dnews
5
does it rock? yea baby, yea!
****
Q U O T E ****
"Is that a moustache?"
"It looks like some coffee"
"No, wait, it's a dead fly"
- conversation in Cafe Uno, Soul Survivor C
**** Contents
****
Martin's latest letter
Soul Survivor C Review
'Come Like You Promise' re-worked Stateside
Gravity in the US
Select Magazine
Sarong Incident
Re: Tribute
Poetic Praise
Lyric Of The Issue
d:end?
****
Martin's latest letter ****
16.August.99
Dear D:friends
Greetings again.
As usual, the great British summer has brought sunshine and
rain, but also some great places for us boys to hang out and play some gigs.
We have just returned
from the US and are all still in one piece, having
taken everybody, including wives, children and crew. We travelled
approximately 9000 miles right the way across from east to west, starting in
Florida and ending up in California. We hired three twelve berth sleeper
coaches and, in true Partridge Family style, took the Delirious? tribe to
experience America and all that we are involved in there. Listed below are
all the gigs and dates we played, ranging from churches to clubs, to outdoor
festivals.
17 Carpenter Home
Church, Lakeland, FL
18 Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, NC
19 New Life Christian Fellowship, Jacksonville, FL
21 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ONT
22 Park West, Chicago, IL
23 Radisson Conference Centre, Minneapolis, MN
24 Creation Festival West, George, WA
25 Cherry Hills Community Church, Denver, CO
27 Community Church of Joy, Phoenix, AZ
28 Visalia Convention Center, Visalia, CA
29 Spirit West Coast, Salinas, CA
30 Music Mill Amphitheater, Dallas, TX
31 Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, Laguna Hills, CA
We had a fantastic
time and really felt like we played well and had valuable
time together as families and friends too. There were some memorable
moments, including the Dallas gig in Texas, with 10,000 people. I can
remember coming off stage at 11pm and it still being 102 degrees. Stew Smee
sweats at the best of times but, that night, he sweated for England and acqu
ired a gold medal! Tim came off the Atkins diet that day and still lost 4
stone.
We played support
to DC Talk at a few gigs, as well as Jars Of Clay, and
played some cool clubs in Chicago and North Carolina which helps develop our
relationship with Virgin Records. There were 31 of us on the road, including
11 children, so we were never the most popular at restaurants or with some
promoters. Our sound engineer, Paul Burton, and lighting guy, Andy Hutch,
also get gold medals for superb childrens' worker skills and making sure
they never got to bed on time!
We flew back in
on 1st August and picked a bus up, which drove us straight
to Soul Survivor A, the only problem being that half our equipment hadn't
got on the plane at Los Angeles, but it eventually arrived on the next plane
and we were able to play that night. We had three fantastic gigs at this
year's Soul Survivor and, as usual, it was a great privilege for us to be at
the event, also because it gives us the chance to hang out with some of you
and talk a bit. We also did two gigs at the Stoneleigh Bible Week, which
also went well, and we were pleased to develop a relationship with NFI. So,
it's Friday 13th August and we are ready for a break now. We return to the
US again on September 9th for 10 days, which will be the first of three
trips this autumn.
We are hoping
to play some small UK dates in between in a sort-of
pre-morphis style, so stay tuned for info. We also plan to start demo-ing
for the new album, as we have a handful of songs ready. So, life never
stands still and nor should it. The "sold-out email" message has been
on our
web-site for a while now and, even though it wasn't meant to provoke lots of
response, we thank you anyway for the encouraging letters/emails that you
have sent our way. We do appreciate them. Thanks again for your support. It
was fantastic to play again in the UK in the summer. We are proud of you.
God bless
Martin Smith
Delirious?
[This letter appeared
on the news page of the official delirious? website
d:vine, http://www.delirious.co.uk
]
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****
Soul Survivor C Review ****
So, it was Soul Survivor. You know, that big event where thousands turned up
to camp in a muddy field and gathered several times a day to watch people
hit things to make air vibrate. Sounds, erm, great, eh? Well, it was. If you
can ever get along to a Soul Survivor festival, do it in a snap. I had the
most amazing time...but let's keep things to do with delirious?, as this is
a delirious? newsletter. On an aside, if anyone went to Soul Survivor C
(ssc) mail me at adam@spurious.org and let's talk.
So, delirious?.
It was my fifth d: gig of the year, and was I getting bored
of the same songs? Well, maybe a little. Could they do anything to shock me?
Well, yes. I was desperate to hear that Cutting Edge classic 'The Happy
Song' performed Mezzamorphis-style (or, as the lingo goes, 'Mezzed Up' - but
be careful with the pronounciation), but unfortunately it didn't get in to
the set list. However, delirious? did perform the Mezzed Up 'Lead Me' which
produced the most awesome musical moment of the festival - a five minute
long Stu G guitar solo which left the crowd with goosebumps and a chilled
out sense of refreshment.
Scooby (minus
his question mark; he forgot to pack it. well duh! it's not
something you can mislay! It's 6 feet tall!) and I went up to get a set-list
for Spurious? but we were beaten to the punch by several quick, keen fans.
We therefore haven't got much of a clue about what they played, but a vague
recollection and the aid of '@ndy' meant we pieced this together, but it's
not in order:
~ There is a light
(bit)
~ Bliss
~ I'm not Ashamed
~ Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble? (bit)
~ Follow
~ Sanctify
~ Lead me
~ Metamorphis
~ Heaven
~ Deeper
~ History Maker
~ Kiss your feet
The highlights
were the afore-mentioned five minute solo in 'Lead Me', and
the way they finished 'Follow' - they did the song normally and then when it
should have ended they looped it back to Martin crying 'I will follow / I
will follow / I will follow you' and went back into the bizarre goatee, I
mean guitar, solo before stopping in the middle of the outrageously
in-your-face riff. It was an excellent change, and very welcome to what is
already an amazing song. The other cracking moment was at the start of
'Metamorphis'. Martin was counting Stew in with a "one, two" but then
he
paused 'cos Stew wasn't playing. "Three" someone from the crowd helpfully
supplied. It turned out Stew had broken his bass drum, so that took a moment
to fix while Martin threatened to set Jon loose on the next person who asked
them to play the Happy Song.
If they can Mezz
Up 'Lead Me' into the awesome song it became, imagine how
awesome a Mezzed Up Happy Song would be; and, Martin, don't try pretending
you don't have a mandolin that works, because we know you used it on the US
'tour'.
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****
'Come Like You Promise' reworked Stateside ****
Sparrow Records
has announced the third release in their double-disc series
"Listen to Our Hearts." While Volume 1 featured only female artists,
and
Volume 2 featured only guys, Volume 3 called "Listen: Louder" features
both
male and female artists, including new cuts from The Waiting, Sarah Masen,
and Newsboys. Audio Adrenaline will be featured with "It is Well,"
off their
new album Underdog, and SONICFLOOd contributes "Something About That Name,"
in a duet with Kevin Max (of dc Talk) that appeared on SF's self-titled
debut. Delirious? will be contributing 'Come Like You Promise', but this is
different: US audiences will be treated to a delicious reworking of the
afore-mentioned Stu G classic.
"Listen: Louder" releases on August 24th on Sparrow Records!!
Spurious? would
like to thank josh m. shepherd for this tantalising bit of
information, and Emma @ Furious? for diverting a near disaster.
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****
Gravity in the US ****
I heard from the bloke on the delirious? stand in the market place (it might
have been from Paul Smith) that Gravity's going really well in the States.
The way things work there are very different to the way they work in the UK,
and it can take months for a single to really make it (unlike here where it
charts for a week and then drops out). Apparently, Gravity's already
surpassing all expectations and is set to keep on rising.
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****
Select Magazine ****
MEN BEHAVING VERY WELL
"We were
playing bigger venues than Shed Seven and they got loads more
support from TV and Radio" complains Delirious? keyboard player Tim Jupp.
"Radio One just won't play our records!"
They've had three
Top 20 UK singles, US album sales of over 200,000, have
just packed out Brixton Academy and kept it real on the main stage at
Glastonbury. There's just one problem - Delirious? are evangelical
Christians.
Blame Runrig and
metallist God-brothers Stryper, but Christianity and rock
has a manky pedigree and, while claiming cred influences like Radiohead, the
Manics and The Verve, Delirious? will sing lyrics like “Friend and saviour
/
Jesus’ blood never fails me.”
“Christianity
is something we’re into,” admits singer Martin Smith. “But you
can apply the words to lots of situations, even having problems with your
girlfriend.”
But they do have
a secret weapon to get onto Top Of The Pops – Men Behaving
Badly star Neil Morrissey is their number one fan. “He doesn’t hold
any of
our beleifs,” says Jupp, “but he loves the music.”
As well as campaigning
for them to get on the Zoe Ball show, Morrissey
introduced them at Glastonbury. And when did they play? Sunday morning,
naturally.
(JOHN MULLEN)
[Spurious? would
like to thank Gill Rickson from Herts, UK for bringing this
to our attention]
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****
Sarong Incident ****
Chris Bajkiewicz says, "I was at the d: gig at the "house Party"
at Irvine,
CA. The boys did a spendid job of all the tunes. The real ?? I have is, WHAT
WAS MARTIN WEARING?? It looked alot like a nearly full-length skirt, all red
and
designed-up...
I admit I'm a
bit limited in knowing what is new, hot and current. Please
enlighten us. Besides, if somebody doesn't, there were a few Americans at
the Party a bit taken aback by the 'skirt'... Gringos are a bit sensitive on
these matters..."
Spurious? would
like to assure everyone that Martin is not a cross-dresser
(at least, not in public) and that he was, in fact, wearing a gentleman's
sarong, which is indubitably, undeniably, 100% fashionable. A-hem.
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****
Re: Tribute ****
Craig had this to say, "the tribute was very nice. Moving, even. Thank
you."
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****
Poetic Praise ****
What do you guys think of this? Let us know and if any of you have anything
worth saying, it may very well appear in the next dnews.
_____________________
During the Soul Survivor main worship sessions I had a chance to sing some
more "lively" and "youthful" songs than we did at my old
church (a
Vineyard). I also found myself analysing their lyrics and stuff like that
(english student trying to keep in practice) and I found a startling divide.
It seemed like, to me, the only decent songs were written by delirious? or
Matt Redman.
I'm *not* talking
spiritually, or musically, *only* lyrically. But some
songs were just corny, or pointless, or never really went anywhere (some
songs were rubbish lyrically but awesome in practice, eg Dancing Lord and
the one that went 'You Have Opened a way to the father / where before we
would never have come). The old Cutting Edge songs appeared so far in
advance of the other songs, despite their age, were more poetic in their
praise. And when they were simplistic, they were simplistic but carried
awesome force, eg "I've Found Jesus, I've Found Jesus, I've Found Jesus,
I've Found Jesus." I'm concentrating more on d: to keep it on topic, but
Matt Redman's tunes were just as brilliant (particularly The Heart Of
Worship) and highlighted the fact that those with true talent are being
blessed by God to write tunes for OUR generation, the broken generation, the
generation who need God the most.
What can one say but HALLELUJAH?
Just a further
thought: If the Cutting Edge lyrics are perfect for this
generation, what generation will the Mezzamorphis lyrics fit? Man, I wanna
be part of that generation!!!
_____________________
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****
Lyric of the issue ****
"What are
you so scared about?
I said you'd never be without Me
What are you so scared about?
What could be so scary?"
- Scary, by Tree, from the album '63'
- about how nothing is impossible with God and things we worry about are
really, truly spurious. with God on our side, what is there to be scared
about?
Please feel free
to contribute your favourite lyric. If you don't, I'll just
keep using my favourite lyrics. Just mail adam@spurious.org
and I'll deal
with it.
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****
d:end? ****
Here ends another quality issue of dnews. And let me say....good luck to all
those awaiting results of their lovely exams. And remember: God doesn't need
exams....so what are you so scared about? What could be so scary?
God Bless from the Spurious? team,