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Just friends. I have met so many AWESOME artists so far. keep it comin! I'd also like to meet David Breashears or Greg Mortenson.JAKE SMITH REVIEW!!! JAKE SMITH IN CONCERT WITH SHAWN McDONALD IN LAKEWOOD COLORADO SEPT 25TH!!!Jake Smith'S personality is not reflected by the serious expression shown on his debut album REAL. He is a hilarious and talented 23-year-old who draws people in and makes them feel like they are old friends. His life truly reflects his motto and favorite verse: Grace is sufficient in you For my power is made perfect in weakness Therefore I will boast all the more Gladly About my weaknesses So Christ’s power might rest in me. 2 Cor: 12:9 NIV “ God doesn’t always use the ones who are “ Perfect” all the time.” He said when talking about one of his favorite characters in the Bible, David. “ It just goes to show you that maybe God can really see your heart when you mess up. Awesome!” Jake grew up in New Orleans Louisiana. At the age of 17 he bought his first guitar and learned 3 chords. “ I think I know 4 chords at the age of 23, so I am making progress. I have no problem letting people know that I have no clue what I’m doing on the guitar, but I am learning, and I have made a CD knowing what I know, so anyone can do it. “ For a man who has only been playing guitar for six years, his songs draw the listener in heart soul and mind. Jake’s greatest influences come from African American Music: “ A lot of the time they make music that I get, and it gets to me. When they sing it is as if whatever is in them is trying to get out, and as it does, it moves people who hear it. I want to feel what I sing, and I want others to feel it as well.” Two of Jakes strongest supporters are his parents. You can hear his incredible love for them in his songs “ These things” and “ Run”. In these things I felt like I was sitting at his parents dining room table watching and listening to his mom and dad giving him advice on no matter what “ remember these things”. I have an amazing mother! She is the sweetest woman ever. It’s funny, because she is not one of those “ independent women,” who are strong willed and want everybody to hear about it, yet she is strong in my eyes. I remember (one night) when I was six years old and I had been talking to her about God and Jesus and church and sin ect. I was getting out of the bathtub and I knew in my heart that Jesus was my only hope. As my mother was drying me off I prayed to receive Jesus as my savior. I think that is why my mother and I are so close. It has been a spiritual bond for a long time now.” He starts to tear up “ God is good and wise My mother has been through breast cancer twice and is still going strong. She always reflects the praise to God. She knows He is the source of her life. I think the reason why I am so passionate about getting somewhere, or going through things in order to give God the praise is because I have seen my folks do it. My father had cancer as well, right in the same time period, so I wrote a song called run. It’s just about living life like tomorrow is not guaranteed. It means a lot to me and to people who have been through things like that because they have experienced the kind of news that pops up and changes your life. I have teamed up with the NATIONAL BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION as a result, and we are going to do great things together in the future.” In addition to his parents Jake receives support from some very important people in the music industry: Dan Strain: Producer TJ Rogers, Bridge street artist agency: You have to find someone you can really speak your mind to, even if it hurts sometime. There are a lot of things that TJ and I are learning together, but I think I think in the long Rung it will make it that much better. I think that I’m Cuba Gooding and he is Jerry McGuire”Jake’s ’REAL’ tour has been quite an adventure for him: “ Touring is fun! I don't ever have a set tour though. I guess it’s just that time in my career. I go out for two weeks and think I’m coming home for a week, only to pick up another three shows. We pretty much take everything we can. It’s a blast though! ... We have had great responses no matter if it is in front of four thousand people or twelve people.” Jake is traveling on his tour with: Josiah Bashta “ He plays guitar and has a huge fro! He’s a nut and most people who see him are scared. He is a great guy though and I have learned a lot from him.” Chris Arceneaux: “ He plays the drums and likes to do hair. People think he looks like Jessie McCartney.” Darren Phipps: “ He plays bass. He has been doing it for a while on a professional level, since he was 14, so we call him the 14-year-old bass player.” Jake is a nut and I totally lost it when he told these two stories: “ I like to make stories a little more exciting and dramatic than what actually happened...two stories come to mind and they both have to do with live music shows. I played at Studio B last month. I was very tired from being on the road and not showering, and it showed. In my head I thought I was doing a lot more cool stuff on stage then what I was actually doing. When I got the DVD back I had a huge zit on my face, bags under my eyes, and I didn't move an inch. Good Times! The second story is when we were playing another show. We were jamming and getting down” if you will, and my trumpet player got a little too excited. He tripped over his microphone that was connected to the trumpet, which pulled out of his hands and onto the ground. There is nothing else to really do when you are taping and your instrument falls out of your hands.” He laughs; “ I always give him a hard time about flexing while he is playing so it’s funny to think of him standing there.” Jake Smith is a talented artist with a heart for God. He is reaching beyond the traditional Contemporary Christian boundaries and setting the pace for a new era in an ever-changing marketplace. He leaves with these final words about his goals, and advice for you, the aspiring artist:“I am a music artist who is a Christian and I am in the Christian music industry, but I don't play the same type of music. I think I came in to "the biz" thinking I could change it but it doesn't work like that. I get mad, I get frustrated, I want to point fingers, but I know that God is the only thing that is a guarantee for the best answers. At this point I feel that there is a lot of uncertainty in the industry and it shows from the new guy to the vet. I try to take as much as I can from people who open up to me and then I filter what is truth and what is a result of bad times in a person's life. A lot of people say a lot of great things as well as a few things that aren't true for everybody. Right now a lot of people are looking for the next thing to do so the advice has to change as well. However, I have gotten so much from people like Michael w. smith and I don't even know if he realized he was mentoring me. I am open for a mentor though. Any takers?· To hear more of Jake Smith’s new CD ‘REAL’, go to WWW.myspace.com/jakesmithmusic , · WWW.jakesmithmusic.com , · www.rocketownrecords.com · or your local Christian bookstore.

..INTERVIEW WITH TRUE WITNESS ( sorry this all ran together)Band Members: Tim Adams, Dan Adams, Tom Bowen, Kim Adams, Chris Bowen, Heather Adams, Bill PaschallFavorite Bible verse: James 1:18..."He chose to give us birth through the word of truth That we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created".Favorite Bible personality: The Apostle Paul, because he went out and boldly preached to all types of people about the love, grace and salvation through Jesus Christ.Favorite Sport: MLB Baseball...The New York Yankees.Catch phrase: Christ is Sufficient. Love is Enough.Favorite Christian Artist: Third Day, Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, and we really love Adam's Road. They have a powerful message of hope and love through Christ. Keep an eye on them. They are amazing. CD that is currently in your car: Third Day, Chronology Vol 2Q. Where did your bands name come from?A. As you grow in the Word and Spirit as a believer, you learn to live a life as an over comer in Christ. By expression the words that teach us to overcome the simple patterns of the world, thus lead us to live our lives as a True Witness. This is based on Rev. 3:14 "these are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation". We are examples of Christ and His Words and his teachings.Q. What is the story behind “ True Witness”?A. (Chris) Tom and I have both been divorced. I had three small children. Tom had two. We met when my son had a speech problem at age 4, and Tom was his speech teacher. We were incredible friends first, and for some time. Tom put the first bible in my hands. I had many questions, thus began our long bible studies. I fell in love with Christ in Tom first. I wanted the joy, the light that I saw in him. As I began to learn about Christ, and study the bible, I understood so much more about my life. I felt freedom in Christ, and I became newly born, dying to my old self, my old ways. It was then that I fell in love with Tom, and we were married. All of the children came to live with us, and we raised all 5 kids together. We felt so blessed. Our children came to know what love was through our marriage. I was lost, but God came and brought me back to where I belong, with Him. Praise Him.(Tim) Dan and I are brothers. We were in a small church, with our parents who were senior board members. As Dan and I grew in the Holy Scriptures and understanding of Christ, our focus was on the love and forgiveness, not on raising money for the church, and bringing in new membership. However, the church leadership was not concerned about the spiritual growth of the people and ministries involved, including the new membership that came in. The board members were more interested in filling the seats than meeting the needs. As a young adult, when the church leadership questioned my motives, I questioned theirs. At that point my parents covertly, with the backing of the church leadership, told me I was out of the church and could never return. They told Dan that he could stay, but I was out. Also Tom, Chris, Heather and Kim were told that they were out also. Dan followed the unconditional love, and recognized the illusion of who our parents and the church teaching really was. Tom, Chris, Kim and Heather, Joe and AJ, and Stephanie (Tom and Chris's sons and daughter) were never given a reason for why they were kicked out of the church. The only thing we were told by the Pastor was that our ministry was too strong. At that time, our parents proceeded to kick us out of our home, calling us 'obstacles'. We showed up on Tom and Chris's doorstep in the middle of the night, with only the clothes on our back. Tom and Chris brought us into their home and loved us as their own. Shortly after, our parents left a garbage bag at Tom and Chris's door with a few old items of mine. Another thing that our parents did not want us to do was the music. I was supposed to sing with a secular band out of Orlando, Fl. I was troubled by the decision, because I knew my life would not be with Christ, but far from it. I asked Tom and Chris and their family to pray about this with me. We prayed all weekend, and on Monday (when the band was to call me), they never called. It was a shoe in for me to be in that band. God put a halt to that. I then turned my music, my voice over to Christ. I asked Chris if she would write the lyrics for me. We spent hours writing music and lyrics and putting them together. Then, Tom heard what we were writing and he began to teach me guitar (I played piano at the time), and he added instrumentations and changed rhythms, etc. Tom is a trained musician from his youth. It was amazing what was being created from us. Tom and Chris bought Dan a bass, and gave it to him for Christmas, and told him that he was going to sing background vocals. He never played bass before in his life. Tom taught him, and he took off with it. He now sings the background vocals ( his harmony is unbelievable ), even though he didn't think he could sing, trust me, he can. Kim played flute in High School, so she began to play for True Witness. Tom bought Chris a clarinet, as she played years ago. She picked up some percussion along the way. Heather never played an instrument in her life, but I taught her keyboard, and she gave time and effort to it each day. So, the Holy Spirit really fills this band, as we come together, misfits for the love of Christ. Bill is our drummer. We met him about a year ago, and he came on board with us also. He has a heart to serve as much as we do, and his commitment has been unfailing. That is how True Witness originated. Thus, we came to live with Tom and Chris. Over time, Dan and I tried to reconcile with our parents, based upon the recommendations and requirements of other churchs, other denominations. We showed up at our parent’s door with all of our belongings. They shut the blinds and left us out in the thunder, lightning and rain. Tom and Chris took us back in again. We have lived with them ever since. They made a home for us. Our parents proceeded to go through the town, spreading lies about us. We lost all of our friends. Our parents have maliciously tried to strip us of everything in our life. We went to our Grandmother and the family. They wanted nothing to do with us. They offered no hope. Dan and I would have been alone, had it not been for Tom and Chris. Through all these suffering times in our life, we were able to see who Christ was more clearly. We have no bitter root. We learned of Christ's forgiveness and love. We see the sunrise in our lives through it all. Christ will always bring you through it. Homelessness was not an option. The pattern of what the world had to offer was not an alternative. The only option was to follow Christ. In John 6:67-69, Jesus asks: do you want to leave me to, and Peter replies: Lord, to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life. Reconciliation of any family requires love and forgiveness, not constant attack and verbal abuse. There is hope beyond the pain of loss and injustice. That is the empowerment of what our music is all about. We're here to bring a message of hope with those that are suffering in any pains and trials, and the only message of hope is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to bring Christ to clarity through music.(Dan) Before we were asked to leave our home by our parents, Heather and I, who had been dating for a while, fell in love, and Tim and Kim fell in love probably about 6 months after Heather and I. The funny thing is that we knew Chris, and Kim, Heather and Joe for years prior. They lived down the street from us, when we were growing up. After Chris got divorced, she moved away. We re-met her and Tom after they married, years later, when the girls were grown up. Shortly after that, I started to date Heather. Long story short, Kim and Tim got married on August 4, 2004, and Heather and I got married on September 4, 2004. We were married by the same Pastor, in the same location. Ask Tom about that one? Two weddings in one month, double the dj, double the reception, double the gowns, tux's, cake, flowers, etc. etc. We really enjoyed our weddings with the most important people in our lives being there. Tim sang at Heather's and my wedding, as Heather walked up the aisle. He cried so hard, that Chris had to finish singing the song for him. She was so nervous, that she fell back into the flowerbed. It made everyone laugh, even the Pastor. Tim sang a song that Chris and Tim wrote for Heather and I. It was kind of funny when Chris began singing out of nowhere. Tim just cracked up. Kim walked up the aisle to "Father God" off the 'Origins' album. Tim and Kim's first dance was to a song that Chris and Tim wrote also. It is called, "Imagination". So, our weddings were very personal, just as we would have them. We have been really happy ever since. God is good. He gives you your hearts desire when you are faithful to him. I thank God for Heather in my life. It makes me so happy to see my brother happy also with Kim. They are such a Godly couple. Our family knows a lot about true love. We live it for God, and for each other. We are committed to True Witness. We speak the truth of Christ in our music. Our purpose is to show the love of Christ to the world. We believe that Christ is sufficient and love is enough. We want the world to hear that in our songs, with the truth of our testimony. Thanks be to God, what we lost, we gained back in abundance, forever.(Tom) So, you see our journey is long and hard, but blessed and true. Dan and Tim's parents, the church leadership did come after Chris and I and our family also. They did everything they could do to tear us up, but True Witness survived and so did we. We give thanks to the Lord for our suffering, for our trials and pain in this world. We were persecuted for believing and following Jesus Christ, and for loving the Lord with all of our hearts. We were name called. We overcame. It built us and made True Witness what it is today, strong, spreading the love and forgiveness Christ offers, and committed to God. I always have said, 'be a prophet of God, not a profit from God.'(Chris) Hope this is what you wanted. It is the story of True Witness...painful as it is to recall, but after recalling it, I once again give thanks to the Lord of my heart, for Christ loved me so much, that he protected me and my family, and out of it all, came True Witness. It is not to be God's children against one another, but a joining of the fellowship, the family of Christ as one, servingQ. What has been the biggest challenge for your band in becoming a Christian Music artist?A. Finding church bodies that will commit to water the seed after it has been planted through the music and lyrics. Matthew 13...Parable of the Sower.Q. What has been some of your biggest mistakes?A. Putting the perfection of the music above the concept of the music and lyrics. People need the music and lyrics, and the Holy Spirit perfects.Q. Did you have any illusions about the music industry before you started your band?A. The only illusion is that the music industry is not just a business. The music industry has a direct responsibility for the attitude of an individuals mind and heart.Q. The Music industry is a tough industry to get into. There are times when the “ Inner Circle” can seem illusive. What resources have you found, within and outside of the industry, which have helped your ministry move forward?A. To not sell out to the industry. Follow Christ and not the industry.Q. Are you involved in any outside ministry? A. We support The Walter Hoving Homes, www.walterhovinghome.com. The Walter Hoving Homes rebuild the shattered and torn lives of women overcoming addictions and prostitution. The Walter Hoving Homes are Christ-centered rehabilitation homes. What is better than to bring the glue (mom) back into the family healthy, and strong in the Lord? It pays forward, generation-to-generation. Our "Origins" album will be launching at The Walter Hoving Home in Garrison, NY on the profits from the "Origins" cd (our first album) will be donated to The Walter Hoving Homes. This is True Witness' first fruit offering.Q. Where has your band been performing, and is there anything new and exciting in the future for True Witness?A. True Witness has been performing in the New York Region. We are releasing "Origins on 12/16/07 at The Walter Hoving Home in Garrison, NY at 6PM. We are releasing "Once in Time" in early '08. We have a song on "Once in Time" that will hopefully reach out to a lot of people. It is actually a request from one of our myspace friends. The title of the song is "A Child To Hold". There is an amazing story behind that song, and we will be letting people know what it is soon. So, we are keeping really busy with the release of two albums so close together.Q. What message does your band hope to Relay to the world?A. Love is enough. Christ is Sufficient. We hope to bring clarity to Christ through our music.Q. Which music artist do you look up to the most? Is there anything that you would like to ask of a well-established Christian artist?A. Mac Powell (Third Day). We would ask him how he gets himself fired up for so many concerts, and how does he draw the love of Christ in from the crowd.