A walk through of the songs from the second album.

-by Nathan

So there has always been people out there that seem to be a bit interested in what the meaning of a certain lyric was or what I meant when I said "…." in that one song.  Or where I was when I wrote that particular tune. …etc.  So I figured I would put this out there for all who are interested.  Hope you enjoy. 

Shout the name of Jesus

I wrote this song early summer of 06.  I was dabbling around with a new tuning on my acoustic.  I think it's open D…but not the typical open D.  I still don't know what it is…haha.  I had this walk-up riff I was playing around with that seemed to be an uplifting type of feel.  Triumphant was what I was going for.  If I recall correct, the lyrics and music came right about the same time.  I knew I wanted to record this song.  I later pitched it to the guys and they seemed to halfway get it.  It doesn't sound very rock and roll on an acoustic guitar you see.  So we dropped it to the key of "C" and turned up the guitars a bit.  It turned out just like I hoped it would.  When we recorded it, I couldn't stop thinking, "This is the opening track of the record."  Highlight of recording this song was when it was time for Chris to record his solo section and out of nowhere he pulls out this spanish flared rock and roll, epic solo.  It still makes me go "wow" when I hear it.  I suppose the theme of this song wraps up what our message is mainly about.  It's one of those songs that if you only had one more song to sing on Earth, this would be the one.

Show me the way

This tune has been around for little over a year.  It's a pretty straight forward song.  I remember thinking, "I want a song that starts right on a lyric and then comes in strong."  Lyrically this isn't the deepest song on the record, but thinking back…it was a prayer of mine when I wrote it.  "I need You're spirit in me and surrounding everything I am and ever will be."  It really is true.  If the Lord's spirit isn't in what I'm doing…then I'm doing it on my own….and we all know what that leads to…..A BIG DEAD END!  My favorite part of this song is the echo sections with Joel and I.  I like to hear Joel sing.  His voice is very believable.  He means what he says.  Honest kid that Joel Carpenter.  Anyways, Chris added the riff for the bridge and we called it a song.   This might be the catchiest tune on the record.  I find myself air-drumming to it in my car and I hope that's the case with the listener.

Hold You close

This song was inspired by James 4:5.  "Draw near to God and He'll draw near to you."  I wanted to write a song that goes along side that promise that if I "Hold you close, you hold me closer."  Musically this is the 'up-tempo pop-rock tune' of the album.  It turned out on the record real close to what we wanted.  The breakdown bridge is pretty much our home.  We tend to do a lot of breakdown sections.  Izaya's percussive patterns in the bridge made for a great foundation to build off of.  This song tends to make me feel better when I hear it and I hope it does the same for you.

Light up this town

Light up this town has become a bit of an anthem in my life.  When I wrote these lyrics I had no clue they would be a song.  I was writing my thoughts one day about how I wanted to see great things from God working through my life.  I found inspiration on looking back at my senior year when my friend and I were doing a pretty radical bible study.  I recall driving to school at 6 am to set up for the "rally" as we called it and as I would drive there I would listed to a song by "Disciple."  The song was called "I just know Jesus is the way" or at least that was the hook.  That song was my pump up song and my prayer.  I suppose I would like to see Light up this town become a prayer for people as the Disciple song was to me.  "I give you all of my life…willing to pay any price"…. It's my prayer every day.

My Jesus lives

I was in church one Sunday morning and heard my father preaching on Bartimaeus.  And that when people asked Bartimaeus what had happened he replied, "I was blind but now I see."  That was his whole testimony.  That he was healed by the Lord Jesus Christ and now he's in heaven singin…"My Jesus Lives."  The second verse goes into talking about how Jesus came to Earth to die for you and I but how he rose again.  I knew I wanted to hear a choir on this song so we all got on our cell phones one day and called all of our singer friends.  Two days later we had 20 singers in Chris's living room singing out 3 part harmonies.  It was fun watching Izaya's choir directing skills being used in our rock and roll band.  We stacked the choir about 4 times so that you get the effect there is 80 people singing on our record.  You gotta love technology.  This might almost be my favorite song on the record.  I suppose I just love to remind myself that I live for and serve a God that is still alive today.  It gives me chills.

Calling

"Calling" is a bit of an accomplishment for myself.  I don't normally ever have a grand idea in my head that I can pull off exactly right.  Normally I have to change things up a bit from the "idea" to the "product" to make things work.  I wanted to have a song that communicated on a bit of a specific level how we are all called by God.    The lyrics sort of bounce all over the map with no real pattern.  I suppose it could go from a rich doctor being called to a middle school soccer player having a calling.  I really enjoy Chris's guitar work on this tune.  He has a real knack for finding just the right notes to make it all work.  The pre-chorus "ohh's" are fun to me.  There is a lot of "ooos, ahhhs and ohhhs" on this record."  I guess I'm on a bit of an "ooo-ahhh" kick right now. 

Arrival

This is simply an intro into "A Chance to See."  Izaya did the programming on this record.  I think he did a great job.  For those of you who don't know, Izaya is probably a better piano player that he is a drummer.  It's been a real treat having Izaya on board with us.  It's taken our band to the next level for sure.

A chance to see

Ok.  This song has been around for a little over a year.  I wrote this song on the piano in my living room.  A friend of mine was living at my house at the time and I would always annoy him with the piano line.  All I had was that walk up melody that is throughout the song.  I suppose I wrote this with the mind of a drummer.  Drums were my first instrument growing up and I tend to write songs with the mindset of what the drum parts will be.  This song is undoubtedly a fun song on the drums.  Izaya absolutely kills this tune live.  The song feels a bit darker than the rest of the record although I don't think it's a dark song.  Highlight of recording this tune was with Joel.  Joel had his Rickenbacker in the amp room screeching and thrashing his strings while I was in the control room tracking it all.  We later found the screech that we wanted and used it after the big vocal note in the bridge.  We should get a feedback award for that one if you ask me.  Lyrically it speaks for itself I think.  No need to try and get all deep on this one.  Ha-ha.

Moonlight

This song came to me about 2 weeks before we went to the studio.  It seems that this song is a bit of a throwback to something I would write when I was 17 or 18.  It simply states that when I look around and see all God has done I realize who I am.  That when I see the mountains and the stars, it amazes and reminds me of who I am in the Lord….and who I can be.  This is a "feel-good" song to me.  It's hard for me to sing this song and not smile through the whole tune.  I understand that smiling is not the most rock and roll thing to do on stage…so I'm trying to back it off a bit.  lol.  I'm glad we decided to bring the big half-time section back to serve as the outro.  I like to feel the music hit strong.  It has a spirit of victory to it, like we are winning.

Fist into a hand

Let me introduce you to the "not so typical Nathan Walker song."  This piece was a bit 'out there' to me at first.  For all of those who haven't met me…I'm not exactly the deepest guy on the planet.  I'm not really into poetry and I don't like paintings and herbal tea.  Sorry if I let anybody down.  But this song required the artsy side of me to show up a bit more than I prefer.  I was writing down random words one day and amidst all of the jumbled mess I found "contribution, revelation, a clear solution, determination."  I built this song around those four words.  That 1 (contribution) "I need to contribute", 2 (revelation) "I need to realize that there is something that needs to be done, 3 (a clear solution) "that there is a very clear solution (Jesus Christ) and 4 (determination) "I am determined to do whatever it is I have to do to get the job done."  My favorite moment on the whole album is the bridge in this song.  It repeats "You should know You can count on me."  That was a statement I made to my Father God one night in my room.  I said, "Lord, I don't know why I and others don't give their lives fully to You, but from now on…I want you to know that you can count on me."  I think this is my favorite song on the album.

Fighter

Our band met a girl named Courtney Hild a year and a half or so ago.  Courtney was connected with our good friends over at Destiny Church in San Antonio where we go and play often.  Courtney was battling with cancer.  She became a fan of the band and later became a friend.  As she was battling this disease her close friends would call me and keep me posted on her health.  They would tell me how strong she was and that when others around her said she wasn't going to be able to fight this cancer she replied, "I don't have to fight this.  The Lord is my fighter and He is in me."  When I would hear these things I would be blown away at how much faith she had in her Lord.  Courtney passed away this past year and I wrote a song that I feel best represents her perspective during her fight.  Musically this song just kind of followed the theme.  I love when the music side of a song sounds like what the song is saying.  The first half is the declaration of "there's a fighter in me" and the second half sounds like the fight.

Right here

This song came about while I was fiddling around with an open tuning.  It's a bit off the beaten path with us with how this song is laid out.  We settled on a drum line feel and the deep piano drones.  It has three verses and a lyric shift in the all of the chorus's.  We decided to keep it a bit stripped and I think it allows for a bit more intimacy for the listener.  I look at this song very vertically.  It's me singing to God.  Not about, or for, just to.  I enjoy singing this song to the Lord.

I'm alive

So we didn't know if we were going to have time to record this song.  Izaya played a great piano track on this one.  I didn't spend a lot of time on the vocal.  I think it was just me getting in there and singing it from the ole' corazon.   It was a song I had wrote when I was at some friends of mine beach cabin in North Carolina overlooking the ocean.  It starts, "From the depths of the ocean, to the blue in the sky…"  Its me soaking in the planet and letting God know that I am alive in Him.  I guess it came off a bit poetic with all the "from the….to the's…."  I think this is my mother's favorite and I hope it's your mom's favorite as well. 

Lord I seek You (chorus)

This was a song we decided to tag on the end of "I'm alive."  Dave Bell of Destiny Church in San Antonio wrote it.  Dave has been a personal mentor of mine in worship and life in general.  He's the best songwriter I know.  Thanks for letting use this anointed song Dave.

So that's the show folks.  Hope this record motivates and speaks to you.  Have a great year and don't ever settle for less than what God has for you.  - Nathan