AudioJive:
Can you pick out highlights from your band?
Dave: Sure. One of my favorites is John doing "Tequila". We've always been blessed with festive crowds and this song helps bring out the mania.
- Tequila (756k)
Dave: Another one I like is "Kiss Me." Even with a rough live recording you can hear Katherine's rich vocal over an agreeable groove.
- Kiss Me (1.4 MB)
AudioJive: If you don't charge
anything for gigs, where's the payoff?
Dave: In the fun. We've never charged. (Besides people expect a lot more when you do!) It's all about good friends, good cheer. And I receive a lot of inner wealth just from having music in my life. Peter Kreeft elucidates:
"Music is the natural language of love, more profound than words. We do not speak of love speeches, but of love songs. Song is not ornamented speech; speech is song made prosaic. God sang creation into being because God is love."
So, music is more than a bonus. And besides, it's rewarding just to get together with friends. I enjoy jammin' with Pete because our vocals are well-suited for harmonies.
- More Than Words (502k)
Actually, Pete covers an impressive range from high-energy rock to our acoustic coffee house gigs, which he has the perfect voice for. He hits it right on.
AudioJive: And you do lead vocals too?
Dave: Yeah, but I don't enjoy it as much as the harmony vocals. In fact, I'm more of an impersonator than a real singer. Here's my Mickey Dolenz (on Sudafed).
- I'm a Believer (561k)
Really my favorite contributions are the guitar solos for our dance bits. That's the most fun.
- Rock This Town (553k)
- I Saw Her Standing There (831k)
AudioJive: Having three different
singers must help the variety.
Dave: It's essential. We vary everything: singers, rhythms, style, time period, tempo, timbres, instruments, etc. Here's Katherine doing techno-something or other.
- Groove is in the Heart (748k)
(She was 7 months pregnant at that gig!) At one of the unplugged gigs you can hear her 3-year old son Thomas banging on a chair, trying to keep up with the drums—yet not quite succeeding. Bob's a terrific bass player, but he had give his all to keep the real beat. We got a good laugh.
AudioJive: This
was your first gig?
Dave: Yeah, we began very rough—and we've stayed that way! After meeting Pete in a design department we played an informal outdoor "semi-unplugged" concert after about two practices—you can tell! We had no vocal amps, but got a nice natural acoustic recording.
- When Will I Be Loved (1.4 MB)
AudioJive: Does your band
have anything special?
Dave: Yes, but no one knows what! Actually, I think one of our undervalued intangibles is that we keep everything upbeat, clean and edifying—even if people don't hear all the details of the lyrics they can gauge the spirit of the song, or event. Undiluted fun.
AudioJive: That must be challenging,
since there's not a lot of positive material around.
Dave: Without question it's the hardest part. We look for tunes that are enthusiastic, danceable, with good spirit and yet also fit our skill set. It's not easy, but there are gems out there. For example, a few years ago Mariah Carey put out this popular hit that directly encourages the power in relying on the Lord.
- Make it Happen (827k)
I'm fascinated how music can bypass the intellect and reach directly to your soul. C.S. Lewis has a famous quote: "In Heaven all that is not music is silence."
AudioJive: If that's true, then
why not have an all-Christian band?
Dave: Certainly God is primarily
experienced in worship, but He's also profoundly present wherever
we find ourselves surrendered to Him; whether we're in a band, at
the beach, or in front of a computer monitor.
[See Christian Humanism.]
I'm grateful for the group—may it serve well. Enjoy!
