To our two Moms (and Dads) who taught us early on that Church should be a priority in our life, so that we would continue to make Church a priority later in life when we were out on our on and the decision was ours alone to make. Thanks for not giving us a choice on whether or not we were going to Church each and every Sunday!
Happy Mothers Day!
A few months back, I was reading Testimony, a book by Neal Morse, my absolute favorite Christian artist, and became touched by one of the chapters in which he describes the miraculous healing of his daughter. The story got me thinking about all the old stories I would hear from some of my older family members about healings that would take place back in the early turn of the 20th century. It made me wonder why don’t I hear more stories like this?
I believe many Christians ask God to help solve their problems but never really believe that he can and will do it. Many of us believe that our problems are too big even for God. Thats where we are wrong. Nothing is too big for God. We just have to have faith and let Jesus take control. He can cleanse us of any sin and heal us of any wound!
That is what Old Fashioned Healing is about. We must always remember that no matter what we are going through or how much we are hurting, with just a little bit of faith, the Great Physician can heal us!
Love Old Fashioned Healing and want a copy for yourself? Find it on Loudr.
Click Here To Get A Free Copy Of Our First Album Impressions From Sunday School!
Got the idea for this song one Sunday in which my preacher kept repeating the phrase “If you sin, You’ll have to Pay the Piper!” That same day I heard “Don’t Fear the Reaper” on the radio and a melody just jumped in my head. By the time I got home, I already had most of the chorus written.
Not long after writing the first verse and chorus, my dad gave me inspiration for the second verse as he told me about a heinous crime that happened in Meridian, Mississippi on Mothers Day. Three teenagers shot and killed Mr. Billy Putnam while he was leaving a store buying flowers for his wife for Mothers Day. Luckily enough one of the teens, Shon Byrd, was dumb enough to take a selfie with the stolen money and post it on Facebook so that the cops could quickly grab him. What’s our world coming to? You can read more on this story here.
The final verse is about one of the biggest tragedies of all. There is nothing more sad than a good person who thinks he/she is on the path to Heave but who is really on the path to Hell because he/she has never had a personal relationship with Christ. Don’t let the Piper fool you! Good works won’t get you into Heaven…Only Jesus! Being nice won’t get you into Heaven…Only Jesus!
We’re all given choices to make
It’s time for you to decide your fate
Follow the law or turn your head
Better watch where you make your bed
Sin looks good, it’s pleasing to the eye
But turn away man, the Piper lied
The scales will tip, which way will they go
The Piper’s waiting,
Whatcha gonna do?
Midnight juice runnin’ through your veins
Eyes glazed over, You’re a man insain
Hit a curve goin’ 101, No idea what’s about to come
Lights they flash in your eye, someone’s about to die
No time to swerve, can’t avoid the crash
Another family’s breathed their last
The die’s been cast!
We’re all given choices to make
It’s time for you to decide your fate
Follow the law or turn your head
Better watch where you make your bed
Sin looks good, it’s pleasing to the eye
But turn away man, the Piper lied
The scales will tip, which way will they go
The Piper’s waiting,
Whatcha gonna do?
If you sin, you’ll pay the Piper
If you sin, you’ll pay the Piper
Sittin’ in a car at a local quick stop
Wonderin’ where to get money for pot
You see a man in his eighties walkin’ by
Buyin’ flowers for his wife
You leave the car and sneak up behind
Put your hands up sucker, I want your last dime
You fire two shots then you grab the cash
Take a quick selfie and make a wild dash
See the Piper dance
We’re all given choices to make
It’s time for you to decide your fate
Follow the law or turn your head
Better watch where you make your bed
Sin looks good, it’s pleasing to the eye
But turn away man, the Piper lied
The scales will tip, which way will they go
The Piper’s waiting,
Whatcha gonna do?
If you sin, you’ll pay the Piper
If you sin, you’ll pay the Piper
There was a man who led a good life
Never once did he cheat on his wife
He didn’t lie, he gave money to the poor
If he got more than he bought, he’d take it back to the store
Then one day at church he knew it was time
To leave his pew and walk the isle
But he stayed where he was sittin’ on the fence
Too bad for him it was his last chance
Hear the Piper laugh
We’re all given choices to make
It’s time for you to decide your fate
Follow the law or turn your head
Better watch where you make your bed
Sin looks good, it’s pleasing to the eye
But turn away man, the Piper lied
The scales will tip, which way will they go
The Piper’s waiting,
Whatcha gonna do?
If you sin, you’ll pay the Piper
If you sin, you’ll pay the Piper
If you sin, you’ll pay the Piper
If you sin, you’ll pay the Piper
Love Pay the Piper and want a copy for yourself? Find it on iTunes.
Click Here To Get A Free Copy Of Our First Album Impressions From Sunday School!
Our new video has been released! Give it a watch and let us know what you think! Before you leave, drop us a comment and let us know how thing have things changed since you were a kid?
Love Long Way From Home and want a copy for yourself? Find it on iTunes.
Click Here To Get A Free Copy Of Our First Album Impressions From Sunday School!
Have you ever felt homesick? Have you ever felt like everything is changing for the worse? Have you ever felt like the world was falling to pieces so fast that Jesus was bound to just snatch up his bride at any moment?
Well, if you have, then you’re not alone! I had those very same feelings last summer. I could never truly understand how a person could long for Jesus to come back and just take them away. It seemed so strange! Not anymore. I don’t know if it is me finally understanding how the world works or just signs of me maturing as a Christian, but I now have that longing for Christ’s rapture of the church. Maranatha!
I voiced these new feelings in our new song Long Way From Home, which will be released on iTunes Tuesday, January 27, 2015. Our video will be released on the same day at 7:00 p.m. Until then…Maranatha! Are you ready?
Click Here To Get A Free Copy Of Our First Album Impressions From Sunday School!
Last year, while listening to a Tran-Siberian Orchestra while driving, one of my favorite Christmas traditions, I wondered to myself if I could ever possibly write a Christmas song in the style of TSBO. That thought kept spinning in my head as I continued to drive, melodies and words popping up here and there. By the time I got home, I had the intro and chorus all formed, so I immediately went to the keyboard and started playing into Logic.
Over the next few days, I had a working demo complete, but then all of our Christmas travel interrupted my momentum Christ Is Born Today! By the time I was able to get back to working on the song, Christmas was over. Man it is hard to work on Christmas music after Christmas. Having this revelation, I decided to table the song until later.
After this years Thanksgiving, I found the song once again and after giving it a quick listen, I realized that there wasn’t much left to do to finish it. I just needed to redo the vocal, add some jingle bells, and rework a guitar part or two (seeing how my guitar skills have drastically improved in the year that this song has been resting!) All that was left was to give it a good mix (which I had a blast doing and only took about a day to complete) and a quick master.
I have to say I really enjoyed writing and working on Christ Is Born Today! To make it special, I decided to make a video to go along with it. This is really one of the first videos I have made of us playing and singing, much like in a real music video you would see on MTV or VH1. No picture slideshow here! I did most of the filming myself but recruited Nancy to record me playing a few parts. To accomplish this, we used the built in camera on my Macbook Pro and my iPhone and put the video together in iMovie. I have to say I definitely prefer working on the music than I do working on video. Video work is long and tedious to me, but I am pleased with the outcome!
Below you will find our video for Christ Is Born Today! Give it a watch and share with your friends or leave a comment. If you like what you see, and would like a copy for yourself, you can purchase a copy at our Wright Now Store or on iTunes. Remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Click Here To Get A Free Copy Of Our First Album Impressions From Sunday School!
Today is the first day of summer! To celebrate, I decided to create and share a new video of one of the songs I wrote a few weeks ago for our next album. As I was leaving for work one morning near the end of the school year, (I‘m a teacher, by the way) I happened to see a headline titled “Hello Summer!” on Good Morning America. Inspiration struck me like a bolt of lightning. By the time I pulled my car out of the driveway, I already had most of Hello Summer was written!
Hello Summer is a summer time song! It reflects the attitude of not only the students at the end of the school year, but also the attitudes of all teachers! We can’t wait for that final bell to ring!
Hope you enjoy the video filled with several classic beach and teen movies like Gidget, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, & Beach Party. Lot’s of surfing. Even have Happy Days gang cheering on Fonzie as he jumps a shark during our guitar solo! Awesome!
Hello Summer
Come on minute hand
Move a little faster
I can’t wait any longer
For Summer break to be here now
Time marches on so slow
I think I’m gonna go crazy
If I don’t get out soon
Chorus
Hello Summer
I’m glad you’re back
Its been a long, hard year
But now that you’re here
Everything’s alright
Hello Summer
What took so long?
No more sleet and snow
Just that warm summer glow
Out here in the sun
Hello Summer
Got the windows rolled down
Cruzin’ up and down the street
Radio on as loud as it can be
Crankin’ out hits of Van Halen, Kiss and ZZ
Where we stop doesn’t even matter
As long as we’ve got some sunny weather
For some fun in the sun
I need some relief
Chorus
Autumn all the leaves start falling
Winter all the trees start dying
Springtime just makes me want to sneeze…Achoo!
Chorus
I hope you enjoyed the song! If you would like a copy, you can get it here. Please feel free to share.
Here is a gift from Wright Now just in time for Christmas. Don’t forget to share, share, share!
Merry Christmas!
I was listening to a CD a friend had given me on the way to work a few years ago, when the old tune Shady Grove started playing. If you don’t know, Shady Grove is one of those tunes that get stuck in your head after a listen. Later that morning, I was reading Psalms 57 and Shady Grove kept popping in my head. As I read, the words of the Psalm started reading in rhythm with the melody to Shady Grove. I was amazed at how well the melody fit the words of the Psalm.
Later that day, I sat at my desk with a pen, paper and my Bible and wrote out the lyrics to Be Merciful. It went pretty quickly, since the words were straight from the Bible. The only trouble really was finding another word to replace the word “cut.” With a little help from a thesaurus I was able to replace “cut” with “Kerf.”
Be Merciful is a probably the most classic country sounding track on the album. But even with all of the banjos, train beats, and umpa lumpa bass, this mighty prayer to God from David still shines through and is still relevant today. Take a listen and let us know what you think.
If you are like me and have trouble remembering scripture verses, then let this song get stuck in your head. After all it is straight scripture along with most of the other songs on Impressions From Sunday School.
Be merciful to me O God
Please be merciful
For my soul has faith in you
and the things you do.
My enemies have chased all day
O how they come
But you, O Lord, shall bring them down
until their numbers none.
Be merciful to me O God
Please be merciful
For my soul has faith in you
and the things you do.
In the shadow of your wings
I will make my place
Until these calamities have all passed away.
Be merciful to me O God
Please be merciful
For my soul has faith in you
and the things you do.
Awake my glory, awake my harp
I will wake the day
With praises sung to you, O Lord
Praises sung all day
At the end of the day they return
Growling like curs
Their tongues are like sharp edged swords
O how they kerf!
But you O Lord shall laugh at them
And scatter them with a touch
For you Most High are my Shield
In you I put my trust
Awake my glory, awake my harp
I will wake the day
With praises sung to you, O Lord
Praises sung all day
Be merciful to me O God
Please be merciful
For my soul has faith in you
and the things you do.
Now that our album Impressions From Sunday School has been released, I want to start sharing a little info on each of the songs. A few weeks ago, I already wrote a post on the first song with the release of our video Old Country Church. I have also talked about the recording the second song, One Bad Apple, in a previous post. The next song on the list is Gopher Wood.
About two years ago, shortly after deciding on the concept for our album, I was talking on the phone with my dad, joking with him about recording an album. At that time, I already had a few ideas floating around in my head about songs that would go on the album. As I talked to my dad I stated jokingly throwing out random song titles. Most of them were just funny and complete jokes. One, however, stuck and became a very cool song.
While I was in college, I got to play drums in a faculty band called The Petrified Chili Dogs. It was a great experience and loads of fun. The band consisted of guitars, keyboards, horns and drums and played old classics from the 60’s and 70’s. One of the songs that I learned while playing with them was Knock Three Times. I had never heard this song before but really enjoyed playing it. In fact, I never heard an actual recording of the song until years later; just a few days before I started throwing out random song titles to my dad over the phone.
While on the phone, Knock Three Times popped in my head and I said, “I got a good one here. Knock, Knock, Knock on Some Gopher Wood!” We laughed and went on talking. After getting home, however, the phrase was still in my head. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got.
Over the next couple of days, I read about Noah in the Bible, and glued myself to my keyboard. The song did not take long to write. The entire process was fast, especially the chorus. As I sat at the keyboard and placed my hands on the keys, they just fell into place along with a cool groove and melody. By the end of the week, I had the structure of the song laid out and most of the lyrics. I recorded the song as I wrote it, piece by piece.
At the end of recording the demo, I started messing around with some loops in Garageband. I managed to find a really cool organ and acoustic guitar part that just made the song come alive. I was able to manipulate the loops to fit the song pretty quickly. This was new to me. I had never really used loops in my music that actually had melodic notes. I had only used a drum loop or two before. And to tell the truth, this is still the only song that I have used any melodic loops in. I have tried to use some in other songs, but they just do not seem to work the same. I think this was just one of those God things!
After recording the demo, I continued to listen to it over the next couple of years. It was not until this past summer, that I rerecorded the vocals and rewrote some of the lyrics at the end. Two years in the making, this has become one of my favorite songs on the album.
Below you will find a copy Gopher Wood that you can listen to along with a copy of the lyrics. I hope you enjoy listening to it as I had writing it. If you do, please click the buy button and get yourself a download of the Gopher Wood so that you can listen to it whenever you wish!
God spoke to Noah inside his head
No need to worry, no need to dread
But I plan to destroy the world and everything in it!
You see I scoured the land, tryin’ to find
A man with Me on his mind
And you my friend, well Noah your it.
Now it’s gonna rain for forty nights and forty day
You and your family are all I’ll save
So please Noah be diligent.
Now I’m gonna have you build yourself a boat
And with that boat, well your gonna float
So if you wanna live, then Noah don’t quit!
You’ll go knock, knock, knock! On some gopher wood
You’ll hammer some nails, beat ‘em real good
Bring the animals in, you’ll bring ‘em two by two
You, your wife, your kids, that’s what you’ll do
Once you go knock, knock, knock! On some gopher wood!
Well Noah went to work on that boat
But all his neighbors, they thought him a dope
They called him slow, dumb, pure ignorant.
But Noah didn’t listen to what they had to say
Instead the continued to work night and day
All the while, watchin’ the sky for rain!
He went knock, knock, knock! On some gopher wood!
He hammered some nails, beat ‘em real good
Brought the animals in, he brought ‘em two by two
He, his wife, his kids, that’s what they’d do
Once he went knock, knock, knock! On some gopher wood!
Then the rain it fell and the door it shut
The people outside they began to yell
Cry’s to God but it was too late!
Then the waters rose till all you could see
Was one big vast dark blue sea
The only things left were on that boat!
Yea Noah went knock, knock, knock! On some gopher wood!
He hammered some nails, beat ‘em real good
Brought the animals in, he brought ‘em two by two
He, his wife, his kids, that’s what they’d do
Once he went knock, knock, knock! On some gopher wood!
When the rain it stopped Noah let loose some birds
And waited anxiously for their return
The dove came back with branch in it’s mouth.
Then they looked to the sky and what did they see
The very first rainbow that ever did be
Stretched over the land and over the sea.
Now this rainbow above is a sign to all
That never again will God drown us all
Because of the faith of Noah and what he did.
He went knock, knock, knock! On some gopher wood!
He hammered some nails, beat ‘em real good
Brought the animals in, he brought ‘em two by two
He, his wife, his kids, that’s what they’d do
Once he went knock, knock, knock! On some gopher wood!
Wright Now 