02/26/08: Positive Music & Arts Magazine
With the launch of Greg Hansen's new Positive Music & Arts blog-mag, the LDSMusicNow Blog is being closed. For the latest going on with Greg, please visit the PM&A website.
01/15/08: Musician's Alert
To My Fellow Musicians
from Greg Hansen, record producer
Perhaps the thing of most practical importance to any musician-whether singer, songwriter, player, composer, studio musician or live performer-is to be heard. The second is to build an audience; a fan base, a network of people who are in a position to give opportunities, a buying public, or clientele that hires you. Whether just starting out, or a long-time veteran, these two needs are always paramount.
The music industry has been undergoing a fundamental change over the last two decades. It is more sweeping and all-inclusive than the invention of the printing press, which changed society beyond all that had gone before. Suddenly the Bible, poetry, arts and information were available to everyone; not to just an aristocratic elite.
The internet and technology have changed our industry even more than the printing press-and we are only at the tip of the iceberg. The economy of music is shifting from brick and mortar stores to online sales at an exponential rate. Since we are involved with it on a daily basis, it is not easy to see how far-reaching these fundamental changes are becoming.
Recently, opportunities in the regional music industry have been severely limited. The existing major labels have been trimming and cutting, trying to adapt, reacting to an unpredictable marketplace. Production budgets have been slashed; and talented artists let go in droves to flounder on their own.
But visionary artists and performers will recognize that a proactive plan, rather than a reactive one, will result in long term success.
That opportunity is here. Gaylen Rust, who has been in the LDS marketplace for decades, has provided a vehicle that will do just what is needed.
YourLDSNeighborhood.com
YourLDSNeighhborhood.com is a brilliant, innovative concept that will change the distribution of values-centered art like never before. It is an online mall that looks like the mall down the street. It’s attractive, familiar interface captures the entire audience; the techno-savvy young and the barely mouseable core consumer. No matter where they live, a consumer can get anything they need from this central site.
It is NOT exclusive-not run by a limited group of individuals that want to control the world. There is a place for the beginner and the established veteran. It is a central location for all things creative and good, with a massive marketing budget for your benefit, and a mere pittance of cost to be involved.
Music Studio Directory
Imagine a yellow pages directory of all the creative artists in the church, all in one place. For a mere $75 PER YEAR, you can be listed in the Music Studio directory, with a link to your own website-in three categories of your choosing-and benefit from over $150,000 in advertising. Numerous other ways to promote your work exist as well. The established professionals will enjoy greater name recognition and see their hard earned reputations enhanced, while those starting out will have a place to be heard. You can succeed on your own merits and skills, and not by the whim of a few top individuals.
In addition, there are the following benefits:
1. An online song jukebox allowing songwriters and performers to upload song demos for $5 each, that can be voted on by the public. Top songs will be heard by industry professionals looking for new material and artists. The public will give vital feedback to help you improve. Finally, there is a level playing field for new songs and performers, and a way to get them heard.
2. Festivals, concerts, Cd’s and music products are continually sponsored by YourLDSNeighborhood.com, creating the very opportunities we all need in our careers.
3. Marketing, radio and reviews previously unavailable to most artists are suddenly within reach-whether you are an artist with one Cd to your name, or one the biggest in the business. Marketing is the fertilizer that makes musicians grow, and makes opportunities flourish.
4. Finally, the network of fellow musicians we all enjoy will have a home more than a once-a-year gathering. We can benefit from the fellowship of our artistic community continually, through articles, interaction, advice, tips and commentary, and events found on YourLDSNeighborhood.com.
Don’t Blow It
I implore you to not let this opportunity pass by. At the very least, call Melane Page: 888-792-5113, fork up the ridiculously cheap $75 fee and enjoy more chances for success than ever before. Don’t let your music drown in a sea of procrastination!
from Greg Hansen, record producer
Perhaps the thing of most practical importance to any musician-whether singer, songwriter, player, composer, studio musician or live performer-is to be heard. The second is to build an audience; a fan base, a network of people who are in a position to give opportunities, a buying public, or clientele that hires you. Whether just starting out, or a long-time veteran, these two needs are always paramount.
The music industry has been undergoing a fundamental change over the last two decades. It is more sweeping and all-inclusive than the invention of the printing press, which changed society beyond all that had gone before. Suddenly the Bible, poetry, arts and information were available to everyone; not to just an aristocratic elite.
The internet and technology have changed our industry even more than the printing press-and we are only at the tip of the iceberg. The economy of music is shifting from brick and mortar stores to online sales at an exponential rate. Since we are involved with it on a daily basis, it is not easy to see how far-reaching these fundamental changes are becoming.
Recently, opportunities in the regional music industry have been severely limited. The existing major labels have been trimming and cutting, trying to adapt, reacting to an unpredictable marketplace. Production budgets have been slashed; and talented artists let go in droves to flounder on their own.
But visionary artists and performers will recognize that a proactive plan, rather than a reactive one, will result in long term success.
That opportunity is here. Gaylen Rust, who has been in the LDS marketplace for decades, has provided a vehicle that will do just what is needed.
YourLDSNeighborhood.com
YourLDSNeighhborhood.com is a brilliant, innovative concept that will change the distribution of values-centered art like never before. It is an online mall that looks like the mall down the street. It’s attractive, familiar interface captures the entire audience; the techno-savvy young and the barely mouseable core consumer. No matter where they live, a consumer can get anything they need from this central site.
It is NOT exclusive-not run by a limited group of individuals that want to control the world. There is a place for the beginner and the established veteran. It is a central location for all things creative and good, with a massive marketing budget for your benefit, and a mere pittance of cost to be involved.
Music Studio Directory
Imagine a yellow pages directory of all the creative artists in the church, all in one place. For a mere $75 PER YEAR, you can be listed in the Music Studio directory, with a link to your own website-in three categories of your choosing-and benefit from over $150,000 in advertising. Numerous other ways to promote your work exist as well. The established professionals will enjoy greater name recognition and see their hard earned reputations enhanced, while those starting out will have a place to be heard. You can succeed on your own merits and skills, and not by the whim of a few top individuals.
In addition, there are the following benefits:
1. An online song jukebox allowing songwriters and performers to upload song demos for $5 each, that can be voted on by the public. Top songs will be heard by industry professionals looking for new material and artists. The public will give vital feedback to help you improve. Finally, there is a level playing field for new songs and performers, and a way to get them heard.
2. Festivals, concerts, Cd’s and music products are continually sponsored by YourLDSNeighborhood.com, creating the very opportunities we all need in our careers.
3. Marketing, radio and reviews previously unavailable to most artists are suddenly within reach-whether you are an artist with one Cd to your name, or one the biggest in the business. Marketing is the fertilizer that makes musicians grow, and makes opportunities flourish.
4. Finally, the network of fellow musicians we all enjoy will have a home more than a once-a-year gathering. We can benefit from the fellowship of our artistic community continually, through articles, interaction, advice, tips and commentary, and events found on YourLDSNeighborhood.com.
Don’t Blow It
I implore you to not let this opportunity pass by. At the very least, call Melane Page: 888-792-5113, fork up the ridiculously cheap $75 fee and enjoy more chances for success than ever before. Don’t let your music drown in a sea of procrastination!
The following tales are all based in fact, However, the author’s perception of the facts may be original in order to protect the
innocent from the author’s original facts.
Introduction
In the heart of Utah’s eastern prairie, next door to the Rocky Mountains, and just before the Great Empty Desert and the Oquirrh Range, lies “Utah’s New Frontier”-Eagle Mountain.
Eagle Mountain is a place like no other. It was carved out of the desert by developers on a city-wide scale, much like the early settlements that birthed most towns along the Wasatch Front in Brigham Young’s day.
But unlike Brigham’s day, people had to be enticed to live there, rather than called by a prophet. Whatever means that could be devised to that end was used. And like the era of the Westward Expansion, all manner of folks came-rugged individualists, the self-made and the self-employed, independent fringe thinkers, people with a past to escape; animal lovers, those that don’t like living in their neighbor’s faces, and those who like getting more home for less money to live their version of the American Dream.
The Mother Development
In the Heart of Eagle Mountain lies the Mother Development-the one that came before all the rest-Cedar Pass Ranch. Split into five-to-eight acre parcels of rabbit bush, rock and sagebrush, it was billed as a horse owner’s paradise. Trails crisscross the entire area for horseback riding, and wide shoulders allow for critters along the roads. It even has a community horse arena next to the local LDS chapel.
Nowhere else can compare to Cedar Pass Ranch-an Island of Individuality in a Sea of Status Quo. When I first moved here, our bishop told us we had found the Backwater of the Church. According to the dictionary, a backwater is an eddy away from the main current in a river. That is a fitting description for the colorful, extraordinary, and unique individuals who have chosen to live here. It’s full of genuinely good folks, who can occasionally drive each other a little crazy.
Meet the Wild Bunch
There is the short, spunky president of the Relief Society Horseback Riding club, for instance. She’s 76 years old and still rides. Nothing can break her native cheerfulness. Recently she sent the grandkids to muck out the stalls. Later checking on their work, she saw they had missed some spots. She got in the pen and started cleaning up the leftovers. Her young colt saw the gate open when her back was turned, and in his hurry to escape, knocked our dear president to the ground. She ended up with 3 cracked ribs, a broken foot and a lot of bruises. My wife and I visited her in the hospital. Bright-eyed and optimistic as ever, she said she only needed one thing-a picture to put by her bedside. Not of her grandkids, but of her beloved horses!
The Good Bishop
Our Bishop calls himself the Church’s only “Special Needs” Bishop. He’s an athletic old leathery-faced Wyoming cowboy and ex-marine captain who looks like a skinny John Wayne, but gave up horses for long-distance bicycling. Somehow a suit doesn’t seem natural to him. His wit and tall tales would brighten many a campfire, and there’s no escaping that grin as wide as the sunrise, with his overpowering country down-home friendliness.
He once attended a stake bishop’s meeting in the hot summer. To his way of thinking, when it’s time to get to work, you take off your suit coat and roll up your sleeves, so that’s what he did. Pretty soon he noticed none of the other bishops had taken off their jackets. So he passed a note around that said-
”Studies show that people wearing suit coats are 50% less likely to come up with any good ideas.”
The grins from the other bishops resulted in a friendly chastisement from the Stake President.
The Outfitter
We have a professional Elk Hunt Outfitter in the ward. For a long time, he used his property to raise trophy elk to then be released on his private hunting reserve. Their antlers were so large, a steady stream of onlookers would drive by just to see the magnificent creatures otherwise so elusive in the wild.
Once, when The Outfitter was out of town, the elk broke down the fence and escaped. Each one of those critters was worth about $5000, and to lose one would be disastrous. Not to mention the problem that could result if one were hit down on the main highway.
Within minutes of the escape, a posse of 17 hard-riding women had saddled up their horses and were hot on the trail. The men were gone to work, so the only fellow was a home-schooled teenage wrangler. It took some time, because rounding up wild elk with huge horns that could shred a horse in a second was no easy task. But they got the job done, and The Outfitter arrived back home a few days later as if nothing had happened. They make Real Women out here.
The One and Only Doc
Then there’s Doc, one of the first to arrive here, making him a member of the Cedar Pass Ranch Founding Fathers. Doc is from the South, with the accompanying gentlemanly drawl and masterful storytelling abilities of his kind. He tells of the day he was off in town running errands, when his wife called him on the cellphone in a panic.
“There’s an 8-foot rattlesnake in the driveway!” she shouted.
“Dear, I am eight miles away from home-just what exactly do you want me to do about it right now?” he said.
“She exclaimed: “I want you to come home and make sure it’s dead, because I’ve run over it with the car 12 times!”
Till Next Time
So folks, you don’t have to go to the verdant hills of Scotland, or the historic halls of London, to get a glimpse of the lives of the Saints in in exotic places. All you have to do is paddle out to Cedar Pass Ranch, The Backwater of the Church, where we Value Diversity and Celebrate Common Purpose. I’ll be sending in updates by Pony Express rider to Meridian, so you may share in our grand experiences.
innocent from the author’s original facts.
Introduction
In the heart of Utah’s eastern prairie, next door to the Rocky Mountains, and just before the Great Empty Desert and the Oquirrh Range, lies “Utah’s New Frontier”-Eagle Mountain.
Eagle Mountain is a place like no other. It was carved out of the desert by developers on a city-wide scale, much like the early settlements that birthed most towns along the Wasatch Front in Brigham Young’s day.
But unlike Brigham’s day, people had to be enticed to live there, rather than called by a prophet. Whatever means that could be devised to that end was used. And like the era of the Westward Expansion, all manner of folks came-rugged individualists, the self-made and the self-employed, independent fringe thinkers, people with a past to escape; animal lovers, those that don’t like living in their neighbor’s faces, and those who like getting more home for less money to live their version of the American Dream.
The Mother Development
In the Heart of Eagle Mountain lies the Mother Development-the one that came before all the rest-Cedar Pass Ranch. Split into five-to-eight acre parcels of rabbit bush, rock and sagebrush, it was billed as a horse owner’s paradise. Trails crisscross the entire area for horseback riding, and wide shoulders allow for critters along the roads. It even has a community horse arena next to the local LDS chapel.
Nowhere else can compare to Cedar Pass Ranch-an Island of Individuality in a Sea of Status Quo. When I first moved here, our bishop told us we had found the Backwater of the Church. According to the dictionary, a backwater is an eddy away from the main current in a river. That is a fitting description for the colorful, extraordinary, and unique individuals who have chosen to live here. It’s full of genuinely good folks, who can occasionally drive each other a little crazy.
Meet the Wild Bunch
There is the short, spunky president of the Relief Society Horseback Riding club, for instance. She’s 76 years old and still rides. Nothing can break her native cheerfulness. Recently she sent the grandkids to muck out the stalls. Later checking on their work, she saw they had missed some spots. She got in the pen and started cleaning up the leftovers. Her young colt saw the gate open when her back was turned, and in his hurry to escape, knocked our dear president to the ground. She ended up with 3 cracked ribs, a broken foot and a lot of bruises. My wife and I visited her in the hospital. Bright-eyed and optimistic as ever, she said she only needed one thing-a picture to put by her bedside. Not of her grandkids, but of her beloved horses!
The Good Bishop
Our Bishop calls himself the Church’s only “Special Needs” Bishop. He’s an athletic old leathery-faced Wyoming cowboy and ex-marine captain who looks like a skinny John Wayne, but gave up horses for long-distance bicycling. Somehow a suit doesn’t seem natural to him. His wit and tall tales would brighten many a campfire, and there’s no escaping that grin as wide as the sunrise, with his overpowering country down-home friendliness.
He once attended a stake bishop’s meeting in the hot summer. To his way of thinking, when it’s time to get to work, you take off your suit coat and roll up your sleeves, so that’s what he did. Pretty soon he noticed none of the other bishops had taken off their jackets. So he passed a note around that said-
”Studies show that people wearing suit coats are 50% less likely to come up with any good ideas.”
The grins from the other bishops resulted in a friendly chastisement from the Stake President.
The Outfitter
We have a professional Elk Hunt Outfitter in the ward. For a long time, he used his property to raise trophy elk to then be released on his private hunting reserve. Their antlers were so large, a steady stream of onlookers would drive by just to see the magnificent creatures otherwise so elusive in the wild.
Once, when The Outfitter was out of town, the elk broke down the fence and escaped. Each one of those critters was worth about $5000, and to lose one would be disastrous. Not to mention the problem that could result if one were hit down on the main highway.
Within minutes of the escape, a posse of 17 hard-riding women had saddled up their horses and were hot on the trail. The men were gone to work, so the only fellow was a home-schooled teenage wrangler. It took some time, because rounding up wild elk with huge horns that could shred a horse in a second was no easy task. But they got the job done, and The Outfitter arrived back home a few days later as if nothing had happened. They make Real Women out here.
The One and Only Doc
Then there’s Doc, one of the first to arrive here, making him a member of the Cedar Pass Ranch Founding Fathers. Doc is from the South, with the accompanying gentlemanly drawl and masterful storytelling abilities of his kind. He tells of the day he was off in town running errands, when his wife called him on the cellphone in a panic.
“There’s an 8-foot rattlesnake in the driveway!” she shouted.
“Dear, I am eight miles away from home-just what exactly do you want me to do about it right now?” he said.
“She exclaimed: “I want you to come home and make sure it’s dead, because I’ve run over it with the car 12 times!”
Till Next Time
So folks, you don’t have to go to the verdant hills of Scotland, or the historic halls of London, to get a glimpse of the lives of the Saints in in exotic places. All you have to do is paddle out to Cedar Pass Ranch, The Backwater of the Church, where we Value Diversity and Celebrate Common Purpose. I’ll be sending in updates by Pony Express rider to Meridian, so you may share in our grand experiences.
12/28/07: The Ultimate iPod
Here is The Definitive Explanation of why you should consider getting an iPod, or other mp3 player. I call this line of reasoning the Big Picture. (An iPod is that device that is attached to the ears of most teenagers these days-usually it’s plugged in when they’re not on their cellphones. They can listen to music, and watch movies on the latest ones, and download all of that stuff from their computers.) The following is a Mostly Authoritative Gospel Explanation why you should get one too, especially if you fit the category of an Old Person, which nowadays is anyone over 40. If you are, don’t worry- Old People get Righteous Stuff for their iPods-like the Book of Mormon mp3’s, music, movies, and the latest news podcasts.
The Reality
Slogging thru the jungle perimeter of the Parana River, ankle-high rubber boots filled with leech infested water, and a downpour soaking our overcoats and straw hats, I had but one thought: there had to be a better way to track down obscure missionary referrals than this.
It was 1978 in Paraguay. My missionary coping mechanism was so highly developed that I would ponder deep and eternal things while under the most adverse conditions.
We had gotten a name and general location out in the jungle of a family that was interested in the gospel, but directions in a place where only trails and trees existed were dubious at best. We had boarded a broken down bus; we were tossed around in it going over a single lane mud road for hours, standing bent over most of the way; riding with the goats and chickens and good peasant folk packed like sardines in a rusty can, until finally reaching the general destination area.
After disembarking, we asked the few people present if they knew the family, got some pointers and soon found ourselves in the inconvenient situation above. We were fortunate enough to find the family, give a well received discussion, and have a bit of dinner with them. Later we would find ourselves escorted by rifle packing soldiers and thrown in jail, as suspected drug traffickers. After spending the night in jail, and giving a fine first discussion to the jailer, we were released when they located the men they were really looking for. All this time my mind was working on other things.
The Unrealized Ideal
I pondered how God was going to have the gospel preached to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, in their own language. I surmised that something would have to be invented akin to the Star Trek TV show communicators. Almost thirty years later, the beginnings of that have appeared. It was simply not possible to reach so many people in such remote areas with mere manpower then, or even now. Media had to be the answer.
The White Stone
From “Who Am I”, a book by Elder Alvin R. Dyer, come these observations:
Unto John the Revelator on the Isle of Patmos where he was imprisoned, was given certain information about a "white stone" that will be given to each soul who is assigned to the celestial kingdom: "To him that over-cometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
The Prophet Joseph Smith explains, as he is led to do so by the power of the spirit, the meaning of the white stone to be given those who are entitled to receive it. Said he: "the white stone mentioned in Revelation, 2:17, will become a urim and thummim to each individual who receives one. Whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known; and a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word."
The importance of the "white stone" is more fully understood when it is realized that the presence of God, where angels reside, is "on a globe like a sea of glass and fire." Here all things for the glory of those who dwell in this presence are manifest,—"past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord. The place where God resides is a great urim and thummim. This earth in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a urim and thummim to the inhabitants that dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's." (Dyer, Alvin R. “Who Am I”, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City Utah, 1966.
The Ultimate iPod
So here I am thirty years later, after composing countless film scores, Cds and music of all kinds, trying to further the music used in media to bring the gospel to the world, and inspire those who've already found it.
I have my iPod and I know how to use it. But I want the kind that is the universal translator, the crystal ball that sees past, present, and future; the ultimate communicator with all life and matter, the revealer of all truth and knowledge.
And the best part is that my White Stone Ultimate iPod will have my name on it-no one else can use it-and no one else will know my secret password. It will be custom made to fit me personally- how I think, my own personality, my dreams and desires-much more that just my music.
So, if I eventually want to have the Ultimate iPod, I better learn to use one right now while it’s still relatively easy. Maybe those teenagers aren’t so weird after all. They’re not the ones being dragged kicking and screaming into the future. A good Urim and Thummin could come in handy.
Greg Hansen is a record producer, writer, and horseman. To find out more about him, visit his website: www.greg-hansen.com
The Reality
Slogging thru the jungle perimeter of the Parana River, ankle-high rubber boots filled with leech infested water, and a downpour soaking our overcoats and straw hats, I had but one thought: there had to be a better way to track down obscure missionary referrals than this.
It was 1978 in Paraguay. My missionary coping mechanism was so highly developed that I would ponder deep and eternal things while under the most adverse conditions.
We had gotten a name and general location out in the jungle of a family that was interested in the gospel, but directions in a place where only trails and trees existed were dubious at best. We had boarded a broken down bus; we were tossed around in it going over a single lane mud road for hours, standing bent over most of the way; riding with the goats and chickens and good peasant folk packed like sardines in a rusty can, until finally reaching the general destination area.
After disembarking, we asked the few people present if they knew the family, got some pointers and soon found ourselves in the inconvenient situation above. We were fortunate enough to find the family, give a well received discussion, and have a bit of dinner with them. Later we would find ourselves escorted by rifle packing soldiers and thrown in jail, as suspected drug traffickers. After spending the night in jail, and giving a fine first discussion to the jailer, we were released when they located the men they were really looking for. All this time my mind was working on other things.
The Unrealized Ideal
I pondered how God was going to have the gospel preached to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, in their own language. I surmised that something would have to be invented akin to the Star Trek TV show communicators. Almost thirty years later, the beginnings of that have appeared. It was simply not possible to reach so many people in such remote areas with mere manpower then, or even now. Media had to be the answer.
The White Stone
From “Who Am I”, a book by Elder Alvin R. Dyer, come these observations:
Unto John the Revelator on the Isle of Patmos where he was imprisoned, was given certain information about a "white stone" that will be given to each soul who is assigned to the celestial kingdom: "To him that over-cometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
The Prophet Joseph Smith explains, as he is led to do so by the power of the spirit, the meaning of the white stone to be given those who are entitled to receive it. Said he: "the white stone mentioned in Revelation, 2:17, will become a urim and thummim to each individual who receives one. Whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known; and a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word."
The importance of the "white stone" is more fully understood when it is realized that the presence of God, where angels reside, is "on a globe like a sea of glass and fire." Here all things for the glory of those who dwell in this presence are manifest,—"past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord. The place where God resides is a great urim and thummim. This earth in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a urim and thummim to the inhabitants that dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's." (Dyer, Alvin R. “Who Am I”, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City Utah, 1966.
The Ultimate iPod
So here I am thirty years later, after composing countless film scores, Cds and music of all kinds, trying to further the music used in media to bring the gospel to the world, and inspire those who've already found it.
I have my iPod and I know how to use it. But I want the kind that is the universal translator, the crystal ball that sees past, present, and future; the ultimate communicator with all life and matter, the revealer of all truth and knowledge.
And the best part is that my White Stone Ultimate iPod will have my name on it-no one else can use it-and no one else will know my secret password. It will be custom made to fit me personally- how I think, my own personality, my dreams and desires-much more that just my music.
So, if I eventually want to have the Ultimate iPod, I better learn to use one right now while it’s still relatively easy. Maybe those teenagers aren’t so weird after all. They’re not the ones being dragged kicking and screaming into the future. A good Urim and Thummin could come in handy.
Greg Hansen is a record producer, writer, and horseman. To find out more about him, visit his website: www.greg-hansen.com
12/27/07: A New Voice with a Firm Mission
Sara Bethany Ham
A New Voice with a Firm Mission
by Greg Hansen
A New Voice
Sara Bethany Ham may be one of the first truly new artists to hit the LDS market in years. Youth and parents who've heard her debut album, Wanna Be Brave, seem to bubble up adjectives like a fountain-”youthful, fresh, vibrant, sincere, upbeat, and wholesome-just what we've been wishing for.”
Sara, now 20, has been singing for years, and has always wanted to perform music that would uplift and inspire people. She was featured as a soloist on Jenny Phillip's theme albums, and toured with Jenny's group. Sara's warm, sincere and youthful voice is slightly reminiscent of Christian artist Nicole Nordemann. Memorable tracks include the title cut “Wanna Be Brave”, “Bring On the Rain”, “Awake”, and several new never-before recorded songs by noted LDS songwriters. It breaks the mold on what has gone before, yet is never inappropriate.
A Firm Mission
“I wanted young people to know they can still be cool without lowering their standards,” says Sara, who grew up in California. Her album is positive, motivating, and filled with powerful messages of faith, testimony and courage, with a sound both youth and parents will love. Look for it wherever LDS music is sold, online or in stores, or visit her website, www.SaraBethanyHam.com.
A New Label
Wanna Be Brave represents the first release of the new positive music label, Eagle Springs Records, owned by multi-award winning producer Greg Hansen and Pearl Award-winning engineer Steve Lerud. Eagle Springs produces music that is positive, refreshing, and multi genre-not necessarily tied to any single religion or sound. It is the next step of progression in music that appeals to a broad values-based audience. Its mission is to “create music that is excellent, edifying, and entertaining, leaving the listener better for having heard it.”
More to Come
The next Eagle Springs release, now in production, is a moving, beautifully orchestrated collection of original songs by veteran songwriter Julie Baird, entitled His Tender Care. Julie writes passionately, theatrically and emotionally, and the vocal credits read like a who's who list of top industry performers-Jenny Jordan Frogley, George Dyer, Barry Hansen, Jeff McLean, Jessie Clark Funk, David Osmond, Daniel Beck, Summer Smart,-and Crystal Thibodeau, a new name on the scene from Las Vegas.
Perhaps one of the most powerful songs on His Tender Care is a new version of “The Touch of the Master's Hand”, done in a completely fresh, original musical setting, that brings a renewed life to the message of the familiar poem. Projected release of the project is February 2008.
Taken together, these albums represent a substantial new direction- a firmly committed move toward a new genre of positive music.
To learn more about Greg Hansen, visit his website: www.greg-hansen.com.
A New Voice with a Firm Mission
by Greg Hansen
A New Voice
Sara Bethany Ham may be one of the first truly new artists to hit the LDS market in years. Youth and parents who've heard her debut album, Wanna Be Brave, seem to bubble up adjectives like a fountain-”youthful, fresh, vibrant, sincere, upbeat, and wholesome-just what we've been wishing for.”
Sara, now 20, has been singing for years, and has always wanted to perform music that would uplift and inspire people. She was featured as a soloist on Jenny Phillip's theme albums, and toured with Jenny's group. Sara's warm, sincere and youthful voice is slightly reminiscent of Christian artist Nicole Nordemann. Memorable tracks include the title cut “Wanna Be Brave”, “Bring On the Rain”, “Awake”, and several new never-before recorded songs by noted LDS songwriters. It breaks the mold on what has gone before, yet is never inappropriate.
A Firm Mission
“I wanted young people to know they can still be cool without lowering their standards,” says Sara, who grew up in California. Her album is positive, motivating, and filled with powerful messages of faith, testimony and courage, with a sound both youth and parents will love. Look for it wherever LDS music is sold, online or in stores, or visit her website, www.SaraBethanyHam.com.
A New Label
Wanna Be Brave represents the first release of the new positive music label, Eagle Springs Records, owned by multi-award winning producer Greg Hansen and Pearl Award-winning engineer Steve Lerud. Eagle Springs produces music that is positive, refreshing, and multi genre-not necessarily tied to any single religion or sound. It is the next step of progression in music that appeals to a broad values-based audience. Its mission is to “create music that is excellent, edifying, and entertaining, leaving the listener better for having heard it.”
More to Come
The next Eagle Springs release, now in production, is a moving, beautifully orchestrated collection of original songs by veteran songwriter Julie Baird, entitled His Tender Care. Julie writes passionately, theatrically and emotionally, and the vocal credits read like a who's who list of top industry performers-Jenny Jordan Frogley, George Dyer, Barry Hansen, Jeff McLean, Jessie Clark Funk, David Osmond, Daniel Beck, Summer Smart,-and Crystal Thibodeau, a new name on the scene from Las Vegas.
Perhaps one of the most powerful songs on His Tender Care is a new version of “The Touch of the Master's Hand”, done in a completely fresh, original musical setting, that brings a renewed life to the message of the familiar poem. Projected release of the project is February 2008.
Taken together, these albums represent a substantial new direction- a firmly committed move toward a new genre of positive music.
To learn more about Greg Hansen, visit his website: www.greg-hansen.com.
With the release of Sara Bethany Ham’s debut album, Wanna Be Brave, Eagle Springs Records has launched an exiting new presence in the inspirational/positive music arena.
Owned by award-winning producer Greg Hansen, and 4-time Pearl award-winning engineer Steve Lerud, Eagle Springs Records has created a new sound that is positive, fresh, upbeat, wholesome and sincere, that appeals to people of all faiths, with its own brand of values centered music. None of the material is specific to the LDS market alone.
“Life-affirming messages and inspirational music are not the realm of the Saints only, but to all people of values, whether or not they embrace an organized religion.” said Hansen.
A multi-tiered mentoring program is in place on Greg’s website: www.greg-hansen.com, that encompasses everything from personal song reviews to full artist and album concept and creation, promotion, marketing and concert production, for those deemed ready for independent production. Possibilities include singles, mini-albums, full Cd’s or potential signing to Eagle Springs Records for top artists Greg discovers. Retail and distribution channels are also made available to those Greg endorses. Instructions can be found in the Latest News section of Greg’s website.
Owned by award-winning producer Greg Hansen, and 4-time Pearl award-winning engineer Steve Lerud, Eagle Springs Records has created a new sound that is positive, fresh, upbeat, wholesome and sincere, that appeals to people of all faiths, with its own brand of values centered music. None of the material is specific to the LDS market alone.
“Life-affirming messages and inspirational music are not the realm of the Saints only, but to all people of values, whether or not they embrace an organized religion.” said Hansen.
A multi-tiered mentoring program is in place on Greg’s website: www.greg-hansen.com, that encompasses everything from personal song reviews to full artist and album concept and creation, promotion, marketing and concert production, for those deemed ready for independent production. Possibilities include singles, mini-albums, full Cd’s or potential signing to Eagle Springs Records for top artists Greg discovers. Retail and distribution channels are also made available to those Greg endorses. Instructions can be found in the Latest News section of Greg’s website.
A five-man film crew, a host of neighbors, and several soon-to-be famous horses belonging to Eagle Mountain resident Greg Hansen, will be featured in a 9 second video to be shown during a General Authority’s address during LDS October Conference.
Daniel K. Jones, a Seventy, and Counselor in the General Sunday School Presidency, will speak during the second Sunday session of conference. The video was requested mere days before the broadcast itself. By the end of the day of the request, the location had been scouted, two young Henderson brothers were cast in their parts, along with two horses and four wranglers to be ready in case the halter less horses ran off while unrestrained. It was filmed in the Schoonover family’s back yard.
The video features two young brothers shaking a bucket of grain to attract two horses in a distant unfenced pasture. The horses stop grazing and run over to the boys to be caught and haltered.
“Having played as an extra in many LDS Church productions, I had always wished my horses would get their own big break in film” said head wrangler and ranch owner Greg Hansen. “That time has finally come. Lucky and Fraz will now be seen by 13 million people. That kind of exposure for an average, everyday horse is exceptional without winning a national championship of some kind” acknowledged Hansen.
The horses performed beautifully and did their job in a mere 3 takes. They did not run off while grazing in the unfenced area, and came enthusiastically when called by the boys. The Henderson boys were convincing and professional; completely natural actors.
“Such an experience, filmed right here in our own backyards, unites the people here like only our annual Neighborhood Rodeo does.’” said Hansen.
The results will be a vivid glimpse of life in Cedar Pass Ranch for
Conference viewers.
Daniel K. Jones, a Seventy, and Counselor in the General Sunday School Presidency, will speak during the second Sunday session of conference. The video was requested mere days before the broadcast itself. By the end of the day of the request, the location had been scouted, two young Henderson brothers were cast in their parts, along with two horses and four wranglers to be ready in case the halter less horses ran off while unrestrained. It was filmed in the Schoonover family’s back yard.
The video features two young brothers shaking a bucket of grain to attract two horses in a distant unfenced pasture. The horses stop grazing and run over to the boys to be caught and haltered.
“Having played as an extra in many LDS Church productions, I had always wished my horses would get their own big break in film” said head wrangler and ranch owner Greg Hansen. “That time has finally come. Lucky and Fraz will now be seen by 13 million people. That kind of exposure for an average, everyday horse is exceptional without winning a national championship of some kind” acknowledged Hansen.
The horses performed beautifully and did their job in a mere 3 takes. They did not run off while grazing in the unfenced area, and came enthusiastically when called by the boys. The Henderson boys were convincing and professional; completely natural actors.
“Such an experience, filmed right here in our own backyards, unites the people here like only our annual Neighborhood Rodeo does.’” said Hansen.
The results will be a vivid glimpse of life in Cedar Pass Ranch for
Conference viewers.
08/24/07: Latest Projects and Upcoming Features
Greg's most recent project being completed is Sara Bethany Ham's album: Wanna Be Brave, due out in September, and a missionary show tour to the Dallas and Fort Worth Missions on October 26th and 27th.
We are adding minus tracks and a host of new artists to our mp3 sister site: LDSTunesNow.com. With enhanced features and accessibility, and soon to be added categories on LDSMusicNow.com, it will be easier than ever to find what you're looking for.
We are adding minus tracks and a host of new artists to our mp3 sister site: LDSTunesNow.com. With enhanced features and accessibility, and soon to be added categories on LDSMusicNow.com, it will be easier than ever to find what you're looking for.
A concert tour featuring well-known Utah inspirational musicians and local Canadian talent will be coming to several cities in Alberta in June.
The show is called “An Evening of Music and Inspiration” and will feature vocalist Jessie Clark Funk, guitarist Michael Dowdle, singer/songwriter Sam Payne, vocalist Sara Bethany Ham, and local songwriter Sara Lyn Baril, from Raymond.
The concert will be hosted by noted LDS producer Greg Hansen, and will include music, storytelling and fun audience participation. It will be the first time a show of this kind has come to the Alberta area. It will be sponsored by Beehive Books, Sounds of Zion Records, and Generations Bookstore.
“We’ve been all over the States doing shows for years, but have never had the chance to go to Alberta,” said singer Sam Payne. “The shows are lots of fun, and have positive, uplifitng music, and we enjoy most of all getting out with the local folks and having a great evening together.”
Tickets are $10-$12, available at:
Cardston Bookshop (403) 653-4222
Carriage House Theatre, Cardston (403) 653-1000
Broadway Boutiques, Raymond (403) 752-4226
Beehive Books in Calgary (403) 249-8124 or 225-9557
Generations LDS Bookstore, Edmonton (780) 413-0392
Keystone Books, Lethbridge (403) 327-7411
Oliver’s LDS Books, Lethbridge (403) 328-4010
Shows:
Wednesday, June 6th, Raymond, 7pm
Raymond Theatre (Community Centre)
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Thursday, June 7th, Cardston, 7pm
Carriage House Theatre
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Friday, 8 June, Edmonton 7:30pm
Timms Theatre at the U of A
___________________________________________________________________
Saturday, June 9, Calgary, 7pm
Orpheus Theatre, S.A.I.T. Campus
For more information, please call 1-800-591-9993
The show is called “An Evening of Music and Inspiration” and will feature vocalist Jessie Clark Funk, guitarist Michael Dowdle, singer/songwriter Sam Payne, vocalist Sara Bethany Ham, and local songwriter Sara Lyn Baril, from Raymond.
The concert will be hosted by noted LDS producer Greg Hansen, and will include music, storytelling and fun audience participation. It will be the first time a show of this kind has come to the Alberta area. It will be sponsored by Beehive Books, Sounds of Zion Records, and Generations Bookstore.
“We’ve been all over the States doing shows for years, but have never had the chance to go to Alberta,” said singer Sam Payne. “The shows are lots of fun, and have positive, uplifitng music, and we enjoy most of all getting out with the local folks and having a great evening together.”
Tickets are $10-$12, available at:
Cardston Bookshop (403) 653-4222
Carriage House Theatre, Cardston (403) 653-1000
Broadway Boutiques, Raymond (403) 752-4226
Beehive Books in Calgary (403) 249-8124 or 225-9557
Generations LDS Bookstore, Edmonton (780) 413-0392
Keystone Books, Lethbridge (403) 327-7411
Oliver’s LDS Books, Lethbridge (403) 328-4010
Shows:
Wednesday, June 6th, Raymond, 7pm
Raymond Theatre (Community Centre)
__________________________________________________________________
Thursday, June 7th, Cardston, 7pm
Carriage House Theatre
___________________________________________________________________
Friday, 8 June, Edmonton 7:30pm
Timms Theatre at the U of A
___________________________________________________________________
Saturday, June 9, Calgary, 7pm
Orpheus Theatre, S.A.I.T. Campus
For more information, please call 1-800-591-9993
04/23/07: Alberta 2007 Concert Tour
The Sounds of Zion Alberta 2007 Concert Tour, called An Evening of Music and Inspiration, will feature prominent LDS musicians Jessie Clark Funk, Michael Dowdle, Sam Payne, Sara Bethany Ham, Jim Funk, and local Canadian songwriter Sara Lyn Baril. The shows will be produced by Greg Hansen, and will be in Raymond, Alberta, Canada, on June 6th; Cardston on June 7th, Edmonton on June 8th, and Calgary on June 9th.
Contact Beehive Books in Cardston, or in Calgary, for local venue information, show times and ticket prices.
Download Concert Flyer
Contact Beehive Books in Cardston, or in Calgary, for local venue information, show times and ticket prices.
Download Concert Flyer