Pursuing a career as a musician or a youth worker necessarily requires patience, skill and perseverance. Both paths obviously also take a certain unwillingness to completely grow up.
The Southern California-based company Youth Specialties taps into those shared sensibilities, conducting three National Youth Workers Conventions annually — including the one that runs through Monday at the Nashville Convention Center — that feature Christian artists and speakers sharing wisdom, motivation and music.
The conventions are the capstones of YS's wide-ranging efforts to serve youth workers, both paid and volunteer.
"It's a weekend really to celebrate them, to equip them, to encourage them," says Dave Palmer, Youth Specialties' vice president of marketing. "The tone of the first session is usually, 'Whatever you need to make this weekend for you, do it. If you really need the teaching, if you really need the worship music, then immerse yourself in it.
" 'At the same time, if you're here with your spouse and what the two of you really need is some time away from everything because of the amount of pressure put on (you) during the year, go lock yourself in your room, get room service, come out in four days, order the DVDs and tell your pastor you had a great time.' "
The vibe that creates, according to feedback Palmer says Youth Specialties have routinely gotten back, is an inclusive one — the sense that "everybody gets what we do."
"They don't ask 'When are you going to be a real pastor? When are you going to grow up?' " he says. "It's being in a room full of people that have this same desire to invest their lives into the lives of teenagers."
Artists get exposure
The conventions also provide opportunities for exposure for veteran and newcomer Christian music artists, something for which Palmer has a unique eye. He spent many years as part of a variety of Nashville-based music companies — including stints at Gotee, Reunion and Rocketown Records — before relocating to San Diego to work for Youth Specialties earlier this year.
"I think that our audience is more in tune with what teenagers are listening to than any other gatekeeper audience. At the same time, you really want to get music to the people for whom it's intended," Palmer says. "If you experience an artist in a situation where it's set up for you to be accepted and you get the sense that that artist understands you, then I think you're more willing to bring that music back to your students."
Jars of Clay, David Crowder Band, MercyMe, Kendall Payne and Starfield are among the artists scheduled to perform at the convention this weekend, and most find takeaway value, both personally and professionally, for playing YS events.
"There are so many good people involved that are trying to change their corner of the world, and we're all about supporting that interest," says Jars of Clay guitarist Stephen Mason. "It's a unique gathering of people who want to assist kids in asking good questions about life as they're forming a worldview. Beyond that, it's a giving back and an honoring of the selfless hours these people dedicate to that opportunity to impact kids."
Former Nashville resident Payne, who found early success both on Christian labels and in the mainstream and has since refocused her efforts as an independent artist, finds the filter of Youth Specialties helpful when wading through performance requests.
"I compare it to my TV and film placements, of which I've had a few, thankfully," Payne says. "You have the opportunity to impact so many more people for such a little amount of effort, and for an independent artist who doesn't have the ability to buy on to a tour, to market myself the way major labels do, they have been an absolute godsend, both the company and the people who are involved in it.
"If out of 5,000 people, 100 think 'I'm going to look into that,' and I can book 50 of those shows, I'm forever indebted to them," she continues. "Giving me that 15 minutes to show what I'm capable of doing is everything for me."
Christian Music News Source
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
David Crowder Plays Guitar Hero Controller
David Crowder Plays Guitar Hero Controller at Ball State University on Nov. 13, 2008
Chrisian Music News Source
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
David Crowder "Glory Of It All" Cedarville University 2008
David Crowder Playing "Glory Of It All" At Cedarville University on October 31, 2008! Video by Sean Gowdy
Christian Music News Source
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Odd Man Out
When a person attends a Christian college, chances are his or her roommate will be that nice, wholesome Christian type who could be approached for support, advice and even accountability as a fellow believer.
But keeping with the pattern of singer/songwriter/guitarist David Crowder’s life, he ended up as the oddball who got stuck with a roommate who was the polar opposite—a non-Christian who partied and abused drugs. "I remember one weekend my roommate and a little clan of friends were on their way to Galveston, and they wound up getting arrested for having lots of drugs," recalls the spiky-haired, goatee-bearing singer of his former roomie’s behavior. "Let’s just say we didn’t exactly have a lot in common other than the music we listened to."
However, they did share that one mutual interest—a love of Dave Matthews Band, a topic that often served as the springboard for conversation. "He was from Charlottesville, Va., the same town where DMB was from, so he really turned me on to [the band]," reminisces Crowder. "As much as I got into them, I wanted something from a Christian standpoint to give my roommate at least a bit more of a message, but I always had such a hard time finding the right kind of project."
And when Crowder picked up a CD from his local Christian bookstore for his roommate to listen to, his roommate’s reception wasn’t exactly what Crowder was hoping for. "I don’t even know who I was playing in the dorm that day, but I remember him coming into the room with a cigarette and staring at the stereo for a second," Crowder confesses. "He obviously didn’t like what he heard because a sea of expletives started spewing from his mouth about how terrible the band was, and he walked out of the room in a cloud of smoke."
As much as the incident troubled Crowder, deep down he couldn’t blame the guy for rejecting a song that, musically, didn’t have an impact on him. And as a result of this experience, Crowder picked up a guitar and notepad to log the thoughts he hoped someday would have an impact on those, like his roommate, whom the church wasn’t reaching. "It was at that light-bulb moment that I made a choice to make music that would have stood out to a guy like my roommate," explains Crowder. "I almost started writing songs out of necessity at that point, wanting to be an outlet for those who weren’t able to embrace Christian music."
And it wasn’t long after college graduation that Crowder and the eponymously titled band he formed shortly thereafter were onstage leading worship at a local church. The service, with songs penned by Crowder, had been specifically targeted to those who hadn’t grown up with a traditional religious upbringing. Unlike the dorm listening session gone awry, this audience apparently related to the Crowder Band’s vibe, swelling in size as the weeks and months passed, subsequently expanding the frontman’s platform.
Such a solid, local response also led to other opportunities, like D.C./L.A. events, Youth Specialties Conventions and participation in the college-friendly Passion movement led by revered speaker Louie Giglio. "We cut an indie CD right around that time at church, and I was so excited to present that to Louie after having so much respect for him," says Crowder. "I shared with him how passionate the church was over the songs and, quite naively, how they could possibly change the world. But he taught me a very humbling lesson. ‘David,’ he told me, ‘These songs aren’t your songs. They are from God, and they are the churches. Carry them with responsibility.’"
It was that encounter that not only gave Crowder a clear mission but also solidified the two men’s friendship. Then in 2000, that camaraderie branched out into a business relationship as Giglio formed sixsteps records, an imprint of Sparrow Records, signing Crowder along with fellow worship leaders Chris Tomlin and Charlie Hall. Two years later, that partnership yielded David Crowder Band’s official debut, Can You Hear Us? which led to a tour with the likes of Bebo Norman and his labelmates, in addition to the band’s home church responsibilities.
And as much as the group can be commended for maintaining its road commitments and staying true to the church’s needs, one can’t help questioning the decision to tour with the aforementioned roster and sign on the dotted line—two actions that directly associate the band with that Christian sub-culture Crowder has said he strives to avoid. If anything, it’s created a puzzling paradox that finds Crowder & Co. primarily playing Christian venues, while simultaneously hiring some of that industry’s biggest guns to work on and distribute their projects exclusively to the religious marketplace.
Although its debut and new sophomore release Illuminate (sixsteps/Sparrow) were recorded in various Waco studios, the new disc includes production credits by Nashville-based Charlie Peacock (dc talk, Switchfoot), while the last disc featured work by Christian rock production king Brent Milligan (The Elms, Tait, Paul Colman Trio) with mixing by Shane Wilson (Third Day). That being said, has Crowder accomplished his goal of creating music a non-Christian like his former college roommate could enjoy?
"That’s my whole dilemma and confusion, but I still don’t think the system we’ve set in place falls into that stereotype [of typical Christian music]," defends Crowder. "First of all, we’ve recorded in environments that are impossible to sound like anything else and second, a guy like Brent is of exceptional talent and, even though he has a reputation in Nashville, he has an independent vibe that’s separate of that."
Not only has the music on Illuminate taken on what Crowder calls a more "band-driven artistic approach with interwoven melodies," but the lyrics focus on humanity’s ongoing grappling with light and darkness. "I’m hoping listeners can see the symbolism of God when ‘illuminate’ is referenced and the whole idea of being pulled into light," says Crowder.
One person of notoriety that’s already gravitated toward the project is none other Jimmy Eat World drummer Zach Lind, who introduced himself to the band via e-mail this summer. At first Crowder didn’t believe the messages were actually coming from Lind, as his often-shared appreciation of Jimmy Eat World may have caused someone to play a joke.
"After a few e-mails, it was unquestionably him. He told us our music was encouraging to him in his faith walk, was different from a lot of others out there, and that he wanted to hook up next time he was in Texas," confirms Crowder. "That hangout time turned into a studio session where Zach was generous enough to lend his production skills to the song ‘How Great.’"
"I just love the music he and his band create, [and] I really believe in what they are doing, so that really motivated me to be a part of this new record," the Bleed American beat keeper tells CCM. "The circumstances of me and David meeting were just too bizarre and random. God had to be at work, so I just followed the lead."
Like the legions of followers the group has built through past touring and previews of Illuminate thus far, Lind has truly been engulfed by the band’s music and mission. Perhaps his sentiments best echo the type of person Crowder first set out to reach in his humble college student state: "David Crowder Band is at the top of that list because they are honest and real in their passion for worshiping God. Their music really encourages me to move over and let God come down."
Christian Music News Source
But keeping with the pattern of singer/songwriter/guitarist David Crowder’s life, he ended up as the oddball who got stuck with a roommate who was the polar opposite—a non-Christian who partied and abused drugs. "I remember one weekend my roommate and a little clan of friends were on their way to Galveston, and they wound up getting arrested for having lots of drugs," recalls the spiky-haired, goatee-bearing singer of his former roomie’s behavior. "Let’s just say we didn’t exactly have a lot in common other than the music we listened to."
However, they did share that one mutual interest—a love of Dave Matthews Band, a topic that often served as the springboard for conversation. "He was from Charlottesville, Va., the same town where DMB was from, so he really turned me on to [the band]," reminisces Crowder. "As much as I got into them, I wanted something from a Christian standpoint to give my roommate at least a bit more of a message, but I always had such a hard time finding the right kind of project."
And when Crowder picked up a CD from his local Christian bookstore for his roommate to listen to, his roommate’s reception wasn’t exactly what Crowder was hoping for. "I don’t even know who I was playing in the dorm that day, but I remember him coming into the room with a cigarette and staring at the stereo for a second," Crowder confesses. "He obviously didn’t like what he heard because a sea of expletives started spewing from his mouth about how terrible the band was, and he walked out of the room in a cloud of smoke."
As much as the incident troubled Crowder, deep down he couldn’t blame the guy for rejecting a song that, musically, didn’t have an impact on him. And as a result of this experience, Crowder picked up a guitar and notepad to log the thoughts he hoped someday would have an impact on those, like his roommate, whom the church wasn’t reaching. "It was at that light-bulb moment that I made a choice to make music that would have stood out to a guy like my roommate," explains Crowder. "I almost started writing songs out of necessity at that point, wanting to be an outlet for those who weren’t able to embrace Christian music."
And it wasn’t long after college graduation that Crowder and the eponymously titled band he formed shortly thereafter were onstage leading worship at a local church. The service, with songs penned by Crowder, had been specifically targeted to those who hadn’t grown up with a traditional religious upbringing. Unlike the dorm listening session gone awry, this audience apparently related to the Crowder Band’s vibe, swelling in size as the weeks and months passed, subsequently expanding the frontman’s platform.
Such a solid, local response also led to other opportunities, like D.C./L.A. events, Youth Specialties Conventions and participation in the college-friendly Passion movement led by revered speaker Louie Giglio. "We cut an indie CD right around that time at church, and I was so excited to present that to Louie after having so much respect for him," says Crowder. "I shared with him how passionate the church was over the songs and, quite naively, how they could possibly change the world. But he taught me a very humbling lesson. ‘David,’ he told me, ‘These songs aren’t your songs. They are from God, and they are the churches. Carry them with responsibility.’"
It was that encounter that not only gave Crowder a clear mission but also solidified the two men’s friendship. Then in 2000, that camaraderie branched out into a business relationship as Giglio formed sixsteps records, an imprint of Sparrow Records, signing Crowder along with fellow worship leaders Chris Tomlin and Charlie Hall. Two years later, that partnership yielded David Crowder Band’s official debut, Can You Hear Us? which led to a tour with the likes of Bebo Norman and his labelmates, in addition to the band’s home church responsibilities.
And as much as the group can be commended for maintaining its road commitments and staying true to the church’s needs, one can’t help questioning the decision to tour with the aforementioned roster and sign on the dotted line—two actions that directly associate the band with that Christian sub-culture Crowder has said he strives to avoid. If anything, it’s created a puzzling paradox that finds Crowder & Co. primarily playing Christian venues, while simultaneously hiring some of that industry’s biggest guns to work on and distribute their projects exclusively to the religious marketplace.
Although its debut and new sophomore release Illuminate (sixsteps/Sparrow) were recorded in various Waco studios, the new disc includes production credits by Nashville-based Charlie Peacock (dc talk, Switchfoot), while the last disc featured work by Christian rock production king Brent Milligan (The Elms, Tait, Paul Colman Trio) with mixing by Shane Wilson (Third Day). That being said, has Crowder accomplished his goal of creating music a non-Christian like his former college roommate could enjoy?
"That’s my whole dilemma and confusion, but I still don’t think the system we’ve set in place falls into that stereotype [of typical Christian music]," defends Crowder. "First of all, we’ve recorded in environments that are impossible to sound like anything else and second, a guy like Brent is of exceptional talent and, even though he has a reputation in Nashville, he has an independent vibe that’s separate of that."
Not only has the music on Illuminate taken on what Crowder calls a more "band-driven artistic approach with interwoven melodies," but the lyrics focus on humanity’s ongoing grappling with light and darkness. "I’m hoping listeners can see the symbolism of God when ‘illuminate’ is referenced and the whole idea of being pulled into light," says Crowder.
One person of notoriety that’s already gravitated toward the project is none other Jimmy Eat World drummer Zach Lind, who introduced himself to the band via e-mail this summer. At first Crowder didn’t believe the messages were actually coming from Lind, as his often-shared appreciation of Jimmy Eat World may have caused someone to play a joke.
"After a few e-mails, it was unquestionably him. He told us our music was encouraging to him in his faith walk, was different from a lot of others out there, and that he wanted to hook up next time he was in Texas," confirms Crowder. "That hangout time turned into a studio session where Zach was generous enough to lend his production skills to the song ‘How Great.’"
"I just love the music he and his band create, [and] I really believe in what they are doing, so that really motivated me to be a part of this new record," the Bleed American beat keeper tells CCM. "The circumstances of me and David meeting were just too bizarre and random. God had to be at work, so I just followed the lead."
Like the legions of followers the group has built through past touring and previews of Illuminate thus far, Lind has truly been engulfed by the band’s music and mission. Perhaps his sentiments best echo the type of person Crowder first set out to reach in his humble college student state: "David Crowder Band is at the top of that list because they are honest and real in their passion for worshiping God. Their music really encourages me to move over and let God come down."
Christian Music News Source
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
David Crowder*Band 'You Are My Joy' (Live) with Scripture
Excerpt from the television program, 'Apostles That Rock' featuring a powerful version of his rock opera for Christ.
Christian Music News Source
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
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