A rag-tag group of Calvary Chapel singer-songwriter musicians making a joyful noise.
Watch the video HERE!
Download the music HERE!
When I first attended Mosaic in April of 2021, the worship was being led by Pastor Cameron, sitting on a stool, accompanied by a man in rainbow shoe laces and suspenders on the cajon. I felt bad for Cameron, seeing as how he was leading the entire service from opening to closing prayer, and asked him if he desired help with the music. I told him I had been the music director at another church in town for 3 years, that I played guitar and sang.
He didn't know me from Adam, er, Eve, but we chatted over the phone later that week and he graciously invited me to join in the following Sunday. I showed up...and so did this hippie looking dude with no shoes and an electric guitar I hadn't bargained for. The three of us, never having played together, ran through a few songs shortly before the service, and let the Holy Spirit take the lead as we noobed our way through. And it was great. As it turned out, that barefooted fellow, Devan, and I blended voices really well together. Go figure!
I have no recollection of the timeline as it all just flowed over the course of a few months: Josh popped up in the midst of the congregation one day, offering his bass services. Then Andrew revealed himself as a drummer. Then Angela, a veteran praise band member of Mosaic Church who had been travelling, returned and jumped up with us. Theresa approached us as a seasoned worship team BGV harmonizer extraordinaire, and sweet Amye finally joined us with her piano skills.
A number of us have original tunes. And not just band members, but other Mosaic congregants also wrote worship songs. Sometimes we sang them on Sundays, but many of the songs aren't "congregational." Suddenly it hit me: why not have a concert where we can sing these songs just as an offering, outside of a church service. Better yet, let's have it be a fundraiser event for our upcoming missions trip to Esperanza.
It was one of those ideas that sounds great at 12:30 in the morning, but then in the sobriety of 8am the next morning, the dream fades into practical "yeah, but..." However, I received just enough encouragement from the band to pursue the idea, which I raised to Cameron, and before I knew it, we had a date on the calendar for a performance!...in three weeks' time.
Thanks to the talent, drive, and brotherhood of the band, the sound techs, and a lot of Holy Spirit lubrication and motivation, we learned 11 original songs together in 4 rehearsals. We stretched and grew so much as musicians, and in fellowship. It's a miracle in and of itself that we were all available for the practices, let alone the actual show date - especially for a 7 person band...oh wait - 8!
One day Helen mentioned at church that she also had an original song she'd love to have us play in church sometime. Making sure it was kosher, I had her come to rehearsal to demo it for us. By the time the chorus kicked in, our jaws were on the floor. Even though she wanted us to play it, there was no question that Helen had to be the one to perform it...and not just at church, but at the concert.
Another miracle was that at the last minute, we were able to send each line from the mixing board into a DAW and record the channels individually into separate tracks, allowing for post-production editing, so we could turn it into something listenable, as opposed to the venal sin of direct-in board sound (you know - the kind you hear on all those church livestreams).
We raised $1400 for Esperanza, had an absolute blast, and sang our hearts out to the Lord. I am so grateful: to Parkdale Church for letting us use their space; to Mosaic Church for being so supportive of our music; to the band for working hard and being gracious and supportive with each other; to the sound technicians: John, Tara and David, without whom we'd be unplugged; and to the Lord, for the gift of each and every note, melody, riff, and breath.
This was a dream come true for me: to not only have a band and put on a rock concert, but to have it be with brothers and sisters in Christ, worshipping at full volume. It also gifted me the opportunity to hone my production/mixing skills even further, full of studio firsts: live show, multiple musicians, almost 100 tracks, and 10 songs at once!
May you enjoy and be blessed, and please share freely!
MOSAIC BAND:
Liz Dieleman: Guitar, Vocals, Percussion
Angela Bruce: Guitar, Vocals, Percussion
Devan Forster: Lead Guitar, Vocals
Theresa Powers: Vocals
Josh Erakovic: Bass
Amye St Arnault: Keyboard, Vocals
Andrew Veness: Drums
Helen Lupowitz: Guitar, Vocals
TRACK LIST:
1) "In His Name" by Liz Dieleman
2) "Communion" by Michelle Berod, Liz Dieleman, Mosaic Band
3) "Knowing the Time" by Angela Bruce
4) "Psalm 31" by Liz Dieleman
5) "Thank You, Father" by Amye St Arnault, Angela Bruce, Theresa Powers
6) "Perfect Love" by Devan Forster, Liz Dieleman, Angela Bruce
7) "Pour into Open Hearts" by Liz Dieleman
8) "King of Glory" by Liz Dieleman
9) "Jesus Calling" by Helen Lupowitz
10) "I Remember (Deliverance)" by Liz Dieleman
SOUND TECHIES
John Lewis
Tara Lewis
David Hilderman
PRODUCTION/MIXING
Liz Dieleman
Devan Forster
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