Triangle musician and producer Jeff Crawford knows a thing or two about the local music community.
As a member of more than a few local bands and music director of The Gathering Church in Durham, he has found a way to intertwine his work at the church with the work of fellow musicians from around the region.
Every Sunday, Crawford and the congregation of The Gathering Church meet in the gymnasium of Creekside Elementary School in Durham. Since 2009, he has been the church's music director, a role that allows him to often employ the help of local musicians with church's music needs.When Crawford wanted to create an album of reworked hymns, he turned to the same community.
That's how Hymns of The Gathering Church came to fruition. A compilation of reworked traditional hymns, the album will be celebrated at a release show on Jan. 27 at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro.
“From the beginning, I wanted to make a record,” Crawford said. “We did a Christmas EP and we had a lot of people come sing.”
Hymns of The Gathering Church transforms traditional hymns such as “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms” as well as the Doxology and renders them as upbeat and energetic folk songs. Drawing from the local talent pool, the album features contributions from Megafaun's Phil Cook, Mount Moriah's Heather McEntire, Ryan Gustafson, The Old Ceremony's Mark Simonsen, Josh Moore and folk duo Mandolin Orange, in addition to others.
The album was recorded at Crawford's own Arbor Ridge Studios over the course of several sessions that began last summer. Simonsen and Crawford produced the album, working on and off when they found the time.
“We got some songs in mind and some people in mind and tried to match the lead singers,” Crawford said. “We just tried to plug them in where we thought they fit the best.”
Many of the hymns that were chosen are commonly sung at church, however several musicians also brought their own ideas for hymns, such as “Fifty Miles of Elbow Room,” written in 1930 by F.W. McGhee and sung by Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz of Mandolin Orange and Josh Moore.
Hymns of The Gathering Church will be played in full Friday at the ArtsCenter. The show starts at 8 p.m. with opening band Near Blind James and Harmonica Bob, featuring church volunteer James Shoe. According to the album's website, Crawford will also be performing on Feb. 4 at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh, as part of WKNC's Double Barrel Benefit Day Party.
While a portion of the funds from the release show will go the church's music budget, allowing Crawford and company to record more of these albums, the show is also a simple gathering of congregation and community members, and a unique presentation of hymns that seek to reach out.
“The main objective is to share this music with those people who haven't heard it,” Crawford said. “And hopefully, to revisit the songs and make them fresh.”
Tickets are available at the door for $10 or in advance online. For more information about Hymns of The Gathering Church and to hear the album, visit http://music.allgather.org. To learn more about The Gathering Church and its mission visit http://www.allgather.org.
