Hi Friends!

It's finally ready!


Photos from Backstage at the Doves!
http://pages.prodigy.com/doves

Below are quotes from backstage at the Doves that Michelle
kindly typed up for us.

In Joy! Diana

From: kreutner@... (kreutner)
Subject: Christian Music: More Backstage comments!

Hey,

You asked for it, so here are some more comments from the
artists backstage at the Doves!

THIRD DAY's MAC POWELL -

On being on Exodus:

"I don't know about the artistic part. We just kind of
rocked the
song. There wasn't much art to it. Don (President of
Rocketown Records)
called us and we were really excited, but we didn't have
time to
come up with our own song. When I lead praise and worship
in high school
we always did Agnus Dei which Michael wrote and such a
wonderful song.
We did that and had a great time doing it. Nominated for
Rock Song
Of The Year."

On working with Michael W. Smith as Producer:

"Oh! I get that one! Being in a rock band usually go in and
like with
vocals, it's not like I'm this incredible singer, but
usually it's pretty
easy for me. I go in and sing a few passes and I'm done.
Going in with
this Michael wanted it perfect, so I'd sing it and he'd go,
'No, no, no
do that one again. No, it's a little flat. Do it again.'
And was in
their for 8 hours doing vocals, which was really weird for
me. So he
pretty much kicked my tail. But I'm going to get him back.
One day
I'm going to produce something he sings on."

CINDY MORGAN -

On being on Exodus:

"My part of the record started just as writing. Michael had
this piece
of music that actually he had written for his girl, Emily.
It's
just a beautiful piece of music. He had the melody and he
had a title,
'Make Us One'. I took it back to Canada and worked on the
lyric and
it ended up being a song, just on unity and how children are
so, you
do something and they immediately forgive you. That kind of
unity that
could be accomplished in people and adults. It was so much
fun."

On What's next:

"I'm currently about to into the studio to do another record
with Word and
finishing up the tour for The Loving Kind. This easter
season we are
finishing up a strained year."

CRYSTAL LEWIS -

"'Salvation Belongs To Our God' was really a song that I was
not familiar
with, that Don and Michael aquainted me with. I was just so
thrilled to
be part of something that is really directed toward a new
generation
that needs to learn what it means to worship. My son goes
to a Christian
school, he's 5. But there is a high school on the campus as
well and
I've been to a couple of their chapel services and to see
these kids
rolling their eyes at a worship. Uninterested and thinking
that
participating is not cool, that needs to be changed. Their
mind set
needs to be changed. I think this album is a really great
way to start
to do that, to start to intoduce them to worship that is
cool, for lack
of a better word. To really introduce them to the true
meaning of praise
and worship. I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

On working with Bono from U2:

"He gave me a big kiss. He was actually incredibly humble
and short, I
was suprised. I was expecting him to be tall and mean and
errogant.
He walked up and introduced himself to everyone and he was
wonderful and it
was a dream."

The Katinas sang a song accapella backstage, just because
the felt like it. It was so great!

THE W'S -

These guys are totally hyper. There were pillars on the
stage and
they about tipped them over along with the pyramids of Coke
cans
on the stage. They were constantly walking around and
wouldn't
stand still.

On how they got their name:

"Somebody else named us and we just liked the way a big,
giant W looked
as our band name, so we took it."

On touring with DC Talk:

"Good. It's going really good. The crowds are responding
well
and it's exposure for us that we didn't have before. Those
guys are
really nice too, and their manager is really nice."

How they got their break:

"Luck....Frank Tait gave us our break. He signed us.
Actually want
happened was we were asked to come down and play a show with
Five Iron Frenzy and Frank was their and said he really
liked us.
We had "potential". We practiced a lot and now we're here."

POINT OF GRACE:

How it felt to win:

Denise: "You know, we just really feel...blessed doesn't
even seem
like the right word. When you are not expecting it, it's an
even more
sweet memory. We're just sad that our parents didn't even
come this year.
It's just really, really sweet and we are shocked."

Shelly: "I checked the thing again to make sure we really
won."

What's next:

"Well, we are really excited, we are about to start a
Christmas
album, which we've never done before, and we're going to
start in May.
And our summer is kind of full of fairs and festivals and
we've also
been doing the Women Of Faith conferences. It's a wonderful
experiance
for us to be with just to be with a group of women, 14,000
women. To
see them worship the Lord together is a real blessing. We
will be doing
a Christmas tour to promote the record. We are trying to
figure out
who it's going to be with yet."

AVALON -

Do they get along:

"Yes, to well."
"Like brother and sister."
"Just don't be around us when we play cards."

On being nomimated for Artist Of The Year:

"There are so many amazing people on the catagory this year.
It's
only been a little over 3 years that we've been at this so
we still feel
like the new artists because it's so new and they say 'It's
an honor to be
nominated' but it really is. Especially in that catagory."

About their daily walk with GOD:

Jenna: "I think, obviously as individuals we need to work
out our daily
salvation with the Lord. We will be the first to tell you
we did over
230 dates last year and to say everyday was like a glorious
mountain top
would not be true. It's a challenge that anyone faces with
a busy schedule
and a family. You really have to make that a priority,
because what
happens is day by day you get a way from the Lord and then
it's a week
and then it's a month. And we are away from our home
churchs a lot
and our parents help to keep us accountable and bible study
groups.
When we are in town, whether it's Wednesday night bible
study or
Sunday night whatever, we have to find those ways to stay
plugged into
the Lord. It's a challege. We are away from home a lot. I
think
that's something we are all challenged to keep fresh and
keep new
because ultimately that's where our strength comes from."

DAVID MULLINS (Rich's brother): I found this very
interesting.

If there is anything left of Rich's writing:

"Yes, there is some stuff, actually a fair amount of stuff
he has
written through the years. Whether anything will be done
with that,
I'm not sure. Those decisions have not been made yet. If
anything
is done it will be while yet. Very likely. When we can make
sure
the motives are completely pure and not something we can
make money
off on."

CHRIS RICE-

On winning:

"Wow! I did totally, honestly not expect this and it's a
really cool
thing...to have beat my boss, Michael W. Smith. Just
kidding.
Wow! It's really a neat thing. To be honored like this is
really an
honor. How's that for redundancy."

How the kids at the camp react to his success:

"The kids that I work with. I spend a lot of time with the
same
youth groups, I just try to fill my calendar with places I
have
been before for retreats and camps. Really, the kids have
been
great. They are the ones that make fun of me saying,'Oh,
you
thing you're a big rock star. You're not.' They tease me and
that's
really cool because they haven't been overly impressed with
me
and that's what I love about continuing to do work with
them.
Sometimes it's the adults the people I haven't met on the
fan
side of things that comes along with having records out.
And sometimes
they're harder to get the point across, I'm not the big
deal.
The kids haven't changed and that's what I love."

During this time Don Donahue was watching the monitor that
had
the show on. At that moment Michael W. won Artist of the
year
and Don, Derek Jones from Rocketown Records, and Chris Rice
started
cheering.

JENNIFER KNAPP-

On her new album she's working on:

"I'm going into the studio this fall. No producer named
yet.
Definitely I have the cuts to start. Hopefully I will have
a release
out by the end of this year."

In crossing over:

"I don't know. I definitely believe in...when you talk
about crossing
over in people versus a chart, crossing over is something
that I try
to do every day and it's not something marketing I think
about or
try to do on the chart. I haven't nessesarily had a plan to
go into
the general market that I have actually talked about with
anybody.
So we are just kind of hanging out on the CHR chart.
Christian
Music, right now a great example is just being able to hang
out on
the DC Talk tour and we've seen our general market sales go
up.
When you're standing their doing playing my solo acoustic
stuff
and I start watching the lighters go up in the air it tells
me we are
crossing over a bit and that's great."

That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed!

Comments anyone??

God bless!

Michelle




Message From kreutner@... (kreutner)
to Christian Music Mailing List.
************************************************************
**********

From: kreutner@... (kreutner)
Subject: Christian Music: Backstage @ the Doves!

Hey all,

I was backstage at the Doves as press for our Christian Hit
Radio
station here in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa.

I've never seen such a mad house! It was crazy! They
brought back
the artists to our press room after performing and winning.
I heard
they didn't bring as many back to us as the previous year.
The place was crawling with artists and their management and
labels.
It was like one big party.

(Hi Diana! I hope you got home ok!)

Here are some comments from the winners and performers:

MICHAEL W. SMITH -
Here are some backstage comments from our big winner:

"I'm literally blown away. They whole night has been....a
bit
bizzarre. I don't win too many of these, but it's ok. I
always
tell my wife and my kids it's just an honor to be
nominated."

On receiving Artist of the Year for first time:

"I don't know. I know sometimes, whether you want to or not,
you go
throughout the years wondering whether or not you are
supported.
You wonder if anyone will support you if you don't win a
certain
award. But I've gotten to the age where it really doesn't
matter
anymore. I think as you get older you learn what is more
important
in life. And maybe I was overcome with emotion going,
'Golly! They
voted for me!' It took my breath away just for a moment
but...I
survived."

On if he will be producing more:

"Um, I have three projects that I have been dreaming of that
are
involved that have to do with praise and worship. Exodus
was actually
the third one I thought I was going to do. So, now I have
one and two
to do, and I don't know when I will do them, but I will at
some point."

On his busy year last year:

"I'm taking some time off. I'm in the studio right now
making a
record. It's the first time I've really attempted to um (at
this
point his management burst out laughing)....well at least
I'm home, ok?
I'm attempting to deliver an album on time, because I've
never delivered
one on time for the last 17 years. And usually I don't work
very well
that way. I think the pressure has hit me a little bit, for
some reason,
I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm over 40, but it's been
a good thing. But I have over 20 songs on my board. So
we're blazing away.
Hopefully we are going to have a record this fall."

Direction of new album:

"I probably don't have the freedom to say right at this
point.
It's another progression. It's pop, it's not rap, it's not
metal it's
not hard rock. But find somethings I've never done before
which is
alway refreshing, but it's still the pop thing. I grew up
on Elton
John and the Beatles, those are my influences. So to go and
do something
totally different would be out of character. The only thing
I want
to do different at some point is, I've been talking about
doing a
instrumental record for 10 years. So, maybe through
Windham-Hill (sp?)
or something like that we will be able to do that. I can
always
do an instrumental record one day."

On received awards:

"I think when you are young, you're a little green, ya know?
And you're
a bit.....I don't know anybody that doesn't like to get an
award.
And I think you are a little more preoccupied with that when
you are
young, because you are trying to find your nitch and you are
trying to
find you place. As you get older, at least for me, knowing
what my goals
that the things I want to do in my life...it's not to sell
millions of
records, although I think you can be extremely competitive
and you can be a
Godly man and do it all. But I'm more interested in raising
my kids.
I'm more interested in being a great dad and a great husband
than I
am being a superstar. I think I found a place where I can
really do
both...... "

He had more to say on this topic and more, but my tape ran
out and
I didn't notice because I was with someone else at the time.
Sorry!

KIRK FRANKLIN -

Funny guy! He came in behind Smitty and mocked him by
pretending he
was crying and freaking out and saying "Oh my goodness!
It's Michael W.
Smith!!! I can't believe it!"

He also did poses for people in the press room and made
himself look
like he had a big belly and told us it was the Dove Awards
in 10 years.

About being on a Cherrios' box:

"Yeah, that was a blessing for Christian Music. And when I
say Christian
Music I don't see it as black gospel Christian Music. I
consider myself a
Christian artist. That's what I consider myself. For a
Christian Artist
to get a chance for some major corporations behind and
spread the message
it was a blessing. Now days everybody is so scared of us.
We trying to
show the world that we're not all weirdos or fanatics and
we're not
going to blow up your building. To have that opportunity to
have
my face on a box of what somebody's eating in the morning.
It was
General Mills idea to affilate me with Honey Nut Cherrios.
So any
...Frosted Flakes or whatever, Shredded Wheat....

On other awards show press rooms:

"This is fun. This is the only one show that I like doing
press because
The other awards shows I hate doing press. They don't care.
If you're
not Celine or Madonna, or Michael... it's like 'Ok Christian
artist thank
you very much for coming.'"

On his peers in mainstream:

"What I call my peers are doing music that is degrading to
women and
you know, talking about sex and drugs and I can walk into
the same
environement dressed the same way, jeans baggy and baseball
cap on backwards,
and I'm the outsider. I'm the outsider. The beats the same
and the
music is just as funky but because of the lyrical content
you walk into
a room and people treat me like I have a skin disease. That
can
kind of be painful. I'm excited about what I talk about.
I'm proud
of it. I'm very excited about my faith. We're supposed to
be
outsiders. And I find a lot of secular artists that come
backstage
and say, 'I feel the same way, I just never told anybody. I
wanted
to do it like that years ago but my church wouldn't let me.'
A lot
of the secular artists, most are platnum-selling guys that
walk off stage
and saying 'that's the kind of music I wanted to do when I
was in church
and now they are making millions of dollars writing poison.
So if
I can plant a seed and try to show them that you can still
dress a certain
way and look a certain way, but it's matter of the art. If
I can do it
one day at a time, praise GOD for it."

Alright, I'm getting tired. I got home last night at 2am
and had
to get up at 6.

I also have comments from Jennifer Knapp, The W's (talk
about
hyper!), Point Of Grace, Phil Keaggy, Kathy Troccoli,
Chris Rice and others. If you would like me to post some of
their
commments, let me know, k?

It was a great time!

God bless!

Michelle


Message From kreutner@... (kreutner)
to Christian Music Mailing List.



Photos from Backstage at the Doves!
http://pages.prodigy.com/doves



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