to that. So, I can lead without a guitar, and “This is hard for me to do, but God has spoken [WM] How do your songs change as they
often I’ll take the guitar off so I can run around to me very clearly and He said I’m supposed to move from inception to workshopping to
or whatever I want to do. But for me a guitar give you this guitar.” That was my first guitar. I capturing them for a recording?
is my buddy and a companion, and I always was aware of the weight of taking it when she love to have that on hand in worship in case. gave it to me, that it was such a sacrifice to [Brooke] It depends on the type of song and
You know if the power goes out and everything her. So, I have been loyal to Martin guitars ever the project we’re doing. That’s why we also try
goes wrong, we can still keep going if I have an since. They’re my favorite guitars in the world. I and get all of the songs submitted at the same
acoustic guitar. have played other guitars here and there when time, so were looking at the landscape of what
Martins’ haven’t been around or available, but we’ve got. Then that forms how we treat each
Martins’ are absolutely my number one forever. particular song. So, were thinking about the
[WM] You’re an avid Martin enthusiast, what
about these instruments speak to you most?
[Brooke] Part of it is probably very sentimental.
kind of song it is, what it feels like it intrinsically
[WM] Who are your ‘go-to’ worship leaders wants to be, and then also how does that
and what about them draws you in most? song work in community with the other songs
I started writing songs when I was twelve, I met
around it? Based on the type of song it is, on
Jesus when I was fifteen, and around that time [Brooke] probably the lyrical content, on the intrinsic direction,
I had started to teach myself the guitar. I had ministered to me the longest now is Rita and then on the possible musical direction and
been writing songs on the piano because it was Springer. I remember being eighteen and I had where we want to go with it. Then we kind of
my first instrument, but I got sick of writing slow started traveling a little bit and I met this group push it out from there. Sometimes stuff falls into
piano ballads and I wanted to write fast songs. of new friends in Auckland, New Zealand. They place fairly quickly and sometimes we have to
So, I asked my friend’s Dad if I could borrow introduced me to Rita Springer. I remember we try several different approaches. I love that kind
his guitar. I would have to take it back to him would go for long drives in the car, park out on of a process, that’s one of my favorite nerdy,
to tune, because I didn’t know how to tune a the mount, which is a place in Auckland, and geeky bits, is workshopping a song!
guitar. we would listen to Rita and just worship and
Someone
who
has
cry (laughs). Rita is one of those people, and [WM] What are your ‘go to’ albums, and are
Within a couple of years of exploring the guitar I actually got the opportunity to meet her and there any records in your collection that might
I met an older friend through a friend’s church become friends with her these past few years. be a surprise for some folks?
and she was a singer/songwriter. She had been She is just absolutely incredible. Her truth, her saving up for this Martin guitar, and she brought rawness, her authenticity, and her freedom [Brooke] Paul Simon’s Graceland is a record
it to me one day and she had tears in her eyes. have marked me for almost two decades now. I will forever return to like an old friend. The
This was not an easy thing for her, and she said,
12
Vineyard “Hungry” record really knocked me
November 2019
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