Hearts Of Fire
the Beginning of the 1980’s. A change was comin’. Sweet Comfort Band’s 4th project was a matter of Repurpose
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
the Beginning of the 1980’s. A change was comin’. Sweet Comfort Band’s 4th project was a matter of Repurpose
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
46 Replies to “Hearts Of Fire”
You can cover a lot of ground in under seven minutes. Are you drinking a “roadasoda” before recording?
LOL well hello Ready..the fast pace thing was an accident.. I have to stop the tape when cars go by! LOL and I’d just pick up my thoughts after that.. so you get this ‘3 people talkin’ kind of feel LOL ..but listenin to other hour long podcasts I noticed tons of drag time.. that’s why they have an option to speed up the broadcast on podcasts! ROFL
I’m gonna have to find this album now. You have greatly impacted my life and walk with the Lord. You made it seem to be okay and Jesus was okay with a little sarcasm and wit. Thanks, love the remember when’s.
well does my heart good to know I could still be an encouragement. “and the embers glow.. with the fire is low” comes to mind from Strong Medicine. you’ve become a real Lunatic Friend o mine
Love this. So glad you are doing the 80s.
This is an interesting album cover. I can understand the issue with getting the perfect cover.
What would make a great cover in your mind?
And are you going to wrote another song with a girl’s name? Haha
I love these nutshells.
last song I wrote was for my 4 granddaughters.. too many names to get into a song so ‘walkin with a three year old’ is for Lil G, P Lip, and Livy, n K Rae! LOL
So spot on. I remember all my friends, who were listening to all the hard stuff at the time, loved this album. None of them Christian, but they loved it, and I saw seed planted.
When people ask me what I think of Christian music, I say, “It depends. If you’re talking about the ministerial music of artists who were Christian singing about the greatness of God even through all the struggles, then I love it. If you’re talking about these “worship bands” that are singing how it’s all about God, but make sure the camera and spotlight are on them, then I find it loathsome.”
You and I talked about it a few times, and I likened it to the money changers in the temple selling their “sacrifice of praise.”
And you’re right the Church, in general, turned her back on those on the frontlines and embraced those who turned the worship service into a performance rather than seeking His presence.
No wonder why the Church, in general, is impotent.
man thanks for resonating cause sometimes I feel like a lone fugitive. I had one ‘worship singer songwriter’ tell me ‘man if you’d just change the words in your songs.. you could be making bank’! and I said “kill me now”
You’re not alone, but sadly we are few, and fighting to change that culture is like banging your head against the wall. The only result is you walking away with a headache.
I simply choose to be who I am where I am.. and a confidante to those who understand what I do or at least want to. I’ve gone from tryin to reach the ‘un Godly’ to reaching the disenfranchised which may include unbelievers but a lot more from the back row
I like the history lesson. I started listening to your music when you went out on your own. I did go back and listen to the Sweet Comfort Band songs and I have followed your music ever since. The songs have really helped me over the years. I even got to see you in person once. Keep up the great work. God is still working.
For a guy who’s only seen me live one time… I know yer first and last name Like you live next door! thanks for the encouragment. It means more to me now than it ever did. tryin to find a way to live purposefully thru a world I don’t recognize now
Reminds me of D&K’s song:
“ My closest friends are aliens and strangers, travelers here, living with danger”
played a lot o gigs with D&K back in SCB days
I get what you’re saying by watching the original purpose of the Jesus music change from reaching a lost generation to morphing into CCM worship music.
And yet, by the time I came upon CCM, late 70s (I’m 10 yrs younger than you), I needed an alternative to the ungodly, perverse music I was listening to as a teen. I came to faith in Christ at 15, in 1979, and bands like SCB, Rez, Petra, and D&K filled a huge hole in my life (I’d given up hard rock).
Your CCM discipled me to a large degree.
Good to hear that Rob! thanks for commenting here too. it served its purpose then..
Yeah great story.. Perseverance even when everything is working against you. Valerie was in an “Alexa” commercial I saw on Amazon prime. Anyway songs stay relevant when the message touch, when it it’hits a nerve. People will either run away or hold on. Bryan just keep puttin’ it out there as long as you can.
Thanks MK…’where else am I gonna go.. Jesus has the words of eternal life’ comes to mind. I’m so proud to have two friends in the “Holy Land”! btw.. it was awesome hearing from your mom!
Yeah she’s in the Jerusalem area. I’m in the northwestern Galilee…
I first saw you at the Warehouse, my home church. I think some of the songs you’ve written somehow you think haven’t connected with people. At least I get that impression. I loved “The Road”. Your songs have ministered to me greatly, none more than “After this day is gone”. I call it my sing everyday song. We’ve met twice, once at the Warehouse and again at the State Prison in Jamestown. I was an officer there. I think you thought you might have been forgotten from what I gathered. I assured you, you hadn’t. I look forward to hearing more from you. You haven’t lost a lick.
Hi GT, I was just a little embarrassed later in life that I was kinda complaining in ‘the Road’. maybe feelin a tad ungrateful maybe..there was a lot of pressure to bring a “Positive Message” in song back then.. prolly still. After SCB I never heard from the Warehouse again.. always wondered what happened to Lewis? he mighta died by now..thanks for signin’ in Gord, means a lot!
Louis, Mary and Julissa are still going strong. I watch them online occasionally.
I assumed that I’d committed some sin that they never had me up there after I went solo. they were a staple in the SCB tours
They slowed their concerts down greatly. By the end of ’84 they may have stopped completely. Charley Peacock was there on occasion. Don’t feel bad it wasn’t you.
We were searching for a name for our youth group. Hearts on Fire came out so we borrowed the name but shortened it to HOF. We didn’t believe in retreats because that meant giving up ground. We called our gatherings Advances! Collectively we gained ground in faith and membership in the group. Thank you fellas for a great name that the kids, now parents and grandparents still fondly remember!
Glad you had some inspiration from ours… wait till you hear the next episode.. touring HOF called “Flyin By The Seat of R Pants” LOL
Absolute love these!
One question that has stuck in my mind about Hold On Tight…. You said Light was paying for recording and such. With the money invested did they just not care about the cover? Or was “the band” in charge of that? Who dropped the ball? And as far as I’m concerned there was never a bad “SCB” album, nor anything else you’ve been involved in!
Not sure what was happenin’ at light records but it was more about the management we hired Labri’ was at fault for the cover.. we never saw it until after 10,000 copies were printed.. too big a hurry maybe.. Light would eventually go out of buisness in my solo career days but there was some shady stuff from the beginning. that’ I’ll mention later
Was only listening to this, and all the other SWB – I mean SCB albums this week. Still got all the vinyl. Love the album. Always thought you guys drew influences from the likes of Toto and one of my all time favs Hall & Oates – I always thought you sounded like Daryl Hall. Loved this podcast and I’m totally with you on the whole Christian music thing
Thanks for sharing keith! Yea I loved Hall & Oats too.. started keying off of their style went I went solo because I couldn’t count on a guitarist at my gigs by myself. I also loved Ambrosia.. wore out that 180 album. lead singer is a friend of mine now, David Pack would sing on two of my projects Mercy and Slow Revival later
My favorite SCB song is Valerie…and frankly it is because it has such a fantastic hook to it.
I can certainly see a Toto influence on many of your songs…but whether it was intentional or not, I also associate some of your music with the Little River Band. Heck, when I listen to Nightowl I think, SCB could have written and performed this song…it sounds like them!
Hi Mike! Oh yea, I loved me some LRB Reminiscing at first was the wordiest opening line I’d ever heard.. but their vocal stacks were awesome.. I couldn’t copy their arrangments though too sophisticated for my talents LOL
Wow! Your comments about the current state of CCM nailed it. As a worship musician of many decades, I’ve noticed the trend from love songs sung TO Jesus to songs about how great we have it because of him. That and the makeup of the worship teams is toward super young attractive people, of which I am neither, who are about an inch deep in their faith. More “experienced” people like me were pushed to the side in the big show-budget churches. Anyway, I appreciate your honesty and ability to read my mail!
LOL lets not forget Moses was called to deliver 40 years after he’d decided he was of no use to God.
I love the nutshell sermons, I love the prayers, but what I REALLY love is you telling the stories of your life. PLEASE don’t stop with the Sweet Comfort Band… PLEASE PLEASE keep going all the way through your solo albums and beyond. Personally, I’d love to hear a whole “episode” for each album individually telling about all the backstory you can think of… and I don’t care if they are LONG :). Keep up the great work. It’s a highlight for me each week when a new podcast from you pops up in my feed each week!
Hi Todd.. well I didn’t see the popularity coming for talkin about the olden days.. but yes… the next episode covers simply one major event on tour “Flyin By The Seat of Our Pants”
This was and still is a fantastic album!
thanks MC!I couldn’t approve comments while i was in Sweden.. but I got to read your comments. I always love hearing from you.. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Wow, Bryan – what an indictment of the CCM industry. Very insightful about the shift from evangelism to music for Christians
hi PC,,, kinda good to get my feelings out now!I couldn’t approve comments while i was in Sweden.. but I got to read your comments. I always love hearing from you.. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hey Bryan, I love the Hearts of Fire artwork. As a kid going to your concerts, I loved the merch! Bought the T-shirts and especially the loved the big Hearts of Fire poster. Sadly, I lost the poster years ago when I moved.
I love the poster so much that I occasionally search online to see if anyone is selling a used one.
With no luck, I even tried reaching out to Kernie Ericson by email. To my surprise, he emailed back!
He said he didn’t have any of those posters, but that he still has the original painting of Breakin’ the Ice on canvas, which he has displayed in his studio storage. He was kind enough to take a picture of it hanging in his studio and sent it to me.
He told me he looks back fondly on that time, and that he is grateful that people still appreciate his art.
Anyway, I still don’t have the poster. But I am grateful to Kernie for taking the time to talk to me.
For now, I’ll keep searching online…maybe someday I’ll have that poster again…
Anyway, thanks for the stories! Keep them coming!
I don’t think I have that poster either. never thought to save stuff at that age.I couldn’t approve comments while i was in Sweden.. but I got to read your comments. I always love hearing from you.. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Tom!
Great to hear your perspective on audience focus. This is why I follow you. The genuine words in your songs plus it’s not cookie-cut like others. I love worship but feel the twang of closed-audience, too.
thanks Sharyn.. and I now know your name first and last! appreciate your endorsement
Wow.
Such a poignant stony of Jesus Music being shut out for CCM. I always wondered what that shift was.
I think there’s been an even more subtle change in the last couple of decades to what others have mentioned- glorifying worshippers. There was CCM in the 80s & 90s which was more of an alternative genre for Christians, but even that isn’t as big now as the self-exalting “worship” these days.
I personally love getting lost in worship, but there isn’t a lot of newer stuff I can tolerate- the focus is off. I don’t want to worship a band.
Really appreciate the detailed backstories. I think I “found” you on the radio in the “Whistling In The Dark” days, but my first album (cd) was Strong Medicine. After this podcast, I really want to hear Hearts on Fire!
Please keep ‘em coming!
this week I posting a song that is as close to worship as I have ever come called “The Last Time I was Here” directly to God and transcendant! coming this wednesday