Crowder delivers rock ’n’ religion | The Christian band brings a bold and hip approach to its worship music

Appeared in print: Friday, Oct 9, 2009

This is such an excellent story and it really is what Redemption Rocks! is all about. Thanks to Bob Welch and the Register Guard.

Some thoughts on Caleb and Sol from their C.D. Release party. They are playing a FREE show at Cozmic Pizza April 5th

A Mission Statement ..

..(or why do these unpaid, occasionally geeky, volunteers put so much of their play time into making concerts happen.) ..

..Why "Christian" music?  We actually love almost all music.  But, we think that music with lyrics based in Christian spirituality is especially rocking.  Because, we beleive that Christian spirituality makes a lot of sense and answers some basic human needs.  That is to say, we think it's true.  By the way, everyone is invited.  We like and respect peeps with all sorts of viewpoints, beleifs and backgrounds and like to dialogue with you.  We all don't have to think the same way and we aren't going to think any less of you if you don't share our faith.  We still think you rock!..

Purpose....

Concerts with lyrics rooted in Christian spirituality have many benefits.

We aim to:

·         Share our faith.  We think Christian spirituality is the best gift we can share with our community.  If we give you a good concert, you might get to know some of what we think.  We'd like that.  We’d like to continue providing concerts in both secular and church settings for this purpose.  We aim to work in any style that people will listen to.  As different styles have different audiences they also have different strengths in types of lyrical content they are adept at carrying.

·         Provide Family Fun and a chance for people to meet and hang out. That is build community.

·         Develop artistry and creativity.  It seems that we are created to create.  Life becomes clearer to us when we express it with our own unique touches.

·         Lead in caring for people’s practical needs.  While being devoted to sharing what we beleive, American evangelical churches have often forgotten that we are also commanded to care for the least of these.  Concerts that partner with and serve those in need of our practical love can help set an example of renewed, practical involvement.

·       Provide opportunities for  Discipleship and opportunities to serve.  We learn a lot from lyrics and have lots of exciting service opportunities with concerts.  For those not fluent in Christianese, “discipleship” means growing to become more loving and thoughtful, more like the creator intended us to be.

·         Worship.  This is another Christianese term.  It means focusing on God.  Since we Christian types believe that God is not only the archetype of “good”, but is also “good” personified, worship is about noticing and focusing on goodness.

·         Build Partnerships with all of our Neighbors.  If the churches maintain a “separate, but equal” or antagonistic relationships with little contact with folks of other belief systems we can’t expect to be any part of peoples lives. That's wrong.  Everyone is important.  Relationships are built on respect, understanding and sharing mutual tasks.  Also, as Christian faith relies on choice, it’s necessary to dialogue and understand each other to allow choice.  Concerts are a great touchstone.  Especially when they are either freely given to the community or involve working with the community for mutual goals, such as relieving poverty.

·         Build a Lane County (and all of Oregon) Christian music scene that is prevalent, varied and exciting.  We can’t do this all ourselves and we don’t want it dependent on just us.  So, we’ve been encouraging and providing resources to bands, churches, ministries, venues, businesses, music fans and anyone else who shares some of our goals. 

Goals....

Goals for 2009....

·         Provide a free outreach or benefit show with local artists each month.  These should be in a variety of styles.  Particularly styles that are not often found on Sunday morning. We’d like half of these shows to be in our church (First Baptist Church of Eugene), ....camp.. ..Harlow.... or other churches and half in the community.  We’d like these to include 1.) A concert in a public park 2.) A hip hop Show 3.) A show that is “Heavier Than Thou” and features hard core, goth, punk or metal bands 4.) A mellow, 40-something-lady friendly MOR pop worship show 5.) A benefit for the HIV Alliance 6.) A benefit for Food for Lane County 7.) A modern Country Show 8.) A benefit for a group helping with the victim’s of the sex slave trade. 9.) A show at ....Camp.. ..Harlow.... 10.) A reggae/ dub show 11.) A show at the W.O.W. Hall

·         Develop a team of people who can listen, talk with and befriend people with spiritual and life questions at concerts to man a separate room where concert goers can hang out, ask questions, blaspheme,  make a friend, whatever.

·         Provide free of charge books, Bibles and C.D.s for concert goers to take home if they choose.

·         Help bring a few national artists to Lane County; whenever possible we’d like these shows to be at First Baptist.

·         Start or aid in starting a weekly Friday or Saturday night Christian music venue.

·         Find more ways to increase the scope of what we can do without increasing the percentage of ticketed concerts or ticket prices.

·         Provide as many tickets to the ticketed concerts to low income folks at no charge as we can.

·         Have a party with a special musical guest or other treat for our hard working concert and promo volunteers

·         Have another promote your event seminar to help any and all artists, venues, churches, etc. figure out good ways to get the word out about their events at low cost.

Future Goals....

·         Start a series of concerts that mix artists of the Christian faith with those of other faiths for a musical discussion, i.e.  Matisyahu the Hasidic Jewish dub/reggae artist with RootDown, preceded by a panel discussion of the ideas involved.

·         Have the first annual 2 or 3 day ....Eugene.... area Christian music festival that is free to the public, headlined by a national artist or two and backed by the best local artists from every church and genre.

So, What do you want for Christmas?

I'm hoping for a new instrument and lessons.  For years I've wanted a hammered dulcimer and lessons.  I'd love to take harmonica lessons from someone like Curtis Salgado, who really knows the blues.  I dream of ripping out a killer bluesy version of Amazing Grace with a band behind me mining a solid groove.  I'd also like some fruity loops software so I could start composing serious hip hop.   My drum set could benefit from  a serious upgrade.  And, as long as I'm dreaming, I wouldn't mind being asked to share a stage with Bruce Springsteen and the E-street band.  Speaking of Springsteen, I'd like to write and perform songs with the poetic poignancy, everyman urgency and timeless searching hope of his best lyrics. An intangible wish of mine is that I'd like everyone to get and share my sense of humour.  I'd like everyone to join me in appreciation and wearing of the worlds most awful Christmas sweaters.  I'd like to have done a huge painting with figures made with incredible sensitivity.

On a larger peace and justice, prayerful scale, I'd like Iraq to become a peaceful place, where people of every ethnic and religious group can raise their families without fear and violence.  I'd like all of Africa to be a place where disease, poverty, massacres and economic injustice are not  facts of  life.   I'd like everyone, everywhere to be able to think clearly and choose their beliefs based solely on their hearts and heads.  I'd like everyone to have an opportunity to accept or reject God without any pressure.  (Although the Bible promises that each individual, in their own way gets to make this decision.)  I'd like everyone to choose kindness, joy and giving, starting with me.  (I can be awfully judgmental, which to my understanding of the New Testament is the single most destructive sin.)  I'd like to have only good times with everyone I know or meet.

Redemption Rocks! is getting some of the things I've hoped for.  The best venue in town, my church (Sorry Hult Center and McDonald Theater, we love you and have many fond memories with you, but first Baptist is a much better designed and sounding concert venue with some pretty cool high tech features), is now hosting regular concerts by national Christian artists.  Kutless, Disciple and Stellar Kart are coming in  February.  Next spring the Apostles of Comedy tour is coming to First Baptist and negotiations are in the works to maybe bring Jeremy Camp and the David Crowder band to Eugene next Fall.  We're working on another Will Play for Food concert to gather food for Food for Lane County and a hip hop benefit for the HIV alliance, that we hope to collaborate with 94.9 JAMZ on and should be getting busy making more free, local concerts again soon.  So, all of this is a pretty big Christmas present.

So, what about you?  If you could ask for and receive anything that you want under your Christmas tree, what would it be?  It can be universal, personal , fashionable or even just fun and silly.  I, however, have first dibs on the worlds ugliest Christmas sweater and blues harmonica lessons.  J

A Christmas concert, punk style

By Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

Published: December 7, 2007 06:13PM