Never saw myself going back to my Alma Mater to do any sort of teaching, but… it happened. I had the privilege of sitting with some of the University of Mobile’s most gifted guitarists and talking… well, guitar, of course. It’s funny, when you work, doing whatever it is you do, you don’t realize that maybe along the way you figured some things out. I guess I have, or maybe I’ve just fooled the crap out of everybody… who knows. Trying to cover everything I could in an hour and a half was like training for the Olympics in 4 weeks, but, if anything, my hope is that they are a little inspired to work for their goals and dreams than they were when they woke up on Wednesday morning. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Working your tail off, making the utmost of every shot thrown at you, and being a good chap as you do it. I think there’s GREAT potential in all of us… the question is are we gonna go for it with all we’ve got or just sit back and wish? Steve Jobs didn’t just turn Apple into the monster trend setter for technology that it is… he worked to make it what it is. The same can be said of Bill Gates, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jay Leno, the Dalai Lama, etc, etc, etc. Anybody that’s done anything significant and even life changing did it more in light of the days before in preparation and study, and the one’s that stay on top are the one’s that keep working to stay on top. I loved hanging out these guys. I wish them many blessings and success along the way and that they find their stride and not let anything hold them back… not even themselves.
Michael Gungor
So I found this video. Michael is the frontman of the folky, rocky, classically charged group, Gungor. They’re fantastic. If I were gonna be honest, I’m bored after 1 song, but their musicianship and drive for excellence is something I can get behind. I found this video of Gungor playing “The Big Church Day Out 2012″. If you’re looking for something unique and interesting for a change… this should do you good.
Michael and his wife, Lisa, write pretty much everything, so they’re definitely a match made in heaven… if you will. You’ll also enjoy Michael’s musicianship on the guitar. There are few in the CCM world that I would brag on, but he’s one for sure. Enjoy…
Filed under Uncategorized
Today’s Guitar Advice
Yesterday I was in the studio and was asked if I have any new guitar toys. The answer is no… first because I am frugal… but more importantly… because I don’t need it. Usually when I see a guitarist with an oversized pedalboard, I typically think he’s either a fulltime session guy or is overcompensating for what he lacks in his playing. Typically, it’s the latter… since fulltime session guys are few and far between.
Here’s my advice. Learn to make the most with as little as possible. Great guitar moments come from great players through and through. You can’t fake being a great musician no matter how much crap you have on your pedalboard, how many amps you have, and so on. There are those rare occasions where the player is just OK, but his creativity is so great that it helps balance what he’s lacking in his performance. The best option is to be strong in both areas.
My encouragement is that you buy fewer things but higher quality. Two great guitars, one great amp, and a few quality pedals in the hands of a great musician/player can go a long way.
Great moments are not usually achieved through luck or mediocrity… there’s usually hours and hours of sacrifice and hard work that took place beforehand. So save your money, do your homework, and work your butt off…
LWood
Filed under Uncategorized
Stik Yard DrumLine
Had the privilege of playing guitar for an arrangement of “How Great Thou Art” at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, TN. It was arranged by Mark Miller, who has a pretty extensive resume in the CCM market. I thought I’d share the video with you.
If you’re interested in something like this, check out http://www.stikyard.com/ … it’s killer.
The audience went nuts… it would be WELL worth the investment. Enjoy!
LWood
How Great Thou Art by World Outreach Church featuring StikYard from World Outreach Church on Vimeo.
Filed under Uncategorized
Feel love(d)
It’s been a long 2012 and I’m exhausted from it. How bout you??? The biggest news for me and my family was the birth of my boy, William Samuel. He’s our second child, and he’s a little stud. Watching the interaction between him and my daughter, Ella, has kept the house pretty entertaining all year. Music-wise…. I recorded my first EP “Coming Alive”, and recorded 33mile’s new album “Let it be Glory”. The fact that I can make a living making music??? That still shocks me. I never take that for granted because I am all too familiar with the many pangs it requires to survive in this music industry thing.
I could ramble on about all the lessons learned throughout this year, my goals for the new year, or whatever people say during these types of blogs, but that’s not really what I want to do here. All I want to say is I hope you all feel love and feel loved. I’m realizing that, through all of the successes and failures, life without friends, family, and Jesus (if you believe in him), feels pretty empty and pointless. Love gives us hope, gives us joy, gives us meaning, drive to what we do and why we do it.
I’m gonna let you in on a little secret… I play music on stage, sign autographs, have a good reputation in my line of business… but most days, I feel completely alone and empty… if I didn’t have my wife, my precious babies, my parents, my few yet significant friends, and the hope of the Gospel… I’d probably be happy to end things. I need love.
I have a feeling we’re not all that different either… I’m willing to bet we all need love. I hope you feel it. Screw working out, screw making more money, forget about your 401K or Roth bringing you absolute happiness.
This year seek to find and give love.
Happy New Year…
LWood
Filed under Uncategorized
Merry Christmas
I’m just sitting here on a cold overcast Christmas Day, enjoying the fire, coffee, my family, and A Christmas Story again. I’m sure we’ll be running Christmas movies all day.
I’m not gonna lie… it’s been a long year, but for whatever reason Christmas seems to help me realize that life’s not all that bad. I’ve got an amazing wife, 2 precious children, family, some of the dearest friends a guy could ask for, and I continue to make a living doing what I dreamed since I can remember. It’s not all that glamorous most days, but I can’t complain.
Most important is the amazing gift of salvation in Jesus Christ… that’s really what Christmas points towards. I don’t understand why people love to hate somebody who would die for their benefit, but I don’t claim to know much so that will remain a mystery.
Regardless… I hope you all have a fantastic time with your loved ones this season.
My mind is heavy on music… its gonna be a good year.
Merry Christmas to you all….
LWood
Filed under Uncategorized
Sandy Hook Elementary
This has been one of the most tragic and shocking weeks this country has ever experienced in its history. My heart goes out to all who lost their babies and loved ones. I can’t even begin to imagine what they are facing. We’ve all lost loved ones in one way or another, but very few experience it in such a way as these sweet folks. Regardless, let this be a wake up call to us all, to make the most of the moments we’re privileged with each day. You never really know what a day may bring, what road lies ahead. In light of that, what would you do differently? Would you run another marathon, make more money, buy a bigger house, invest more in the stock market? My guess is that those would be the furthest sorts of things from our minds. I’m willing to bet that most of us would find ourselves holding loosely to things and holding onto those we love all the more tightly. That’s what I found myself doing as I watched the story unfold.
Let me bring to your attention that as the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary becomes a memory for the rest of the country, it will remain for quite some time an unfortunate reality for parents, children, family, and friends of those who lost their lives in Connecticut. Try saying a prayer for them rather wasting words on debates about gun control and all the messy conflicts this is gonna cause in this already intensely divided nation. We need more of that than we do opinions. Prayer unites people… opinions separate people. Look around… this broken USA could use some unity. In light of that, it’s pretty silly that we would stop praying, being one of the few things that actually brings people together. There will always be difficulties to be faced, but to a people truly united in love it will only feel like a finger prick opposed to a broken back. I would imagine that the sincere acts of kindness and prayers are far more important to the parents of those 20 children than our opinions. Why wait for tragedy to strike? Let us begin to truly, and purely, love one another, for that’s really what matters most in life. Blessings to the people of Newtown, Connecticut.
LWood
Filed under Uncategorized
Headed to NYC
I just received an email from the team leader for my trip to NYC. We’re flying out next Tuesday, December 4th, for a week, to offer a little help and hope to the Rockaway Beach region. New York, honestly, is my favorite place in the whole world, but this time my trip is not about Broadway, Rockefeller, great jazz music, etc… it’s about hurting people… people who lost EVERYTHING. Hurricane Sandy has definitely left her mark on the Northeast, but we have the opportunity to leave an even BIGGER impression.
When I first recorded my EP “Coming Alive” it was about creating a residual income, but I feel like I’ve been given a vision for what music can really be about. I know music impacts people emotionally, but now I’m really beginning to see how it can be a catalyst for helping meet the basic needs of people along life’s journey. I’ve been in partnership with Food for the Hungry for 5 years now, an amazing organization, tackling poverty and world hunger, but due to the separation factor it’s hard to see the fruits of your efforts sometimes, but I know they’re making a difference one child at a time. Our efforts may not be completely obvious sometimes, but I believe that even the smallest efforts to selflessly love and give will go much further than we can anticipate most times.
I am not wealthy, by any means, but my family is fine, we’re fed and clothed. Therefore, we won’t take ANY of the proceeds from the digital downloads of “Coming Alive” (www.ChrisLockwoodMusic.com) this holiday season. It will ALL go towards New York Dream Center’s efforts in rebuilding the lives and community of Rockaway Beach, Queens. PLEASE… TWEET/RETWEET/FACEBOOK/EMAIL/TALK… WHATEVER. Help me show a little, or a lot, of love this Christmas… it’s up to us. There’s still MUCH to be done and relief efforts are starting to slow, leaving people feeling forgotten and hopeless… I keep asking myself, “What if this was me? What if everything was literally swept right up from under me?” Any help I could get would mean the world to me. What about you?
Here’s one of the latest blogs from NYC Dream Center (http://nydc.tv/2012/11/rockaway-relief-for-the-week/). I hope you’ll help.
If you want to donate. Just download “Coming Alive”… you get new music… others receive hope. Thanks.
LWood
Filed under Uncategorized
Hurricane Sandy Real Life Account
This is an email I received from somebody in New Jersey that was affected by Hurricane Sandy. Granted, many others may have it worse, may have lost more, but I’m certain that God puts people in our path’s for a reason. This is just another opportunity for us reach out and help somebody. If you read this and would like to help this family in particular, please fill out the email form to the left of this page and let me know.
The Christmas season is upon us, and there are thousands of people in the northeast that will not celebrate the holiday’s because of the unexpected turn of events. I’m asking you, begging, to join me. As the saying goes, a little bit of love goes a long long way….
Thank you so much for the prayers and concern, it really is appreciated. As for insurance, it’s just a matter of dealing with the ‘red tape’ and claims… F.E.M.A. won’t help because we have flood insurance, yet flood insurance doesn’t want to cover it all, but we just found out that we can appeal it, so until then, it’s just a waiting game…
We normally flood, but have a max of 6 inches to 1ft in the basement, and maybe 4ft outside as we plug up the doors and windows. We knew that this was going to be worse, still thought we had some idea of what to expect, but were completely in for a surprise. As we were trying to sweep the water into the sump-pumps, a cop came and told us we needed to move our cars if we didn’t want them to get flooded… we had already moved them to another block that never floods, but they saw the water coming up fast and warned us… we stopped sweeping and went to move them. As we drove them down another 2 blocks, just as I moved my car, a transformer exploded right above where I was less than 30 seconds earlier. We walked back through the water to our house there was at least 3ft of water in the basement. Then my mom and I were standing right in front of our basement door (which is in a higher part of the basement, the water was only a few inches there) as we were watching the water coming through the cement under the door, thinking of what to do next while my dad was on the other side of the basement trying to set up another pump to pump the water out the window. Figuring that we would lose some things in the basement, I went upstairs to get my camera to take a video of the water coming in so we could send it to insurance, my mom had also walked halfway up the steps. Just as I was about to go back down, we heard a loud explosion, we had no clue what it was, but then my mom saw what was at least a 5ft wave of water come gushing around the corner. She started screaming for my dad, worrying he would be trapped on the other side of the basement, but we didn’t hear him. We wanted to go down, but knew there was no way we could make it in the water, as she was screaming, I was calling 911. After not hearing him for a minute or two (however, if felt more like hours), we thought he was gone, then she saw his hand come around the corner and grab the railing coming up the steps (by no means should that railing have held up…a few weeks earlier we noticed part of the brackets attaching it to the wall had broken but didn’t get around to fixing it yet, so it really should have broken off that wall at that point). Then as he go to the top of the steps (the water was already to the ceiling at that point) the power went off. From what the electrician said, it turns out that we had only lost power that early in the storm because the water hit the light switches and circuit breaker, they said had any of us still been in the water, we could have all been electrocuted. I was still on the phone with 911 as he came up the stairs, and they had told us we needed to evacuate because the house could catch on fire with the circuit breaker, and we weren’t sure at the point if it was the basement/foundation wall that crashed in (when we were able to get back to the house only then did we see that it was the door). We got our 2 dogs and cat and were all ready to leave, that’s when we looked out the front door and saw the water was already 4 ½ ft deep..the last we looked before that it was only about 3ft deep…. that’s why we had to go through all of the water to get to the end of the street to get to the rescue vehicles. As terrifying of a night as it was, looking back on it, from one moment to the next, you can just see how good He is!!! Had the door broke a few moments earlier or later, my mom or I could have been right in front of it, had my dad not gotten out of the water in time he could have been electrocuted, had I moved my car a few seconds later, the transformer could have landed on it while I was still inside it. It’s amazing how God kept us all safe during the storm!
More ways to help this season:
http://newyorkdreamcenter.org/#/home/hurricane-relief
Filed under Uncategorized
Project: NYC (Hurricane Sandy Storm Relief)
As I do every year, I watched Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It has become a personal tradition; I’m like a kid watching it… I also love watching my daughter as she is wowed by all the floats and music. However, this year was a little different. I couldn’t help but feel a little disturbed this year knowing that right down the road, around the corner really, from the Macy’s parade, people are struggling to be thankful, fighting to keep hope alive, there is devastation, flooded homes, leveled homes, small businesses going in the hole, families who couldn’t afford insurance wondering where or how they’re going to live and survive. The hurt they feel is more real than any holiday gift we’ll invest in this season.
If we want to find something worth investing in, it’s people… people who are scared out of their minds, praying for the fist time maybe in a long time, people who don’t know how they’re going to even be able to celebrate this Christmas. That’s real. That’s opportunity… opportunity for us to take action… opportunity to love people we don’t even know. We could be the answer to their silent prayers.
I received an email recently from a girl who lives in New Jersey….
You probably get messages or hear things like this all the time, but I just wanted tell you how much of an impact your music has had. This is about your song “I’m Still Standing”.
When you initially posted the YouTube video for it, I thought it was great, but now, a few weeks later it’s as if I have just heard it for the first time! You have probably heard about the damage from Hurricane Sandy, well, I live in New Jersey and our house was severely damaged by the storm, having 8 to 9 feet of water throughout the house, we lost everything in our basement, washer, dryer, furnace, etc. and many things on our first floor as well. We are slowly beginning the process of cleaning up and repairing as we have to have all the walls and subfloors removed and replaced, in addition to having the electric re-wired. Between cleaning up and dealing with the lack of what insurance is willing to cover, the past three weeks have been so completely exhausting and unreal. Then this morning as I was watching your video again and tears began to fill my eye, it hit me…. “Even when the flood comes rushing in, Even when there’s nothing left to give, I’m still standing”… it could not have come at a better time! I know how I interpreted the song may not be the same idea you had written it with, but thank you so much for making the song! With everything that happened the night of the storm (the water broke in our back door, causing the house to instantly fill with 6 feet of water and us to have to walk down our street through 4 ½ feet of water to evacuate as transformers were exploding left and right and the water was filled with gas from the gas leaking out of the cars that were being flooded) and everything that has happened since… God was watching over us…so much worse could have happened, but WE’RE STILL STANDING! And, I have Love from and hope in God no matter what we have gone through and no matter what we will face these next few months.
Thank you again so much…I honestly don’t think any amount of words can ever fully explain the way God has used your song to speak to me! Thanks for doing what you do!
After receiving this email, I felt like I needed to do something. Praying for people is GREAT, but when opportunity presents itself and the resources are available… we have to do more than just sit back and pray.
Here’s the CHALLENGE… from now through the month of December… 100% of all the proceeds from every ’Coming Alive’ EP ($5) downloaded from my website will go directly to the New York Dream Center, an organization that is actively involved in helping rebuild the lives of those affected by Hurricane Sandy, in Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY.
Please don’t read this and do what I do a lot of times… which is pray, and think, “surely they’ll get the help they need”. I’m simply asking that you buy music for your enjoyment, for a measly $5, and, like the music or not, have the piece of mind to know that you made an investment, not just in something, but, in a life.
I’ll be flying to NYC in less than 2 weeks to help with the recovery efforts. I will do my best to continue in giving you as much information as I can provide you.
NOW… YOUR JOB? Download the EP from www.ChrisLockwoodMusic.com, and SPREAD THE WORD through email, twitter, Facebook, texting. This is important… God Bless You!!!
More info below………
http://newyorkdreamcenter.org/#/home/hurricane-relief
http://www.kerryandchris.org/2012/11/16/missions-steve-from-nyc/
Filed under Uncategorized
