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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Mark Schultz Mark Schultz tells stories
about people or events that he has experienced and have in turn inspired
and moved him. While his genre is definitely different, Mark Schultz’ thoughtful
and sometimes whimsical lyrics remind one of storytellers from the past
such as Roger Whitaker or a souped-up version of modern day musician extraordinaire
Michael Card.
MyselfSchultz says often before concerts someone comes up to him and calls him Ross, alluding to the verse in the song that says, Now I'm runningThe song which he created at the urging of producer Monroe Jones is a song he refers to as whimsical, yet serious. He says it is a reflection of his own life and pokes fun at the busyness of life. As you listen to the song it sounds a lot like something Chris Rice would have written which is not surprising since they both have worked with Jones. ”Monroe Jones is like a mad scientist or a painter who paints on the wall. What is really interesting about him is you never see what is happening while it’s going down. He will just throw a bunch of colors down and use his hands to start smearing the colors all over the place. When you are working on a song you say this makes no sense to me whatsoever. Towards the end of the project he puts on two more brush strokes and you say to yourself this makes sense. He’s unbelievable that way.” ”Letters from War” is a song that derived its inspiration from the entries in his grandmother’s World War II diary when she had three sons serving in the military. The song resulted in a general at the Pentagon invited Schultz to film a DVD in the courtyard of the Pentagon to encourage the troops. Mark Schultz tries to capture the same intimacy on stage that can be found in his lyrics. He refers to himself as a relational performer. He says, “It’s just like visiting with a friend and if something isn’t registering with them you just move on and talk about something else or you find something that you have in common.” Something else that Schultz does that breaks the mold of most performers is he keeps the house lights up in order to see the faces of the people in the audience. He says it allows him to get a better read on whether or not there is a connection between audience and performer. If necessary, he adjusts his show accordingly. This superbly talented musician and songwriter says that it is when he is writing songs that he feels most connected to God. He compares it to taking his hands off the wheel and letting God lead. Schultz says the fact he writes his own material allows him to live out his songs on stage. He can recall the circumstances or events that led to a particular song being created. Schultz, a modern-day story teller, says, “I’m moved by real life events that I feel should be brought, exposed and turned into art.” By Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved This material may not be redistributed without prior written permission from Joe Montague. Joe Montague is an internationally published journalist / photographer. His ministry is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven at the age of 18. All copyright and distribution rights remain the property of Joe Montague.
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