What stage is the album at, and what’s still to be done?
Last week we recorded the music and this week we’ve been recording vocals. The process for recording the music was to sit round with the band and Trevor (who’s producing) and listen to a demo for each song. We’d then work out if we were going to change the key or the tempo, talk round ideas for the feel we were looking for, and then the band would start playing along to the track and experimenting with ideas. Then once we’d formed the essence of a song, we’d lay down three or four good takes, followed by any alterations and layering some more guitar parts. And that was it! The process took about three hours per song. For vocals, we’ve still got a couple more songs to record, and then some backing vocals and acoustic guitar parts. Then it’s mixing, mastering and pressing the CDs ready for Spring Harvest.

How are you feeling about the songs?
The whole thing is sounding really fresh. It’s quite guitar driven and energetic. It’s a little more knit together than previous records, with more of a flow and cohesive sound. The song that was the most fun to record was Ready. I’m really passionate about this song as it feels quite defining. As I was out biking one morning this week near the Belle Tout Lighthouse, I was thinking about how much has happened up to this point with previous recordings, and how this feels like the start of something new. I really feel full of excitement and anticipation about what God wants to do, and what might happen through the journey of worship and the lives that might be impacted through it.

What has been the high point so far?
It’s really been hearing how quickly the album has come together over a two week period, and how full the songs sound and how well they fit together. It’s also been a refreshing time away by the sea! It’s been amazing being able to spend the early mornings going biking, listening to music, praying, and seeking God for the time ahead – what’s in store, where is this going to lead, what is God going to do with it…

Any struggles?
No, not on the musical side. It’s all felt very straight forward! Trevor is so skilled in the studio, with a great ear for sounds and a lot of years of experience. Plus we have access to a lot of really excellent mics and equipment down here, so it feels in very safe hands. I have really missed Nicky and Olivia though. It’s much harder to be away from home now I‘m a father.

What are the biggest differences between recording a studio album and a live album?
It’s a far more controlled environment, so you can control the sounds a lot more. We struggled on the live album with controlling some of the tempos due to the volume of the congregation! We couldn’t always hear what we were singing and playing, and if the crowd started clapping faster than the song it was very hard not to speed up with them. You don’t capture the live ambience in the studio, so the overall feel will be different, but it is a different set of songs and also a different band, so it will sound very different anyway.

Is it all about technical detail or is there room for connecting with God in the process?
That’s a very good question! Yes, it is possible to connect to God, and my thought processes behind this have been “how am I going to create something that is going to help people in worship and lead people into God’s presence?” But at the same time, “how is it going to carry some of what I’m about and be creative?” I think we’ve struck a good balance. There have definitely been moments, particularly when I’ve been recording the vocals, where I have got lost in the songs, and Trevor would do things like switch off the lights so I could just zone out and worship while recording. But there have been other times when I’ve been concentrating on phrasing, or where I’m breathing, or how to form a particular note. So some of it comes down to real detail and it might take several attempts to get one line right. So there is this mix of work and worship, but that’s the world God has created; the two aren’t separate, they go hand in hand.

What’s the album going to be called and why?
At the moment it looks like it is going to be called Ready, the title track, written with Chris Davies. It’s a song that the guys in Sheffield and I have really enjoyed playing, and it speaks of being at a point where you are ready to start something, you’re on the cusp of something exciting, something new. It’s an interesting song. There are lots of songs that talk about the Father heart of God, and they have become quite introspective in a way. But this talks about the Father heart of God and turns it into a missional song. The response to God’s love is actually to give it away, so that’s why I’m really excited about it, because it’s a really outward focussed song. And I love the bridge, “love never fails, love will prevail, love forever made a way for me”. It’s a massive chant, so I’m looking forward to playing it live when leading worship.

ICC Studios, Eastbourne

I made the journey down to ICC Studios in Eastbourne at the beginning of the week to start recording the new album, and it has been an amazing couple of days so far. It began with a long drive from Sheffield, so I got through a few CDs on the way! The soundtrack included Cold Play – Mylo Xyloto, Foo Fighters -Wasting Light, Hillsong’s God Is Able and Be Lifted High from Bethel.

I also spent some time thinking back over the weekend, including the gig at All Saints Church in Doncaster on Friday night, and the two Sunday services at St Thomas’ Philadelphia. It is a real privilege to be able to come and go a little bit, having my base at St Thomas’ and being rooted there, but also getting out and about to see what God is doing in  other churches. My observation would be that if the church is the bride of Christ, then His bride is looking very beautiful. I see so many good things going on where people are just getting on with doing “the stuff”, and it was great to see a group of people at All Saints who really want to impact their community and see lives changed, and are seeing lives changed. It was also a privilege to be able to meet some of those people and lead them in worship for a night. I see it again and again at churches I visit; people active and busy with kingdom work and doing great things, and I believe it brings a smile to God’s face.

So, the recording continues with laying guide tracks and sorting out tempo and keys for all the songs. Trevor and the band are doing an awesome job, and I can’t wait to hear it all back. I’ll keep you posted…

Pete and the band with some All Saint-ers

IGNITE Worship Weekend is coming up in March at St Thomas’ Philadelphia, and we’d love to see you there. The weekend is all about setting time aside just to worship God. Nothing more, nothing less.

It came about through the team feeling like there was a gap in our yearly calendar of events, and that we didn’t have any focussed times that were purely about bringing something to God. At most church conferences and events the emphasis tends to be about what you take away with you (which is great, we all need input and encouragement), but this weekend is about bringing something with you and giving it to God.

We all know how full our diaries and our lives can get, so this is a great opportunity to dedicate a weekend to worshipping God, just for who He is and all He does.

The weekend will include celebrations, different styles of worship and special guests, including drummer Martin Neil and renowned trumpet player Raul D’Oliveira. They will be joining our amazing team of musicians and throwing some different flavours into the mix, something you don’t want to miss!

The weekend really is for everybody, and we’d love to see everyone there, including families with children. It isn’t a worship skills weekend, and you don’t need to be a musician or part of the worship team. It is open to and for the church in Sheffield and beyond, bringing praise and glory to our God.

Will you join us?

IGNITE Worship Weekend: 23rd – 24th March 2012
Click here to book online.

The past couple of weeks have been spent enjoying time with Olivia, and putting plans in place for the next term. So here come the headlines…

Next Friday night (27^th January) sees the first gig of the New Year. The band and I are playing at All Saints Church, Woodlands in Doncaster. Click here for more info on tickets and get yourself and your friends there for a great night. All are welcome!

On 30^th January I begin recording the new studio album with Elevation, and am really pleased to announce Trevor Michael will be producing. I can’t wait to hit the sunny shores of Eastbourne to get started, and it would be great if you could pray for everyone involved; Trevor, myself, the musicians and all the team at Elevation.

March sees rehearsals begin for Spring Harvest, and IGNITE worship weekend at St Thomas’ Philadelphia on 23- 24^th. The weekend will be led by Nick and Marjorie Allan (St Thomas’ Philadelphia senior leaders) and myself. It’s not a worship skills weekend, but simply time set aside to worship together. We will have big celebrations planned for the Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday evening, and a series of worship sessions throughout the day on the Saturday. We’ll be joined by special guests to help lead worship times and be with us through to the services on Sunday 25^th. So why not stick around and come on Sunday too?! Tickets and more details are available at stthomaschurch.org.uk/ignite.

Much has happened since then, and God has proved himself faithful. Early in 2011 I joined forces with Elevation, who produced Standing At The Cross, the Philly live album.  Sales went so well over the summer that in September we sat together around the table in the Hilton Hotel in Paddington station, and talked through the possibility of working together more. I want to thank Phil Loose, Sue Rinaldi and all the team at Elevation for their hard work over the past year!

Other great memories from the year are playing at events such as New Wine, Spring Harvest and CLAN Gathering festivals, an amazing time in the USA with the band playing a charity gig for Kids Against Hunger and teaming up with Compassion on a trip to Peru. Some great new friendships have been forged this year, and it has been a privilege to have met and worked with some amazing people doing amazing things. The journey has taken us to Ireland, the Isle Of Man, up and down the length of the UK playing at churches, and into a young offenders institute to sing and  speak about the love of God. All of this feels like the start of something! First and foremost there is the birth of our first baby due in early January 2012, and I can’t wait!

I’m also excited to announce Elevation and I are working on a studio album that we hope to release at Easter 2012, and it’s going  to be good! There is a plan for a tour that is going to bring new songs, and we hope to rock out loads more youth events like The Upper Room gig we played recently at Broadway Baptist Church, that is fused in my mind as a key night setting the next generation on fire. I also can’t wait to play at Spring Harvest Minehead, iscape week 3 for the teenagers there, and also in the Big Top week 1 in Minehead. There is a worship gathering at Philly (more details to follow) that I know will be a significant event in the calendar, along with leading worship there every month. There are many gigs lined up and more in the pipeline. I want to see God take hold of hearts and transform them, and see lives led into the kingdom, while mobilising  people to love the poor.

Finally, thanks for your support. All the emails, blog comments, Facebook messages are much appreciated. To keep in touch with all the news to do with our baby, gigs, albums, new songs and where God takes this, head to sign up to the PJM mailing list or find us on Facebook and  pass it on.

Happy Christmas!