Change Font Size:   A A A

Aug 16, 2013 | Merrill Wade

Local Musicians Bring New Facet to Conversations, Worship

Mag_localMusicians1

[Diolog Magazine] The City of Austin takes its music and itself seriously, now making the audacious claim to be the “Live Music Capital of the World!” At St. Matthew’s on the corner of Steck and Mesa in Northwest Austin, our musical claim is more tongue-in-cheek. We call ourselves the “Live Music Capital of Northwest Austin.” Yes, we do offer a lot of live music, in multiple settings and with diverse styles. 

 

Inspired by the visionary encouragement from the Diocese of Texas to find creative ways to connect with people not attending church, St. Matthew’s applied for and received a Strategic Mission Grant from the Quin Foundation and the Episcopal Foundation of Texas. Our desire was to create an atmosphere of creativity and authentic spiritual conversation with local singer/songwriters, (so-called secular musicians) that are well-known in the Austin community. On February 17, 2013, we launched the Soul of a Musician Series on Sunday nights at Spicewood Tavern, a relatively new restaurant a stone’s throw from St. Matthew’s. 

 

We have learned a lot in our first 18 Sunday night gatherings. We discovered, week by week, that the virtues of faith, hope and love can be nurtured through non-religious music. The artists we engage in music and conversation are not preaching the Gospel per se, but the message of their music invariably evokes images and echoes of the Kingdom. And the relationships we are creating with local musicians are heartening, and they love the gig! Why? They are taken seriously, paid a reasonable honorarium, and fed a good meal, and in discussing their music they let their guard down and speak from the heart about their joys and challenges in life. It is a lovely bonus that they are skilled professional musicians who provide fantastic music, all sponsored by the local Episcopal Church, which shatters a lot of stereotypes with the musicians, their friends and families, and fans. 

 

A commitment to creativity impacts Sunday mornings as well. A typical musical offering from a recent Sunday morning included one of our Soul of a Musician Series artists, Elizabeth McQueen, the female lead singer with Asleep at the Wheel, a national band led by Austin music legend Ray Benson. During the liturgy, Elizabeth led a rousing congregational song “Wade in the Water” (sequence hymn); sang two solos—”When They Ring Those Golden Bells” and “Amazing Grace”—accompanying herself on guitar with backup vocals by our college ensemble at communion. Elizabeth sang for the family service in the parish hall and then hustled over to our main service. After church, members of the congregation were invited to stay for a brief concert. Elizabeth sang three songs from her album The Laziest Girl in Town and afterwards the congregation was able to purchase CD’s directly from her if they desired. Elizabeth told Jean Fuller, our music director and contributor to this article, that she especially appreciated the mix of professionalism and warm hospitality that allowed her to relax and enjoy herself. 

 

Wherever you are in Texas, you are surrounded by people with great talent, whether it is music, poetry, theatre, art, writing, or anything else that expresses God’s gifts in ways that are not necessarily connected to the church. To translate our experience into hopeful encouragement for our friends across this Diocese, look around you. Whom can you say “yes” to who has long believed that the church has no place or respect for them?At St. Matthew’s we reached out to musicians because they constitute the primary creative class in our city. The idea of the Soul of a Musician is portable but needs to be tailored to the creative entrepreneurs surrounding the parish church wherever it may be. This requires worthwhile study. Go for it!

 

Wade is rector of St. Matthew’s, Austin, and a seminar leader at SXSW (South by Southwest), an international annual music, film and interactive conference held in Austin. 

 

Wherever you are in Texas, you are surrounded by people with great talent, whether it is music, poetry, theatre, art, writing, or anything else that expresses God’s gifts in ways that are not necessarily connected to church.