Steering boats

Anybody can steer a ship in open water. It’s only when docks and shorelines loom that driving the boat becomes challenging. Parameters and boundaries inevitably change your reality.

Almost a year ago I had a haunting conversation with a Cross Point member who happens to be an exceptionally successful writer/producer. He asked a simple question, “Why isn’t there one church in Nashville (Music City USA) that has a voice in the world wide conversation on corporate worship?”

After months of dreaming and planning, today marks a huge step in finding that voice. Today 20 songwriters from multiple Cross Point campuses are picking up guitars and pens to write songs for our church! At first I thought through a list of rules for everyone to play by: Write corporate songs (easily singable), write in keys that guys and girls can both sing, write songs that are less than five minutes long, etc…

But, I’ve decided to throw all of the rules out the window. If the boat is easier to steer in open water then I want to wipe away all of the shorelines and every last dock to clear the way for  hearts and minds to dream up something great.  Many projects benefit from clear expectations and boundaries, but raw creativity can only be hindered by rules and regulations.

This creative gathering is gonna be a blast!

Ready for work?

Have you ever gone to work unprepared, or showed up to a meeting empty handed? I hate the feeling that I get when I know I’m not pulling my weight, but I know there will always be days when I just don’t have the time or space to get adequately prepared.

For church workers Sundays are “go time,” and it’s on Sundays when my preparedness or lack there of is most apparent. When I’m not properly prepared I retreat into default mode, and default mode is all about safety, fear, and survival.

When I’m in default mode I…

-Play the safe parts I know I can pull off, not the great parts that require a little bit of moxy.

-Lose sight of the main goal and let little things distract.

-Don’t listen (musically) to the rest of the team because I’m focused on myself.

-Try to cover too much ground and don’t trust the team to play their roles.

-And worst case scenario, I let a negative spirit affect the team’s ability to effectively lead worship.

So many things are outside of our control on a Sunday. Technical issues will happen, systematic problems will rear their heads, and things will never accidentally go smoothly. The one thing you can control is how prepared you are.

Preparedness:

-Covers a multitude of sins.

-Is the responsibility of anyone who wishes to lead.

-Gives us flexibility. Flexibility is crucial to navigate the unknowns.

-Minimizes surprises.

-Will require investment.

-Most importantly it breeds confidence. Confidence is engaging, and if we wish to engage people through worship or through a message we have to do it with confidence.

 

Guitar player round up

Last night I hosted a group of guys at Cross Point with the hopes of starting the dialogue about great guitar playing in church. I’m not talking about great finger tapping solos or great sweep arpeggios, but tasteful, truly artistic playing that benefits the ensemble that in turn benefits the entire worship experience.

We have musicians that span three or four decades, so it’s important to establish what the vision and goals are in very specific terms. My number one goal was to reinforce that the art of listening is always the most important part of playing great. You have to listen honestly to your parts and tones, and you have to listen to the guys you’re playing with to know when and how to play. My secondary goal was to define the foundation of getting great tone and playing great parts.

Almost a year ago I decided to direct a handful of instructional videos specifically for church musicians. Last night was the first time I’ve been able to use them. Here’s one of my bud DeeWeezy talking about where to start with setting your overdrive pedals.

I’m glad we started the conversation and I’m pumped to see all of my players further develop their gifts.

Sensitive guitar players

I’m a guitar player, so I think I’m allowed to admit this – guitar players tend to be a sensitive bunch. I can still remember the first time my church MD gave me constructive feedback. I was about 16, and like every good guitar player I thought I was hot stuff, so when he critiqued my playing I took it personally. All he said was “Hey, just because you’re holding the guitar doesn’t mean you have to play the whole time.”

His quick jab stung for a minute, but the musical wisdom behind his statement has stuck with me through the years. That moment helped shape purpose into my playing, and moved me in a specific musical direction.

If you play guitar (or any instrument) on a worship team, check your pride at the door and be teachable (I love working with teachable musicians). Understand your purpose. You’re there to make a contribution to the team that helps everyone in the room experience an undeniable encounter with a very real God.

Also, if you’re a worship leader or music director, be confident in your giftedness and leadership. Don’t be afraid to tell your players exactly what you need from them. Crystal clear communication is imperative to lead effectively. Know where you want to take your team (musically), and communicate how to get there.

Make sure you carve out time to lead your team offline (i.e. not always on Sunday mornings). Next Tuesday night I’m holding an electric guitar seminar for our worship team. I can’t wait to share my heart and experience with this great group of dudes. It’s gonna be one fun night!

If you had the chance to tell your church’s guitar player anything (and weren’t worried about hurting his feelings), what would you say?

Year one

It’s been 1 year since I officially started to work at Cross Point. It has been an amazing time of growth, struggle, joy, frustration, and elation. I thought I’d be nice to run through some of my favorite moments and highlights from the past 12 months. I’ll try to write these out chronologically.

– Revamped audition process. It was one of the first things I wanted to do when I started. We’ve grown the team in huge ways this year.

– I learned how to program strings. I’ve always dabbled in music production software, but this was my first chance to really try something new. I love getting to make accompanying tracks for the bands. (I use Cubase SX with Halion symphonic orchestra, in case any techies were curious)

– The 2010 Easter service. We played Chris Tomlin’s “Awakening” as our special. I first thought of doing that song on a long, cold morning run.

– The May Nashville flood. Some of my closest friends lost everything. Their endurance and faithfulness through the struggle was incredible to watch. It was also a “hinge” moment for Cross Point church and our community. I feel like we “grew up” in this moment.

– The Bellevue Campus launch. Right in the middle of our efforts to assist flood victims we still had to launch this campus. It was a big challenge to balance flood relief efforts while putting the finishing touches to the campus. It’s been great to see how God uses this campus and it’s people to impact the community.

– Something creative this way comes! In June Stephen Brewster joined the team. We haven’t been the same since. Not only is he a crazy creative thinker, he’s a snazzy dresser too.

– Catalyst conference. I loved the communicators, the bands, and the worship. I loved it all. Pretty killer conference.

– Blog beginnings. I actually decided at the Catalyst conference to get this thing off the ground.

– My first staff retreat. I’ve heard about these for years (My wife’s been on staff for 6 years), but it was my first chance to experience it. We stayed in a VERY nice cabin, tucked in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. It was a beautiful setting to learn and grow with the team.

– First ever writers night. We wanted to raise money for our missionary to the Dominica Republic, Jeff Rogers. He runs a killer organization Go Ministries. I was pumped to help plan an event that featured 16 of Cross Point’s premier songwriters. The night had a killer vibe and the place was buzzing with energy.

– First ever worship night. We invited people from all of our campuses and had a time of intense corporate worship. We had no clue what to expect, but we learned so much that night and can’t wait till the next one. We’re working to do this every 3 months.

– Songwriting. I picked up the pen and guitar and started writing again. It had been 2 years or so since I had even tried.

– Christmas Eve creative logistics. We were a little lean on music and production volunteers, so we had the idea to create a traveling team and programed services to start at staggering times so the team could travel to multiple campuses. It was wild, but we found a way for each campus to have a special Christmas experience.

– Downtown campus launch. We pulled this campus off in about a month. Once we found the venue we put it in 5th gear and crushed it. We were able to pull together the necessary resources to make church happen in some very creative ways. Now college students and young adults have a very special place to call home and a place to worship together.

I know that’s a long list, but it only begins to tell this year’s story. It really has been an incredible year. I love the people I work with and I love the work we do. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next 12 months.

Part 2 – I’m one of two guitar players…

Some of the greatest bands ever only had/have one guitar player. U2, VanHalen, Led Zeplin, Muse, The Who, Rush, Police, Queen, & Cream just to name a few. But, there’s something special about a band that finds a way for two great guitar players to work together (Guns n Roses, Aerosmith, The Beatles, Foo Fighters, AC/DC, Radiohead, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers).

It’s a good Sunday when I know I’ve got two solid guitar players serving at all of my campuses. But even when that’s the case it’s important that those two guitar players know how to work hand in hand. Nobody wants to hear dueling shredtastic finger-tapping harmony solos on Sunday morning.

I know I sound like a broken record with this, but the first step is always listening! I try to have all of my first time guitar players come in the week before they’re gonna serve and listen through parts with me. I help them identify what the melody parts are (we call that guitar 1) and what the more basic rhythmic parts are (guess what, we call that guitar 2). It’s so important that the two guitar players don’t cover the same ground, or step on each others’ toes. Guitar 2 needs to play the support role, and yield to guitar 1 when it comes to sonic space. My Buddy Derek Wells is the best about clearly identifying which parts he going to play and which parts guitar 2 needs to play. His ear is very developed.

With two guitar players you also need make sure there is tonal separation. When I know another guitar player is going to play a tele, I’ll grab a Les Paul. Or, when they’re playing a 335 I’ll play a Gretsch. If they’re playing an amp with small tubes, I’ll play one with big tubes. I’m always looking for ways to build the tonal experience, and make sure both guitars don’t occupy the same space.

If your church is fortunate enough to have two electric guitar players, make sure you get the most out of what they have to offer. Give them clear direction on the sound you’re trying to build.

 

I dare you.

Like it or not, a shocking amount of today’s worship music is derivative of vintage U2. Worship projects from Fee, Hillsong, Delirious?, and countless others pay homage and thank them for blazing the trail. I’m not passing judgment; It just is what it is. The band was just flat out influential.

Little bit of history for the non-guitar player…

In the early days (late 70’s to early 80’s) U2 was, for all intensive purposes, an Irish punk band. Like any young artist it took them time to mature. By 1987 U2 was poised to release their ground breaking album Joshua Tree (their 5th studio album, 7 years after their first release). The bands’ sound shifted and became completely shaped by guitarists Edge’s shimmering delay heavy guitar parts (think “Where the streets have no name”). The Joshua Tree album became the sound that has influenced so many artists/guitar players. It’s almost impossible to find a guy playing guitar at church without a delay pedal set up to sound like the Edge. It’s kind of an epidemic.

Here’s the challenge… For one Sunday, just one, I dare you (me included) to play the whole worship service without our precious delay pedals. I’m curious what the songs will sound like, and how creative we can get? Let’s try something different, step outside of our comfort zones, and find a new sound. And, when it’s all said and done I want you to tell me about it.

Good luck.

Night o’ worship

Sunday mornings can be life altering and can really fill up our tanks. Part of what fills us up is worshiping together, and at Cross Point we typically only do 18-20 minutes of music each Sunday. My guess is that those precious few minutes are all the time the majority of us spend expressing our hearts to God throughout the week.

But, Sunday mornings shouldn’t be spiritual Exxon stations. If you stumble in the door on “E” and leave with a full tank that’s great. But, if you consistently ride in on fumes, you’re headed for a spiritual roller coaster. We’ve got to find ways to connect all the time.

I understand everyone doesn’t connect through music, but some people feel closest to God in song. For that reason we wanted to have a night where instead of a 20 minute sample, we offer an event where people can connect in a big way.

We’ve never done an event like this before. It’s an entirely new arena, and that’s exciting. Nashville is a city filled with some of the craftiest song writers, most gifted musicians, and cutting edge producers, and for the most part, we follow worship trends – we don’t drive them. I think this city is primed to create the next movement of God through music. But that movement has to have a start. For Cross Point this is where we start. We’re ready to pull out all of the stops to start this off with a bang.

Come join us.

Make multi-site church production match?

I love playing guitar, but I’ve been a fan of great sounding PA systems for a long time. My audio background started as a teenager working in a large music store. I worked with a solid team of veteran installers and designers that taught me the ropes. Those lessons have afforded me some pretty rad opportunities. I’ve mixed shows all over the states, Canada, Japan, Thailand, and China. The travel was great, but one of my favorite things about audio is the chance to problem solve.

Designing campus production is the ultimate puzzle. It’s problem solving to the max! Almost 5 years ago my buddy Matt Singleton (Cross Point’s creative director) called me to help talk through and plan Cross Point’s first ever installed PA system. My wife was already on staff, but I was still on the road. Due to my travel schedule I didn’t get to play guitar very often at church, so this was a great chance to serve in a unique way. Roughly 2 years after that, Cross Point’s first ever satellite campus was launched in Dickson, TN. A year and a half ago we launched our North Campus. Again I was tapped to plan and design the audio for both satellites. In Feb of this year I came on staff as Music & Tech director and shortly after we launched our Bellevue campus.

After 4 campus builds, Matt S. and I have really found a groove in designing production spaces. He does a ton of stuff, but his primary focus is on video, lighting, & digital connectivity. We’ve found that with video it is important to have consistency with the gear. Video consistency is tricky because projectors become obsolete by the time you have them installed. But, for the most part we stick with Panasonic cameras and projectors. They look great for the $, and Matt knows how they are going to respond to his videos and our main camera. It’s easier to predict how the message is going to look if the imagers are all in the same family.

Speakers are a different story… You don’t buy speakers for the name brand; you have to buy them for the right application. Our 4 meeting spaces are completely different. So blindly buying speakers to shove in a room doesn’t work for us. Each space is evaluated and the main PA is bought accordingly.

I do buy the same family of digital consoles for the satellites. That’s primarily a function of training. I can train volunteers on one console and they can successfully mix at any of our campuses.  I also buy microphones, wireless systems, and in-ears that I’ve used for years and have come to trust their sound and reliability. With our mobile campuses we have to be smart in designing systems that build quickly and dismantle easily. For instance, we design FOH stations that are already patched and the snake lives in that case. It saves time when the sound guy doesn’t have to patch 32 inputs and 8 outputs every Sunday. It also eliminates patching mistakes that happen in the heat of the moment. There’s a bunch more technical stuff, but I’ll spare you the uber nerdy talk. The main point is to used wisdom and practicality when you build systems and spaces. Don’t buy stuff just because it works in your main campus. Make sure it solves the right problems for the satellite space.

 

 

To pay or not to pay: that is the question.

I grew up in church, Southern Baptist churches to be specific. The church “band” typically consisted of piano, organ, and a choir lead by a suited, singing conductor who turned the pages of a hymnal with his right hand and kept time for everybody else with his left. Bonus: Most weeks during the offering my mom would jam an organ solo.

That all changed when I was in Jr. high. I asked the student pastor if I could bring my guitar to youth group and play a few praise songs while my sister sang. In less than a year we had a contemporary adult service, and soon after that the brand new, extremely expensive organ the church just bought (mostly for my mom) sat completely unused (the deacons were thrilled I’m sure).

Droves of churches abandoned the traditional piano and organ. And the ones that still use them frequently supplement them with a full “praise team” (you can’t say band in those churches – it sounds too rock and roll) with drums and guitars. Church music has become very stylized, and it is relatively new territory for most churches. These churches are filled with people who wanted to sing in the choir, but they can’t find enough skilled musicians to pull off this new style of music. Enter the age of paying church musicians…

There are so many arguments to both sides, it would take a much longer post than this, but here are a few points on my heart:

There’s no way I’m gonna say paying players is wrong, especially when there are plenty of weeks I wish I could write a check and have my scheduling challenges disappear. My guess is that paid bands and volunteer bands have an equal share of issues.

When you pay players, you create accountability. The person you pay becomes accountable to the schedule, the musical expectations and directions, and is held responsible for the execution. The one thing you can’t pay them for is their hearts. Of course they can have an amazing attitude when they play, I’m just wondering if getting a paycheck to worship has the potential to turn it into a job more than a passion?

A volunteer team is only accountable to the level that they are committed to the vision. When there’s no vision or no “buy in” to the vision, there’s a good chance volunteers will cancel, show up late, come unprepared, and “phone in” the effort. If you can identify and articulate your team’s vision, you can gain some of the benefits of a paid team while not creating a culture of entitlement. This is the route I take.

My guess is that this topic will end up as a part 1, 2, and maybe 3.

What are your thoughts?

Play the record or play what’s in your heart?

I love when an artist plays live and it’s better than the record. Too often the opposite is true. In the studio slick production and infinite undo’s create a standard the artist might never achieve live. So, what’s the musical standard for a church?

Technically the music we play isn’t a stretch for most of our team. The parts aren’t complex and these guys are good. We don’t get a very long rehearsal, so it’s important that there aren’t curve balls in the run through. To avoid confusion I ask all of our musicians to play the record as closely as possible (the parts and the feel/style). Occasionally guys would rather play “what’s on their hearts” rather than what’s on the record.

Lord knows I’ve been guilty of that. However, I feel like that’s frequently an excuse to not learn the song. And when you don’t learn the song you’ll always default to the parts and styles that you’re most comfortable with and that can end up making the band sound flat. You settling for what’s easy. It never sounds right when most of the team is trying to play the record and a couple guys are just playing whatever they feel like. You either have to play the record perfect or create something better. There’s no room in the middle.

Now, here’s the rub.

I’ve got a few volunteers that come up with better parts than the record. They create this stuff for a living. Their musicality, creativity, and innate abilities are off the charts. So, how can they serve in our system and not end up stifled? Well, it’s easy. I break my own rule – I let them play their heart. Because I’ve learned to trust their “heart.” Their “heart” doesn’t play distracting, self indulgent parts. Instead it overflows with something much better.

When you listen to live music, do you expect to hear the album or something better?

 

Why did I just pay $200 for U2 tickets?

Lemme tell ya!

I would go to way more concerts if they were easier to go to. I hate trying to find a parking space. I hate paying $20 to park. I hate standing in line to get tickets or to get in the door. And I especially hate going to all of that trouble when I’m not sure if the artist can deliver a concert worth all of that trouble.

BUT – There are a few concerts a year that I know will be worth the effort. U2 in Nashville on July 2nd will definitely be worth the trouble.

Here’s why.

– Unbelievable, out of this world production. This band will always bring THE BEST sound, lighting, and video known to man. They aren’t really worried about getting a bargain when they hire production companies.

– Quality of songs -undeniable hit songs. U2 has had 7 #1 Billboard chart albums. “U2 is now tied with Led Zeppelin for the third-most No. 1’s among groups, behind only the Beatles’ 19 and the Rolling Stones’ ”

– Quantity of songs. This tour the band typically plays between 22 and 24 songs. That’s a mess o’ songs.

– I’m going with some great friends and my wife! Ashley has never seen U2 and I’m excited to share this show with her.

Beyond all of that, the reason I love U2 and will pay mad cash to see them is because they are a band, a really great band. If Edge, Larry, or Adam came to Nashville in search of session work they’d probably all starve. It’s not that they’re bad musicians, but by Nashville standards that can’t hold a candle to the guys that work in this town. AND they still are one of the most successful bands in the world.

Synergy, synergy, synergy. When 4 guys commit their lives to making art together for 30 + years something magical happens. If edge quits – the band is done. If Larry breaks his hand the tour stops. If Adam goes off on an extended bender the record gets put on hold. Because you can’t replace one of these guys with some idiot that plays covers with a tele down on Broadway. I don’t care how fast he plays or how good his chops are – he’s not the right kind of good. U2 is the right kind of good. The kind of good that you can’t ignore, you can’t fire, and you can’t replace.

This show will be worth the price of admission. This will be my 3rd U2 show, and hopefully not the last.

Why do some songs work?

I have a friend that worked in the radio promo biz for over ten years. He has an incredibly sharp mind. In all the conversations we had about music, church, and the industry, the most profound thing he ever told me was that “people just want to hear their favorite song.” He said that if we polled everyone on their way into a church service and asked “Today would you rather hear an amazing NEW song, or would you rather hear your favorite song today?” Almost exclusively people would vote to hear their favorite song. After all, it is their favorite!

Now, I could speculate what that favorite song is, but that’s not my point. The point is that most people love familiarity and cling to what’s comfortable. So, how does a great new song become someone’s favorite song?

We debuted 2 new worship songs last week and they both had traction – instantly. People really sold out during worship. How/Why does that happen?

Here are a few things that help new songs turn into favorite songs:

Musical dynamics – They are musical moments in songs that cause an emotional reaction.

Lyric – Has to be filled with relevant Biblical truth and the spirit of God

Singability –  Church songs in particular need to be singable.

Benefits for repeat listens – If you grasp the entirety of a song in one listen it probably isn’t very deep. But if a song can speak to you in different ways each time you listen – it probably has enough real content to stick around long enough to become a fav.

Timing – This one can be frustrating as a writer. Some songs embody the most of the prior attributes, but don’t succeed because of timing. It has to be heard at exactly the right time in history. That is it has to be the right timing culturally and personally.

What do you think makes new songs stick around long enough to be old songs?

Compliments to the chef

I’ve always had a hard time taking compliments. Part of the reason was the excessive positive reinforcement growing up. My mom is a sweet heart and thought that everything I did was the best ever (which I think moms are supposed to do). Most of my life I believed her, much to my chagrin. So as an adult I constantly filter compliment.

Our church is young and the worship culture is still in process. The upwards curve right now is remarkable. Yesterday we had a pretty intense worship experience. One of the guys in the band said he had heard more positive feedback about the band than he had ever heard before. Naturally, since I lead the band, I was proud – at first. Then I took a second to filter the compliment…

For the worship experience to make an impact that would cause someone in the crowd come up and say something positive a lot of things had to go well.

It really starts before Sunday – Jarrod Morris prayed over and picked the set. The creative team help craft the moments weeks in advance (communion & prayer time). The band spent time during the week to listen and prepare. Greeters had to open doors with smiling faces, coffee makers had to make great tasting coffee (well at least average tasting coffee). Seats had to be open and easy to get to. The production team created the environment. Sound had to be great (we have the best sound guy ever), lights had to be inviting and the lyrics had to help lead people through all the new songs. Blake had to communicate the communion instructions clearly. Pete had to deliver an incredible message. Everything and everyone works to move people towards God.

And then… The band reaps the reward!

Sometimes people can’t articulate what they’re feeling, so they compliment what’s most identifiable. “Great message,” or “great song,” or “the band was oh-mazing today.”

In the restaurant biz a compliment to the chef always starts with a phone call to the hostess. Seats are reserved. Then the hostess seats with a smile. The server waits professionally and happily, and when the meal is cooked perfectly the pump is primed and ready to identify something positive, something to compliment- the food. It’s right in front of the guest and is usually what gets noticed. “My compliments to the chef!”

If you volunteer at Cross Point or any church in any capacity, thank you for making it all happen. You helped people meet a holy God.

What’s gonna happen to my wireless mics?

We use wireless mics in almost every ministry environment at church. Our kids worship service (FX) has singers, actors, and MC’s. Our student ministry uses full production and has live bands. Our young professionals/college group, Stretch, use them too. And we use racks of wireless in our main auditorium. And, all of our satellite campuses use wireless gear in their services and in their kids / student environments. We’ve got these things everywhere.

We’ve really come to depend on wireless equipment in most of our productions. I’m not sure what we’d do with out wireless. I can’t imagine Pete Wilson preaching tethered to a wired microphone. I think he’d rock the Bob Barker model. He’d definitely pull it off.

For the last 4ish years the FCC has been working on legislation that has essentially eliminated the free use of frequencies that wireless mics. They’re making space for new devices to operate – think city wide WIFI, more cell phone bandwidth, & HDTV broadcasting. There are tons of articles detailing the new changes. This one is great. If you’re work with church production in any capacity it’s worth checking into.

Many years ago I sold wireless mics like hotcakes. I knew this legislation was on it’s way, and I’ve tried to steer Cross Point away from the troubled frequencies. Even though “I was in the know”, it’s been hard to keep up with the rapidly changing laws. It’s sad to see so many churches dealing with 1000’s of dollars of useless gear, but I’m excited to see what develops in the newly freed up space. City wide wifi might just be the jam.