THE LIGHTHOUSE Shining Light on Today's Christian Music February 1994 $1.00 Greg & Rebecca Sparks Bob Carlisle Brian Barrett Ji Lim East To West Point of Grace THE LIGHTHOUSE February 1994 vol3#2 BOB CARLISLE 3 Bob Carlisle released his first solo album last year, but is definitely no newcomer to Christian music. Cofounder of Allies, he now returns to his musical roots in "blue-eyed soul" to accomplish his goal of encouraging people in getting from Monday to Tuesday. POINT OF GRACE 4 The four women of Point of Grace may have not intended to become part of a musical group, but they realized their talent in college and began performing on weekends. They decided to stick together, releasing their self-titled debut late last year. EAST TO WEST 6 Jay DeMarcus and Neal Coomer have taken a name as old as the psalms and brought the message of their faith to today's pop music. In college they quickly became like brothers and formed their duo, East to West. While they were rehearing for their spring tour with AL DENSON, the pair took a moment to share how they met and how they formed the group. GREG & REBECCA SPARKS 8 Greg and Rebecca Sparks have been performing in the "unplugged" vein long before the recent popularity of the style. They took an afternoon to sit down and chat about their family, their music, and their latest album, FIELD OF YOUR SOUL. BRIAN BARRETT 11 New artist Brian Barrett was the winner of the 1992 Gospel Music Association New Artist Showcase. He chatted with THE LIGHTHOUSE about his self-titled debut album. JI LIM 12 Korean born Ji Lim moved to the United States at age six. Given a violin at age seven, he was quickly dubbed a "child prodigy" in classical violin. He's not playing much violin now, but he is a talented musician, nonetheless, and intently working in the field of youth ministry. REVIEWS 13 Reviews of the latest projects by Michael Sweet, Twila Paris, Betrayal, Pam Mark Hall, Peter Shambrook, and Mike Mennard. Also a look at the acoustic alternative BROW BEAT and a compilation of Mark Heard's work, HIGH NOON. INFORMATION CENTER 16 EXECUTIVE EDITOR/PUBLISHER: J. WARNER SODITUS EDITOR: BETH BLINN CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER: PATTY MASTEN CONTRIBUTORS: BETH BLINN, NEIL CLOPTON, ANN HATHCOCK, MICHAEL A. KLEIN, STEVEN C. TIMM, CLARKE WOODFIN SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: $1.00 PER ISSUE $10.00 PER YEAR (U.S.) $18.00 (CANADA) $29.00 (OTHERS) MAILING ADDRESS: THE LIGHTHOUSE 256 EAST COLLEGE AVENUE SUITE 302 STATE COLLEGE, PA 16801 (814) 238-6730 FAX: (814) 238-6730 THE LIGHTHOUSE (ISSN 1070-6690) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR PROFIT. COPYRIGHT: THE LIGHTHOUSE (c) 1994 BY POLARIZED PUBLICATIONS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WRITER'S GUIDELINES AND ADVERTISING RATES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. THE LIGHTHOUSE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES OFFERED IN ADVERTISEMENTS. MEMBER: GMA GOSPEL MUSIC ASSOCIATION OUR MISSION: TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN A DEEPER PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST USING THE MODERN MEDIUM OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC. CHRISTIAN MUSIC, IN ITS VARIOUS CONTEMPORARY FORMS, CAN BE USED AS A TOOL FOR ENCOURAGEMENT, CHALLENGE, CHRISTIAN OUTREACH, AND CREATING A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON MODERN CULTURE. THE LIGHTHOUSE SEEKS TO SHARE THE MINISTRY OF SUCH MUSIC THROUGH IN-DEPTH FEATURES ON THE MUSICAL ARTISTS AND REVIEWS OF CURRENT RELEASES, TO SHOW THE MINISTRY AVAILABLE FOR CHRISTIANS AND NON-CHRISTIANS ALIKE. Howdy! Well, you probably noticed that our announced cover story for this month fell through. The Seventy Sevens' guitarist, David Leonhardt, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease last spring. Due to some recent medical treatments, the release date of their latest album has been moved back to April--and our interview was postponed. We'll get that to you as soon as possible. In another tragic piece of news, we were pretty devastated to learn of the death of Vince Ebo at the end of December. Compounding the incredible emotional trauma for his parents and fiancee, his funeral left his parents with a financial burden. If you care to send a card or a donation to his family, please write to: Walter and Maxine Ebo, 10385 Cardiss Way, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. We ask that you keep both the Ebos and David in your prayers. We also made a couple mistakes in the last issue. First, we accidentally printed "Dr. Martin Luther Jr." where we obviously meant "Dr. Martin Luther KING Jr." in the review Greg & Rebecca Sparks' album, FIELD OF YOUR SOUL. In the review of RIVULETS AND VIOLETS we incorrectly stated that there were keyboard used on the album. They are proud of the fact that there are no keyboards used on the recording, and we apologize for the error. Well, this is the end of two years of publication for THE LIGHTHOUSE. Thanks for your support, and as always, we welcome your suggestions. God Bless! --J. WARNER SODITUS, PUBLISHER 1993 READER'S FAVORITES FEMALE VOCALIST MALE VOCALIST GROUP Amy Grant Steve Taylor Petra/White Heart (tie) ALBUM SONG VIDEO PROJECT WAKE-UP CALL/SQUINT (tie) "Jesus is for Losers" THE LIVE ADVENTURE Petra/Steve Taylor Steve Taylor Steven Curtis Chapman VIDEO SINGLE CONCERT "Jesus is Just Alright" The Newsboys/Michael W. Smith (tie) DC Talk Bob Carlisle Does the name Bob Carlisle sound familiar? Even if you haven't heard his solo project, chances are, you've heard his voice. It could be from his years with Allies, or even earlier days with groups such as Good News or Psalm 150. Maybe you've heard him on projects by BRYAN DUNCAN or STEVE CAMP--or even mainstream albums by PAT BENETAR, JUICE NEWTON, or REO SPEEDWAGON. Perhaps you've heard the number one country tune that he penned for DOLLY PARTON, "Why'd Ya Come In Here Lookin' Like That." It's okay if you haven't heard of any of these musical endeavors, since his solo project is rather different anyway. Carlisle, who states, "I've always been a musician--it's part of what I am," took his first step toward his career in music, in a way, on his seventh birthday. His father took him to a local department store and told him to pick out any one thing he wanted--he settled on a guitar. His garage band days as a teen eventually led to him to a full music scholarship at Chapman College in California. At the height of the "Jesus Movement," he joined Good News, and later became a part of a soul group, Psalm 150. After getting married and having his first child, he sought work with various club bands and studios to generate the income he needed to support his family. Although the money may have been nice, it eventually led him to realize, "I felt as if my life was wasting away and that I was not doing what God had for me." That same week, RANDY THOMAS and SAM SCOTT approached him about starting a band, and by the end of the week, they had signed a recording contract as Allies. After recording six albums and touring extensively, the group decided to call it quits. "The bringing to a close of the Allies was very peaceful," he shares. "It was really God's timing. Everyone parted dear friends. Everyone's accounted for, where everyone else went to do something else. It's not like someone was left stranded." "The change is subtle in that it's kind of an evolution for me. If I'm going to put my neck on the chopping block and be a solo artist, which I did have a passion to do for several years (this wasn't an overnight decision), I wanted to make sure I was focused. As a performer, as a singer, I asked myself, what is it that I do the best? You better find out what that is. My first love as a singer has always been just good, solid, passionate soul music, and that's what I'm doing." With the change from the rock stylings of Allies, Carlisle has attracted more of an adult following than ever before. Does he have a desire to reach a more adult audience? "The word 'reach' implies that I carry a burden for this segment of society. I'm an adult, so I write adult songs and I probably attract an adult audience. I'm not slighting the youth. I spent years with Allies ministering to kids--I own two. I love them. I just think that the kind of material I'm doing now is different than what I was doing a decade ago. I'm more mature now, I think my music is a little more sophisticated and focused, and I think that it will naturally draw more of an adult audience." So what is this "more mature" songwriter trying to convey? What is his purpose in recording his most recent album? "Getting people from Monday to Tuesday. I write songs to get ME from Monday to Tuesday. I'm not a minister. I didn't graduate from seminary. I didn't major in Christian apologetics. I am just a musician and a singer with a lot of passion on my heart for my beliefs. I am a minister, you are too, in that we have the great commission, of course. I don't put myself on a pedestal. I'm not a finger-pointing kind of song writer or speaker. We're all in this together. In that, the last album was just songs that touch people's everyday experiences. That's what I know." Having learned how to handle touring from his days as part of Allies, Carlisle now protects his home life from extensive touring--content now to go out for several weekends or possibly two weeks at a time. He tells, "I won't even spiritualize it, I just get too lonesome for my family. I'm really crazy about these people. On the spiritual end of it, I have no business being out there on the road if I'm not taking care of being a husband and father at home. I just won't go out for months without being home. There's nothing more important than the solidarity of my family life." A large part of his work involves songwriting in the pop-country arena. Despite having no immediate desire to ever record an album in that genre, Carlisle thoroughly enjoys this aspect of his career. "I get a lot of pleasure out of doing that," he shares. "It's kind of an escape for me--not that I need an escape from what I'm doing--it's just so different." And, while some people may believe most country music to be a little bit dark, and some criticize mainstream country music as being counter to Christian principles, Carlisle disagrees. "I think it's not an adversary to Christian music or Christianity," he begins. "I think that, for me, it's kind of play acting. There are some, 'She left me...' songs, but it's drama, it's fun, it's like a soap opera. It's kind of fun to write those songs; they're very innocent. Country music, by in large, is very wholesome. I like writing for it." Carlisle's plans were to return to the studio in January to begin recording his next project, which he hopes will be out by late summer. When I talked with him, he was beginning to write songs and set goals for this album, and he shared a little about that process. "I don't pick and write songs just because of their pop-value. I really try to write and select songs that really move me and tell the story of my life somehow. In that comes the personal touch. I think an audience can feel my sincerity. That's real important to me. If we're going to sing about our relationship with Christ and our day-to-day walk, I think there should be a pretty serious element of sincerity and believability, and that's important to me. The passion is what draws me to music. It's what made me want to pick up a guitar in the first place. I can't abandon that. It's important that the album be focused, so we'll see to that." "The very idea that I stand on a stage and even pretend to represent what Jesus means to people is silly. Only through God's fantastic grace and mercy can I even do that." --J. WARNER SODITUS Point of Grace The four women of Point of Grace had no aspirations for entering the music industry. As the case for many new groups, they were pulled together and felt a calling by the Lord to use their natural vocal talents as a Christian group. They met at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) through the school's showcase vocal group, the "Ouachitones." They soon started booking performances and by 1992 only spent three weekends at home. Through gifts from their grandparents, they went to the Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, Colorado, and wound up the winner of the Overall Grand Prize Group competition. Terry Lang chatted about the group, and here's a sample of what she had to share. IN THE PHOTO, I SAW ONE WEDDING BAND. SO, ONLY DENISE IS MARRIED? That's the only wedding band that there is and they've been married about a year. WHAT KIND OF FAMILIES DID YOU GROW UP WITH? Well, I will tell you that none of our parents are divorced, which is pretty rare. I guess family values have really been incorporated into each one of our beings. All of us only have sisters, no brothers, so we know how to get along with girls pretty well. Our families at home are real close to us still and our parents really are our best counselors. They've been the ones who we've sought wisdom from, so family is pretty important even though we don't have husbands, yet, except for one of us. I WAS CURIOUS WHY YOU CHOSE THE NAME POINT OF GRACE. I'M SURE THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE STARTS OFF ASKING. There is another group, based in Nashville, and we came in on their turf and they had already made seven albums and they asked us to change. It took us nine months to agree on anything. Our A&R guy, John Mays, was reading a C.S. Lewis book, and was trying to think of names for us and there was a chapter in that book on grace, and there was a sentence that said, "We as Christians live everyday at a point where we need the Lord's grace." And so the phrase "point of grace" just jumped out at all of us. We really do live everyday at a point of grace. Especially on the road, where we need the Lord to show us His grace to provide for us as He has, and to just keep our spirits going, because sometimes it gets kind of hard. So, that's the name and we feel great about it. ARE YOU DOING MUCH TOURING ON THE ROAD NOW? We are touring probably about 20 days a month, which is quite a bit. This spring we're going to be going on the road with WAYNE WATSON. We'll probably open up for him and sing back up for him in his show AND ON THE DAYS YOU'RE NOT ON THE ROAD, I GUESS YOU JUST RECUPERATE FROM THAT? Yeah we really do. It's been an adjustment moving to Nashville. We lived in Oklahoma until about half a year ago, and we moved out here to do our album. In the summer we were here just four or five days a month, it's really hard to make it feel like home. I still don't even know where to go to get things. "Where is my grocery store?" So it's been an adjustment. I WOULD IMAGINE Y'ALL ARE PRETTY SCALED DOWN ON THE ROAD OR DO YOU HAVE SOME OTHER PEOPLE TRAVELING WITH YOU? We have a sound man who is also our road manager. We've been singing together for about three years, and until about two months ago, we did everything. I was in charge of the money, Shelley was in charge of the booking, Heather was in charge of our tape sales and publicity, and Denise was in charge of all of our music. We know what there is to be done and it's hard for us to turn that over. We've gotten management, and we've gotten a guy who books for us, and then our road manager has just now started taking on responsibilities in fronting the dates and setting up the sound before we get there. We used to lug it all in ourselves. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OBU. It's small, with about 1,500 to 1,700 students. It is a wonderful place and they have been so supportive of us, and they are just thrilled with what is going on and what the Lord is doing with our ministry. AND WHAT DID Y'ALL STUDY THERE? I was an elementary education major, and always thought I'd be a schoolteacher, but God had other plans. Heather and Shelley were vocal performance, and Denise was music education. WHAT KIND OF AUDIENCE HAVE YOU BEEN ATTRACTING, OR PLAYING TO? The most common thing that we do, is a Sunday night church wide concert, which is from ages 4 to 94. So, we have to have a variety of music to be able to reach everybody. We have also done a lot of youth events. Youth evangelism conferences have been great fun for us. We love to do that and we feel we can really say something to the youth because we have lived through that. We always try not to speak beyond our experience. I'm not going to be able to tell a woman who is going through a divorce how to feel because I've never been there. But, I can be an encouragement in what I know. So we like to do the youth things because we can speak to them and give them some advice. WHAT KIND OF THINGS DO YOU TELL THE JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH KIDS? One of the things that we really try to stress everytime we sing in front of a group of younger people is that each one of us, by the grace of God, has been able to remain pure from drugs and alcohol and to remain sexually pure. It's because we made a vow when we were younger that we were just going to lean on the Lord to take care of us, and to give us the strength not to succumb to those kind of pleasures. I think when four females stand in front of a group of kids like that, they go "Wow, if all four of them can do that, well maybe I can too." It's kind of an encouragement thing that they could make it, and if they have messed up, that the Lord can make them a spiritual virgin--they can start new and fresh. WHAT KIND OF ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUTH PASTORS, AS FAR AS HOW TO GET THEIR KIDS INTERESTED IN CHRISTIAN MUSIC OR HOW TO USE IT WITH THEIR PROGRAMS? We have done quite a bit of camps where we were counselors and the singers. We would counsel all day long we'd be with the kids--we'd be family leaders and team leaders. We've done several events now where we went in and actually talked with the kids and stuff and then they would get to know us. There was a respect level there, where when they did see us singing on stage, that it was more than just a singer, it was a real person, with real problems and real struggles, just like them, but God could use it somehow. I think just being out there and being with the kids and showing them that you're real and that you're not too good for any one of them and you've got as many problems as they do, it's just all in how you can handle them and how you chose to handle them. It helps the kids a lot to see that maybe there is something to this Christian music. SO YOU THINK IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE AN OPEN TIME WHERE YOU CAN HANG OUT AND MEET THE KIDS BEFORE A CONCERT. Yeah, before a concert is great. Sometimes the opportunity is not there, so a good time for us is also afterwards. At just about every one of them we say, "We want to be here for you, and when we leave, we want our ministry to continue in your town. If you have any prayer requests or anything you just want to talk about with us, please come up to us afterwards and write your request down on a piece of paper and slip it in our pockets and let us pray for you." I think that is an effective way to break down the wall so they don't feel intimidated. ARE YOU ABLE TO DO ANY FOLLOW UP AT ALL? Yeah, actually. I've probably got about twelve pen pals that I'm kind of keeping up with, and some of them go back to about two years ago. Just kind of checking up on their spiritual life, and not only that. Some letters don't even say anything about the Lord, some letters are just: "What about school?" or "What about your boyfriend?" I think it's a great way for kids to know that you are real--just to write to them. YOU KIND OF MENTIONED EARLIER THAT IT WAS A LITTLE TOUGH FOR FOUR WOMEN TO COME TO DECISIONS ON SOME THINGS? Actually, God has given us so much grace in that area. We all have sisters, so we've all shared rooms--we all know what that's like. So, when we get a hotel, it's okay. Each one of our personalities is distinctly different from the other and I think that works really well to kind of create like a whole person. Each one of us has different talents and weaknesses, and we learn from each other. And so we respect each other and I think we communicate really well. WHAT GOALS HAVE YOU TRIED TO SET NOW THAT THE ALBUM IS OUT? We did a little TV show the other day, and we were talking about our goals: "what about group of the year?" "what about your next album?" I thought that would be wonderful if the Lord decides to give us those things, but I think our goals are more spiritual and personal. I really want to be closer to the Lord tomorrow than I am today, and be able to speak better in front of people and to minister more in front of people. The other goal is to be able to write songs that are just anointed. That's a huge thing to say, but that's a goal. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BIGGEST LESSON THAT THE LORD HAS TAUGHT YOU IN GETTING THE RECORD CONTRACT AND RECORDING THE ALBUM? We have grown up so much in the last year. We signed in March, and we have really come across some hard lessons. It hasn't been the hardest thing that we've gone through in life, but just learning patience, and learning all there is to know about record companies. It's really hard to know everything--there's so much to it. I just think we've had to learn through all the "yucky" times--to consider it joy. And, to know that God had a bigger picture and a greater plan and that even though today might be bad, tomorrow is going to be better. --J. WARNER SODITUS East to West East to West is a new duo in Christian pop music. Jay DeMarcus and Neal Coomer met at Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee. Having come from similar backgrounds and small families (Neal has an older sister and Jay has a younger sister), they found in each other "the brothers they never had." They took a few minutes away from concert rehearsal to chat about how they got started in Christian music. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DID YOU DO BEFORE COLLEGE? [Neal] In high school I was doing a lot of musical theatre stuff. I wasn't in a band before college. I think Jay was. I went to a performing arts high school and was involved in theatre and music, so that was the focus. [Jay] I was in a band in high school. We did a lot of Christian rock. We did covers of WHITE HEART and PETRA. I also went to a performing arts high school and I got to play a lot of jazz and I really enjoyed doing that. I was the church pianist, too. I really played a lot of different kinds of music because my mom, especially, loves country music, so I got to play a lot of that and southern gospel growing up. [Neal] My mom was also into that stuff, so I played in a southern gospel group for a while, so there are some similarities in background. WHERE DID Y'ALL GROW UP? [Neal] I grew up in Louisville, KY. [Jay] I grew up in Columbus, OH. YOU BOTH GREW UP IN THE CHURCH? [Jay] We sure did. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE GROUP YOU WERE IN--DANNY MURRAY AND NEW HARVEST. WAS THAT JAZZ? [Neal] That was after we got to Lee College. That was more of a vocal ensemble, as can best be compared to something like TRUTH. We did recruitment for the school. We had a real good time with that. We stayed with Danny for two and a half years. THINGS CHANGED FOR YOU AT ATLANTA FEST, WAS THAT A MUSICAL REVELATION? [Neal] That was weird the way everything unfolded. It was almost as if it were an accident. It wasn't something we sat down and calculated--"This is what we want to do and this is how we want to accomplish it." It was just that the Lord started opening a lot of doors for us. Friends of mine that we went to school with, Chuck Tilley's daughter, Kim, and her husband called and they were putting together the lineup for the late-night stage at Atlanta Fest. They said, "Why don't you come down and do a couple of tunes?" I said, "I can't do that." I've always been in groups or ensembles, so the whole thing was not very comfortable. Finally, I said, "Sure, I'll come down and do about twenty minutes." I was going to get my best tracks together and go down. I talked to Jay about it, and he said, "Why don't you let me put together a band? We could take a band down and do a couple of my tunes." I said, "Okay, sure. We'll try that." We did a twenty minute set and it went very well. Benson happened to be there, since some of their artists were on that night. They expressed an interest. They wanted us to do a demo tape, so we borrowed some money and did a demo. We sent it and it was kind of a "thanks but no thanks," "keep working" kind of thing. We ran into Mike Eldred at our denomination's general assembly in New Orleans and let him listen to our demo. He said, "You need a producer before you even talk with a record company." He gave us a list and Don Koch happened to be on his list with his phone number. So, we called Don and sent him a tape and he happened to be interested in what we were doing and he liked our vocals, music, and our writing. So, we did another demo with him and about that time, Chuck Tilley committed to manage us. With Don doing songs for a demo for us and Chuck's management, Benson's interest increased and we signed with them. YOU SAID THAT YOU WENT TO HIGH SCHOOLS FOR PERFORMING ARTS, ARE THEY A COMMON THING? [Jay] Not really. I know there's only one in all of Ohio, it's the one I went to. [Neal] There's only one in Kentucky, too. I CERTAINLY NEVER HEARD OF THAT THING, ALTHOUGH I NEVER WOULD'VE GONE. [Jay] Kind of like the FAME school. NOW, YOU HAD BOTH DONE SOME SONGWRITING BEFORE THE ATLANTA FEST THING? [Neal] No, to that point, that had been Jay's music and songs. WERE YOU DOING OTHER CONCERTS WHEN YOU WERE DOING THE DEMO? [Neal] Not really. We didn't play out much because we were still with Danny at that time, so we didn't have a lot of free time. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC TO SOMEONE THAT HADN'T HEARD IT? [Jay] I would say that our music is very Pop oriented--real hooky melodies. Probably, if there was a secular group I could compare our sound to, it would be LEVEL 42 or GO WEST. Real poppy, punchy horns, driving rhythms. It's pretty, I would say, radio friendly. [Neal] We want our music to be radio friendly and concert-worthy, but we want it to be church friendly, too, so we can minister in whichever avenues the Lord gives to us. HAVE YOU DONE MANY CHURCH APPEARANCES? [Neal] Yes. RIGHT IN ACTUAL CHURCH SERVICES? [Neal] Yeah. As a matter of fact, that's what we do most of now. In addition to what Jay was saying, we really like our ballads to be pretty serious, with a lot of content in our lyrics. The lyrics are very important to us. DO YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC TO COMPARE WHAT YOU'RE DOING? OR IS IT JUST FOR ENJOYMENT? [Jay] I think it's a little of both. I ASSUME YOU BOTH AREN'T MARRIED YET? [Neal] Not married. WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE, OR HAVEN'T YOU DEFINED THAT? [Neal] It's been interesting, because we found a lot of our focuses are still being defined, as to our ministry and direction, because we haven't really been on the road that long. It's kind of idealistic, but we would like for our music to reach from age 15 to 40 with, hopefully, some bleed-over either direction. Like I said, the lyrics are important to us, so the lyrics could sustain an audience from 25-50, but some of the uptempo stuff, the music would hopefully energize the younger audience too. [Jay] That's been the response so far, in our concerts. We've had the young people come up and then we've had a fifty year old woman come up and say that we really ministered to her. [Neal] When a sixty-five year-old couple wants to come up and buy our tape, we're like, "Are you sure?" YOU SAY YOU'VE MOSTLY PLAYED FOR CHURCH AUDIENCES. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT OR FEEL IS A GOOD THING, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY FOR A MORE SECULAR AUDIENCE. [Neal] I think the way things started was the Lord started opening so many doors so fast. We were just trying to go wherever He was leading us. That's really what we want to do now. We really want to just, do whatever is made available--to be available for Him to take us where He wants us to go. That's the way it's been so far. If He wants to open the doors for us and He feels like we're ready as ministers to handle a more secular audience, then I believe He'll make a way and that time will come. For right now, we're content to do whatever He wants us to do. I HAVE BEEN DOING SOME RESEARCH INTO WHETHER THE POINT OF CHRISTIAN MUSIC SHOULD BE TO MINISTER TO CHRISTIAN AUDIENCES OR TO REACH OUT TO WITNESS TO SECULAR AUDIENCES. [Neal] We would love to have the opportunity to do both, because there's valid arguments for both. When you're talking about the secular audiences, there are a lot of people that need to get the message that we have. If we have the answers, they need to hear it. Then, we want to reach as many unsaved and lost people as we can. On the other hand, we've been surprised as we've gone around, in saying to as many people as we have, the fact that how many Christian kids, how many Christian people need hope and encouragement. Sometimes music is such a medium that can reach people--so many people that a pastor may not be able to affect. So, we are surprised to see how many Christian people out there are hurting. They need to have a message of hope and encouragement. One of the songs Jay wrote was "No Yesterdays." That is almost a pinnacle of what we have to say; with Jesus Christ, there are no yesterdays. He takes our sins and casts them as far as the east is to the west--that's where our name comes from. People even sitting in the pews who are lost and need to be reminded and know how real God is. YOU'LL BE ON TOUR FOR MOST OF THE SPRING WITH AL [DENSON], RIGHT? [Jay] Five months--January to May. DO YOU HAVE EXPECTATIONS FOR THAT? [Jay] We expect to be very tired. THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT. [Jay] Yesterday morning, even before we started rehearsals, we sat down around in a circle and had prayer and we're expecting the Lord to do great things. AL was talking about how many lives were touched last year when he was out. The statistics were just phenomenal. This time around, we hope it can be the same, if not better. We know the Lord's really going to touch what we have to say each night. DO YOU FEEL THAT WILL BRING IN MORE UNSAVED PEOPLE THAN THE PERFORMANCES YOU'VE HAD THUS FAR? [Jay] I would say, more than likely, so. IS THAT ENCOURAGING OR CHALLENGING? [Jay] It's a little of both encouraging and challenging because you know you have a big responsibility. You and I both know that a lot of kids, especially, are turned off when they even hear the word "Christian." So, the challenge is to show that you can still be cool and be a Christian. Just because you're a Christian doesn't mean that you're not cool and you can't have fun. That's the challenge to us; to show that you can be cool and be a Christian. WHO HAVE YOU TAPPED FOR ADVICE BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT ON YOUR FIRST BIG TOUR? WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT GROUP HAVE YOU SET UP? [Neal] We've set up a spiritual support network, some individuals who have either been involved in my life personally, Jay's life personally, or have expressed an interest [in the group]. It's about twelve people--the president of our college and his wife, some music ministers and their wives, youth pastors and their wives, and other close acquaintances. [Jay] What we do is send those people letters and let them know everything that's going on with East to West Ministry and ask them to pray over everything, everyday, every development that happens. YOU'LL HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR AL DENSON PRACTICAL JOKES FOR A WHILE. [Jay] That's what we hear. --J. Warner Soditus Greg & Rebecca Sparks A recent musical trend has been the use of "unplugged" concerts and recordings. For Greg and Rebecca Sparks, this is nothing new--they've been doing that for years. Despite having only seen them on a television program, it was obvious that a concert with them would be nothing short of intense. I was able to meet this interesting couple recently, and talk about their family and their music. Our meeting took place in an Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. That sounds typical enough, right? Well, the day happened to be the coldest day in recorded history for the city, which meant that their baby-sitter was unable to work. So, they had to take a break from thawing frozen pipes and bundle their two darling children, Justina (four, who was completely ecstatic to learn we share the same late-January birthday) and Eddan (19 months), and venture out for lunch. After unbundling the children, exchanging introductions, and thawing out my frozen tape recorder batteries, we feasted on pizza, salad, and spaghetti, and talked about what's going on with the Sparks. For Greg, there was one major thought at the front of his mind--getting back to thaw the pipes. This latest episode of "Greg versus the pipes" is a continuation of the battle that began last year. He recalls, "We had set this weekend aside. We had child care taken care of, and we were going to go skiing. We hadn't skied for so long because of pregnancies. The day we were leaving, we woke up and our pipes were frozen. We spent the rest of the weekend unfreezing pipes and trying to knock out walls." Jokingly, he adds, "If I could get these pipes fixed, I'd have a pretty easy life." IT ONLY TAKES TWO SPARKS Rebecca, who grew up in Johnstown, PA, and Greg, who is from Michigan, each accepted Christ at an early age. Rebecca's father was a part-time evangelist, while Greg's was a Wesleyan minister. Their introduction to music was, however, quite different. While Greg was in his basement playing along to LYNYRD SKYNYRD albums, Rebecca was taking piano lessons. Since she was not permitted to listen to the radio, Rebecca would stay after school, borrow friend's songbooks, and play and sing popular songs she had never heard--songs by the likes of CAROL KING and JAMES TAYLOR. Greg and Rebecca first met in 1979 when he joined the Philadelphia-based group Found Free--for which Rebecca was a vocalist--as a bassist. They dated a bit until Rebecca left the group, and resumed when she returned in 1982. In 1985, they married, and the group soon signed to Myrrh Records and became Bash-N-The Code. After RUSS TAFF attended one of their concerts in 1987, he extended an offer to the duo to open for him on his tour. They graciously accepted, and showcased their talents as his opening act for two years. Having recorded their first album as Sparks and built up interest in their own concerts, they realized they could not do their own concerts and tour, so they left TAFF's tour in 1990, when Justina was born. Since that time, they have released THROUGH FLOOD AND FIRE and now FIELD OF YOUR SOUL, performed numerous concerts, and moved from Johnstown to Pittsburgh. They seem comfortable in their new environment (except for the frozen pipes), partly because Rebecca has two brothers in town, and partly because they are now close to an airport, making it easier to fly to concerts. FAMILY LIFE Having the children along offered an informal look into the Sparks' family. It only seems appropriate, since Rebecca states, "We take them everywhere. Which, I'm sure, definitely has it's drawbacks." What is the major drawback for them? "Our attention is always divided," tells Rebecca. "Which was hard for us to get used to. We're not that kind of people. We're very focused and intense. With them, you can't be." The duo even decided to add a small track of Justina singing "Jesus Love the Little Children" as a sweet little intro to "Love Can Change the World" on FIELD OF YOUR SOUL. Rebecca explains, "We didn't know we were going to do that. That was one of those studio moments. We were in the studio playing the piano and they [Greg and the producer, Craig Krampf] were rolling the tape and we didn't know. It just seemed to fit really well." One of the requirements when they book a concert is that child care will be provided. They usually try to arrive around dinner-time before a concert. Rebecca explains, "We come in, eat dinner, and get the kids situated. If it's at a church, they have nurseries right there. Justina loves touring the nurseries of the country. While I'm getting the kids situated, Greg gets all the sound set up." On most days at home, there is no child care, however. So, Greg jokes, "It is the thing where the goal of the day is for both children to go down for their nap at the same time. [Laughter] If you can do that, you're going to get something else done. That's how I am." "I do believe that God created men and women to be different," Rebecca states. "With kids, we have different temperaments and different capabilities. When you're home with children, especially with two, you can't frustrate yourself thinking you're going to get anything else done. It really is a full-time job. Justina's a bright girl. For her age, her communication skills are real advanced. It just means that we had to jump into communicating really fast." "I don't think a parent could get an attitude that it's hard work," she continues. "It's a privilege that I really believe you're fashioning a life. I think if it's done with wisdom and love, the potential is unbelievable." While they have a booking agent to handle concert arrangements, Greg and Rebecca are handling some of the marketing for their latest album themselves. This doesn't appeal much to Greg, but it does to Rebecca. He has dubbed her "the phonemeister." "I really like doing business," confesses Rebecca. "I like coordinating all those different pieces and making them work together. At this time, until we're done having children, my focus, outside concerts and songwriting, is maintaining family and friend relationships. We don't have the ambition to hire the big, high-powered manager, so you have a very low- key career. We make a living doing it, and that's really what our ambition is." So, when will they be done having kids? Rebecca ponders, "I think we'll have a couple more. It's the phenomenon of once you have them, you realize that these two are so different, so there is that curiosity of, 'What would another one of our kids be like?' I think if you have the capacity to do it, you should be able to. I want to put a couple good people on the Earth- -I think our odds are good." A HEART FOR YOUTH Each went through similar experiences during high school, evaluating and questioning the faith they grew up with--but they attribute their youth groups with keeping them close to the church. Greg explains it as "...having one foot out and one foot in, but that one foot in was really powerful. It kept me aware of the road ahead if I didn't listen to the Lord in my life." "I think that, almost subliminally," Rebecca adds, "we've always been drawn to providing something for the young person because in hindsight, it was our youth groups that really saved us at that terrible time when a lot of kids aren't involved in something that belongs to them culturally. I think it's a strong drive to have something that is yours at that age--it's just life. If there's not something there--with music or sports or something that has a Christian overtone, something to at least hold them there--there's about six years of real danger. We both had that surrounding. We both rebelled in our own way. I was a rebellious kid towards my folks. I'm very strong-willed, so we had those conflicts. Knowing that personality, and what I COULD have gotten involved in and didn't get involved in, is nothing short of a miracle. I totally credit it to the people we were involved with." She continues, "[Christian music] gives you something that's your own. This is what ticks me off about some folks who [get upset] if they don't hear Jesus in the lyric. Songwriting should be something that's very personal. I think, to provide music that just keeps kids out of the trash that's there in music, with healthy themes--I would never come against the idea of people that just want to do positive music." She quickly clarifies, "Our music isn't just in the positive vein." Most of their audiences have some sort of tie to the church--so they are familiar with the Christian ideas in their music. Greg explains his views on the church as a youth, "I knew what I should do. But to me, the living example of what it would turn me into was something I didn't want to be. That was who the older people in my church were. I wanted to be a kid." Since many youth today feel the same way, it offers him a point of understanding with the kids. "I don't know how good a communicator I am," he offers. "But I can empathize with how they feel." CONCERT PHILOSOPHY For the Sparks, the preparation for their concerts goes way back to their songwriting, with the live performance usually determining the quality of their writing. Admitting they are not people who can write music all the time, they have to almost lock themselves away to compose their songs. "We almost become abusive to ourselves emotionally for pushing to get the song to say what we intend it to say and not waste a word," says Rebecca. "Once you get that, you've built the basis for a good album and good concert. So, that's where the hardest, and most rewarding work is--in the songwriting." In looking forward to another project, since FIELD OF YOUR SOUL was written before Eddan was born, Rebecca relates, "What we're going to have to do is go away and leave the kids with somebody. I could write lyrics at anytime, but, when it comes to the whole package of putting the songs together, it takes a real amount of concentration and focus." In discussing the recording process, you can begin to see how different the pair is. Rebecca begins, "In the studio, I love doing the performance-- getting in front of the microphones. I really love studio work in that sense. I HATE all the technical stuff. Greg and I are pretty much opposites on that." Greg laughs, "I can tweak for hours." "He loves it," Rebecca continues, "and he's good at it. Getting behind the microphone--that's his worst moment." That's why, for concerts, Greg handles setting up the sound system (and tweaking the knobs), leaving Rebecca only to have to do a quick microphone check before the show. Their differences provide additional strength as a pair, but there's one part they are in complete agreement on--emotional preparation. "Before a concert, we can't have a lot of activity," Rebecca explains. "If we have a conflict between us, we have a deal that it gets resolved before we go out on stage. [If the problems aren't resolved] There's a sense of hypocrisy, for us. If our hearts are together on a daily basis in our relationship, then getting up on stage and being spiritually able to pull that together isn't a huge effort at all. I think it's the daily maintenance that makes you prepared for a concert." Greg adds, "Most people go through their day and have stresses and frustrations and look forward to going to the concert. So, instead of walking on stage burned out when you should be ready to give to the people who came--you're preparing yourself throughout the day." WAIT, WAIT, WAIT Ask them what lesson they've learned in the last year and they will respond in unison--"wait." Says Greg, "Don't try to put it on your own time schedule. When it isn't on your time schedule, as long as you are trusting God and doing what you can at hand, being diligent with what you have, then it IS on a time schedule--just not on the one you thought it was." FIELD OF YOUR SOUL was completed in the summer of 1992, and originally scheduled for a fall 1992 release on Reunion. There were initial delays due to the timing of the album's release in respect to other Reunion releases, and the other changes at the label, namely the mainstream distribution agreement with Geffen. Not wanting to be pressured by Geffen's marketing ideas, they packed up the album and went searching for other options. Finally arranging an agreement for distribution by Etcetera Records, the album was released late last year. Greg admits, "Rebecca and I aren't the oldest and wisest, most experienced, people in this industry. But, we've seen deals come and go enough to know that they're very fragile environments to base your self- worth on. If they come up with an idea, you have to compare it, 'Is that me?'" While they have to admit that they experienced a few dark days during the process, they realized what they love to do most--traveling to do concerts. "There were enough other things going on in our life," Greg explains, "that were just as important, so the blows of disappointment didn't carry as much weight." Rebecca adds, "If it's the only thing happening in your life, it could really tear your world apart. Eddan was born in July of 1992, so the first thing I would think of was that." They are now almost thankful for that time, since they were able to adjust to being parents of two children. Other encouragement throughout those times came a group they call their "Big Chill" friends. They are a set of friends that have shared all of "the big life changes"--marriage and kids--since the late seventies. The group is still an important source for guidance, even though they are now scattered across the country. "They know who we are and how we feel," tells Rebecca. "Our hearts are so closely aligned in the values and priorities." While much of today's "unplugged" music is lyrically empty, Greg and Rebecca are putting forth a solid message from the Gospel in theirs. It was a wonderful experience to spend an afternoon with them and their family. And, I think that if you ever see them in concert, you will be as surprised as I am that so much sound and energy can come from only two people. --J. WARNER SODITUS Brian Barrett Brian Barrett is an up and coming artist on Star Song Records. With his self-titled debut release, he becomes part of the growing Christian Country music scene. Barrett was the winner of the Gospel Music Association's New Artist Showcase in 1992, a contest for unsigned artists that is held during Gospel Music Week and subsequently obtained a contract with Star Song. THE LIGHTHOUSE was recently able to spend some time with this newcomer, to gain some insight into his music and his life. I POPPED IN [YOUR ALBUM]--IT WAS PRETTY DIVERSE, I THOUGHT. A LOT OF COUNTRY FLAVOR, IN POINTS. I IMAGINE THAT COMES FROM PART OF YOUR BACKGROUND? It sure does. I was raised here in middle Tennessee. I was born in Murfreesboro, so I can't deny my roots, for sure. I lived in Murfreesboro, or rather, in Rutherford County, until I was thirteen, and then moved to Texas. I went to high school and college there. And I've been back here for about four years. There's a bit of bluegrass and country influence. I NOTICED SOME FIDDLES IN THERE. Yeah, we put some fiddles in there--kind of an artsy, contemporary fiddles. I really like rootsy music--I like real musicians to play on things. In fact, the demos that I do here at Star Song, I use real players. We've got a small studio, but I try and use drummers, and the like, and instruments that have that human element in them--the expression, I believe, is more validated. I SEE IN YOUR BIO THAT YOU WERE ACTUALLY PLANNING ON BEING A PILOT IN THE MILITARY. I sure was. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHEN THAT CHANGED FOR YOU? I went to a Christian high school that had a Bible class every day, and the Word of God was definitely implanted into my life. When I went to college, I told myself, "I'm going to do some things that I want to do." I told God that I was going to do things that my "self" wanted to do. And that's what I did. I really was the prodigal. But, four years of that and my life began to go downhill--really from the inside out. There was no joy, no peace, and no happiness, because the fellowship with God had been broken. I had received a pilot's license while I was in college. I planned on coming back up to Tennessee and getting an instructor's rating, and such. In the meantime, my father had asked me to videotape a revival service. He's an airline pilot himself. I'd even gone to the National Guard and looked into a spot in the reserve, actually into the Air Force, as an officer. Some of the paperwork was beginning to be processed, and I was on the way of pursuing that. But, in the meantime, there was this appointment that I had to have, not so much so with the camera and the revival service, but with God. What happened was that God reminded me that I was very responsible for the things that I knew, and the Word he had given me. In Luke 12:48, Jesus said, "Unto much is given, much is required." God brought to mind all of the times that He had been gracious to me and faithful, and reminded me that my life really consisted of the abundance that He has, not of things that I can get. A lot of realizing that there really is a plan that He has- -it's not a clichˇ, but it's the truth. It's a fact, and that plan, I found out, only came through surrendering to him and saying, "You know, God, you have the words of life." The disciples said "Where are we going to go, Father? Lord, You have the words of life." And I realized that, and I said "Father, I want to be a servant. I want to serve you and devote my life to the things that I know that You have for me. And be responsible for the things that I know, so that I can, not only live an abundant and free life, but that I can share the Gospel with folks, and be a beacon to a lost world that needs Christ." I'm such a devout seeker of truth. I like to get the truth of the matter in everything, and I've found that the only true source, the only pure source of truth is the Word of God. It never comes back void. HOW DID WINNING AFFECT YOU? I was, first of all, overwhelmed... It's wonderful to see God's fingerprint on things, and that's really what that was to me. I believe we see God's fingerprint on something, and we see it in such a great manifestation-- letting us know that "Yes, I'm still in control," and "Yes, you can trust Me, because I love you and care for you." Such a responsibility too, came to me, because I knew that some things were expected of me, and God expected me to be responsible for the things that were given me from the GMA, and I was overwhelmed. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I pursued it further. That's when Star Song gave an invitation for an artist contract. AND YOU DECIDED TO GO FOR IT? I sure did. It was an offer that I really couldn't refuse. I'd prayed for something of this nature for several years, since I've been back in Tennessee. The character of the company is what really stood out to me. The integrity of the leadership here--because they're not owned by a corporation. If there's a problem, you can walk down the hall, and knock on the door and say, "Hey, can we iron this out," or "I've got a question." The spiritual integrity is so intact--I'm the kind of person who loves that kind of accountability. And I desire that. A friend of mine told me that you're only as strong as the people around you, and I tend to believe that. Sort of the weakest link in the chain theory. As evidenced by this conversation, Brian Barrett is an artist who is earnestly seeking to serve God with his heart and his talent. Hopefully, he will have the affect on his listeners that he desires. --BETH BLINN Ji Lim Born in Korea, Ji Lim moved to the United States, near Philadelphia, with his family as a six year old. His parents, Byung and Choon, pushed him and his brother to excel. So, when his brother gave up violin lessons, Ji inherited the instrument that earned him respect as a "child prodigy." As a teen, however, his musical interest began to change and at fifteen, he started to write his own songs. The summer before college, he worked with a string quartet in New York and made a friend that encouraged his songwriting and faith. He tells, "This was my first example of someone who actually 'lived Christ,' so to speak. At the end of the summer, I did a show with piano and vocals, and decided this was where God was using me--this was what I wanted to do." "I came to know the Lord when I was eight," Lim continues. "We had come from Korea and weren't religious, per-se. The first year we were in the U.S.A. we became Jehovah's witnesses for some reason. They came to the door and my parents took them in. Then we moved to a house right across from this dynamite pastor and his family. We got to be friends and they shared the Gospel with us. It pretty much made sense to me right away, even though I was young. I understood the basics. I think the Gospel is simple and complex at the same time. I think it's the simplicity that draws people and that's how I came to the Lord at an early age. I went through the ups and downs of growing in Christ and struggling, especially through high school. It's a tough time in kid's lives, trying to find out who they are--I think it helps when you bring God into the picture." Turning down a full scholarship at Southern Methodist University, he attended Temple University to be close to home. After deciding that he really didn't have the desire to pursue classical music, Lim took a semester off before entering Lancaster Bible College. His parents accepted him leaving Temple, but did not agree with his decision to pursue songwriting and youth ministry. "That's what I wanted to do--work with kids. I think music is right down the line with kids." Lim admits that he does not listen to much Christian music; he mainly listens to mainstream radio. "I'm tired of Christian music being behind where secular music is," he explains. "So I approach it with a sense of trying to figure out what they're [kids] listening to and what gets them going and approach it in kind of a back-door way." Continuing, Lim states, "I personally don't like the differentiating of the two because I believe, as Christians, we're called to be ourselves and live our lives as holy as anybody else. Our music and our art reflects our lives as Christians. To say it's Christian or not Christian, well, you play with semantics after a while. I like to listen to secular music to see what they're into and I like it too." His THROUGH IRON WALLS has just been released this month, but the album was essentially completed this past June. This taught him a valuable lesson in patience, as he chose to trust the Lord and not rush things. Slow progress has had its rewards, primarily the great relationship he has forged with "like minded" people at his new label, Intersound. The jacket of his album reads like a virtual "who's who" of excellent studio musicians, but Lim prefers to talk about the importance of the lyrics. "These songs represent what I go through in my life and what I struggle with," he states. "I'd say probably half of my ideas for songs come from working with kids--seeing a lot of the hurt and need for a lot of things in this life. The kids definitely are an inspiration. I really have a heart for them and I want them to know the truth at an early age before it gets worse as they grow up. Life gets really confusing after high school." In describing some of the tracks of the album, he continues, "'Tonight' is a song about the calling of Christ. I think the calling of Christ is a lot more challenging than we, here in the west, make it out to be. That bothers me moreso, the fact that I read the Word and I see what He requires of me in being a servant and a child of God. It frightens, me since I fall short of all that He wants me to be, and yet in His grace I still grow and learn and hope to still be all that I want to be." "'As Love Would' is a song about AIDS. It's a call for the church to deal with a very appropriate issue in society today that I feel we're shying away from. I feel that if Christ were here today, He would be right in the thick of things, urging the church to help with compassion and love." "'Proud of Me' is a song about my relationship with my father. Growing up, he was very traditional in the sense of having to be the breadwinner. He was very cold, very unaffectionate, because he grew up that way. That's the way he was taught that a man and a father was supposed to be. I always struggled with wanting him to be proud of what I did--regardless of whether I succeeded or not. I think that's a problem with a lot of sons and fathers. Working with kids, I ask them how their families are doing and a lot of them will talk more about their mom than they will their dad. I see that wall between sons and fathers that I wish wasn't there, because it wasn't meant to be there. I wrote this song hoping that it would help other kids know that they're not alone. I struggled the night I wrote that song. My dad has been telling me for years, since I went into music, that this isn't what I should do; I can't make a life doing this. It was really hard, because I value parents as a means of God's will in a person's life, up to a certain point. Through a lot of prayer and a lot of trying to reach out on my part, things have gotten better between me and my father." "'Revolution,'" he concludes, "pushes forth what I really hope to accomplish--a revolution in the church. I want THROUGH IRON WALLS to break through and reach young people--probably the most critical group of people, who can really make a difference and light a renewed fire in the church." --J. WARNER SODITUS REVIEWS MICHAEL SWEET MICHAEL SWEET (BENSON) Some Christian music fans may not know the name Michael Sweet offhand. Fans of Christian hard rock and metal will probably recognize him as the former lead vocalist aguitarist for Stryper. I found myself listening to the album with mixed expectations. On one hand, I wanted to hear more of that "Stryper sound" with Sweet's dynamic rock voice, but at the same time I was ready for something new and different. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this album offers both. There is no mistaking Sweet's distinctive vocal style from his Stryper days, but the music itself has much more of a "bluesy" rock sound. The album contains a good mix of fast and slow songs, and offers a variety of different sounds. Sweet sings lead and backup vocals, and plays many of the rhythm and lead guitar tracks. The album is solidly written and produced-- mostly by Sweet himself. The album is scripturally sound, with many references to the basics of Christianity: the need for salvation, our love for the Lord, etc. Its simple lyrical approach makes it understandable for younger listeners and non-Christians. The album kicks off with "Together," a fast moving song about commitment in a relationship. "Take Me Home" is about the need for Jesus in our lives; "Jesus died to give me all/when I'm sick He is the cure/only You can break my heart of stone." "Tomorrow, Tonight" is a slow, moving love song with some terrific sax playing. "All This and Heaven Too" talks about God's provision of salvation and eternal life; "You led me on to the promised land/You saved my lonely soul." My favorite is "J.E.S.U.S." a hard driving song that uplifts Christ as our Savior and Lord. I was impressed with this album from start to finish. If you like good Christian rock, this album is for you. --CLARKE WOODFIN BROW BEAT (ALARMA) Mortal goes acoustic? Now I've seen everything! I own a lot of "various artists" CD's. The problem with them is that they tend to not be very listenable as albums, in my opinion. BROW BEAT is different. Being a collection of acoustic tracks from alternative acts, the project has a good sense of coherence. Among the acts included, the only real surprise is Mortal, with a cut called "Bleeder." Most of the album is made up of acoustic cuts from artists who have dabbled in that genre before: Terry Taylor, The Choir, Mike Knott, Poor Old Lu, and Lost Dogs. One of the album's flaws is that it has an excessively brooding tone. Granted, the LA alternative crowd (well represented on this album) isn't known for bright, sunshiny songs, but sometimes I just wanted to say, "Lighten up a bit!" Mercifully, however, "Keep Me In Mind" by Dig Hay Zoose and "Drenched Decent" by Poor Old Lu provided enough good feelings to get me through the dirges that Mortal and Undercover contributed. "No Ship Coming In," by the supergroup Lost Dogs, is a disappointment for me. The sound of this song reminds me of the forced, artificiality I associate with contrived commercial products like the TRAVELING WILBURYS. In all fairness, I must add that I have not given the most recent Lost Dog's Album, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, a close listen yet. One thing to remember about acoustic music is that it tends to be a bit less immediately accessible than fully produced pop or rock music. By that, I mean that this isn't a record that you are likely to fully appreciate on the first or second listen. This is music that has to sink in a bit and be thought about for a while. If you are willing to put forth the effort, it may well be worth it. --NEIL CLOPTON MARK HEARD HIGH NOON (FINGERPRINT) For those not familiar with his work, Mark Heard was a singer-songwriter who was held in the highest esteem by many musicians, both in the Christian and secular industry. Artists such as RANDY STONEHILL, PHIL KEAGGY, and others have recorded his songs. He worked as a producer with groups as diverse as JACOB'S TROUBLE and VIGILANTES OF LOVE. Recordings of his own music were considered great by critics, but just never seemed to catch on with the average Christian music listener. But that didn't stop Heard from producing some great stuff in either music market. Tragically, Heard passed away a year and a half ago after he suffered several heart attacks at the young age of 41. And, as it seems to happen too frequently in the artistic world, he is finally starting to get some of the recognition that he deserved while he was still alive. Myrrh and Epic Records are jointly distributing a compilation album, HIGH NOON, to the Christian and secular markets. Consisting of eighteen cuts taken from Heard's last three independent releases, DRY BONES DANCE, SECOND HAND, and SATELLITE SKY, and several unreleased songs, the record is a great introduction to Heard's talent. In the tradition of the greatest singer-songwriters, Heard's music has a way of reaching out and pulling you into the songs. He was a gifted lyricist who could paint vivid word pictures. His music is generally acoustic in nature, utilizing a wide variety of instruments. Some of the best songs are "Another Day In Limbo," "Everything is Alright," "Dry Bones Dance," and "My Redeemer Lives," which appeared on the DERRI DAUGHERTY/STEVE HINDALONG praise and worship production, AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS, VOL. I. "Everything Is Alright," which was also recorded by PHIL KEAGGY on his SUNDAY'S CHILD disc, is a rolling song of comfort about dealing with circumstances. "Another Day In Limbo" is more upbeat, with a riff that tends to stick in your head. "Dry Bones Dance" is a country flavored tune, that gets your toes tapping. "My Redeemer Lives" is classic- -a lovely song that should be integrated into modern hymnals. It also features some great backup singing by Julie Miller. If you are not familiar with Mark Heard's work, this is a great introduction, and record sales will directly benefit Heard's wife and young daughter, who are left with some very high medical bills due to the usual musician situation of not having medical insurance. A tribute album is also in the works that would see such artists as BRUCE COCKBURN, SAM PHILLIPS, ASHLEY CLEVELAND, THE CHOIR, RICH MULLINS, KEVIN SMITH (of DC TALK), and others recording Heard's songs. --BETH BLINN TWILA PARIS BEYOND A DREAM (STAR SONG) On her latest album, Twila Paris veers away from her usual inspirational and reflective style to present some songs that have a bold, urgent message. These messages are wake-up calls for Christians. The first cut is "God Is In Control." Since this is the first song, it gives a hint of the mood of the album. It is upbeat and contemporary, yet it holds a good message of God's hand in our lives. "Watch and Pray" has a sixties-style rhythm that teaches an important lesson--to live for Christ until we see Him face to face. "Neither Will I" communicates accountability in a Christian friendship; "He will never give up on you and neither will I, my friend." She accents the theme of having confidence and trust in our God that everything will turn out right on "All About You." This tune is more aggressive and shows Paris' clear voice. "A Visitor From Heaven" is a beautiful worship song that tells of Jesus coming to visit on this Earth accompanied by grace. The melody is filled with beautiful piano and orchestration solos. "Seventy Years Ago" is a ballad of Paris' Christian heritage. She tells the story of passing this treasure to her children and grandchildren. This is a very unique song that shows the importance and the results of having a Christian family. A Scottish rhythm is the base of a praise song from the Psalms, "I Will Worship." "Rescue The Prisoner" is another song that presents the seriousness of the salvation message. This song has more forceful music and lyrics. On a totally different thread, the next track asks a thought provoking question: "What Am I Without You?" To end up the project, Paris sings a short, beautiful worship chorus, "The Light is Shining," that speaks of God shining light into our soul. It is heart-rending and inspiring. Twila Paris' venture to a new, more upbeat, sound is very refreshing. If you like lyrics from her past albums, you will find similar sentiments on this album. She dares to take the cause of Christ to another level with this album, revealing the need for Christians to live their lives in anticipation of the soon return of our Lord. --ANN HATHCOCK BETRAYAL THE PASSING (WONDERLAND) THE PASSING is the latest offering from the trash/speed metal band Betrayal. This is a challenging format for a band of Christians to carry out successfully. Combining screaming guitars, pounding drums, and harsh yelling vocals in a manner that glorifies God is not easily accomplished. Yet, in this release, I feel Betrayal does it quite well. Technically, the guitar work is amazing in its variety. Rather than relying on the standard thrashing riffs repeating throughout each song, Marcus N. Colon and Rob McCue prove that they know their instruments. When the song calls for it, they are quite capable of being melodious, as well as creating the "wall of sound" typically associated with this genre. The bassist, Jeff Lain, does a good job of keeping up with the changing rhythms. Leading those changes, drummer Jeff Mason carefully sets a tempo and then is able convey the intensity of each song by varying the pattern of the beats throughout the song. What can be the most challenging aspect of this form of music is the vocals. The volume of the music requires the words to be more shouted than sung. This can lead to making every lyric sound the same, both contextually and emotionally. Lead vocalist Chris Ackerman manages to add enough variety to convey different messages. Guiding the whole project as producer is Caesar, who seems to have held the whole project to a consistently good level of quality. The message is bleak but still positive. The tendency with this type of music is for bands to use minor chords, with a lot of yelling about how bad everything is. Betrayal adds to that some of the positives of Christianity. Still, with song titles like "Carnival of Madness," "Forest of Horrors," and "Race of Hypocrisy," it's clear that this band is out to challenge Christians to improve their surroundings, rather than be complacent. I would not hesitate to give this release to any non-Christian head-bangers, particularly if they do not believe there are any good Christian metal bands. --MICHAEL A. KLEIN PAM MARK HALL PALER SHADE (STORYVILLE) After a hiatus of several years, Pam Mark Hall is returning to the Christian music market with PALER SHADE. Produced and recorded by Dave Perkins, a release on the folk-oriented Storyville label might seem strange to those who remember her earlier work. In fact, there is no better word than folk to explain the songs on this project. There is an abundance of acoustic guitar playing, mostly by Pam, backed up by light rhythm instruments (Mike Radofsky, Michael Saleem), accordion and mandolin (Phil Parlapiano), bass (Glenn Worf), and includes a duet with Ashley Cleveland. Hall became known as a songwriter before her solo career with "The Now And The Not Yet," recorded by AMY GRANT. On this album, she again writes all her own songs and, in a way, she picks up where she left off. Many of the songs are upbeat, including "All Right Now" and "Family Tree," which is a song about her grandpa and grandma, in a true folk style. "Rock Me On the Water" evokes a Native American theme, both in its tune and lyrics; "Between the earth and sky I have found a place to howl like the wounded wind's daughter." The duet with Ashley Cleveland on "Love's Possibility" is a great track, since Cleveland is perhaps the only other solo female artist that is doing anything close to this style of music right now. The songwriting is also similar to that of GREG AND REBECCA SPARKS, but with much less edge. Her songs are very rewarding to listen to, and provide an interesting bridge for those who want to explore folk music for the first time. --STEVEN C. TIMM PETER SHAMBROOK LIVE AT CAFE LIDO (FRONTLINE) I became acquainted with Peter Shambrook about two years ago, when I saw him open for RICK ELIAS and MARGARET BECKER. I had never heard of him before and, to be honest, I wasn't expecting a lot. I was pleasantly surprised with his voice and stage presence, as Shambrook gave a performance that made a fan out of me, as well as a large part of the audience. His two Frontline releases, a self-titled debut and LOVE UNSEEN, have shown insights into a musician who writes from personal experience and who isn't afraid to tackle sensitive, emotional issues. A native Australian who came to this country about seven years ago, Shambrook is equally comfortable with singing about his love for God or his love for his wife and child. LIVE AT CAFE LIDO is just what the title suggests--Shambrook performing at a club, which provides a warmer, more intimate feeling than many live recordings have. With a five-piece band and one backup singer, Shambrook plays eight tunes, most of which are from his second album, and one previously unrecorded song. The music alternates between upbeat pop tunes and ballads, and includes several opportunities for the band to jam a little. Shambrook writes some very melodic songs, and you might find yourself humming snatches of them several hours after you've finished listening to the album. Some of the more memorable ones are "Through The Ages," (the only cut from his first album) "Faith Again," "Never Leave You Crying," and "I Believe In You." Shambrook has a smooth, expressive voice, and does a good job of connecting with his audience. His band does a great job, and the members seem to play off of each other well. I have no idea whether they usually play as a unit, or if they just got together for this recording, but they put on a credible performance. In a couple of places, Shambrook stops to talk to the audience about his family and his faith--relating some insights on his music. He's an unassuming individual, who doesn't seem to aspire to more than to be able to share his music with people, and hope that it touches them in some way. I think he accomplishes that. --BETH BLINN MIKE MENNARD GRACE AND OTHER STUFF (EDEN) Mike Mennard has a strong baritone voice, reminiscent of MICHAEL CARD, that is usually accompanied by an acoustic guitar and an occasional bit of high harmony. What really sets him apart from some other Christian musicians is his song writing. The songs on this album avoid obvious rhymes and lyrical clichˇs, yet they are instantly singable. For example, my favorite song on the album, "Multi-Purpose God," contains this verse: "The devil comes against me/No need to fear/My God will kick his butt/Right out of here." Besides theological accuracy, Mennard has painted a word picture that I will not soon forget. While the album does not range much musically, he does give each song its own unique sound. As a result, there is a slightly disjointed feel as one goes from one song to the next. That's a minor complaint. He gives the feeling that he sincerely means each word that he sings, a quality that is sometime missing in music of this type. The songs are strongly based on scripture, but always placed in a contemporary setting. For example, "Another Silent Night," is about remembering the people born today under the same circumstances as Jesus. The song, "Grace (There is a Way)," teaches about the concept of God's grace and what that should mean to us. Because of the scriptural accuracy, the teaching and the quality of this work, I would not hesitate to give it to any non-Christian friends who are searching, or any Christians who would appreciate solid song writing presented in an Adult Contemporary manner. --MICHAEL A. KLEIN NEW RELEASES Brian Barrett BRIAN BARRETT Allison Durham WALK INTO FREEDOM Ken Holloway KEN HOLLOWAY Twila Paris BEYOND A DREAM Nitro Praise NITRO PRAISE VOL. 1 Ben Okafor GENERATION PFR (Formerly Pray For Rain) GOLDIE'S LAST DAY PFR PFR UNLEASHED (VIDEO) David Zaffiro YESTERDAY LEFT BEHIND various AMERICA'S 25 FAVORITE PRAISE AND WORSHIP CHORUSES, VOLUME 2 various BRIDE'S GUIDE TO WEDDING MUSIC various CORAM DEO II: PEOPLE OF PRAISE various GIVING YOU THE REST OF MY LIFE various THE LULLABY ALBUM various THE PLAYTIME ALBUM FEBRUARY RELEASES Lisa Bevill RSVP Scott Blackwell THE REAL THING Ray Boltz ALLEGIANCE Michael Card JOY IN THE JOURNEY Commissioned MASTER OF THE HEART Clay Crosse MY PLACE IS WITH YOU Andrae Crouch MERCY Lisa Daggs ANGEL IN YOUR EYES Nicholas Giaconia UNTITLED Steve Green WHERE MERCY BEGINS Imagine This IMAGINE THIS Iona BEYOND THESE SHORES Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning SONGS FROM ALBION II Ji Lim THROUGH IRON WALLS Calvin Jones UNCHARTED WATERS Love Coma SOUL RASH Cindy Morgan CINDY MORGAN (VIDEO) Mortal RIFT (VIDEO) PASSAFIST PASSAFIST Petra PETRA POWER PRAISE Precious Death PRECIOUS DEATH Resolution POLITICALLY INCORRECT Rose III UNTITLED Michael Sweet MICHAEL SWEET Steve Taylor SQUINT: MOVIES FROM THE SOUNDTRACK (VIDEO) Dick Tunney HORIZON various INDUSTRIAL REMIXES (PLEASANT DINNER MUSIC) various LOST WITHOUT YOU various NEW YOUNG MESSIAH (VIDEO) MARCH RELEASES Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker, & Christine Dentˇ UNTITLED Private Boiz INSPIRATION Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir UNTITLED Keith Brown LIVE! IN EUROPE (VIDEO) Carman THE STANDARD (VIDEO) The Charlie Daniels Band THE DOOR Daryl Coley UNTITLED The Crossing DANCING AT THE CROSSROADS Willie Davis COME TOGETHER Deitophobia CLEAN Dawkins & Dawkins UNTITLED Rob Frazier THE LONG RUN Fruits of the Spirit UNTITLED Gospel Gangstas GANG AFFILIATED Steve Grace LIBERTY ROAD Larnelle Harris BEYOND THE LIMITS Larry Howard BRIGHT SIDE OF THE BLUES Keoni KEONI LSU GRACE SHAKER Patsy Moore THE FLOWER CHILD'S GUIDE TO LOVE & FASHION Out of the Grey UNTITLED Phillip, Craig & Dean LIFE LINE Rhythm Saints DEEP SUSTAINED BOOMING SOUNDS Paul Smith EXTRA MEASURE The Waiting UNTITLED various RHYTHM & SOUL various SISTERS APRIL RELEASES Benjamin UNTITLED Crashdog MUD ANGELS Catherine King WINDOWS AND DOORS Living Sacrifice UNTITLED Greg Long UNTITLED Mercy Miles MERCY MILES Phillip Sandifer FOLLOWER various STORYVILLE SAMPLER On the Cover Next Month KINGS X Upcoming Features: Iona, Lisa Daggs, Precious Death, Michael Sweet, The Seventy Sevens, The Crossing THE LIGHTHOUSE is available at: Lion & Lamb--218A Calder Way, State College, PA 16801 (814) 237-6716 The Morning Star--540 Westerly Parkway, State College, PA (814) 231-4060 Such & Stuff Shop--Susquehanna Valley Mall, Selinsgrove, PA 17870 (717) 374-6446 CLASSIFIEDS THE SOLID ROCK EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION is a prison evangelism organization, sharing the Gospel with inmates across the country. 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