Hey guys,
Here's a couple more videos for you. One is the time I spent at GMA and the other is some more fun with "Waking Ken" as well as some live footage in North Carolina.
Here;s another video...
More videos coming later!
SL
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
GMA... The Good..The Bad...The Ugly
Hey again,
I was going to write something last night after I got back from the songwriter's showcase at GMA but since it was almost 5:00 in the morning I opted to get a few hours of sleep and hit you with a fresher mind. I also wanted a chance to process all that I saw. I wanted some time to really formulate my thoughts about some things that I wasn't quite sure about.
First off, let's just say that if are a Christian indie musician and you are looking to plug into the Christian music scene on a full time basis there is a lot of good that can be had by attending GMA. It is full of indie and signed artists just walking around and networking. It is full of every music business profession and it is a great chance to meet some people. I got the chance to finally meet some people that I have admired in the biz for awhile.
As a guitar player I, like everyone else, have always greatly admired Phil Keaggy. What a blast it was to finally meet him and chat with him. He put on a CLINIC during the showcase and got a standing ovation. Phil rocked out a Les Paul last night and captured everyone's attention.
I was especially excited to see one of my current favorites from this generation of guitar players when Jonny Lang took the stage. The most disappointing thing was that they never gave Jonny the time to actually play on any of his own material. Instead he joined everyone on stage for a grand finale jam session.
The best part was right as Jonny took the stage, Phil Keaggy walked out behind him and wanted to jam. It could have gone way longer and NOBODY would have minded. That audience was treated to one of the great GMA legendary moments as Phil Keaggy and Jonny Lang stood face to face trading riffs. Phil would do something amazing and then Jonny would whip out something amazing. Each time the audience went nuts.
That moment alone made things so worth it for me besides the fact of having the opportunity to meet with these men and also do some networking with them.
There was something about the night that bothered me though. Some may think that I may be trying to be to "spiritual" about it but I will let you be the judge. I have heard from other colleagues of mine in my old radio days and from other artists as well that GMA continues to become more secularized. Maybe I'm too old school for my age but I was disappointed in the song selection of the night as, and I am not exaggerating, about 90% of the music that was played by the performing artists were secular covers. The only artist that stuck to his own material was Tobymac who opened the night up. Last night I heard everything from Bruce Hornsby, to Eric Clapton, to Diana Ross, to Whitney Houston, to Gladis Knight, to Stevie Wonder, to George Harrison.
Now maybe you "experienced" GMA members can help me out here, but wouldn't one think that the big annual event that is supposed to celebrate GOSPEL music, and be a Christian music convention would focus more on faith based music? I understand that many Christian artists use secular covers during their concerts to draw in a secular audience so that they may bring the gospel message through their originals and their messages, but was this an evangelistic event? This was a convention for Christian artists to get together and celebrate what it is that we do. To network, build others up, and to learn from those who have come before us. Why are we playing George Harrison?
I could rant about this a lot more and I'm sure there are many out there that would accuse me of missing the boat or not getting the whole picture. Over half of the Christian rock scene is "crossover" music. So many people are afraid to be called Christian artists. Why? Remember a day when we used to sing, "I'm not ashamed to let you know. I want this light in me to show. I'm not afraid to speak the name of Jesus Christ"?
What are we afraid of? Are we not called to go forth and speak boldly to the world? This industry has changed so much, but God hasn't. His expectations of those whom He has given talents to has not changed. Are we going to be a generation of musicians who can come back to our Master saying that we invested the talents that He has given us and we have doubled them or are we going to come back with nothing because we were a generation of silent musicians who were to caught up in trying to double dip into two different markets so that we may fatten our own wallets.
Believe me, I'm not putting down everybody and I'm not saying that God isn't using certain artists to make an impact in the Kingdom. There are many Christian artists out there who are bringing the gospel to the lost and encouraging the believers and I am not saying that all crossover acts are lukewarm believers that God is going to spit out. Let's make that clear. I'm just saying that over the last few years I am seeing a rising generation of Christian bands and artists who are continually making it very difficult to see what side of the fence they are on.
In these days I challenge all of us to represent our faith in all aspects of our lives. In the jobs we have, the words we say, the thoughts we think, the activities we participate in, and the songs we write.
By the way, Lang and Keaggy were awesome. :)
In Christ,
SL
I was going to write something last night after I got back from the songwriter's showcase at GMA but since it was almost 5:00 in the morning I opted to get a few hours of sleep and hit you with a fresher mind. I also wanted a chance to process all that I saw. I wanted some time to really formulate my thoughts about some things that I wasn't quite sure about.
First off, let's just say that if are a Christian indie musician and you are looking to plug into the Christian music scene on a full time basis there is a lot of good that can be had by attending GMA. It is full of indie and signed artists just walking around and networking. It is full of every music business profession and it is a great chance to meet some people. I got the chance to finally meet some people that I have admired in the biz for awhile.
As a guitar player I, like everyone else, have always greatly admired Phil Keaggy. What a blast it was to finally meet him and chat with him. He put on a CLINIC during the showcase and got a standing ovation. Phil rocked out a Les Paul last night and captured everyone's attention.
I was especially excited to see one of my current favorites from this generation of guitar players when Jonny Lang took the stage. The most disappointing thing was that they never gave Jonny the time to actually play on any of his own material. Instead he joined everyone on stage for a grand finale jam session.
The best part was right as Jonny took the stage, Phil Keaggy walked out behind him and wanted to jam. It could have gone way longer and NOBODY would have minded. That audience was treated to one of the great GMA legendary moments as Phil Keaggy and Jonny Lang stood face to face trading riffs. Phil would do something amazing and then Jonny would whip out something amazing. Each time the audience went nuts.
That moment alone made things so worth it for me besides the fact of having the opportunity to meet with these men and also do some networking with them.
There was something about the night that bothered me though. Some may think that I may be trying to be to "spiritual" about it but I will let you be the judge. I have heard from other colleagues of mine in my old radio days and from other artists as well that GMA continues to become more secularized. Maybe I'm too old school for my age but I was disappointed in the song selection of the night as, and I am not exaggerating, about 90% of the music that was played by the performing artists were secular covers. The only artist that stuck to his own material was Tobymac who opened the night up. Last night I heard everything from Bruce Hornsby, to Eric Clapton, to Diana Ross, to Whitney Houston, to Gladis Knight, to Stevie Wonder, to George Harrison.
Now maybe you "experienced" GMA members can help me out here, but wouldn't one think that the big annual event that is supposed to celebrate GOSPEL music, and be a Christian music convention would focus more on faith based music? I understand that many Christian artists use secular covers during their concerts to draw in a secular audience so that they may bring the gospel message through their originals and their messages, but was this an evangelistic event? This was a convention for Christian artists to get together and celebrate what it is that we do. To network, build others up, and to learn from those who have come before us. Why are we playing George Harrison?
I could rant about this a lot more and I'm sure there are many out there that would accuse me of missing the boat or not getting the whole picture. Over half of the Christian rock scene is "crossover" music. So many people are afraid to be called Christian artists. Why? Remember a day when we used to sing, "I'm not ashamed to let you know. I want this light in me to show. I'm not afraid to speak the name of Jesus Christ"?
What are we afraid of? Are we not called to go forth and speak boldly to the world? This industry has changed so much, but God hasn't. His expectations of those whom He has given talents to has not changed. Are we going to be a generation of musicians who can come back to our Master saying that we invested the talents that He has given us and we have doubled them or are we going to come back with nothing because we were a generation of silent musicians who were to caught up in trying to double dip into two different markets so that we may fatten our own wallets.
Believe me, I'm not putting down everybody and I'm not saying that God isn't using certain artists to make an impact in the Kingdom. There are many Christian artists out there who are bringing the gospel to the lost and encouraging the believers and I am not saying that all crossover acts are lukewarm believers that God is going to spit out. Let's make that clear. I'm just saying that over the last few years I am seeing a rising generation of Christian bands and artists who are continually making it very difficult to see what side of the fence they are on.
In these days I challenge all of us to represent our faith in all aspects of our lives. In the jobs we have, the words we say, the thoughts we think, the activities we participate in, and the songs we write.
By the way, Lang and Keaggy were awesome. :)
In Christ,
SL
Friday, April 17, 2009
A Conga Player & His Face Cream
All I'm going to say is watch some more fun that we are having in Tennessee.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Knoxville, Nashville, and FINALLY A Video!
It is 3:00am. I just played a show in Knoxville, Tennessee for a great audience that packed the house. This was a really exciting time for me as my conga player, John Ferreira flew down yesterday to join me on tour for a while. Many of you in the Northeast know John if you have seen me play and know that he is an awesome player. Not only am I glad he is hear because of his talents, but I'm really glad that he is here 'cause he is my friend. Thanks again to all who rocked out with me in Knoxville and thanks to Pastor Mark who taught a great message.
For the record this whole tour has been about stepping out in faith knowing what God has called me to do and watching Him deliver on those promises. My tour schedule has been in question for a few days as I still needed a few dates for next week. Finally after a lot of waiting I will be performing in Nashville twice next week including a show at one of the biggest churches around, Christ Church. My understanding is this is the church that many of the Christian artists attend in Nashville including names like Amy Grant and The Gaithers. I'm really looking forward to this show!
And Finally A Video!
And Another!
God Bless!
SL
For the record this whole tour has been about stepping out in faith knowing what God has called me to do and watching Him deliver on those promises. My tour schedule has been in question for a few days as I still needed a few dates for next week. Finally after a lot of waiting I will be performing in Nashville twice next week including a show at one of the biggest churches around, Christ Church. My understanding is this is the church that many of the Christian artists attend in Nashville including names like Amy Grant and The Gaithers. I'm really looking forward to this show!
And Finally A Video!
And Another!
God Bless!
SL
Monday, April 13, 2009
Tobacco Is Wack... Gross Funny Story
The other day I was at a Bi Lo grocery store, picking up some odds and ends. My road manager, Ken, had taken his wife over to a nearby Old Navy and was going to come back by and pick me up.
While I was waiting outside of Bi Lo, I was just leaning against the wall, enjoying the warm air, and watching the fine people of Chattanooga pass by. A gentleman walked by and asked me if I had a cigarette and I told him that I did not. He said thank you and moved on.
Now this man was not dirty and was fairly clean cut. He was wearing a flannel shirt, untorn jeans, and work boots. Once he said thank you, he started to walk over to a public ash tray that was sitting on one of the outside Rubbermaid trash cans. I thought to myself, "He's not going to really do that is he?"
He then says to himself, "Man I need a cigarette," and then reached down into the ash tray and pulled out a small stubby cigarette butt, stuck it in his mouth and lit up what was left of it. He walked away with a look of great content.
I feel like this could be really used in one of those anti-tobacco commercials that we see on TV all the time.
It was pretty gross.
While I was waiting outside of Bi Lo, I was just leaning against the wall, enjoying the warm air, and watching the fine people of Chattanooga pass by. A gentleman walked by and asked me if I had a cigarette and I told him that I did not. He said thank you and moved on.
Now this man was not dirty and was fairly clean cut. He was wearing a flannel shirt, untorn jeans, and work boots. Once he said thank you, he started to walk over to a public ash tray that was sitting on one of the outside Rubbermaid trash cans. I thought to myself, "He's not going to really do that is he?"
He then says to himself, "Man I need a cigarette," and then reached down into the ash tray and pulled out a small stubby cigarette butt, stuck it in his mouth and lit up what was left of it. He walked away with a look of great content.
I feel like this could be really used in one of those anti-tobacco commercials that we see on TV all the time.
It was pretty gross.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
A Twister.. A Twister... Auntie Em, Auntie Em
I played in Crossville, TN again last night for a Good Friday service at Calvary Chapel Crossville. All I have to say is that this little fellowship of people has won my affection in a big way. It broke my heart to have to leave when the night was over.
Calvary Chapel Crossville portrays exactly what a church family should be. It is a church of people who invest their time and lives enriching the lives of the other members of the fellowship. These are people who legitimately care and if you are a visitor to this church you will feel so welcome you may never want to leave either. I really connected here, and I hope to go back when I tour again this summer.
A Kind Of Funny Story... My First Tornado-ish experience...
One of the truths about where I come from in the northeast is that many to most people there are scared to death of tornados. Perhaps that's why they never leave there, because is it extremely rare for a tornado to hit Maine. So many times I have heard the Maine locals say (in the classic Maine accent, "I would never move south. They get those tornados. Why would they want to live there?"
My own mother is a classic case of this. My father is from the midwest which is an area that gets a far heavier tornado season than where I am at in Tennessee. He has always told us of the tornados he experienced growing up and has always treated them like no big deal. My mother always called him crazy and said, "I could never do it."
Yesterday, Tennessee got slammed with some big storms and a lot of tornado watches and warnings. As I was on the road with my road manager and his wife, we were listening to the radio to all of the announcements of which counties had warnings and which had just watches. They said that Bledsoe county was under a warning until 4:30pm. We were just minutes away and were heading right through Bledsoe to get to our destination. The clouds were really heavy and the rain was pretty intense. Much stronger than what we averagely see in Maine.
Around that time, I received a phone call from my mother. She was in a total panic over what she was seeing on the national forecast. She had been reading of some of the damage that the storms had left in Arkansas and what they were doing in TN. She told me of her findings (which were what we were listening to on the radio), and then when she heard where we were, she continued to ask me to go back.
I felt bad as I knew that she has always had such a deep fear but I also knew that we were almost out of the storm system and were heading in the opposite direction. The storms were heading east and we were heading west. While she was on the phone, I could barely hear her. The rain was so loud and the cell reception was all of a sudden going from full bars to no bars in a second. I told my mom that I could know longer hear her and had to go but I know the call got cut off. Seconds after I hung up, hail started to fall really hard on us. My road manager, Ken, was driving and he immediately pulled over as the wipers on the fastest speed could not clear the window. Everyone else pulled over as well. There was a bridge shortly up ahead so Ken crawled the van up to it and stayed there for little. It slowed down and we continued our trip. Within minutes we were in the clear with blue skies and even some sunshine. No tornados.
Now I laugh when I think of what it must have sounded like on my mother's end. There she is in Maine, scared of tornados and talking to me on the phone, sharing with me her feelings. Then all of a sudden she hear's the storm noise and hear's me slightly yelling to hear myself saying, "Hello...(noise)....hello (noise)...hel...mo...(noise)...can't..he....ou.. (silence)." I'm sure she was a wreck for the next 30 minutes. I called back when I had reception and she sounded like she had actually been through a tornado. I guess it sounded a lot worse than what it really was. Bless her heart.
Happy Easter,
SL
Calvary Chapel Crossville portrays exactly what a church family should be. It is a church of people who invest their time and lives enriching the lives of the other members of the fellowship. These are people who legitimately care and if you are a visitor to this church you will feel so welcome you may never want to leave either. I really connected here, and I hope to go back when I tour again this summer.
A Kind Of Funny Story... My First Tornado-ish experience...
One of the truths about where I come from in the northeast is that many to most people there are scared to death of tornados. Perhaps that's why they never leave there, because is it extremely rare for a tornado to hit Maine. So many times I have heard the Maine locals say (in the classic Maine accent, "I would never move south. They get those tornados. Why would they want to live there?"
My own mother is a classic case of this. My father is from the midwest which is an area that gets a far heavier tornado season than where I am at in Tennessee. He has always told us of the tornados he experienced growing up and has always treated them like no big deal. My mother always called him crazy and said, "I could never do it."
Yesterday, Tennessee got slammed with some big storms and a lot of tornado watches and warnings. As I was on the road with my road manager and his wife, we were listening to the radio to all of the announcements of which counties had warnings and which had just watches. They said that Bledsoe county was under a warning until 4:30pm. We were just minutes away and were heading right through Bledsoe to get to our destination. The clouds were really heavy and the rain was pretty intense. Much stronger than what we averagely see in Maine.
Around that time, I received a phone call from my mother. She was in a total panic over what she was seeing on the national forecast. She had been reading of some of the damage that the storms had left in Arkansas and what they were doing in TN. She told me of her findings (which were what we were listening to on the radio), and then when she heard where we were, she continued to ask me to go back.
I felt bad as I knew that she has always had such a deep fear but I also knew that we were almost out of the storm system and were heading in the opposite direction. The storms were heading east and we were heading west. While she was on the phone, I could barely hear her. The rain was so loud and the cell reception was all of a sudden going from full bars to no bars in a second. I told my mom that I could know longer hear her and had to go but I know the call got cut off. Seconds after I hung up, hail started to fall really hard on us. My road manager, Ken, was driving and he immediately pulled over as the wipers on the fastest speed could not clear the window. Everyone else pulled over as well. There was a bridge shortly up ahead so Ken crawled the van up to it and stayed there for little. It slowed down and we continued our trip. Within minutes we were in the clear with blue skies and even some sunshine. No tornados.
Now I laugh when I think of what it must have sounded like on my mother's end. There she is in Maine, scared of tornados and talking to me on the phone, sharing with me her feelings. Then all of a sudden she hear's the storm noise and hear's me slightly yelling to hear myself saying, "Hello...(noise)....hello (noise)...hel...mo...(noise)...can't..he....ou.. (silence)." I'm sure she was a wreck for the next 30 minutes. I called back when I had reception and she sounded like she had actually been through a tornado. I guess it sounded a lot worse than what it really was. Bless her heart.
Happy Easter,
SL
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Coffee & Snow?
It's Tuesday, it's my day off, and it's snowing?
I guess considering that we just left the month of March I can't complain too much but I really hoped that one of the things I would not have to look at again after leaving the northeast was snow. This morning I woke up to spitting snow. It spit snow all morning in Chattanooga.
In Maine they have a saying that if you don't like the weather just wait a minute and it will change. To be honest, I've never really found that to be true. Generally it's just always cold, and then it Summer it rains a lot. That saying seems to be kind of true in Chattanooga in the months of March and April. Over night it can get as low as the high 30's and low 40's. In the day it can be as high as 80 or as low as 50. One thing that everyone here as assured me of is that the heat is only a few weeks away.
On another note...
Krispy Kremes can not stand up to Dunkin Donuts. As a matter of fact I have determined for myself that in the drive thru coffee/donuts business that KK is a midget compared to Dunks. I am a coffee person. When I'm at home in Maine, I get a cup almost daily on the road and I usually get it at a Dunkin Donuts. I have always heard people from the south brag about Krispy Kremes. Everytime I have gotten a coffee from KK, it has never been right. It's not very good, and everytime it's been served with defects. The first coffee was in a paper cup with a hole in it so I got coffee all over myself. The second time they gave me a cup with a clear plastic soda top on it for a straw rather than a thick plastic sip cover. Now some of you may be giggling right now saying, "Man, this guy is picky," but I can't help myself. I take my cheap drive thru coffee serious.
Tomorrow I'll be playing in Crossville, TN and I'll be returning there on Friday too. Hope to see some of you at the shows.
God Bless,
SL
I guess considering that we just left the month of March I can't complain too much but I really hoped that one of the things I would not have to look at again after leaving the northeast was snow. This morning I woke up to spitting snow. It spit snow all morning in Chattanooga.
In Maine they have a saying that if you don't like the weather just wait a minute and it will change. To be honest, I've never really found that to be true. Generally it's just always cold, and then it Summer it rains a lot. That saying seems to be kind of true in Chattanooga in the months of March and April. Over night it can get as low as the high 30's and low 40's. In the day it can be as high as 80 or as low as 50. One thing that everyone here as assured me of is that the heat is only a few weeks away.
On another note...
Krispy Kremes can not stand up to Dunkin Donuts. As a matter of fact I have determined for myself that in the drive thru coffee/donuts business that KK is a midget compared to Dunks. I am a coffee person. When I'm at home in Maine, I get a cup almost daily on the road and I usually get it at a Dunkin Donuts. I have always heard people from the south brag about Krispy Kremes. Everytime I have gotten a coffee from KK, it has never been right. It's not very good, and everytime it's been served with defects. The first coffee was in a paper cup with a hole in it so I got coffee all over myself. The second time they gave me a cup with a clear plastic soda top on it for a straw rather than a thick plastic sip cover. Now some of you may be giggling right now saying, "Man, this guy is picky," but I can't help myself. I take my cheap drive thru coffee serious.
Tomorrow I'll be playing in Crossville, TN and I'll be returning there on Friday too. Hope to see some of you at the shows.
God Bless,
SL
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Real Home Of Fried Chicken
I'm writing this from Bowling Green, Kentucky. It's my first time here and I gotta say that southern KY is just as pretty as anywhere else I have ever seen. Very green. If you are a lover of old farm houses than this is the place for you. Tomorrow I am playing at a church called Rolling Hills Community Church. I'll be leading worship and playing my own stuff.
It's been very productive during the days that I haven't been performing. I've been able to lay down some tracks as many of you have heard. Today I had a photo shoot, so you can count on seeing a fresh look to all of the websites at the beginning of next week.
In some really great news, I have been given a radio servicing deal. What does that mean? It means that this summer, my new song "Color" will be getting pushed to 700 radio stations across the world. When the final version gets released this Spring, make sure to call your local Christian radio station and request, "Color!"
Thanks you for your prayer and support!
SL
It's been very productive during the days that I haven't been performing. I've been able to lay down some tracks as many of you have heard. Today I had a photo shoot, so you can count on seeing a fresh look to all of the websites at the beginning of next week.
In some really great news, I have been given a radio servicing deal. What does that mean? It means that this summer, my new song "Color" will be getting pushed to 700 radio stations across the world. When the final version gets released this Spring, make sure to call your local Christian radio station and request, "Color!"
Thanks you for your prayer and support!
SL
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Haste Is Not A Virtue Here...
It really is true. Nobody is in a hurry in the south. I learned this very quickly at a Walmart Super Center. In Maine the cashiers just scan stuff at blurring speeds sometimes. Many times they have to rescan an item because they move so fast. Not the case in Tennessee. I didn't buy that much stuff but it made me laugh how long it took the cashier to scan all of my items. He would slowly run an item across the laser scanner. Then he would pick up another item, look at it for a moment, then scan it. Then he would look like he was pondering something really heavy. Then finally he would start scanning stuff again. I've been seeing this at every retailer I shop at.
In other news, I had an awesome time last night performing in Sweetwater, Tennessee. I want to personally thank any of you who came to the show. The house was packed and the audience was a lot of fun to perform for. I learned something that I never knew there. Apparently the word "crap" is considered a really bad word in Tennessee. It's kind of funny. People in the north use it all the time. My family uses it regularly, my pastor and church family use it, and my friends use it. It makes me kind of chuckle because there are words that they use frequently here in the south that in the northeast we consider to be offensive slang or vulgarity, but here it's no big deal. It's amazing how different cultures can be just in our own country.
Finally, I planned on having some video available for you until I realized that the cable that connectst the camera to the computer was left back in Maine. No worries. It is being shipped to me tomorrow so I'll have some tour footage both on stage and off stage for you during the beginning of next week.
AND FINALLY... I just added some new music to my MySpace page. The New Mercy Morning music has been removed. It's a new song that I wrote for my wife, Shanon, a few weeks ago called, "Color." I won't be finishing up and releasing my album until I get back from the tour, but this is something I did on a rainy Chattanooga evening. I hope you enjoy the song. I'll be releasing a better produced album version in a few months.
That's all I got for tonight.
Representin',
SL
In other news, I had an awesome time last night performing in Sweetwater, Tennessee. I want to personally thank any of you who came to the show. The house was packed and the audience was a lot of fun to perform for. I learned something that I never knew there. Apparently the word "crap" is considered a really bad word in Tennessee. It's kind of funny. People in the north use it all the time. My family uses it regularly, my pastor and church family use it, and my friends use it. It makes me kind of chuckle because there are words that they use frequently here in the south that in the northeast we consider to be offensive slang or vulgarity, but here it's no big deal. It's amazing how different cultures can be just in our own country.
Finally, I planned on having some video available for you until I realized that the cable that connectst the camera to the computer was left back in Maine. No worries. It is being shipped to me tomorrow so I'll have some tour footage both on stage and off stage for you during the beginning of next week.
AND FINALLY... I just added some new music to my MySpace page. The New Mercy Morning music has been removed. It's a new song that I wrote for my wife, Shanon, a few weeks ago called, "Color." I won't be finishing up and releasing my album until I get back from the tour, but this is something I did on a rainy Chattanooga evening. I hope you enjoy the song. I'll be releasing a better produced album version in a few months.
That's all I got for tonight.
Representin',
SL
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