Grillin' in Fresno

We have so many good friends that drive out for the convention. The beautiful part of it is that they love feeding us! On Friday, we all headed over to the RV parking lot for lunch with some dear friends: Larry and Wilma Pound; Bob and Toni Conway; and Courtney and Lucille DeWeese. The food was incredible as you can see from the pictures below.

Wilma trying to explain to Larry that a fork works just fine for flipping chicken on the grill. Either that or she's challenging him to a duel. If that's the case, and knowing her spunk, my money's on Wilma.

Doran, Lori, and I trying to get as much food on our plates as fast as possible. Now Lori knows why I've put on a few pounds since I started traveling. However, I'm not quite as plump as my billowing shirt would make me appear. Sheesh! I look bloated. I work hard to protect my svelte physique.

Tri-tip steak, grilled chicken, baked beans (which I avoided, reasons which are understood by those who know me; probably not what you're thinking, either), asparagus, salad, fruit, garlic bread, and strawberry shortcake.

Diane, Tammy, Donna, and Lori pose beside Wilma's Liberty painting. We inspire the arts! This was the first time that all of the wives were able to go on a trip. We had way too much fun. I have so many stories that I can't share. I'd love to, but if I did a missing person's report would soon be filed and my body would end up in some secluded ravine wrapped in plastic. You don't want to mess with these women.

This was supposed to be a picture of Doran and Diane, but somehow an orange albatross ended up in the shot.

The same thing happened in Tammy's picture. They really need to do something about those birds. They're annoying. I sprayed it with Round-Up.

Thanks to all of you guys (yeah, I know you're out there and you read this blog) who fed us, clothed us (OK, that didn't happen), and made us feel like we're someone special. We love you!

Thursday concert

We left Boise/Nampa on Wednesday around 5:00 PM and drove throughout the evening. We arrived in Fresno around 8:30 AM Thursday. John Bentham, promotions director of the Fan Fest, called me Wednesday afternoon to see if we could do a TV interview with Fresno's CBS and Fox affiliates. I asked him what time we needed to be there and he said 5:00 AM. There ain't no way! So, while it would have been fun we had to skip the interview. Besides, who wants to sing tenor that early in the morning? We were the first group in to set up our booth, so once that was out of the way we took off for some food. We had planned on checking into the hotel early and grabbing a little shut-eye before our 4:30 PM sound check, but that didn't happen. The earliest we could get in was 3:00. By the time we picked up the rental cars, ate, got in the room, and showered it was time to head to the Save Mart Center.

Dan and Royce were dragging. Apparently neither one slept well (if at all) and they were dead tired. We were the first group on, so we dressed and headed backstage. Now, my favorite part of these concerts is hanging out in the green room. Besides all the food, I've heard the biggest stories from all the old road warriors. They're always trying to one-up each other. It's great.

We hit the stage at 6:09 PM and had a great set. Our songs for Thursday evening included:

Ride That Glory Train
I'll Fly Away (Doran piano solo)
Bus Driver
The Eastern Gate
Say It Again
In God We Still Trust

I have to hand it to the sound crew. They did a fantastic job! Wes Pritchard was running the monitors and they were spot on. This is probably the best sound that we ever had at a convention/festival. The crowd responded so well to our songs. I think we had the right lineup. It was a nice mix of up-tempo and laid back songs. And, for all of you who were praying for my voice, God came through (like He always does). It sounded fine. Well, as fine as my voice gets anyway. Thanks for praying!

For a full run-down of Thursday night, click here.

Enjoy the pictures!


Gargantuan Keith coming at you. Lori made sure that my nose and ears were free of impeding and conspicuous hairs. She's a caring wife.

Royce had the crowd laughing throughout our Thursday evening set. I'm not sure what he's doing here, but I apparently enjoyed it.

Dan found paternal satisfaction in my histrionics, watching proudly as I sang my little heart out. It was either that or the fact that he hadn't slept for 32 hours. Shortly after this we carried him off the stage.

One of the highlights for me was singing "In God We Still Trust", one of the most powerful patriotic songs you'll ever hear. The energy in the arena was electric!

Overall, it was a wonderful night. After we were done we had a chance to relax and hear some of our favorites: the Booth Brothers, Legacy Five, the Beene Family, the Herb Henry Family, and the Hoppers among many others.

Fresno

Whew! What an eventful week! Today, it's nice to sit here in the room with the windows open, hearing the night sounds, reflecting on everything that happened. Instead of providing you with a blow-by-blow account of the Great Western Fan Fest, I'll tell the story in pictures (coming tomorrow).

In the meantime, for those of you who want all of the details visit the blog of my good friend John Scheideman. You'll feel like you were there. If you visit, you'll also get a bonus review of our Sunday night concert at Riverdale Assembly of God, one of the best concerts I've ever been a part of. You'll also be hearing more about that. Later.

As for now, start reading John's account and I'll post some pictures tomorrow to give you an idea as to what he's talking about.

Whew!

Wow! What a day! It started off in the studio, where Doran, Dan, and I did the final vocal fixes on our new album (title still undetermined). Then, I ran home to finalize the concepts for a Liberty Quartet photo shoot. At about a quarter to four I raced over to Meridian and met the rest of the guys at a studio for some shots for the new album. Then, we headed over to Royce's house where we shot the photography for his upcoming solo project. By the time I left his house it was a quarter after eight. After a nutritious supper of Burger King I turned the ol' green Explorer for the rolling hills of Waggoner estates. I've just now finished catching up on email and other business. And, I'm tired.

Yeah, and remember all that stuff about my voice? Well, my allergies just kicked in and they are kickin' my backside! My throat is raw. Of course, that was due to happen the same week as the Fresno Fan Fest. So, while I might not be singing well, I can at least enjoy everybody else.

One news flash that I want to mention, Doran has been invited to be a part of the Fan Fest Songwriter's Showcase with Phil Cross, Rodney Griffin, and others. In spite of all the sarcastic barbs we lob at each other, I'm proud of the guy. He's writing songs that stand with the best lyrics being written in the Southern Gospel genre today. This is a well-deserved honor. That will be fun.

I'm tired. G'night.

I'm a Soccer Dad

Trey scored 5 goals in his game today. His team was trailing by one when he came into the game. He scored 2 goals in the first 30 seconds he was in. He was all over the field. I think I might have an athlete. He had everybody on their feet with a couple of his hustling plays. I'm a proud dad.

Kassady also scored 5 goals in her game. That's more than all last year's games combined. Go figure. While she's still not the most aggressive player on the field, she knows where and how to kick the ball. I'm a proud dad.

Trivia

Did you know that the Statler Brothers, who started out singing Gospel music, were originally known as the Kingsmen? Interesting trivia tidbit I picked up today.

Cutlery Capers

Kassady informed the family at the supper table the other night that she could hang a spoon on her nose. I told her that I didn't believe her. So, she did it. And, it really hangs on there. She doesn't lean back to make it happen. Of course, I had to try it. Can't do it.

I'm thinking that if her chosen profession doesn't work out, she can always fall back on a circus career.

Full Voice

The one thing that was never discussed in voice lessons was the importance of diet. We worked on breathing exercises, phonation (ah, those dipthongs), proper posture, vibrato, vocal resonation, and I even learned a little Italian and German along the way. All important, to be sure. But, yet, not a word about diet.

I'm a picky eater (my wife, parents, and the Liberty guys shout "Amen!" in chorus) and as a result find it difficult to appreciate many healthy foods due to my persnickety taste buds. I've heard the old wives tale that your taste buds change every few years. While I'm sure they are, it has yet to affect my eating habits. Trust me, every year I try to eat salad again and end up gagging on the lettuce. I try to eat new foods, playing mental games with myself, trying to convince the brain that I really like it. Sometimes I force myself to acquire a taste for something, most times not.

I know that I often eat food that's probably not good for this finely toned body. I'm trying to do better, but it's hard. I have a strong affinity for spicy foods: Mexican, Cajun, hot wings. In the past, I've imbibed to my heart's content. It never really did anything to me (if you discount all the treks to the room down the hall). That is, until the last 2 years. I'm now noticing that if I eat pepperoni, it's going to hurt me later in the day (or night). Hot wings take more than a day for the recovery process. It's painful.

Last year was the toughest for me from a vocal standpoint. I started the year by getting a cold on my trip to Ohio and Indiana in December, 2006. Thank you, family! I never quite got over it. We started our traveling in January and it was non-stop singing until the end of March. There were times that I was barely squeaking out my notes. There were a few concerts that I went out to the bus after we were done singing just to avoid over-talking. Those of you who know me, know that this just killed me. I was in a never-ending funk. I went to the doctor at least four times during the first three months of 2007 and they prescribed every type of drug you could think of for voice problems, but it never made a lasting impact. In March or early April I went to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist. He stuck the little camera up into my nose, down my nasal passage, and took a look around. After about 3 minutes of looking at the images on his computer, he asked me if I had ever suffered from heartburn. My initial reply was "nnnguhhgaaoo" (the camera was still stuck up my nose). Once he pulled it out, I told him that occasionally I would have a mild case of discomfort, but nothing serious. He said that my nasal passages were very irritated and that it appeared that I had some strange allergens (or something like that) in my system. He prescribed Prilosec and some heavy-duty stuff for allergies.

It should have sunk in that heartburn could be causing my vocal issues, but it didn't. The next few months weren't much better. I would have a good night on Friday, decent night on Saturday, but by Sunday I was a vocal mess. Vocal fatigue was becoming an issue, due to my tendency to over sing as a means of compensation for my problems. While we were at National Quartet Convention last September, Daniel Riley announced from the stage that Steve Ladd, their tenor, was on complete voice rest (except for singing). I later found out that it was due to heartburn. It still didn't sink in. I was trying everything from combining Advil with Claritin D to whatever else I could think of. Nothing worked. My voice was getting worse. Royce began making comments about the need for me to see a voice teacher to start singing right and correct some of the bad habits I was beginning to develop (once again, caused by over singing). Every once in a while I hit some depression periods, but I went about as low as I've ever gone in November. I was seriously considering giving up singing. I was so frustrated!

In the middle of November, Legacy Five was in town and I went over to their concert. Frank Seamans (their tenor) and I have developed a pretty good friendship over the last couple of years and in my talking to him after the concert I mentioned the vocal struggles I had been having. Well, it immediately got his attention. Unbeknownst to me, Frank had gone through some significant vocal problems during his time with Legacy Five. I knew that he had struggled initially, but I wasn't aware how bad it really was. He suffered with the same depression that I was combating. It was during that time that he resigned from Legacy Five. Scott Fowler wouldn't accept his resignation, though, and told him that he was willing to do whatever it took to help him recover. Frank began to share with me some of the steps he had to take to get his voice back. Man, it was like a breath of fresh air. At the restaurant later that night he filled me in on several techniques I could use to regain the use of my voice. After we had walked out of the restaurant and were getting ready to leave, Frank hung back and said, "Listen, Keith, I know what you're going through and I know you're frustrated. But, don't quit. I just want you to know I'll be praying for you." He doesn't know it, but God put those words in his mouth for me that night. For the first time all year, I felt like God could help my conquer this giant.

In December, I started analyzing what I was doing that could possibly harm my voice. I quit taking all my medicine. It was actually drying my voice out too much and harming my vocal cords. I then quit eating spicy foods in the afternoon and evening and on the weekends (well, except for the hot wings I had over at Marc and Talisha's). I started taking one Prilosec tablet every evening. I initiated a consistent exercise regiment. Then, and I'm sure this was a major component, I had 2 weeks and half off, no singing.

This January it was totally different. I felt like my voice was back to normal. I can almost feel it getting stronger. I now actually enjoy Sunday mornings. I'm keeping up with my habits that I established in December. I'll admit that I could exercise more, but I'm working on it. I'm still trying to avoid eating too many spicy foods. Ham is now my pizza topping of choice. I rarely suffer from heartburn symptoms. Every once in a while I'll have a vocal night that's more difficult than usual, but those are few and far between. I'm enjoying singing again.

God is good. Thanks to good friends, prayer, and some common sense I'm able to give 100% each concert. If I ever teach voice again, diet is going to be on of those items that I throw in the mix with "Caro Mio Ben".

O be careful little mouth what you eat!

Thanks, Dave

Pastor Dave celebrated his 200th post the other day. I was hoping to forget this little incident.

Weeds

I am getting our back desert ready for a sprinkler system and eventually grass, so I've been clearing out all the weeds and rocks. Lori caught me at my most graceful.

Lori's primary contribution was taking embarrassing pictures of my rear end which she found to be hilarious. My wife has a twisted sense of humor.

Trey and Kassady helped pick up most of the rocks. I promised them ice cream from Dairy Queen. They were motivated. I have a feeling getting good help for under $4.00 isn't going to last long.

This is currently my favorite commercial.

American Idol Results

America got it wrong. Carly should still be on the show. Good grief! Who's gonna be next? Archuleta?

Media Moment

Daniel Mount over at Southern Gospel Blog featured an interview with me on his site today. We had a chance to sit down and shoot the breeze for about an hour or so two weeks ago. Daniel was in Boise speaking at the annual Biblical Worldview Conference. I first met Daniel at NQC this past fall. I've enjoyed reading his commentary on Southern Gospel music for the past couple of years. We both seem to share an appreciation for the same Southern Gospel groups. Anyway, I was honored to be interviewed by Daniel.

Check it out and post a comment about how good-looking I am.

AI Predictions

Based on last evening's performances (not on how much I like them overall), here are my current American Idol rankings:

1. David Archuleta
2. David Cook
3. Syesha Mercado
4. Carly Smithson
5. Brooke White
6. Jason Castro

The only real surprise last evening was Syesha's rendition of Rock N' Roll Too Many. It was the first time that her vibrant personality has really shown through while singing. She gives great interviews but seems a bit detached on stage.

I love Brooke, but she sunk herself. You can't forget the lyrics at this stage of the competition. I'd say that either Brooke or Jason are going home tonight.

Several weeks ago I said that my two favorites were the two Davids. I stick by that. They are both head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. I find humor in the fact that Cook's CD was the number one seller on Amazon (ironically beating out the new release from last week's vocal coach Mariah Carey) until pulled by AI officials.

T-Ball Coach

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Nampa (AP) -- The Nampa Parks and Recreation Department announced today that Keith Waggoner has been named coach of the Astros. Waggoner, whose previous experience includes coaching at HHYC and AYC, will bring a high level of expertise to the Astros as they contend for the crown in the highly competitive T-ball league. Waggoner won two championships at HHYC during his four years coaching there and one championship and a third-place finish at AYC in the AA division. He was voted coach of the year in both leagues. In a press conference this afternoon, Keith stated that "I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity of coaching in the small leagues. I look forward to meeting my players soon and beginning to build the nucleus of a championship team. Bringing to mind the examples set by my big-league mentors Billy Martin, Earl Weaver, and Lou Piniella, my relaxed, laid-back approach to coaching will instill a sense of self-worth in my players as well as a great affection for grape snow cones." Keith indicated that he will be stressing improvement in five main areas: hitting the ball, catching the ball, throwing the ball, running in the right direction, and creative team chants.

The Parks Department also reported that Waggoner will be bringing Marc Taylor on board as an assistant coach. Taylor, who has a long and storied history as a Nampa athlete, will oversee many of the hitting and catching drills as well as scheduling the team snacks. Taylor said, "I am honored to be chosen for this opportunity to give back to the community. I look forward to enhancing the hand-eye coordination of our players, promoting team spirit, and coming up with innovative nicknames for the umpiring staff."

If your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or the annoying next-door kid is interested in signing up for T-ball (and you must register soon for a low price of $22), click here and then select in this order:

The state (ID)
Nampa Recreation Center
Register for Activities
Youth Sports
08 T-Ball (5-6YRS)
Register
Be sure to select the "Astros #6" in the "Team" category

Keith Waggoner closed his press conference by saying that this experience for Astros players "will be like playing Ninteno Wii, riding a roller coaster, and eating as much ice cream as you want, all rolled into one."

Gold City

I've been curious as to what Gold City's new lead singer Bruce Taliaferro sounds like. Aaron Swain over at Swain's Musings found a couple of video clips of Bruce in action. Check it out. He definitely has energy and soul. I'm looking forward to hearing him live. I'm going to miss Wilburn, that's for sure. But, hey, life goes on and so does Gold City. They're still one of the premiere groups on the road.

GBS Gag Reel

Kudos to Joel and Tim on a great video. Joel, I shamelessly stole this from your Facebook page. This is for all you GBS alumni out there.

Liberty Philharmonics

It just occurred to me that I haven't posted any pictures from our recent session in the studio with Phil Cross. These pictures actually explain quite a bit.

Producer extraordinaire, Phil Cross, oversaw the vocal recording process, much to his dismay. His ear is phenomenal, so much so that mere mortals such as ourselves occasionally take a while to catch up.

Phil wasn't the only celebrity in the studio. Mike Wiebe, who penned the new song "Into the Water" for us, stopped by to make sure we didn't mutilate his composition. Mike is also the music pastor at Nampa First Nazarene where Doran goes to church. Mike, too, carries a burden for Doran.

Dan loves being in the studio. He still confuses the left ear of his headphones with the microphone from time to time. We occasionally clothe him in a straitjacket.

The reason being, Dan tries to escape the rigors of recording. We also padlock the doors. You can't tell, but he's actually laying down his vocals in a padded cell. This is a very stressful process, folks.

It occasionally gets to me, but I try not to let it show. I've fortunately been able to master my poker face so my true feelings don't escape to the surface. The last thing you want to do is appear unconfident, stressed, or otherwise put out.

Phil takes time to turn down my voice in the mix. He must really like me.

I took some time out to explain to Phil the intricacies of the productions world. You know, with him getting started and all I want to do what I can to mentor him. If you'll listen to my producing work on some GBS recordings, it's pretty impressive. Really. Phil took it well. He seemed overcome with emotion. He was all bent over, face in his hands, shoulders twitching. I just patted him on the shoulder. He's a good guy. A lot to learn.

After that little pep talk, Doran seemed to be a little tentative about laying down his part. He finally fought through his feelings of inadequacy enough to sing the solo.

All in all, it was a good recording.

Tales from the Trip

What a fun concert last night! It was great to do a concert in the northwest. We were at Village Park Baptist last evening and sang to a packed-out, energetic crowd. We loved it! For the first few concerts with Liberty, Paul Ellis (the former tenor) and I were both there. My first concert to carry the tenor part all by my lonesome was at Village Park a little over 2 years ago. It's amazing how many friends I've been privileged to make in the last 2 years. We probably had around 450 people there last night and I recognized a large percentage.

Our good friend Pauline made one of her delicious peanut butter pies. Wow! It's the best peanut butter pie I've ever tasted. We've bugged her for 2 years to make us one and she came through. It was good to see some of Royce's fam (his brother and sister), blog lurkers Ellen, Mim, Orrin, and the rest of you guys. Just a great night.

We are in the middle of a 650 mile trip from Beaverton, OR to Modesto, CA. We're going to be singing tonight with Herb Henry Family and the Johnson Family Quartet. That's going to be fun.

Just for the record, I forgot how beautiful Oregon and northern California are. Mt. Shasta is gorgeous today. Well, so is Lake Shasta and this whole area.

Well, it looks like MickeyD's is in my immediate future. So long.

Recap

Currently, I'm driving through beautiful Oregon about 45 miles outside of Portland. This is far removed from my recent jaunt through Indiana and Ohio. On Monday I flew out to Indianapolis for the spring Appalachian Youth Camp board meeting. The meeting was actually held in Dayton, but you can get a much better rate flying into Indy. It was nice to see all the guys again. However, this is the last time I'll be able to use the generic description "guys". The newest elected board member is Charlotte Frederick who just so happens to be my sister-in-law. She's done a phenomenal job directing Kidz Adventure camp and was well-deserving of the nomination and election. She'll bring the touch of class so desperately needed on the board.

After the board meeting I had a chance to go over to IHC and touch base with several friends. I actually made it up there both Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hang around for too long so I missed out seeing many of my friends. But, I was able to run into several of you guys. I made the most out of the time I had. And, I never knew I had so many people reading my blog! Wow! People I don't even know let me know how much they enjoy my spot in cyberspace. And there are a lot of my friend lurking around in the dark corners of my blog, careful to come and go undetected. Thanks for 'fessing up to your addiction. That's the first step.

It's been a while since Ray and I worked together at Grace, so we had a great time. It's also been about three years since I shared a story that features Ray, so pull up your chairs. This is a good one.

After we left IHC on Wednesday, Ray took me to the Indianapolis airport. We were about halfway there and I told Ray to pull over at the next stop so I could use the restroom. He found a rest area, pulled over, and I went in. The men's restroom was like so many that you find at rest areas, stalls on two sides of a dividing wall. Well, I walk in and went left. I hadn't been in there for 30 seconds when I heard Ray's voice from the other side of the concrete wall. He said, "Hey, Wags!" and then I heard the sound of him hitting a stall door. The next voice I heard was unfamiliar shouting out "Hey! This stall's taken!" Ray thought that I had gone to the right and noticed that only one stall was occupied. When he hit the door, it popped open revealing a person sitting on the throne who most definitely wasn't me. The guy wouldn't let it rest, either. "This stall doesn't allow double-parking", he bellowed in a voice easily heard on the other side. Ray kept on trying to apologize, but the guy wanted to keep on talking about it. I was trying to muffle my laughter on the other side of the wall, but couldn't. I walk out and Ray is standing there, humiliated, red-faced, still feeling like an idiot. Definitely, the highlight of the trip for me.

Felt like old times.

Jesus Never Fails

I can relate to this guy. Kind of. Lori and I were asked to sing at one of the GBS centenary celebration services in 2000. The chapel was packed when we got up to sing "Jesus Never Fails". We got to the second verse and I rocked into my solo part on "so what can I do to prove to you...", except those words didn't come out. I didn't have the song memorized and I had lost my place in the music. I started out with "so, hmmmmm-mmm-mmm..." and then in a subtle attempt to cover up the fact that I was totally lost, just quit singing and stared at the sheet of music trying to find that part of the verse. Our good friend Martha Miller was accompanying us and she expertly guided me back into my solo part, but I still didn't have it, so she played a little intro part again (and, then again). Humiliating. I do remember glancing over at Lori and she was looking at me with an expression that spoke of mortification and the fact that I was going to die later. I made it through the rest of the song, sheepishly.

One of my heroes, Dr. Wingrove Taylor, approached me later and in his dry, measured manner, voice colored by a Caribbean lilt said, "Thank you for the excellent lesson this morning, Mr. Waggoner. For indeed, when we fail, Jesus never fails."

Point well taken...and never forgotten.

Champion of Love

One of my favorite Phil Cross songs done in the inimitable Cathedrals style. This is from the Cathedrals Reunion video. I noticed something odd at the end of the song. See if you catch it, too.

Another Kassady Caper

I have to share this one with you...

Last night, Lori and the kids were at church. Lori oversees the children's program at Grace and she had just finished up the evening class and activities. Three or four boys were chasing the little girls around, which of course the girls loved. They ran screaming and laughing through the gym, into the hallway, and the girls eventually ran into the women's restroom. Lori had to head to the restroom, so she walked in and pushed on the first stall door. It was locked. She went to the next door and pushed. It didn't budge. She tried each stall. Same thing. So, she looked underneath the stall doors and there was no one in any of them. She noticed that the girls were still in the bathroom so she asked Kassady if she knew why the doors were locked. Kassady said, "Yeah. I locked them all and crawled out underneath so the boys can't get us."

Well, then Lori paid closer attention to what the girls were doing. They were tearing off strips of paper towel, soaking them under the faucet, and wadding them up into balls. When Lori asked what they were doing, Kassady said that she was making these to throw at the boys who chased them. This is a 3-year-old.

Lori and I are not looking forward to future Parent Teacher Conferences. But, I'm also proud in a weird sort of way.

Mitchel Jon

Today I've been listening to the rough mix of a solo project that is the best solo Southern Gospel recording I've ever heard up to this point. Actually, it's one of the best solo projects I've ever heard, regardless of genre. I've never met Mitchel Jon before, but I'm here to tell you this guy can flat out sing with the best of them, secular or sacred. He sang with Three Bridges for several years before going solo. He also sings with Phil Cross and Poet Voices one weekend a month. Please understand, this is not some rabid fan's hyperbole. I'm not too fond of Southern Gospel solo music. There are some good soloists out there, but it's never been my preference. However, there's something different about this project. If you crossed Bart Millard with some early-mid '80s Russ Taff and throw in a little Charles Billingsley you get Mitchel Jon. Except, he blows away any solo recording I've heard from those three gentlemen. Which is saying a lot, because they've produced some fantastic material. Be looking for Mitchel Jon's album in the next couple of months.

By the way, he's going to be in Boise at Liberty's Family Fest.08 in September. It's worth coming just to hear this guy sing.

UPDATE: I let Lori listen to the CD and she figured out who he most sounds like: Keith Lancaster, from Acapella. Remember that group? I think she might be right.

Pastors of Politicians

I found a hilarious post from one of my favorite cyberwriters, Keith Drury. It's somewhat of a spoof of the recent Obama dilemma. Read it.

Good Day

We're in the studio all week with Phil Cross, so I'm not going to be very good about posting. Last night, Trey and Kassady started soccer practice. Their practices are at the same time, so Lori dropped Trey off at his field and then ran Kassady over to her practice. I got out of the studio in time to catch the last half hour of Trey's practice. He told me that he's made up his mind to play more aggressive. And, he did. He pretty much dominated the practice. It seemed like he was one of the shortest kids last year, but now he's the biggest kid on the field. Kassady did her thing, too, according to Lori. This includes running around the field laughing with/at the person dribbling the ball, falling on purpose, and occasionally kicking the ball.

I did catch American Idol last night. TiVo is a great invention. Thumbs up go to David Cook. He is the most creative contestant on the show. His musical arrangements are incredible. I'm liking him more every week. I read on Drudge Report this morning that they had to rush him to the hospital following the show due to extremely high blood pressure. Not good. David Archuleta was brilliant, as usual, and Michael Johns, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, and Jason Castro turned in good performances. I have to tell you that the more I hear Castro's voice the more I like it. And Brooke White is just plain likable. She has this folksy lilt to her voice and an engaging personality. This has been a great season, so far.

Waldroup to leave Greater Vision

This is big news for the Southern Gospel world: Jason Waldroup to leave Greater Vision. Jason is planning on pursuing a seminary education this fall according to the Singing News website. Since everyone can't access the SN News, here are a few quotes. First from Jason:

This is a decision I have been struggling with for more than a year, and the time has come for me to follow what I believe to be God's will for my life. I have delayed this decision because of my love for what I've been privileged to do for the past thirteen years as a part of Greater Vision, and my relationships with Gerald and Rodney. They, along with Chad Baker, our Product Manager, are family to me, and they're my closest friends. That has made this decision that much more difficult.

And from Gerald:

Jason is like a son to me, as well as being one of the closest friends I've ever had. None of us want to see him leave, but we have encouraged him to follow God's leading, no matter what, and leave the consequences to Him.

And from Rodney:

I will certainly miss standing beside Jason every night, but he has my full support as he moves into his next phase of ministry.

From the sounds of it, Jason will stick around to help train and mentor his replacement. I'm sorry to see Jason go. He helped carry on the classic Greater Vision sound. It will be interesting to see how the search for a replacement goes. A lot of phenomenal tenors will be clamoring for that position.

Spring break: Primos

The Liberty Family minus Donna and Jordan (Dan's wife and son) and Jeremiah (Royce's son) got together at Primo's on Thursday for a little pizza, lots of laughter, and loud conversation. Kassady and Taylor were running around wrecking havoc but I got everybody else to pause for a picture. From left to right: Justin, Royce, Tammy, Jenna, Dan, Julianne, Lori, Diane, Doran, Courtney, and Trey.

As you can tell, we were all paying rapt attention to Dan's stories. Very interesting.

Lori prays that God would deliver her from Dan's stories.

"Yeah, Donna. They really liked the stories."

When Kassady and Taylor get together it's like mixing combustible materials. There will be quite a bit of screaming, someone will get hurt, and there's a pretty good chance of an explosion.

I've never featured Tammy on the blog, so I thought it was about time to introduce everyone to Royce's better half. Keep her in your prayers. Trying to anticipate Royce's next move isn't easy on the psyche.

This was the perfect way to cap an awesome spring break.

Spring Break: 4-wheelin'

Trey had never been 4-wheeling before. I let him drive a little bit (while I held on the back). He actually didn't do too bad.

Pastor Dave, David, and William brought their two 4 -wheelers out to the trails. We also took a dirt bike that Dan Yancey graciously (and let's be honest, naively) let us borrow. He apparently isn't aware of the mechanical abilities that Dave and I possess. It had been a long time since Dave or I had ridden a dirt bike and we had fun getting the feel of it.

Trey and William, one his best buds, saddle up and get ready to ride.

We went up to the top of a pretty steep hill and Trey and William clambered off to look around.

I kind of look like Dudley off of "Wild Hogs". I'm OK, it's just my face (inside joke to all who have seen the movie). It was a little chilly and I'm paranoid about getting a cold, losing my voice, and all that stuff, so I wore a ski hat underneath my helmet. I like being the cool parent.

Pastor Dave and William shortly before careening down the hill, fishtailing all the way. I know Julia will appreciate that comment.

William had a slight accident involving his face, the handlebars, and a pothole. Oh yeah, and quite a bit of blood. He's OK now, but the poor guy was in pain there for a while. He's a trooper.

Thanks Dave, David, and William for inviting us to go along.

Spring Break: PoJos

My beautiful family.

There were rides, video games, all kinds of activities, and Kassady chooses the kiddie playground as her favorite hangout. We couldn't get her to do anything else. She loved crawling through the tunnels, climbing up the slide backwards, and arguing with the little boys.

She did like the Red Baron ride.

This was my favorite activity, along with the basketball shooting game.

Kassady held her own in our little competition. She tagged me hard!

A fun time was had by all. We'll be back.

Spring Break: Discovery Center

Ready to go explore the Discovery Center, Trey and Kassady pose impatiently in front of the outdoor sign.

Trey decided to try out the bed of 512 nails. He was a little hesitant to climb up there at first.

Kassady scanned items and punched buttons as efficiently as any Walmart cashier. The Kidz Market was one of her favorite exhibits.

Kassady trys out her veterinary skills on a lifeless St. Bernard. That dog is lucky he's stuffed. She put him through the paces. Carrie, I think she has potential.

Trey, on the other hand, begrudgingly pointed for his photo op finding little pleasure in pet x-rays.

The kids had fun. I won't bore you with all the pictures, but Trey and I worked on a motor, we played with bubbles, Trey and Kassady created slime, and so much more. I actually enjoyed it myself.

Terror Firma

Whew! Another whirlwind weekend. This was my first time to travel through Texas. The humidity brought back memories of July afternoons in Ohio. And, I can't figure out what it was, but there was some plant, flower, tree, or weed that smelled like the midwest. I know, I've finally gone over the edge. But...it did. It also hit me last night that it had been a long time since I had heard crickets chirping. They were in full chorus last night and for some reason it triggered one of those nostalgic nerves that brings back a flood of memories. Good memories.

People in Texas not only appreciate Southern Gospel music, they know the songs. We've been doing a couple of rather obscure old tunes and there were a few out there singing along with us. I was impressed. We were at Fort Worth First Nazarene on Sunday morning and come to find out Dave Tharp (the music pastor) and I know a lot of the same people from back east. He's a great guy and we had a wonderful time. We were in Denton, TX at another Nazarene church last night. Following the concert we drove to Oklahoma City and spent the night on the bus. Getting up at 4:10 AM (ID time) in the morning to catch a flight is one of the few things I despise about traveling. We have to be a sorry sight, staggering through security, eyes bloodshot, muttering incoherently. Kind of blows the traveling fantasy doesn't it? Of course, I can't sleep on the plane. It's pathetic, really. I wait until I get home to catch up on the Zzzs. Today, I read 2 Newsweek magazines, 1 Charisma magazine, and finished a Wired magazine. We had a 3 minute layover in Denver (seriously). It was supposed to be longer, but as our wheels touched down on the runway, the pilot suddenly took the plane back up at a steep angle. He informed us that air traffic control had made an error and that there was "traffic congestion" on the runways. Comforting.

All's well that ends well. I'm home.

Life

We're somewhere around Dallas, TX right now. Just rolling down the highway. We just finished a delicious Italian dinner with Bud and Nancy, Dan's inlaws. Yesterday, while Dan was fellowshipping with Bud, Nancy, and Donna (who made it down for the visit), Royce, Doran, and I headed to LA Fitness to play a little racquetball. I've been playing since Christmas and I love it. I'm no good, but I love it. Last night, Royce took 3 games, I took 2 and we ended up playing about 2 hours. We were whipped by the time we got out of there. That's what I like about the sport: it makes cardio fun. Today Doran killed us in bowling. He's good. Who knew?

Last week was one of those family memory-making weeks. Trey was on spring break, so we did all kinds of stuff. We went to the Discovery Center in Boise, saw "Horton Hears a Who", played at PoJos, and went 4-wheeling with Pastor Dave, William, and David. Actually, just Trey accompanied me on that expedition. I have a ton of pictures to upload, but unfortunately my very slow connection is going to force me to postpone that 'til next week. So, I'll get to it. Maybe. We're in the studio all week recording a new album. Phil Cross is flying in to produce this one. That's always fun.

Hope your week went well.

Sweet 16

The countdown is on. Bring on the Sweet Sixteen. I'm currently in fifth place in the standings. I even enjoyed a short stint at number one last weekend. As usual, Talisha Taylor is in first place. She won it all last year and she's making a strong run again. Last week, my donning of the IU jersey did little to help their game. That one hurt. FYI, I hadn't put on the jersey since I was in high school. It still fit. Kind of.

Candid Quote

Part of my lunch conversation today with Kassady:

"Kass, you're awesome, do you know that?"

"Yeah, well I'm a genius, too. I can do magic tricks and stuff. I'm using my imagination. I can be anything I want to be."

Piano Lessons from the Phenom

By the way, Doran Ritchey is now teaching piano lessons. He has about 5 spots left. If you're interested call 860-5135 or email dritchey@clearwire.net. He might have bad breath* but he can sure teach piano!





*OK, I don't think he really does have bad breath due to his immeasurable intake of Orbit gum. Wrigley Field will soon be named after him.

Easter

We had a meaningful Easter. Pastor Dave once again rang the bell with his Easter sermon. And, wow! What a crowd! Our church is growing weekly and that's not an exaggeration. Yesterday was the largest Sunday morning crowd I've ever seen at Grace. Packed! Lori said they had a large group of kids in Children's Worship, too. The cool thing is that we're experience dynamic spiritual growth in our church. We're hearing reports every week of someone new getting saved. I think there were 8 or 9 that accepted Christ Sunday morning. I'm thankful for a vibrant, passionate church that's loving people into the kingdom. I'm seeing more and more people connect to the Grace Bible Church community. They're connecting, growing, serving, and ultimately coming full circle to love the new people God sends our way. (Side note: for an insightful article on the importance of connection, read Mike Avery's article in the March Revivalist)

It was so good to see so many friends again. Several people who I have met through my Liberty touring showed up on Sunday morning. In fact, there are several who have started going to Grace in the last year. I enjoyed spending some time after church with Clark and Shelby Dyess (not to mention their daughter and her family). Clark and Shelby were in from Wyoming and showed up for morning worship. Shelby, I know you read the blog, so let me say thanks for coming.

If Royce ever fires me, I have a back-up group ready to go. The last few times I've been home I've sung with Philip Batten and Matt Ritchey as part of the morning worship. We're all tenors, but we've pulled it off. We sang the Eldridge Fox classic "Gone" yesterday morning. We didn't come close to the Teddy Huffam and the Gems rendition, but I sure enjoyed our interpretation. Those boys can sing!

In the afternoon I was privileged to sing for Robbie and Crystal Rehling's wedding. Julia Keep and I are getting to be quite the wedding singers. The wedding was at 2:00 in the afternoon, so the Waggoner family ran over to the Keep residence to scarf down some sandwiches and practice the music. Well, that was the plan anyway. By the time we got done eating we had just enough time to run through a verse and chorus of one song. The song that we didn't practice came off without a hitch (Nat King Cole's version of L-O-V-E). The other song was "I Will Be Here". We had practiced the song in F (I think), but Julia blanked out and started playing the song in C. When she started the song, I thought something was odd, but I opened my mouth to sing anyway. My first note was one note above where I normally bottom out. My brain immediately went into overdrive trying to think of what I was going to have to do to make it through the song. I started by changing the melody. Steven Curtis Chapman wouldn't have recognized my initial rendition. I was all over the place. After about 4 lines, Julia subtly did a keychange to F and off we went. I'm sure it was noticeable (actually I know it was noticeable) but it sure saved the rest of the song. Another plan should we have continued in C was to pull off a Bill Gaither narration of the song lyrics. I'm glad Julia had the guts to pull off the key change. Alls well that ends well, I guess. The rest of the wedding was beautiful. Amelia Jensen did a fantastic job on the decorations, food, reception, everything. I'm happy for Robbie and Crystal.

Later that evening we went back over to the Keeps to finish our meal and play a competitive game of Rook. Actually, Dave and I got our socks blown off. I think we finished in the red.

We had been reading about Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion in our family devotions. Last night, we finished our reading with the empty tomb and the reappearance of the living Christ. We then had a discussion about the awesome love of God for us. The whole Easter story has been a tough concept for Kassady to grasp. And, you know, sometimes I don't totally get it myself. The miracle of redemption. It was a cool way to bring Easter '08 to an end.

The Madness continues

By the way, I'm in 5th place in my March Madness tournament. Not bad out of 25. Last weekend was kind of like a vacation to Hawaii. You're loving every minute of it and already dreading the inevitable return to normalcy. Davidson, Western Kentucky, and no Duke. Ahhhh...this is wonderful!





***By the way, I've never been to Hawaii which Lori would be quick to point out. But that's the only comparison that came quickly to mind.

Oops

I found this Mike Luckovich cartoon to be hilarious.

I'm in love with madness

For those of you who aren't aware, this is my favorite time of the year outside Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. I love March Madness! I picked a few upsets this year, but my Final Four is pretty safe: North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, and UCLA. I manage the Liberty bracket. This year we have about 25 participants. Doran forgot to fill out his brackets so he's already clinched last place.

I usually finish in the bottom half. Last year I finished something like 8 out of 16. Lori beats me every year. It's pretty embarrassing. This year I set up a separate bracket for our family. Trey is obsessed with this. I'll probably finish last. This is the only time of year I cheer for North Carolina. I can't have them messing up my bracket with a loss.

Old, New, and Change

OK, I know that what I'm about to say amounts to heresy for a few die-hard Southern Gospel fans out there, but just hold on. This past weekend Liberty toured for the first time in New Mexico. It was a great trip and fun to sing to crowds who had never heard us before. We've met so many wonderful people over the last few days. One guy who I really enjoyed getting to know a little bit better was Big Al Thomas from Albuquerque. Big Al has the oldest syndicated SG radio show in America. It's been going since 1972. Anyway, he's a fan of a lot of those classic SG groups such as the Speers, the Statesmen, the Blackwood Brothers, the Downings, and many more. He's a walking encyclopedia of Gospel music. Anyway, I told him that I had very few recordings of the Statesmen and none of the Blackwood Brothers. Well, if he didn't get me some of their best albums. What a guy! So, the last few days I've been listening to these greats from years past.

Now, admittedly, these guys are off the charts when it comes to the talent level. They didn't have Pro Tools, vocal overdubs, Melodyne, or any of the other recording enhancements available to today's groups. If one person made a mistake, everybody recorded the whole song over. Most of the time they are spot on. Very impressive! I also appreciate what these groups did to pave the way for Southern Gospel as we know it. Driving through the night in a sedan, 2 guys in the front, 3 in the back trying to grab some sleep before the next concert, that's a tough life. Long before Ernie Haase and Signature Sound were criticized for their "dance" moves, the Statesmen and Blackwood Brothers were tearing up the stages with their dynamic performances and fancy footwork. They paid the price for where we are today.

But...I have to be honest with you, I don't like their music as much as I like today's Southern Gospel music. I'm ducking as I type this, because I know you SG purists out there are flinging your hand about trying to find a bottle or tomato to chuck at me. You're thinking I'm off my rocker, and "if that's the way those Liberty boys are then I'm through buying their music". You have deduced that I'm obviously some Southern Gospel neophyte who doesn't have an appreciation for the classics or, even worse, some CCM-wannabe SG commie who yearns to be relevant rather than true to the genre. Sorry to disappoint you, but none of that is true. I would venture to say that outside of my disappointingly minute stockpile of classic quartet recordings I know as much or more than most fans/artists of my age. I have followed Southern Gospel music as long as I can remember. My first heroes weren't sports stars, but rather quartet members. I say all that to say that my opinion is as valid as any other.

Southern Gospel music, like any other, has evolved over the years. Groups such as the Oaks and Imperials (just to name a couple) began to incorporate a more contemporary edge to their songs and performances back in the 70s. SG became even more closely aligned with country music (who went through their own changes during the same period), using country licks and instrumentation on studio albums. My observation is that as CCM moved from the inspo/pop sound of the 80s and early 90s to commercial rock n' roll, SG groups stepped in and incorporated those styles into their songs and recordings. Today, Southern Gospel is about as diverse a genre as you'll find. Quartets such as the Melody Boys carry on the classic quartet harmony; the Inspirations, the Primitives, and other like groups carry on the Appalachian sound; groups like the Isaacs or Crossway are as good as or better than any group played on the country FM station, groups such as the Martins and the Talley Trio have found a niche in a more inspirational sound, while the Hoppers, Legacy Five, Gaither Vocal Band, Gold City, and others have made their recordings a mixture of yesteryear's simple lyricism and today's progressive rhythms, melodies, and arrangements. And, that's a good thing. I find the song selection and lyrical strength of albums from today's marquee groups to be greater than their predecessors. I enjoy the sound of a full orchestra that occasionally graces a power ballad accompaniment. I appreciate the rhythm sections and guitars that are now standard on current recordings. I'm enjoying where this SG evolution has taken us.

While I'll always appreciate the heritage of Southern Gospel and have a respect for what the SG trailblazers were able to accomplish with so little, I can't go as far as to say they were better. I'm not convinced.

I've noticed that everyone has an affinity for the music that they grew up with. They're zealous about the groups that they listened to during their teenage/early-20 years. So, that being said, I'll admit that my favorite SG quartet is the Cathedrals. Are they the best ever? I don't know. But, they're still my all-time favorite.

A lot of this glorifying of the past comes from a deeper philosophical root that exists in many of us: an innate inability to accept, much less embrace, change. It doesn't just happen in Southern Gospel, it happens in broader society. For some reason it seems more pronounced in the church-world, though. Now, it might be that my perspective is skewed due to the fact that I've been in ministry since college, and that it's still out there in secular culture, too. My point is this, though: we tend to view the past through rose-colored glasses. We become comfortable with our likes and dislikes and the older we get the more inflexible our tastes become. Because, that's really what it comes down to: taste. In the church-world it should be about the message not the (excuse the cliche) method. Now, I know that in some instances more emphasis is given to being relevant as opposed to redemptive (thanks for the wording, Pastor Dave), but I don't think that this is usually the case. I think that most churches, music groups, whatever, are trying to present the message in such a way that is relevant and practical to the parishioner, the concert-attendee, whoever the target audience happens to be. And to do that, change is necessary. Face it people, our world isn't pre-Vietnam anymore. We're not even pre-September 11 anymore. Our culture is constantly evolving. While our fundamental, biblically-based belief system must not change, we should always be evaluating our presentation, approach, and/or technique. Change what doesn't work.

Based on their history, if the Statesmen were around today they would be one of the most progressive Southern Gospel quartets on the road. But, they're not here. So, enjoy, support, and encourage the groups that are doing it right. For that matter, enjoy, support, and encourage your church/pastor/ministry team when they do it right. If you're having problem with changes, evaluate what is contributing to your discomfort. Is it because it's outside the bounds of your particular tradition? Is it because it's not biblical? Is it because you simply despise change? Loosen up. Change, when made for the right reasons, can be exciting and liberating!

I'm not sure how I got here with all this rambling, but there you have it. Don't stay who you are. You're either growing, dying, or dead.