When working with others, as part of a group, team, or bouncing something off a colleague, friend, or family member, something happens. Something that’s just different.
This is especially true when creating music.
When I started to get serious about learning the guitar, around the age of sixteen, I can remember practicing in my room for up to 6 hours a day consistently. When I felt I was ready, I sought out other musicians to jam with.
As good as I thought I had gotten at the time, my playing and approach to music in general changed in a big way when I began practicing with another local guitarist who used different chord structures, played different styles and was just better than I was. As before, we worked for hours, matching guitar parts, playing in time with no drummer, and learning songs. As much as I grew as a musician, something else happened. I started to feel the joy and satisfaction of creating with someone else. This led to playing in many bands, standing close together, feeling the tones, sounds, energy, and making eye contact with band mates.
Though I am grateful for those beginnings, they do not compare to the sense of purpose, connection, and relationship I have felt and experienced making music with the Lord Jesus Christ and others over the past 30 plus years.
In 2019, I was asked to participate in a worship night at the Compelled Church Holland, OH campus called Dwell. From the first word spoken and chord played, God’s Spirit was present and moving in a tangible way. I remember that immediately as a team, we started to flow together as one unit. It felt like being carried.
When listening back to the recordings not long after, my attention was drawn to the song “Fall Away.” During this song, it was as though things happening all over the room were focused in an instant with time standing still. Further striking is the cooperation and connection between vocalist Stephanie McCormick and my wife Cindi who played the piano/keyboards, effortlessly moving together like they had played the song all their lives.
Can you hear the connection?
The players:
Stephanie Alison McCormick – lead vocals
Sophia Cazares – background vocals
Cindi Murphy – piano/keyboards
Curtis Klotz – acoustic guitar
Brandon Gribble – bass guitar
Dale Kwapich – drums
Tim Murphy – electric guitar
Bo McGee – live sound, overdubs & mixing for Bo Tunes
Fall Away was written by Jonathon Smith, Mia Fields and Stephen McWhirter for Iron Bell Music
I love it!
Thank you Mary! We love you!
You can definitely tell that it was worshipping together instead of just playing a song together. Glad I was able to be a part of the experience.
Yes! Thank you Bo, we are grateful for the gifts, talents and heart. You captured it.
This was one of my favorite Dwell experiences. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for your leadership Curtis. You prepared us as a team and guided us through the worship time to all God had in store.