I have road stories, too. (2 of 2)

by Moxie

So the second story goes like this…

My old band Sundry was playing at a festival in the Midwest called…yeah, right; I’m not saying any names. We played on Thursday, I think, and we were just hanging out until Saturday to see our friends Smalltown Poets and Third Day play. Well, the Poets finally arrived, and I wanted to say hello and help them get their stuff onto the stage.

But there was a problem. We were a “side stage band” with “side stage passes.” If you aren’t familiar, that means we don’t have main stage backstage passes! So I’m thinking, “Who cares?” I walk back there and hang out for about 15 minutes when all of a sudden the person running the festival came up and interupted the conversation I was having with Poets’ bass player Miguel. She said ” WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE!??” I said, “Helping The Poets load in.” She said, “YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO BE HERE!!” The entire time she was LETTING ME HAVE IT, Miguel was standing behind her making faces at me trying to get me to laugh. Well…he succeeded!

She WAS NOT happy and called Danny to say that Sundry would never play there again. Thanks, Miguel! However, before we left that night, Third Day was playing “Sky Falls Down,” and Mac invited me on stage to sing it with them. I didn’t go on from the back; I went on from the front! LOL! So I made it onto Main Stage after all!!! I have the picture to prove it! (Can’t find it right now, or I’d post it.)

Thanks for reading.  Hope to see you soon whoever you are.  

Mox

Third Day on Leno.

Third Day (above, from Atlanta) is scheduled to perform on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Tuesday, July 29. The band’s performance on the show, which airs 11:35 a.m. ET/10:35 a.m. CT, is in conjunction with the street date for their latest project, Revelation (Essential Records) and comes on the heels of the band gracing the cover of the June 7 edition of Billboard magazine.

At the risk of namedropping, I used to hang with these guys back in the day when my band played at lot of the same concerts and festivals as they did.  Ironically, it would almost always be in other cities, and rarely in Atlanta, that I would get the privilege of hanging out with perhaps the nicest band of guys on the planet.  However, in the early early days, when some of them were teenagers, they used to come see us play local gigs, before any of us had record deals.  Who knew then that they would be trail blazers in bringing Christian music to the consciousness of the mainstream world?

Any Third Day fans out there?  Holla.

The Write Stuff. (updated)

With Third Day being on the cover of the latest Billboard, it got me thinking about a song I wrote with Mac Powell of 3D and with Michael Johnston of Smalltown Poets.  Yes, I’m namedropping.  Seriously, though, I loved the song idea.  We were writing it for a particular compilation about the 23rd Psalm, as I recall.  But it got beat out by a DC Talk song.  An mp3 sample is below.  Hope you like it.  If not, act like you do, to make me feel good.

You’ll hear Michael on the verse, Mac on the chorus, and me on piano.

Songwriting Demo Clip

(Weeks after the original post, I stumbled upon a version of this song that was recorded by Moxie Davis and Smalltown Poets for an album released by the See You at the Pole organization.  There was limited distribution for that record, but I’m glad to have remembered that the song was indeed used for something.)

Cover boys.

From a Gospel Music Association email update I just received…

Atlanta’s Third Day graces the cover of the June 7 edition of Billboard magazine, marking the first time since the trade publication’s redesign in 2005 that a Christian band has been featured on the cover. Billboard, largely considered the “bible of the music industry,” is read weekly by more than 50,000 people including music industry gatekeepers and music fans, world wide, according to a press release.

Besides the cover, there’s also a four-page feature, titled “Third Day Keeps The Faith.” Written by GMA Board of Directors member Deborah Evans Price, the feature details the band’s history, their commitment to their fans and faith, and the writing and recording process for Revelation, their 10th studio project which is scheduled to be released on Essential Records on July 29.

In support of Revelation, Third Day will hit the road for a series of summer festival appearances and then will join Jars of Clay, Robert Randolph & The Family Band and Switchfoot for the “Music Builds Tour.” The tour, which kicks off in Detroit on Aug. 23 and is scheduled to hit 23 markets, also will benefit a good cause as a portion of the proceeds will be given to Habitat For Humanity.  Click here for more information on the tour.

For aspiring songwriters…

Atlanta’s Mark Lee (of Third Day) & Country Music Recording Artist Bryan White will lead the Kalein Songwriting Retreat & Master Class June 9 & 10, 2008 at beautiful Round Cove.

Auditions are now being accepted for only six songwriters.  Apply Now!  Time is limited.  

This retreat is the brainchild of my buddy Randy Elrod, and he never does anything halfway.  I’m sure this will be a great experience for you up-and-coming songwriters.  Check it out here.

I Could Sing of Your Dove Forever

The Gospel Music Association’s annual Dove Awards happen tonight, and our own Dan Hannon is nominated for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for producing Aaron Shust’s “Whispered and Shouted.”

Other nominations for Atlantans include:

Spanish Language Album of the Year

• De Corazon A Corazon; Seth Condrey; Seth Condrey, Mark Balltzglier; CanZion