GMA Week 2005

You know, there are a lot of ways you can start your morning off and I can now honestly say that hanging out with KJ-52 is a good option! KJ is funny, talented and a big fan of coffee - which made us automatic friends! Seven System was short by two members because Jason's wife Kristi just had a baby girl on April 7th and Tony's wife Wendy was due anytime (she gave birth to a baby boy on the last day of the conference). We still had a great time meeting with John, Ron and Matt. Sides of the North was next. The band calls their music "passive/aggressive" and their debut CD just came out in March. Great guys! A Q&A with Darlene Zschech, Chris Rice and Derek Webb was next. I got to the suite a few minutes before it started and was sitting out in the hall with Derek before we were called in. He's such a great guy and he's so real. He talked about the filters that Christian artists are supposed to use and commented that if people knew just how bad he could mess things up, they'd probably never buy his records again! I appreciated his honesty so much because every one of us are still sinners and even people in the spotlight are human and subject to fall. S/R/E's flagship band, Disciple has played in my hometown and while I hadn't met them yet, I felt like I sort of knew them because I'd heard so much great stuff about them from the man who owned the venue they used to come to. Tim Barrett, the drummer, is healing up nicely from a motorcycle accident he had a few days before GMA week, but the road rash on his hands still looked pretty painful. These guys say that they were "born to rock" and after hearing a pre-release copy of their CD (which will be in stores in June), I have to agree! Yellow Second is a band that has been called "a radio friendly power pop band" by The Scout. We hung out for a bit talking about touring, how great their fans are and movies (of all things)! The guys were naming which movie would best describe each of them and the results were interesting to say the least. Be sure to check out the interview when it comes out.

If you're a rock fan you may remember when I reviewed the debut CD by Poor Man's Riches called Energy. It is a great release and the guys in the band are just as great. Jessie, Willie, Chris, Jeremy and Charlie were a total blast to hang out with. We talked about kids, college, festivals and touring and a ton of other stuff and I was having such a good time that I didn't want to leave but I had to get across the street to talk to Avalon. Greg, Jody, Janna and Melissa are known as the "premier vocal group in Christian music" but they were just as nice as they could be and were really easy to talk to. A true highlight for me was when we were talking about the music that we grew up and Greg couldn't place the song that was one of my favorites so Janna and I started singing it for him! Needless to say, when I got across the hall to meet with Jump5, I was still on cloud nine! Brandon, Brittany, Lesley and Chris totally disabuse any notion you could have about selfish teens. They are so genuine and a pleasure to sit down with. This talented group of teens loves what they do and they love to give back just as much. When they heard how much my 10 year old daughter loves their music and their new release, The Very Best of Jump5 Brandon sent someone to get a promo photo and they all signed it for her. She was a big fan before that, but after I gave her the photo she was an even bigger fan!

Barry D. was someone that I hadn't met and I so enjoyed getting to know him. He's such an incredibly talented pianist and he's a truly nice guy as well. It's no small wonder that people like Jaci Velasquez and Natalie Grant have had him share their stages. Ben, Chuck and Aaron - By The Tree - were a blast to meet. We talked about the differences between taken and just dating, marriage, how to be a good boyfriend and so much more. I left the guys with some search engine optimization tips for their web site and ran downstairs to meet up with Randall Goodgame who has a new record out called War and Peace. Randall is such a great writer (he worked on Caedmon Call's project Share the Well) and he's also a great singer and a super-nice guy. Only two more interviews to go and then, maybe, some food! J Moss was so wonderful that I momentarily how tired and hungry I was! He's a man that is truly celebrating his season. The Peculiar People Band, comprised of Darrell, Deon and Gary was awesome to meet and wonderful to listen to. They're from South Africa and listening to them talk about the differences between their home country and the states, their wives, their music and their lives was a treat for the ears. (Yes, I have a thing for interesting accents)!