Critiques: The lighting on Heidi's side seemed off throughout all of the camera shots. I would be luminated, and she would be in the dark. I also felt like there may have been just a lack of energy on the stage, and part of me wonders if it's because the band appears so far in the background that you maybe cannot see their level of worship, or maybe we were just short some background singers. I love when you bring Brady up to the front, Fuller. I think that adds so much more ACTION!
I thought musically that we were on point in this service. The "groove" was there, and Jon's fills were AH-MAZ-ING!
We had talked a little bit between services, and I'm such a strong believer in this. We aren't there to put on a "show" or some great "performance." We rehearse and work out parts because we believe in EXCELLENCE, and that our sacrifice of praise should be the absolute best that we have to offer. But that word is entirely 2-dimensional (or more;). Just as we prepare for the worship set, our hearts and minds need to be just as prepared to lead God's people to the Holy of Holies. I fail at this constantly, but it is truly my desire to be prayed up, repentant, and emptied of my sins so that God can work through me as His vessel when I hit that stage on Sunday. I may be preaching to myself, but I find myself constantly checking my humility each week. As a team, we should be accountable to eachother, and pray for one another. I love the moment Fuller took on Thursday with us. Those moments impact our attitudes and bond us together.
I am so blessed to know, pray, and worship with each of you.
Side note: Greatness of our God was particularly powerful in the moment! Great job, Heidi! Each service I got something out of that song. It felt like I touched the hem of HIS garment!
I totally agree with Dani about the band. Let me first preface by saying I do really like the set design we have right now - I just don't like the band placement, etc. I for one hate, hate, hate being on the little riser things. I feel like I'm balancing the whole time - like I can't move - and I keep ramming my guitar into the keyboard :) I'd much rather have some more space to move, even leave the pedalboard area sometimes…though I know most of us are tethered to short headphone cables.
One other thing we should think about doing: half the energy in any live show comes from watching the drummer. They're the ones doing the most active thing - and engaging people at that primal level of rhythm. I know we've had to do a lot of work to get the drums sound-proofed, etc - but I really think we're hurting the overall energy level by a) basically hiding the drummer in a dark box and b) putting them on the side of the stage. Personally, I feed off of being able to look at the drummer, etc - and where I've been placed the last few weeks/months, I've only been able to see a ghostly image in a cage at a distance…and I really like looking at Jon when he makes angry drummer faces :)
Okay, next thing. I think the set was surprisingly strong for how shaky we felt going into it on Sunday morning. With that said, Gonna Lift your Name on High was kind of a mess. This is, no doubt, at least partly my fault. We should have worked this song out more on Thursday. This is one of those songs that defines how much we're actually maturing musically. If you watch the whole service, you can see that we can definitely rock (Time Has Come, etc), definitely do slow, inspirational (Greatness of…) and even do good mid-tempo (From the Inside…). The gospel songs -which most of us would consider 'advanced' - they're just not there yet. Part of it is, we approach them like rock musicians…but I think the other thing has to do with (and I'm especially talking to e guitars here) us playing too much. The song really calls for more space - and much less playing. I probably should have set the song out except for some little wah-wah parts, for instance. Or maybe everyone just comes in for the bridge. Definitely less - and knowing where to place parts. As a side note - anytime there's extra funky guitar - its probably a good idea to NOT have the other guitars try it too - everyone does that differently and it never sounds good doubled. Another note on that song - Keith had some great moments that we should have featured more…but again, the load and clunky e guitars just smeared it.
On the bright side: overall, really strong performances, solid and moving. We had some extra heavy lifting to do this week since the message didn't necessarily bring a strong spiritual tie-in…so people were getting the Word via worship…and I think we delivered. Lewis - great to have you on the team, BTW!
You are right on in your comments about spiritual readiness! If God is not at the center of what we are doing then nothing matters! I do feel prayer has brought this team closer and should be a vital tool and foundation of what we do each week.
Shawn,
I agree with everything you said which is why you are my bro! I love seeing you all while we worship and love it when a musician approaches my cage to worship with me. Guys, we are PRAISING GOD!! When I look over and the entire band is pumped, it makes me want to go off even though I know I can not because Fuller will kill me for causing a train wreck!:)) Anybody can play in time, but only a certain few of us can displace a 16th. Problem is I do it by accident:) As for the music and musicianship, this is can be a touchy subject. So, I will try to discuss it with love. There is knowing the music and then there is knowing the music. It is all the little things that make a song really pop! Each song has unique phrasing and rhythms that make it groove and develop. As a band, I think we are only hitting the main points and missing the small goodies. This is why the gospel tracks are giving us ( ME) a hard time. It takes a extensive music vocabulary to play these songs. Gospel track require articulation of the upbeat where rock focuses on a strong 2 and 4 and down beat. Rhythms are squared where in gospel they have to swing = ( more Jazz influence) I had total humble pie this weekend playing gonna lift your name on high! Here is the deal, gonna take practice, practice, and yes more practice. There has been time where I felt like a a beginner playing these songs, but, over time I have gotten better. God bless Jimmy R for being in my life! You making me better bro!! We will get there:) I for one and very excited about practicing this summer.Scary to think how far way I am from where I want to be as a musician. But, if I am not doing the same type of things from my knees and in the word it doesn't matter!! Have to happen together!
I am thankful I am apart of a team that pushes this kind of growth:)
Lewis,
I really enjoyed talking with you and feel you bring a lot to the team! Welcome bro!!!
Nothing personal, but I sure miss Benji being up there. It's like I left the gas station with only half a tank of gas! Maybe some of the things above are a result of the LSU coach meaning well, but not quite being Benji, you know?
I look forward to each time playing with the band. Getting to know the group is a real blessing and I'm really looking forward to the WAM Vision Day.
I agree with some of the comments here that the band could use a little work on simplifying and also starting lower giving us room to build. (Listen to our opening of Inside Out vs. the MP3.) Listening to the MP3 as a group on Thursday night and discussing who's covering what might help.
If you have parts you're really trying to bring out, then who ever is on the mix has to know to watch out for those parts and make sure they're being heard, so they would have to be part of listening to the MP3 also.
I ditto the comments about seeing others on the worship team. Love to catch another member's eye during our worship. Jon, would love to see you 'unboxed'.
I just want to say you guys are awesome. Not just awesome talent-wise, but this discussion is just proof of how mature and grounded you all are. A lot of the talk is like french to me. But regardless I think it's awesome that this team knows how to critique and say what you feel without it coming off as any kind of tear down! That's what it's all about and a total representation of brotherly and sisterly love in Christ.
Always such a joy to worship with you guys!! I agree with Dani that I think I had noticed the lights off during part of one of the services, and also it would be great to either move the band up some, or add some more lighting, especially during instrumental interludes. : )
Critiques: The lighting on Heidi's side seemed off throughout all of the camera shots. I would be luminated, and she would be in the dark. I also felt like there may have been just a lack of energy on the stage, and part of me wonders if it's because the band appears so far in the background that you maybe cannot see their level of worship, or maybe we were just short some background singers. I love when you bring Brady up to the front, Fuller. I think that adds so much more ACTION!
ReplyDeleteI thought musically that we were on point in this service. The "groove" was there, and Jon's fills were AH-MAZ-ING!
We had talked a little bit between services, and I'm such a strong believer in this. We aren't there to put on a "show" or some great "performance." We rehearse and work out parts because we believe in EXCELLENCE, and that our sacrifice of praise should be the absolute best that we have to offer. But that word is entirely 2-dimensional (or more;). Just as we prepare for the worship set, our hearts and minds need to be just as prepared to lead God's people to the Holy of Holies. I fail at this constantly, but it is truly my desire to be prayed up, repentant, and emptied of my sins so that God can work through me as His vessel when I hit that stage on Sunday. I may be preaching to myself, but I find myself constantly checking my humility each week. As a team, we should be accountable to eachother, and pray for one another. I love the moment Fuller took on Thursday with us. Those moments impact our attitudes and bond us together.
I am so blessed to know, pray, and worship with each of you.
Side note: Greatness of our God was particularly powerful in the moment! Great job, Heidi! Each service I got something out of that song. It felt like I touched the hem of HIS garment!
Forgot to mention! I Love love LOVED the video screens in the background of Time Has Come, the blue flashing lights!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Dani about the band. Let me first preface by saying I do really like the set design we have right now - I just don't like the band placement, etc. I for one hate, hate, hate being on the little riser things. I feel like I'm balancing the whole time - like I can't move - and I keep ramming my guitar into the keyboard :) I'd much rather have some more space to move, even leave the pedalboard area sometimes…though I know most of us are tethered to short headphone cables.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing we should think about doing: half the energy in any live show comes from watching the drummer. They're the ones doing the most active thing - and engaging people at that primal level of rhythm. I know we've had to do a lot of work to get the drums sound-proofed, etc - but I really think we're hurting the overall energy level by a) basically hiding the drummer in a dark box and b) putting them on the side of the stage. Personally, I feed off of being able to look at the drummer, etc - and where I've been placed the last few weeks/months, I've only been able to see a ghostly image in a cage at a distance…and I really like looking at Jon when he makes angry drummer faces :)
Okay, next thing. I think the set was surprisingly strong for how shaky we felt going into it on Sunday morning. With that said, Gonna Lift your Name on High was kind of a mess. This is, no doubt, at least partly my fault. We should have worked this song out more on Thursday. This is one of those songs that defines how much we're actually maturing musically. If you watch the whole service, you can see that we can definitely rock (Time Has Come, etc), definitely do slow, inspirational (Greatness of…) and even do good mid-tempo (From the Inside…). The gospel songs -which most of us would consider 'advanced' - they're just not there yet. Part of it is, we approach them like rock musicians…but I think the other thing has to do with (and I'm especially talking to e guitars here) us playing too much. The song really calls for more space - and much less playing. I probably should have set the song out except for some little wah-wah parts, for instance. Or maybe everyone just comes in for the bridge. Definitely less - and knowing where to place parts. As a side note - anytime there's extra funky guitar - its probably a good idea to NOT have the other guitars try it too - everyone does that differently and it never sounds good doubled. Another note on that song - Keith had some great moments that we should have featured more…but again, the load and clunky e guitars just smeared it.
On the bright side: overall, really strong performances, solid and moving. We had some extra heavy lifting to do this week since the message didn't necessarily bring a strong spiritual tie-in…so people were getting the Word via worship…and I think we delivered. Lewis - great to have you on the team, BTW!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat job WAM Team,
ReplyDeleteDani,
You are right on in your comments about spiritual readiness! If God is not at the center of what we are doing then nothing matters! I do feel prayer has brought this team closer and should be a vital tool and foundation of what we do each week.
Shawn,
I agree with everything you said which is why you are my bro! I love seeing you all while we worship and love it when a musician approaches my cage to worship with me. Guys, we are PRAISING GOD!! When I look over and the entire band is pumped, it makes me want to go off even though I know I can not because Fuller will kill me for causing a train wreck!:)) Anybody can play in time, but only a certain few of us can displace a 16th. Problem is I do it by accident:)
As for the music and musicianship, this is can be a touchy subject. So, I will try to discuss it with love. There is knowing the music and then there is knowing the music. It is all the little things that make a song really pop! Each song has unique phrasing and rhythms that make it groove and develop. As a band, I think we are only hitting the main points and missing the small goodies. This is why the gospel tracks are giving us ( ME) a hard time. It takes a extensive music vocabulary to play these songs. Gospel track require articulation of the upbeat where rock focuses on a strong 2 and 4 and down beat. Rhythms are squared where in gospel they have to swing = ( more Jazz influence) I had total humble pie this weekend playing gonna lift your name on high! Here is the deal, gonna take practice, practice, and yes more practice. There has been time where I felt like a a beginner playing these songs, but, over time I have gotten better. God bless Jimmy R for being in my life! You making me better bro!! We will get there:) I for one and very excited about practicing this summer.Scary to think how far way I am from where I want to be as a musician. But, if I am not doing the same type of things from my knees and in the word it doesn't matter!! Have to happen together!
I am thankful I am apart of a team that pushes this kind of growth:)
Lewis,
I really enjoyed talking with you and feel you bring a lot to the team! Welcome bro!!!
God Bless!
Jon
Really enjoyed it this weekend, band! Man, what an experience.
ReplyDeleteNothing personal, but I sure miss Benji being up there. It's like I left the gas station with only half a tank of gas! Maybe some of the things above are a result of the LSU coach meaning well, but not quite being Benji, you know?
ReplyDeleteI look forward to each time playing with the band. Getting to know the group is a real blessing and I'm really looking forward to the WAM Vision Day.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of the comments here that the band could use a little work on simplifying and also starting lower giving us room to build. (Listen to our opening of Inside Out vs. the MP3.) Listening to the MP3 as a group on Thursday night and discussing who's covering what might help.
If you have parts you're really trying to bring out, then who ever is on the mix has to know to watch out for those parts and make sure they're being heard, so they would have to be part of listening to the MP3 also.
I ditto the comments about seeing others on the worship team. Love to catch another member's eye during our worship. Jon, would love to see you 'unboxed'.
I just want to say you guys are awesome. Not just awesome talent-wise, but this discussion is just proof of how mature and grounded you all are. A lot of the talk is like french to me. But regardless I think it's awesome that this team knows how to critique and say what you feel without it coming off as any kind of tear down! That's what it's all about and a total representation of brotherly and sisterly love in Christ.
ReplyDeleteAlways such a joy to worship with you guys!! I agree with Dani that I think I had noticed the lights off during part of one of the services, and also it would be great to either move the band up some, or add some more lighting, especially during instrumental interludes. : )
ReplyDelete