Spence Smith

In all the years of traveling to spanish speaking countries, this is the first time my name has ever been translated to Spend Fish. I’ve heard of language barriers but I guess the guy never looked at my name on paper but only wrote down what he heard on the phone as he was told who is was picking up.

This morning when I arrived in Barcelona I met up with one of Michael W. Smith’s daughters, Anna. She was flying in on another airline. Michael’s road manager, Joey, arranged Anna and I to have a a car service to where we are all staying which is on the beach just north of Barcelona.

Anna and I flew in at the same time, got our luggage and out the exit we went looking for a guy holding a sign with at the very least the last name we both share. No… I’m not related to Michael, but I’m sure somewhere down the line of Smith’s we connect at some odd point.

As we walked out the sign above is what we saw. I looked at Anna… she looked at me.. we both smiled and shrugged Oh Well… You can’t win ‘em all.

As the drive progressed I just kept laughing to myself and saying it in my head… Spend Fish… Spend Fish. You know if you say it super fast it sounds almost like Spence Smith with a spanish accent.

Ok… go ahead… you try it now.:)

Have a great day my friends… I’m off to write then visit with friends I haven’t seen in a while as we take in the view.

This month Michael W. Smith starts his tour across Europe for A New Hallelujah World Tour. Every time he goes over the pond he seems to hit a new country and forge new ground with another new audience.

I’ve been out for portions of every tour European tour Michael has done in the past 8 years and I can tell you it’s an incredible experience for all of us traveling together. Sure it’s great seeing different countries in Europe but the greatest experience is the audience that shows up night after night after night by the thousands. I’m continually amazed how Michael’s songs translate in the live setting, be it pop or worship, language is never a barrier. Well… unless of course when Michael is talking between songs. Then the interpreter must step in.

For Compassion, 10 of the shows will be in countries we can present Compassion’s ministry in hoping to get these audiences to sponsor kids. England, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain. What an incredible opportunity!

For me… I will get to be at the two dates in Spain and the two dates in Italy. So if you read my blog or follow me on twitter… Please… Come to the show and direct message me. I would love to meet you.

If you are in Europe and you want to come to one of the shows, CLICK HERE to find info on buying tickets.

Here are the dates…

MICHAEL W. SMITH – A NEW HALLELUJAH WORLD TOUR 2009

May 21      Tampere Finland
May 22     Jonkoping, Sweden
May 23     Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
May 24     Steyning, West Sussex, UK  Big Church Day Out Festival
May 26     Touon, France
May 27     Zurich, Switzerland
May 29     Riga, Latvia
May 30     Tallinn, Estonia
May 31     Tallinn, Estonia
Jun 01     Lemgo, Germany
Jun 04     Madrid, Spain
Jun 05     Barcelona, Spain
Jun 06     Bari Italy
Jun 07     Catania, Italy
Jun 09     Budapest, Hungary
Jun 11     Grand Sacconex, Switzerland
Jun 12     Arnhem, Netherlands
Jun 13     Arnhem, Netherlands – EO Youth Day
Jun 14     Paris, France

This past Tuesday night I got to play The Grand Ole Opry with Mercy Me. Their drummer Robby Shaffer and his wife just welcomed into the world their second child so Robby Stayed home for a bit and the guys in the band asked me to fill in for the night. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to play the Opry and when I got the call, I knew it was going to be a big deal. Not just for me but for the rest of the guys too.

You see, over the years, I’ve been fortunate to play on the Ryman stage for different shows but never the Opry. So on Tuesday night, we found ourselves not just playing the Opry… But The Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman… This was and is a historic place and it all centers around the Opry.

We got to play three songs… Alright, Finally Home, and I Can Only Imagine. All three were great but my favorite was Finally Home. Musically it just fit for the occasion…. and I felt like I was finally home.

I’ve known these guys for 12 years. We’ve shared the stage so many times, but the anticipation for these three songs was enormous. No matter how many people we have all played too… this was the highlight and one that will never be forgotten.

When it was all done we pretty much just kept pinching ourselves and laughing in disbelief. Of course… i was the friend filling in for a friend getting to play with friends… but this was a night we as friends will always have. Thank you Robby for trusting me to fill your shoes and thanks to Bart, Jim, Mike, Barry, Nate, Joel, Scott, Brody, Sam, and Dustin for such a great time and… the greatest musical gift you could have ever given a friend.

There’s a fun video Brody and Sam made of the night in my Videos category and also in the sidebar to the right. I’m playing a Cajon and if you look closely you will see me… and you will hear me.

Randy Elrod will be hosting a benefit wine/chocolate tasting to benefit Liam Thiessen, Sunday evening, May 31, 7pm at Sol On Main Restaurant in downtown Franklin, TN

Liam was born in December 2008 with Down Syndrome. His Dad Jeremy has been in the artist mentoring group I lead for over eight years and plays drums for Centricity Recording Artist band DOWNHERE

Our mentoring group thought it would be a great idea to host a tasting. I will provide the wine and Brock Gill will bring chocolate from all over the world. (We will have soft drinks if you do not prefer wine.)

There is no set admission charge, but a donation of $10 or more is required to attend. All donations will go straight to Jeremy, Erin and Liam’s Paypal account. There will be no middle man. ALL proceeds go directly to the Thiessen family to help with the additional medical costs and equipment.

Please join us. To register, click HERE.

Compassion International sponsor children being taught how to play the guitar.

All this week I’ve been showing the work of Compassion International to a group of artists and music industry people. It’s been another amazing trip to the Dominican Republic. Today we leave to come home but with encouraging hope for the future of the kids we played with and got to know.

The one thing I keep seeing over and over again is the youthful look in the eyes of kids that says… I want to be some one. I want to make my world a better place. I want to be used to bring hope, opportunity and good health to those around me.

These kids are dreamers and they dream big. The great part is they are always given the tools, knowledge, and resources to realize those dreams. Always.

So as you read this and as you follow me around the globe… think about what it is to give a child the opportunity of build a dream and create culture. It’s such a powerful gift to give. It can literally change the world.

Next Friday, April 24, I’m off to lead a trip to India to take a small band of eager bloggers headed up by Shaun Groves. You can find the list of bloggers at CompassionBloggers.com.

Please follow along, Please sponsor a child and please keep us in your prayers. I have a feeling this trip will be more life changing for those of us on the trip than those we are going to meet. Funny how it happens that way.

This morning I went for a run right outside my hotel on this super wide sidewalk on the edge of this sweet little country called the Dominican Republic. It was a beautifully hot run watching the waves crash against the rocky shore. As I ran I was listening to a play list that made me think about the songwriters who really inspire me. These are my favorite kind of running days.

These songwriters don’t necessarily cause me to want to go write songs, but they inspire me to dream up ideas and to walk them out. They are also writing songs that feel like the sound track to my life.

Want to try something different? This can work in the most simple of ways. Throw a good John Williams sound track on your ipod and walk around a street festival and watch people. It changes the whole experience and can make an environment come alive!

When I get inspired amazing things happen for me. I create ideas, I re-think ideas and I implement ideas. For the longest time my creative artist side sat within playing music, but now that creative side sits within creativity itself. Creativity isn’t always about music for me but it can be the birthing of an idea that takes me to a whole other place.

So… who inspires you? A songwriter? An author? An actor? A movie? Is it a place like the beach, the ocean or the mountains?

The songwriters who inspire me…

James Taylor, John Williams, Sting, Bono/The Edge, Chris Martin, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jacob Dylan, John Hiatt, McCartney/Lennon, The Rolling Stones…The list really could go on…

Cnn.com has this great article about Jill Sobule and the funding of her new album. A couple of weeks ago I was hanging with  friend who is looking to record a record and I recommended something like this. Have your fans help fund it. Why not? It’s worth the ask and the worst that could happen is your fans say no, but really… why would they say no if they are truly a fan right?

Here’s a portion from the article on cnn.

In January 2008, she started her fundraising drive on jillsnextrecord.com. Visitors to the site were greeted by a message that read, “Hi, I’m Elaine, Jill’s mother. As you know, my daughter is a real talent.” During the next six weeks, donations flooded in via PayPal. Watch Sobule surprised at the effectiveness of her pitch »

To sweeten the pot, Sobule offered prizes to contributors — or “gifts,” as she calls them. For 10 grand, you got to sing on the record. Five thousand dollars earned you a private living room concert. A $100 donation meant a T-shirt from Sobule with the words “Junior Executive Producer” emblazoned on it.

Read the full article here.

To read this article from MTV.com click here.

Finally!!! More artists are starting to catch on to the fact that their CD is not the end game but the entry point to engaging their fans. This is a move that seems like a big risk and yet. There’s no risk at all in it. In fact, the band will make more money in the long run of off every fan that goes for this than if that fan bought CD No Doubt made. They will go to more shows, but more merchandise and follow them online more than usual. It’s just the start of learning how to engage fans in the digital world.

Today U2 announced dates for their world tour. Most of the dates are in Europe for the summer with North American dates to follow in September and October. I’m not going to list them here as their site is too cool to not miss out on. The image in this post is a mock up of their new stage. Yep… it’s in the round. I’ve seen U2 on the ZooTV stadium tour twice and a few other arena shows. I know one thing about this show. It will be over th top and you won’t want to miss it. To see all the tour info click here to go to U2.com.

Today and tomorrow U2 releases their 12th CD, No Line On The Horizon. I received an early copy and have been listening to it ever since… and of course. I love it. It’s a great mixture old and new U2 with all the style of moving forward as they always do so well.

This week is a U2 media blitz week for sure. Actually starting with a few nights ago by playing a roof top gig in London at the BBC which you can see here.

Starting tonight U2 will be the musical guest on The Late Show with David Letterman. Not just tonight… but every night this week! At the end of the week, March 6, they will be on Good Morning America’s Winter Concert Series.

I love this! It really feels like U2 week. Finally!

Here’s the best news. This summer they will go on tour playing stadiums as part of their new deal with Live Nation. Their live show is one of the best I have ever seen and I’ve seen them in stadiums, in arenas, and even on a flat bed truck rolling down Time Square in NYC. U2 spares no expenses when it comes to giving their fans everything they can and at the end of the show you feel like you have walked away from one of the greatest spiritual and musical experiences ever… they are worth the price of admission.

So… this week, download the CD. Sign up and join U2.com, watch them on Letterman and check them out Friday morning.

I am.. the TIVO is set!

I have a lot of favorite bands. I have a lot of favorite solo artists too. But when it comes to bands, these guys are at the top of my list. are bands that have stood the test of time and survived. I grew up listing to these bands. They are the ones who influenced me as a drummer and they still do.

As a lover of all styles of music, there’s just something about rock n roll that gets me going. I could listen to any song from anyone of these bands 20 times in a row and re-live the song every time. When I’m in the car and flipping through stations, I can hear one note from any one of these bands and the volume gets cranked!!! The whole world stops and rock lives on. I’m really excited about the times we are in when it comes to bands like this. But I’m a little sad for the future.

Here’s why…look around in the music world. Who out there do you think will be still making music 20, 25, or even 30 years from now? Who is coming out now or has been out for the past few years that will be in their 60′s selling out arenas and stadiums. Sure Mich Jagger is looking jagged around the edges, but come on…have you seen him run 2 or 3 miles on stage at the tender age of 60? I have and he’s still got it. I mean who else but Charlie Watts can wear a cardigan sweater on stage playing Start Me Up to 60,000 people!

So here’s to you rockin-bands-who-formed-my-youth…you guys rock. Long live Bonham…