A Place to Explore American Roots Music's Role in the Church Today
We have just refreshed our worship space at Back Creek Church. Here are some pictures of the worship space.
I’m excited to lead from a new perspective and have the communion table amongst the musicians. A cool reminder of the purpose and the power of worship.
I had the opportunity to attend Vineyard Music’s National Worship Leaders Retreat East last week in Black Mountain, NC. While I was there I was truly blessed in many ways. I was able to connect with friends old and new, worship amongst 70+ worship leaders, and connect with a small group that laid their lives out on the table for us to seek God’s will in all the dark and light corners of our lives.
One of the major highlights was that I was asked to play banjo during the worship set led by Dan Wilt (worshiptraining.com) and Ryan Flanigan (reformworship.com). The set consisted of ancient prayers, classic hymns, modern worship songs, and a couple of modern folk songs that don’t typically fit into our worship set mold. Those songs however did point the congregation before us to the Lord most high.
Instrumentation in the set consisted of a hammered dulcimer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, djembe, keyboard, and banjo. The instruments blended to create a timbre that harkened back to the roots of American music yet was familiar to today’s worshiper. In the midst of the ancient and future tones the Holy Spirit blessed the retreat with an intimate and unique worship experience.
I was also blessed with the opportunity to sit down with Ryan Delmore and David Linhart (two Vineyard recording artist) and discuss roots music’s role in worship today. I’m listening back to the recording and gathering some notes for my next blog post.
Thanks to Ryan Flanigan for encouraging me to start blogging again. Go check out his stuff at www.reformworship.com
Ollabelle is a band brought together by roots music, not a band that got together to play roots music. When I first heard Ollabelle I was at Suwanee Springfest in Live Oak, Fl. The sounds eminating from the stage connected with my soul. They have taken old spirituals and gospel songs as well as some original material and put their musical stamp on it. They all come from different musical backgrounds yet the sound is cohesive. They produce a sound that harkens back yet leaps forward. If we in the church would be willing to rely on our own musical backgrounds and trust in the spirit of the music we are playing and also trust in the Holy Spirit, I’m curious what would emerge. What comes out of Ollabelle is a sound that is worshipful, artisitic, and authentic. Isn’t that what we should be striving for?
Please take the time to watch this video. The comments made by the musicians are comments that all worship leaders should hear and be heard saying.
The Carter Family was in the right place at the right time…or were they? When A.P. was a child and a young man he would walk ancient footpaths and railroads between valleys in the Appalachian mountains of western Virginia. This is how he met his wife and band mate Sara. Together with his brother’s wife Maybelle they became one of the most renowned musical groups to ever represent American roots music. A.P took advantage of a new kind of railroad that was being established in the 1920′s. This new connection between regions and cultures all across the United States, north into Canada, and south into Mexico was no longer bound together by wood and steel. It was found floating, invisible, through the airwaves and landing in living rooms and shops for all to hear. Radio revolutionized how we connect with one another and how we listen and engage with music. Music left the front porch, the church, and the community hall. It left the hands of local musicians and entered little boxes.
The music that A.P. Carter mined out of those western Virginia Mountains had been there for several generations. Much of it had traveled from the British Isles and was then nourished by the rich Appalachian culture to become what we call today traditional old time music. When the Carter family made that fateful trip to Bristol, Tennessee to sing into that “can” they took a culture with them and delivered it to the masses. The fame and misfortune that came along with their success drove them to inner turmoil as A.P. traveled relentlessly searching for new songs. The pressures of fame and greed took its toll on Sara and A.P. They split up and Maybelle was left to carry on the tradition with her daughters.
Today we have a new railroad in which we connect. In fact I’m riding down its tracks right now. The Internet has revolutionized how we connect with the world. We all we see benefits from this new railroad, but let us be mindful of the costs. The Carter’s left us a legacy of amazing music that we can use to worship, entertain, and just love each other with. Those artists out there using this new railroad to connect with the world must beware of the dangerous things that may be waiting around the bend.
As 475 members of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Denomination descend on the Appalachia Region this week to help rural churches host Vacation Bible Schools. I wanted to share this video about another important ministry that goes on in one of the poorest regions in our country. The Cowan Creek Mountain Music School has been helping children and adults recapture the values of the culture that has helped people survive in this neglected region for decades. “Old Time” music helped the communities of this region laugh and cry together and share their lives with one another. My hope is that the Gospel could be found in both a VBS and in an “Old Time” fiddle workshop and that this region could be transformed by the love of Christ.
Here is the video of the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School:
So I was recently given an assignment in my Master’s program at St. Stephen’s University to write a response to any video on the TED.com website that interests me and reflect on it and how it relates to today’s spiritual climate. I must say that I was overwhelmed by all of the amazing information on the TED website. I’ve viewed quite a few of the videos and have been enriched by each one. I settled on a video entitled “David Holt: The Stories and Songs of Appalachia.” The subject matter of American Roots music draws me in like the smell of my Grandma’s famous lima beans and rice. I just can’t resist those old melodies that seem to speak to me from my ancestors and motivate me to connect with others in melody, rhythm, and lyric. Holt’s blending of storytelling and roots music in his presentation gives me ideas on how to incorporate this art form into the modern worship setting. All of the elements Holt uses are part of the way we do worship. We connect to the great Narrative which is the story of God and man through music and ancient traditions. I’m curious if we, as worship leaders, can tell the story in way that Holt tells his story? Using ancient, modern, and even futuristic technology to connect with others in a very simple way he tells his story and brings it to life for those in his audience. We must always keep “the story” central to what it is we’re doing. Let all the other things enhance and nuance not overpower and muddle. Much like the way my Grandma would ad just the right amount of butter and salt and pepper to her famous lima beans and rice.
To See David Holt: The Stories and Song of Appalachia follow this link:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_holt_plays_mountain_music.html
Here is a link to an amazing conversation with the late Joe Carter, a scholar and singer of African American Spirituals. It was recorded for the Speaking of Faith radio show. The page that is linked also has many other resources for those of us interested in using these amazing songs within our worship sets. Each opportunity in which I’ve been able to worship with these songs has been a huge blessing. The theological perspective of the African American slaves that wrote these songs in the midst of great suffering helps us understand our falleness and the great love Christ has for us. These beautiful songs help us understand our relationship as redeemed people in such a beautiful way that we should not neglect these treasures.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/joecarter/links.shtml
Alison Krauss describes Hazel Dickens as, “Cranked up to ten.” She doesn’t hold back vocally or when it comes to standing up for workers rights. As a girl she grew up singing in a primitive Baptist church in the mountains of West Virginia seeing the injustice done to coal mine workers. She later became and advocate for labor unions and workers rights.
As a worship leader, there is a lot to be learned from Hazel Dickens’ story. How can I/we encourage our congregations to address the social justice issues of our society today? How can I/we embrace what Christ proclaims in the Sermon on the Mount? Let us look for examples of Christians who had a heart for social justice and were willing to use the talents God blessed them with to love their neighbor and bring Christ’s Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven.
I am blessed to be able to attend this festival. I have experienced a true closeness with the Creator and His created order while attending this festival that takes place on the banks of the Suwannee River in North Florida. The music that fills the air and the natural beauty collide to create a “thin place” if you will. People of all faiths and walks of life come together to celebrate American Roots music being played under the stars. I urge those reading this to take a little break from whatever reality your dealing with right now and watch this great little video and see what Suwannee Springfest is all about. I recently interviewed Beth Judy one of the organizers of this festival about the spiritual aspects of this festival. I’ll be posting that next week.
I found a couple of videos through the Smithsonian Global Sound on iTunes U. One is Pete Seeger doing a rap on the English Language. This a great resource for us that are understanding the importance of Language and how it affects our spiritual connections especially in this Post Modern society in which we live. It could be a great resource for someone speaking on the Language dilemma of Post Modern culture.
