NEW Band Vision: Andrew Darragh

Welcome new @V21Church Band leader Andrew Darragh. Auditions for his band will take place on Thursday, September 17th, in downtown Raleigh. For information on the auditions, email matt at vintage21 dot com.

First of all, I have to say I am so excited that God has chosen to use me as a band leader at @V21Church. It is my prayer and my hope that as people sing in worship with us, they will experience God in a new way each time. Worship is our ultimate purpose as human beings. It is not only the act of magnifying and exalting God but also, as we live out our ultimate purpose and give to God our praise, we are so much more fulfilled for it. Jesus said that “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39). So, as we empty ourselves of ourselves, realizing our complete brokenness and depravity, and rely totally on Jesus, we will actually gain life! The most crucial part of this is to realize that we are broken and in need of a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus. In Jesus we have “boldness and confident access” to God (Eph. 3:12). As we enter into His throne room, it is my prayer that we would not only praise Him together, but listen for His voice as we open our hearts to Him so that He can change us.

Musically, I would like for the band to be mostly acoustic guitar driven, but not necessarily always. The sound will have lots of folk influence, with the guitar stylings of people like Iron & Wine and Alexi Murdoch; sometimes picking, sometimes strumming. Also as an influence of Alexi Murdoch, the sound might occasionally bring in a stringy or synth kind of pad. This would probably be representative of the slower tempo songs we do. The faster songs will probably bring in the tight groove and percussive guitar parts of bands like Dave Matthews Band or the relaxed, happy groove and simple patterns of Jack Johnson.

Bass – Needs to have the ability to be more than just a “foundation” for the band…needs to occasionally make a melodic contribution as well. Open to electric or stand-up bass
Drums – Mostly fairly simple beats, but some syncopation at times, some off-beat playing, some jazz colors
Acoustic Guitar or Banjo – Plays some lead lines or filler melodies or picking patterns…sometimes picks up rhythm playing
Keys – Sometimes plays soft, sustained pads, sometimes makes a more rhythmic melodic contribution
Strings -  Fiddle or keyboards adds melodic fillers or sustained pads
Vocalist - Male or female vocalist who can add compelling harmonies and sometimes lead songs

Some songs that I think would represent these elements well would be “The Wonderful Cross” or maybe something like Shane & Shane’s version of “It Is Well.” An example of a faster song would be Lincoln Brewster’s “Love The Lord”, or Charlie Hall’s “Marvelous Light”.

I think the band will have more the setup of Shane & Shane, plus keys and banjo/second acoustic, but I really like the more “earthy” or not so rock feel of Iron & Wine.  The Iron & Wine video doesn’t really get to the point until like 1:30, but it’s the best one I could find.

For information on the auditions, email matt at vintage21 dot com.