For the first time in 10 years, since we’ve become residents of Williamson County, I was able to stroll unhurried Saturday afternoon with Brenda, my daughter Betsy and her husband Adam at the downtown Franklin, TN, PumpkinFest.

It reminded me of the days, 30 years ago, when I was on the road. We played many outdoor state fairs and festivals where the sweet smell of fried funnel cakes and smokey barbeque floated on the crisp autumn breeze. Many children and pets alike were in full Halloween regalia last weekend–even some crazy, gutsy adults.

At the music stage, right in front of the newly-restored Franklin Theater, we stopped for a moment to watch a group of dancers, dressed as zombies, interpret Michael Jackson’s famous moves from the Thriller video. Also taking the stage was an Elvis impersonator, decked out in an iconic high-collar, one-piece suit emblazoned with a “Waste Management” logo, singing to the tune of C.C. Rider: “Oh, re—-re-cycle. Re-cycle…when you are done!“ It seemed to fit the laid-back family atmosphere, even in it’s over-the-top corniness.

Betsy and Dad at the Franklin PumpkinFest, 2011

The time I spend with my family is truly precious. I’m thankful that our schedule this summer and fall has been fairly open; we haven’t had this opportunity in many years. I know this relaxing time may change at any moment. But while I can stop and smell the barbeque, eat a fried turnover, and peruse local arts and crafts displays along Main Street on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I’m gonna do it– because fall is my favorite time of year. Happy Halloween, everyone!

I love the speaker porthole!

Kevin Shaw, the maker of this new amp, is gonna be mad that I’m showing it here. He prefers to create amplifier heads with separate cabs, and doesn’t want anyone to get the idea that he’s getting into the combo business. I have three other Shaw amps, including a Shaw Retro-Mod 15 in the piggy-back configuration, but I really wanted a grab-and-go amp that works well with pedals, for when I get out and play live. When I asked him to consider making me a combo version, he grit his teeth, shook his head and said, “Just this once!”

The economy has messed with everyone’s finances, so getting a new amp without trading or selling other gear was impossible. I had to let go of some of my much-loved stuff, but this black beauty seriously eclipsed the gear I sold to obtain it.

L to R: power, light, standby, tone, volume, boost, input

I appreciate the simplicity: volume, tone and a boost switch. Of course my favorite speaker, the WGS Reaper 30, is part of the tone I love in most all of my amps–and here, it’s no exception. The beautifully clean chassis contains new parts along with rescued pieces from a “mojo-soaked” Hammond organ (thus, Retro-Mod!). I love that Kevin has taken the low-end flub away from the typical 5E3 circuit, Tweed-type tone, so the dual 6V6 Fender-esque vibe shines through in all of it’s glory. Again, the front-end takes pedals extraordinarily well. But get that volume cranked-up to eight and nine, with just a guitar plugged in, and the amp gets crunchy, creamy–and loud! The guitar volume can be adjusted to create the various tones needed for an entire gig!

WGS Reaper speaker! Notice the two mid-60s RCA 6V6 power tubes.

So many manufacturers add extra buttons, knobs and dials, but the tone has a tendency to suffer as it gets pushed through all of those sonic trails. This simple yet elegant combo makes the great tone I get in my studio, with the head and cab version, possible. This way, I can carry that killer tone wherever I go.

Sorry, Kevin. I spilled the beans!

It used to be a standard question at the grocery store: “Will that be paper or plastic?” I always liked paper bags because they smelled so good and you could cover your school books with them in the fall. Plastic is handy, but it just isn’t the same. In it’s “shininess” it can also be cold. I will attempt to compare paper and plastic to some worship experiences I’ve had.

Paper is organic. Sometimes we witness a worship experience that is so down-to-earth and simple–just like a paper bag. Many times the musicians and singers don’t perform up to professional standards but, for some reason, it generally works. There’s much room for improvement, but the overall feel of sweetness and connectivity is present. Many churches fall into this category; they can use a lot of work in the presentation, but they get an A+ in authenticity.

On the other hand, there are churches who have rushed into the “plastic” mode where the presentation is slick but the “heart” is missing. I am a big proponent of excellence (notice my many “Great Moments In Worship” blog post series). I prefer preparation to just “winging it”. I like to think through the stage moves, conduct a thorough rehearsal, and coordinate with other aspects of the service and the hospitality teams. But at a certain point, we must learn to relax and connect with God and the congregation. I think it’s more helpful for a worship team to be at rest, instead of a team who are trying to put-on a show.

Preparation and planning are the roads to the ultimate destination: a one-on-one, personal connection with God. No one wants to come to church and experience a bunch of puppets-on-strings lead us in worship. If I had my way, I’d choose the down-home method, including mistakes, intonation problems and a set that doesn’t quite flow, over fake or forced (it pains me to type that!). I believe that in our race to create great worship presentations, we can make the mistake of rushing right past simplicity. I always try to shoot for a balance.

So what will it be this week, paper or plastic?

My brother Jon and I took the long way to my dad’s place in North Carolina over the weekend. We zoomed right past signs to the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, where lost luggage and other unspoken-for items from the airlines are sold. I’ve never been, but my son, Josh, tells me it’s full of cool stuff to be had at a fraction of the retail price. Too bad it was closed when we flew by Friday night, but the phrase “unclaimed baggage” really got me to thinking…

Isn’t it true that if everyone owned up to their part in family problems, we could actually make things easier for future generations? I remember quizzing my grandmother years ago about a touchy subject relating to persons in our family tree. She shut me down so fast, I was sent away with nothing more than, “We don’t talk about that!” I remember being furious but respectful at the same time because grandma was, well–grandma. To this day, the questions go unanswered and are buried along with my  deceased relatives.

I think Brenda and I have been pretty forthright with our kids. In fact, it’s no secret to them the many mistakes we’ve made as parents and, generally, as ignorant folks. We certainly have made some clumsy choices along life’s way. I think it’s good to own-up to our failures and ask for forgiveness sooner than…never.

I wouldn’t want to perpetuate any secrets, but would rather expose poor human behavior to my children, even if it involves highly respected family members. I still feel the rejection and remember being angry when grandma turned me away all those years ago.

As long as the baggage stored in dark corners of our personal and family’s lives go unclaimed, we will continue the streak of failure, loss, disappointment, shame and fear, until we deal with it once and for all before God. Lord, help us.

I know I am a complex person; it’s evidenced in my coffee snobbery. When I go on trips, like the one I’m taking this weekend, regular McDonald’s coffee won’t do it for me. (a Starbucks drive-thru is hard to find in rural North Carolina!). I know I’ve written about this before, but as I prepare for the trek to North Carolina this evening with my brother, I have to think about coffee as seriously as my other travel items. Underwear: check. Socks: check. Medicine: check. Shaving kit: check. Cuban coffee, sweetener, creamer, Melitta cone filter coffeemaker: check!

This summer, as I traveled back and forth to help my dad with his surgeries, I took my Keurig “rig” with me in a cooler that was the perfect caddy to pack all of my coffee supplies. It was a breeze to roll everything from the car to the hotel room. None of that stale hotel room coffee for me, no sir! I didn’t miss a great coffee opportunity if I could help it.

On this weekend’s trip, it’s no exception. Instead of carrying my cafe on wheels, though, I’ve decided to pare down a bit and simply bring an old-school drip coffee maker. No, not the Mr. Coffee variety, but a drip-system that goes back to the middle ages: hot, boiling water poured over fresh, dark-roasted coffee into a simple, 10-cup glass carafe.

Melitta drip coffee: boil water, pour over fresh coffee, enjoy!

My friend Debra Sadler showed me this process, and when we make coffee for more than one person, especially in the morning, and to save $$$ on K cups, this method of brewing creates the best coffee I’ve ever had outside of Europe and, closer to home, New Orleans.

Don’t ask me why I complicate my life so much. I can only shrug my shoulders and roll my eyes–mostly because I don’t want to explain myself. And, as a warning, please wait until I’ve had my coffee before spewing forth your criticism. You’!l regret it!

This week an Israeli prisoner of war was released in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Outside of the way-too-early presidential campaigning, and continuing reports of the dismal economy, the news of the exchange almost eclipsed the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, but not quite. Shouldn’t this news rule the airwaves?

I am so utterly floored by the fact that a country would deem a person so valuable, they would send over 1,000 enemy combatants back to their homeland in trade for the life of this one man. As an American, I have to ask: “Am I that valuable to my country?” I don’t think so. All I know is that, to God, I am that valuable.

The Bible says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (NIV). God gave his only Son (one solitary person) to free us (the whole of humanity) from death, to spend eternal life in His presence. God exchanged his Son so that I would go back to the place I came from, not to re-arm and become a soldier fighting against His kingdom, but rather to tell others about His love and this wonderful gift of freedom.

I know its obvious but, in today’s news cycle, the comparison probably won’t be made. I’m thankful that today I can benefit, too, in a greater exchange. Our value, according to God, was well worth the trade for His Son’s life. I am blown away by that generosity!

I saw this photo last night and immediately posted it on my Facebook wall. According to the “likes” and the comments, it was a big hit. As I looked at it again this morning, it reminded me of the value of a good friend.

You know when you do something unaware, like leave the house without zipping up your pants, or you still have evidence of breakfast on your face when you get to work?  Hours later you realize you’ve been the office idiot. Well, its so true: humor is usually found in someone else’s misfortune…until we’re the brunt of the joke.

A good friend will always rush to our rescue, albeit after a few chuckles. Brenda is my best friend and has saved me from countless embarrassing moments, most recently, by telling me I shouldn’t write a certain something in my blog. My daughter is my friend, too, because she is quick to say, “Daddy, are you really gonna wear that?”

Sometimes I am quick to  point out what I think is wrong, when its not the best time or thing to do. Thank God for my wife, she will jump in front of a bullet for me like a Secret Service agent shielding the President of the United States. Again, she has saved me numerous times.

Back to the photo…Poor Ray Charles was stuck out there in an embarrassing situation for who knows how long. Probably, the photo was altered. But in any event, everyone needs a friend to get us out of awkward situations. I’m sure Mr. Charles had stagehands to make the fix in a nano-second!

My goal this week is to be a true friend and run to the rescue when a pal needs me the most. It could be mustard on the chin, toilet paper hanging out the back of their pants, or any number of humiliating situations. I can’t guarantee my friend’s loyalty, but I can certainly be there to help steer them out of social danger during a clueless moment. As the Sicilian proverb says: “Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.”

Magazines have been an important part of my my life ever since I was small. My dad always had a shelf filled with National Geographic magazines that came in handy for school projects. I don’t know if he ever found out that we would cut and paste the pictures into school reports. Highlights and Boy’s Life magazines filled my life as a child. I remember collecting Reader’s Digest magazines one Christmas because my scout troop were folding them into little Christmas trees and giving the painted and glittered beauties away as gifts. (I still get Reader’s Digest, albeit the Kindle version).

The thing about magazines for me is that they smell so good when you open them. My magazines of choice today are usually music oriented. So when I crack one open, the ink whiff starts it all, and then the thought of very cool music gear inside, waiting to be perused, is exciting (I know, I need to get out more)! Mix Magazine, Vintage Guitar, and Premier Guitar are the magazines I will stand at the curb and wait for. I instinctively know when one of those choice mags are coming my way: something in the wind tells me and, lo and behold, a few days later, one of them will appear!

I have a secret magazine subscription. No, it’s not the illicit types you’re thinking of. I love Reminiscence Magazine. It contains writings from regular people who share their memories of the good ol’ days. It is an old people’s magazine, supposedly, but I have seen articles by folks around my age in there. So, technically, I am of the appropriate age to read it. My dad had some of his writings published in Reminiscence, so he usually had stacks waiting for me to devour when we’d visit him in North Carolina before he moved in with us. Now his subscription comes to my door and I love it!

People magazine is another fave. Everyone in my family devours it, except for Brenda. She has her own set of magazines that she reads, mostly of the knitting, spinning and book review variety. Needless to say, we are sufficiently magazine-d at the Harvill house. I bet if you come over, and when you feel at home, before you excuse yourself to use the restroom, you’ll look around the room and ask with a hushed voice, “Where’s the new issue of People?”

I have been blessed for the past 20 years to make a living as a songwriter. I always felt I should be paying to write songs because its such a blast. Don’t get me wrong, its hard work; its a skill. I’ve always said, and I’ll say it again: “A great song isn’t written, its re-written.” Great songs with killer lyrics are not spit out in 15 minutes. Yes, the first draft may have taken a few minutes. But by the time you have shaped and re-shaped it, its kinda like making pasta the old fashioned way: you roll it out, fold it, run it through a “truth press”, fold it again, run it through a “cut-the-fat press”, fold it again, run it through a “just an acoustic guitar press”, then cut it into the sumptuous strips that are the beginnings of a tasty Italian dish! Great songwriters don’t settle!

I have been asked by many a first-time writer for some guidance in what to do if their song is chosen for a recording. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Jump for joy! You are about a fraction of a percentage of the population of the world who will ever have that opportunity. Treat the “first time” wisely and you will have a better chance at making songwriting your career. That leads me to…

2) There is no such thing as a “standard” publishing deal. The deal will be as good as you are valuable to the artist, producer, record company, etc. The “standard” spiel is given so you’ll give up valuable income to others in the food chain. My feeling is that the writer should own as much of the publishing as possible and, of course, the full percentage of the writer’s share, according to the number of writers on the song. There are times, however, when sharing is wise…

3) Sometimes giving up a percentage of publishing is wise when: a) its your fist cut and your willingness to share gives your song a fighting chance to stay on the song list; b) you are a new writer and have been invited by a producer or artist to write songs for a specific project; c) you’re new and have a better chance of your song making more income with a major label and great distribution. (my first cut and my subsequent 8-years as a staff writer with Integrity Music meant I gave-up 100% of my publishing, but they sold a bunch of records…I still make a great living on those songs I signed 20 years ago. Since 2000, I’ve been independent and rarely split publishing).

4) Not all cuts are the same. In other words, just because your song gets on a record doesn’t mean you’ll make any money. In Christian music, from which I hail, a single CD may have the shelf-life of a year, maybe two. If a record doesn’t fly, you may only get a few bucks out of it, if you are fortunate. Seasonal projects, like Christmas records, are only alive for a few months at a time. Choral music, or what the industry calls “print”, doesn’t always bring a windfall. If your song was previously recorded for another project and you get a “print” cut, then that’s better. You have to be smart and know where the original song placement will be because, after you sign the publishing away, its next to impossible to adjust it, outside of a skilled lawyer and a bunch of legal fees So, decide the fate of your song and its future by the quality of the cut.

Everyone in the music business knows that everything rises and falls with the song. The song is what’s valuable, not necessarily the artist or band. Remember, a song can be recorded an infinite amount of times, and the subsequent income streams can feed you and your loved-ones for years. This is all part of the wisdom a songwriter must apply in order to succeed.

Next time, I will discuss income streams and the many ways a song can potentially generate revenue. Remember: Not everybody can write songs–its a God-given skill; songs aren’t written, they’re re-written and you gotta know the business to make a living in it. Be wise, always be a learner, and stay humble!

There are very few things that get my blood pumping in an instant; one of them was when I found out from my credit card company recently that I was a victim of identity fraud. This news sent me into a frenzy to put a stop on my account. On another occasion, when applying for a home loan, our credit report showed that Brenda and I owned a boat and a second home (I wish!). We cleared up the problem eventually, but that scare is something I’ll never forget, and we are duly suspicious when handing over our credit card to pay for a meal. Identity fraud is frightening, to say the least!

In a sermon yesterday at our church, I heard something that I want to pass on to you today. The pastor preached about our identity in Christ, as Children of God, from 1 John. I never before saw it so clearly: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1, NIV)

When someone steals our identity through obtaining our Social Security number or other private information, they can take on full authority in our behalf to make purchases. I read recently of a person who stole the identity of the former bass player with the Eagles, Randy Meisner. The impersonator was booking gigs and getting free drinks from bars all across the country. Meisner himself was even thought to be his own impersonator at one point!

In Christ, though, we have taken on the gift of God’s identity. Our sin is forgiven and we are covered by His righteousness. The Bible says: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17, NIV) That means as children of God we share all of the benefits as “first-born sons” in his household. We are fully covered by His identity in regard to health, wealth, physical and spiritual protection and future hope. Through our new identity in God we are also saved from an eternal hell.

So instead of an identity theft, I can celebrate an identity gift today. Its something that can turn a gray sky into blue. I am a child of the King! I need to live like it.