RECORDING ARTIST PHIL WICKHAM PERFORMED LIVE, ACCOMPANIED BY CHARLIE HALL, HERE AT CORNERSTONE ON APRIL 18TH. OUR OWN BRIAN WURZELL HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH HIS
FRIEND BEFORE THE CONCERT, AND THROW A COUPLE QUESTIONS HIS WAY...
BRIAN: Hey Phil, I’m glad we have a chance to talk. Thanks so much. Let’s get right down to it. How’s the new record coming?
PHIL: Thanks Brian. No problem. It’s my pleasure. We are currently working on the new record which is about 50% complete. It should be done, but it has taken a while. We’ve been double, triple, and quadruple questioning everything we put down to make sure it’s the best. I feel a certain amount of pressure to make the third album better than the first and second. I hope to grow and step up the writing, personally, and for my audience. We are making sure that it is what God wants and not just fluff. The album ranges from dance to guitar picking with an electronic feel.
BRIAN: That sounds great. This might be hard, but if you had to sum up the theme for us, what would it be?
PHIL: The theme that keeps bubbling to the surface, is of Heaven and Eternity -- which excites my spirit. The signs of the times are so exciting. Its exciting to know God’s going to be returning soon. There is really nothing else in Bible prophecy that has to happen before Christ comes back.
BRIAN: You want to talk about some of the songs?
PHIL: The first song, Eden, starts the conversation of the record. It is written to reflect how Adam felt hundreds of years after he was thrown out of the garden -- his bones aching and toiling in the fields. I was thinking about Adam, thinking back to the garden days, and how he had conversations with God. This echos with our hearts today -- a desire for us to be somewhere else rather than here on earth. Our longing to be with God. I want to hit every mark with the songs on this album -- three up beat, three low key, three worship, and three singer song-writer songs. For a few of the songs, we were able to go to London and record at Abbey Road Studio, the same place where the Beatles did their Abbey Road album. We did this simply because it was cheaper to record there, with a string section, than it is in LA. We had a 16 piece orchestra play with us that also recorded for the Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. We feel like we are pushing our music to new places. The album is supposed to release September 1, 2009, and this record is for the seeker as well as a Christian. I believe that I have been given a responsibility to bring the truth that is found in the Bible as I understand it and what I have seen Jesus do for me. I want to bring that into my music lyrically.
BRIAN: What are some of the best moments/greatest joys from being on the road?
PHIL: My personal favorites are the super great bands I have played with; Charlie Hall, David Crowder, Shane & Shane, Mercy Me, and The Myriad. Just quality people. My favorite times were when we talked about life, great people, and the concerts. In November, I got married so my wife has been on the road with me too.
BRIAN: Any road bummers?
PHIL: Bummers are the business aspects of the trip. You’re too busy to build relationships with your wife, the Lord, and other people. You really have to balance and figure all that out.
BRIAN: What would be a dream tour for you?
PHIL: That would depend on the goal I’m trying to achieve. If it was a worship tour, it would be Hillsong United, Leeland, and myself. With this new record coming out, I would go on tour with Keane or the Killers. I am a big fan of the Killers and they actually inspired new sounds on the record for sure. On a more generalized note, I would go on tour with anyone from Coldplay to Miley Cyrus...haha.
BRIAN: Can you share a story from the road?
PHIL: At a smaller venue, I was rocking the club which was packed with about 500 people. I was eyeing a drum-riser that I thought would be cool to jump off at the end of a song. This drum-riser was three feet high. I jumped and totally miscalculated, so I hit my shins into the drum-riser and knocked some cymbals into the drums. My guitar cord got caught in the drum set and the band and the crowd had no clue what was going on. To ease the tension I said something lame like, “...its true...white men can’t jump”. I think you can find that video on YouTube.
BRIAN: What excites you the most about your career?
PHIL: The most exciting thing to me lately is that I have really worked to keep the ministry and my career in check. This tour has been exciting when it comes to seeing the Lord let it move forward and grow.
BRIAN: How can Worship leaders that are aspiring to be artists get in the music industry?
PHIL: Sometimes it happens when a guy just writes a song that connects. It mostly happens for bands that have worked for years and have spent time at youth camps, groups, etc... I found that the Lord honors faithfulness. When you are faithful with little he will give you more. I started out in Junior High and moved on to Bakersfield Calvary Chapel. It is all in the attitude in telling the Lord I want to do what you want me to do today. I found that the Lord could use me and I let Him just use me.
BRIAN: Are there any ways that we can pray for you, Phil?
PHIL: I would love for you to pray for me, the same way you would for your own brother or son -- that the Lord would be first in my life and that my focus would be on HIM. That the Lord would keep me pure, in His Word, and keep me humble. That all the lyrics would be the lyrics that God wants, that the songs would have God’s heart reflected in them, and that God would breath life into those songs...