The first time I heard the Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus on the radio, I
dismissed them as yet another delirious? clone, a modern rock/worship hybrid
all too common these days. But then I saw them live and I saw what the band
was about. Their short CDs full of 4-minute songs are expanded in live
worship, letting the music flow out of the Holy Spirit. Yes, they may be
rock stars, but they use all of their rock 'n' roll might to bring glory to
God. This week we have a review of their humble beginnings at a live show in
1998, where the rock and worship first became a circus. Also enjoy new
reviews of new band Mourning September and an interview with Thousand Foot
Krutch this week on cMusicWeb.com.

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LIVE AT TOMFEST - THE ROCK 'N' ROLL WORSHIP CIRCUS (1999)
by Hollie Stewart

"Cool. Dig it. Let's do it."

This is the call Gabriel Wilson, front man of a worship band from Evangel
Christian Fellowship in Longview, WA, gives to begin the set at Tom Fest
'98. He begins leading 2,000 people in a worship service of proportions
often only seen in traditional church services.

The Rock n' Roll Worship Circus has been leading worship for their local
church since 1995, long before Welcome to the Rock n' Roll Worship Circus
ever hit bookstore shelves. Live at Tomfest was the first collection of
worship songs they had written for the members of their congregation. The
festival was recording it, so the Circus took the live feed, refused to
overdub a thing, and crafted an album—giving away the first 1,000 copies.
They wrote on their CD jacket, "The Lord told us that He freely gave these
songs to us and that we are to give freely to others what He has given
freely to us. You may also make as many copies of this recording as you want
to..." This is why Live at Tomfest holds a beauty often unseen in modern
recordings; it's quite unprofessional yet raw in worship. The audience is
heard very easily, and Wilson responds to the crowd, saying things like,
"That's right, lift up a shout of praise." He urges the makeshift
congregation to worship God in freedom and not to fear what other people
might think, because "this whole room of people is not looking at you, man.
They're looking at Jesus." Listeners can enter the tent with this crowd from
the past and still enter into God's presence today.

Six songs comprise this recording, including a beautiful rendition of the
Doxology. Two songs reflect a battle theme both lyrically and musically.
"Watch On the Cities" calls out, "Who's gonna fight in the great big battle
/ Who's gonna fight in the great big war / Who's gonna fight in the great
big battle / Who's gonna sing the song of the Lord?" Here worship is equated
with warfare. "Battle Hymn" continues the fight with words like, "We are
calling children back to their borders / His Word has been revealed now the
Spirit's sword is shining / The shofar has been raised and the victory
banner's flying." By referring to the shofar, the instrument used to lead
the children of Israel into the fight, battle lines are drawn in the
atmosphere. Heavy drums by Zurn Praxair and vicious bass lines by Solo's
father "Shaggy" Mike Greely add to the warfare theme. After the battle comes
the cry, "Mercy triumphs over judgment." There are additional words to this
song ("Holy Spirit") listed in the jacket, but the band only sings this
phrase to reflect a powerful truth of Scripture. They then cry for unity to
reach the church in the song "Freedom." They ask for God to come down and
break the chains of fear that can bind us up and keep us from worshiping
Him. The culminating track, recorded in traditional studio format, speaks of
God's forgiveness and thanks Him for it: "So here, I have come, and I am
thankful / That You, You have cleansed all my sin / So I'll climb to the
tops of the mountains / And I'll sing to the world that there's forgiveness"
("Forgiveness").

Rough instrumentation, reflective of a live recording, appears throughout
the record. Wilson often dictates to the band when a verse is to be
repeated, sometimes the BGVs aren't completely lined up with the lead
melody, and someone who's nitpicky could critique the balance of the
instruments. But this rough sound helps produce the album's charm. Live at
Tomfest cannot be labeled as an over-produced CD; it holds a musical honesty
that hasn't been seen in a long while thanks to advanced sound equipment.
Live at Tomfest is an excellent freshman release for a matured band. It
avoids fluff and fashion to center in on worship, and that foundation has
held The Rock n' Roll Worship Circus' song-writing and recording ever since.

Find out more about The Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/worship/worshipcircus


MORE NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM

Interview: Thousand Foot Krutch
http://cMusicWeb.com/hardrock/thousandfootkrutch/interview.shtml

Review: A Man Can Change His Stars - Mourning September
http://cMusicWeb.com/modernrock/mourningseptember/mancanchangehisstars.shtml

Review: Welcome to Diverse City - Tobymac
http://cMusicWeb.com/hiphop/tobymac/welcometodiversecity.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

PURCHASE THIS MUSIC AND MORE AT GRASSROOTSMUSIC.COM:
http://www.grassrootsmusic.com/?associateid=249

GREATEST HITS: 1986-2004 - AMY GRANT
Despite the fact that most of us do not really like her, there is no denying
that Amy Grant has left an indelible mark on Christian music. This disc
features some of her most popular songs as well as a couple new ones. Now we
just hope it means she's retiring after two years of attempting to re-enter
Christian music.

I CHOOSE YOU - POINT OF GRACE
Point of Grace is yet another act that has left their mark on 90s Christian
music. Those who are stuck in the 90s will probably enjoy this AC/pop disc.

LIVE IN ST. PAUL - FERNANDO ORTEGA
Fernando Ortega recently released his best disc yet, and this DVD should go
great with it. Although it was really recorded in the St. Paul suburb of
Roseville, there's no doubt the auditorium full of Minnesotans enjoyed a
performance from this inspirational/folk mainstay.

SHARE THE WELL - CAEDMON'S CALL
Definitely the PICK OF THE WEEK, the only way to describe this album is
unique. Caedmon's made trips all over the world and even recorded there.
From Brazil to India and elsewhere, they met with believers and musicians
from all over the world and recorded the album with them and their stories.


Thanks for reading this week's cMusicMail, and we'll be back next week with
even more great content. If you have any comments or questions, please reply
to this e-mail or send them to webmaster@.... We'd love to hear
from you!

Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
AOL IM - dMusicWeb