Loops in Worship recently interviewed me about my music background and loop work. I was humbled Will thought I might have something interesting to say or that people would be interested in hearing what I have to say. Anyway, check it out when you get a chance and make sure to browser around the rest of the site. They offer a lot of great resources for those interested in looping.

Leave a comment over there too if you are so inclined and please don’t be alarmed by my paleness in my picture.

You may know James Duke as John Mark McMillan’s guitar player, but James has also recently released his own album under the band name All The Bright Lights. The self titled album is truly beautiful and unique. James was nice enough to take some time and talk with me about the album which I reviewed here. Enjoy.

Tell me about the band, it’s members and how you all came together on this project.

All The Bright Lights is James Duke, Jon Duke and Jacob Arnold.  Two brothers and a good friend.  I had been talking with Jon about making a record for a couple years.  The Idea sort of lived in a “what if” world for a long time. We would talk about it and how it should sound and how we should make the music. It wasn’t until Jon called one day and said “let’s open our calendars and book dates right now” that it became a reality.  Jacob and Jon both live in Atlanta and have played together for years. He was an obvious choice due to the musical chemistry they have together.  He also recorded and engineered the album.

Where and when was the idea for a semi-instrumental album birthed?

From the very beginning Jon and I had talked about making a soundtrack style album. We didn’t really know what that meant as far as if it was going to have singing or not.   As we got more into the process Jon started coming up with simple lyric lines for the songs. It all happened really spontaneously.  We’d be tracking a part for a song and He would start singing something. It usually came as a response to the sounds we were creating. I think it captured the heart of the music really well.

What were your goals for this album as a band?

We wanted to get together without any rules or plans and play music. If it didn’t move us, we moved on.  We didn’t spend that much time on tones. We didn’t make sure every part was perfect.  Most of the tracks are first takes. If they felt good we carried on. We weren’t interested in making something perfect, we were interested in capturing something real. We wanted to make a soundtrack for people to live their lives with.

Have you been doing any live shows on this album?

We haven’t. Yet. We would like do some shows this year though.  We are still working that part out.

This seems like an album you can’t play on shuffle, a story is unfolding throughout. Was that your intention?

We didn’t talk about it, but that is definitely what happened.  There are endless stories in the music. Some are written for specific people. Some are written about specific thoughts but everyone can find something for themselves.  I think a definite underlying theme would be hope. Hope for ourselves.  Hope for others. The hope that comes from knowing we aren’t alone.

I know you guys play with John Mark McMillan and have him credited for “good vibes” on this album, where did you guys meet and what’s your collaborative relationship in each other’s bands?

I play guitar in John Mark’s band. We’ve known each other and played together for a long time.  He came out and hung out with us when we were recording the album. He was really supportive through the entire process.  We would have loved him to sing or play on a song, but it never ended up happening.

The textures and tones you were able to create on this album on the guitar were just incredible. Could you describe what kind of gear you were using in the studio?

Making this album was really fun for me.  I just played what I felt.  It was really liberating. For guitars I brought in a Stratocaster, a Telecaster, a Gretsch Hollowbody, a Danelectro, an old Gibson lap steel, and a couple of acoustics. I was using my old Matchless Chieftain amplifier, along with a Goodsell Super 17.  I brought in my normal pedal board and a bag full of extra pedals. The consistant pedals used for the majority of the record would include a Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, a Boss DD-20 delay, Boss RV-5 reverb, Ibanez Tube Screamer,  Paul Cochrane Timmy, Divided by 13 Joyride, MXR Dyna Comp, and a volume pedal. I used a ZVEX Fuzz Factory here and there. I used a Digitech Expression Factory. We used a pair of SM 57′s to mic the amps.  On the song “Walls” I used an oscillating fan to blow on the strings on my guitar to create the drone in the beginning of the track.   I think that made a really cool sound.  It sort of happened by accident. I had my guitar sitting on a bench and the fan was blowing on it. I was hearing this sound and when I realized what was going on we stopped everything and started playing with it.  Making pads from a fan. You can hear the fan motor through the pickups. It is a great sound.  Most of the guitar sounds just happened. I don’t think I could ever do it exactly the same again. Partly because I can’t remember what I was using.  That’s the story of  my life though. I always say that I’m gonna make notes of my settings but I never will, because I think I’ll remember them which I never do.

What/who are some of the major influences in your life that have shaped your music?

Musically, some major influences for us would be The Killers, Daniel Lanois, Ryan Adams, Buddy Miller, Sunbears! and U2.  I’m really influenced by writers like Dave Eggers and Cormac McCarthy. I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan.  I could watch The Royal Tenenbaums every day.

What’s next for All the Bright Lights?

We will play shows this year.  We will make more music.

Anything else you’d like to say about yourselves or the record? Sports predictions perhaps…

We support all athletics. We just don’t watch it. Thanks for taking the time on this little southern ambi-rock band. We really appreciate it.

You can pickup All the Bright Lights on iTunes and Amazon. Also checkout their Myspace.

I recently sat down with Adam Pasion who’s new album “O Hear the Rattling” (iTunes) seriously impressed me. The music to me is best described as dark folk, very rich lyrically, with dark melodies and full folk string instrumentation and groove. I’ve not heard another Christian album like this at all, and by Christian album I just mean Adam is a Christian who wants to see Christ glorified in his music, but these aren’t necessarily corporate worship songs.

In part 2 of the interview we talk about the story behind the track “Gypsy Girl.”

 

 Adam Pasion Interview Part 2 - "Gypsy Girl" story [03:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I recently sat down with Adam Pasion who’s new album “O Hear the Rattling” (iTunes) seriously impressed me. The music to me is best described as dark folk, very rich lyrically, with dark melodies and full folk string instrumentation and groove. I’ve not heard another Christian album like this at all, and by Christian album I just mean Adam is a Christian who wants to see Christ glorified in his music, but these aren’t necessarily corporate worship songs.

I enjoy shedding light on great music that many have not heard and I think this fits the bill. Adam is a great guy, incredibly humble and talented. In part 1 of the interview we talk about where Adam grew up, the vision behind the record and the story behind one of my favorite tracks “Broken Binds Us.” I also give a sneak peak of the tune in the video.

I know quite a few of our readers are Demon Hunter fans. Resurgence has posted part 1 of Tim Smith’s interview with the band and they talk about their upbringing, how their parents struggled with their tattoos and how the band started.

I’d like to thank Chris Lizotte for taking time out of his day to talk with me. Chris’ music as he was starting out in the Vineyard gave this young man hope that there could actually be cool Christian music. Years later he’s still doing his thing, making great music and pastoring leaders to further the kingdom. I admire the humility, love and kindness Chris walks in and exudes. Thanks again Chris.

Folks remember to stay tuned and subscribe to the feed to keep up to date on the availability of Chris new album, Signal Hill Revival.

Part 1

Chris talks about how he met Jesus and how he ended up getting plugged into the church leading worship. Chris also discusses the leaders and pastors that were instrumental in shaping and discipling him as a young believer. Chris has a new album coming out in November called “Signal Hill Revival” and in part 2 we discuss the progress and what to expect from the album.

Part 2

We discuss the making of Chris’ upcoming album “Signal Hill Revival”. Chris talks about what’s behind the songs, some special guest appearances and his hope that his kids will appreciate the work.

Part 3

Chris talks about his role as worship pastor, what he finds most challenging about being a worship pastor and describes his most memorable worship experience with Kevin Prosch. Chris also bravely faces the ORS question of “What’s Next?”

Recently I sat down with Vineyard recording artist Chris Lizotte for an iChat interview, In our final part of the interview Chris talks about his role as worship pastor, what he finds most challenging about being a worship pastor and describes his most memorable worship experience with Kevin Prosch. Chris also bravely faces the ORS question of “What’s Next?”

 

 Podcast Video [9:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Recently I sat down with Vineyard recording artist Chris Lizotte for an iChat interview, In Part 2 we discuss the making of Chris’ upcoming album “Signal Hill Revival”. Chris talks about what’s behind the songs, some special guest appearances and his hope that his kids will appreciate the work.

Part 3 will follow so make sure you are subscribed to catch those.

 

 Podcast Video [9:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download