averyfineline » Triumphant

More cage match

Avery — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:51:54 +0000

I have, as reader DD puts it, evidently created a monster: see for yourself.

AGM in China?

Avery — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 00:52:57 +0000

Alert reader MM scores a twofer: Triumphant Quartet decided to get saved … er, I mean, certified by the high priests of the American Gospel Music enterprises, which means they can now start telling people about all the places they might sing … including maybe China?

By achieving the status of Certified American Gospel Music Artist numerous opportunities become available. AGM artists may have the opportunity to perform at the American Gospel Music Festival held this May in Dallas, Texas (www.AmericanGospelMusic.com). Other performance opportunities might include appearances in concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, and the National Theater of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.

Call it Public Relations in the conditional tense: AGM artists may have the opportunity to perform at concerts that might include China … And maybe I’ll hold my breath.

Whipsmart

Avery — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 03:05:43 +0000

SGMblog has the scoop on the Triumphity website issue. And for the record, I prefer Integriphant better than Triumphity too, but since the name change, I figure it’s time to acknowledge primarily the new bad name rather than the old one.

In suspension

Avery — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 02:52:26 +0000

Like the rest of you who have written, I’m clueless about the “suspended account” message that now pops up when you try to access Triumphity’s website. The message certainly is cryptically ominous: “Your account has been suspended. We have sent you an email explaining why. This email should also contain information on how you can unsuspend your account.” Maybe it’s an April Fool’s joke.

… that shall remain nameless

Avery — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 21:08:01 +0000

Triumphity’s new website is a bit more updated than the last time we checked in. It’s pretty nice looking, too. The bios of the former Kingdom Heirs members now part of Triumphity (Eric Bennett, Jeff Stice, David Sutton) are curious, though, for the way they strain and stretch and ache and contort to avoid saying the words “Kingdom Heirs.” And if you look real close, you can see them sticking their tongues out at their former boss, Steve French.

Ghosts of Great Names (I of II)

Avery — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 17:32:43 +0000

The recent resurrection of the Kingsmen name reminds me that the era of Great Quartet Names is over. There will only ever be one Cathedral Quartet, one Masters V, one Statesmen and, after Ray Reese is gone, only one Kingsmen, I suspect. Even so, I hope that doesn’t mean some of the recent new names that have cropped up are a portent of what’s to come in naming conventions. Let’s look at the two worst offenders among the latest additions to headliner groups.

Integrity Quartet: A real question-beggar, this one. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to immediately suspect anyone’s integrity until this group brought it up. Now it seems fair to ask, do these guys mean they have integrity and everyone else doesn’t? Do they have more integrity? And if not, why mention it to begin with? Mainly, though, the name makes a distraction of a non-issue: presumably, fans only support performers they assume have integrity, so it’s not necessary to tell them you’ve got it. Conversely, even if you call yourself Integrity, it won’t make any difference; if already fans think you’re morally or ethically compromised, a name won’t change anything.

Signature Sound: This is quite possibly the worst name ever. Ok, maybe it’s just my least favorite at the moment. Anyway, the trouble with this name is that it’s baldly, irrecoverably self-aggrandizing. Despite my issues with Integrity, it obviously attempts to make a statement about the convictions and spiritual sincerity of the group’s members. Signature Sound, however, only hubristically refers to the group’s, well … sound - its aesthetic ability. Sure, southern gospel cultivates too many pretensions and delusions about its holiness and ministerial function, which often aren’t as grand as everybody would like to think. But a name like Signature Sound drastically overplays the artificial, performative aspect of the group’s work. Have these guys no integrity? (sorry)

These flatfooted monikers are conceptually solipsistic – who says we have a Signature Sound? We do. How do you know we have Integrity? Cause we say so. And as a practical matter, they’re clunky, too: It’s one thing to alternate between “The Cathedral Quartet” and “The Cathedrals” (both are timeless and classy). It’s quite another to fumble around with these new names. Is it “We are Integrity” or “We’re the Integrity Quartet” or worst yet “The Integrities”? Would I say “Let’s hear it for the Signature Sounds” or just “Signature Sound,” or “Signature Sound Quartet”? Who knows?