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Fireflight’s lead vocalist Dawn speaks with cmaddict contributor Jon Fisher about their latest album “Now”
1. Your last album was titled “For Those Who Wait” and the new album is title “Now.” Is there any significance to that juxtaposition?
We didn’t set out to create one, but in the end I suppose it’s a pretty big coincidence, lol. Truly, the message of FTWW was for those who felt stuck in a waiting game, to look deep and see how God was working in the midst of our troubles. Now is a call to take action: to rise above, break free, and defeat the things inside of us that hold us back. Because this life is about more than living in the past, this world needs us to take back our lives, so that we can be light to those who are still in the dark.
2. Did you approach this album differently musically than past albums?
We wanted to turn up the intensity musically, to create music that cultivated the feeling of urgency in our hearts for the message that we felt God had given us.
3. What is the significance of the symbol on the front cover of the album?
We created a symbol to be the mark of what we are encouraging to become a movement…to promote the feeling that there is a force we can join with the power of Now.
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4. Was this the first time you worked with Jasen Rauch?
This is our first album ever with our friend Jasen Rauch (RED). We had an incredible time working with him and are very excited to be a part of his burgeoning career as a record producer.
5. Your new album seems like you took your sound in a new direction. Can you tell me how your sound has evolved?
We didn’t try to take our sound in a new direction per se, we just wanted to take it to a new level. We’ve added a lot of new electronic elements and have worked hard to express a new openness and raw honesty in our lyrics.
6. Tell me about the new video for “Stay Close.” How was this different than the previous videos that you shot?
We used a producer named Kip Kubin, who we’d had been delighted to work with earlier on the short-form interview video for “What Ive Overcome.” He did an incredible job with that one, so we were excited to see how a full-blown music video would go. We weren’t disappointed! It was my first time playing a fully developed separate character, which was pretty challenging, but we are very happy with how it all turned out.
7. You had the same line-up since 2002 until 2011 when Phee left. How did you transition with his departure? Do you still keep in touch with him?
Phee left us to pursue a speaking ministry on his own, but we stay in touch all the time. God led us quickly to our new drummer Adam McMillion, and he has been an incredible addition to our team.
8. Tell me about your “Stay Close” tour.
The “Stay Close” tour is going strong, with Rapture Ruckas, Cory Lamb, and Devin Williams. We’ve got stellar production that we’ve never traveled with before, and the shows have been awesome so far.
9. Who would you list as your musical influences?
30 Seconds to Mars, Foo Fighters, Def Leppard, and Juliana Theory, among others
10. What is one thing about Fireflight that people might not know that they should know?
We answer all of our own messages online on. Feel free to write us!
11. What scripture would you consider to be most meaningful/influential to you?
2 Cor. 1:3-4
” 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ” God has comforted me through all of my trials, and I believe He has done so to help me be an encouragement to others.
12. Are there any particular missions or outreaches that you are passionate about?
We are strong supporters of World Vision and The Legacy of Hope International. We also support Hello Somebody and To Write Love On Her Arms.
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Synopsis:
Seven Days in Utopia is a heartwarming drama film based on David L. Cook’s book, Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia. The movie stars Lucas Black as Luke Chisholm, a talented young golfer who experiences a professional meltdown during a tournament.
After his breakdown, Luke finds himself stranded in the small town of Utopia, Texas, where he meets Johnny Crawford (played by Robert Duvall), a wise and eccentric rancher who also happens to be a former professional golfer. Over the course of seven days, Johnny mentors Luke, teaching him valuable life lessons and helping him find his true purpose on and off the golf course.
The film beautifully explores themes of faith, redemption, and personal growth, all set against the backdrop of the serene and picturesque landscape of Utopia. It’s a story about second chances and finding one’s way back to the heart of what truly matters.
PG
1 Hour 38 Minutes
Release Date: 2011
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After twenty years as Newsboys lead singer, Peter Furler goes solo with his debut project “On Fire”. CMADDICT Contributor Cara Fisher asks him about his new album and life after Newsboys.
You toured with Newsboys for two decades, was it difficult adjusting to “normal” life?
What’s normal life? [laughs] I don’t think I know what that is? Life to me is so strange. But I’ve adjusted very well. I’m having the greatest time of my life.
When you left the Newsboys, did you still plan on writing songs?
No, I didn’t have any plans. It took quite a while to make the transition. And I was kind of in it for the long haul. So we obviously had plans for me to be behind the scenes for a while, and I was. But Mike came out and road the bus for thirty or so shows, kind of caught the vision, and then we made the switch, and I was behind the scenes for a while. But then it became really apparent to all of us, it’s time for them to walk on their own two feet, without me being some sort of puppet master behind it.
So that kind of set me free and not knowing what I was going to do. One of the biggest misconceptions is that I left the Newsboys to go do a solo record, which is just crazy; I would have never done that. But anyway, after that I didn’t know what I was going to do. So I kind of roamed around the Earth for a bit and slept in my own bed and did a bit of painting and surfing. I stayed busy, but just kept off the road. I didn’t know what I was gonna do.
What inspired you to write and release your solo record, On Fire?
Well, I had Steve Taylor come around my house. As most folks know he’s a guy that I’ve written over a hundred songs with. And I had a bunch of tunes that over the years- every time you make a record you have songs left over or songs that didn’t fit the record or songs that weren’t finished, and so I had a few songs. And Steve came around and said, “What are we gonna do with these tunes?” And I said, “I don’t know; I’m up for anything. The only thing I don’t want to do is a solo record.” And I said, “We’ll work them out; let’s finish them up. I’ll do it if you’ll sing them,” I said to Steve.
So I went into the studio with Steve and we pulled in Jimmy Abegg and John Painter, and we began to make a record, which is coming out sometime maybe late this year or early next year. It got a bit of a hiccup in the middle of it, because of Steve having to do the Blue Like Jazz movie, which was great so we were all for that.
So while he started to take off and do that, I just kept writing. And I think it was really my wife, Summer, she really sort of encouraged me, “You’re a singer; you’re a songwriter; you need to use the gifts that God’s given you, and I really want to hear you sing again.” It was really that. So I just began to kind of work on some songs and chip away at it. And the next minute I’ve made a record, and here it is.
Did you play most of the instruments on the album?
Yeah, it was actually Seth Mosley and myself. I usually played a lot of the instruments on the Newsboys’ records- something most folks don’t know. I played the drums and usually a bit of the bass and a bit of guitar and keyboards and stuff. So that wasn’t a big change. And Seth’s a great musician, so he played a lot of the guitars and keyboards too. It was a lot of fun.
What is your favorite song on the album?
I don’t have a favorite. But the song that comes to mind when you asked that, I guess I’ll go with that one, is probably “Glory To The King.” It’s one of my favorites. Yeah, I’m not sure… it’s when I go and play a few of them live that they become something different. We’ll see what happens.
What do you hope people take away from the album?
I hope they really catch the fire of freedom and encouragement, that’s what songs are meant to be for. Life- just encouragement I think is a big one, especially in the world that we’re living in now and the way things are. It’s easy to get down so, I think they walk away stirred up.
Peter Furler “Reach” Music Video
Do you plan on touring for this album?
Yes I do!
Do you think you’ll cover any Newsboys’ songs?
Yes I will! I’ve already done a couple of shows already and just played the favorites. They’re parts of me, so it’s very natural for me to sing them live.
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Grammy Award winner and multiple Dove Award recipient Rebecca St. James, talks with CMADDICT Contributer Grace Thorson about her lead role in “Sarah’s Choice”, her Pro-Life tour, and upcoming new music.
Thanks for being with us today.
No worry. No worry.
With the release of Sarah’s Choice in November of 2009, what was it like acting in your first starring role?
I loved it! It was one of my favorite creative things that I’ve done in my life. I found it very fulfilling, and I’ve wanted to act, actually, since I was eight (laugh). I wanted to be in the Sound of Music. So, it was kind of fun to invest in an awesome lead role that I’ve wanted to do since I was a child. It was challenging, you know, I had a crying scene on day two of filming.
It was emotional – huge – in that I’m playing an unmarried, pregnant girl having pressure to have an abortion. But it was just very, very fulfilling. And now, having the movie out, and hearing the response has been incredible, and traveling around the country doing pregnancy fund-raising events and showing the film. It’s beautiful to see how, like music and the movie can come together in these shows and really encourage people to support crisis pregnancy centers. It’s been a wonderful, wonderful journey.
Awesome. We know you did a lot of research for the film. How did that affect your role?
Well, you know, I actually kind of started researching, I suppose, before I even knew about the film. I got involved with a crisis pregnancy center in L.A. through a couple of friends and went to a few fund-raising events and really encountered the ministry and some of the girls that were being ministered to. So, really, the role that I was playing, I was researching before I even knew it. And then, I was meeting these girls who were unmarried and pregnant. So then when I was asked to audition for Sarah’s Choice and got the role, I knew who to go to. I went to the pregnancy center and said, “Load me up on materials, so I can really get into the mind and heart of a girl who is in this situation.”
I think the thing that really came through to me in my research is how much pain and pressure and fear these girls are feeling. And so even though I hadn’t been through anything like a crisis pregnancy exactly, I had definitely experienced pressure and extreme amounts of fear and pain in my life. So I brought that to the table in the film, and I think that gives some of the emotion that you see on screen.
Having played in several roles before, do you plan on continuing to pursue acting?
Yeah, I love it! I was the kid, when I was growing up, that loved to play pretend (another laugh), and get dressed up, and was always getting my five younger brothers into something dramatic. So, yeah, it’s wonderful. I love it.
Right now I’m also working on a new book and we’re talking about a new album, and I’m singing. I’m doing a couple of shows a week. So it’s kind of a few different fingers in different creative pies, but the films that I’ve been involved with, I’ve really enjoyed. And I believe in the message of them, so I’m just praying that if God wants me to continue in this stream of art and creativity that He will continue to open up the doors.
Yeah, definitely. What is the message that the film conveys?
A few different messages: Obviously the pro-life mission is something I’m very passionate about, and so, kind of highlighting the work of pregnancy centers and encouraging people to choose life. That is probably the main thrust of the movie.
I think second to that would be the message of forgiveness, because a lot of women have dealt with the abortion issue directly and have gone through agony because of it. And so they need to know that there’s forgiveness, and all us need the reminder of the forgiveness of God that is offered to each of us. Because we’ve all made mistakes. That’s a powerful theme.
And then love. Just showing compassionate love to women in Sarah’s situation. I just think that’s something that people will walk away from feeling compassion for her, and, hopefully, for people that they encounter in their lives. Hopefully, they will show that kind of love to others that they meet.
How are you spreading the message?
Well right now were doing about two or three crisis pregnancy fundraising events a week. We were just in Maine this last week and Texas the week before. Three shows in each place. We’re doing kind of these movie and music nights. Some nights we’ll show the entire film and also do an hour of music.
We also have a ten minute version of Sarah’s Choice. Sometimes we’ll show that and do a longer set. It’s just been really cool we’re fundraising in that way, letting offerings or sponsorships of pregnancy centers to continue to invest in what they’re doing.
We’re also doing a quite a lot of pregnancy center banquets, so that’s been really, really cool to see a response to those events too.
What kind of response have you received?
Really what I’ve been overwhelmed by is how grateful these pregnancy centers are for support. Just really glow when they realize that they’re being supported. They’re just so grateful. I really encourage everyone to get around and support their local pregnancy centers, because the work that they’re doing is so amazing and so needed. It really means being Jesus’ hands and feet in loving the broken.
We as a church need to rally around them. When you think what’s going on politically in the nation and just alot of attack on pregnancy centers really. We need to rally around them like never before.
We’ve heard the promise of new music. Is there an album in the near future?
(Laughs) I know I’ve been talking about a new album for a while now. It’s actually looking like it’s closer than ever before. I’ve been writing for a new album for probably nine months to a year. I’ve got new music; it’s just a matter of getting into the studio. As you can tell, there’s a lot of other things that have been going on. Right now, we’re talking about this summer… studio time.
Do you plan on touring full-time for your next album?
Probably not. I’ve left many years of my life on the road. I think we’ll probably be continuing what we’re doing now, which is doing, select dates across the country. So, probably a couple of shows a week. That kind of thing. That seems, I think, more conducive to .… being involved in different avenues of creativity that I’m involved in now.
Do you have any closing thoughts?
I think the big thing that I feel like God’s teaching me in my life right now is to keep my hands open. In a place of kind of trust instead of clinging to what I want or trying to control things. I think that’s kind of the theme that He has been reminding me of a lot. Rebecca, keep your hands open and trust Me and live out that trustful relationship moment by moment.
Thanks Rebecca, it was great talking with you.
Good talking to you too.
Sure! God bless and we look forward to hearing new music.
Thank you. Keep us in prayer for that.
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