SUNDAY SETLIST 11/29/09

TODAY IS THE DAY
Even though I love-love-love Paul's new version, our team has always done the Lincoln Brewster arrangement. The song went great and locked in better than ever. The verses of this song have always been a little low for me so I had Sarah, my co-leader lead the verses on this one. It ended up giving the song some energy in those verses...I'm betting that the song definitely becomes a co-led number.

Welcome/Greeting
We normally schedule the welcome after song #2, but we had a very different service order today. Our post-Thanksgiving 'greeting' was for folks to tell each other, "You've lost weight." I thought it a fitting greeting. Get it...fitting?

YOU HAVE SAVED US
Second week to do this one. The rhythm of this song is really interesting. Coupled with the delay riff, the song has to land just right on tempo. Ours went okay...I think we're still figuring out how to find that rhythm all together. For some reason, I really noticed how great this team does in transition. The drop chorus and build came off so strong and the band did a great job.

Baby dedication
We dedicated 2 kids this morning - one in each service. Ross did a great job...always feel for those parents when the kids get so wiggly during dedication! Both families did great.

FOREVER FAITHFUL
Third or fourth time to do this one. As the writer, I'm liking that the melody seems to have caught on. I think it's easy to sing for the crowd and pretty intuitive. Don't know that I've seen it really pop off in a big way, but I think that's okay. I think writers often struggle with wanting their songs to drop everybody to the floor when they play it and that's not always (or hardly ever) the case. The concept of writing songs for your specific congregation is cumulative, in my opinion. I'm not looking for a room full of 200 people to weep and wail...but I am praying that over time these original songs would instill in us a good, reverent view of God. I'm okay with Forever Faithful where it is. (Songwriters who can't learn to be content are no fun to be around.)

GOD WITH US
Second time to do this one and it went just as great as before. In this specific setting, I really notice more engagement with the verses than before. The last time we played it the chorus and bridge seemed to be the hooks, but today was stronger as a whole. I encourage you worship leaders to try this one out!

COME THOU LONG EXPECTED JESUS
We did this Red Mountain Church tune. Sarah led it and it went great. We formed it up a little bit. Red Mountain's version is pretty spacey and ambient and we tried to meet somewhere in the middle.

Great day!

SUNDAY SETLIST 11/22/09

Because of Women's Minstry Event on Thursday night, we didn't rehearse and opted for the 8am run-through. This was a gamble as we had Bruce McMinn only on his 2nd week of drumming and Jason and Susan Hyde on their 2nd time to background vocals. (All three did a fantastic job, by the way.)

I'll the songs in order and then talk about the differences between the 9:30 and 11:00 sets.

YOU HAVE SAVED US
This is a new Baloche tune off of Glorious. When I first heard this tune, the groove didn't sit well with me. I was ready to write it off, but that delayed electric part was too powerful to ignore. I was glad to have Kirk Bozeman on one of the electrics today because Kirk dominates when it comes to delay. We did it as Song 1 while folks were walking in, so it's hard to tell what's what. We'll bring it back next week and see what happens!

A THOUSAND GENERATIONS
I'm all about Don Poythress. This tune from the Wash Away record is so strong. It amazes me that such a simple song can be so powerful in a group of people.

ALL WE NEED
We haven't done this Charlie Hall tune in months, but I personally thought it was the high point of the set. Bruce nailed the hi-hat/snare intro and tune rocked harder than it probably ever has. Dave Smith's lead break was great. Most of you know that Charlie's version usually has a pretty wet nondescript slide part. I like that slide part, but Dave's chorusy/wah lead was perfect.

PREPARE THE WAY
Second week to do this Jared Anderson tune. I let Jason and Susan carry this one and they did a great job. Both of them have wonderful voices and I'm looking forward to hearing them sing more. A few weeks ago, Elizabeth suggested we alter the order because the song really is long. I wanted to give it another full pass, but she's right. As that song gets more time, we've gotta' mix it up to keep it fresh. (...doing the song exactly like the CD nonstop-without fail is a really, really boring way to lead worship.)

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE
We had planned to do a mellow version of this Billy and Cindy Foote song. We ran out of time in both services. I'd still like to bring it back, but I didn't miss it too bad today.

The Breakdown: our first set was pretty clunky. I think nerves were a factor for some of us and it just didn't groove the way it needed to. Overall first service was still good...the band didn't tank, but I think it felt a little out-of-control for us. We didn't feel like we had command of the songs and could focus on the interplay between instruments. Second set was stronger. Transitions were better. However, I think the crowd from first service was a bit more engaged. (This tends to happen when a church begins pushing it's members to an earlier service. First service will be comprised of your faithful people who are going to jump into worship quicker and second service will be more folks just checking you out.)

I'm excited about this week. We've got a Tuesday practice and we're going to break out some Christmas music!

5 Great John Mayer Moments

Mayer's new album was released this week. It's been a unique process, as Mayer has documented many of the songs-in-process and developments on Twitter and YouTube.

It's a great record...one of Mayer's best in my opinion...but I'm enjoying some of the smaller, more subtle elements of the record and figured I'd share them to see if you feel the same.

1. The closing lead transition in "Perfectly Lonely." This track is noticeably void of John's signature riffing until John sings the bridge of the tune and segues beautifully into his solo. Dynamically perfect!
   
   
2. Closing vamp of "Half Of My Heart." Brilliant poetry comparing his heart to a "shotgun wedding" catches the attention and then lands where John sings about being a man who's "never loved anything." It's one of my favorite moments because John's taking a song that's fairly repetitive and still finding a way to surprise us - not with melody or rhythm, but with transparency.
   
   
3. No rolls. Once you've listened to this record 10 or 15 times, go back and listen again for drum rolls. Oh, you'll find some. But not many. The record has so many songs that have captured groove without overselling it. I'm surprised many of the songs on this record actually rely on vocals to transition energy. Every drummer ought to dig into the record to see a great example of "less is more."
   
   
4. Fake ending on the last track. You might think "Friends, Lovers or Nothing" is over, but you'd be wrong. John writes and records a great track that feels complete and then surprises us with this sing-song outro that tends to rattle around inside your head.
   
   
5. The Straight Stuff. We're used to John's rocking and rollicking blues-shuffle stuff, but two of the most noticeable tracks are both very straight in their feel. "Half Of My Heart" and "War Of My Life" are almost country in their attack. The record is definitely varied and these two tracks give it some nice complexity.

I love it when music surprises me. This record has surprised numerous times already and I'd love to know what you think of it. Dig it? Don't dig it? Did any of it surprise you?

Fighting For Christmas...

Yesterday, I talked about the struggle I face every Christmas - trying to enjoy an amazing holiday season in light of particular musical stresses that seem to be pretty common to worship leaders. However, over the past few years, I've done a couple of things to ease stress both personally and at home.

1. Keep my mouth shut. The worst possible thing a worship leader can do is come home and unload all of his frustration on his poor wife and kids. Granted, Kristen is my partner in all things and she knows me better than anyone in the world. But if I'm a bit more careful about how much I "bring home," it tends to help me focus more clearly once a new workday kicks off. Keeping my mouth shut creates some good boundaries that help to attack the work in a healthy way.
   
   
2. Stop worrying. Seems simple enough. But it's a hard thing. Worship leaders live and die by being aware of their congregants and working hard at analyzing what's happening. Doing that often gets you dangerously close to people-pleasing. The smartest thing I can do is work hard and keep a loose grip on the need for approval.
   
   
3. Compromise carefully. Anytime we start backing off on our God-given calling in ministry simply to honor tradition, we're in dangerous territory. For me, it's critical that I remember that I have a purpose every single Sunday and while the season may change, the job doesn't. Remembering that helps me to actually enjoy the process of trying to build a service that will honor long-lasting (and deserved) tradition while making sure that our focus is still to give God honor.

That's my list...what do YOU do to combat holiday stress?

Why I Hate Christmas

How's that for a catchy title?

The reality is that I actually love Christmas, but I don't know of a harder season to experience as a worship leader. It's strange for me, and over the past few years, I've had to work very hard at maintaining some healthy habits to make sure that I didn't ruin Christmas for my family because I couldn't turn off my stress when I got home. I don't know if other worship leaders experience the same sort of tension I do, but here's the list.

1. Too many chords. Now, listen, I can play most any chord if I've got enough time to learn it. That's not what I mean. No, I hate Christmas because many of the songs have so many chords changes that the overall flow of the song gets killed before you're out of verse 1. There are some great songs, but they are nightmares to play because your musicians are so freaked out at making 39 chord changes in one chorus that they can't focus on actually listening to one another.
   
   
2. Worship. There are quite a few Christmas songs that are worshipful, but trying to fit carols into a 'contemporary worship' setting is one of the most stressful things I've ever tried to do. There's a fine line of creativity - folks want it to still feel like a normal worship service but don't want you to jack with the classics too much.
   
   
3. Special Christmas Eve Services. People love Christmas Eve services, but let me tell you something - they are nightmares for musicians. Because folks come to Christmas Eve service wanting something great and epic and memorable, musicians often struggle with finding a way to make time to create an awesome production without alienating their family. If you have musicians that serve on Christmas Eve, give them a hug!
   
   
4. You'll Never Get The Schedule Right. A fellow worship leader said something really profound the other day. We were talking about Christmas and she said, "If you don't hit Christmas songs the Sunday after Thanksgiving, half the folks are gonna' be mad. And if you do hit it hard on that Sunday, the other half's gonna' think it's too early." The hardest part about leading worship during Christmas is the understanding that it's the one season of a church's life where you are GUARANTEED to fail at pleasing everyone. Oh, sure, we know we can't please everybody, but I don't know of any other time of the church calendar where it's quite so pronounced.

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing some of the stuff I've done of the past few years to help fix some of these issues. I hope you'll stop by!

11.15.09

We didn't have much media today...not a lot to "promote" between now and the end of the year! Other than our normal announcement slides, it was pretty easy day as far as technology was concerned.

Overall, I think the band enjoyed the first service better...I thought they were both strong but probably would have to pick the 2nd service as the better overall run through.

LET THE PRAISES RING
Second week to do this one. Poor Bruce McMinn...he was our fill-in drummer and had to open the service with THAT song! Bruce did a great job. I couldn't hear much of the riffs/leads, but I think it came off okay. Bruce in particular brought a lot of energy to the chorus and Tim's organ solo over the instrumental chorus was super strong.

KING OF MERCY
I normally let one of our gals sing the lead of this song because it's a tad low for me. However, Ross was planning on promoting the fact that we're giving away free Todd Wright CDs to guests, so I figured I had better sing my own song!

BRAND NEW DAY
This has to be one of my favorite additions to the catalog. If you're church isn't doing this song, you should try it. You may think it's a country tune, but trust me, this one will rock! The groove on it today was locked in and it came off great.

OUR GOD SAVES
Maggie sang lead vocals on the verses. This is a great tune because it has such simple long melody lines in the choruses that it's easy to hear whether or not your congregation is singing along.

PREPARE THE WAY
I've loved this song ever since Ross Parsley and New Life did it a few years ago. I had forgotten about it until Jared Anderson put it on his new project "Live From My Church," so we had to do it. Elizabeth did a great job on the piano part here...we kept it pretty close to the CD version and it got huge, but I have to say my favorite part was the simple piano/vocal stuff at the very beginning. We'll bring this one back next week, so I'm interested to see how the crowd joins in.

_______________________

I am so grateful for this team of musicians - they do a great job and they work very hard to make sure the music on Sunday's is simultaneously passionate and reverent. I hope more Bethel folks will grab these musicians and thank them...they really are a great band.

Review Week (#5)

This week, I'm reviewing an album each day. I've recently come across quite a few good projects and I want to spread the word.

Needtobreathe - THE OUTSIDERS
I'll admit that I haven't given this record enough study. Unfortunately, other CDs have taken up my listening time this week.

But I have listened enough to appreciate what a strange departure this record is. If you've listened Needtobreathe in the past, you'll understand that their records have always come across a little scattered. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - but most of us are conditioned to expect and overall "feel" when we buy a major label record. In the past, the band has delved into deep-South gospel, modern rock/pop and even modern-day worship.

The Outsiders is really none of those. In fact, it's almost a country album. Harmonica and steel and honky-tonk piano abound. At first, I thought it might a funny introduction, but more and more tracks keep the Americana aspect alive.

The great thing is that I love country music! There are a few really cool tracks on this record..."Lay Them Down" is a perfect Christian concert sing-along and "Stones Rushing Under Water" has some great imagery. "Prisoner" comes off feeling like a live version of a Moby track, but it's soulful and focused enough to land on pop radio.

If you're willing to take a weird ride through rock-meets-country Christian pop, give this one a try.

Review Week (#4)

This week, I'm reviewing an album each day. I've recently come across quite a few good projects and I want to spread the word.

Switchfoot - HELLO HURRICANE
The newest release from super group Switchfoot leaves no doubt - these boys like to take chances.

A few months ago, videos started to surface on YouTube promoting this new record as something different for the band. Most notable was a candid shot of frontman Jon Foreman breaking down as he talked about desiring to write songs that meant something more. Foreman stated he wanted every song on this record to sound like the last song he would ever sing.

And although is a subjective judgement, I think Switchfoot accomplished just that. The polished pop of previous records set aside, Hello Hurricane is rough, raw and tumbling through multiple sentiments across the record. There's confession is songs like "Mess Of Me," blistering zeal in "Bullet Soul" and multiple songs that seem to center on growing old in the light of God's promises.

Technically, the band has taken some chances. Guitar tones here are fuzzy and overdriven past what you'd expect...quite a few leads sound like the amp is falling apart and the bass/drum section is relentless. There's quite a few piano elements to the record and Foreman's vocals sit much more dry in the mix.

All of that combines to make Hello Hurricane something that does, indeed, feel epic. This record is a peek inside a diary, a wide open assessment of what happens when dark hearts are touched by God. I don't know that we'll see radio hits from the record...but I don't think anyone will make the mistake of passing this record over. Brutally honest and possibly even more passionate that any record they've ever done - Hello Hurricane for sure.

Review Week (#3)

This week, I'm reviewing an album each day. I've recently come across quite a few good projects and I want to spread the word.

Matt Redman - WE SHALL NOT BE SHAKEN
You find many other names quite so synonymous with the modern worship movement as Matt Redman.

My appreciation for Redman has always been a bit different. I've never loved his recorded works, but I have found them to be powerful songs in a live setting. It's almost as if I really don't appreciate a good Matt Redman song until I've actually used it in church!

Redman's new project, We Shall Not Be Shaken, however, is a whole new ball game. This record is fantastic, taking on a pop sheen that I've yet to ever see in his discography. The songs are just as strong as ever - "This Is How We Know" is a mid-tempo that is infectious in melody, "Through It All" has a great shuffle a la "Bittersweet Symphony" that comes alive from the first beat. I'm always drawn to the new hymns, so I love the ballad "You Alone Can Rescue."

This is more than just praise team music; it's a great balance of things built for congregational worship and musical touches that are creative and challenging. The rock songs are layered expertly and the slower worship tunes highlight Redman's unique "spontaneous worship" personality in a way that sticks with you.

Highly encourage you to check this one out!

Review Week (#2)

This week, I'm reviewing an album each day. I've recently come across quite a few good projects and I want to spread the word.

Steven Curtis Chapman - BEAUTY WILL RISE
Like a lot of Christian music fans, I was eagerly waiting for Steven Curtis Chapman's new release, Beauty Will Rise, which documents the year-long journey after losing his daughter in a horrible car accident at the Chapman home.

As a father and musician, I can imagine turning to music to cope, grieve and process loss, but the idea of revealing those thoughts is pretty daunting. I figured that this project would be all heart...that it would painfully reveal the struggle of a Christian father facing doubt and searching for hope.

I was right.

But I was also wrong.

This record is heart-felt, to be sure. It's a gritty peek inside a broken family...but it's also an amazing record. It sounds weird to say that the songwriting or production is good on a project like this - it feels petty. It feels like I should like this record no matter what because this is a Dad pouring out his heart.

But I'm here to tell you that this record is some of the most creative work Chapman has done in his career. It's not a pop record; gone are standard arrangements and predictable builds. Instead, it's layered and textured to complement, and even focus, these songs. It's a hopeful record and that comes off as an honest expression from Steven Curtis, but the hope is hard won. There are moments in this record that are hard to listen to, but we listen because we realize that if a mere song can take to a place of weakness, how much more battered are the hearts of this Chapman family.

People all the time talk about the need for lament in our music. I don't think Beauty Will Rise will ever have 'hits;' seems kinda' silly to think of it like that, doesn't it? But I do think that it's a record that every Christ-follower should listen to. God has used Chapman to exemplify what His children do when disaster hits...and I think we all need that.

Review Week (#1)

This week, I'm reviewing an album each day. I've recently come across quite a few good projects and I want to spread the word.

Paul Baloche - GLORIOUS
At first, I didn't like this record. While I could appreciate the creativity and the quality of musicianship, I just couldn't connect with the songs on a personal level or as a worship leader who's on the lookout for congregational songs. There were a couple of songs that I enjoyed and repeated quite a bit as I listened, but for the most part, I felt like this record just wasn't made for me.

And then, something changed. I caught some of the Integrity YouTube videos where Paul was talking about the "New Testament" nature of these songs and that intrigued me. I tried one of the songs in our youth service and it seemed to work well with the band. I started focusing on the back-half of these songs - looking at the where the songs take us gave me real appreciation of how we actually got to those anthemic endings. And suddenly, I was in love with this project.

The record has an aspect that's very "now." There are numerous musical elements that seem very prominent in pop music today. That's not to say that Paul's previous works have been old fashioned or out-of-touch; but this record does seem much more aware of musical trends and making those trends work within the framework of what Paul does best. Standout songs like "Shaken" and "Wonderful God" are marked by Baloche's renowned command of scripture, but they also land in a musical groove that, in my opinion, we've yet to hear from earlier records. His version of "Today Is The Day" is rocked perfectly with a strong element of U2 in the guitar tracks and a slight nod to Coldplay in the rhythm section. "To The Cross" seems to take a page from so many pop acts these days, focusing on feeling spontaneous and raw. Most listeners will be able to envision what a standard "worship arrangement" would do to that song in particular and will most likely appreciate the sparse nature of the song.

In addition, every song come through in a way that's instantly attention-grabbing. For me, taking a better "long view" of the record means that song intros that seemed only technically proficient in the beginning now connect to the larger picture of the whole song. It means that having a better appreciation for what's happening lyrically and thematically also encourage me to elevate the signature hooks and identifiers within each song.

Long time Baloche fans are probably going to love this record in much the same way. They're going to put in the time to ponder these songs and work through the parts of the project that are surprising and new. I think that people new to Baloche's music are going to love it from first listen - its cool factor is instantly obvious.

As with any major label record, there are a few songs that might not be as easily adaptable in a congregational setting, but the majority of these songs are almost instantly implementable. There's strong scriptural content here and an excellent mastery of dynamics. Don't know anybody else who handles band dynamics like Paul and his crew.

Five (out of five) stars on this one!

Get Lifted...

We've all got them - those sure fire things that never fail to lift your spirits when you're down. Here are a few of mine:

1. Stand-up comedy. This is the one thing in life that will always, always make me feel better no matter how bad things are.
   
   
2. Milkshakes. When Todd is down, those who love Todd know what to do. Buy the boy a milkshake. He'll be just fine...
   
   
3. YouTube. Always a gamble, because there's always the possibility that you'll look up five hours later and wonder where the time went. I'm such a fan of the YouTube movement these days and there really are some inspiring folks out there creating/managing their own creative careers.

So, what about you? What "lifts your spirit?"

(LIST)...television

• My son is fascinated with cryptozoology. Watching lots of MonsterQuest these days.
  
  
• I'm done with FlashForward. Loved the ending of last week's episode (although not easy-to-believe) but the acting was just too terrible to keep it up. My favorite was Joseph Fiennes screaming "I was loaded, OKAY!"
  
  
• If you have small kids and you're not watching Imagination Movers, you're missing out. Check it. I guarantee you'll love it!
  
  
• DVR is destroying my brain. Lately, I tend to think I can rewind everything now.
  
  
• I love country music but always hate watching live performances on TV. However, the GAC Live thing that Dish Network is doing lately is really, really good.
  

I'm A Sucker...

...for conspiracy theories.

I just finished a documentary entitled 911 - In Plane Site and I had a few observations.

First off, this is a poorly made film. The production quality is okay, but continuity get pretty laughable. It's hosted by a radio talkshow host named Dave vonKleist, who doesn't seem to possess much in the way of on-screen personality. (Face for radio, anyone?) In quite a few segments, vonKleist's hair seems to vary in style and length. The lighting is also pretty poor and it seems like there's no makeup involved in the shoot. Those aren't that large as problems go, but in an age where most films have at least some level of production quality, it can be pretty jarring when a film doesn't.

This documentary asks great questions. It does not, however, offer many answers. I'll be honest - the only thing about 9/11 that's ever really baffled me has been the Pentagon. This film does a great job of compiling evidence that contradicts the story that a plane hit the Pentagon. It's compelling...especially for a guy as suspicious as me!

The other stuff is not as impressive, but I do, in fact, have some sick fascination with conspiracies. I guess if you share my love for that stuff, you'd like it. I did appreciate the absence of overtly "liberal" positions in this movie. I expected something more leftist, and was grateful a surprisingly unbiased project. I recently had 6 or 7 documentaries come through Netflix and I'm now in mob movie phase. Hopefully, I can get to some comedies soon!

2 Sentence Reviews...

It's been a good season for worship records. Thought it might be fun to take the entire reviews that sit inside my head and boil them down to to 2 sentences.

FEE - HOPE RISING
The strongest songs are here are the experiments. Overall, it sounds a lot like last Fee project.

DAVID CROWDER BAND - CHURCH MUSIC
Crowder's well know as a worship leader. This record is good and creative and well-executed even though the corporate worship elements aren't as prominent.

JARED ANDERSON - LIVE FROM MY CHURCH
If you took everything great about New Life and Desperation and multiplied them times 10, you'd have this record. Not a bad song and piano driven, which is refreshing for many.

SUNDAY SETLIST, 11/1/09

Big day for Bethel Bible today! We went to our new service times and it seemed to be a pretty smooth transition!

A THOUSAND GENERATIONS
Man, we love this Don Poythress tune! It's so simple and says exactly the things we need to be reminded of as God's people. The band does great on this one and the church seems to sing it with a lot of gusto.

I'M SINGING
This one is still pretty new. We didn't have mandolin on it this time, but it still came off great. We had the added benefit of Elizabeth on backing vocals. Sarah led this one so well and Elizabeth offered some great harmony stuff. I'm still not sure this one has caught on yet. I like it - the groove is good practice for us. We'll keep trying this one to see if it's a keeper.

EVERYTHING TO GOD
Brought this one back. This one is a ton of fun. Probably won't become a standard Bethel Band tune, but it's a fun one to jam. Arlie's bass and Tim's organ are so slammin' on this song!

FOREVER FAITHFUL
Second time to do this one on Sunday morning. Overall feel was much stronger this time - drums and bass really locked in to create that subtle groove that makes this tune work. Piano and key fills were a nice addition.

I AM GLAD (Chorus)
I love flowing right out of Forever Faithful into something else. Today, it was my tune I Am Glad. We made one slight change to the drums in between services, other than than it was a nice build during both sets.

A very good and very busy day at Bethel. I liked playing to a fuller crowd in the first service and it was nice to see some room available for growth in the second one!