Horns and Rhythm - Worship

Ever have one of those 'awkward pauses'?

OK..If you have a blog, will you cut and paste the blog entry below into your blog?

I'm trying to get the word out about theCRICKETtoy™! Thank you!

Jeff

_______

Have you ever had an awkward pause in a conversation where you could 
have sworn you heard crickets chirping? Now you can ACTUALLY hear 
crickets chirping. Check this out. theCRICKETtoy™ is for any awkward pause.

Right now, some awkward situation is probably running through your mind. And if your family is anything like mine, the upcoming holidays should provide countless opportunities for this little green guy to interject a chirp or two.

theCRICKETtoy™ was created by Jeff Anderson, a songwriter/producer in Nashville with a goofy sense of humor. He has several awkward videos posted here and you can buy your own cricket on his website. Matter of fact, it would make the ideal stocking stuffer for the teen in your life. Everyone knows they are full of awkward moments…

Like I said, check it out:

 

(yes, a PT Cruiser wrapped like a HUGE Green Cricket!)

Not the Greatest Singer Video

P.S. I told him I would help him get the word out, so feel free to copy and paste this entry in your blog and ask your readers to buy a toy and put this entry in their blog. I want to see just how many blogs we can get this fun, toy (Great Stocking Stuffer-only $5) on! I think we've got the next “pet rock” so be a part of creating a cultural phenomenon!

Horns and Rhythm - Worship

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     It seems many more churches are rhythm section driven today than they have ever been (ours certainly is-The People's Church, Franklin, TN).
     I have been trying to find a way to utilize a horn section in our contemporary/blended worship services for awhile now. But it seems that most of the arrangements out there are for 'praise band' and they just do not seem to fit with the styles of the contemporary worship driven churches. I wanted to find a way to utilize a contemporary rhythm section and feature a horn section in a way that would not sound like those 'praise band' arrangements from the late 1990s.
     After a number of months of talking to worship pastors, listening to TONS of songs on Itunes and picking worship songs, I have finally finished what I believe to be a COMPLETELY relevant approach to utilizing a horn section in worship.

Horns and Rhythm - Worship
13 Contemporary rhythm-driven arrangements featuring a horn section

     I started by assembling phenomenal musicians and creating amazing worship tracks with the rhythm section. It was a completely collaborative effort with the rhythm players. Once I had rhythm tracks that were powerful and full of energy, I wrote horn arrangements that compliment the rhythm tracks just like I would for any other record that I work on.

     On a number of occasions I have listened to the top 100 downloaded songs on Itunes. Do you know what style I found to be prevalent? There was not one style. There were tons of different styles. Music is truly eclectic today. The one consistent factor was that the style/feel of the songs really complimented the songs themselves.

     So that's what we've done. We've created a somewhat eclectic mix of styles that compliment these amazing worship songs. This project is a cross between a contemporary worship rhythm section, John Mayer, U2, Mr. Holland's Opus, Chicago (HAVE to include Chicago on a horn section record), the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and a little bit of the Top Gun lead guitar sound. There is even a hint of a marching band and drum line on How Great Is Our God (You've GOT to do that LIVE!!!!).

     As an added bonus to this project, every arrangement comes with 2 versions:
          1. Instrumental Version (as heard on the recording)
          2. Congregational Version-adapted by David Shipps to be used for congregational accompaniment

     Click on any song title for a detailed description of the song and for an audio sample.