Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/565100
SEPTEMBER 2-8, 2015 UCW 17 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Fayetteville's CONCERT CONNECTION HILLTOP HOUSE 1240 Fort Bragg Rd. • 484-6699 www.hilltophousenc.com Thursday Live Music HUSKE HARDWARE HOUSE 405 Hay Street • 437-9905 www.huskehardware.com Sept. 4 Tommy King Sept. 5 Tommy King Sept. 11 Tommy King Sept. 12 Tommy King KICK BACK JACKS 5081 Morganton Rd. • 223-7676 Friday LiveMusic THE CROWN COMPLEX 1960 Coliseum Dr. • (910) 438-4100 www.crowncomplexnc.com Sept. 4 Anthony Hamilton Sept. 18 WKML's Parking Lot Party Sept. 26 Celebration 2015 Oct. 3 Miranda Lambert Oct. 9 WIDU Anniversary Quartet SPECIAL EVENTS Festival Park Sept. 25-27 International Folk Festival Sept. 26 Army Ground Forces Band Sitting atop a piano in my home is a collection of handwritten lyrics adorned with hand-drawn images. Each page, each image, each string of well-arranged words serve as a con- stant reminder that the songs I wel- come into my life come at the expense of the laughter, tears, joy and pain of the author. Among that collection lies a page full of heart and soul from independent artist, Audrey Assad. I first met Audrey Assad in 2008. She was a polite figure in the back- ground when singer/songwriter/ worship leader Matt Maher arrived to conduct a worship seminar hosted by our radio station. Shortly thereafter, she shared some of her music with me. Her songwriting was nothing short of extraordinary — words and phrases that flowed more like fine poetry than song lyrics. I wasn't the least bit surprised to learn she signed a deal with Sparrow Records in 2009, which lead to the critical- ly acclaimed, The House You're Building, released in July 2010. Audrey went on to release two more projects under Sparrow before parting on good terms. In 2013, she produced and released Fortunate Fall as an independent artist, funded by a Kickstarter campaign. Audrey is a worship leader and musician who writes "soundtracks for prayer." She has penned her contemplative songs of worship with (and for) Matt Maher, Christy Nockels, Brett Younker, Meredith Andrews and others — Audrey's passion is to write fragrant, prayerful music that truly leads to encountering Jesus Christ, even in the silence of the heart. Inheritance, slated to release in early 2016, is a collection of hymns and original praise and worship songs that pays homage not only to her Plymouth Brethren childhood heritage, but also to her Catholic faith and charismatic spirituality. The record blends these influences and infuses them with a truly modern sensibility — Inheritance is Audrey's best effort at honoring her roots and, inspired by them, craft- ing something fresh, fragrant and new. Song to song, Assad delves deep into rarely touched aspects of the Christian faith. There's a reverence to her art, an angelic rendering of what's in her heart and what she perceives the Christian life to be. At some moments, violins and cellos creak and crackle over a wild, restless soundscape rumbling ominously beneath them. Others begin in a whis- per and end in a burst of organs and vocals joining together in one tri- umphal flare of joy. Choruses throughout are both fragile and confident — two words that happen to aptly describe Assad's personal faith. Audrey sums it up this way: "I knew that Inheritance had to be much more than me going into the studio and simply doing pretty renditions of hymns we all know and love. I couldn't be satisfied with that — I had to make something both bright and dark — colored honestly with my own doubts and weaknesses, so that the Lord, who inspired these songs, could be even more visible in it. Inheritance is an offering I am humbled, privileged and challenged to make — and I pray it will be a gift to anyone who hears it." It's artists like Audrey Assad that shaped our new Tuesday night pro- gram, Indie Artist Spotlight, supporting independent artists. The show goes beyond "local only" and creates a spot on-air and online for inde- pendent Christian artists from across the country to showcase their music to an established audience of Christian music fans. You can find Audrey's interview and samples of her music on the Indie Artist Spotlight website. Defining Inheritance: Audrey Assad by DAN DEBRULER DAN DEBRULER WCLN Station Manager, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200 Audrey Assad