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Smalltown Poets
Each time an artist heads into the recording studio, for them, in a sense, it's almost like starting over. Armed with their imaginations and their instruments, they face the blank "canvas" of a tape recorder and proceed to plumb soul and spirit to communicate to their audience adventures taken, avenues explored and lessons learned since the last entry in their "magnetic journal." With Third Verse, Smalltown Poets has once again risen to that challenge and crafted a modern rock album full of grace, truth and uncommon conviction.
Third Verse is brimming over with passionate rock performances ("Every Reason," "Firefly," "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes and the Pride of Life"), subtly textured moments of reflection and praise ("No Kinder Savior," "Waterfall") and soul baring statements of faith and reconciliation ("Clean," "That Line"). It's instantly evident from the first notes that Third Verse represents something much deeper than a band simply releasing its latest disc. After receiving nominations for a Grammy, six Dove Awards, and landing ten Top 10 singles, Smalltown Poets were now experiencing a complete reinvention of the group, helmed by founders Michael Johnston and Miguel DeJesus. Following the departure of co-founders Danny Stephens and Byron Goggin and long-time guitarist Kevin Breuner, Miguel and Michael form the reconstituted core of Smalltown Poets.
When Danny became an artist manager, Byron accepted a long-desired position with NASCAR and Kevin decided to pursue his education and love of photography and film-all within a period of 15 months, "we were shaken up," admits Miguel. "We wondered if people would accept Michael and I as Smalltown Poets or if they saw the band as only these five specific guys." Says Michael, "It's been such an encouragement to see how their obedience to God has yielded tremendously positive results in their lives. Being in a band is not the be-all and end-all of life. And just as God directs people into these situations, He directs them out. So it's a great blessing to be able to share with people who are fans of Smalltown Poets that these men are the men of God they claimed to be."
Rather than rush back into the studio, Michael says he and Miguel took a number of months to prayerfully consider the future of Smalltown Poets. "We really did grieve," confesses Michael. "We sought counseling and went on a few retreats with people that have been close spiritual advisers and friends for a number of years. We didn't want to make emotional decisions. We knew what we could and couldn't do to prepare for the group's future and we left it in God's hands." Miguel continues, "After a number of months, Michael and I had developed a much stronger bond than we had thought possible. We had such a connection and confirmation regarding how we wanted to communicate our faith that we knew with great certainty we had more to say as Smalltown Poets." Besides the internal struggles faced by Smalltown Poets over the past 18 months, Miguel says he and Michael were deeply challenged by the writing of Charlie Peacock and Os Guinness. "Charlie's book At the Crossroads had an enormous impact on us, as did The Call, by Os Guinness. We're proceeding with our 'primary call'-what Guinness defines as knowing God and serving Him-and our 'secondary call,' which Miguel and I know is to be in this band."
As the songs for Third Verse began to take shape, images of light and water began to dominate the lyrics, though Miguel says it wasn't anything he or Michael planned. "The themes of the album are renewal and hope," explains Miguel. "It really reflects our relationship to God-letting Him redeem what's fallen; letting Him fix what's broken. Sometimes He has to break things down in us in order to rebuild us in an image that's more like His own."
Michael says those themes take root most evidently in songs such as "Clean," which he describes as being about "God reconciling Himself to us through Jesus. There's no response but to give ourselves to Him." "Every Reason," partly inspired by a renewed friendship with one of his best friends from high school "talks about a person who wants to know the truth. Because of their honest search, they're confronted with a faith that moves them emotionally and spiritually, in ways they don't understand." "Firefly" looks at humankind as "little carriers of God's light," while "No Kinder Savior" expresses that "those of us who are more open about admitting our doubts and fears to God are sometimes looking for answers that require the least amount of change in our lives. But as we understand who Jesus is, that requires our obedience. And that often isn't easy."
Nestled among what Miguel and Michael feel are the best songs to ever come from Smalltown Poets, are the band's unique takes on "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes and the Pride of Life" and "Beautiful Scandalous Night." "'Beautiful Scandalous Night' [from the groundbreaking modern worship record At the Foot of the Cross Vol. 1] puts Christ's sacrifice in a new perspective," says Miguel. "The 77s song is one of those where when you hear it, you go 'I can't believe anybody but me ever felt this way.' These are both songs that need to be heard by more people and fit perfectly on Third Verse."
Co-producing Third Verse with Michael and Miguel was Paul Ebersold, noted for his work with bands such as Sister Hazel and Three Doors Down. Not only did Ebersold steer the Poets further down the more guitar-centric road they had begun to travel, but Michael says he feels Ebersold's coaching resulted in a more passionate vocal delivery. "I tried to respond more directly to how the music made me feel, and be more spontaneous about my vocals, almost in more of a primal way. Instead of thinking so much, I just responded to the music and the lyric from my gut."
Miguel says he and Michael hope that the added intensity of the music on Third Verse, coupled with the heartfelt and deeply personal lyrics "will help real people find real answers to real problems. I think some of the songs do that by saying 'hey we've been through this, this is what we've learned. Our faith and belief system has held up under these trials.' Some of the songs ask questions and give resolution, some don't. We're continuing to be honest about how we're engaging God and trying to let Him lead us. We never know for sure how He will use certain songs or circumstances. We feel like this album communicates that we have worth because we have been re-claimed by God. We are called for a purpose. We're just going out there in His name, being obedient and putting this album out."
Visit Official Website.
Third Verse is brimming over with passionate rock performances ("Every Reason," "Firefly," "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes and the Pride of Life"), subtly textured moments of reflection and praise ("No Kinder Savior," "Waterfall") and soul baring statements of faith and reconciliation ("Clean," "That Line"). It's instantly evident from the first notes that Third Verse represents something much deeper than a band simply releasing its latest disc. After receiving nominations for a Grammy, six Dove Awards, and landing ten Top 10 singles, Smalltown Poets were now experiencing a complete reinvention of the group, helmed by founders Michael Johnston and Miguel DeJesus. Following the departure of co-founders Danny Stephens and Byron Goggin and long-time guitarist Kevin Breuner, Miguel and Michael form the reconstituted core of Smalltown Poets.
When Danny became an artist manager, Byron accepted a long-desired position with NASCAR and Kevin decided to pursue his education and love of photography and film-all within a period of 15 months, "we were shaken up," admits Miguel. "We wondered if people would accept Michael and I as Smalltown Poets or if they saw the band as only these five specific guys." Says Michael, "It's been such an encouragement to see how their obedience to God has yielded tremendously positive results in their lives. Being in a band is not the be-all and end-all of life. And just as God directs people into these situations, He directs them out. So it's a great blessing to be able to share with people who are fans of Smalltown Poets that these men are the men of God they claimed to be."
Rather than rush back into the studio, Michael says he and Miguel took a number of months to prayerfully consider the future of Smalltown Poets. "We really did grieve," confesses Michael. "We sought counseling and went on a few retreats with people that have been close spiritual advisers and friends for a number of years. We didn't want to make emotional decisions. We knew what we could and couldn't do to prepare for the group's future and we left it in God's hands." Miguel continues, "After a number of months, Michael and I had developed a much stronger bond than we had thought possible. We had such a connection and confirmation regarding how we wanted to communicate our faith that we knew with great certainty we had more to say as Smalltown Poets." Besides the internal struggles faced by Smalltown Poets over the past 18 months, Miguel says he and Michael were deeply challenged by the writing of Charlie Peacock and Os Guinness. "Charlie's book At the Crossroads had an enormous impact on us, as did The Call, by Os Guinness. We're proceeding with our 'primary call'-what Guinness defines as knowing God and serving Him-and our 'secondary call,' which Miguel and I know is to be in this band."
As the songs for Third Verse began to take shape, images of light and water began to dominate the lyrics, though Miguel says it wasn't anything he or Michael planned. "The themes of the album are renewal and hope," explains Miguel. "It really reflects our relationship to God-letting Him redeem what's fallen; letting Him fix what's broken. Sometimes He has to break things down in us in order to rebuild us in an image that's more like His own."
Michael says those themes take root most evidently in songs such as "Clean," which he describes as being about "God reconciling Himself to us through Jesus. There's no response but to give ourselves to Him." "Every Reason," partly inspired by a renewed friendship with one of his best friends from high school "talks about a person who wants to know the truth. Because of their honest search, they're confronted with a faith that moves them emotionally and spiritually, in ways they don't understand." "Firefly" looks at humankind as "little carriers of God's light," while "No Kinder Savior" expresses that "those of us who are more open about admitting our doubts and fears to God are sometimes looking for answers that require the least amount of change in our lives. But as we understand who Jesus is, that requires our obedience. And that often isn't easy."
Nestled among what Miguel and Michael feel are the best songs to ever come from Smalltown Poets, are the band's unique takes on "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes and the Pride of Life" and "Beautiful Scandalous Night." "'Beautiful Scandalous Night' [from the groundbreaking modern worship record At the Foot of the Cross Vol. 1] puts Christ's sacrifice in a new perspective," says Miguel. "The 77s song is one of those where when you hear it, you go 'I can't believe anybody but me ever felt this way.' These are both songs that need to be heard by more people and fit perfectly on Third Verse."
Co-producing Third Verse with Michael and Miguel was Paul Ebersold, noted for his work with bands such as Sister Hazel and Three Doors Down. Not only did Ebersold steer the Poets further down the more guitar-centric road they had begun to travel, but Michael says he feels Ebersold's coaching resulted in a more passionate vocal delivery. "I tried to respond more directly to how the music made me feel, and be more spontaneous about my vocals, almost in more of a primal way. Instead of thinking so much, I just responded to the music and the lyric from my gut."
Miguel says he and Michael hope that the added intensity of the music on Third Verse, coupled with the heartfelt and deeply personal lyrics "will help real people find real answers to real problems. I think some of the songs do that by saying 'hey we've been through this, this is what we've learned. Our faith and belief system has held up under these trials.' Some of the songs ask questions and give resolution, some don't. We're continuing to be honest about how we're engaging God and trying to let Him lead us. We never know for sure how He will use certain songs or circumstances. We feel like this album communicates that we have worth because we have been re-claimed by God. We are called for a purpose. We're just going out there in His name, being obedient and putting this album out."
Visit Official Website.
Albums
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Smalltown Poets
Listen Closely
Third Verse
It's Later Than It's Ever Been