The Archives
Jason Gray
Singer, Songwriter
A Tale of Two Songs (Plus 3)
by Jason Gray 13
In a recent post I talked about my writer’s block and the song that broke it. I thought I’d revisit a similar theme here and talk about the process of writing the most challenging song on my new record.
During a session at a songwriter’s retreat several years ago, I asked Pierce Pettis, one of the [...]
The Golden Boy & The Prodigal
by Jason Gray 05
My entry today may be aptly titled, since I’ve been a bit of a prodigal myself here for the past several months. Over my head in the deep end of a new recording project, I’ve had little time for much else than approving mixes and artwork and everything else that goes along with releasing a [...]
The Satisfaction Of Restoration
by Jason Gray 04
I’ve had three weeks of much needed time off the road – eating my own food, sleeping in my own bed, working a normal 9 hour work day and wrapping up at the end of it to play with my kids, watch a movie, and even read a book together on our back porch–it’s been [...]
Separate Ways – A Journey That Began With Frontiers
by Jason Gray 27
Gus, my five year old, just discovered a deep, deep love for 80’s supergroup Journey. It all started when my wife Taya saw the new Jim Carrey movie, “Yes Man” – a passable comedy that opened with Journey’s made for arenas classic “Separate Ways”. After the movie, Taya downloaded Journey’s Greatest Hits and for better [...]
Hard at Work
by Jason Gray 14
[Note: For those who might be unaware, our own Jason Gray has been hard at work recording his next album. This is his latest journal entry from his official website at JasonGrayMusic.com. If you're wondering what Jason is doing in this picture, he's either trying to make a record Jedi-style by using the Force or [...]
Looking For The Least Of These
by Jason Gray 17
CMCentral posted my latest devotional where I talk about the unique gift that Sara Groves and Michael Card have for recognizing the “least of these” in their midst and their commitment to creating community in what can sometimes be an otherwise cutthroat business.
I’d like to note here, too, that the art of “community touring” that [...]
Cheeseburgers, Sin, and Lent
by Jason Gray 09
Here we are again in the season of Lent – one of my favorite liturgical observances. Since I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, I was always mystified by my catholic friend’s religious practice of ordering fishwiches from McDonald’s on Fridays. “I can’t eat meat on Fridays for Lent,” they would explain, whatever that meant. I didn’t get it.
But as I grew older and learned more about this sacred season leading up to Easter, I fell in love with it. If you happen to be uninitiated as I was, the basic idea of Lent as I understand it is
Out With The Old And In With The… Old
by Jason Gray 13
Christian Music Central posted my New Year’s devotional recently (I know it’s February, but I just found out it was posted – sorry about that!) and you can read it here. I hope you enjoy it. If you do, leave a comment and let CMCentral know. It was also posted at Christian Music Planet
An excerpt:
God Only Knows What I’d Be Without The Beach Boys
by Jason Gray 23
Today I bought my first Beach Boys album: Pet Sounds.
For the past year or so, Ben Shive and I have been having an ongoing conversation about the virtues of the seminal 80’s new wave band The Talking Heads (and have been threatening to make time to watch their classic concert film together, “Stop Making Sense,” [...]
“Another Steed In The Stable” or “Why I Flee From Love”
by Jason Gray 20
I’m a one guitar man. Have been from the beginning. And I’ve secretly been suspicious of those who have numerous guitars as one would have steeds in a stable. I’m faithful to one woman, and I’m faithful to one guitar. At least that’s what I’ve always told myself since I couldn’t really afford a second [...]
Featured
The Shape of the Stories We Tell
[Note: This has been adapted from the Hutchmoot 2011 session of the same name. Click here for a portion of Travis Prinzi's contribution to that same session.]
What does the shape of a story look like? A lot of people might say it looks like a Bell curve: setup, rising conflict, and resolution. That’s the typical answer, and there’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, there’s a lot that’s exactly right about it, and there are a thousand and one books on the subject to prove it. But I don’t think that’s the whole picture. The reason for the question is that we want a way to predict whether a story is going to work. We want a pattern for our creation. We want rules to write by.
So what makes a story work? Every critic’s got a theory, me included—or you wouldn’t be reading this.
Because Two Albums are Better Than One
Hello, friends. I released my latest album, In This Hour, back in November, and I’m excited to announce a new limited-time offer (“limited-time” sounds fancier than “we don’t know when this is going to end but it won’t last forever”). Here’s the deal: If you buy a CD or download of In This Hour you’ll also get a free download of my last record, The Good Things. I am very proud of these projects, both produced by Cason Cooley, and would love to see them reach some new ears. If you can help out by spreading the word to your friends I would be incredibly grateful.
Thanks for your support, and thanks for helping me get the word out!
“That’s Not Who You Are”
from In This Hour by Jill Phillips
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