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Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
GMA Week - Day 5/final day
Well y'all, i'd be lying if I said I wasn't exhausted. GMA Week has had some really great moments and very few - if any - bad ones. Still, the constant seminars and networking and lectures from 8-5 followed by showcases each night from as early as 6 to as late as midnight has plum tuckered me out.
Today began right about 8:30 with the final seminar - a round table discussion with an incredible panel discussing the triumphs and struggles they have had as mainstream artists crossing over to the Christian market and vice versa. It was a very interesting discussion with participants including Amy Grant, Marty Roe from Diamond Rio, Dan Haseltine with Jars of Clay, Brian Littrell (formerly of the Backstreet Boys), and many others equally awesome.
It was interesting to hear how much flak they took for trying to expand their audience in both cases. Christians are accused of selling out to make more money, and Mainstreamers are accused of not being pure or genuine enough. To me it's all a little ridiculous because to me it seems like it is a no-brainer that the creative souls behind these artistic creations would want to share their passion with as many people as possible - not because of money or for shock value, but because they love what they are doing and they want other people to enjoy it too. I don't know, call me a new aged, liberal youngster, but it seems to me music is music and regardless of the genre - rap, pop, country (Christian or Mainstream) - people should just enjoy the message, spirit and intent behind the music, not focus on how they can dissect it, twist it to fit or go against their own agenda, or try and put it into one nice tidy little box. I mean if people are being moved by the music and inspired to do great things and become great people, then isn't that what is important?
Anyway, that's pretty much what the panel was discussing too and it was a great experience to see all of these artists from such a wide range of musical styles tied together by the common thread of creating music to glorify the Lord.
With that let me close and say that I've really enjoyed my time here at GMA Music Week and I am glad that I got to experience this incredible Gospel Music Festival here in Nashville.
Today began right about 8:30 with the final seminar - a round table discussion with an incredible panel discussing the triumphs and struggles they have had as mainstream artists crossing over to the Christian market and vice versa. It was a very interesting discussion with participants including Amy Grant, Marty Roe from Diamond Rio, Dan Haseltine with Jars of Clay, Brian Littrell (formerly of the Backstreet Boys), and many others equally awesome.
It was interesting to hear how much flak they took for trying to expand their audience in both cases. Christians are accused of selling out to make more money, and Mainstreamers are accused of not being pure or genuine enough. To me it's all a little ridiculous because to me it seems like it is a no-brainer that the creative souls behind these artistic creations would want to share their passion with as many people as possible - not because of money or for shock value, but because they love what they are doing and they want other people to enjoy it too. I don't know, call me a new aged, liberal youngster, but it seems to me music is music and regardless of the genre - rap, pop, country (Christian or Mainstream) - people should just enjoy the message, spirit and intent behind the music, not focus on how they can dissect it, twist it to fit or go against their own agenda, or try and put it into one nice tidy little box. I mean if people are being moved by the music and inspired to do great things and become great people, then isn't that what is important?
Anyway, that's pretty much what the panel was discussing too and it was a great experience to see all of these artists from such a wide range of musical styles tied together by the common thread of creating music to glorify the Lord.
With that let me close and say that I've really enjoyed my time here at GMA Music Week and I am glad that I got to experience this incredible Gospel Music Festival here in Nashville.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
GMA Week - Days 3 & 4
Hey y'all,
I'm combining these two days into one little post not because they weren't each amazing enough to warrant their own post, but honestly because I'm running out of time here where this will be relevant and I want you all to be able to read it!
Monday and Tuesday were great. I spent a good chunk of time on these two days meeting up with a few of my television outlets and really getting to know them and their shows. It really brought a whole new depth to the work that I do - being able not only to read an email of what is going on, but to really see the looks on my programmers faces when they discuss what it is that they do and why they do it. I got to sit in and watch The Revolution TV record an interview with Group One Crew. I know i've been saying this a lot, but it really was incredible. Kat (my programmer and host of the show) has such a way of interacting with these people, and the band themselves were just so honest and open and hilarious. It was a great time. I also got to see Kat and her husband Jorge and the excitement they have for not only their work, but for their family. After a lot of trials and struggles Kat and Jorge are due for their very first born child this August. She of course had the glow about her and they both had a little twinkle in their eye as they met various people and shared the news. It was awesome to get to be there with them.
I also met up with Robert Mitchell of Soundbooth TV in New York who just has SO MANY amazing projects going on. He's executive producer on the show Soundbooth, is directing Christian music videos, he's planning a youth event in NYC, and is even working on translating his show and his website into Japanese as he is expanding his viewership internationally. And best of all, he is just the sweetest man you'll ever met. It's really exciting to see such wonderful things coming in to fruition for such a devoted and compassionate man.
Alan Rasmussen, of Control Track in Florida, and I enjoyed some conversation, some music, and some cheesecake together as well :) He had something like almost 60 interviews to get filmed in this short week, yet he still managed to make time for me. Alan has been doing great work with his show and seems to know just about everyone there is to know in the business. It was a learning experience for me and a fun one at that.
So in short, I loved meeting up with my outlets and I did also get to see some really neat showcases including a lunch show featuring Mandisa and Bart Millard of MercyMe. They introduced some newer acts as well as some veterans of the industry all of whom performed admirably. I think my favorite performance of that luncheon was Canton Jones. The poor man did not get as much crowd participation as he should have as many of those attending were of an older persuasion and didn't quite get into it. Still he was working the stage, and was all energy and excitement - it was a great performance.
I think that about wraps that one up! Be sure to check back for the final day!
I'm combining these two days into one little post not because they weren't each amazing enough to warrant their own post, but honestly because I'm running out of time here where this will be relevant and I want you all to be able to read it!
Monday and Tuesday were great. I spent a good chunk of time on these two days meeting up with a few of my television outlets and really getting to know them and their shows. It really brought a whole new depth to the work that I do - being able not only to read an email of what is going on, but to really see the looks on my programmers faces when they discuss what it is that they do and why they do it. I got to sit in and watch The Revolution TV record an interview with Group One Crew. I know i've been saying this a lot, but it really was incredible. Kat (my programmer and host of the show) has such a way of interacting with these people, and the band themselves were just so honest and open and hilarious. It was a great time. I also got to see Kat and her husband Jorge and the excitement they have for not only their work, but for their family. After a lot of trials and struggles Kat and Jorge are due for their very first born child this August. She of course had the glow about her and they both had a little twinkle in their eye as they met various people and shared the news. It was awesome to get to be there with them.
I also met up with Robert Mitchell of Soundbooth TV in New York who just has SO MANY amazing projects going on. He's executive producer on the show Soundbooth, is directing Christian music videos, he's planning a youth event in NYC, and is even working on translating his show and his website into Japanese as he is expanding his viewership internationally. And best of all, he is just the sweetest man you'll ever met. It's really exciting to see such wonderful things coming in to fruition for such a devoted and compassionate man.
Alan Rasmussen, of Control Track in Florida, and I enjoyed some conversation, some music, and some cheesecake together as well :) He had something like almost 60 interviews to get filmed in this short week, yet he still managed to make time for me. Alan has been doing great work with his show and seems to know just about everyone there is to know in the business. It was a learning experience for me and a fun one at that.
So in short, I loved meeting up with my outlets and I did also get to see some really neat showcases including a lunch show featuring Mandisa and Bart Millard of MercyMe. They introduced some newer acts as well as some veterans of the industry all of whom performed admirably. I think my favorite performance of that luncheon was Canton Jones. The poor man did not get as much crowd participation as he should have as many of those attending were of an older persuasion and didn't quite get into it. Still he was working the stage, and was all energy and excitement - it was a great performance.
I think that about wraps that one up! Be sure to check back for the final day!
Monday, April 20, 2009
GMA Highlights - Day 2
Hey y'all!
Well I had planned to blog at least at the end of every day -- little did I know how BUSY I would be. If any of you have not yet had the pleasure of coming down for GMA Week I would highly encourage you to do it soon. It's an amazing experience - so many different walks of life all brought together by one common thread - glorifying the Lord. That being said, let me let you all in on what might have been my favorite day of GMA Week so far - Day 2, Sunday.
Let me start off by saying that I am Catholic (all you Bill Ballinger's out there, please reserve judgment for the Lord) ;) . Not only am I Catholic, but I was raised as a Catholic, living in a small town outside of Chicago. All of that is to say that the way that religion was represented to me growing up is very different than the way I've come to experience it since living in Nashville. Back home religion isn't talked about as much, or in such depth. You are what you are and really it rarely comes up in conversation. And when you go to church its much like study hall in junior high - you arrive, you sit down quietly, you don't talk, you sing the same organ-based melody 4 times (calling it 4 different songs), and you don't raise your hand unless you have to go to the bathroom. Thus, you may be able to understand that I was a bit apprehensive, and - yes, I'll say it - even dreading attending the 1.5 hour long non-denominational church service, just a tiny bit. I figured I would be in a room with hundreds of people I don't know who would be trying to get me to raise my hands and sing out loud and jump up and down which is something I am not comfortable doing in my time of worship. Not to mention I couldn't imagine what could be talked about for a full hour and a half (our services are usually a solid hour, and half the church - myself NOT included - leaves right after taking communion cutting it down an extra 15 minutes).
Well anyway, I decided to get over myself and put on my non-judgmental cap and headed out the door. I arrived a few minutes early and found my spot. Matt Redmen lead the worship and it was enjoyable - he had great music, lyrics I could connect with, and while a few people threw their hands up in praise, no one was glaring at me or pressuring me to do the same. I swayed a bit to the music, but that was about it. Following Matt's set, founder & director of Passion Conferences,Louie Giglio, got up to speak. He read from a girl's journal and showed a real life example of how her life was turned around by becoming a Christian after many events - one of which was hearing the song "Mighty To Save" for the first time (you can find the whole story at http://sue-n-flower.blogspot.com/2008/08/passion-ashleys-journal.html). After Louie concluded this incredibly inspiring, heartbreaking story Matt came back out to close the service. At this point I was getting that big lump in my throat like you do when you would cry, but don't want a room full of strangers to look at you. Anyway, I was just WAITING for Matt to come on and play "Mighty To Save", a song which I myself love to pieces, and which would have been the perfect ending to the service. He didn't. He played some other song, which I don't remember the name of. It was still nice, still a great song, but not exactly the release and relief I had been expecting. THEN just as the song was coming to an end they did a seamless transition into "Mighty To Save" and this Catholic, uptight, mid-western girl started belting it out as loud as she could as a tear or two rolled down her face. It was incredible. I only wish you all could have been there to share in the experience as well. Unbelievable.
The service was followed by a lunch and performance at 3rd and Lindsley (a popular venue in Nashville) where I saw Jars of Clay perform live for the first time. I was blown away by them as well. They were funny, honest, and their performance was flawless. In short, the whole day was an incredible event that I was blessed to get to participate in.
~Rachel
Well I had planned to blog at least at the end of every day -- little did I know how BUSY I would be. If any of you have not yet had the pleasure of coming down for GMA Week I would highly encourage you to do it soon. It's an amazing experience - so many different walks of life all brought together by one common thread - glorifying the Lord. That being said, let me let you all in on what might have been my favorite day of GMA Week so far - Day 2, Sunday.
Let me start off by saying that I am Catholic (all you Bill Ballinger's out there, please reserve judgment for the Lord) ;) . Not only am I Catholic, but I was raised as a Catholic, living in a small town outside of Chicago. All of that is to say that the way that religion was represented to me growing up is very different than the way I've come to experience it since living in Nashville. Back home religion isn't talked about as much, or in such depth. You are what you are and really it rarely comes up in conversation. And when you go to church its much like study hall in junior high - you arrive, you sit down quietly, you don't talk, you sing the same organ-based melody 4 times (calling it 4 different songs), and you don't raise your hand unless you have to go to the bathroom. Thus, you may be able to understand that I was a bit apprehensive, and - yes, I'll say it - even dreading attending the 1.5 hour long non-denominational church service, just a tiny bit. I figured I would be in a room with hundreds of people I don't know who would be trying to get me to raise my hands and sing out loud and jump up and down which is something I am not comfortable doing in my time of worship. Not to mention I couldn't imagine what could be talked about for a full hour and a half (our services are usually a solid hour, and half the church - myself NOT included - leaves right after taking communion cutting it down an extra 15 minutes).
Well anyway, I decided to get over myself and put on my non-judgmental cap and headed out the door. I arrived a few minutes early and found my spot. Matt Redmen lead the worship and it was enjoyable - he had great music, lyrics I could connect with, and while a few people threw their hands up in praise, no one was glaring at me or pressuring me to do the same. I swayed a bit to the music, but that was about it. Following Matt's set, founder & director of Passion Conferences,Louie Giglio, got up to speak. He read from a girl's journal and showed a real life example of how her life was turned around by becoming a Christian after many events - one of which was hearing the song "Mighty To Save" for the first time (you can find the whole story at http://sue-n-flower.blogspot.com/2008/08/passion-ashleys-journal.html). After Louie concluded this incredibly inspiring, heartbreaking story Matt came back out to close the service. At this point I was getting that big lump in my throat like you do when you would cry, but don't want a room full of strangers to look at you. Anyway, I was just WAITING for Matt to come on and play "Mighty To Save", a song which I myself love to pieces, and which would have been the perfect ending to the service. He didn't. He played some other song, which I don't remember the name of. It was still nice, still a great song, but not exactly the release and relief I had been expecting. THEN just as the song was coming to an end they did a seamless transition into "Mighty To Save" and this Catholic, uptight, mid-western girl started belting it out as loud as she could as a tear or two rolled down her face. It was incredible. I only wish you all could have been there to share in the experience as well. Unbelievable.
The service was followed by a lunch and performance at 3rd and Lindsley (a popular venue in Nashville) where I saw Jars of Clay perform live for the first time. I was blown away by them as well. They were funny, honest, and their performance was flawless. In short, the whole day was an incredible event that I was blessed to get to participate in.
~Rachel
Saturday, April 18, 2009
GMA Week - Day 1 highlights
Well y'all. Today was my very first day of my very first GMA Music Week here in lovely downtown Nashville. The weather was kind and we had a gorgeous sunny day. The day kicked off bright and early for me with a welcome seminar at 8:45am. I pretty much went from 8:45am - 4:15pm in seminar after seminar with a few short breaks in between to eat some food and such. The seminars flew by and were jam packed with so many great pointers on what I can do to continue to grow as a Christian and promoter.
It's been a blast so far, I've met some really neat people - a lot of people who are in charge of setting up Christian music festivals in their home towns. It's pretty amazing how dedicated these people are to their communities and churches. I was also able to meet up for a brief moment with one of my favorite AristoMedia connected artists - Kevin LeVar who will be playing a few showcases later this week. Kevin and his manager Shondale are just SO sweet and they have a new project on the verge that sounds ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I don't want to spill the beans, but I'll just tell you it has to do with one of my favorite Kevin LeVar songs - A Heart That Forgives. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, trust me...I'll let you know :)
I did also catch up with a few wonderful TV programmers. Alan with Control Track in Florida and Kat & Jorge from The Revolution TV. And i'll be chatting them up even more later on this week. There are a lot of amazing showcases lined up for the next few days...I'll keep you updated and let you know what rocked and what fizzled.
Have a great weekend!
~Rachel@aristomedia
It's been a blast so far, I've met some really neat people - a lot of people who are in charge of setting up Christian music festivals in their home towns. It's pretty amazing how dedicated these people are to their communities and churches. I was also able to meet up for a brief moment with one of my favorite AristoMedia connected artists - Kevin LeVar who will be playing a few showcases later this week. Kevin and his manager Shondale are just SO sweet and they have a new project on the verge that sounds ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I don't want to spill the beans, but I'll just tell you it has to do with one of my favorite Kevin LeVar songs - A Heart That Forgives. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, trust me...I'll let you know :)
I did also catch up with a few wonderful TV programmers. Alan with Control Track in Florida and Kat & Jorge from The Revolution TV. And i'll be chatting them up even more later on this week. There are a lot of amazing showcases lined up for the next few days...I'll keep you updated and let you know what rocked and what fizzled.
Have a great weekend!
~Rachel@aristomedia
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