New Music Update

Gary and I are very excited to finally get our project out of the studio and into the world! We are putting final touches on a few songs we felt needed some extra special care before released them. We are so pumped, and hope to have it mastered by summer.

Also, I have been working on an instrumental project. It's been a dream of mine to do a guitar record of my own. I fell in love with Earl Klugh's music in the late '70s when I first heard Heartstrings. I always wanted to write and perform songs that moved me like that album did. I also love the prog-rock stylings of ELP, Yes and Kansas, so I've written a special song called "Emerald City" in their honor.  Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't add "Amazing Grace"--the studio version of the Allman Brothers-style solo stuff I did at World Outreach Church in January of 2011.

All of these musical flavors have been percolating in my soul for ages, and now it's my time to mix it up and send out a love letter for the guitar. It will be out soon.

Thanks for your continued encouragement of my playing, singing and writing; I am the most content while creating music. Thanks for hanging in there with my blog posts as well!

Styx: The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight Live

This is a shout-out to my fellow Styx fans; I've been one since the late '70s. Having just watched their new blu ray, I'll have to tell you, it puts them another notch higher in my admiration of the band.

They boldly developed a rather original tour idea for 2011: performing their classic multi-platinum '70s albums The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight live in their entirety. I saw another favorite group of mine, Cheap Trick, perform via DVD, the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in it's entirety a few years ago. It was great, but it wasn't their original material. 

Styx' starts the show with side one of The Grand Illusion. Before the band breaks into the title cut-- projected on the overhead screen above the drums--a teenage boy (circa 1978) is shown walking up to the turntable (remember those?) in his bedroom and shuffles through the stack of LPs (those too?) to find The Grand Illusion.  He takes the record out of the sleeve and places it on the turntable, lifts the arm, places it on the outside edge of the spinning disk as Tod Sucherman, Styx' current drummer, counts off the song. Of course, as side one ends with "Miss America," the young boy on the video screen flips the record over to start side two, and so on...

What a great concept! My buddy Gary Sadler saw them during this very concert tour in Florida last year, and was fortunate enough to meet the band backstage. 

Tommy Shaw still looks like a kid. Believe it or not, James "JY" Young turns 63 this year...what? Dennis DeYoung left a few years back, and with Lawrence Gowan taking his place on keys and vocals, I don't really miss him. Ex-Babys bassist, Ricky Phillips,  does a great job holding down the low-end of things, along with occasional guitar duties. Chuck Panozzo, the original bassist who left for a period of time because of an illness, makes a few cameo appearances on the 4-string throughout the show.

The extras on the disc are also pretty cool. The tour manager and the rest of the support crew are interviewed, giving an up-close look at what goes on back stage (the "G-rated" version, anyway!).

Styx fans need to snag this disc. I also highly recommend the blu ray Styx did a few years back with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra.  Both are filled with great instrumental and vocal performances. Drummer Tod Sucherman will leave you exhausted by the end of each disc...he's phenomenal!

No Shortcuts

What a temptation it is to get to where we want to go as quickly as possible. In this age of fast cars, jets and the internet, we can--in a day--zoom all over the world and instantaneously send documents via our computers. The temptation, as I mentioned, is to get places too quickly.

 I heard a sermon yesterday by Matt Roden, a student pastor in our church. He referenced 1 Samuel 22-24 and spoke about the conflict between Saul and David. Saul was incredibly jealous of David. He knew that David would one day become king and take his place, but he held on with a death-grip to the throne. Saul had murderous intent for David and sought him with the help of the royal army. David met up with Saul in a cave as the king was relieving himself (that's right...using the bathroom). David and his men were fortuitously hiding back further in the cave when Saul entered. The king laid his robe to the side, David sneaked up and quietly cut a portion from it--proof that he could have slayed the jealous king if he were so inclined.

What a temptation it must have been to cut off the head of Saul and carry it outside to show the royal army. David could have hurried the process to the throne, but he knew that God would fulfill that promise in due time; he showed incredible restraint. So eventually, David shows the king the piece of cloth from the garment to prove he would not harm him, even with the opportunity .

The statement from the sermon that really struck me was when Matt said, "When opportunities line-up with our prayers and passion, it is extremely difficult to show restraint." Though opportunities seem God-intended, we must be wise and ask ourselves the important question before leaping: "What do I have to give up to get this?" Often times we find ourselves, as Matt put it, "...one decision away from losing our integrity, influence, credibility and more opportunity."

The statement we often hear in advertising is: "this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" If we jump at every invitation, we might find ourselves falling into a hole at some point. Its better to show restraint, pray, ask for counsel, study the Word, sleep on it, call in the morning, ask your spouse, etc. There's no short-cutting the process. If God wants us there, He's capable of getting us there--in due time.

Loveless Cafe: A Killer Breakfast

I could eat breakfast for every meal of the day. One of my favorite characters on TV is Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) from NBC's Parks and Recreation. He has framed photos of bacon and eggs in his office on the show. That's my kind of decor!

I am so excited today for two things: 1) We are meeting some brand-new friends for lunch, and 2) We are going to meet them at the Loveless Cafe here in Nashville. Loveless is one of the places to bring visitors on their first trip to Music City. It doesn't have much to do with country music, but just about every country music star has a signed promo picture hanging on the entrance wall, often included are a few handwritten words complimenting the great food.

The unassuming sign out front is a reminder of the cafe's beginnings. In 1951, Lon and Anne Loveless purchased the Harpeth Valley Tea Room on Highway 100, near the historic Natchez Trace, and renamed it the Loveless Motel and Cafe. The food became the highlight and folks from all around came for the excellent meals the owners cooked up. The place changed hands a few times, but in February 2004, after being purchased by a local restauranteur, the beloved eatery closed its doors for renovations and opened five months later with an expanded dining area; retail shops were made from the former hotel room spaces.

I love to visit every so often with the family. We all fill up on the exquisite biscuits loaded with butter and jam (health food freaks need not visit, nor scorn those who do...we don't care).  My daughter Betsy was interviewed while visiting the Loveless with friends on a Food Network show a few years back. She said what everybody does: "It's a great place to eat breakfast!" And who, like me and Ron Swanson, doesn't like a killer breakfast as often as possible?

Leaving Home

It was a new decade. 1980 ushered in more than just a new set of numbers to write on the top line of my bank checks. I was ready for it-- or so I thought--when I heard the group Styx proclaim, "Don't look now, but here come the '80s!"  from their 1979 song "Borrowed Time."

In January I received a call from Stan Morse, musical director and arranger for the Columbus, Ohio-based American Entertainment Productions (AEP). I was asked to fetch my guitar, place the phone down and play whatever set of chords or song-pieces he asked for. After apparently passing the audition, I received another call requesting I fly out in just a few days to meet the group at the Toledo airport.

I knew my dream was to be a professional musician, but the sudden opportunity jolted me. My biggest prospect up to that point was to get a proper job since my year as a college student didn't pan out so well. I had just passed the test to become a school bus driver, and I was ready to start my new phase of life when I received the call from AEP. I took advantage of the few remaining days before my plane left on Sunday to pull together a suitcase and some new clothes. I was 19-years-old, for goodness sake--the wet behind my ears was still glistening,  and I was leaving home for the first time.

The gentleman who eventually hired me said the group would be on the road for at least six months before any break was possible. My heart sank--I wouldn't see my family for a long time.

The one time I took a plane trip by myself was the previous summer, when I flew to visit a friend in Colorado Springs. Now, a few months later, I was standing in the nearly-deserted Toledo airport with my guitar, waiting for my luggage to appear on the conveyor belt. I stood there with a lump in my throat, not knowing that my family back home in Fullerton were also having a tough time adjusting to the cyclone that just blew through our lives.

I made a seamless transition into road life over the next several weeks as we zig-zag'd across the US several times in a van. By March we all boarded an international flight to perform for the USO in Iceland and Germany. I was taking large leaps into the big unknown. My eyes, ears and heart were filling with new sights, cultures,  accents and landscapes. I was creating what would one day become cherished experiences and life-long friendships.

There we are on Harrah's marquee: Sunshine Express with The Raisers!

By year's end, the news of John Lennon's assassination was a constant presence on the lounge TV at Harrah's Lake Tahoe. We were booked there as the opening act for two different week-long runs: one with the great '60s band, Paul Revere and the Raiders; the second with blues legend B.B. King. What a mind-blowing experience that was--going from almost becoming a school bus driver to playing music professionally, meeting stars and letting a stagehand roll my amp into place. I was ready to see how the new decade could surprise me any more. Dennis DeYoung  of Styx was right: the 80s ushered in what would change my life forever.

Cleaning House

Listening to the purr of the trash truck stopping and starting in our neighborhood this morning reminds me that we need to purge our home of unnecessary stuff real soon. Brenda just reminded me that as we add new things, the old stuff being replaced needs to be trashed, sold or given away. The propensity to hoard can make home a place where we no longer find rest.

I think my life is that way, too. There are only so many things I can focus on at one time, anyway. What about those pesky habits and bad relationships we keep nursing--like a stale drink at a dull party? I saw a presentation on PBS the other night about multitasking. I didn't realize it, but on any given day, we may be dealing with four separate layers of tasks at one time. No wonder we fail at making deadlines, crash the car too often, and perform poorly in our jobs.

I guess there comes a time when we need to purge our lives of unnecessary clutter. A recent study from Oxford University indicates:

"People who have a large number of Facebook friends might be kidding themselves. In fact, the study said it's impossible for your brain to handle more than 150 real or online friends. 'In this particular study, the researcher defined friends as somebody you have contact with at least once a year,' said Dr. Ken Robbins, a psychologist at Stoughton Hospital. He said it's hard to get to the root of this study because it all depends on how one defines the word "friend."

The question we need to ask ourselves--like the preceding "friend" question--is what number of things in life can we effectively manage on a daily basis? We hold on to stuff (people) because we think we can use it (them) someday (ouch!). Isn't that what we hear those crazy hoarder people say on TV? We need to size-up our lives and make a true evaluation. My dad took the "I'm gonna be brutal" stand when deciding what to keep and what to toss during his recent move.

Maybe it's time to be just as brutal in our personal lives as well. Brenda always says: "Only have things that you cherish and cherish the things that you have." So cleaning house by focusing on what's cherished may be a great way to welcome spring.

The Passion Test

With finding one's purpose in life, passion is a key ingredient to seeing your purpose lived out. I ran across 12 questions that help define one's level of passion when it comes to starting a new business, project, opportunity, etc. I believe we need to ask ourselves hard questions before we get out and try and run with the bulls. This query is truly an eye-opening activity. Rosabeth Moss Kanter is a professor at Harvard Business School and an author. This test comes from her blog entry of March 29, 2010. See if your passion is up to snuff:


1. Do I feel strongly about the need for this?
2. Does the idea fit my long-held beliefs, values, and convictions?
3. Have I dreamed about something like this for a long time?
4. Do I think that this is vital for the future of people I care about?
5. Do I get excited when I think about it, and convey excitement when I talk about it?
6. Am I convinced that this can be accomplished?
7. Am I willing to put my credibility on the line to promise action on it?
8. Am I willing to spend time to sell it to others who might not understand or support it?
9. Can I make this the major focus of my activities?
10. Am I willing to devote personal time, above and beyond organizational time, to see that this happens?
11. Do I feel strongly enough to ignore negativity and fight for this?
12. Am I committed to seeing this through, over the long haul?


Passing the passion test doesn't guarantee success, but without it, the journey can't even begin.

Let The Field Go Fallow

Sometimes you've just got to stop what you're doing and make a change. I felt that way last spring as I came just short of my seventh anniversary as a worship leader at our former church. The job was a blessing and the people there made my tenure a joy.

The problem comes when the job takes over and the calling of God takes a back seat. The mindset, then, is feeling financially locked-in, making it seemingly impossible to leave. For me, it was the right time to leave; I knew it without a doubt. I had to take a break, trust God for our household expenses and make the leap of faith. After all, isn't God our provider and not our employer?

I read an article in Premier Guitar magazine yesterday about Bonnie Raitt. She is releasing her first album in seven years this April. The interviewer asked what took her so long. Her answer rang true in my own heart as I pondered the past year of relative quiet, obscurity and time spent as a normal, every-day guy in the congregation of our new church (that's a whole other blog entry!). Bonnie replied:

"Sometimes you need to clear the deck and let the field go fallow...being home is a real vacation you want to have. So I got to balance some of the other aspects of my life and be with family and friends and really enjoy some time at home."

Letting the ground go fallow--plowing it and getting it ready for the seeds of a new crop-- is a gift that God gives us every so often. It's the physical, spiritual and emotional rest we receive during the down time that restores us and prepares us for new opportunities. I think of this past year as my "Year of Jubilee" (Leviticus 27:21).  What a wonderful year of restoration it has been!

 

"Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you."(Hosea 10:12).

Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris

One of the year's greatest movies for me was Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris. I loved it for several reasons, but mostly for the journey on which the lead character takes us as he becomes a special guest to noted personalities who lived in the 1920s. I loved the cars, the clothes, the Woody Allen dialogue, the beautiful cinematography--but mostly the message of the film.

The original screenplay won Woody Allen an Academy Award a few weeks ago, deservedly so. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Allen said the script was written for star, Owen Wilson. He knew the story would be set in Paris, but he didn't know what it would be about. The legendary director then said, "I went for a couple of months without being able to come up with anything. Then one day it occurred to me — if I had my protagonist walking around Paris at midnight and a car pulled up and they said get in and they took him on an interesting adventure. So that’s how it formed."

One of the early scenes in the film involved Wilson's friend, who was described later in the film as pedantic (a person displaying of useless knowledge or minute observance of petty rules or details). Every time the friend comes upon a famous painting or an historic place, he seems to know everything about it. As Owen takes his adventure into 1920s Paris, he meets famous artists such as Picasso and Salvidor Dali, and writers Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. Owen's character, a writer himself, is strengthened by the wisdom and critique these great artists offer him on his first novel. When he leaves his 1920s friends behind each night, he is transported back to his modern-day hotel, his preoccupied fiance, and her shallow, wealthy parents. The know-it-all friend continues to give Owen history lessons on the great artists he actually visits each midnight. Owen then begins to correct his friend on inaccurate details, surprising him by showing the hopeless pedantic that he may not know as much as he thinks.

I've met many a know-it-all in my day; they obviously have a deep need to validate themselves by spouting their superior knowledge, and obviously seem to enjoy the sound of their own voice in the process. As I watched the movie unfold, and Wilson's character began to gain the courage to stand up to the pedagogic friend, I thought of a favorite quote by Tom Waits: "The bad thing about history is, that the people who were there are not talking, and the people that weren't there, you can't shut them up."

Midnight In Paris takes the audience on a wonderful escape into an idealized world and a lost era. A Daily Mail Online article summarized it like this: "The real message of the movie is not the one that it seems to be laboring — that nostalgia is a trap — but that life and art are both worth the most meticulous re-examination and a life without art or romance is one that’s only half-lived."


Whatever the conclusion, Midnight In Paris is a wonderful movie--fully entertaining, warm, wise and sure to sell plane tickets for vacations to France this summer.

Robert Sherman: Singable, Simple and Sincere

The Disney universe--not to mention the songwriting galaxy--lost a bright star Monday when songwriting legend Robert Sherman died at age 86 in London. The loss prompted the Disney company to dim the lights on Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre marquee Tuesday night, where "Mary Poppins" is currently playing.

Robert and his younger brother, Richard, composed scores for The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Mary Poppins, and the non-Disney Chitty Chitty Bang Band. We can also credit them for the tune stuck in the collective heads of Baby-Boomers everywhere: "It's a Small World."

The family dynasty in songwriting started with their father, Tin Pan Alley songwriter, Al Sherman. Papa Al's songwriting mantra, according to Robert's son, Jeffrey, was to, "...keep it singable, simple and sincere." That's great advice! Robert Sherman, you will be greatly missed.

I wrote a tribute to the Sherman brothers last December. Click here to read it .

A Deadly Paradox

"Too big to fail" or "We'll be here forever" are famous last words for many. Just ask Kodak, the 131 year-old mega corporation that filed for bankruptcy in January.

While reading a compact history on my new hometown of Spring Hill, Tennessee, I learned of the burgeoning horse and buggy business that once supported many blacksmiths and repair shops in this area. Even as the automobile was making an introduction into rural, agricultural areas in the early 20th Century, the horse-drawn wagon was still at the heart of farming and transportation; roads were vulnerable to rain and ruts, so automobiles were only useful when the sun was shining. The blacksmiths had so much work, they probably never saw an end to their industry. I don't think a single blacksmith is open for business here today.

Last night I watched a documentary on the history of Sears, Roebuck and Co. Richard Sears, a railroad agent from Spring Valley, Minnesota, procured a rejected shipment of watches and made them available to railroad workers for a fraction of the normal retail price. The watches were quickly sold, and Mr. Sears eventually saw an opportunity to supply rural communities with more items through his now-famous catalog. Early on, Sears hired Alvah Roebuck, a watch repairman, to help warranty the watches. In 1893, Roebuck soon became a partner, and together they established Sears, Roebuck and Co. in Chicago.

Roebuck parted ways in 1895 as the high-risk mentality of Mr. Sears proved too much for his highly-conservative sensibilities. That same year, key financier and future president/ chairman Julius Rosenwald came aboard to help stabilize and--after Sears died at age 50 in 1914--guide the company through the Great Depression and beyond. Though the company made many incredible business decisions that would ensure their unchallenged retail presence in the U.S. for years to come, they would eventually be assaulted by new retail outlets like K Mart, Wal Mart and Target. The competition proved devastating to this once powerful giant. Who could imagine Sears stores being a thing of the past? To date, Sears has not made a yearly profit in 10 years and is slowly struggling to compete.

The problem with corporations, churches and people is that just when least expected, someone comes along with a better idea or a better delivery system. In the case of churches, the fundamental message must not be altered (God forbid), but the method of delivery must come under scrutiny in response to the needs of a changing society.

I'm reminded that nothing or no one is impervious to progress. I don't want to become stagnant as a person, a businessman or a minister. My prayer is to be open to change, willing to listen to new ideas, learn how to more effectively reach people, and never fall for the deadly paradox: "I'll be here forever."

Hearts With Hands

My dad's home was filled with several generations of family memories and mementos. Our task was to move his household items from western North Carolina that he and my mom collected from over 50 years of marriage, within one weekend. It was a daunting task. But with my brother Jon and his family, my wife Brenda, our children and their spouses there to lend a hand, we worked until every box was packed, taped and marked. All-in-all, it took an accumulation of several months just to get everything to where we could load the two trucks on Saturday: one going to Birmingham with Jon, and the other heading to Nashville with Brenda, dad and me. That's where Hearts With Hands came in and saved the day.

Hearts With Hands crew, Tom Harvill's move, March 3, 2012

Hearts With Hands is a ministry of Cornerstone Fellowship, based in my dad's community of Forest City. Cornerstone has been my dad's church home ever since we helped charter it back in December, 1997. It's a lay-led ministry, with outreach to the needy, elderly and others--extending the love of Christ in Rutherford County and beyond. Their designated project in March was to help move my dad out of his home.

With approximately 15 volunteers, the house was cleared and swept in under 2 hours. They even pulled up a trailer with a gas grill on the back to prepare hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone. If it were not for their help, we would probably still be here working at Easter! Their love for my dad was so evident. He has sown much over the years in the lives of so many, and it was a natural expression of the church to help him in this great time of need.

I am so thankful to Cornerstone Fellowship, Hearts With Hands, and all of the volunteers who lifted, cleaned, packed, cooked, fed and, most importantly, served the Lord on behalf of my dad this weekend. It was truly an out-pouring of Christ's love through service, and has greatly touched the hearts of my family. Bless you all!

Big Picture/Little Picture

God is a all about the "big picture." Faith is the action that believers put forth as we trust God with the big and little stuff. He sees our lives from the beginning, to the end, and into eternity, so His perspective is what we must learn to employ. The problem comes when we focus on the "small picture" stuff; the little emergencies that blind us to the fact that God is in control, and has a life-plan for us.

Making a living, relationships, job promotions, preparations for a child's education and our retirement--though all very important--are small picture items to God. My pastor, Rick White, preached last Sunday about the life of David. David's seemingly unimportant role of herding sheep was a very important part of his life's "big picture." Though he would be anointed as future king, he went right back to being a shepherd until God called him to the next stage. I might have despaired, going back to that menial job after such a promotion.

It is so easy to let the "small picture" things in life grow to "big-picture" status. When hearing of individuals suffering with depression, I am saddened to learn of the pain that motivates them to take their own life. As an outsider, the particulars may seem trivial, but to the one who suffers with the prospect of continuing life with or without certain things, it is unbearable. Most of the time, those unbearable things can be dealt with in therapy and over time.  Their desperate attempt to relieve the pain robs us of their love and presence. Likewise, and spiritually speaking, the desperate reaction to difficult things in our lives rob God of the great opportunities He has in store for us.

When we allow God to be God, He is given permission to do things in our lives that may not make sense in our every day world. The trials we face today--be they financial, health related, relational, etc.--may be an important valley for us to travel on the way to the mountaintop that God has planned for us. God's Word, faith, the encouragement of other believers, and our spiritual experience are all important, strength-building blessings in life. When we are tempted to give up too early, and the little things blind us, that's when our faith is tested the most. When life is cruising along, and everything is going just as we planned, we don't need God. It's when our solutions fail that we truly look to God.

I write this because God has given me the opportunity to trust Him more this year than in any other time in my life. When circumstances get to the point of desperation, I know it's time to  hide in the bushes and watch God do great miracles--all for the "big picture" in my life.