Frequency Podcast

Almost a year ago – to the day – we published Episode 13 of the podcast and featured an interview with worship leader and Essential Worship artist, Tim Timmons. We hand-picked this excerpt which speaks to the importance of honoring the calling God has set upon on even whilst making a living as an artist.

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It’s 2015, and we’re back with another stellar episode of the Frequency podcast. We’re elated to share with you an interview (conducted by Dan!) with the talented and diverse Drew Brown. Yes, this Canadian singer-songwriter is a purveyor of his own brand of indie pop infused with folk and electronica. But he’s not content with just that. For his latest release, Analog Love in Digital Times – Part 1, Brown can add to the credits “producer” and provided most of the instrumentation.Dan digs in with Drew to discuss the inspiration for his unique style, why his independence is important, and under what circumstances he would relinquish the reins on producing his own work. They even spend a few minutes chatting gear – we’ll circle around with Drew again to have a more complete conversation on that topic. It had both Dan and Joe geeking out.

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A few years ago, we had the blessing of being introduced to Sarah Emerson, singer-songwriter and worship leader from Seattle, WA. At the time, we interviewed Sarah for The Songwriters Cafe (now www.KingdomSongs.org) as she promoted her album Sarah Emerson and the Radio Kings. The album was a unique endeavor wherein all proceeds benefited the Destiny Orphanage in Uganda, Africa. In our latest Amp’d interview, Sarah brings us up-to-date on her efforts and introduces us to the What Joy Project. Listen and learn more about how you can be a part of this growing compassionate community.

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Happy New Year, All! Welcome to our first post of 2015. We trust that you are already working hard on plans to realize the ambitious goals you’ve established for the coming 12 months. We’re kicking things off with some great perspective from Jason Gray via an excerpt from a 2012 Songwriters Cafe interview.

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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.

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As you are no doubt aware, we were fortunate to spend some time amongst fellow creatives at Christian Musician Summit NW last month. Our joint efforts with Worship Ministry Catalyst resulted in 40+ interviews. For this special episode, our 28th full podcast, Dan and Joe share a few of their favorites from among the artists and contributors. Plus, they banter about a bunch of random things that you know you love almost as much as the interviews.

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AlbuMore-than-anthemsm: More Than AnthemsArtist: FikeGenre: Praise & WorshipLabel: FikeRelease Date: November 4, 2014Standout 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 songwriting. Catchy melodies, lyrics that generally avoid overused conventions. Will it be amongst the best in the worship genre this year? There’s a good chance. Will the songs end up on your worship leaders songlist? They probably already are.

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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.

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A few weeks ago, our buddies at Worship Ministry Catalyst interviewed legendary singer/songwriter/producer, Don Moen. The resulting conversation was a great one, and they were very kind to allow us to extract from it a choice excerpt to share with you all.

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In a few weeks, we’ll be featuring acclaimed singer/songwriter/producer Drew Brown in a feature interview. For now though, we wanted to tease you a bit with this excerpt. Drew talks about tension in art – specifically music – and why he appreciates and even seeks it out.

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