Roots

A group of us started this really cool concert series here in Nashville called Songs and Stories, and the first one we did in the first half of the year was more than a hit. It created a desire and need for raw and real moments. So before we even held our first concert night, we were asked to do another coming up in August. With these nights, we present a theme that we weave our songs into, the first being songs that impacted our faith(Naturally, I chose a challenging but powerful song called “Someday Soon” by Wilder Woods). With this next night we have chosen the theme of Roots(songs that were foundational in our growing up and the formation of who we are).

So as I pondered which songs to choose for this night, I was taken to a place where the past, present and future meet. The first was a song by Switchfoot frontman, Jon Foreman. He is a songwriting legend and hero of mine that helped formulate my philosophy and worldview, so there was no question of choosing a song by him. The second was a song I wrote and recorded in the last month called “Ghost”, dealing with the feeling of never really belonging but the recognition that maybe that means there is a place that I was made for. But when I came to my third choice, I was stuck. I didn't know which song to choose.

So I thought about my roots and where I come from. My Great Grandma was a church planter for the Assemblies of God. I grew up attending and playing guitar in a church that was formed during the Jesus Movement in the 70s. This also happened to be in the heart of Southern California where I was an hour from the beach, mountains and desert. Someone who had experienced so much by 16 and suddenly was feeling the weight of the world and failing to give himself any grace.

So how do I weave all these roots into this tree that is now my life in a place almost 2000 miles away from where he grew up. It goes back to these songs that have been sung for generations, these true evergreens. Over the weekend, the woman who spoke on Psalm 42 mentioned the fact that dementia patients may forget their memories but song lyrics remain intact within the brain. So these songs from the past entered the present and will permeate into the future. I gathered a bunch of them together and quickly began arranging into this piece that brings them back into the stream of time. Songs loved by my Great Grandma, Chuck Smith, so many church goers throughout the generations, songwriters, saints and sinners. The lines from “Hard Times Come Again No More” ring so true in this that:

There's a song that will linger forever in our ears,

oh, hard times come again no more.

Songs Mentioned and Unmentioned:

“Someday Soon” by Wilder Woods

“Southbound Train” by Jon Foreman

“Ghost” by Rex Landis

“Hard Times Come Again No More” by Stephen Foster

If you want to see these songs and many others as well as the Hymn Arrangement I’m putting together, join us at The Well coffee house on Music Row on August 23 at 6:30!