.[1])
Perhaps the best known group devoted to this idea is the Grateful Dead cover band Dark Star Orchestra (DSO). According to its own website,
What Dark Star Orchestra does is recreate the Grateful Dead. Not with hippie wigs and fake beards but through the live music. They play the set list song for song in the same arrangements used by the Dead members of that period. When you're at a DSO show you may really be in the Providence Civic Center back in May of '81. Or you could even be at the 1973 Denver Coliseum show listening to Weather Report Suite. Who knows? (http://www.darkstarorchestra.net/homeframe.htm)
The idea of DSO, then, is to take a concert of the Grateful Dead and reduplicate it, including comments to the audience, breaks for tuning, and other details to increase the verisimilitude. Clearly enough, the enduring popularity of the Grateful Dead’s music and the demand to see it performed, or recreated, has led to a successful career for the DSO. (It should be noted that this sets up a remarkable metanarrative involved for those who tape DSO shows, in that they are taping shows that seek to reduplicate tapes of Grateful Dead shows.) Similarly, I once saw the band ex-Liontamer open for the British group Wire—whose most recent release, ironically enough, was “The Ideal Copy”—by playing an exact and in-sequence live version—including what on the recording appear to be spontaneous spoken remarks—of the earlier Wire recording “Pink Flag.”
Clearly such tribute bands, which range from bands doing a few covers of a given artist or group to DSO’s attempt to recreate the Grateful Dead concert “experience” can, in some sense, be said to be doing covers; indeed, the most faithful covers possible. Such an approach, then, serves to provide one limit to the very notion of a cover song, in that, presumably, if such a band is successful in what it seeks to do, one would be unable, on the basis of the sound alone, to distinguish the base from the cover.
II.b. Interpretive covers
II.b. 1 Minor interpretations—the homage
In the vast majority of discussions of cover songs, the conception of a cover song involved is that of one artist interpreting another. It should be noted that such songs tend to be sufficiently well-known that the cover versions are quickly recognized; in some cases, such cover versions can become popular enough to replace the base recording and become identified with the newer or later version thus becoming, in the end, a “new” base recording to be, again, covered by others. This is wide enough of a category as to require two subspecies, what I will call “minor” and “major” interpretations (while recognizing that, again, there are not sharp boundaries here; indeed, the boundaries here are probably at their fuzziest).
A minor interpretive cover tends to maintain the general sense of the base song, including tempo, melody, general instrumentation, and lyrics; in this way, as the earlier citation from Cusick noted, such a cover serves as an homage to the base song, allowing its influence to be recognized, while maintaining the original integrity of the base song. Such minor interpretative covers might include Talking Heads’ cover of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” The Byrds’ cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” The Beatles’ cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Twist and Shout,” Jason and the Scorchers’ cover of Dylan’s “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” Los Lobos’s cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On?” and The Who’s (or Blue Cheer’s) cover of Eddie Cochrane’s “Summertime Blues.” Such covers provide a good bit of information to an audience of what a band has listened to and thought enough of to record and/or perform; it tells, for instance, the Talking Heads’ audience that the band has listened not just to Al Green, but more likely than not to a good bit of Rhythm and Blues; while not part of that tradition, its references to it help establish its musical bona fides and emphasize the importance of those sources. The tendency to establish one’s musical pedigree has been particularly pronounced in the case of contemporary country music, where artists cover “classic” country hits (often Ernest Tubb, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Lefty Frizell, Patsy Cline, among others whose country “credentials” are beyond questioning), such as the Dixie Chicks covering Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man.” In a similar fashion, an artist who seeks to be seen as being aware of the tradition of country music and thus establish his or her credentials with a potentially suspicious audience may provide a homage-like cover, of either an extremely well-known song (e.g. Emmylou Harris’s cover of Cline’s “Crazy”) or a relatively obscure song which suggests a vast knowledge of the tradition (e.g. Gram Parson reviving the music of the Louvin Brothers and thus helping make it known to an entire generation.)
II.b. 2 Major interpretations
It should be clear enough already that the notion of a cover song is systematically ambiguous, ranging from virtual recreations of songs to those interpretations that extend, develop, and augment the base song in relatively minor ways. It should also be clear that the boundary between what is being called here a “minor” interpretation and its contrast—a “major” interpretation—is itself quite vague. While such interpretations, in general, are often what is meant when the notion of cover song (without distinction) is under discussion, there does seem to be a difference between the relatively minor changes outlined above and the kind of interpretation that fundamentally alters the song. Those variations can include one or more changes to the tempo, melody, instrumentation, and lyrics; the base song should still be recognizable at the cover’s reference, but the resulting cover, in a fundamental sense, becomes a new song, albeit without the irony of a distinct category to be discussed, the “send-up” cover. The most successful of these are not only the kinds of songs most frequently mentioned in conversations about cover songs; some even replace the base song; no doubt many would identify “Respect” as an Aretha Franklin song, in spite of the earlier outstanding version of Otis Redding (as noted by Redding himself in one of his own live recordings of the song).
At the same time, it should be recognized that certain songs, for a variety of reasons—from a catchy “hook” to particularly insightful or intriguing lyrics—lend themselves to such major interpretations, often resulting in covers from many different musical traditions and perspectives. The music of Bob Dylan is probably the most fecund source of covers, from entire albums devoted to bluegrass and reggae covers of Dylan songs, to what is often regarded as the most successful cover in contemporary popular music, Jimi Hendrix’s cover of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” (the song has been covered an enormous number of times, by U 2, the Dave Matthews Band and, among many others, Pat Boone)[2] . Hendrix, of course, takes an austere and minimalist recording of lyrics that are, even for Dylan, obscure and polysemous and changes it into a driving rock ‘n roll song featuring extended displays of Hendrix’s virtuoso guitar work. Other “major” interpretations would include, in addition to those mentioned, Rikki Lee Jones’ cover of David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” (perhaps) John Coltrane’s cover of “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music,” Rachid Taha’s cover (“Rock el Casbah”) of The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah,” and the Cowboy Junkies’ cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.” All such covers qualify as major interpretations in that the resulting cover is quite distinct from the original song, maintains some minimal contact with the base song, and yet offers an utterly new reading of it. Again, such versions challenge an easy or quick application of the term “cover song” itself: for example, is Coltrane’s instrumental version of a Broadway tune a cover at all? If not—and why it isn’t requires some argument—should a distinct category be assigned to such a relationship? If it is a cover, what kind of cover is it, and what kind of assumptions are involved in so assigning it?[3]
Particularly because of the most successful cover versions, such major interpretations often function as the paradigm of the cover song in general, in spite of what we have seen, and will see below, are operational uses of the notion of the cover song that diverge, often quite a lot, from that paradigm. (One might wonder if a song such as the Allman Brothers’ “Mountain Jam” even qualifies as a “cover,” in this case of Donovan’s “First There is a Mountain.” While such a question implicitly supports the idea that “cover” is a systematically ambiguous term, in this case the Allman Brothers seem simply to have adopted the “hook” from the base song, and thus their version does not qualify as a cover; rather, the relationship between the two songs might be better regarded as closer to the kind of relationship as that which holds between a hip hop song and the base song it “samples” [e.g. Nas’s “Get Down,” which samples James Brown’s “The Boss.”])
Hence, to reduce cover songs to major interpretations of cover songs is to neglect important other kinds of cover songs, and such a reduction thus neglects, again, the systematic ambiguity that “cover song,” used indiscriminately, conceals.
II.c Send-up (Ironic) Covers
Many cover songs indicate directly a degree of respect for the base song covered, offering a version, or interpretation, that refers to the base song as one deserving respect; indeed, often the base song is re-discovered because of the cover version; no doubt many only learned of Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” after hearing Elvis Presley’s cover, and one might suggest the same for Lambert, Hendricks and Ross’s “Twisted” (perhaps better known through Joni Mitchell’s cover), Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally” (known via the Beatles), or even Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” (which many may associate with the Grateful Dead). As we will see, the analysis of such concepts as “respect” and “authenticity” are a subset of a more general, and deeply problematic, conception of “intention,” and determining the intention underlying one artist’s recording of another is fraught with substantial philosophical difficulties. Indeed, one standard and long-standing solution is simply to eschew the artist’s intent, and to critique the very attempt to include it in one’s analysis as succumbing to the “intentional fallacy” (see Wimsatt and Beardsley,1946.) This certainly simplifies things, but with cover songs as much as in any other such analysis, to do so risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater on the basis of some aesthetic rigidity, rather than trying to incorporate some degree of the author’s intent, while doing so in a careful and qualified manner. Having said that, however, another kind of cover song can be identified, which provides a challenge to the listener to re-think the base song in terms revealed by the cover: the “send up” cover.
Perhaps the best-known example of this sub-category of cover song is Sid Vicious’s version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” (written by Paul Anka, but certainly identified with Sinatra). The send-up cover refashions the base song into an entirely new product; often, as in the case of this Sinatra cover, fundamentally through the use of irony. (At the same time, such an approach must be distinguished from a mere “parody.” which deserves its own discussion.) “My Way” is a reflection on life, sung by one approaching its end. Sinatra’s version appeared in 1969, when he was 54 (and some 30 years before his death). Sid Vicious’s version appeared in 1979 (the year of his death from a heroin overdose, although from a 1978 recording). The concluding verse indicates part of the contrast, with the Sinatra version followed here by Vicious’s:
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -And did it my way!
For what is a prat, what has he got
When he wears hats that he cannot
Say the things he truly feels
But only the words, not what he feels
The record shows, I fucked a bloke
And did it my way
Furthermore, in the send-up version Vicious sings the first verse in a rather lugubrious way, drawing out syllables and almost putting one in mind of the stereotypical drunken guest singing at a wedding; at that point, the song picks up the beat, adds percussion and bass, and becomes a fast, if not frenetic, quasi-comic version. Sinatra’s version is duly reverent of both life and the values with which one lives it; Vicious’s version wholly subverts it into a sneering confrontation with death (to the opening lines of the first verse “And now, the end is near/And so I face the final curtain,” Vicious adds “Ha ha ha!”); adding to the subversive context is the fact that within a year Vicious would, in fact, be dead, not long after his girlfriend Nancy Spungen’s death (both from heroin overdoses).
Similarly, Devo’s cover of the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” takes the base song’s somewhat insipid lyrics about failing to be satisfied by consumer marketing—particularly relative to sex—and, giving it a rather exotic rhythm, refashions it into an anthem of existential despair combined with an oddly upbeat optimism. On Mark Butler’s reading, The Pet Shop Boys’ take U 2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” from a “spiritual contemplation” about the possibility of “transcendent freedom” to an affirmation, even a celebration, of community, specifically gay community (Butler, 2). The Snoop Doggy Dogg (now Snoop Dogg) party song “Gin and Juice” is a celebration of alcohol, marijuana and easy sex, combined with some rather dubious sexual politics. In the hands of the “alternative country” band The Gourds, the cover version includes bluegrass instrumentation and distinctively southern drawls, subverting a song about urban and African-American culture to a somewhat ridiculous sounding set of observations coming from white country musicians. At the same time, the cover version—in addition to its immediate humorous aspect—challenges the listener to confront certain questions about racial identity, and in that way suggesting that rather than the two versions being from radically distinct cultures, some things—including alcohol, drugs, and dubious sexual politics—are considerably more universal than they might appear to those marketing this music. In short, the successful send-up cover provides a subversive context that can reveal layers of substance and even unsuspected meaning.
II.d. Parody covers
In addition to the standard, if not paradigmatic, covers—minor interpretation, major interpretation, and send-up covers—we have seen one logical extreme of the very idea involved: the reduplication cover. As a preliminary formal account of what a cover is, I offered this:
artist 1 performs/records song x; artist 2 in turn performs/records song x, and is thus said to cover either song x or artist 1’s version of song x
Clearly enough, a reduplication by artist 2 of song x fits this definition; indeed, the more successful the reduplication is, the closer we approach the logical extreme of an identity relation where the two are sonically indistinguishable. In contrast, the other extreme of the relationship between base and cover song would be the parody, where the relationship between the two versions is at its most tenuous; just as with reduplications, one might well argue that such parodies don’t fall under the range of the rubric of cover song at all. Given how fuzzy the boundaries are throughout any such taxonomical discussion, I will simply take reduplications and parodies as the end points of the continuum to which the term “cover song” refers.
The parody cover goes well beyond the ironic relationship between a base song and its send-up cover; rather, the parody simply uses the base song as a reference, in order to produce a distinct version that may have little, if anything, to do with the lyrical or general musical content of its base. For instance, there is very little concern that Homer and Jethro’s parody cover “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyeballs” would ever be confused with the Perry Como hit “Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes." “Weird Al” Yankovic is perhaps the best known such current “musician,” producing such parodies as “Eat It” (of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”), “Canadian Idiot” (of Green Day’s “American Idiot”), “Amish Paradise” (of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”), and “Girls Just Want to Have Lunch” (of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”). There is also the threat, in this context, of a cover song (in this case unintentionally) coming to be treated as a parody, or even going beyond a parody to a performance so inept, or involving a song-choice so inappropriate, that the cover itself becomes a novelty song; one might include here Dolly Parton’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” or William Shatner’s cover of the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
In sum, if we take “cover song” as a genus, we can identify a continuum of species that ranges from an attempt to reduplicate a given song or performance to a parody that maintains only the most minimal connection with the song being parodied. In between these two extremes, we find a wide range of other kinds of covers: homages, or minor interpretive covers that are very closely related to, and show a great deal of respect for, the base song; major interpretations, that refashion the base song into a song so distinct that it virtually functions as an independent creation, and can even become identified as the paradigmatic version of the base song; the send-up cover, that subverts the base song into a distinct song, but with an ironic distance and a reworking of meaning that distinguish it from a major interpretation cover, and the parody, which simply exploits the base song for comic effect. Clearly enough, then, the term “cover song” must be regarded as systematically ambiguous, and in any conversation or discussion of cover songs—particularly when it is a question of evaluating a cover song—it is crucial to make clear what specific kind of cover song is involved.
III. Reference: A philosophical excursus
The above discussion seems to generate a not uncommon dilemma that can accompany the attempt to make technical terms more precise. “Cover song” seems to be a useful classificatory term, that allows a rich and useful discussion of historical influence in music, and allowing us to identify specific songs and artists who have maintained their importance across distinct musical eras. At the same time, as I’ve tried to show, the term functions better as a general term (or genus), rather than a taxonomical notion (or species) that does much work. Thus the dilemma: either “cover song” is sufficiently systematically ambiguous that it fails to provide the kind of informative semantic content sought, or it is used in such a way as to conceal the ambiguity that allows us to make informed evaluative judgements when those judgements may depend precisely on making explicit what the more ambiguous term conceals.
Philosophers—particularly in the Twentieth century—exerted a great deal of energy on the “problem” of reference, for they kept confronting puzzles that resisted solutions. (It should be noted that this is a very oversimplified picture of a central, longstanding, and notoriously controversial set of issues in the philosophy of language.) A famous example is the problem of substitution instances: if “Venus” refers to the morning star, and “Venus” likewise refers to the evening star, why does the assertion “The morning star is the evening star” seem meaningful (in the sense of requiring astronomical observations to confirm or disconfirm it) in a way that “Venus is Venus” does not? An equally famous example concerns non-existent objects: why does “all unicorns have one horn” seem (in some—quite controversial—way) true while “all unicorns have two horns” seem false?
A standard, and once traditional, approach, when disambiguating the reference of a term, is to identify its necessary and sufficient conditions; thus, “triangle” might be defined as a three-sided, three-angled polygon. Any reference to an object as a triangle that lacked one or more of these conditions failed; any reference that satisfied the entire set of necessary and sufficient conditions succeeds. (This approach tends to be more explicit and successful in relatively narrow domains, such as definitions within elementary mathematics.) The idea, in general, was that a given object could be characterized with a set of properties; a term that appropriately conjoined these properties would then provide a successful reference to the object in question. This turned out to be quite difficult for natural languages, in that the attempt to identify in a non-arbitrary way such conditions, whether for a common noun or proper name, turned out to be rather hopeless. While one may do so for a simple, well-defined mathematical notion, providing necessary and sufficient conditions for such terms as “love” or “courage” or even “Socrates” seemed to be impossible and, ultimately, pointless.
More recently, an attempt has been made to revive something analogous to the goal of this traditional approach, using sophisticated techniques (which need not detain us here) in quantified modal logic On this “new theory” of reference, a given term—whether referring to a common noun or proper name—will be “baptized” by providing a set of essential properties that refer, and the term is then said to function as a “rigid designator.” While this theory has led to a number of useful analyses, and spawned an enormous amount of critical literature, the relevant aspect for our purposes is, again, the challenge of identifying with any hope of success the “essential” features of a given object in order to make a successful reference. (Those interested in the details of this may wish to begin with Donnellan, 1966 and Kripke, 1980).
In contrast to both the traditional and “new theory” attempts to outline a successful theory of reference is that of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s, sometimes called a “cluster theory” of reference. In very brief terms, Wittgenstein regards a term as identifying a fuzzily defined set of properties; a successful use of those terms will involve a sufficient number of that set—a cluster of properties—to allow a communicative reference to that object. In this sense, Wittgenstein’s emphasis is on reference, or meaning, being tied to how that term is used to communicate, and if the term is used in an appropriate way, the communication is successful. The standard example to illuminate this idea is that of a “game.” One can identify a number of things as games—war games, board games, a child’s game of tag, mathematical games—which may resist either the specification of necessary and sufficient conditions, or the identification of essential properties that any game must possess. Yet all can be called “games,” and if we are able to convey an idea that a given example is a game, we have successfully used the term to refer by our reference carrying with it a sufficient cluster of properties. In this sense, games are said to share among them a “family resemblance,” an analogy Wittgenstein seems to take quite literally. We may be able to recognize out of a randomly assembled group of people those who are related (who are in the same “family”) without having any hope of explaining in terms of a conjunction of features—let alone essential properties—those family members possess.
“Cover song” is precisely the kind of term best dealt with by a theory along the line of Wittgenstein’s “family resemblance.” Clearly enough, the fact that if a song qualifies as a cover—although that determination is not itself without its share of perils—indicates that there is a relationship between the cover song and its base. At the same time, however, not to go further, and specify what kind of cover is involved, is to risk putting forth an evaluative judgement that fails to take into consideration the specifics of that relationship. In short, before turning to showing how this might work, across the continuum from reduplication covers to parody covers, we see that there is a relevant relationship between a base song and its cover; that relationship is sufficient to establish lyrical, instrumental, rhythmic, melodic, and no doubt other properties that constitute a cluster, sufficient enough to convey the idea that the relationship between the two songs establishes that a given song is a “cover.“ Yet, as I hope to show, we can then go on to discuss more specifically the relationship involved by invoking the relevant kind of cover, which will allow a fuller and more accurate evaluation to emerge.
IV. Evaluating Cover Songs
There is a greater benefit to this discussion than merely making the relevant language used in discussing cover songs more precise, although that benefit shouldn’t be overlooked. More useful still is that this increased precision allows a more accurate and rigorous discussion of the cover song, the base song, and the relationship between the two. For instance, in a discussion of a base-cover relationship, what kind of cover is involved should play a role; to say that a give song is a “respectful, authentic” version of its base song is to categorize it as a minor interpretation, whereas a discussion of a cover song that subverts the entire context of the base song, as a send-up cover, tells us a great deal about the nature of the cover song that is involved, and allows us to move quickly to a consideration of the relevant details. It makes a great deal of difference in discussing, to take a single example, Ry Cooder’s cover of Burt Bacharach’s “Mexican Divorce” as a “faithful,” minor interpretation; were it to be interpreted along the lines of a send-up (or even parody), we have thereby identified a number of evaluative notions that appropriate in one context would be inappropriate in another. Here, there is very little room for irony, or comedy, or lyrical subversion; in classifying it as a minor interpretation, we can then focus on how the distinct vocal phrasing (probably, in Cooder’s case, also informed by the Drifters’ version), how the clarity and austerity of the instrumentation emphasizes the lyrical content, etc..
Indeed, Cooder, alone, presents virtually the entire palette of cover version possibilities, from his near-reduplication of Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” (which he then re-interprets for the soundtrack to Wim Wenders’s “Paris, Texas”), to his minor interpretation of the Rolling Stones’ “It’s All Over Now” (itself a version of a Bobby and Shirley Womack song) that gently transforms it with a Caribbean-style rhythm, to his major interpretation (with Earl Hines) of Blind Blake’s “Ditty Wah Ditty,” to his send-up cover of the Depression-era “One Meat Ball.” Perhaps the only kind of cover that is difficult to find in Cooder’s recordings is the parody, although his version of Solomon Burke’s “Look At Granny Run” comes close; Burke’s version itself is, admittedly, already rather playful.
Much of that written discussing the cover song phenomenon has been done in terms of “respect,” “honesty,” and, especially, “authenticity.” Thus George Plasketes writes
The arts have always borrowed from their past. The imitation intrinsic in the act of covering in music, even with the honorable intent of homage from a disciple, is incongruent with authenticity (Plastekes, 150).
Here it is quite clear that to say that one artist “covers” a song is simply inadequate as an analysis. Aretha Franklin “borrows” from Otis Redding in a much different way than Sid Vicious “borrows” from Frank Sinatra. To discuss “imitation” without qualification is to conflate the kind of “imitation” one finds in the most execrable “tribute” bands, those bands who have made a serious craft out of reduplicating another artist’s performance, and those covers that refer but develop—in a major or minor way—their own interpretations. A discussion of Blood, Sweat, & Tears version of Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child” is inadequate if it is simply called a “cover” or an “imitation,” without considerably more detail being offered. Finally, we see in this quote the important philosophical point that all such discussion of authenticity lead to: that of the artist’s intent. While recognizing the controversies and difficulties associated with determining such intent, it is also clear that in many cases of cover songs, intent is either obvious (as in a reduplication or parody) or irrelevant (as in the case of a successful cover song transforming the original into an independent work of creative art). A detailed examination of such issues can be found in Livingston, 2005.
Others have recognized at least part of the complexity involved in cover songs. As Dasein observes, “In the best tributes the covering artist steals a song from the original and makes it their own, while they keep, even exaggerate, its original spirit. It’s a tough trick, demanding authenticity and empathy” (quoted from Plastekes, 150). Yet again, we see the notion of the term “cover”—here “covering artist”—employed as if there isn’t, beyond a rough family resemblance that it must satisfy to qualify as a cover simpliciter, a range of presuppositions. Clearly, some of the cover versions of songs mentioned above treat the base song with such reverence and respect that they could hardly be said “steal” the base, or original, song. Not only does the term “stealing” imply at least some degree of failing to acknowledge the source, certainly the point of many of the covers considered here is neither to make the song the covering artist’s own, nor to provide an exaggerated version. Rather, by first establishing the kind of cover under discussion, we may well see in a specific case the source acknowledged, its influence respected, while the song remains very much that of the base song’s performer. Yet again, it is clear that without recognizing the systematic ambiguity of the very notion of cover song, important distinctions, relative to the evaluation of that cover, are concealed.
It was noted earlier that much of the critical discussion of cover songs is given in a context of exploring “authenticity.” Before turning to some final, unanswered questions about issues that arise with cover music, I want to suggest that such an approach generally commits one of two mistakes: begging the question, or attempting to explicate one problematic term by simply replacing with another equally, or more, problematic term (traditionally a strategy criticized as an obscurum per obscurius). While the difficulties remain, disambiguating the very term “cover song” can at least clarify what is at issue.
To be sure, some of these issues revolving around authenticity and authorship have not been entirely ignored in the literature on music, although in general the relevant philosophical issues have been given rather short shrift, particularly in writing on popular music. Except for extensive discussion in the ethnomusicological literature, which lies beyond the scope of this paper, the most interesting discussions of these issues tends to be found in the literature on the other arts, such as painting, sculpture, and (especially, for what are probably obvious reasons) photography. One of the most detailed examinations of the problems here is a discussion of what is involved in the restoration of a work of art (Dyksta, 1996.) Dykstra recommends a strategy I largely follow here—neither a casual assumption that the artist’s intentions are easily known, nor a rejection of the very possibility that those intentions can be informative to an understanding of a work of art, but rather rigor within an interdisciplinary approach:
Purposeful discussion of the role of the artist in the artwork requires careful language and deliberate understanding of the essential nature of art. Precise language, commonly understood, is the first step in this direction. The importance of unambiguous language is paramount. Clear language among the disciplines will be necessary to describe how the artist's individuality and the individuality of his or her work can be fulfilled and maintained in conjunction with three other factors—the historical contexts in which the artwork is documented and perceived; the traditions of connoisseurship that give it reference; and the physical and temporal characteristics of the media employed (Dykstra, 218).
A number of writers have suggested that cover songs display a certain degree of “authenticity,” as if that quality is something that can easily be established, if not assumed. In his own challenge to traditional notions of authenticity, Cusic writes
By demanding that singers write their own songs, the public is ‘‘cheated’’ of hearing great singers and musicians interpret a great song. And by denying that a recording is only ‘‘authentic’’ (a favorite term these days) if the singer wrote it, the creative genius of the non-singing songwriter is denied (Cusic, 176).
In a quite different context, Edward Armstrong seeks to show that
Eminem takes stands on the two modes of authenticity construction. He legitimizes himself in terms of both the white-black and violent misogynist axes while rejecting a key element of gangsta rap's oppositional nature--i.e., the underclass, evocative use of the "N-word." The lynchpin of my analysis is what goes "unspoken" in Eminem's lyrics--his refusal to say "nigga" in any of his songs (Armstrong, 336).
Cusic here places “authentic” in scare quotes, but not because of any particular problem with the term itself, which his own account employs as if its meaning is transparent. Rather, he wishes to dispute the idea that only those who originate a given piece of music—specifically the singer-songwriter—can be said to be “authentic.” This fails, of course, to provide any semantic content to the problematic term itself. Similarly, Armstrong spends a good bit of time addressing the question of how Eminem “constructs” his own authenticity through a dialectical strategy of opposition and embrace of the culture of the “other”—all without ever saying what it is to be authentic. In both cases, the analyses of these authors assume “authenticity” without providing any criteria for what satisfies its use; that is, they beg the question by assuming what they need to demonstrate.
When one does see the idea that a particular version of a cover song is more authentic than another, or simply achieves some admirable level of “authenticity,” these notions are, in turn, glossed in terms of “respect,” “honesty,” “tradition,” and “authorship”:
In order to understand how this works, scholars must also move beyond fixed notions of rock as “authentic” and pop as “inauthentic” and focus more broadly on the strategies involved in constructing authenticity in diverse musical traditions (Butler, 14).
In general, the terms used to clarify authenticity rely heavily—if implicitly—on the artist’s intent. Even where authors are particularly careful, as Mark Butler is here, the question of authenticity—whether constructed “strategically,” or “intertextually,” or “dialectically”—remains unanswered, and the criteria that must be satisfied for a song (or cover) to qualify as “authentic” remains at the level of a dogmatic presupposition. The explanation of authenticity in these other terms reduces to an explanation of intent, and to determine the latter is at least as difficult as the former. Thus, the burden of the question of authenticity is simply moved, to the question of intention; while not always made explicit, this doesn’t respond to, but merely avoids, the fundamental issues involved.
This is not to say that the artist’s intent is superfluous; rather, it is to recognize the difficulty in determining, unambiguously, what that intent is. In a fascinating discussion of the sculpture of Duane Hanson, Kimberly Davenport makes precise at least part of what is at stake in being suspicious of an analysis that ignores the artist’s intent, as well as those analyses that rely on a much too-easy assumption that such an intent is transparently accessible:
Central to the issue of intent is where to turn for authority. Once this is acknowledged, the underlying constructs become apparent, not all of which would regard the artist's intent as fundamental. Key to this issue of authority is the question of how one defines art or understands it to be constituted. The modernist view, for instance, considers the object in isolation, so the authority rests with the viewer. The art historical view seeks to keep the object always located in the particular moment of its conception, comparing it with other works by the same artist, thus acknowledging that authority rests in the overall body of work. However, the wider boundary of "art" within which the work exists necessitates reflective concern for the authority of the artist's intent (Davenport, 40).
Thus, specifically in the case under consideration here, the artist’s intent should be a factor, but certainly cannot be the determining element in making an aesthetic judgement about the “success” of a given cover. Rather than worrying, then, too much about authenticity or intent, perhaps we can do better in identifying a cover as a certain kind of cover—an identification that must always be seen as provisional—and then proceed to delineate its features and qualities (and problems) on the basis of that identification. This, of course, leaves plenty of room for arguing about whether or not a given song as been appropriately classified; for instance, should Tori Amos’s cover of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” be regarded as a major interpretation, a send-up, or even a send-up approaching a parody, challenging the assumptions of the base version? The advantage here is that the presuppositions of a specific cover, e.g. a send-up cover, as opposed to a minor re-interpretive cover, are explicit, thus making clear what issues are appropriately at stake in the argument. Clarifying these issues won’t settle the matter, but will allow us to focus the discussion in such a way as to make it much more productive, if only by focusing on the appropriate questions that are presupposed by, and structure, the analysis.
V. Some Remaining Questions
The very term “cover song” is systematically ambiguous; to use it without indicating that ambiguity conceals issues that are fundamental to any analysis or evaluation of a given cover song, and of that cover and its relationship to the song it is said to cover. Rather than treating the term as if it refers univocally, the suggestion here is that a range of different species of cover songs exists along continuum; membership in that continuum is best regarded in terms of Wittgenstein’s conception of “family resemblance,” and any song that qualifies as a cover must satisfy a minimal—albeit not arbitrary—set of conditions indicating that resemblance. What specific kind of cover a given version should be taken to be, and whether in fact a song qualifies at all as a cover, and what role authenticity and artistic intent play in evaluating a piece of music, remain as topics about which useful and fruitful discussions can go forth. To be sure, a kind of circularity arises here, as it often does in discussions of artistic intent. Thus we characterize a cover song as representative of a specific kind of cover based on the intent it is seen to display, while that intent is determined because of the kind of cover song involved. While I’m not sure how to avoid this circularity, it may well not be a crippling or vicious circle; in any case, it serves to indicate that there are a number of questions, swirling around this topic, that remain to be addressed. The more important result, however, is to recognie that if any such discussion carried out on the assumption that there is no particular dispute about the term “cover song” itself is at best naïve and at worst misleading and intellectually irresponsible.
A number of questions, of course, persist in providing what one might call the “phenomenology” of the cover song. I want simply to raise two or three of them here, in order to indicate some of the relevant issues that remain, while doing so in the hope that making the relevant language involved a bit more precise may help in clearing these issues up, if only in part.
V.a. Identifying an “original” song
When Hendrix records a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, there is very little difficulty in identifying the Dylan version as the original song, or using the language I have employed here, the base song. Few would reject the claim, that is, that Hendrix covers Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” Difficulties arise, however, when certain recordings of songs are identified as “standard” or “paradigmatic.” The difficulties become acute in the case of a singer-songwriter who performs his or her own song well after a standard version has been established. Two well-known examples suffice to clarify the problem, and to raise the fundamental issue of the role chronological sequence plays in establishing the original-cover (or base-cover) relationship.
Carole King, throughout the 1960s, was an enormous success, co-writing with Gerry Goffin a string of hits for various artists, such as “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” (a 1960 number-one hit for the Shirelles), “The Loco-Motion” (a 1962 number-one hit for Little Eva), and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (a 1967 hit for Aretha Franklin). The latter, of course, has become a classic and covered by a number of other artists, although almost certainly most strongly identified with Franklin. King then recorded the song itself on her 1971 release “Tapestry.” What, then, is the cover version here? It seems counterintuitive to suggest that King’s own performance is the cover, in that it is, obviously enough, originally her own song. Yet it also seems counterintuitive to suggest that Franklin’s earlier and paradigmatic version should be, in any relevant way, a cover.
Willie Nelson presents a similar situation. Few singer-song pairings are more closely identified than Patsy Cline’s 1961 recording of Nelson’s “Crazy”—indeed, many country music fans would regard (and, quite possibly, correctly) the song as a Patsy Cline song. While Nelson recorded a demo of the song, only released much later, he has also recorded later versions of the song; as with King, the same issue arises—it seems wrong to regard Nelson’s version as a cover, but just as wrong to regard Cline’s as a cover, particularly given the latter’s status within country music. Without being able to pursue it here, it is clear that yet another issue is involved, relative to the audience (or intended audience), that may well include issues of class, gender, race, era, and other variables. One audience might identify a given song with a specific artist while a distinct audience might regard that same song as one that should be appropriately identified with a (possibly much) different artist.
King and Nelson present an odd situation, then, where on a fairly standard conception of cover song, they would be said to be covering songs they themselves created, or a situation in which the original song, inextricably identified with one singer, only later becomes a cover. These issues are raised here to provide just more evidence that the very term “cover song” is fraught with ambiguity; while some may wish to solve this problem by simply identifying the original song with its score, sheet music, or even the original artist’s conception, that solution appears either arbitrary or counterintuitive. I have suggested above that rather than speaking in terms of an “original-cover” relationship, that a “base-cover” conception may be ultimately more fruitful, this hardly solves all the issues involved here, including how the “base” song itself is to be specified.
V.b Artist’s re-recordings
The music of Bob Dylan has been such a source for musicians from such a wide variety of traditions that his name is inevitably involved in any discussion of cover songs. Unsurprisingly, his music also raises a question that deserves a discussion that has been neglected in cover songs—can artists be said to cover their own songs?
Even for those extremely familiar with Dylan’s oeuvre, Dylan can perform songs in concert that may be almost wholly unrecognizable; many of us have had the experience of being entirely unable to identify a familiar Dylan song until we are able to discern its lyrics—and if the version presented is sufficiently distinct, even then the song may remain unrecognized. Clearly enough, if Dylan originally wrote and recorded a given song, and then either records or performs a different version of that song, one might simply say he is providing another version or an interpretation of it; this is a standard occurrence for performing artists, and the issue of covering music need not arise. But if the new version is so distinct as to be either difficult or impossible to recognize, what is the relationship between the earlier and later versions? Again, we seem to confront a problem that can be solved arbitrarily, if dogmatically, simply by asserting that they are two distinct songs, two songs with only the most tenuous relationship, or, in fact, the same song with two different interpretations. Yet, if another performer or group had produced a version sonically identical to the later version that Dylan provides, one wouldn’t hesitate to invoke the notion of the Dylan song being covered. In any case, the metaphysics of this issue seems part and parcel to determining what, precisely, is involved—and revealed—in our use of the ambiguous term “cover song.”
V.c. Instrumentals
Virtually all literature addressing the topic of cover songs focuses exclusively on songs with lyrical content, and I have followed that tradition in the examples given above. At the same time, one might ask what is fundamentally distinct about a lyrical song being covered by an artist, and an instrumental song being recorded by an artist. Is the latter sufficiently different from our understanding of what is involved in covers to exclude it from that category? If so, it is not clear why. Thus, Bill Monroe’s classic bluegrass mandolin instrumental “Rawhide” has not only been recorded and performed by hundreds of other musicians, it is often taken to be one of the songs that establishes the bona fides of the bluegrass mandolinist. When Rob McCoury or Ricky Skaggs records a particularly incendiary version of “Rawhide,” or J.D. Crowe records a version of Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline Rag” that emphasizes his banjo work, these interpretations seem not to fall under the rubric of “cover song,” but it isn’t entirely clear what precise difference is involved, again without invoking some dogmatic, arbitrary notion such as “cover songs are by definition versions of lyrically-based songs.”
It may well be objected that some of the questions I have raised here—is Carole King’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” a cover of a Shirelles’ song? Can an artist cover himself or herself? Can instrumental recordings be called covers?—are simply issues of semantics. This is almost certainly true, for the entire range of issues I have tried to explore, and with any luck clarify, here are ultimately questions of semantics. However, in this case, to call a question one of “semantics” is not taken to be term of opprobrium; rather, it helps emphasize that “cover song” involves the semantics of a systematically ambiguous term, one that needs a good bit more clarification before a more adequate analysis and evaluation of cover songs can be provided.[4]
Notes
[1] In this context, Steve Bailey considers the covers Todd Rundgren recorded with his band Utopia on his 1976 “Faithful”: “Rather than altering the songs in a sacrilegious manner, Rundgren offered nearly exact replications of the original works, covers so ‘faithful’ as to be pointless” (Bailey152.) Bailey’s focus is on “ironic” covers (those I refer to as “send-up” covers); as I argue here, this is only one of many different kinds of covers. A reviewer of an earlier version of this paper also noted that for economic reasons, such reduplicative versions were anonymously recorded, presumably with the intent of avoiding royalties while passing off the music as the original. This may be yet another logical extreme of the cover song; or it might simply be regarded as plagiarism, and thus theft. The same reviewer mentioned the phenomenon of karaoke, which again raises demanding puzzles about the relationship between “base” and “cover,” and what assumptions and implications are involved.
[2] When this topic came up in a course on the Philosophy of Music I recently taught, to a group of students that included several music majors, the students were unanimous in identifying “All Along the Watchtower” as a Hendrix song. For bluegrass covers of Dylan, see Tim O’Brien’s “Red On Blonde” (1996); for reggae covers, “Is it Rolling Bob?: A Reggae Tribute to Bob Dylan” (2004). A Website devoted to the topic (http://www.dylancover/com) lists over 20,000 recorded covers of Dylan songs; as of this writing, some 500 were added in just the last six weeks.
[3] This issue was raised by a reviewer of an earlier draft of this paper. As he or she notes, the history of Broadway shows itself must be contextualized historically, as indicated by the development of the term “Original Broadway Cast Recording.” At the same time, this simply provides more support for the idea that the very term “cover song” is systematically ambiguous.
[4] I would like to thank Mark Brill, Albino Carillo, Phil Farris, John McCombe, and Damon Sink for helpful conversations relative to this topic. The anonymous reviewers for this journal provided some incisive and provocative remarks about an earlier draft, only some of which I could fully address here.
Bibliography
Armstrong, Edward, 2004. Emimem’s Construction of Authenticity Popular Music and Society 27: 335-355.
Bailey, Steve, 2003. Faithful or Foolish: The Emergence of the “Ironic Cover Album” and Rock Culture. Popular Music and Society 26: 141-159
Butler, Mark, 2003. Taking it seriously: intertextuality and authenticity in two covers by the Pet Shop Boys. Popular Music 22: 1-19
Coyle, Michael, 2002. “Hijacked Hits and Antic Authenticity: Cover Songs, Race, and Postwar Marketing” in Beebe, R. Fulbrook, D. and Saunders, B. (eds.) Rock Over the Edge: Transformations in Popular Music Culture Durham: Duke University Press: 133-157.
Cusic, Don, 2005. In Defense of Cover Songs Popular Music and Society 28: 171-175
Davenport, Kimberly, 1995. Impossible Liberties: Contemporary Artists on the Life of Their Work Over Time Art Journal: 40-52.
Alexander Sebastian, 2005. Cross-Cultural ‘Countries’: Covers, Conjuncture, and the Whiff of Nashville in Música Sertaneja (Brazilian Commercial Country Music). Popular Music and Society 28: 207–227
Donnellan, Keith, 1966. Reference and Definite Descriptions The Philosophical Review 75: 281-304.
Dyksta, Steven W, 1996. The Artist’s Intentions and the Intentional Fallacy in Fine Arts Conservation Journal for the American Institute for Conservation 35: 197-218.
Krikpke, Saul. 1980. Naming and Necessity. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press
Livingston, Paisley, 2005. Art and Intention Oxford: Oxford University Press
Plastekes, George, 2005. Re-flections on the Cover Age: A Collage of Continuous Coverage in Popular Music Popular Music and Society 28: 137-161.
Wimsatt, W. K., and M.Beardsley,1946. The Intentional Fallacy Sewanee Review 54: 468–88. | ||||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 25 | https://stephenrankin.com/a-churchs-lost-integrity/ | en | A Church's Lost Integrity | [
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"Stephen Rankin"
] | 2019-03-23T00:40:25+00:00 | I recently tweeted that American United Methodism no longer has integrity. This observation came from reading a number of public statements by various United Methodist leaders and groups after General Conference 2019. (If you are trying to keep track of | en | Rankin File | https://stephenrankin.com/a-churchs-lost-integrity/ | I recently tweeted that American United Methodism no longer has integrity. This observation came from reading a number of public statements by various United Methodist leaders and groups after General Conference 2019. (If you are trying to keep track of who is saying what, for my money the best and most up-to-date source is “UM Fallout: A Compendium,” at Chris Ritter’s blog, People Need Jesus.) A person asked me to flesh out my comment about lost integrity.
First, a definition: Look at a dictionary and you’ll see that “integrity” has two or maybe three meanings. One says something about moral uprightness and honesty, treating the word in relation to individual character. The other refers to organization or structure. “Integrity” in this sense refers to the quality or state of being sound or whole or undivided. It is this latter sense that I intended.
A building has integrity or does not. If the foundation is solid, if the frame is adequately squared and plumbed and the joints are solid, if the roof doesn’t leak, then one would judge that the house has integrity. A ship deemed seaworthy has integrity. A healthy body has integrity. In these cases, having integrity means functioning properly according to intended purpose.
By this definition, The United Methodist Church does not have integrity. Numerous bishops, annual conferences, agency executives, pastors, and lay people have publicly stated that they will effectively ignore the recent decisions of General Conference. By these reactions they indicate that the body that speaks for United Methodism no longer speaks for United Methodism. We are therefore split, not whole. The framework is not sound. No integrity.
Here’s a paradox: in order to keep their integrity as ministers, the signers of declarations, resolutions and open letters believe they must defy the church’s decision. And for just this reason, they demonstrate the fact that The United Methodist Church no longer has integrity.
Other even more grievous ramifications have surfaced. Opponents no longer trust each other (save, perhaps, members of the Commission on a Way Forward who have said repeatedly how opponents became friends even though they remained opponents; I wonder what they’re thinking now). All talk of goodwill and respectful disagreement has vanished. Things have gotten personal. Friendships have been deeply damaged. And I’m not only talking about relationships among voting delegates. Plenty of us have opinions and identify with one of the opposing groups. It is by no means necessary for one to have been a voting delegate to feel the sting of damning judgments.
If you don’t agree with my assessment, try putting the shoe on the other foot. Let’s say that you supported the One Church Plan and that it passed by a slimmer majority than the Traditional Plan, by a 51% majority. Would you conclude that the church had spoken? Take the exact same reactions we’re witnessing now from centrist and progressive United Methodists and put them on the lips and emails and tweets of traditionalists. How would you feel about the accusation that some small bloc of politically powerful delegates managed to steal the vote by nefarious means? How would you be feeling right now if you were reading some of the same things being said about your side? How does the organization recover?
The moral outrage embedded in the language of public statements announcing refusal to comply is often laced with thinly-veiled contempt for people who think about marriage in traditional ways. By the criteria used by centrists and progressives to characterize statements by traditionalists as hateful, their own statements qualify. Which makes me wonder: how is it that people who voice such feelings for traditional-minded folk expect traditionalists to be willing to stay in the same church? Again, reverse the roles. How would it feel to be on the receiving end of such disdain?
Imagine General Conference 2020. Unless by some stroke of divine providence that makes the way forward crystal clear, the vote is likely to be close enough that the “losing” side will be able to claim foul, dismiss the whole proceeding as illegitimate, and move to act independently of the decision. We now have the force of precedent.
Whatever you think of the outcome of GC 2019, public reactions following it show that, from an organizational point of view, The United Methodist Church has lost integrity. Denouncing the GC decision and refusing to follow it are tantamount to pulling the house down on top of us. Again, short of direct divine action, coupled with confession, repentance, and forgiveness, it may be time to recognize that the property has been condemned and move on. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 86 | https://msmokemusic.com/blogs/mind-smoke-blog/posts/6239494/faces-in-the-crowd-lowell-george | en | Faces in the Crowd: Lowell George | [
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] | null | [] | null | "Time Flies Like An Arrow, Fruit Flies Like A Banana" (Groucho Marx) Seeing as it's just about Lowell George’s birthday (April 13) I thought... | //d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/290438/6f4aed6b7ae87975d946f7d35161ca1b2c5bd865/original/msr-favicon.png/!!/meta%3AeyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ%3D%3D.png | https://msmokemusic.com/blogs/mind-smoke-blog/posts/6239494/faces-in-the-crowd-lowell-george | "Time Flies Like An Arrow, Fruit Flies Like A Banana" (Groucho Marx)
Seeing as it's just about Lowell George’s birthday (April 13) I thought it would only be fitting to do a post on this mercurial artist whose music has only grown in stature since his death in 1979.
Best remembered as the de facto leader of the classic American rock band, Little Feat, Lowell George's distinctive style of slide guitar and vocalizing helped create a style of music that was a unique blend of second-line funk, gospel, Chicago blues, jazz and country balladry that still stands today as one of the most unique developments in American popular music during the 1970's.
William H. George
Lowell George's father, Willard, was a prominent furrier to many Hollywood movie stars and the family's close friends included such notables as Errol Flynn and W.C. Fields. One can only imagine the deep influence that a character like W.C. Fields must have had on a young Lowell George.
It's interesting to note that, throughout his career, Lowell George displayed a sense of humor that lent an air of surreal spontaneity to his music. This element of humor crops up in the multi-syllabic wordplay of George's song lyrics and on Little Feat's offbeat album covers that featured the bizarre and often comic artwork of the artist Neon Park.
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks, in The Little Feat Saga, Bud Scoppa's informal biography that was part of the Little Feat CD box set, Hotcakes & Outtakes, states that, "Lowell was an absurdist. He would do things for the wrong reasons. I think he had the audacity of a schizophrenic, which I associate with great work, whether it's Van Gogh or Ravel. "Fatman in the Bathtub" –that's Cartoon Consciousness." From a 2000 Van Dyke Parks interview in The Guardian: "I think Lowell had a madness in his work that he wanted to explore, and he had the integrity to do it....You see the physical comedy in Lowell George that you get from Buster Keaton. It's the tragicomedy of man in crisis - that's what Lowell did for me."
At an early age, George's interest in music was encouraged by his mother, Florence, who was an accomplished pianist. Lowell's first instrument of choice was the harmonica which he took up when he was five years old. His first public musical performance was on the locally televised Al Davis Talent Show where he played a harmonica duet with his brother Hampton. Also appearing on the same show was another young musician named Frank Zappa. Apparently, both Zappa and the George brothers lost out to a girl tap dancer.
Lowell attended Hollywood High where his classmates included Paul Barrere (later to become the rhythm guitarist in Little Feat), his future wife Elizabeth and Martin Kibbee, who went on to be a lifelong friend and co-writer with George of such Little Feat classics as Fatman In The Bathtub, Dixie Chicken and Rock and Roll Doctor. Around this time, George's brother departed for a stint in the army, leaving behind a classical guitar that the enterprising Lowell soon mastered. George also became proficient on a number of other instruments as well; the banjo, clarinet and a Japanese bamboo flute known as the shakuhachi. Within the next two years, Lowell would also study a popular sixties instrument known as the sitar at a Los Angeles school run by Ravi Shankar. In some of Lowell's work with Little Feat, such as The Fan, one can detect traces of Middle Eastern music so his studies under Shankar seemed to have had a lingering effect on his musical sensibility.
By the end of high school, George's interest had turned to jazz. Martin Kibbee, in Mark Brend's comprehensive biography of Lowell George Rock And Roll Doctor (Backbeat Books, 2002), describes Lowell's developing love for music:
"His taste in music at that time ran more to West Coast Jazz than, say, Jan and Dean or the Beach Boys. Les McCann and Mose Allison were appearing at Sunset Strip clubs like The Bit and The Renaissance where we hung out. Lowell wore a black turtleneck, the whole beatnik bit…"
Following high school, George attended Valley Junior College where he studied art history. While attending college, George held a job as a gas station attendant. In later years, he credited this experience with providing the inspiration for his future country styled trucker anthem Willin' which is, perhaps, the most widely known Lowell George song. By the mid-Sixties, George had purchased a Fender electric guitar and an amplifier. After seeing the Byrds perform at The Brave New World coffeehouse, he decided to form his first band, The Factory.
In Rock & Roll Doctor (Mark Brend's comprehensive biography of Lowell George Rock And Roll Doctor Backbeat Books, 2002), Mark Brend describes the Los Angeles music scene that confronted the young musician:
"In the mid-1960's, the United States was teeming with newly formed young bands. It was against this backdrop that countless young Americans grouped together in garages, plugged their Fender Mustang guitars into Vox amplifiers and ripped through 'Hey Joe Most of these so-called garage bands were musical primitives with more enthusiasm than dexterity, destined to play their local circuit and maybe record a demo that would appear on a collector's compilation decades later..."
The Factory was Lowell George's first serious attempt at carving out a career for himself in the music business. Consisting of Martin Kibbee (bass), Martin Klein (guitar), Richie Hayward (drums) and Lowell George (guitar, lead vocals and assorted instruments such as flute and clarinet), the band soon established itself on the Los Angeles rock club circuit. As to what this group sounded like, the best existing artifact to check out is Lightning Rod Man, a collection of tracks recorded for the Uni label in 1966. As evidenced by such tracks as "Lost," "Candy Cane Madness" and "Smile, Let Your Life Begin," the music of The Factory reflects a late-sixties folk-punk rock style as championed by such LA bands as Love, The Music Machine and The Seeds.
In 1967, Lowell & The Factory appeared as a band called The Bedbugs on the sitcom, F-TROOP in an episode titled That's Showbiz folks!
Here's a picture of Lowell George during filming the F-Troop episode.
Towards the end of 1967, things were winding down for The Factory. They had been a mainstay of the club scene and had even appeared in episodes of the popular television sit-coms F-Troop and Gomer Pyle but they had failed to create any hit records.
One of The Factory's last projects was to record two demo songs for the Original Sound record label that were produced by Frank Zappa. These two tracks, "Lightning Rod Man" and "The Loved One" (both included on the Lightning Rod Man CD) contain familiar Zappa production elements. Actually, it is on the track, "Lightning Rod Man," that Lowell George hits his first serious stride as a musician. Written by George and Kibbee and based on a Herman Melville short story, "Lightning Rod Man" finds George delivering a tour de force vocal in a style that recalls the early work of Captain Beefheart. In fact, before this track had been properly identified as a recording by The Factory, many collectors assumed it was a rare Captain Beefheart outtake. George's brief time in the studio with Zappa apparently had quite an influence on the young musician as his later work as a producer of Little Feat records would indicate. Like Zappa, he adopted studio work habits that involved staying in the studio for several nights running and not leaving until a particular track was finished to his satisfaction.
While the remaining members of The Factory formed a new band called The Fraternity of Man, George found himself working as a hired gun for The Standells, who were running out their proverbial 15 minutes of fame after the success of their hit "Dirty Water." In a 1975 interview in Zig Zag magazine, George described his experience with The Standells, "I replaced Dicky Dodds, the lead singer. …he quit because he couldn't stand it. And I finally quit because I couldn't stand it either." In his typical style of going from one extreme to another, George left The Standells to become a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, the most cutting-edge rock band at that time.
Lowell's brief tenure in The Mothers Of Invention lasted about a year. While George expressed his frustration at working within the strict framework of Frank Zappa's musical vision, it seems that he did come away with the firm knowledge of how to be a bandleader. Brend explains in his book how George's time in the Mothers of Invention provided him with a template for how he would run his future band, Little Feat: "George saw in Zappa's management of the Mothers a model of how a band could be run. It was a model that worked, that was productive, and that allowed for individual creativity – but within the clear boundaries set by the bandleader. This idea of how things might be was to stay with him throughout his career."
Another important influence that Zappa had on Lowell George was in song composition. While in the studio with the Mothers, George no doubt witnessed Zappa's penchant for cutting up various musical parts and splicing these taped elements together, thereby creating entirely new song sections. George would go on to adapt this style of songwriting within a short time. On more than one occasion, George would refer to his songs as "cracked mosaics." Years later, in a 1975 interview in Zig Zag magazine, George would state, "I use tape like someone would use manuscript paper." All of this sheds light on how crucial George considered the recording studio as an essential tool that was needed for songwriting.
In a 1978 interview, journalist T.E. Mattox asked Lowell how he created the song Cold Cold Cold: "That was one of the first experiments I ever had with a tape recorder. I was a live wire in a loose wig you might say, at Richie's (Hayward) house, our drummer. I had a tape recorder and a guitar and this rhythm machine. I sat down and started playing; just playing anything that came into my head. Then I took the tape and I cut it down into a form and then I put words to it. And since that time I've written a lot of songs that way. But that was the first time I ever did it."
From a 2000 article in The Guardian: “George's infuriating stubbornness was as great as his talent. His made his fellow musicians bristle by adopting Frank Zappa's autocratic bandleading style; his eccentric methods of writing and recording, meanwhile, were time-consuming and calamitously costly. The results, at least, were worth it. Rock and Roll Doctor, the opening track from 1974's Feats Don't Fail Me Now, took an age to complete because the band had to build it from a crude demo George had assembled by splicing together chunks of several different cassette tapes....George's objective was to create a song with as many awkward chord changes and rhythmic eccentricities as possible, what he liked to call the cracked mosaic. Its crowning glory is George's slide guitar solo, a screaming miracle of sonic architecture. George's approach to his work often seemed to have more in common with jazz or classical composition: he would spend years reworking the same material, edging his way towards some imagined ideal result."
Like Zappa, George eventually got so comfortable in the recording studio that he would create spontaneously, no matter how long the sessions ran and no matter how much the end result cost. These work habits would have a serious impact on Lowell's health towards the end of his brief life.
After touring and participating in several recording sessions, it is unclear whether Lowell was asked to leave the band because of Zappa's intolerance for drug use or if the young guitarist had just felt it was time to leave and start another band. At this time, George had also composed one of his most popular songs, Willin' and, as a tape of the song was circulated among various record labels, Lowell began receiving offers to make his own record. In any event, George departed The Mothers just prior to their 1969 tour of Europe. His musical contributions to this era of The Mothers of Invention are featured on the albums Weasels Ripped My Flesh and Burnt Weenie Sandwich.
The confluence of events of the past year had set the stage for the formation of Little Feat; George had previously worked with drummer Richie Hayward in The Factory, he had met and played with Mothers' bassist Roy Estrada and the final piece of the musical puzzle fell into place when he struck up a friendship with Bill Payne, a talented young piano player who had been hanging around Zappa's office.
In The Little Feat Saga, Payne describes the ideas that he and George shared concerning the musical direction of their new band, "We talked about the kind of band we wanted it to be. Should we have a horn section? What should the bass player play? Are we going to relegate ourselves to one style of music? We decided there shouldn't be any limits to what we would do. If we wanted to play a waltz, great. If we wanted to play a straight-ahead song, fine." This mindset is obviously one of the key ingredients that led to the many stylistic innovations that characterized the music of Little Feat.
On the Little Feat.com site, Paul Barrere explains the origin of the Little Feat band name: “Lowell George had unusually little, fat feet and Jimmy Carl Black of The Mothers happened to make mention of them to Lowell with an expletive. Lowell deleted the expletive and the name was born with Feat instead of Feet, just like the Beatles. Neat huh?"
As the 1970's arrived, the music scene began to change. A less-is-more approach replaced the extended jam format popularized by such bands as Cream and Iron Butterfly. The Byrds cut their seminal country rock opus Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Dylan released the mellow Nashville Skyline, and Gram Parsons formed The Flying Burrito Brothers.
The most important group of this period was Bob Dylan's former backing combo, The Band, whose Music from Big Pink literally redefined popular music overnight. In the midst of all of this, after submitting a demo tape of Willin' to Lenny Waronker of Warner Brothers, Little Feat was signed to a recording contract. They joined a roster of such eclectic artists as Arlo Guthrie, Van Dyke Parks, The Youngbloods, Deep Purple, James Taylor, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, The Fugs and Neil Young.
This video was extracted from a tape of Little Feat
rehearsing for their first album in August of 1970.
The first Little Feat album contained a wide variety of musical influences. Among the various styles represented on this first album are country rock (Strawberry Flats), mid-tempo FM radio rock (Hamburger Midnight Blues), tinges of lysergic psychedelia (The Brides of Jesus and Got No Shadow) as well as the Howlin Wolf covers, 44 Blues and How Many More Years. I consider these last two tracks to be some of the most important recordings in the Lowell George canon. They reveal the most primal of George's musical influences.
Howlin' Wolf proved to be such a consistent presence within George's music that Lowell would soon compose his own version of a Howlin Wolf song (Apolitical Blues) and, if you listen closely, you can detect the Chicago blues style of Wolf sprinkled throughout many Little Feat recordings. In addition to these benchmark tracks, the album is notable for producing the first of many versions of Lowell's country rock classic, Willin'. In another example of his developing obsessive qualities in the recording studio, George would insist on including different versions of Willin' on various Little Feat albums. While Little Feat had a sparse quality about it, some of the enduring musical elements that defined Little Feat were already in place in the form of Payne's effervescent keyboard work, George's unique singing style as well as his distinctive slide guitar work.
The story of how Lowell George came to develop his unique style of playing slide guitar has a mythical quality about it that stands as a good example of just how accomplished a musician he had become by this point in time. The day before Lowell was supposed to start recording his guitar parts for the first Little Feat album, he was sitting at his kitchen table pursuing one of his lifelong passions – working on model airplanes. While adjusting the motor in one of the planes, he sliced open his hand on the tiny propeller. Since the hand that he injured was the one that he used to pick out notes on his guitar, he opted to employ the slide guitar style while overdubbing most of his guitar parts for the record.
Rick Harper, Lowell's close friend and road manager, sheds more light on this incident in The Little Feat Saga, "He never told anybody... he'd lost the feeling in two or three of his fingers. He said at first it was like marshmallow and he couldn't tell how much pressure to put on the strings." It is indeed remarkable that George was able to overcome the results of his accident and discover a new way of expressing himself musically.
Here's a video of Lowell George explaining his unique slide guitar technique.
Here's the type of socket wrench that Lowell used as a slide.
George had already dabbled in this style of playing guitar while with the Mothers of Invention but being forced to play using a slide for an extended period of time while his hand was healing probably led to the discovery of his own singular style of slide guitar playing. Lowell quickly developed his own sound which featured clean compressed notes played with precision and filled with sustain. Along with Lowell's unique slide guitar, he was also developing a distinctive vocal style which employed the technique of melissima by which the singer melodically embellishes certain syllables within a phase. This style of singing, much like Lowell's slide guitar, would become a critical element of Little Feat's musical identity.
1971 Little Feat Concert Poster "Still Just A Buck!"
1971 Flyer Little Feat Benefit for The Free Clinic
While the first Little Feat album did a good job of illustrating the talents within the band, it sold poorly and the group was in danger of being dropped from the Warner Brothers label. Fortunately, Van Dyke Parks, who was involved with developing artists for the label, interceded on their behalf and convinced the label executives to let the band record a second album. From Willin’ - The Little Feat Story (Ben Fong Torres / Da Capo Press) : “One way Parks helped George and the band to get a second chance was with Sailin’ Shoes, the song that would become the title of their second album. Parks and George created the song during a session for Parks’s own second album, Discover America, and he included it, hoping to raise the song’s— and George’s— profile at the label. Parks says he came up with the title, and the two made up the tune. George had an entirely different recollection of the song’s creation: 'I had some verses and pieces of a chorus, but nothing was happening with it, and Van Dyke came into a room and said, ‘Okay, let’s play it.’ And we sat down, with him at the piano, and I had a guitar, and he said something, and there was a flash of light, and I had it. It was a Zen experience.'”
Recording on their sophomore effort, which was initially supposed to be titled Thanks I'll Eat It Here but later changed to Sailin' Shoes, began in the spring of 1971. The album indicates how quickly Little Feat was developing musically. The record features two songs (Trouble and Texas Rose Cafe) that reflect George's absurdist sense of humor. Among the record's other highlights are Lowell's homage to Howlin' Wolf (Apolitical Blues) and the anthemic Tripe Face Boogie which features the most incendiary slide guitar solo ever recorded by George. During this solo, Lowell's technique with the slide is electrifying as he coaxes a series of high piercing notes on his guitar.
From a 2014 interview with Bill Payne on the Rhino.com site: "When you look back at Sailin’ Shoes, what comes to mind? You know, I think when you hear that record and listen to the growth of the band between the Little Feat and Sailin’ Shoes, there’s so much more maturity in the record. We got a little bit more used to recording. I think Lowell’s chops as a writer – and mine, too, with Richie – were starting to kind of blossom, and…it put us on the map. Not sales-wise, but as a group to be taken seriously. Listen to Lowell’s guitar on Easy to Slip, for example. I mean, it’s just some great stuff, ‘cause you can hear he’s combining a really good acoustic guitar sound with…well, I don’t know what he was using as an effect on his electric guitar, but it was really, really good. I think it still holds up.”
Neon Park's infamous Weasels Ripped My Flesh album cover design
Lowell George "Trouble" (demo 1971)
Sailin Shoes - Neon Park's first Little Feat album cover
Neon Park
As George's musical abilities developed, so did his ideas on how his music should be presented to the public. The Sailin' Shoes record marks the debut of the distinctive Little Feat visual branding which was created by the experimental artist, Neon Park. George had been exposed to Park's art while in the Mothers of Invention. Park created the infamous Weasels Ripped My Flesh cover on which a man is depicted using a live weasel to shave his face. Park's sense of absurd imagery appealed to George's own innate sense of dada art. The Sailin' Shoes cover, depicting a slice of cake on a swing, a phallic snail and a Mick Jagger inspired image of Gainsborough's Blue Boy, caused quite a stir upon the album's release. Starting with this second album, Park's art would adorn every subsequent Little Feat album cover and, even though Park passed away in 1993, his surrealistic imagery continues to be featured on every Little Feat record that is released to this day.
In a 1976 interview with Zig Zag magazine, Lowell George described his first meeting with Neon Park: "He was hitch hiking one afternoon, and a friend of mine picked him up on one of the side-streets of Hollywood. He cruised over to my house, and I met the man, because I admired his cover of Weasels Ripped My Flesh - I mean...an electric weasel...whatever next! - so we began a friendship and also a business relationship, in that I would say ‘Give me a cover’. Many times, he wasn't told anything about the album, because I believe art is art, and I would rather do that than have somebody construct a concept and get heavy, because seriousness really doesn't play too great a part in what we're doing. It happens, and you never really know...there's really no concept...except perhaps Feats Don't Fail Me, which was a party record - have a beer or two and dance or whatever happens - that's the frame of mind we were in for that record.”
In addition to his work with Little Feat, George began to be in demand as a session player and producer on many recording projects by other artists. The extensive list of records that Lowell George lent his talents to is considerable. Among some of his finest work outside of Little Feat can be found on such albums by such artists as John Sebastian, John Cale, Bonnie Raitt, Van Dyke Parks, Robert Palmer, and Valerie Carter. Many of the musical elements that Lowell brought to these projects would later surface on his own solo album, Thanks I'll Eat It Here.
Lowell appears on this Jackson Browne track - Bright Baby Blues.
Besides his appearances on albums by well-known artists, George was fond of being a mentor to many young musicians who were just starting out in the business. He would frequently use his considerable reputation to help these fledgling musicians get their first break. One such example of this is his support of Ricki Lee Jones during the early stages of her career. George graciously recorded a cover version of her song Easy Money in an effort to get her signed to the Warner Brothers label.
Valerie Carter
Another case of this type of mentorship can be found in his active involvement on Valerie Carter's 1977 album, Just A Stone's Throw Away. Carter, largely unknown in the business at the time, was impressed with the extensive work George did on her record. George co-wrote four songs (Heartache, Face Of Appalachia, Cowboy Angel and Back To Blue Some More) as well as co-producing several tracks. This type of generous behavior on the part of Lowell George became legendary among the Los Angeles musical community.
Roy Estrada
Sometime in early 1972, bassist Roy Estrada, frustrated by the band's lack of commercial success, left Little Feat and became a member of Capt. Beefheart's Magic Band.
For a time, George busied himself with session work on Van Dyke Parks' calypso infused album, Discover America.
As these sessions wound down, Lowell began to consider the musical direction of Little Feat. In a bold move, George essentially re-invented the sound of Little Feat by adding three new members; Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion) and Paul Barrere (guitar). Gradney and Clayton joined with drummer Richie Hayward to become one of the most renowned rhythm sections in rock & roll and gave the new line-up a funky sound that recalled the great New Orleans band, The Meters. It is the addition of Paul Barrere, though, that gave the band more depth as his presence on rhythm guitar allowed Lowell George to concentrate on his developing slide guitar technique. This line-up of Little Feat would remain in place until Lowell George's death in 1979.
In late 1972, the restructured line-up released its first album, Dixie Chicken. Along with expanding the band's creative boundaries by adding some new members, George somehow talked his record label into letting him produce Dixie Chicken.
Lowell's mindset at the time is captured in Willin' - The Little Feat Story: “My head is directed toward production anyway. I really like it, and the group thought my chops were up enough to give it a try. Making records is equally as much of an instrument as anything you can sit down and play. You can record your guitar and play it back and then augment it and modify it any way you want. It’s just like playing it.”
The record broke new ground with its mélange of swamp funk, acoustic balladry, country and jazz sounds. The album's title cut, a George/Kibbee song which features a convoluted tale of drunken misadventure, and the humorous Fatman in the Bathtub still stand as some of Little Feat's best recorded works. The Dixie Chicken album became a turning point for the band as a newfound assuredness in the studio inspired an increased confidence on stage.
Along with his touring commitments with Little Feat, George began to increase his session work. Around this time he appeared on albums by the soul singer Kathy Dalton and former Velvet Underground member, John Cale. Cale's album, Paris 1919, uses George's talents on acoustic and slide guitar to great effect.
1973 Little Feat open for Mike Bloomfield
In the course of working on this post, I happened to come across a post on Facebook by Mike Hatchett a former Little Feat Roadie which described working with Little Feat at a club called Richards Atlanta, GA Sept. 17, 1973.
“Little Feat had played at Richards' where a bond was formed with Lowell George. A job was offered to me, and accepted to go on the road with Little Feat, leaving Atlanta for LA, California.”
Lowell George was one of a kind. Gracious and friendly, with an infectious smile. We learned how to think outside the box while spending long days and nights with him in the recording studio. Little Feat recorded mostly in Hollywood, often using the services @ the Sound Factory in both locations. Lowell brought a host of other artists for small parts in recordings.
For the song, All That You Dream he brought in John Hall to play a guitar part. For the backbeat in the song, Lowell incorporated a 28-inch bass drum. The drum was placed head side down and had a small amount of rice spread on the top head, creating a deep kind of snare drum sound. His producer/engineer, George Massenberg, usually went along with most of the unique approaches to making a record.
Another time, at the Sound Factory in Hollywood he brought in Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night to sing some background vocals. The two of them were looking for different reverb sounds on the vocal. Danny remarked how vocals seemed better when one sang in the bathroom. Light bulb went off in Lowell's head as he instructed me to bring his black face Princeton amp and place it inside the studio bathroom. The vocal track was directed to the Princeton from the recording console. They then had George Massenberg place a Neuman microphone inside the toilet bowl, a few inches above the water level. Hence was born Toilet Verb.
George Massenberg
George Massenberg was beyond genius, also having a large part in inventing the automated flying faders used today. On the song, Down Below the Borderline, he spent many hours with scotch packaging tape and a razor blade splicing together parts of the song and created the changing syncopated rhythms in the song.
As I was delivering some of Lowell's guitars and the Princeton Reverb one day to the studio there was no one in the studio except a young dark-haired woman sitting behind the front desk. This was one of the first times I had been in this studio and did not know where the gear was to be taken. Puzzled, I asked the woman behind the front desk where she wanted me to take his gear. Her response was 'I don't know, anywhere'. I asked Lowell when he arrived why the receptionist was so clueless. At that point Lowell could not stop laughing at me and Lowell said, ‘Hatchett!…that was Linda Ronstadt!’
Lowell even saved my life in the transgression of my move from Atlanta to live in Hollywood. Some of us have suffered through depression. My condition was so bad at times I would not answer my phone (land line) for days when we were off the road. Shunning friends and visits to my apartment. Lowell recognized my problem and would make up projects to keep me busy from their rehearsal space to supermarket shopping for a session. Keeping one busy leaves no time to become depressed. His heart was huge for others.
Sometimes on the road he was a little more direct. If Lowell came across a guitar cable that was suspect of being defective, he would call you over to him. His words were usually, "see this guitar cable? Fix it!", as he would rip one connector from the cable and hand it back to you. I would gladly resolder a thousand guitar cables to have him still ripping the plugs off again. Thanks for the best times to ever be on the road."
Live at Ultrasonic Studios, Long Island, NY 1973
9/19/1974 - Ultrasonic Studios
WLIR Broadcast Hempstead, NY
With the increased success of Little Feat as a touring band, Lowell George began to experience personal difficulties as he began to depend on liquor and drugs to help him deal with the pressure of being the bandleader, head songwriter, record producer as well as lead singer of Little Feat. His lifestyle was also beginning to impact his relationship with the band.
In Rock & Roll Doctor, Mark Brend describes George's growing inability to deal with the creative compromises he was forced to make within the framework of the newly expanded band line-up, "The consequences of his desire to collaborate and his restlessly creative nature can also be seen in the circumstances surrounding Little Feat at this time. The expanded line-up that George had put together as a means to develop creatively ultimately proved to be his undoing. He needed collaborators… and they had to be of a high standard of musical ability. But he only wanted collaboration up to a point, because he also wanted ultimate control. Yet players as talented as Barrere and Payne were never going to be content with being sidemen to a dominant figure… Eventually the collective weight of opinion in the band was to turn against George."
Bill Payne describes the process of writing songs with Lowell on the Rhino.com site: “Was it challenging to write songs with Lowell? Bill Payne: I think it started off in a pretty straightforward manner, but it became increasingly difficult from there. And I don’t blame the guy: he wanted to do his own thing. One of the songs that we wrote which is representative of a good match is Truck Stop Girl, which the Byrds recorded. But after that… That’s why I did Tripe Face Boogie (from Sailin’ Shoes) with Richie. There’s very few songs I wrote with Lowell thereafter. But by the second album, with Easy to Slip, that was just pitched down the middle of the plate, trying to create a single, and it’s a wonderful song, obviously, but…who knows? Lowell’s writing… I thought he was really, really great, but I was just trying to catch up. I’d never written songs before, so for me it was a little more difficult to kind of figure out where I was in the scheme of things. But I had a lot of chords at my disposal, and I was aggressive enough to take care of my own territory, and…that’s what happened.”
During 1974, after the Dixie Chicken album experienced poor record sales, Little Feat broke up for a brief period. George suggested that the band members go their separate ways and pursue session work until he could renegotiate a better contract with Warner Brothers. One of the projects that Lowell was involved with at this time was his participation in the recording of the Mike Auldridge album, Bluegrass & Blues (1974, Takoma Records). Auldridge, an accomplished dobro player, impressed George with his slide technique. Elements of bluegrass music that recalled these recording sessions would later surface on Thanks I'll Eat It Here. During this hiatus from Little Feat, George also contributed his musical and production talents to Bonnie Raitt's Takin' My Time and John Sebastian's Tarzana Kid. His work on Sebastian's record, particularly on the track The Face of Appalachia which he co-wrote with Sebastian, is comparable to the quality of his best Little Feat work
During this same period, Bill Payne landed a gig with the Doobie Brothers and Lowell, along with several of the other members of Little Feat, journeyed down to New Orleans where they were involved in the recording of British R&B singer Robert Palmer's Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley album.
Lowell's exposure to the musical culture of the Big Easy would quickly emerge as a primary influence on Little Feat's fourth album, Feats Don't Fail Me Now; a record that extends the funky groove of the Dixie Chicken album as the band conjures up such syncopated classics as Spanish Moon, Skin it Back, and the title track.
The real highlight of the album is Rock & Roll Doctor, a George/Kibbee song that delivers a dynamic Lowell George vocal performance that employs a feverish call and response gospel technique as George's slide guitar is coupled to great effect with the second line rhythms of New Orleans.
"It is only 34 minutes and 18 seconds long but it is a work of genius. Little Feat’s output with Lowell George was extraordinary. Every single album is brilliant but if I had to pick only one, I’d pick this, their fourth release from 1974. With classics like Rock n Roll Doctor, Oh Atlanta, Spanish Moon and the imperious silky funk of Skin it Back it is absolutely irresistible.
But how do you describe their music? It is a unique stew of elements. Swamp rock is a term often used and it probably says it best. Their music seems rooted, not in one genre but in many. It’s kind of funky, kind of bluesy, kind of folkish, sort of jazz and sort of rock n roll. And yet none of those really. No-one had sounded like them before, no-one has sounded like them since. They were tight but oh so loose. Somehow keeping their groove through wonky time signatures, absolute masters of the space between the notes, if you know what I mean. They are quite simply amazing musicians.
It is music that makes you want to groove, that makes you smile and feel warm. If you listen to all seven of their 1970s studio albums from Little Feat to Down On The Farm, it is almost as if they are one record, so musically consistent are they." (https://www.djtees.com/blogs)
The Feats Don't Fail Me Now album was recorded at the Blue Seas Studio in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The studio had just been taken over by former Lovin Spoonful bassist, Steve Boone who moved the studio location to a barge docked at Pier 4 in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. Boone contacted his former manager, Bob Cavallo, about sending some talent his way to record at the Blue Seas facility. Cavallo suggested Little Feat and contacted Lowell George who in turn was excited about cutting an album outside of the distractions that existed in Los Angeles.
Another reason that George was enthusiastic about the Blue Seas situation was that it was where George Massenburg, Lowell's favorite studio engineer, did a lot of his production work. In short order, Massenburg agreed to produce Feats Don't Fail Me Now. After the album was completed, Lowell and the band remained in Maryland to act as the backing band for singer Robert Palmer's second album, Pressure Drop.
For several years, the Blue Seas studio recorded many memorable albums but by 1977 the studio was in financial trouble. On Christmas Day in 1977, the barge sank due to a faulty bilge pump. From The Blue Seas Saga in Baltimore magazine: “The studio’s extensive tape library, including valuable Lowell George demos and Lovin’ Spoonful outtakes, was destroyed. ‘Everything else that got lost was mechanical equipment and could be replaced,” says Boone, “but losing all of those tapes really hurt.’”
As much as Dixie Chicken and Feats Don't Fail Me Now established a new direction for the band, 1975's The Last Record Album found George struggling to produce a piece of commercially viable product. While the trademark Little Feat sound is present, many of the tracks seem to reflect the growing obsessive behavior that Lowell was exhibiting in these all-night recording sessions as he searched for sounds that would produce the perfect hit record.
Also noticeable is the increased songwriting and vocalizing by both Paul Barrere and Bill Payne. As a songwriting team, Barrere and Payne contributed several strong songs to this album; Romance Dance, One Love Stand and All That You Dream. In his book, Mark Brend presents a clear picture of the situation, “George's artistic energy declined and, crucially, his ability to write great songs seems to have greatly diminished. Within another year, Lowell George would no longer be the leader of Little Feat.”
Another example of George's growing obsessive behavior in the recording studio is the sound of The Last Record Album, which has a tight, compressed quality about it that hints at Lowell's penchant for endless overdubbing tracks in search of perfection.
The album's best moment occurs when George delivers his poignant ballad, Long Distance Love which features the singer ruminating on the rigors of touring and the damage that the lifestyle of a working musician can imprint on personal relationships.
Lowell George's daily use of drugs and alcohol finally caught up with him in 1978 when he contracted hepatitis and was not able to attend the band's initial recording sessions for the Time Loves A Hero album. With the recording sessions in shambles, Payne and Barrere called in Ted Templeton, who had previously handled the production duties on the band's second record, Sailin' Shoes, to replace George as the album's producer.
In The Little Feat Saga, Ted Templeton explains some of the problems George was having during these recording sessions, "Lowell kind of distanced himself on that record... When we did Rocket in my Pocket... it came time for the solo, he called and said, 'I can't do it today. I'm sleeping in.' So I called Bonnie Raitt and she came down and played a fucking killer solo. So I called Lowell and said 'Listen to this. What do you think? Doesn't this burn?' He actually got out of bed and came down and played the solo..." Incidents like this give further evidence to the dangerous impact that Lowell's lifestyle was having on his ability to make music.
Although George does indeed bring this record to life with his only solo songwriting contribution, Rocket in My Pocket, The Time Loves A Hero album is devoid of the engaging musicality that characterized every other Little Feat album up to this point.
One track, Day At The Dog Races, revealed the artistic chasm that had developed between Lowell George and the rest of the band. The song is primarily based in the style of the mid-seventies jazz fusion band, Return To Forever. In The Little Feat Saga, producer Ted Templeton describes Lowell's reaction to this departure from the band's trademark sound, "Lowell was a little upset. He said, 'What is this, fucking Weather Report?'" Upon its release, Time Loves A Hero was considered by the press and public alike to be a major disappointment.
Here’s a great story as parlayed by Allan Jones
(well known for his work on Melody Maker & Uncut)
“London, June 1976: Little Feat are due back in London to re-join The Who Put The Boot In tour, after two weeks in Europe during a break between the opening date of The Who tour at Charlton football ground and tomorrow's show in Swansea.
I am supposed to meet them at 10.30 on a Friday morning at the Montcalm, the swanky hotel in Mable Arch much-favored in those days by anyone signed to Warner Bros. There's no sign of the band when I get there, although they were meant to be catching an early flight from Amsterdam. Eventually, someone from Warners turns up with the news that Little Feat are as we speak being held at Heathrow. The band are in custody and their impounded equipment’s being searched for drugs, flight cases and amps and the like being stripped, much like the group themselves, and thoroughly frisked. He has no idea how long they'll be held, but says if I want to wait, he'll book me a room. There's a well-stocked mini bar and food on room service if I want it.
I could, of course, go back to the Melody Maker office, where work is waiting for me. Alternatively, I could, you know, stay here and have a few drinks, some nibbles and maybe a nap. So I decide to stay and wait, trying not to take undue advantage of the record company's generosity, an intention that fails miserably, the stock of the mini bar much diminished by mid-afternoon, Little Feat still at that point being grilled at the airport.
By this time, early evening arrives when they finally show up, in remarkably good humor and full of apologies for the long wait I've endured with what I hope seems to them impressive professional stoicism. Anyway, I am here to interview them individually for a regular Melody Maker feature called Band Breakdown. To which end, they troop one by one into my room. Bassist Ken Gradney's first, followed by percussionist Sam Clayton, both veterans of Delany & Bonnie. Next up is keyboardist Bill Payne, who formed little Feat in 1970 with guitarist Lowell George and drummer Richie Heyward, their ambition, as he puts it, to sound like ‘a tougher version of The Band’. Bill's very funny about Little Feat's early days, playing occasional gigs at strip clubs and generally so poor he ended up sleeping on the beach.
The poverty that has dogged the band ever since is something that subsequently preoccupies somewhat surly guitarist Paul Barrere, who joined them in 1972. Barrere had been working up to that point as a waiter – ‘make that a servant’ - at a musicians' hang-out called The Black Rabbit Inn while playing part-time with a group called Led Enema. ‘For the next year and a half,’ he says curtly, ‘I made less money with Little Feat than I did as an out-of-work musician and waiter.’
I didn't really hit it off with Barerre who, in a simmering hint of escalating tensions to come grumpily, spends most of the interview complaining that Lowell gets too much credit for the band's music, which the moody Barerre clearly resents. I get on like a dream, though, with flamboyantly Richie Heyward, who is sharp, funny and has great drugs. ‘We sent everything ahead of us,’ he says, explaining why nothing came of the airport bust. ‘It was all waiting for us when we arrived. Have some more,’ he says, busy cutting up lines as long as a baby’s arm.
He starts off by telling me about The Factory, the band he played in with Lowell before Little Feat. ‘It was electric miasma music,’ he says. ‘We had a song called Car Crash, which was an instrumental that sounded like every violated water buffalo in the world plugged into a Marshall amp.’
He then remembers The Fraternity of Man, whose line-up also included Lowell. ‘I spent most of my time bailing them out of jail, where they were paying for their enjoyment of nefarious pharmaceutical pursuits and behavior sub-standard to the ethic of The Daughters of The American Revolution. The music was revolutionary. An incitement to riot. Anti-police state and pro-pharmacology. Inane, really.’
Not long after The Fraternity of Man split, Richie formed Little Feat with Lowell, who'd just left Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention, Bill Payne and former Mothers' bassist Roy Estrada, who eventually quit to join Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. ‘Beefheart offered Roy 350 dollars a month,’ Richie recalls. ‘Which was exactly 350 dollars a month more than Little Feat, collectively, were earning. Man, we were poor.’
We suddenly realize we have been jabbering wide-eyed for hours and I still need to speak to Lowell. We go to his room, knock on the door and there is no reply. Richie suggests I meet the band the next day in Swansea, where I can interview Lowell. So, the next day I spend a lot of time in Little Feat's trailer, drinking beer, smoking this and snorting that. I have a grand time, thanks for asking.
Somehow, I still don't manage to get Lowell in front of a tape recorder. It is agreed that I'll meet with Lowell at the sound-check for Little Feat's show on Monday at the Hammersmith Odeon, which is a gas. But Lowell disappears as soon as the sound-check is done. I don’t see Lowell again before the gig, which turns out to be mind-blowing. There is an after-show party for the band, though, at the Zanzibar, a swish cocktail bar in Covent Garden, at which Lowell is finally cornered. We find a table and against much background rowdiness from the partying mob, we have to shout to make ourselves heard to each other. Lowell’s constantly distracted by a stream of well-wishers and other people he doesn't seem to know, some of them offering him this, others that. A pretty waitress who catches Lowell's eye brings us round after round of exotic drinks, which we knock back like sailors on shore leave.
Lowell's already kind of what you might call out of it, although not as far gone as he looks like he might get. Whatever, for the next 45 minutes, he is great company. There are colorful anecdotes about his time with Zappa, The Factory, Sky Saxon and The Seeds, The Standells, The Fraternity Of Man, Stephen Stills, Peter Tork, Jimi Hendrix and, of course, Little Feat.
‘Little Feat is like a Jackson Pollock painting,' he says. ‘You know the way a Pollock painting is never really finished? Pollock painted until he came to the edge of the canvas, that's when he had to stop. He then had a painting. When we are recording, we have a deadline to finish by, usually imposed by the record company. When we hit that deadline, we stop recording. It is the edge of our canvas. That's when we have a new album."
Somehow, Lowell is finally dragged away into the seething crowd and the flashing lights, the pulsing maw of the teeming Zanzibar.”
As the band continued to widen their fan base with extensive touring, one of the highlights was the 1977 Warner Brothers Music Show which kicked off a nine-city, 18-show tour of Europe which featured Tower of Power, Montrose, Little Feat, Graham Central Station, the Doobie Brothers and Bonaroo. From the Rhino.com site: ".By all reports, Little Feat apparently got along with the European audiences like a house on fire, earning themselves a bigger audience that continued to follow their career over the intervening years." Four of the shows on this tour were recorded at the Rainbow Theater in London which were slated to be part of the band's next project; a live album titled Waiting for Columbus.
Little Feat's musical credibility was restored somewhat with the 1978 release of the band's first official live album, Waiting For Columbus which saw George restored to his role as the band's producer. The album does an excellent job of capturing the onstage improvisational interplay that characterized many of Little Feat's best concerts. George, in particular, brings a renewed sense of energy to his singing and playing. Little Feat's first live album also produced the first credible record sales of the band's career. For the moment, Waiting For Columbus provided a sense of vindication for Lowell George.
George maintained an extremely busy schedule towards the end of 1978. Besides touring with Little Feat, he was involved in production work on his first solo album as well as producing sessions for Shakedown Street, the next album by the venerable San Francisco jam band, The Grateful Dead. Working with The Dead should have been a window of opportunity for George to establish a more viable musical identity outside of Little Feat and yet the record reeks of mediocrity.
Sadly, Shakedown Street stands as one of the worst albums ever released by The Grateful Dead. In Rock & Roll Doctor, Brend explains that, "Although things started well, the project ran out of steam after a few weeks and George withdrew from the sessions before the album was finished. Explanations for this were not forthcoming but no doubt George's perfectionism was at odds with the laidback Grateful Dead approach."
Here's an outtake of the Good Lovin track from this album which surprisingly features Lowell George singing the lead vocal part! His voice is extremely energetic on this version and the contrast between this outtake and the version featuring the weaker vocals of Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia and company that was eventually released is stunning, to say the least.
The Good Lovin outtake hints at just how good this project could have been if George had managed to summon the needed energy to finish the production. It was a clear indication that his years of substance abuse had finally begun to impact his musical judgment as a producer and musician. The only positive thing that Lowell seemed to take away from this project was Six Feet of Snow, a sprightly country tune he co-wrote with Keith Godchaux, keyboard player for The Dead. This song would make an appearance on George's last album with Little Feat, Down On The Farm.
While much of the rancor between Lowell George and the rest of Little Feat had temporarily subsided due to the success of Waiting For Columbus, work on the next album reawakened some of the problems the band had been having during the production of Time Loves A Hero. George would waste countless hours of expensive studio time doing endless retakes of the same material as he drove everybody crazy with his obsessive behavior, always searching for a perfect take. Suddenly, in the midst of the chaotic recording sessions, George lost all interest in working on Down On The Farm. Instead, he turned his attention to finishing his solo album, Thanks I'll Eat It Here. This infuriated the rest of the band and a permanent split within Little Feat seemed imminent. Down On The Farm would end up being released shortly after the death of Lowell George.
Thanks I'll Eat It Here was a project that Lowell had dabbled with, off and on, since 1975. The current problems he was having with Little Feat seemed to provide George with the impetus to complete this long awaited album. While George's solo record is often dismissed as an incomplete album that suffers from an overabundance of divergent styles of music, I personally find that it offers up the most intimate portrait of Lowell George's true musical personality on record. Lowell's debut solo record presents a heady mixture of soul, country, folk, mariachi band music and the familiar swamp funk of Little Feat, backed up by Bonnie Raitt and many of the top 70's studio musicians which included Nicky Hopkins and Jim Keltner.
Lowell's masterful vocal work on the blue-eyed soul songs, What Do You Want The Girl To Do and I Can't Stand The Rain, stands as the most accomplished singing of his career.
The serene acoustic ballad, 20 Million Things To Do, recalls the elegant Long Distance Love from The Last Record Album and shows that Lowell still had some substantial music left in him.
In an effort to promote the album, Lowell embarked on a small U.S. tour. I was fortunate enough to catch one of Lowell's shows at The Bottom Line in New York. Despite whatever problems Lowell George had been dealing with as a songwriter and record producer, Lowell George's live show was filled with an urgent energy and charisma that had been missing from the recent Little Feat shows that I'd witnessed. I noticed that his vocal work had taken on a slightly smoother quality and his passionate phrasing seemed very precise; almost as if a great deal of thought had gone into thinking about exactly how these new songs should be sung. The only element that seemed to be missing was a sense of camaraderie between George and his band, which was largely made up of L.A. session players.
At the end of this show, as George returned to the stage for the final encore he intoned, "This is the only other song we know…" as the band went into a version of Lafayette Railroad, an instrumental which was on the Dixie Chicken album. It was indeed a transcendent moment as the sound of Lowell's mournful slide guitar filled the room.
On June 29, 1979, while on a tour stop in Washington D.C., Lowell George died from a heart attack after staying up all night while working on a tape for an upcoming radio show to promote his solo record.
Interview with WXRT Chicago June 15, 1979
Lowell George Interview with The Topanga Messenger 1979
The following is an excerpt from Willin’: The Story of Little Feat by Ben Fong-Torres, Da Capo Press.
"It began with a most unsteady celebrity station ID. It must’ve been the first and only take: ‘This is Lowell George, and livin-liv-livin’ and listenin’ to WHCN. And dig this.’ Thus began George’s visit to a rock station in Hartford, Connecticut, on the early evening of June 22, 1979. He was dutifully promoting a local club gig, which in turn would promote his solo album, his first since forming Little Feat some ten years before.
Sitting with the disk jockey, Ed O’Connell, George answered questions he’d been fielding for weeks, ever since Warner Bros. Records scheduled the album for release and the promotional machinery began to rev up.
The questions had to do with his band. It’d been reported that Little Feat had busted up for the third or fourth time and that this might have been the last time. After all, here was their leader out on the road, fronting a new band and performing songs from an album bearing only his name. And what about that album? Little Feat followers—many of them rock critics and DJs—had been hearing about it for at least two years. What took so long?
George could have flicked away the questions with a joke, a non sequitur, or even a plain old No comment. But that wasn’t his style.
O’Connell introduced his guest: ‘We’ve got Lowell George hanging out in the studio before he goes on stage tonight at the Hard Rock Stage West. Lowell George is willing to take your phone calls too.’
So Lowell spoke with O’Connell about the pressures of meeting his record company’s demand for Little Feat product, which he felt required not only his services as the producer but also the need to tour, to make the money that the records failed to do with their middling sales.
Lowell: ‘I could have done it in two weeks if I’d been able to prepare myself for it, but I was never able to until last December. Then after all the back and forth, the group breaks up in February or March. The world’s a weird, wild and wonderful place, and it seems to all happen to me. But it’s all okay.’
It was not. George was trying to maintain a balance between paranoia and optimism. He told O’Connell that he expected to complete Little Feat’s latest album when he completed his tour—but his band had fallen apart. Bill Payne, the keyboard player and one of the four original members, and Paul Barrere, the guitarist, had already formed a new ensemble. They’d even recruited a guy who sounded kind of like Lowell George.
Still, he wasn’t saying the band was over: ‘They’re on the shelf, you might say. We’ve kind of backed off a little bit. Everybody hates everybody.’ Bands, he explained, ‘are always like that. Tell me a group that doesn’t hate each other and I’ll show you a group that’s really bad.’
Bands with no talent, he went on, ‘have this thing about how bad they are. But groups that argue about their music, about all sorts of unimportant things—there’s usually talent there. So when the group got together and we started arguing, we knew everything’s fine.’
What, O’Connell asked, did Lowell and his band argue about?
‘You parked too far, or too close to me, and I can’t get out.’ You name it. ‘I don’t like rehearsing down here; I have to drive forty-five miles.’ ‘Why are we recording out here, man? This is all the way out in the boondocks.’ I said, ‘Because we don’t want the evil influences of the big city to get to us.’ ‘Well, whose idea was that?’ ‘Well, that was your idea.’ ‘Oh.’
That kind of discourse, George reckoned, might be in the past. Payne and Barrere, he said, ‘got excited about playing with a band where nobody argues. What they don’t remember is that you don’t argue for maybe the first six months, and then you begin to argue, and it’s all the same. The grass is not greener anywhere else.’
But he was, essentially, on a green-grass tour, here on the East Coast. ‘There’s gonna be a little gathering at the Hard Rock Stage West,” said O’Connell, wrapping up the visit. ’I get to play tonight,' George said with some enthusiasm. ‘I get to play with my new band.’
But George would only get to play a few more nights. A week after that interview on WHCN he died in his hotel room in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.
Lowell George was thirty-four. The initial cause of death was heart failure. But few believed it was that simple. After all, the guy was thirty-four."
The news of Lowell George's death at the age of 34 brought forth a flood of tributes from the musical community. Bonnie Raitt referred to Lowell as the Thelonious Monk of Rock & Roll. Neon Park evaluated his old friend's music by saying, ‘The thing that showed in his music: building networks of supreme logic then inserting key moments of insanity.’
Martin Kibbee, in Bud Scoppa's biography, summed up Lowell's unique contribution to music, ‘Perhaps the most important thing Lowell achieved was a seamless blend of his Hollywood/white-boy irony with a totally black musical sensibility.’
In a 2008 interview on the TeamRock.com site, Bill Payne described the mounting frustration of working with Lowell during the last years of Little Feat’s Lowell George era: “Lowell didn’t have the capacity or the sense of responsibility. He’d do silly things like lose master tapes [George famously left some vital Allen Toussaint horn charts and mixes, destined for the album Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, on a train between New Orleans and LA] and he took too many drugs. He was like Jerry Garcia. He’d disappear for weeks at a time on some binge and then come back in reasonable shape… The last time I saw him was a bit later. He came to my house on his motorcycle and he opened his mouth and he was so gone he couldn’t speak a word. He was standing in my front yard with tears in his eyes. It was very painful. I thanked him for what he’d taught me and said, ‘Look when you come back from your solo tour, try and relax and produce us properly’. I know he’d enjoyed producing the Grateful Dead’s album Shakedown Street so I told him to be honest for once and get Little Feat back together – but do it properly. For himself.”
Shortly after George's death, Warner Brothers released Down On The Farm. To honor Lowell's memory and celebrate his absurdist style of humor; the opening track of the album starts the album off with a recording of Lowell arguing with a croaking frog. A fitting tribute indeed.
While Down On The Farm has an overall unfinished quality about it, there are a few highlights that recall Lowell's finest moments. As on Thanks I'll Eat It Here, his vocal work seems to achieve new heights of sophistication, particularly on the tracks Perfect Imperfection, Front Page News, Be One Now and Six Feet Of Snow. His work on these songs, along with the material from his solo record, provide us with a brief glimpse of where his music was headed; a mature synthesis of country, blues and soul.
In the years after George's death, many archival recordings have been released by Little Feat. The best of these can be found on the anthology collections, Hoy Hoy, Hotcakes & Outtakes: 30 Years Of Little Feat , the 2014 release of Rad Gumbo: The Complete Warner Bros Years 1971 - 1990 box set along with additional live recordings such as American Cutie (live @ Ebbet's Field 1973) and Live in Holland 1976.
As a final absurd word on Lowell George, I'll turn to guitarist Fred Tackett, who was part of George's backing band on the Thanks I'll Eat It Here tour and is presently a member of the present day line-up of Little Feat.
In The Little Feat Saga, Fred Tackett recalls one night on the solo tour shortly before George's death, "We were driving down the New Jersey Turnpike in this bus and we stopped at this pizza joint off the highway. Everybody in the band shared a cheese pizza but Lowell bought a large pizza with everything on it, carried it to the back of the bus, and he ate the entire pizza by himself. He died two or three days later. So, when people ask me, 'What really killed Lowell?' I always say, 'It was a pizza on the New Jersey Turnpike.'"
Lowell George Memorabilia Exhibit @ The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, OH)
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
Little Feat Official Website
Join This Essential Little Feat Facebook Group
FREELANCE VANDALS MUSIC | ||||||
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 90 | https://www.abbeyroad.com/news/songwriting-tips-from-nile-rodgers-poo-bear-and-jamie-scott-itsallaboutyourtopline-2728 | en | Songwriting Tips from Nile Rodgers, Poo Bear and Jamie Scott | #ItsAllAboutYourTopline | [
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5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 31 | https://www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/about/ | en | About – Nashville Christian Songwriters | [
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] | null | [] | null | en | https://www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/about/ | John Chisum is one of Christian music’s veteran songwriters and industry executives. He and his young wife, Donna, moved to Nashville in late 1983 to take a church job that ultimately fell through and they experienced a brief season of homelessness. Within a few months, however, a mutual acquaintance introduced him to industry legend Gary McSpadden (The Bill Gaither Trio) who signed the unproven songwriter to a new Gaither company, Ariose Music.
In his first year under the mentorship of McSpadden and Gaither, Chisum had almost twenty of his own songs recorded by national artists and was hired as a “song plugger” for the company to represent the growing catalog of songs and its songwriters to recording artists, music industry personnel, and producers. Ariose Music became a powerhouse publishing group in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s until the company merged with Star Song Media and later merged with industry giant, Capitol/EMI.
Chisum was promoted to Vice-President of Publishing at Star Song Media, a position he held until 1992 when he became Director of Song Development and Copyright for Integrity Media. At Integrity Media, John managed a roster of eighteen full-time writers and functioned as A&R oversight for over 200 products distributed in over 200 countries.
After holding these positions and with over 400 of his own songs appearing on records and in print, as well as scoring numerous Top Ten and #1 songs, Chisum took a hiatus from the industry to become an internationally-loved worship leader and teacher, traveling over one-million miles to date encouraging believers and teaching on songwriting and worship leading. His songs appear in hymnals and are woven into the fabric of worshiping churches worldwide.
John also took this time to complete an undergraduate in Liberal Arts from the University of South Alabama and a Masters of Arts in Worship Studies from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and served as interim Worship Pastor for three mega churches ranging from Sacramento, California, to Chicago, Illinois, before becoming a full-time Worship Pastor for a multi-site church in the Grand Rapids area from 2010 – 2014.
In early 2015, John and Donna returned “home” to Nashville where he formed Nashville Christian Songwriters, a coaching and resource company dedicated to “empowering Christian songwriters worldwide.” In a very short time, Chisum has grown NCS to include its first 12-hour instructional video series, a roster of clients across America and Canada participating in his Mastering the Art & Craft of Christian Songwriting “boot camp,” a burgeoning Facebook presence with a highly active group called Successful Christian Songwriters with over 17,000 members on the NCS Facebook fan page.
Chisum and his team also launched KINGDOM SONGWRITERS ACADEMY in August 2021 as a high-quality Christian songwriters community offering exclusive curated podcasts & Masterclasses, training materials, live pop-up sessions, and articles geared to fulfill their imperative to equip and inspire Christian songwriters worldwide to fulfill their calling to write world-changing Gospel-centered songs.
The flagship NCS podcast is called Song Revolution with John Chisum and is available on iTunes, YouTube, SoundCloud, podbay.fm, and on nashvillechristiansongwriters.com. The weekly show features interviews with artists, producers, industry personnel, and Chisum’s own brand of teaching and encouragement for aspiring songwriters. Launched April 1, 2017, the show has already garnered over 150,000 downloads and has grown to 150 episodes heard in 165 countries to date. | |||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 53 | https://funding.plaiddogrecording.com/holly-cinnamon-studio-album | en | Holly Cinnamon Studio Album — Plaid Dog Recording | http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c896d9793a632479d5edbdf/t/63e51c717191957fc36888e0/1677185541087/Holly+Cinnamon+Artist+Shot+Wide_To+Crop.jpg?format=1500w | http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c896d9793a632479d5edbdf/t/63e51c717191957fc36888e0/1677185541087/Holly+Cinnamon+Artist+Shot+Wide_To+Crop.jpg?format=1500w | [
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] | null | [] | null | en | https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c896d9793a632479d5edbdf/1558320663272-DRY2AW9G2HQ2JJ7DHRRK/favicon.ico?format=100w | Plaid Dog Recording | https://funding.plaiddogrecording.com/holly-cinnamon-studio-album | Hello world! My name is Holly Cinnamon and I'm a singer-songwriter here in the beautiful city of New York, NY.
I’ve been singing and writing songs since I was born, completed my MFA in Musical Theatre at the Boston Conservatory and have been blessed to work as an actor and musical theatre performer on stage and screen my whole life (with credits like Marvel’s Daredevil, Hocus Pocus 2 and Succession). During the pandemic, when my acting work was put on hold, I started producing my own original music from my tiny home studio with equipment I bought online, releasing five singles in 2022, available on all streaming services. It was a dream come true to be able to hear and let others hear my own voice and original expression in this medium. However, my own production skills can only take me so far. That’s why I’m partnering with Plaid Dog and producer Carter Sanders to bring my songs to the next level. I’ve written over sixty songs throughout my life and I’m hoping to produce ten of them with your help, but producing a high quality album with ten songs costs a lot of money for session musicians, producer fees and studio rental fees. That’s why I need you. I cannot share my original songs with the world at the production level that I hope without your help.
The material is ready, and the musicians are waiting -- this Plaid Dog campaign is the final step toward creating my first ever, professionally produced studio album.
This campaign is raising funds for my professionally recorded album with Carter Sanders in Boston, MA. Carter is a Boston-based producer and engineer with experience working with both established and up-and-coming musicians. Together, Carter and I and my co-arranger Matthew Lowy are digging into my original material, writing arrangements, and reaching out to local musicians to bring the songs to life.
We’ve been able to cover the costs of recording and producing one song, which is ready for you to check out right here on this page. This first song is called “Small Town Queer,” and you can check it out above!
While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Small Town Queer" on my own, to create an album of songs of this quality, studio costs add up quickly. With that said, this campaign can give us a unique opportunity to collaborate and make great art together. Your donation will cover the following costs of my project:
1. Pre-Production: This is where everything starts. Carter and I will start crafting the arrangements for each song slated for the album. We’ll hold rehearsals to fine-tune the songs and arrangements and talk through new and exciting ideas for how to approach the recording process.
2. Recording: This is when we enter the studio and start capturing the music and where the songs become what you'll hear on this album. This campaign will play a huge role in making sure we have enough time to capture great performances for every member of the band.
3. Mixing & Mastering: Each track will get mixed to create the right balance between instruments, texture and color that make up a track. As a final step, the album will be mastered from beginning to end so that the listening experience is cohesive and carefully choreographed from start to finish.
As a queer singer-songwriter, visibility and representing my authentic voice and identity in the music industry are at the heart of my musical practice. Here are some of the songs I plan to produce with your help:
Small Town Queer - about growing up queer in the Midwest
Sacred Shrine - about bodily ownership, integrity and healthy sexuality
Smile - about rape culture and cat-calling culture
Skeletons - about trauma recovery and survivor empowerment
Wishbone - about women’s bodies, pleasure and anatomical reality
Transcend - about the freedom to love who you love beyond labels
Seeing Red - confronting the stereotypes and sexualization of redheads
Boo Hoo - about being who you are, regardless of the haters
Ginny - about toxic internalized misogyny
And what will you get for your generosity and support? So many awesome things!
I am so appreciative and grateful for any support you can lend to this campaign. In exchange for your generosity, I've put together a really exciting group of gifts that are available exclusively through your participation in this campaign.
Check out some examples below and a full list to the right!
You will be able to select which mug or tote you want after donating!
It's hard to express how much this project would change my life.
It’s been a lifelong journey for me to hear and understand my own voice, as a human being, queer person, trauma survivor and creator. My music has been a really healing and affirming process for me, to hear and understand my own point of view, creative self-expression and truth through the lens of my songwriting. My songs have really healed me in various ways and I hope they can enlighten, heal and support others on their journeys of self-discovery and self-affirmation. As a queer person, I don’t feel represented by the vast majority of pop music. I think our culture has made incredible progress in terms of representation and cultural awareness around identity, trauma, inclusion, body positivity, honoring boundaries but I don’t always hear that reflected in the realm of pop music. My music seeks to bridge that gap with songs about my own trauma, my own healthy boundaries, my own sexuality, my relationship to my body, my own experiences of gaslighting and sexual assault, my own unique queer lens and way of relating to the world. I want these topics to feel fun and normalized and able to be discussed not only by social scientists and trauma-informed therapists, but by everyone, not only in group therapy or diaries, but at bars and clubs. I want saying no or owning your gender identity in a unique way or discussing your boundaries and sense of safety to be something that is okay in any space, and can be approached with playfulness and empowerment, and that’s what my pop music seeks to bring into mainstream public spaces. To give you a little taste, song titles include “Skeletons”, “Smile”, “Red Light Green Light”, “Transcend”, “Sacred Shrine”, “Boo Hoo” and “Wishbone.” Only with your support can I release these tracks and let you in on the stories that each one tells about my journey with my body, sexuality and safety. | |||
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5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 12 | https://www.integritymusic.com/news/2019/7/1/jon-egan-worship-leader-and-songwriter-unveils-his-first-solo-collection | en | Jon Egan, Worship Leader and Songwriter, Unveil's His First Solo Collection — Integrity Music | http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c34e2bc2971145d5d83d73a/5c34ead8898583fa6d95d33c/5d1a70ba5ec58000012cc66a/1562598621959/Jon_News.jpg?format=1500w | http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c34e2bc2971145d5d83d73a/5c34ead8898583fa6d95d33c/5d1a70ba5ec58000012cc66a/1562598621959/Jon_News.jpg?format=1500w | [
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"Jason Jones"
] | 2019-07-01T00:00:00 | "Unveil is for the bold. It's for those tenacious and wild enough to cry out for the veils of this world to be ripped away to reveal the hope and promise of God, to behold Him and watch Him breakthrough the night.” - Jon Egan With his first solo project, worship leader, songwriter, husband and | en | https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c34e2bc2971145d5d83d73a/1550168256347-J20SJYCTPJBXF7GL3SXZ/favicon.ico | Integrity Music | https://www.integritymusic.com/news/2019/7/1/jon-egan-worship-leader-and-songwriter-unveils-his-first-solo-collection | "Unveil is for the bold. It's for those tenacious and wild enough to cry out for the veils of this world to be ripped away to reveal the hope and promise of God, to behold Him and watch Him breakthrough the night.” - Jon Egan
With his first solo project, worship leader, songwriter, husband and father Jon Egan has created a gathering of worshipful songs that can only come from the furnace of real life. Releasing Unveil this Friday, March 29 (Integrity Music), his 13-song live collection is wrapped full of songs bearing hope, joy, and community.
Running towards worship as the way through life’s ups and downs, Egan decided to go back in order to move forward in preparing for his debut album, drawing inspiration from older influences such as Vineyard Music and early Delirious? albums. Also co-writing a few of the songs with Jason Ingram, Mia Fieldes, Chris McClarney, Jacob Sooter, Mitch Wong, among others, there was one goal in mind for Egan with Unveil. “I want my generation to hear this and remember why they fell in love with the presence of God. I hope it takes them back to that place, reminding them to do the things they did when God first captured their hearts. And I hope those coming up discover what this is all about, which is a love relationship with the King and an unveiling of His glory and presence so extraordinary that they can’t help but go further.”
Unveil was recorded live at Egan’s church home, New Life Church in Colorado Springs, and made from more than seven hours of pure worship with the congregation over the course of five months. “My church family has never been more heard than on this project, and I felt the love and support of the church like never before,” he shares. “Most of the vocals are completely raw - it is as it happened. My church sang along and led the way, never actually knowing we were capturing it all. I wanted it to be real.”
A few of the songs were also recorded with 4,000 teenagers during the church’s 18th Annual Desperation Conference. “The way they worshipped and sang these songs changed everything for me. It was after the conference that I realized, ‘this just might work!’
“I love my church, and they have carried me in ways they’ll never know,” he explains. “When I considered packing it up and doing something else with my life, the church is what always pulled me back and these songs are theirs more than they are mine. Unveil is the sound of real people who have stayed the course.”
Jon Egan has created a collection of much-needed worship songs, but it's even more than that. It captures the cry of a worship leader who’s walked the long road and still believes in the power of resurrection. For much of his life Egan has fought with fear and anxiety, and in worship, he has seen the most life erupt from that darkness. And he is seeing resurrection - in his own life and in those around him.
He concludes, “I hope Unveil portrays that rawness and realness as you listen to real people playing and singing, real people who are in their journey of the in-between – between death and resurrection, people who are in the waiting, in the groaning, people who can help others know they are not alone and that Jesus is there.”
Unveil track listing:
“The Name We’re Running To”
“This Changes Everything”
“Pure Exaltation”
“Unveil”
“Unveil (Spontaneous Prayer)”
“What You Said”
“Be Strong”
“Glorify (Musical Prelude/Prayer)”
“Glorify”
“Everlasting Joy”
“Open The Gates”
“Nehemiah (Stand Strong)”
“The Table” | ||
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"Ed Purcell"
] | 2015-07-01T00:00:00 | Over the past couple of years, I’ve been involved in a group in social media that celebrates a major part of my youth/teen years: 1990’s Christian music. In discussions we have in this … | en | The Farsighted | https://farsightedblog.com/2015/07/01/sacred-vs-secular-vs-christians/ | Over the past couple of years, I’ve been involved in a group in social media that celebrates a major part of my youth/teen years: 1990’s Christian music. In discussions we have in this group, one debate continual comes up: what artists/bands/songs/records qualify for discussion in the group…in other words, what qualifies/defines “Christian music”. Of course, one solid argument is that since music cannot be saved/redeemed, that Jesus didn’t die for music, and music doesn’t go to heaven or hell, then music can’t really be “Christian”. But what about a “Christian musician”? Does one have to meet certain lyrical content requirements to be considered a “Christian artist”? What about instrumental artists, who make music without lyrics? Not to mention that in the late 90’s we saw a movement of music and claiming to be “Christians in a band…NOT a Christian band”. Is there even a need to define music or artists as specifically Christian? Is it necessary to separate the sacred from the secular?
If we trace the origins of what we now call Contemporary Christian Music, we see that it was originally rooted in what was called “Gospel Music”. Today, when we think of Gospel music, we tend to think of a specific style of jubilant, not quite rock and roll, music associated with African-American churches, that had a deep influence in R&B. However, initially the label “Gospel music” referred to just about any music with a specific Christian or Gospel message. The recording of Gospel music dates back to the earliest days of recorded music by artists like The Carter Family. Of course, the earliest country, or hillbilly, music was really a merging of Appalachian Folk, Blues, and Gospel music, and it was common for popular country artists to make Gospel records. In fact, one of the reasons why Johnny Cash left Sun Records for Columbia, was that Sam Phillips wasn’t keen on Johnny making Gospel records and Columbia was willing to allow him to make a full Gospel album. As a genre/market Gospel music included Black Gospel like The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, mainstream artists turned Hymn singers like Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Southern Gospel Quartets like The Imperials.
As rock and roll and pop music grew in the 1960s and 1970s, Gospel music continued to grow and change. Some artists, like The Staple Singers and Oak Ridge Boys, went on to more ‘secular’, mainstream success, while other artists, like The Impressions, found popularity by merging a Gospel message with the civil rights movement. And there were a number of secular artists that sang songs that seemed to convey a somewhat Christian message in their lyrics, such as Turn Turn Turn, Spirit In The Sky, and Get Together. But by the end of the 1960’s, there was definitely a new development of “Jesus Music” growing out of the Jesus People movement of hippies becoming Christians. This trend is what eventually came to be known as Contemporary Christian Music or CCM.
Through the 70s and 80s, CCM came into its own as a niche market and radio format. It generated its own magazines and other media outlets, and established a number of major Christian record labels and even a growing underground scene and independent record labels. For much of this time, CCM recordings were known for being behind the times and lacking production and artistic quality, but as the market’s popularity rose, bigger budgets meant better production and Christian artists were beginning to push artistic and creative boundaries. But no matter how popular and accepted Christian music became, there always seemed to be a separation isolating it from ‘secular’ music.
To a large degree, this was the fault of the CCM market itself and the religious audience that had nurtured its success. Many Christians held a fear of secular music; so they would avoid listening to anything but CCM, and expected Christian artists to maintain a blatant message to help make the distinction easier. So the record executives and ‘gatekeepers’ of the industry pushed the ‘Jesus quota’ standard and often imposed restrictions or a ‘glass ceiling’ on the artistic and creative pursuits, trying to make sure that most Christian artists retained a certain sound or feel to keep the Christian audience satisfied and loyal. Christian musicians and artists had worked hard to create a place where they could express their faith openly, because the mainstream ‘secular’ market supposedly rejected music with too blatant of Christian message and lyrics, but now it seemed like they also had to fight the CCM industry to have the freedom to express something outside of a simple, shallow gospel message.
By the 1990s, CCM and Christian rock had become a major force in in the music industry. It was apparent that the mainstream/secular industry was taking notice of CCM’s success, and even signing Christian artists to joint deals with distribution in and outside of the usual CCM market. Eventually Christian artists like Amy Grant, Michael W Smith, and Sixpence None the Richer were able to rise out of the CCM “ghetto” to have number 1 mainstream hits. And as Christian artists began to experience greater acceptance in the bigger mainstream ‘pond’, they were also finding greater acceptance within Christianity. After decades of The Church condemning rock music and the similar sounding CCM, those in ministry and authority were finally seeing the potential of Christian rock music to reach people that other forms of ministry couldn’t.
But this idea of Christian rock as ministry seemed to lead to more separation between CCM and secular music. There were a few bands that had established themselves outside of the CCM market, but were embraced by Christian audiences because of the members’ faith and lyrics hinting at that faith, but many of those bands weren’t interested in being too closely associated with the Christian music scene or the expectation of ministry implied in Christian music. Also, many artists within the CCM industry began taking issue with the expectations of blatant Jesus-y lyrics and music as ministry, including expectations of mini-sermons and altar calls from the stage. There was a movement to try and integrate more Christian artists into the mainstream market, and to allow those artists more freedom to express themselves, their faith, and lives beyond a blatant gospel message, but it seemed that Christian audiences were often confused by more vague lyrical content, or even lyrics that contained language or content that some Christians disapproved of. In this confusion, it seemed that the more Christian artists fought to get away from the expectations and standards of the CCM market, they were still facing some of those same battles with their audience. In response to this, a number of artists that had originally been established in the CCM market, began making claims of being “Christians in a band…not a Christian band”. Yet many of those bands were still deeply involved in the Christian music market and especially Christian music festival circuits, which just added to the confusion.
By the end of the 1990’s the major mainstream/secular record labels were buying up all of the Christian record labels. At first, that seemed like a positive step, because it pointed to even greater acceptance of Christian music within the larger mainstream market. But, early in the 2000’s it seemed that the entire CCM scene and market had changed drastically. Many of indie labels in the Christian market disappeared, as did many of the more ‘fringe’ artists that had become Christian alternative’s critical darlings. It was beginning to feel like all of the hard work and progress that the CCM scene had made through the 80’s and 90’s was being discarded, as the blatant message and artistic limitations once again became the focus of Christian music. Christian radio started focusing on being “safe for the family” and practically every song heard on that “safe” radio sounded the same, and void of artistic integrity or genuine passion.
Of course, the whole music industry was changing and struggling due to the internet and ease of digital downloading. But Christian music seemed to take a much harder hit, at least from the perspective of us as fans and consumers. Nearly every thing that we had loved about the scene seemed to disappear, and we felt the industry had discarded us in favor of a whole new Christian audience. And worst of all, it seemed that the wedge between Christian and ‘secular’ music had been driven even deeper.
Sure, there are more artists within the secular/mainstream market than ever, revealing and sharing elements of faith and Christianity in their music, but these artists seem even more removed from the Christian music industry. On one hand, this can feel like a success for Christians making music…to be accepted as legit artists without trying to be big fish in the little pond of CCM. But on the other hand, it feels like we’ve lost something within the Christian music industry that we had felt proud of, that we could relate to and passionately share with the rest of the world. Now, it seems harder than ever to convince non-Christians that Christian music can be just as good and artistic as secular/mainstream. I guess that if we’re honest, the whole time we wanted the rest of the world to accept our attempts at Christian music, we never really intended our little niche/scene to completely disappear as it was absorbed in the bigger ‘pond’ of the mainstream market.
Obviously, Christians have been making and recording music, as long as there has been music. This label of “Christian music” is a relatively recent thing, and there certainly is a strong argument that there is no need to differentiate Christian music, from ‘secular’. Maybe, for those of us who grew up on CCM, it’s just an old, hard dying habit of distinguishing Christian artists from specifically non-Christians. Or maybe, there is a deeper connection beyond just labeling music as either religious versus secular. For me, I’m always looking for music that I can connect with spiritually, as well as artistically and aesthetically. I feel like the more I know about an artist’s faith, the more I can connect and relate to their music and artistic expression. It’s not that I’m looking for a specific ‘Jesus quota’ in the lyrical content…just that a faith-based, spiritual connection ultimately brings me deeper satisfaction in my listening experience, and can have an impact on my own spiritual walk. Not that I don’t listen to secular music. Especially as CCM has grown further away from what I once appreciated about it, I find myself listening to more and more non-Christian music. But I still desire to find new Christian music that I can relate to on a much deeper level…but it’s getting harder and harder. I guess that, for me, it’s less about the separation between sacred and secular, and more about recognizing the faith and spiritual expression of fellow believers.
I’m certain that there is a lot of sentimental nostalgia tied up in my disappointment over what has happened to the Christian music industry. I plan on writing about the details of what I, and so many other Christian youths, loved about our time and experiences in the peak of the Christian rock phenomenon, and what many of us miss about that time and scene. But like I said, I feel like there is more to “Christian music” than just a label or a distinction from the secular…more than a blatant message or including the name of Jesus in the lyrics. I believe that it’s about a spiritual connection, to the artists and to the art. I believe that if we, as fellow Christians, use this powerful medium of music to connect and fellowship, we can give our Creator more glory. | |||
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] | null | [] | 2021-06-25T00:39:12-07:00 | en | /wp-content/uploads/2023/04/favicon.png | null | Village Lights has released “The Sweetest Sound” through Integrity Music and the song is now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “The Sweetest Sound” is a recording of a great new song.
The song is loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The song is full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out this great new song, hear it in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
Rivers & Robots has released “Still: Volume 1” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “Still: Volume 1” is a recording of some great new songs.
Integrity Music announces the January 13 release of Still: Volume 1, the debut album in a new instrumental series that will feature guest “artist-producers,” giving each project its own unique aesthetic. Guest producers for Still: Volume 1, which was recorded in various locations in the UK and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, are the acclaimed Manchester, UK-based independent band Rivers & Robots.
Still is emotive and reminiscent of a film score, combining strings, brass elements and electronic instrumentation, making it an ideal backdrop for moments of prayer and meditation for individuals and churches. The tracklist includes new interpretations of worship songs from artists and writers including Martin Smith, Brenton Brown, John Mark McMillan and Matt Redman as well as original compositions from Rivers & Robots. From creating an atmosphere for soaking prayer, to offering a sonic oasis during the rush hour commute, the album calls listeners to still their hearts before God.
“When Integrity Music asked us if we’d like to produce the first in their series of instrumental worship albums called ‘Still,’ we jumped at the opportunity,” says Rivers & Robots frontman Jonathan Ogden. “As guys who love listening to instrumental music in those times of prayer and meditating on the Bible, we were excited by the opportunity to create that kind of album.”
“We put some bare-bones ideas together over a few days and then set about recording it, working through each instrument, starting with drums, bass, guitars, piano and then extra layers like synths, strings, brass and percussion,” explains Ogden. “Every day we started with prayer, to ask God for inspiration and creativity, and to make sure that everything we played was done as an act of worship. Often worship songs are defined by their lyrics, but we’re firm believers that any form of art can be worship.” All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
Darlene Zschech has released “Here I Am Send Me” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “Here I Am Send Me” is a live recording of some great new songs.
Renowned worship leader, author and pastor Darlene Zschech releases the Here I Am Send Me (Hineni) CD/DVD globally on March 3 from Integrity Music. Recorded live with her team at Hope Unlimited Church on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, the album is Zschech’s first project following a life changing cancer diagnosis in 2014 and features 11 new songs penned by her along with guest writers like Martin Smith, Paul Baloche, Jenn Johnson and Leeland Mooring.
Here I Am Send Me is also Zschech’s first new album since 2013’s critically acclaimed Revealing Jesus. Produced by Andy Mak, the new recording opens with a full-on declaration of the greatness of God in the song “You Are Great” written with Martin Smith (Delirious?) in response to the most challenging season of her life.
“When I was at my sickest, Martin flew over from England to sit with us, sing songs over our church, and walk and talk with me and my husband, all the while speaking courage into us,” Zschech says, her voice full of emotion recalling the dark days after her diagnosis of breast cancer that is now in remission. “It’s week one of treatment and you feel like you’re going to die, and Martin said, ‘Darls, I know you’re going to want to write songs about this season. What do you want to say?’ And I said, ‘I want to say ‘HE IS GREAT!’ And so we wrote this song together and have been singing it in our church. That’s where it started… In the midst of the fire, it doesn’t change who our God is.”
“Cancer is a dreadful thing,” continues Zschech. “The medical world doesn’t like to use the word ‘healed.’ They like to say the word ‘remission’… but I’m believing God’s report over my life. I speak Psalm 91 over myself every day, I take my medicine and I take the word of God and I do my best with what I can do in the natural and trust God with those things over which I have no power.”
Following this opening track, the album proceeds to take listeners through a journey declaring God’s greatness, love and call, and gives worshippers a voice of response, as in the song, “You Will Be Praised.” Written with Baloche and Johnson upon Zschech’s first return to America after cancer treatment, the song unabashedly declares the power of the Holy Spirit living among us that makes fearlessness possible in every season and circumstance of life. It is, in many ways, her testimony.
The album also features “Beloved,” a modern hymn of surrender co-written by Zschech with Mooring and Casey Moore. Other standouts include “Love and Wonder,” written by the Zschech’s teen daughter, Zoe, and Bonnie Gray from Hope UC, “Kingdom Come,” co-written with Thomas Macken and reflecting a year-long teaching theme at the church and “Go,” written with Andy Mak, that closes the album. All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
All Sons & Daughters has released “Poets & Saints” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “Poets & Saints” is a recording of some great new songs.
Grammy and Dove Award nominated worshipers All Sons & Daughters, acclaimed author and pastor Jamie George and a film crew ventured to Europe to trace the lives of C.S. Lewis, Saint Patrick, John Newton, Saint Thérèse, Saint Francis, William Cowper, Saint Augustine, George MacDonald and others, mining for undiscovered gems, something to connect these individuals to modern believers. The resulting epic journey into the lives and stories of these Christ-followers that God used to wake up the world, Poets & Saints, releases from Integrity Music and David C Cook.
All Sons & Daughters’ fourth full-length album, Poets & Saints, was produced by Chad Copelin (Crowder, Gungor) and mixed by Shane Wilson (Brandon Heath, Vertical Church Band) and Sean Moffitt (Newsboys, Jordan Feliz). Alongside the album is Jamie George’s book, Poets and Saints: Eternal Insight, Extravagant Love, Ordinary People, and the video-based curriculum and study guide, Poets & Saints: A Community Experience, which George and All Sons & Daughters members David Leonard and Leslie Jordan collaborated on to create. Together these resources form an interactive worship experience that introduces 10 important influencers in Christendom, while making a very human connection between their lives and the lives of Christians today. All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
Life Worship has released “Wide Open Space” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “Wide Open Space” is a live recording of some great new songs.
Integrity Music announces the May 27 global release of Wide Open Space, a new 12-track, live worship album from LIFE Worship, the worship ministry team of LIFE Church based in Bradford, England.
The album, which follows LIFE Worship’s critically acclaimed 2014 release Dance Again, is a celebration of adventure and a call to the wild edges of God’s grace where impossible things happen and where His children are caught up in the mystery of His will.
“Wide Open Space came from a time of healing in my life where God was challenging me to be all He has called me to be, and to let His Spirit bring some dreams into reality,” recalls LIFE Worship songwriter and worship leader Matt Hooper (cowriter of the Newsboys’ #1 hit “We Believe”). “The song ‘Wide Open Space’ is me asking God to take me on the grace adventure, to fulfill the potential that God has given me and have fun doing it!”
Hooper points to Romans 5 as the scriptural basis for the entire album: “We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.” [Romans 5, 1-2, The Message]
Hooper, an associate pastor for LIFE Church, is a featured vocalist on the album along with LIFE’s worship leaders Mike Harvie, Eby Corydon, Chelsea Carins, Ryan Carins, Aaron Baxter and worship pastor Jock James. The songs on Wide Open Space were penned by LIFE team members, along with guest writers including Benji Cowart and Chris Sayburn. All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
Various Artists has released “i am n” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “i am n” is a recording of some great new songs.
Thousands of Christians have died at the hands of Muslim extremists, and the atrocities committed by terrorists continue to make headlines across the globe. The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a nonprofit that offers practical and spiritual help to persecuted Christians, has launched the “i am n” movement that has already generated over $5 million in aid for Christians who have been displaced by the self-proclaimed Islamic State known as ISIS. Now, VOM is partnering with Integrity Music and its parent organization, the 140-year old church resource provider, David C Cook, to help spread awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians around the world through a new i am n album releasing Feb. 12, and i am n book and curriculum releasing March 1.
The “i am n” movement takes its name from the symbol used by ISIS militants to target believers. It began when ISIS militants moved into northern Iraq and began identifying Christian-owned property by painting the Arabic letter ن or “n” on homes and churches. This single letter conveyed the accusation that the occupants were “Nazarenes”—followers of Jesus of Nazareth rather than Islam—giving them the ultimatum to convert to Islam and stay in the community, leave, or die.
Integrity Music worked with VOM to develop a soundtrack for the movement, featuring music from All Sons & Daughters, The Brilliance, Lincoln Brewster, Paul Baloche, Travis Ryan, New Life Worship, WorshipMob, NCC Worship, Desperation Band, Rend Collective, Israel and New Breed and newly signed Integrity worship leader, Greg Sykes. The 12-track i am n album includes the song, “We Stand As One,” performed by Sykes and written especially for the album by him along with Integrity A&R Director Steve Merkel, writer of “Lord Have Mercy,” and Dove Award winner Don Poythress, who’s also the songwriter behind country hits like Willie Nelson’s “You Remain” and Easton Corbin’s “A Little More Country Than That.”
In addition to the music, David C Cook published the book i am n: Inspiring Stories of Christians Facing Islamic Extremists along with a 90-day companion devotional and related curriculum. The i am n book shares the real-life stories of Christians holding on to their faith in the midst of violence, fear and death. Readers will be inspired, encouraged and challenged by the tremendous faith and courage of their persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and motivated, enabled and equipped by the practical insight VOM provides at the conclusion of each story.
Proceeds from the sale of all “i am n” related products will be used by Voice of the Martyrs to support persecuted Iraqi and Syrian Christians, including those fleeing Syria as refugees by providing temporary shelter, medical care, food, clothing, clean drinking water and more. All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
Noel Robinson has released “Outrageous Love” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “Outrageous Love” is a live recording of some great new songs.
Integrity Music announces the North American release of Outrageous Love, the first live recording from UK-based worship leader Noel Robinson. Signed to Integrity last year, Robinson is a veteran musician known for his genre-bending, prophetic style of worship. Already a best-seller in stores throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, the 14-track Outrageous Love hits Christian retail stores in the U.S. and Canada on January 22. At that time, the project will also be available globally through any region served by iTunes and Amazon with an 18-track “Digital Deluxe” already available through iTunes in some regions.
Recorded live at House On The Rock in north London, Outrageous Love was produced by Robinson and Goziam Okogwu, mixed by the renowned John Jaszcz (“The Yoshman”) known for his work with Kirk Frankin and Marvin Sapp, and mastered at Abbey Road studios. The album features cowrites with Israel Houghton (“Let The People Say”), Matt Redman (“He Holds Everything”), and Christine D’Clario (“Revival In Your Name”) among others, and includes a duet with UK worship leader Lara Martin on “I Worship And Adore You.”
Robinson, who also has five studio albums to his credit, describes himself as a “revivalist at heart,” and his passion for spiritual revival and renewal within the larger Body of Christ and individual believers is reflected throughout Outrageous Love.
“One of the components of revival is unity, and we have successfully and intentionally brought together worshippers from different cultural expressions,” says Robinson of the international and interdenominational representation found in the recording.
“We have begun to see many testimonies and incredible feedback,” he continues. “So many of the songs are starting to be used in local churches… we are hoping that listeners will have a sense of the songs as powerful tools, as backdrops in their personal worship settings.” All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
Paul Baloche has released “Christmas Worship Vol. 2” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “Christmas Worship Vol. 2” is a recording of some great new songs.
One of today’s most influential worship leaders, songwriters and artists, Paul Baloche, releases Christmas Worship Vol. 2 globally Oct. 2 through Integrity Music. The album features Christmas classics seamlessly married with vertical worship lyrics, and is an extension of Baloche’s 30-year mission in ministry to equip worshipers and worship leaders with songs and resources that help them express glory to God.
For singer/songwriter Paul Baloche, writer of worship standards like “Open The Eyes Of My Heart,” “Hosanna,” “Our God Saves,” “Your Name” and “A New Hallelujah,” Christmas is a season of worship. With Christmas Worship, Baloche is aiming higher than nostalgia; higher than recreating the sounds of the season.
“There is so much content and beauty and theology in a song like ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ and ‘What Child Is This?,’ but most of these traditional carols are not vertical in nature; not speaking to the Lord,” says Baloche. “‘O Holy Night’ is a perfect example. At the climax, we’re singing, hands raised, to a thing, ‘Oh night divine.’ By adding a simple chorus at the end, a response to the beauty of the lyric, melody and the nostalgia of these beautiful carols, and then segueing into a first-person response in keeping with the Advent season, it’s amazing the shift in perspective.”
“Paul has a genuine passion to see local church worship leaders equipped to lead their churches week in and week out,” says Adrian Thompson, VP Song & Artist Development at Integrity Music. “This project comes from Paul’s desire to see local churches engaged in worship during the advent season rather than just having a season of special church music.” All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
Planetshakers has released “#LetsGo” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “#LetsGo” is a live recording of some great new songs.
In partnership with Integrity Music and Daystar Television Network, Planetshakers is gearing up for a unique launch event unlike anything they have attempted before in celebration of their new album #LETSGO, which releases Sept. 11. At the heart of the new CD is a challenge, a dare to listeners to see what is possible when they boldly follow God. This message is being taken to the world with Planetshakers LIVE!, broadcasting internationally Monday, Sept. 21, at 8:30 pm ET on Daystar Television Network, which reaches into 108 million homes in the US, 10 million homes in Canada and 700 million homes worldwide – a potential viewing audience of over 2 billion people.
A 90-minute special featuring new music from #LETSGO and personal “Let’s Go” stories in front of a live, invitation-only audience in Dallas, TX, Planetshakers LIVE! will be hosted by Brian Carn and John Gray (from Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church), as well as feature special guest, Gospel recording artist Tasha Cobbs.
A truly global event, the broadcast will also be simulcast live to a free “Watch Party” held halfway around the world at the Church of God Dasmariñas in the Philippines, Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8:30 am PHT. In addition to this event, the Planetshakers Live! partners are teaming up to give away #LETSGO to the live audience in the Philippines: for every album purchased on the day of the event, one will be given to an attendee in the Philippines.
The “Watch Party” location was chosen after Planetshakers heard stories of concert attendees who made significant sacrifices just to be able to travel to see them in concert.
“It is inspiring, and simultaneously heartbreaking, to hear countless stories of people skipping meals so they can travel to one of our events,” shares Joth Hunt, Planetshakers worship leader, guitarist, and producer. “It’s hard to imagine someone doing that, but it just goes to show that their souls are more hungry than their bodies. That’s why we wanted to put on this special ‘watch party’ just for the people of the Philippines.” All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there.
Travis Ryan has released “You Hold It All” through Integrity Music and all songs are now loaded into WorshipTeam.com “You Hold It All” is a live recording of some great new songs.
Worship leader, recording artist and award-winning songwriter, Travis Ryan, releases today his five-song EP, You Hold It All, globally through Integrity Music. The EP is meant to be a shining testament to God’s faithfulness, through both the beautiful and the tragic circumstances of his own life and journey God has providentially led him on.
Produced by fellow Integrity Music writer Michael Farren and Ryan’s brother, Brandon Collins, You Hold It All was recorded live just outside of Nashville at LifePoint Church (Smyrna, TN), where Ryan serves as worship pastor. With all songs on the new recording inspired by, written for and sung by his local church, one of these songs has already traveled far beyond his local congregation. The track “We Believe,” which was written to set the tenants of the Church to music, became a No. 1 hit song popularized by Newsboys and is a GMA Dove Awards “Song of the Year” and “Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year” nominee as well as a winner of the KLOVE Fan Awards. All songs are loaded and ready to use- just access your WorshipTeam.com system database.
The songs are full featured with complete lyrics, chord charts and full length audio. Check out these great new songs, hear them in the original key, or choose your own key and play it the way you like it.
blessings
Cody Gentes
p.s. if you have never tried out Worshipteam.com, try it FREE for one month by simply going here: http://www.worshipteam.com/try ! See you there. | ||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 9 | https://newsong.net/ | en | welcome to the home of the misfits | [
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] | null | [] | 2020-10-30T22:12:38+00:00 | At Newsong Church our vision hasn’t changed in over 20 years: “Love God. Love People.” That’s it. It’s that simple. | en | https://newsong.net/wp-content/themes/newsong/assets/images/favicon.ico | Newsong Church | https://newsong.net/ | read more read less
While it may be easier to only spend time with people that are just like us, we are committed to a beautiful experience of multi-cultural diversity where we intentionally “do life” with the “other.”
The one that looks and believes differently. The one that may be from a different neighborhood, have a different lifestyle and even financial status.
We believe that because we are all created in God’s image, there is no longer “us” and “them.” There is only “we.”
We believe that we are all created by God with immeasurable value, are better when we are unified but not uniform, are desperately in need of a savior, and that we are all responsible to make a difference in the world around us. We’d love for you to be a part of the story. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 3 | 52 | https://www.irishecho.com/2019/10/lankums-harder-style-is-superior | en | Lankum's harder style is superior | [
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] | null | [] | null | The honesty and integrity feels evident throughout Lankum's latest, "The Livelong Day." Traditional Music / By Daniel Neely Lankum is a band I’ve l... | en | Irish Echo Newspaper | https://www.irishecho.com/2019/10/lankums-harder-style-is-superior | The honesty and integrity feels evident throughout Lankum's latest, "The Livelong Day."
Traditional Music / By Daniel Neely
Lankum is a band I’ve long held a deep appreciation for. In late 2014, I learned about their album “Cold Old Fire” (back when they were Lynched, a name taken from band members Ian and Daragh Lynch) and in it found a release full of street ballads both traditional and new, that immediately struck me – their harder style was superior, their taste compelling, and their songwriting incisive. In 2017, after the name change, the group released “Between the Earth and Sky,” a follow up that enlarged and expanded their sound, while at the same time remaining faithful to the things that drew me to their music in the first place.
This Friday, Lankum will release “The Livelong Day,” an album that builds on the band’s continued upward trajectory. It includes eight songs – the shortest being nearly five minutes, the longest just over ten – that are epic in nature and expansive in scope. I’ve been listening to it for the past week, and am delighted to report that the whole thing is brilliant. Like their other albums, it’s rooted in a strong sense of tradition, but the loud, brooding, and ultimately beautiful direction the band is known for demonstrates that Irish music is very much a living thing and that within it, anything is possible.
https://youtu.be/5rukIHD7rNY
I recently spoke to Lankum member Radie Peat about “The Livelong Day” and she was kind enough to share some of her thoughts about its conception and how it relates to their other work. “It’s a natural continuation of the elements we introduced on our second album,” she explained, “though, we wanted it to be heavier, fuller. Similar in approach as the other records in some ways, but different since our tastes have gone in other directions.”
In advance of the album’s release, the band put out videos for a pair of singles, “The Wild Rover” and “The Young People.” The former related to the well-loved traditional pub song and the latter a Lankum original, the pair taken together kind of get at what “The Livelong Day” is about as a whole. “The Wild Rover” is a doleful track with a tone and a set of lyrics that sharply contrast against the version more commonly known. The band has paired the lyrics with music that feels haunting and lonely, and which unfolds most bracingly, increasing in volume as the track wears on. You’ve not heard acoustic instruments sound this brutal.
“The Young People,” on the other hand, is a Daragh Lynch original that deals with suicide as a social issue. Paradoxically upbeat in outlook, it’s almost a sing along that develops into something more anthemic as the track wears on. It opens with an arresting lyrical image of someone who has hanged himself. The words will challenge many listeners, especially those who have a personal association with someone who has taken their own life. But, as Peat pointed out “the song’s message is not a sad one, rather one about appreciating people, especially your friends, and showing them when you can. We simply don’t know what will happen in life.” This is an embrace of positive mental health (and in this respect, its kindred with the kind of subject matter Blindboy of the Rubberbandits often deals with in his podcast), and with that in mind the song’s message becomes very powerful, indeed.
https://youtu.be/JxKx-BBWX8Q
An important element of the album’s overall “sound,” Peat stressed, was the input of John “Spud” Murphy, the sound engineer the group’s worked with for quite some time now. “We knew we wanted him involved in this album from start. He’s so good at getting things to sound the way we want. When we’re in the studio, we bring everything to the table, nothing’s off limits, and end up going with the material that has good bones to it. But Spud helps us makes the most out of everything. He’s great at developing things like texture and depth in the sound, we just love it.”
Armed with this knowledge, it’s easy to hear Murphy’s influence everywhere. Take “Katie Cruel,” for example, an old Appalachian song learned from Karen Dalton’s 1971 album “In My Own Time.” Dalton’s version, with high, lonesome banjo accompaniment, is austere and brutally honest. Peat’s vocal delivery echoes the severity of Dalton’s, but what the group (in collaboration with Murphy) has done with the arrangement, laying bowed string over free reed, takes the sentiment somewhere completely different. If Dalton was singing with small town despair, Peat’s pain is a response to an unforgiving cityscape.
Contrast this to “Hunting the Wren,” a new song “written as part of a songwriting challenge between Ian [Lynch] and Lisa O’Neill” about the Wrens of the Curragh, a community of women who had “put themselves beyond the pale of respectable society” in 19th century Kildare. The challenge resulted in O’Neill’s “Violet Gibson,” a stirring song delivered with stark guitar accompaniment that appeared on her own album “Heard a Long Gone Song.” Lankum took a different approach with their treatment of Ian’s song, nesting Peat’s voice in a thickly meditative wall of sound. The effect is captivating. The same can be said for “Bear Creek,” an instrumental track featuring a couple of American old-time tunes. Peat and fiddler Cormac Dermody take the lead, and the treatment they give the tunes is far from what you’d hear in old-time circles. However, with Murphy’s help they’ve found a way to channel (as Peat put it) the “trance-yness” of old time playing in an arrangement that once again crates a layered sense of depth. It’s great stuff.
As our conversation neared its end, Peat reflected on the unbroken tradition of Irish music and Lankum’s relationship to it, saying something I thought thoughtful and profound. “The Irish tradition’s so full and rich,” she explained, “and while our music might not immediately match people’s perception of how Irish folk or traditional music ‘should’ sound, what we do comes from a place of deep appreciation. I’ve been playing trad music my whole life and I’m not a person who says that the tradition needs shaking up. I love playing in sessions and listening, say, to a lone fiddler in a pub. But I suppose when you’re in a musical project like a band, you’re putting together a piece of art. There’s no point to us trying to sound like like someone else, which may be jarring to some. Although you might be influenced by elements of people, we try to make music that’s interesting to us. It has to feel honest and have integrity, especially when you’re dealing with the traditional songs and tunes.” | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 30 | https://www.capitolcmglabelgroup.com/news/anne-wilson-unveils-a-bold-genre-fusion-with-rebel-the-beginning-three-pack-available-now/ | en | ANNE WILSON UNVEILS A BOLD GENRE FUSION WITH REBEL (THE BEGINNING) THREE-PACK – AVAILABLE NOW | [
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] | null | [] | 2023-10-03T16:27:43+00:00 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. – PLATINUM-certified, GRAMMY-nominated artist and songwriter Anne Wilson boldly transcends musical boundaries with the release of her latest offering, REBEL (The Beginning). The transformative three-pack, available now, marks the start of her new chapter seamlessly blending the Country and Christian genres. Featured on today’s brand-new three-pack is the title track “REBEL,” Christian radio single “Strong” and forthcoming Country radio single […] | en | Capitol Christian Music Group | https://www.capitolcmglabelgroup.com/news/anne-wilson-unveils-a-bold-genre-fusion-with-rebel-the-beginning-three-pack-available-now/ | NASHVILLE, Tenn. – PLATINUM-certified, GRAMMY-nominated artist and songwriter Anne Wilson boldly transcends musical boundaries with the release of her latest offering, REBEL (The Beginning). The transformative three-pack, available now, marks the start of her new chapter seamlessly blending the Country and Christian genres. Featured on today’s brand-new three-pack is the title track “REBEL,” Christian radio single “Strong” and forthcoming Country radio single “Rain In The Rearview.” Wilson will release dual singles at Christian and Country radio with impact dates of today, 9/29, and 10/9 respectively.
LISTEN: REBEL (The Beginning)
“I am beyond excited to send this new music out into the world,” shares Wilson. “These three songs felt like the perfect way to begin the next chapter of my musical journey. And I’ve got a lot more songs I’ve been writing, so this truly feels like the beginning of something special.”
Kicking off the new chapter of music is the loud-and-proud title track “REBEL,” in tribute to the original counter-culture movement that finds Wilson taking an “against the grain” approach. Backing defiant, almost dangerous-feeling vocals with roaring guitars, pounding drums and a gospel spirit, she delivers an uptempo country-rock stomp that showcases her unwavering spirit.
Weary but never broken, Wilson lifts spirits with Christian radio single “Strong.” Released today with an all-new lyric video, the epic ballad leaves listeners feeling empowered to face whatever challenge comes next.
With emotions gathering like a distant storm, Wilson belts her eyes-to-the-sky Country anthem “Rain In The Rearview,” determined to leave the past behind and chase a fresh start. Matching the dark, intricate Country sound is Wilson’s hurricane-force vocal, set to impact radio waves on 10/9.
WATCH: “STRONG” LYRIC VIDEO
REBEL (The Beginning) tracklist:
1. “REBEL” (Anne Wilson, Matthew West, Jeff Pardo)
2. “Strong” (Anne Wilson, Matthew West, Jeff Pardo)
3. “Rain In The Rearview” (Anne Wilson, Matthew West, Zach Kale, Jaren Johnston)
Wilson is taking her new music on the road as part of her first-ever headlining My Jesus Tour, accompanied by special guest Josh Baldwin. The 20-stop, sold-out tour kicked off last night (9/28) in Houston, Texas and is set to captivate audiences this fall in major cities nationwide including Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte, Indianapolis and Chicago.
Earlier this month, Wilson hit yet another milestone with her debut chart breaker “My Jesus” earning certified PLATINUM status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The celebrations continued as she made her debut Country award show performance at the 15th Annual ACM Honors at the historic Ryman Auditorium. She joined Jordan Davis to perform “Buy Dirt,” watch it here. | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 65 | https://faithtalk970.com/music/matt-maher-on-music-fatherhood-and-christ | en | Matt Maher on Music, Fatherhood, and Christ | [
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] | 2015-01-20T10:25:00-05:00 | We had this conversation with him in October, backstage at the Charlotte Convention Center where Maher, who is outspoken in his pro-life convictions, was preparing to perform at the Charlotte Pregnancy Resource Center’s annual banquet. | en | //cdn.saleminteractivemedia.com/shared/images/favicons/cross-32x32.ico | The Fish Base Station | https://faithtalk970.com/music/matt-maher-on-music-fatherhood-and-christ | (WNS)--Matt Maher was born and raised in Canada. He is a practicing Roman Catholic who has seen widespread acceptance in evangelical circles, receiving three Dove Award nominations and one win. His first major label album, Empty & Beautiful, came out in 2008. That album and all three subsequent albums have made the Billboard Top 200 secular album chart, making him one of the few Christian artists ever to accomplish that. I had this conversation with him in October, backstage at the Charlotte Convention Center where Maher, who is outspoken in his pro-life convictions, was preparing to perform at the Charlotte Pregnancy Resource Center’s annual banquet.
You’re a Canadian. You were born in Newfoundland. You came down here to the United States to go to college, right? My parents got separated, and I moved to Arizona to finish my degree in music. I wanted to go to Los Angeles and do film scoring at UCLA, but I ended up going to church instead and got involved in ministry.
You did get a degree in music. I got a degree in jazz performance in piano.
You put yourself through college, in part, by playing music. Yes, I did. The first three years, in Canada, I played piano in a hotel lounge and a hotel bar. … I wasn’t allowed to have a tip jar in the lobby. In the lounge I had one. I did that for three years, and then when I came to the states I spent a year working to get residency. Then I actually got a scholarship for the following 3 1/2 years.
Were you, from the beginning, playing praise and worship music? Not at all. I grew up playing keyboards in a rock band. We played in bars, and we played covers and wrote originals. It was very contemporary rock music. When I moved to Arizona and picked up a guitar, I was learning how to play songs for youth groups and playing at coffee houses, but I was writing songs about girls and love and relationships. In 1999, I graduated from college, and I got offered a full-time job at this Catholic parish, St. Timothy’s in Mesa, Ariz. I saw part of my job being that I wanted to write songs. Obviously, being somebody who loves modern music, that influences your songwriting. Then, in particular, I heard the music of Delirious? in the late ’90s, and that and the music of Passion. I was the same age as those guys. It made me realize that it was possible. I didn’t know how this was all going to work. Out of a sense of service—that I was working at a church and I was trying to write songs that helped articulate my faith and the faith of the young people I was serving—I started writing songs.
You and I met on an airplane a few years ago, probably four or five years ago, just happened to be sitting next to each other. My recollection is that you were not married then. I’ve been married four years.
You must’ve gotten married soon after we met. You’re about, in round numbers, 40 years old? I’ll be 40 in November.
How’s that changed your life? That would mean you were 35, 36 years old when you got married. I think you and I met literally right before I met my wife because I was about to go on tour with Michael W. Smith, and at the end of that tour was when I started pursuing my wife, Kristin. We also have a 3-year-old son, Conor. Once again, I would say that marriage and parenthood have fundamentally changed my understanding of the gospel. It’s rooted in a greater sense of what commitment and unconditional love really, practically looks like.
Case in point: My wife has a cold, so I put our kids down last night, thought I cleaned up the kitchen, and left the house and went to bus call. She had sent me a text saying, “Hey, can you be sure and let the dog out before you leave?” I didn’t do that. There were dishes left in the sink. I was telling my band, “One of those days you just feel like, man, I totally failed today as dad, as a member of my team called my family,” but that’s the thing. She said, “It’s okay. You have a lot on your mind and it’s a lot to deal with.” Then my kids—knowing my son’s ability to be so thoughtfully present to some things and couldn’t care less about other things has taught me a lot, much more about God’s affection for me, I think, than anything else.
By that you mean that you can sometimes be thoughtfully present and sometimes really unpresent with God? Absolutely. I think more so probably the second. I just love to hang out with my son and watch him just play. He’s not doing anything meaningful. It’s not like he’s over there at 3 years old trying to discover the cure for cancer. He’s just being a 3-year-old. I’m not saying that’s an excuse for me as a 40-year-old man to act like a 3-year-old. It’s more me saying that, whatever I’m doing in life, I think God’s design is for us to be fully present and fully alive in those moments and to know that He takes joy in that. I think that my capacity for loving my kids, for extending grace to my kids, has taught me much more about the infinite love of God.
I want to shift gears and talk to you about the Christian music industry just a little bit. Your 2013 album was your biggest by a longshot. It seems like they just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and you’re getting older and older and older. People say the problem with contemporary Christian music is that it’s taken on too much of the trappings of the world. You have to be young and sexy to be in that world, and yet, here you are, Matt. How do you explain that? God has a great sense of humor. I was really inspired a couple of years ago. I actually was on tour with Don Moen, and he was a guy, what a legacy.
Don Moen founded Integrity Records, which was one of the earliest Christian music labels, and he’s been at this for what, 40 years, 50 years? Yeah, it’s been a long time. We were on a flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver. I was waiting on a flight, and one of the movies Air Canada had as part of it’s free, on-demand service was a PBS documentary on the life of Frank Lloyd Wright. I watched it, and it was one of the most inspiring things I’d watched in a long time. Most people don’t realize that all the major contributions he made, he made in the back half of his life. When he did the Guggenheim he was, like, 91 years old or something.
What that spoke to me was volumes of this notion that if there’s any place in the world where we should treasure and value the contributions of our elder statesmen, it’s the church. You’re right, in a sense, that there is some real tension right now. We’re basically trying to put all our efforts into younger, more attractive, a little bit flashier. … You know, we need the energy of the young and the wisdom of the old. That’s really what we need, the church needs.
Tell me about your songwriting process. How do you write a song? Words first, then music? There’s no rhyme or reason. I can’t really tell my muse, “Only inspire me this way, please.” My preferred way is getting a conceptual idea. It’s a lot like country music. Country music typically revolves around some sort of mechanism or lyrical twist, where the song’s doing this, and there’s this ironic turn.
In terms of writing worship music, I think, typically, there’s always some idea or phrase. There’s a little window of revelation. The song, “White Flag,” which I wrote with a bunch of people, came with this image of looking at a white flag being a sign of surrender and thinking about how the cross, ultimately, is our sign of surrender. Yet, it’s in that surrender that we find victory. For me, a big part of writing that song when I did was looking at this constant use of the phrase, “culture wars,” and, “it’s us versus them," and I’m just being exhausted and sick of it.
I don’t want to fight my neighbor anymore, regardless of what they believe. Obviously, I want to stand for the right in a free society to have a Christian belief. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor.” He didn’t say, “Argue with your neighbor until you’re right.” I think that song was very much saying, our line in the sand is the cross and it’s Jesus laying down his life and us finding victory in that defeat. That resurrection comes through a certain sense of resignation, and it’s actually a healthy thing.
*This article first published by WORLD News Service.
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] | null | [] | 2015-08-05T15:28:25+00:00 | “Vicente Fernández is the (Frank) Sinatra of ranchera music. He’s the supreme singer; the man who does things his way.” -The Houston Chronicle 10/11/91- It was early fall 1991 when Vicente Fernández was in Houston, Texas, on another one of his U.S. tours. On the morning of Fernández’s concert at the city’s historic Hofheinz Pavilion, […] | en | https://vicentefernandez.mx/wp-content/themes/vicentefernandez-v2/assets/img/favicon.ico | The Official Vicente Fernandez Site | https://vicentefernandez.mx/en/biography/ | “Vicente Fernández is the (Frank) Sinatra of ranchera music. He’s the supreme singer; the man who does things his way.”
-The Houston Chronicle 10/11/91-
It was early fall 1991 when Vicente Fernández was in Houston, Texas, on another one of his U.S. tours. On the morning of Fernández’s concert at the city’s historic Hofheinz Pavilion, the top-of-the-page headline in the national newspaper, The Houston Chronicle, heralded Fernández as “The Sinatra of Rancheras.”
For decades Fernández had been recognized and honored for his accomplishments in the world of music. But up until October 11, 1991, no one had ever declared that as a singer, Fernández was on equal footing with perhaps the greatest singer in American pop history.
In a career spanning five decades, Fernández has been awarded every honor and accolade in the entertainment world and beyond. He has won Grammys and Premio Lo Nuestro awards. He’s regularly topped the charts in Billboard and has been recognized with lifetime achievement awards, hall of fame honors and even a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
With his trademark charro outfit, wide sombrero and impeccable backing mariachi ensemble, he has performed on the world’s biggest and most prestigious stages. He has headlined Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional and the Plaza de Toros Mexico to New York City’s Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall.
Many considered Fernández to be Mexico’s fourth gallo, or singing rooster.
The other three are considered the greatest all-time singers in Mexico. But they all died young – Jorge Negrete at 42 in 1953, Pedro Infante at 39 in 1957 and Javier Solis at 34 in 1966. It was into this profound artistic void that Fernández stepped in 1966.
For more than 40 years, Vicente Fernández has maintained his standing as Mexico’s greatest living singer, coupling an operatic range with a deep understanding of ranchera music’s rural roots. Through the years he inspired hundreds of imitators, but none could ever match his operatic power and range. In the dozens of Mexican movies he starred in, Fernández often played a role that suited him perfectly-that of the proud charro, or Mexican cowboy.
As a world-class singer, Fernández always combines impeccable musicianship, provocative songs and his great vocals to deliver unforgettable performances. He was and continues to be prolific, influential, and ultimately a critical player responsible for shaping the growth and development of the modern ranchera genre. For his artistic integrity, his tireless dedication, and unending enthusiasm, Fernández will be noted in history books as one of the fundamental and influential pioneers of ranchera music and a towering figure in the evolution of Regional Mexican music.
His towering discography comprises over 100 albums. He’s influential in the way that he’s shaped the growth and development of ranchera music. Through the hundreds of songs that feature his voice, Fernández is certain to be the associated of Mexican pride and artistry around the world.
JALISCO ROOTS
Vicente “Chente” Fernández was born February 17, 1940, in the town of Huentitán El Alto, Jalisco, México. His parents were the rancher Ramón Fernández and the homemaker Paula Gómez de Fernández. At age 8 he received a guitar and quickly learned to play it. He also started studying folkloric music. “Some of my earliest memories, from when I was 6 or 7, are of going to see Pedro Infante movies and telling my mother, ‘When I grow up I want to be like them.’”
He entered a singing contest in Guadalajara when he was 14, and won first place. That win gave him the confidence to start performing in restaurants and weddings.
In early 1963, his mother, Paula Gómez de Fernández, died of cancer at the age of 47. Later that year, on December 27, he married María del Refugio “Cuquita” Abarca Villaseñor, his neighbor in Guadalajara. The couple would go on to have four children: Vicente, Gerardo, Alejandro and Alejandra.
Working to further his career, Fernández, then 24, was tapped as vocalist by two of Guadalajara’s best mariachis – Mariachi Amanecer de Pepe Mendoza and Mariachi de José Luís Aguilar. Through his work with these groups, he was introduced to Felipe Arriaga. During that time he performed regularly on the mariachi-themed radio program titled Amanecer Tapatío (Guadalajara Morning). Soon, Arriaga and other influential friends convinced him to move to Mexico City, Mexico’s political, business and cultural capital.
By late 1965, Fernández was pitching himself to the major labels based in the city. He was always turned down, but he began hanging around CBS Studios in hopes of landing an audition. Eventually Fernández got his foot in the door at XEX, the clear-channel AM powerhouse known as the most listened-to radio station in Mexico. XEX exposed him to a nationwide audience.
MUSICAL DESTINY
A few months later, Fernández’s trajectory changed forever. In the early morning hours of April 19, 1966, Javier Solís, the most popular bolero-ranchero singer in Mexico, died from complications following gall-bladder surgery. Just one week later, the record companies that had turned Fernández away were starting to call him. In summer 1966, Fernández signed with CBS México (now Sony Music) and recorded his first hits: “Tu Camino y El Mío,” “Perdóname” and “Cantina del Barrio.” Fernández’s recording career had begun. Other hits followed, including “Soy de Abajo,” “Ni en Defensa Propia” and “Palabra de Rey.”
Not content to just make records and perform live, Fernández also branched out into movies. His first film was Uno y Medio Contra el Mundo. Three years later, he had his first hit starring role in La Ley del Monte. The movie’s title song was also a hit for Fernández. Among his successful albums of the early 1970s were El Rey, El Hijo del Pueblo, and Para Recordar. He was building a body of work that would showcase his expressive voice and define modern mariachi music.
THE KING OF RANCHERA MUSIC
By 1975, Fernández was admired by mariachi fans, but he wasn’t yet an iconic figure. But that was soon to change. In 1976, the composer Fernando Z. Maldonado wrote a different kind of ranchera. A ranchera about a macho guy who accepts his guilt in a failed relationship. It was a new theme, and it struck a nerve: “Volver, Volver” became a ranchera anthem. An incorrigible ladies’ man, Fernández personified the protagonist of the song. It was a magical combination of music, lyrics and voice. By the end of 1976, “Volver, Volver” had broken sales records and was being played from cars, houses and jukeboxes all over the Spanish-speaking world. Finally, Fernández was unquestionably an international star.
The Mexican music press in the early 1980s dubbed Fernández El Ídolo de México (Mexico’s idol) and the moniker stuck. On stage, he became known for his humble refrain: “As long as you don’t stop clapping, your Chente won’t stop singing.”
Between recording and touring Fernández carved out a place for his family. In 1980 he built a 1,250-acre ranch near Guadalajara, called Los Tres Potrillos (The Three Fillys) in honor of his three sons. Surrounded by an irrigation canal, the ranch has the feeling of a cocoon.
Entering his fourth decade of recording, in the 1990s, Fernández continued to add to his canon of classics with hits like “Aunque me Duela el Alma” (1995), “Me Voy a Quitar de En Medio” (1998), and “La Mentira” (1998), the theme song of the popular ranch-centered telenovela. He garnered a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into Billboard’s Hall of Fame.
An interpreter first and foremost, Fernández only occasionally writes songs, usually leaving this job to the experts. “I’ve always said there aren’t great composers – there are great songs,” Fernández says. “And I’ve never claimed to be a songwriter. It’s a tough job. However, some ideas and inspirations have come to me and when that happens, I’ll pick up a pen and jot them down.”
On September 17, 2002, he was named Person of the Year by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the producers of the Latin Grammys. The honor paid tribute to his artistic achievements and his support of the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Never forgetting his humble roots, Fernández also remembers his fans who live in small towns and isolated areas of Mexico, performing free shows at country fairs.
When the subject of retirement comes up, Fernández says he will know when he’s reached his limit. In contrast to Frank Sinatra, he says he won’t retire more than once. He also won’t perform if he can’t give his best to his fans. “I don’t feel my age. Maybe that’s because I live and work on a ranch and practice clean living,” Fernández says. “The people have given me so much, and my love for them is so great, that I’ve thought carefully about the day I will retire.”
THE LIVING LEGEND GROWS…
As a singer, Vicente Fernández is at the top of his game. The proof is in his recent achievements, which more typically resemble those of a young, rising star than someone who’s been recording and touring for over 40 years.
In 2006, after three years away from the recording studio, Vicente Fernández released his comeback album La Tragedia Del Vaquero (The Tragedy of the Cowboy), featuring 14 brand-new songs. A keepsake and instant classic in the mariachi music canon.
This album produced the hits “Lejos De Mi Tierra,” “La Tragedia del Vaquero,” and “Qué Chulada de Mujer.”
Also in 2006, in preparation for Vicente Fernández’s 40th anniversary as a recording artist – Sony Music released a three-CD collection of his greatest hits, titled The Living Legend (‘La Leyenda Viviente’). Containing 35 classics, along with the new song “Me Quedan Todas,” this collectors’ ítem was avidly sought out by fans in the U.S. and Mexico. Regional Mexican and Latin pop radio, meanwhile, sent “Me Quedan Todas” to the top of the airplay charts.
For 2007, his official 40th-anniversary year, El Rey embarked on one of the biggest Latin-music tours in U.S. history. And he returned with another exciting new studio album – Para Siempre, which within three months of its release was certified RIAA Double Platinum (Latin) in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The album’s first single “Éstos Celos” spent over three months at No. 1 on the principal Regional Mexican airplay charts. The song finished the year as the most-played Regional Mexican song of 2007 in the U.S., while Para Siempre received a nomination for Best Ranchera Album at the 2008 Grammys.
The success of Para Siempre continued with its title track. It was the principal song for Televisa’s blockbuster telenovela “Fuego en la Sangre,” which has produced the network’s highest ratings ever.
In 2008, his achievements became even more impressive with the release of his live CD/DVD Primera Fila, which was the top-selling musical DVD of the year in the U.S. in any genre. He won a Latin Grammy in fall 2008, and in 2009 continued his awards-season streak with a Premio Lo Nuestro and a Billboard Latin Music Award.
Staying at the forefront of mariachi music, he released his latest studio album, Necesito de Ti (I Need You), in July 2009, as the title-track first single climbed the charts.
THE VICENTE FERNÁNDEZ GÓMEZ ARENA
In order to enshrine his love and admiration for horses, for country life and for music, Vicente Fernández in 2005 built the Vicente Fernández Gómez Arena for Performances and Horsemanship. This 11,000-capacity area is located on his Los Tres Potrillos (Three Fillys) ranch outside Guadalajara. Ultra-modern and completely enclosed, the facility is popular for rodeos, sporting events and concerts. In 2005 it was the site of the LXI Congress and Vicente Fernández National Charro Championship.
MORE POPULAR AND INNOVATIVE THAN EVER IN THE 2010s
As the 2010s dawned, Vicente Fernández remained ubiquitous, prolific and always interesting. He wrapped up the 2000s with the December 2009 re-release of Necesito de Ti in CD+DVD configuration, featuring 13 audio and video tracks. It earned Platinum certification in Mexico, and Gold in the U.S.
One of most the most important Latin albums of 2009, Necesito de Ti received multiple recognitions for its quality and popularity. Mexico’s Premios Oye awarded him three trophies in November 2009. In 2010, Necesito de Ti was awarded the American Grammy for Best Ranchera Album. Later in the year, he also won Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro for Ranchera Artist of the Year, and two Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Dipping into the plentiful well of Vicente Fernández’s greatest moments, Sony Music in 2010 released Un Mexicano en la Mexico, a DVD of his iconic September 15, 1984, concert at Mexico City’s Plaza de Toros bullring. There, he performed to a standing-room only crowd of 54,000 for over two hours as rain continually threatened to dampen the proceedings. But, legend has it, none other than the Aztec god Tlaloc kept the showers at bay, setting the stage for a historic performance.
Right back on the scene with another groundbreaking studio album, Vicente Fernández in September 2010 released El Hombre Que Más Te Amó (The Man Who Loved You Most). Despite having nothing to prove, Fernández still made a major step forward, serving as producer for the first time in his career and tapping the talents of young, aspiring songwriters. Quite a risk, but the results speak for themselves – El Hombre Que Más Te Amó won the 2011 Latin Grammy for Best Ranchera Album.
LEGACY
Vicente Fernández is still the most popular singer, not just in the ranchera genre, but in all of Regional Mexican music.
With a tremendous and still-growing discography, a powerful voice and unforgettable music, Fernández pushes the boundaries of mariachi music and influences absolutely everybody. His longevity, his dedication to his craft and his faithful devotion to his fans make him beloved in Mexico and around the world.
As a pioneer, Vicente Fernández is to Mexican music what Hank Williams is to country, B.B. King is to blues and Woody Guthrie is to folk.
THE LATEST
In 2011, Vicente Fernández outdoes himself again with Otra Vez (Once Again), released in November. Recording took place in the Mexican states of Jalisco and Morelos at studios belonging to Vicente Fernández himself and those of his producer Joan Sebastian. A collaboration of virtuosos, Otra Vez marks the second time that Joan Sebastian has produced El Rey – thus the title! Joan Sebastian also wrote all of the songs on Otra Vez.
We enjoy a rhythmic treat on first single “Volcanes Dormidos” (Sleeping Volcanoes), which finds Vicente Fernández incorporating electric guitar into his ranchera music for the first time. It’s a beguiling fusion, and one that only maestros like Vicente Fernández and Joan Sebastian could pull off.
So once again – Otra Vez – we salute Vicente Fernández, who is synonymous with studio perfection, vocal passion and an inimitable style. Like fine wine, he improves with the years. And he is a maestro for every aspiring artist.
He’s “El Rey,” the Living Legend – he is Vicente Fernández | ||||
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] | null | [] | null | en | https://razorcake.org/one-punks-guide-christian-punk-kurt-morris/ | One Punk’s Guide to Christian Punk originally ran in Razorcake #95 (December 2016/January 2017).
Here is a printable PDF and full text of the article.
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This zine is also available directly from Razorcake.
One Punk’s Guide to Christian Punk
By Kurt Morris
I can almost guarantee your first thought when you saw the title to this piece was, “Christian punk? What in the world is an article about Christian punk doing in Razorcake?” Well, it’s likely you’ve come across a punk or two (especially if you live in an area with a predominantly Christian population) who describes themselves as a Christian punk. And if you’re not a Christian punk I’m sure you’ve wondered how such terms could be put together. Isn’t punk against Christianity? Thankfully for you, dear readers, during my high school and college years I was a Christian punk (or, more accurately, a punk who was a Christian).
My hope is to give you some background on the genre, the major players, and how it sees itself in relation to the non-Christian punk scene. This won’t be an exhaustive history—that would require a book (which is unfortunately not yet written). Instead, it will be this punk’s take on Christian punk.
I grew up in Indiana, raised by Christian parents and attended our evangelical church two or three times a week. I wasn’t forced to go—I was a Christian, enjoyed attending youth group events, and have a lot of good memories from that time period. While I can’t say what the reasons were for others being Christian punks, my reasons caused a great deal of conflict in my adolescent mind. I wanted to rebel and fit in. I desired to be my own person—someone who was unique and didn’t go along with the crowd. I wanted to showcase the music I listened to, while also please the god who I believed deserved my allegiance. Somehow my friends and I found a way to combine the punk rock idea of rebellion with Christian values. I was willing to rock the boat, but not too much.
Terminology
One of the inherent problems with Christian punk music is definitions. Once again, these come from my experiences over the years. While I’m no longer a Christian (for reasons entirely unrelated to the music), I worked in a Christian music store for two years in high school so I’d like to think I know something. But all you Christian punks out there feel free to tell me to fuck off.
So, what is Christian punk? How is it defined? Christian punk is music created by Christians, often with a message regarding Christian and Biblical themes. This music falls within the spectrum of what most would consider the structure of “punk” music. (Defining punk music is an entirely different conversation.)
But how can Christians be punk? Isn’t punk about questioning authority? To a great extent, Christian punks would agree. Without getting too deep into theology, Christian punks would argue the world is run by sinful human beings, so it’s important to always question the secular world and its motives at all levels. But when it comes to religion, Jesus is an exception. The Christian punk’s take is that Jesus questioned authority and paid for it with his life. If Christians wish to truly follow in Jesus’s steps, they believe they need to question everything except him, since he served as a perfect example (being the son of god). I have—on more than one occasion—heard people say, “Jesus was the original punk.” (It’s possible one of those people was me in high school.)
An often bandied-about term in the Christian music scene is “secular music.” This is music that does not fall into the realm of Christian music—so basically anything else. Additionally, there are record labels that cater almost exclusively to Christians, another way in which the divide of Christian and secular music is cleaved. These labels (including Christian punk, hardcore, and metal ones) release albums primarily—although not always exclusively—made by Christian bands. They are distributed primarily in Christian bookstores, where one can buy a wide range of products—including a Bible, a devotional book specifically aimed at teen girls, and a CD by a Christian punk band. The idea of a store only selling Christian music is incredibly rare.
As mentioned earlier, there is a basic problem in what the primary identifier is of an individual involved in this scene: Are they first and foremost Christians who also happen to consider themselves punk? Or are they punks who are also Christians? Is the music punk with a “Christian message?” And what is that message? How do we define it? As one can tell, this was—and perhaps still is—a debate within the scene. Responses will vary from person to person. Trying to hitch together a lifestyle, a musical genre, a belief system, and a religion is complicated. It was certainly the source of a multitude of discussions from my time in that scene. Who are we and how do we define ourselves? When it deals with a message that some believe has eternal consequences, it’s not quite as simple as feeling that one just wants to play some punk rock.
Early History of Christian Punk
The roots of Christian punk, like secular music, go back to rock’n’roll. While there were some smaller acts in the mid-1960s, Christian rock built up steam in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s with acts such as Larry Norman, The Resurrection Band, and Mylon Levefre. Most of these acts drew influences from blues and folk music. None of these artists were especially original, but their emergence as Christian rock bands was, in itself, groundbreaking. The stage was being set to show that, yes, it was possible for Christians to play what had been known in some Christian circles as “the devil’s music.” Indeed, as artists such as Larry Norman argued on his 1972 album Only Visiting This Planet: “Why should the devil have all the good music?”
After the introduction of rock and roll made by Christians, it was only a matter of time for them to start playing other genres of music. It’s difficult to pin down an exact band that started the Christian punk scene, though. That’s partially because the first semblance of punk in the Christian scene were bands drawing influence from new wave, a less threatening subgenre. Acts such as Undercover played a poppy sound akin to the Cars although they had an occasional fast beat. But Undercover seemed more interested in mixing keyboards into their tunes than anything distorted and aggressive. Altar Boys were another act drawing from punk’s roots but with much more in common with the Replacements than the Sex Pistols or Ramones.
During the first decade of Christian punk, more bands emerged from Southern California than anywhere else. This wasn’t just a coincidence, however. Music critic J. Edward Keyes writes in his blog that Undercover and Altar Boys formed
“under the aegis of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California—a laid-back, all-are-welcome type church…. Their connection to Calvary was crucial; the church, as unbelievable as it sounds, was kind of the Gilman Street of the Christian punk community, generating scores of tradition-breaking bands who thought Stryper and Petra sounded about as hokey and terrible as most of their mainstream compatriots did. It wasn’t just a scene, it was a movement, as strong and—in its own world—as revolutionary to the church kids who heard it as the Ramones were to everyone else.”
A prominent exception to this great flood of Southern California Christian punk was Miami-based band The Lead. It’s likely they were the first true Christian punk band. Formed in 1984, this three-piece traded off vocals between Julio Rey and Nina Llopis, which in some ways marked the act as even more of an anomaly. Not only were they a Christian punk band, but one that had a female vocalist, something not seen in many secular hardcore punk bands. They were far from the safer sound of their Californian Christian brethren. The Lead’s musical style drew heavily from early Hüsker Dü: songs traded off vocalists that occasionally burst into screams and fast playing that bordered on thrash. It’s not a stretch to imagine The Lead fitting in on the punk label SST. The reason that something like that would never happen is all in the lyrics.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, bands in the Christian scene (whether punk or not) saw their music as part of a ministry to bring non-Christians to accept Jesus Christ as their savior. While their secular counterparts were singing about anarchy, nihilism, and the violence they saw in the scene, Undercover was penning tunes titled “God Rules,” “Jesus Is the Best,” and “Talk to God.” Even The Lead, in all their musical legitimacy, wrote songs called “Kill Satan” and “Lead You to Repent.” Like some non-Christian punk bands, The Lead waded into political topics, such as abortion (they were against it), although that was rare. The primary purpose of Christian punk was to spread the message of the Good News.
In fact, resistance to the lyrics of Christian bands is what led these acts to eventually form their own scene and industry. Unable to find acceptance amongst secular punk bands, Christian artists often booked shows at churches or Christian clubs. When they could find shows at the former, members of the churches were often quite surprised at the style they had agreed to let play in their house of worship. While the lyrics weren’t objectionable, the music was a far cry from traditional hymns. Because of their “unique” style, bands weren’t always invited back.
As the ‘80s progressed, more bands began to emerge as part of the Christian punk scene. A young California act, the Crucified, went on to become huge in the Christian scene, even as they sang, “I’m not a Christian punk.” The aggressive sound on their albums Take up Your Cross and Nailed was akin to faster Minor Threat. Eventually the band made their way into a thrash punk sound a la Suicidal Tendencies. In fact, Christian heavy metal overshadowed Christian punk throughout the 1980s. This in itself isn’t surprising, as the same was occurring in the secular scene. Mirroring their non-Christian counterparts, there wasn’t any money to be made in punk, period, but especially in the late 1980s. It wouldn’t be until the mid-‘90s (about the same time punk “broke” in the secular scene) that Christian punk started to be noticed in the Christian scene.
Until then, however, there were a few exceptions. In small numbers, bands such as those on the DIY label Blonde Vinyl rang true. Started by Michael Knott in the late ‘80s, he signed numerous bands primarily based out of Southern California. While not all of them were explicitly punk, some of them—such as Knott’s own act, Lifesavers—were influenced by punk and new wave. Other acts on Blonde Vinyl, such as Fluffy and Lust Control, played more directly in the genre. (The latter, according to Wikipedia, were “known for their explicit lyrical content, which is devoted to matters of sexual purity and sin, including abstinence, masturbation, pornography, sex ed, and related topics.” As an innocent Christian teen, their lyrical content made me too uncomfortable to listen to them.)
Another exception to the rather unoriginal acts from the late ‘80s in Christian punk was Scaterd Few. Drawing from Bad Brains (they actually opened for H.R. on his 1990 solo tour) and Jane’s Addiction, their music skirted the line of punk. As one review put it, Scaterd Few’s sound “summoned a mad-scientist hybrid of dub, reggae, post-punk, and heavy metal.” Lead singer Allan Aguirre’s vocals “went from gothic moan to banshee yelp within the space of a single lyric. He sings like a man on fire, wild-eyed and crazy, yelping out each dire prophecy as if every word might be his last.” It may be a looser connection to punk, but it’s at least original, something that seemed sorely lacking in the Christian scene at the time. The few bands that did play punk in the Christian scene were unmemorable—Scaterd Few is one of the only acts to stand the test of time.
Christian Punk Takes Off
In the history of Christian punk, the importance of Tooth & Nail Records (T&N) cannot be understated. T&N was founded in 1993 by Brandon Ebel, a then-recent graduate of Oregon State University. Established in Southern California with money loaned by Ebel’s grandfather, the label made its way to Seattle a few years after its birth. (For what it’s worth T&N didn’t just sign punk bands, although that seemed to be their bread and butter. They also released albums by bands that played shoegazer, grunge, power pop, and hardcore. Given my divergent tastes at the time, I bought almost all of it because I was so hungry for Christian music that expressed my rebellious feelings.)
As Joel Heng Hartse wrote in a 2014 article in Christianity Today, “Tooth & Nail created a safe, subversive space for Christian teenagers who felt torn between youth-group subculture and secular countercultures. The label’s bands have been sonically diverse, exploring various corners of the indie rock, emo, punk, and hardcore genres. But what they have in common, as Ebel and many others have said, is feeling ‘too Christian for non-Christians, and not Christian enough for Christians.’”
Some of this feeling was brought about by the acts that T&N signed. Some, such as Frodus, included members who weren’t Christians. While the band didn’t sing about Christianity, it still made me hesitant: should I be listening to this stuff? Would it be a bad influence on me? There were always rumors, too, in the Christian punk scene that were passed around in the pre-internet era through word of mouth: Joe Christmas got stoned at a Christian music festival, Zao smoked, and on it went.
Most of these bands were up front about their actions, though. Some bands’ style of Christianity was far different than the more conservative one I practiced. But that didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t Christians. In contrast, there were always going to be Christian artists who acted perfect on the outside but didn’t lead the most godly lives. This wasn’t new in the Christian scene though: Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, and other adult contemporary artists had experiences with infidelity of which we were aware.
One thing that caused T&N to be so big is that their bands mirrored the mainstream sounds of the time. There were no 1970s Christian equivalent for Black Sabbath or early ‘80s answer to the secular sounds of Black Flag. By the time T&N came along, there was an alternative. Do you like NOFX or Rancid? They’ve got MXPX. Are you into Earth Crisis and Integrity? How about listening to Unashamed? In fact, T&N marketing drove directly to this point. Their catalogs and advertisements in Christian (and some secular) publications would have a RIYL (Recommended If You Like) list under a band’s album. From this I was able to ascertain what acts I could give to my non-Christian friends in the hopes that it may spur in them an interest in Christianity.
I made a lot of friends through Christian music. I met one of my best friends in high school during our Spanish class. He had shirts for bands like Bad Brains, spiked hair, and a pair of jeans covered in safety pins. He hand-made his studded belt in the days before they were sold at Hot Topic and, frankly, he intimidated me.
“What is that?!” he exclaimed one day before class started. He pointed at the magazine ad I had placed in the front of the clear cover of my binder.
“Oh, uh, it’s an ad for a Christian metal band,” I replied nervously, but proud I had included the adjective “Christian.”
“There’s Christian metal?” he said, surprised.
“Oh yeah,” I replied. “And Christian punk and hardcore, too.” I couldn’t believe I was speaking to him about Christianity.
From there we hit it off. He made me mix tapes that included bands like Agent Orange, Operation Ivy, and Youth Of Today. I made him ones that included Focused, Blenderhead, and MXPX. I wasn’t opposed to listening to secular punk music, but I hoped that listening to something a bit more godly might have a positive influence on my new friend.
And some months later, my friend and some of his buddies got “saved” after an altar call by the band Unashamed. For many of the hardcore bands, especially, using their platform as a means by which to ask people to come to god wasn’t uncommon. For my friends who already were Christians, the genres of Christian punk, hardcore, and metal were what brought us all together.
With the emergence of Tooth & Nail there was an influx of Christian punk bands. Other Christian labels (Facedown, Screaming Giant, Takehold) tried to emulate T&N, but none matched T&N’s dominance. This was partially due to the sales of a few bands (namely MXPX and the OC Supertones) as well as T&N’s thorough distribution in Christian bookstores (where many Christian kids purchased their CDs and cassettes while their moms looked at the latest edition of the devotional My Utmost for His Highest).
It just so happened that as T&N blew up in popularity, ska was also getting big. Bands such as the OC Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy sold tons of records (at least for independent Christian artists) and drew packed shows. Others such as Squad Five-O drew comparisons to Operation Ivy with their ska punk sound. In the ‘90s, Christian bands began to fill in every conceivable subgenre of punk.
Working at a Christian music store
From 1995 to ‘97 I worked at a Christian music store (not bookstore—just music). I was in high school and the owner was only in his early twenties. It was a small joint—less than four hundred square feet. My boss wasn’t necessarily into Christian punk, but he also didn’t care if I played it in the store. However, this experience very much altered how I perceived Christian punk.
I spoke with distributors and salespeople and saw the business side of things. There were few DIY Christian punk labels, Boot 2 Head Records being one of the only ones I can recall. Most of T&N’s materials were moving through EMI, one of the major labels (by the late ‘80s the vast majority of Christian music labels were at least distributed, if not owned by, secular major labels). I became more aware of the glut of Christian music on the market, especially Christian punk.
After a time, I soured on most Christian punk and hardcore and all their talk about one-sheets, sales points, and primary markets. I just wanted to listen to the music, but even much of that didn’t impress me. When I worked, I began to play Christian adult contemporary music I remembered from my childhood. It severely confused the Christian punk kids who came in to buy the latest album by MXPX or Ghoti Hook. Seeing me, a teenager with a wallet chain, shaved head, and dog chain around his neck blaring Amy Grant threw them for a loop.
I met a lot of cool people working at the music store and had a lot of fun, but it became clear to me that by the late ‘90s the Christian punk scene had gone corporate (as though it had really ever been anything else). Nevertheless, lots of kids were still buying up any punk act that T&N was putting out. There had never really been a true DIY scene. Instead I looked to secular labels such as Dischord and bands like Fugazi for inspiration and philosophical ideas. Perhaps it was just my inundation with so much new music—or maybe the sound really wasn’t as good as it used to be—but by the time I left the music store in 1997, I was burnt out on Christian punk. I continued to listen to some Christian punk and hardcore but also began to explore secular music. Although the RIYL lists were supposed to help fans of secular music find Christian music that would serve as a more “godly” alternative, I found it served to help me find more secular music. “Hmm. This chart says if you like Jawbox, you’ll like Blenderhead. I wonder if I’d like Jawbox?” Internal conversations such as this occurred on more than one occasion and usually with a similar result: it wasn’t long after that I found myself at a local record store buying a Jawbox (or similar band) CD.
Cornerstone
For about thirty years, every summer thousands would attend Cornerstone festival, one of the anchors of the Christian punk music scene. In Witnessing Suburbia, academic Eileen Luhr described Cornerstone as an
“event that was clearly for believers—an affirmation of Christianity rather than a beacon for society. Jesus People USA, a residential religious community in Chicago, began Cornerstone at the Lake County, Illinois, fairgrounds in 1984. The community possessed ideal credentials for staging a Christian rock festival: it had a long history of outreach programs including a long-running magazine (Cornerstone) and a well-respected music ministry led by The Resurrection Band, one of the first Christian hard rock bands. By the late 1980s, the festival had established itself as an annual convention for young Christian rock fans. [It had also moved its location to a former pig farm located in Bushnell, Illinois, hours southwest of Chicago.] Advertisements for the event appeared in nearly every Christian music magazine, and enthusiastic first-person accounts of fans willing to endure interminable road trips, miserable camping accommodations, and adverse weather conditions for the opportunity to partake in three days of concerts by the genre’s biggest acts became standard fare in fanzines.”
It was Christian music festivals (but especially Cornerstone) that allowed the Christian punk community to congregate in one place, hear all their favorite bands, and allow those acts to feel like superstars. Outside of Cornerstone, many of these bands hardly toured and when they did, they’d be lucky to draw one or two hundred fans a night. At Cornerstone they were gods, putting on shows for a thousand to fifteen hundred people, selling hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars of merch, while teens lined up for their autographs. Bands mingled with their fans and I was taken in by all of it just like everyone else.
I went to Cornerstone about five times in the 1990s and 2000s, sometimes as a fan and sometimes to sell merch for SC Distribution, a secular indie music distributor that happened to distribute a number of “cool” Christian artists. The three times I went in the ‘90s were the best, though. We camped in close proximity to one another in a field. The sun woke us each morning at 7 AM, after having fallen asleep five or six hours before. In the morning our tents became saunas. We escaped to try to catch a breeze as we sat under a canopy we pitched in an otherwise barren field. Together we would cram breakfast bars and cereal in our mouths, grumpily waking up. It was always too hot to sleep except late at night. During the day there was a lot of time to kill before the bands began. I bonded with my friends and got to learn more about many of them.
After three or four days at the fest, we made the six-hour drive home. We shared a snugly-packed vehicle of newly acquired music, camping gear, and sweat- and dirt-stained clothes. Stories were told of outrageous incidents. “Did you see when I stage-dove during Everdown’s show?!” “I can’t believe our friends got to open for Blaster The Rocket Man. That was so cool!” We were enmeshed together in a bonding experience. Going to Cornerstone was a ritual we shared for a number of years.
Early 2000s
By the late ‘90s the scene started to change and I don’t mean that in a nostalgic, winsome way. Like many secular labels, in order to cash in, T&N started signing tons of pop punk bands, many of which weren’t that great. They also started sub-labels such as Solid State (metal/hardcore), Uprok (rap/hip hop) and BEC (which stood for Brandon Ebel Company and put out a wide range of music).
As the glut of Christian punk bands filled the market, I felt overwhelmed. There was so much to listen to and so much of it was mediocre. (Or perhaps the bands I originally thought were so great weren’t that great—but they were all I had, so they were everything.) As the twenty-first century began, the trends in the secular market changed, with Christian music following soon after. Emo became the next big thing and the market changed its focus. Christian punk wasn’t the hot commodity anymore.
Christian hardcore and metalcore, however, did become pretty huge. Artists like Norma Jean, The Chariot, Underoath, and As I Lay Dying sold hundreds of thousands of records, primarily through Solid State, T&N’s sub-label. Some of these bands jumped to secular record labels such as Roadrunner or Razor & Tie and most went on big tours such as OzzFest or with counterparts in the secular scene. The lines of separation between Christian and secular punk and hardcore became more difficult to define. Things had come a long way since the days of Undercover and The Lead. If it weren’t for T&N’s initial strike with punk, it’s hard to imagine these bands ever having a chance at doing as well as they did.
I paid attention to some of those acts, but the influence of mall punk rubbed me the wrong way. Where did sincerity lay in a scene so filled with cookie-cutter punk and hardcore acts? The DIY aspect seemed to be nonexistent, if it had ever been anything anyway. Which leads me to….
DIY and Christian Punk
What about the DIY scene in Christian punk? Does such a thing exist at all? As mentioned earlier, there were few DIY labels in the secular sense. Frankly, there really isn’t a need to keep a strict DIY philosophy to the degree there is in the secular scene. For the vast majority of the bands in Christian music, the primary goal is to save souls. The larger the market the better. Not too many people want anything that might limit their audience—they want to cast a wide net.
That’s not to say that the primary goal of all Christian bands is to minister to the lost. This is where the division of terminology arose. Bands that saw themselves as a ministry would often label themselves as Christian bands. But bands that were primarily interested in playing music were often seen as Christians in a band. The former were often the ones who made the money for labels like T&N, but the latter were the groups that won more critical acclaim. The few artists in the Christian scene who—often influenced by secular DIY labels—were interested in being on an “indie” would shoot for a secular indie, or occasionally sign with T&N. With the latter they matched the level whereby they could secure some notoriety and distribution, but also know they weren’t owned by one of the majors (just distributed by one of them).
Conclusion
For many of my Christian punk friends, our relationships with god changed over the years. The fire we once had in our hearts changed into something less intense, or in the case of myself and some of my other friends, it has ceased entirely. But this happened years after we left high school and college, when there wasn’t much stigma with becoming agnostic or atheist.
I still own some Christian music and listen to it from time to time. There are some great bands out there comprised of Christians who, on occasion, sing about their faith or god, but can do it in a way that’s not preaching. Acts such as Common Children, The Prayer Chain, or Starflyer 59 still get semi-regular rotation by me. I’m not sure what that magic line is where I’ll accept Woven Hand (an alt-rock country act whose lyrics are incredibly religious) but cringe when I listen to Crux. I love their music, but their lyrics spend a lot of time on right-wing politics:
Why do you lie to us? Why do you lie to us?
By teaching in school Christianity has died.
Why do you lie to us? Why do you lie to us?
By handing out condoms; safe sex is a lie.
To be honest, I struggled writing this article. It brought back a lot of memories from my teen years—many not so good. Now that I’m not a Christian, it’s hard to wonder who that person was who was so excited about Christian punk and hardcore. When I started writing this piece I listened to some of the old bands again—bands I hadn’t thought about in ten or fifteen years. When I did so, all I heard were the acts they were ripping off: Hüsker Dü, Danzig, Billy Idol. Were these bands consciously wanting to sound like these “secular” artists, to create a “safe” alternative to the scary world of the unsaved? Or were they using their music as a means to save souls? Whatever the case, halfway through listening to “Jesus Is Number One” by Altar Boys, I decided to listen to the Replacements song “Androgynous” and think about how far I’ve come since those days when I labeled myself a Christian punk.
Razorcake is a bi-monthly, Los Angeles-based fanzine that provides consistent coverage of do-it-yourself punk culture. We believe in positive, progressive, community-friendly DIY punk, and are the only bona fide 501(c)(3) non-profit music magazine in America. We do our part.
The best way to never miss an issue of Razorcake is to get a reasonably priced subscription delivered to your door. Click the link below. | |||||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 26 | http://cadethompsonmusic.com/ | en | Cade Thompson | http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e7fc61033b80a081243bad6/t/62d588c4a019ca3e67a9ac9c/1658161348895/CT_Picture.jpg?format=1500w | http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e7fc61033b80a081243bad6/t/62d588c4a019ca3e67a9ac9c/1658161348895/CT_Picture.jpg?format=1500w | [
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Red Street Records artist, Cade Thompson, is an energetic and soulful
Contemporary Christian music artist with a sound that appeals to believers
and mainstream pop audiences alike. Cade’s effortless style promotes his
personal musical influences, which draws heavily from the church. Cade has
an admirable ability to transform his thoughts and faith into a powerful
collection of melodies and lyrics that inspire people of all ages to step into all
that God has for them.
Cade has had an affinity with music since his toddler days when even a
preschool teacher noticed him frequently harmonizing early on, and eventually
progressed through piano, guitar and drum lessons. After joining the youth
worship team in 6th grade, a music mentor came into his life who emphasized
the importance of seeking God through the Bible outside of a worship setting.
This understanding placed Cade on a deeper course of encountering the love
of the Father and seeking His presence more intently. In these early teen
years, Cade knew God was calling him into music ministry and giving him
opportunities to grow in that calling.
God has continued to reveal Cade’s heart, the outpouring has resulted in a
strong connection to his generation sonically and lyrically. Shortly after
finishing high school, Cade moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Following his
move, Cade signed a record deal with Red Street Records, an independent
Christian label founded by Rascal Flatts member, Jay DeMarcus. Thompson
made waves across the Christian music community with the release of his
debut single, “Provider” and in August 2020, earned his first Top 20 Billboard
charting single with “Every Step of the Way.” He has also seen huge success
online, where his music has earned over sixty million streams to date.
Cade hit the ground running in 2021 and 2022, with a consistent lineup of
shows across the nation opening for some of CCM’s biggest names. Cade’s
debut album, Bigger Story, was released in September 2021 and paved the
way for his upcoming sophomore album, Empty Room. Dropping in April
2023, this project will host 12 powerful tracks including Cade’s current radio
single “Good God,” which follows his massively successful “Arms of Jesus”
that racked up over sixteen million streams to date. | |||
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] | 2024-01-08T17:22:30+00:00 | Lil Nas X announced his new song titled "J CHRIST" on Monday (Jan. 8). See what he had to say here. | en | Billboard | https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/lil-nas-x-new-song-j-christ-announcement-1235577736/ | After a quiet 2023, Lil Nas X is kicking off 2024 with a brand new song — and he’s dedicating it to the one and only Jesus Christ.
On Monday (Jan. 8), the rapper announced that his new gospel song set for release on Friday (Jan. 12) is titled “J CHRIST.” The cover art for the new track sees the rapper taking Jesus’ place on a crucifix as five bystanders begin to raise him off the ground. A second video clip sees him nailed to a gold cross that suddenly transforms into a mechanical suit complete with a halo. “MY NEW SINGLE IS DEDICATED TO THE MAN WHO HAD THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME,” Lil Nas wrote in his announcement.
The news comes after the rapper spent the weekend trolling his fans. In a TikTok posted on Saturday (Jan. 6), the rapper said that his new song would be released independently rather than through his longtime label, Columbia Records. Over a clip of him lip-synching to a popular TikTok sound, Lil Nas said that his label “gave me the choice of going independent to release my gospel music or staying with them,” adding in the caption that he would be “releasing my first gospel song next week imdependently [sic].”
Billboard reached out to Lil Nas X’s representatives for further comment.
But the singer didn’t stop there. Through a series of increasingly ridiculous clips, Lil Nas claimed that he had been “blackballed” from releasing music in 2023 after “promoting God to the masses,” claimed that the music industry was “wicked” and threatened to “expose y’all favorite artists.” In his latest clip, the “That’s What I Want” singer is standing next to two officers in front of a police car flashing its lights. “me staying with the police department 24/7 for the next 5 days before i expose the music industry for what they did to me,” he wrote. “evil will not stop what god has planned.”
When Lil Nas X first teased his “Christian era,” he took a break from trolling to comment on those that always find reasons to criticize his music. “y’all see everything i do as a gimmick. when in reality im just an artist expressing myself in different ways,” he wrote at the time. “whether im a cowboy, gay, satanic, or now christian y’all find a problem! y’all don’t police nobody else art like mine. y’all hate me because im fun cute and petite.”
Lil Nas X’s new single “J CHRIST” drops on Friday (January 12). Check out his brief snippet on X, as well as his TikToks, below: | |||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 10 | https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/mayjune/worship-music-industry-business-song-royalties-ccli-ccmg.html | en | Our Worship Is Turning Praise into Secular Profit | [
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] | 2023-04-19T06:00:00 | With corporate consolidation in worship music, more entities are invested in the songs sung on Sunday mornings. How will their financial incentives shape the church? | en | /ct/apple-touch-icon.png | ChristianityToday.com | https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/mayjune/worship-music-industry-business-song-royalties-ccli-ccmg.html | When worship leader Jonathan Anderson selects the song “Lion and the Lamb” for a service, he thinks about what it means for his multigenerational Assemblies of God church to sing about the return of Christ and his final victory: Every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb.
“We have older people who love to imagine seeing God’s face, who look forward to that, to seeing pure beauty,” said Anderson, who serves at Bethel Church in Tallmadge, Ohio.
Songwriter and recording artist Leeland Mooring (who performs with the band “Leeland”) started composing the song at a worship event. He found himself and those with him profoundly moved by the words and music as they took shape.
Mooring told NewRelease Today, “We were just weeping, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room …. God dropped the whole chorus of the song on me right there.”
Eight years after its release, “Lion and the Lamb” remains among the top 30 contemporary worship songs sung in churches on Sunday, with recordings by popular bands including Leeland, Shane & Shane, and Big Daddy Weave.
The song’s continued popularity means congregations lift those powerful words in praise each week, as Mooring and his cowriters (industry veterans Brenton Brown and Bethel Music’s Brian Johnson) hoped. And each time churches like Anderson’s sing “Lion and the Lamb,” it adds up—especially if the service is livestreamed—for Christian music licensing companies, corporate labels, and private investors who have come to see the Christian corner of the industry as a previously untapped income stream.
A portion of the rights and royalties for Mooring’s song, which would have once been continuously paid out to the song’s creators and label, were sold at auction in 2020 as part of a $900,000 package to a private investor. The bundle of songs had made $156,393 the year before, more than three-quarters from the use of “Lion and the Lamb.” The investor who made the winning bid was quoted an industry-projected return of nearly 15 percent.
The words and melodies that stir hearts to worship each Sunday are also intellectual property (IP) on the market, caught up in a recent surge of acquisitions across the music industry. The investment activity has become a “feeding frenzy,” according to industry executive Hartwig Masuch, with worship hits a small part of the billions invested in IP and royalty streams.
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As churches worldwide sing, play, and live-stream songs like “Lion and the Lamb,” “How Great Is Our God,” and “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord),” the popularity of these songs has ushered Christian music further into the mainstream music industry and the vast economic ecosystem adjusting to make a profit in a new era.
Trends toward IP acquisition, lucrative arena tours, and corporate consolidation have helped drive record-setting revenues over the past two years—the touring industry saw $6.28 billion in 2022, and recording revenues in the US reached an all-time high of $15.9 billion, growing for the seventh consecutive year.
Many Christian artists, including those whose careers and brands are built on worship music, are benefiting from this growth.
Making money from the genre is nothing new. Christian music has turned a profit for American investors for centuries, ever since bookseller Hezekiah Usher distributed the Bay Psalm Book in 1640, the first book printed in the colonies. What’s new is the complicated web of demand, creation, and moneymaking in today’s version of the industry. The more corporate entities stand to profit from worship hits, the more they are positioned to introduce incentives and exert pressure along the way.
In the worship music landscape, each participant has its priorities: Churches seek out songs to serve their congregations, artists create music to minister to the church, the industry provides a platform and finds ways to profit from popular media, and investors look for promising assets.
Among writers, performers, agents, publicists, tour organizers, record labels, publishers, and investors, all are looking for new worship songs to become hits and for hit worship songs to stay popular and profitable. But not all of these people have equal sway in a song’s trajectory, and not every push toward success is morally or theologically neutral.
As worship music is further integrated into the economic landscape of the mainstream music industry, can it retain its distinct spiritual purpose? Will the powerful incentives of the business—fame and celebrity and financial success—influence the way worship songs are produced and promoted?
Contemporary worship music has gained the intensifying interest of the mainstream entertainment industry over the past two decades. Worship artists fill the country’s largest arenas. Instead of Christian artists crossing over with secular hits, worship songs make their way into the mainstream: Justin Bieber performs “Jireh” and “How He Loves” with Chandler Moore; contestants on The Voice sing “Oceans”; the Today show and Fox and Friends feature sets by Taya, Maverick City Music, and Hillsong United.
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Songwriters and worship artists “love the church and want to provide songs that serve the church,” said Shannan Baker, a postdoctoral fellow in digital humanities at Baylor University’s Center for Christian Music Studies. But today’s top worship artists and songwriters face these intensified market pressures.
“I’m hesitant about the role money can play in elevating certain worship songs,” Baker said, sharing one concern about the industry. “It’s a music business. Money drives decision-making at the upper levels.”
Financial gain—especially financial excess—is not a neutral incentive and can narrow the kinds of artists who make it to the top.
“For evangelicals, the market has always been a way of proving God’s blessing,” said Adam Perez, assistant professor of worship studies at Belmont University in Nashville—the hub and headquarters for the Christian music industry. “Investment is a lagging indicator of success.”
“Any time someone increases their access to capital, it increases their access to power,” he said. “Now, how will that power be exercised?”
More mainstream companies and investors have recognized opportunities for profit in hit Christian artists and songs, particularly as major corporations consolidate ownership. This interest has led to major arena tours once reserved for rock stars and royalty auctions to get a cut of worship hits.
Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG), for example, has acquired major Christian labels Sparrow Records, Hillsong Music, and sixstepsrecords. CCMG is part of Universal Music Group, which held a market share of just over 37 percent in the music industry at the end of 2022. Its artists now include Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, Brooke Ligertwood, Crowder, Cody Carnes, Jesus Culture, and the Newsboys. Last year, it claimed to have 60 percent market share of the top 10 worship songs used in churches.
These songs get licensed for services and events through Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI). The organization began as a resource to keep churches from violating copyright when using lyrics and music from worship artists.
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Now the music industry has begun to see popularity on CCLI as an indicator of a song’s ongoing profitability, since over a quarter million churches worldwide license their worship music through the ministry. A listing selling royalties for the “Lion and the Lamb” package noted that two-thirds of the annual profits could come from CCLI—$100,000—and that the earnings were stable.
CCLI also ranks songs based on weekly usage as reported by churches its licensing protection covers. According to CCLI, “Lion and the Lamb” landed among the top 30 songs sung at churches as of spring 2023, eight years after its release.
“A Christian radio hit makes a little money for a little while,” said Andrew Osenga, director of artists and repertoire (A&R) for Integrity Music. “Evergreen [worship] songs bring in a lot of income.”
The “song-centric” nature of the worship music market works to its advantage. In a rapidly changing industry (How often do you pay to listen to music?), revenue from songwriting and publishing royalties in the niche have remained reliable sources of income.
Osenga noted that since the beginning of the pandemic, royalty revenues for worship music have increased substantially because of the sudden rise in churches livestreaming and posting service recordings to YouTube. Before 2020, most churches covered by CCLI for the use of contemporary worship songs were paying $170–$215 per year for licensing. The right to legally stream performances of those songs required churches to add a new streaming license, which can cost another $110 a year based on church attendance of 400 people per week (the cost increases with church size).
“Think about the number of church services that are streamed,” said Osenga. “If ‘Good Good Father’ is sung in thousands of churches, many of which are livestreamed, the revenue of that copyright is huge.”
Worship songs typically don’t have a very long lifespan, but a few favorites like “How Great Is Our God” and “In Christ Alone” make it to the CCLI top 100 and stay there. A recent study found that between 2015 and 2019, the average lifespan of a worship song was four years. Between 1995 and 1999, it was 11 years.
The most successful recording artists have still been able to achieve longstanding hits on the CCLI charts; their songs now appear on sites like Royalty Exchange, where investors can evaluate them as financial assets.
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Historically, there has been very little interest in back catalogs of Christian artists.
“In contrast to the general market,” ethnomusicologist Andrew Mall said in his 2021 book God Rock, Inc.: The Business of Niche Music, “in the Christian market there is comparatively little demand for (or even awareness of) older music and artists.”
But Hipgnosis Songs Fund, a Blackstone-backed music rights investment company, recently acquired a stake in the back catalogs of Third Day and Jason Ingram, a producer and songwriter who has worked with Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, Kari Jobe, Lauren Daigle, David Crowder, and Christy Nockels. Hipgnosis is the same entity that acquired the rights to Justin Bieber’s catalog in January 2023 in a high-profile $200 million deal.
Hipgnosis’s website touts Ingram as a force in the Christian music industry who “has helped shape the genre in a modern distribution world.” Ingram cowrote “Goodness of God” by Bethel Music, No. 1 on the CCLI Top 100 in 2023, as well as two others in the top 10: “Great Are You Lord” by All Sons & Daughters and “King of Kings” by Hillsong Worship.
In January 2022, the privately funded publishing and talent management company Primary Wave Music acquired a stake in worship artist Matt Redman’s entire publishing catalog. His song “Blessed Be Your Name” has spent 20 years in the CCLI top 100.
“It’s a good deal on both sides,” said Andrew Osenga. (Redman is currently signed with Integrity Music, Osenga’s employer.) An artist like Redman or Ingram can take a buyout, a lump sum from a company willing to bet that their songs will bring in additional earnings. It’s a smart way for a musician to pay off a home or send kids to college. Earnings on future songs they write will still be theirs.
The language used by entities like Primary Wave, Hipgnosis, and Royalty Exchange lays bare the purely financial motivation behind their investment in worship music. In a press release, Primary Wave described the move to acquire Redman’s catalog as one that would continue to “strengthen its position in the faith-based market.”
The Royalty Exchange listing for the 2020 auction of the asset package with “Lion and the Lamb” even named CCLI as a “notably unique and lucrative income source,” whose “earnings are quite stable year-over-year.” The listing also clarified that 78 percent of the catalog’s income came from “Lion and the Lamb,” referring to the song as “the star of this collection.”
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Investors may or may not have any interest in the spiritual aspect of the music, but since their profits rely on songs’ continued use by church congregations, they have a financial interest in what churches sing on Sunday mornings.
It’s too soon to say how the relationships between investors and worship artists’ back catalogs will influence the future use or trajectory of hit worship songs. However, with financial backers poised to profit from the continued use of some songs and not others, those with a stake in a particular hit could look for ways to reintroduce it and keep it fresh in the minds of worshipers, through covers, new recordings by popular artists, or novel arrangements.
The royalties marketplace is just one example of how the revenue streams in the worship music industry—and the music industry more broadly—have introduced new stakeholders, incentives, and pressures to the process. For artists who are popular enough to draw huge crowds, touring presents the opportunity to generate revenue with less interference from labels and publishers, who take cuts of recorded work.
The Christian industry mirrors the financial incentives and structures of the mainstream music industry, so it makes sense that Christian artists would rely on touring for income. Over the past three decades, as worship artists make their way onto arena stages, the bigger venues add to the public’s awareness of monetization in the industry. “Christian listeners are increasingly encountering worship music in entertainment contexts that used to be the domain of pop/rock,” wrote Mall.
The line between entertainment and worship in these contexts has grown blurrier, even as touring artists explicitly frame performances as worship services or experiences. Chris Tomlin toured in 2022 with Hillsong United, telling the Gospel Music Association, “I always say, there’s nothing like the sound of the people of God, singing the praises of God, in the presence of God and to be able to experience that night after night is truly a gift.”
Big names like Hillsong and Bethel hold arena tours, sometimes with VIP packages and experiences like early entry, custom merchandise, premium seating, and staged photo ops. And, like Coldplay, Taylor Swift, or others performing in stadiums, they’re subject to ticket scalping.
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Last year, Elevation Worship had to clarify that a $1,000-plus front-row ticket listed for their show wasn’t the sticker price but an inflated resale value.
The 2022 Chris Tomlin–Hillsong United tour—playing Target Center in Minneapolis, the United Center in Chicago, and the Banc of California Stadium in LA—initially offered a VIP ticket option for purchase, but in response to online backlash from fans, the tour removed the VIP option and replaced it with two tiers of “experience packages.”
The “Tomlin-United Experience” included a close-up seat, early access to the venue, a photo opportunity on the catwalk, a “pre-show merchandise shopping opportunity,” an “intimate on-stage experience with Chris Tomlin and United,” and “limited gift items specifically designed for VIPs by the artists.”
Christian artists often promote worship concerts or “worship experiences” as more than just performances, and the delivery of a sermon or short message can make the event feel like a heavily produced church service. And some are troubled by the prospect of paying to attend—or get VIP access to—something billed as a worship service.
“Should we ever pay to attend a worship event?” wrote UK-based worship leader and songwriter Tom Read in a column for Premier Christianity about the Tomlin-United Tour in October 2021. “Let’s be honest, there is a significant difference between paying an artist for their work and buying VIP tickets so you can have a photo on a catwalk at a worship event. What is so problematic here is the leveraging of the worship of God for the creation of personal fame and fortune.”
Winter Jam often lands among the music industry’s highest-ranking tours for the first quarter of the year. Organizers have kept ticket prices low—just $15 at the door—hoping to make each stop an accessible evangelistic event. But those looking for a more exclusive experience can still purchase additional access by joining Jam Nation, a tiered fan club with options for groups and individuals.
Attendees who join Jam Nation Max for $149.99, the highest-tier option, will get a meet-and-greet and photo with We The Kingdom and recording artist Jeremy Camp, seating in an “exclusive reserved section,” merchandise discounts, a T-shirt, and early admission.
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The highly successful tour illustrates the increased blurring of the distinction between performative Christian music (like radio hits) and worship music. Winter Jam isn’t billed explicitly as a worship concert or experience, but worship and a gospel presentation are part of the event. The 2023 tour included popular worship bands Thrive Worship and We The Kingdom.
The increased consolidation of popular contemporary worship music under fewer companies—entities like CCMG—means the industry has a bigger incentive to promote worship music and bigger artists have a better chance at making solid revenue.
It also means that CCMG has an incentive to gain greater access to the Christian music market, especially anyone looking for worship music.
CCMG owns Worship Together, an online resource for worship leaders that promotes new music, puts out blogs and podcasts, and hosts an annual conference. The featured performers at its 2023 conference will be Hillsong United and Cody Carnes, both CCMG artists.
Despite the involvement of players like CCMG in the promotion and marketing of worship music, Andrew Osenga has faith in songwriters’ commitment to serving the church and in worshipers’ sense of what music belongs in their sanctuaries.
“We don’t want to sing a product,” said Osenga, a former member of the band Caedmon’s Call. “We want to sing a song that is genuine.”
He isn’t worried about increased corporate investment in worship music because he and the artists he works with still approach writing worship music as a calling and spiritual practice.
“You can see short-term attempts to monetize [worship], but they feel outside of the community,” Osenga reflected. “It’s hard to fake it.”
Earlier this year, worship artist Dante Bowe told CT, “If someone’s getting into writing Christian music for the money, they’re in the wrong genre,” given the risk and sacrifice involved.
“A lot of these guys could write anything or do anything. But they haven’t,” said Bowe, who previously sang with Maverick City Music and is launching his own label. “They’ve made a choice to serve the church locally and worldwide.”
Consolidation under major conglomerates offers new access to the marketing and promotional machinery of the music industry, access that many in the industry have welcomed.
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Nearly a decade ago, the Gospel Music Association’s review of the industry touted partnerships between Christian artists and NASCAR, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola. GMA executive director Jackie Patillo expressed optimism that the report would attract new commercial partners by providing strong evidence that Christian music could be an effective marketing tool. It’s only become more lucrative since.
But the boost from corporate partnerships and music conglomerates has also widened the gap between hitmakers on the worship charts and the vast majority of songwriters.
Most people making worship music see their royalties quickly dwindle as their songs fall lower on the CCLI lists and out of use among churches—if they ever become that popular in the first place. CCLI licenses over 450,000 songs; most of them have never been performed in a stadium or streamed hundreds of thousands of times.
“You’ll get your first royalty check, and maybe you’ll be able to take your wife out for coffee,’” said Chris Juby, a songwriter with Resound Worship. “You know you’ve made it when the check covers a nice dinner.”
Juby, manager of UK-based Jubilate Hymns Ltd. and director of worship, media, and arts at King’s Church Durham, expects that corporate consolidation in Christian music will also affect the range of theological themes present in the worship of the church.
“Worship songs bear so much liturgical burden in the content of the service,” he said. “The range of [music] that could ever be successful via those channels is so much narrower than the range of what the church should be singing.”
Jonathan Powers, assistant professor of worship and associate dean of the school of mission and ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary, shares Juby’s concern.
“A lot of people are getting their theology from music,” said Powers, who recently edited the Wesleyan Our Great Redeemer’s Praise hymnal. “There is a piety being formed by music in the church—ideas of who God is, what God does.”
When left up to industry promotion and market forces, Christian worshipers often don’t get as broad of a range of expressions, themes, and doctrines as in the curation of a hymnal.
“How many songs of lament appear on the CCLI Top 100?” Powers said, remarking that it’s easy to find songs of adoration or joy but much more difficult to find songs that reflect true lament and sorrow. CCLI’s SongSelect service can sort selections by theme, with 8,658 songs assigned to “adoration” and another 19,914 to “praise.” There aren’t categories for lament or mourning; “sorrow” has 336 songs, “weeping” 35.
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“With a hymnal, we’re very intentional. We want to make sure these themes are covered. We want to teach our doctrine. We want to use this to say, ‘This is who God is,’” Powers said. “Our relationship with God, God’s character, all of these ideas are being formed in worship, but I think it’s in very limited ways when the market is driving it.”
A significant portion of worshipers now attend churches where lyrics on screens have replaced hymnals, and song selection is influenced by what leaders hear on the radio, stream online, and see on the CCLI charts.
Worship songs don’t make money and climb the charts unless leaders at churches see them as theologically sound and valuable resources. As the industry seeks stable revenue, experts expect it will keep looking to the songwriters, recording artists, and worship brands that have already proven themselves profitable.
So even with more money to be made in worship songs, this inclination to stick to what works narrows the model for new artists and songs.
“Think about the limited canon of songs. A limited witness to the diversity of God’s kingdom. Limited expressions of beauty, because of a ‘market-shaped’ sound,” said Nelson Cowan, director of the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University. Worshipers recognize—and leaders try to recreate—the guitar-hook-with-delay Hillsong United perfected in the early ’00s in songs like “The Stand” and “Mighty to Save,” and the distinct vocal styles of singers like Kari Jobe and Jenn Johnson.
“This self-replicating process is extremely disheartening for me, as a worship leader, a pastor, and a theologian,” Cowan said.
Songwriter Krissy Nordhoff, who wrote the 2010 hit song “Your Great Name,” told CT last year that it’s harder than ever for a song to get in front of anyone in the business unless you’re a recognizable figure or have some powerful connections.
The model set by celebrity worship leaders trickles down to the local level, where worship leaders are expected to emulate everything from guitar effects and vocal styles to physical attractiveness and fashion taste.
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“There’s such a real sense that, ‘Well, I could never be a good worship leader because I can’t carry the image,’” Powers said.
At the Asbury University revival in February, he saw Gen Z students reject celebrity performers for “nameless” worship leaders. That commitment to obscurity and humility is difficult to maintain when faced with a powerful industry with even greater interest in elevating an artist’s creative work, even if that work was created for God’s glory and not their own.
As worship songs become assets in the marketplace and the names associated with them draw crowds to arenas, local congregations continue to faithfully worship using songs that speak to their members as tools to corporately sing praise to God.
“Lion and the Lamb” still ministers to congregations like Jonathan Anderson’s every week. The song has special meaning for Anderson; it was one of the first songs he learned as a new worship leader years ago. It has become part of his church’s regular music rotation.
As he works on his first album, he hopes to record a cover of “Lion and the Lamb.” The song has transcended its connection to any particular artist or recording; in a way, it belongs to him and his church.
And yet, with every use in worship, and every stream on Spotify and YouTube, the song continues to generate revenue. It proves itself to be a smart investment. The profound impact of the song on its creators and those who use it for worship is exactly what has made it profitable. Industry and investors are taking notice.
Kelsey Kramer McGinnis covers worship music for CT. She is a musicologist with a PhD from the University of Iowa, specializing in music in Christian communities. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 2 | 12 | https://www.al.com/live/2011/05/integrity_media_selling_west_m.html | en | Integrity Media selling west Mobile headquarters, raising questions about company's future | [
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] | 2011-05-06T16:30:00+00:00 | Integrity has declined to answer questions about whether it has been sold or is moving. | en | /pf/resources/images/al/favicon.ico?d=1374 | al | https://www.al.com/live/2011/05/integrity_media_selling_west_m.html | MOBILE, Alabama -- Integrity Media has put its west Mobile headquarters up for sale, raising questions about the Christian music firm's future.
Richard Weavil, a commercial real estate agent, said he was hired last month to sell the six-building campus, which faces Cody Road south of Airport Boulevard. The 29-acre property, including the six buildings, is listed at $5.95 million.
Integrity has declined to answer questions about whether it has been sold or is moving.
“As a privately held company, we do not generally comment on rumors,” spokeswoman Shannon Walker wrote in an email to the Press-Register last month.
Calls Thursday to founder P. Michael Coleman's office and home were not returned.
Weavil said he doesn’t know what’s happening to the company, or when it might move out of its complex. Weavil said that the facility, especially the 42,000-square-foot, three-story anchor building, is among the nicest office spaces west of Interstate 65. He said he plans to market it to corporate and educational users, although he said an investor could also buy the property to lease in smaller pieces.
Christian music firms, like their secular counterparts, have struggled with falling album sales and the transition to digital media.
Founded in 1987, Integrity started out by selling music directly to consumers. It expanded into selling through stores, music publishing, digital music, videos, greeting cards and other media. As the firm flowered, it sold stock to the public for $9 a share in 1994. But share prices plunged, and some shareholders complained that the company was making large donations to a nonprofit that became the Integrity Worship Institute.
In 2004, Coleman bought back all the shares from the public for about $15.5 million. Its last public filing in 2003 showed almost $70 million in revenue. The Gale Group estimated revenue at $67 million in 2010.
In 2009, the company had 139 employees in Mobile. | ||||
5676 | dbpedia | 1 | 47 | https://www.erniehaase.com/ | en | Ernie Haase + Signature Sound | [
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] | null | [] | 2024-05-31T00:00:00 | The Official Website of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound - One of the most popular and beloved quartets in all of Southern Gospel music | en | https://www.erniehaase.com/ | For two decades, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound have been sharing songs of hope around the world in four-part harmony. As Gospel music’s premier quartet, Ernie Haase (tenor), Doug Anderson (lead), Dustin Doyle (lead) and Christopher Taylor (bass) step up to their respective mics each night and perform with as much gusto as a burgeoning act.
Consistently topping Southern Gospel radio charts, the group has earned four GRAMMY® nods, numerous Gold® and Platinum® DVDs and six GMA Dove Awards. From singing on the hallowed stages of the Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall, to delivering stirring renditions of the national anthem at NBA games and NASCAR events through the years, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound have also been a beloved fixture at Gaither Homecoming gatherings across the country.
As leading innovators of the genre, the quartet’s musical risks have earned big payoffs as well. Their 2019 holiday collection, A Jazzy Little Christmas, landed in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart and was named among the “Best Christmas Albums of 2019” by the Los Angeles Times. In addition, 2022’s Decades of Love—a whopping 29-song set—showcases Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s unique arrangements of some of the world’s most romantic standards, including “It Had To Be You,” “Blue Moon,” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
From the very beginning, the quartet has also maintained a global presence, performing to audiences in countless countries, including South Africa, New Zealand, Romania and the Netherlands—the latter where they returned to record their latest album, Live in Amsterdam: A 20th Anniversary Celebration, a legacy project that commemorates two decades of ministry.
Haase first garnered national attention as a tenor for the iconic Cathedral Quartet, whose founding member, George Younce, eventually became his father-in-law. Following 10 years with The Cathedrals — his musical heroes — Haase spent two years with the Old Friends Quartet (featuring Younce, The Statesmen’s Jake Hess and Wesley Pritchard) and briefly performed as a solo artist. This led to the official formation of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound in 2003.
After the group appeared at a Gaither Homecoming “Jubilate” New Year’s Eve celebration in 2005, Haase received a call from Gospel music trailblazer Bill Gaither, who said, “I think people need to see Signature Sound instead of just hear Signature Sound. People need to see your infectious joy.”
With the backing of Gaither, 2007’s Get Away Jordan released as a CD/DVD set and shot to No. 1 on the sales charts, solidifying Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s foray into visual media. The title-cut became the quartet’s breakout hit, catapulting them to new heights. “There have been a lot of defining moments,” Haase reflects on the group’s career thus far, “but ‘Get Away Jordan’ was definitely a defining moment for us, and still is every night.”
“Reason Enough” marked another milestone for the group, as friends encouraged Haase to further explore his talents as a songwriter. He penned “Reason Enough” with longtime producer, former Signature Sound member, and business partner Wayne Haun, as well as decorated songwriter Joel Lindsey. The original offering went on to be named Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year at the 2009 GMA Dove Awards.
Boasting a vocal lineup with few changes through the years, the quartet currently consists of founding members Haase and Anderson, along with Doyle and Taylor. Rounding out the group are Tyler Vestal on piano and Wes Jones on bass. “We’ve formed a really close-knit family, and there’s a lot of grace and a lot of forgiveness between us,” Haase reveals, “but there’s also such a mutual love and admiration we have for one another.”
In addition to the rare bond he shares with his Signature Sound brothers, Haase has created a family atmosphere that permeates his business venture, StowTown Records, the label he and Haun co-founded in 2011. With the intention to mentor and support other artists, StowTown’s roster includes some of the most revered names in Southern Gospel, including Booth Brothers, Triumphant Quartet and Legacy Five, as well as comedian Tim Lovelace and pop/inspirational artists Charles Billingsley and TaRanda Greene. In addition, the label launched its StowTown Worship imprint last year with renowned genre pioneer The Brooklyn Tabernacle.
“Had it not been for George and Clara Younce and Bill and Gloria Gaither coming around us and saying, ‘We can’t do that, but we can help you do that,’ I don’t know that Signature Sound would have had the impact we’ve had,” Haase asserts. “With StowTown, we’re now able to do that for other artists we believe in.”
As a forward-thinking artist and record label executive focused on the future, looking back isn’t something Haase makes a habit of. However, as the two-decade anniversary approached for Signature Sound, such a momentous milestone couldn’t go unnoticed. Live in Amsterdam: A 20th Anniversary Celebration marks the occasion with full orchestral arrangements of some of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s most beloved hits, all helmed by Haun, a 39-time Dove Award winner. The location of the seminal recording holds a special place in the hearts of the quartet members as Amsterdam has provided some of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds the group has ever played to.
“This is my story, and this is God’s grace in and through me,” Haase says of the landmark project. “Sometimes to move forward, we have to understand the past. This record is me saying, ‘For one shining moment, this is how it happened.’”
The 10-song collection boasts two selections with special significance to Haase, including “Oh, What A Savior”—a song he first began performing as an 18-year-old harmonizing with The Noblemen Quartet. “A singer needs a song, and a messenger needs a message, and ‘Oh, What A Savior’ has always been mine,” he shares. “Jesus Changed Everything” is another personal track for Haase. He introduces the song on the recording by sharing the touching story that inspired it— the marriage and faith journey of his beloved parents.
While Live in Amsterdam: A 20th Anniversary Celebration serves as a prominent time capsule preserving the first two decades of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s rich contributions to Gospel music, as always, their fearless leader can’t help but look ahead.
In recent years, the vocalists have found unique new ways to expand their audience. “Friday Night Sing,” a virtual time of stories and songs the group instated during the pandemic, has evolved into a weekly tradition, while their annual Signature Sound Fan Retreat continues to connect the quartet to their listeners in personal ways. Regardless, Haase contends the next 20 years are sure to hold even more innovation, growth and influence.
“All these years later, I still love bringing people together. I’ve been able to stick with it because the love has not run out — for making music, for singing harmony, or building events,” Haase says, adding, “I think Signature Sound’s biggest impact is yet to come. I don’t have any proof of that, but I can tell you that it has always served me well to follow the promptings I feel are from the Lord. So, I’m ready to see where He takes us next.” |