averyfineline

Since it’s always spring or summer in Florida, spring break can be just about any time. Where I work, it’s this coming week, and I’m taking a few days off. See you next week.
PS: thanks to everyone who helped out with the convention singing thread. I’m deeply grateful.

Consider this an open invitation to send me any images - photos or video - of traditional singing conventions. Group views preferable to close-ups. I’ve Googled this a bit and not had much luck beyond the Western Mass Sacred Harp site, some vertiginously amateur videos, and a few historical images.
But maybe I just don’t know […]

The real world impingeth.
I won’t be able to get to anything substantive for a few days, so talk amongst yourselves in the meantime.
I’ll kick things off: David Phelps is charging $195 per-person for the April 12 taping of his Christmas special (semi-formal holiday attire, snow, and ho-ho-ho not included, but you will get some finger […]

In a discussion thread about genius in sg a bit ago, a commenter over at musicscribe.com asks about overrated genius in sg. The first thing to say is that genius is a badly abused word. Greatness is often mistaken for genius, which really should be reserved for vision or creation that genuinely transforms some part […]

So as you’ve probably seen, Jason Crabb signed with Spring Hill. Brandon Coomer (whose avfl welcome to the blogosphere is long overdue) makes some salient points about the signing. David Bruce Murray follows up here.

First, I’m not sure why anyone would sign with a label that has a website as badly out of […]

Several of you have legitimately criticized the optimism (and some hype) surrounding the resurrection of Canaan Records. And since I’ve participated in that optimism, let me say a few more words about that.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m assuming Canaan is different. Mostly, my high hopes are built on two things: 1) Dave Clark’s […]

Mouse semi-rapidly over the navigation bar (the words: news, appearances, bio, store etc) at the top of Russ Taff’s home page. Hoo boy. Shouldn’t this kinda feature come with a free sample of Dramamine?

A few commenters have wondered what I meant by this aside in my discussion of Canaan Records below. The short answer is: see here. When I wrote there about “A&R” (such as it is) in southern gospel amounting mostly to “professional Departments of Ego-Stroking and Flimflammery, heavily invested in manufacturing the appearance of success and […]

Or, as a friend of mine put it in an email this evening:
I IMPLORE you to mention the absence of Young Harmony this year in the Dove nominations.
Consider me implored, and the absence gladly noted.
In the announcements that did get made, southern gospel did decently, if not remarkably, well. Karen Peck, Austins Bridge (I give […]

Via Martin Roth, guess what year the music died, because of the Bill Gaither Trio?

My first reaction? After months of nothing, Canaan records breaks its radio silence and follows up their ages-ago Hoppers signing to announce a deal with …. The Mike Lefevre Quartet? Huh?

A prominent label like Canaan with the allegedly deep pockets of a powerful parent (Word) could have signed just about any talent out […]

A while back, I mentioned a conference I’d be participating in this spring at Middle Tennesse State’s Center for Popular Music. At the time, the conference program hadn’t been finalized. It’s up now, if you are interested and haven’t already seen this comment from one of the conference organizers.

Apropos the discussion of weight and gospel music, an insightful comment from reader SV:
I think Christians have difficulty with the flesh, oftentimes. You grow up hearing that you are innately evil and that you ought not worry about today as you bank up good deeds for your heavenly crown. The message sometimes becomes ANTI-BODY; the […]

From Pamela Furr’s blog:

I want to preface this blog posting with this disclaimer. I AM A FAT ASS. I am bigger now than I’ve ever been. This is disappointing and depressing. I look terrible and I feel terrible. I’m embarrassed to go out in public sometimes around people who knew […]

I’ve been getting several emails lately from people sending me clips of gospel on youtube. I don’t have the time or organization skills to post them all. So consider this a place to collect as many gospel related youtube clips as you’d like. Might be useful or interesting to see the range of non-Gaither stuff […]

From avfl’s favorite Canadian reader, NG:

A story in the Toronto Star of Jan. 28 about Polka Music possibly being removed from the list of Grammy categories next year got me wondering if there are similarities between the Polka Music industry and SGM (excluding Gaither).

Some facts about Polka music:

1. There are at least […]

As Black History month begins, this note from new reader WM seems timely:
Thanks for an excellent blog. I only just discovered you by accident and have enjoyed wandering through several discussion threads.
There is a point of irony, however, in your description of Southern Gospel as “white” gospel music.
I actually stumbled upon your site while researching […]

Some stuff that might be of interest but doesn’t really warrant its own post:

-This time of year is when I get really behind on a lot of things that aren’t absolutely necessary. Which means, among things, I have a growing stack of music I need/want to listen to, including but not limited to the […]