Twila Paris "No Confidence" / Editor's Currently Listening To
Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 12:00 AM by Ruth Tynes / Online Editor / InTheTimes.com
Hi InTheTimes.com Girls!
I'm currently listening to the single "No Confidence" by Twila Paris from the album True North !
This single has been a favorite of mine for a long time. My fav lyrics? "We come aside to listen and to wait / The One who brought us here will speak and lead us on / Go forward on a path of simple faith"
Ah! Coming aside from the busyness of life to take 'quiet time' in fellowship with the Lord is so important ! These are the times when God can re-charge your faith in the vision that He has given you for life! Then it's back out into the world to go forward for His glory! (see Mark 14:32-42)
Neat trivia fact, Natalie Grant did BGV's (background vocals) on this 1999 release!
If you haven't heard the single, click the link above to preview it for free!
Blessings! RUTH
>>>Let's go shopping! Twila has recorded a ton of songs! Make sure to click the links below to hear free audio samples and to purchase your favs! You can buy hard copies of Twila's albums, download individual songs, download the entire album, or buy used copies for a discounted price!
tags: twila paris, no confidence song true north album, inthetimes.com in the times magazine editor's currently listening to, christian music review devotional, editor picks choices, tween pre-teen teen young adult girl magazine web site blog e-zine christian faith-based biblically-based
Carrie Marshall Interview -- Part II
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 12:00 AM by Ruth Tynes / Online Editor / InTheTimes.com
ITT:Give InTheTimes.com girls a little insight on the songwriting process for you--how long have you been writing, is there a specific type of song that you prefer to write or that you feel you are gifted to write, etc. ?
Carrie: Okay, now you’re really going to know my age, but I wrote my first song at age 17, which means that I’ve been writing songs now for literally half of my life (you have to do the math!!). As far as the process goes...it really depends. Sometimes I’ll have a phrase or Scripture run through my head, and I’ll literally stop what I’m doing, grab pen and paper and 'go with the thought'. Many times it turns into something, but other times it might just sit in my notebook for months, even years. Sometimes I’ll begin with music first. I’ll try different melodies and rhythms on the piano, find a combo I like and see where it takes me. Sometimes I’ll just sing a phrase, tap out a rhythm and write an entire song without an instrument in front of me. The beauty of songwriting is that it can be done anywhere. I’ve written several songs driving in my car or cooking dinner!
Songs have basic structures or rules to follow. Once you know the 'formulas', so to speak, it’s easy to write them. In a commercial song, for instance (a 'commercial song' is what you’d hear on the radio...it has popular appeal), the hook is paramount. The hook is a little lyrical and musical catch phrase that grabs people’s attention and sticks in their minds. We all have songs that get 'stuck in our heads'. That’s an example of an excellent hook. The hook is always the main idea of the song, so it really has to start with that. The rest of the song is balancing how to lead up to the hook (first verse, channel, etc.) and then how to expand the idea behind the hook (verse or verses after the chorus, and the bridge). The key is to keep doing it. I have friends who get stuck with writer’s block because they’re afraid they’ll write something stupid. But writing something stupid is better than not writing anything at all, because you can go back and fix it if it’s really bad!! I’ve got plenty of horrible songs in my notebook that will never be performed by me or anyone else for that matter!! But writing keeps the creative process going. Any artistic endeavor requires 10% inspiration and 90% discipline.
I love to write all kinds of songs. My writing reflects different moods or creative spurts that I go through. When writing worship music, I begin with Scripture. In some ways, I find writing worship music easy, because it takes the pressure off. I basically try to stick with the Word as much as possible, and just tweak a few words here or there to make it singable. But the ideas are already there -- I don’t have to add anything to the Word of God! Worship music needs to be fairly easy to sing and have good melodies, so that congregations and audiences can follow easily. Any time I write a worship song, I give it to my father or another Pastor / Elder to check for theological content. Writing music for the Church is a huge responsibility because songs teach theology!! You want to make sure what is being sung aligns with what the Scripture teaches. Lately, I’ve been exploring writing in the blues and country genres. It’s been fun to challenge myself in that regard, and it’s really fun to perform.
ITT:Give the InTheTimes.com girls a little behind the scenes look into what it takes to record an album.
Carrie: First you have to have good songs, songs that you believe in and want to express, whether you write them or another Songwriter does. I love the recording process because of how it gives wings to the songs I have birthed and takes them to new heights. It’s very exciting!
I’ve been working with Producer, Paul Buono, who understands who I am as an artist and really 'gets' my music. The first step was going into the studio and just running through a lot of my songs. I have a huge notebook full and even then, Paul told me to go and write some more!
After the songs are chosen, we begin with a song and layer the instruments. I’ll record a scratch vocal and piano, which Paul then takes and adds instruments too--drums, guitars, strings, etc. Paul works with some awesome musicians all around Franklin / Nashville!
Then when the music is really close to what we want, I come back into the studio and re-record my piano, background vocals, and final vocals. When the songs are finished, the album has to be mastered, I’ll need to schedule another photo shoot for the graphics, a graphic artist will design the CD cover and inserts, and then we’ll ship it off to be duplicated. Recording is quite an investment of time and money!!
ITT:Above all, what is the goal of your music / concerts?
Carrie: Above all, my goal through music and concerts is that people would hear something, relate to something sung or spoken, and realize that Christ is better than they thought. My hope is that they would hunger for Him more.
People are at different stages in their lives and I don’t know if a listener has walked with Christ for twenty years or twenty minutes, or has even been hiding from Him for twenty years. But the beauty of the Gospel is that it’s for everyone. I love how music can break down barriers and connect with people on an emotional level, and yet convey truth. What a powerful thing. Truth changes lives. Just think what the world would be like if everyone internalized the Truth of the Gospel each and every day. It would effect our actions, and our actions would shake the world for the glory of His Name!
>>>Make sure to click the links below to hear free audio samples of some of Carrie's music and to purchase your favs! The rest of Carrie's music is available via her web site !
tags: carrie marshall christian music, celebrity behind the scenes interview, q&a question and answer advice tips ideas, tween pre-teen teen teenage teenager young adult girl magazine web site blog e-zine christian faith-based biblically-based
