Greetings Again!!
photos courtesy of Ian Villafana
The Band was supertight, the music was hot and the audiences were awesome. It was absolutely gratifying to be performing with Musicians of such Amazing Caliber with Zero Egos & 100% Professionalism and Mutual Respect. We all became fast friends and vowed that these engagements only presented the beginning of greater opportunities. After several months of flying MP3s about the web and doing individual shedding, we arrived in Ft Lauderdale on Thursday 1/27 where most of us met and saw each other (in person) for the first time. We then reherased and performed there the next evening and on Saturday the 29th, boarded the Carnival Freedom where we set sail for and performed in San Juan, St Thomas, Antiqua, Tortola (Virgin Islands) & Nassau (Bahamas). During the Cruise, we befriended some awesome musicians who were performing in the various venues on board and eventually we enjoyed some INCREDIBLE Jam Sessions. Much Love to 'Music Motion': Maria, Eduardo, Gerard & Victor. Also Love to: Funkmeister Jon Ventre, Javier, Walker Janelle, Tom, Charlie, Greg, Ed, Christina Marie & ALL of The Guys & Gals on board who Put it DOWN on a Nighly Basis. It was an experience we'll never forget. I've uploaded some great footage of the trip, performances and candid moments to share for you to enjoy. I do need to apologize that there are hardly any shots or footage of Damon, who although performed with us, had quite a bout with an slight illness during the trip which kept him in his cabin for most of the trip. Ignoring All Calorie Counting, I personally consumed far more than my fair share of food and did unusual things like play the trash can in a performance with Cecil & Dean. I learned to play authentic calypso ryhthms with a local band and traded licks nightly with Maria (of Music Motion) performing The Beach Boys' "Wipe Out" for audiences who came to demand it of us every evening! I also took the opportunity to stop and reflect on the awesome creativity of The Lord God who shared with me some Amazing Sunrises, Sunsets and the greatness of His vast stars in the sky under simmering nights off the coasts of Antiqua & Tortola - Plus the Overwhelming feeling of being completely surrounded by water for two days with no land in sght (can you tell it was my first cruise?) Equally as important is the development of friendships and sharing deep conversations with people from all over the world whom we will continue our bond through the miracle of Email & Skype! Of course, I am extremely grateful for all of the new friends who purchased SounDoctrine Music. Thank You!
Great Music from Great Artists Available Now
I arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale on Superbowl Sunday and literally spent the entire day - from 11:45AM to 7:05PM in the Airport awaiting my flight to Pittsburgh. I did inquire about an earlier departure, but decided I had more time than money when the lady told me how much my impatience would cost me! I then spent the day catching up on Emails and other Social Media I did not want to pay for while aboard ship. In so doing, I unfortunately learned of a tragedy here in my home city of Youngstown, OH on CNN before most of our own residents knew. While I don't intend for this newsletter to dwell upon this tragedy, I feel it is important enough to touch upon it, not only because it is now national news, but because it continues to be a microcosm of permeating violence in urban communities across America for far too long and every chance I get, I will speak against this evil. In this instance, Jamail Johnson, a young man of 25 years old, a senior at Youngstown State University who would graduate this spring and from all reports personal and professional was a wonderful young man, was shot to death multiple times while trying to save others at a frat party that spawned an altercation with others who were not even members of the university. 11 Others were shot by the Cowards before the ordeal ended. My Heart Goes to the Family of the deceased, the other victims, the University and to the City I call home. The Question remains: When do we STOP The NONSENSE? Once Again, I do Apologize that a newsletter that exists to highlight the Musical Journey of SounDoctrine as a whole while sharing my own Personal, Spiritual< Mental and Emotional perspectives (usually also expressed musically), diverted down this road, for the first time in its existence, but I am shaken to the core and feel that this is a 'wake up call' no matter where we live to finally stand up, speak out and take appropriate steps to live in peace - no matter the disagreements. Enough IS Enough. I also feel Jamail's life and legacy deserves such attention. To Continue, I also found time to began writing my first book on this cruise. It began as a simple idea I've been toying with while working part time for a local moving company here in the area, when gigs are slow. I began working in this industry as a youngster, as my uncle, Lorans Jones owned his own such business and I would often spend my summers on his truck earning extra money. What I noticed is that many people from all walks of life are simply NOT prepared for the Move when the truck pulls up into the yard. There are Many reasons for this, most often to the detrement of the customer and they wind up spending far more than they should. Well, my book, "It's Your Move" will provide solutions to help those in transition prepare accordingly and save some dough (and stress) as well. I solicit your prayers as I complete this project. I found great space onboard the ship to aid me in getting off to a good start. Needless to say, I was slighlty perturbed to have to return to an ice-ridden area about 35 degrees below what my body temperature had normalized, but what made it instantly better was seeing and kissing my beautiful wife, Lori and going upstairs to snuggle Nia & Ayana, both fast asleep. Much Love to my brother, Jerry Thompson who made the trek in the middle of the night to PBurgh to drive me back to Ytown and many blessings to my ever watchful eldest daughter Tejai who kept tabs on her Dad during my tenure at the airport. Upon my return, I celebrated my Birthday on the 8th and was completely inundated with well wishes on my FB Page (friend me if you haven't already!) and I tried like the dickens to return every single one, but fell far short. My Family and I feasted on Chicken Burritos from Chipotle Grille, and earlier today (Feb 9) my nephew Eric treated me to yet another lunch there where we doubled up on the chicken - and guess what...there's still one left in the fridge that I'm going to tear into in the next 24 hours! I'm HOOKED! Not too pleasant was a somewhat invasive physical that I have every year around my Birthday by my wonderful Doctor. The Cool Thing is that I've only gained a half-pound in two years and not widened a single inch, even after all of that food I put away on the cruise (yeah!!) - but there is a slight cholesterol issue and I will take heed, because there is a bunch of music that needs to be completed this year! First Thing on the agenda is a Remix of "Marriage" for The Weather Channel who is adding the tune to their March Playlist! Exciting!! We've added a Guitar to the Mix, showcasing the wonderful talents of Pastor Angel Lopez, who graced us with his acoustic skills on the title track, "Inspire." Well, he added some pizzaz to this remix, which will only be available on The Weather Channel's Remix...I'll tell ya why later! I will say that I am not yet finished with the "Relax" remix which I thought would be done before the new year, but my OCD keeps kicking in and I 'ain't' satisfied yet. I'm putting it back on the operating table. Next, I found out that a Local News TV Commercial I shot back before Thanksgiving is finally going to Air and I was sent the link by my friend at the talent agency, Cynthia Bridge Rogers, so I'm grateful I made the cut. I will debut here soon. SounDoctrine rehearsals resume in a few days and as promised, you'll be introduced to the new line up of artists and musicians on stage for this next chapter in our journey! There are wonderful projects on the Horizon for Niayana Recordings, including a Face Lift for the Website and releases from my label mates, Divine Soldiers, Phillip K Jones II & Joe Thomas. The possibility of doing another Soul Patrol Convention is in the development stages and I am looking forward to participating in Kevin Amos' annual "Each one Reach One" Music Seminar this April as well as strengthening my personal management team! On the Brain Tip, I've just completed "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge, a Christmas Present given to me by my brother Jerry Thompson. It's an incredible book that EVERY MAN should read, especially those searching for or settling into their life's purpose. I've also began re-reading Steve Knopper's "Appetite for Self Destruction" which chronicles the downfall of the traditional Record Companies and discusses the vast potential of indie thinking (and who isn't an indie now-a-days?) Later this month, I'll be listening to the Audio Book, "Thou Shall Prosper" by Rabbi Daniel Lapin.
I am extremely excited about this year, its prospects and the potential to acheive great and excellent things. I am so grateful that you have decided to partner with SounDoctrine in your Prayers, Encouragement & Support and we realize that none of this is possible without your participation. Thank You So Much for being on this journey with us. And Now, before I do one more thing, it's time to prep the tax files.... Peace & Blessings! Jere B |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We All Know Christmas is About Giving!
We Appreciate Your Giving to Us this Year. We've Enjoyed Your Emails, Meeting You at the Shows and Your thoughtfulness in purchasing Our Music. Our Gift to You and Yours this season is to Gift You with a Few Downloads that we hope will Make Your Christmas Merrier and Your New Year Cheerier! Firstly, We Are Making the title track "INSPIRE" a Perpetual Free Download from This Site. We wholeheartedly believe in the Spirit of This Song, in the Lyrics and honor the man for which it is written, Mr. Corny McKnight. We Trust You will be Blessed by this Song also and will share it with your family and friends. Anyone can download this song for Free by just providing an email address. Also, for our Exclusive SounDoctrine Family Members, we've included two Holiday Arrangements put together a few years ago that are still receiveing airplay on various Radio Stations and for the first time, we're making them available to You We recorded "The Christmas Song" Live at a Borders in Northeast Ohio back in 2003 (gasp!) – It was done without a real rehearsal and more of a ‘let’s have some fun’ for crowd participation. Our keyboardist, Cliff Barnes is responsible for rocking the arrangement, which is why the intro is so long – you can’t hear him giving the instructions about how we should come in, what the bassist (Nate Barnes) should do and how saxophonist (Michael Austin) is to handle the melody – so we just jammed. "The Christmas Song" is just an adaption on Nat King Cole’s Version which was written by Robert Wells & Mel Torme and is ©1944 Mesquite Music Corp – now administered by Sony/ATV – we are offering this arrangement for promotional purposes only. We recorded “This Christmas” during that same show, obviously influenced by the Donny Hathaway version and had a great time watching the crowd groove to Cliff & Mike’s interplay. This tune got us a lot of mileage on Radio and we appreciate having the opportunity to put our spin on such a great classic. In Addition, Our Niayana Labelmates (and occasional keyboardists!) Jim Couchenour & Phillip K Jones II both have Wonderful Christmas Projects entitled, "A Quiet Canvas Christmas" and "The Meaning of Christmas" respectively and are joining us in gifting you with music from their albums!
To Enjoy These Four Holiday Tunes, you will need to be a SounDoctrine Family Member and Log In. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giving is cyclical! A Joyful Process, The More You Give, The More You Recieve.
As You Prepare Your Budgets for the Coming Year, We'd Love for You to Prayerfully Consider a Few Charities We Support and Know First Hand the Remarkable Difference The Are Making. Thank You For Any Consideration You Can Provide. Since our inception, we've been a strong supporter of the work of The Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley, partnering with them in many performances to bring continuing awareness to to those less fortunate and how RMVM is helping to alleviate, if only temporarily, some of the most difficult issues confronting the disenfranchised in our hometown. "The purpose of the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley is to serve and glorify God through Christ-centered outreach of love and compassion that responds to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of disadvantaged men, women, and children without regard to race, color or creed."  |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Our Connection with The Way Station is through its founder, Mr. Jim Couchenour, Sr. A compassionate man, Jim Sr. constantly searches for ways to connect with others and in doing so helping to transform lives to their greatest potential. It is our pleasure to assist them in offering awareness of their services to our local community. The Way Station's Mission: "reflecting the love of Christ to individuals, families and communities in practical ways." The organization provides a multitude of services to the community through the faithful support from individuals, corporations and churches. Additionally, the Columbiana County Department of Jobs and Family Services, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture contractually fund the organization. The Way Station serves southern Mahoning and rural Appalachian Columbiana County through offices in Columbiana, Lisbon, East Palestine and East Liverpool.  |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
S U M M E R I N J A N U A R Y If You're from The South or The West Coast, this might not be such a Huge Deal, but from where we're sitting right now in Northeast Ohio, ANY Opportunity to See The Sun is a Major Blessing and Very Soon will Be...  
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
