Worship Musician June 2019 | Page 69

We just want to get the community together, churches, and we were like, “It’s so easy to So for me with this record I felt like not only get people talking, we want to learn from each collaborate, I know were all kind of spread out did I get good guitar sound, but I felt like more other. That’s why the conferences are one of my now so we should collaborate over the internet so than on any other record that I captured favorite times of the year. Yes I’m programming and exchange files. We’re all writing a bunch, the emotion that I was feeling in the track. It a lot of content, I’m speaking a lot myself and let’s just start working on something”. wasn’t like I’m just playing this part. I really felt passing along a lot of knowledge, but I’m also that as a guitar player that was something I was sitting there learning a lot from other artists We’ve always wanted to do a Christmas able to do that I don’t feel I had done to that who maybe have figured out a cool trick for record, so in 2010 we started doing our first extent before. Its really hard, when you’re in the connecting on Instagram. Or have really dialed Christmas record and released it. Then we studio things get repetitive and you try it again in something with play lists. Or who have really did an EP that was original music to follow it and again. You can start to lose the emotion, motivated their fans to be their advocates in a up, and I think there were some good songs and I felt like with this record it just has a lot of certain way. on there, but we didn’t go play in the studio emotion in it. Even in the musical tracks, not together and it just kind of felt a little different. just the lyrics or the melodies or the vocals, I’m taking just as many notes as anyone Then we weren’t really done with Christmas, so which I think do as well else, because it’s not about reaching this end we did another Christmas record. Each record space, so much is in flux as new technologies started to sound more and more like there was So that album came out, and we kind of found come up that you just have to be continually real creativity and excitement and that energy. ourselves in an interesting spot where you can educating yourself. It’s great to be among the There’s just a special spark the five of us have either keep trying to play to the fans who liked community, it’s so positive and exciting and when we’re together. That’s one thing I’ve been our first record twenty years ago with the hits, friendly. Our offices and headquarters are in wanting to put together is a presentation about or just move on. And we chose to move on, not Portland, Oregon, way outside of the music collaboration and finding people. I’ve played by leaving those fans in the dust, but musically business circles, so we sometimes feel a little with so many musicians, and I’ve been in other what we’re working on now is very different. disconnected from the community. We’re not in bands that did good stuff. But there is just Some people aren’t going to like it. They’re the New York, Nashville, Los Angeles musician some magic that happens when the five of us going to expect the acoustic driven, jangly, groups and there’s not a lot of music business are together, just musically how we react to one Gin Blossom-y songs of our first record. But stuff here in town. So when we go to these another. So that started really shaping up more this has some very different stuff. We did some conferences and get to see the community and more. Actually, some of our Christmas touring in the Northwest this past fall. The band together, a lot of our employees get teary records have gotten considerable air play. holed up at my house in the Portland area and eyed because its like, “Oh my gosh, I deal with we wrote a bunch of songs, and it was the first people over email and sometimes all I see are After that we started writing a bunch more and time in a long time that we had been writing in problems, but these people just love CD Baby were like, “Let’s do a full-length record”, the a room together outside of the South. The way and love being together and want to help each one Say Hello that just came out May 2018. we were feeling, it was really rainy and dark, other”. It’s a very positive and exciting event. So We went back to Ardent Studios in Memphis what we were listening to, to me its some of the it’s really become a highlight for me. where we made the first three Smalltown Poet best music we’ve ever written. I’m so excited label records. So we went back there and did to get this out. We’re going to probably release [WM] Smalltown Poets had a recent record a lot of the basic tracks for that record, and it some singles and then an EP. We’ll see, we come out, and we gave it a really good review, was really just sort of a story point for us, and a keep writing songs so it might end up being it earned it. Tell us about doing that after being turning of a chapter. Almost like closing a book a full album… but were just trying to get it out on hiatus for several years. and opening a new book. Smalltown Poets is sooner than later. no longer about what happened in the past, [Kevin] The band kind of ended its hiatus in we’re here again and sort of launching into [WM] Kevin, thank you for your time and 2009. Like I said some guys had been working something new. I think it’s the best record that insights for us! full-time in churches, and we’d all been playing we’ve written, the musicianship, the growth, the nonstop, there was never a point where any sound, the production and the songwriting. For of us stopped playing music. I’ve had multiple me as an artist the one thing I want, even more bands here in Portland, almost like a second than people listening to the music, is I want to job, and getting placements and things like feel like I’m growing and that what I’m doing is that. So it’s kind of like we came back and stretching myself more and more each record. played together, led worship at one of the guys And that I feel satisfied with where I’m going. June 2019 [Kevin] You are quite welcome! Kevin Breuner Subscribe for Free... CDBaby Smalltown Poets 69