Stephen Roach - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Closer to the Burning is a collection of worship songs and journey songs that I've written over the past couple of years. We recorded these at Sanctuary studios this August and September 2006. (Sanctuary Studios is a part of our community and ministry of A Place for the Heart in Sophia, NC.)
- Stephen
Songwriter and percussionist Stephen Roach comes from a long line of wanderers. From Scandinavian Vikings to French Huguenots, Roach's forebears were a searching, seeking people. They sought the freedom of wide open spaces and new lands. Their wandering eventually led them to America -to the mountains of North Carolina, where their collective restlessness found a harbor in the music of the hills and in the heights of the Appalachians.
A similarly restless quality marks Stephen Roach's music. Though inflected with the tones of his ancestors, Roach's sound wanders into previously uncharted territory. His feet may be planted firmly in the American soil of rock n' roll and folk, but Roach's heart beats out a rhythm from across the waters. From hurdy gurdies to hammer dulcimers, Roach reaches beyond the pale of Western music to embrace modes and melodies of the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia.
As the frontman for the experimental acoustic group, Songs of Water, Stephen Roach has been no stranger to ethnic music and freeform improvisation. However, on his first solo album, Closer to the Burning, Roach moves away from strict abstraction and ambience into the confines of a more traditional Western song form. And he sings. Capturing a kind of college rock feel, Closer to the Burning showcases Roach's voice and gentle lyricism in a way that invites comparison to indie rock darlings, both past and present.
Roach's subject matter tends to the esoteric--the pursuit of a hidden lover; the practice of the presence of God. In Closer to the Burning, Roach writes like a restless poet, burning to tell of his experiences with things unseen. That fact is underscored by his winding, sprawling melodies. From punctuated drones to hook-laden piano lines, the music serves the mood of Roach's devotion. And though he obviously counts himself as a man of faith, there is room in Roach's music to roam--beyond the pale of staid institutions and strict traditionalisms. This, of course, should come as no surprise. Stephen Roach is, after all, the son of wanderers.
- Eric Hurtgen

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 10/22/2006
Band Website: closertotheburning.com
Band Members: Studio musicians:Stephen Roach: vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, drums on "Into Life" hammered dulcimer, hurdy gurdy, tenor banjo, afghani rebab, anything that will make a noise and takes 3 hours to tune and plays only 3 notes.Sarah Roach: backing vocals on "The Diamond Sea."Joel Khouri: piano, acoustic guitars, percussion, sound design.Martin Neil: drums, percussionAndrew Kurzweg: electric and bass guitars.Marta Richardson: violin.Sarah Stephens: cello and voice.Sarah McMillan: backing vocals.Candace Brinkley: backing vocals.Jason Windsor: electric guitar.Live musicians: (usually the Songs of Water crew.)
Record Label: unsigned unsung unknown and unheard of
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Initiative

When God initiates with us, He is giving us permission to initiate with Him. His desire for us is to act upon what He has put in our hearts to do. That is how His Spirit "reproduces" fruit in the ea...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:31:00 PST

Root below, Fruit Above

There is a tiny, hidden verse in the 2nd Book of Kings that has heavily impacted my life for the past 4 years. It says,(19:30) "And the remnant who have escaped of the House of Judah shall again take ...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:11:00 PST

Bitter Waters, Sweetest Wine

Disappointments and dissillusionments can subtly descend into attitudes of bitterness if left unchecked. It is inevitable that we will face disappointing or unexpected things as we walk through ...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:06:00 PST

Love is stronger than death

I just found out that one of my dearest friends died two years ago of a drug overdose. He was an amazing artist who lived his life like the art he created. We lost touch after he moved to the mid we...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:30:00 PST

Who speaks your name? the Image of God vs. Stereotypes

I just read a book titled "Music, the brain and ecstasy". The author did a chapter on the temperament and personality of composers. He made the general statement that most composers were solitary, a...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:46:00 PST

Ring a bell, Strike the Drum

At the end of May, Sarah and I took a ministry trip to Gloucester, Mass. I was teaching and leading drum circles there. As we sat together with the leaders and prayed over the sessions, I ...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Tue, 12 Jun 2007 03:05:00 PST

Alignment etc.

In January as our community of friends here in North Carolina sought the Lord for direction for this year, I was shown a picture. A very simple picture of dominos being placed in order. Th...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Tue, 22 May 2007 07:32:00 PST

your dream is not dead

A few days ago, I read a passage from Bill Johnson's book, "Dreaming with God". He talked about failed dreams or dreams that did not come to pass. Shortly after that, I listened to a sermo...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Sat, 10 Mar 2007 07:59:00 PST

The necessity of Joy and celebration

I've been reading a book lately called, "Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy" by Barbara Ehrenreich. It's a good "sifting" book. By that I mean, its not written from a Chri...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:07:00 PST

key relationships and being launched out

For many of us in the kingdom, we are entering a season of potential "launching out" into greater things God desires us to walk in. This season is a time where we will potent...
Posted by Stephen Roach on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 10:36:00 PST