That’s because love is actually a choice we make, to choose to do the ‘best’ thing for others even if it hurts or is inconvenient. That’s why we must ‘choose’ to Love God. It may come easier at times, when our emotions and circumstances and the moon and the stars are just in the right place…but other times that choice is painful. When Christ laid his life down for the world, He demonstrated what real love looked like. It’s not pretty…but it is beautiful beyond words. That’s the kind of love we attempt to describe in our song, “Love Amazing”.

“Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

Actually, He went one step further; He laid down his life for his friends…and his enemies.

This valentine’s day we celebrate the people who choose to love, even when times are difficult. When they’ve lost someone so dear to them that it becomes unbearable…but still find the strength to give hope to others.  The one’s who demonstrate Christ’s love to all of us. The mothers and fathers who never give up on their prodigal sons and daughters. The husbands and wives in hospital rooms holding frail hands and whispering prayers in the night. You and I.. we are not alone…we have an eternal friend who understands us and  loves us beyond what any can imagine…and that kind of Love is worth celebrating every day of the year.

~gabe

Eric and Gabe discussing songs at 'The Tank' studio in Washington.

Back in March of 2009, Eric walked into our rehearsal room with this really sweet bass line.
He’d shown me ideas before, but this one definitely stuck out, it reminded me of waves that form out at sea and crash onto the shore, only to keep pounding and pounding again in incessant rhythm. It sounded fantastic.
As he proceeded to play it, we all joined in, lee on drums…jon on electric guitar…me on acoustic…trying to find a melody and maybe, just maybe…some words.

When moments like this happen, we hit the record button…because as this new idea is taking hold…moments of spontaneous inspiration hit…allowing you to freely, without embarrassment…experiment with a line here, or there.

It’s important when you’re writing a song, with other people, that you have trust that your ideas can be thrown out there, without fear of them being categorically dismissed.
There’s a fine line of encouragement, honesty and self censorship that has to be walked for creativity to fully form within the group dynamic. I’m grateful that this exists within this band. We play. No shame. Just hash it out…as long as necessary, till something happens.

Litany was like that. Although, I think to my great horror and shame…I accidentally erased that very first writing session. I still don’t know if Eric’s bass line is the same one from that first time he showed it to us. I’m sure it’s very similar. But there was a moment of sheer panic when we had experimented and played for like 15 minutes…only to realize I’d made a dumb mistake and wiped out what was on tape.
When our heart rates returned to normal, we tried again…trying to remember what we had just done.

And all the while, I heard a kind of “list” in my mind…when it came to how to pursue the lyrics.
Like in a liturgical church…there’s a Litany that’s usually read, a type of prayer…with the congregation repeating something in unison… for example…“lord, have mercy…”

Psalm 136 is a good example of this: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good…His love endures forever…”
I thought this song would be easier to write if I could make it a list of prayers…with the chorus being the refrain.

The  verses were easy enough…I did some soul searching and began to write a sort of  conversation with God…asking Him to work in me, to make me into who He wanted me to be. More sensitive to the hurts of those around me…more aware of my own shortcomings…more willing to trust Him for everything.
Is that a dangerous prayer to pray? Sure it is. Absolutely.
But my heroes have always lived dangerously for the kingdom of God.

The Apostle Paul.
The Missionary Jim Eliott.
Brother Andrew.
Amy Carmichael.

When I sat down to write the lyrics…it was Amy’s poem, “Flame Of God” that kept bouncing off the walls of my brain…and so I decided to just go with that concept…of asking God to allow us to offer up all our strengths and weaknesses upon His altar, and letting Him burn them up all together for His Glory. Living out our faith without shame, without fear, without judgment of others.

One obstacle remained. Not everyone was sold on the idea that this song was any good. I think, at one point, I was the only one in the band that felt this song should be on the album.
Lee even said, at one point, that he hated the song.
Jon, liked it but didn’t feel it was coming together right.
Eric, to my great surprise (since he’d had the original concept) felt it wasn’t his favorite.
Our manager, Keith, also voiced his displeasure.

At this point, I have to make this disclaimer…if you listen to the original demos…my melodies aren’t very good. pretty bad, actually. But, I knew we could fix those later…the music and concept, in my head were too good to let them fall to the wayside.

I needed allies, and I needed them quick. I heard an epic moment here…and was afraid one of the most ‘aggressive rock’ tunes we’d had at that point was going to be lost.
The president of our record label, Derek Hoiem, sent an email out saying he LOVED ‘the litany’. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Brandon Bee, producer and artist extraordinaire, also came to the song’s defense. He was able to take the best ideas that we’d had…and was able to make a more ‘recognizable’ song…adding a better melody line for the verses…pushing for a stronger chorus…and proper bridge…and the little nuances and details that might get lost when you’re listening…but are essential to a great song.

Slowly, the other guys came around…and once it was recorded, and we listened back through the BIG studio speakers…a small, fragile idea that started in Eric’s mind had grown into a monster of a song…and it was wonderful to hear it roar.

You wake up.
The Sun is breaking through the window.
Your brain slowly begins to engage with your surroundings.
It’s another day.
Maybe it’s just like the one before.
It’s a routine. And right now, you’re wondering if that’s such a good thing.

Maybe today is Sunday. Maybe you’re heading off for church…like you’ve done countless times before.
They’ll be familiar faces. The songs. The sermon.
The seat in the back, maybe the front.

Or maybe it’s your first day at a new job. Where do you sit in the break room? Who’s going to be your friend here? Is this where you saw yourself 5 years ago?

We are the result of the choices we make.
And we make so many choices throughout the day.
The big choice, that I’ve had to wrestle with…the BIG one…was who I was going to listen to when it came to the little choices.
If I’ve given my heart to Jesus, as my Lord, as my Master…as my King…shouldn’t I be searching for His thoughts on how I go about my daily life?
Will I hear a voice thundering through the clouds? Will I see a small tree on fire?
Those are the questions on the song “Open Door”…a song Brandon Bee collaborated with us on.

The first two songs are declarations.

1.“We” are Echoes.

2.  “He” is incomparable.

The third song introduces us to ‘doubt’. introduces us to ‘questions’.

3. why is life so difficult?

Recession. Fragile Health. Loss. It all hit us about the same time as the making of this album.

What to do, when it comes down to making the decision to keep moving forward, or to retreat back in to comfort? I believe it’s all the little choices we make along the way, the little decisions to follow Him…every day…that determine how we’ll answer the BIG questions of life.

You climb mountains…one step at a time.

When many doors present themselves as opportunities…how to know which one to choose? If we’ve been listening to His voice…in the light…we’ll recognize His whisper in the dark. He’s the Open Door. He’ll lead. He’ll speak.

I’ve learned to put my trust in Him…and I’m learning still.

gabe

Hang around me for a little while and you’ll quickly realize that the british bands of the 60’s and 70’s heavily influenced how I think about music.
And some of the most influential bands of that era used Orange Amplifiers to define that sound.

So, naturally, when I would dream of becoming a musician myself, Orange Amplifiers were always in the picture somewhere.

Moving to Nashville, known for being meticulous about it’s guitar tones, Orange Amps were a constant staple, sitting proudly in the studios of every producer.

But my first, real encounter with an Orange Amp was when were opening up for Skillet at a festival, and an AD30 was sitting on the stage.
I plugged my guitar in, and it was love at first sound.
After that moment, I was determined to own one someday.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I found out Orange was going to partner with us on the recording of “Echoes Of The Light.”
They shipped out a beautiful black Rockerverb 50Watt Combo…and instantly, it became the go to amp for the bulk of the album. I still remember turning that thing on in the studio, watching the tubes heat up, and basking in the glory of that tone.

I was able to keep that amp, and have been able to tour with it on the road now, and it gives me a sense of comfort to know I’m giving the audience the same quality tone we got in the studio in Seattle.

So now you know why I’m such a geek when it comes to Orange amps…and how crazy it is to me that I’m a part of giving one away to one of you. Whoever you are, I hope you enjoy it.

Peace,

gabe

J* listening back to the mix.

Brandon Bee came over to my house, before the flood, and we went up to the room above my garage and we wrote two songs. That room was, is and will be the band’s rehearsal room. It’s in disrepair now, thanks to water damage, but it will soon, with much prayer, and some elbow grease, be restored to its former glory.

But, back to the story.

Brandon came over, and began to show me, what would later become “nothing compares to you.” It was the opening chords, and the melody and I loved it.

It sounded like nothing on “uncommon days” and yet, it sounded like ‘US’.

We quickly got down to the business of writing the lyrics, and we realized that we were desperately, and unsuccessfully trying to write the modern, “how great thou art”. It became painfully apparent that it was not going to happen, until we came upon the idea to just make the song “how great thou art”…with an alternate chorus. We knew it was a worship song…but I was in the mood to worship…and didn’t care if people thought the lyrics were too familiar, or too clichéd…The hope for this song, was to express how awestruck we are at nature’s beauty…and yet, how much more powerful, and wonderful, the Creator is.

Later, the rest of the band showed up, and started figuring out their parts…and I could tell there was excitement, mixed with misgivings about this song. It was cool, but not everyone was a fan of what we’d done, lyrically.

There are quite a few email exchanges where the feeling is expressed that this song should not go on the new record. And I’ll admit, in it’s early demo stage, it sounded rough, and ‘unfinished’. But that’s how I do demos. In Nashville, it’s not uncommon to hear a demo and think it’s the final mastered version of the song. I prefer to let the real magic happen in the studio. At any rate, ‘NCTY’ was quickly falling in favor with others, while it had become my favorite of all the songs we had. Perilous times for a song…perilous times, indeed.

If I’m not mistaken, I think Brandon and I were the only two people involved in the project that felt this song should be given a chance. There were some guys who liked parts of the song, but weren’t sold on it, as a whole.

Once we were up in Seattle, the decision was made to give it a shot. Lee did a phenomenal job on the drums. Then came the bass. For some reason, there was a piece of gear that was lying around that made the bass sound like it was being played on a two story amplifier that had a blown speaker. It was huge, and dirty, and very, very cool.  Once Eric laid his bass part down, everyone’s mood regarding the song instantly changed. Now it was epic. It had character and vibe. This song was going to be on the album. Jon’s guitar parts began to soar…it was beginning to groove. Returning to Nashville, the general consensus was that we had a great song on our hands.

Then the flood happened. During all the chaos of that first week, when our floors were being ripped up, and our belongings were hauled to the street for the garbage collectors to throw away…a difficult choice had to be made.

One of the hardest decisions my wife and I have had to make was for her to stay in Nashville to deal with the aftermath of the flood, while I got on a plane to record the vocals in Seattle, in order to make the deadline for the album’s Fall release.

On that plane ride, I did some last minute re-writes on lyrics to many songs, including “nothing compares to you”

“…How the loneliness of my brokenness, like ruins cover me.”

“When castles fall to the flood, our hearts are held by love.”

If we were going to make an honest album, if it was going to be a snapshot of our lives at this moment in time…then that issue had to be addressed in the music.

And now, when we play it live…I can sing that part with such conviction, knowing that His love is holding us. God’s glory is greater than my loneliness…and even my great despair cannot compare to His faithfulness and Majesty.

He outshines the good and bad times alike.

I’m just grateful the song got another chance…just like me.

Next up, “Open Door”…and how the band Salvador, came to the rescue yet again.

-gabe

Aaron Mlasko and Lee working on drum sounds for "Echoes of the Light"

Echoes of the Light was actually one of the last songs to be written before heading off to record in Seattle.

I wrote the bulk of it, on my acoustic guitar, recorded a demo and then the band added plenty of ideas, particularly when it came to the ‘big’ ending. My intention was to have a song with a different structure than what we’d already had. There was a danger that songs were starting to sound ‘the same’… I knew we needed ‘variety’ to make the entire album enjoyable. I also wanted a song that could handle a bigger sound, one that could contain a horn section, strings, big guitars, group chants….i wanted a ‘born to run’ kind of moment, you know… a ‘let’s throw the kitchen sink at it’ song. (thanks, bruce)

The original working title was “Arcade Fire”, because I thought the arrangement reminded me of one of their songs. (I always give songs that don’t have lyrics titles like that. I have a couple of R.E.M’s in Aminor that still need fleshing out. heh.) However, once lyrics were added, it became “orphans of the light”. This was an idea that I really liked, and fought for in some email exchanges with the label, and management, and I actually had Brandon Bee (producer) on my side on this. The idea was that the world, in general, has this abandoned feel to it, and that something isn’t right, and that it all goes back to the garden of Eden, and sin, and all of that. But, it was hard to follow that idea to it’s conclusion, that we’d somehow been ‘abandoned’ by God…which I don’t believe. It was Derek, from Save The City who really pushed me on this, and he was right, leaving me with lyrics I loved, and I title I felt attached to, but an idea that I couldn’t stand behind.

So I tossed some other words into the mix, and came up with ‘Echoes’. I got pretty excited because this idea let me keep a huge portion of my earlier lyrics with a minor adjustment, here and there, and it made sense. We weren’t abandoned, we were all of us, still His children, we’re just a faint ‘echo’ of that incredible light. But we all have a chance, a choice even, to shine.
With a strong concept in place, we had a fully, fleshed out song. Hooray!

We recorded in a house studio known as “The Tank” in Black Diamond Washington. Wonderful place. Sometimes, on lunch breaks, Mt. Ranier was very visible, with it’s full majesty humbling all of us.
Once in the studio, we used my 1974 Ludwig Kit. For every song. I love that.
Different snares, but the same kit. The always amazing Aaron Mlasko came in as drum tech, and made that thing sound fantastic. I could tell Lee was enjoying the process, knowing he was in such great hands…and Aaron would became an ally for Lee in the studio, which I thought was cool. On this song I think we used a brass pearl snare.

There were still some issues on the bridge when we were tracking it, but most of that had to do with my melody lines, they weren’t lifting the song just right…but Brandon and I worked those out later on.

I love this song, because it gave us the title for the album, it really captured the soul I was hoping the record would have. I love that if you break it down, it breaks a lot of traditional rules for how a song should be structured. And I’m so blown away by Roy Herzer’s strings…they added the Epic thing I’d heard when writing in my room with my acoustic guitar in Nashville.

There’s a lot I’m leaving out…but that’s for another time…so…

…Stay tuned for “Nothing Compares To You”…a song that almost didn’t make it.

October 1st, 2010/Nashville, TN

Echoes Of The Light

“Let there be light.”

I’m fascinated by those words. There’s so much drama, so much history, mystery, conflict in those words. They are the first ‘spoken’ words of the bible. First uttered by God Himself in Genesis.

From the moment those words are spoken, history begins to unfold.

I love that even today, physicists, archeologists, theologians, and philosophers are still grappling with the aftermath of those words. However we look at the world, “Let there be light” is something we each must come to terms with.

In the Jodie Foster movie, Contact, there’s an amazing opening scene where radio signals from the 30’s are still traveling out into the far reaches of space.

First God spoke, and now we the echoes, reverberate out into the darkness.

In the book of John, Jesus expounds on the concept when he says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

You and me, we are the light of the world. It’s almost like he’s saying, whether we like it or not…that’s what we were created to do. To be echoes of the light.

I know I’m probably among the worst choices for an echo of that light if ever there was one. Even when I try to shine His light…I’ve fallen short so many times, It’s a wonder He’d still want to use me in any way, shape or form.

But, the great thing about this concept is that the light belongs to Him. He’s the source. He’s the sun. We’re the moon. We reflect…He shines.

My job is to be available for the moments when He chooses to shine His light. That’s the idea. It’s the concept behind this album, if there’s a concept to be found. Each song deals with darkness and light. Love and loss…heartache, joy and hope.

Eric, Jon, Lee and I all felt like this idea is what brought all the songs together. So we named the album after the song.

And “Echoes Of The Light”, the song, became this big ‘epic’ moment, with the strings, and the huge guitars, and the chant at the end…we couldn’t help but open the album with it. And now it’s the opening song for our concerts.

So, in the days before and during the album’s release on October 5^th, I’ll be discussing each song in great detail.

In the meantime, we’re asking you to help us get the word out by changing your profile pic on twitter and facebook to a lightbulb…you can use the one pictured in this blog.

Just right click on it…save it…and upload it as your profile pic.

And keep coming back here, I’ll be going through each song on the album, explaining the writing and recording process and the stories behind the songs. These are exciting times for us, we hope you’ll be a part of the journey with us.

-gabe

Wow, Where to begin?

Circleslide had the opportunity to play at a Festival in Albany, OR this past weekend for Mike Silva Ministries.

We had a great time playing on the “Fringe Stage”, and also opening the Main Stage for Superchick, Newsboys, and Skillet.

God’s hand was clearly with us this entire weekend. Originally we were not scheduled to open main stage, but due to a competition that we won between the bands on the fringe stage, we were able to do so.  It was amazing for us in that all but one of the songs we played were songs from our new album “echoes Of The Light”, and we had never performed them live before, and didn’t have a clue as to how they would be received by an audience, or judges for that matter.

Main stage was a great experience for me! I had never been on a main stage before.

There were many other things that happened during the weekend where it was undeniable that God was moving. On Sunday morning, we had the opportunity to play one of our new songs for a church in Seaside, Oregon. It was the first time that pre-sales of our new album were available at a concert. we were overwhelmed with the positive reception,  and were treated like family

Even though it was great for us to get the pre-sales, play main stage, and do so many of the other things that would take too much time to write out and talk about, there was one thing that happened this weekend that stood out above everything else.

On Saturday afternoon, our producer and great friend, Brandon Bee was playing at the festival.  Brandon is on the same management company as were are, and our manager Keith flew out for the weekend. As Brandon finished his set and was getting off of the stage, Keith and I struck up a conversation with a guy by the name of Rick Baker. Rick began to tell us with as much enthusiasm as a child has on Christmas morning that he had given his heart to the Lord that very morning because of an invitation that was given at the festival, a few hours prior.

“I’M GONNA SEE YOU AND GOD IN HEAVEN WHEN I DIE!!!” was one of the many things he said to Keith and me during our conversation.

As he told us his story, it was cool to hear how God had been putting people and situations in his life to soften, and bring him closer to God.  Rick told us that he had been an Alcoholic for fifteen years and due to a conversation he had with someone a few weeks prior, he decided to quit drinking and was fifteen days sober on the day he asked Christ into his heart.

I say all of this because it was so perfect for me to see.

It can be so easy at times to lose focus and forget what our duty as Christ followers. We are called to love, minister, and bring people closer to Jesus in everything that we are, and all that we do.

Although Rick felt like we were pouring into his life, the converse was also true. I couldn’t have been more blessed to hear his testimony and see REAL life change happening before my very eyes, so this note is a simple way to welcome another brother on the journey, and to offer up praise to God for all of his blessings.

He is MIGHTY to SAVE!!

~Lee

Christmas Carols, Christmas Tunes, Holiday Music…like a magical switch that activates the ‘official’ beginning of the season…once I hear a really familiar Christmas Song on the radio…I realize that it’s that time of the year again.

More so than the decorations, fruitcake, or stores converted into Sacred Halls of Buying and Spending, or even the occasional Mall Santa…If I hear brenda lee singing ‘jingle bell rock’, or the ‘dance of the sugarplum fairy’ from the ‘nutcraker suite’, or ‘christmas wrapping’ by the waitresses…I’m immediately transported into the ‘christmas’ state of mind…snow or no snow…

So, my fellow bandmates and I thought we’d share what our favorite Christmas Tunes are…feel free to keep this going in the comments section…you never know when we’ll get the inkling to record some of these.

Eric: “Lib and I both like Seven Day Jesus’s version of “O Holy Night”.  It is an amazing arrangement that comes out like a passionate worship song more than a “Christmas” song.  I’ve done an arrangement of “the little drummer boy” that is really cool as well.  (pretty much play it with almost no drums, just focusing on the words.  If you get rid of the pa rump a pum pum’s the words are really powerful.”

Lee: ” I’d really have to say dave matthews band’s ‘christmas song’ just because of how unique it is… I just really, really like that. As far as christmas carols…“Silent Night” has always felt like the most reverent of them all to me. Not just that, but it  always just seems to strike that familiar chord as far as my childhood memories go,  here in Indiana, being with family, holding candles, and all of that…

Jonathan: “It’s always been a dream of mine to go visit Israel… walk where Jesus walked…see for myself all the places I’d read about.  I guess, for that reason, “O little Town of Bethlehem” really is my favorite…and no one sings it better than my man, Nat King Cole. Too bad we don’t need fireplaces down here in Corpus Christi…or else I’d roast some chestnuts and crank that thing up, right now.”

Gabe: “I love songs of good cheer…i’m a jolly person, usually, on the outside…but inside, it’s all melancholy and woeful blues. For me, my favorite is a true christmas ‘blues’ song…full of hope, theology, sadness and wonder: ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’…and Sufjan Stevens performs a haunting version on his Songs For Christmas Album.”

So there you go…those are our faves…let’s all get together and go caroling sometime.

-gabe