Christian Musician Magazine - Jan/Feb 2016 by Worship Musician & Christian Musician Magazine

Improving Musicianship | Inspiring Talent

Decade to Decade Tune to Tune an interview with

PHIL KEAGGY

Product Review SPECTRA SONIC STANDARD Guitar by TV JONES

Selective Hearing w w w w

SARA GROVES Falling Up Jenny & TYLER MR. & MRS. SOMETHING

JAN/FEB 2016 Volume 21, Issue 1 01

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Product Reviews w Thalia Capos w TRUETONE JEKYLL & HYDE

THAT HALF-GLASS THING by Bob Bennett w INSPIRATION by Keith & Sue Mohr

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Shure QLX-D.........$107200 disengaged. fader to control authentic-lookin instruments to are excellent, fader to about the cabinets, the master volume and handsmaster volume cost-effective alternatives to traditional More info on pg. 63 Set thewireless wooden As you go, adjust wireless systems. that matches free convenience. instrument overall level.

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CONTENTS Features Two “Tense” for 2016? I like words and I like the meaning behind words. I have been hanging out in John Chapter 17 in my morning reading and the footnotes in my Bible uncovered something for me. The “tense” of the words “believe” and “know” in two verses (John 17:21 and 23) mean “continually”. In each verse there is talk of our unity as believers with God the Father and with Jesus, and then the tense words flow out of that… I’m paraphrasing here…

8 Product Review by Michael Hodge Spectra Sonic Standard by TV Jones 10 Bassic Communication by Norm Stockton Fun Bass Grooves (Part 7) 12 Guitar Workshop by John Standefer Guitar Gear: Look Before You Leap 14 Drumming Dynamics by David Owens Five and Your Feet 16 Vocal Coach’s Corner by Roger Beale Voice Rest: It Is Not That Simple

1). That we may all be one, even as the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father, that we also may be in them and that the world may “continually believe” that God did send His son Jesus to us - John 17:21

18 The Groove of Grace by Rick Cua While It’s Still Called Today

2). It is out of our unity – Jesus in us and God the Father in Jesus, that we are complete in unity so that the world may “continually know” that the Father did send Jesus and that the Father loves us even as He has loved Jesus - John 17:23

26 Selective Hearing by Shawn McLaughlin Sara Groves Falling Up Jenny & Tyler Mr. & Mrs. Something

What if we had such unity with other believers (ones from different denominations, worship styles, and ways of doing things) that we could allow the world to “continually believe” and “continually know”?

30 Platform vs. Stage by Keith Stancil Three Elements Found in Most Successful Platforms

That would be a powerful way to live in 2016! With so much that divides today’s society, what if our unity and love for others was so constant (continual) that it turned their minds and hearts toward the God who really loved them (and us) so much that He gave His only son to reconcile us all back to Him?

32 Musicians Thrive in Community by Dr. Ken Steorts

33 Product Review by Eric Dahl Thalia Capos – Fancy and Functional 35 Taking the Stage by Tom Jackson What Makes a Performance Great? 36 The Indie Mechanics by Keith Mohr & Sue Ross-Mohr Inspiration 38 Product Review by Doug Doppler Truetone Jekyll & Hyde 40 Guitar From A 2 Z by Roger Zimish The Whole Tone Scale 42 Good For the Soul by Bryan Duncan 44 CODA by Bob Bennett That Half-Glass Thing

Phil Keaggy photos by Ian Keaggy

Interview

20 Decade to Decade, Tune to Tune An Interview with Phil Keaggy by Bruce Adolph

I vote for that! Held in His Grip, Bruce & Judy

4227 S. Meridian, Suite C PMB #275, Puyallup Washington 98373

Adolph Agency Direct Line: 253.445.1973 Fax: 888.391.4440 Email: bruce@christianmusician.com Website: www.christianmusician.com Editor & President: Bruce Adolph VP/Office Manager: Judy Adolph, judy@christianmusician.com Customer Service: Brian Felix, brianfelix@christianmusician.com, 888.391.4440 x.1 Street Team: Mike Adolph, Jesse Hill & Winston Design & Layout: Matt Kees Director of Advertising: Steve Sattler, steve@creativesalesresource.com 626-836-3106 ©2015 Published by the Adolph Agency Inc.

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JAN/FEB 2016

PRODUCT REVIEW

by michael hodge

Spectra Sonic Standard by TV JONES The Spectra Sonic Standard is the newest guitar in the Spectra Sonic series from guitar builder TV Jones. Most guitar players know the name TV Jones as the maker of some of the finest pickups on the market. I didn’t know this, but Tom, aka “TV Jones”, is by trade a Luthier who has worked closely with guitar heroes like Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Brian Setzer, and Joe Walsh. He became famous for his TV Jones pickups when Gretsch started using them in their top models. The Spectra Sonic guitars are first built at Terada, the premier Guitar factory in Nagoya, Japan. Then they are shipped to the TV Jones US custom shop where they set them up and add the finishing touches.

this model. To me it looks something like a hip Gretsch-like hybrid. The body is a single cutaway semi-hollow design made of chambered Alder with a Maple top, measuring at 15 ¼” by just under 2” thick. The finish is a very thin polyurethane. It’s Satin Black with cream white striped binding paired with a matching single-ply Pickguard. On top are 2 black custom DeArmond style single coil pickups with nickel-plated covers.

Out Of The Box: Weighing in under 8 lbs, with a Bigsby, the Spectra Sonic Standard comes in a nice hard shell case. I remember seeing Joe Perry from Aerosmith playing

On the upper shoulder is a 3 position Switchcraft Pickup switch, and below the bridge, two round metal volume and tone knobs featuring CTS 500K pots. The neck is Maple with a Rosewood fingerboard and Dot inlay. It has Cream white binding with a standard 24.625” Scale length and 22 medium wire frets. The neck has a very comfortable compound radius that starts at 1.687” at the Delrin nut and expands to 2.25” at the 22nd fret. The Headstock has the famous TV Jones Logo in pearl and comes with Grover Rotomatic 18-1 Tuners. The Bridge is a Tokiwa ABR-1 model with a solid steel milled body, and brass Saddles. The Tailpiece is a Bigsby B-12 or alternatively a TV Jones model 10 stop Tailpiece. Lastly, the guitar came set up with D’Addario 10-46 strings. In Use: The guitar was set up perfect out of the box. Everything from action to intonation was nailed. I asked Tom about it because the Bigsby worked flawlessly. I’m used to dealing with Tremolos, but they seem to always be just a little quirky when it comes to staying in tune. One thing he told me was the choice of the Delrin nut, which is by nature more slippery, and then how he lowers the nut profile and cuts the slots a little shallower, more like a violin approach. I was just as surprised at the bridge, since I always add a roller bridge on my Tremolo guitars. Here again Tom cuts the saddles in a more open

JAN/FEB 2016

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U shape instead of a V Shape. So here are a couple great freebies for those of you who set up your own guitars. Tom also lubricates all the moving parts, of course. Acoustically the guitar sounds really good unplugged. Moving on to the pickups, they have a great balance of chimey high end and focused bass. To me there’s a wider range of tones than with a PAF type pickup. All the strings are balanced volume wise, and I’m really picky about that stuff. The impedance is perfect for pedals, and I love the rich harmonics when the sound is cranked. I had no issues with hum, even though the pickups are single coil. I was also impressed that the guitar didn’t feedback at high volume, though it’s chambered. The guitar shape makes it very comfortable to play sitting down, and another plus is that it’s light in weight, and that is wonderful when you play standing for hours at a time like I do. Conclusions: This is a really cool triple threat instrument. It looks great, sounds great, and plays great. Having the intonation and tremolo set up perfect right out of the box was a nice surprise. The pickups are killer. This could easily become a main guitar, and I love how it translates in the studio. TV Jones has done a great job of making a boutique affordable guitar with no compromises. The street price should be around $1,850.00 and without a Bigsby $1,725.00. For more information go to: http://tvjones.com. Michael Hodge is involved with the music ministry and plays guitar for Lakewood Church in Houston, TX

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Chris Tomlin and his 1999 Collings OM 42 SB

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BASSIC COMMUNICATION

by norm stockton

Fun Bass Grooves (Part 7) bass groove employs a motif with the aforementioned B on beat two of each measure. While the B is the 6th relative to D in bars 1 and 3, it’s the 3rd relative to the G7 in bars 2 and 4. From our previous discussion of inversions, you might have already observed that it serves to establish a 1st inversion voicing for those G7 chords.

I hope you’ve been finding this series illuminating and that it is inspiring new ideas and approaches as you woodshed your own grooves! Today, we’ll be taking a look at the bass groove from the verse section of “Let Your Glory Shine” from Lincoln Brewster’s Today Is The Day project (Integrity). It’s doubled by electric guitar on the recording, giving it added girth and attitude!

Other points of interest might include the abbreviated lick at the end of bar 2 compared to the longer version at the end of bar 4. To my ear, that was a much more effective part—repetition with variation, right?—than had I played a completely different lick in bar 4.

The written excerpt is a mashup of the recorded and live versions from my years playing the tune on the road with Linc and the guys. For simplicity’s sake, I didn’t bother notating all of the phrasing: suffice it to say that it’s a greasy shuffle and should be played accordingly (e.g., slide up to that B on beat two, do a bit of a bend to sharpen the F natural at the end of bars 2 and 4).

As you may recall, the 8va (bar 4) indicates that the line should be played an octave higher than written. Some of you might be wondering why I didn’t stay lower on the neck and play that lick starting at the 7th fret of the D string (vs. 17th fret of the E string).

Aside from just being a fun line to play, this

Tonally, that would have resulted in a much thinner sound; there’s something about playing up higher on the bigger strings (B, E and even A) that thickens up the timbre. It’s a rock idiom for very good reason! When the tunes you’re playing call for more of a riff-oriented approach to the bass line, I encourage you to experiment with incorporating some of these approaches. If there’s a note that perhaps creates a bit of tension that resolves with the chord change, it can result in a more interesting and musical part. Happy woodshedding and a safe 2016 to you and yours! Blessings- Norm (Video bass tutorials for many of Lincoln Brewster’s tunes are available at ArtOfGroove.com)

Bassic Communication Fun Bass Grooves (Part 7) Verse Groove from "Let Your Glory Shine" (Shuffle)

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Lincoln Brewster/Mia Fieldes "Today Is The Day" CD (Integrity Music)

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G7/B

Norm Stockton is a bassist/ clinician/solo artist based in Orange County, CA. Following his long tenure as bassist with Lincoln Brewster, Norm has been focused on equipping bassists around the world through his instructional site (www.ArtOfGroove.com), as well as performing or recording with several Grammy winning artists. His book, The Worship Bass Book, is published by Hal Leonard. Also visit Norm at www. normstockton.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GUITAR WORKSHOP

by john standefer

GUITAR GEAR: Look Before You Leap As I am writing this, the winter NAMM show is approaching. I haven’t been to the trade shows recently, but I attended every one for about 20 years. I remember how much fun it was to see all the latest instruments, accessories, and gadgets. I still get a big charge out of seeing the newest accessories and gadgets. The level of inventiveness never ceases to amaze me. I did want to bring up a few pitfalls to avoid however. Let me just list a few: TUNERS: There are tuner apps for your phone, physical ones you plug into, clip-on models – you name it. The ones I use 90% of the time are the clip-on models (portable, attach to any guitar, more stable to read than ‘mic’ tuners). I have a few favorites, especially the small ones that nearly disappear from sight from the audience perspective. Still, I wouldn’t just order one online. Go to a store and try them all out. Some are more accurate or read better than others. Some won’t work on really skinny or really fat headstocks. Some don’t have enough swivel components to angle them to the player’s viewpoint. Sometimes the readout ends up being upside down. There are lots of reasons to try a few on your own guitar to know what will work for you. CAPOS: There are spring-clamp style capos, cam-lever styles, elastic band rigs, etc. to look over. Here are my main two considerations: (1) a capo needs to be relatively quick and painless to put on - and (2) I don’t want strings to rattle or for a capo to pull my guitar out of tune. In my estimation, that almost completely excludes spring-clamp models (if the neck is skinny the strings will rattle due to low tension, if the neck is fat the extra tension will pull the strings all out of tune. I’ve always been a Shubb man, but there are

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newer designs like the Planet Waves with the adjustable double action mechanism, which is fast like a Kyser and works more like a Shubb. Stuff to try out. STRINGS: Piles of string brands, lots of different metal alloys, several gauges, coated and uncoated. Sheesh, how can you decide? First, forget all the hype from the manufacturers. If you play acoustic guitar, for example, chances are really strong that you should select a light gauge set (.012-.053). Uncoated strings sound better (they don’t last quite as long but they cost half as much). You probably don’t want really tinny, bright sounding strings or dull, dark ones either – something in the middle of the alloy range for tone. Phosphor bronze is the most popular. So now you have a pretty good idea that you want an “uncoated phosphor bronze set of light gauge strings”. Buy a set or two of D’Addario EJ-16s and get used to them. They are my lifelong standard by which I judge all other strings. Then when you want to experiment on occasion, you have a gold standard for comparison. CABLES: Cables are another item with ridiculous amounts of hype. What a great cable needs to do is to conduct well, allow the broadest range of frequencies to pass through it, shield out noise, and be strong and durable. That’s about it. One thing to consider is having one end be a right-angle plug so there’s enough room under the guitar stand platform for the cable. Another consideration is cable length (shorter is better for sound - and to fit in your case, but you have to weight that against how far you need to get from your amp). STANDS: Guitar stands fall into a couple of categories too. There are stands that your

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guitar body sits in, and the neck leans against a rest. Others allow the guitar to hang from the headstock, and the body leans against a rest. I am partial to #2 – more stable. Then there are ones that fold up better than others, and ones that are works of art but are of no use on the road. I recently got a CooperStand, which is cute and small and collapsible. My only trouble is that I have an armrest on my main guitars and the Cooper doesn’t quite fit well. Hmmm. Still, I favor the tall hanging stand overall. See what I mean? Every little item you can think of that is associated with the guitar needs careful evaluation. By the way, this can only be done in a music store, an institution that I really believe in. And if you believe in customer service, being able to hear and feel and see the differences in equipment, etc. then buy your gear at a music store, not online. Brick and mortar stores of all kinds are fighting for their very existence these days. On-line outfits don’t allow you to taste all the flavors and most don’t allow for being helped by an experienced salesperson. Low overhead allows them to have low prices, but if you like to see things for yourself before you buy, then support your local music store – if we all do that, maybe they will still be around next week! - JS Check out John’s 5-DVD set ‘Praise Guitar Lessons’ at the ‘store’ page at www.johnstandefer.com. You get 52 video lessons similar to these CM articles, but you can see and hear the lessons! Includes charts. Also consider private lessons with John via Skype!

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DRUMMING DYNAMICS

by david owens

Five And Your Feet Over the last few articles we have taken a few rudiments and created independence exercises by playing foot patterns and altering the rudiments in various ways. This time we are going to work with groups of five and quintuplets. I think the groupings you see here are effective for improving independence just using a practice pad and tapping both feet to a metronome. You could also play different foot patterns on a drum set and orchestrate the groups of five around your kit.

Remember to start slow and keep your eighth or sixteenth notes nice and even. There should be a dramatic volume difference between the accented notes and the unaccented notes. Try to make all the accented notes the same volume regardless of which hand you are playing them with. The same goes for the unaccented notes. Being consistent with volumes seems to be the one thing students struggle with when playing accented passages.

practice, the better we will sound when we play a simple groove. I hope these groups of five with your feet won’t be too frustrating and you can have some fun focusing on refining your independence. Blessings, David David freelances in and around Los Angeles and is currently playing for Franklin Graham events worldwide. He has played with Fernando Ortega, Sara Groves, Bebo Norman, Tommy Walker, Lincoln Brewster, Thomas Dolby, The Righteous Brothers and Peter White as well as spending 2 plus years playing The Lion King at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. He is also an adjunct professor at Biola and Hope International Universities. His home church is Plymouth Congregational in Whittier, CA. Feel free to contact him at DavidOwensDrums.com.

When we get to letter F we start playing quintuplets. I can hear many of you saying, “When will I ever need to play quintuplets in my church?” Unless you worship leader is influenced by Frank Zappa, I’m guessing you never will. The idea is to challenge yourself. It is the act of working through frustrating independence problems that makes us grow as players. The more difficult we make our

I have suggested different stickings and I altered the sticking before each repeat sign so the second time you play the pattern the sticking leads with the opposite hand. You can create your own stickings, but I do suggest you always play the repeat leading with your opposite hand. We all need to work our weaker side.

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VOCAL COACH’S CORNER

by roger beale

VOICE REST: IT IS NOT THAT SIMPLE This past spring one of my collegiate students entered a room where I was visiting with one of my faculty colleagues. I greeted her nicely with a, “How are you today?” and then it happened. She started scribbling out a note and handed it to me. It said, “I am on voice rest.” I was so stunned that I was speechless. This was Tuesday and her last voice lesson was on the prior Thursday. What could have happened in that short amount of time? When I recovered, slightly, I asked that question. The scribbled answer was “I have a cold.” I then asked her if she had seen a doctor. The answer was no. I asked her who put her on voice rest. She then scribbled out a response on her legal pad that said, “I did.” At this point I was really getting frustrated because I was thinking of all the people with serious health problems who are on voice rest and how difficult it is to go through that process. And she had a cold. As singers and speakers we often take the gift of speech for granted. Doctor’s offices are full of people who have misused or abused their voices. We must continually remind ourselves that the human voice is sturdy, but it is susceptible to all sorts of problems. We must care for it properly if we are to be able to continue to use it. One of the ways to learn the importance of the voice is to be without its use for any length of time. Many singers are placed on voice-rest and find themselves not being able to communicate normally and are totally dependent on other non-normal ways to communicate. Being without your voice will teach you the immeasurable necessity for the human voice. Trying to communicate without the voice is very difficult! This student’s three-day cold was not a dire health situation. It was an inconvenience. I

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have known singers who have been placed on a medically recommended period of voice rest that ran from a few days to a period of weeks. For them, I am sure, it did not feel like an inconvenience; it felt like a physical punishment. As these speechless days linger into speechless weeks, these singers struggle with an overwhelming need to interact with other people. Voice rest is very, very isolating to those experiencing it. Non-verbal communication is difficult to do. Especially if one has never done this before. Many resort to legal pads, dry erase boards, and note cards. All of these are completely inadequate for good communication. One story I have heard about was a singer who was placed on voice rest and decided to go shopping. The singer handed the clerk a note with what was needed. The clerk, who surprisingly knew American Sign Language, answered back with her hands assuming that the singer was deaf. Consider this. If you are on voice rest you must forget the telephone. If you have someone answer it for you as a go between, that person quickly becomes an interpreter, mind reader, and a frustrated conversationalist. But they were sincerely trying to help. Ordering food using the drive-through at your local fast food establishment will be a massive challenge. Go inside and try ordering your french fries with no salt when you cannot speak. The people behind the counter will look at you like you are a creature from Star Wars. Trying to communicate without your voice is not only frustrating, it is very tiring. If you spend an hour with a friend, you are going to need another hour just to rest. Many singers have experienced this when they have had an attack of laryngitis. Trying to talk when

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physically or vocally impaired is extremely tiring. I am not comparing laryngitis to complete voice rest. I am just pointing to the fact that any lack of vocal function can be very, very tiring. It will drive a person to their home to ease the tension. Once there, peace returns. There is much to be said about Home Sweet Home. The student mentioned earlier did not know any of the difficulties related to a prescribed vocal rest. She does now. She didn’t know why I was frustrated by her decision. She does now. She didn’t know any of the information included in this article. She does now. She did not know that voice rest is to be entered into under the advice of a medical doctor. She does now. Her passing me that note was a time to lay aside personal frustration with a college student and use the incident as a teaching moment. This I did. The learning part was up to her. Now Go Sing Well!

Roger Beale has been writing the Vocal Coach’s Corner for over sixteen years. He is one of the nation’s foremost vocal coaches. He presently works with professional singers in all areas of musical performance. His teaching and coaching facility, The Voice House, is involved in the management and care of the professional voice. Many of his students have won prestigious vocal competitions and scholarships. In addition, he has worked with Grammy and Dove award winners and nominees. He also offers vocal clinics and seminars, as well as assistance in recording sessions. Roger is an adjunct professor in the Fine Arts department at Point University (formerly Atlanta Christian College), website: www.point.edu. Roger can be contacted at: The Voice House, 1029 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 276, Peachtree City, GA 30269, (404) 822-5097, e-mail: rbeale251@gmail.com.

WE’VE TAKEN DIGITAL WIRELESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL . . .

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THE GROOVE OF GRACE

by rick cua

While It’s Still Called Today One Sunday morning in church I saw something beautiful. In observance of Veterans Day our Pastor asked all the Vets to stand. Men and women all over the room stood and received our love and appreciation through applause. It was a long lingering moment of gratitude, as it should be. The man in front of me was standing along with the other Veterans, and when everyone sat down his wife leaned into him and with a perfect mix of pride and love mouthed the words, “I Love You.” That did something to me, it reminded me of the great value in passing along words and gestures of love as encouragement to others. There are many opportunities to share our feelings of love and admiration with others. Some, out of fear, harbor these feelings until they are either forgotten or their impact is diluted by the passing of time. Those expressions of love and encouragement that God ordained by the prompting of the Holy Spirit are overlooked, and then spiral down into the keyless vault of lost opportunities. God designed us to receive love and to give love. We are made that way, but what we do with it is up to us. The 2 greatest commandments contain the word love...Matthew 22:36 - “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, ‘You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself.’ Love God and Love your neighbor. Again in John 15:17 are we reminded of this commandment, “This is my command: Love each other.” For some it’s a natural response to the gratitude we have in our hearts. Yet for others, love is hard to muster up for a number of reasons. Some blame God for every bad thing that happens. So, loving Him is governed by the lie that bad things were His fault. Some, on the other hand, have no problem loving God but loving people is where they struggle. If you have been hurt over and over again your 18

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guard is up and you put everyone in the same category...not safe, not worthy to be loved. Just as we are commanded to love, we are commanded to encourage one another. Hebrews 3:13 says; “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” And again, in 1 Thessalonians 5:1, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” God knew that we needed love and encouragement. The beautiful effects of both start by giving it freely to others. The Word also says we will reap what we sow and through that promise, then encouragers will receive encouragement. If not, God’s Word isn’t true...and we know that’s never the case. Many young children start their lives with natural gifts and abilities. These gifts and abilities start to manifest at a very early age. If they are nurtured, celebrated, and encouraged these young ones will mature and make us all better by sharing what they have been given to an eagerly waiting world. On the other hand, if our best intentions of helping our kids manifests as criticism, then that criticism outweighs or overpowers our praise. We have put a ball and chain on their joyful motivation to fully develop their gifts. Please, let’s remember the words of Hebrews 3:13 and be slow to speak, especially if the words that are about to be uttered don’t reflect that commandment to encourage. I can remember on many occasions watching some young person doing something from a simple task to exercising a God given gift or talent. The moment I spoke encouragement into what they were doing their pace picked up a bit, they stood up a little straighter and a smile came on their faces. No matter what age, we are all built for encouragement, and when it’s given we are better for it. And if words of encouragement are their love language they are exponentially better. Also, we have to trust that even people who don’t seem to respond the way we

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would hope are moved as well. While I’m grateful to have received love and encouragement over the years I can remember times when something I worked very hard at went overlooked. It was in those instances I looked immediately to God. Even in my early years, when it was more instinct than relationship, I truly felt His pleasure. Let’s remember that our motive should always be to serve God and others. But, as I mentioned earlier, there is a reward that comes back to us by His design. Through all of this we have to remember that it’s hard to give something away that you don’t possess yourself. Love and encouragement is delivered to others best if we first have received plenty of it. I pray that each of you have received loads of both throughout your lifetime. If you haven’t, Jesus has you well covered! Continue to look to Him throughout each day to reinforce who He says you are and how wonderfully unique you have been made. There is much in life that comes directly from God for our instruction and growth. There is also great value in observing others sharing Godly values to mankind through purposeful acts of kindness, love, and encouragement. As we go through life let’s be doers of the Word. Let us also be observers with a purpose...to seek out opportunities to freely give encouragement and love while it’s still called today. Not just a musical artist, Rick knows the business of music as well. Besides being a music publisher, artist manager and booking agent, he founded and ran his own record label, UCA Records, in the 1990s which led to a position for five and 1⁄2 years as Vice President, Creative/ Copyright Development at EMI CMG in Nashville. There he managed a large songwriter roster and exponentially grew revenue through film and TV licensing, song promotion and print music development. He is currently on staff as the minister of Pastoral Care and Visitation at Grace Chapel in Franklin, TN.

Decade to Decade an interview with

PHIL KEAGGY

by Bruce Adolph

Looking back over 20 years of interviewing Phil Keaggy - a truly legendary musician in every sense of the word - I am always impressed by his humbleness and gentle character. He is active and creative musically all the time. I have been blessed in my life to be able to know Phil not just as a journalist or publisher but as a friend. A friend to Judy and I, a friend to this magazine and a very good friend to the mission of Christian music in the first place. He may be a man of shorter stature in physical size but no one stands taller in their contributions to what we believe this magazine is all about…

Christian Musician: I want to start by asking you about the new record. I love it! It’s a rollicking good time! It has a blues and classic rock vibe infused with Beatles-esque moments intertwined throughout the record. I want the vinyl right now! Phil Keaggy: Thanks! It was a lot of fun, and it’s a really good collection of songs. A lot of thought went into the songs. There were several co-writers, and I had a lot of help in making this album. But to get the mixes consistent is going to be a bit of a task because we have various producers on the project. I’m producing a couple of them, Nathan Chapman is producing the song that we wrote together, Gordon Kennedy is producing “All At Once”, which is a beautiful ballad that he and Ben Cooper contributed to the album. Tommy Coomes is producing three of the tracks and is also a co-writer with myself and Will McFarlane. And my son Ian

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Keaggy and I have written a song together that Billy Batstone contributed some lyrics to. Ian has been a real help and encouragement during this process. He has really matured as a writer and producer! Also, Brian Brookhart, who is an author and poet who serves the Lord with his life, time, and energy, wrote a beautiful poem about someone going through a real hard battle that turned into the song “I Prayed For You”. He wrote it about his wife’s fight against cancer, which, thank God, she survived. We’ve known so many good people who are struggling with so many things like health issues or just getting older, some of whom have gone to be with the Lord. But the power of prayer is so powerful, and I wanted that to be emphasized in this album, which is why I am definitely going to include “I Prayed For You”. It has a kind of rollicking Dylan, Tom Petty kind of feel to it. Some of the album has a real retro feel.

Tune to Tune

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that it came with. That guitar has been a signature instrument with me through the 70’s, ever since I made What A Day. CM: Is that the one that’s on the cover of The Master and the Musician?

I wrote a song with Mike Pachelli, who is an old friend of mine from high school in Youngstown and a very talented guitarist, and we wrote a very frolicking tune called “Stay Home, Baby”, which is all about how much I love to go on the road (sarcastic tone). He understands that about me, as do a lot of my closest friends as well as Bernadette, my wife. Incidentally, she has been my new road manager for the last year. CM: I heard about that! I thought it was great that you took her on the road with you so that you don’t get so homesick. Phil: That’s right. It really cuts down on the whole feeling of being away from home. It’s such a blessing, and she is so supportive and is always the same consistent and loving person that she’s always been in my life. To go back to some of the earlier discussions about, “Should Phil make a new album?” Many friends were suggesting, “Yes! You should make a new album!” And they wanted me to get the Les Paul out and play it. So most of the leads on this album are actually the Les Paul. I used old ’71 Deluxe, which was modified that same year by Virgil Lay who changed out the mini humbuckers 22

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Phil: It’s on there, yes. That’s the ’71 Les Paul. The only thing I have against it is it is one of the heaviest Les Paul’s I’ve ever had in my hands. But it has a great, vintage Mike Bloomfield tone that I love. I’m a big Michael Bloomfield fan. I mentioned the song, “Stay Home, Baby”, which is a really fun, Stevie Ray Vaughan meets McCartney’s “Kansas City” kind of sound. I did some of my best Bloomfield licks on that, and I said to Mike Pachelli that the only thing missing from the song is Al Kooper on the B3 organ, because Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield recorded live together and did Super Session and were really good friends. I actually had Al’s phone number, and Mike said, “Give it to me!” He gave him a call and got him to play on it! It’s got a great B3 solo by Al Kooper, and he plays on the whole song too. That’s the song that got Tommy Coomes excited about seeing me make a new “electric” album. Multi-talented Mike played the bass and Richie Russo played great drums at Mike’s studio and sent it over to me and I put rhythm on and the lead guitar, and then we talked about what I was going to sing about. It ended up being about hanging out by the fireside in your living room and not having to be away from home. That was one of the fun songs that got everything launched. Then the song was “Mercy”, which I wrote with Tommy. It’s a great “live” song, and I’ve been doing it in concert. The ending is kind of Led Zeppelin-ish with really crazy leads at the end. CM: Tell us about having Ashley Cleveland on this album. Phil: Yes! I’ve always admired Ashley’s gift

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and her passion for her faith and for people. She’s the real deal and she’s got a great voice, as everyone knows. I really look up to her. Holly Benyousky, who has been my booking agent since the early 80’s, put us together. Of course, Ashley and I have known each other for quite awhile. She actually sang on the Crimson and Blue album back in 1992. I’ve done gigs with her and with Kenny, her husband, who is an amazing guitar player and really knows how to rock! So, Holly hooked us up, and Ashley and I got together over at her and Kenny’s house (Kenny was going to be a part of the writing, but he had a session and had to leave.) And Ashley said, “Hey Phil, I’ve got these lyrics here. It’s called ‘Ezekiel””. And I said, “Great! Let’s take a look.” Then she showed me a video from YouTube of a gospel artist singing a great blues song from the ‘30’s or early ‘40’s as an example of the feeling and style that she was feeling for the song. I totally got it, and we wrote the music within about 45 minutes. And I said, “How about you just come over to my place and we’ll record this?” So I put down a temp drum loop and two guitars and then her vocal and my vocal. The next day we had Steve Brewster add drums to it and then added Phil Madeira on the B3 organ. It’s one of my favorite tunes on the album. Ashley and I trade off vocals on it, and it sounds great. CM: The “call and response” between you and Ashley really works on that song. Phil: Yeah! Gosh, we almost sound like each other in a couple of places. It’s amazing. But I am a bit of a vocal chameleon, you know. . . (does his Ringo Starr impersonation) CM: (laughing) Now, these songs are 4 and 5 minutes songs. I get the feeling you’re not shooting for Christian Radio airplay with these? Phil: Well, I’d be happy as anyone to have their songs heard on the radio. I truly would like to see more stations play and air music by older veteran artists such as myself and my peers ~ friends, singer/songwriters that have been creating and making music over these last four and five decades. There are a few people, like Jerry Bryant (radio DJ), who is a good friend; one of the radio guys who always appreciated the early Jesus music and where we were all coming from back in the early ‘70’s. He has his own radio show called “Full Circle”, which is named after one of my songs. And there are other people around the country who play some of the

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vintage, early stuff. You’ll hear Randy Stonehill and Larry Norman, Love Song, Andre Crouch, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Paul Clark, Randy Matthews, Keith Green, Honeytree, Dallas Holm, Mark Heard, Roby Duke, Pat Terry, Dogwood, Petra, and many others. You know, they like the old stuff. And I do too! The old stuff still touches me. The early “Jesus Music” songs still really speak to me. CM: Speaking of old stuff . . . are you going to print vinyl with this album? Downloads? CD’s? Tell us how we’re going to be able to hear this record. Phil: We’re going to manufacture around 300 vinyls with the main 12 songs. But we have to be careful with the length of the songs or we might not be able to fit all 12 on a vinyl album. CM: You can only fit about 43 minutes of music on vinyl, right? Phil: Yeah. To be safe, you shoot for about 20 minutes per side, otherwise, if you try to fit too much information on a vinyl platter you have to reduce the dB of it and you can end up with turntable rumble. You have to cut it hot, but not too hot. I remember some of the old stuff from back when vinyl was the main thing we did. CM: Are you still spinning vinyl yourself ? Phil: I sure am! CM: I just got a top-of-the-line Sansui stereo system from the ‘70’s that is so powerful and sounds great! 24

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Phil: I enjoy vinyl too. I’ve been listening through some of my albums again. I don’t have as many as I did when I was young, but I still have a good collection from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s that I really do enjoy. I was particularly impressed by the mono mastering of the Beatle’s Sergeant Pepper. It just sounded really great. And the Beach Boy’s Smile project, which I have on loan from a good friend who is letting me check out the packaging and the sound of that project. I do like vinyl and we want to make some of those. But I would also like to make a bonus disc for the Deluxe version of this album, which would have some of the “leftovers”, or the songs that didn’t make the “A” list but are still really good and that I believe in. A song called “D.E.B.R.A.” is one of those. I wrote it with Hadley Hockensmith. It’s actually an old song from the early 1980’s that I just redid a few months ago. One of the interesting things about the song is that it was inspired by an organization that focuses on children with a skin disease called epidermolysis bullosa. I was really touched by how those good people in the medical community who are trying to help these young kids have a life and get help and have healing. So I actually wrote the song based upon the hope of a young child having love in his or her life, and knowing that the Father in heaven watches over each and every one of us and loves us. For me, it always comes back to the love of God. But I always thought that the song was sweet. And I have a friend, Sheldon, in Kansas City who heard the demo of

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the song and said that there was a lead solo on that song that he just loved. So I was out on my bike one day and I was thinking about that song. I went home and I found the demo on an old hard drive and I listened to “D.E.B.R.A.” the demo, with Hadley Hockensmith and me. I played it for Bernadette, and she loved it too, so I recorded the entire song over again. I got John Sferra on drums. I’m playing guitar through a Vox AC30, and also playing an old Gibson Ripper G3 bass through the Vox, just like I did when I was playing on Sunday’s Child all those years ago. Then I got my PortaStudio and the cassette track from that solo and, after making sure I was at the same tempo and in the same key, I flew that solo into the new mix so the new song has the same solo from the original demo from 1983. The song means a lot to me, for many reasons. It reminds me of the ‘80’s, and it reminds me of friendships out in California, like Hadley Hockensmith and his wife, who interestingly enough is named Deborah. So that works like a double blessing with this song. But will that song make the actual vinyl and the top list of songs? I’m not sure yet. A bit remains to be seen. But I know that if I do this bonus disc, it will definitely be on there. Also, I want to include some electric improv with, perhaps, Chester Thompson, who is drumming on about 5 or 6 songs on the album. There’s a tune on there called “My Guitar’s In Love” that Ken Mansfield wrote the lyrics to that you should check out. It’s a bit of a

“tongue in cheek” song, and I played drums on that. I like it because I made it sound like Ringo. That’s another song that I would put on the bonus disc. I would also like to print the lyrics and include pictures on the bonus disc. CM: There’s a piano song that you do that is really pretty and kind of Beatleesque. Phil: That’s called “All At Once”, by Gordon Kennedy and Ben Cooper. I’m going to probably attempt to make a new vocal to that. We’ve got Steve Brewster on drums, and we are thinking of having a string section on it. It could be my “Something”, like George Harrison’s “Something”; it would be that for me. CM: With the bigger band tunes on this album, are you thinking about going out and doing some band performances? Or are you just going to try and incorporate it into your solo stuff ? Phil: A little of both. I’ll be doing solo gigs, but I’m looking at putting a band together in late Spring and working up these songs. There’s a song on there also that I wrote with Lionel Cartwright, who is a good friend of mine and an ultra-talented guy here in Nashville who has been in the business a long time and is highly respected. We wrote a song called “Fearless Love” that would be a great concert rocker. It has a great message in the lyrics too. CM: Yeah! That’s a great song! What is the line that comes right after “Fearless love. . . .”? Phil: “Fearless love is as bold as it is kind.” CM: Yeah! That’s a great line! That’s a whole message right there. It sounds like you got it from a pastor’s message somewhere. Phil: Well, Lionel is a worship pastor! And talking about fearless love being compassionate and kind . . . that’s the love of Jesus. How many times did the Lord say, “Fear not, for I am with you,” or, “Do not be afraid”? Even though the bible says that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of understand and wisdom,” I find it interesting that while the Lord wants us to revere him, he doesn’t want us to be afraid of him, because he loves us and is our friend. He doesn’t use coercion. He doesn’t force us. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” he says. The love of Jesus, and the real-ness of Jesus are shown through his example by his life, his work, and his healing of people.

Even when Peter struck off the ear of Malchus with a sword, it was Jesus who put the ear back on and healed it. He is the one who lived out, “Love your enemies and forgive those who persecute you.” Finally, I want to have a song on the album that lifts the name of Jesus and the power of His name. A lot of the songs have inferences to the power of Jesus, like parables or symbolic poetry. But I want something that’s really direct and clear to be on the album. I had produced an album for a dear friend of ours last year named James Ryle, who just passed away recently. James was one of the founders of Promise Keepers and was an amazing man. He was a great storyteller and he loved Jesus and loved seeing people come to Jesus. I did a 14 song album for him, with his material. It was a lot of material that he wrote back in the ‘70’s. One of the songs is a hymn called “I Must Tell Jesus.” And I thought I would try my hand at singing it in my way, but with the same track. It has a very Eric Clapton kind of a sound, with a Strat solo. But I’ve been thinking about that because it just lifts the name of Jesus, and I want to have something where one of the titles of all these songs is the name of Jesus. So I’m going to see if that works out.

S P E C T R A

S O N I C

We are about seventy-five percent done with the album right now. We will definitely have it done by the end of January. CM: Let’s talk a little bit about the gear you’re using. You talked about the Les Paul and the Vox amp. Tell us a little more about your setup. Phil: Absolutely. I’ve got an old mid-‘60’s Vox amp. And, have you ever heard about the Brown Box by Pat Geraghty? (www.amprx.net) It generates proper supply voltage for tube amps to give them proper tone and sustain. When these amps, like the Vox, was designed, the voltage back in those days was 110v, but today it’s about 117v to 122v depending on where you are. The Brown Box reduces that voltage. And I’m getting a sweet sound out of that amp as a result of that box. I don’t plug my amp in now without going through the Brown Box first. I’m also using a 50-watt PRS amplifier that was loaned to me by my friend, Denny Jiosa, who is an engineer and a great guitarist. He has a number of Paul Reed Smith guitars and amps. You’ll hear me play through that one on the song “Mercy” and “Not Be Moved”. It’s got this Dumble kind of sound that really projects. You’ll hear it on the ending of Continued on page 28

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SELECTIVE HEARING Floodplain

Sara Groves Fair Trade Services Sara Groves’ latest release, Floodplain, is an invitation through means of honest lyrics and lilting melodies, not just to hear what she says, but to see what she sees. The album’s theme is expedition. From the first track, “This Cup,” the storyteller wakes the listener from a dream and paints a picture away from the addictions that numb. Then the arc of the story begins in the next song, “Expedition.” The piano ostinato mirrors waves on the shore. Meet me at the river, oh Fashion us a raft and oar We’re going on an expedition Looking for lost time Melodies and rhythm patterns from these

lines weave throughout the songs that follow. The listener is drawn into a world of water; we step into the boat with Groves as the experienced guide. The story arc twists and turns in a surprise with one of my favorites, “Second Guess Girl.” Musically, this diverges from her other work. In an exuberant 60’s folk-style groove, we hear influences of Janis Joplin and Carole King. We can also hear echoes of Peter Gabriel throughout the record. Inspired by a run along the Mississippi River while battling depression, Groves is reminded of how our hearts resemble the floodplain by the river, where our self-esteem could be easily eroded by the high tide of discouragement. This gave birth to the title track “Floodplain,” a gorgeous piano piece that unveils our vulnerability and our need for grace in life’s floods. “Enough” finds strength and encouragement in the little joys of the day,

by shawn mclaughlin buoyed by a warm set of strings that lend the track a peaceful flow. A spiritual search for deeper places with God lingers in “Native Tongue”, as a moody drumbeat contrasts with an almost singsong vocal from Groves, while “I’ve Been Here Before” ripples with hope that’s been born of fire and trial and is delivered with what may be Groves’ most radio ready arrangement on the record. Human weakness is the subject of “On Your Mark,” as Groves honestly deals with the world of good intentions and the frustration of never quite seeing them come to fruition. A dancing backbeat is buoyed by some swirling guitars and the artist’s smooth voice. “I Feel the Love Between Us” is a declaration of love to the artist’s husband, Troy, and shines with bright joy, while “Signal” shines with love for the privilege of parenthood, lamenting the quick passing of time but rejoicing in the growth of her children. “Your Reality” points to the beauty of marriage and the balance we can find within before “My Dream” swoops in with a picture of warm grace. Floodplain sounds like an album written by someone who has had years of living a long obedience in the same direction. It’s like there are two distinct halves of ones life, with the first half being about finding home and the second half being about learning to give your life away. This feels like a “giving your life away” record. It feels like the songs are born out of maturity in the best way. Aficionados of Groves music will immediately find common ground with the deep, reflective, intuitive lyrical slant of Floodplain. If you are not familiar with Mrs. Groves and are particularly fond of challenging, introspective work, this may be your lucky day.

Falling Up

Falling Up Independent In their final, self (un) titled album, I can hear Falling Up’s music come full circle, rewarding the true fans who moved beyond the easy grasp of Dawn Escapes’ hard-rock hooks and found dazzling enchantment in every soft chorus, every synth-harp, every electronic vocal mash-up, and the ever-tangling weave of pseudo26

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mythological lyrical themes. The said reward is slightly ironic, because the few of us that stopped wishing for more hard-rock and stuck around are now given some of the heaviest, most energetic soundscapes we’ve heard since those early years. Not only that, Falling Up is truly an amalgamation of every style they’ve experimented with, perfected. It is quintessential Falling Up. Every song, even the slow-starters, builds up to magnificence. The entire album together is nothing less than the purest form of Falling Up I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Casual listeners and others who have long dropped from the bandwagon will possibly find some enjoyment from Falling Up, but for the lucky few who spent the countless hours breathing in every track in their collection over the years, over and over, those who really understand what their music means, this album will bring tears. Losing Falling Up is an emotional blow for me, personally, but they went out in a glorious blaze of fire.

Of This I’m Sure Jenny and Tyler Residence Music

Jenny and Tyler release their new long player on the mainstream music label, Residence Music, and it may just be the most beautiful, heart stirring album you’ll hear this year. As I listened to Of This I’m Sure on my commute this morning, the day ahead was oh so far away. Picturesque images and rich textures in this beautiful new album transported me to another world. From the opening epic pop folk fusion of Of This I’m Sure to tender lullaby, Jenny & Tyler demonstrate their musical versatility and lyrical finesse, with true art that takes us out of the present moment to reflect our lives back to us, magnified and intensified. The joyous driving sound of the title track bursts onto your eardrums like a musical flower in bloom. Jenny & Tyler explore the full range of both their individual voices and their chemistry as a duo, playing off and supporting one another, even as the album shifts gears down to lullaby, and back up through some sweet folk and pop influences. Yet, the duo is always keenly aware of the acoustic roots that made Open Your Doors so memorable for me. This dynamic allows the duo to paint in vivid color the many facets of human and divine love we experience in life.

Setting Sail

Mr. and Mrs. Something Independent Setting Sail, the full-length debut from Seattle-based husband/wife duo Mr & Mrs Something, is now available via iTunes and other leading digital outlets. Produced by GRAMMY® winner Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay, JJ Heller), the project’s 10 selections were penned by Mr & Mrs Something’s Benjamin “Bino” and Chelsea Peck. Highlights of Setting Sail include the fiddle and banjo-driven album opener, “Your Eyes”; the rootsy title-cut—an ode to Hope; the love song “Home Will Be,” the couple’s first-ever collaboration; and the instrumental, “The Bridge.” Mr & Mrs Something play a variety of instruments throughout the project, which is further hallmarked by the duo’s shared lead vocals and signature harmonies. The music

on Setting Sail is an amalgam of folk, blues, and country, and very much echoes the current influx of singer songwriter type acts in the music world today. Lyrically, the duo explore the many facets of love, be it romantic, phileo or agape. Bino and Chelsea Peck have a robust vocal blend that sounds conversational and warm on the more narrative pieces like “Toward the Sea”, “40 Miles”, and “The Bridge”, or appropriately involved and passionate on more personal material like “Your Eyes”, “Setting Sail”, and the gospel based “Was It Not Enough”. Full of examples of open hearted and inclusive songwriting, Setting Sail shows enough variety and thematic clarity to ensure that Mr. And Mrs. Something avoid the fate of being one hit wonders. Shawn McLaughlin is a hard-working, dedicated, tireless worshipper of Christ.

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JAN/FEB 2016

and I find that I’m a little forgetful now and then, but still, I can sing and play and I sound pretty much like myself still.

“Phil Keaggy” continued from page 25

those songs when I hit the solos. It really jumps out and grabs you. CM: On your solo gigs when you go out with your acoustic, what kind of gear are you using?

We know that our time is in the Lord’s hands, but I’ve been inspired by other artists who are aging gracefully and still making music.

Phil: I still use the Olson guitar and the Jamman looper pedal, but I also incorporate the Pigtronixs Infinity Looper because I can go beyond the length of what the Jamman does, and I do have some songs where I like to run loops for a longer length. The Infinity Looper is great for that, plus you can store those very special loops that may come to the player in a moment of inspiration. I also use a TrueTone Route 66 Compressor/Overdrive (they were formerly Visual Sound), and a Dimension C chorus pedal that Dennis Agajanian gave me back in 1994. And he told me, “Don’t ever lose this pedal!” And I use the old Boss OC-2 Octaver. I also have the Visual Sound volume pedal, and the Line 6 DL4 Delay. I can pretty much still pull off the same songs and effects that I’ve been doing for a number of years now, which I’m really grateful for. CM: What guitars will you take when you go out with the band? Phil: I’ll take the Les Paul and a Strat, and I’ve got a Flatline Delta 90 that I use for the rhythm and lead guitar parts on “Deborah” and “Ezekiel”. It’s got a P-90 soap bar style pickup on the bridge, and it just honks, you know? It sounds really good! CM: What kind of Strat do you play? Phil: It’s a Fender Strat that was given to me by my friend Paul Maillis back in 1987. The first recording I did with that guitar was the bonus track on Master Musician, the Amazing Grace Epilogue track. I also used it on Find Me In These Fields and Sunday’s Child. CM: You were on the cover of our first issue of Christian Musician, 20 years ago. It’s amazing how time flies! I know we’re all trying to age gracefully, but unless the Lord returns, none of us gets out of here alive. How are you viewing your own mortality these days as you are getting a little “longer in the tooth”? 28

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There’s a song I wrote with Rex Schnelle on this album. There are so many co-writes on this album. And Rex just sent me the mix of the song that we wrote called “I Love The Way You Love Me”, and it’s a pop style love song. I even sound a bit like I did in my early days. CM: You do! It really has a fresh, young sound to it. It’s great!

Phil: I’m becoming more aware of just how long I’ve been doing this. Especially when people come up to me at concerts with old albums to have me autograph and we compare the pictures on the albums to the guy standing in front of them today. The interesting thing is, I have many people who inspire me to keep on going. Bernadette keeps encouraging me. She doesn’t care that I’m bald on top and have white hair. It doesn’t matter to her. She knows that I love her and I love God and I’m doing the best I can at what I’m doing. But how am I handling it? Well, I’m getting a lot of subscription offers from places like Medicare now. I’ll be sixty-five on my next birthday. I have friends who are facing physical challenges and fighting different diseases, and some have passed on now. I’m aware of my mortality. I had a close call three years ago. CM: I remember that. Phil: But I knew that I was in the palm of God’s hand, and I’m grateful that I came through that. I just want what I do to count. I want to live a life where I learn to love people well and to serve them and serve God the best that I can. I want to be grateful for each and every day and to love those who are in my life, and when I meet a stranger, to be kind and good to them. I just want to live like Jesus. That’s really what I want to do. But I’ve also been given a gift to make music,

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Phil: I did the vocals to that within an hour, and Rex was really pleased with it. He played all of the other instruments on the song. He played drums, bass, keyboards, BGV’s, and rhythm guitars. He is a fabulous musician! I did the solo guitar and the lead vocal. It just came really fast and I felt really youthful as we did it. I would have never thought, back when I was twenty-four years old that I would still be doing this forty years later! I’m grateful that I still can. I give God the credit for that, and the support and encouragement of my wife and friends who have continued to listen and like what I do. The Lord says to, “Keep working until I come,” and I look at that like “Let’s keep making music.” I’ve always thought that if more people put instruments in their hands instead of weapons, we’d all be doing a lot better. I like the idea of us being used as instruments of righteousness. I like that as a guitar player I can bring song ~ some hope and joy and good news into the world. That’s always been my ultimate desire as a Christian. One last comment on the new album: I want my listeners to know that even though we live in troubled times, still we need to remember why we have joy and can celebrate in spite of all that looks dismal and hopeless. We have a loving God who loves and cares for His children. He gives us reason to be concerned, but also the joy in celebrating what is good, honest, and true. And for that, we will be grateful and Rejoice!

a conference for musicians, leaders, technicians, songwriters & indie artists

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ChristianMusicianSummit.com For information on other events and resources, visit us online.

PLATFORM vs STAGE

by keith stancil

THREE ELEMENTS FOUND IN MOST SUCCESSFUL PLATFORMS Do you feel called by God to be a musician? I often wonder if the word “called” is misused. We are all called to make Jesus famous with The Great Commission, but does God call us to play guitar or sing? I would offer the supposition that God calls us all for the same purpose of making him famous but he gives us varying platforms to use for that purpose. Instead of saying, “God called me to be an artist,” I think it makes more sense to say, “God called me to make Him famous and He has given me specific skills and a platform to carry out the calling through music.” Platforms come in all shapes and sizes. A fast food drive-thru window, a corporate board room, a meal wagon serving the homeless, a major league sports field, or an arena concert for twenty thousand people can all serve the same purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus. The platform God gives us is our sphere of influence. We can use it to bring attention to Jesus or we can use it to bring attention to ourselves. There are three elements present in most successful platforms, Consistency, Influence, and Charisma. Consistency - In order to maximize our platform, we must be believable. Are we the same person in life that we are when using our platform? If I’m leading worship on Sunday or performing a Christian concert on Saturday night but shacking up with my girlfriend the rest of the week, am I living a consistent life? A Christian’s life will show consistency if they truly have a desire for God, make Him Lord of their life, and follow His instruction. Being believable is key to maximizing our platform. Influence - Do we recognize the sphere of influence God has allowed us to cultivate? Most people develop their sphere of influence in their twenty’s and thirty’s. Musicians often develop a sphere of influence earlier

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than the norm, as music powerfully draws people in. Recognizing our influence is vital to maximizing our platform. Charisma - This is probably the trickiest element. Most successful artists and musicians possess strong charisma. Charismatic people have huge influence and people easily follow their lead. Charisma can be used for good or evil. Two of the most dangerous people in the history of the world, Hitler and Stalin, were extremely charismatic. Music has super powerful influence and when mixed with charisma, amazing work can be done towards making Jesus known. When those elements are used as God intends, one’s platform can be used in mighty ways to help build God’s kingdom. It’s quite easy though for musicians to become more focused on themselves. How cool they look, how well the audience responded, how big the production is, and how many fans they have can quickly transform a musician’s platform into a stage. When the platform becomes a stage, we have most likely stepped out of God’s purpose for our life. I recently ran across a great quote from C.S. Lewis. Every poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from the love of the thing he tells, to the love of telling till, down in Deep Hell, they cannot be interested in God at all but only in what they say about him - C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce Obviously, musicians need to be excellent at their craft and interesting in order to draw people in for a listen, but there is an intentional art in striving for excellence while maintaining God’s purpose for our platform. How are you managing your platform? Are you more concerned about building “king-

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dom” or is your emphasis on building “fandom?” Many who are pursuing careers in Christian music begin with Christ centered intentions, but the desire for sharing the gospel can quickly become skewed with just an ounce of success or admiration from others. Spending daily time in God’s Word is crucial to maintaining a perspective on how we are using our platform. I encourage all Christians pursuing careers in entertainment to find a pastor or spiritual mentor to help hold them accountable as their musical sphere of influence grows. Let’s Make Jesus Famous! Keith Stancil Artist Manager & Author keithstancil.com

Keith Stancil is the President/CEO of Artist Garden Entertainment, an artist management and marketing firm based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Keith served twenty years in various sales and marketing roles at Capitol/EMI, Warner/ Elektra/Atlantic and Word Entertainment. His most recent label years were served in the role of Vice President of General Markets/International/Digital for Word Entertainment. While personally overseeing sales of over fourteen million records, Keith worked on sales and marketing strategies for Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Tina Turner, Madonna, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, MercyMe, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Jaci Velasquez, Hillsong, Randy Travis, Point of Grace, Francesca Battistelli, the WOW Brand and many others. Keith and his wife, Diana, launched Artist Garden Entertainment in 2009. In addition to artist management, Keith serves as a marketing consultant on projects with various independent artists and record labels spanning contemporary Christian music and Christian hip-hop. In 2009, Keith founded TheMusicGardener.com blog about music industry trends, artist development, music marketing and new music.

FEATURE STORY

by dr. ken steorts

Musicians thrive in community Just today, I worked with a local church who does music and rehearsal completely different than the way we do it at my church. We talked a long time about rehearsals and expectations and preparation and found a lot of differences in the way we work with musicians and help them prepare for a team effort for Sunday morning and beyond at all the auxiliary meetings and music expectations during the week. This community of support and exchange is vital to the growth and breadth of knowledge of all musicians, including long time professionals and newcomers and teenagers entering the world of music, both inside and outside the church. I always lead with community as the answer for musicians, who can be isolated and either self-deprecating or insecurely prideful. Community has a way of bringing reality into focus, as we spend time with people who are not exactly like us, but close enough to touch on all our little areas of opinion. This is good not only for young players but for those of us who measure music making in decades now. Christian musicians should really appreciate community, as we should have seen by now that the Church is about community and exchange, rather than solo ideas and oneupmanship. I love community and I hate community, because it efficiently brings change to my life as a musician and as a man. Whenever a musician asks me how to get better: community.

Bands often ask me how they can become better players or get opportunities like the ones I seem to get offered and then offer to those around me. I always tell them that it is about being involved and engaged in a community of musicians and also with people who treat musicians well professionally, for a living or as a ministry. I tell them, like I’ll tell you here, to make yourself a part of a larger city-wide or regional scene and develop your reputation and collaboration amongst a group of real people, not how you imagine them to be. I encourage young players or people outside “the circle” to find a group or groups and dedicate some time to being service-minded and collaborative and cooperative in the way with your efforts. Just being mindful of the greater comment of music makers is helpful as you plan your gigs, include others or not, make promotional efforts, and plan your time to be with others or solo. Whenever a musician asks me how to get noticed: community. It is often in the context of other artists’ gigs or at friendly other churches that musicians get noticed as being professional, polite, and prepared. People, even those not involved in music ministry or industry, will notice a musician who has their act together. Gigs go smoother, there are less stories about the difficulties of the music, and better feelings later when people are in community and not self-serving. It doesn’t mean that everything

always runs smoothly, but it does give a real opportunity for a hassle-free event and a good start towards getting noticed and called upon again. Attitude does a lot for callbacks and opportunity. It takes a lot longer to build reputation than to lose it, as well. Whenever a musician asks me how to be encouraged: community. Musicians often look to me to encourage them, counsel them about how to encourage themselves, and show them how to build systems by which they can remain encouraged in an often discouraging and competitive business and ministry without little financial stability. Well meaning musicians will sometimes sabotage themselves with a downer attitude that appears humble at first and tiresome after a time, or by being too ready for limelight and not ready enough for the diligence of studio work or rehearsals for long programs. I explain that community should inspire you and that being a real part of a group of industrious and Christian musicians, especially, should reward you with encouragement and opportunity to become more encouraging to others. Step one to encouragement is get into community. Dr. Ken Steorts Founder and President of Visible Music College and Madison Line Records.

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PRODUCT REVIEW

by eric dahl

Thalia Capos – Fancy and Functional It isn’t very often that guitarists have the opportunity to accessorize their guitars, unless they’re playing in another genre of music like metal or The Wiggles. I had seen pictures of the ornate Thalia capos but really didn’t know the back-story until I started the research. Chris Bradley, an inventor and guitarist, is the owner of this capo company, but the inspiration to create it came from his daughter Thalia. She was looking at her poster of Taylor Swift and couldn’t understand why she would use a simple looking capo on such a gorgeous guitar. Chris set about to create a capo that works as good as it looked, and he has accomplished this in Thalia Capos. His use of a unique, constant tension spring allows the player to easily move the capo wherever they want on the fretboard with just one hand. Each capo is delivered with five different interchangeable fret pads (made from polyoxymethylene, not rubber) so you can change out the pad to match the radius of the guitar you own. It can be applied to an electric, acoustic, or a classical guitar, and it comes with a spiffy microfiber carrying bag. Currently Thalia offers sixty-two different designs with metal casing choices of chrome, gold, or black chrome. The special inlays, designed to match your favorite guitars wood or rosette, range from exotic woods like Purple Heart, to exotic shell inlays of Dragon

Abalone, plus special edition models that are engraved. Currently on Thaliacapos.com, they offer seventy-eight different inlay choices. But no matter how great a capo looks on your guitar the bottom line is the functionality when you’re performing in a non-secular setting and it matters the most! I tested out three different models on several of my guitars, and what I liked most about the Thalia capos is that they didn’t seem to throw my guitar out of tune as many capos do. The compression method of applying and moving the capo felt secure, and the added benefit was that the inlays did match my guitar. Prices currently start at $39.99 and you can find Thalia capos on Amazon or on the company website. These capos are built to last, and the inclusion of the fret pads makes it a great value for a custom fit, and. . . they work and look better than most plain-jane capos! You don’t need to play at a mega church (al-

though there is nothing wrong with that) to have the cool accessories and bling. I think Thalia and her dad are really on to something here! Eric Dahl resides in Nashville TN with his wife and daughter. He is the author of “B.B. King’s Lucille and the Loves Before Her” and he does a weekly TV gear review show called the FOX 17 Rock and Review.

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the inspiration begins here P R O D U C T S

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C O M M U N I T Y

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E D U C A T I O N

JUNE 23-25, 2016 • MUSIC CITY CENTER • NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE • NAMM.ORG/SUMMER

TAKING THE STAGE

by tom jackson

What Makes a Performance Great? I’ve watched thousands of performances over the years and helped hundreds of artists with their performances. I’ve studied the art of creating more than just a “good” live show and how to replace it with something that’s great. I even developed an entire Live Music Method to help artists & bands perform well.

(and soul) so people can see the solo.

So I believe I am qualified to tell you some of the things that go into making your live show move from the “good” category into the “great” category. The problem is, it’s not a simple solution. There’s more to it than meets the eye. After I teach a class or workshop, especially when I demonstrate my Method with a band or artist, many of the workshop attendees will come up to me later (sometimes later in the day, sometimes years later) and say, “I totally get it; we use your Method when we perform – our band moves around a lot onstage too!”

DVDs), you’ll know there are 4 basic ways to get places onstage: walking, walking with authority, skipping, and running. And the song is the script. You want to keep the integrity of the song. If the song is rocking, you shouldn’t walk. And if the song is a ballad, it would look stupid if you skipped across the stage.

You see, they saw what I did when I did the Live Music Makeover with the demo artist. And in their mind’s eye, it was all about the movement. The problem with seeing it that way is they aren’t listening to the musical changes we made to the song first. The movement simply came out of what we were doing musically.

Another example has to do with the pressure you want to put on your audience. Just as you need to change pressure musically when constructing a set/show, you should also be changing pressure visually. As the intensity, energy, and character of a song changes, the pressure on the audience needs to change visually. Lyrics, dynamics, and energy all contribute to the script of when to change the pressure. So movement should reflect that change.

There are 2 things you need to understand about a great performance: •

A great performance does not replace content with movement.

•

A great performance will keep the integrity of the content visually for that artist and their songs.

Let me give you some examples of what I mean. If you have studied my Method (Backstage, in my book, or through my

Or how about your solos? Solos should have a multitude of visual elements in them, depending on the solo itself. Parts of the solo might be done with your eyes closed, parts with your eyes open (not looking at your fingers). Your stances might differ from solo to solo — legs spread, legs together. You should synch your body with your solo

I hope I’m raising some questions in your mind… questions about each of your songs and how you can keep their integrity through the movement you use. I hope you’re starting to think, “How does this apply to my show?” Because knowing that you have a lot to learn about making your show great and all the fundamentals involved to do it – that’s a great place to start! Begin asking us what to do. Check out our Backstage Pass, read the articles & watch the videos back there. Ask my team about your songs and your gig, and how you can make your performance better. There’s never a time when you can’t learn more and improve what you’re doing (whether on the stage or in life!). And we’d love to help you create a great performance. - See more at: http://www.onstagesuccess. com/2014/01/what-makes-a-performancegreat/#sthash.utlbFVqx.dpuf Tom Jackson is a Live Music Producer & master of creating moments onstage. Author of the book “Tom Jackson’s Live Music Method,” he helps artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, exceeding audiences’ expectations, creating fans for life. Tom has taught 100’s of artists of every genre and worked with major artists like Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Sean Mendes, The Band Perry, Jars of Clay, & more on their live shows. He also shares his expertise as a highly demanded speaker at colleges, conferences & events worldwide. Follow Tom on Facebook & Twitter www.onstagesuccess.com

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INDIE MECHANICS

by keith mohr & sue ross-mohr

Inspiration “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!” - Dr. Seuss Inspiration. Where does it come from? What helps it to flow? What causes it to get stuck? How can it be unstuck? The famous fashion designer, Donatella Versace, states, “Inspiration is continuous in an artist. It’s all around them.” We believe this to be true. It is part of their genetic makeup, but there are times when things in life get in the way of that artistic flow. The mind becomes extremely noisy and inspiration seems to get plugged up and appears to be out of immediate reach. One of the first things that we need to be aware of is that inspiration doesn’t have to come from the extraordinary. It can be realized from the ordinary in our everyday. Over the years, we have witnessed creatives throw in the towel due to their perceived inspiration drought. In his undergraduate speech, football coach, Lou Holtz exclaimed that there are only seven colors in the rainbow, but look what Michelangelo did with seven colors. There are only seven music note names, but listen to what Beethoven did with those. Then we have the wisdom of Solomon to grab onto. He states in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun.

“I write about other people’s lives because I get stuck when I write about my own.” Gina “My morning study of scripture usually gives me creative ideas or triggers tunes I use or themes I’ll develop later”. Kirk “Write everything down. No censoring ‘til later. Let the mind explore without limits. God does end up in my works as He is the core of my life, but all the stuff around me can make me go “Oh, now there’s an idea!” Jim “I’ve been very inspired by bad news reports and urgent issues that need addressing. The Bible says that God’s people will DO great and mighty exploits in these types of tragic, terrorist influence, and sordid atmospheres.” Anita “I go on long walks and pray for people ... I often get song ideas then, or definitely when reading a devotional book or doing Bible study.” Diana “Honestly, my trials. Well...seeking God while in trials. Also, the times when I am reaffirming to the Lord and myself that I trust Him, no matter what. Trials are plenteous and can be capitalized upon to birth some good songs.” Sandy “Sometimes I inspire myself. I try to make it a point to do a random act of kindness every day. Asking the guy with car trouble if he needs help. Holding the door open for someone on crutches. Helping an old lady get something from a high shelf. You get the idea. Make someone else’s day a little easier. These actions are so easy to do.” Bill

With the above knowledge in hand, inspiration isn’t that hard to acquire if we realize it already exists in abundant supply. Quite profound, isn’t it? This should actually provide you with a huge sigh of relief. You don’t have to create something new; you just have to rearrange what has previously been fashioned in a different way. You already have all of the ingredients; you just have to tweak the recipe a bit.

“I think the key is to always have a “listening ear” at all times. Some days you sit down to write and it can be a chore to muster up everything you have inside you to just squeeze out a drop of creative originality. Inspiration can appear at the most unexpected times...cleaning the house, going to the recycle center, out on lunch break in the town. Life gives birth to life, whether you go out and get into the mix or you walk through the normal days activities...be forever listening.” Steve

Focus and research groups are a great way to find out what others do when faced with a dilemma. Practicing what we preach, we asked a group of songwriters where their inspiration comes from. Here is what they wrote.

Be forever listening. What a great piece of advice. To listen, though, one must be silent. Find a way to get rid of the noise that zaps creativity and inspiration. (Isn’t it amazing that the same letters in the word listen are also in the word silent. Hmmm…only in the English language.) Sometimes, the qui-

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eter you become, the more you can hear. So how can you prime the pump for inspiration to flow? Here is a list of 10 things that you can do to get things moving. 1. Give yourself a break. Stop beating yourself up when inspiration is not around the corner. Celebrate how far you’ve come versus the distance yet to go. The great thing about this world is that it is filled with corners. There is always a next one, somewhere along the path. Inspiration is just around one of them. 2. Color. Yes, you read that right. Grab an adult coloring book. Put your mind on something else other than the task at hand. Believe it or not, psychiatrists have been prescribing coloring as a method of relaxation and focus for over 100 years. It allows the fear center of your brain to relax and it trains your brain to focus, not to mention how much it relaxes the entire body. Go ahead. Just try it. 3. Free Journal Writing. Disconnect for a while and write in a journal without any direction in mind. Just write, even if it doesn’t make sense to you at the time. Let your mind play. Do this for at least 15 minutes to a halfhour. Then, when you have finished, go back and read what you wrote. Look for the nuggets in your writing. Mark them with a yellow highlighter. 4. Look around you. Take in everything that you can and then close your eyes. Picture 10 things that you remember seeing. Don’t stop until you get to 10. When you open your eyes, write them down. e.g. - A young mom readjusting her daughters hair in a ponytail. Raindrops falling onto a car window creating a world of its own. Runners stopping to catch their breath. A bunch of straws in a waitresses pocket. Footprints on a muddy path . . . Isn’t it amazing what you see when stop long enough to realize what you saw? Inspiration begins to flow vividly. 5. Catch and stop. Don’t hurry inspiration. Hold onto the first thing that comes to your mind. Look at it. Turn it over. DisContinued on page 38.

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sect it. Think about how many ways it can be viewed, inside, outside, upside, and downside. 6. Memories. Make a list of 10 memories. Good, bad, or ugly. Create a story line around them. Write down the nuances of what you see. Read between the lines. There are always stories within the story. 7. Partake in Media. Read a new book once a week. Listen to a song at least once a day. Watch a short video. Read a magazine article. Take a look at what’s in the news. What are your opinions on what you see? How do they affect you? How do they affect the world? What does the bible say about what you have read? 8. Others. Even though the best source of inspiration is you, reach out to others with some questions. Listen to their answers. Look for things you didn’t notice the first time around. 9. Listen. Take a ride to the mall and find

a place to sit. Close your eyes and just listen. What do you hear? What do you think you hear? Let your imagination run wild. Write down your experience. How was your audio different from the visual? 10. Begin. Once inspiration shows its tail, don’t wait for the rest of the body to show up; just get started. Grab onto that tail and let it take you where it may. Doing something gives you a better view into where you are going and how to do it than doing nothing. When you begin, that takes the gear out of the stuck position into drive. There’s no telling where you will end up! The journey is pure excitement in itself! Let that wind begin to blow through your hair. Okay, now it is time to wow and dazzle the world with your inspiration. If you sincerely took all of the above to heart, you will now be ‘unstuck’ and eager to plug in. Inspiration is waiting to be discovered. Once it is, creativity takes on a life of its own, passion ensues, and you find yourself able to do amaz-

PRODUCT REVIEW

ing things. Inspiration brings hope. Once we know we have hope, all bets are off. Anything can be done! We can’t wait to hear how these exercises worked for you. Here’s to a New Year filled to the brim with inspiration. Creatively His, Keith and Sue Mohr Keith and Sue Mohr MOHR CREATIVE GROUP www.mohrcreativegroup.com Keith Mohr and Sue Ross-Mohr of “The Mohr Creative Group” have years of experience serving independent Christian artists, musicians and songwriters. Keith founded www.indieheaven.com in 2002, the leading portal for Christian independent music. Sue Ross-Mohr founded www.theinnervizion. com in 2003, a creative promotions /marketing/ consulting service to individuals and companies worldwide. Also check out www.indiemechanics.com for more helpful info!

by doug doppler

Truetone JEKYLL & HYDE Way back in 1997, Bob Weil and Visual Sound (now Truetone) introduced Jekyll & Hyde, the world’s first double pedal. Players loved the ability to tweak, select, or stack independent Overdrive and Distortion circuits–as well as the convenience of having one pedal that could get them through virtually any gig. Fast forward nearly twenty years and Truetone’s Bob Weil and RG Keen have redesigned Jekyll & Hyde from the ground up, delivering even more of what made the original so popular. Like previous incarnations, the independent Overdrive and Distortion circuits on the V3 Series Jekyll & Hyde deliver a broad range of dynamic tones that were designed to work together musically. The latest refinements and smaller enclosure are particularly well suited for Worship guitarists. When tested with a Gretcsh G5620 into a Vox AC30, the Overdrive section delivered tons of musical tones. Based, on Truetone’s Open Road pedal, the additional Bass and Clean mix controls made it easy to add the right amount of hair and body necessary to 38

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make the guitar sing. Diming the Drive control delivered the kind of SRV-esque tones I never dreamed of getting out of my G5620. The two-position Bright and Voice switches on the Distortion section delivered a broad selection of Marshallesque tones, ranging from vintage Plexi to JCM900. The separate Treble, Mid, and Bass controls were extremely responsive and making it easy to further sculpt a diverse range of tones. More ‘open’ sounds allowed the air of the guitar to come through, while the higher gain settings were Drop-D worthy – even on my Gretsch! In addition to serving up a great range of tones on their own, the two sides of the pedal also ‘play nice’ when stacked. The Clean Mix and tone controls on the Overdrive section make it easy to boost distorted tones for dynamic arrangements–or soaring solo tones that sustain for days. The internally selectable Noise Gate on the Distortion section also keeps Jekyll & Hyde whisper quiet when you aren’t playing. The independent inputs and outputs make

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for even more flexibility. If you use an amp like a Deluxe Reverb, I’d suggest using an A/B Box to run the Distortion section into the Normal Channel for your high gain tones, and the Overdrive section into the Vibrato Channel for vintage reverb-infused goodness. The results are nothing short of amazing! Truetone.com $265.19 List, $179.00 Street Doug Doppler is passionate about God, worship, and worship musicians. In addition to his work coaching individuals and teams, Doug is also the author of “The Worship Guitar Book” which will be available in May 2013 via Hal Leonard.

GUITAR: A2Z

by roger zimish

The Whole Tone Scale Last issue or last year, depending on how you look at it, we were studying the Chromatic Scale, a series of notes in order. The Whole tone scale basically cuts the Chromatic Scale in half to form 2 scales. The Whole Tone Scale is made up of six notes within an octave, with each note being a whole step apart. In other words, it’s a series of major second or whole tone intervals. The scale has one less note then the seven note diatonic scale. There are only two Whole Tone Scales; the second is built a half step or semitone away from the first. (See Whole Tone Scale I and II)

You can come up with different patterns moving up or down the scale, and keep in mind that the scale can be used over certain chords, like dominat flat and sharp five, ninth chords with a sharp or flat five, and augmented chords. These can fit both Whole Tone Scales.

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The following exersize examples of the scale are two octaves starting on “A”. Exp.#1 moves down the neck while the notes are moving up the scale in a two note pattern on each string till the octave. Exp.#2 moves acrsoss the neck in a three and two note pattern on each string. Exp.#3 covers three octaves assending up the neck with a three note per string pattern. They are really kinda of cool once you get them down. Coda: The Whole Tone Scale is used by Jazz, Fusion, and Bebop guitarists. You can even use it in some pop tunes. Listen to the intro of Stevie Wonder’s song, “You are the sunshine of my life”. And as I said, there are a lot of cool patterns and single line riffs you can come up with using the Scale. Let your imagination and fingers and God given talents come up with something new. Have fun, and Happy New Year! Roger Zimish uses “TrueTone” effects, is a freelance guitarist, indie artist, clinician, and Jesus guy based in Hendersonville Tn. Contact Roger: Email rogerzimish@ yahoo.com, like Roger Zimish Guitarist on facebook.

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MusiciansThreads.com

GOOD FOR THE SOUL I recently had someone who’d been to my concerts ask to be taken off of my mailing list. When I asked “Why?” “You are a poor example of a man of God,” was one of the kinder lines. I was at least grateful for a response. Most people won’t tell you how they were offended by something you did or said or didn’t do; they’ll just offer you a passive aggressive smile . . . and talk behind your back.

But in my determinations to be ‘free in Christ’ by not answering to anyone, I have done irreparable damage to my own career. The consequences have left me angry and resentful over the years. I’ve been learning to be more dependent upon God in places where I have been ‘co-dependent’ upon people. If you don’t really get the concept of co-dependency, I describe it as, “When you feel good, I feel better.”

If you are in the public eye and claim to follow Jesus then you know what it’s like to bite your tongue, swallow your pride, and offer an apology to someone you’ve offended. Expectations of the label “Christian” in the real world is a standard nobody can reach if we are honest. My immediate temptation is to pretend to be better than I am.

Co-dependency is a disease that looks like Christianity. It’s about manipulating people and looking like a saint the whole time. You can make a career out of simply ‘looking the part’. But it is a trap! There is no joy or freedom in it.

Transparency is something I believe, as a Christian, should be a part of the freedom of God’s grace. But where do we put the boundaries? I have always bristled at that scripture about not causing other believers to stumble. In my mind, it has me tip-toeing around people and their expectations and feelings to the point of making me feel more like a politician than a Christian.

The truth is, I’m offended that people can be offended by me. My first response is to defend my offense. And then I’m annoyed because now I have to do that moral inventory of my behaviors at someone else’s request. It’s already a homework assignment that I never want to get to. But here is where Jesus is a wonderful discovery, and the rubber of the Good News hits the road. When I turn to God with my justifications, I find someone who knows me intimately and I don’t have to explain the whole situation to Him to start with. My prayers start with stuff I’ll have to edit later. They are self involved, defensive frustrations that God has to re-order. In this case it kinda ruined my whole day, because eventually I realized that I couldn’t live up to the standards other people place upon me, even though I want to. Depression follows. But that is simply the venom to be extracted from the bite. Healing a wound is seldom done with miracles. Letting go of my justifications takes a lot of time. I would rather lie to myself and blame someone else for being thin skinned. The biggest stress in hearing how I had offended this person was that it was not something

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by bryan duncan I could change immediately. But then I remembered something from the 12 steps of Recovery: “When I was wrong, I promptly admitted it.” Wow, that still feels so ‘unfinished’ and ‘not fixed’. And that flies in the face my perfect image of a transformed Christian. And frankly, it just makes me look bad to myself. Yes, humility comes at a price. So, after a whole day of considering my offense I offered a simple honest apology from where I am: ‘not quite there’. I asked for forgiveness and offered only my desire to be a better example because of how God has forgiven me. Yes, it still didn’t feel good. And I assumed it was another loss in my ‘approval rating’. But I did what I felt was right in God’s eyes and decided to let it go. I still had these feelings about how some people look like self-righteous bigots. I fought for a while in my mind about religion and rules. But in the end, I was looking at the very reason Jesus died for me. If you’ve ever had a debt that you couldn’t pay off you know that all the feelings about that aren’t good either. I hate that I am needy, and I hate that I still owe something. That same day, however, I received an email from the person I never expected to hear from again. They called me a man of God! Not because I was good, but because I was willing to admit that I wasn’t. Suddenly there was an extraordinary feeling of the power of God’s grace. It was given to me from someone else. I’ve always assumed I was the one in charge of dispensing grace to others. I never expect to be on the receiving end. And now, there’s a deeper understanding for both of us for what we cannot accomplish on our own. In the simple working out of an offense I found a stronger sense of the power God wants me to have. Ironically it comes from a place of weakness and sometimes acknowledging it before someone else.

Bryan Duncan/ Singer / Songwriter/ author / Publisher. Radio Show host for RadioRehab.com Inducted into the Christian music Hall of Fame in 2007. 40 years, 22 albums, Dove and Grammy awarded. www.bryanduncan.com

you could wait

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by bob bennett

THAT HALF-GLASS THING

Sometime during this past year (I’m unsure of the exact date), I reached the fifty-year mark in playing the guitar. Even before the tender age of ten when I began, I sang spontaneously made-up songs on my weekday walks to elementary school. A half-century is less than the blink of an eye in terms of the whole of history, but this particular amount of time is pretty significant when it comes to my personal history.

what I think of as “That Half-Glass Thing”. You take a clear glass, fill it halfway with water, and then ask question (say it with me now), “Is the glass half-empty or half-full?” You’re looking at the exact same thing with two perspectives. Usually we’re trying to determine a point-of-view about a specific situation. But this can also be more broadly applied, as in, “He’s a glass-half-empty kind of guy.”

Clichés are often validated as such because they’re widely known and mostly accepted (even if grudgingly so). I hope you’ll indulge me as I employ one of those clichés to frame this article.

In this case, I’d like to chase down both answers in reflecting on my life in music. You’ll easily be able to tell which is which as we move along. In no particular order ...

Unless an uncommonly literate toddler is reading these words, it’s likely that virtually everybody will have some familiarity with

In many church jurisdictions, music sometimes seems to be a less respectable, less vi-

VOCATION/CALLING:

able expression of worship. (Ironic, since it’s most often called “worship music”.) It’s always there in the order of service, but the sometimes-not-so-subtle implication is that the “real ministry” will occur when, and only when, the sermon is preached. This sort of thing is rarely spoken of and sometimes operates on deep background. Of course, it’s not always the case. But I’d be surprised to find you haven’t run across some form of this along the way. On the other hand, the positive effects of music are, to my mind, much like gravity. It operates whether you believe in or care about it at all. As musicians, we don’t want to misuse that confidence, but have it inform and shore up those times when we feel a little less than appreciated or understood. Having said that, it’s been a pretty rare occurrence lately. And I’m very fortunate to have had a lifetime of pastors trusting me with the congregations under their care. They’ve trusted me and I try very hard never to compromise that trust. Somewhere there’s a list of people who think I’m lessthan-reliable, and I can only hope that list is mercifully short. In terms of the efficacy of what I do (whether the consequences are “eternal” or last only the length of my set), I am confident and grateful that the Spirit of God does the deep work inside the human heart than no one else can do. I’m fully a servant in that sense, even though there’s still a “Hey, look at me” component that’s inherent in getting up in front of an audience of any size. MONEY:

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圀圀圀⸀䈀刀伀圀一䈀伀堀㄀⸀䌀伀䴀 44

JAN/FEB 2016

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Most folks who aren’t musicians think that if you have any kind of public presence, especially recording and releasing albums, it naturally follows that you must be rich or semi-rich. In my case (as with virtually every other musician I know), I can confidently assure you that music is not a “get rich quick” scheme. That’s the usual lot of a working musician. The exceptions can be dramatic and impressive and keep us chasing after something that we’re simply not meant to be

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a part of. But as much as I might lament my up-anddown bank account, I’ve never missed a meal out of want in my entire life. I think I’ve spent a night without a roof over my head a total of three times or so ... family camping (tent not counted as roof) and a freezing New Year’s Eve on a Pasadena sidewalk before the Rose Parade (circa 1970). People have willingly paid me to do what I dearly love. That I’m not better at the necessary “business” side of what I do is no one’s fault but mine and it’s remarkable that I’ve gotten as far as I have for this long. WEARINESS:

recognition might’ve led to a large enough group to even care what I might have learned along the way. There’s a little interest from time-to-time, but not much. When you get old like I am now, you start to worry that what you have to offer the world will, quite literally, die with you. The only other downside of notoriety is when I’m acting like a horse’s patoot in public (usually getting upset or saying words that I should have forgotten by now), invariably an increasingly-rare “Bob Bennett Sighting” will occur. Then I have to sincerely apologize and backpedal because I, as we used to say, “blew my witness”.

Although there are some situations (usually only when I’m sick) that I have to primarily rely on some modicum of professionalism and will to get the job done, mostly I’m still exhilarated to do what I do. Some nights a concert will almost “play itself ”, other nights it’s an uphill climb all evening long. But, generally, the weariness comes in the activities before I start singing and after the last person says, “Good night”. Airports, cattle-car air travel, bad sleep even in the best of hotels, etc.

Thankfully, a lot of my instinctive competitiveness has subsided or is more efficiently tamped down now. I’ve decided that the job I’m best qualified to do, modest as it may be, is to sing Bob Bennett songs. And, in a broad sense both on and off stage, I try to at least follow that part of the Hippocratic Oath that advises “First, do no harm.” I can’t always accommodate every email or piece of music that comes my way, but I do try to be an encouragement whenever I can.

Then again, I keep telling myself that I sing for a living. I don’t work my brains out or my fingers to the bone. My self-talk sentence for any bad situation I might encounter is usually, “It’s not the loading dock.” And I invoke that with full and complete respect for people who work very hard at something that may not really be their dream. I really do love what I do, and if I get a little tired or a little hassled, it’s just time for me to manup and double-down. That’s the gig and on most days it really is the best job in town.

There’s always a faster gun in town. Everything I do is being done better by someone else somewhere. I’m hoping I can still hold my own for a while longer. I’ll have to eventually, pun intended, fully “face the music” when I get to the point where I can’t sing or play right … or someone intones, “You know, he used to be good.”

NOTORIETY: The worst downside of notoriety for me is that sometimes (against my better judgment) I still wish I had more of it. If I were “Bob W. Bennett” or “Bob Curtis Bennett”, or “Bob Michael Bennett”, wouldn’t my life in these golden years be a bit easier? Isn’t the musical grass always greener on the other guy’s career hill? The fact that I still struggle with these things is embarrassing and a pain. But it wouldn’t do for me to lie about these struggles. I’ll also confess that I would’ve liked a little more notoriety because now I have a deep desire to mentor and encourage the legions of songwriters stepping in behind me. As it is, I’m sort of dressed up with no place to go. A broader name/music

JAN/FEB 2016

SKILL LEVEL:

Most of the time, I’m still inspired by the greats, and when I encounter their still-formidable skills I concur with Jack Nicholson in “As Good as It Gets”: “You make me want to be a better man.” As I’m hoping to age well musically, I can’t help but take comfort and inspiration from guys like Phil Keaggy, Paul Simon, James Taylor, etc. They’re as good or better than they’ve ever been, with a built-in nostalgia playing a lesser role than sheer present-tense greatness. On the subject of “better than me”, here’s my guiding anecdote/advice. Several years ago I was at a house concert with the consummately talented acoustic guitarist Pierre Bensusan. After the show, I chatted with Pierre and told him that the only reason I wasn’t going to go home to break my guitar over the back of a chair is that he’s not omnipresent! All I have to do is figure out where he’s playing on any given night … and

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virtually all the other places in the world are then open to me. We’ll always have a little anxiety over these things. The trick is to focus on what’s at hand and the people who are listening to us in that room on that night. Eric Clapton doesn’t get to play guitar and sing for them that night … that’s my job! “CHRISTIAN” AS A MUSICAL ADJECTIVE: We’ve managed to seriously commodify a lot of things as “Christian”. I’m nobody’s judge and jury, but I worry about this a little more than I used to. Of course, I’ve benefitted from the “Christian” distinction/classification, but I worry that we have, by definition, made an “Us vs. Them” bed … and now we’re lying in it. I think the most fatal mistake we can make is to over-estimate our influence on the culture-at-large. But even so, in my life singing in Churches, I’ve been the grateful recipient of a lot of acceptance and kindness. Generally speaking, people are happy to see me and want me to do well for them before I ever step up to the microphone. They want me to do well, and I absolutely want to do well for them. MY OWN GLASS: For me, even as I’ve briefly explored both sides of the thing here, My Own Glass is truly half-full. God forbid, if it all came to a screeching halt now, I’ve been a most fortunate man. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the room when the Holy Spirit works in a way only He can. I get to play soundtrack music that is helpful to some. I get to tell my story. People say thank-you and tell me they’ve been listening to and praying for me for decades on end. If I’ve managed anything that could be credited as faithfulness, it’s only something that He has enabled. As best I’m able to manage, I’m a “Christian Musician”. And in conclusion, to totally muddle my own article device, let me affirm that my cup runneth over … way over! Bob Bennett lives, works, writes, loafs, and takes out the trash at home in Costa Mesa, CA. He gratefully attends St. Matthew’s Church in Newport Beach. As always, he writes this little bio blurb in the third person and winces at the cheesiness of that fact even as he fully discloses it. You can email him with compliments or complaints at bob@bob-bennett.com. Note that he may only answer one of those types of communications.

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