Dan got excited singing Phil's #1 song "Yes, I Am". I would love to know what Phil is doing in the background.

We were singing "Wedding Music" together with Phil (he was singing tenor, by the way, and hitting some incredibly high notes) when all of a sudden he stopped everything, turned and said, "Keith, I have some bookends at home that are miniature globes, and that's all I can think about with Royce and Dan standing between us."

Check out that tonsil shot! Lil' Phil and Dr. Phil. That's us.

Each night, Phil did a visual illustration about worship with the kids at the concert. Very creative. I'm impressed with his approach to communicating the message. You don't easily forget what he talks about.

This line was delivered tongue-in-cheek. Nice form, Royce. He's auditioning for Vegas.

Crossing did "Long As I Got King Jesus" with Avery (Sheri's daughter, in the middle) and Julianne (Royce's daughter, right). And that's Phil singing with them (he's on the left). I like using these parenthetical indicators (as you can see).

Great pic! And those two girls tore it up. I was impressed! Look out Brian Free.

Reason #17 why we don't get invited to do concerts with other groups.

Everyone was able to sing on this song, but me. I just can't figure it out. I wasn't invited to birthday parties as a kid, I never was picked for baseball, I couldn't get a date...I'm a mess (sound of nose being blown vociferously into Kleenex).

I apparently was enjoying this number. Doran isn't too sure about what his response should be.

Dan enjoyed the opportunity to cheer on Crossing.

It was nice to not have to do a whole concert. We kept things flowing pretty well, between the dueling emcees (Phil and Royce) and two groups.

Doran has many expressions while on stage. Here are two of them. Larry and Cynthia Klimes were at our concert in Wendell, ID and Larry told Tammy that "when Doran was a pastor at Grace Bible Church he didn't act like that".

Just for the record, it probably wasn't the greatest idea to have Doran and I do the sales pitch. Doran has that far-away look in his eyes again.

Catching you up-to-date

We had a fabulous Homecoming concert this evening with Phil Cross, Testament, Jamie Thietten, and the phenomenal Homecoming choir directed by the unimitable Gerald Van Order. It featured the debut of Crossing a mixed trio consisting of Phil Cross, his wife Rebecca, and another lady who has been a family friend of the Cross family. They had an outstanding first outing! Their style is the melding of Southern Gospel with vertical praise. Awesome! I will soon be posting a review of their new CD.

We're heading off to 3 more concerts this weekend with Crossing in Wendell, ID; Caldwell, ID; and Baker City, OR. After a week of all-day studio sessions and evening rehearsals my voice is weary. God has been good to me, though. I can at least still sing.

I'll be posting a more in-depth concert review next week. Stay tuned.

By the way, be listening for a new song penned by Doran Ritchey and Phil Cross entitled "I'm His" which will be on our new CD (coming out in September or so). I love the material on our new album already, but I think this song is on a whole other level from everything else.

Looking Ahead and Behind

I got in early yesterday from another weekend in Oregon and Washington. We had a great time. Sunday night we were with another group, the King's Heirs. They are some of the greatest guys in the world. We had a fantastic time together. The concert (in Clarkston, WA) was held at the First Christian Church and they, along with the congregations from the First Assembly of God and the Clarkston Church of God, came ready to praise God. We had a beautiful time of worship.

I just returned from the studio. I feel like we have lived there the last few weeks. Fortunately, we are almost finished with our Old Time Gospel Songs album (just a few touch-ups to take care of). We are now working on a project featuring brand-new songs, most of them written specifically for Liberty. We got to the studio about 10 this morning and stayed for about 7 hours. Phil Cross is working with us, arranging and producing our vocals. This is the first time I've been able to spend time with him and I have to say the guy has an incredible ear for harmony. I'm very happy with the two songs that we cut today. Good stuff!

We'll be in the studio the rest of the week finishing up at least half of the album. Then, this weekend we'll be singing at the annual Idaho Homecoming concert featuring Phil Cross & Crossing (a mixed trio), Liberty, and several other groups here in the area. There is also a 100-voice choir singing on about 9 songs. I think it's going to be a fun evening. We're going to be traveling with Phil Cross on Saturday and Sunday in Idaho and Oregon.

I probably won't be doing a lot of updating this week due to my schedule. We'll see what happens.

By the way, Travis, I'm praying that the Cubs fall off the end of the earth. They have cast some sort of spell over the Reds, I'm confident. The Reds can't take out the weakest offensive team in the Central division. Pathetic!

Oh yeah, one other thing for my motorcycle-riding compadres: Wear a helmet, for crying out loud!

Red-hot

8 in a row! It feels so good to say we're in first place 60 games into the season. This hasn't happened for a while.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260608117

Seattle

Seattle is a striking city, overlooking the beautiful Puget Sound. The water is surprisingly clear and clean. I guess tree-huggers are good for something. Hopefully, Lori and I will be going back to visit where I can spend a little more time exploring the city. Dan, Doran, and I dropped Royce off at Sea-Tac to catch a flight back for Jeremiah's graduation. We then headed for the heart of Seattle. We parked along the waterfront and walked all over the city. After a couple of hours at the Coast Guard base we headed over to Pike's Place Market (http://www.pikeplacemarket.org) and watched people throw fish around. Very entertaining. We strolled along Pike Place scoping out the sights. We also partook of some classic Seattle cuisine: hot dogs from Taxi Dogs and some slices from DeLaurenti Pizza Window. While we ate we listened to some of the street acts performing. Even though I hate coffee, I still had to pose in front of the original Starbucks. Who would have thought the mega-empire would have started in this little joint? And who would think that people are stupid enough to pay over $5 for a cup of joe? After dining we walked a ways to the Space Needle and spent some time exploring that area. We then took a taxi back to Pike's Place (it was a long walk and we were lazy) and enjoyed some more music. Our last stop was at the world-famous Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe where I picked up some interesting candy for Trey and Kassady.

Overall it was a great day. I want to go back and discover the underground city. Enjoy the pictures.

Cruising the Coast Guard Base

Dan pulled a few strings and was able to get us on the Coast Guard base on Pier 36. Actually, they probably would let anyone walk around, but they were pretty friendly after Dan told them that he was part of the brotherhood. We spent about 2 hours checking out the different boats on the base. The guys went above the call of duty to make us feel welcome.

Dan posed in front of a 41-footer, the boat that he spent most of his time on in during his stint in Miami. He also posed at the wheel of a smaller twin-engine boat used around the Puget Sound area. He was in his element. I'm just thrilled to find out he hasn't been spinning tall tales. In fact, he knew some details about the boats that some of the crew members didn't even know. Unless...wait a second. Maybe he was making it up.

Doran and I took time to pose in front of some of the Coast Guard ships at Pier 36.

The Polar Star

The guys from the Polar Star gave me a CD full of pictures from their last trip. As you can tell they visit some frigid regions. To give you perspective as to the size of the Polar Star check out the guy standing in front of the ship (3rd pic down). The crew was very accomodating and friendly. I wish them the best.

For more pictures of the ship, visit: http://www.uscgpacificarea.com/go/doctype/833/8551/

For more info about the Polar Star, visit: http://siempre.arcus.org/4DACTION/wi_alias_fsDrawPage/1/76

Soul Food

The Market Street Festival was going on last Saturday in Seattle, so we enjoyed some great food, music, and street performers on Pike Street. One group that I really enjoyed was Soul Kata, a group that plays a style of music that is hard define. It's part jazz, part classical, part rock, just some great grooves (check out their site: www.soulkata.com). Their main singer is a girl whose voice transcends musical genres. She could sing anything. Their bassist was also incredible!

They were encouraging people to get up and dance in an open area in front of the stage. The woman (pictured above) appeared out of nowhere and began cavorting around, busting out some interesting dance moves (if that's what you call it). I laughed so hard I was crying. I desperately tried to get Dan out in the middle with Granny, but he wouldn't do it. It would have been classic blog material. The thing that really made it great was that she was definitely attracted to Dan. She kept coyly waving at him, pursing her lips. I think Dan was kind of scared of her. He avoided eye contact at all cost.

Seattle Music Scene

These guys could really sing Gospel music. The dude sitting in the chair had to be burning up. It was very hot and he was wearing gloves to protect his hands. He was the designated clapper and sang all the back-up parts for the quartet. Sweat was just pouring off of his bald pate and into his face. I know what it's like. I pitied him.

These music groups along the street around Pike's Market have about 15-20 minute time slots in each location. The group that followed was hilarious. They were wannabe Nirvana clones (which is actually a great name for a rock group). The band was made up of two guys who obviously missed class when they were discussing hygiene. They also missed the day they gave guitar lessons. And singing lessons. OK, they were awful. But, they were so bad, it was enjoyable. Figure that one out.

Memorial Day shenanigans

OK, so the pictures from Memorial Day are a little late. Who's keeping record, anyway? We went over to the Mullins' house and a great time. I was supposed to be watching Kassady (notice I used the word "supposed", referring to the undeserved faith Lori puts in my child-watching abilities) while I was eating out on the deck. I tried to look up every minute or so to see what she was doing. All of a sudden I noticed that she was climbing a 7'-8' ladder leading up to a slide by herself. By the time I reached her she was almost to the top, grinning and holding on with one hand. Scared me to death! Kassady doesn't need to have other kids around to have a good time. She spent the day climbing up the ladder, sliding down the slide, and swinging mostly by her lonesome.

Notice her swinging technique, legs folded up inside the swing.

Addison donned his protective headgear for a ride on the 4-wheeler with proud papa, Marc. What a guy!

Hot Shots

Tyler and Brandon, two boys about the age of 6 or 7, put on a show for everybody, displaying their dirt-bike riding technique. Here Tyler exchanges high-fives with everyone as he roars past the adoring public.

Trey had fun cruising around the property on the dirtbike and on the 4-wheeler. He spent his time playing with all of the girls at the party. Trey doesn't realize how good he has it around here. Most of the kids his age are girls, and someday that will make him really happy. For now, he just bemoans the fact that they want to place dress-up instead of GI Joes.

4-wheeler

I took Kassady on her first 4-wheeler ride. Kassady was not impressed with my driving abilities. This same look is on the faces of the guys when I drive the bus.

Excuses, More Excuses

Lately, I've had more trouble when it comes to uploading files and pictures. Anyway, I've been trying to get the pics from Seattle and Memorial Day on the site but it's not happening tonight. I'll try it again tomorrow.

Just doing my thing

I started early in the workforce. As an 8 year old I was part of some impressive productions: http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=86873.

Hellbent

This is one twisted city: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060604/D8I1BSP00.html

Home Again

Doran, Dan, and I had a great time in Seattle. I have some pictures that I'll be uploading soon. We had a great weekend in the state of Washington. We pulled in at about 7 this morning. I'll tell you more about it later.

My little solfege

Kassady practicing her sight-reading. We decided to start her a little early. She sounds a little bit like me during my freshman year of college performing selections from "Jesu Meine Freude".

Garminator

Recently, we have been giving Royce a hard time about his driving. Dan purchased a Garmin GPS system for the bus about 3 months ago. The GPS unit, affectionately called the "Garminator" keeps us going in the right direction (most of the time) and helps us keep track of time. It also keeps statistics such as average, slowest, and fastest speed.

Now, Royce has a love/hate relationship with the Garminator. He loves to hate it. It features a woman's voice telling him when to turn and where to go. That doesn't sit well with Big Daddy. He likes making the calls. He has, on occasion, made a wrong turn and has suffered the humiliation of the woman's voice telling him that it is recalculating as a result of his mistake. These deep feelings of animosity are in sharp contrast to Dan's embracing of the GPS. According to Dan, the Garminator makes no mistakes.

On our trip to Fresno, CA Royce drove through the night. Dan woke up complaining of the rough ride. So, Dan went to the Garminator to see how fast Royce had been driving. The GPS readout said that Royce had reached a maximum speed of 104.7 mph. Well, that's all the rest of us had to hear. We razzed him the entire trip. In fact, we were talking the guys from Legacy V about our trip out, so Scott Fowler publicly made a big deal of it with Royce. Royce kept on insisting that there was no way that he was going that fast, but we wouldn't hear of it.

While talking to Legacy V, they mentioned that they had saved $15,000 a year by keeping their speed at 65 mph and below. So, we decided to track our mileage, drop the speed, and see what difference it would make. It has already made a huge difference in mileage.

Well, on a trip up to Moscow, ID on a Sunday afternoon, Royce was behind the wheel again. Doran and Dan were sleeping in the back and I was working on my laptop. All of a sudden Royce yelled out, "Keith, you gotta get up here! And bring a camera." Royce isn't usually that excitable so I rummaged around for my camera and made my way to the front of the bus. Royce pointed at the Garminator and said,"See if you can top that." The picture tells the story.

Royce was, of course, vindicated and now the tables have turned. Now, it's Dan who's on the defensive trying to explain why the GPS made the calculation that it did.

Life on the road. We create drama.

Kansas pics

Dan offered his insightful advice concerning alternator installation to the mechanic (who was actually doing the work). This is a common sight around the Liberty bus. Think Tom Sawyer painting the fence.

Actually, Dan does the heavy work, making sure we stay on the road. On this weekend's trip we had AC thanks to Dan and Myrl (our erstwhile bus driver). We replaced our alternator and rebuilt part of the generator. That was an expensive trip to Kansas.

Farmer Dan

Dan was in his element checking out this combine. Larry Froese,who helped us repair the alternator for the A/C unit, also builds giant machines for farms in Kansas and Texas. They go for about $250,000 each. Pretty impressive. Fortunately, Dan didn't get beyond the garage.

Sports that matter

By the way, I'm happy to see that Miami finally made it to the finals. Who knew that I would ever be cheering for Shaq? Dwayne Wade is a bonafide superstar.

Also, my Reds beat up on the Houston Astros tonight 14-3. About time.

The Evergreen State

Hello everybody. Life is good! My voice is back to 100% and our concerts are going extremely well. I want to say thanks to everyone who visits keithinside on a consistent basis (even the shy ones who don't like posting). I'm having fun keeping you informed on what's going on in my world. I have been pathetic about getting pictures on the site, though. I've got some great pics to download, but haven't got around to it yet. Anyway, life is exciting in the great state of Washington.

This is my first visit to the Evergreen state and I love it! Man, this is some of God's most beautiful creation. I highly recommend it for you outdoor enthusiasts. There are some breathtaking views in this area. Last night we did an outdoor concert in Moses Lake, WA at a beautiful garden. It was an incredible evening! It rained, a normal occurence in Washington I'm learning. Not long, just a little shower. The only bad thing is that I don't have hair to catch the raindrops. It hits my head and drips right into my eyes. Fun stuff! This evening we were at the First Baptist Church in Bellingham, WA. We had a great time with some enthusiastic people! It's so much fun to sing to people who enjoy listening to SG music.

Tomorrow will be interesting, to say the least. Royce's son, Jeremiah graduates from high school and he is flying back to help celebrate this awesome achievement. So, Dan, Doran, and I will be performing as the Liberty trio tomorrow night. Only God knows what's going to happen in that concert. We might need your prayers for that one.

We're going to spend the day hanging out in Seattle. I don't like coffee, but I gotta find the original Starbucks, We're going to head down to Fisherman's Wharf and see the sights. We'll see if I run into Eddie and the boys from Pearl Jam. I've never been there before so it should be a great day.

Stay tuned. More info on the CD giveaway contest is on the way. To hear some of Liberty's previous music visit my great friend Jon Plank's blog at www.jonplank.com. As a side note, Jon served as graphic designer for our new album and it looks great!

averyfineline.com

The stuff you always wondered about concerning Southern Gospel, but didn't want to ask can be found on this blog. While I would hate to live on the cynical side like this guy, there is some interesting material found here. The blog is well-written, sarcastic, and often insightful. Think Simon Cowell.

Graduation, Golf, and Grilling

Man, I'm getting pathetic at updating my blog. It's been a full weekend and holiday. I spent the weekend going to several graduation parties. Congrats go out to the following grads:

Andy McConnell, Grace Christian Academy
Tiffany Black, Nampa High School
Jaron Crane, Nampa Christian High School
Justin Aman, Melba High School
Justin Gilbert, Timberline High School
Jeremiah Mitchell, Eagle High School
Levi Riggs, Greenleaf Christian Academy
Eli Harbin, Greenleaf Christian Academy

I hope you all had a great Sunday. Liberty had the weekend off, so it was nice to be at our home church (Grace Bible Church). Dr. Keaton, as usual, preached two masterpiece sermons (or should that be two sermon masterpieces? it's too late). Incredible! On Saturday, several of the young adults from the church passed out roses to homes in our neighborhood. There were several who just couldn't grasp the fact that all we wanted to do was give them a rose. One guy kept on trying to give me money. I finally convinced him that the rose was simply a gift, no strings attached. It's amazing how something so simple can have such a profound effect. Lori gave a rose to a woman who teared up and said that she needed it at that exact moment. Pretty cool.

On Memorial Day I played in a best ball golf tournament with a bunch of guys from Grace. Until my game improves I'm only doing best ball golf. Our team broke even. We shot 3 over on the front nine, 3 under on the last nine. Our time spent of the time laughing. We had 3 rookies in our group (Dustin, Terry, and myself). Now, Terry is actually pretty good. It was Dustin's first time to ever play, my 3rd. I did really good with the irons. My drives, on the other hand, were pathetic. At one point, Marc and Doran were on the ground laughing at my feeble attempts. I did have enough good shots, though, to catch the fever. I am now committed to practicing teeing off. My goal is not to be good. I just want to play without embarrassing myself. The great thing was that the team with all the pros only beat us by 3 strokes.

We then headed to the home of our friends, John and Shawna Mullins, for a barbeque (cooking out for those in the Midwest). I'll have some pictures up soon of our day. Trey rode a four-wheeler and a dirt bike for the first time. I also took Kassady for a ride on the 4-wheeler. She was not impressed.

This morning and afternoon, we finished the vocals for our new recording. It should be out next month.

Thanks for the suggestions for the contest and keep them coming. I want something good.