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By David F. Dawes
“IT’S exciting!” said Jon Buller. The worship pastor of Vernon Alliance Church had just been
asked to describe what it felt like to be an independent Christian musician in
his community.
His enthusiasm is shared by several musicians BCCN spoke to recently – all of them from B.C.’s Interior.
Over the past decade or more, the Thompson-Okanagan region has been home to a
particularly thriving community of artists who express Christian faith through
music.
Some, like Salmon Arm’s Greg Sczebel, have produced only a few CDs, but have garnered prominent
awards. Others, like British expatriate Kelowna resident Graham Ord, have
produced numerous albums, but remain relatively low-profile in the mainstream
context.
Buller said his enthusiasm was, to a large extent, based on public response to
his music. “In recent years, there has been an increasing validity and credibility in being
an artist.”
“I think it’s a good time,” concurred Tracy Fehr of Summerland, who recently released her first CD. “Respect for independent musicians is growing.”
Norm Strauss, a veteran musician who runs the Canada West School of Worship in
Kelowna, appreciates the liberty permitted by his independence from record
companies.
“I have the freedom to play gigs where I choose – whether it’s in a church or in a bar. I can play at worship fests – and also folk clubs, which have nothing to do with a church.”
“More and more artists are realizing that the big label deal isn’t necessarily the best way to go,” said Corey Doak of Kelowna, who just released his fifth album. Companies, he
said, don’t always have musicians’ best interests at heart. “Artists don’t necessarily get a lot of promotional help.”
Heather Clark of Kamloops has been a one-woman worship music industry for many
years. Being independent, she said, “is not an easy road to go. You’re sort of reinventing the wheel.” Administrative work, she said, “pretty much sucked the life out of me. I wound up exhausted.” As a result, she recently signed to a label.
Doak stressed the importance of smaller communities making a significant
contribution to contemporary worship.
“It’s great when Brian Doerksen writes a song for the church across Canada. But it’s also important for a place like Kelowna to have a unique voice speaking into
the community.”
All of BCCN’s interviewees agreed there was a lot of creative activity among Christian
musicians in the Okanagan region.
“The areas I am familiar with are Kelowna and Vernon,” said Buller. “I’m still getting to know folks around the greater Okanagan area. There are many
great contributors in this region.”
“In Kelowna, there’s a lot of good musicians, and local worship teams,” said Clark. “I’d like to say I interact with a lot of them – but not really, not as much as I would like. In Kamloops, there’s not a lot of activity.”
“I’ve been in the classical world for many years,” said Fehr. “I’m starting to move more in Christian circles. In Summerland, I’ve met some worship leaders. I’m working toward doing more concerts.”
Strauss said he sees “a tremendous amount” of interaction. “This area is rife with talented people.” He hastened to add: “I don’t only hang out with Christian artists. There’s a community of artists in Kelowna which is quite tight-knit.”
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“Some of the best artists out here are Christians, or come from that background” said Doak. However, he cautioned: “If you call yourself a ‘Christian artist,’ some venues won’t book you. But there’s lots happening here.
“The Canadian Christian music scene is a small world. I haven’t done a lot of co-writing; but I’ve worked with Starfield, Greg Sczebel and Jon Buller. We kind of play in each
other’s bands. There’s a kindred spiritedness. That’s how you build community among artists – based on friendship, not on trying to start a ‘music scene.’”
“It’s been very meaningful building relationships,” said Doak. However, he noted, the Christian community “has not fully embraced the arts, beyond Sunday mornings. But I think a lot of
Christians ‘get it’ on an organic level.” Churchgoers, he said, “need to stand behind their artists – and not just those who call themselves ‘Christian artists.’ A lot of artists feel disenfranchised by the church. They feel like odd ducks.
I think it’s important to affirm them.”
All of those interviewed said they still felt motivated to accomplish meaningful
things through their art, and to keep progressing personally.
“My latest single from my upcoming CD is called ‘There’s a Life,’” said Buller.
“The song is about finding hope in our lives, about not giving up. I hope to
bring that sense of hope to others.” He added: “I want to always grow spiritually, and progress musically.”
“As you get older, I think you become a better craftsman,” said Doak. “I’m touring full time, and making a living. I feel a real sense of accomplishment.”
However, he noted, popularity is not as important as making an impact. “Some gigs for 30 people mean more to me than some I’ve played to a few thousand.”
Musically, said Clark, “I just try to be true to whatever season I’m in. Spiritually, it’s a huge goal of mine to always stay hungry. A lot of worship musicians love
music first, and worship is an avenue to express that. Music only facilitates
worship for me. I’m a worshipper first, a musician second.”
Fehr said she hoped “to glorify God through music, and to reach out to non-Christians. He’s called me to make a difference.”
“I want to keep growing as an artist, keeping true to what I think God has put in
my hands to do,” said Strauss.
“Selling a lot of CDs is not important. What’s important is to keep growing in the Lord, and to be more like Christ.”
January 2010
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