Walk By Faith

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November 2004
34
The Heart of Worship
Unlike Ugg boots or the trendy rock band of the moment,
the longevity of the modern praise resurgence has
proven it’s not just a fad. As more songs for the church
continue to emerge, we catch up with Chris Tomlin,
Shane & Shane and Phillips, Craig & Dean—three
artists who’ve each managed to carve out a unique path
in the world of worship. B Y RO B E R T M I N E O
cover story
in review
26
55
Music: It’s a great month for Christian music with new discs
from Jeremy Camp, Point of Grace, tobyMac and more.
60
Books: The inside track on Rebecca St. James’ new book.
64
Tour: Andy Argyrakis gets us a backstage pass to the “In the
Name Love Tour.”
The Big Picture
After two massively popular worship discs and five years removed from
pop music terrain, Michael W. Smith makes his long-awaited return
with Healing Rain. Find out what inspired these songs, what other
projects Smitty has in the works (think: big screen) and much more.
B Y RO B E R TA C ROT E AU
features
40
Here We Go.
It’s a wrap for GRITS’ second disc of 2004, Dichotomy B, a valentine
to the group’s fans after 10 years in the music biz. Now at the end of
their contract with Gotee, these free agents have a lot on their minds—
namely, how their socially aware rhymes can reach further than ever
before. B Y L O U I S R . C A R L O Z O
44
Great Things Come to Those Who… Wait!
With a new label, plenty of newfound creative freedom and the
continued passion of frontman Michael Johnston, Smalltown Poets
is back after four years with It’s Later Than It’s Ever Been. Now
C A RO L I N E M I T C H E L L provides the first look at why the band left in
the first place and what’s next on the horizon.
46
departments
05
From the Editor: People in a box?
09
The Insider: Hurricane watch at this year’s “Night of Joy,” what
your favorite artists want for Christmas and more.
20
The Reel: Previews of The Incredibles, Christmas with the
Kranks and artists’ DVD picks.
22
Ones to Watch: Monk and Neagle, Planetshakers
66
20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About: Jars of Clay
68
Everything That’s On My Mind with Charlie Peacock
70
CCM Hall of Fame: Randy Stonehill
CCM List-O-Rama
Giddy up as C H R I S W E L L reveals the Christian songs that make him
think of cowboys. Plus, five reasons to give thanks this month.
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fromtheeditor
MWS circa 1990
“So Then, What Is
a Christian Artist?”
That’s an odd question coming from the editor of CCM (Contemporary Christian
Music)—don’t ya think? After all, this magazine has been addressing that inquiry
for more than a quarter century. In fact, CCM has been playing a lead role in
actually helping define the term “Christian artist.”
But look at the cover of this month’s issue. If you’re like me, you’re reminded
of just how much it’s not answered. Think about it. Michael W. Smith: an
immensely talented, good-hearted believer, who’s widely regarded as the king of
Christian pop. Wouldn’t it make sense that he’d be the epitome of a truly Christian
artist? My answer would be, “Yes.” And in being so, I believe his amazing career
puts a spotlight on the awkwardness of the question—and definition.
Consider the basics. Is a Christian artist simply any artist who’s a believer, no
matter what his or her work looks or sounds like? Or do they have to both be a
Christian and create intentionally ministry-oriented art/music? What if they meet
those requirements yet record for a mainstream record label? And what about
public lifestyle? Any specific requirements there?
CCM MAGAZINE
Your Christian Music Magazine Since 1978
volume 27 issue 5
For those whose lives are strengthened through faith-informed music,
CCM Magazine goes behind the scenes to celebrate the artistry of
Christian music.
CCM Magazine is a publication of Salem Publishing, a division of
Salem Communications.
•••• •••••••
CCM Magazine
Publisher James R. Cumbee
Associate Publisher & Editor in Chief Roberta Croteau
Editor Jay Swartzendruber
Managing Editor Stephanie Ottosen
Contributing & Reviews Editor Christa Farris
Remember Michael W. Smith’s earliest years? In practically every way, he
seemed to fit neatly into the most rigid definition of the term “Christian artist.” But
then came 1986’s The Big Picture—and with it, lyrics that were extremely broad
thematically. Now, one couldn’t say that Michael was simply using music as tool
only to sing praise or evangelize. And weren’t those the only two things that music
was “good for”? Michael was singing about the complexities of life from a
Christian perspective. And when Go West Young Man came out in 1990, that’s
when Michael really complicated things. He went “secular.” Sure, the album was
every bit as faith-evident as The Big Picture (if not more so), but Michael pursued
mainstream radio and landed a big pop hit with “Place in This World.” (And that
wouldn’t be his last one either.)
I often think that God’s definition of “Christian artist” is much broader than
mine. I’m the kind of guy who likes things to fit neatly into place. Life is more
comfortable that way. The trouble is, folks like Johnny Cash and even Switchfoot
have never fit neatly into place. Remember, it was Switchfoot bassist Tim
Foreman who uttered these compelling words to Rolling Stone last year: “We’re
Christian by faith, not genre.”
I was once asked in an interview what I would say to Christian music fans who
say such musicians have compromised their faith or “sold out.” Straight up? I
would let them know that “I used to be one of you.” As I grew older, I became
increasingly aware of how the Lord Jesus conducted Himself during His
incarnation. He was very much in the world yet not of it. Christ was accused of far
worse than “selling out” because He spent so much time in relationships with the
lost, reckless and disenfranchised. Likewise, the Word of God calls believers to be
salt and light in our own culture.
Yes, the Lord gifts many artists for their calling to make music for the church,
and that is extremely important and beautiful. Other artists He equips to connect
with everyday people. In the same way David sat before King Saul and played the
harp with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, most of today’s Spirit-filled mainstream
artists are creating works saturated with a redemptive, life-affirming perspective.
The same Holy Spirit that worked through David’s instrumentals and, later, his
Psalmic laments also works today in songs that ask important questions,
celebrate relational purity, mourn with those who mourn, esteem servant
leadership and encourage bold living—just for starters.
So where does all this leave the “Christian artist”? Outside a box? Undefined?
As much as I don’t like it, I’m having to come to terms with the fact that any
closed-off, “concrete” definition of Christian artist is most likely a man-made
definition. The more I look into what the Bible’s take is on Christian artists, the
more I find myself in expansive, sometimes unnerving, grace-filled territory.
Jay Swartzendruber
jays@salempublishing.com
Art Director Lee Steffen
Associate Art Director Ben De Rienzo
Production Director Ross E. Cluver
Contributing Editors Andy Argyrakis, Joan Brasher, Michael Card,
Janet Chismar, Michael Ciani, Kent Morris, Michael Nolan, Charlie
Peacock, Chris Well
Contributors Patrick Andrew, Louis R. Carlozo, Anthony DeBarros, Li
Liu, Robert Mineo, Jessica Robin, Tammy Trent
Web Editor Christa Farris
Editorial Assistant Kelly O’Neil
Editorial Intern Caroline Mitchell
Circulation Director Buffy Booker
Customer Service Representatives Amy Cassell, Leesa Smith
Executive Director of Advertising L. Smitty Wheeler
615/312-4235
Senior Director of Advertising DeDe Tarrant
805/987-5072
Account Executive Gregory Byerline
Account Executive Laurice Jackson
Account Executive Phil Davis
Marketing Coordinator Michael TenBrink
Advertising Coordinator Carol Jones
Sales/Marketing Associate Craig Felker
Main Office 104 Woodmont Blvd., Suite 300, Nashville, TN 37205
615/386-3011 (ph) • 615/386-3380 (business fax) • 615/385-4112
(editorial fax) • 615/312-4266 (advertising fax)
Subscriptions/Customer Service CCM, 104 Woodmont, Ste 300, Nashville
37205, 800/333-9643 or subscriptions@salempublishing.com. Annual
subscription rates: United States, $19.95/one year, $35.95/ two years,
$53.95/three years; Canada, (U.S. funds) $27.95 per year; all other countries,
(U.S. funds) $33.95 (surface) or $67 (airmail). For address changes or other
inquiries, please include both old and new addresses and mailing label. Allow four
to six weeks for new subscriptions to begin.
Cover photo by David Dobson
NASDAQ SYMBOL: SALM
ccmmagazine.com
november 04 ccm 5
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feedback
GO TEE!
I am a new CCM reader, and I just
loved your article on tobyMac [“The
Life and Times of tobyMac”]. He is by
far my favorite male artist, and I was
extremely glad to see him on the
cover. What I also loved was learning
a lot about his family and what he
does with his kids.
Samuel Grosso, Eagan, MN
So I’m sitting around one day,
pondering whether it’s possible for
Christian media to be any more
cheesy and clichéd; and the
September issue of CCM shows up in
my mailbox with the words “Bringin’
Da Funk!” on the cover. Can “Keeping
It Real” be far behind? Nope, it’s on
page 15. Thanks for clearing that up
for me.
—Steven Strunk, Spring Hill, TN
Hey, pal, we’re hip to the jive!
As a 40-something mom of two
teens, I am thankful for your coverage
of artists like tobyMac. And as a
bonafide child of the ’70s, I listen to
his music for my own enjoyment. But
there is something much more
important at work here—the spiritual
edification of my children. I just want
Toby and his fellow artists (Skillet,
Pillar, Relient K, Jeremy Camp, etc.) to
know that, not only are they loved
and emulated by the youth, but they
are also appreciated by those of us
parents who enjoy seeing our
children become individuals who are
growing in the grace and admonition
of the Lord.
—Cindy Collier, Mt. Pleasant, TX
MUTE MATH: A+!
I am writing to thank you for featuring
Mute Math in your September issue
[“Chapter 1: An Introduction to New
Math”]. I think they will go very far
because they have a unique sound
that is very capturing to the ear, both
musically and lyrically.
—Jenny, Cypress, CA
STARS IN THE MAKING...
I would like to thank you for doing a
story on Starfield [“Ones to Watch,”
September]. I saw them in concert
before they were big and really like
them.
—Jessy Loring, ON, Canada
A THANK YOU CARD
I enjoyed your “Card’s in the House”
editorial this morning as I received
the latest CCM Magazine
[September]. I had the great privilege
JON-MICAH SUMRALL (KUTLESS)
TOBYMAC
of producing a Michael Card concert
at First Baptist Church, Memphis in
1994 or 1995. I had been a lifelong
fan of The Second Chapter of Acts
and when they disbanded, I found
great comfort and meaning in
Michael’s music. The concert was
beautiful, deeply spiritual and
moving. I had always said about
Second Chapter that the best
contemporary Christian music
concerts were no different from the
best worship services. Michael’s
offering to us and the Lord that night
was just that way.
I’m so glad to see Michael Card
contributing to your fine magazine
[“Living the Message”].
—Scot Finley, Roanoke, Virginia
ADRENALINE RUSH
Thank you so much for your article
about Fish Fest [“Standing Room
Only,” September]! Paging through
the magazine, I started “spazzing
out” when I saw it.
I was at that
show, and it was
so awesome! I
even got a [guitar]
pick from Tyler
TYLER BURKUM
Burkum [Audio
Adrenaline]! As soon as I am finished
reading the rest of the magazine, that
article is going straight to my wall.
—Heidi Sorensen, via e-mail
REMEMBERING MARK…
Imagine my surprise to see a feature
in the back of your magazine on my
all-time favorite, Mark Heard [“Hall of
6 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
Fame,” September]. He is sorely
missed since the music he created
towers far above any other modern
Christian songwriter. But you actually
got a couple details wrong, I think.
I’m pretty sure that his No. 2 single in
1982 was not “One of the Dominoes”
but the James-Taylor-esque “To See
Your Face.” And, in actuality, he had
two CCM covers, I’m pretty sure—the
one you mentioned as well as one
from 1981 or 1982. The name of that
story was “Have You Heard Mark
Heard?” Thanks again for the tribute.
—Peter, via e-mail
Peter, we wish you were right about Mark
having his first CCM cover in the early ‘80s.
That would’ve been a notable endorsement.
Regarding Heard’s radio history, according to the
1999 book Hot Hits, “One of the Dominoes”
reached No. 2 on the Christian Hit Radio chart
in 1982. (Heard’s “The Pain that Plagues
Creation” peaked at No. 26 the following year.)
MARK HEARD
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TRUTH BE TOLD
What’s your favorite Christian music legend or supposedly tall tale? What about that nagging question concerning
your favorite artist that, apparently, no one’s been able to answer? That’s where we come in. Check here each
month as CCM Magazine distinguishes truth from fiction and e-mail your questions to truthbetold@ccmcom.com.
Dear CCM,
If a song hits No. 1 on Christian radio, how much
money does the artist and actual songwriter make
from that No. 1? For example, if I wrote a song that
Avalon recorded and it hit No. 1, would I get most of
the money or would Avalon?
Curious in Colorado
Dear Curious in Colorado,
Money (a.k.a. “royalties”) from the public
performance of songs (including radio
airplay) is distributed by what are called
performing rights organizations. There are
three main PROs in the music business:
ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. There are
many variable factors involved in the
hypothetical situation you describe, but
here is a basic overview of how it works.
Christian radio has four main formats:
inspirational, adult contemporary, CHR
and rock. Each format has a different total listener reach. An AC
No. 1 hit, for example, would pay much more than a rock No. 1
because there are many more AC stations. They reach a much larger
listening population, which means that they are able to generate
much more advertising revenue. And performance royalties are based
by the PROs on a percentage of a station’s total ad revenue,
according to Dan Keen, assistant vice president, Membership Group
for ASCAP. (Although another major variable here is whether the
station is a commercial [“comm”] or non-commercial [“non-comm”]
station. A commercial station pays the PROs a standard annual fee
in the tens of thousands of dollars for the rights to broadcast music,
while a non-commercial station pays a
drastically reduced fee of just a few
hundred dollars each year, regardless of
how much revenue that station is able to
generate from listener “Share-A-Thons”
and the like. This, of course, means that
songwriters and publishers make much less
money from their song being played on a
non-comm than on a comm.)
Contrary to popular belief, an artist
does not directly earn even a penny just by
virtue of a song they recorded hitting No.
1 on the charts. The only person who makes any money directly
from the airplay itself is the songwriter(s). Songwriters are paid
performance royalties for the “spins” the song receives on radio
stations nationwide. So if you wrote a No. 1 song for Avalon, you
would receive all of the performance royalties for that song’s airplay,
and Avalon would receive none. (Of course, artists are also able to
generate income from concerts, merchandise sales and endorsement
deals, which songwriters do not benefit from.)
According to Keen, a No. 1 Christian AC hit for an ASCAP
writer would pay “over $10,000” as opposed to just hundreds for a
No. 1 on Rock radio. Mainstream (or “secular”) radio, of course,
would pay much more money; Keen puts the figure for a No. 1 pop
or country hit at “over $350,000.”
Be sure to catch “Truth Be Told” next month for part 2 of our
response when CCM will give you the lowdown on the financial
benefits of actual album sales.
We welcome your comments. Address your letter to Feedback,
CCM Magazine, 104 Woodmont Blvd., Suite 300,
Nashville, TN 37205; fax 615/385-4112, Attn: Feedback;
or e-mail feedback@ccmcom.com. Always include your full
name, address and phone number. Letter may be edited for
length and clarity.
ccmmagazine.com
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insider
African food with
Ian Eskelin, AMA
nominations and
more.
by Christa Farris
International
MAN of
Mystery
Hoping for another “Smash
Hit”? Forget it. You never know
what to expect with artist and
world traveler Ian Eskelin. Now
with a new solo project, he
prefers to keep things simple.
t’s lunchtime in Nashville, and I meet up with
All Star United frontman (and now solo artist)
Ian Eskelin at Sam & Zoe’s, a cute little
coffeehouse and café he suggested. Then only
minutes later, Ian suddenly gets a different food
craving altogether. “I know this great little African
restaurant. Want to go and get African food instead?”
Not really a connoisseur of African cuisine but
always up for something new, I leave hope for coffee
and carbs behind; and we drive over to Gye-Nyame, a
family-run outfit where the chefs are Ghana natives
who serve up traditional dishes.
Forgoing ordering off the menu, Ian confidently
walks right up to the counter and tells the cook to
“just make him something.” Perhaps a little
surprised by his request but amused with his sense
I
>>>
of adventure, she makes him some savory goat
curry that he really enjoys, along with an order of
fried plantains.
And, coincidentally, it was another ethnic meal—
Indian food—that connected Eskelin with Inpop
Records, the label that released his recent solo
project, Save the Humans. At the Franklin, Tenn.,
eatery, he ran into an old friend, Wes Campbell, who
manages the Newsboys and takes care of the day-today business over at Inpop.
“We got to talking over the curry chicken [about
how] there are some things I wanted to do musically
that I didn’t feel I could do as a guy in a band,” Ian
says. “I toyed with some more personal things on the
last All Star record, and nobody wanted that from All
Star—ya know? So why not go ahead and do a solo
thing where I can have the best of both worlds? And
with All Star, there’s no reason to break up because
it’s basically me and a bunch of friends. We’re all still
friends, the name’s still cool, and we still connect
really well all over the world. And you never know
when I may get the itch to record 10 ridiculous, overthe-top rock songs that will never have a place on
Christian radio. I will always have that outlet.”
But for now Ian has switched things up from the
quirky musical commentary on faith that All Star
United provided to something more straightforward,
something that he says “gets to the heart of the
matter” and something even (gasp!) his mother loves.
“I think writing Christian music is one of the most
challenging things—and I’ve written it all. I’ve spent
three years at BMG Nashville where I wrote country
Jaci Velasquez’s Label Signs Idaho Rockers Grand Prize • Word on the Street is the New Relient K record,
ccmmagazine.com
november 04 ccm 9
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insider
pop
Set Those VCRs!
It’s red carpet time again for three Christian music artists as
the American Music Awards will be held Nov. 14 in Los Angeles.
“
I think writing Christian music
is one of the most challenging
things—and I’ve written it all.
”
songs all day long. I’ve written for ‘Pop Idol’ winners from Belgium. I got four cuts on
the new Valley Girls record. I’ve done the 15 to 16-year-old L.A. girl band thing,” Eskelin
recalls. “But Christian music is the most challenging because your parameters are so
narrow that you have three minutes to discuss your faith and make every other
believer who will listen to that song realize that you’re real about your faith.
“But the day I turned this record in, I was so happy and proud that my job was
absolutely complete. And if nothing else happens with it—great—I’ll have something to
give to my kid [his 9-month old son, Aiden, with his wife, Peggy] when he’s old enough
to rock out. I’ve already had so much fun just giving it to my friends and family and
having them really enjoy it and actually calling me up and saying, ‘Man, we really liked
every single song.’ And that means more to me than just about anything.”
The Name Game
After much contemplation, Ian Eskelin finally decided on Save the Humans for
the title of his new solo project, which albeit is much shorter than, say,
International Anthems for the Human Race was in his All Star United tenure. But
the moniker wasn’t his first choice in what to call his batch of 10 new songs. Now
here are 5 options that didn’t make the final cut.
Save the Cosmonauts
Bringing Home the Cosmonauts
When You Wish Upon a Brick
501 Russian Verbs
Pink Monkey Blue Monkey
>>>
It’s award show season again, and nothing much really changes but the
nominees themselves. After all, a year ago, no one knew there was another
singing “Simpson” besides Jessica; but, inevitably, someone will be on the
red carpet asking the artists “Who are you wearing?” as they stroll into the
Shrine Auditorium.
Now, we don’t know whether they’ll be wearing something Versace, Gucci
or Gap, but what we do know is that in this year’s category for “Favorite
Contemporary Inspirational Artist,” Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day
and MercyMe are all nominated. As for who will win, that’s anybody’s
guess. Steven Curtis Chapman took the trophy home last year, but you can
never count out Grammy winners Third Day or mainstream favorites (and
also presenters at the festivities) MercyMe. It should be interesting to find
out who the winner is in this category. Check local listings for showtimes.
Decision 2004:
Let Your Vote Count!
We shouldn’t really have to say this
because it’s a no-brainer. But if you’re
18 or over and aren’t planning to vote in
this year’s presidential election on Nov.
2, you need to! It’s your right and civic
responsibility. (End of public service
announcement)
Now back to our regularly scheduled
column... Be sure to also let your
opinions be known by casting your vote in
this year’s CCM Readers’ Awards. Surf over
to CCMmagazine.com, where you can vote for
your favorite artists, albums, etc., of 2004, which,
ultimately, lets you have a say in choosing who’ll be on the cover for our
February 2005 issue. Will tobyMac, Rebecca St. James, Newsboys and
Third Day repeat as 2004’s big winners? We won’t know until you vote!
mmhmm, is More Piano-Driven; Find Out For Yourself When the Disc Hits Stores This Month • She’s Baaaaaack!:
10 ccm november 04 ccmmagazine.com
>>>
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insider
‘Night of Joy’
2004:
Beware of Hurricanes!
In the aftermath of Hurricane Charley, the show
did go on as Ivan loomed on the horizon. And this
year, Orlando’s annual “Night of Joy” expanded to
three nights of diverse Christian music in the most
magical of settings at Walt Disney World.
From our driver who took us from the airport to the
hotel, to the locals who ventured to Disney World to
hear the likes of Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis
Chapman, Jars of Clay, Jaci Velasquez, Jump5
and more, everyone had a story about the
hurricanes—the one that had just hit and the one
they were afraid would hit during the three-day event.
As the weather reports kept promising doom and
gloom during the festivities, the activities rolled on.
From riding the Tower of Terror to strolling past “The
Eiffel Tower” in Epcot Center, CCM fills you in on the
Florida highlights.
Above: downhere, L-R (top-bottom), Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay), Jennifer Deibler (FFH), Mark Lee
(Third Day), Joy Williams, Stryper, 4HIM, Jeremy Camp (holy biceps Batman!), John Cooper (Skillet),
Point of Grace, Mickey, Rebecca St. James, Minnie, Kirk Franklin
Everybody Have Fun Tonight!.
So what’s on your favorite artists “to do” list while they hang out in
Disney World? From photo ops with Tigger to a trip on Space
Mountain, get the details here.
Avalon’s Melissa Greene: “I think we love all the rides. We did our favorites today
like Space Mountain, and actually one of my favorite rides as a kid was Mr. Toad’s
Wild Adventure because I loved the scary stuff. And that was so scary to me as a kid,
so just being able to re-live all those moments is amazing.”
Mark Schultz: “Actually, I brought some college fraternity buddies down, and it’s
great because they take a vacation from their jobs so they can come and be a part
of my job. And so we went golfing today, so it was a lot of fun.”
Warren Barfield: “I got my picture taken with Mickey and Tigger. Tigger is so cool,
you know; he’s my favorite, by far. He’s got so much personality.”
Jump5 enjoying Disney’s attractions,
Inset: Warren Barflied and Tigger
>>>
Jump5’s Lesley Moore: “I think we all really enjoy riding all the rides. We also have
to get Dole Whips, which has hot apple juice and ice cream together. Very good!”
After A Long Hiatus, Kendall Payne Returns For Long-Awaited Sophomore Album, Grown, That’s Available at
>>> >
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pop/urban
Story Behind the Song:
“I Need You Now” by Smokie Norful
Smokie’s sophomore project, Nothing Without You, just hit
store shelves last month. Now get the inside track on the
song that got it all started for the artist who was named
Billboard’s No. 1 gospel artist.
Talk to Smokie Norful about his music, and he’ll certainly be excited. But talk
to him about his family, and you’ll hear an audible change in the tone of his
voice. Clearly, it’s all about family for Smokie. “I’ve been married for five
years, and I have two miracle children: Tré and Ashton,” Smokie says. “Tré
and my wife are actually part of the reason I wrote ‘I Need You Now’.
“My wife had gone in for a regular check-up, and they found tumors. This
was the second time this happened, and they said it didn’t look good this
time. They said it could be cancer, and then they added, ‘We don’t think
you’re ever going to be able to have kids because of the location and nature
of the surgery.’ So right about then, I literally lost it. My dad had just come
out of open-heart surgery a month or so before that, and I was like, ‘Wow,
God I can’t do this!” So I sat down at the piano and said, ‘OK, I need you
now!’ And that’s where the words to the song came from. It was literally the
cry of my heart, seeking God’s presence, His touch, his rescue.
“Needless to say my dad’s doing fine, and my wife is healthy. It wasn’t
cancer, the doctors had to admit to themselves they’re just practicing
medicine. But the Master Physician has spoken. He said, ‘I just needed to
get this song out of this man.’ And then one day my wife sent my miracle
child No. 1 into the room as I was typing my sermon. He came into the room
with some paper in his hands and said, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, what
is this?’ And when he got close enough for me to realize what it was, it was
the result of the pregnancy test that said—not only do you have miracle child
No. 1, but here’s another one that ya’ll weren’t even looking for!”
Sharing the Wealth:
Your Chance to Win ‘Night of Joy’ Goodies
It’s time to give props where props are due: Walt Disney’s New Media Publicist Charles
Stovall is the man! Not only did he work night and day to make sure everything went
smoothly for the festival, but he also provided some pretty cool prizes for us to give
away to you, the CCM Magazine readers.
So, just in time for the holiday season, here’s a little gift from Walt Disney World
and CCM Magazine to you. Be one of the first 10 people to send us a postcard from
your hometown with the information below, and you’ll win a 10-CD prize pack with all
kinds of extras. The contest ends Nov. 15, when the winners’ names will be posted on
CCMmagazine.com.
Here’s what we need from you, printed legibly (yes, so we can read it!) on the postcard:
Name, Address, Working e-mail address where you can be reached for
notification if you win, Favorite Disney character, Favorite Christian artist.
Now that you’ve got that down, send your postcard to CCM Magazine contest *
Attention: Christa Farris * 104 Woodmont Blvd. Suite 300 * Nashville, TN 37205
>> >>>
kendallpayne.com. • It Just Wouldn’t Be Christmas without... Amy Grant and Hubby, Vince Gill, Set to Hit
ccmmagazine.com
november 04 ccm 13
CCM_11.04_GetReal.v9
10/6/04
1:44 PM
Page 14
getreal
Matt McGee’s trip to
India and 5 Questions
with Sarah Kelly
by Stephanie Ottosen
Mission to India
C
5 Questions
with
SARAH KELLY
With her long, red hair, energetic personality, husky pipes
and status as Gotee Records’ highest-selling debut week
artist, Sarah Kelly is not one to be ignored. This new artist,
who released Take Me Away this past February, can be
found on the road this fall with Jars of Clay on the
“Where We Are” tour.
1.
If you could trade responsibilities with someone for a
day, who would that person be, what would the job be, and
why would you choose to do it?
I would be a receptionist for a hair salon for one day. That was my
very first job, and the stress factor is zero. And partly so that I could
have the discount for a day—have you seen how much hair I have?
Most musicians would jump at the opportunity to be an artist representative for a
ministry, considering the benefits, such as a chance to serve, tour support and free trips
to visit ministry locations. That’s most musicans, however, just not Shelter Records artist
Matt McGee. He was actually a hard sell to get involved with Mission of Mercy, an
organization that seeks to equip children physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually
in poverty-stricken areas of the world.
But it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. Matt told CCM he first turned down the
opportunity because he didn’t feel he could offer anything to the ministry at that point.
(He was still an independent artist when he was approached, thanks to being spotlighted
in CCM’s April 2003 indie artist section.) But after being pursued numerous times by
Mission of Mercy’s Director of Media Mark Pluimer, Matt agreed to come onboard and go
on a trip. And it was certainly the right decision. Matt says he was in church a couple days
later when God specifically told him, “Matt, you’re supposed to go to India. You really
need to be a part of Mission of Mercy.”
Matt left for India last August where he visited schools that work with sponsored
children, performed at churches and played with the sick children in the Mission of Mercy
hospital. And one time, Matt and the others on the trip got to serve food in a feeding line
sponsored by Mission of Mercy. “One lady had five kids,” he says of the experience. “I
was giving her big scoops [of food]; and when I got to the fourth scoop, she stopped me.
She knew if she had taken more, others wouldn’t get any, so she stopped me.” Matt
continued, “I just lost it. I had never seen anything like that before—someone who was
so impoverished and so incredibly grateful and gracious.”
Those were the kinds of experiences that made the biggest impressions on Matt. “It’s
one of the dirtiest places I’ve ever seen—it’s beautiful in parts but so dirty. But I fell in
love with it. I’d seen everything; and instead of being ready to come home, I was ready to
get started with ministry there.”
Although it hadn’t been confirmed at press time, Matt may be going back to India this
December for a month or two to work again with Mission of Mercy.
For more information on how to get involved with the child sponsorship program,
please visit missionofmercy.org.
2.
When was the first moment you realized you wanted to
pursue music for a living?
In the back of my mind the dream was always there. After taking
the mic at my church for the first time only five years ago, the way
became extremely clear.
3.
Describe your most unforgettable date.
My most unforgettable date was about 2 years ago. I got in the car
for hours and ended up in Minneapolis, where we went shopping at
Mall of America and to one of my first concerts that wasn't my own.
4.
What are you obsessive compulsive about?
I have been known to be a bit obsessive compulsive about having to
have fan noise when I sleep. That can be tricky because most of my
sleeping is in a GMC Yukon these days, so the fan is on full blast at
all times. Needless to say, we all bring sweatshirts.
5.
What characteristic of God has surprised you the most
these days?
His faithfulness. I gave up 220 piano students to walk into this
unknown, and He has taken care of every single need—emotional
and physical.
>>>
the Road For Another Holiday Tour • Bet You’ve Sung This One: Tim Hughes’ “Here I Am to Worship”
14 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
>>>
CCM_11.04_FanFare.v8
10/6/04
2:26 PM
Page 16
Newborns, birthdays
and more.
fanfare
by Stephanie Ottosen
Point of Grace’s
Newest Member
The latest addition to the family is—gasp!—a
boy! Yes, that would be the second child of
Heather Payne and her husband, Brian.
Nathaniel Graham Payne was born Sept. 12 at
10:37 p.m. He weighed 7lbs and 9oz and
measured 19-and-a-half inches long.
10 Years in the Making
09
16
17
Daily Planet frontman and solo artist Jesse
Butterworth and his wife, Marisa, welcomed the
arrival of their firstborn, William (“Liam”) Jesse
Butterworth IV (above), on Sept. 9 at 7:31 p.m.
21
25
30
11.04
By PFR bassist/vocalist and solo artist Patrick Andrew
Birthdays
He’s one-third of PFR, but Patrick Andrew is now a worship
leader at a church in Arizona. He’s also recently released an
independent album, There and Then It’s Gone.
Helen and I will celebrate 10 years on Dec. 10 this year. Now,
I’m not the type to plan ahead, so it’s a stretch for me to even
be thinking about what we’ll do on this, our golden anniversary.
But it gets me thinking: 10 years. That’s a decade—a really
significant amount of time.
Then again, it’s not nearly enough to hold the amount of
disappointments and tragedies we’ve faced together. It seems
we’ve dealt with a lifetime of pain in even the last five years.
Major financial trouble. Record company disasters. Intense
marital strain. This past Sept. 11 marked the two-year
anniversary of losing our peaceful angel, Chesna Angelina
(Chesna means “peaceful” in Serbian.), to a rare syndrome. One
year ago, our 3-and-a-half-year-old son, Everett, was diagnosed
with Autism Spectrum Disorder. So often this past year I have
found myself walking out my front door, slamming the car door
shut and screaming at the top of my lungs, “What next?”
Writing songs is incredibly therapeutic but not nearly enough
to expunge the pain and loss of a child and of dreams. I cannot
even imagine going through life’s valleys without God’s
comforting hands cradling me as tears have multiplied through
these years. He always seems to be saying to me, “It’s going to
be OK,” which, in turn, is the only thing I have to offer Helen.
I am on my way to trusting those words once again. Olivia
Jean celebrated five years on Aug. 5, and her imagination is
amazing. Her expressions are fascinating. Her prayers are
precious. She is joy encapsulated in a miniature me. My joy. A
gift from the Lord to make me laugh and forget about everything
but pouring into her so that she becomes the woman God made
her to be.
Everett James is in his own world. I love that world and love
this little mind that is just now grasping language. His latest
words are “I La You, Daddy.” I look at these kids and wonder
what I did to deserve such beautiful and unique children.
I look at Helen, and I am so thankful for such a faithful,
Christian woman [during the] ups and downs. The downs stretch
our character and capacity to love, and the ups are pure
blessing. Our God is always good. This Dec. 10, I believe I will
hold my beautiful wife wherever we are and reassure her that
“It’s going to be OK.”
Donnie McClurkin
Angel Taylor (Trin-i-tee 5:7)
Christy Nockels (Watermark)
Karl Reid (Commissioned)
Steven Curtis Chapman
Amy Grant
Darwin Hobbs
Tell CCM
In April 2003 I went to a concert at a church in my
area. I didn’t really know much about the
Christian artists who were going to perform that
night, but I had nothing else to do! The opening
acts were really great, and I was glad I decided to
come.
Rebecca St. James was now getting onstage;
she was the main act on her “Wait For Me Tour.” I
didn’t know much about this Aussie gal; but the
minute she got onstage, I could feel her love for
God. Before she even picked up the microphone,
I could tell she was passionate. I had tears in my
eyes when she sang the songs “Go and Sin No
More” and “God.”
She gave her testimony and shared her views
on purity. She was so confident in her stand. You
could hear a pin drop in the audience when she sang “Wait for Me.” I had made the commitment to
wait, but she made me proud of my promise. She also made me want a deeper relationship with
God. I was no longer satisfied with just being a “Christian”; I wanted to shine with His love—like her.
I wanted to encourage people and to live God’s will in my life.
It’s been more than a year since that date, and I can’t tell you how changed I am because of that
night. I’m 16 years old, and God is already opening so many doors. Rebecca St. James set the bar
for me—it wasn’t until that concert that I ever longed to know God in an intimate way. Now I am
speaking at youth groups, and I am the deejay at my Christian radio station. This past year God has
been using me in ways I could never have even dreamed of—all because I have a willing heart and
because my eyes are on Him. I have had the blessing of meeting and praying with Rebecca. I can’t
thank her enough for her selflessness, her realness and for shining her light. —Brianna
How have CCM Magazine, the artists and their stories changed your life? We'd love to know! Please e-mail us at tellccm@ccmcom.com
or write to 104 Woodmont Blvd, Suite 300, Nashville, TN 37205.
>>>
For more information, visit eharmony.com.
Distinguished as “#1 Most-Sung Church Song” According to CCLI • In the Studio: Todd Agnew Teams Up With
16 ccm november 04 ccmmagazine.com
>>>
CCM_11.04_IndBeat.v9
10/6/04
1:46 PM
Page 18
K
industrybeat
A conversation
with photographer
David Dobson
by Jay Swartzendruber
How did you get into photography?
When I was in junior high school, there was a really pretty girl in seventh grade.
But she was so pretty I couldn’t talk to her. So I would just take pictures of her—it
was very much a James Bond kind of thing. My friend and I would follow her
around. Then we learned how to process the film in photo class. We were doing
way, way more than you’re supposed to—taking the chemicals home after school
and building our own dark room so we could keep going.
When did you start doing photo shoots with recording artists?
While I was in college (late ’80s), I got hooked up with Frontline Records and
started photographing some of their artists and others—Altar Boys, Charlie
Peacock, 77s—all these guys I had already had on a wish list to photograph. When
I met Charlie Peacock, I was so excited. But it was in the bathroom at this place
where he was performing. I was just waiting for him and when he turned around,
I was all, “I’m David Dobson, and I’m so excited to meet you.” And I could tell he
was thinking, “Dude, let me wash my hands, man!” I wound up shooting with him
at his house in Sacramento—he used one of those photos for the original cover of
his West Coast Diaries II album. Later I worked with the 77s, and they used a shot
for the cover of their The Seventy Sevens CD.
When you work outside of the Christian community, do you often have
natural opportunities to discuss your faith with the people you’re
photographing?
Photo by Lee Steffen
I have a deal with God that if I’m shooting fashion or commercial stuff, I always
pray with whomever I shoot with. And so I say, “Dear Jesus, thank you for the
opportunity to shoot, and please help us get some great pictures and not fight.”
Everyone in my fashion book I prayed with. It kind of like sets a standard of, you
know, you’ve got to be responsible for what you just prayed about.
You have a very impressive and diverse portfolio, yet you seem to have
a long-term emphasis on Christian music photography. Why is that?
If the band is presenting the gospel in their music, then I’m presenting the gospel
in their packaging. My whole reason for shooting is to invest the skills that God
blessed me with and help make Christian albums and projects more visually
exciting—promote the message.
Focus on Dobson
How in the world does a long-time Christian music enthusiast land a
career doing photo shoots with not only Michael W. Smith, tobyMac,
Kirk Franklin, Stryper, Stacie Orrico and Steven Curtis Chapman but
also international figures and fashion icons as diverse as Mother
Teresa, Evel Knievel, Moby, Niki Taylor and Rachel Hunter? Just ask
world traveler/photographer David Dobson. You’ve seen a lot of his
work in the album packaging for dc talk’s Intermission, Newsboys’
Thrive and Third Day’s Come Together as well as throughout CCM’s
special Readers’ Choice Awards issue this past January. (And need
we mention CCM’s M.W.S. cover this month?)
The child of missionaries, Dobson was born in Manitoba, Canada
but spent most of his childhood in India and Egypt. As an adult he has
continued to travel internationally as a photographer at large,
supporting the missions efforts of World Vision, Mission of Mercy and
the Assemblies of God. Having now visited 115 countries, Dobson has
been to every continent except Antarctica. He relocated to Nashville
in 2003 after having made Southern California his hub for more than
a decade. (View his portfolio: DavidDobsonPhoto.com.)
>>>
You’ve been successful at both still photography and directing music
videos (Michelle Tumes, The Echoing Green). Are there other related
areas you’d like to venture into?
I would like to come up with branding. Like Anton Corbijn (U2, Lance Armstrong)—
in addition to being a photographer, he’s kind of like an art director. With Depeche
Mode, he shot with them, helps them do their packaging for the CD, does a tour
book for them, tour posters, designs the stage set for their live show and does
most of their music videos.
And the beat goes on...
Integrity Music Group recently announced that beginning Jan. 1, 2005, its
products (which include The Passion of The Christ soundtrack and releases by
MercyMe and CeCe Winans) will no longer be distributed by Word Distribution.
Instead, Integrity is entering into a partnership with Provident Music Group, a
BMG-owned competitor. As a result of the new agreement, Provident’s distribution
arm will be renamed Provident-Integrity Distribution. Meanwhile, Word Label
Group’s president and chief operating officer, Malcolm Mimms, resigned from his
position. (Barry Landis, president of Word Label Group, now reports solely to the
chairman/CEO of Warner Bros. Records, Tom Whalley.)
John Hampton (Gin Blossoms, Stevie Ray Vaughan) to Produce Upcoming Sophomore Project • 4th Avenue Jones
18 ccm november 04
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>>>
CCM_11.04_TheReel.v8
H
10/6/04
1:52 PM
Page 20
reel
Two new movies and
artists talking about
their favorite DVDs
by Joan Brasher
Here’s a flick for
those who secretly
dread the season’s
over-consumption,
blaring carols, illconceived gifts and
maxed-out
credit
cards. Christmas
With the Kranks,
which is based on
John Grisham’s novel Skipping Christmas, features “Home
Improvement’s” Tim Allen as Luther Krank, a guy who decides to forego
the season entirely when his daughter, Blair (Julie Gonzalo, A Cinderella
Story), announces she’s not coming home for the holidays. He plans a
tropical vacation with his wife, Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis, Freaky Friday,
True Lies), and gleefully disposes the usual Christmas formalities,
causing great concern in his suburban neighborhood. No elaborate
twinkling lights, no Christmas Eve party, no giant fake snowman on the
roof. But just when he’s torched the tree and booked the plane tickets,
Blair decides she’s coming home after all; and they have 12 hours to
pull off a Christmas miracle. This comedy hits theaters Nov. 24.
Favorite DVDs From
Your Favorite Artists:
November is my favorite month. Not only is it my birthday month, but the
leaves are turning, the air is crisp, and the movie selections quietly improve
as the days wear on. Thanks to end-of-year Oscar balloting, the best movies
seem to release this time of year. Granted, there are exceptions, of course;
but this fall’s selections seem to be living up to the season’s reputation.
With the cooler weather comes an even cooler animated adventure: The
Incredibles, created by Disney/Pixar, the inventive company that brought us the
mega-hits Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo. Featuring the voices of Craig T.
Nelson (“The District,” “Coach”), Holly Hunter (Thirteen, Little Black Book), Samuel
L. Jackson (Unbreakable, Shaft) and more, The Incredibles is primarily focused on
Bob Parr, a retired superhero who lives in the suburbs with his wife (also a retired
superhero) and their three kids.
When mysterious forces summon him to assist in a top-secret assignment, Bob
leaves his job as an insurance claims adjuster and gets to work saving the world
from some super-villains. His first challenge is fitting into the body-hugging spandex
suit and long-since outgrown utility belt.
The quipping cast of characters, which range in age from pre-teen to middle-aged,
offers something for just about everyone. (My personal favorite is Edna Mode, a pintsized, spectacle-wearing superhero fashion designer.) While I haven’t seen the
movie all the way through, the trailers look exceedingly promising, dishing up lots of
humor and eye-popping visuals. And even though I’ll soon celebrate one of those
birthdays that ends in the dreaded zero, I feel no need to apologize for my unbridled
enthusiasm for The Incredibles. It’s just good, old-fashioned fun (no matter how old
you are), and it opens in theaters Nov. 5.
>>>
Jesse Ribordy, Falling Up:
Gattaca is a movie that has been out for a while; and I know it’s kind
of geeky of me, but it’s my favorite DVD right now. It is a very clean
movie. Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Dead Poets Society) is my favorite
actor, and I love genetics. Please don’t make fun of me.
Fernando Ortega:
The film Amandla is a deeply moving story of the
role music played in South Africa’s struggle
against Apartheid. I loved hearing the music of
some of the great African protest singers that
comforted, united and sustained so many people
in the face of such terrible oppression. Absolutely
worthwhile to see.
(Visit: amandla.com/home/index.php)
Teams Up With Gotee and lookalive records For Third Offering, Stereo (The Evolution of Hiprocksoul) • stop
20 ccm november 04
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CCM_11.04_O2W.v8
10/6/04
1:50 PM
Page 22
onestowatch >>
B Y K E L LY O ’ N E I L
*
Planetshakers
Global worship
The “land down under” has helped introduce some major players in the
world of Christian music (think Newsboys, Rebecca St. James and Darlene
Zschech). Now another accomplished praise & worship act is poised to
make an impact on American soil. Planetshakers started as the worship
team for the Planetshakers conference—now a 20,000-person event.
Russell Evans, the visionary and director of Planetshakers, but his wife,
Sam, along with Henry Seely and Mike Guglielmucci, who grew up
together as teenagers in the Evans’ youth ministry, are the principle
songwriters for Planetshakers. The group moved to Melbourne last year to
start a Planetshakers church and have recorded two CDs. The latest, (My
King) Live Praise and Worship, hit stores in August.
CCM: What’s a Planetshakers conference like?
SEELY: It’s a four-day event that we run in five different states of Australia
*
Monk Neagle
AND
Happy Texans
Trent Monk and Michael Neagle, the latest to sign with Flicker Records,
have a lot in common. Monk and Neagle both hail from Amarillo, Texas,
play guitar and have been happily married for five years to women they
met at their home church. Plus, they’re horrible mechanics when it comes
to fixing their RV. However, this duo makes up for its automotive
shortcomings with superb songwriting and harmonizing as evident in its
self-titled debut, which released in August.
CCM: How long have you been playing guitar?
NEAGLE: We’ve been playing eight or nine years each. Trent and I actually
met in our home church’s college group. We became college leaders and
picked up the guitar and started singing about the same time, so it hasn’t
been forever.
CCM: Had you both recorded independently prior to this?
MONK: I did my first [indie project] probably six years ago now, and then
I started traveling as an independent artist, playing wherever I could. In
2000 I recorded another one, and then it was after we had been on the road
with Shane & Shane on the first leg of the tour that Michael [Neagle]
recorded his to come out on the road and sell. So his hadn’t been done very
long when we decided to become a duo.
CCM: Does your duo debut project include songs from any of your solo albums?
MONK: We kind of rewrote some of the lyrics on a few, but there’s a lot of
new stuff. That wasn’t planned really. When we got into the studio with Ed
Cash (producer), we all started creating and writing; and the process was
beyond anything we’ve ever experienced as far as songwriting goes. We
hope that people enjoy the music, and we feel that it’s a little bit outside
the box. We want people to have good music but also hear the message
behind it, and that’s love for God and love for our family.
22 ccm november 04
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(and soon in the United States!). We have two sessions of
praise/worship/speaking during the day and a huge concert-style night rally
with the band and a guest speaker. We also run specialized workshops in
the afternoons on various types of ministry (high school ministry, worship
etc). One of our mandates is to “empower a generation to win a
generation,” so we don’t just have an entertainment-based program—we
run the whole event to change students/young adults’ lives, which, in turn,
will change our cities and, ultimately, our nation.
CCM: Do you target the same audience as Hillsong (church and label home for Zschech)?
SEELY: We love the Hillsong team—they are great friends of ours and have
done great things for Australian praise & worship. While I think there may
be some overlap in the target audience, I would say Planetshakers targets a
younger audience overall than Hillsong.
CCM: Is there any difference between an Australian audience and an American audience?
SEELY: We’ve had some great audiences in America—people who really
worship and give it their all. But I think Australian young people have this
kind of “rawness” to them. They’re not afraid of what their friends think or
how they look but just explode with passion for God. That’s what we’re
really wanting to see happen in American young people—no fears, no
limitations, no intimidation—just flat-out passion for God.
CCM_11.04_Bible.final
10/6/04
2:33 PM
Page 24
livingthemessage
by Michael Card
Jesus said, “Breakfast is ready.”
(JOHN 21:12 AS PARAPHRASED IN THE MESSAGE)
The Servant-Lordship of Jesus Christ (Part 2)
There are two miraculous catches of fish in the Bible: one early in Christ’s
ministry when Peter falls down and says, “Oh, get away from me. I’m a
sinful man” (Lk. 5:1-11). The second one is in John 21 after the resurrection.
The story begins when Peter says, “I’m going fishing. Who’s going with
me?” Seven of the disciples go out and fish all night but don’t catch
anything. As they’re coming back in, they see Someone (Jesus, who they
don’t recognize) standing on the shore.
Jesus, who specialized in asking irritating questions, asked the disciples
the most irritating question someone can ask a fisherman. “You haven’t
caught any fish, have you?” They shout back, “No!”
Then He says, “Throw your nets on the starboard side. You’ll find some,”
and they did. John, who’s writing the story, looks down at the net full of
fish. He doesn’t recognize Jesus; he recognizes the miracle. He remembers
the first miraculous catch of fish, and he looks at the net full of fish and
gasps, “It’s the Lord!”
When Peter hears that, he jumps into the cold water and swims the 100yard dash to shore. Before, Peter had walked on the water just to be with
Jesus (Matt. 14:22-32). Now it is enough for Peter to simply swim to Jesus.
They pull the boat up to the shore. Someone takes time to count the fish,
which is a very “fishermanly” thing to do. In verse 13 we read the strange
sentence, “And none of the disciples dared ask, ‘Who are you?’ They knew
it was the Lord.” But, apparently, they still wanted to ask, though no one
could find the courage to do so.
All of these details are interesting, but they are not the central point of
the story. The real issue is: Why is Jesus there?
24 ccm november 04
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Remember, this is after the resurrection. This is the Risen Lord, the Lord
of Glory. He has endured the cross for them. He has gone through the
resurrection for their sakes and for ours. He stands there with scars in His
body from what He had endured, marks of love that God would never erase.
If you or I had written the story, we might have pictured Jesus standing
there with a thousand luminous angels, inviting the disciples to fall down
on the sand and worship Him. That would have been appropriate! Why is
He there? He is there to make breakfast!
They look, and beside Him there’s a fire. It’s already burned low, so it’s been
there a long time. He’s been there awhile, waiting for them. There are fish and
bread cooking on the fire. The risen Lord, the Lord of Glory, is there to make
breakfast for them.
There’s something about the fact that He’s not there with angels in glory
that makes me want to fall
down and worship Him all
the more. There’s something
about the fact that He’s come
to make breakfast that makes
“The real issue is: Why is
me want to give my life to
Jesus there?”
Him more than if He had
been there in glory. Does
that connect with you?
We don’t know much
about angels or heavenly
CCM_11.04_Bible.final2
10/6/04
5:52 PM
Page 25
glory, but we do know something about
servanthood. We’ve tasted it. We know what it’s
like when we’re tired and someone brings us a
cup of cold water. That the Lord of Glory would
have shaped His life in the form of a servant is
awesome to me. It’s one of the best reasons for
worshiping Him I know.
Introductory Questions
1. Is Jesus’ making breakfast for the disciples
simply an object lesson, or is there more
involved? Why is He really there?
2. In this passage are we seeing Jesus in the same
role as Servant-Lord that we saw in John 13 and
the washing of the disciples feet?
Study
As you read, keep an eye out for eyewitness
details. This story is full of them. They serve to
make us feel as if we are there. Ask yourself,
“Why would John tell me they are 100 yards
from shore? Why does he think it is important
that I know there were exactly 153 fish?”
John 21
Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of
Galilee. This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples
were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and
two other disciples. 3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the
boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn the disciples saw Jesus
standing on the beach, but they couldn’t
see who he was. 5 He called out, “Friends,
have you caught any fish?” “No,” they
replied. 6 Then he said, “Throw out your
net on the right-hand side of the boat, and
you’ll get plenty of fish!” So they did,
and they couldn’t draw in the net because
there were so many fish in it. 7 Then the
disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter,
“It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard
that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped
for work), jumped into the water, and swam ashore. 8 The
others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the
shore, for they were only out about three hundred feet. 9
When they got there, they saw that a charcoal fire was
burning and fish were frying over it, and there was bread.
10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said.
11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the
shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. And
no one dared ask him if he really was the Lord because they
were sure of it. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the
fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his
disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
1. Doesn’t it seem that Simon Peter is exercising
a leadership role in this story? Have the others
forgotten that Peter denied Jesus just a few days
before?
2. John clearly recognizes Jesus because of the
miracle and not because he is able to discern
Jesus’ face. Could it be that you and I recognize
Jesus the same way today—through the things
that He accomplishes in us every day?
3. Remembering that Peter had denied Jesus and
wept bitterly about it, now it seems that he will
not let anything come between himself and Jesus.
What could have happened that changed Peter’s
frame of mind?
4. Does this story confirm what we saw earlier in
John 13—that Jesus is our Servant-Savior?
Commit
In the story of the second miraculous catch of
fish, the true miracle is not the 153 fish flopping
in the net. The real miracle is the humble
servanthood of Jesus, the risen Lord of Glory.
Even as He had washed the disciples feet, now
He appears as a lowly servant, fixing a morning
meal for them. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus said, “I
have come to serve, not to be served.” Those
words spell out His desire to truly
be the “Man for Others.” That is
the greatest miracle of all.
Commit yourself to understanding what a lifestyle of
servanthood will look like for you.
Remember, servanthood is learned
only by seeing it “fleshed out.”
Jesus incarnated servanthood for
you and me. Also, all around us are
living examples of servanthood.
Look and learn from the lives of
those you know who are genuine servants of Jesus.
When you pray, thank Jesus for His
unexpected coming in the form of a servant. Ask
Him, by the working of His Spirit in your life, to
transform you into a true servant.
Michael Card is an award-winning author, musician and radio broadcaster
who resides in Franklin, Tennessee. His latest effort, A Fragile Stone, deals with
the emotional life of the apostle Simon Peter. Visit MichaelCard.com for
more information.
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Ready
for
His
Close-up
You’d think after 20-plus years as an
artist that Michael W. Smith might take
it easy. Not so. Instead, he’s signing on
for even more than he ever did in his
early career. Roberta Croteau catches up
with this busy man on his only day off
for the next six weeks.
Photo by David Dobson
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E SHARES A MIDDLE INITIAL WITH THE LEADER
of the free world—and, in fact, has been dubbed
“Dubya” by the original Dubya himself—via a
friendship that began more than 15 years ago when
the first President Bush occupied the White House.
That initial “surreal” meeting happened in 1989
when Michael was invited to play for “Christmas in
Washington.” Soon after the concert, a Secret Service
agent approached Michael with the request to come
to the White House by invitation of President Bush. He says he still cringes
at the memory of asking the President if the piano was in tune when invited
to the East Room to play Christmas carols for the first family. (“I thought,
‘You idiot, what are you doing?’ I was trying to be funny.”)
But Michael’s friendships with presidents didn’t end there. He says he was
introduced to George W. before he was even the governor of Texas. In fact,
the two met when they played a tennis match against each other—Michael
and a relative against Bush senior and junior. “We killed them. And I was
like, ‘This is it. This is the end of the Bush-Smith relationship.’”
Not hardly. Michael says he and the current president remain friends and
stay in touch on a regular basis. So, if you’re thinking his relationships hit
the top of the figurative food chain (which they do), then just imagine his
career doing the same thing over the past 20 years, soaring steadily skyward
even amidst the myriad of twists and turns he welcomed on his path.
In between winning countless awards and accolades as a musician and,
in fact, helping to create the success of what is known as the Christian
music genre, Michael has also taken on everything from the expected
(marriage and fatherhood) to the challenging (building and pastoring a new
church community, starting his own record label) to the surprising (starring
in a film).
H
28 ccm november 04
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This year alone he has performed for millions with his patriotic “There
She Stands” before the President’s speech at the Republican National
Convention, jammed with U2 during a studio visit in Ireland and is
currently developing his acting chops by accepting the lead role in the
Steve Taylor-directed and produced indie film, The Second Chance (set to hit
th
theaters next fall). And somewhere in between all that, he finished the 18
album of his career, Healing Rain, which released Oct. 26.
This latest effort is an album that follows up two immensely popular
forays into worship music with 2001’s Worship and the 2002 follow-up,
Worship Again. The five-year “break” from making a pop album (after 1999’s
This Is Your Time) wasn’t so much a break as it was a chance for Michael to
explore his other musical dreams. Freedom, the instrumental album and the
two worship projects allowed Michael to stray from formula—but all along
the way he was continuing to write songs for the eventual, “next” pop
album. And along the way, he picked up another Smith, Martin Smith, that
is, of the U.K. band Delirious, as a writing partner.
He says of the pairing, “I’m a big fan of Delirious and a really big fan of
his writing [which includes the modern worship classic “I Could Sing of
Your Love Forever”]. I thought of Martin because I thought I would love to
be able to do something that has a sort of vertical thing, but it’s progressive
and not corporate—and that’s what Delirious does.” That duo did end up
producing magic. The first lightning strike? The song, written in Martin’s
English homeland, that became the new album’s title, “Healing Rain”—a cut
that, before its release, had already birthed a same-titled book, DVD,
seminar and a whole lot of buzz.
But that meeting wasn’t the only significant one of that trip overseas. A
side jaunt to Ireland produced an impromptu invitation from U2’s Bono to
drop by for dinner “with the boys.” The dinner extended into an excursion
over to the “secret” studio where the band was recording with famed
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producer Steve Lillywhite, who helmed U2’s first three albums and had coproduction credits on Achtung Baby and All That You Can’t Leave Behind. Michael
found himself in yet another surreal musical heaven and was one of the first
people privy to the title of the long-awaited new U2 album, set to release
Nov. 23. Sitting in the Dublin studio with the larger-than-life rock stars,
Bono played some snippets of music and then turned to his American friend
and said he thought the title of the new album might be How to Dismantle an
Atomic Bomb. “Do you know how we do that?” the Irishman asked knowingly.
“No,” Michael offered. “Love, love, love,” Michael mimics Bono’s poetic
answer, with his own attempt at an Irish brogue.
That exchange became the inspiration for Michael’s song “I Am Loved”
(together with a viewing of The Passion of the Christ) on his new album, which
Smitty penned with his Rocketown label-find artist and songwriter Taylor
Sorenson. The two wrote the song in 15 minutes. (“My favorite songs are
always the ones that happen that fast,” Smith says.)
But back in the Dublin studio, the surprises kept on coming as Michael
was invited to sit in on a tracking session with U2 and lend his considerable
talents on the B3 organ. While he’s not sure his part will actually make it
onto the final album, at this point he doesn’t really care. Needless to say, it
would be pretty hard to beat that kind of a memory. The song he jammed
on, fittingly, honors another Nashvillian—Johnny Cash. Entitled “North
Star,” the song celebrates The Man in Black’s unwavering, immovable faith.
(“Just like the North Star,” Michael beams.)
Johnny Cash is just one in a slew of Michael’s legendary acquaintances
and friends—presidents, governors, rock stars, movie stars—during his 20
years of music-making. But when asked who he’d still most love to meet
face-to-face, Michael very decidedly says, “Nelson Mandela.” To be sure, it
is likely his friendship with the crusading rock star (not to mention the
President) that planted that seed—Bono’s ties with Africa and his desire to
enlist the world in fighting the many plights that have beset the continent
span two decades. But Michael’s no slouch when it comes to his own desire
to save the world. Through the work of the Bono-founded DATA, Christian
music’s grassroots movement AWAKE and Michael’s role as a Compassion
International representative, he has been eager and faithful to lend his hand,
voice and influence to help make a difference.
“I want to go to Africa so bad,” he laments. “We have to do something.”
For his part, Michael included a plea for Africa on Healing Rain with the song
“We Can’t Wait Any Longer” but is quick to point out it’s not even close to
enough. “I’m speaking and trying to wake America up, but it’s still not
enough for me. I need to go to Africa. I don’t need to just pour my money
into it. It’s easy to give money. Just write a check all day and feel good. That’s
what a lot of people do. But we’ve got to get our hands dirty.”
Considering the influence of his other friends in high places, one wonders
if Mr. Smith really might want to go to Washington himself to make some
of those kinds of changes. He has considered his own political aspirations.
“I just honestly don’t know if I could do it,” he admits. “There is a part of me
that would really want to do it because I think I could probably make a
pretty good politician. I just don’t know if I could play that game; and to be
in politics, to a certain degree, you’ve got to play the game.” But true to
form, Michael’s not ruling anything out. “It would have to be a very loud call
from God saying, ‘I want you to run for senator or governor,’” he laughs.
“You know I don’t have any experience.” He then adds with a grin, “but
neither did Arnold.”
That Arnold, of course, is the actor-turned-governor, whom Michael still
notes was one of his most notable “meetings.” And that photo op gettogether happened long before the Terminator turned to politics and long
before Michael ever realized he’d be joining the Actor’s Guild. Today,
Michael is just days away from beginning shooting on an honest-togoodness motion picture. And he’s the lead actor! He put in his own
requisite and regrettable wild days in his youth and now gets to somewhat
revisit that experience with his role as a newly reformed and reclaimed
inner-city pastor.
Through the direction of alternative Christian music icon-turned-movie
director Steve Taylor and the guidance of a widely respected acting coach,
Michael’s reveling in this “whole new world.” He says he’s amazed that
acting can actually give you the ability to make someone cry, oddly
forgetting while making this admission that his music has been doing that
Michael
by the
Numbers
47 years old
18 albums
28 No. 1 songs
40 dove awards
11 Grammy nominations
03 Grammy awards
01 People’s 50 Most
23 years of marriage
05 children
12 White House/Camp
David visits
07 CCM covers
4,527ish times he’s
been asked what the “W”
stands for (Answer:
Whitaker)
Beautiful List appearance
Photos by Pamela Springsteen
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Friends
are
Friends
for years. He’s discovering the “mind-boggling” transformation that lets an actor
pull off being someone else and says he’s blown away by the script he gets to play
from—”It’s real life, the real deal,” he says, “It’s not a church film. But it is such a
redemptive, spiritual story.”
And while he plays a man of God on his way to redemption on film, in real life,
Smitty’s already in a pastoral role in the lives of his church family. He’s not a pastor
in the traditional sense of the word; but in his own faith community, he believes
his role is to help others find out what their gift is. He’s surprised, however, at the
number of people who still struggle.
“So many people are so depressed,” he says with amazement. “For some people
life is so hard that they think they can barely just get through one day. Then they
mope through the next day. They had a dad who left… they were abused… they
can’t forget. It’s so hard for me sometimes because I’ve never had that.”
The blessing of “never having that,” however, is not lost on him. When Michael’s
mother was young, she and two sisters and a brother were abandoned by their
mother, who left them, movie script-like, on a doorstep. According to Michael, she
could have “moaned and groaned and been bitter about it.” Instead, she vowed that
would never happen to her children. And that legacy has carried to the next
generation. Today Michael continues the passion for family with his own wife and
five children, growing happily, lovingly in the heart of his Tennessee home.
His lifelong goal of making sure family is always “number one” (“Loving your
wife and kids well—that’s the key,” he says.) seems genuinely met, but Michael is,
by no means, ready to “call it a day.” Ironically, he’s embarrassed to discover that
the one thing he can’t do is name the one thing he can’t do. This man knows exactly
what he wants and exactly what he has to do to go get it.
For instance, for years he’s wanted to cover Simon and Garfunkel’s classic “Bridge
Over Troubled Water” and finally got the chance on this latest album. Musically,
Smitty’s version pays homage to the original while adding a soaring orchestration
befitting its message. Lyrically, it isn’t hard to see why Michael has loved the song
for so long. It’s a virtual mission statement for his life. (“I will dry your tears,” “I will
comfort you,” “I will lay me down,” “I will ease your mind.”) He has been and continues to
be all these things to all the people who bump into and run through his life.
He shares a dream he had two nights ago, puzzled by its meaning and a bit
overwhelmed with its vividness. “In the dream,” he confesses in a hushed tone, “a
very prominent politician died.” (Not the one you’re thinking!) “I was invited to
sing to and comfort the grieving family. The things I said to the family, it was so
God-breathed,” he marvels, “I just kept thinking, ‘I can’t do this; I’m not qualified.’
And it was wild—it was like I was the man for the hour, for the time; and it made
a huge impact. And I ended up becoming a very prominent person in the political
realm, someone who was a comforter, encourager, pastor.” He seems a little shaken
by what this could possibly mean, but any outsider looking in can see that he’s
already been what the dream seems to foretell. (The scene is eerily reminiscent of
Michael’s role throughout the aftermath of the tragic Columbine shootings when
he was invited to perform at the memorial service and then met with and offered
comfort to the grieving families.) Still, as his dream seems to say and as Michael
continues to follow “whatever the calling is that God has for him,” this father,
friend, artist, writer, pastor, actor, crusader, philanthropist and seeker is open to
whatever other role life might bring his way.
He says that, in the end all that really counts is this: “Like in the song ‘All I
Want’—the Martin Smith lyric, ‘To only be a friend of God is all that I desire.’ And I just
want to be faithful. That’s all I want. To me, that’s the beginning and end of story.
Period. No more discussion. That just says it all.” ccm
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From top: Singing with Bush Sr., Sharing a Laugh with Bono, Striking a
pose with the “Governator” of Kah-li-forn-ia
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Inside
the Actor’s
Mind
What is your favorite word?
Wow…love.
We thought it might be fun to give Michael W. Smith
a sit-down in the “Actor’s Studio” chair and hit him
with the famous James Lipton questionnaire that
has been given to everyone from Tom Hanks and
Julia Roberts to Robert DeNiro and Barbra Streisand.
(And just to liven things up a bit, we threw in a few
of our own questions, too, at the end!)
What profession, other than your own,
would you like to attempt?
What was your favorite TV show while
you were growing up?
Probably the acting.
“Lost In Space.” And can I have two? I
love “Get Smart.”
What is your least favorite word?
Pus.
What profession would you not like to do?
What turns you on creatively,
spiritually or emotionally?
Being outside. Actually for all three, I’d
say being outside.
What turns you off?
A janitor.
Now that you’re an actor, is there any
TV show you dream of being on?
What would you like to hear God say
when you arrive at the “pearly gates?”
I would love to attempt “Whose Line Is It
Anyway”—it’s my favorite show on TV.
They are great. I laugh at that more than
any other show.
Well done, my good and faithful servant.
And now for the CCM add-ons!…
Too much TV. And grumbling.
Do you have a hidden talent?
What is your favorite “place in this world?”
(On the official “Inside The Actor’s
Studio” list, the next question is ”What is
your favorite curse word?“ We decided
there were some things you just didn’t
want to know and let Mr. Smith
graciously decline answering.)
What sound or noise do you love?
I love the ocean.
And what sound or noise do you hate?
Traffic!
Ireland.
What do you consider the best song
you’ve written?
“All Is Well”
And how about the worst song you’ve
written?
“I Am Up.” It’s embarrassing. My manager
still gives me a hard time about it. He’ll
holler it out as a request during acoustic
performances.
What’s the song you wish you’d written?
“Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
32 ccm november 04
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I’m a good horseshoe player. I’ve got a pit
in my backyard.
What’s the worst job you ever had?
Putting up chain link fences. I just got out
of school, and I wanted to be at the piano
writing songs; but I was out in the hot
sun, slaving away!
If you were opening your own store,
what would you sell?
Men’s clothing. I’d want a store where
everything was amazing…all the way from
high fashion down to buying shoes for
twenty bucks. R . C .
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Here to
H Stay
Despite the changes and
many faces that have
come and gone,
thankfully, the modern
worship movement isn’t
going anywhere anytime
soon. CCM takes a look
at three of its unique
participants.
By Robert Mineo
34 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
No one can disagree at this point that worship music, as a genre,
is still a veritable force in the Christian music industry. After all,
when the industry’s top-selling artist stops to make not one but
two worship records, which garner platinum success, all
arguments are off (Michael W. Smith’s Worship and Worship Again,
anyone?). But Michael isn’t the only one who’s crossed genres. Alist artists such as Newsboys, Third Day, Rebecca St. James,
Caedmon’s Call and many, many others have recorded vertically
minded recordings that have gone on to register as some of the
top-selling albums in the past few years. Even CCM’s own Reader’s
Choice ballot has included a “Favorite Worship Artist” category
both last year and this year (See CCMmagazine.com to vote!).
So why has this genre gained so much popularity? There are
many theories out there: Other genres were in a slump, every
Christian music fan can identify with worship music, or the surge
of the modern worship movement in churches has sparked its
prevalence and on and on. Charlie Peacock (“Everything That’s
On My Mind”) penned a column for CCM back in August about
this very thing. “The real worship business is 24/7, all directions,
all the time, gladness of heart and praise for everything,” he
wrote. “It is not something that experiences popularity then
wanes. It is not a market share. Instead, it governs and is the
reason for all good markets.”
Whatever the reason and whatever the definition, worship is
here; and it’s here to stay. For that we can all be grateful, as the
worship movement has opened doors for mass exposure to
talented artists, such as the ones written about here, and worship
songs currently being sung in our sanctuaries.
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Worship
E
Chris Tomlin:
Almost Famous
Chris Tomlin may not not be a household name, but there is a good
chance you sang one of his songs at your worship service this past
week. Tomlin’s tunes, including “Forever,” “We Fall Down” and “Famous
One,” are among the most widely used by contemporary churches
across the globe. In fact, Tomlin has registered five songs in the Top
500 on the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI)
Charts (a record of songs played in churches across the country), with
two in the Top 20. And his newest release, Arriving, had just released
with an extremely impressive 22,000-plus sold at press time during its
first week out. While these numbers would be good news to any artist,
when you look at debut week sales for Tomlin’s first release, Not To Us
(Arriving more than quadrupled sales), it proves all the more just how
popular this young worship artist is becoming.
With that kind of clout, you wouldn’t think he’d have had trouble
getting the producer he wanted onboard to helm. But that wasn’t the
case when Tomlin asked Ed Cash (Bebo Norman, Caedmon’s Call,
Bethany Dillon) to take on the project. According to Tomlin, Cash
didn’t think modern worship songwriting was up to par with “regular”
songwriting; so he was hesitant to sign on. But Tomlin eventually
convinced him, and the result is what Tomlin describes as his personal
“best, without a doubt.”
“I just wanted someone who really had a passion for the songs, not
someone who just can make it sound good and has great bells and
whistles,” he explains. “Ed Cash was that guy for me. He’s a great
songwriter himself with great ideas, and he really brought out the best
from the band as they played. He really caused me to grow because he
challenged me to write the very best songs I could that would stand up
to any song out there. There were amazing times in this recording
where we would just get lost in worship to God and moments with
God that were really beyond the songs.”
For Tomlin, moments like those have come fairly often. The
worship leader, who got his start in 1997 performing at Louie Giglio’s
“Passion” college events, has founded his career on such large group
gatherings. He is also signed to sixstepsrecords, the record label Giglio
founded four years ago. And in early 2003, he became a founding
member and worship leader of the Austin Stone Community Church
in Austin, Texas.
But his path to becoming a worship leader was a long time coming.
“Since I was in high school, my heart has been to write songs for the
church,” he says. “It has been to write songs for people to sing and to
play and to respond to God.”
And, according to Tomlin, not just any worship song will do. “There
are lots of songs out there in the name of worship songs that are really
badly written,” he notes. “They are uninspiring, and they just do the
same thing over and over and over again. Some of the new songs are
written, and they are not going to last. My thing is that worship music
is Christian music in its purest form.” And Tomlin seems to have found
that perfect balance as evidenced by the radio success he’s already
seeing with “Indescribable,” the first single off Arriving that’s already hit
the top 5 on Radio & Records and Christian Radio Weekly’s charts.
“The beautiful thing about worship music is that God is at the
center,” he continues. “It comes out of all artists who are really living
out their faith and their relationship with Jesus because they can’t help
but worship Him in their songs. We stand in a long line of people who
have gone before us. The style and the way it’s done, whether it’s from
the tradition of the old or the new, changes. But the spirit of it is never
changing. What’s important to me is putting out songs that the church
can sing. It’s fresh and profound, and the church can really grab onto
it. That’s my heart in making music.”
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Worship
E
Shane & Shane:
Surprised to Be Here
L-R: Shane Everett and Barnard
If Chris Tomlin is on one end of the spectrum with having a clear sense of
purpose since high school, Shane Barnard and Shane Everett of Shane &
Shane would land on the opposite end.
“We just fell into this deal,” says Everett. “We never thought we would do
this as a living. I got saved in 1997 and after about three months, I was
doing this full time. People would call, and we would go. First, it was
playing a couple days a week; and in the last couple years, it’s almost 300
dates. It’s just been insane.”
The two met while attending Texas A&M University. Barnard, who had
not considered being a musician until becoming a Christian in high school,
made his stage debut as part of a musical festival at the college. Everett, also
a fairly new Christian and musical late bloomer, was there as well; and the
Shanes became fast friends. Within a few months they also became
collaborators, performing and writing together with Barnard on lead vocals
and acoustic guitar and Everett on backing vocals and electric guitar.
Like Tomlin, the core audience for Shane & Shane remains a strong
following of collegiate listeners. But instead of playing big worship rallies,
Shane & Shane built support through smaller, mostly acoustic concerts that
were usually held on college campuses or in churches.
But smaller concerts have certainly not translated into a smaller following
for these two. Three independent projects were released before the national
release of Psalms (Inpop) in 2002. The next year’s follow-up, Carry Away,
was the record that put Shane & Shane on the map and earned a Top 10
debut on Christian album sales charts and a coveted impression upon the
overall Top 200 album listing in Billboard magazine. Christian radio
supported the tracks “Be Near” and “Mercy Reigns,” Dove nominations
rolled in, and the duo headlined a major national tour this year that
featured Ginny Owens and Shaun Groves. This summer the quickie,
acoustic “thank you” disc for fans, Upstairs, was released to satiate demand
until the release of Clean this fall.
And though their music career has been successful and seemingly wellplanned, both admit their surprise at the course their lives have taken.
36 ccm november 04
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“Music has such a small part to do with both of our backgrounds,” reveals
Barnard. “Music has never been my hobby or my passion, and I never
thought music would be my ‘thing.’ It has been very supernatural; it has
been kind of weird and at the same time very sovereign and cool.”
Everett concurs, “We are not even writers by nature. A song will pop out
basically just from what the Lord is teaching us through His Word or [from]
something our pastor says that kind of strikes us.”
But while their musical backgrounds may not be extensive, Barnard and
Everett are determined to make a point of improving on their natural talents
of performing and songwriting. “Over the years of doing this, you gain an
appreciation for the art of music and musicality,” states Everett. “When we
first started I didn’t even know what the note was. It was just, ’OK, that
sounds good.’” He laughs, “If you go back seven years to the first record, it
now sounds like it should have never been recorded.”
“I have never really been able to pursue or enjoy the way I’ve been
gifted,” adds Barnard. “I have no idea how to play music at this point; it’s just
kind of on the ‘fly’ and here and there. I have wanted to study for a long
time, and that desire is huge for us.”
Building a studio upstairs from their home office provided a first step
toward beefing up the creative process. For this most recent release, Clean,
they gained an ability to perfect it at a pace rarely possible when studio
time is booked at an outside location. “We didn’t have all the restrictions
and deadlines that we usually have with recording,” Barnard happily recalls.
“We took one song at a time and just worked it from start to finish and track
to track. Musically speaking, I think it is our most creative and interesting
and, maybe, fun record.”
Thematically there is a tighter cohesion to Clean as well, with a slant
toward the unfailing and unmerited grace of God. According to Barnard, a
good cleansing from God’s Word makes it possible to regain sight of the
nature of that grace. “I think a lot of these songs were just going back to
those backbone Scriptures of God and the backbone Scriptures in my life,
where I look and go, ‘This is what is really going on,’” says [con’t on pg. 38]
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Worship
E
Phillips, Craig and Dean:
A Welcome Homecoming
L-R: Randy Phillips, Dan Dean, Shawn Craig
[con’t from pg. 36] Barnard. “It was the Scriptural themes of brokenness and
dependency on God who delights in saving us, His salvation, His
sanctification and His purifying us.”
So does Shane & Shane classify its music as “worship”? Says Everett, “I
think we kind of live in irony because that term is so broad. I think what the
Lord has given us the opportunity to do is to help facilitate and encourage.
We tour around and do concerts and sell tickets. Hopefully, it is a worship
experience for everyone.”
He adds, “I hope that the Lord does transcend through the music because
mostly what we sing is straight Scripture; and that, in itself, is wonderfully
powerful and wonderfully alive. I think people come not just expecting an
experience but an encounter with God. Hopefully an individual comes to
salivate for God a lot more than to salivate for a guitar strum.”
Phillips, Craig and Dean
For many artists these days, doing a worship record is a “side” project from
their normal musical fare. But for veteran group Phillips, Craig and Dean—
featuring Randy Phillips, Shawn Craig and Dan Dean—making a praise &
worship record (Let The Worshippers Arise) was like coming into their own for,
what felt like, the first time in a long time.
“Praise & worship is something we have always done,” says Phillips. “We
have always incorporated worship because we are worship pastors at our
churches. When we would go on the road, we treated the audience like a
congregation; and we would try and lead them into worship. A lot of our
songs could be considered worship by today’s standards.”
Yet Phillips does admit these projects did provide an exit from image
consciousness and an artistic rut. Hard as the group tried—and, according
to Phillips, the efforts were quite intense—Phillips, Craig and Dean, which
in years past garnered 18 No. 1 radio hits, was never quite trendy enough
for the industry in later years or for itself. This led to tension within the
group and, eventually, a creative roadblock.
In time, the men accepted their standing and decided to simply relax and
do what they do best—lead others into worship. Ironically, by shifting the
38 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
focus to worship, they gained the relevance that had previously been elusive.
“We were stuck in a sound we just couldn’t get loose from,” recalls
Phillips. “Yet praise & worship music crosses so many barriers, and there was
a whole new audience listening to our music. A lot of that is a credit to our
producer Nathan Nockels (of Watermark). That guy is good, and he is
fresh; and he put a fresh spin on us.”
Younger listeners did tune in for the first time, but the biggest “score” was
with core, “mature” listeners who could appreciate worship music but not
the newer, edgy music. On being a conduit for bridging a gap to older
listeners, Phillips laughs and says, “Well, we are not Bill Gaither! If our
audience is mature, what is Bill’s?” He adds, “It doesn’t bother us at all. If we
were instrumental in bringing more cutting-edge praise & worship to a more
traditional setting, that’s great. If that was our mission, then it was worth it.”
Scanning the credits of Let The Worshippers Arise makes it clear that the
group is set on that musical mission. The trio remains at the forefront and
has a few songwriting credits, but notable names from the modern worship
world stand out. Nockels contributed in musical ways as well, and his wife
and Watermark co-member, Christy, is a duet partner on “Mighty Is the
Power of the Cross.” That song was co-written with Chris Tomlin and is
also featured on his latest, Arriving. “Making Melody” was crafted by Matt
Redman, and the title track was penned by Michael Ferrin, who also wrote
the Michael W. Smith recorded “Let It Reign.”
For Phillips, Craig & Dean, strictly worship recordings will probably
wrap up with this album (which follows Let My Words Be Few and Let Your
Glory Fall). However, praise songs will remain a prominent part of the trio’s
future output, just as they always have.
“Truthfully, we do bring something to the table that other artists do not,”
says Phillips. “Not only that we are pastors, but we have lived long enough
to see a good life and then some tragic things. We know people are there
suffering, so they become like our congregation in the fact that we have a
responsibility to take them to the throne room for an hour and a half or two
hours.” ccm
CCM_11.04_Grits.v11
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Page 40
GRITS MAY
MAY BE
BE THE
THE CHRISTIAN
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY’S
COMMUNITY’S MOST
MOST PROMINENT
PROMINENT HIPHIPGRITS
HOP GROUP,
GROUP, BUT
BUT WITH
WITH THE
THE DUO’S
DUO’S NEW
NEW BACK-TO-BACK
BACK-TO-BACK RELEASES,
RELEASES,
HOP
DICHOTOMY A
A AND
AND DICHOTOMY
DICHOTOMY B,
B, ALL
ALL BETS
BETS ARE
ARE OFF.
OFF. AS
AS THEY
THEY
DICHOTOMY
PONDER FURTHER
FURTHER STEPS
STEPS INTO
INTO THE
THE MAINSTREAM
MAINSTREAM MUSIC
MUSIC WORLD,
WORLD,
PONDER
GRITS’ STACY
STACY “COFFEE”
“COFFEE” JONES
JONES TALKS
TALKS CANDIDLY
CANDIDLY ABOUT
ABOUT THE
THE
GRITS’
UNCERTAINTIES OF
OF THE
THE ROAD
ROAD AHEAD.
AHEAD.
UNCERTAINTIES
BY LOUIS
LOUIS R.
R. CARLOZO
CARLOZO
BY
L-R:
L-R: Stacy
Stacy “Coffee”
“Coffee” Jones
Jones and
and Teron
Teron “Bonafide”
“Bonafide” Carter
Carter
40 ccm november 04
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1:40 PM
Page 41
Ask Stacy “Coffee” Jones, one half of the dynamic hip-hop duo
GRITS, what inspired him and partner Teron “Bonafide” Carter to
make the ambitious two-album set Dichotomy A and Dichotomy B,
and he gives a somewhat shocking answer: “Gotee approached us
midway through the recording with the idea,” he says. “It was our
last record with Gotee, and we wanted to go out with a bang.”
Wait a sec: Last record with Gotee, the label at which the
group’s seen increasing success for more than 10 years? “Our
contract is up, and we’re trying to work out the details to come
back,” Coffee reveals. “But for right now, we’re free agents.”
While the future depends on many variables—a few of which
Coffee addresses in a free-ranging interview—for now, the
present is equally promising and precarious. There’s no denying
that the Dichotomy records represent artistic daring and have
yielded some mighty fine hip-hop in the process.
The twin albums mark a bracing step forward for a duo that is,
without a doubt, Christian music’s most successful mainstream rap
group. With each of its two previous releases (The Art of Translation,
2002, and Grammatical Revolution, 1999), GRITS has managed to
make increasingly significant inroads into the general market.
These triumphs have spanned from the music charts (Translation
peaked at No. 11 on CMJ’s hip-hop listing.) to the silver screen
and television. (“Here We Go” was featured in the Jack
Nicholson/Diane Keaton film Something’s Gotta Give and became a
music bed staple for MTV, while the video landed spins on BET.)
Still, GRITS has dealt with the pressure any act with a
previously successful album knows: to deliver a sequel that lives
up to, if not surpasses, its predecessor. As much as some folks
might’ve wanted or expected something similar to Translation—a
“Part B,” if you will—Coffee says GRITS was determined to stick
to its guns and try something new.
“I felt like a lot more stress was on us with Dichotomy A,” Coffee
says, “And with people caught up with The Art of Translation, a lot
were expecting us to make another Art of Translation, and we went
in with the vibe that we’re not going to repeat that. GRITS is
constantly changing and constantly evolving, just like our faith in
Christ—every day is different. It’s about us, what we’re going
through, what we’ve been through and what we’ve got to
overcome. Plus, we’ve always been pushing the envelope, going
against the grain.”
At press time, GRITS was still putting the finishing touches on
the new disc—recorded, as was A, with the production help of dc
talk band alum Otto Price. “People ask, ‘Why Dichotomy A and B?’
Technically, it’s all the same—the recording, the photos, the
packaging. Style-wise it’s connected, though it’s two parts—26
songs, including interludes,” Coffee says.
Yet, there are differences with the new disc he wants to
highlight. “Sonically, it’s more ‘up’ than A. Lyrically, the approach
is more aggressive. It’s weird; I think there are more hooks on B
and more aggressive songs that the kids are really going to be
excited about when we perform them live.”
Do expectations to follow up A or even Translation, which sold
more than 130,000 copies, ever weigh on GRITS? “We’ve got
nothing to prove to nobody,” Coffee says. “At the end of the day,
if [Bonafide] and I are standing there with our thumbs up, then
we’re fine with it. And we know that our fans—the people who
have been rolling with us from the beginning—they’re going to
be fine with it.”
This brings up whether GRITS would want to take the bigger
risk of stepping completely outside the Christian music scene for
an all-out push in the mainstream. “It’s funny you even mention
that,” Coffee says. “It’s been a big discussion for us in the last
couple days. There are artists on that side—Kanye West and
Mase—who are doing it on a much bigger level, with money and
ccmmagazine.com
november 04 ccm 41
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1:40 PM
“
Page 42
ARE LIVES REALLY BEING AFFECTED,
OR IS IT JUST THE SAME OLD PEOPLE
LISTENING TO THE THE RADIO AND
GOING TO CONCERTS?
exposure.” (West, for example, has had a huge mainstream hit with his
song “Jesus Walks.”)
The way Coffee sees it, growing segments of the Christian music
industry are stepping up and supporting artists making an impact
outside the church. Meanwhile, he has questions for those who prefer a
more insular approach. “Are lives really being affected, or is it just the
same old people listening to the radio and going to the concerts?” he
wonders. He then contrasts this to the incredible response by
mainstream artists in late 2001: “When the world can come together—
9/11, for example—what happens? The mainstream artists come
together, and all the proceeds go to the families of the [World Trade
Center] victims, the firemen. And what do we do? The world is really
showing us how to minister, and that’s crazy to me. We talked [in
Nashville] about rallying it up, but we didn’t have the power behind us
to do it—it’s just the politics behind it.”
All of this brings Coffee back to the Gotee situation, about which he’s
cautiously optimistic. “We’re basically realizing that if we’re going to
keep rolling with Gotee, it’s going to take a mainstream partner to take
us where we want to go,” he says. “They’ve got the heart to do it, but
it’s an investment—and you’ve got to be willing to make that
investment.”
That said, it’s worth noting that Gotee invested significant cash,
muscle and sweat into making Translation a record that would have an
impact well beyond the Christian market. Coffee also goes out of his
way to affirm that the relationship between GRITS and the label
remains amicable.
Still, he makes no apologies for his ambitions. “Let’s do business on a
level where it’s an honor to God,” he says. “You read about people like
Abraham and Solomon in the Bible, and they were ‘loaded’; they knew
how to survive, live off the land and do it well. And I feel like on the
42 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
”
Christian side, we’re told, ‘It’s OK to be broke because you’re doing it
for God’—when the reality is that you’re broke, and you and your
family are just getting by.”
Asked what it will take to kick the act’s career into the next gear, he
frames his answer in terms of the fans: “Keeping them in mind and heart
needs to be at the center of everything GRITS does.” This, he notes,
includes knowing how to leave the people wanting more. “For us, our
fans are our fans,” he says. “We just wanted to do [the Dichotomy records]
for the fans, to let them know they’re appreciated. We ended up with
so much material, we put it into two albums. Dichotomy is just the name;
if you listen to them they are two very different albums. Plus, a lot of
artists are putting 17, 18 songs on a record these days. I don’t know
about you, but when I hear that many songs, I’m overwhelmed.”
Coffee also stresses that no matter what changes in the world of
GRITS, honest faith will always remain constant. “Our heart is that we
know how powerful music is, that a song can change a person’s life,” he
says. “We want to sow seeds, not just in the mainstream, but with
believers. Because at the end of the day, problems—pride, arrogance,
whatever it is—stem from something deeper than just committing the
sin or whether you’re saved or not. I talk to castaway believers, and they
see that we as Christians are all talk. And that gives them ammo: ‘If
that’s the way they are, I want nothing to do with it.’
“So when I start talking to people, I start by telling them how I’ve
messed up. We talk about divorces, how we’re products of divorce. A
lot of people won’t do that, and we were told at the beginning, ‘Be on
guard; watch yourself.’ But God has protected us and sustained us over
a decade. And if we can’t see God in that, then we’re crazy.”
As if to sum up what these lessons have taught him, Coffee says, “I
believe we’ve been faithful. We’ve slipped up a bunch of times. But God
is faithful. We know why we’re here, and we’re not stopping.” ccm
CCM_11.04_Smalltown.v14
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1:42 PM
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Smalltown Poets: Better Late Than Never
f you’ve been wondering where this alternative pop fave
has been, well… they’ve been getting married, having
kids and, most recently, recording an album, It’s Later Than
It’s Ever Been, for the past two years. The latest project
marks the end of a four-year hiatus for the band. And,
according to lead singer, Michael Johnston, it was worth the wait.
“This most recent experience has been great. It’s been challenging
because we did it all ourselves—from the recording of it and writing
all the songs to the production.”
This “home-grown” approach is a departure from the band’s
previous albums; yet, according to Michael, it was a natural
progression. “It happened very organically. My desire has always
been to make music and be involved in the songwriting process. Matt
Goldman, the drummer, actually played on the last three Smalltown
Poets records. There were a couple other musicians he had been
playing with in some other local bands, and some natural friendships
and collaborations grew out of that. That’s how Alex [Peterson] and
Troy [Stains] got incorporated into the mix.”
The new band members aren’t the only things distinguishing this
album from the others. After signing with BEC (a division of Tooth
& Nail), the band was suddenly given license to explore its own
musicality and creativity. “We were able to go in, saying, ‘We have
this idea, and we have this ability to be able to do this ourselves.’ And
they said, ‘Go for it.’ That’s an incredible vote of confidence, so it
really prompted us to set the bar even higher. You know, we wanted
to deliver.”
And so, the band hit the studio. For two years, the new foursome
wrote, performed and recorded all new songs for the album. “We
wanted this to be the kind of record we would want to listen to, and
being able to keep our hands on this whole process has allowed us to
learn from things we’ve done in the past. We were able to spend a lot
more time working on melodies and counter melodies so that there’s
some depth there musically. And I think the songwriting has
definitely grown a bit and evolved and changed.”
44 ccm november 04
by Caroline Mitchell
Coming from a group with two Grammy nominations and seven
Dove nods to its credit, the promise of musical growth bodes well.
And, despite a changed sound and group composition, Smalltown
Poets vows to deliver the goods for its old fans as well as new.
“We want to totally bring along people who have stuck with us.
We’re grateful that there are still people who want to hear what we’re
doing; but, at the same time, we’ve grown musically, so we expect
that other people are open to new things.”
According to Michael, Smalltown Poets, then and now, has kept
one primary goal in the forefront of its mission and ministry.
“Communicating the truth in love has always been a goal of this band
and with me, in particular, as a songwriter. If you have ever been in a
small town, and especially if you are a visitor, you are communicated
to with a bit more care because people do not expect you to know
everything about their little town that they have known and lived in
all of their lives. And poets are known for communicating the truth
about things as they see them.”
This commitment to truth, coupled with several years of diligent
pursuit of God’s own revelation in their lives, has led these particular
poets to create an album that resonates with the spiritual lessons they
have learned.
“On songs such as ‘The Truth Is Out,’ ‘Lay It Down,’ ‘Here,’ ‘We
Will Continue’ and ‘New to Me,’” says Michael, “a common thread is
that God is proactive and present—in our lives individually, in the
lives of those with whom we are the closest, in the church
community, in our community, in general, in the mess of politics, in
the midst of the crisis and uncertainty of war, AIDS and poverty—
and He desires us to be present and proactive in relating to Him with
honesty and truth. So out of that relationship with the divine, we can
better relate and engage in those other relationships.”
With new families and shifting priorities, the band has committed,
as it always has, to the pursuit of God’s intention for its ministry.
“You never know what’s going to happen, but our families are
behind what we’re doing; and so wherever God leads, we hope to be
willing to follow.” ccm
ccmmagazine.com
L--R: Troy Stains, Michael Johnston,
Alex Peterson, Matt Goldman
CCM_11.04_List.v10
10/6/04
2:30 PM
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125
6
4
7
12 9 8
17
1 1
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*
arched” musings.
A compendium of arguably useless and “rese
18
19 11 16
20
ama
-R
-O
st
Li
M
C
C
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B
R
A
-C
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Chris Well’s
0 4
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READ THIS FIRST: You’re sitting around a roaring fire, roasting desert varmints
and singing, “Kum Ba Yah” for, like, the 80th time. You’d love a good cowboy
song, but the only ones you can think of seem to be about mistreating cattle.
Well, here are some Christian artists to the rescue, all offering “cowboy”themed songs that aren’t about roping dogs. Or something.
Saddle Up:
5 Songs That
Make Me Think of Cowboys
5 REASONS TO BE THANKFUL
1.
“THE
RIFLEMAN,”
The Choir
This moody,
dreamy gem,
which came from
the 1987 album,
Chase the
Kangaroo
(Myrrh), pokes fun at the dichotomy anytime one
might “pray for peace and revel in war.” The title
comes from a Western TV show that aired from
1958-1963 on ABC (and forever after in reruns).
2.
“COSMIC
COWBOY,” Barry
McGuire
1. Max Lucado finally has a new
book coming out.
2. Sitting through Star Wars sequels
is not required by law.
4.
“COWBOY,” Ghoti Hook
In the ’90s, Ghoti Hook rocked with youthful, punk
energy and tight harmonies matched to clever
lyrics. The ode “Cowboy” (with the easy-to-singalong chorus, “cause he’s a Cowboy! Cowboy!
Cowboy! Cowboy! Cowboy! Cowboy! Cowboy!
Cowboy!”) comes from its 1997 album, Banana
Man (Tooth & Nail).
3. Even with only four members, the
group is still called Jump5.
4. The “reality” craze has finally
come to Christian TV.
5. “CCM List-O-Rama” is confined
to a single page.
5.
Barry McGuire is, perhaps, best
remembered in the general
market for his apocalyptic
1965 hit, “Eve of Destruction.”
Turning his life to Jesus in the
’70s, he recorded a string of
Christian albums, including the 1978 classic,
Cosmic Cowboy (Sparrow). The title track is built on
an unusual metaphor to describe Jesus.
3.
“THE GREATEST
COWBOY OF THEM
ALL,” Johnny Cash
Another song that paints our
Lord Jesus as a cowboy
figure, this up-tempo number
can be found on the 1991
Johnny Cash album, Mystery of
Life (Mercury). It can also be
found on the Cash gospel
compilation, God, released in
2000 on Columbia.
“THE GREAT ADVENTURE,” Steven
Curtis Chapman
This 1992 Christian cowboy
classic serves
as a happier, peppier
counterpart to Chapman’s
darkly brilliant “For the
Sake of the Call,”
reimagining the Great
Commission as a scene
from a cowboy movie. (Well,
kinda.) Originally found on the
Sparrow album The Great Adventure (naturally), you
can also find this song on his 1997 Greatest Hits.
READ THIS PART, TOO: Other notable entries for said list
would include “Posse in the Sky” (Daniel Amos, Shotgun
Angel), “Satan, Bite the Dust” (Carman, Addicted to Jesus)
and “The Outlaw” (Larry Norman, Only Visiting This Planet).
Plus, of course, all of the many, many, many other songs
that could also be included. Do not send letters (unless
they include money or baked goods).
THE MEMBERS OF DENISON MARRS’
5 FAVORITE FICTIONAL OR
REAL PLANETS (HONEST!)
1. Perelandra 2. Endor
3. Middle-Earth
4. Venus 5. Mar(r)s
The latest album from Denison
Marrs is Denison Marrs
(Floodgate Records).
46 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
CCM_11.04_GiftGuide.final
10/6/04
6:20 PM
Page 47
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Sure, the malls are crammed, there’s never
enough time to get those sugar cookies
baked, and, if that wasn’t enough, there’s
always that one difficult aunt on your
list who you can never find the right
present for. But, there is hope in sight. Let
CCM bring a little joy to your Christmas
shopping this year with our handy gift
guide filled with great ideas that’ll rock the
socks off the people you’re buying for.
CCM_11.04_GiftGuide.final
10/6/04
6:20 PM
What’s the best
Christmas
present you ever
received?
Fusebox’s lead singer,
Billy Buchanan
“Last year I got the first season of ‘Smallville’
on DVD. I was pretty excited. I’m a huge fan
of the show.”
Page 48
JASON MORANT
Abandon
Art + culture + worship = Abandon
With influences such as Keith Green, U2, Rita Springer and David Ruis,
Jason brings an eclectic, edgy mix of styles and textures to his sound. It
is the uniqueness of that sound combined with the maturity of his lyrics
that is captured on Abandon.
VARIOUS
Stormie Omartian Presents—The Prayer That Changes Everything
FFH’s Jennifer Deibler
“My husband, Jeromy, got me a truck—a
Montero—for Christmas once.”
Created as a companion to her newest book, Stormie Omartian and her
multi-Grammy Award-winning husband, Michael, have hand-selected
this collection of 11 powerful praise & worship songs to usher each
listener to “live each day making praise your first reaction and not a
last resort.” This all new recording includes favorite worship songs plus
songs penned by Stormie and her husband.
VARIOUS
The Passion of The Christ—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Rebecca St. James
Relive the awe with the stirring gold-certified original motion picture
soundtrack from the most powerful biblical movie of our time, Mel
Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ. Produced in Europe, this
instrumental recording captures the same powerful emotions of the
movie in a beautiful and moving orchestral score.
“The most vivid one I remember was a pogo
stick I got for Christmas as a child back in
Australia.”
Russ Lee
“My family (wife and kids) bought me a farm
last year. OK, not really for me but for a
World Vision family that we support. A cow,
two goats and some chickens were sent in
my name to this family, and I got a card that
said, ‘Merry Christmas, Dad, We bought you
the farm!’ It was the most unique and the
most awesome gift I’ve ever received!”
VARIOUS
Integrity’s iWorship NEXT
Dive into the best worship songs from the biggest artists in Christian
music. This two-disc set with 30 songs (plus three bonus tracks) and a
free bonus DVD is just what you’ve been looking for—an incredible nonstop worship experience.
Songs Include: “Agnus Dei,” “Blessed Be Your Name,” “Here I Am to
Worship,” “Hungry,” “I Can Only Imagine” and “Shout To The Lord” from
top artists, including Michael W. Smith, Darlene Zschech, Phillips, Craig
& Dean, SONICFLOOd, Israel & New Breed and Don Moen.
HILLSONG
For All You’ve Done
Avalon’s Melissa Greene
“Mine was probably my engagement ring, I
was shocked. I had only dated my husband
for two months, and he actually proposed
right after Christmas. It was a total shock,
and I had no idea it was happening, so that
was a major Christmas memory.”
Cries of gratitude to God resounded throughout the city of Sydney,
Australia as Darlene Zschech and the Hillsong Team, together with a
choir of more than 500 voices, led thousands of people in an aweinspiring night of all-new live worship captured on this double-disc set.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
CCM_11.04_GiftGuide.final
10/6/04
6:23 PM
Page 50
SPECIAL ADVERT
What are some
of your
Christmas
traditions?
CAROLYN ARENDS
The Irrational Season
For each of the past 10 years, acclaimed singer/songwriter Carolyn
Arends (“Seize the Day,” “Reaching,” “New Year’s Day”) has written a
song for her church’s Christmas Eve service. The Irrational Season is a
new recording featuring the best of those songs (plus four Christmas
classics)—a stirring collection guaranteed to help you celebrate,
contemplate and enter into the miracle of the Incarnation. Available at
carolynarends.com or 866/953-1833.
JIM MURPHY
It Was You
FFH’s Jeromy Deibler
“My mom and my grandmother get together
every year just after Thanksgiving and make
homemade chocolate—I love it! Chocolatecovered pretzels, chocolate-covered graham
crackers, chocolate-covered animal
crackers—everything you can think of they
cover in chocolate! We feast on the stuff
straight through New Year’s.”
It Was You, the debut project from Jim Murphy, runs the gamut of
musical tastes—from inspirational to adult contemporary—while never
losing the deep message that lies within each song. His premier solo
endeavor showcases Jim’s vocal diversity and is a must-have. Be sure
to listen to your favorite radio station for “Taken Back,” his early 2005
AC/Inspo single release. Available at Christian Bookstores,
jimmurphyonline.com or amazon.com.
POINT OF GRACE
I Choose You
Point of Grace returns with I Choose You, its most stunning and
progressive album to date. With new member Leigh Cappillino and an
updated mix of writers and producers, these multi-Dove Award winning
women have reshaped their sound while maintaining the signature pop
element that their fans know and love. Features the hit title track “I
Choose You”.
Bethany Dillon
“Every Christmas Eve we go to my
grandparents’ house and read the story of
Jesus’ birth with them. Once we’re home,
we all open one present and are rushed to
bed. The funny thing is, the three youngest
kids (including me) would love to sleep in
on Christmas morning. I mean, it will all
still be there, right? However, the two
oldest, Kate and Aaron, feel compelled to
run into everyone’s rooms at 4 in the
morning and jump on our beds, belting out
Christmas carols.”
Denver Bierman of
Denver & Mile High
Orchestra
“Every Christmas my family would buy a
small Christmas tree made out of cinnamon
rolls. It would be decorated with gummie
bears as the lights and covered with icing.
We would stick candles in it, and sing
“Happy Birthday” to Jesus before we
(Cont’d on pg. 52)
RELIENT K
Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand
Back by popular demand! Relient K is re-releasing its special limitededition 10-song Christmas rock masterpiece, Deck the Halls, Bruise Your
Hand. Look for it in stores on Nov. 2, 2004 and throughout the
Christmas season! Just like last year, every copy will come with a free
copy of its last album Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right... But Three Do.
Check out mmhmm.com for musical samples and other downloads.
CROSS MOVEMENT & FRIENDS
Gift Rap
Cross Movement Records continues to break new ground as The Cross
Movement & Friends present the Christmas story like you’ve never
heard it before—through hip-hop. On this new album Gift Rap, The Cross
Movement invites a host of friends including DaTRUTH, Flame, J.R. and
J-Silas (Rock Soul) to share in the celebration of the Savior’s birth. Sure
to become a hip-hop holiday classic! In Stores Now!
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RTISING SECTION
SELAH
Hiding Place
The new album from the Dove Award-winning group Selah features the
huge No. 1 hit, “You Raise Me Up.” It’s the perfect gift this holiday
season! Also, be sure to check out the solo releases from Selah
members Todd Smith, Nicol Sponberg and Allan Hall. For more info, log
onto selahonline.com or buy now at familychristian.com.
AMY GRANT
Greatest Hits 1986-2004
Amy Grant’s 19th project is a collection of her greatest hits since
the award-winning, multi-platinum Unguarded album. Greatest Hits
1986-2004 spans Amy’s career since that seminal release marking
almost two decades of unmatched artistry. The project features the
massive hits “Baby Baby” and “Every Heartbeat” and includes two
previously unreleased songs including “The Water,” Amy’s latest
Christian radio offering.
VARIOUS
Gloria
Gloria is the soundtrack for the 2004 holiday season. Including
standout performances from Amy Grant (“God Is with Us”), Christy
Nockels of Watermark (“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”), Shaun Groves
(“O Come All Ye Faithful”) and Cindy Morgan (“Follow That Star”), Gloria
is a soon-to-be Christmas classic of fresh and traditional songs. Visit
gloriachristmas.com for more information.
SUPERCHICK
Beauty From Pain
Through movie soundtracks, commercials and television shows,
Superchic[k] has flaunted a passionate, energetic, pop-punk spirit,
overflowing with positive messages that are serious and witty. Beauty
From Pain continues Superchic[k]’s genre-busting journey, inspiring
people with new-wave-pop-punk-funk-rock, a positive spirit and upbeat
vibe. Available Dec. 14 wherever you buy music!
FOCUS ON YOUR CHILD MEMBERSHIP
The “Focus on Your Child” membership program is a complimentary
Focus on the Family program designed for parents who have children
at home. The Focus on Your Child Web site and age-specific print
newsletters and audio journals provide timely encouragement, advice
and information for today’s busy parents. To learn more and get a
complimentary membership, visit focusonyourchild.com or call
(800) A-FAMILY.
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SPECIAL ADVERT
opened presents. Our family would always
go to our midnight church service, then
we’d come home and go to bed. My
younger brother and I were not allowed to
come downstairs to look at the presents
until my parents were already there
because they wanted to see the look on our
faces when we entered the room.”
Sam Katina of the
Katinas
“Our dad was a pastor, so our Christmas
traditions always revolved around church.
We didn’t have a whole lot of gifts, but
Christmas in the islands [American
Samoa] consisted of us doing a lot of
singing in church and eating! Each
Sunday School class in the church would
do a Christmas play, and all the kids
always looked forward to that. In the
islands, we had an aluminum Christmas
tree. We used it for about 10 years, and
by the last year, it had about six
branches left on it! Today, every now and
then we’ll pop into a Goodwill or a
secondhand store and see if there are
any aluminum Christmas trees
for sale. Now, every Christmas morning
my wife and daughters and I bake a
birthday cake and sing “Happy Birthday”
to Jesus, and we read the Christmas
story together. Afterward, our girls can
hardly wait to go upstairs to the bonus
room to open their gifts!”
Mark Schultz
“On Christmas morning my dad makes
Belgian waffles for everybody. It’s
awesome!”
AUDIO-TECHNICA AE3300 CARDIOID
CONDENSER
MSRP: $439.00
With pristine audio quality, ultra-low handling noise and high-frequency
clarity, Audio-Technica’s AE3300 cardioid condenser gives voice to the
subtleties of artistic performance. At the heart of the AE3300 is the
legendary AT4033 condenser element proven in the world’s finest
recording studios. For exacting detail, brilliant clarity, exceptional
sound: the AE3300 is the new standard in live audio.
audio-technica.com
YANCY
Beautiful Sound
Yancy is no stranger to the music business; she’s worked with some of
Christian music’s finest (including Mac Powell of Third Day) and wrote
Avalon’s hit song “I Don’t Want to Go.” Yancy leads worship for more
than 2,500 students each week at Oneighty® in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Beautiful Sound features original and familiar worship songs for this
generation. Check it out at yancynotnancy.com!
RYAN DOBSON
2 Die 4
The end of life as you know it is the beginning of life as you need it.
The fact is, if you have nothing worth dying for, you have nothing really
worth living for. In To Die For, Ryan Dobson passionately demonstrates
what it means to die to self. Go to: multnomahbooks.com or
ryandobson.com for more information.
CLINT BROWN
Nothin’ But Church
With 14 albums to his credit, Clint Brown has had a long and intriguing
career in ministry as he’s written and published more than 250 praise
and worship songs—including some that have been recorded and
performed in five different languages. Check out clintbrown.com for
more information.
Joy Williams
“We open one present the day before late
on Christmas Eve, and then we go skiing on
Sunday morning after we read the
Christmas story—normally it’s up in Tahoe.
It’s a rough Christmas really. (laughs) And
then we’ll go home, and we all make dinner
together. Then at night over cider we’ll open
all the presents. We also like to make
handmade pottery and paint it. Sorry we’re
so ‘granola!’ It’s really funny. It sounds cool
in California but probably only there.”
JEREMY CAMP
Restored
His breakout success may not have happened all at once, but Jeremy
Camp has certainly made his presence known during the past couple
of years with a powerful testimony, two Dove Awards in 2004 and
plenty of new experiences to draw from on Restored, the next chapter
in his musical and personal journey.
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RTISING SECTION
THE MESSAGE
Ever wish the Bible read a little more like your favorite novel without
losing any of the meaning in the process? Well The Message does just
that—it’s a conversational, easy-to-understand interpretation compiled
by top scholars who use today’s vernacular to bring new perspective to
Scripture reading.
CCM TOP 100 GREATEST SONGS IN
CHRISTIAN MUSIC
Whether it’s the lyrics or the music itself, everyone has that song
he/she really connects with. And in CCM’s Top 100 Greatest Songs
book, we chronicle 100 of those kinds of songs. From Rich Mullins,
to Twila Paris, Steven Curtis Chapman and everyone in between, they’re
all here. And there’s only one way to find out who made it to
the top of the list—you must pick up a copy. Go to ccmtop100.com to
listen and buy.
HEATHER LYNNE
Light as a Feather
Heather Lynne’s 100 percent original album includes such lyrically
award-winning songs as “Holy” and “Words On My Heart.” Every listen
provides a glimpse into her soul. From pop (“Over Again”) to rock (“Hold
Me Close”), Light as a Feather doesn’t disappoint! Purchase at
cdstreet.com or visit heatherlynne.com for more information. For
booking call 215/491-4027.
IBANEZ JAM PACK JOLT
The perfect plugged-in or unplugged gift for players who want to get out
the message, the Ibaniz Jam Pack Jolt features an Ibanez acoustic
electric guitar, acoustic amp and all the accessories and instruction
materials! The suggested retail price is only $449.99.
GIVE A CCM GIFT SUBSCRIPTION!
Looking for that perfect gift that keeps on giving? Then you’ll want to
get the music fan on your list a subscription to CCM Magazine, your
monthly source for everything Christian music-related. From pop to rock
to hip-hop, we’ve got stories that inform and inspire. Go to
ccmmagazine.com for more details.
CCM_11.04_Music.final
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Page 55
inreview
music
Walk By Faith
Jeremy Camp picks up right where his debut, Stay, left off with songs that come from his new chapter in life on Restored.
JEREMY CAMP
Restored
BEC
Camp’s found his formula for continued
success.
Like most breakout artist stories, it didn’t all
happen immediately. But after the release
of Stay in 2002, it wasn’t too long before a
young Indiana native named Jeremy Camp
quietly became the darling of the Christian
File under:
Grade: B+
Rock
music industry.
For fans of...faith-affirming anthems that
communicate our constant need for God
With a myriad of multi-format radio hits to
and a desire for spiritual refinement.
his credit (Six No.1 songs resulted from Stay.),
impressive sales of more than 525,000 albums and two Dove Awards this past
spring for “New Artist of the Year” and “Male Vocalist of the Year,” expectations
for what serves as Camp’s true sophomore follow-up (Carried Me: The Worship
Album was recorded for his fans at the same time as Stay as an homage to his
praise roots.) are bound to be high—both industry-wide and with fans, given all his
recent accolades.
So now that we’ve got that pesky subject of expectations out in the open,
here’s exactly what you really want to know: How does Restored stack up?
In terms of production, the overall sound of Restored feels more like a bigbudget blockbuster than the indie rock feel of Stay. There are richer musical
textures, several strategically placed string arrangements that add to the songs
without being musically manipulative and extra emphasis devoted to what proves
to be the most effective instrument of all in the mix: Camp’s voice.
Shedding most of the gritty bravado that drew almost instant comparisons to
former Creed frontman Scott Stapp, Camp’s vocal performance solidifies why he
was voted as the industry’s top male vocalist. He sounds amazing, whether he’s
singing a pretty ballad like “Even When” or a more aggressive, muscle-packed
anthem like “Breath.”
As far as the songs themselves go, Camp has remained pretty close
to prototype with something for everyone—from college students to soccer moms.
Mostly alternating between mid-tempo, radio-friendly tunes with power choruses
like “Take Me Back” and “Be the One,” Camp also serves up more adultcontemporary fare in the realm of chart-topper “I Still Believe” and a couple of
full-on rockers such as “Lay Down My Pride” to keep his hard music-loving
brethren entertained.
While the music remains relatively consistent (occasionally even
indistinguishable from one song to the next) and cohesive throughout the album’s
duration, one gets the feeling that these songs’ message far outweighs the sonic
palette in priority. Like Stay, Camp translates a chapter from his own life into song
with Restored: a faith-affirming, clear-cut message for Christians that addresses
the tension of serving God in a sinful world, looking to God for strength and
constantly acknowledging the priceless gift of grace He gave us through the
sacrifice of Jesus.
CHRISTA FARRIS
ccmmagazine.com
november 04 ccm 55
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back, but it’s a nice
reminder that something
special happens when these
three get together.
ANTHONY DEBARROS
File under:
Grade: A-Pop/Adult contemporary
For fans of... the “new” and improved
version of Point of Grace.
POINT OF
GRACE
I Choose You
Word
A new, “edgier” Point of
Grace has emerged.
TOBYMAC
File under:
Grade: A-Hip-hop/funk
For fans of... rhymes with an old-school
funk flair.
TOBYMAC
Welcome to Diverse City
ForeFront
A more than satisfying
sequel
Let’s get the most
newsworthy tidbit out of the
way first: Yes, dc talk does
reunite, at least momentarily,
on a song on tobyMac’s
second solo album, Welcome
to Diverse City. And, yes, the
track—a remix of
“Atmosphere,” which
appears with different
vocalists earlier in the
album—sounds just like
something left off
of Supernatural, the last
album dc talk did before
entering extended hiatus
around the turn of the
56 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
millennium. In other words:
It’s classic dc talk.
With that out of the way,
here’s the other bit of news:
Diverse City is really, really
good. Unlike his dc talk
compatriots, Kevin Max and
Michael Tait, Toby has
remained musically close to
the group’s urban roots. His
live shows, particularly his
recent opening slot on Third
Day’s tour, have been
vibrant, we-are-family
festivals that veer from
delightful rap to hard rockin’
slugfests. Diverse City
catches that same allinclusive vibe and extends it
over 16 cuts that range from
ballads to in-your-face jams.
In tone, it’s less like the rockrap of his first effort,
Momentum, and more like
the beat-heavy remixes of
those songs he released last
year as Re:Mix Momentum.
“It’s been a long time
coming, but I’m serving up
the sequel,” he announces
on opener “Hey, Now,” which
sets the album’s pace with
funk guitar and horns. The
song segues quickly into the
tooth-rattling bass beats of
“Catchafire (Whoopsi Daisy),”
where Toby and guests Papa
San and MOC rap about
turning up the heat on the
spiritually lukewarm. The
festival feel continues on the
title track, “Diverse City,”
which evokes Parliament and
Sly and the Family Stone in
an ode to embracing racial
and ethnic diversity—a
favorite theme of Toby’s.
Thankfully missing from
the album is the tendency
Momentum had to build
songs around melodies from
classic hits. Instead, tobyMac
opts to bring in a greater
assortment of guests,
including T-Bone, Coffee
(GRITS) and Superchic[k],
who help turn “Stories (Down
to the Bottom)” into
encouragement for those
who are struggling under
life’s burdens. And there’s
the return of Toby’s son
Truett, a.k.a. TruDog, who
sounds positively overjoyed
that he’s getting a Happy
Meal for his efforts.
Once the disc winds down,
we’re graced with that dc
talk reunion. Its version of
the Top 40-ish “Atmosphere”
won’t stop people from
clamoring for a dc talk come
With more than five million
albums sold and 24
consecutive No. 1 singles,
Point of Grace could easily
have become essentially a
parody of themselves:
peppy, poppy and always
positive. Instead, after three
years, the foursome is back
with an adventurous new
studio project. New member
Leigh Cappillino is along for
the ride, having replaced
founding member Terry
Jones, who left the group a
year ago to spend more time
with her family. Though POG
fans will always have a
special appreciation in their
hearts for Jones, Cappillino
is, thankfully, more than
up to the task of filling
her shoes.
Simply put, I Choose You
is the best album Point of
Grace has ever done, with
apologies to its delightful
(and now, near-classic) A
Christmas Story. Though
consistently underestimated
by critics, the group has,
nonetheless, amassed and
nurtured a massive fan base
that will, doubtless, be
thrilled with the changes in
the group’s sound. There is
a new edge, a new life and a
new energy in the girls’
music that deftly manages
the difficult task of
freshening up their sound to
engage new listeners
without going so far as to
alienate the existing fan
base. The project’s
producers—Brent Bourgeois
(Jaci Velasquez, Sixpence
None the Richer), Mark
Hammond (Cindy Morgan, Al
Denson), Wayne Kirkpatrick
(Amy Grant, Michael W.
Smith) and David Zaffiro
(Kim Hill, Whitecross)—do a
fantastic job of stretching
the group vocally and
musically without making
them into something they
are not.
One of the biggest
highlights is the title cut
(featuring Denise Jones on a
gutsy lead vocal), which
reminds us that our ultimate
allegiance belongs only to
God. “Down” takes a tagteam vocal approach that is
surprisingly aggressive, while
“Who Am I” features
gorgeous harmonies as it
rhetorically asks, “Who am I
to understand Your ways,
who am I to give You
anything but praise?”
Moments like these make it
clear how far the Point of
Grace members have come:
They’re unafraid to ask
questions yet continue to
embrace their faith in the
midst of those ambiguities.
The album wraps up with
three more contemplative
numbers: “Waiting in the
Wings,” which reminds us
“Though God is out of sight,
He’s working in the middle of
all things”; the contemporary
yet hymn-like “For All You’ve
Done”; and the uplifting
“This Is Your Land,” which is
preceded by a narrated
reading from the spiritual
classic Pilgrim’s Progress.
If I Choose You is any
indication, after 10 years,
Point of Grace has only
just begun.
LI LIU
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10/6/04
File under:
Grade: B+
Pop
For fans of... social commentary set to
irresistible pop beats.
NICOLE C.
MULLEN
Everyday People
Word
A cure for the “everyday”
music blues
Admit it. Someone just
happens to say the words
“everyday people,” and the
tune immediately comes to
mind. Yes, the classic by Sly
& The Family Stone has been
around for ages, and it may
seem too tired to work as an
album title. But the meaning
5:27 PM
Page 57
behind the words goes far
beyond one song as it
encapsulates what Nicole C.
Mullen wants to express on
her latest studio album.
Whether upbeat, calm or a
full-on soaring ballad, each
song communicates the
hope found in Christ and
deals with “everyday”
concerns—from insecurity to
depression to love and even
death. Mullen’s signature,
crystal-clear tone graces the
soft notes as well as the
more exuberant, often within
the same song. “I Am” is a
gorgeous, worshipful
selection which begins
smooth and laidback,
building to a powerful finish
and accented with lyrics such
as “I am the Rose they
crucified and buried.” “Bye
Bye Brianna,” written in
memory of a little girl who
passed away, carries a
somber tone and yet
concludes with sounds of
celebration and the uplifting
message: “I see you in the
daylight.”
But the focus on other
people doesn’t stop here.
Also known for being socially
conscious, Mullen addresses
the issue of Troski slavery in
Ghana in the song “Gon’ be
Free.” The tribal drums and
vocals that open the track
with an African vibe are the
perfect background for a
song about a people’s cry for
freedom. “Who the Son sets
free is absolutely free
indeed,” sings Mullen, with a
chorus that begs the listener
to stomp and clap. “Deity”
features spoken vocals as
well as a tune worthy of
humming along. Of course,
every album needs a strong
finish, and “Valorie” is all
that and more. Culminating
with layers of orchestration,
choir vocals and the reading
of Psalm 23:4, its message
is turning to God for comfort
NICOLE C. MULLEN
during the tough times.
The production on
Everyday People is
impressive throughout all 14
tracks—even on those that
try a little too hard to be pop
radio hits (“Message for Ya”
and “This This”). Sharing the
production responsibilities
with Mullen and her
husband, David (Veggie
Tales, Carman), are Tommy
Sims (CeCe Winans, Taylor
Dayne), James “Big Jim”
Wright (Usher, Mariah Carey),
Andrew Ramsey (India.Arie,
Kimberly Locke) and
Shannon Sanders (Shark Tale
soundtrack, The
Temptations), who each bring
varied experience and a
fresh perspective to the
project. While it’s true that
Mullen would sound amazing
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5:28 PM
Page 58
singing just about anything,
she brings soul and feeling
to this collection of
encouraging, real-life songs.
JESSICA ROBIN
File under:
Grade: B+
Pop/Adult contemporary
For fans of... the continued musical
maturation of FFH with its trademark,
straightforward sentiments.
FFH
Still the Cross
Essential
FFH is still doing what it
does best.
With the group’s success
over the past decade, the
members of FFH could’ve
“called it a day” as the
quartet spent the last year
and a half pursuing other
interests outside the power
pop group. Jeromy and
Jennifer Deibler welcomed
their first child into the world,
while Brian Smith and his
wife expanded their family
with the arrival of a second
child. In addition to being a
new parent, Jeromy also
continued to delve into the
production side of music,
working with Big Daddy
Weave and Palisade on its
recent albums, while Michael
Boggs concentrated on his
songwriting craft.
But as the old adage
goes, “Absence makes the
heart grow fonder”; and the
evidence of the time away is
continued artistic growth.
And for FFH’s fifth studio
project, the group decided to
strip the message down to
the basics. The lyrics are
simple and uplifting, and
FFH differentiates this album
musically with new
instrumentation that is
atypical from the group’s
previous efforts. Part of this
ambitious musical shift is
58 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
credited to producer Mark
Miller (Casting Crowns) along
with longtime FFH producer
Scott Williamson, plus
Jeromy’s co-production on
seven tracks.
The title track, which also
serves as the disc’s first
single, is an adept power
ballad that Christian radio
should easily latch onto.
“Without You” touts an
infectious hook, tight
harmonies and crunchy
guitars. On “In This Moment,”
effects are used in
abundance as the track
opens with what sounds like
a cell phone ringing as the
instrumentation sneaks in
and crescendos to the
opening of the song where
Jennifer’s sweet voice enters
and finally builds to the
breakout chorus.
Mixing things up, “Cover
Me” is easily the edgiest
song on the album and was
written in response to the
unexpected passing of the 5year-old son of a friend (Trent
Dilfer, Seattle Seahawks’
quarterback). FFH turns
feelings of anger and
confusion from the loss into
a redemptive song of
reassurance and features an
excellent string arrangement.
Also on a personal note, “You
and Only You” was written
about the Deibler’s son. This
piano-driven ditty is upbeat
and has tasteful interaction
between the keys and the
JUMP5
electric guitar. When viewed
as a whole, Still the Cross
shows FFH at its best, with a
polished pop album that is
sure to please fans and may
potentially attract new ones
with its vast instrumentation.
KELLY O’NEIL
File under:
Grade: AEmo/Alternative rock
For fans of... passionate vocals, scalding
guitars and swirling drum beats.
FURTHER
SEEMS
FOREVER
Hide Nothing
Tooth & Nail
The third singer’s the charm
here.
Given yet another line-up
switch, Further Seems
Forever can now be chalked
up in the sparsely populated
category of bands like Van
Halen and Genesis who’ve
had three different leaders
serve time over the years.
Though in those two classic
rock scenarios, the evolution
became weaker than its
original states, this
incarnation of FSF is its
FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER
CCM_11.04_Music.final2
10/6/04
heartiest yet, thanks to new
frontman find Jon Bunch.
The match is only fitting,
considering that the emo
rocker was a founder of
Sense Field, one of the
genre’s earliest and most
lauded acts, which, after
experiencing its own internal
shake-ups, has since been
caught up with its
commercial smash hit “Save
Yourself.” Ironically, that act
was always a personal
favorite for Further Seems
Forever players, including the
first fearless principal Chris
Carrabba (who’s since
credited Sense Field as a
major influence for his own
Dashboard Confessional).
Regardless of how the
situation’s come full circle,
the output level on Hide
Nothing is point-blank this
band’s most powerful to
date, entrancing listeners
with 13 tracks steeped in the
tension release tradition. The
disc leads with the band’s
pent-up frustration
throughout the redemptive
“Light Up Ahead,” which
growls with authority and
hearkens back to Sense
Field’s early indie works.
Such pressure-points
continue to mount on the
gut-wrenching “Like
Someone You Know” and the
ray gun blasts of “Bleed,”
magnifying Bunch’s quivering
range. That instrumental
recklessness is funneled into
more melodic presentations
on “Already Gone” and “All
Rise,” pitting tender
reflections against
passionate playing. It’s a
system that ensures the FSF
camp yet another breath of
life after a series of events
that would’ve left lesser
bands down and knocked
out for the three count.
ANDY ARGYRAKIS
5:28 PM
Page 59
Artist’s Choice
Tammy Trent reviews the debut album from indie
artist Stephen Marshall.
Canadian singer/songwriter
Stephen Marshall has
released his debut project,
The Door Is Open; and,
boy, am I glad he invited
us in! Penning all
12 tracks on this
pop/countryinfluenced worship
project, Stephen has
found a way to help
me escape into the
presence of God
through his music.
My favorite song
would have to be
“You Make My Day,”
which combines a
great pop vibe and
a very likeable
melody, with lyrics
that remind us of
all the wonderful
things God gives us
every day.
Meanwhile, “Glory Glory”
is an amazing song of
worship to the One who
holds our lives in His
hands, even unto death.
And “Holy Are You Lord”
brings me to tears every
time by reminding me that,
in spite of my own
brokenness, God is faithful
to help me put my life back
together again.
Trust me, you’ll want
to make room on your CD
rack for this one. The Door
Is Open is packed with life,
love and adventure that
will lead you closer to
“home” through each and
every song.
Visit his Web site,
stephenmarshall.net, to
order The Door Is Open.
newreleases
NOV. 2
GRITS
Russ Lee
Newsboys
Relient K
Switchfoot
Dichotomy B
Hear Those Bells
Devotion
mmhmm
The Early Years 1997-2000
NOV. 9
Andy Chrisman (of 4HIM)
Salvador
Randy Travis
One
So Natural
Passing Through
NOV. 16
The Showdown
A Chorus of Obliteration
NOV. 23
PFR
Various
The Bookcase Recordings
Exodus (extended version)
(Gotee)
(Vertical Vibe)
(Sparrow)
(Gotee)
(re:think)
(Upside/Shelter)
(Word)
(Word)
(MONOvsSTEREO)
(Fuseic)
(Rocketown)
CCM_11.04_Books.final
10/6/04
3:17 PM
inreview
by Janet Chismar
Page 60
books
2
1
I have to admit I love first-person
accounts, and “real-life” stories
monopolize a substantial portion of
my bookshelf. Seeing how God works
in other people’s lives, hearing about
their struggles and triumphs reminds
me that I am not alone on this
journey of faith. So, needless to say,
it was easy and enjoyable for me to
dig into our November book picks.
1
Topping the list is SHE: The Woman
You’re Made to Be (Tyndale), by
Rebecca St. James and Lynda Hunter
Bjorklund, a sisterly advice manual on
how to live a “Safe, Healthy and
Empowered” life. Both ladies
vulnerably share situations and
struggles they have tackled on their
respective faith walks. Bjorklund, a
40-something mother of three and St.
James, Christian music’s reigning 20something spokeswoman for purity,
nicely balance the varied stages and
concerns of a woman’s life. From body
image, temptation and sexuality to
mentoring, finding purpose and
establishing boundaries, SHE explores
life from a uniquely feminine
perspective. Interspersing Scripture
with personal insights, the authors lay
a solid foundation for Christ-centered
living. This book gets down and dirty—
be prepared to face jealousy,
cattiness, laxative abuse, cosmetic
surgery, lying, sexual violation and
neediness—yet it concludes with a
message full of hope.
3
(Zondervan/Youth Specialties). The
compilation of vignettes is designed
to demonstrate God’s unfailing love
in both the everyday and painful
moments of life. Candid stories from
a handful of Christian artists are also
sprinkled between the gripping
testimonies of teenagers, each
showcasing an attribute of God.
Josh Auer of PAX217, for example,
demonstrates that God is in control
and protects us from danger by
sharing the story of the night his
house caught fire. Rapper T-Bone
acknowledges that the Lord shielded
him from guns and gang violence.
Phillip LaRue led two men to Christ
in Daytona Beach—on a night when
he was wrestling his own demons
of doubt. Nikki Leonti found God
merciful during her teen pregnancy.
And the members of Audio
Adrenaline produced a compelling
video in the midst of confusion,
chaos and discomfort in
South America.
3
You may not recognize the name
Patton Dodd, but his book My Faith
manages to unearth meaning—yes,
even on the funny pages. Brewer
dissects the “lives” of Superman,
Batman, The Hulk, Spiderman, Thor
and Wonder Woman and finds truth,
grace, discernment, perseverance
and nobility. Even these heroes sport
their share of foibles, struggles and
defeats; but in the end, their failures
are meant to point us to the ultimate
Hero, Champion and Warrior.
H. Michael Brewer
So Far: A Story of Conversion and
Confusion (Jossey-Bass) is a mustread for anyone who finds himself or
herself puzzled by the seeming
contradictions of Christianity (not the
foundational truths of Jesus but by all
the odd traditions and assorted
quirks of various church branches).
Dodd paints an unflinching,
sometimes hilarious portrait of some
churches. His stories about his year
at Oral Roberts University are
priceless. But the thing I like so much
about this book is that Dodd
earnestly and passionately wants to
know Christ through it all. And, last
but certainly not least, the role
Christian music played in Dodd’s
conversion will be of interest to any
CCM reader.
2
4
Irene Dunlap is one woman who
knows how to soothe the troubled
soul. The co-author of three “Chicken
Soup” volumes, Dunlap turns her
attention to teens and young adults
in True: Real Stories About God
Well, everyone needs to escape
reality every now and then—right?
Showing Up in the Lives of Teens
60 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
Who Needs a Superhero? Finding
Virtue, Vice and What’s Holy in the
Comics (Baker) by H. Michael Brewer
Rebecca St. James
4
looks at one “great escape” but
Whenever he takes a break from
songwriting or touring, Minneapolisbased Joe Rogness likes to pull out
his worn copy of Donald Miller’s
Blue Like Jazz. Rogness admits, “I
found myself highlighting a lot of
this book as I verbally repeated the
word ‘exactly.’ Mr. Miller approaches
topics such as romance, grace,
loneliness, worship and multiple
others tied to the church and
community with the type of honesty
reminiscent of Brennan Manning,
Larry Crabb or, as others have cited,
Anne Lamott. You can’t help but ask
yourself some pretty honest
questions as you read this book. It
is crafted with transparency, and it
is a beautiful, poetic read. This book
is a means to step back and
evaluate your personal perspective
on living in our culture with a
Christian worldview.”
CCM_11.04_Gear.final
10/6/04
2:40 PM
Page 62
inreview
by Kent Morris
gear
DRUMKITS
Learn more about the latest tools to keep the beat paced to
musical perfection.
GRETSCH CATALINA
With a name that’s a blast from the past, this is sure to be a retro rocket. It
delivers the tonality expected of a legend but with a thoroughly modern
mounting system designed to keep each drum isolated from its
counterparts. Named GTS, the innovative suspension yields unanticipated
clarity for this price range. Coupled with its birch shells, the kit’s precision is
stunning when heard in a full band environment. Gretsch has finished the
Catalina in a series of warm walnut and cool Caribbean blue hues that
characterize a kit that is as easy to play as it is to hear.
$1299
gretschdrums.com
ROLAND TD3S V-COMPACT
YAMAHA SKRM-100
Electronic drums don’t have to be expensive to be useable. One look at the new
V-Compact kit, and you know it’s all there: good sounds, reasonably accurate
playing pads, a quick but not premature kick trigger and a flexible hi-hat
mechanism. From the built-in 32 kits, you can preview
the assembled tones before committing to one for the
evening. If the venue doesn’t sound like Carnegie Hall,
you can still dial in any of 15 simulated rooms while
conjuring up classic and not-so-classic dynamic
effects to “wow” your audience (or just keep the
sonic peace with the vocalists). Last but not
least, Roland has imbued the V-Compact with an
integrated timing coach.
$1495
rolandus.com
If you’ve seen Delirious live, you’ve heard the SKRM-100. Based on an old
recording studio trick, it adds low frequencies to any kick drum. Here’s the drill:
Fit a raw speaker inside an old drum shell and place it in front of the bass drum
head, and then wire it to the console. Yamaha has used studio legend Russ Miller
to create a versatile stand capable of aiming itself at almost any low frequency
device, such as a floor tom or tympani. By adding extra low end, the SKRM-100
becomes an effects unit, designed to be used in the same manner as a reverb or
delay. As with all transducers (energy conversion devices), placement is the key
to achieving a good sound. The owner’s manual suggests a parallel position four
inches in front of the drumhead. The result is pleasing low end
with the “feel” as strong as the “hear,” assuming the sound
system can reproduce the extended low frequencies the
SKRM-100 produces. If you’re looking for something
special in the air, the SKRM-100 is it.
$499
yamaha.com
VERSI-PANEL
ZILDJIAN ZXT CYMBAL PACK
Is your Plexiglas drum shield solving your drum bleed issue? Do you want to color
coordinate the drum area to the room? Well, the Versi-panel can end your worries
on both fronts with its fantastic acoustic absorption ability and a pleasing color
palette. Originally designed for room dividing chores in multi-purpose halls, the
Versi-panel has found new life as an effective drum noise reducer. Typical results
are eight to 10 decibel cuts in overall level on the stage, making the vocalists’ job
easier while providing a clearer tone for the audience. When the gig is over, the
Versi-panel folds up into a compact cylinder and is ready for the road.
$599
mity-lite.com
Pros don’t buy pre-packaged kits, do they? Now, there is a reason to let the
manufacturer do the picking with the quality found in the ZXTP4P. A 20inch medium ride, a 14-inch China, along with a pair of solid hi-hats
and a medium thin crash make up this kit. Pre-packs usually
include a storage bag, and the ZXT’s is one
of the more sturdy and usable
of the bunch. Now, even
professionals can hold
their heads high as they
walk out of the music store
with a cymbal kit in hand—as
long as it is the ZXTP4P.
$525
zildjian.com
62 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
CCM_11.04_tour.v6
10/6/04
1:51 PM
Page 64
t
standingroomonly
your guide to concerts
by Andy Argyrakis
FAST FACTS ON AIDS IN AFRICA
“IN THE NAME OF LOVE TOUR”
L-R: Jason Roy (Building 429), Tim Neufield
(Starfield), Alyssa Barlow (BarlowGirl)
FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
APPLETON, WI—SEPT. 22, 2004
“I Love You, Lord,” which, once again, inspired fans
toward increased action in their faith.
Eclectic rocker Todd Agnew followed with additional
attention toward reverence and worship, serving up a
mixture of familiar favorites and originals off his
acclaimed Grace Like Rain CD in tribute to the down
trodden. “Open the Eyes of My Heart” urged listeners to
see Christ in the least of our earthly brethren, and “This
Fragile Breath (The Thunder Song)” provoked thoughts
of not taking daily blessings for granted. On a sheer
artistic front, Agnew’s time was packed with the most
diversity, carrying on like a Dave Matthews Band improv
session on “Reached Down” and a jumpin’ juke joint
throughout “When Love Comes to Town” (originally cut
by U2 and B.B. King and featured by Agnew on the In
the Name of Love compilation CD).
Earlier in the evening, BarlowGirl used its platform to
push purity with self-esteem-assuring cuts “On My
Own,” “Average Girl” and “Never Alone.” The trio of
young women musicians sounded between an updated
version of The Go Go’s on the brisker material and
Vanessa Carlton when pared down on piano.
Canada’s Starfield also shifted the dynamic
between the resolute and subdued, encouraging all
to lift up the Lord during “Filled With Your Glory”
and further embracing the tour’s theme during “Alive
In This Moment.” The foursome’s gallant cries
encouraged youth to step up to the plate and truly
invest in the World Vision mission, which, when
reinforced by compelling video images after their
performance portion, made yet another profound case
for compassion.
All photos by Andy Argyrakis
When U2’s Bono first raised his fist up high and belted
out the words to “Pride (In the Name of Love),” the
charismatic leader was referring, specifically, to Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. and the racial equality he fought
so diligently to secure. Now, 20 years later, that song
continues to resonate, and its message has
transcended well beyond relating to civil rights. In the
eyes of Todd Agnew, Building 429, BarlowGirl and
Starfield (who adopted the slogan as their tour’s title),
it’s become a motivational way of life in which we’re
called to seek the abolishment of AIDS, oppression and
poverty in Africa through relief efforts.
Partnering with the renowned faith-based
organization World Vision, the undertaking was more
than a mere rock concert. Instead, it was meant to
spread awareness, stir up reactionary results and help
curb an epidemic that’s crushed countless families
stricken with this sickness. “We’re here to reach out our
hands to those who need our help tonight,” Building
429 frontman/guitarist Jason Roy said to the crowd.
“Christ calls us to be proactive, and it’s with our prayers
and support that we’ll be fulfilling that commandment.”
Besides those prompting words, the group delivered
a motivational set geared around the concept of
extending aid to the less fortunate. Tracks like “Above It
All” and “The Space In Between Us” leaned on the Great
Commission while they howled with weathered
insistence. Although not necessarily relating to the
cause at hand, Building 429’s key smash “Glory
Defined” supplied a time for reflection and selfexamination that revolved around believers’ future hope
in heaven. It was proceeded by an acapella segment of
In addition to an entertaining and spiritually
elevating excursion, the “In the Name of Love
Tour” also served as an educational experience.
Several alarming statistics, such as these below,
were shared through the night, and various pleas
were made for personal involvement.
• Nearly 30 million Africans are living with
HIV/AIDS, which, in some of the hardest-hit
countries, translates to more than a quarter of
the population possessing the virus. (Sixty-five
hundred Africans die from AIDS each day.)
• In Africa, 8.6 percent of adults are infected
with HIV/AIDS compared to the world’s 1.1
percent average. (Seventy percent of the world’s
HIV/AIDS victims live in Africa.)
• More than one million African children below
15 are afflicted with HIV/AIDS. This constitutes
over 90 percent of the worldwide population of
pediatric AIDS patients.
For more information and supplementary resource links, log
onto inthenameoflovetour.com.
HERE AND THERE:
Project 86
Are you within a day’s drive? Here are
a couple concert dates you won’t want to miss!
11/4 Sandi Patty and Chonda Pierce
“The Girls Are Back in Town” tour,
Shoreline Christian Center in Austin, TX
11/4 Pillar with Project 86
“Where Do We Go From Here” tour,
Newport Music Hall in Columbus, OH
For the latest concert listings, check out CCMmagazine.com’s
searchable tour database to find out when your favorite artists
will play in a city near you.
L-R: Jon Neufeld (Starfield), Todd Agnew, Paul Bowden (Building 429), Rebecca Barlow (BarlowGirl)
64 ccm november 04
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CCM_11.04_20things.v7
10/6/04
1:23 PM
Page 66
20
THINGS YOU PROBABLY
DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT:
JARS OF CLAY
BY MICHAEL NOLAN
14. ULTIMATE CONFLICT RESOLUTION
After more than a decade together, the guys in Jars rarely get into conflict. “We
have reached a near-perfect homeostasis amongst the band and crew,” Dan
professes.
13. APPLAUSE FOR AARON SANDS
“(Bass player) Aaron has been the spiritual glue for the band for nearly nine
years,” praises Dan. “His heart and passion for truth, social justice and
authenticity of faith have been vital to everything Jars has put its hand to.”
12. BANGING THE DRUM FOR JOE PORTER
“Joe Porter can build or fix about anything,” marvels Dan. “He is as skilled a
carpenter and mechanic as he is a drummer. I’m fascinated by people like that.”
And he adds, “I call him when I need to change a light bulb.”
11. 1000 WELLS
Compelled to make a difference in third-world countries, Jars founded Blood:
Water Mission. The first effort of this non-profit organization is the 1000 Wells
Project, which officially launches in Spring 2005, with the goal of raising funds to
build, rebuild and repair 1000 wells in urban and rural areas of sub-Saharan
Africa. (Visit bloodwatermission.com)
10. AMERICA REVISITED
Some find it surprising that Jars covered America’s hit “Lonely People” on its
current album, Who We Are Instead. The guys say they would have recorded it
years ago if they had known the cheer that rises from the audience when they
sing, “This is for all the lonely people.”
9. CASH CONNECTION
Dan wrote the foreword to Dave Urbanski’s book The Man Comes Around: The
Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash. You’ll have to pick up a copy to discover Dan’s
personal connection to The Man in Black.
8. THANKS, BONO
It’s been 11 years since four Greenville College students put their
heads together on their first loop-laden song “Fade to Grey.” But
instead of fading away, Jars of Clay’s future remains bright as the
band puts the finishing touches on its seventh as-yet-untitled hymns
album for a Spring 2005 release on Essential Records.
With all the attention Dan Haseltine, Matt Odmark, Stephen
Mason and Charlie Lowell have received over the years, is there
anything you haven’t been told about these perennially popular guys?
After conferring with Dan and Matt, the answer is, “Yes.”
20. “FLOOD”-ED WITH OPTIONS
There have been many arrangements of Jars’ 1995 hit “Flood,” including one
short-lived incarnation with a “lounge-jazz” bridge. “The looks of sheer
puzzlement on the faces of our audience were priceless,” laughs Matt.
19. HAPPY TO BE THERE
Among their favorite places to play, Matt votes for the Paramount Theatre in
Seattle. Dan lists Irving Plaza in New York City and Stubbs’ BBQ in Austin, Texas,
as well as pretty much anywhere in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Boston.
18. DAN TURNS “EVIL”
As his 3-year-old son, Noah, swoops into his superhero phase of life, Dan often
finds himself playing the evil nemesis. Translation: “I get hit with swords, sprayed
with squirt guns and beaten down a lot.” The proud dad adds, “I would not have
it any other way.”
17. THE REEL WORLD
“I do a little fishing when I can,” confides Matt, who claims to be guilty of having
one too many hobbies. “And if I’m really honest, it is mostly an excuse to spend
an afternoon with Charlie, as we rarely catch any fish.”
16. NOVEL IDEA
Inspired by author Anne Lamott (Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies), Dan is slowly
writing a novel.
15. THEY JUST SAID, “NO.”
When Jars was looking for a producer for its first album, the band was turned
down by Tommy Sims (CeCe Winans, Rachael Lampa) and Wayne Kirkpatrick
(Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith) before things clicked with Adrian Belew (King
Crimson, Talking Heads). Now friends with both “snubbers,” the Jars guys like to
occasionally remind the producers of their decisions.
66 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
At this year’s Dove Awards, Bono—via video from Dublin, Ireland—introduced Jars’
performance by mentioning the impact of one of the band’s songs (“Jesus Blood
Never Failed Me Yet”) that he’s been listening to for the past year. “Surreal,”
describes Matt. “It was humbling,” says Dan. “We look up to Bono as a man who
has carried a vision for the gospel in music for a long time. I stood at a recent U2
concert and wept because I was seeing what it looks like when Christians move
away from safety and take risks, risks that show a much more relevant and wide
side of God’s character.”
7. SURREALITY CHECK
Looking back through the years, the guys think their most surreal moment was
playing a show with Duran Duran or getting cookies from Lisa Loeb’s mother.
6. NO, WAIT…
It was probably watching Sting, clad only in a loincloth, practicing yoga in the
courtyard of a Texas amphitheater hours before they were playing a concert
together.
5. NO, THIS, NOW THIS IS IT…
Dan talked with Barry Manilow at the Apple Store in Soho (New York City).
4. SURREAL (FINAL SUBMISSION)
In Connecticut, they were in a conversation that simultaneously included Miss
America, Donny Most (Ralph the Mouth from “Happy Days”), Gary Wright (1976
No. 1 hit “Dreamweaver”) and Dave Mason (1977 hit “We Just Disagree”). Dan
surmises, “That doesn’t happen but maybe once every 75 years!”
3. MAPPING THE FUTURE
While on the road, Dan found an old schoolhouse map from 1920 that shows all
the train routes and plane routes in America. “I use it to show my son where I will
be going and how close to home or far away I will be.”
2. THE ULTIMATE RETRO WORSHIP ALBUM
It’s not surprising that Jars of Clay would consider making a worship project, but
what is unexpected is the path the band’s taking. They’re doing a major time
warp—and we’re not talking dropping drum loops on “Nothing But the Blood.”
We’re talking hymns that are more than 200 years old.
1. ANCIENT AND TIMELESS
“This has been one of the most inspiring and faith-deepening projects we have
ever done together,” muses Dan. “We have taken hymn text from the 18th century,
stuff from Europe that had no melodies, and we have constructed songs. The text
is so rich. I hope people will love this record as much as we have loved the
process and the education behind the creative process.”
CCM_11.04_peacock.v6
10/6/04
2:33 PM
Page 68
charliepeacock
Vol.14
Everything That’s On My Mind
My Florida morning has a rhythm—cars on the road outside, a radio
playing.
I laugh at myself. It’s impossible for me to write the word rhythm without
spelling it out in the noisy space of my head: R-H-Y-T-H-M. Since
childhood I’ve believed that rhythm is a word every musician should spell
without error. The act of spelling this word has its own internal rhythm—
two groups of three letters each, two eighth-note triplets to be exact, each
occupying the real estate of one quarter-note in a single measure of 2/4
time. Because my brain delights in rhythmic memory, I haven’t misspelled
this word in 40 years. When I’m laid to rest some stoic soul will remind the
tearful gathering: “Who can forget how this dear man spelled the word
rhythm with such stunning and consistent accuracy?”
These are my first brimming thoughts here in Seaside, Fla., at the end of
August as I rise to a new and hopeful morning. There is still the aching head
and the ringing in my left ear, though. The ringing is a constant solo
soprano voice to the ATB of the rest of life. ATB is what follows the S in
SATB. Like the letters in rhythm, I’ve known the sequence of these four
letters most of my life. They came with my musician father, like a toy with
batteries included. Soprano, alto, tenor, bass. SATB. Musical families,
particularly those that read music, come with their own peculiar language:
adagio, neapolitan sixth, double-tongue, double-reed and double-dog.
Actually, the last is not a musical term, though I use it often and would
like to know its origin and how it came into my vocabulary. How do we
know what we know? That’s an ongoing question. For some of us it’s a
question having to do with epistemology; for others, a curiosity. For still
68 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
arthouse
Illustration by Jimmy A.
A New and
Hopeful Morning
others, it’s a necessity like water and air—a question of health, wholeness
and well-being.
Knowing, and the question of how we know, is a deep and complex
human weave—a crocheted afghan, inherited and passed down. Getting at
the intricacy of the weave involves time, patience, steady hands, good light
and eyes to see.
The weekend before coming to Seaside, I spoke at an event to promote
my latest book. This was one of those outdoor music festivals where people
of like Spirit and Tribe gather. I didn’t want to gather in that way under
those circumstances again. So I was there but not there. I came to love and
loved less. I knew too much from too much knowing of the same thing
again and again. I need a break from the institutions and mass media of the
Spirit and Tribe I belong to. I’ve spent a whole life wanting to know things;
now I want to not know things for a while—let mystery be.
Years ago I had the opportunity to spend about 20 minutes alone in
conversation with the great writer Frederick Buechner (Godric, The Book of
Bebb). I learned a lesson that day. Perhaps now is the time to appropriate it.
Buechner has spent a lifetime living out and writing about his faith journey
in the Spirit and Tribe of Jesus. Buechner asked about my music and what I
was up to. “Well,” I told him, “I co-wrote the No. 2 pop song in America
right now, a song sung by Amy Grant.” “Amy Grant?” he asked. “I’ve never
heard of her.”
In 1992, what rock did one have to live under to be a professing follower
of Jesus in America and not hear of Amy Grant? Thirteen years ago I found
this to be an amusing story about a great man out of touch with pop culture.
Now it’s serious. I need to know where that rock is and quick.
Later, down at the beach I want to kneel with my wife, Andi, and call on
the empathetic God. Instead we swim again. With our backs to the ocean,
we look up to see not one but two rainbows stacked to heaven. The
rainbow was and is a sign and symbol from God to people in this crazy
place of light, darkness and shadows. With the rainbow He’s painting a
story that says He will sustain and not destroy. He will overcome the
darkness with the color of life. Double rainbow. Double-dog.
This month marks the end of my residency as a regular columnist for CCM. I
have so appreciated the feedback that you readers have given. Thank you. I
would also like to thank the magazine, in general, and Editor Jay
Swartzendruber, specifically, for the opportunity to share my thoughts each
month. I wish all of you good health and good work in the power of God who
so richly lavishes His grace on us all. Remember to imagine well for your
neighbors, to be generous and willing to share. Trust God with the unknown
and practice the tolerance of mystery. Breathe deep, and love like there’s no
tomorrow. Peace.
For more than a year, Charlie Peacock has graced our readers with his pastoral spirit and
compelling ideas. We’re grateful. Charlie, as you sang to us all those years ago, “Stay young
in heart with eyes of faith...”
CCM_11.04_Classifieds.v3
10/6/04
5:50 PM
Page 69
CLASSIFIEDS
RECORDS/TAPES/CDs
Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation
RUGGED CROSS MUSIC
P.O. Box 42146, Charleston, SC 29423-2146,
www.RuggedCrossMusic.com,
sales@RuggedCrossMusic.com, CDs, LPs,
Cassettes, Videos and more
1. Publication Title: CCM Magazine. 2. Publication No. 1049-3378. 3.
Filing Date: 9-30-04. 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. Number of Issues
Published Annually: 12. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $19.95. 7.
Office of Publication: Salem Publishing, 104 Woodmont Blvd, Suite
300, Nashville, Davidson, TN, 37205 8. General Business Office of
Publisher: Salem Publishing, 104 Woodmont Blvd, Suite 300,
Nashville, Davidson, TN 37205. 9. Full Name and Address of
Publisher: Jim Cumbee, Salem Publishing, 104 Woodmont Blvd, Suite
300, Nashville, Davidson, TN 37205; Full Name and Address of
Associate Publisher: Roberta Croteau, Salem Publishing, 104
Woodmont Blvd, Suite 300, Nashville, Davidson, TN 37205; Full
Name and Address of Editor: Jay Swartzendruber, Salem Publishing,
104 Woodmont Blvd, Suite 300, Nashville, Davidson, TN 37205. 10.
Owner: Salem Publishing, 104 Woodmont Blvd, Suite 300, Nashville,
Davidson, TN 37205, a subsidiary of Salem Communications Corp.,
4880 Santa Rosa Rd., Ste 300, Camarillo, Ventura, CA 93012. 11.
Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning
or holding one percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages
or other securities: None. 12. Pertains to non-profit organizations: Not
applicable. 13. CCM Magazine. 14. September 2004. 15. Extent and
nature of circulation (Average no. of copies each issue during
preceding 12 months/Actual no. of copies of single issue published
preceding 12 months nearest to filing date) A. Total No. of Copies (net
press run) 71,904/68,480. B. Paid and/or requested circulation. 1)
Sales through dealers and carriers, vendors and counter sales (not
mailed) 3,847/4,410. 2) Paid or requested mail subscriptions
46,820/51,302. C. Total paid and/or requested circulation
50,667/55,712. D. Free distribution by mail 12/12. E. Free
distribution outside of the mail 10,919/3,790. F. Total free distribution
10,931/3,802. G. Total distribution 61,598/59,514. H. Copies not
distributed 10,306/8,966. I. Total 71,904/68,480. J. Percent paid
and/or requested circulation 70.5%/81.4%. 16. This statement of
ownership will be printed in the November 2004 issue of this
publication. 17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is
true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or
misleading information on the form or who omits materials or
information requested on the form may be subject to criminal
sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions
(including multiple damages and civil penalties.)
MUSIC VIDEO EXPERTS!
TV/radio production, training, editing, TV/radio
station placement and Public Relations. Call
214/316-1040 or visit our Web site at
www.themediawisegroup.com
Free Media assessments.
CHRISTIAN MUSIC MAKERS,
an informative and entertaining book by Mark
Weber about 70 CCM/gospel artists. Check it out
at www.geocities.com/zeebozine or
www.lulu.com/christian music
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ccmmagazine.com
november 04 ccm 69
CCM_11.04_halloffame.v7
10/6/04
1:45 PM
Page 70
halloffame
Randy
Stonehill
70 ccm november 04
ccmmagazine.com
andy Stonehill may be a Christian music legend
now, but back in the mid-’70s, he was simply
paving the way for and inspiring many of today’s
most prominent artists. Consider this encounter, which
Michael W. Smith told CCM about during this month’s
cover story interview:
“I’ll never forget the first time I met Randy Stonehill in
1976. My (high school) graduation present from my mom
and dad was to go to the second annual Christian artist
seminar in Estes Park, Colorado. And I went up and
introduced myself to Randy. He said, ‘Hey, why don’t you
come on up to the cabin?’ I walked up with him, and then
there was me, Randy Stonehill and Larry Norman; and we
were feeding squirrels from their porch. I was a kid—I had
Paradise—I still think that’s my favorite Stonehill record,
and then In Another Land had just come out by Larry
Norman. I was a huge fan of both of them. For a kid who
had just graduated from high school—I was floating. These
guys had brought me into their camp, and I was hanging
out with them. I’ll never forget it. That’s how Randy and I
met, and then I sang his songs. I used to sing ‘I’ve got News
For You’ in little Christian night clubs in West Virginia.”
Stonehill has been making Christian music for nearly 35
years, with his 19 albums having been favorably compared
to the work of artists as significant as Bruce Springsteen,
Paul McCartney and James Taylor.
“Uncle Rand,” as he is known by many of his fans,
became a Christian in 1970 while sitting in the kitchen of
fellow CCM Hall of Famer and one-time personal mentor
Larry Norman. Soon after, he recorded an independent
project called Born Twice, financed by the legendary Pat
Boone. Stonehill followed up Born Twice six years later with
Welcome to Paradise, released on Norman’s Solid Rock
Records. Paradise is still considered to be one of the finest
Christian albums ever released; and in 2001, the project
was lauded as “one of the first pop/rock albums by a
Christian that sounded authentic to its generation” and
ranked No. 13 of all time by CCM presents The 100 Greatest
Albums in Christian Music.
Signed to Myrrh Records throughout the 1980s and into
the early-1990s, Stonehill experimented musically with pop
and electric guitar jam rock before returning to his acoustic
roots, all the while continuing to develop both an incisive,
sardonic wit and a cut-to-the-heart intimacy in his work.
After leaving Myrrh, Stonehill formed Street Level
Records, which released a few projects in the mid-1990s,
including his acclaimed The Lazarus Heart.
Today, Stonehill, 52, resides in his native California with
wife Sandi and daughter Heather. His latest studio album,
Edge of the World, was released in 2002; and he performs
across the country nearly every weekend and continues in
his longtime role as an advocate for Compassion
International. He and Terry Taylor (Daniel Amos) have also
put together a delightfully creative children’s project called
Uncle Stonehill’s Hat, which includes both a CD and a fullstage production musical. (At press time, distribution
negotiations were ongoing.)
When notified by CCM of his Hall of Fame induction,
Stonehill said gratefully, “During 33 years, the road has
become a kind of surreal endurance test, but the privilege of
what I do and Who I serve keeps coming into ever sharper
focus. And that makes it all worthwhile!” M I C H A E L C I A N I
R
CCM COVERS
October 1981
November 1985
August 1990
REQUIRED RANDY
Welcome to Paradise (Solid Rock, 1976)
Equator (Myrrh, 1983)
The Wild Frontier (Myrrh, 1986)
Return to Paradise (Myrrh, 1989)
Wonderama (Myrrh, 1992)
SOME OF RANDY STONEHILL’S
BEST-KNOWN SONGS
“American Fast Food”
“Christmas at Denny’s”
“Coming Back Soon”
“Good News”
“Great Big Stupid World”
“I Could Never Say Goodbye”
“I Love You”
“I Turn to You”
“I’ve Got News for You”
“King of Hearts”
“Lung Cancer”
“Shut De Do”
“The Gods of Men”
“The Hope of Glory”
“Turning 30”
“Who Will Save the Children?”
“Your Love Broke Through”
“Can Hell Burn Hot Enough?”
For a complete list of past Hall of Fame inductees, visit CCMmagazine.com.