New sanctuary tested as concert venue
Easthaven Baptist is putting its new facility to the test as a concert venue when contemporary Christian music superstar Matthew West gives the first show of "History: The Tour" at the church on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.
Joining West is Sparrow soul-folk recording artist Shawn McDonald and hip-hop singer Paul Wright.
Easthaven was contacted by a People For Christ representative in Spokane, and asked if the church would be interested in holding the concert.
"At the old church we hosted Gospel Music Association concerts of southern gospel music," the Rev. Daniel Lambert said. "This is a new world for us."
Since the 2003 release of his Universal South debut, "Happy," West has been on a fast track to making music history.
The project's first single, "More," held the No. 1 spot on the Christian adult contemporary singles chart for a record-breaking nine weeks and went on to be named Christian Song of the Year by the American Society of Composers and Producers.
Capping off an eventful year, West was nominated in five categories-including new artist of the year- at the 2005 Gospel Music Association Music Awards. Meanwhile, West has had his songs recorded by many of the top names in Christian music, and last year, country's Rascal Flatts was added to the list.
His 2005 follow-up recording, "History," offers memorable pop melodies and honest lyrics that document the artist's own life journey, and his road to salvation, redemption and daily desire to follow Christ.
"I ended up landing on a real concept for this album instead of just putting a bunch of songs together," West said. "I've always been creatively fueled by the chance to do a whole album that speaks and communicates something from start to finish."
McDonald's genre-bending soulish-folk debut, "Simply Nothing," express his insatiable hunger and thirst for God. The lyrics reveal a personal maturity of belief that prefers a hard truth over a feel-good lie.
"Honesty is huge," McDonald explains. "That's what I think people connect with in my concerts. I get up there and I talk about my life and my struggles and my experiences, good and bad. I sing and talk about it all. I talk about the grime of life. I can't understand a version of Christianity that would deny all that."
"Beautiful," a lyric inspired by Brennan Manning's book "Ragamuffin Gospel," creates a portrait of grace by showing the distance between God's glory and man's unworthiness. "Here I Am," often used as a concert opener, is McDonald's personal expression of worship and surrender. "Gravity," the project's first single, is a prayer for God's strength to be made perfect in weakness.
Wright's debut album, "Fly Away," redefines the singer-songwriter image by demonstrating how creative and revolutionary one can be with this classical musical form.
The Oregon native pens gifted narratives, poetic analogies, and fun simple stories in a style with hip-hop and alternative-rock touches.
"I'm a singer-songwriter who writes pop songs on the acoustic guitar, but I'm also heavily influenced by so many other styles," says Wright, who co-produced the album with Christopher Stevens. "I listen to hip-hop, reggae, alternative rock, old school jazz, and the rest, and it's all absorbed into my music."
Tickets for Matthew West, Shawn McDonald and Paul Wright are $16.50 for gold circle seating; $12.50 in advance, $10.50 for groups of 10 or more; or $15 at the door.
Tickets can be purchased at Easthaven and at Christian Book Supply in Kalispell, or by calling 325-SEAT.