Frequency.FM

We’re wrapping up our short series of readings from Madeleine L’Engle’s classic Walking On Water: Reflections on Faith and Art.  We’ve save the best for last as we discuss the meaning of Kairos and who it applies to us as Christian creatives.  We offer a hearty “thank you” to Mandy Thompson, our Episode 3 guest who made the initial recommendation.  The response has been great, and we’ll be sure to incorporate similar readings into future Wise Words installments. Other notes: * Don’t miss our latest interview format: the Amp’d Interview.  This is a shorter format that is distinct from the feature interviews that are offered in our regular podcast episodes.  The Amp’d Interview allows us to engage with more artists and to publish interviews more frequently and outside our normal podcast cycle.  Our first – with recording artist Jen Haugland – was published over the long weekend. * Our friends at Worship Ministry Catalyst just published their interview with the great Don Moen. Why not sneak over there for a quick listen?

Amp’d Interview: Jen Haugland - Frequency.FM

Jen Haugland is an artist that is occasionally referenced on Frequency.  She introduced us to Dave Cleveland last year at CMS NW 2013.  This led us to Dave’s sister, J.C. Mason and an interview regarding Steadfast Trail, her equestrian ministry.  This year we anticipated the chance to reconnect with Jen via a Lightning interview; however, as luck would have it, misfortune struck (more on this later), and we missed each other.  Thankfully, we found some time this week to chat and come up-to-speed on Jen’s blessings and challenges. # Quick Links for Jen: * Jen’s Website: http://jenhaugland.com/ * Jen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenhaugland * Jen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenhauglandmusic * Jen’s Christmas single: http://jenhaugland.com/2014/11/11/new-release-a-still-and-quiet-night/ * Her single is also featured on An NRT Christmas, Vol. 1, a holiday collection put out by the folks at New Release Tuesday.  The album also features music from Aaron Shust, Jason Gray, and John Schlitt (Petra): http://noisetrade.com/various/an-nrt-christmas-volume-one Quick Links for Frequency: * Frequency on Twitter * Frequency on Facebook * Frequency on Google+ * Dan on Twitter, Google+, Facebook * Joe on Twitter, Google+

Music Review: More Than Anthems by Fike - Frequency.FM

Album: More Than Anthems Artist: Fike Genre: Praise & Worship Label: Fike Release Date: November 4, 2014 Standout Tracks: “Wholly Yours”, “Like No One Could”, “We Believe” It will come as no or little surprise to those of you who follow us that we are fans of Richie and Dana Fike. After all, Richie was our first guest on the podcast. Yet that doesn’t stop us from feeling a sense of hopeful anxiety when queuing up new release.  Can More Than Anthems live up to expectations and continue to demonstrate the consistent growth and maturity of performance and songwriting they’ve shown throughout their career?  We were not disappointed… Once again an independent artist, More Than Anthems was funded via a successful 2013 Kickstarter campaign and recorded live in Colorado Springs. Oftentimes the risk of recording live worship is the potential for the energy and the atmosphere of the evening not translating well to the end product. Fortunately, More Than Anthems manages – for the most part – to deliver a good flow of songs and the right amount of crowd response in the mix to keep things moving. Vocally, it is hard to beat the wonderful counterpoint of Richie’s growl and the clarity of Dana’s alto. The blend is remarkable and their interplay contains all of the chemistry that should be there with a husband-wife duo.  It gives them a flexibility in performance that allows them to move seamlessly from gentle ballad to floor-stomping rocker. There is demonstrable growth in Richie’s songwriting.  His co-writes can be found on many of the major releases over the last year – not the least of which would be his contribution to “We Believe”, whose recording by the Newboys was the most successful single in Christian music for 2013.  But listen on to songs like “Like No One Could” and “Wholly Yours”.  You’ll hear songs that speak to hope, longing, and vulnerability.  One gets the sense that you’ve walking through the valley with Fike, coming out the other side, and singing together about that journey. Lest this review come across as unadulterated adulation rather than an actual critical appraisal of the work, there are some points that could be improved upon. First of all, this is a worship album.  If you are not a fan of the genre, the impact of the album is greatly diminished.  And, like virtually any other worship release, it can fall victim to a sameness or formulaic quality when consumed in a single sitting.  Certain songs that are quite good in isolation get lost in the mix and tend to blend together within the flow of the album – notably a few of the ballads. At the end of the day, More Than Anthems is a Fike album, which means there is a good balance between congregational accessibility and solid son...

Lightning Interview: Dave Cleveland - Frequency.FM

During our trip to Christian Musician Summit 2014, we conducted nearly 40 Lightning Interviews that included attendees, artists, and exhibitors.  Most of these can be found on dedicate project page on our site.  For the sake of our podcast listeners, though, we wanted to feature a few of the resulting conversations in the feed, including this great one with Dave Cleveland.  Dave may not be a household name to folks outside of Nashville, but he is the “go to” session guitar player in Nashville and one of the most gifted guitarists on the planet. There is a bit of history behind this chat: last year at CMS NW, there was a wonderful little turn of events that led Joe from NW recording artist Jen Haugland to Dave Cleveland to his sister, J.C. Mason.  The result was a feature interview with J.C. regarding her equestrian ministry.  We promised ourselves that we’d spend a few minutes with Dave this time to learn more about what he’s up to.  In his own humble way, Dave provides us with a brief rundown of his experience in the music industry before launching into the exciting projects with which he has been involved of late. # Other links to topics discussed: * https://www.facebook.com/24hrconspiracy * http://ryman.com/events/sams-place-music-spirit-0 * Jen Haugland just released a Christmas single on iTunes.  Visit her site for more information on her and her music: http://jenhaugland.com/2014/11/11/new-release-a-still-and-quiet-night/ Quick Links for Frequency: * Frequency on Twitter * Frequency on Facebook * Frequency on Google+ * Dan on Twitter, Google+, Facebook * Joe on Twitter, Google+

Wise Words 29: Walking On Water, Part 2 - Frequency.FM

We’re finally home from CMS NW 2014 and catching up on our regular work at the Frequency home office.  We continue our series of excerpts from the Madeleine L’Engle’s classic Walking On Water: Reflections on Faith and Art.  We will finish up the series next week and then look for opportunities to perhaps tie Wise Words into the forthcoming holiday season. Other notes: * Together with Kevin Kruse of Worship Ministry Catalyst, we recorded nearly 40 interviews at CMS NW with attendees, artists, and exhibitors.  Head on over to our Lightning Interview project page to listen to them all. * Our latest full podcast episode features a fantastic interview with Robbie Seay.   We’ve stated it before, but we’ll state it again: this is effectively mandatory listening if you’re an up-and-coming recording artist.  And it won’t hurt you to listen to it regardless.

Kingdom by CFN Worship: A Special Review and Interview - Frequency.FM

Today, November 11, 2014, Christ for the Nations Worship releases their 40th live album recording, Kingdom.  We are blessed at Frequency to boast that two of our contributors – Jessica Collins and Gabriel Allred – were key participants in this landmark release for this venerable institution. For this special occasion, Joe sat down with them to discuss their individual experiences and favorite moments on that evening of worship.  As it turns out, Kingdom represents their final recording with CFN Worship – making it a unique and sentimental occasion for them both.  Spend a few minutes with Gabriel, Jessica, and Joe to learn Our Quick Review Album: Kingdom Artist: Christ for the Nations Worship Genre: Praise and Worship Label: CFN Music Release Date: November 11, 2014 Standout Tracks:  “Spirit Burn”, “I Give Myself Away”, “Fire In My Bones” One could argue that it would be difficult to remain objective when preparing a review of the work of a friend and fellow Frequency team member.  And this would be accurate.  Fortunately for us, Kingdom is a diverse and strongly-written collection of music ready for your congregation. Yes, there are a couple of bumps where the performance or production seems out of place with the track, but this is only a occasional distraction.  Considering the $8.99 price tag for the 26-track Deluxe edition, this one is a no-brainer.  Heck, for that price, if only half the songs were good, it would be a deal (and, yes, more than half of them are good).  Forget about any potential  conflict of interest associated with our recommendation and buy Kingdom now. Click here to learn more about our scale for Quick Reviews History In the event you’re interested in a little perspective, step into the WABAC machine and check out this video representing Christ for the Nations Worship throughout the decades.  Enjoy!

Robbie Seay: Passionate, Pragmatic and Independent - Frequency.FM

Back when Frequency was in its infancy, there were a few names we scribbled on a (figurative) napkin that represented artists we wanted to interview.  Amongst those names was Robbie Seay of the Robbie Seay Band.  With an impressive series of accomplishments in his 17 years in the music industry – including stints with a major label and as an independent, Robbie has a unique and very broad perspective on the current landscape in Christian music and life as a recording artist.  Joe sat down with Robbie last month which resulted in an engaging and comprehensive conversation – one that should be considered compulsory for all aspiring musicians. In this far-reaching interview, Robbie discusses success, life as an independent, and how certain shifts in the industry (digital distribution, social media, and economics) can influence one’s approach to creating and packaging music.  Of course, he addresses his forthcoming long-player which gathers up the band’s recent three Psalms EPs into a single release.   He explains why he took on  a Psalms project, why he chose EPs as the initial format, and how easy it is to get lost in a very busy music scene (especially if you release an EP on the same day U2 gives away their new record). Other notes: * The Psalms LP does not yet have an official release date, but that shouldn’t stop you from picking up the three EPs: Psalms, Vol. 1, Psalms, Vol. 2, Psalms, Vol. 3 * You can catch Robbie’s interview with Brian Weaver on Wave the Truth using the following link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8eSFT78_bA * Hermeneutics: the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts * We love hearing from you, so make sure you connect with us on social media (links provided below).  And of course, don’t be afraid to let us know what you think of the show by leaving a review on iTunes.  Links to both the US and Canadian sites are provided:  (US: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/frequency.fm/id599474294?mt=2; Canada: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/frequency.fm/id599474294?mt=2 Quick Links for Robbie Seay: * Website: http://www.robbieseayband.com/ * Twitter: https://twitter.com/robbieseay * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robbieseay Quick Links for Frequency: * Frequency on Twitter * Frequency on Facebook * Frequency on Google+

Wise Words 28: Walking On Water - Frequency.FM

We’re trying something a little different over the course of the next few weeks.  At the suggestion of our friend and Episode 3 guest, Mandy Thompson, we are going to read selected passages from Madeleine L’Engle’s classic book Walking On Water: Reflections on Faith and Art.  While there are certainly great moments from our interview catalog, we want to feature a book that is acknowledged by many to be mandatory reading for the Christian creative. Other notes: * Are there books, interviews, blog posts or other works you’ve enjoyed and from which you’ve drawn encouragement, inspiration, or direction?  Shoot us a note at info[at]frequency.fm and tell us about it.  We may feature it in a future Wise Words installment. * Joe will be onsite at Christian Musician Summit Northwest on November 13-14j, sharing a booth with our friends at Worship Ministry Catalyst.  If you’re there, make sure to introduce yourself. If not, look for some special CMS NW posts showing up on the site and in the podcast feed. * As you may have ascertained, there are another 27 installments of Wise Words waiting for your ears.  Head over over to our Wise Words page to listen to more: https://www.frequency.fm/wisewords/