Yesterday was an important date in 1000 Generations' history in the making.  It was our CD release concert for our new album, “Turn Off the Lesser Lights”.  It all started very early.  Waking up at 5 a.m. is a very difficult thing for musicians to do on a Saturday.  We pulled into E91 Church at 6 a.m. to begin our preparation for the day’s festivities.  We were very blessed to have an army of volunteers helping us from start to finish.  The list of things-to-do included:  brewing strong coffee, dropping off the kids to childcare, unloading tons of gear, preparing breakfast for dozens, setting up the merchandise table, counting and sorting merchandise, clearing the stage, vacuuming the stage, setting up PA and lighting, changing drum heads, tweaking our stage computer software vs. hardware glitch (diagnosed and solved by Steven at 9 a.m.), brewing more strong coffee, placing mics, running lines, tuning guitars, getting a sound and in-ear check, reviewing the itinerary, band meeting, eating lunch from Chick-fil-A (thanks Jeff & Leah), and then trying to catch your breath before the doors open at 12:30 p.m.!

Betsy Walker was our opening act for the 1 p.m. matinee.  She and her husband Ben played beautiful songs from her latest release “Lovely.”  She has, by far, one of my favorite female voices in today’s popular music.  Be sure to check out her velvety voice at:  http://www.betsywalker.com/   Once Betsy and Ben laid the groundwork for a great concert; we came out and rocked “Saints of Our Redeemer”.  I love playing this song live because it is such an anthem of who we really are as believers in Christ.  Playing this song loud is a must!  The auditorium wasn’t packed, but I could tell that everyone had a great time, especially with the crowd participation on “Invocation”.  We ended this show with “Help Me Let Me Let Myself Be Loved” as an encore with our drum finale.

Jake Brothers opened the evening show with a musical fire.  From his band, he brought Chris and Becky to help round out a very tight acoustic ensemble.  Jake’s songs are an absolute mirror of his open heart.  Check out his great songs on “Reflections Of You” at: http://www.jakebrothersmusic.com/   Sorry Jake about the weird sound delay thing…you should’ve had Chris break into “When The Levee Breaks”!  After Scott McElroy introduced us with his booming voice, we hit the stage for a second time to a PACKED out auditorium.  From front to back, it was a sea of people as we rocked through “Not Of Our Hands” and a new band favorite, “Mansions in Floodplains”.  If you like the CD version, then you love the live version.  After playing a new instrumental encore after “How Big Small Can Be”, we ran off stage to the lobby to meet with friends, family and fans.

Long before the stage was cleared and the instruments were cased-up and loaded, the adrenaline coursing quickly through our bodies had faded almost as rapidly as it fell on us hours before.  Yes, we were exhausted.  It had been a very long day.  But definitely another strong success; adding yet another chapter to this big, heavy, hard-back book titled: “1000 Generations”.  As we walked out of the church, turned off the lights, I think we were all pleasantly reminded that this is not the end of all there is to be.

Goodnight,

Lorin