Producer Brian Eichelberger -
Recording five different bands split between two producers was a fun challenge. Finding a unique voice for each band, but trying to have consistent vibe for the record - that was something Joel and I talked about a lot. I really enjoyed working with The Northern Conspiracy, and my time working with them on this album forged an opportunity for us to work together on their full-length album, which we are currently recording.
Producer Joel Brown -
One thing that brought it together was having Brian and I share duties with bands or musicians and combine sessions at times. Some examples that come to mind are the string players - we used the same players on almost every song with strings, and even recorded the strings for several different bands at the same sessions. I also helped Brian record the drums, piano, acoustic guitar, and vocals on a few of his songs and he helped me with editing or recording in a variety of ways. So there's definitely a noticeable difference in a vocalist or the tone from song to song, but it all sounds like it's coming from the same place.
Brian -
Right now, the song that is really sticking out to me is “Softly and Tenderly” by Team Strike Force -the lyrics just jump out at me; “though we have sinned, there’s mercy and pardon / Pardon for you and me”. There’s a cool story surrounding that song - when the evangelist D.L. Moody was on his deathbed, he told Will Thompson (the composer of the song), “I would rather have written the song ‘Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling’ than anything I have been able to do in my whole life”.
Joel -
My favorite song is definitely 'We Have Not Known Thee'. Maybe it's the degree of investment I had in it's creation, but I love the way each section of the song has a 'sound' of it's own.
Watch The Resurgence.com for the full interviews and more...
Rain...
Contrary to popular belief it does not rain that much in the “rain city”. We average an unremarkable 37.1” a year which is much less than New York City, Atlanta, Houston and most cities of the eastern seaboard of the US. However, our almost universal reputation for rain is likely due to our average of 201 days a year of cloud cover. Regardless, the dark, grey dampness finds it’s way into many areas of our lives including our music.
City...
From the home of grunge to the Seattle Symphony, one of the worlds most recorded orchestras due to their independent union status, Seattle is a very musical city. Seattle is also a very independent city. Seattleittes gravitate towards independent film, independent coffee (translated as “not starbucks”), independent restaurants and definitely towards independent music. There are less kids per capita in Seattle than anywhere except San Francisco and more college graduates than any other US city. There are more dogs here than either kids or Christians. All of these factors shape our life, our music and our expression of the gospel.
Hymnal...
The natural question is, “Why, in the midst of the clouds, rain, college degrees and dogs, have you chosen to record an entire album of dusty, old hymns?” It’s a valid question and the answer is simple...
If you look at the history of hymns you see that the vast majority of them have a separate author for text and tune. Over time the best texts have risen to the surface and been put to many different tunes that made sense to specific people at particular times and places. We at Mars Hill Church in Seattle are simply another link in this chain seeking work out a very old message, the gospel of Jesus, for a specific people, place and time.
Our goal in all this is first, to make Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, look great. Second, to respond to the grace of Jesus through music that makes sense to us and our people here in Seattle. And third, to encourage people everywhere to seek the glory of Jesus through music and everything else, investing deeply in both the people and cultures to which they have been called.
The common theme here is Jesus. He is the reason why we sing and play. Our hope for all who hear our music is that they would know Him, be changed by Him and worship Him as we do.
“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for
“ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ ” (Acts 17.24-28 ESV)
- Tim Smith
