Christian Musician Magazine - May/Jun 2014

Improving Musicianship | Inspiring Talent

BLIZZARD OF BASS

RUDY SARZO

Selective Hearing Needtobreathe MercyMe Peter Furler Band The Monks Francesca Battistelli Michael Sweet Liz Vice

Guitar Review Eastwood Classic 6 Electric Guitar

Product Review Boss ME-80 Guitar Multi Effects

MAY/JUN 2014 Volume 19, Issue 3 05

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74470 95962

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US $5.95 Can $6.95

ARTIST MANAGEMENT by Mike Smith

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GIFTS, SEASONS & RIVERS by Tommy Coomes

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Sweetwater-exclusive interview: The Digital Age

Former David Crowder Band members talk with us about their new sound, their approach to recording and performing, and the gear they use to share their musical message.

Essential Guides for You and Your Volunteers

In-depth, down-to-earth articles help volunteers, pastors, and worship leaders understand the ins and outs of the latest in worship sound technology.

THE

DIGITAL AGE

In January of 2012, the David Crowder Band ended their 12-year run as one of the Christian music industry’s most successful groups. Former DCB guitarists Mark Waldrop and Jack Parker, drummer B-Wack, and bassist Mike D went on to start a new musical venture called The Digital Age. Their debut album, Evening : Morning, was released to rave reviews in 2013. Recently, Sweetwater’s Jeff Barnett caught up with Mark Waldrop.

Can you give us a little history and recap what has happened since the last David Crowder Band show?

For those who don’t know what the David Crowder Band was, we started as a little worship team from University Baptist Church (UBC) in Waco, TX, a church that David Crowder founded with Chris Seay in the mid-’90s. We toured for about 12 years. Then in 2010, David transitioned from Waco to Atlanta, and the rest of us really wanted to stay in Waco and stay involved with UBC. So The Digital Age is essentially that. We’re still involved with UBC, and we’re still writing the same genre of music: upbeat, programming-heavy “fun worship,” as we call it. The Digital Age has been a band for a little over two years, which is crazy to say because it still seems so new.

We released a live EP called Rehearsals in 2012. We were just rehearsing for church, tracked it, and released it as an EP. And in 2013, we put out a record called Evening : Morning and followed that with a fall tour.

Evening : Morning doesn’t sound like just another DCB album, though. Can you describe the sound of The Digital Age? When you’re in a band and have an established sound and way of doing things, then you start a new band, you get to pick and choose what you liked about what you’ve been doing. But you also have a really natural moment to question what you want to do differently. With The Digital Age, we’re still writing songs for the same congregation. UBC is about 70% college students, so we tend to sound like what college kids are listening to.

We keep a close pulse on that.

The Digital Age’s latest album, Evening : Morning,, is available now.

To find out more, go to thedigitalagemusic.com!

David led from an acoustic guitar, and he would be a hard person to replace. One of the very first things we all agreed on was that we shouldn’t attempt to replace him. I usually play an electric, so now I’m leading on electric, and that fundamentally changes the sound of things.

You mentioned your studio in Waco. What made you decide to open a studio?

When David moved to Atlanta, we effectively lost our recording and rehearsal space. We found this place in downtown Waco that was an old dirty boxing gym, and we built a studio in it. We spent three months renovating it. The boxing ring was where our control room is now. It was designed by B-Wack, and it’s been really great for us.

We’re very programming-heavy, and we use a lot of synths onstage. We’re multitasking a lot more, too. As for what we sound like, that changes from one song to the next. All of us listen to different genres of music, so, “What do we want this to sound like?” is a conversation we have with every song. We don’t like to be the same on every song and on every album, so the sound of The Digital Age from album 1 to album 2 could be completely different.

We practice and rehearse there, and we also have bands come in and we record them. It’s an extension of our ministry. It’s been great for us to be able to help new worship bands.

Walk me through your creative process in the studio.

We all have our own mini Pro Tools studios at home, and we track these ideas as they come. Sometimes they’re full songs, sometimes just pieces. When we each have a handful of ideas, we all get together in our studio. All of these ideas start coming together, and we start to figure out how we are playing things as a band. We’ll either sit around the computer and start programming it out or head into the tracking room and start recording live parts. We all write, but we realize not all of us have the same strengths. I think one of our collective strengths is that we keep a really loose attachment to our ideas, and we see that they are all just pieces to a larger puzzle.

You still lead worship at UBC? We’re still very involved at UBC. When we were in the construction phase on our studio, we took a break from leading and just went to church without leading worship for the first time in a decade. Those three months were amazing; it was something we took for granted, and we didn’t realize how important it was. Now, we’re one of several worship bands at UBC. Our goal is to play there around once a month, depending on our tour schedule.

What gear do you use in your studio?

We are running Pro Tools HDX in our main control room. We use a lot of API preamps and the PreSonus ADL600. We use an LA2A compressor and a lot of gear that B-Wack made himself. Our main vocal mic is the Blue Bottle — so much character and so easy to change sound. For guitars, we use a mix of Shure SM57, Sennheiser e906, and Royer R121 mics.

For bass, we use the Shure SM7B microphone. On drums, we mostly use the same Sennheiser Evolution series dynamic mics that we use live. We use a Yamaha SubKick on kick drum, and a Sennheiser MD421 on snare.

We’re really into soft synths. We use Native Instruments Komplete. We also use Native Instruments Maschine heavily for programming. We lean a lot on Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere for pads. We use Reason a lot for piano sounds and sequencing.

We also have a lot of vintage synths.

How do you translate an album like Evening : Morning to something that works live?

A lot of it is decisions made in production. We use a lot of loops live, but one of our rules is that we never put anything in the loops that can be played live — no vocals or guitar parts. That makes it more challenging in a live setting. So when we record, we have to be very intentional with things like guitar parts and not put anything on the record that we can’t re-create live.

What software do you use onstage?

Ableton Live. On Mike D’s keyboard rig, he runs Live and Reason. He has a slew of Korg Nanokeys in addition to an M-Audio MIDI controller, and some of the keys are assigned to things such as mutes and changing different values instead of triggering notes. We also run some vocals through Live for effects.

What kinds of technical challenges do you see worship leaders facing today?

For us, the coolest thing you can do is create your own loops. I think when a lot of people see something that is loop heavy, they think that it doesn’t fit into the way they do music. Or they think they can’t do the songs because they don’t have the technical know-how to pull it off. It’s possible to do it. You can get a copy of Ableton Live and a MIDI controller for next to nothing and make incredible sounds with it. It’s been really cool for us to travel around and see these churches start to learn and incorporate the technical stuff into the church services. We love it when churches take one of our songs, create their own loops for it, and make it their own.

blisskatherine.com

You guys have had a very long relationship with Sweetwater. Why is that?

Relationship says it all. We love that if we have questions about gear, we can call and ask. We love that if there is something that piques your interest, we’ll get a phone call to tell us about it. The prices are always competitive, and as far as customer service goes, it’s always great. If anything is ever wrong, it’s always taken care of quickly. We travel a lot. If something isn’t working, getting a replacement quickly and easily is really important. It’s great to be able to get things fixed or questions answered without hassle. We really love the personalized nature of what Sweetwater does. You’re always great about asking what we need the gear to do. Even with a band like us, it’s so good to have somebody showing us how the gear we use can help us be better at doing what we do.

Photos by: Bliss Katherine

You can find out more about The Digital Age at thedigitalagemusic.com.

!

Freelance live sound engineer

Daniel Ellis

FOH engineer for The Digital Age How long have you been working with The Digital Age? The first tour I did with them was as the David Crowder Band, during the Remedy Club tour in 2007.

I was with DCB for five years. Then, when they started The Digital Age, I mixed their very first show and I did their first tour, as well.

What gear do you use with them onstage?

We use mostly Sennheiser mics, on just about everything. Mostly the Evolution series. One thing I don’t think I’ve seen anybody else do is that we use a Sennheiser MD441 on B-Wack’s snare. It works great and gives us a fatter sound than other mics I’ve tried.

On vocals, Mark and Jack both use a TC-Helicon VoiceLive Touch to add reverb and delay to their voices before they ever get to me. That’s cool; it makes my job easier.

At front of house, I run a Behringer X32. We use the S16 digital snake system, as well. That console is amazing. It’s so small and light — I can set it up by myself if I need to. When we started the tour, I was thinking, “There has got to be a reason this thing is so inexpensive, and I’m going to find out why.”

I still don’t know why. It’s a great console. I love it.

The guys use Sennheiser 300 series in-ear monitors, and they mix them themselves using Behringer’s X32-Q app for iPhone. That’s been amazing. It’s so much easier to not have to worry about doing FOH and monitors at the same time, and we don’t have to have a monitor engineer.

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Are there any unique challenges working with The Digital Age? Since they run all those effects on the stage, what I get is a wet vocal. When we started out, sometimes it was way too wet, and we didn’t really have enough clarity in the FOH mix in the vocals. So we had to work on getting those reverb levels down and make sure that they trusted me to add more reverb at the console if it was needed.

You and The Digital Age have been very loyal Sweetwater customers for years. Why is that?

Because of the relationship. Because of you! Seriously, it’s because of you. We don’t just call a 1-800 number and get some random guy; we get the same guy. And the candy. You send candy with everything we buy. I never share it.

From left to right: BWack, Mike D, Mark Waldrop, and Jack Parker

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Features Clutter, Procrastination and Progress Ack! I seem to be fighting clutter like crazy these days. My desk at times looks like an archeological dig site. When we were producing two magazines the clutter of CD’s, magazines, paperwork, invoices and who knows what would build up on my desk and every blue moon I would lay everything down for a few hours and just sort the items on my desk into piles. Now, with our newest magazine “Collectible Guitar” added to the list my desk is a total mess!

I have new sets of strings to try, more industry magazines to read, more invoices, and now my office has a few more guitars and amps to find reviewers for… OK, I have to admit I like to write the guitar reviews. My office space has two rooms and both are in need of de-cluttering. I procrastinate cleaning because I have so many people to call about advertising, writers to e-mail about stories/columns, and then the phone will ring and I am into a conversation for twenty minutes. All good stuff, but the clutter isn’t addressed and the days fly by. Yikes! Then Saturdays roll around and I swear I am going to get so much done; catch up on everything!

Well it is 6:00pm on a Saturday as I write this and I have accomplished only a few things on my list (writing this Sound Check is one of them) but I have not made a dent on the clutter.

This next week I have a ton on my plate with making sales calls, finding artwork, and preparing for two upcoming events that land on the same weekend… our Christian Musician Summit Conference in Buffalo and our exhibit booth at the Dallas International Guitar Festival for Collectible Guitar magazine (which friends are manning for me – thank the Lord for friends!).

Please catch my drift, I am not complaining about my job/ calling/occupation. I love what I do and it is a gift from the Lord.

I am just sounding off a bit to see if anyone else out there feels like I do. Clutter can lead to procrastination because of all of the distractions around you, which in turn can impede progress.

Don’t even ask to see my garage. Yikes, Judy is an angel to put up with that!

However, I do have a saying that I should make into a t-shirt and then wear it everyday to remind myself… “Half of life is showing up and seeing what God has for you”. I need to keep showing up and trusting that the Lord will bring help/resources/extra time my way if I consistently “show up” and put my hand to the plow without looking to the left or right and getting distracted. He will help me overcome even the clutter and turn my procrastination into progress as I commit my ways to Him! Email me photos of your desk if you agree!

Bruce & Judy

8 Guitar Review

by Bruce Adolph Eastwood Classic 6 Electric Guitar: 1960’s Twang & Jangle Pop 10 Bassic Communication

by Norm Stockton Modern Rock Bass Lines (Part 7) 12 Guitar Workshop

by John Standefer Leading Tones & Chords (Part 4) 14 Drumming Dynamics

by David Owens I Am Mountain 16 Vocal Coach’s Corner

by Roger Beale Stuffed Up Singers 18 Show Us Your Groove

by Rick Cua Vicarious Living: When It’s Good; When it’s Not

CONTENTS 32 Making a Great Sounding Record: step three

by Matt Kees Drums: Finding the Foundation 36 The Indie Mechanics

by Keith Mohr & Sue Ross-Mohr Dreams and Desires 38 Product Review

by Michael Hodge BOSS ME-80 Guitar Multi Effects 40 Led By the Spirit, or Winging It?

by Tom Jackson 41 Guitar From A 2 Z

by Roger Zimish Major / Minor Blues Scale 42 Are You Still Telling Your Sad Story?

by Bryan Duncan 46 Coda

by Tim Jameson, D.C. Muscle Pain in the Instrumentalist

24 Selective Hearing

by Shawn McLaughlin Needtobreathe MercyMe Peter Furler Band The Monks Francesca Battistelli Michael Sweet Liz Vice 28 Artist Management

by Mike Smith 30 Gifts, Seasons & Rivers

by Tommy Coomes

Interview

20 Blizzard of Bass Rudy Sarzo

by Steven Douglas Losey

4227 S. Meridian, Suite C PMB #275, Puyallup Washington 98373 Phone: 253.445.1973 Fax: 253.655.5001 Email: bruce@christianmusician.com Website: www.christianmusician.com Editor & President: Bruce Adolph VP/Office Manager: Judy Adolph, judy@christianmusician.com Customer Service: Brian Felix, brian@christianmusician.com Street Team: Mike Adolph, Jesse Hill & Winston Design & Layout: Matt Kees Copyediting: Kevin Wilber Director of Advertising: Steve Sattler, steve@creativesalesresource.com 626-836-3106 Published by the Adolph Agency Inc.

CHRISTIANMUSICIAN.COM

MAY/JUN 2014

7

GUITAR REVIEW

Eastwood Classic 6 Electric Guitar: 1960’s Twang & Jangle Pop

By Bruce Adolph

the way to the 22nd fret. The fit and finish of the guitar is actually very nice for this price range.

Eastwood guitars started out in 2001 with a goal to remake the lost classic guitars that were originally a little left of center. They have brought back the body shapes of several iconic guitars. Their strategy is simple: to offer you a guitar that has had a role in shaping modern music, at a very reasonable price.

Often their guitar components are actually better made than the original. Cool stuff!

To reach this price point you need to make these guitars overseas, of course. But what is most remarkable to me is how many different models of guitars and basses Eastwood manages to replicate. It is more than most large guitar companies can handle. Their warehouse must be a walk through history as you pass by each unique row of inventoried stock. From Wandres to Mostrites, from Airlines to Ovation electrics (remember the Preacher?) they cover a lot of territory. It is amazing.

I spoke with Eastwood President Mike Robinson, and we landed on a Classic 6 White

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I recommend with any guitar you purchase that you take it to a qualified service center and get the action set up like you like it and get the guitar intonated. This is especially true with most guitars from China, where this guitar was made. My only beef with the Classic 6 (and this is a small one considering how affordable this guitar is) was the pick-up selector toggle switch. It was a little wobbly semi-hollow electric guitar for this for my taste, although it still worked fine. review. Big stylish lines, pearl white finish, Overall, the guitar you get outweighs the gold hardware, and those cool looking money you spend for this Eastwood. A few pick-ups that say “vintage”. It certainly years back I reviewed a different Eastwood reminds me of an old Gretsch White Falcon. model and it was the same scenario. They do For this guitar Eastwood decided to focus a good job preserving the past and allowing on that famous 60’s Country Classic George folks to be able to more easily afford the Harrison look. They set out to develop an guitar in the first place. instrument with good balance and feel.

I am sure there are people out there who, Here are some stats, and then we will get to after buying one, would come back and buy the playing. The body is laminated maple with a few more different models. If you are easily bound F-holes. The pick-ups are EW-Retro swept away into collecting things, you may humbuckers (their own brand) and have want to be careful here. I can see at least six a 3-way switch. For controls you have two different models that would look cool hanging volumes and one master tone. The bridge is on my guitar wall. Lefties, wake up! Eastwood a fixed Tun-O-Matic, and the neck is bound makes a lot of left-handed models. maple set into the body. The fingerboard is rosewood and has a mother of pearl shark’s All Eastwood guitars come with a 3 year tooth design. The scale length is 24&3/4” and limited warranty. Guitars purchased directly the nut width is 1&5/8”. The Classic 6 sports from them (yes, they sell them to you on Gotoh style chrome tuners and the large harp their website) receive a no-questions-asked style tail-piece adds to the elegance of the return policy. Or, if you are located near an Eastwood Dealer, you can buy from the retail guitar’s iconic presentation. store at the same direct price as Eastwood Now for the playing… semi-hollows offer a offers online. lot of versatility in tones and playing styles.

You can toggle back and forth between rock Pound for pound this guitar is a deal and it and country, jazz and blues. Fooling around looks good to boot! with the different pick-up configurations and Street Price $529.00 (They offer this model the master tone knob can help you find that with a Bigsby as well for just $649.00 country twang and that jangle pop sound. www.EastwoodGuitars.com The neck on this Classic 6 has easy access all

CHRISTIANMUSICIAN.COM

Modern Rock Bass Lines (Part 7) It’s my hope that this series has helped you gain fresh perspectives and approaches for your modern rock worship bass grooves! As so many of the currently popular worship songs are based around eighth-note lines and 4-chord progressions, these ideas might help avert potential frustration or boredom among my fellow ministers of groove. :^)

provides some contrast to the pushes. The G# on the and of beat 3 is the 6th relative to B, but is the 5th relative to the upcoming chord change to C#m. See previous installments in this series for more info on this…but I really love this sort of line. It injects a bit of melody, tension/resolution, and interest to the bass line without playing an actual “lick” In this final installment, we’ll explore another (which could prove to be a distraction in this variation that incorporates many of the rock context). idioms we’ve been employing throughout Bar 4 creates more tension/resolution with this series (anticipations, inversions, slides, the root-b7 motion, while the rhythmic etc.). placement on the upbeats helps keep the Bar 1 has us laying down low root notes to feeling of drive or forward momentum. establish a nice foundation for the band. The Bar 5 is identical to Bar 1, except that we’re last eighth note anticipates the upcoming playing the E up at the 12th fret of the E string. chord change with the open E string—which is Experiment by playing that E at the 2nd fret ALWAYS a good note to play on a bass guitar! of the D string, or the 7th fret of the A string: th Bar 2 employs a slide on the and of beat 2 the latter is okay, but doesn’t the E at the 12 to take that E up an octave (this phrasing and fret have a certain tonal thickness that the motion on the upbeats are both idioms of others lack? In a rock setting, that timbre is a particularly beautiful thing. modern rock, right?).

Bar 7 involves the first inversion of B (B/D# - see earlier installments for more if you’re just joining us), before dropping to the root on the and of beat 3 and pushing the C#m in the last eighth note of the measure. That B root note also drops back down to the lower register, which should keep the band from looking for another bass player. ha!

Bar 8 repeats the figure we played in bar 4.

As with most of our examples throughout this series, this bass line incorporates a number of variations and would probably fit in most effectively later in the song after the chord motion has been firmly established.

I hope you’ll use this series as a launching point for your own creative explorations. Mix up the chord progression and come up with different ways to navigate the new changes while employing some of the ideas we’ve covered.

As always, record yourself playing these grooves with a click or drum machine, ensuring The chord change in bar 3 occurs right on the Bar 6 maintains that driving, high E before that the time and feel are rock solid and huge! downbeat (we don’t want to anticipate every anticipating the upcoming chord change on chord change or even that will get old!) and the last eighth note.

God bless and happy woodshedding! :^)

Bassic Communication Modern Rock Bass Lines (Part 7)

Norm Stockton

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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 freelancing (including tour dates with Bobby Kimball, former lead singer of TOTO). Look for his new book, The Worship Bass Book, published by Hal Leonard.

Also visit Norm at www.normstockton.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Leading Tones & Chords (Part 4) In this installment we will look beyond the simple two or three chord progressions. In fact, we’ll cover all seven notes of the Major scale in what is called the HARMONIZED SCALE. There is a lot of depth to this study, so hang onto your hats. In discussing music theory (and in using the Nashville Numbering System), scale degrees are often written in Roman Numerals (see the C Major scale below).

I II III IV V VI VII VIII

use of a sharp does not fit the C scale, so we have to make the D chord using F natural. This changes the chord to now become D minor (play a D min and see). So the I chord is Major and the II chord ends up being minor. Continuing now to the E chord (III), we have the same situation.

An E Major chord is spelled EG#B. We can’t use the sharp so we play EGB, which again makes the E chord minor. You should now continue in this study by working your way through all 7 notes of the scale to see what kind of chords you end up with. Compare your findings with the chart below.

C D E F G A B C Look first at how a Major scale is constructed (refer to the piano keyboard above). You can see that most white keys (natural notes) have black keys (sharps and flats) between them. The exceptions are between E&F and B&C. In the C Major scale, these ‘half steps’ come between III & IV and VII &VIII, right? This is the actual formula for a Major scale (8 notes in ascending order with half steps between 3&4 and 7&8, all the other intervals being whole steps). You may likely already know this, but here’s where it starts to get interesting. What would happen if we were to build chords based on every note of the scale? What we end up with is shown below:

It isn’t as simple as it looks though. Let’s examine this closely. When building any chord triad we stack up the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of its scale and play them together.

If you look at the first stack of notes built upon the tonic C note, what you see is CEG. These notes form a C major chord. Play any C chord you know on the guitar and figure out the note names of every note and you’ll see they are all C, E and G notes. So far, so good. However... look over at the next chord that is built on the D note. What we have is DFA. Remember that we are building the harmonized scale in the key of C. The problem with playing a regular D chord is that the F note is normally sharped (get a D chord in your hand and find the F#). This 12

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Notice on the VII chord, that the B Major chord would normally be spelled BD#F#. To make this fit the C Major scale, we have to lower both the D and the F, making it a B diminished chord. Okay, so let’s mull over what all of this actually means to us. No matter what key (of the 12 options) you’re in, there are 7 notes in the Major scale and only 7 possible chord triads that fit the key you’re in. The I, IV & V chords will be Major. The II, III and VI chords will be minor, and the VII chord will be diminished [NOTE: This doesn’t mean that you’ll never see a D Major chord in the key of C, but it’s not the norm]. There is so much more exciting ‘meat’ to this subject of harmonizing the scale, but we’re running out of space for now. Next time we’ll get deeper into it. For now, here are two things you can do on your own to deepen your knowledge and understanding. First, figure out all seven chords of the harmonized scale in all 12 keys on paper. It’ll take time and cause some head scratching, but it will be worth it. Then examine the way I have voiced the C harmonized scale on the guitar below and play through it. - 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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David freelances in and around Los Angeles and is This time around I am going to keep it I used to try to follow through Stravinsky currently playing for Franklin short because this chart will do the talking. scores in college just to improve my music Graham events worldwide.

I challenge you to listen to this wonderful reading. This is not anywhere near that He has played with Fernando song by Gungor and follow the drum chart. difficult, but it is good for all of us to get used Ortega, Sara Groves, Bebo Can you find any mistakes? If you want a pdf to following through a chart and making sense Norman, Tommy Walker, Lincoln Brewster, Thomas sent to you, email me and I’ll get it to you of it. Put on headphones and give it a go.

Dolby, The Righteous Brothers and Peter White (eieiowens@mac.com) Till next time …… Blessings 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.

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Stuffed Up Singers During the last year I have noticed a significant rise in the number of my students who suffer with allergies. Some just suffer with the symptoms, and others take action in dealing with it. I am very proud of one of my younger students who overcame her fear of the ultimate allergy treatment, “shots”.

She had to be aggressive with her treatment because her bookings are taking off. She is now frequently performing all over the southeast. Something had to be done with her allergies. Bless her heart; she is taking allergy shots once a week. But good news is on the horizon. An oral antidote is close to becoming a reality for her. Yeah!

Another student is in almost the same predicament. He is always stuffed up and sounding like he has “snottage” every time he attends a voice lesson. He did go to an ENT and is using a prescription nose spray. It is working, somewhat. He will have to be more proactive in the very near future because his career is really taking off. He is twenty-one years old and is already headlining at some places here in Atlanta that have launched the careers of some very famous singers. He will have to get more aggressive with his allergy treatment as time goes by.

Let’s now take a look at some action points in dealing with the allergy season. These suggestions will touch on some much ignored and little used approaches called “proactive prevention.” They are as follows: Increase exercise.

It may sound crazy to recommend to an allergy sufferer to go outside and battle airborne allergens. But exercise is known to build up and strengthen the physical immune response. If the pollen count is high you might want to wait until it falls to a lower number before you go out for that enjoyable walk. Here in Georgia the pollen count can get above 4000! That is the time to stay inside or go to a gym. When the pollen count gets extremely high in early April you can see many people taking a walk

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or doing their yard work while wearing cotton with this situation. masks. High pollen counts here in Georgia are Modify your diet. Be on the lookout for taken very seriously. You have to, or you get foods that contain flavonoids. Two of the sick. best are tomatoes and blueberries. Vitamin Wash your hands and face. It is always a A is another flavonoid that is found in many good idea to wash your hands often. It is a green leafy vegetables. Remember, you are very effective way to avoid getting sick. But what you eat. during allergy season one must pay close Use a saline spray. This is a particular attention to your face and eye area. I have favorite of my mine that I always strongly recently read that a product to use around recommend. A saline spray or nasal rinse is a your face and eyes is baby shampoo. Try very effective way to flush pollen or nature’s using a baby shampoo to wash your face and debris out of your nasal passages. It is a very eyes while in the shower. Sweat can trap the inexpensive way to combat seasonal allergies. pollen and other irritants in the creases of your Not everybody responds positively to the face. This is where they can become the most suggestion to use a saline spray. The worst are irritating. Baby shampoo is a safe product to my collegiate students. Maybe the next time wash away and eliminate the dirt, sweat, and I recommend this to them I should video their symptoms of pollen and allergy season. reactions and put it on YouTube. It would Vitamins and supplements.

Natural consist of much wailing, excuses, and whining nutritional supplements have been shown about putting saline in their nasal passages. time and again in published research to My goodness! be helpful in strengthening the immune Be a fighter when it comes to allergy season. system. A simple definition of the word Don’t give up before the pollen arrives. Do ‘allergy’ can best be described as being something about it. Get it before it gets you. caused by an immune system overreacting Maybe you will suffer less and your career will to pollen particles. Consider strengthening take off. It is worth a try. Now go sing well! your immune system with wholesome and nutritional supplements.

Roger Beale has been writing the Vocal Coach’s Corner for fifteen 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 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: voicehouse@mindspring.com.

Sleep. It is a wise person that attempts to strengthen his immune system by getting the proper amount of sleep. A person that gets a proper amount of sleep also has a better chance of managing the stress that exists in everyone’s life. Increasing the amount of sleep that a person gets can be easier said than done, but it needs to be done. Good nutrition can be a help in getting a quality rest and care of the when you finally find the time to sleep.

Limit dairy products. “But I really like ice cream!” I know, but dairy products create more and thicker phlegm. This can increase the amount of the allergy symptoms. You know . . . runny nose, coughing, and sore throat. A singer will have to find a way to deal

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Vicarious Living: When It’s Good; When it’s Not

by Rick Cua

I believe all of us live vicariously to one degree or another. Webster says this about vicarious: “Experienced or felt by watching, hearing about or reading about someone else instead of doing it yourself.” The question is, does that secondhand experience motivate us to achieve our own goals or simply satisfy us enough so we falsely believe that a moment of pleasure lived from the sidelines is all we need.

Watching them learn to crack the eggs, put in the ingredients in varying or even ridiculous amounts...Ha! We watch them roll the meatballs...sized from marbles to the occasional softball, and carefully place them in the frying pan. Then, the best part, they taste their creation, where it’s always “Can I have one more”. The small bit of vicariousness in this example is healthy because we are in the experience by teaching and coaching.

Ok, to be clear, living vicariously by They learn while we feel their pleasure and mentoring another to reach their goals and our own. full potential is great. There’s no problem with The other side of the spectrum can be within that. Whether it’s your child, another’s, or a the world of pageants. Stage mom’s and friend or student, your immediate reward is bleacher quarterbacks living their unfulfilled celebrating their victories and successes as dreams through their kids. Some of these you watch them learn and grow. Wonderful. parents aggressively push their children to That’s good for us and good for them to see succeed in an area that they have little interest our joy and approval. in. You’ve seen it.... red faced parents raging at Here is one of the many ways we celebrate their kids with disapproval while these young others through teaching; The culinary crown ones listen with quivering lips and hearts filled jewel in our family is meatballs. This is no small with rejection. Other than the unnecessary thing. “How do you make your meatballs” is trail of tears and years of future therapy, how one of the most commonly asked questions else can vicarious living potentially hinder you from Italian to Italian....not kidding here... from your full potential? Think of this: meatballs are a big deal! So, when our Grandkids, Luke (6) and Eva (3) as of this writing, turned three, the apron went on and the ingredients came out. The meat: everyday meatballs, use whatever you like or whatever is on sale, beef, beef and pork, even turkey (we can make it taste like beef) but, for special occasions, thirds of beef, pork and veal. Then the eggs, 2 for each pound of meat, grated cheese (not the cheap stuff) minced onion, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs (or bread soaked in milk and wrung out) salt, pepper, and whatever else makes them unique, i.e. your special ingredient. See what I did? I didn’t tell you what it is, but Luke and Eva know! And, some of you are already disagreeing with my recipe...I know you are.

You have a dream, a goal, a hope for your life based on something you love and have passion for. Alongside of that you have that familiar kind of fear that whispers to you, “You’re not good enough; that will never happen; there’s no way.” So, you find it easier and even safer to fulfill your desire through someone else’s success. And, that little bit of vicarious pleasure becomes the counterfeit experience that robs you of your destiny.

This happens all the time. Professional counselors hear these stories day after day at $100.00 an hour. Relationships are taxed because you just can’t get past the fact that you missed something and life just isn’t any fun. “Why am I here? What am I made for?” etc. Proverbs 13:12 reminds us that “Hope Diana and I get great joy from teaching deferred makes the heart sick” and the sad Luke and Eva how to do something we love. part is, that deferred hope may have been

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avoided. The rest of that verse says “But when desire comes it is a tree of life”.

While you may be able to enjoy a momentary emotional payoff through the career, calling, recreation, or passion of another, true joy comes from doing it yourself in your area of desire, expertise, and enthusiasm.

Sometimes discouragement is the spark that lights the fire. The musician, for example, hears someone play that is more accomplished than they are and they jokingly quip, “I’m never playing my instrument again”. Unfortunately for some, that casual comment may come to pass. or at the least slow them down enough that their ramped up vicarious enjoyment trespasses on their time to improve and grow.

Every one of us has something that sets us apart. Some unique mix of personality, talent, and gifting in percentages that were designed for each of us exclusively. There’s not one, not even one life that doesn’t have purpose either jumping out in front of you or anxiously waiting for permission to launch just below the surface.

Go ahead, cheer your friends on, celebrate the accomplishments of others, but please, develop what God’s given you so that fresh victories and the drive to make them real will forever be yours.

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.

BLIZZARD OF BASS

RUDY SARZO

by Steven DOuglas LOsey

Certain bass players epitomize certain things, and there’s one thing that Rudy Sarzo symbolizes: hard rock and heavy metal. Sarzo has played with bands like Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Ronnie James Dio, Blue Oyster Cult, and his current stint with Geoff Tate’s Queensryche has him touring the world, pulling out a Spector Bass to play Queensryche’s “Operation Mindcrime” to a “T”.

Sarzo was the last bassist to play with the legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, and he was part of Quiet Riot when Metal Health became the first hard rock album to go to number one. He was in Whitesnake when they scored a career’s worth of hits. He even wrote a book called “Off the Rails”, detailing life on the road with Ozzy Osbourne. Sarzo is passionate about the bass, crazy about getting the right sound, and faithful to the calling that God has put on his life.

brings out the natural sounds and tones of my bass. I’m also really excited that the beginners “God is my agent and my manager because and the intermediate players will be able to He’s brought me all of these blessings.” afford it as well.

I hear you have a new Peavey Signature Bass?

Yeah it’s my third Peavey Signature Bass.

Mike Powers and I had been working on it for three years. It was an evolution and quite a journey as far as putting together a musical instrument. I’m really proud of what Mike and I were able to do. It really has the features of a two thousand dollar bass, but it has a list price of $699. It really gives the customer a bang for their buck.

What’s special about it?

We’ve actually introduced something called the Power Plate. It’s a metal plate embedded in the headstock to increase sustain and prevent dead spots on the fret board. It’s amazing because it really does the job of a compressor, specifically helping a lot with sustain and volume. I’ve always used a compressor and had to overdrive it a bit to get the tone that I wanted. With this it really 20

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What was your first “pro” bass?

It was actually a Fender Jazz Bass that I bought in 1967. I was playing what is actually considered a collectable. That took me from playing in the garage and playing blues to actually going on the road with Ozzy. Having that made me realize that musicians really need to have an instrument that inspires them that really helps to inspire them to play and to get better on their musical journey. You should be a pleasure playing your instrument; it should never be something that you have to wrestle with.

It sounds like you have experience with that?

Well, I do a lot of music camps and I meet a lot of young musicians, and their parents typically buy them an instrument that is not very inspiring. I ask them, “How do you play this thing?” I’ve been playing for decades and some of these basses I can’t even play. It’s just

CHRISTIANMUSICIAN.COM

that I’ve always been inspired to play music, to get up in the morning and pick up my bass guitar, and I just feel like this is an opportunity to put a great bass in the hands of these musicians and help give them the potential to be a gigging musician.

You’ve always been a cat with stage presence. How did you develop that through the years?

Mostly by going to see a lot of shows in Florida early on. I realized a lot of bands were touring, and Florida seemed to be the last stop on a lot of tours for some reason, so I saw a lot of shows where there were pranks and people were drunk and I made a promise to myself, “Never be one of those guys.” Every night on stage, to me, is the Super bowl. It may be the only chance someone has to ever see you. Musicians, unlike athletes, just don’t have the luxury of striking out or having a bad game or a bad show. The difference is Derek Jeter can have a bad game and strike out in a key situation and come back the next day in the same city and hit a home run. Musicians don’t have that luxury; we have to make every single show count; we have to have the

beings I’d ever met. He was kind, not only to me, but to everyone he was in contact with.

What gets Rudy Sarzo excited about music?

Definitely creating music itself. I love looking at my musical roots, and then also looking ahead. I mean, look at the Internet . . . every musician including me has the potential to be great. There’s so much information to be able to improve your musicianship. I have so many beautiful instruments to play that the inspiration of the instrument helps me. I’ve been using my Spector since touring with Queensryche. I have a D’Anjelico Bass, an “F” Bass, a Gibson EB Bass . . . These are instruments that, when I go in the studio, I have all these sounds and tones to play with. I love to look around and find what bass sounds best on the particular tunes.

What does Rudy Sarzo bring to Queensryche?

perfect game every single night, and that’s not. Because it’s a personal journey, no one how you have longevity and a long career. can make you believe in anything unless you What’s the coolest thing about playing want to believe. In the late 70’s my spiritual journey and my musical journey paralleled for so many legendary bands? themselves. I couldn’t have had a musical I have been blessed to play with some of journey without the spiritual journey, and that the greatest storytellers in the business: Ozzy, is the most important one. I consider my Ronnie James Dio, David Coverdale, and whole life to be my spiritual journey. I know currently Geoff Tate with with Queensryche. every single human being on this planet I got to tell you, to me, one of the biggest has one destiny and that’s to take care of blessings about being in a band is having one each other. I do that with music, by fulfilling that has great lyrics. I get lost in the lyrics. my dreams and passions and doing what I There’s nothing like standing next to Ronnie love. I’ve always considered it my path, my James Dio as he’s singing “Man on the Silver destiny, and helping to give people a voice.

Mountain”, there are so many journeys and stories that he was singing about. We’ve been When you joined Ozzy the Blizzard performing “Operation Mindcrime” with of Oz album has an upside down cross Queensryche, and I got to tell you it’s one of on it, and Dio’s logo upside down says the most amazing experiences to be onstage ‘Devil’. How did you justify that? and be part of that incredible storyline.

Ozzy’s not the anti-Christ. The guy says, “God bless you” several times a show, and When did you come to know Christ? he means it. They’re just playing characters.

My relationship with God has always been It’s so funny, the guys in Black Sabbath never the most important thing. Early on when I was wore upside crosses, but they did wear trying to make it as a musician, I mean feeding many normal crosses. What I think they myself and being able to put a roof over my actually do is bring awareness that there is a head, not fast cars and living in a mansion God and that he exists. A lot of the themes . . . real early on God was always the most are trying to find meaning to a relationship important thing to me. I remember that was with God. I spent two years on the road about the time I got the call to play with Ozzy with Ozzy and was treated the kindest I’ve and I had peace because I knew it was God ever been. If you wanted to look up the that put that in my life. definition of what a Christian is, that’s the type of life saw lived. He’s always played a How do God and rock and roll coexist? character like Vincent Price or Bela Lugosi.

Religion is something to me that’s incredibly Ronnie ( James Dio) was one of the kindest personal. You’re either going to get it or your people and one of the most amazing human

Well, I think it’s the same elements I bring to any band: definitely attention to detail, down to the sound of my instrument. For the first time I’m playing Spector Basses because they are synonymous with the era we are covering with the band, which is the Operation Mindcrime era. Even though I’m endorsed by Peavey, I didn’t think those were the appropriate sounds to be an asset for

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Queensryche. As a bassist, not only did I need to contribute by playing the parts, but also by sounding like the right part as well. Little elements like that really add up. Any musician that joins a new band should cover all elements and make it seamless. To me, coming into a group, you should always try to fill in that piece of the puzzle that’s missing at the time, so I try to mold myself to fit in seamlessly at the time. As time goes on and we grow as a group I can extend from there, but every time I join a new project I do everything I can with my contributions to make things as seamless as possible.

What were some other things you had to do to fit in with so many other bands?

I took a whole different approach with Quiet Riot because we were starting from scratch. When you start from scratch you can look around at the elements and figure out what the band is all about and go from there and contribute as needed. At that point you can give a lot more of yourself from the very beginning, and you’re free to make your own statement. When I came to play with Ozzy there were already two albums recorded. Even though we started touring on the Blizzard of Oz record, Diary of a Madman was already in the can waiting to be released.

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I was playing with (drummer) Tommy Aldridge who had his own style. It was interesting listening to the albums and hearing those bass parts and trying to adapt that to playing with Tommy, who didn’t play on the album. I had the essence of everything that was recorded, but I had to adapt those bass parts. It was the same with Whitesnake, I actually got to play with Tommy again and do the same thing. With Dio it was cool because he had been performing a catalog that went all the way back to Rainbow and earlier stuff like “Man on the Silver Mountain.” That’s thirty-five years worth of material, so of course I’m going to play it a little bit differently and give it my own slant. Even Ronnie sang the material a little bit differently then he did in the seventies with Rainbow.

It’s really a combination of each musicians individual growth in the band. In Quiet Riot, the last time I played with them was 2004, and we never really played Metal Health like it was recorded. Even touring on the Metal Health album in 1983, we still didn’t play them live exactly like we recorded them.

Lastly, what does faith mean to you?

Faith, to me, is the absence of fear. I try to remove 100% of the fear in my life. I replace it with faith. Whether it’s my playing, my life, or faith in any business decision that I’m going to make, remove the fear. One of the exercises that I do is I realize the only thing in our life that we can actually control is our thoughts, and thoughts become action. Whether it’s with our families, our finances, our spirituality, our state of being . . .everything. I’ve learned to always keep a positive thought in my mind because there’s a good possibility if your not thinking positively that it will easily be replaced by a negative thought, and that’s what creates fear. That’s how negative things in your life come to be, they come out of your head. When I was laying on a sheet in Kevin Dubrows (Quiet Riot vocalist) apartment in a spare bedroom I made peace with God. I told God if I didn’t make it as a musician that would be fine. I knew my relationship with God was the most important thing in my life.

I knew as long as my fingers kept playing that I would keep going. That was like my sign to keep doing what I was doing. That was the time that all fear in my life was replaced with faith. Ever since that moment my journey has been accompanied by my faith. I know my faith makes this entire journey possible.

You’ve played with a lot of monster drummers over the years; have you learned some specific things from anyone in particular?

Yeah, I’m a different bass player with different drummers, mainly because I have to lock in.

They’re the conductor of the band, from having to count off to making sure everybody’s ready to move on. In Queensryche, I’m always aware of the count coming in from Simon (Wright.)

It’s my responsibility to always be ready and to watch for his body language. There’s just little elements that I’ve picked up over the years, specifically - learn your drummers body language. Really good conductors are always emoting with their bodies, making certain emphasis on the downbeat. A great drummer does that. I can watch a great drummer and never get lost because they will always help me know what’s coming up next. If they are going to do a fill, I’ll know by the way they’ll move their shoulders, or by the way their hips will swivel. Great drummers are almost like dancing on their stool.

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Steven Douglas Losey is a national rock journalist who writes for Modern Drummer and other player magazines. He wrote a three-year column with Christian Musician Magazine, along with cover stories on Dave Ellefson, Brian “Head” Welch, Mike Huckabee, Billy Ray Cyrus, and others.

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THE WORSHIP GUITAR BOOK The Goods, The Gear, and The GifTinG for The Worship GuiTarisT

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selective hearing

by Shawn McLaughlin

Rivers in the Wasteland Needtobreathe Lava/Atlantic Records With a sound that adds effective modern grace notes to an Americana/Southern rootsrock skeleton, Needtobreathe has successfully straddled the line between Christian market relevance and mainstream success over the course of its 4 albums, often struggling to find that perfect balance of being subtle enough for the mainstream crowd while packing enough spiritual depth to satisfy the Christian radio “Jesus mentions per song” quota. With Rivers in the Wasteland, the band decided to simplify everything, as the sound is stripped back to a largely acoustic foundation; while lyrically, they are far less oblique in their gospel message than the past few releases. Needtobreathe open with the titular “Wasteland”, a contemplative, rootsy charmer written for those of us who feel like our lives are wasting away. The band sensitively reminds us that God has not given up on us. Most moving are these lines: “In this wasteland where I’m livin’, there’s a crack in the door and it’s filled with light, and it’s all that I need to get by.” The record’s title is taken from Isaiah 43:19 where Yahweh promises Israel that He is about to do something new, making rivers out of wastelands, and the songs of this new album are anchored upon such a promise. “Rise Again” continues this theme of positive change, while “State I’m In” adds musical intrigue with a fugue-like vocal intro, very influenced by classic Beach Boys harmony arrangements, that swiftly becomes a loping, slide-guitar fueled romp through indie-pop and blues territory. “The Heart” is a finely executed blend of 70’s southern rock and Mumford and Sons style modern folk that continues in a hopeful vein with a somewhat utopian slant. “Difference Maker” utilizes a gentle, acoustic guitar figure as singer, Bear Rinehart eloquently and decisively declares his faith: “Isn’t it amazing how God can take a broken man, and let him find a fortune and then ruin it with his own two hands, and he climbs on up the hill on the Rock on which he stands, He looks back at the crowd he looks down at his hands and he says I am a Difference Maker, I am the only one who speaks to Him, and I am the friendliest of friends of God.” 24

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This, in essence, is what is most refreshing about Rivers in the Wasteland: It represents the band’s movement from the darker hues of The Outsiders and Reckoning into songs that penetrate the heart with lessons that are born of real life experience and truths ripped directly from scripture, giving the listener a unique perspective that satisfies on an earthly level while simultaneously pointing to the eternal.

Welcome to the New Mercy Me Fair Trade In a similar vein as Needtobreathe, Mercy Me also spent their last album (The Hurt and the Healer) in a fairly contemplative mood and, with Welcome to the New, also addresses the subject of change and the idea of freedom in Christ. While the former stripped down their sound to its simplest form, Mercy Me celebrates its new found freedom by turning up the volume a notch or two and significantly expanding their sonic palette. As a concept, this was a shrewd move as change is the single most pervasive theme on the album. From the opening title track (“It’s like you’re seeing grace / In a brand new light / For the first time”) to the finishing “Dear Younger Me” (“Dear younger me … do I go deep / And try to change / The choices that you’ll make ‘cause they’re choices that made me”) the theme of being made new is covered in some way in every song. So, it makes sense to pair this with the bands most musically diverse set of songs on record. The first single, “Shake” is a paean to change in the form of excessively danceable, ersatz rock-a-billy. Elsewhere, indie folk/pop (“Greater”), fuzzed-out aggressive dance rock (“Gotta Let Go”, borrowing from the same musical toolbox as U2’s “Vertigo) feedback drenched modern blues (“New Lease of Life”) club focused dance beats (“Burn Baby Burn”) and even classic soul with the Bart Millard’s sturdily sung “Wishful Thinking”. Of course, there are a couple of typical radio ballads in “Finish What You Started” and “Flawless” but even these have additional aural/production heft in comparison with past work. The great news is that Mercy Me creates one of the most thematically consistent albums in recent memory. The not so great news is that the

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constant genre hopping causes a kind of sonic whiplash, as it can be a little disorienting going from style to style. But, there is no denying that the band has definitely progressed impressively from their CHR rut with songs that sound little like standard Christian radio fare. And that is a good thing, indeed.

Sun and Shield Peter Furler Band Independent www.peterfurler.com With the news that Furler was participating in long awaited Steve Taylor musical project, came the surprise announcement of his own new record under the auspices of The Peter Furler Band. Made up of Furler, Former Newsboy/Superchick member Dave Ghazarian on guitar, and Jeff Izirarry on drums, the band harkens back somewhat to the salad days of Furler’s former band. Produced by Furler and Steve Taylor (with lyrical help from the master himself) Sun and Shield eschews the programmed, dance feel of 2011’s On Fire for a more contained, 3 piece band, pop/ rock feel. “So High” and “Dare I Say” are guitar driven rockers with propulsive choruses and represent, probably, the best material on the album. In fact, there is really no filler or significant misstep throughout Sun and Shield, yet the rest of the material, while pleasant, fails to reach the highs of these two songs.

“Right Wrong Girl” is lyrically subversive (and kind of strange) but not particularly tuneful, while a song like “Yeshua” hits the right note for a congregational worship moment, and features Furler’s father in law, the legendary Mylon Lefevre. Yet, it also fails to really take flight. And, while isn’t the most unified effort I’ve ever heard, it is far from disjointed and lacks any significant lackluster effort or filler.

The truth is, Sun and Shield is very hard to dislike, offering enough strong moments that bear similarity to classic Newsboy material circa Take Me To Your Leader and Going Public, giving it a certain pleasing, nostalgic feel.

We are the Monks The Monks Independent/ www.wearethemonks.com A strong entry in the roots/Americana genre, We are the Monks is a duo made up of Trent and Shellie Monk. Trent is the musical force on the record as he writes the material and plays multiple instruments.

But, after being part of the well-regarded duo Monk and Neagle, Monk scratched out a living as a songwriter and session player and, eventually, found himself doing everything from carpentry work to waiting tables while attending culinary school. Shortly after marrying, Shellie joined Trent on the road and, gradually, started adding harmonies and percussion to Trent’s shows. Realizing that he wanted his wife by his side musically as well as in everyday life, the two soon became a permanent duo act. We are the Monks displays Trent’s supple leads and compelling way with simple, effective song structure, as well as strong contributions from a myriad of notable special guests, from production work by Mitch Dane (with help from Ed Cash) and even mastering by Jars of Clay’s Matthew Odmark. Stephen Mason and Charlie Lowell, of Jars, also contribute various stringed instruments and keys respectively, Will Sayles mans the drum kit and the amazing Jason Eskridge contributes backing vocals. Songs range from the seemingly autobiographical story of family, stepping out in faith (“Here We Go”) to plainspoken, but genuine songs of reverence and devotion to Christ (“These Arms” and “Heavy Load” amongst others. My favorite track is the lovely “Slow Dance”, a stirring testimony of purpose and endurance.

The project ends with the triumphant Mumford and Sons-like “Rise” a call to live a life full of purpose and relevance. An utterly charming entry in the roots music fray, We are the Monks extols the virtue of relationship and the simplicity of the gospel message in a simple but powerful way.

If We’re Honest Francesca Battistelli Word If We’re Honest is Francesca Battistelli’s 3rd record and reflects the growth evident in a woman who has had to refine her faith while learning to balance a burgeoning career with the challenges of womanhood, including

marriage and becoming a mom. It will come as no surprise that, along with songs that describe the whirlwind that is the day to day when balancing family and career (“When the Crazy Kicks In”), testimonies of lifechanging faith (“Unusual”, Choose to Love”, “Giants Fall”), and the churches tendency to downplay the role struggle and brokenness play in one’s faith journey (the title track), a lot of what Battistelli writes (with co-writers like producer, Ian Eskelin, Mia Fields, Seth Mosley and Matt Hammit from Sanctus Real) reflect her reliance on the sovereignty, care, and complete faithfulness of God. “Write Your Story”, “He Knows My Name”, “Choose to Love”, “Run to Jesus”, “Find Rest” all poignantly reflect a reliance on the hope that a relationship with The Living God promises

the believer. Along with the a strong thematic unity throughout, Batistelli and Eskelin subtly augment her typical keyboard-centric pop sound with surprisingly tasty and tough guitar touches, from soulful rhythm patterns to understated slide and pedal steel accents.

What we have, then, on If We’re Honest is a solid entry that will certainly please Christian radio programmers while garnering a few new fans along the way.

I’m Not Your Suicide Michael Sweet Big 3 Records Sweet’s first real rock solo album since 2000’s Truth, the new, I’m Not Your Suicide covers a

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wide range of styles and moods as Sweet self produces and manages to make the myriad of genres hold together surprisingly well. His easily identifiable vocals and guitar style are key to this unified sound, as he effortlessly covers Stryper-esqe rock/metal (“Taking On the World Tonight”, “Anyone Else” “Unsuspecting”), melodic hard rock with a heartland feel (“The Cause”, “Miles Away”, “Strong”) Psychedelic pop (“This Time” featuring background vocals from Kevin Max) and even some country rock, replete with whining pedal steel guitars (“Coming Home” and the Neil Young classic, “Heart of Gold” which introduces Electra Mustaine – yes, daughter of Megadeth’s Dave – on harmony vocals). The songs are what you would expect from Sweet: anthemic, sweeping melodies and lyrics that encourage authenticity and being true to yourself while remaining devoted to Christ. The title cut is a song focused on combatting the effects of bullying, encouraging the victims to access their Godgiven strength, remembering the beautiful

plan He has for their lives. There is no doubt in my mind that fans of Stryper will love this disc, but Sweet throws enough curve balls that it could open up a whole new world of fans for him.

There’s a Light Liz Vice Deeper Well Collective/ www.noisetrade.com/ lizvice/theres-a-light Call this the surprise of the month. Liz Vice is a singer/songwriter based in Portland, Oregon and affiliated with the Deeper Well collective, home to artists such as Josh White, Josh Garrels and Eric Earley (Blitzen Trapper). Earley and White are involved in the production and writing of this record. Vice was first heard as a vocalist on the Deeper Well album Wounded Healer by The Following (White and Earley), a terrific worship album in the style of 70’s classic rock. Vice channels the classic soul singers

AL

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of the 60’s like Irma Thomas, Aretha, Gladys Knight, and others. Earley says ““Recorded almost entirely live to analog tape over the spring and summer of 2013 in Portland, OR, this album is a gospel-fueled nod to the R&B / soul records of the 60′s and 70′s – modern enough not to be “throw back”, but classically influenced enough to feel timeless.” Indeed there are echoes of modern artists like Joss Stone, Adele, and Sharon Jones, so this record, which is full of simple declarations of praise to the Lord, should appeal to anyone who loves great singing and classic soul stylings.

Shawn McLaughlin is a hard-working, dedicated, tireless worshipper of Christ.

ARTIST MANAGEMENT

by Mike Smith

I have been an artist manager for over 30 years. I have represented a wide range of talent, from rock and pop bands and comedians to children acts and almost everything in between. Like most managers, I had to learn the business by trial and error in an industry that does not tolerate mistakes well. It has been difficult.

right? Not necessarily.

I made a list recently of all the entities involved in an artist’s career. I counted over twenty - each with a unique function in the professional life of an artist. A manager has to understand how each of these entities function and interact with one another. That’s the basis of his advice and counsel. Most of But isn’t anything worthwhile difficult? The those areas are also where the manager finds problem is, there is not a prescribed course or opportunities to exploit the artist’s career. way to learn artist development. So, I learned Perhaps a visual illustration will help describe the business by getting lots of bloody noses the process. Imagine the manager as a and skinned knees - the old fashioned way. marching band director. His job is to keep all With every misstep I moved a little closer to of these entities in time and in harmony while feeling more confident. Eventually, I came not running over one another. He has to know to understand that there is no “one way” to how each instrument is played and how to manage a career. I work in a field of creativity make beautiful music from a group of soloists where nothing is “standard.” I had to learn to (while they are all moving!). be creative and flexible with my approach to Each entity associated with an artist’s career artist management. development is self-serving in some way I was asked to write a piece for this or another. A manager has to be the one publication that would help independent person who can help make decisions based artists understand the role and function of on the overall career of the artist. To do an artist manager, so let me take a stab at this effectively, a manager must be familiar describing the job. with how each entity operates and how An artist manager’s function is basically they exploit and contribute to things that twofold. Part of his role is to give expert give exposure and opportunity to “sell their advice, guidance, and counsel to the artists product”. he represents. The other part is to find and For example, a record label is primarily exploit opportunities for the artist’s successful interested in selling records; a booking agent career development. Sounds simple enough, is interested in booking more dates, and a

publicist in getting more media coverage.

So someone has to remain objective about making decisions that affect the outcome of overall growth and success. That would be the manager’s job.

Sometimes the manager acts as a coach and teaches an artist how to make their art more effective in every area. Sometimes he’s a counselor and adviser. Other times he’s a friend and supporter giving encouragement when needed and a boot in the behind when necessary. In all areas he should have a passionate belief in the music and artists he represents.

The best advice I can give an artist is to find a manager who is experienced and well connected in all areas of the entertainment business. But more importantly, I recommend that an artist find someone who is a great diplomat and committed to constant and never-ending improvement for himself and you. Even a smart and passionate first time manager can take you a long way. Find someone who’s always got your back.

Complicated and intricate are a few words that describe the role of manager. Of course it’s a lot more than what I can describe here.

For anyone interested in more details, I’ve launched a video teaching course that explains artist management in depth. You can find out details at: artistmanagement.kajabi.com.

Mike Smith is a renowned artist manager who has spent over 30 years representing artist like Salvador, Jacki Valasquez, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, Go Fish, Brad Stine and Chonda Pierce to name a few. When it comes to artist development, he is know as an outside the box thinker who has worked in all aspects of the entertainment industry.

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GIFTS, SEASONS & RIVERS

By Tommy Coomes

We are a unique people with a powerful calling. We want to honor God, live up to our potential, and follow Him into the great unknown. Understanding God and His ways can be tricky. Working with people can be problematic. Life can be confusing at times if we don’t understand three things: Gifts, seasons, and rivers.

don’t learn how to do this we run the risk of Compass (Essential Tools For Artists.) becoming bitter. We don’t want to go there.

We are gifted and creative people with the Over the years I’ve made the mistake of potential to impact millions in this world with thinking that there was only one season to a song, a moment, or a recording. It’s what my life and work. I’ve erred by thinking that we do and what we hope for. It’s a grand what I was doing was the “High calling” and adventure and, like Abraham, God doesn’t would last until Jesus returned. That made it always disclose the details – He just says, hard for me to let go and transition to the next “Follow me.”

One of my favorite books of the Bible is season that God had planned for me. I hope Keep listening and learning, celebrate your Ephesians. It helps me remember that every I’ve learned that lesson. gifts and the gifts of others. Remember the person and every gift is important. Every Proverbs 19:21 essentially says, “The mind two rivers and follow where He leads. member contributes to the unity of our faith. of man ponders his path, but the Lord Encouraging each other is essential to our well directs his steps.” Every good thing that has being, both personally and corporately. To happened to me has been an answer to my Copyright ©2014 Tommy Coomes me, it’s about gifts, teamwork, and respect. deepest longings and prayers, but always All Rights Revered. Used by permission.

I don’t do my best work alone – I do it in came in a different way than I’d imagined. community. As The Beatles rightly said, “I am (Isn’t that just like God!) I didn’t see it coming Tommy Coomes is a pioneer and innovator in Christian Music you, you are me, and we are all together.” and it was always better than I’d hoped for. and still touring with Love Song in the USA and The Tommy Coomes Band and Franklin Graham Festivals around the world.

He is committed to encouraging the next generations of talented artists, songwriters, musicians and Dealing with disappointments, pain, and I hope to stay tuned in for what’s ahead. worship leaders through his company called Music problems seems designed to do one thing One of my passions is to help encourage Compass.

– get us to look up. Moses dealt with big and mentor the next generations of talented He can be reached at problems and ornery people every day. artists, songwriters, and worship leaders www.TommyCoomesBand.com and at Coomesie@aol.com.

A wonderful theologian and professor of Hebrew, Dr. Ronald Allen, once told a group of our songwriters that, “Most Christians labor under an illusion. They think that because God is good that life is supposed to be good.

That’s not what the Bible teaches. Cover to cover the Bible teaches us that, like Two Rivers running parallel, God is good, but life is tough.”

It also seemed to come at a transition time and demanded venturing out in faith, not knowing what would happen as a result. Love Song, Maranatha! Music, The Praise albums, The Praise Band (Now the Tommy Coomes Band), working with Greg Laurie and Harvest Crusades, Promise Keepers, Dr. Billy Graham, and Franklin Graham have been some of the greatest experiences of my life.

He constantly turned to God for help. If we through a new entity I’ve started called Music

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MAKING A GREAT SOUNDING RECORD step three

Drums: Finding the Foundation

by Matt Kees

I strongly feel that drums can make or break a great sounding record. They must be performed well; they must be recorded well; they must be mixed well. If there’s one place you don’t want to skimp, it would be in the area of tracking drums.

There’s a reason why some session drummers are in high demand… They are simply that good. They’ve put in their 10,000+ hours and drumming is second nature to them. These drummers know how to read a chart, they understand music theory, and can perform a variety of styles. It’s much easier for an engineer/producer to track a highly qualified drummer than it is a drummer with little studio experience. It saves time and money to track a pro.

If you don’t have the luxury to hire a pro, but have a great drummer available, go for it. Just make sure they rehearse a LOT before coming into the studio. Drum tracks need to be solid. As the title of this article states, the drums are the foundation.

As is the case with any instrument, make sure you track drums that serve the song. You don’t want to track ‘heavy metal’ drums sounds for a soft ballad (well, that could sound cool. . .) and you don’t want to track soft jazz drums for a power anthem, right? Right.

Recording drums can be fun, and it can be daunting. The first thing you need is a decent room in which to track your drums. I currently don’t have a room to track drums effectively, but I have tracked drums in my studio.

It works, but it’s not ideal. You need space. I don’t have a lot of space. An important thing to consider is the ‘liveliness’ of the room. Are there are lot of hard surfaces? The more hard surfaces there are, the more ‘live’ the room. A smaller room will make for a tighter sound. The larger the room you have, the bigger the sound, and the more experimenting you can do with room mics.

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It is important to have good mics for tracking drums. You’ll want a large diaphragm dynamic mic for your kick. You can get decent kick drum mics for under $200, but as always, you get what you pay for. I recommend the AKG D112, the Shure Beta 52, an Audix D6, or the Sennheiser e 602 II. It certainly helps when you get a mic designed for those low frequencies, and you will notice the difference. You can use the ever-popular workhorse Shure SM 57 on the snare and toms. If I had a few more dollars in my coffers, I’d use Sennheiser 421‘s on the toms. As for hi-hats, overheads, and room mics, you will want some decent condenser mics, preferably in stereo pairs for overheads and room mics. Here’s where you can drop some serious coin… but it’s not entirely necessary. Shure, AKG, AudioTechnica, Audix, Sennheiser, and Neumann all make great mics. You probably don’t want to spend less than $200 per mic.

Now, if you’re making a home studio project, you’re wondering, “How can I afford all those mics?” Well, there are options. And these options can sound great. I recently tracked some drums with 4 mics: a kick, snare, and two overheads. It sounds great! The challenge here is mic placement.

When I think of mic placement, I figuratively put my ear where the mic is and imagine what I would hear if my ear were where that mic is. Sometimes I literally put my ear there, but be careful not to lose your hearing! Mics are designed to withstand some serious SPL (sound pressure levels), unlike our ears.

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Typically, I place the kick mic in the drum, or poking through a port in the front while facing the beater head. I put the snare mic a couple inches up from the head near the edge, pointed toward the center of the drum.

If mic’ing the bottom of the snare to get the ‘snares’, remember to switch polarity to avoid phase cancellation. Mic your toms in a similar fashion as you do the snare (top only). I mic the hi-hat with a condenser pointed straight down at the cymbal, a few inches above the hat’s highest point when released. A great way to mic overheads is to put them in an XY configuration above the kit. This will get a stereo image with very little risk of phase cancellation.

Now, for me, getting good drums sounds should be mostly about mic placement. I don’t like to do a lot of electronic ‘treatment’ of drums before ‘printing’ to tape, if you know what I mean. Capture a good sound first! Use compression, gating, and additional EQ in the mix (since we’re recording digitally). If we were recording to tape, you might consider using those tools when recording, simply because you may not have all the compressors you need in the mix.

There’s another issue to consider when recording great sounding drums. Good drum sounds start with good sounding drums, tuned well. Make sure your drummer has had a chance to tune their drums before you record. This might require new heads (in this case, consider buying some great Evans heads from worshipguitarplayer.com).

In project studios, like mine, I am not always able to track much more than a drum kit in one session. I just don’t have the inputs. I typically try to have someone perform a scratch guitar/vocal track, or even have a pre-production track available to play along with while tracking drums. A pre-production track would include vocals, guitar or keys, and maybe a drum loop. Either way, I highly recommend using a click track/metronome in the drummer’s headphones so we can stay as close to the tempo as possible.

how I single mic the snare

I have also used sampled drum sounds in my recording sessions. I use

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StudioOne by PreSonus as my digital audio workstation, and it comes uniquely bundled with Melodyne. Melodyne is typically used as a pitch correction plugin, but it can also be used as a quantization plug-in, and can even be used to change audio recorded sounds to midi data. For example, I can take all of the kicks in the kick drum track, transform them via Melodyne, and then drop the rhythmic Melodyne file into a midi track with a drum instrument, like Addictive Drums. It’s an amazing option to have in my toolbox if I need to change a drum sound… wow! Most digital audio workstations also give you the option to ‘quantize’ the audio drum files if need be. A note of caution: it should go without saying that if you quantize the kick, snare, or toms in their individual tracks, that you also quantize those drums in the overhead and/or room tracks. You’ll start hearing ‘double’ if you don’t.

Once you’ve tracked some great sounding drums, the next step is mixing. If drums are recorded well, you will need fewer adjustments in the mix. However, some good compression and a little EQ can go a long

cymbals… I’ll roll those off anywhere between 12-15kHz. I will send all the drum tracks to a stereo buss, where I can do some additional compression for the entire kit.

the kit in my studio

way to provide some punch and presence in the mix. I love the CLA compressor plug-ins

by Waves. With regard to EQ, there aren’t too many secret frequencies to sweeten or decrease, because it really depends on the rest of your mix. That said, I am a fan of high pass filters to kill the ‘mud’. (A high pass filter rolls off the low end - it lets the “high” frequencies “pass”). I don’t take a lot out of the kick, but maybe start rolling it off around 40-50 Hz. I also like to get rid of low-mid mud around 250-350 Hz. I also like lo-pass filters on the overhead, because I’m not a fan of ‘harsh’

When it comes to ambience, try using your room mic tracks to create ‘space’ before using too much reverb. I rarely, if ever, put any reverb on the kick drum. Anytime you use too much of something, you run the risk of ruining the recorded sound. Typically, I only put reverb on the snare, and a little on the toms. I don’t usually put reverb on the overheads or rooms, either.

Now, these are not rules…these are just suggestions. Your drum mix should serve the song. If you set your foundation with a solid drum track, the rest of your song will benefit.

Matt Kees is the Lead Guitarist for The Elevators, Director of the Christian Musician Summit conferences and Owner/ Producer at SmithBuilt Studio in Frederickson, WA. www.mattkees.com

Continued on page 34.

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I played baseball in high school and college, and I was pretty good! I was All-State my senior year of high school and we went to the state finals in 1980. In 1981 I was scouted by the Baltimore Orioles and had the opportunity to spend much of the season as batting practice pitcher. What a thrill for me, I was 19 at the time, and being exposed to the game at a professional level was quite the experience. Turns out, I was never drafted and soon gave up my dream pursuit. I was disillusioned, bitter, dejected, and felt it was not how good you were, it was about who you knew and politics.

needs to be on American Idol or The Voice.)

When I think of the word professional, it means being consistent with a high degree of accuracy or proficiency. For example, I can go to the driving range and hit a golf ball straight 300 yards 1 or 2 times per bucket of balls. Tiger Woods can do it every single time.

I turned my attention from baseball to music, That is what I’m talking about! Consistency at which is ironic because I hear from musicians that level comes from a huge commitment to and artists every now and then who feel this practice and conditioning. has also happened to them. The realization For most of us, we’re never going to play of what I had felt at that time was at the core the game in the professional arena. So the of my desire to create an organization who question remains. Do we play the game at all? valued all artists and musicians and provide Do we go up to the gates at the stadium, bang an avenue for them to present their content on the door and yell, “Let me in, I want to play to the world, called Indieheaven. And here here!”? Wouldn’t you agree with me that this we are 17 years later! looks rather delusional? Do we spend our So many lessons to be learned that I want to time in bitterness rather than better-ness? share with you, but the takeaway is this; you The easy way out is to be bitter, jaded, cynical, should never let your dream or desire die and blame the music industry gatekeepers because you feel rejected by the “powers for shutting us out and not getting our music. that be.” We live in a time where the “powers That is a defeatist, victim mentality and keeps that be” are more like the “powers that were.” one ensnared in mediocrity. We’re better Creatives can go right to the people without than that, right? The pathway to success is the aid of a middleman to reach them. I see built on inconvenience, because it takes many doing just that. However, I also see time, commitment, education, determination, many who still think the only way to play the passion, and excellence to be a professional.

game is in the big leagues, in the big stadiums, A few years ago while watching a Baltimore in front of thousands of fans.

Orioles game at Camden Yards, I had a crazy I think this mindset is misguided and causes vision that I was on the pitchers mound once great distress. For starters, in order to play again, striking out batters, and back in the the game at the professional level, one must game. In my vision, I saw myself jumping possess the skills and stature of a professional. over the railing, running across the outfield, Many, though, are simply not at a place where pushing the pitcher off the mound, taking the they can write or perform music at that level ball, and then…pulled that special muscle. (even though one’s family, friends, or church- Ouch! OK, dream over! What was crazy with folk may say you are the next big thing who this dream? For starters, I’ll be 52 this April 36

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25. And even though I started working out 18 months ago to get into playing shape, played in a 45+ senior league, and struck out some batters last summer, I’ll never pitch off a mound in a professional setting. My time has come and gone. But you know what? Just the fact that I worked hard to get into shape so I didn’t hurt myself, (or others:) found a team to play with, and got back in the game was awesome! What a thrill to be competitive again! It was good. And it was God. And God is good.

So, my final word for you is to get in the game, and find a field to play on. They are all over the place! The more you play, the more proficient you will become. And, you may just one day get in the big leagues, or you may not. That’s between you and the plans that the Lord has for your life. The main thing is to have fun and play the game on the field that’s made just for you.

Creatively His, 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.

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PRODUCT REVIEW

BOSS ME-80 Guitar Multi Effects

By Michael Hodge

This year at the 2014 winter NAMM, BOSS introduced yet another new multi effects unit.

This one has a twist however. After a 25-year legacy, BOSS is still upping their game, taking alkaline batteries but no power adaptor. It advantage of new technologies, and making takes the same adaptor as all BOSS Compact and Twin pedals, the PSA-120S. things more user friendly.

The unit comes with a multi-language OUT OF THE BOX: manual, and info to download the BOSS Tone The ME-80 is slightly smaller than the flagship Studio software. . The ME-80 employs a 24 bit GT 100. It’s 17 ½ inches wide and 9 inches AD & DA conversion at 44.1 kHz. The input is deep. There is a nice slant from front to back 1M ohm, perfect for guitar. of about 2 inches. It’s metal build feels road worthy, and weighs in at about eight pounds. SIMPLIFIED: On top are eight Dual Footswitches, and a The beauty of this unit is how simple it is multi use Volume/Expression pedal. There is to use. To be honest, most multi pedals can a preamp section, six individual multi effect be intimidating. The Japanese are experts boxes, and a Volume/Expression pedal FX sometimes to the extreme, at putting a ton of assignment section. stuff in a small space. Most of us Westerners Above that pedal is a small LED display that lean more to the plug and play just give me shows various info, bank numbers and the a knob world. BOSS has taken a huge step forward in making this unit simple to use. Yes built in tuner. there are a lot of knobs at first glance, but the On the back panel live the input and stereo way they are laid out is very clear and logical. output jacks, USB jack, Headphone/Record, After a closer look, the ME-80 is meant to Aux in mini jacks, and the infamous BOSS emulate a group of individual multi purpose DC in jack. Interestingly, it comes with six AA

pedals packed into one compact unit. Each effect and corresponding footswitch work a lot like a standard three knob pedal. The only difference is the addition of the fourth knob that turns the pedal into one of up to eleven possible effects. This makes the unit very easy to use and quick to program. Add a USB cable and the ME-80 becomes a laptop interface for recording.

GOING DEEPER: As easy to use as it is, I still learned a ton from the manual. It is well written, and what I like is to see what the designers were thinking regarding effects and patches.

The COMP/FX1 is actually the first stop in the signal chain. It has compression FX as well as things like T-Wah, Ring Mod, and Slow Gear. Second is the OD/DS pedal that has all the BOSS distortion pedals in one. Next is the PREAMP section, where there are nine amp simulations, including Fender, Marshall, Boogie, Bogner, and AC 30. Each Amp has Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Level. There is also an acoustic guitar setting. Following the Preamp is a built in Noise Reduction that can be adjusted if you like. The VOLUME/FX pedal can do Wah type things, function like a Whammy Octave pedal and even control delays, modulation, or overdrive. The MOD pedal has eleven types of FX including a Harmonist Univibe, and Delay. Next in line is EQ/FX2 that is either an EQ or five alternative FX. A dedicated DELAY pedal follows and has ten different types of Delay and a Phrase Looper. There are a total of three pedals that can each be Delays. That is a recipe for some luscious U2 sounds. Lastly is a REVERB pedal that can be either a Room, Hall, or Spring.

BOSS TONE STUDIO: This is where I have to give BOSS a big thumbs up. As if making this unit user friendly wasn’t enough, BOSS has developed this Continued on page 44.

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LED BY THE SPIRIT, OR WINGING IT?

by Tom Jakcson “I want to be led by the Spirit… onstage.”

I don’t know about you, but that’s honestly something I wrestle with every time I get up If I had a dime for every time I heard that to minister.

Once I remember I’m there for from a Christian artist, I’d be flying around the them, that’s when I truly feel prepared to go country in my own Learjet. minister.

Being a contemporary Christian music artist has changed over the years, and there aren’t The second question I have for you is, what as many opportunities any more. I’ve been happens when you minister from the stage… around (this hurts to say) about 25 years what happens to your audience? And that’s working with everyone from The Imperials an important question. I don’t mean what to Francesca Battistelli. I’ve worked with Jars happens to you when you are onstage. Of of Clay, 4Him, Carman, Phillips Craig & Dean, course, you are totally engaged in what’s Michael English, The Crabb Family, Sidewalk going on. You are playing your songs, it’s your Prophets, Russ Taff, and White Cross, just to voice, you are the one doing the ministry, name a few. It’s a calling I don’t envy — but I your adrenaline is pumping, and hopefully know some of you reading this need to do it the Spirit of God is on you and using you.

Quite honestly, there’s not a much better because you are called! place to be.

So I have a question for you: when you minister at a coffee house, a conference, a But I want you to think about your audience. church… why are you there? Are you there What are they feeling? What are they thinking? for you or for them (the audience)? I believe What are they experiencing? Because it’s not ministry is about loving your audience. Love is the same experience you’re having. Their the attitude of giving anything you can for the adrenaline isn’t pumping. They’ve probably benefit of each individual in the audience — been in those seats a thousand times (if you count church, movies, schools, etc.) How do that’s what I call loving your audience. you make it special for them also? What are 40

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their expectations?

Because that’s what it’s about. Ministry is touching people. And you do want to be led by the Spirit onstage. But there’s a difference between being led by the Spirit and winging it. It blows my mind how many music ministers walk up onstage unprepared. When I say that, I don’t mean unprepared musically, or unprepared in what Scriptures you’ll share, or unprepared vocally.

I’m talking about constructing an experience for your audience that is memorable — that changes their lives!

And to do that, you need a vision for what the evening will be. You need to develop a plan from that vision that leaves room for the Spirit of God to move. But you need to take time to work on that vision and that plan. You can’t just go out and wing it! It’s not about changing the message or changing who you are. Your vision should be a reflection of who you are in Christ. And if you develop a vision, the only thing that really needs to change are your communication skills to keep your Continued on page 44.

Major / Minor Blues Scale Over the past three lessons we have been looking at the 5 note pentatonic scales, both the Major and the Minor. Now let’s add a 6th note to the scale, turning it into the wellknown “Blues Scale”. As you know by now both the Pentatonic and the Blues scales are the “must know” scales, from the beginner to the established player. In one form or another you can use them in most styles of music.

a b3. The notes are arranged like this, Root, M2nd, minor 3rd, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, and Major 6th. The A Major Blues scale would be spelled out like this, A, B, C, #C, E, #F. This scale works great when played over Dominant 7th chords and Major 7th chords. Whereas the minor scale can be played over any chord in a blues progression, the Major is best played over the chord that shares its root note. For The minor Blues Scale contains the same example, if you are soloing over A7 use the notes as the Pentatonic with the addition of A Major Blues scale, over the D7 use the D Major Blues scale, and to solo over the E7 use the b5. the E Major Blues scale. This is a great way to Exp. #1: Shows the E minor Blues scale in the practice playing over chord changes. open position.

Exp. #4: Here are the 5 major patterns for Exp. #2: E Blues with extension. the Major Blues scale. Notice that pattern 5 Exp. #3: This one is the most common Blues has the same fingering as the most common scale pattern in “A”, starting on the 5th fret. You will see that it is the same as the Pentatonic with the addition of the b5.

minor blues scale pattern. The difference here is where the root of the scale lands. That should give you something to think about …

Coda: As you dig into these scales use your ear to find familiar riffs and make them your own. Both the major and minor blues scales are packed full of licks that can lift up the hearts of the listener and give you great joy playing them.

Roger Zimish is a freelance guitarist/indie artist and clinician based in Hendersonville Tn. Contact Roger: Email rogerzimish@yahoo.com, like Roger Zimish Guitarist on facebook.

The Major Blues scale is more commonly known in jazz circles. Like the minor scale, the Major Blues scale contains the same notes as the Major Pentatonic but with the addition of

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ARE YOU STILL TELLING YOUR SAD STORY?

by Bryan Duncan

“God told me I’m done with music,” a friend told me recently. “Really?..that doesn’t sound like Him” was my first response. I’ve seen God change my direction and alter MY plans. I’ve watched him take me to unexpected places.

Yes, and even ‘sideline’ me on occasions. But I’ve never had Him ask me for His gift back.

itineraries.

forgiving others and moving on in my passion?

It all makes me think of a little book I read called “Who Moved My Cheese!” Let’s be honest, we minister to others, mostly in ways that are kind to ourselves. We go where we are celebrated.

And it helps if we can make a living while we are pursuing that calling. It’s a calling more about My friend has been singing and writing music being a living sacrifice than martyrdom. And longer than I have. And upon looking back thank God for a chance to be a living sacrifice at his efforts, his early songs and banter on over being murdered for Christ’s sake. stage were sweet and simple proclamations I’m not singling out my friend here to highlight about a loving God and great discoveries in some defect of his. Anytime my friends have that relationship. But in later years, there came something to say I check it with what God might diatribes interspersed within the set, and little be saying to me. I look for what I can learn barbs about the way Christians had treated him. through the experiences of others, as well as my And trust me, I have been where he is. own. It is here where I thought to myself, “If I

Time marches on, and so do most of the people in our lives. Forgiveness doesn’t mean things go back to the way they were. But I follow Christ because I want a future to hope for rather than a past to retell. That hope gives me a way to focus my attentions forward. Embracing the future is hard work. It requires rethinking. And after a while it also means clearing your head of all that you once knew.

a woman who came to know Jesus after many years of abuse and practicing witchcraft.

When I met her a few years later, she wasn’t telling that story anymore. “God is doing so many new things with me that my testimony of Him has evolved,” she said in a matter of fact tone. “I don’t tell my sensational drama story anymore,” she added.

“Now that’s an evolution I want to believe in,” I told her.

Completing forgiveness is sometimes a longer process than any of us want. But it might be a matter of finding a new way to keep a priceless, irreplaceable gift in service. Oswald Chambers said, “God will see to it that you have a number of opportunities to prove to yourself the miracle of His grace. The proof is in a very practical test. You will find yourself saying, “If this had happened before, I would have had a spirit of resentment!” And you will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside”.

In the long run, when I think of my friend, I mostly recall the awful stories of the disrespect he endured. And I can clearly relate to them all: Pirated music, fraudulent business practices, bounced checks, poor accommodations, rumor, and gossip. Add to that the questioning from others of his relationship with God, passive aggressive dismissals for being “old and irrelevant”, and maybe the worst of all, no “call backs” where he used to be a staple in concert

I guess what really scared me about my friends announcement to discontinue his music was that I couldn’t imagine not doing what I love.

My biggest question has always been “where do we go from here?” This is where the giver must supersede the gift.

am still talking about personal disappointments, If you have been given a gift, it belongs to you or the ways in which I have been mistreated, now first and foremost. Granted, some “gifts” maybe my forgiveness hasn’t been completed.” end up in the white elephant category of our I was convicted when I looked back at how lives, to be eventually sold in a yard sale for 50 many times my remarks were a retelling of my cents. But a gift from God should never find it’s sad story without much reprieve. I can’t change way to a card table on your driveway. Yard sales what once happened, but I can’t continue to are full of stuff you don’t have room for because relive the experience either without a fresh you replaced it with something new. But let’s insight. not replace the good stuff with something of I’m reminded of a inferior quality. Like selling your talent for a testimony I heard from resentment, or a disillusion.

If I am still telling my story of how I was offended, I am attempting to replace the gift of grace God offers to us all. We have all been through hurts and disappointments, but that is not the good news. Your talents are a gift inside a gift. It is music and melody inside of grace. Let How much of our us not leave our story incomplete. circumstances are a result of our own self-inflicted wounds after the story of Bryan Duncan/ Singer / someone who has hurt Songwriter/ author / us? I tend to see God’s Publisher. Radio Show host blessings more when for RadioRehab.com there are no obstacles to go around. But is that Inducted into the Christian really a blessing, or a music Hall of Fame in 2007. refusal to humble myself 40 years, 22 albums, Dove and Grammy awarded. before the work of www.bryanduncan.com

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BOSS ME-80 review cont. from page 38 great application that can edit every pedal parameter on the ME-80. You can then easily name and store the patches on either an individual basis or global patch. There is also a built in recorder that not only records, but can also import audio and slow it down or change pitch to help you learn solos etc.

You can create multiple live sets of patches for your gigs, and load them into the ME-80. They are also stored there to load back and forth from the software to the pedal at any time.

BOSS TONE CENTRAL: This is the icing on the cake!

Integrated into the Tone Studio software is Tone Central. A Button on the bottom of the App opens up a page of custom patch collections from well-known guitarists, as well as videos.

IN USE: Just like you might guess, I was up and running on this thing in minutes. It is so much fun trying out patches off Tone Central.

I spent way too much time listening and trying them out. Lots to learn there about how tones change how you play. I like the App a lot for doing patch editing. I will be spending more time with it for sure.

CONCLUSION: The ME-80 is impressive. The combination of sounds, ease of use and the Tone Studio software makes it a real contender as a main pedal board rig. Because it can run on batteries, I could see using this for festivals

where you have to plug in, walk on and go for it. Overall, BOSS has done a great job of making this unit super friendly. Since Pro players have invested in making patches, you are set up to win automatically. This would also be great for fly dates, rehearsals, or practicing.

The retail price is $418.00. The street price is around $299.00. I’ve paid more than that for a single pedal. Overall it’s one of the best values I’ve ever seen. For more information: http://www.bossus.com Michael Hodge is the music director and guitarist for Lakewood Church in Houston, TX

Each patch has an audio file you can listen to.

If you like it, you just grab it and add it to your library of presets. Then you can mess with it and make it your own. I counted eighteen collections, and they are adding to them.

BOSS has invested a huge amount of effort and it really shows.

Tom Jackson cont. from page 40 audience engaged.

Learn how to create moments instead of just singing songs. Visually, change pressure on your audience to keep it captivating.

Learn how to direct your audience’s attention to what is important (and that’s not only done using words!).

I’m not talking about choreography, dance, or drama. In fact, I’m not talking about “putting on a show” at all.

But this is a craft… if you get the vision, do the work, walk in the authority God has given you, present it in an interesting, creative way… and absolutely, be led by the Spirit, in the rehearsal room and on the

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stage!

If you do these things, your ministry will grow and you’ll touch more people.

Tom Jackson, world renowned Live Music Producer, author of the book Tom Jackson’s Live Music Method and the All Roads Lead to the Stage DVD series, is a master at transforming an artist’s live show into a lifechanging experience for the audience! Tom has worked with 100’s of artists in every genre, including major artists like Taylor Swift, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, The Band Perry, and more. He also shares his expertise as a highly demanded speaker at colleges, conferences & events worldwide.

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CODA

MUSCLE PAIN IN THE INSTRUMENTALIST

by The Musician’s Doc - Tim Jameson, D.C. A common complaint I hear from many types of instrumentalists is chronic shoulder, arm, and back pain. I want to encourage musicians to become more aware of the subtle signs of muscular problems and offer some suggestions to stay pain free and care for symptoms that are already present. In this article, I want to focus on the most common form of pain that plagues instrumentalists: repetitive strain injuries.

So the first question you may be asking is, “What is a repetitive strain injury?” The term is commonly used these days, but poorly understood. To keep it simple, these types of injuries, also known as RSIs or overuse injuries, occur when you repetitively irritate and strain muscles for long periods of time leading to microtrauma in the small muscle fibers.

You might say it’s like having multiple torn muscles but on the microscopic level. The big problem occurs when the body does not have sufficient time to heal because of your practicing and playing schedules.

Ever have a “great” workout at the gym and the next day you can barely move the muscles you exercised? Well, that’s also microtrauma to the muscles. What do you do in response? You give those muscles a rest for two or three days before you train again to allow them to heal. Musicians on the other hand often play their instruments daily, even when their muscles are screaming in agony.

This is especially true in students studying in conservatory or seeking their music degree in college. There is no rest time offered for the muscles, and the body eventually goes into a chronic pain state due to the low-grade inflammation present in an attempt to heal.

RSI’s lead to muscle fatigue, soreness in the muscles, and even in the joints the muscles cross. It can lead to swelling and loss of normal muscle function. Some artists notice a sense 46

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of clumsiness and lack of coordination in the arms and hands when it is involving the upper extremities. In the legs it can lead to shin splints (drummers) and in knee pain. Note that if you’re experiencing numbness and/or tingling sensations with the muscles aches and pains, that means the nerves are inflamed as well. In that case, off to the chiropractor you go to have the nerve stress relieved.

So what is an artist to do? First off, if you are actively experiencing RSI pain, then rest is in order. Yes, that ugly word…rest. It’s a strange concept in the U.S. culture. The only way your body will heal is to give the muscles a chance to rest – just like after you exercised at the gym. If you have more serious symptoms of RSI, then it may take weeks of rest to allow your body to heal, along with body work, such as massage therapy, chiropractic care, and movement reeducation techniques such as Feldenkrais® and Alexander Technique®.

Nutritional intake is really important not only when you are hurting, but BEFORE you ever begin to hurt. The green leafy veggies are chock full of great nutrients. Make sure you are eating at least one salad a day. Drink half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. Muscles are primarily water, and if dehydrated they will tear easier and will heal slowly. I recommend also essential fatty acids found in fish oils and in flaxseed oil. These are generally anti-inflammatory in nature and are utilized by the body for hundreds of metabolic processes. Muscles work utilizing calcium, magnesium, and potassium. So a multi-vitamin/mineral combo is really helpful to allow muscles to contract normally. Invest in good nutrients found in your local health food store. Ask for organically grown, whole food supplements. Your body deserves it.

The next consideration is evaluating your

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posture while performing. Have you ever looked at yourself playing your musical instrument on video or in a mirror? You may be in shock at what you do when you strap on that guitar, or sit in front of the drum kit. This is especially true in front of live audiences when stress, adrenaline, and self-perception come into play. I’ve seen artists strap their guitars really low to look “cool”, only to need to bend their upper back and neck downward to play, thereby compressing nerves to their arms. I’ve seen keyboard players sit too far away from the keys, which causes them to lean forward and leads to strain on the lower back spinal structures and the neck and shoulder region. I’ve seen drummers do the same.

They want to lean into their drums for more power, but in the long run destroy their own spines. A great drummer has a beautiful upright posture while playing, in total control.

If you’re suffering for more than a few weeks with muscle pain, you should have it evaluated before it worsens into something really bad that can impact your career. I always recommend a chiropractor first, as chiropractors are highly trained to evaluate musculoskeletal injuries and spinal misalignments that can accompany them.

Keep on rockin’ for Jesus! Pain free!

Dr. Tim Jameson’s purpose is healing through music and through his hands. He is in his 25th year as a chiropractor, and is in his eighth year leading worship at Christ’s Community Church in Hayward, CA. He is the author of two books, Repetitive Strain Injuries, and Reach For the Top: The Musician’s Guide to Health, Wealth, and Success. His chiropractic office is located in Castro Valley, CA. You can find him at www. jamesonchiro.com and musicianshealth.com. email: drtimjameson@gmail.com.

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