Worship Musician September 2019 | Page 85

Telecaster-style music, he introduced me to came from guys out of the session world. and in my leading. So while we were there, I did Brent Mason, a session player and he said, That was really what I wanted to do. I never a couple of road gigs with the Hagee Family. “Hey, this is the guy who plays on all the stuff was really striving to be an artist or anything, I Then I ended up coming back as the Associate behind the scenes.” So, Brent has to be my kind of set my sights to be the guy behind the Minister of Music and then about a year and a number one influence overall and the second scenes. So, there are a lot of session guys that half later I became the worship pastor here at greatest influence in my guitar history would I would pull from. See, I was the kid who was Cornerstone Church. be – well, you know back in the day when pulling album credits out and reading them and magazines would have that insert where you saying, “Oh I thought I recognized that tone!” [WM] Do you have rotating musicians or a set could get like 11 CD’s for a penny? Well, my There are so many of those guys that I could list band? Mom did that and she comes in and says, “Hey, that really spoke to me and even to this day, I I got you a CD.” Then she handed me Stevie will pull ideas from them in sessions I do. Ray Vaughn’s Greatest Hits! I was like, “Yes, [Zachery] We have one set band here. We do have a rotating backline with our singers, so we I dig this!” So from then on, I was hooked. I [WM] Tell about Cornerstone Worship. How have two groups of singers and we rotate them would say that SRV was my second greatest did you get to Cornerstone Church in the first out every week. For our Sunday-night service influence. place? we’ll have myself leading with a front line of other worship leaders in the church... different I would just sit in my room with that old [Zachery] My wife and I had two kids at the campus leaders. My wife is up there with me Telecaster, which is my number-one today and time and were living in Nashville. We had started a lot – we sing together – and we’ll have like I would just listen to Stevie Ray Vaughn and doing some stuff on our own; it was kind of our youth leader, college leader, our Iglesias listen to Brent Mason. I started getting into B.B. folk-gospel stuff. I was playing acoustic and a leader… so we’ll have a lot of different leaders King. I love blues guitar. You know blues guitar kick drum and this was pre-Mumford and Sons with us, but the musician side though it’s just a and country guitar co-relate a lot more than (laughs). We were doing some solo dates and static band. We have the ability to rotate some people realize especially when you get down to the keyboard player from the Crabb Family and guys out here and there, but what we want to the scales. A lot of it is minor pentatonic and it’s also Aaron Crabb were here at Cornerstone. do and where we want to take our worship very expressive. What I loved about blues music So, I came down to see my parents in Central ministry is something that we want to be able to is that if you were to over-bend a note, it wasn’t Texas to go hog hunting and I texted Justin, gel and develop over time to where we just kind necessarily wrong, it just added character and the keyboard player, to tell him I was only a of get in the zone. That’s harder to do when you was more of an expression of who you are. few hours away and see if he wanted to go rotate guys out and we’re so blessed to have hunting. He was like, “Oh cool! You want to such a great group of guys who are dedicated. When I go to approach a solo live in a worship move to San Antonio?” And, I was like, “What?” setting, our instrument is our voice at that He did not know that my wife and I had been Our drummer is a guy named Harold Broadnax moment and so when I stop singing and go to diligently praying about a new transition in just Jr. and he won the Guitar Center Drum-off for play a solo, it’s not to go, “Hey, I’m going to where we were in our lives and in our ministry. like South Texas. He’s super talented and really go play a rock or blues solo.” Or, “Hey, watch He explained they needed a guitar player and humble. He’s a man of few words but when me!” but some of the most intense moments invited me down. I ended up flying down and he gets behind the drum kit, it’s lights out! Our spiritually that I’ve had have been when I just playing with the guys and hanging out and then guitar player is Richard Propes. He’s an amazing close my eyes and just worship God with my it was like 30 days later we were moved to San player – we jokingly call him MultiTracks! There instrument. So, in that I was able to realize Antonio! will be many times we’ll be playing a song and that in my hands there’s a voice as well, you it literally sounds like the guitar stems are still in know? As we go through a set, I can pour out We were here for about a year after that and I and I’ll turn look over at Sean and Sean’s like, my heart to God in ways that I can’t even say filled in leading worship a couple of times when “No!” and he’s pointing at Richard… (laughs). sometimes. That whole idea, you could say, Aaron was out or something. About a year He’s a tone machine and a great player! Then started with blues music for me and being able later I got called with an offer to be the worship we have Mike Trott playing keys. He’s been to incorporate those styles in a worship setting pastor at a church in Alabama. So, I ended up playing at the church for years and is a great has been a blessing for me. taking that position – it was a step up in ministry guy. He’s almost like our pastor/uncle of the from being a guitar player to being a full-time band… he’s the foundation certainly. Then Of course after Brent, Stevie, and B.B, I started worship pastor. It was an area that I was able we have Sean Byrd. He’s the music director getting into Brad Paisley and Keith Urban and to go into and God did a lot with us through and band director. He takes care of building a lot of those cats. Really a lot of my influence that time and I was able to grow in my ministry sessions and charts and all that stuff. Then September 2019 Subscribe for Free... 85