Jim Mathis Music

Bob Kaat-Wohlert

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:23:00 +0000

I first met Bob about seven years ago. I knew right away that he was one of the best guitar players I had ever met. I soon realized that he was THE best guitar player I had ever met, and since I have been around music and musicians all my life, this is no casual observation. Bob can play any style and genre of music with ease and is knowledgeable about all sorts of music theory and trivia. He doesn’t “showboat,” but plays whatever the music requires.

Bob and I began to talk about putting together a band and started meeting in the fall of 2004 to form what would become Sky Blue. Our intent was to form a Christian blues band, but our eclectic tastes and experiences soon caused us to outgrow that moniker. Sky Blue played our first date in March 2005 with Bob on guitar, me on steel guitar, Bob’s wife, Theresa playing bass, and Doug Gunn on drums. Doug was later replaced by Wes Burrows.

I learned a long time ago that a good way to judge a man is to look at his wife. The type of woman that would marry a man tells more about that man that most of us men know. Those of you who know the terrific Theresa can tell, by that theory, that Bob is a great guy.

Bob, Theresa, Wes, and I are coming up on five years and our 100th paying date together as Sky Blue, as well as having played numerous jam sessions and casuals together. Bob and I see eye to eye about 95% of the time, but we both realize that the music is bigger than both of us, and that tie keeps us all together and loving every minute of it.

One of the big puzzles in my life is why there aren’t lines of people around the block wanting to see the guitar master at work whenever we play. If you are guitar player, there is no better way you can spend your time, other than practicing, than to come and sit in front of Bob whenever Sky Blue plays.

Learning from other musicians and exposing yourself to all kinds of music is one of the best things you can do for your musical career. Playing with Bob has certainly improved my playing and encouraged me to work harder at my craft.

One of my greatest pleasures is playing in a band with these wonderful people.

British Invasion?

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:18:00 +0000

One of my favorite things is reading biographies and autobiographies of well-known musicians and performers. In the past few years I have read dozens. Most recently I read Paul Shaffer autobiography, "We'll Be Here For The Rest of Our Lives."

Paul is the band leader for the TV show "Late Night with David Letterman. " He also produces the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Concert each year. He was the original music director for "Saturday Night Live" and put together the "Blues Brothers."

He writes about a conversation over lunch with Animals bass player, Chas Chandler. They listened to an interview with the producer Don Kirchner about Phil Spector. "'Phil was an artist,' said Don. 'We'd cut three sides for $1,500 - no problem. Phil would go in the studio and spend four grand on one song.' 'Stop the tape,' Chas exclaimed. 'That's why those Brill Building blokes lost their way. Do you know how much it cost us to make House of the Rising Sun? Fifteen dollars, with enough left over for pints all around. British Invasion, my rear.'"

I think that is where are again. With the big labels spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce a few over-produced homogenized songs that will pass a focus group. They have forgotten that rock & roll ( and country) is about communicating energy and emotion and not about Auto-tune, Pro-tools and how many tracks of over effected guitar tracks can be used.

Maybe it is time for an invasion by another country to teach us what we should already know. That spending $100,000 to produce a CD doesn't make it good music, or that spending $100 doesn't make it bad.

Andy's Music

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:37:00 +0000

This weekend my wife and I were in Chicago when we dropped by Andy's Music on the North Side. Andy's is an unique music store at 2300 W Belmont. The owner, Andy Cohn, has assembeled some of the most amazing and wonderful musical instruments from all over the world.

There are stringed instruments of every shape and size imaginable and some you would never imagine. The basement is of full of drums, cymbals, and percussion instruments from every continent.

From steel guitars to bag pipes and steel drums to wooden flutes of all types, I am sure they are somewhere in this wonderful old building.

I understand that Andy's has a another warehouse full of amazing instruments as well. Whether you are looking for a special kind of pick or a set of string for you oud; or maybe, like me, you just like to play instruments that you don't see everyday, Andy's in Chicago is your place.

Radio Programming

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:13:00 +0000

The other day was on a short roadtrip, about 45 minutes, so I decided to listen to a Contemporary Christian Music station. During that time they played quite a few songs with few interruptions, which was good. But without exception, every single song was a high tenor male voice, singing at the top of his range, accompanying by the same 4/4 bass beat and virtually the same drum pattern. All songs were approximately the same tempo.

In 45 minutes I didn’t hear a single female voice, a male bass or baritone, or any instrumental solos. I don’t think that creativity is gone from Christian music, but radio stations certainly show no creativity in their song selection. Secular pop stations are little different.

I presume the argument is that this is what people want to hear, but radio stations are all hurting because people are going elsewhere for music. I have a hard time feeling sorry for these radio stations, Christian or secular.

Sky Blue CD - "What Would Jesus Drive?"

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:42:00 +0000

The Sky Blue CD, “What Would Jesus Drive?” is done. We will have a CD Release Party and Concert this Saturday, October 17, 2009, at Homer’s Coffee House, 80th & Metcalf in Overland Park, Kansas.

We spent every other Saturday this summer in the studio, writing and recording. We had no budget, no time limits, and no bosses telling us what to do. It was a true labor of love.

I have always been a little uncomfortable with musicians calling themselves “artists” as is the norm in some circles. But with this CD I am beginning to feel that it might be a legitimate title. For one thing the songs are all original, well 8 out of the 10 are, and the other two are greatly altered. So we really did create something from nothing, which to me qualifies as art. The songs were all collaborations between Bob, Theresa, and me with Wes adding his part later.

Working with others, who are true artists, to create something that is new and original, that we think others will enjoy, was a true joy itself. As independent artists, we see the CD as a calling card. This is who we are, at least at this moment in time.

Occasionally in the music business somebody will sell an amazing numbers of records – perhaps millions. This is highly unusual and should not be considered a realistic goal except for a very few groups with huge marketing budgets.

For most of us, making a record that we are proud of, that we can point to and say, this is where we are musically and we want other people to hear it, is a legitimate goal.

This is not an ego thing. It is not reclaiming lost youth or trying to be something we aren’t. It is a group of artists working as a team to create something we like, that expresses a little bit of what we have to say.

Playing for free

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:01:00 +0000

I thought I would comment about playing for free. In business there is often a question of how much you give away and how much and when do you charge. Free samples has long been a successful sales tactic as long as you don’t give away the store.

In music, giving away a CD to get a gig or a T-shirt to a fan is always a good idea. Playing a couple of songs for free on a Sunday morning to get people to come to a paid concert Sunday night is also a sound practice.

I know from business experience that people perceive value based upon cost. We naturally assume that if something is free it must be worthless. Competing solely on price is a dead end for any business. There are many products that are desirable simply because they are expensive…$100 concert tickets? …$100,000 cars? There are some things that are perceived to be of little value because they are cheap or free, for example, ball point pens and free concerts.

Playing for a “love offering” or “passing the hat” is not playing for free if the audience understands that they are merely being given a choice as to how much they want to pay, and if there is a reasonable assumption that there will be a good attendance.

Sky Blue has decided that we will play if any of the following situations apply: 1. We get paid (more than minimum wage); 2. There is significant ministry likely (prisons, etc); or 3. There is an obvious chance to increase our fan base (opening for a national act). If none of those things apply, for example, playing for free to six people, we will pass.

What do you think?

Bob Jenkins - 12 Steps and a Winding Road

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:08:00 +0000

I just received Bob Jenkins superb new CD, "12 Steps and a Winding Road." Though certainly everybody would enjoy this music, it is aimed at a specific community of people with a background in addictions and recovery. The songs are poignant and true.

Since the days of Edison, the music business has had a problem in that the audience has been largely anonymous. It is very difficult to market even a well-known artist to the masses. A much better approach is to identify and target a very specific group. If you can identify your fans by name and address, it is even better. That is where the music business is today.

An artist needs millions of fans if they don't know who they are. If you have their names and e-mail address, a few thousand is plenty. If you know exactly what they want to hear, you are all set.

Bob Jenkins new CD is right on target. You can contact Bob at coloringmoses@yahoo.com.

Jim's Tips #18

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:52:00 +0000

Since I am longer producing 100 concerts a year, I don’t have as many suggestions for improving your show as I did when I watched people make simple mistakes night after night. But I have a few suggestions for becoming a better musician.

Always, or almost always, practice with a drum machine or metronome. I used to think I had a good sense of timing until I bought a basic Alesis SR-16 drum machine. I practice with it all the time now. Musicians I have known for years have commented about how solid my timing is. They never said anything before. Developing a good sense of time is one of the best things you can do for yourself as a musician.

Practice with a tape recorder or other recording device. Hearing yourself as others do can be a real eye-opener. It is also the fastest way I know to improve.

Play out as much as you can. My experience is that I learn about ten times faster in front of an audience than I do at home in my music room.

The nicest thing you can do for your fellow musicians at a rehearsal or jam session is to pass out a chord chart. Some cats can follow by ear, but most can’t. A simple lead sheet or chord chart will make friends in a hurry.

Music listening

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Though I haven’t done any hard research, I’ve been doing some guessing and casual surveys about the way people relate to music.

I have heard that 90% of the population listens to music a little, but are not interested enough to listen to even one song all the way through without talking or thinking of something else. These are the people who buy records and go to concerts. It is extremely hard to get and keep their attention because they really don’t understand music or even care that much. This is the challenge for performers in a nut shell.

Less than 10% of the population are musicians, or musically inclined enough that they like a variety of genre’s and can identify tempos, chord changes, etc. About 3% of the people can play a musical instrument.

The weird part to me is that there is another group, maybe 10% of the total, that doesn’t like music at all. These people never listen to music on the radio, don’t own a CD player or tape machine, and believe that music detracts from the movies or a worship service. I know people that cannot name one song or one performer by name.

So that’s the gamut as near as I can tell. The listening experiences by population would look like a bell curve with musicians on one tail and the music haters on the other, with the big majority in the middle centered round the people who only like one style of music or a limited number of pop artists.

What is your experience?

Jim's Tips - Over playing

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:46:00 +0000

Much popular music is overproduced with too many instruments and too much noise going on. Yet when I’m on stage playing, I tend to do the very thing I find so annoying with other groups – namely playing too much.

Taste is the missing ingredient. Playing just the right note at the right time is much better than playing a blaze of notes that don’t fit and only drawing attention to the player and annoying the audience. I’m as bad about this as anyone, but I see the problem and am trying to do better.

I think the reason that many bands play too loud is because each person is trying to be heard over the clutter. As everybody keeps turning up, eventually the audience is heading for the door with their ears ringing, and everybody in the band is blissfully happy that their bit came through. I know - I’ve been there.

This may come from age or maturity, but figuring out that you don’t have to play everything you know, is right up there with learning that you don’t have to tell all you know when speaking. We say what is important to advance the conversation. In music we should only play what is necessary to advance the musical conversation – and not step on somebody else, like the singer for example.

The most common complaint I hear about bands is that you can’t understand the words or that the vocals aren’t loud enough. The real problem is that a lead instrument is covering up the vocals.

I’ve read several articles in music magazines and blogs about this lately, so it must be a topic that is hitting home. It all comes down to listening to what the band is playing and not just trying to get your licks in whether they fit or not.

If we consider that a piece of music is like a photograph or painting, there needs to be some white space, or neutral space, so the important parts can breathe. In a photograph we need to be able to quickly see the subject. If the whole page is covered with information we tend to dismiss the whole thing. It is the same with music.

Chew on the meat and spit out the bones and happy gigging.

Jim

Recording session

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:53:00 +0000

This weekend I worked a recording session. I don’t think anybody, particularly me, was overly excited with my performance. When I expressed my frustration to my wife, she was not surprised. She reminded me that I am an entertainer, not a studio musician. Session musician and entertainer are on the opposite ends of the personality spectrum for musicians. This has nothing to do with musical skills and everything to do with personality type.

I am at my best in front of an audience. I get energy from the crowd. Playing with people that I’ve spent hundreds of hours playing music with, doing a song I’ve done a hundred times, in front of a full house is the best. Sitting in a sound proof room with headphones on, playing a song I’ve only played a couple of times, is no fun at all.

That is why big time recording artists use studio musicians to record and take another band on the road. They are two different types of people. Great studio musicians generally lack stage presence or are uncomfortable on stage, and entertainer types are uncomfortable or lack energy, at best, in a studio.

Comments?

Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:34:00 +0000

About 35 years ago my wife and I were in Las Vegas. We happened to notice in the local paper that B.B. King was playing in the lounge at the Holiday Inn. We went down and for a few dollars, spent a couple of hours with the “King of the Blues” at the very height of his career. Since then I had just assumed that the best music in Vegas was in the lounges and that the big rooms were for the likes of Barry Manalow and Cher.

Last week I was in Las Vegas and saw where a duo was playing in the hotel lounge. As I approached I heard what sounded like an eight-piece band playing old Motown, Stax, and Chess tunes, you know, ‘60’s R&B. When I looked in, I was surprised to see two guys singing along to tracks. I am sorry, but the subtle differences between singing cover tunes to tracks and Karaoke is lost on me. I am glad I had not paid any money to get in.

The next day I went to a Beach Boys concert. Mike Love and Bruce Johnston were as good as ever, backed by five wonderful musicians, who I am sure were not born when the Beach Boys were formed in 1961. Which brings up the question, when does a band become a “tribute band” to themselves? When the last original member is gone? Or is a band not a tribute band (impersonators) as long as there is a direct link to the original?

I’ve been listening to http://www.rockabillyradio.net lately and loving it. That early rock and roll is just good time music. As a result Sky Blue http://www.skyblueband.net/ has been taking on a little more of a “rockabilly” flavor. I think this is a good thing. It sort of makes me wish I still had my 1950’s Gibson ES-125, the one with the single P-90 pickup. I traded it for a 1961 Thunderbird in 1967, but that’s another story.

Worship vs Entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:03:00 +0000

The period from about 1500 AD until 2000 AD is generally known as the Modern Era. We are quickly slipping into the Post-Modern Era.

One of the characteristics of the Modern Era was the elevation of science to a religion. As a result of the Modern Era, other religions, such as Christianity, must now answer to science in the public forum. Christians find themselves defending themselves against things like evolution and astronomy.

Another characteristic of the Modern Era is that art, music, and literature have been subjugated to math, science, and engineering to the point where the arts are only considered good for entertainment, not to be taken seriously like math, science, or medicine, for example.

One of the problems we have in the church is that the things we use to worship God - music, drama, dance, & art - are considered nothing more than entertainment by the secular world. Since we are so influenced by the modern culture, we find ourselves increasing the entertainment value of our worship. (Worship, of course, should not be confused with Christian entertainment which can be a form of outreach.)

I don’t see an obvious solution, except to draw a harder line between entertainment and worship and find new ways to worship God. In my opinion, our worship times are too entertaining and Christian entertainment is little different than worship.

Since we are rapidly moving into the Post-Modern Era, this problem may get sorted out as the arts once again take a prominently place in society.

What do you think?

Predestination vs free-will

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:27:00 +0000

For millenniums, theologians have been debating predestination verses free-will. Has God a specific plan that we follow whether we know it or not, or has He given us authority to do whatever we want?

The way I have come to grips with this question is to think of it in musical terms. If we are predestined to lead a very specific life, life would be like a symphony orchestra. The score has been carefully written out by a composer. The musician’s role is to play the notes as written. There may be some room for interpretation, but very little. The composer knew what he wanted the music to sound like and the musician’s role is largely passive.

If we all had total free-will, life would just be noise with no form or purpose. Instead, I believe that life is more like jazz. Don Miller talks about this in his book “Blue Like Jazz.” There are key signatures, time signatures, chord progressions, and melodies and variations. In other words there are forms and guidelines to follow, but beyond that we are free to be as creative and wild as we want.

To me life is like blues and jazz. I need to be in the right key, I need to know where the chords are going, I need to stay in time, or at least remember where the beat is, but beyond that I can be free to be as creative as I dare. I think God smiles every now and then and says, “Nice lick,” “Tasty solo there.” Other times He might say, “That didn’t fit so well, do something different on the next chorus.”

That’s the fun and adventure to life. I don’t care for scripted music or music that is too well rehearsed. Life is not like that. We need to work on our chops and be ready to take a solo when it is tossed our way. God intended for life to be an adventure – like jazz.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Geography is important. As Jimmy Buffet said, “Changes in latitude, changes in attitude, nothing remains quite the same.”

This year, Louise and I have had the opportunity to visit some landmarks important to musicians. In January we went to Memphis – the birthplace of rock & roll. We hung out on Beale Street, went to Sun Studios, The Rock & Soul Museum, the Gibson guitar factory, and of course, Graceland, home of Elvis Presley.

In July on a trip to Los Angeles, we not only hit some Beach Boys sights, but drove up Laurel Canyon where in the 1970’s a lot of musicians lived and jammed. Out of Laurel Canyon, home to Joni Mitchell, Jackie DeShannon, Frank Zappa, David Crosby, and many more, came the Eagles, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby Stills and Nash, among others.

We’ve been to Nashville many times to see the Ryman and the Country Music Hall of Fame. So this week we went to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. This was actually my birthday trip to celebrate my sixtieth birthday.

The term “Rock & Roll” was coined by Cleveland disc-jockey, Alan Freed who also promoted what would be become the world’s first rock concert.

The rock hall contains thousands of artifacts such as Janis Joplin’s Porsche and the tape recorder used to record Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Clothes, guitars, hand written songs, and thousands of other pieces of history are enshrined in this museum to American culture.

Since I have lived every minute of the history of rock and roll, this was a significant place for me. I was born the same year that the LP was invented and I was two when the first rock song was recorded. I got my driver’s license the year that the Beatles had their first hit. I worked my way through college playing rock and roll music and am still playing every chance I get.

If you can relate to any of these things, you need to go to Cleveland to see all the stuff that made us what we are today.

The Songs and the Show

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:28:00 +0000

My good friend and ace guitar picker, Bob KW reminded me this week that Sky Blue is all about the songs and the show. That got me thinking about the business of music. Music is really retail. Especially as independents, we take the product directly to the consumer. This applies whether it is secular or Christian.

In retailing the two most important ingredients are the products and the showroom or display. The comparably items in music are the songs and the show.

First we have to either to write or find good songs. From my 35 years in retailing, I know it is very hard to sell junk. But even if you have good products, they have to be displayed in an appealing manner if we expect people to buy them.

As musicians, our repertoire is our inventory. We need to decide what to put out, when and how to display it in such a way that people will buy it. If not literally in the form of a CD or download, at least “buy” it in their hearts and remember it.

When we are trying to find gigs, we are really just looking for a place to show our wares. Even more important is having high quality, unique products that people want, presented in a manner that they want to see.

Taking this idea a little further, If you are a mouse in the same room as an elephant, your main job is staying out of the elephant’s way. In retailing the elephant is Wal-mart. The first step to success in retailing is to go to Wal-mart, see what they have, and don’t sell anything they sell. Just stay out of their way.

This is a contrarian approach. Music business experts will tell you to just listen to the radio to see what people like and write music like you’re hearing on the radio. To me that is like a small boutique butting heads with Wal-mart and K-Mart. Doesn’t it make more since to listen to the radio to see what is bland and ordinary and try to do something else?

What do you think?

Music Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:44:00 +0000

The Music Wars have claimed another casualty. The music minister at our church resigned this week amid some controversy. Whether he was in the wrong position for his gifts or didn’t have thick enough skin, the situation remains troubling. He has talent by the bushel, so that is certainly not it.

We regularly put gifted singers, songwriters, musicians, and all around great worship leaders in high positions of responsibility in the church and then nag at them until they leave with their tails between their legs.

The basic problem is that people don’t like change and music is always changing. People get stuck with the music of their youth and refuse to listen to anything else. A healthy church body is by definition multi-generational, so conflicts about style are inevitable.

Healthy churches also have on-going dialog to help people through change and help people understand that the church is or should be adapting its style to the community of people which it serves. That doesn’t mean the message changes - God never changes – but the language, music, and culture are always changing whether we like it or not.

On several occasions the Apostle Paul said to praise God and encourage one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. It is not clear what the differences between psalms and hymns and spiritual songs were to Paul, but it is clear that he used that phrase to mean all kinds of music. I would paraphrase Paul by saying, “Sing traditional hymns, contemporary praise songs, blues, country, rock, gospel, and anything else you can think off with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.”

Another basic problem is that musicians are always looking for a new sound and audiences always want to hear the old stuff. This applies to popular secular music as well as Christian music. But the Bible says to sing with a new song and we know that God is a creative God; therefore I believe that God would have us look for new ways and new songs to praise Him.

I have heard that there are two types of people: creatives and critics. I know which group I want to be in.

The ideal music minister would chart a well-rounded program with a variety of music, and then stay focused without being strayed or discouraged by those who complain about everything that doesn’t suite their taste.

Techies vs Musicians

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:17:00 +0000

We had an eight hour seminar at our church this weekend about sound reinforcement. Two consultants from out of town came to help us out.

As expected, the technical information they presented was right-on, but some of us had a different philosophy concerning who is responsible for the sound quality. In fact they would probably object to my term “sound reinforcement.” Sound reinforcement implies helping the sound that is already there, not recreating all new sound. It all comes down to who is in control – the performers or the sound people.

I have been involved in music for over fifty years. I am sixty and I started playing when I was eight. Those fifty years have been has roughly divided in half as running sound and performing, a years of one and then a few years of the other, or mixed up, so I believe I have a balanced view. I believe that whoever is on stage is responsible for what they sound like. The sound people are there to help and advice. If your name is on the marquis and the ticket stubs, you are ultimately responsible for everything from the quality of the sound to whether the T-shirts shrink. Leading worship is not that much different. If you are up front, you are responsible for your sound.

The consultants we heard from strongly suggested that 1. the sound person is in a better place to hear (possibly) and 2. the musicians don’t know what they are doing anyway (not likely.)

They would want 100% of the control of the sound to be from the sound booth. This would involve eliminating all acoustic instruments such as drums and grand piano, and eliminating all amplifiers from the stage. The bass, guitars, keyboard, electronic drums would all go directly into the house mix and everything would be controlled from the back.

I would suggest that if the musicians have no control over the sound, the next step is to just play tracks. This would certainly make the sound person’s job easier.

I played for years with the mixer on the stage so the members of the band could reach it. (We seldom needed to.) I am thinking of going back to that system. If we play in a large venue, we could just give the sound tech one line out and we would keep all of the control on the stage. I have played at large festivals where every band sounded bad because of incompetent sound people, but nobody (musicians) was willing to do anything about it.

When my band plays a large venue (over 500 people) where a sound person might be necessary, I always tell them to set the stage monitors so we are hearing exactly what the audience is hearing. I then ask them to give us four microphones, all alike and set the same so that we can use them interchangeably. After a short sound check, leave everything alone so we can tell what we are doing. For smaller venues, we only mike the vocals. I know this is old school, but new ways aren’t always better.

I realize that this is a minority view and most sound techs would never give up the control they think they need.

One common mistake that artists make is giving up control of all sorts of stuff. They might hire a manger, get a record deal, hire a tech crew, etc. In each case, they are losing control of the product – the music, and themselves. Avoid this as much as possible.

Two different approaches to sound. Which is right and which is wrong? This is my opinion.

What do you think?

Jubal

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:11:00 +0000

Genesis 4:21 mentions a man named Jubal. He was the son a Lamech and Adah. The Bible describes him as the father of all who play the harp and flute. It is hard to tell if he was the first to invent musical instruments, the first to play professionally, or just a key figure in the history of music. What we do know is that he was the first person mentioned in ancient history with some sort of a passion for music.

Genesis 4 also mentions his brother, Jabal, as the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock, and another brother, Tubal-Cain, as the father of those who work with bronze and iron. It would not take much interpretation to say that rancher, metal worker, and musician are the first three professions clearly spelled out in the Bible. A few verses later the scripture says that “at that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.” Worship of God was closely associated with music from the beginning.

It also appears that these three professions provide for some clearly basic needs of people. The rancher raises food, the metal worker makes tools, equipment, and decorative ideas for pleasure; while the musician connects with our emotions and provides the pleasure needed after working cattle, providing food, and working with tools all day.

In Genesis 31, when Jacob was fleeing Laban, his father-in-law (and uncle.) Laban caught up with him and scolded him saying, “Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps?” Hey, if knew he was leaving he would have hired a band.

The point is music dates back to the earliest days of mankind. It has been used to worship God, celebrate special occasions, heal wounds, bring down walls, and lift spirits. In I Samuel 16, King Saul falls into a depression and he calls for his counselors to find him a good harp player to cheer him up. David is summoned and plays so beautifully that the King’s spirits are restored. It turns out that even ancient Kings liked to hear some blues and David becomes a permanent fixture in the Kings court. David goes on the write the definitive hymn book called the Book of Psalms.

In the New Testament, Paul consistently challenges us to worship God with “psalm, hymns, and spiritual songs.” Rather than defining each style, let’s just say that we should play and sing all kinds of music to God and all kinds of music to each other.

It is clear from the book of Genesis on, that God made everybody to be different. Cain raised crops and Abel tended flocks. God made some of us to be work with animals, other to work with numbers, some to work with pictures, and some with sounds. Every person is different and designed for a purpose by our Creator.

We may call these differences a calling, a gift, a talent, a knack, or just an inclination, but clearly God had something in mind when he made us. For some of us the desire to make music is so strong that it extends throughout our entire lives and affects everything we do. I would call that “The Gift of Music.” (Some might call it a curse, but I wouldn’t.) I don’t think it is a spiritual gift of the type mentioned in I Corinthians 12. Music is so important that if were a spiritual gift such as healing, prophecy, teaching, mercy, etc. Paul would have put music in the list with capital letters. Instead, it is not mentioned in this passage. I think, rather, music should be listed among the great passions and pursuits of life.

For one thing, the Spirit doesn’t just come over us and one day we can play. It takes practice and work to become proficient, even for the most naturally gifted.

One concern is young people who show tremendous musical skills and promise, but stop playing and singing after college, as they become distracted by the routine of a job, mortgage, and the daily pressures of life. Our society is not at all kind to artists of any kind.

But some don’t get distracted. A very few make a living playing music, but a few more continue their passion as a hobby, part-time job, or church musician. These are the heroes. The people who keep practicing, keep playing, and keep singing because God gave them a desire to do so. They know the chances of having a hit record are slim to none, but they keep bringing joy to those fortunate enough to hear them at a coffeehouse, at a church dinner, or pick-up their CD in the narthex of the church after a Sunday evening concert.

The tradition goes back to “our father” Jabal. We are an old and noble tribe.

Time to hang it up?

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:29:00 +0000

MSN’s music web site today carried an article titled “Ten performers who should stop singing.” The implication was that music is for young people and people like The Rolling Stones, Carly Simon, The Who, or Elton John should hang it up.

I hope I don’t have to tell you how I feel about this subject. I presume the article was written by somebody under 30. It is possible that when I was thirty I thought Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra should have retired, but hopefully I am smarter than that now.

The music industry is full of people who were put out to pasture at the peak of their abilities and experience. Some such as Johnny Cash or Al Green were able to find a new audience. Others just keep on doing their thing because they love what they do and will keep playing as long as someone will listen. These people are my heroes.

See my web site: www.ThePassionNeverFades.com

Voice lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:48:00 +0000

I take voice lessons. My teacher/coach is Ronni Ward (www.ronniward.com). I take lessons for the simple reason that I want to be a better singer. I want to see continued improvement in everything I do. I try to practice regularly and have some sort of disciplined approach to the things that are important to me.

I have kind of a running joke with Ronni that I could refer a lot of people to her, but I feel funny walking up to singers saying, “Hey, you need to take some singing lessons!” I would think that they would already know that.

I am continually amazed hearing people sing or play an instrument, who could improve dramatically with a little coaching or instruction, but instead struggle along for years, never improving, always thinking they know everything.

I'm Still Here

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:10:00 +0000

As most of you know, I am no longer affiliated with Homer's Coffee House. Glenn Winkler is the new manager and is in charge of booking the performers. Glenn's criteria will probably be similar to mine with a few adjustments for taste and him being less than half my age. He will still want people who put on a professional show, can play 2 hours of interesting music, help people see Christ more clearly, don't insult the audience, are easy to get along with - things like that.

Surprisingly, these things are less common than you would expect. I am going to continue to be involved with music since that is one of my passions. I am still going to send out tips from time to time as I think of stuff. In fact, I have opened a new blog at: www.JimMathisMusic.com where you can check out my latest thoughts on Christian music, musicians, and music in general.

I am energetically promoting my photography business to the performing arts community, so feel free to pass my name on to anyone needing photographs for promotion, CD covers, posters, etc.

Please stay in touch.

Listening

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:56:00 +0000

A few of us were sitting around after a lovely dinner last weekend discussing what makes a good musician. Some of the qualities of a good musician are: good sense of timing, good pitch, knowledge of music theory, showing up on time, being able to play a lot of different styles, tearing through a startling solo, and so forth. But we all agreed that the most important characteristic of a good musician is the willingness and ability to listen.

Playing in a band is like a conversation. Just waiting your turn to talk or talking when somebody else is talking is not a conversation. In a real conversation, each person is listening to what everybody else is saying and adding something worthwhile to the mix at the appropriate time. It is the same with music. A good music musician is always listening to the other players and fitting in as appropriate. The appropriateness determines the quality of the player. If the band is backing a singer, the singer is the leader and each player needs to be acutely aware of everything the singer says and does and play accordingly, following dynamics, groove, expression, mood, etc.

Listening also involves listening to other musicians as a way of learning. I believe musicians should greet each other with the question “What have you been listening to lately?” The music we listen to has a big affect on our direction and growth as individual musicians.
As both a photographer and a musician I see a lot of parallels in the two. Music is all about listening and photographer is all about seeing. Both are learned skills that require daily practice.

Glenn and Vanessa Winkler are the new managers at Homer’s Coffee House. Glenn is booking the music for Homer’s. glennwinkler@gmail.com

I am now doing photography full time. Well actually it is about a 85/15 split between photography and music. E-mail me or call about setting up an appointment for your photo session.

New Guitars

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:05:00 +0000

Last weekend several of us from the Homer’s Coffee House community went to Nashville for the Indieheaven CIA Summit Christian music conference. A running joke among our group became the number of guitars different people had and what the latest purchase was. The question is: does a new guitar help you play better?

I am reminded of my early years as a professional photographer. One time I bought a new camera and the quality of my work immediately improved. Surprisingly, when I picked up my old camera, the quality didn’t go back down. In fact each time I would buy a new piece of equipment, my work would improve, even when I used the old equipment.

It seems that the new challenge, or a new feel, would bring out a new spurt of creativity. I expect that the same is true with musical equipment. Obviously, it is not necessary to buy more stuff to play better, but there is an element to the “new guitar” idea that brings out a new sound or a new idea.

I am playing instruments that I have owned practically my whole life, but bringing out different guitars for a season or months at time seems like a good idea.

On another thought, a little bit of humility on stage is very appealing, but constantly tooting your own horn grows old very quickly. I believe this is from Proverbs. (Whoever humbles himself will be exalted and whoever exalts himself will be humbled.) I think it is nice when a lead singer says something like, “give the band a hand” or “give it up for the guitar player,” but only occasionally. Repeatedly doing this is quite annoying. For members of the band to constantly comment how great they are turns people off in a big way. Just don’t do it!

We saw Vince Gill on the Grand Ole Opry Saturday night. People at that level never brag about CD sales or the rewards they have won. They might occasionally thank the audience for supporting them and buying records, but they would never imply that it was all about them. Always thank the audience for coming and supporting you.

Gremlins

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Mathis) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:01:00 +0000

A lot of people seem to have trouble with “gremlins” in their sound system. Gremlins are those little pops, cracks, hums, and hisses that you never know for sure where they come from. I have very little trouble with gremlins. Even using the same equipment as somebody else, I have less trouble. It has become sort of a running joke that I have some sort of an electron gene that causes electronics equipment to behave when I’m around.

The truth is a lot less exotic. The truth is over the years (50, but who’s counting) as an audio service technician, audiophile, and performing musician, I have developed some habits that greatly reduce gremlins.

For example when plugging in a RCA type plug, the type used on consumer electronics, I always give the plug a twist. I then turn it a few times after it is plugged in. Phone plugs, the ¼ type used in electric guitars and amps are left over from telephone switchboard days. They were designed for heavy duty use by telephone operators. Bell labs designed them to endure hundreds of thousands of plugging in and unplugging. They actually work better the more you use them. Still, giving them a little turn as you plug in the cord insures a better connection.

XLR plugs cannot be turned, but you can push them in and out a few times and then, make sure they click. The 1/8 plugs used on iPods and other small devices benefit from the same twisting technique, but they are so delicate, they aren’t going to last a long time anyway. Don’t use them on stage if you can avoid it.

If you develop some of these habits, I guarantee gremlins will seldom haunt you. They may still raise their little heads now and then because Murphy’s Law is real, but your show won’t be ruined by annoying noises, at least not ones you weren’t intending to make.