David was a man after God's own heart; he was a musician. The first words said aloud in Scripture were Adam's song to Eve, his wife. The Universe resonates with song. God is a musician and he created us as musicians. What is authentic musicianship? What is redeemed music, not just "secular" or "Christian" music? From the indie scene to contemporary Christian, here you will find resources for discerning signs of vitality in music and the music industry.
Sojourn Community Church in Louisville has created a new podcast containing the full audio from two sessions of the Worship Track at the November 2009 boot camp at Sojourn, featuring Sandra McCracken, Tim Smith, Mike Cosper, and others.
Subscribe to the Podcast
The podcast is called "Inside Sojourn," and you can download these and other interviews and features of the podcast via iTunes or RSS.
The first is the "worship leader panel" featuring Tim Smith, Mike Cosper, Kevin Twit of Indelible Grace, Marc Heinrich of Bethlehem Baptist, and Josh Dix of The Journey.
The second is the "songwriting panel" featuring Tim Smith, Mike Cosper, Kevin Twit, Sandra McCracken, Neil Robins of Sojourn and Chip Stam of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
As I’ve been working towards the launch of Re:Sound, the future musical division of the Resurgence, I’ve looked at a lot of different ideas on how to put out music. At this stage in the game, the list of options reads more like a Chinese menu than Chipotle, and it’s more than a bit overwhelming. I recently came upon this interview with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. While Trent is not a Christian in any way, shape, or form, he has had a solid 20-year run with his band. He has covered every end of the music industry from major label releases, to running his own label, to his current and very unique brand of independent distribution.
Trent has no love for the conventional music industry, and his view is that the old model is basically dead. However, no other unified model has risen up yet to take its place. He gives the following advice to artists on how to proceed in an industry in transition:
1. Identify What You Are Trying to Do
If you are working to be a pop superstar with the mass appeal of Justin Timberlake or the American Idol scene, then you need a major label with all their resources behind you. If you are trying to change the world, and you feel like your music is more unique and creative, then you might not want a major label. You need to find a way to connect directly with your audience.
2. Hone Your Craft
Content is king, and you want to put out the very best music you are capable of. You should also work to present your music in a way that exploits your strengths. Be creative.
3. Think of the Filters You Use to Find Your Music
Go to those filters (blogs, websites, and networks) and spread the word about your music. Use word of mouth to your advantage among the networks of people most likely to appreciate your work. Then work out from there.
Do Not Conform to the Pattern
Reznor is working towards a very different goal than the glory of God, but I think there is real wisdom in his words. We have a strong tendency to be passively conformed to the patterns, schemes, and business models of the world. While our music may (and rightly should) sound like the music of the world at times, we have a very different truth, purpose, and goal in mind. Why should we assume the same business and distribution models would be appropriate? We must instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). Then, through prayerful thought, research, and planning, we may discern how to proceed to the glory of Jesus.
If you have questions or comments, look me up on Facebook or Twitter.
Here are a few things you may not know about Don and Ryan from the band Demon Hunter:
Demon Hunter is not their day job. They actually have a very successful design business called Invisible Creature.
Don and Ryan have been nominated for numerous dove awards and three Grammys for their work. Their clients have included the Foo Fighters, Will I Am and Underoath. We will get into this in part 2 of my interview with them.
They have a feature length documentary coming out this month called 45 Days. Don and Ryan will premier their documentary at Mars Hill Church Ballard Campus Friday, November 21st at 7pm. The evening will include an acoustic performance of some of their songs and is free. For more information go to the Mars Hill Ballard site.
How the Interview Happened
A couple months ago my friend and fellow pastor at Mars Hill Matt Johnson suggested that my next interview should be with Don and Ryan Clark from the band Demon Hunter. I knew Don a bit as he did the design for our album “Rain City Hymnal” and I have always been intrigued by their unique brand of metal. It turned into a great conversation covering Jesus, Godly anger, the gospel and what it means to be metal missionaries.
Growing up as a total church kid I remember having a “bible promise book”. It was a small, hardback book filled with various situations and bible verses to address each one. If you were depressed it took you to something like Psalm 10 which begins, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?” If you were struck by the beauty of creation it would cite Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God...” If you found yourself impressed by the music of Arcade Fire go to Psalm 150, “Praise the Lord... with... trumpet... lute... harp.. tambourine... strings... pipes... cymbals!”
Not Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul
I think that many of us approach the book of Psalms in a very similar way. In many ways we use the book as a sort of “Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul” as we look for a Psalm to comfort or validate what we are feeling at any point in time. There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach at first glance. Certainly it is not wrong to seek solace and comfort in the scripture. However, if we look at the Psalms exclusively from this narrow perspective, we sacrifice two very important truths; without which we may just loose the meaning of the entire book.
The sum is greater than the parts...
When we look at the Psalms one at a time to validate or console our emotions, we miss the message of the Psalms as a whole. The Psalms engage with the entire human condition and they do it all to the glory of God.
From Psalms of lament, sorrow, abandonment and betrayal to Psalms of praise, thanksgiving, joy and celebration; the Psalms cover it all. Across the entire book there is a movement from lament to praise. You see the theme of lament in the opening 20 or so Psalms, culminating in Psalm 22 which Jesus quoted in his moment of ultimate loneliness, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
We also see songs of joyful praise gathered at the end of the book in Psalms 145-150 with the final verse of the book resounding, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” In the middle we have Psalms of confession (Ps. 51), Psalms of righteous anger and a desire for justice (Ps. 3:7 and many more), Psalms beholding the glory of creation (Ps. 19, 104), as well as Psalms of thanksgiving, celebration, deliverance and hope.
In all these expressions, from “praise the Lord” to “break the teeth of the wicked” we believe that every word is inspired by God Himself and they are all for his glory. Therefore, anyone seeking God’s glory in their life must take the whole book of Psalms into account. When we take the book as a whole we are forced to wrestle with things we would otherwise avoid.
Lecrae has a brand new album out today called Rebel. The title track is inspired by a sermon given at Mars Hill Church by Pastor Mark. You can download it for free here. The Reach records guys have been part of several Resurgence and Mars Hill events, they have a heart to live missional lives for Jesus, and are reaching the hip hop culture.
3 Questions with Lecrae
What was your inspiration for your new album—"Rebel"?
The inspiration for the album was largely realizing my own need for a biblical worldview. As I would navigate through arts, economics, politics, media, and culture as a whole I'd wrestle with a dichotomy between sacred and secular all the time. I'd either embrace aspects of secularism or the other extreme be very separatist in my views. I began read and listen to stuff by D.A. Carson, Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, and Francis Schaeffer, and taking another look at Genesis, Daniel, and Romans and I found a better grid to see the world through.
Over time I've worked to see Urban culture through a biblical lens and it's really helped. So I wanted to share with the listener the need to take a stand for Christ in culture yet still be a blessing and cultivator for the culture.
What songs are you most excited about?
I'm really excited about "Change". The song deals with the endless search for "happiness" on earth. The futility of chasing power, pleasure, and possessions.
Also "Don't Waste Your Life". Very self explanatory. Dr. John Piper's ministry has greatly influenced myself and my crew so we crafted a hip hop song unpacking the life not used for God's glory.
Umm lastly I'd say "Got Paper". In urban culture especially hip hop culture, prosperity is constantly paraded as a badge of authentic masculinity, worth, and power. The prosperity gospel is also prevalent, so I wanted to address that in a song as well.
What ideas do you hope that people will come away with after listening to "Rebel"?
I really hope we can stir people toward going against the sinful stream of ideals, values, and lifestyles. I want the christian to be challenged in seeing that the fall of humanity has not thwarted God's intention for us. But since we are now corrupted by sin, we need to renew our mind. We still reflect God's image only now through a murkier lens, so it's important we learn to rebel by taking a stand for Jesus, and yet rebel by being a blessing to the unsaved and sinful culture. Non-believing listeners I pray will be attracted to the quality of the music and creativity, and prayerfully be challenged to look at God's holiness, repent, and turn to Jesus.
Luke Abrams is a worship leader at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. He began at Mars Hill when the church was roughly 100 people, and has seen it grow to over 2000. Luke makes his living working at Microsoft. You can download live samples of Luke's worship-leading at www.MarsHillChurch.org under the band name "Team Strikeforce".
When I was first asked to write an article on worship team recruitment and development, I felt I was probably the last person who should be writing on this subject. I mainly felt this because I really do very little recruiting. Very little of my time here has ever been spent trying to fill spots on worship teams (although early on I certainly endured my share of stress trying to find last minute subs). When it comes to recruitment of musicians, I honestly spend most of my time trying to figure out what to do with the many talented musicians who approach me to see if there is any need or openings on any of our worship teams. Now, I'm not saying that every week professional musicians are knocking at my door, but I do have very talented musicians approach me fairly regularly to let me know they're available.
