How long have you been in music? In ministry?
I've
been a musician since Jr. High school in the late 60's. I taught myself
to play guitar playing music from The Ventures, The Monkeys (remember
"Last Train To Clarksville"?), and The Beatles. I later picked up
piano and organ, and was a church organist for a time during
high school. I played the trumpet in school, so I have a basic
knowledge of sheet music, but I play mostly by ear. I played and sang
in several secular bands over the years, up until the mid 90's, doing
lots of different styles of music, like rock & roll, disco, country
and about everything in between. I've been a Christian since about
age 13, but didn't actually start getting into music ministry until
about 1993. I sing in the choir at the Hudson Falls United Methodist
Church when I'm not performing elsewhere.
Do you sell your CDs
at concerts?
Wherever it's appropriate, I have my CDs available
for purchase at my concerts. They are also available on the website
on our
ORDER page and can be purchased with a credit card via PayPal.
How
about Apple iTunes, Myspace, etc. Is your music available there, too?
Yes,
you can download my music on iTunes.com, Amazon.com and other
digital download sites. The cost is usually about a dollar or less
per song. A list of some of these sites in available on our
ORDER page.
We also have pages on
. and
YouTube.com, where music and
videos are available.
How much do your concerts cost?
There
is usually no set fee for my concerts. However I will typically ask
for an honorarium to help with travel expenses, in addition to a free
will offering separate from the church's regular offering. In settings
where a love offering is not appropriate, a set fee can be agreed
upon on an individual basis. Churches are asked to keep in
mind that I rely on the ministry for a large portion of my income
when responding to the opportunity to give.
Tell me about your
family.
My wife Wanda and I have been married since 1983. We
have 2 wonderful children, Jessica and Scott (the ministry is named
after them). Wanda works in our local school system, while Jess recently
graduated from Sage College in Albany, NY and works here in our
area. Scott is employed at a local supermarket.
How far will
you travel for a concert?
I'll go anywhere the Lord opens a door.
I've traveled the northeastern US, have been several times to Florida
for short concert tours, and I flew to Denver, CO in 2005 to lead
worship at the ABC-USA National Bienniel Convention.
Do you play an instrument in your concerts?
I perform many songs
to my background tracks, and also perform several songs
on a keyboard or guitar and lead my audience in singing along.
I usually pass out brochures with the song lyrics so people can sing
along. (Or, if the church has a projector, the words can be put up
on the screen.)
What other requirements do you have for
a concert?
When the venue is close enough to drive to (usually
within 200-300 miles or so), I will bring my own sound system.
If travel by air is required, the church is asked to provide a sound
system that is able to play my background tracks on CD, a microphone
and a keyboard or piano.
What style of music do you sing?
My
songs are a mix of traditional hymns, contemporary praise/prayer
songs, and southern Gospel. I write about 30% of the music I perform
and record. My music is targeted and styled for audiences generally
in the 30-and-up age group, although many teens and "20-somethings"
have enjoyed my concerts as well.
I'd like to sing one of your
songs. Do you have background tracks and sheet music available?
I
have the background tracks (in "my" key only for now) on CD available
for all the songs that I've recorded. We plan on having
sheet music for my original songs available as well sometime
in the near future.
