have really been received well. What are some
other songs that you are hearing about other
churches using in worship?
[Mariah] Yeah, there’s a lot! Songs like “Back
To You” and one called “Glory and Wonder” …
we have a few churches that just kind of play
every song. We ask them to send us videos –
we just love when they play them. It’s just totally
special that they do that on their own and we
love it.
really hard to explain… Our language at Mosaic [Mariah] For the band, and for myself, it’s
is that we are a tribe, and I feel like worship is one really been about finding the sound that makes
of those things that has connected us in a way people a little more open. I find a lot of times
that we didn’t know we could be connected. it’s more of a sound than like a lyric because…
We now have this universal language that puts especially in L.A. – such a big city with so many
our faith into music and song. It’s been really young people, so many artists, entertainers,
unifying as a church. and pace-makers, and all these things – it’s
so important that the sounds that they hear,
[WM] You mentioned earlier that you had set sounds that they know that are cutting-edge
a goal of using only Mosaic songs in worship. and “edgy” and all of these things – they are
Have you reached that goal, or are you still like open to the arts. When they appreciate the
using other music/songs? art, they start to listen to the words a little more.
For a lot of us, we’ve done music outside of
[Mariah] Yeah, we’re mostly there. So, now Mosaic for many years, so our passion is just
we just include songs that we feel are really like listening to music and finding music and
speaking to us. Which, I feel is really cool kind of being on the fringe of everything that’s
for us because we don’t have to use other happening when we listen to it and when we
people’s songs, but we get to. So, there are make it. For us, that’s been a huge part of it…
songs that we hear like, “Peace Be Still” from kind of always pushing the limits of what we
The Belonging Co., that we are really moved can do to keep that door open for people that
by and have they impacted us in our personal aren’t just within the church community that are
lives. We’ll bring those songs to each other saying, “Those are great songs; they’re edgy
and say like, “Hey, I think this song would really and different…” That kind of opens them up for
be powerful.” We love to be able to use those the next level, which is listening to the words
songs. People write amazing songs! and engaging and asking questions. It really
starts with that sound in the songwriting and
[WM] You mentioned that you have a lot of
producing process.
How are you seeing them respond during [WM] You talked about writing your songs
worship? with other churches and church communities
in mind. Songs like “Never Stop” and “Tremble”
March 2018
your arrangements, or are they rearranging
them for their churches?
[Mariah] What we’ve seen is they usually
use the same thing. Many of them will use the
tracks from the songs, which is really cool. But,
one thing that I love is when a church kind of
makes one of their own arrangements of the
songs. You know, I love when it’s different, when
someone will make it work for their church.
[WM] Talking about instruments, are you
using a music director for your arrangements?
[Mariah] So, our main team is like five or six
of people, and three of us will mainly produce
everything. We have one guy who is truly
amazing and a total genius. He’ll kind of create
the tracks – he’s amazing with computers and
sounds and he’s an amazing piano player. So,
he’ll kind of arrange it, and then we have a
couple of music directors who have their hand
in it. Some are more technological than others
and have more computer skills and producing
skills, and those people will do more of the
hands-on work with the tracks.
[WM] For your average service time, what
does the team look like?
[Mariah] At church on Sunday, we have a
drummer with an SPD-SX drum pad, a bass
player, and an electric bass (like a synth
people at your church who do not know Jesus.
20
[WM] Are you seeing those churches follow
bass)… then two keys players – we’ll have
like a main keys player and then a piano; we’ll
have an electric guitar and then six vocalists
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