The Wrecking Crew

LA in the 60s was a boom-town for rock and roll. The group of musicians responsible for making so many of the hits come alive in those days was The Wrecking Crew. They played on hits for the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Mamas and Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers and were Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. The record industry was primarily in New York, London and Detroit in the late 50s and early 60s. Then there was a surge towards the mid-60s that pushed the recording to the west Coast. So these musicians were recording around the clock for a good 8 years. The hey day for this group was in 1967 when the charts turned to the west.

I would give anything to have been a fly on the wall in one of those sessions. A little known fact is that Glen Campbell was one of the Wrecking Crew; he played many of the Beach Boys guitar riffs that are so much a part of our collective pop music conscious. Since I was only in elementary school during those amazing times, I wasn't aware that people made a living creating music. The only time I saw this was in the Disney cartoon, 101 Dalmatians, where Roger, the human lead, wrote songs in his London bachelor flat. Maybe subconsciously I made a mental note that it would be cool to do the same one day.

As every musician makes the transition from amateur to pro, there are a series of lessons to be learned. The video below is an out take from a film being produced about the famed Wrecking Crew. Louie Shelton, guitarist extraordinaire, talks about his early days with the WC and a golden learning moment concerning "playing in the pocket" with the Crew's famed drummer, Hal Blaine.

In Stitches

Isn't it amazing how we survived childhood? The other day Brenda and I were talking about the incidents we survived as kids of falling, tripping, skidding and bumping into objects that create wounds and lasting scars. I spent hours in Dr. Dostrow's office receiving my share of stitches for childhood mishaps; some were accidents, some were just stupid-kid stuff.

Brenda has a scar on her thumb which is a lasting reminder of her brother mistakenly closing the front door on her hand as a little girl. The thumb was actually severed but miraculously re-attached. I have a matching scar on my right thumb from a stupid-kid incident involving a swing set in my neighbor's back yard. There was a side car kind-of-thing on the swing set that allowed two riders to face each other as it swung back and forth. I was curious: what would happen if I stuck my thumb in the mechanism at the top? Well, I soon found out when I pulled out my bloody appendage--the thumb was cut to the bone right behind the nail. With a tetanus shot and several stitches later, I was out playing again. Another time, I was sitting on a wooden fence and fell backward directly onto a row of jagged bricks (it's crazy how much a simple scalp wound can bleed!). I was rushed to Dr. Dostrow's "office of pain" for another set of stitches.

The most notorious incident happened at my cousin Mike's house when we were around 7 or 8 years old. While playing Cowboy and Indian, Mike used a toy hammer as his tomahawk and I was using the standard toy gun. When we met up in a clearing in the backyard after a quick game of hide-and-seek, Mike aimed his tomahawk at me, reared back, and let it fly. I swear, I saw that hammer rotate in slow motion until it met my forehead above my right eye. BAM!!! I literally saw stars and heard a bird chirping as I fell to the ground in excruciating pain. I was puzzled why Mike let that hammer fly; it's still an unsolved family mystery. All I know is that I spent the afternoon with wires stuck to my head looking at a machine with squiggly lines as the Dr. reassured my mom that there was no brain damage from the incident--only a nasty, walnut-sized lump.

The no-brain-damage diagnosis was arguable as the question still remains: what motivates a kid to stick his thumb into a swing, fall back and bust his head on a brick flowerbed, and play Cowboy and Indian with dangerous weapons? All I can say is: thank God for His protection. Kids will do dumb things and the best we can do as parents is lock them in their rooms until they turn 18! No, just kidding! As parents, we need to realize that things happen and that kids will be kids...even though some kids like me really do some idiotic things while growing up.

Coffee Crazy

Coffee is very important to Brenda. On the trip home from my brother's in Birmingham today, we went an hour out of our way to sniff out a Starbucks, all the while passing up dozens of other establishments like McDonalds and gas stations, just to snag a perfect cup of Joe. We found our fix. It's not fair to put the blame her because I am just as much of a coffee snob as she.

I was raised with "coffee milk" from as far back as my caffeine-soaked mind can remember. We three brothers sat on the opened door of mom's oven, warming our butts and drinking mugs of coffee laced with copious amounts of milk and sugar. I graduated to more coffee and less milk and sugar as the years progressed (to this day I can't drink coffee totally black). Once a kid is taught to love coffee, God forbid the soul who tries to wrench it from his hand. It has become a serious habit--one that I don't plan on quitting anytime soon.

The first date I went on with Brenda was at a coffee place in Mobile. It was there that, aside from her beauty of face and frame, I knew she was the one for me. She really loved her coffee. Plus, she had toted her Bible, which was almost as big as her, into the place. God, coffee and beauty...I was smitten! To this day, after 25 years of marriage, we can't seem to kick-start our day without a few cups of our favorite brew.

Coffee has transitioned from a simple, hot mug of pick-me-up to a high-brow, gourmet excursion. When I visited Italy 30 years ago while on a music tour, I had to ask what the big copper machine was on the bar. I was told by the server that the contraption was an espresso maker. A what??? You see, back in the prehistoric days, I had no idea what a cappuccino was. I had to shake my head a few times and re-focus my eyes following my first Italian espresso adventure. After visiting other parts of Europe, I realized that coffee was made to be considerably stronger there. I began to enjoy the full-flavor that European coffee offered. When I visited New Orleans for the first time, I found a similar flavor in the Community coffee that the folks brewed (I believe that the water there contributes to the great flavor, believe it or not!).

This Christmas, one of the most popular gifts was the Keurig coffee maker. Brenda and I bought one last year and have sworn off the coffee pot that we had so faithfully used up to that point. Once a single cup of fresh coffee is made with the Keurig, it's really hard to go back to the stale, hours-old coffee of the past. We can even keep a collection of various assortments on-hand to break the monotony of one particular flavor. It has become an obsession and an expensive pleasure that keeps us going back to Bed, Bath and Beyond sometimes twice a week for more boxes.

Even though there are things to surrender as resolutions in the new year, I know for a fact that coffee will not be one of them. When our Keurig finally fails after constant use, I will rush to Bed, Bath and Beyond with my 20 percent-off coupon and return with a new Keurig coffee maker in hand. It is a wonderful addiction!

Creating Great Moments In Worship, Part 1

Great worship moments rarely happen on their own--although God is very capable of bringing them about without our help! Some worship leaders think it's more spiritual when less planning is involved. My humble opinion is that God can work in advance, too; He can anoint, inspire and guide in the planning of a service a month away. And why wouldn't He? We don't wait to plan for a Thanksgiving feast on the day before: we spend time in advance thinking about the menu, the people we invite, and the setting in which it will be served. Great moments in worship are like this, and we have a better chance of reaching our goal if we spend time praying, thinking about, and designing a plan. God already has a one--we just need to seek and discover it.

In planning for a service, I use 5 general guidelines: 1) Determining the Spiritual Statement being made; 2) the Song Selection; 3) Sequencing of the songs and spoken segments; 4) the Segues between each piece in the service; and 5) Sensitivity to people and, most importantly, the Spirit.

Spiritual Statement
Each church has a unique personality and the songs used every week are a reflection of that individuality. As one considers the songs for a given week, we must consider the spiritual statement to be made in the service as a whole. Next, we must consider the season of the year and the appropriate songs to use. Other questions might be asked: is the pastor preaching on a special subject?; is our church needing to focus on some specific scripture or topic?; is the audience going to be of a certain age or will it consist of mixed generations? Some generations outside of the main stream will probably feel left out at times, but the objective is to reach the greatest population.

Song Selection
As previously mentioned, the choice of certain songs is unique to each congregation. There are no right or wrong songs to use--just effective ones--those that foster great worship moments. Some songs are written "about" God and are filled with statements about His character, majesty, holiness, etc. (many hymns are written about God). Other songs make statements "to" God, as if in a conversation.

Sequencing
My suggestion is to sequence the songs by placing the ones about God closer to the beginning of the service as the congregation is warming up to the room (they just dropped off their kids in the nursery and have toted them from the parking lot--so don't scorn them if it takes a few minutes for them to make the transition). Save the conversation songs for later when a more intimate moment is desired. The start of a service usually requires a faster tempo. Then, as the the service transitions into an introspective, more worshipful moment, slower tempos are better suited.

The mental picture here is much like inviting people to your home: you greet them at the door and work your way inside. Everyone settles in, becoming relaxed as the evening progresses. Conversations usually become more personal as defenses fall and authentic communication can be accomplished.

Choosing the correct key for each song is imperative to creating a great moment in worship. Since the service is about everyone singing together, the congregation needs to be able to sing the notes. Considering the vocal ranges of Mr. Smith, the baritone, to Mrs. Jones, the soprano, we must select keys that allow the melodies to stay within the congregational singing range. This range starts with B flat, below middle C, in the lowest register, to the D, an octave and a whole-step away from middle C, for the highest. The range is obviously limited because the general public aren't vocally trained as soloists. Stay within the congregational singing range as you choose songs. Maybe the keys you've been choosing are the reason your people don't sing!

Segues
Segues between moments are critical. Try to allow as little lag-time between each piece as as possible. Even nano-seconds of "dead air" are distracting to great worship moments. Work out key changes by using the simple technique of going to the dominant chord of the new key, and using a suspended 4th in the first two beats of the bar, then resolving it on the last two beats. A tempo can also be changed as you ritard during the modulation. Keeping songs with related keys together, as well as modulating by half or whole steps, make for cleaner and better flowing transitions.

Sensitivity
I always make it a priority to be sensitive to those who are in the service each weekend. It is my goal that they "win" in worship; I want them to connect with God during that time. I try to remove any distractions that may inhibit that connection--be it physical, musical, or spiritual. I choose and arrange the songs with this in mind. Each stage movement is scrutinized, illuminating any impediment inhibiting a full focus on God during worship. The ultimate sensitivity, though, is toward God: He is the ultimate focal point and object of our adoration. Always be ready to make a change if God is leading in another direction. Our plans are just a flexible starting point in the large scheme of things.

Pray before you prepare. Think about these items I mentioned today. They aren't an exhaustive list, but are a great way to start the journey. Blessings to each of you as you prepare to lead your congregation toward the Throne of God each week. Join me again as I explore more helpful tips in Creating Great Moments In Worship, Part 2.

Write me with questions, comments or suggestions:
jamie@jamieharvill.com

A Day To Remember

Today marks our 25th wedding anniversary. Brenda and I walked down the aisle--flanked by Christmas trees decorated with white doves--a quarter of a century ago, this evening. We were joined by family and friends from all over the US. South Alabama in December is mild, and the atmosphere in the church gym that night was as romantic as we could make it; we tried to distract attention from the basketball goals in the background, but we just couldn't hide them. That night, two kids made a promise that we both consider to be our best decision in life-- second only to following Christ. We celebrate today as we behold our two great kids and their spouses. The blessings we have seen unfold over time is proof that God has been very good to us.

Happy anniversary, Sweetheart.

Today is also a sad one as two of my dear friends are being buried--one in Mobile, Alabama and another in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. They didn't know each other, but they both had a big impact on my life. Brenda wrote some tender thoughts in her blog yesterday about their passing and the memories that remain:

Auld Lang Syne

I'm sitting here listening to Al Green, once again, and rehearsing the sad notes of the week. My DH lost two good friends this week, both good men who loved their kids and contributed much to the world. One friend, Danny, goes way back to when my daughter was born (she's 22). He was our pastor then, and our friend. Our kids spent countless hours before, during and after church running up and down the pews and around the church parking lot, waiting for their parents to quit talking and take them home!

The other fellow, David, is a new friend whom my husband often shared lunch with on weekdays when the two would get together with another fellow and talk 'real guy' talk. They shared Popsicles, hamburgers and inside jokes. David was full of wisdom and candor, and always left my husband encouraged after their visits.

Both of these departed men will be sorely missed.

A friend can't really be replaced, once lost. There's no price tag, and no value for insurance purposes. They are one of a kind and should be appreciated when they're around, since you never know when they'll be gone.

The holidays are a terrible time to lose a loved one.

Creating A Great Moment

I spent three years on the bus with a group called Truth. Our leader was a gentleman by the name of Roger Breland. What he lacked in musical ability was overwhelmingly made up for in is skill of working an audience. He was sensitive to his listeners and had a sixth-sense as to what they needed at any given time during a concert. He always delivered. Truth, in the span of 30 years, did almost 10,000 concerts, recorded 50 albums, traveled to more than two dozen countries and has been heard in live concerts by more than 10 million people. Truth's success was based largely on Roger and his ability to recognize a great "moment." I watched him every night of my three year tenure as a guitar player. I am still using some of those techniques that I learned way back in 1983-85.

My goal is to let you in on some of those "golden nuggets" and many more that I have learned over the years--through personal trial and error, and through the experience of other great leaders that I've played with and admired. I want to talk about creating moving and flowing moments in our worship services. This will include song flow, praying and speaking between songs, giving the audience permission to participate ( that's right--they need it, you give it!), body language, helping the audience to focus attention on important things happening on stage (solos, etc.), helping the audience to know when something is finished, passing the baton, and much more. I am certain that you will see positive results in your services if you are willing to adapt them into your worship leader toolkit; you won't be disappointed.

Before we break into Part 1 with my next installment, I want to address some issues--sort of as a prelude. First, before any changes are made regarding the technical aspects of creating great moments in worship, we must look at ourselves and ask the questions: am I prepared?; am I rested?; have I been connecting with God in my personal life?; are there changes in attitude, behavior or even appearance that will help make my worship leadership more effective? I'm sure there are more questions than those offered here, but I must start with my own heart and work outward.

I am going to discuss creating a flow through the use of effective songs and arrangements next time. Thanks for hanging with me through this little journey. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions, suggestions or comments.

jamie@jamieharvill.com

Guitar Nails

Sometimes when I am paying for an item at Target or somewhere like that, people can give me a funny look because the nails on my right hand are really long and the ones on the left are normal. I guess they think I'm some kind of weirdo; if they ask me, I tell 'em the truth: I am a guitar player.

In a guitar picker paradise like Nashville, this curiosity is less common than places with a smaller professional-musician population, but people can sure stare sometimes. Really, it's just the thumb and three fingers of my right hand, excluding the little pinky-finger, that are longer than usual. As an acoustic guitar player, I am dependent on my nails to act like picks when I perform finger-style/ folk guitar playing. I sometimes use my nails instead of a plastic pick when playing electric guitar.

Most of my life I have been a nail biter and didn't have enough nail length to create the crisp, clear sound that properly cared-for nails can offer. When I did grow my nails out, they were weak, and even strengthener didn't help. So I went to a nail salon.

It can be kind of awkward when they ask if I am waiting for my wife and I say, "No, I wanna get my nails done!" They usually look with even more suspicion when I only want three fingers and a thumb of one hand done. Then with a sheepish grin I say, "Guitar player...," and they begin to understand--sort of. I had my nails done every two weeks for over a year until I got curious and went to Walgreens to buy a do-it-yourself overlay kit so I could "save money" and do them at my leisure. At first, I was terrible at it, and it gave me great respect for those ladies at the salon! I managed to get the hang of it, and now I can do my own nail maintenance. Plus, doing the nails at home means I don't have to shrug my shoulders in surrender when the other salon patrons look at me funny!

James Taylor has a website that offers an interesting video on how he cares for his nails. JT is the "maestro" when it comes to finger-style playing. If you get the hang of either using his method of nail-care or mine, using acrylic overlay, you can be on your way to great acoustic guitar tone.

CLICK HERE to go James Taylor's Guitar Lessons page and look for the "Nails 101" video. PLAY IT!

Me & My Telecaster

I know the day that my love affair with the Telecaster started. It was at a wedding in 1977, with a band of California friends booked to play the reception, and we were desperately trying to be like our favorite country musicians (see photo at left-the actual gig!). A friend of the lead singer lent me a pristine, 50's era Fender Telecaster that was housed in it's original tweed case. I wasn't enamored with the age of it (I was clueless!) as much as how it felt when I picked it up and held it in my hands. It was a match!

I have been reading a biography about Buck Owens and, just today, read the account of Buck's lead guitar player/ harmony singer's death. Don Rich was a necessary ingredient in the Bakersfield sound that Owens made popular in the 60's. With Don's fatal motorcycle crash in July of 1974, the importance of his Tele picking was proven crucial. Don was gone and so was the "sound." I followed Rich's twang as a kid, albeit subconsciously, as I listened to Tiger By the Tail and Act Naturally on a local, southern California country radio station.

My teen years were filled with dreams of joining the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt's band, or Souther-Hillman-Furray; their country roots were exposed to impressionable wannabes like me. I loved the steel guitar and the way Clarence White 's b-bender emulated it. As I grew into my twenty's, I was mesmerized by Emmylou Harris and her Hot Band with James Burton and Albert Lee providing the twang. When Ricky Skaggs busted away from Emmylou's band and went out on his own, the skillful Ray Flacke joined him. His playing took a new turn and it blew my mind! It still amazes me that two of the best country pickers--Lee and Flacke--hail from England.

I will never attain a thimble-full's worth of Tele virtuosity that my heroes possess. I can only dream and strive for the ultimate tone as I fasten on my Telecaster and plug it into my favorite tweed amplifier. I swear, there's nothing better than a bare-naked Tele through a tremolo and a tube amp. It gets me every time.

Photo-lower right: Me & my "most recent" Telecaster, Fall, 2010

Dumpster-Diving and Other Careers...

I have written about it before, but I am even more surprised lately how Americans have embraced TV shows about collecting and auctions. I have been a fan of PBS's Antiques Roadshow since it's U.S. debut, as well as Britain's version--the one that started it all. Cash In the Attic is another show that I would always break for while surfing the seemingly endless cable landscape.

There is a new breed of auction-type shows that have captured my attention, and that of millions of others as evidenced by through-the-roof ratings. My faves are, of course, Pawn Stars and American Pickers. But some new shows have joined the list. Hollywood Treasure is about the search for movie and TV memorabilia, with some classic comic books thrown in for fun. Then there's Storage Wars about a motley crew of deal-divers, ready to bid on the fruit of people's unpaid storage-unit bills with fists filled with thousands of dollars. They have proven that huge profits can be made as valuables are sifted from the mundane. Auction Kings is about an Atlanta auction house and the interesting items (and characters) that come through it's doors.

The craze for home improvement has at least two cable networks fully dedicated to do-it-yourself home repair. I guess it all boils down to the fact that instead of buying new, Americans are opting for repairing what is broken, or finding crazy deals on second-hand items; the slow economy has apparently paved the way for the current phenomena. High-end collectible markets seem to be booming even as middle-class Americans are clamoring for cash just to pay for groceries and housing. Nevertheless, many of us are making do with treasures already in our grasp. If not, someone else might find great worth in what we call trash. It might be profitable to search Ebay's market-value for our refuse before we take a trip to the county dump. Who knew that dumpster-diving could become such a lucrative career?

Fiat Money

The quest for gold in today's economy seems to rival Cortez and his band of 190 Spaniards in the early 1500's. Every other advertisement on conservative talk radio is pushing the wisdom of acquiring gold in lieu of investing the failing US dollar. As a good investment it is arguable, but no one can challenge the wisdom of the gold standard.

A true gold standard came to fruition in 1900 with the passage of the Gold Standard Act and came to an end in 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlawed private gold ownership (except for the purposes of jewelery). The Bretton Woods system was established in 1946 to allow governments to sell their gold to the United States treasury at the price of $35/ounce. The system ended on August 15, 1971, when President Richard Nixon terminated the trading of gold at the fixed price of $35/ounce. At that point, for the first time in history, formal links between the major world currencies and real commodities were severed.

This brings us to today and fiat money, which is defined in economic journals as "money that is intrinsically useless; is used only as a medium of exchange." So, that means that every dollar represents nothing. Basically, every buck that we surrender to a store clerk or the Salvation Army at Christmastime is an empty promise, so to speak. It's frightening that our dollar is shrinking everyday and our prominence as a powerful nation is diminishing at an equally brisk pace.

Yesterday I was working on a song with Gary when we took a short break. Gary opened a package from an aspiring songwriter who carefully submitted neat lyric sheets and printed music to accompany a CD which contained the recorded songs. It was impressive, save for one thing: when Gary opened the CD case there was no CD in it. The comical moment sadly reminds me of our dollar--it looks impressive but there's nothing inside.

Behaving Badly

I heard this morning that Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Senator and estranged scoundrel, John Edwards, has been given word by her doctors that there is nothing more they can do about her cancer. Although John is at her side along with other family members, I can imagine the cold reception he must get when he walks in the room. He had a baby with a campaign staffer a few years ago, right under the radar of his loyal, ailing wife.

Gary Sadler and I watched a DVD about the Christian singer/ songwriter, Larry Norman. After he passed away in February, 2008 of heart failure, many hidden stories from his past are now coming to the surface. He was a very selfish man and left broken relationships strewn across the landscape of his life since he started his music career in the 1960's, maybe even into his childhood. Buck Owens, a hero of mine since childhood (I used to listen to his songs on a portable AM radio) and the seemingly good-guy from Hee Haw, has been revealed, years after his death, to be an absolute jerk. His biography reveals that he must have had bi-polar disorder. Larry Norman was perported to have mental illness in his family, too.

As I read the book about Martin Luther King's killer, James Earl Ray, called Hellhound On His Trail, I was disheartened to see a duplicitous man in MLK, behaving badly in the shadows, just feet away from adoring followers and a desperate country in the throws of a civil crisis. If our hopes are dashed, they are turned to dust when people we admire for so long prove to be something that they are not.

The flashlight of judgment shines right back on me. I need God's grace and guidance each day to navigate, unscathed, through this life. My problem is when people blame their behavior on an illness when, clearly, they made choices. God, help me to avoid the same potholes.

Big Baby

I try to listen for God's voice throughout my day. Sometimes He speaks through an inner voice; other times He speaks through circumstances. Whatever the occasion, I know when it's Him. My greatest measuring device for Truth is the Word of God.

Often, when I am in an especially difficult situation and I need reassurance, I have heard the Lord speak to me through analogies. Recently I received a beautiful symbolic mental picture. As I was seeking wisdom on how to deal with a difficulty, I saw in my mind a baby struggling to get out of his mother's arms. I knew it was God because, although I am a creative person, that analogy came out of nowhere--and it hit me right between the eyes. The message was telling me to stop trying to pry myself out of God's plan, protection and providence. Many times I get restless and don't trust God's perspective or timing. It was clear that God told me to settle down!

That's good news for me because it means I can relax. He wasn't asking me to do something as much as to trust Him. Life is a great-big mystery because, as humans, we don't know what's around the bend. We can forecast the weather, analyze the stock market, and watch the idiot lights on our car warn us when it needs servicing. Our walk through this life doesn't come with devices like these, but I know that I have the Spirit to guide me safely through. When God speaks, I want to listen and obey.

Smile Real Loud

The greatest stage performers make it look easy. Part of the secret is being comfortable with yourself; an audience is comfortable when the performer is comfortable. In fact, talent isn't the main ingredient in a successful stage performer. Case in point: when the Carter sisters had sound troubles at a concert many years ago, and the bass wasn't being heard in the P.A. system, Maybelle Carter, the matriarch and, by that point, a well-traveled and highly experienced entertainer, told the girls, "Just smile real loud!"

This advice is gold for any performer. You see, people hear with their eyes: communication is 15% words, 30% tone and emotion, and 55% what the audience sees. I've learned a lot from time spent on the road and on stages for over 30 years, making snap decisions when something malfunctions. One time in Houston, we expected our gear to arrive at the venue. Our concert was just hours away but, to our horror, only the snare drum and stand arrived--not the whole drum set; everything else arrived as planned. I turned to my brother Jon, and as the unfortunate bearer of bad news, my expression communicated the obvious: the show must go on. I knew for him it would be like doing a waltz on one leg. With trepidation and mild protest, he eventually succumbed, as a consummate professional does, and did the gig--with flair, by the way. Jon learned to "smile real loud" and received compliments on his drumming!

I do all I can in the planning stage to avoid these "MacGyver" types of situations. But if they do come without warning, know that you have more options than you think. Just make sure to bring along your dancing shoes in your gig bag...