SoGospelNews Fan Festival - Day Five

Man, I can't believe that another year is over. It's so weird to spend almost a whole year working and preparing for one week to see it all fly by so quickly. I have to admit that we all skipped church today to get some much needed rest, but we look forward to a great night of worship tonight.

Yesterday started much earlier than the previous days because of the talent contest. We had less entrants this year than last, but the talents was still very good. Much thanks to our four judges this year - Dora Pop (Daywind Records), Scott Caldwell (Beckie Simmons Agency), Kyle Jackson (Jackson Management Agency), and Phillip Emery (DJ Man Promotions). There will be an official announcement of the winners, so I won't go into second and third place finishers.

After the talent contest, Jason Morales of The Imperials showed up to bring us the mics for the night. He proceeded to let us hear several cuts off of the new Imperials record, Back to the Roots, which was produced by Michael Sykes. All I have to say is WOW. Just wait until you hear this record. This could be the album that makes The Imperials superstars again.

The LeFevre Quartet comes in, sets up, and then goes to eat at Famous Daves. (I'm jealous because everyone has been telling us how fantastic the restaurant is - including Mike LeFevre.) It was a weird day as groups just kind of straggled in and did soundchecks, so there was much downtime. Too much in fact, because it made us all realize just how tired we were. The Imperials, King's Heralds, Kirk Talley, Sondra Burnett, and Encounter all get their soundchecks done, and we were all finished except for the Daryl Williams Trio, who ended up not taking one.

So with some more downtime, we went to hang out in the greenroom with The Imperials and Kirk Talley. Let me warn you now. If you know The Imperials, you know they are nuts - and of course Kirk Talley is a hoot as well. Well don't mix the two, because hilarity will ensue. We kept laughing all afternoon because of these two artists.

The concert actually started about 10 minutes early. We let the talent contest winners sing one song before the program started. Melissa Pugh from Nashville won the Solo division, and she did outstanding. Pardoned won the Group division, and they did great as well.

The evening kicked off with the always-stellar Daryl Williams Trio. They are always a big hit with the crowd at our festival, and this year was no different. They did all new material from their latest recording that came out last week. The crowd loved "A Homesick Angel" and demanded an encore!

After DWT, King's Heralds took the stage. This was the first time I had ever heard this group, and they were awesome. They are extremely good at acappella songs, and the crowd loved pretty much everything they did. Great job guys!

Kirk Talley then took the stage. If there's any artist that we can guarantee will make the crowd sob - it's Kirk Talley. They of course loved his performance, but you could hear a pin drop during his "Judge Not". He closed with "He Is Here" - and it made for a real nice moment during the night.

After the offering, one of our sponsors, Bev McCann, used her time wisely and got two good songs in.

The LeFevre Quartet was a highlight of the night for me. I've seen this group perform three songs live before, but never got to hear a full set. The crowd loved these guys, especially on cuts like "I Bless Your Name" and "To Get to Jesus". However, the crowd was on their feet for "Days of Elijah". It made for another great moment during the evening.

The LeFevre Quartet then introduced Sondra Burnett - another crowd favorite due to her hosting the SGN Music Awards Celebration the last two years. She had some problems with her tracks, but she ended on a nice acappella number after "He Came to Me."

After Sondra was a local group, Encounter. They did a fantastic job even though they were a bit nervous to be making their first appearance at the Fan Festival. The crowd loved their radio hit "Make Me an Instrument."

The Imperials closed out the evening and the entire festival. I don't want to talk too much and build up too much hype about the project - but you could just tell the guys were having a great time performing these Imperials classics. I loved "No Shortage", but the crowd loved "I Believe", "Praise the Lord" and others. They also did their current radio single "All That Matters to the Lord" and closed out with the fan favorite "Arise My Love."

It was a great way to end out our Festival. Every artist did such a great job, and we got so many compliments on the talent that we brought in. Much thanks also go out to industry leaders and insiders who showed up to support us as well.

It was a fantastic year, but we're happy it is over!

SoGospelNews Fan Festival - Day Four

So I'm updating on the day now at about 1 AM, because I just know I'm not going to wake up early to get this done in the morning before the talent contest.

Again - the day started with our normal run to Walmart to pick up the subs for today and Saturday. I think it was the fastest that we've made that trip yet, and we then proceed to the church. The Pathfinders were already there showing off cuts from their new CD that will be released in the next couple weeks. After their soundcheck - Mark Blackwood makes his way in, and I enjoy some great conversation with him as he waits for the rest of his group to arrive. We (Sunday Edition) catch a quick soundcheck before Joyce Martin Sanders and the Blackwood Gospel Quartet get their's. The Quicks also come in and we argue a few minutes about whether we should share a product table with them - and I won. HA! The always sweet Sharron Kay King came in and I had a chance to catch up with her. The Freemans were the last to show up, but we knew they would be later. They win the award for the quickest set up, plug in, and soundcheck of the Festival so far. They were such an easy group to work with.

Soundchecks got done 45 minutes early, so we went ahead and unlocked the doors early, and people started to trickle in. I again have to mention how nice it has been to just sit and talk and fellowship with the artists this week. It has been a refreshing week so far, despite it being so physically exhausting.

The crowd was very good when we opened up the show. The Pathfinders started things off with a bang. They performed all new songs from their upcoming recording. There are a couple fantastic songs, but I really enjoyed "What the Sea Saw." What a great hook.

After the Pathfinders got things rolling, Joyce Martin Sanders took the stage. She's nowhere near pure Southern Gospel, but the crowd was blessed by her testimony and transparency. I was a little upset she didn't do "The Promise", but she nailed "God Did It" and touched the audience with her acappella rendition of "Love Lifted Me."

Joyce then introduced The Freemans, and they, as always, tore it up. I've become a huge fan of this group and their live performances. They did a lot of hits and concert favorites like "He'd Still Been God", "Hello In Heaven", and the recent "He Chose Me." The crowd loved them.

The offering was next, and then we (Sunday Edition) sang.

After us, I had the privilege of introducing Sharron Kay King. I remember last night a couple people seeing Sharron's name on the screen as tonight's performer and hearing them get very excited. She has a large following, and she is played very frequently on Solid Gospel. Her pure heart was immediately on view for all to see. She did radio hits "You Never Gave Up On Me" and "My Best Friend" before ending on the audience favorite "When I Say Christian."

Sharron then introduced some of my favorite people in the whole wide world - The Quicks. If you haven't heard this group before, don't hesitate to catch them in concert. Their love for singing and sharing the Gospel is extremely infectious. They had a great night and performed a couple songs from their new album - The Word Is Out. They ended on their Top 40 hit "It's a Sure Thing".

Joyce Martin then came back on stage to introduce the closing act - the Blackwood Gospel Quartet. At this point we were about 30 minutes behind, but the crowd stuck around to hear this group. They did a great job of singing the old quartet classics, and the crowd really took to these guys. They are just as good and polished as any A-level quartet out there today, and the crowd stormed their product table after the concert was over. This is another group that you should not miss.

And that ends another long day and fantastic night of Southern Gospel singing. We still have the Talent Contest tomorrow morning, and then the last night of the Festival - which will probably be our biggest crowd of the week. Don't miss out on your chance to see the LeFevre Quartet, Kirk Talley, The Imperials, King's Heralds, Daryl Williams Trio, Sondra Burnett, and Encounter tomorrow night - or if you're reading this on Saturday - TONIGHT!

SoGospelNews Fan Festival - Day Three

Whew. As the week progresses it gets harder and harder for me to wake up every morning and post these. However, I've had several comments from fans, artists, and industry personnel this week thanking me for updating you guys daily on the Festival - so I suppose I can't just up and quit, now can I?

Yesterday afternoon was another very busy day with going to the store and getting more water, new sub sandwiches and cookies for the green room, and more. By the time Amy & I got to the church around 2:00 in the afternoon, Everyday Driven was finishing up setting up their band, and Mercy's Mark had just started unloading their stuff. I must say before I get started updating about the concert that I really have enjoyed my times of fellowship this week with artists. I had a great time chatting with all the members of TK & McRae, Brent and Shane Dunlap of Mercy's Mark, and Ann Downing. However, the highlight of my evening was finally getting to know two of my all time heroes as singers - Buddy Mullins and Paul Lancaster. The whole group Everyday Driven were just some of the nicest, most down to earth team you will ever meet. Despite us all being half-asleep, Everyday Driven and "the family" went to Steak & Shake after the concert and we had a blast. I should also note that it was great getting to meet Wendy Vickers (new staff writer for SGN) last night. I'm glad she had a chance to come to the concert.

The concert started off with Everyday Driven - and WOW - these guys are awesome. The crowd didn't really know how to quite take them at first - but finally "got it" after about the third song. Musically these guys are right on the edge, and lyrically they are mostly worship, but they did an awesome job. They kicked "I'm Free" out of the park. I'm officially a fan.

After Everyday Driven, TK & McRae took the stage and dominated it right off the bat with "If It Had Not Been the Lord." This group is really starting to sound like a group that's been singing together for years despite only being together for a few short months. Annie McRae's "When He Said Live" has to be one of the best written songs in Southern Gospel of the last 20 years. Phenomenal.

We decided to move the offering up to see if the crowd would still use it as an intermission - and it didn't help. HA! That's ok.

After the offering, one of the sponsors and a fellow artist, Bev McCann got up and did a new song that she just wrote and the crowd loved her.

After Bev, Mercy's Mark came on and of course tore it up. This was the first date that Shane Dunlap did while filling in for the group and they couldn't have sounded better. I'm a huge fan of the song "When It All Starts Happening I Want to Be There" - and they did it last night. Great job guys on your entire set!

Johnny Minick & Friends were next. and they are always a festival favorite. The set was more of a hodgepodge of songs and artists with Aaron Minick, Mike Allen, and Allison Durham Speer all taking solo songs in the set, then singing with Johnny throughout the rest of the set. They were definitely a highlight of the evening.

Johnny then had the privilege of introducing the newly formed Prophets Quartet. It was funny watching these guys before the Festival, because they were all very nervous, yet they did a fantastic job. I hope I am privileged enough to sound as good as Bill Baize and Ed Hill when I'm their age. This group is going to go on to many great things in this genre.

After the Prophets, we were about 30 minutes behind schedule, and the crowd was getting antsy. Poor Ann Downing only had about 60% of the crowd left to sing to, but she sang her heart out anyway. The crowd loved her, and we've already had requests to have her back next year.

Overall, it was another fantastic night with great music and even greater fellowship. Come tonight to hear music from the Freemans, Blackwood Gospel Quartet, Joyce Martin Sanders, Sharron Kay King, Sunday Edition, The Quicks, and The Pathfinders!

SoGospelNews Fan Festival - Day Two

So Day Two is officially over and it was a blast. We (Dad, Scott & I) ended up heading to the church yesterday afternoon at about 1 pm to meet The Prophets and Johnny Minick at the church so they could rehearse for their big cameo performance for Thursday. I was cleaning up the sanctuary and laying down mailing list/programs on all the seats while they were rehearsing - and WOW - this group is phenomenal. They've never performed live before, and it sounded like they have been performing together for years.

Soundchecks started at 2:00 p.m. Jonathan White was first, as usual, because he likes to come in and hang out with all of us before the concert. The Kingsmen showed up and started unloading, and I think we got 2 or 3 more groups soundchecks done before they ever finished setting up. Oh the joys of having a full band! Of course, all the artists were great and excited to be there. We actually got all the soundchecks done by 5:00 and opened the doors early, and the crowd started to trickle in slowly.

We were a little worried about the crowd not showing up, despite a great line-up, because there were bad thunderstorms going on all day. However, they cleared up at about 4:30 in the afternoon, and the crowd slowly came in.

Ed Crawford & the Mystery Men opened up the evening, and they did a fantastic job. "Love Will Roll the Clouds Away" and "Walk Around Me Jesus" were big hits with the crowd.

The Dove Brothers Quartet followed and knocked it out of the park. They did mostly newer songs off of their last three recordings - like "Never Ever Be the Same", "Taking It Back", and "One More Miracle." The crowd went nuts when they started in on "I Can Pray."

Up next was the Kingsmen. They also were a crowd pleaser. I was sitting right in front of the subwoofer taking pictures, and their bass guitar was so strong it shook my insides, so I had to get up and go to the back of the auditorium for the rest of their set. They do sound awesome though with Harold Reed and Bryan Hudson.

The crowd is taking our offering time as a chance to go to the bathroom and see their favorite artist, so there's this huge back up in the foyer for like five minutes. However, the minute HisSong was announced as taking the stage, they all piled back into the auditorium. HisSong - as always - blew the roof off the place. I love their new song "Joy In My Heart".

After HisSong, Jonathan sang a few songs and wowed the audience again. His powerful tenor is always a highlight for our fans who come to the festival.

Jonathan then introduced our closing act of the night - the Anchormen. We weren't sure how these guys were going to sound, but we knew it was going to be good. Last year the Anchormen came, and it was a totally different group of guys. Well SG fans need not fear, because this group of Anchormen are just as good as the last group. They've really got some great songs that would work really well at radio.

After the Anchormen closed out the set, everyone filed out and we were exhausted. It was another great night for us, and we look forward to tonight with Mercy's Mark, TK & McRae, Everyday Driven, Johnny Minick & Friends, Ann Downing, and the debut of the Prophets Quartet!

SoGospelNews Fan Festival - Day One

Well, it was a crazy but extremely blessed day yesterday. The day started early as Amy & I embarked to the grocery store to pick up all of our green room items. However, we got started an hour later than we wanted to, so we felt rushed to begin with.

We got to the church at about 2 pm - right when soundchecks were starting. Johnathan Bond of Young Harmony greeted us at the door - and in perfect timing, gave us a story that he just made up on the fly. We got the foyer cleared for product tables, set up the green room, laid out mailing forms and programs on the seats, and still had time to spare. It was the easiest set up that we had ever had, and we were thankful.

The crowd started lining up outside this year around 5:00, but doors didn't open until 6:00. We opened the doors a little early after the Booth Brothers finished their soundcheck, and the rush began.

We started right at 7:00 to another packed house. Shiloh kicked things off with a fantastic acappella number and went right into their radio hit "Over and Over, Amen". Their tenor pulled out a fantastic performance on "I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy."

The Booth Brothers followed - and as always - tore it up. Michael said during soundchecks that they were just going to get up and have a fun time - and they did just that. I loved "Passin' the Faith Along" and Jim's outstanding performance of "Crucified With Christ."

After the Booth Brothers performed, Karen Peck & New River took the stage. I think this was one of the finest performances I've ever heard from the group as they rolled through tunes on their new album like "Journey of Joy", "Hey", and my personal favorite "Hold On" (Devin you did the song proud!). However, the highlight of the evening was the one-two punch of "Last Night" and "Four Days Late". I don't care how old the song is - a song with a strong anointing like "Fours Days Late" should continue to be sung night after night.

After the offering, Three Bridges took the stage - and it was one of the last times that Mitchel Kenitzer will join Three Bridges. Eddy Bolton did a fine job as the new tenor. The guys sounded great especially on songs like "Cooling Water" and "A Little Song Coming On."

The evening was closed out by Young Harmony. This group knows how to minister the gospel in song and testimony, and boy did they do it last night. I thank Young Harmony for singing "All He's Done For Me" and ending the night on such a powerful ministry moment.

Overall - it was a fantastic way to kick off the Festival. I can't wait to hear what the groups bring to the stage tonight. If you get a chance - you need to come buy the rest of the week. You will truly enjoy yourself.

Pictures here

First Impressions - Brian Free & Assurance’s Real Faith

I did this a while ago with the Gaither Vocal Band's Give It Away album. This is a play by play look at the latest album from Brian Free & Assurance - telling you my thoughts as they come about each track from the new album. Most people know that I was highly impressed with BF&A's last album, It's So God, so I'm expecting great things out of Real Faith. This album was produced by Barry Weeks - who produced the Booth Brothers' The Blind Man Saw It All album, so it should be fun to see where he takes Brian Free & Assurance.

1. "I Keep Looking Up" - The album starts off with a fantastic number with fresh horns and a real country accompaniment. They sound fantastic, and the vocals are outstanding. This song is very catchy and would make a great single. "I keep looking up for my Lord is coming down." Clever lyric, unfortunately I don't have liner notes to know who wrote any of these songs. Ricky Free's percussion skills really show through on this song and help drive the song really well.

2. "I Believe God" - The album automatically kicks into its first ballad here, and boy do these guys sound like Valor. I mean everything about this song sounds like them - the stacking, vocal processing, vowel pronunciation, but it fits them really well. This is another fantastic song, but definitely on the progressive sound. It's easy to tell from the get-go that Brian Free is taking these guys to the other side of the Southern Gospel spectrum.

3. "The Biggest Step" - The tempo kicks back into high gear with this progressive country number featuring baritone Derrick Selph. This is another very well written song - "Sometimes the biggest step you'll ever take is back." Nice. This song kind of sounds like what the Oak Ridge Boys would sound like today if they had stayed a traditional quartet and progressed with the sounds rather than jumping straight to country. Very nice song - another tailor made for radio.

4. "For Now Gethsemane" - I remember first hearing this song a couple years ago when Hope's Call was looking for songs for their latest album, and I fell in love with it back then. This is just a beautiful number with an incredible lyric depicting Christ's realization of what was ahead of Him during the scene at Gethsemane. BF&A do a great job on this song. This should be a fan favorite from this album.

5. "Save Me a Seat" - This is the first cut where we get to hear new bass singer Jeremy Lile - and honestly it's not keeping my interest. I was a huge fan of Lile when he was with Crystal River - but this song just doesn't seem to fit him. He's a pretty commanding bass singer, and this is just too toned down for him. I wonder if they had all the songs picked out before hiring Lile, and this was originally intended for Keith Plott, the last bass singer. It's not a bad song, it just loses me pretty quick.

6. "Praying Man" - The first single from the new album is in the same vein as the wonderful tracks "I Keep Looking Up" and "The Biggest Step". It's another modern country track with impressive horns thrown in for fun. Bill Shivers, as usual, sounds great here. So far, this is most traditional up-tempo tune we've seen on the album ("Save Me a Seat" is the most traditional overall so far). It's a fun track, and I'm sure it goes over great in concert. Radio should eat this song up.

7. "We Will Sing" - The album goes right into another ballad, and is seeming pretty ballad heavy at this point (4 of the first 7 cuts are ballads). Brian Free gets the feature here, and of course, he sings his heart out like only he can. At least this song, much like "I Believe God", is a driving ballad, so as not to lose the listener. This is a splendid song about heaven. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see this one released to radio after "Praying Man."

8. "You've Got to Pray" - I'm feeling a bit schizophrenic here at this point with the pacing of this album. Fast-slow-fast-slow. I feel like the songs could have been placed better. This song is another fantastic upbeat-countrified number with some more horns. Brian has the lead again on this one. The group vocals have a bit of that "Valor" sound again - and it fits the song well. I'm not sure this song will go down as a BF&A classic, but it's a nice filler song.

9. "Real Faith" - Another ballad. I don't want to sound like a broken record here, but the pacing is just really throwing me off, and its something that a seasoned veteran like Brian Free and award-winning producer like Barry Weeks should have noticed. This song is nice as well, and it reminds me of the mid-90's sound of the Gaither Vocal Band or the current Imperials. The strings make it feel a bit dated, but it's a really nice song that they perform very well.

10. "What Will You Choose" - Perhaps the pacing of the album is off because the album is so ballad heavy? Four of the 10 tracks are up-tempo, and the rest are ballads. There were a lot of real gems that were uptempo on It's So God - so it doesn't bother me that there are a lot of ballads on this album. This is a nice song, and a good album closer. It probably works really well leading up to an invitation at concerts. Of course, Bill Shivers sounds fantastic.

Overall, I knew that it was going to be tough to top It's So God to me - and with that in mind, Real Faith doesn't quit live up to that great album. However, an album like It's So God really only comes along once in a great while in an artist's career. Real Faith is still a wonderful album and is a great representation of what Southern Gospel has to offer.

After hearing Brian Free's remarks backstage at the Dove Awards this past April - it appears that BF&A are definitely aiming towards a younger crowd with their last two albums, and they are doing a great job at it.

Congratulations Brian Free & Assurance on creating another terrific album.

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