Improving Musicianship | Inspiring Talent

Product Reviews:
Flaxwood’s Liekki 290-T
Planet Waves’ O-Port

Even the Quiet is… RED

SEPT/OCT 2010
Volume 15, Issue 5 Selective Hearing:
09 Waterdeep • Glass Harp • Sandra McCracken
The Choir • Ed Kowalczyk • Michael W. Smith • Jars of Clay
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 Features
9 Bassic Communication
CONTENTS
46 CODA
Intro to Solo Bass
Closing Thoughts
Arranging (Part 1)

Salt & Light

This issue marks a new milestone in our life as a publisher. Through
10 Drumming Dynamics
Learning to Transcribe
11 Vocal Coach’s Corner
Interviews
a new relationship with Hal Leonard Music we are being distributed to Speak Up or Speak
music stores across the country. You may be standing in a music store Down!
right now reading this. Welcome! 12 Guitar Workshop
We are thrilled to have the articulately spoken David Ellefson on It is Well
the front cover. David has rejoined Megadeth and was touring with 14 Product Review
the band through Seattle along with Testament and Slayer; two really The Amazing
hard music secular bands. In fact, it was an interesting night out for Flaxwood Liekki
Judy and I. We were glad to drive into Seattle for the show and it was 290-T
like a date night out… until we were walking up to the venue itself and
16 Show Us Your Groove
It’s All in the Hearing
started to get a sense of the type of crowd that was there for the show.
18 Product Review
There was a harder edge vibe… a lot more guys than girls and if you
O-Port? O-Boy…
just looked at it from an outsider’s perspective you would say it was
26 Selective Hearing
a pretty rough crowd. I switched more to a protective role and kept
Waterdeep
Judy close to me. I teased her that I might even follow her into the Glass Harp
bathroom just to make sure she was safe. We had missed Testament the Sandra McCracken
opening band and came into the venue with Megadeth on stage. They The Choir
were rocking hard and the crowd was enjoying them. This is quite a Ed Kowalczyk
platform that the band has and that is why they can step forward more Michael W. Smith
and more and be salt and light in a rowdy place. Jars of Clay 20 David Ellefson
A young man walked past me with huge letters on the back of 30 Ask Joe New Life for Megadeth
his black t-shirt. It read, “Your God can not save you”. That was a bit 37 Guitar From A2Z
shocking to see. In my spirit I prayed for the guy to learn the String Bending
truth. Our God does have the power to save us... His arm is not Part 2
to short nor His love for us too weak. It was a sobering thought 38 Essential Music
to see such a large crowd of folks who were there for a good Theory for
time but as Judy pointed out to me… they were people just the Christian
like everyone else, with joys and pains all their own… they just Musician
need Jesus like we need Jesus. Slash Chords
That is why I am behind bands like Megadeth who can get
39 Turning a
Mistake
out there and with street credibility speak into people’s lives
40 Indie No Spin
through their music. Watch out for the next Megadeth record,
Zone
I think it will have strong elements of salt and light in it. At the
More Indie Tips
end of the show Dave Mustaine (their lead singer and one of
42 Rewind 33 Even the Quiet is RED
the guitarists) shouted out “God Bless You Seattle!”. We went Leslie Phillips (aka Sam
backstage and said goodnight to David and then as Slayer was Phillips)
taking the stage we choose to head for the door and continue cover photo by Randy Johnson

Christian Musician
our date night in a more quieter environment.
An interesting sidebar… the cover shot of David playing live
with Megadeth was taken by none other than Randy Johnson
(famed major league baseball pitcher). Since Randy was once
a Seattle Mariner we have been fans of Randy’s for quite some 4227 S. Meridian, Suite C PMB #275, Puyallup Washington 98373
time. He took several really good shots for us to choose from Phone: 253.445.1973 Fax: 253.655.5001
and has quite an eye for photography. Thanks to the Big Unit! Email: bruce@christianmusician.com
Enjoy this issue. We are already work- Website: www.christianmusician.com
Editor & President: Bruce Adolph
ing on the next one and we have some
Vice President: Judy Adolph, judy@christianmusician.com
great interviews we are lining up for you. Customer Service: Brian Felix, brian@christianmusiciansummit.com
Remember wherever you may find Street Team: Mike Adolph, Jesse Hill & Caj
yourself; be salt and light! Layout: Matt Kees Accounting: Debi Davis
Bruce and Judy Advertising Sales: bruce@christianmusician.com
Published by the Adolph Agency Inc.
7
Spreading the Word
“Players at my clinics and concerts are
always floored by the tone, punch,
clarity and headroom of my GK.”

Norm Stockton
Lincoln Brewster

POWER TO GROOVE
www.gallien.com
Intro to Solo Bass Arranging
Welcome back to the woodshed! I hope
you found our recent series on “Chimes,
Thuds & Swells” helpful for expanding your
palette of available timbres.
Our discussions over the past few years
have been preparing us for this next step:
today, we’ll be dipping our toes into the pool
for some solo bass arranging. Before some of
you go running from the room, screaming
something about “I’m too old to be playing
coffee house gigs”, please hear me out (and
you’re never too old to be playing coffee
house gigs, by the way!)! :^)
The bass is an amazingly rich and versa-
tile instrument; it’s surprisingly well-suited
for playing as a solo instrument. But even if
that’s not your bag, I think it’s nonetheless
hugely valuable for your musicianship to
delve into this area at least a bit…even if just
as an educational endeavor.
There’s something about time spent be-
ing involved with all aspects of the musical
arrangement – melody, harmony, rhythm,
sonics – that can dramatically affect your
understanding of music and how ensembles
function. It can make you a better bass player,
arranger, producer…and can even enhance
your compositional skills.
Getting into a lengthy explanation of ar-
rangement concepts and everything
that can possibly go into putting
together an unaccompanied bass
road, the simple stuff can be really sweet and
beautiful, too.
We’ll be looking at the traditional Christ-
mas tune, Angels We Have Heard On High
(Gloria). In this installment, we’ll take a look
at just the melody and harmony of the verse
section. We’ll get to the actual solo arrange-
ment after we have a solid understanding of
the piece, ok? :^)
With a bass guitar, it’s helpful to put the
song in a key where you can take advantage
of open strings, as that obviously somewhat
lightens the burden on your fretting hand.
For this reason, many solo bass arrangements
can be found in the keys of E or A, as they
allow for melody or chord tones to be voiced
on the higher strings while letting a low
string ring.
We’ll be playing this tune in the key of E.
The basic chord motion will be very simple,
modulating back and forth from the I to the
V chords. The melody should be a familiar
one to most of you. In the text above the
staff, you’ll see both the default applicable
scale and the intervals found in the melody
Bassic Communication
(relative to the underlying chord). Pretty
Intro to Solo Bass Arranging (Part 1)
straightforward stuff - if any of this is confus-
ing for you, I encourage you to review the
Intro to Solo Bass Arranging
Melodic/Harmonic Analysis: Verse Section
"Angels We Have Heard on High" (Trad. Christmas Carol)
(Part 1)
mode section in Volume 2 of the Grooving for
Heaven DVDs.
Please take some time to play and assimi-
late the verse melody. After getting comfort-
able with it, try playing the root of the chord
while playing that melody. Don’t worry about
trying to make it smooth and “solo-ish”…
we’ll get to that stuff soon! Blessings and see
you next time...
(Adapted from curriculum in the Grooving
for Heaven instructional DVDs)
Norm Stockton is a bassist/clinician/solo artist
based in Orange County, CA. He spends most of
his time these days touring
and recording with worship
artist Lincoln Brewster,
but his recently-released
2nd solo project (“Tea In
The Typhoon”) has been
receiving widespread
acclaim from media around the world. Visit
Norm at www.normstockton.com and
on Facebook & Twitter for much bass-
related info and fun. While there, be sure to
check out his blog (The GrooveSpot) and register
for his e-newsletter (the groove update) for tips,
interviews, clinic invites, exclusive discount
prices, and more.
Norm Stockton


piece goes beyond the intent of this
series. But pretty much every con-
cept we’ve discussed in this column E Ionian (Major Scale) B Mixolydian E Ionian (Major Scale) B Mixolydian E Ionian
"Root, b7" "3, 3, 2, 3, 5" "6, 5"

        
"Root"

 
over the years (fingerboard familiar- "3, 3, 3, 5"
E B E B6 E
ity, groove, playing a part, phrasing,
         
technique, etc.) can have direct ap-     
plicability to putting together a solo

 
bass arrangement of a tune.

 
Not every piece need be a vir-

  
13 13 13 16 16 14 13 13 13 16 13
16 16 14
tuosic, slappa-tappa-bippity, mind-
boggling-jazz-reharmonization-
from-Mars, by the way. :^) Although
that’s a fun area to explore down the © 2009 Stocktones Music
9
 Learning to Transcribe

I know this is a tough thing for many of helpful to wear headphones so you can really frustrated. It is difficult at first but it is well
you who don’t read music but transcribing hear the subtleties of the drum parts. Here is worth the effort.
drum parts is such an essential part of becom- the bass drum and high hat part for a couple
ing a competent drummer. Being able to hear bars of the basic groove from Charlie Hall’s Blessings ….. David
something and quickly write the basic drum Walk The World.
part out has saved me in many musical situa- Next I write out the snare part. Here is David currently tours with
tions during my career. It is a skill I use every what the whole thing looks like. Fernando Ortega and has
week of my life. Whether it be just learning Here is what the first 8 bars of the piece worked with Sara Groves,
some songs for Sunday services or having to looks like. The intro is fairly complex. Notice Bebo Norman, Crystal
transcribe note for note parts for a very com- the high hat openings and the syncopated Lewis, Cheri Keaggy, Tommy
plex composition, the ability to transcribe is bass drum and snare parts. Walker, Paul Baloche among
priceless. The next series of articles will cover Writing out this intro would be a bit of others. He has played for Billy and Franklin
different aspects and uses for transcribing a challenge for a beginning transcriber but Graham Crusades, Harvest Crusades, Maranatha
drum parts and some tips on how to start the basic groove is very doable. Start out with Worship Leader Workshops and for over 2 years
transcribing and get better at it. something real simple. The best thing about he was the house drummer for the Los Angeles
The ability to quickly write out a bass getting good at transcribing is it will help production of The Lion King. His home church is
drum, snare drum and high hat or ride pat- you understand what drummers are playing Plymouth Church in Whittier, California. www.
tern quickly is not easy to do at first but we when you see them play live. Try not to get DaveOwensDrums.com
have to start somewhere. Pick a basic groove
that you already know or want to
learn and try writing it out. There
Walk The World Charlie Hall
are programs you can get on line
    
                    
that can help. Audacity is one that
            
will slow down any piece of music
and it is downloadable for free.     
Start by writing out the high                       
hat or cymbal part because that    
   
will give you the basic subdivision
of the groove. That might look  
like this.
                       
   
I scribble stuff out on music        
paper and then put it in Sibelius.
It is not necessary to use music Walk The World Hat 
writing software but for the pu-                
pose of this article I am using Sibe- 
lius so the transcription will look
nice and clean. When you do it by Walk The World Hat & BD 
hand make sure all the subdivided                
notes are evenly spaced in a bar. I      
have music paper that already has
bar lines on it so it makes it easier
to space the notes evenly. Walk The World Hat, BD & SN 
The next thing I write out is                
the bass drum part. I always find it      

10
Speak Up or Speak Down!
I have a young student who talks too low.
Her speaking pitch is way down there. This is
not a good thing for her vocal development
and it certainly makes us work harder when in-
troducing head voice sounds to her pitch and
tonal awareness. Since the basic mechanism is
the same for speaking and singing, this leads to
the old adage that “one affects the other”.
Speaking and singing use the same respira-
tor (breathing), larynx (phonation), resona-
tor (tone), and articulators (pronunciation).
Even the physical functions are essentially the
same. In singing, vowel sounds are extended
and consonants have a longer duration than
speech. A normal speech rate is much faster
than that used in singing. Speak the first
phrase of the Star Spangled Banner, and then
sing it. If you had timed it you would have
noticed the singing takes about twice the time
as speaking.
Speaking also uses a limited range of
pitches. This range does not extend past a
perfect fifth. A singer schooled in contem-
porary vocal techniques is required to use an
octave and a fifth. On the other hand, singers
who sing in the classical tradition would be
required to use at least two octaves. As you can
see pitch level in singing is much higher than
that used for speech. This is why I am work-
ing on the young singer’s higher range and
am very concerned about the unusually low
speaking voice.
Good speech habits are a necessity for
good singing. Speech therapists work on the
basic principles of posture, breathing, and dic-
tion. They teach these same singing principles
while working with their clients getting them
to speak at a comfortable pitch level.
When talking with other voice teachers
and speech therapists, two terms keep popping
up: habitual pitch level and optimal pitch
level. Habitual pitch level is the general pitch
area which a person uses in everyday conver-
sation; optimal pitch level is the pitch area
where a person finds the best quality of tone
with efficiency. Most speech therapists and
voice teachers agree that the habit of speaking
above or below one’s optimal speaking pitch
level will result in vocal damage.
Some of the results can be listed as nod-
ules, hoarseness, fatigue and various other
vocal malfunctions. One of the therapists I
have assisted actually feels that “speaking with
too low of a speaking pitch is the number one
misuse of the voice”. Speaking with too low of
a pitch is flirting with vocal disaster.
To find your habitual speaking pitch, try
pronouncing a few syllables using a vowel and
a consonant. Maybe try tah, tay, tee, toh, and
too. Try this a couple of times and then stop
on one of these sounds and hold the pitch.
Now match the pitch on a keyboard. This note
is the center of your habitual pitch area. You
probably move this pitch up or down one or
possibly two whole steps throughout the day.
To find your optimal pitch keep in mind
that there is no agreement as to the best way
to determine this. Following are some basic
guidelines. When you find it, the optimal
pitch area sounds better than the other
choices. Boy that really helps doesn’t it. Please
keep in mind that optimal pitch area refers
to an area of your voice not a specified pitch.
Also, vocal problems can sometimes conceal
your optimal pitch. So always work on freeing
up unwanted vocal tensions.
As you try to find this optimal pitch area
speak a sentence on each pitch of an ascend-
ing or descending scale. When a good vocal
sounds jumps out at you that will be the start
of your optimal pitch area. The pitch will flex
up and down a bit. It is an area not a pitch.
After working to find your optimal pitch
area you will discover a voice that sounds
great, has more power, and endurance. It is
important to find this voice and use it. It will
make you a great communicator.
Speech therapists point to four faults
related to pitch. Speaking with too high a
pitch level, speaking too low, speaking in a
restricted range (monotone), and speaking in
a stereotyped pitch pattern. When the speech
level is too high a person sounds small, thin
and immature. When the speech level is too
low a person sounds gravelly and robotic. The
pitch and dynamic level may be so low that
clarity of speech disappears, and you can’t be
understood.
It is my personal observation that when
girls go off to college they will sometimes
develop an extremely high, squeaky, childlike,
annoying voice. I don’t know why that is, it
is just an observation. One girl that I know is
now twenty-seven years old and has been in
the workplace for five years, and her speech
still has not come down to anything close to
a normal level. Folks, I am talking extremely
high here!
11
If you find your voice is too high you must
work to develop a lower, deeper-feeling sound
that you can feel in your upper chest. You
might try to imitate the sound of a nineteen
seventies disc jockey. Keep in mind deeper,
rounder, richer. Go easy and let the voice find
a lower place.
If your voice is too low try to feel vocal
sound in your head, nasal cavities, and the
front of your mouth. Use humming exercises
to feel these vibrations, higher and forward in
your face. Once again, remember it is an area
of pitches not a specific pitch.
The young singer and I are working on all
of these higher pitch exercises at every lesson.
It is a slow process but we are seeing some
improvement. Apparently this young lady has
picked up a tonal model and adopted a wrong
pitch level and is not aware that she did so.
Surprisingly her mother speaks at a nice pitch
and her younger sister speaks higher that the
voice student. It is an interesting case study.
Now you make the call, speak up or speak
down. Now go sing well! I mean, go speak
well!
Roger Beale is one of the nation’s
foremost vocal coaches. He presently
works with professional
singers in all areas of
musical performance.
His teaching and
coaching facility, The
Voice House, is involved
in the management
and care of the professional voice. Many
of his students have won prestigious
vocal competitions and scholarships. In
addition, he has worked with Grammy
and Dove award winners and nominees.
He also offers vocal clinics and seminars,
as well as assistance in recording
sessions. Roger is founder and host of
the Christian Singers Workshop (www.
christiansingersworkshop.com), dedicated
to the teaching of contemporary and
commercial vocal techniques. Roger can
be contacted at: The Voice House, PO Box
87136, College Park, GA 30337, (404)
822-5097, e-mail: voicehouse@mindspring.
com, web site: www.thevoicehouse.com.
 It is Well

A few months ago I made a youtube to the ‘minimum movement principal’ which Have you seen John’s free
video describing all the custom features of makes the movement from chord to chord ‘Praise Guitar Lessons’
my new ‘John Standefer Signature Model’ very smooth and easy once you get used to online yet? Go to CCLI TV
Bertoncini guitar. At the end of the video I them. and start the weekly lessons
needed to play something to demonstrate the And… if you haven’t been to my website today. And make sure to look
sound. The tune that came to mind was ‘It Is lately, do a little investigating at www. over John’s calendar at www.
Well With My Soul’. I had recorded a really johnstandefer.com and be sure to sign up for praiseguitar.com to find an
pretty duet version of the song on my latest my new monthly e-newsletters, which each event near you where you can hear him live.
CD, ‘Guitar Café’ a year ago and had been contain a free video tip, a deal of the month,
recently working on more of a solo version an ‘Ask John’ forum, etc. Thanks, and enjoy
of the song for concerts. I went ahead and ‘It Is Well With My Soul’.
played a verse of what I had developed so far
to end up the youtube clip. To
my surprise, the song arrange-
ment made almost as big of a
splash as the guitar design. I got
several emails wanting to know
where folks could find the TAB
for ‘It Is Well’. That spurred me
on to finish a nice solo arrange-
ment, TAB it out in the computer
and offer it as a TAB download at
the website. For this issue of CM
I thought I’d give you a similar
styled accompaniment version of
the piece.
More modern chordal har-
monies and the fingerpicking
style give this arrangement a sort
of folk/bossa style that is really
quite compelling to play and
to listen to. Hopefully you’ll be
able to use these features to draw
folks into worship with this fresh
arrangement of a great standard
hymn.
I’ve written this one out in
my ‘picture-perfect’ TAB format
so you can see the left hand
fingerings I use to play these
chords. A classical player will
want to shoot me for using my
thumb to create the bass notes
here and there, but try these
specific fingerings for awhile and
see what you think. They are a
bit unorthodox but they adhere
12
 Chris Tomlin
and Collings Guitars

Chris Tomlin and his 1999 Collings OM 42 SB

Serious Guitars | www.CollingsGuitars.com | (1) -


roduct eview
The
Amazing
Flaxwood
Liekki
290-T
by Michael Hodge
When I first heard about Flaxwood, I was
really intrigued. A Finnish company that makes
high-end guitars?... Cool. A guitar with no dead
spots and perfectly consistent tone?... Sweet.
I decided to do a little research before
the guitar showed up. I Google’d Flaxwood,
& found some videos on YouTube of
their guitars and was really looking
forward to the review. So you
might ask, “Please explain.
What is “Flaxwood”? Flax-
wood is actually the name of
the material that these guitars
are made of. Their goal was to
create an “almost perfect” tone
wood with the properties of the
most expensive and best sounding
exotic woods.
Wood by nature is amazing in
how it vibrates and is wonderful
for making instruments. The
beauty and challenge with
wood is that every single
piece is slightly different.
No two guitars ever sound
or behave the exactly
the same. This is largely
because of the actual in-
dividual grain patterns
and knots in the wood.
Knots can make for “dead
spots” on the neck where
certain notes don’t ring out
well. “Flaxwood” is a wood
based tone material made primar-
ily of Spruce wood particles with a
proprietary “acoustically sensitive binding
agent” mixed in. The necks, bodies and back
plates are all made by a high tech injection-
molding technology. These days all big guitar
makers are using manufacturing techniques
involving computer assisted designs (CAD)
and machines. The Flaxwood company has
really taken high tech to the next level.
Now to the guitars:
There are currently about 8
models to choose from with a
variety of pickup choices, dif-
ferent humbuckers, lipsticks,
or combos & finishes with or
without a tremolo. They also
build custom guitars to order.
The Liekki model (Finnish for
flame) is a fine instrument with
high-end hardware.
I will say the neck on this guitar
is amazing and can inspire some fire
filled playing. It’s got a flawless fret
job like you would expect from a
very expensive custom shop guitar.
This is a big deal when you’re in the
moment and reach for that “big”
note in your “little” solo, only to
have it fret out and quack like a
duck. How about when you have
your clean delays set just right and
that buzzing note jumps out with
every delay. Yikes! Fortunately you
won’t have that issue with this
guitar. The intonation is excellent
as well.
The case is a nice lightweight
molded black hard shell type. At
first sight the guitar itself is beauti-
ful. The workmanship and set up
are good to go right out of the box.
The body is a hollow arch top de-
sign with a nice F hole on the front
like a 335. The back of the guitar
has an innovative
resonator-style
back plate made
of flaxwood. This
also gives the
guitar more sustain
and volume when
played acoustically.
It comes equipped
with a Schaller
LP Tremolo
or a hardtail
Gotoh 510UB
(model
290-H) and
Elixir 10-
46 strings.
The Liekki
290-T has
a Seymour
Duncan
SP90-1 Vintage
Soapbar pickup in
the bridge position and
an SP90-1RwRP in the bridge
position. Standard on the Liekki is a custom
Tune-X tuning system nut made of a self-lubri-
cating hi-tech material. Again the intonation
is spot on.
The Liekki features a master volume
control and two individual tone controls and a
strat style 3-way selector switch.
The tuners are Gotoh model SG360
14
HAPM. I have to LOL here. I broke a high E
string and couldn’t figure out how to get the
little piece out of the tuner or get another
string in. Three of my friends and I poured
over the instruction sheet & were still con-
fused. I remember thinking that it must be “re-
ally” simple to cause this much trouble. Later I
went to the Flaxwood site and watched one of
the instructional videos. These Gotoh locking
tuners were too easy. You just put the string
in & start cranking away. They lock automati-
cally! How cool is that! I highly recommend
you check the video out.
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=IfudI2d_TPY&feature=player_embed-
ded
The Seymour P-90s give the Liekki a vin-
tage Les Paul vibe. I’ve had a couple Les Pauls
and my biggest frustration was intonation.
Fortunately this guitar is killer! The body felt a
little small at first but I quickly got used to it.
The weight (7 pounds) and balance are nice.
The shape of the body is very friendly for sit-
ting or standing. The Kulta gold finish is truly
beautiful as well.
This is actually a hollow body guitar by
design. Because of that resonating back plate
on the guitar there is a lot of sustain! I plugged
into a variety of amps, a Top Hat Royal, a 62
Fender Deluxe & a Vox AC30 and they were all
happy with this guitar. Pedals liked it as well.
I was digging the classic P-90’s tone in every
amp. It rocked in the bridge position, had the
sweet vintage Les Paul thing in the middle
position & in the neck position. The P-90’s
have a warm sound with some nice high end.
If you are a soloing kind of guy, you are going
to love this guitar! There is of course a little
vintage noise that all single coils have. Clean
into the amp it sounds fantastic. It’s got that
vintage “chimey” bridge and sweet middle po-
sition with very a cool vintage neck position.
In summary, the tone is woody and expensive
sounding.
The Flaxwood Liekki 290-T is a versatile
guitar that plays & sounds amazing… and it
won’t ever be affected by humidity! This is
great guitar, sturdy enough for the road and
tonally rich for the studio. Plus you won’t find
a better playing neck anywhere. If you are
looking for a unique high-end guitar, check
out Flaxwood’s website & find a store near you
to play one. This guitar WILL surprise you!
Current MSRP is $3,242 / MAP is $2,199;
the hardtail version MSRP is $2,919 / MAP
$1,979. www.flaxwood.com
Specs are as follows:
• Scale: 25.5”
• Radius: 12”
• Frets: medium jumbo
• Measurements: 1st Fret: 43.5mm /
20.5mm; 12th Fret: 52.5mm / 23mm
• Nut: Tune-X tuning system (Flaxwood
exclusive)
• Bridge: Tremolo – Schaller LP
• Pickups: Bridge: Seymour Duncan SP90-1
Vintage Soapbar; Neck: Seymour Duncan
SP-90-1 RwRp Vintage Soapbar
©2010 PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc, All Rights Reserved. StudioLive and Capture are trademarks of
P reSonus’ new StudioLive™ 24.4.2
PreSonus. Weather in Baton Rouge during preparation of this ad: occasional thunderstorms and 86.
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secondary mixer in larger facilities).
Besides adding more channels,
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with 4-band, fully-parametric EQ and
pro-featured gate with Key Filter and
Key Listen, gave you 10 aux mixes and
upped the 31-band EQ count to four —
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Then we added something that had
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Among the many
happy things in my life
are my new Westone ES3X
in-ear monitors. Other
than playing at church
with our Aviom system
and conventional foam
inserted in-ears, I have al-
ways been a wedge guy. Actually, in the early
years, none of us used monitors of any kind.
We just sang as loud as we could and hoped
for the best, as I’m sure many of you did.
Of late, I’m not hoping for the best. I
have the best. From the first time I inserted
the Westones and locked them in place, I was
in a whole new world. I was like a kid with
my first bike! I didn’t know I could have such
incredible isolation and full spectrum sound.
I am also in the process of acquiring an
Audio-Technica wireless system so I can use
my “ears” wherever I play. I will be hearing
everything and saving my hearing at the same
time.
When You Hear Well
You Play Well
You can’t play well with other people
unless you can hear them. On stage, where
the volume can get out of hand, you may find
yourself looking at the drummer’s kick pedal
It’s All in the Hearing
When You Hear Well
You Live Well
In Isaiah 55:3 we read “Incline your ear,
and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall
live; and I will make an everlasting covenant
with you—the sure mercies of David.”
Just as we can get distracted when we play
by not hearing well, we can also be distracted
in life, not hearing well from the worries of
the moment, insecurities, and the like. The
goal is to hear from God, to live well and in
His will and purpose for our lives. Hearing
God is the first step to that. The hope is that
hearing leads to understanding, then under-
standing to obedience. “Hear and your soul
shall live.” We have to live to experience life
the way God intended it.
Another thing to look at is what “the sure
mercies of David” are that are promised to us
in Isaiah 55:3 when we incline our ear and
hear? These mercies – part of the everlasting
covenant – are eternally faithful loving-kind-
nesses. All this from hearing. It’s foundation-
al. It’s the beginning step to so many good
things. Things that are essential for living
both naturally and spiritually.
When You Hear Well
You Finish Well
Starting is only the beginning. How many
had hair back then! I thought, “Finish well?
I’m nowhere near finishing” – at least I hoped
not. After I got over the initial shock, feeling a
strong urge to go to the doctor’s for check-up,
I thought, “Wow, that was a beautiful thing
she said.” And for that to come to pass in my
life I knew I would have to continue to hear
and do…”hear and your soul shall live.”
My prayer for each of you and myself
is that by God’s grace and by hearing and
believing we will all live our lives display-
ing the qualities that speak to finishing well.
Whether it’s that small but important task at
hand or the grand finale of life on this earth,
let’s be hearers and doers. When we are finally
swallowed by eternal life, let’s enter heaven as
those who heard well to finish well, living ev-
ery day to its ordained completion in Christ.
You Live It.
Now Wear It.
LOVE ONE WOMAN... MANY BASSES

just to be sure you are in the groove. Looking
helps, but hearing is essential. When a singer
sings part of the verse, chorus, or bridge lyric
to cue the band, you need to hear that cue
to be able to go there. Although we follow
charts, we want to accommodate freedom as
well. And, as you know, playing in the mo-
ment is where the wonderful is.
Another area critical to hearing is know-
ing when to lay back and when to step out.
When you are hearing the whole band, you
can get into the zone easier, which makes
way for great playing and not stepping on
your band in the process. Most train wrecks
happen when musicians can’t hear well; the
mental distraction that comes from it takes
you totally out of the band and into a very
uncomfortable place.
Being completely honest, I have to say
that there is a unique joy that comes from
wonderfully mixed wedges and hearing the
overall sound from the room. But, as wonder-
ful as that can be, it’s also dependent on many
factors, most of which are out of your control.
unfinished projects do you have going on?
Whether it’s a song, a task around the house,
a ministry responsibility or the BIG finish of
life, hearing will help you complete well the
things that you start.
First of all, you need faith. Romans 10:17
says, “So then faith comes by HEARING, and
hearing by the word of God.” You have to
believe in your heart that you can do it, what-
ever the “it” is. Can you do it? Philippians
4:13 says yes! “I can do ALL THINGS through STICK WITH MANY DRUMS
ONE WOMAN...
Christ that strengthens me.” Remember –
faith to believe this starts with hearing.
Next, you need to be confident that if you
do your part, God will do His. In Philippians
1:6b we read, “He who has begun a good
work in you will complete it until the day of
Jesus Christ.” Again we see that hearing God’s
word leads to believing and believing leads to Retail Orders Welcome
completion.
I remember probably fifteen years ago, I 253.445.1973
was at a concert in Fort Lauderdale, and the
Find it at
Pastor’s wife looked at me at the end of the
evening and said, “You will finish well.” I still
www.musiciansthreads.com
16
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 current guitars sound.
roduct eview The O-Port sup-
presses feedback

O-Port? O-Boy… too and offers

by Bruce Adolph
I was at the Wintergrass Festival (a well
known bluegrass festival in Bellevue, WA) and
I bumped into Brian Vance from Planet Waves
(a sister company to D’Addario Guitar Strings).
He asked me if I had seen the O-Port yet and I
answered (probably just like you are thinking
now), “What is an O-Port?”
An O-Port is a passive audio device
designed to enhance the performance of an
acoustic guitar. What do you mean by device?
Quite simply it is an oval ring made of pliable
plastic that pops into your soundhole. It looks
like some kind of reverse baffle but what it
does is quite interesting. It will give your guitar
a fuller sound, better clarity, more volume and
it suppresses feedback!
You’ve got to be kidding me? On the O-
Port packaging is a colorful graph that displays
how the tonal frequencies are both boosted
and enhanced when you insert the O-Port.
OK, there is the scientific evidence but the
proof is in the pudding. I took two identical
model Voyage Air
guitars. I loosened
the strings on one,
bent the flexible
O-Port and placed
it in the guitar. After installation you just see
a little ring around the edge of your sound-
hole; 95% of the O-Port is not visible after you
insert it. Just line up the O-Port’s cut out edge
with the end of your fingerboard and retune
your guitar. I played the guitar with out the
enhancement and then picked up the guitar
with the installed unit. It really was noticeable.
There was a boost in bass, I could hear highs
more distinctly and the overall volume was
louder.
At this point I was a believer. I took a
$400.00 Samick acoustic guitar and placed the
O-Port in it. Wow – it did it again. It really does
add some juice to your sound. And it is just a
matter of popping it into the soundhole. This
is quite an answer to a person who may want a
new guitar because they need more from their
your acoustic-
electric guitar
a fuller sound
with more a
stronger signal
going to your
pick-up system.
This should work for most guitars, inex-
pensive or high-end. The only exception may
be those guitars’ which have a very heavy
internal bracing. But even those may be helped
by the O-Port at least as far as the feedback sup-
pressing goes.
This is a winner and at the $29.95 list price
how can you go wrong here? There are two
sizes of O-Ports to fit in two common sizes of
soundholes (Small: 3.375” - 3.5” Large: 3.875”
- 4”). They come in black or ivory. Measure
your soundhole first and head out to your
local music store to buy one. It just might save
you from spending a lot of money on another
guitar when all your current guitar really
needed was a little boost. Or in this case… a lot
of boost.
www.planetwaves.com/oport

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18
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TRAIN. MENTOR. INSPIRE.
A few years ago we interviewed David Ellefson
and heard about how he had left Megadeth and
started a local worship ministry called Megalife.
As that new venture was maturing and David was
spending his time in other music related pursuits, a
call came in from an unexpected source. That led
to a chain reaction that has spiritual significance
as well as a musical resurgence. But let’s let
David tell the story...

CM: Last time we interviewed

you, the MEGA Life! Worship
ministry was doing its thing
in your home church in
Phoenix. Can you let us into
your thought process when
the opportunity to rejoin
Megadeth came around and
what where some of the
deciding factors?
DE: In my eight years away from
Megadeth, I seized the moment to
branch out into many new artistic
opportunities, all of which really
helped me grow as an artist, a
musician and as a person. Initially,
I got calls to tour with some big
rock and roll artists, but first and
foremost, I really wanted to have
time at home with my wife and
two children, and I knew that
wouldn’t happen if I was on the
road for someone else all the
time. I feared waking up one
day and finding my kids
were off to college, I’d be
50 years old, and would
have missed their whole
childhood.

20
 So instead, I put together several
rock bands, played on a bunch
of different records, and did
Artist Relations work for Peavey
Electronics Corporation, all based
out of my home in Arizona.
Another thing I really wanted to do
in my time away from Megadeth
was develop music as it tied into
my Christian walk. I had co-written
a few tunes that ended up on the
CCLI registry. “I’m Free” was the
first I wrote with a Praise leader,
Jonathan Foster, from my former
home church of Scottsdale Family
Church back in 1999.
A few years later, my family
took up membership at Shepherd
of the Desert Lutheran Church in
Scottsdale and my children went to
school there for their Pre-K through
elementary years. I was raised
Lutheran, so I still had my “rite of
passage” back to the congregation
with my confirmation card from
when I was a teenager (Ha!). During
this time I was asked to become an
Elder, and shortly thereafter, our
new Pastor Jon Bjorgaard asked if
I would help create a new Worship
service with him, which he wanted
to call MEGA Life!, based on John
10:10.
photos by Kaley Nelson
This was a huge time of growth
for me. As the worship leader
and co-founder of the MEGA
Life! Ministries, I held a part-time
position with the church and that
enabled me to participate in the
weekly staff Bible studies. Those
studies groomed me in huge ways.
They gave me the chance to ask
questions to the clergy as I read
and studied the Word. I had just
finished my Bachelor’s degree in
marketing around this time and
began to read the Bible cover to
cover anyway, something I had
never done before.
So, fast-forward to February of
2010, when the call came to me to
re-join Megadeth. Some Christians
and church folk may ask “How can
you go back to Megadeth after
being a worship leader?” A fair
question, indeed!
So here is what I came to. I
had been in Megadeth as a co-
founding member since I was 18
years old. I grew up there and had
been given a good life as a result.
I got sober in 1990, at 25 years of
age, and that brought me back to a
renewed Christian walk that I had
as a kid growing up in the Lutheran
21
church. So there I was, all those
years playing in Megadeth but
being groomed spiritually behind
the scenes.
When Megadeth disbanded in
2002, I intuitively knew God was
doing for me (and probably all of
us!) what I couldn’t do for myself,
which was to pull me out of a day-
to-day life on the road in a band
as I had known it, so that I could
experience some new facets of life.
One of those facets was my faith
and how music would become part
of that development with Christ. I
truly believe that it was God’s time
to move me, and seemingly all of
us, off the Megadeth campus and
into some new opportunities of
growth, something that probably
wouldn’t have happened if the
band kept rolling.
But, as on the one hand, I saw
God’s hand on the wheel, I was also
scared as I hadn’t done anything
other than be in a rock band
for my entire adult life up to that
point. As a result, there were legal
disputes during the disbanding,
which were very negative, and
damaged relationships between
certain members of the group. I
quickly learned my errors as I read
passages like 1 Corinthians 6, and
was able to clear those matters
with scriptural help a couple years
later.
So, I clearly see the invitation
to return back to Megadeth as
God’s timing, not mine. I view it
as a way to finally clear the past
once and for all, to mend fences
and show the world that even a
messy situation like a rock and roll
band’s demise could be made right
through Christ. I also see that in
many ways, my return to the band
probably has more to do with

what my faith should be, which is
forgiveness and glorifying Jesus
in all that I do, even if that means
going outside the church (and my
own hometown ministry) to make
things right during this particular
season of my life. It’s a chance to
be on a different stage and to be
serving while doing it.
Through this process, I came to the
realization that being a “worship
leader” doesn’t just have to happen
on a church stage Sunday morning
while playing Christian songs for
people who may already believe in
Jesus. It can, and should, happen
in all that we do, no matter where
and with whom we do it. That is the
‘Great Commission.’ I’ve also come
to realize that all things created in
this world are done so by the Lord
in and through us, that we are just
vessels for His creativity anyway.
So we don’t have to be afraid of
the mainstream music setting. Even
on a rock and roll stage, God can
still be present if we bring Him
there with us.
Now, while we don’t stand
on the Megadeth stage and
preach the Gospel every
night as part of our show, we
do pray for the Holy Spirit
to flow and reveal Himself
through us and our music
in a way that may reach
people who may never set
foot in a church or know the
freedom of a Christian life.
To see us set right by God
can be a good example of
a different way of life. To
me, it’s about attraction and
not promotion, because I
know that’s what hooked me.
Christianity looked appealing
to me through my interests,
that of music. So maybe, just
maybe, we can be a portal
to Christ in some way. As it
was said, “Preach the Gospel
always, sometimes you may
even have to use words!”
While I wouldn’t consider
Megadeth to be a “Christian
band,” we are a band made
up of Christians. While we
don’t write and sing Christian
songs, some of us do spend
time in prayer, the Living
Word, and find creative
ways to either attend church
on the road or take advantage of
media ministries like Joyce Meyer,
delivered to us on our laptops while
we travel. To me, that is a band of
Christians!
Ironically, the MEGA Life!
Ministries is also undergoing a
major growth spurt right now. For
me, I see a vehicle like Megadeth
being closely linked in effect to the
MEGA Life! Ministries. In fact, one
wouldn’t exist without the other at
this point. It’s all a matter of how
we use our gifts to glorify God.
Looking back over these past few
months, I’m amazed at how the
Lord has mended fences, restored
natural order, and through it all
brought others forward to serve for
His kingdom.
Now more than ever, I find it
crucial to be anchored into my
home church and fellowship, to
whom I am accountable. This
year I’ve transitioned out of being
the primary MEGA Life! worship
leader, now that I’m on the road a
lot. However, this has helped with
22
a spirit of rotation in our ministry,
as I was able to bring in a friend of
mine to be the music leader now. I
think that is crucial at churches to
not hog the service commitments
and allow others to have those
opportunities, too. I don’t want to
be the ‘rock star’ in church!
I am still on the Elder board, I remain
active in the ministry, and this new
job transition back to Megadeth is
presenting new opportunities for me
to serve in other ways besides just
musically. For me, that is part of my
maturity in that I can now be active
in other sides of ministry besides
just musically. Most importantly, I
have an opportunity to make the
Christian walk be attractive to many
outside the church, something that
the anchor of MEGA Life! is looking
to provide with online portals like
its website, Facebook page, etc.
Social media is starting to be huge
for Christians to find fellowship.
CM: Wow, it is really
something to see what is in
play here. I know you say
you don’t preach the gospel
from the stage every night but
in New York last week, you
did tell the crowd that you
are a Christian. How do you
approach that announcement
in that type of setting?
DE: Being open about your
faith will put responsibility and
accountability on you. But, in many
ways that is good for us believers,
to really “walk the walk,” not just
“talk the talk.”
Christianity wasn’t very popular
in mainstream music when I was
a kid because of the witch burning
approach that so many churches
used against the sinners. I don’t
run around and bash people over
the head with a Bible, because I
remember people trying to do that
to me years ago and I just rebelled
against them. To me, performing
and emitting true joy from the
stage and in all that I do is the best
example of my Christian beliefs.
Show them, don’t tell them!
I’ve said for many years that I’ve
always been a Christian musician,
even though I don’t always play
Christian music. I think it’s okay
to live in the world and enjoy the
activities and fun things God has
From all of us at PRS Guitars,
thank you for your support.

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Fireflight • Ben Kasica/Korey Cooper, Skillet • Mac Powell/Mark Lee, Third Day • Noah Henson, Pillar •
Pete Prevost, Sanctus Real • Jonathan Steingard, Hawk Nelson • Barry Graul/Mike Scheuchzer, Mercy Me
• Jeremy Holderfield, Seventh Day Slumber • Tim Rosenau, TobyMac • Tim Skipper, House of Heroes • Jeff
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James Mead/Nick DePartee, Kutless • Anthony Armstrong, RED • Justin York, Steven Curtiss Chapman •
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© 2010 PRS Guitars photo of Jason Lee © Jannis Lootens Photographic | www.jannislootens.nl

placed here for us to partake in,
so long as our convictions aren’t
compromised in the process. I view
it as being ‘in the world, but not
of the world,’ and not conforming
to the world’s benchmarks, as
expressed in Romans 12:2.
CM: Right on. I do see that
when you play. Switching
gears a bit, what is your
current set-up equipment
wise for this tour?
DE: The main thrust of my return
back to Megadeth was embarking
on the 20th Anniversary “Rust In
Peace” tour, which celebrated
one of our landmark ‘fan-favorite’
albums released in 1990. I really
wanted to display the look and the
sound of that era all the way down
to the instruments, amps, even the
stage set and certain clothing. So,
after trying many bass and amp
options, I settled on the Jackson
Concert basses (four and five
string versions) and the new Hartke
amps and cabs (LH1000 heads
& HyDrive 810 cabinets), which
were the brands I used in back in
the original “Rust In Peace” era.
I have a new signature set
of SIT Strings (David Ellefson
POWERWOUND Nickel Bass) and
still use .80 Jim Dunlop Tortex picks
and Shure wireless systems. My
only effect pedal is a Digitech stereo
chorus for a couple solo moments in
the show. We use in-ear monitoring
with Sennheiser transmitters and
Shure vocal microphones. Other
than that, my signal is really simple
and straightforward. I like to know
24
that if there were a problem onstage
I could plug my bass straight into
the amp or direct box with a cable
and the show would go on.
Looking back on it, it’s kind of funny
how our Thrash era of music has
actually made musical instrument
and amplifier manufacturers finally
design products to the standards
we created years ago. The genre’s
influence has been huge on so
many young players. Plus, Guitar
Hero and Rock Band games have
introduced our music to a whole
new generation who will inevitably
be tomorrow’s musicians. For a
movement that started out so young,
loud and angry, we actually made
some valuable contributions to the
world after all!
CM: What is the next step
for Megadeth? Are you and
Dave writing new songs for
an album? If so, to what
extent will your beliefs/world
views inform this record?
DE: We are writing and cataloging
new ideas while we tour. The
process is usually just that; get
the creative headspace open and
let ideas flow. It isn’t usually until
the band get in the studio with
the producer that songs really
cement themselves together into
compositions. So for now, we are
enjoying a creative camaraderie
together while we travel, which is
a fun thing for us to do in the hours
before a show.
As far as future lyrical messages,
I’m not sure Megadeth will ever be
a band blatantly singing songs of
praise to Jesus, nor should it. It’s
okay to sing songs about various
topics outside of just your faith.
However, it is very evident to all
of us that God has done some
huge things in our personal and
professional lives this year and that
our current success is to His glory.
It’s humanly and mathematically
impossible to go from where we
were last year to where we are
now, and I think that’s the point of
grace – to have gratitude for an
underserved gift.
For more information about MEGA
Life! Ministries, see their website at
www.megalifeaz.org.
�������������������������������� ��������������������������

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 selective hearing
Waterdeep
In the Middle of It
Squint
Entertainment
Lori and Don Chaffer
continue to expand their
musical palettes with In
the Middle of It, a grand
experiment of pop-rock genre hopping mixed
with introspective lyrics about redemption and
the moral fallibility of humankind. Family is a
central theme (the Chaffers recently moved to
Nashville to spend more time at home rais-
ing their children) and the duo seems to draw
wisdom from their own time growing up, even
if the lessons are what to avoid as a parent.
“Gimme My Walkman” features this heartbreak-
ing line amidst a sprightly chorus: “Gimme My
Walkman Mom / I need it bad / That way I don’t
have to listen to the fights you have with dad.”
The musical lyrical dichotomy echoes the ups
and downs of family life, even as the joyful mu-
sic of the disc appears to be a metaphor for the
joys of parenthood and watching one’s children
grow.
The jammier aspects of early Waterdeep
continue to dissipate on the new disc, as Lori ac-
cesses her inner Karen O (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
on “Couple Cheap Rings,” while Don meshes his
love for acts like Van Morrison and Neil Young
with modern production tricks on “Haven’t You
Always” and “Only One Time,” while embrac-
ing his musical past fully on the jaunty folk
shuffle of the title cut. Lori really shines on the
weary, resigned “Difference Between,” while
the comforting “Easy Baby” features the couple
in tandem giving reassurance to their children
that there is a light amidst all the darkness of
the world. There is a depth and creativity to
Waterdeep’s music that escapes most market-
driven Christian acts these days. One listen to
the diverse backdrops and insightful lyrics of In
the Middle of It should
convince you that this is
a record worth owning.
Live at the Beachland
Ballroom, 11/01/08
Glass Harp
Roots of American
Music
www.rootsofamericanmusic.org
www.glassharp.net
Speaking of albums that will appeal to aficio-
nados of great guitar playing, along comes this
special live album, culled from a show benefiting
the Roots of American Music Foundation, an
organization that helps find funding for music
education in schools across the country. Glass
Harp does not play all that often these days,
but when it does, it is an occasion to celebrate.
Guitarist Phil Keaggy is, of course, one of the
finest assailers of six strings that this country has
ever known. He is in fine form throughout the
album, as the band does several of their old clas-
by Shawn McLaughlin
sics, as well as a few Keaggy songs re-imagined
for the live trio. One thing that a live setting
does for Glass Harp is illuminate just how good
bassist/songwriter Dan Pecchio and drummer/
songwriter John Sferra are. Keaagy’s prowess is
well known (and, frankly, is highlighted on the
ten song set), but the inventive, muscular drum-
ming of Sferra and the pulsating, in-the-pocket-
bass groove of Pecchio are an essential ingredient
to the alchemy of the band’s music. Keaggy’s
funk/rock/folk “A Sign Came Through the Win-
dow” highlights each band member at his best,
as insistent bass lines, empathetic drum fills, and
Keaggy’s fluid-yet-fiery guitar work transcend the
boundaries of genre labels. The sixteen-minute
“Beachland Jam” is an impressive freestyle
improvisation in which many themes from past
Keaggy numbers are recycled in a hodgepodge
that allows each member to stretch out a bit,
but never varies from a central motif. The rest
of the album has just as many highlights and,
while not revealing anything new to fans of the
band or of Keaggy, certainly dispels any notion
that Glass Harp’s chops have diminished over
the years.
In Feast or Fallow
Sandra McCracken
Independent
www.newoldhymns.
com
If nothing else,
Sandra McCracken’s new
record, In Feast or Fallow,
is the most Christ-
focused, God honoring collection I’ve heard in
ages. In an era where modern worship is often
more about the worshiper than the worshiped,
it is refreshing to hear these modern hymns
(some reworked texts, some new compositions).
Ironically, they seem to come from a deeply
personal well of fear and questioning, yet point
to the perfect balm to combat self-tyranny: the
promises of Christ’s resurrection, the liberating
freedom of The Holy Spirit, and the comfort of
knowing a God who, while not safe, is very, very
good. Agriculture seems to be a “fertile” meta-
phor for much of the collection, as humanity all
but sprang from dust, and God is often seen as
the “Tree of Life.” The title track richly echoes
this theme, comparing life’s phases to a crop
rotation, pointing out that sometimes, the seeds
for our greatest growth are germinated in barren
times. Producer Derek Webb is the husband of
McCracken, and that sacred tie can be felt in
the synergy between artist and producer. Webb’s
song treatments are experimental, utilizing
many of the tricks he employed on his electronic
masterpiece, Stockholm Syndrome, but in a much
more organic manner. Combined with the
earthy, acoustic tones and naturalistic melodi-
cism of McCracken, the result is a veritable feast
of kaleidoscopic pop and infectious tunefulness.
Highlights include the Jeff Lynne-influenced
“Justice Will Roll Down,” adapted faithfully
26
from Amos 5:24; the tender hymn of parental
expectation, “Hidden Place;” the title track,
featuring the astonishing vocals of Thad Cockrell
(think Vince Gill with a lump of fervency in his
throat) and Webb; and the early Beatles-inspired
“Faith’s Review and Expectation,” which revives
the original verses and title of the church’s most
recognized hymn. While hymns have experi-
enced a renaissance of sorts in this decade, the
unfortunate stench of profiteering has rendered
much of the output mawkish and awash in
self-promotion. McCracken represents a light in
the darkness for the modern hymn movement,
along with small but dedicated collectives like
Red Mountain, Sojourn, Indelible Grace, Sov-
ereign Grace and BiFrost Arts – all of whom are
dedicated to making hymns relevant to today’s
generation. In Feast or Fallow and McCracken’s
first hymns record, The Builder and the Architect,
represent the very best this movement has to
offer: accessible, artistically conceived songs that
offer the ultimate answer to questions that have
plagued humanity since its fall.
Burning Like the
Midnight Sun
The Choir
Galaxy 21 Records
www.thechoir.net
I will be a bit more
impressionistic with
this review than normal
because I have a million thoughts running
through my head after listening to The Choir’s
first release in nearly five years. The band has
been around for almost thirty years now (formed
in ‘82, first record in ‘84), and if they had broken
in on a mainstream label, it undoubtedly would
have been the 4AD label out of England. So
much of their music has that murky, ambi-
ent texture that filled the 4AD roster, which
included bands like The Cocteau Twins and
Durutti Column, as well as the commercially
successful Modern English. What makes The
Choir transcend these bands is their determina-
tion to fit these experimental urges within a pop
song structure, giving listeners a real treat with
eminently listenable songs that have substance.
In so doing, they remind one of the wonderful
Australian band, The Church (“Under the Milky
Way”), whose guitarists Marty Willson-Piper
and Peter Koppes are an obvious influence on
Choir git-slinger Derri Daugherty. With “Burning
Like the Midnight Sun,” The Choir continues
to create deeply personal music with a distinct,
original sound. Each of the members is at the
top of his game musically, and I especially like
hearing more of Dan Michael’s saxophone.
Lyrically, The Choir continues to present issues
of faith and relationships in a way that is not
preachy or candy-coated, but rooted in real life.
In fact, this album is particularly self-referential,
with no fewer than six songs written either to a
band member, family member or about a friend.
The exquisitely beautiful “A Friend So Kind” is a
tribute to the life of recently departed musician,
Tom Howard, a valuable mentor and sounding
board for a whole community of musicians, in-
cluding The Choir. The warmth toward Howard
is especially poignant in the humorous lyric,
“You’ll be smoking fine cigars at the table of
The Lord.” “Mr. Chandler” is the re-telling of an
incident that happened at the expense of bassist,
Tim Chandler, while the band was touring in
its earlier days. Oddly, the melodic line in the
chorus where Daugherty sings “Mr. Chandler,
Mr. Chandler,” sounds like it is going to evolve
into the chorus of the Lost Dogs classic, “Elea-
nor, It’s Raining Now.” The song “Legend of
Old Man Byrd” is the ironically titled tribute to
the youngest member of the band, Marc Byrd,
written for his 40th birthday. The lyric, “Forever
strumming his maple black guitar” references
a guitar that drummer/lyricist Steve Hindalong
gave him before he (Byrd) became a member of
the Choir. Another story from the band’s past is
the psychedelic ballad, “I’m Sorry I Laughed,”
in which the dancing dervish, (Buckeye) Dan
Michaels, playing his saxophone with his
usual enthusiasm, somehow fell hard onstage,
terminally bruising his precious ‘63 Selmer
Saxophone on which he’d learned to play. To his
credit, lyricist Hindalong gives this personal tale
universal meaning, as it serves as admonition for
the human tendency to delight at others’ mis-
fortune. Giving the track yet more of a feeling of
deja vu is Michaels’ saxophone solo that was ac-
tually lifted from the Chase the Kangaroo album
(an in-between songs blip). The gentle, moody
“Between Bare Trees” was a musical idea that
started as a stock pop song (quite reminiscent of
Crowded House’s “Better Be Home Soon”); then,
when Hindalong’s lyric required a slightly more
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somber mood, it was transformed into the pen-
sive, tone poem it became, albeit with a lovely
verse and chorus. “The Word Inside the Word,”
“Invisible,” and “It Should Have Been Obvious”
are all textbook examples of the type of fetching
hooks Daugherty writes with startling regularity,
and include some of Hindy’s most clever and
pointed prose. Daugherty and Byrd add brilliant,
yet dense shards of ambient color to give the
songs aural depth. With Burning Like the Midnight
Sun, Hindalong, Daugherty, Michaels, Chan-
dler and Byrd continue to create albums that,
while highly artistic, prove commercially viable,
providing a sonically satisfying experience that
carries wonderful layers of sound without losing
its center. The music is complex while remaining
undeniably human and organic. Let’s hope more
of the record buying public will begin to recog-
nize this great band for its commercial potential,
while we true believers continue to hail their
artistic genius and startling transparency.
Alive
Ed Kowalczyk
Soul Whisper Records
www.edkowalczyk.
com
For those not famil-
iar with the name Ed
Kowalczyk, just imagine
rock radio in the mid 90’s without the songs “
I Alone” or “Lightning Crashes,” the anthemic
uber-hits from Kowalczyk’s band, Live. Always
an act that played fast and loose with spiritual
imagery – a little Christian thought here.....some
buddhist leanings there.....their lead singer/song-
writer is much more explicit about his Christian
faith on “Alive” (see what he did there? A Live?).
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However, the thematic content is hardly explicit,
and alternates between Faith-based musings -
the album’s best track, the rousing, stadium blare
of “Grace,” “Drink (Everlasting Love),” and the
bluesy “Zion” - and the sticky- sweet romantic
sentiments of “In Your Light,” “Just In Time,”
and “Drive.” Kowalczyk has a way with impos-
sibly big choruses and arena rock arrangements,
but few of the songs here add anything new to
his modus operandi, instead often regressing
into cliched musical strokes and clumsy lyrical
metaphors like those in the album opening
“Drive” and “Drink (Everlasting Love)” . All this
to say that Alive will be nectar to the ears of
Daughtry and Kutless fans, but will probably be
dismissed by those that value a more creative
arc.
Wonder
Michael W. Smith
Reunion/Provident/
Sony
For those lamenting
the extended vacation of
“Smitty,” the pop-rock
alter-ego of current adult-
worship artist Michael W. Smith, Wonder will feel
like water to a dehydrated body. The first four
cuts of the disc are all full of inventive keyboard
patches and muscular guitar work, reminiscent
of early Smitty favorites like Big Picture and I
2 Eye. Pretty good for a guy well into his 50’s!
“Save Me From Myself” and “Take My Breath
Away” are rousing pop pleasers, while “Run to
You” and “I’ll Wait For You” are more textured,
mature slices of understated rock, influenced
by Smith’s working relationship with a certain
iconic Irish band. The latter, in particular, is
Enjo
y the
Sou
nd
Made in
U.S.A.
a wonderfully restrained piece of guitar-rock own life, but with a redemptive twist at the end. of Jars’ last few releases. Predictable collabora-
featuring lyrics, spit out in almost Dylan-ish Smith sings with lump-in-the-throat vulner- tors like Mac Powell, Sara Groves, and Brandon
fashion, while the tune’s spare leanings methodi- ability as he brings to life the process of crying Heath are joined by less recognizable talents like
cally build from verse to chorus to the point of out to God in a last ditch attempt to make Mike Gungor and Thad Cockrell, as well as new
a cold stop (nice fake-out, Michael!), followed some sense of a confusing existence. Despite a artist, Audrey Assad. However, the band must be
by the sudden re-entry of a full gospel choir preponderance of lumbering ballads in the disc’s credited with never pandering to the talents of
and squealing Hammond organ. This is quickly last third, the project is packed with more sure- the guests, instead integrating them seamlessly
followed by the recitative-like waltz of “Forever fire radio hits than Smith has produced in eons into the fabric of the music. Powell is used to
Yours,” a lovely musical piece that relates the and, in this case, that is not a bad thing. Those great advantage on the sparkling acoustic num-
moment when Smith knew that he would spend cuts are genuinely solid songs and seem to come ber “Eyes Wide Open,” which also features the
the rest of his life with his wife Debbie. The title honestly, with little calculation toward mar- inimitable Derek Webb on the type of folk-pop
cut is another full-tilt rocker that combines the ket concerns. This is a huge relief after several number that represents his early work to near
pop instincts of “Lamu” with the experimental releases that seemed more about shifting units perfection. Assad’s stirring harmony vocal helps
sonics of “Wired for Sound” from the Big Picture than furthering his artistic reach. With Wonder, propel the “world” accented title cut, while “Out
album. The subject matter of Wonder is more Smith proves that “Smitty” still has PLENTY of of My Hands” represents a perfect melding of
introspective than Smith has been in years, with gas left in the tank, while expanding his musi- accessible arrangement with a genuinely catchy
personal reflections on fallibility apart from God: cal vocabulary in ways that are both musically melody. Leigh Nash and Mike Donehey (Tenth
If my scars could speak pleasing and artful. Avenue North) are prominently featured in the
They would say that grace is my only hope almost fugue-like vocal arrangement, their re-
Grace is showing me the way to where The Shelter spective vocal tones complimenting Dan Hasel-
All my shadows disappear and healing waits for Jars of Clay tine and Steve Mason perfectly as they weave in
me (“Run to You”) Grey Matters/ and out of the intricate counter melodies and
His lyrics also speak to his belief in the Provident/Sony harmonic couplets. This example of sharing
ultimate healing power of love, reflected in the Despite a long list gifts and working in tandem to create a whole
project’s title and these lyrics: of guest collaborators, greater than the sum of its parts is a perfect
You’re everything I can’t explain. Jars of Clay sounds metaphor for the unification of the church body
You set my heart on fire. particularly focused on (or family) that the boys so painstakingly seek
And here I stand amazed. their new long-player, The Shelter, a project that to convey. To their credit, Jars of Clay have the
You take my breath away (“Take My Breath blends the sonic exploration of their Long Fall compositional talents and musical breadth to
Away”). From Earth and Good Monster albums with the create one of the most consis-
Smith’s vocals take a pronounced leap feeling of community that pervades their hymn tently creative and interesting
forward on the album as well. As a singer, I’ve collection, Redemption Songs. Owing a debt worship projects you’re likely
always considered Smith to be a very good to “event” albums like City On a Hill or Glory to hear on a major market
keyboard player, but he shows increased strength Revealed, the record combines the gifts of the release.
as an interpreter throughout Wonder. Nowhere artists assembled into a wonderfully unified and

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worship songs that hint at the messages of com- working dedicated, tireless
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 Move
Third Day
Essential/Provident/Sony
Continuing the theme of consolidating
the strengths of past work, Third Day releases
its latest opus, Move, an assimilation of the
band’s southern roots (best represented by their
debut and Time), the more rocking dynamics of
Wire, Revolution, and Conspiracy #5, and the
pop-worship moves of the Offerings projects or
Wherever You Are. Lyrically, Third Day alter-
nates between straight up worship declarations
and songs that exhort and instruct. Highlights
in the former camp include: “Children of God,”
a surefire single if ever there was one; “Trust In
Jesus,” which marries a thoughtful and inventive
arrangement with trite worship sentiment; and
“Sound of Your Voice,” another congregational
pleaser that features a lovely guitar figure and
vocal harmonies from Christy Nockels. It is the
forays into rock and gospel territory that truly
provide the musical movement reflected in
the album’s title, however. The album opener
“Lift Up Your Face” is a rocker that marries the
heavier production tricks of Revelation with an
insistent, minor key hook and the killer vocal
chops of The Blind Boys of Alabama, while the
next track, “Make Your Move,” features heavy
bass and the type of punk-meets-southern blues
riffs that you’d hear on a Black Keys record. “Sur-
render” and “Gone” mix excellent choruses with
some serious southern rock swagger, resulting in
the most consistently propulsive moments on
the record. With apologies to former guitarist
Brad Avery, his departure might be the best thing
that has happened to Third Day as it has al-
lowed Mark Lee and his heavily roots and blues
influenced axe work to become central to the
band’s sound, giving the group’s last two records
a rawness that benefits a more rural sound.
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Ask Joe
by Joe Riggio
Q
The pickguard on my
1967 Guild D40 acoustic
guitar is starting to lift from
the top. Should I remove it
and replace it with a new one?
In this particular case, the pickguard is
A
only lifting slightly from the
guitar and would be better left
on and having the lifting areas
re-glued. The issue with older gui-
tars like this, and vintage Martins in particu-
lar, is that the original method of manufac-
ture was to glue the pickguard to bare wood,
then apply the guitars finish over the entire
guitar. Years later, when the pickguard begins
to shrink and warp, it is very common to see
corners and edges lift from the body. If you
choose to remove it, you are both taking the
risk of damaging the soft wood below and
Joe Riggio is a professional
guitar repairman/technician
and recording engineer, based
in Tacoma, WA. He owns
and operates “Service Guitar
Repair” and “House Of
Sound Recording Studio” He has a deep love and
knowledge of vintage guitars, as well as modern
and loves to share his passion with others. He
can be contacted at ServiceGuitarRepair@gmail.
com, website: www.ServiceGuitarRepair.com
disrupting the originality of a vintage guitar’s
finish. The latter breaking cardinal rule #1, in
the world of vintage guitars.
There are more extreme cases where the
pickguard is so severely warped that the only
solution is to remove it and replace it with
a new one. This should be performed by a
professional repairman, to minimize the risk
of damage.
What strings should I use to play in
“drop” tunings?
Q
This is becoming a more and
more common question from
customers of my shop. String
manufactures are offering all sorts
of string sets, designed to use with this kind
A
of tuning and it can be a confus-
ing task to decipher the set, best
suited for your needs.
Let me start by defining that
the modern drop tuning usually refers to a
standard tuning relationship, but with the
low string tuned down a whole step flat.
30
Traditionally, drop “D” tuning refers to both
“E” strings tuned, or “dropped” a whole step
flat. (try this one and pick out the riff to the
Doobie Bros. classic: “Black Water”). I have
customers using everything from drop “D”
to drop “A”, and beyond. The letter name
is referring to the actual pitch of the low, or
“dropped” string. Ex: drop “C” would look
like this (low to high):C-G-C-F-A-D.
The best way to keep the tension proper is
to use a specific guitar, to be set-up and used
exclusively for a particular tuning. My general
rule of thumb is to adjust the string gauge,
one set away from your usual preferred gauge,
for each half step you are tuning down to.
Did I lose you? Sorry, I’ll again clarify. Let’s
say that you’re using a standard set of 10’s
at regular pitch. If you are tuning down, one
half-step (for drop “C#”), I suggest that you
use a set of 11’s, to achieve the same tension
and feel that you’re used to. Remember to
make an even larger jump up, in string gauge,
for the low string, which is being tuned
down an extra step. If you can’t find a set to
suit your liking, some string manufacturers
will make custom sets, through their dealers,
with no cost mark-up. Feel free to contact me
about this.
It’s very important to have the guitar
set-up properly, when using heavy strings and
low tunings to achieve acceptable playing
action and good intonation. Taking the extra
time and effort to do this right will pay off
with an instrument that is fun to play and
one that plays in tune.
You’ve been searching
for an overdrive
that’s unique,
not like all the rest...
It’s time to feel
the Open Road.

www.visualsound.net

Even the Quiet is
by Bob Waller
RED is a band that hones in on every
minute detail when it comes to their brand
of incredibly heavy rock, and their unique
imagery.
Bassist Randy Armstrong explains, “I
think that has to do with us branding what
that word ‘RED’ means to us. In our music
people get different meanings from different
songs, as we intended. Our song “Never Be
The Same” talks about the first time we fell
in love with Christ. Others may relate that to
the first time they fell in love, or something
like that.
“With our live show, we want people to
come and have an experience. When they
leave the show we want them to have that
RED logo burned into their minds, and one
thing we want them to remember is that the
band looked and sounded amazing and that
will help us stay at the forefront of people’s
minds and help us move to the next level
through the years.”
Twin brother and guitarist, Anthony
Armstrong adds, “Every little thing has to be
in place.”
Yes, the Armstrong brothers are identi-
cal twins. They have taken to announcing
as much during their live shows just to stem
the never-ending questions about the topic
during meet and greet sessions. Being twins
actually enhances the stage imagery.
Anthony comments, “Our manager calls
us the ‘pillars’. But what is cool about it is our
latest record The Innocence and the Instinct, has
a theme of black and white, and our stage lit-
erally goes from white to black. On my side, I
am wearing all white and Randy
is wearing all black and people
still are just so confused. They
see us and think…’they look
RED
alike, but are they brothers or what?’”
Grammy nominated, multi-time Dove
Award winners, including most recently for
Rock Album of the Year at the 2010 Dove
awards, breaking sales records on Christian
music charts, and climbing high on main-
stream charts, RED has achieved quite a bit
with their first two recordings. Along with
singer Michael Barnes and drummer Joe Rick-
ard, the Armstrong brothers see more growth
ahead.
“We’ve got a ways to go,” says Randy.
“We’re only on our second record and we
learn a lot from the bands we tour with. We
pay a lot of attention to the way they run
their show, the way they run their backstage,
what their tour manager is doing. We are a
finely tuned machine…our stage crew can
strike the stage in two minutes can get us on
stage doing a sound check in fifteen minutes.
That whole way that we implant ourselves
has been important from the start.”
That caring about even the
smallest details carries over into
another facet of their career,
and that is dealing with fans,
including those who reach
out in need. “We have a lot
of kids come up and ask
questions like, how did
you guys get a record
deal?” Randy notes.
“I get a lot of
gear ques-
33
tions, and a lot of the ‘how do you get signed’
questions,” adds Anthony. “Most of the time
they come up and thank us and tell us that
our music helped them get through a tough
time in their life.”
“The majority of emails we get are just to
say thank you,” said Randy. “We got a suicide
note on our MySpace about a year ago and
that was tough to read. It was a kid who said
‘if someone doesn’t talk to me I am going to
kill myself’. We all just started emailing this
kid and he ended up coming to a show and
we hung out with him and talked to him and
told him, ‘we are no different than you are’.
“We tell people every night, don’t put us
up on a pedestal. You guys love what we do
and that is awesome, but to us when some-
body cheers for us we feel like we are encour-
aging them through our music and they are
getting something out of it and that is why
they are cheering. To have that happen on a
nightly basis is reason enough to do what we
do,” Randy continued. “Sometimes when you
are out here, you start asking yourself if you
are really making a difference…but when that
one kid comes up and says ‘you guys saved
my life’ you know it is worth it!”
“It is a big responsibility,” notes Antho-
ny. “We kind of get numb on the road after
awhile and we ask ourselves if what we are
doing on the road is having the effect we set
out for?”
“I don’t know why it is that
people who are in stressful situa-
tions go to guys in bands, or to
movie stars for help.” said
Randy. “I don’t know
RED
what it is, but that is the way it is.”
But Anthony remembers the brothers
actually doing the same thing. “We did it.
Growing up, we wanted to do this because
we were inspired by other bands, but what
inspired us was that they could speak to us
and we could understand them.
We understood their music,” Anthony
continued, “understood what they were say-
ing, more than we ever could understand at
church, or could understand from our pastor
talking to us, or our youth group leader.
When you get there to a show you kind of
lose yourself in the music and it’s all fun and
games with the live show and everything, but
when that part of it gets inside of you that is
when you start dissecting the band and trying
to understand what their lyrics are about and
that is the biggest thing a lot of kids get into.
“They see your live show and they love
that we are energetic and after that, that seed
is planted and that is when the ministry kicks
in for us because we get to answer all these
really cool questions. And they are questions
that we welcome.”
Touring can often take a toll on most
bands. RED is no exception. “Often haven’t
seen our families,” comments Anthony. “I
missed my three year anniversary. I missed a
few pretty important things on this tour. It’s
hard, man, it really is. We’d be lying to say
we’ve got it all figured out and that it’s easy.
We always look at it like a marathon.”
While it may be a marathon, that mara-
thon does have a purpose. Randy indicates,
“the marathon to me is commitment, heavy
commitment.”
Anthony points out, “I think we’re trying
to prove something to ourselves as artists and
we’re trying to prove something in higher
places as men of faith too. We’re trying to live
up to our obligations and just be obedient for
the most part. Every day is a different day.
Some days can be great and some days can
be troubles but all of us on the bus try to pull
together and get through it.”
Few bands have seen the trouble on the
road that RED has. In November of 2007,
their van and attached equipment trailer
crashed on an Interstate highway into un-
marked construction, destroying the van,
trailer and nearly all of the contents.
“The paramedics were telling us that they
had seen wrecks that were nowhere near as
bad as ours, and there were no survivors,”
said Randy. “Minus some injuries and bumps
and bruises, there was no reason we should
have walked away from that accident.”
He believes it was a wake up call. “God
wanted us to know that he could take it away
from us anytime He wants to, so we’ve got to
live every day to the best that we can and do
what we can every day to the best of our abil-
ity because tomorrow it could be gone.”
Anthony has some thoughts on this. “We
never really looked at it as a punishment
whatsoever. It was an eye opening experience.
Something like that, a near-death eye open-
34
ing experience is far and beyond anything
else. The paramedics showed up and said
‘where are the dead bodies?’ But we all made
it out.”
Randy’s eyes begin to get slightly teary
when he speaks of the accident. “Every time
we get asked (about the accident) I get choked
up. I was the guy that was driving. I don’t
know that I would be the same person today
if someone was dead because I would blame
myself and I don’t know if I could live with
that. Luckily I don’t have to live with it. My
brother was in the front seat and if I had lost
my brother…..” he tails off.
The accident certainly tested them. “We
still have cases out with us on the road that
are daily reminders,” said Randy.
“We don’t want to replace them,” com-
ments Anthony, “because we see those cases
and they are so chewed up and barely stand-
ing, but every time we see them we get those
flashes in our head…the imagery of what we
saw that day.”
“It’s like us, as individuals in the
band,” notes Randy, “and that is how we feel
some days. We’re beat up and we’re struggling
and we miss home, or we’re sick, and we’re
like a road case, replacing the rivets here and
there to get through it.”
RED’s ultra-heavy sound has shaped their
first two recordings. What is the difference
between the first two albums?
“I think the difference is that we’ve
Continued on page 44.
 ™

ntroducing...

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 The Thunder Has No Voice
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’Til Kissed By Fire

Old Indian Proverb

H E L I X
Helix HD’s HyperElliptical Winding process allows an increased number of wraps across the length of the string
without altering it’s diameter. More mass, tone & life eclipsing all others.
deanmarkley.com  e  800 800 1008
String Bending Part 2 Roger is a member of the
Audio and Praise teams
at Freedom Life Church in
Welcome Back, We have been look- Keaggy. All three of these players have Kissimmee Fl. Endorses Greg
ing at expanding our vocabulary with great control when bending notes, give Bennett Design Guitars by
string bending. Last time we covered them a listen and hear it for yourself. Samick , G&L Guitars, BBE
single string bends by half and whole Next time we will cover Blues and Sound and PedalTrain Pedal Boards. Is an award
steps (tones), occasionally you may Country style bends. Play well and winning guitarist from the “Songwriter Showcase
play pushing the string over one and a GOD Bless, Roger out. of America”. For music, videos and more surf
half steps however your strings could to www.rogerzimish.com, email: rogerzimish@
break under the pressure of the bend. yahoo.com
Let’s take a look at some classic rock
style bends, we will be playing them
out of the A pentatonic minor scale
starting at the 5th fret (exp.1). The first
bend (exp.2) is a single string bend
and will be done with your 3rd finger;
you can add your 1st and 2nd finger to
the same string behind it for support,
push the string with all 3 fingers; your
thumb should be on the top edge of
the neck to help with your grip. Bend
the note a whole step up D to E and
hold the bend up letting the note
sustain. Next make your bend up then
back down this is called “bend and
release” while the note is sounding.
The next set (exp.3) will consist of 2
notes. Pick both notes at the same time
using a down stroke while the notes
are sounding bend up a whole step
with your 3rd and 2nd finger for support
while keeping your 1st finger in place
on the next string. Bend the note up
till the pitch is the same as the higher
string. Our next set (exp.4) is a group
of ascending unison bends moving up
the neck, then descending back down.
The grandfather of classic rock bends
(exp.5) your 1st finger will cover the E
and B strings, the 3rd finger will bend
the G string a whole step. Start using a
down stroke, bend the note then play
the next 2 strings together.
Some guitar players that have influ-
enced me in this technique are David
Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Phil
37
Slash Chords G G7/F | C/E D | C D/A D/F# | G |
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Have you ever seen the chord D/F#, I’m sure you have. Basically Now let’s modify the progression giving us a chromatic descending
it’s a D major chord with an F# in the bass, in other words, the F#, the bass line.
3rd of the chord, is voiced as the lowest note. As a guitar player or a
keyboard providing 100% of the accompaniment you would play the D G D/F# G7/F | C/E Cmin/Eb | G/D A7/C# | Amin/C D/F# G |
chord with F# as the lowest voice. However, if there is a bass player in / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
the group, it’s his job to play the F# and the others might not have to,
it’s a matter of taste. Some of the chords were changed, inspired by the bass line, but we
are still within the 4 bars.
The slash chord also lets us know that the bass player is supposed
to be playing something different from the rest of us. So if he plays The point of all this is to always consider the bass line. The next
the F# while we are all playing a D we’re not all freaking out. While time that you write out a chart or write a song ask yourself “How can
we are on the subject of playing within a group, sometimes it’s best for the bass add new colors to the progression?” It will usually spark your
keyboard and guitar players to voice their chords so they’re not sound- creativity, inspire new chords and progressions. This can step your
ing the lower end of their instrument. This leaves a greater harmonic writing up a notch, you’ll be please with the result.
distance from the bass players and we can be assured we are not mask-
ing their sound and the bass note can really be heard. Until next time, may God bless your work.
Rich
Slash chords can add new life to tried chord progressions. Play this
progression Rich has a 6 CD audio program for learning, hearing
and memorizing music theory called “Theory For The
G | C D | C D | G | Road” which can be found at www.GuitarCollege.com.
Now let’s use slash chords, giving us a new bass line It explains everything in detail and includes audio music
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / illustrations on keyboard and guitar, and ear training.

G G/B | C D | C/E D/F# | G |

Hear how the bass leads up to the tonic note
of G?
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
This is much more dramatic and interesting.

Slash chords don’t always have the 3rd in the

bass. Here’s a progression using a pedal tone of
“D.” Pedal tone meaning, one consistent tone
ringing throughout the chord progression.

G/D | C/D D | C/D D | G |
Hear how this progression creates tension,
anticipating
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
the note “G” then finally resolving to G

Here’s another progression giving us a descend-

ing bass line. Notice how the bass becomes more
present and colors the chords in a new way

38
Turning a Mistake
By Bryan Duncan
I was looking left while turning right
one balmy summer Monday night about
a month ago. On my motorcycle, I hit the
curb on a sharper right turn than I had ex-
pected. And at forty miles per hour, I got
a free flying lesson off the on ramp of the
freeway. Thrown forty feet into a ravine, I
did a triple back flip with a twist, stick-
ing the landing on my head.  My friends
gave me a “7” on the dismount!  Until
then I was riding carefully, and I had my
little dog Shuggs on the back; she was in a
harness and unharmed. We were filming
some road clips for a music/video promo
for my biker humor book Hogwash. This
highlight was missed on camera, probably
a godsend, in that these were circum-
stances I would never live down.
The bottom line is that little moment
of distraction cost me more than any
video project I ever did, with the possible
exception of one. Just the short bus ride
was more than the budget! Medical ex-
penses as a precautionary checkup came
to 6K. All I had was some road rash on my
left arm and an incredibly disfigured sense
of professional pride; there was no charge
for that repair. But, being unconscious
for, I don’t know, a nanosecond, gave
cause for further review of my condition.
That, and paramedics found me weeping
over “Jezebel,” my Heritage Softail Harley
Davidson, in my bloodied condition. She
took some 5K in damages herself.
I spent the next five hours in an ER,
strapped to a backboard and a neck brace
(against my will, of course). “The only
pain I feel is coming from the jokes I’m
hearing in the waiting room,” I com-
plained, speaking of my friends in Black
Sheep Harley Davidsons For Christ who
arrived within minutes of hearing. It’s
amazing that a single Twitter post can fire
a shot heard round the world these days.
But the aftermath of a mistake is slow
in taking shape, and so too is finding
a way to pray about it. We’ve all heard
about “learning from our mistakes,” but
here I’m talking about “turning a mis-
take.” God causes all the things to work
for good when we are called to his good
purpose, to paraphrase Scripture. Learning
can be seen as simple notes on paper ap-
plied to memory. But maybe God is say-
ing something more about mistakes. He is
wash book cover with its “when pigs fly”
artwork, making it a “guerilla marketing”
billboard to be seen everyday where ever
I go, with the memory of the redemp-
tion story that comes with it. This was
something I had prayed about before, but
not surprised by future events. He can still given up on a year ago as too expensive.
draw a straight line with a crooked stick Now, because of an accident it had to be
as a theologian friend of mine, Anthony done anyway. It shall always be to me a
Campolo, likes to say. reminder of transformation as a direct
This little story is probably the least result of a mistake.
of my mistakes I could share. I know If change must come, let us be for-
you have your own, beyond embarrass- ward thinking in our circumstances, see-
ing “falls.” If you have any time in faith ing “What was meant for our destruction,
at all, you know yourself in God’s eyes. God has now purposed for our good” (an-
You know why you need Jesus in the first other rough application of Genesis 50:19-
place. I follow Jesus because he brings 20). I can’t tell you how that works in
beauty from ashes. I follow him not just your disasters, but I am sure that redemp-
for the education but for the transforma- tion and restoration are possible, not just
tion! Taking our bricks and turning them in the surface paint of our proclamations,
into three point shots! but born of a victorious heart instilled in
I read somewhere that some of the us by the Savior of our attitudes as well.
best inventions known to man were
discovered accidently in mishaps. I don’t Bryan Duncan... CCM
artist for thirty years. With
know why “Corn Flakes” comes to mind
the Sweet Comfort Band,
first, but someone forgot to clean out a then solo and now with the
mixing bowl and the residue created a Nehosoul band. Owner of
new product all by itself. That’s the short Red Road Records and Host
version. Google it if you’re really that of Radio Rehab at  www.
interested. Some of the coolest chords radiorehab.com inducted into
I’ve discovered in music have been my the Christian music Hall of Fame in 2007.
ineptness at playing a
three chord ditty, my
thumb falling on the
wrong key. You know
Quality Comfort Style
that surprise, right?
Wow, that has a cool
sound to it. And sud-
denly you’ve started a
whole new song from
an accidental discov-
ery!
That’s not only
learning from a
mistake, but turning
a mistake into a tri-
umph (or in my case
a new Harley David-
son)! In the insurance
coverage, Jezebel will
be born again. But my
mistake came with
a deductible I had
to pay as well. And
by that, I was given
the opportunity to
make a tax deductible
investment in promo-
LONG 1131 W. Main St.
Franklin, TN 37064
tion. To repaint the HOLLOW 1-800-545-1181
bike in a custom color
layout of the Hog- LEATHER www.longhollowleather.com
39
Indie No Spin Zone
More Indie Tips
by Keith Mohr
In my last column, I shared ways I use social
networking to influence people and get them to
engage me. During the day, I post what I call “Indie
Tips,” which are short thoughts, words of encour-
agement, or challenges for Christian musicians,
artists and songwriters. The tips are topics and
issues I think about as I work on my mission, and I
figure if I am going through them, others are prob-
ably going through them as well. Here are a few of
my Indie Tips, with some scriptures that are sure to
challenge you, as they have challenged me.
HEART
INDIETIP: God wants your heart, not your
art. How is your heart? Art is subjective to people,
but God sees our heart just as it is.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O
God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they will see God.
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near to God with
a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty
conscience and having our bodies washed with
pure water
ART
INDIETIP: Be great at what you do! Practice,
practice, practice! Seek constant and never ending
improvement.
2 Chronicles 34:12 The men did the work
faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath
and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and
Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Ko-
hath. The Levites—all who were skilled in playing
musical instruments
2 Chronicles 34 & Psalm 33:3 Sing to him a
new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
ADVANCEMENT
INDIETIP: Your big break comes when you
are broken of yourself. As you decrease, He will in-
crease and through doing this, He will open doors
of opportunity that you have humbly knocked on.
Psalm 51:16-17 (NIV) You do not delight
in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take
pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a bro-
ken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:16-17 (MB) Going through the
motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance
is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship when my pride was
shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a
moment escape God’s notice.
HUMILITY
INDIETIP: The most important talent one can
possess is humility. Humility unlocks creativity!
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider
others better than yourselves.
CALLING
INDIETIP: We are called to one thing and
that is to be a disciple of Christ. Everything else is
a desire. In my opinion, we sling around the word
“calling” to validate our desire. A calling sounds
more “serious” and official. Desires are wonderful!
God wants to give us the desires of our heart.
Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord,
then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling
you have received.
WORKS AND FAITH
INDIETIP: Works and faith are a great tag
team! One without the other is dead. I say 100%
work plus 100% faith equals 200% success or in-
crease. Anything less is 100% mediocrity. We must
create the momentum through obedience. We roll
the stone, He raises the dead! We gather the jugs
and He makes wine. We get out of the boat and
keep our eyes on Him.
James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if
a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can
such faith save him?
James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if
it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:22 You see that his faith and his
actions were working together, and his faith was
made complete by what he did.
FOOLISHNESS
INDIETIP: The foolish try to figure out the
path of least resistance. The path of least resistance
is often the most. Impatience, unbridled desire,
unrealistic expectations and pride cause us to do
foolish things. FOCUS!!! Define what it is you want
to do and then focus on that mission.
Proverbs 8:5 You who are simple, gain pru-
dence; you who are foolish, gain understanding.
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
INDIETIP: Doors do not open unless we first
knock on them.
Don’t expect the door to fly open if you just
walk up to the door and stare at the knob. You
must ask, seek and knock, and probably more than
once. God may not open the door right away. He
may not open the door at all. Do not make an
idol out of your dreams and desires. Keep Christ in
the center of your life. When you put your desires
ahead of your relationship with God, expect hard-
ship and frustration because of the misappropria-
tion of priorities.
Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10 Ask and it will
be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you. For everyone who
asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, the door will be opened.
Jeremiah 16:19 O LORD, my strength and
my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you
the nations will come from the ends of the earth
and say, “Our fathers possessed nothing but false
gods, worthless idols that did them no good.”
RUN THE RACE
INDIETIP: Those who run the race have the
opportunity to get the prize, but those who sit and
40
wait are waiters. We must continue on and push
through.
Repetition that is greater than resistance equals
definition.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know
that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets
the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Ev-
eryone who competes in the games goes into strict
training. They do it to get a crown that will not last;
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Romans 5:3-4 Not only so, but we also rejoice
in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope.
TRUST
INDIETIP: There are situations and circum-
stances that we will not be able to figure out, that
won’t make sense, that will cause us great concern.
Lean on these scriptures, and by all means, con-
tinue to create momentum so He will make your
paths straight. Fear is temporary atheism. God
always comes through if we trust in Him.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my
shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My
heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in
song.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all
your heart and lean not on your own understand-
ing; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will
make your paths straight
BELIEVE
INDIETIP: If you believe in your mission,
regardless of what it may be, God will reward you!
Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached
out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,”
he said, “why did you doubt?”
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impos-
sible to please God, because anyone who comes to
him must believe that he exists and that he rewards
those who earnestly seek him.
Keep up the excellent faith-work!
Keith Mohr
Keith is founder/presi-
dent of Indieheaven, an
organization for indepen-
dent Christian musicians,
song writers and artists.
For more info, visit: www.
indieheaven.com. Keith
is the founder of Indie
University, an education
resource. Visit: www.indieuniversity.com.
Follow Keith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/
keithmohr, Facebook: www.facebook.com/
keithmohr, and www.facebook.com/indie-
heaven
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Rewind
by Jim Oas
Leslie Phillips
(aka Sam Phillips)
Leslie Phillips burst onto the Christian
music scene in 1983 – only to leave just as
abruptly in 1987. During those four years she
left an indelible mark on the music indus-
try that she came to disdain. Her music was
punchy, bright, with poignant lyrics tackling
tough issues, many based on her own teen
years. Born in East Hollywood in 1962 and
raised with two other siblings in Glendale,
CA, she was home-grown for the early ‘80s
Christian music market, which was at that
time based out of Southern California before
its exodus to Nashville. Leslie was and is very
talented, an “all American” kind of singer/
songwriter/musician. Oh yeah, and I forgot to
mention – she was not hard on the eyes!
Leslie’s musical career began in the early
1980s singing background vocals for artists
The G7TH Nashville Capo
designed for accuracy & speed
www.G7th.com
In Pursuit of Excellence
such as Randy Stonehill and Mark Heard.
It wasn’t long before she was noticed and
signed to a solo contract with Myrrh Records
at age 18; she stayed with Myrrh for the
entirety of her Christian music career. By the
time she began working on her fourth album,
The Turning, she had met and teamed up with
producer/musician (and future husband) T-
Bone Burnett. Leslie was selling over 200,000
records per release. She graced the cover of
the Contemporary Christian Festival Program
(issued by CCM) in 1983 and in May 1987,
she graced the cover of CCM magazine. She
toured the country playing festivals, church-
es, coffeehouses, and was on fire.
Myrrh Records tried to promote Leslie
as the Christian Cyndi Lauper. Leslie was
uncomfortable with this stereotype, and it
The Capo Company
42
 final episode of season six, performing the
song “Taking Pictures.”
Discography for Leslie Phillips
Leslie Phillips
• Beyond Saturday Night (1983 Myrrh)
• Dancing with Danger (1984 Myrrh)
• Black and White in a Grey World (1985
Myrrh)
• The Turning (1987 Myrrh). Produced by
T-Bone Burnett and reissued at a later
date on CD, but credited to Sam Phillips.
• Recollection (1987 Myrrh) A “best of”
album.
Sam Phillips
• The Indescribable Wow (1989, Virgin
Records)
• Cruel Inventions (1991, Virgin Records)
• Martinis and Bikinis (1994, Virgin Re-
cords)
• Omnipop (It’s Only A Flesh Wound Lamb-
chop) (1996, Virgin Records)
caused division between her and the label. • Zero Zero Zero (1999, Virgin Records) A
That, couple with the unrealistic expecta- “best of” album.
tions placed on many artists by the music • Fan Dance (2001, Nonesuch Records)
industry, brought her to the precipice, where • A Boot and a Shoe (2004, Nonesuch Re-
she leaped – leaving Christian music and cords)
stretching out her secular wings, learning • Don’t Do Anything (2008, Nonesuch
to fly. Leslie’s nickname was ‘Sam,’ and she Record)
began using that name professionally in • Hypnotists in Paris (2009, Eden Bridge
1988 when she left Myrrh. The change Music) Download only EP. The 1st Long
was made partially to distance herself Play release.
from this marketing persona that had • Cold Dark Night (2009) Produced by Sam
been created, but also, it was who Phillips. Download-only EP. The second
she was. Leslie was not the only one Long Play release.
testing these waters; Kathy Troccoli, • Magic for Everybody (2010) Download-
Dion, and Russ Taff, to name a few only EP. The third Long Play release.
others, did the same, and every- • Old Tin Pan (2010) Download-only EP.
one had their own reasons. I still The fourth Long Play release.
remember Dion’s quote: “It’s OK to Although Sam Phillips has worked hard
crossover, as long as you take the to find a wider audience, that goal still
cross over.” eludes her. She and T-Bone are no longer
Her first release as Sam Phillips together, but her energy level is high and
was The Indescribable Wow, followed she is busy with new recording projects. Her
by the 1991 release of Cruel Inven- fan base is loyal, the critics still love her,
tions, which included a guest appear- and she has plenty of music inside of her. I
ance from a friend, Elvis Costello. Her recommend you go online and check out
1994 release, Martinis and Bikinis, was what she has to offer; you may become a
nominated for a Grammy Award and part of that fan base yourself.
lauded by critics. Sam also made her screen Until next time, “Second star to the
debut in Bruce Willis’ huge hit, Die Hard right and straight on ‘til morning.”
With a Vengeance, where she played a ter- Peter Pan, Capt. James T. Kirk and me
rorist. More albums were issued, but Virgin – James Oas <><
Records dropped Sam from their lineup in Email: oasj@embarqmail.com Photos
1999. In 2001, Sam signed with Nonesuch used courtesy of James Oas Photography
records and issued Fan Dance, which had
some great songwriting. She also began
writing for the television series Gilmore
Girls and appeared on screen during the
43
RED
RED (cont. page 34)
matured as writers,” Randy explains, “and I
think we are learning a lot from the bands
we’re touring with and you can see that in
our writing. We’re firm believers in whatever
is the best for us is what is going to make
the record, and we wrote with some amaz-
ing artists and writers for the second record
and I think it really translated into what we
got. The sound, I think is a little different but
it’s still RED with the heavy production and
strings and stuff like that, but for the most
part you just see and hear the maturity.”
“We had a chance from the first record
to see how our songs are affecting our fans,”
said Anthony, “and that helped us go in the
direction we are going and to see that it is
impacting them the way we wanted it to. See-
ing those reactions is inspiring us in different
ways too.”
The Armstrong brothers would not let us
know too much about the up and coming
third album, however we did get some com-
ments. “I think we’re going to stay in that
vein of more or less ‘epic/symphonic sound’,
noted Anthony. “Very definitely active rock. I
think the first records have been roller coast-
ers as far as sound, where you have a really
heavy riff song, and then a driving song,
and then a ballad, and then a really stripped
down version of a song that’s already on the
record. The new stuff we’re coming up with
right now is actually
pretty heavy.”
“One of the things
we’re really trying
to work on is differ-
ent beats,” said Randy.
Death of Me is one of the
first things we ever used
a swing beat on, so we’d
like to
maybe try to use a dance beat on a rock song
and put a RED signature on that.”
You can’t get an ultra-heavy sound with-
out the proper gear. Anthony extolled on his
elaborate setup. “I actually just recently built
a brand new rig. I started using the Rocktron
All Access MIDI controller. I got tired of doing
the ‘riverdance’ out front so I went all MIDI
and I’m using a lot of the Rocktron stuff.
It’s complicated but it’s kind of an orga-
nized chaos when it comes to my rig. It has
seventy-five cables in it.
“I’ve got the Rocktron Patchmate, Xpres-
sion rack mount effects, two MIDI controllers,
two HUSH units. I’ve also got many of the
new Rocktron stompboxes, the new Boutique
series. I’ve been so happy with everything
and love the way it sounds.
“I love the rawness you get from an amp,
but when you put a great pedal or a great
processed sound through, there is something
that just makes it that much cooler. I run two
amps and since we are a heavy band I stick
to the high gain stuff. I’ve got two Mesa dual
Rectifiers that run and they are both really
high gain. I also run a Marshall JCM 800 but
it’s the Black Label Society model, so it has
different sounds than a normal JCM. I actu-
ally put a Rocktron overdrive in front of it.”
Anthony has a habit of actually giving
each if his guitars a name. “My favorite one
is called Vegas, which is named after my dig.
I have thirteen guitars and I travel with ten.
Vegas,is a custom and one of the first guitars
the PRS ever did for me. For strings I use GHS
Boomers, 70’s and 56’s.”
Randy is heavy into the Peavey gear.
“I play Peavey everything. Peavey wireless,
Peavey guitars, Peavey amps, they have taken
really good care of me. I have GHS Coated
Boomer Bass strings on my Peavey bass. I like
the red strings against the black bass.
“As far as effects, I am pretty much a
straightforward bass player. I use an amp,
a volume pedal, and I’ve got the Rocktron
Austin Gold overdrive pedal and I actually
got that idea from Joelle from Thousand Foot
Krutch. I also have a HUSH Super C in my
rack that keeps things quiet, especially
in between tunes.”
Even the quiet is important
in RED’s quest to pay
attention to detail!
44
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46
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