http://music.thoughtquotient.com Music is amazing. In a way it is like mathematics, order arising out of disorder, harmony emerging from dissonance. And yet it carries and translates emotion like no other means of communication we know. Logic and emotion fused in some mysterious divine equation. Music is everywhere. It is an undeniable part of our lives and it is possibly the most popular medium for entertainment and communication. The styles are as diverse and numerous as are cultures in our world. Differences and preferences are debatable, but it is universal that certain songs resonate with our hearts and personally affect us. For that reason, we have created and devoted this page to artists or groups that write and perform music that impacts the listener through the power of their lyric, message and mood. We want to shine a light on those that stand out and are worthy of attention in a music industry that often loses its way. Coming soon - insights into some of the best music of our generation including... Avalon, Bethany Dillon, Ginny Owens, Shaun Groves, Watermark and many more! en-gb music.thoughtquotient.com Sat Jun 5 23:30:50 2004 feedback@thoughtquotient.com http://music.thoughtquotient.com/bethanydillon/musicquotient_home_rectangle.jpg http://music.thoughtquotient.com/bethanydillon/bethanydillon.htm We recently met Bethany Dillon and had an opportunity to chat and learn more about her... "I want to awaken in my generation something that's been dead. I want to make the Word flesh and blood for my generation, to show them that living out the Gospel is something greater and more mysterious, with more adventures than we've learned." http://music.thoughtquotient.com/watermark/watermark.htm We recently had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Watermark and learning more about them.... Watermark is: husband and wife duo of Nathan and Christy Nockels. Releasing three studio albums since their first major label release on Rocketown Records in 1998, they have shared their songwriting talents by crafting songs of very accessible and often personal lyrics that seem to strike a chord with the listener. Nathan's musicianship and production skills blend with Christy's strong vocals and expressive song interpretations to produce a refreshing style and sound. http://music.thoughtquotient.com/alathea/alathea.htm We recently got to interview Alathea and here's the scoop.... Carrie Theobald (accordion, wind instruments, vocals), Mandee Radford (guitar, vocals), and Cristi Johnson (mandolin, percussion, vocals) "These songs tell the simple story of our lives, sung out as creatively and honestly as we know how to be. From the images and instrumentation to the recording and photography, we tried to keep everything true to the passion of the songs and their setting in the mountains of East Tennessee." http://music.thoughtquotient.com/avalon/avalon.htm We recently had the privilege of interviewing Melissa and Jody of Avalon.... MQ: Do you have a mission statement? Jody: Our mission statement has always been, of course, to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people through music. It sounds plain and simple but it is plain and simple. I think it's the way He meant it to be. So, that's our first priority. It's also been a big deal of ours to portray excellence in our music as well. I think if we're going to give God something, it needs to be excellent...it needs to be as flawless as it can be. Of course He's the only thing that is true perfection but we are obligated to give God our best and we try that. And we also have a desire to really...when we go into these situations....to try and be servants. It's tough because a lot of times we are the ones who are being served. Christian arists kind of get catered to a lot with people saying, 'Oh you're so great.' We just want to go into any concert or situation like this and say 'Look -whatever we can do to help you'...that's a big deal for us. So our mission statement is three fold: the cause of Christ - to further the Gospel, to do what we do with excellence, and to be servants - to be faithful to the ministry. http://music.thoughtquotient.com/shaungroves/shaungroves.htm We didn't ever really listen to music in my house. It's kind of weird. We had a Bill Cosby record and an Elvis record and that's it! (laughing) Oh, we had Buddy Holly 'cause we're from Texas so you've got to listen to Buddy Holly. I didn't come from a musical background at all. I never sang as a kid. I never dreamed of standing on the stage with a guitar. It just sort of snuck up on me. In middle school, I started playing the saxophone just cause I had to have an elective. And we had an old saxophone in the attic that an aunt or uncle would play. So, I did that. In high school, Chicago, Richard Marx, and all these love song guys started happening and they were all playing piano so I thought, 'You know, I bet my date life would improve if I could play the piano.' So I started playing piano by ear and of course it didn't work at all for me. I still had a hard time on Friday nights. And in college I studied music composition and religion and started picking up a little bit of guitar here and there. After that, I moved to Nashville and worked for a publishing company for a while and did all kinds of things. I sold electronics at night - worked for free at this publishing company - basically just a gopher - and I was a janitor at my church. I did all kinds of jobs. I was trying to write songs for other people. I felt like I was writing pretty decent songs - they eventually made it on my records - but people weren't interested in recording them. Finally, someone said, 'We'd like to help you do this on your own - we'd like you to sing it,' which was weird because no one ever told me I had a good voice. Even when I sang in church they'd tell me, 'That was a good song,' and I'd go, 'Okay'...(laughing) So, that's what I do. I don't consider myself a great musician. I write songs and that is what I'm good at. No one else will record them so it's kind of left up to me...you know? (laughing