Sparks from the Fire

I like to think that this blog is about all things Inspirational.  That being so, we take yet another turn from Inspirational music to the fascinating world of vision.

I’m not exactly a frequenter of doctors.  I think I remember visiting all of two in my lifetime.  As a practicing Christian Scientist, I handle my physical problems through prayer and it works, so I’ve simply not had to go that route in life.  Nothing against doctors, in fact I think most of them do wondrous work helping people survive the trials of the body. Read the rest of this entry »

This is not about Inspirational music, but it is about inspirational film- making.  I’m up to viewing Part 5 of a 5 part series of films by documentarian Ken Burns called The National Parks – America’s Best Idea. I wish the series could go on and on.

Let’s take a turn from inspirational music for a moment and discuss America.  If you consider yourself an American then you need to take part in America – to pay your taxes, to vote for its leadership, to embody its freedoms and to respect the freedoms of others.

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WFM Listening Room Opens in NYC
A Howling Success!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhh!

Pardon me if I howl a trifle, but occasionally things go even better than one dreams.  The Watchfire Music Listening Room debuted this past week to a sold out audience and by the end of the evening clearly became a dream defined.

Here is an idea whose time has truly come.  A place where one could come and spend an evening in intimate and elegant surroundings, Jenkins House Concerts just off of Central Park on the West Side of Manhattan, and do little else than simply listen to great “live” music in an un-mic’d setting.

Here was music at its natural best, parlor performed by two multi-talented ladies.  The audience was a wild mix of melting-pot New Yorkers – young and old, professionals and fans, black and white, and all went home full of good food and rich blessings – and only for a $15 ticket.  Such a deal! Read the rest of this entry »

Making it. Here is probably the most misunderstood term of the entertainment industry – and probably, for many, the most important.  As creative director of an Inspirational music company, I encounter this confusion on one level or another nearly every day.

Many artists are obsessed with the idea of “making it”, but if you were to ask many of them what they meant by this, you would receive a myriad of divergent answers.  It is a term that is pretty much an entertainment industry concept only.  We rarely hear of a chemical engineer, a doctor or a school teacher making it.  Read the rest of this entry »

Watchfire Music, working to find new and innovative ways to bring Inspirational music to the world, will launch its beta of a Lifestyle and Music App for iPad, iPhone and Computer this coming fall.

Now, for the first time online, get Help!, the Musical Handbook for Life, in a new and revolutionary delivery system. You’ll be able to download musical solutions to some of life’s most challenging moments.

Each chapter of the handbook is an Inspirational superabundance of solutions to some of the age-old problems of life.  Filled with inspiring lyrics, new and classic songs, quotes, tips from the masters and in-depth advice, Help!, the Musical Handbook for Life, is a necessity for anyone battling through the 21^st century. Read the rest of this entry »

Of all the problems in our world today, war has to be the worst of them all.  I think it’s even worse than poverty.

Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud.  I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth.  I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace.  ~ Charles Sumner, American politician and statesman from Massachusetts.

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A Rant In Reverse

In a departure from the usual post on Inspirational music, today I’d like to tell you about a kid I just met.

Kids!
I don’t know what’s wrong with these kids today!
Kids!
Who can understand anything they say?
Kids!
They are disobedient, disrespectful oafs! Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve just spent the last two and a half weeks working on Julia Wade’s new Inspirational music CD, Every Day. (Read more about Julia’s new CD at her Inspiratus blog.)

She took a “vacation” from her job in Boston where she is the soloist at the world headquarters of the Christian Science Church.

It’s one of those jobs where people think she shows up on Sunday and sings a couple of services and that’s about it, but, in reality, it’s pretty much a full-time job considering all the preparation, research, rehearsal and administrative work she puts into it.

So the perception in Boston is that Julia is on vacation, but the reality is that she moves from one difficult, totally time consuming job to one that is probably at least twice as intense.  That’s the job of recording an album.

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