Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!

Subject: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 10:37 AM

Jerry, the young people who live next door(who belong to some obscure sect) are playing uplifting modern praise music. the windows are open, it is a sunny day, and I want to sit in the garden, but the songs are just bloody awful. I'm sure you would find it wonderful, would you care to swap houses?

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 11:12 AM

I've listened to a couple hundred hours of praise music of various sorts, looking for material to use in our weekly service. There are some good songs in that genre, and I always hate to see it bashed here at Mudcat because some of my best MudBuds play it at their churches, and they report that they have a good experience with it. But I have found better material, in general, in the older gospel musics such as oldtime, Carter, bluegrass, southern, black (various subgenres in each of these sorts of gospel), and hymnody of various time periods and denominations.

It seems to me that it boils down to this-- a lot of the praise music has the wonderful, heady effect of making people feel madly in love as they sing it or hear it, and if what they are in love with is the Lord, I suppose that's a good thing. But real love in action is not a feeling, it's a decision and a series of actions. It needs strong underpinnings and persistence based on reasoned faith-- not a goofy grin.

Praise music has an addictiveness to it-- many of the pieces are not memorable enough to "stick to your ribs" after you leave-- the feeling is so transitory, and may not provoke ongoing thought or prayer as the week unfolds. People feel like they need to come back for a "fix." And so the church grows with people who say they are getting a lot out of the worship experience via the music. But I want people to leave our services toes tapping, phrases coming back to them all week long. I want to feed them from ALL the food groups of music, not just the dessert that should follow a good strong sermon and their prayerful response to it....

I don't want our congregation to need to come to church for a fresh fix, I want them to have and share, with others, what is never-ending and bottomless. I want them to come to church celebrating what they have been able to give, in the Lord's name, all week long, and I don't want them to need a refill from ME-- it's a neverending refill from the Lord through the Holy Spirit, available all the time, anytime, in song or in silence.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jim Colbert
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 11:14 AM

Speaking of which, Jerry, does your group have any recordings available?

I quite enjoy good gospel music... my problem is the bland, overproduced and uninspired stuff- kind of missing the whole joyous noise part...

Jim

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: alanabit
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 11:15 AM

One of the advantages of living in Stoke-on-Trent is that you rarely have to wait long for the next shower to force your neighbours to shut their windows again.

Subject: switching gears just a bit- folky gospel I like
From: Jim Colbert
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 11:19 AM

BTW, an example of praise music I really like, is Tim Flannery, the former San Diego Padre baseball player. Don't let that description mislead you...he's a very good performer and songwriter, and his live disc from a few years back has some great covers and originals on it. Very clean, very musical, very moving. His song "at the foot of the cross..." ah, man. Some great stuff...

Jim

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: wilco
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 11:21 AM

Jerry has a CD privately available, and I've almost worn it out!!!!
   IMHO, in any era, 99% of the music is completely forgetable. Just listen to any radio stationm anytime, in any genre. Praise Muisc is no different.
   I am always surprised, when I go through any old hymnal or song book, and see how few are memorable.

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 11:55 AM

That'll teach me to walk away from my computer for ten minutes. Greg, you're a good man and I'd love to help you out, but there is a limit to our friendship. Like WYSIWYG, I don't want to knock praise music, because it has it's place and it's purpose. We all respond to different kinds of music in our own way. But, I can't help it that I've been a musician most of my life. I couldn't understand disco at all. It didn't make we want to get up and dance. It made me want to get up and leave. I don't respond to rap "music" well, either.
This may be the first time that anyone has lumped praise music, disco and rap together in one sentence. They all are rhythm driven (which I generally respond to.) But praise music is WAY too repetitive for me. I probably wouldn't like to listen to a CD of chants much either.
To me, praise music is often all gravy and no potatoes. But, that's just me... if the music does something for someone else, that's fine. But I sure wouldn't want to be forced to listen to it at home. Only a slight improvement over having someone playing loud rap music next door. Maybe you could crank up Losing My Religion by R.E.M., if you have it?

The Gospel Messengers are as much an anomoly in church music as Doc Boggs would be at a bar with a mechanical bull. I guess it's my basic folkishness that makes me want to do gospel that is accessible, that has good words, solid harmonies, memorable lines and lasts three minutes. We sang at a big concert a couple of weeks ago with 13 other groups, and everyone else had towers of amplfiers, keyboards, drums, electric basses and lead guitars... often doubling up. We're just four heads and one electric guitar with music coming out of them.

Jim, we don't have a CD finished yet, but if you PM me with your mailing address, I'd be glad to share the same CD Wilco has... a live concert (in contrast to a dead concert) we did in Washington, D.C. last summer. It's loaded with three minute songs.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 12:06 PM

Only three minutes? ;~)

~S~

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 12:21 PM

We don't do gospel murder ballads. :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 12:30 PM

well, I know some folks who murder good gospel songs... ;>0 maybe a "how not to do it CD" would sell?...*running & ducking*

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 01:05 PM

Folks can murder any song, Bill... I agree with you... no need to duck and run... But, in the old gospel, they dispensed with the song in three minutes..

Jerry

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 01:06 PM

I think of praise music as something suitable for baptized elevators...
We had a choir director (a disaffected Catholic) who tried to introduce praise music into our Catholic parish with the Celebration Hymnal (which has other stuff, but she wanted the praise music). Since I made the donation that paid for the hymnal budget, my opinion held sway and we stuck to something a little less bouncy.

By the way, Jerry Rasmussen, we ALL need you!
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Áine
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 01:51 PM

Jerry was kind enough to send me his CD full of 'three minute songs' -- I played it in the car while the kids and I were out for a long day of errands. And Jerry, my dear, you should have heard them singing along at the top of their lungs ;-) That is one of the happiest memories I received in a long time, and I just want to thank you publicly for the wonderful inspirational music you all make.

All I can say is, get Jerry's CD -- you'll be glad you did.

Thanks again, Jerry, for the wonderful music -- keep singing, the world needs you.

All the best, Áine

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 02:16 PM

Thank you so much, Aine.. that's the nicest story about my music I've heard in a while.

Many years ago, a young woman I knew went to Africa with her husband while he was doing research on Mountain Gorillas. They were staying in a pygmy village, and the young woman introduced the little pygmy kids to folk music, as she'd brought a few tapes along. The song that they loved the most and song along with was Ten Pound Radio... a song I wrote about the golden days of singing rhythm and blues on street corners. Somehow, the image of black kids in Africa responding to a White Dane's love for rhythm and blues brought everything full circle.

Only fair... I loved Skokiann by the Bullawayo Sweet Rhythm Band when I was a kid.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 02:31 PM

Well, see, when we let people sing along (cuz we do our songs in the worship setting), three minutes is never enough. More verses, they cry, more verses! A good tune bears lusty repetition.

~S~

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 03:20 PM

Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition..

I aims to pleaze..

Jerry

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 03:44 PM

There is some truth to what Guest says, though. And some of our songs last four or five minutes. But, they don't just repeat the same three or four word sentence endlessly.

One man's groove is another man's rut..

Jerry

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: GUEST,WYS
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 03:53 PM

Sorry, that Guest was me. I was just kiddin' ya Jerry. We do as many verses as seem right, or we just keep adding more repeats of the chorus, dsepending on how the singing is going. But I think the 3-minute limit comes partly from how we learn the old classics-- from a recording. These were made for radio, where a 3-minute limit was usual. As we know from the spirituals, some songs could originally have gone on all afternoon long, in the field.

~S~

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Mudlark
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 03:56 PM

I don't even particularly dig gospel music and I love Jerry and the Messengers. I agree with Joe...we ALL need you, Jerry, need your music, your insight and your unfailing good humor.

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 04:37 PM

OK Jerry I'll just have to put up with it, and stay here, which I'm quite happy about because the primroses and celandines are out on our bank. Luckily, the kids being teenagers have the attention span of goldfish and went off after 15 minutes.
    Actually I know your musical tastes, I think their record would have probably irritated you as much as it irritated me!!

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 04:45 PM

greg, what I would do is put in highland pipes while they are singing, open your windows and turn it up LOUD! I did that once and once was all it took!

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: wilco
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 05:36 PM

Sorcha. I used to do something like that, when an automobile pulsating with LOUD rap music pulled-up along side my truck. I would throw in a little Flatt and Scruggs, open the windows, and crank it up all the way. My kids refused to go anywhere with me, for fear I'd do it again. But, I always won. The kids in the pulsating cars looked at me like I was NUTS!

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 05:50 PM

oh, wilco!...I have done that also, but I showed NO mercy...I used bagpipe music!

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 05:52 PM

Ahhh LUVS BLUEGRASS, COUNTRY, and GOSPEL music.

Ahhh HATES NEWGRASS, NEWCOUNTRY, and NEWGAWD music.

Trust me folks, it's the chord structures that leave ya wanting!

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Nemesis
Date: 20 Mar 03 - 09:18 AM

"Underneath all the text, all the sacred psalms and canticles, these watery varieties of sounds and silences, terrifying, mysterious, whirling and sometimes gestating and gentle must somehow be felt in the pulse, ebb, and flow of the music that sings in me. My new song must float like a feather on the breath of God"

Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) "Vision" c. 1995 Angel Records (EMI?)
A selection of the 77 liturgical songs she composed

Played this full blast on occasions when our home (then) was under siege on all sides from local troglodytes on a hooligan rampage .. it seemed to literally hurt them as they promptly scuttled back off to their own gloomy dwellings holding their heads. It was a brilliant uplifting moment, like the sun breaking through the clouds of an apocalyptic storm ..

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: khandu
Date: 20 Mar 03 - 09:05 PM

greg,

To combat the noise, go rent an accordian and the next time they meet, start palying as loud as possible while singing some obscure hymn. As they start leaving to escape the sounds, ask them if they do not appreciate hearing the Gospel Accordian to Greg.

Oh yes, one more thing...you don't have to actually know how to play the, er, instrument...I mean...it all sounds the same if you are an accordian master or a first-timer! (I hope Carol C, the Sailor doesn't read this!) ;~>

And, yes, like Joe Offer says, Everybody needs Brother Ragmuffin!

Ken

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 20 Mar 03 - 10:02 PM

Bagpipes would do the trick too... ESPECIALLY if you can't play them..

Hi, Khandu..

Jerry

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: CarolC
Date: 20 Mar 03 - 10:26 PM

Oh yes, one more thing...you don't have to actually know how to play the, er, instrument...I mean...it all sounds the same if you are an accordian master or a first-timer! (I hope Carol C, the Sailor doesn't read this!) ;~>

Brother khandu. I'm sorry. I have to tell you this now because you might get someone into trouble with that advice. You really do have to actually know how to play the instrument. We didn't want you to find out about this because... well... you were so sincere about wanting to play the accordion and all. But here's the thing. When you begged us to let you play your toy accordion with us at the Polka Circus, we said yes and we told you that we couldn't tell the difference between your playing and that of an accordion master.

The truth is, you're a terrible accordion player. We just encouraged you to come to our sessions because we needed someone to fetch the beer. And your toy accordion is so little and weenie, we can't really hear you anyway.

P.S. Thanks for the heads up about your post to this thread ;-)

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: greg stephens
Date: 21 Mar 03 - 02:12 PM

Well khandu, it so happens I can play the accordion ( and pretty badly, at that), and what's more I can sing"Where could I go but to the Lord" while accompanying myself on it. So next time they crank up that praise rubbish, I'll follow your suggestion, and let have them some good oldtime gospel with both barrels of the windjammer.

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Mar 03 - 12:17 AM

The DC concert Jerry and the group did was a wonderful one. One need not believe to love these guys and their music. Sincerity and honesty permeates the CD and I'm honored to have it. The blend is better and better every time I hear the Gospel Messengers so I figure by the time they do a commercially available recording it'll be as close to perfect as they can make it. Jerry, is it Joe that sings the bass? Well, you can tell him from me that I think he's much more in control and more listenable than the fellow with the Fairfield Four who I feel is trying too hard to impress his audience rather than singing for the song and to be a part of the team. You all sound great. Thanks for sending it to me!!!

Love,

Art

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: greg stephens
Date: 22 Mar 03 - 03:06 AM

Retaliating with Jerry is someyhing that has only just occurred to me: perhaps some pwerful Gospel messengers will improve their musical tastes.

Subject: RE: Jerry Rasmussen, I need you!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 22 Mar 03 - 04:54 AM

Thanks so much, Art: That means a lot to me, and Joe will grin from ear to ear when I tell him. Whatever kind of music a group sings, it is a real blessing if everyone is singing for the music, and takes as much pleasure out of everyone's elses singing or playing as they do their own. Joe is 78, and has never had this kind of attention, so you can imagine how much this all means to him. He is one of the most generous, loving men I have ever met, and even though he loves praise (like we all do) he isn't singing for praise, and he is equally overwhelmed if one of the other members of the group recieves special attention.

The old hymnn says it all for us: "How Can I Keep From Singing." We sing out of joy and conviction for everyone, believer or unbeliever.
Some of our greatest fans are jews and atheists, we love ya all..

Jerry