were more than one drummer , you might take a pass of both songs , get coached up and then the next drummer hops in . And it would just kind of repeat .
[ WM ] Got it ! So much is going on in the Birmingham area , indeed all-across North Alabama ! I ’ ve been fortunate to produce there and have been amazed by the level of talent in the area .
[ Chris ] Yeah . Well , Northern Alabama , you have the whole Muscle Shoals thing , you have Fame Studios . There is still a great music scene there , but also , a great tourist attraction that ' s in that area . Likewise in the Birmingham area , you have a history of great musicians , great venues . You also have some amazing high school band programs . A lot of the kids that I see coming into the music scene are products of the high school band program . They have some really great marching band programs , but also when the marching band season is finished , you have some really great jazz ensemble programs at local high schools . And then I think kids are just
Muscle Shoals
jumping on that and then going into some other interesting original music areas .
[ WM ] Well , Birmingham does in fact have a Jazz Hall of Fame ! What drew you to Highlands Worship ?
[ Chris ] I had a long journey to get here . In 2010 , they started hiring me in to arrange their Christmas specials . And I did that for three years . They were trying to figure out what to do with me . I ' m a terrible singer , I have a smoky bar voice , as a singer . I didn ' t want to be a campus worship director . And after the 2013 Christmas service the pastor , Chris Hodges , just said , " Well , make a job up for him ."
And so , they just created my job out of thin air . And then this is my ninth year to be on staff . My jobs , right now , are overseeing any of the music content that comes out of the church . So that could be original music , that could be music for special events , such as Christmas , Easter , any of the 10 to 12 conferences that we have every year . We ' re also responsible for music under video . My team also does all resourcing for the church . We ' re a big part of why musicians are able to perform at a highquality level across all of our campuses . And so , this team is responsible for all of that .
[ WM ] I ’ ve noticed that in addition to the new Christmas project , Comfort and Joy , you give great place to orchestral instruments as part of your ongoing worship . Are these players members of the Alabama Symphony , or are they all from the church ? Please tell us about that .
[ Chris ] Sure . That is a great question . I have a long history with our Alabama State Symphony . I have another band that I play in called , Act