Artistic Soul Entertainment’s popular Beyond Potential Music Gathering & Showcase is taking place this weekend in Nashville, TN.

The two-day conference is the brainchild of Brandon Egerton & Antonio Neal and has been very successful over the past several years, providing attendees with a LOT of industry info and some great performance/feedback opportunities.

On the evening of Friday, April 16th, there will be time to chat with Joey Elwood (President, Gotee Records) and Wade Jessen (Sr. Chart Manager, Neilsen/Billboard), followed by an Open Mic Showcase hosted by Wayne “Holla” Waller.

On Saturday, April 17th, there will be a full day of instructional seminars and discussions featuring presentations by Larry Blackwell (VP/GM, EMI Gospel), Karen Jackson (Director of Artist Development, EMI Gospel), Marcelo Pennell (GRAMMY-winning mix/recording engineer), and several other notable industry folks.

If that’s enough to draw you in (and it oughta be), yours truly will be teaching a class on “Maximizing Social Media”, as well as sponsoring a Networking Luncheon & Halftime Show.

Visit http://www.GoBeyondPotential.com for details on how to attend– I don’t think it’s too late!

Several of you have reached out to me on Twitter, telling me you’ll be there.  Can’t wait to see ya!  Who all is coming???

From the headline of this blog post, you probably assumed I’d be saying that the Gospel Music Association (GMA) needs to do a better job of representing “our” gospel music industry at the Dove Awards and throughout its organization.  And, in part, that’s true– the GMA is perpetually faced with the challenge of effectively representing all facets of Gospel/Christian music.

But I do not believe that the responsibility for such a task rests solely on the GMA.  I think we also have a responsibility to ensure that we are represented by participating in the GMA.

I often hear questions about why the Dove Awards don’t do a better job of including “us.”  To that, I’d ask why “we” haven’t joined the organization to make a difference.

Since relocating from NYC to Nashville, I’ve had the opportunity to witness, first-hand, how intentional the GMA often is about inclusion– of all genres under the Gospel/Christian umbrella.  And, I’ve witnessed how disinterested we, as a community, are in return… until nominations come around each year and we scream “who’s deciding this, anyway?!”  Not you– and that’s the problem.

But there’s hope.  EMI Gospel VP/General Manager Larry Blackwell is the Chair of the GMA Membership Committee.  He’s drafted an awesome OPEN LETTER TO THE GOSPEL COMMUNITY, explaining the GMA’s efforts, why it’s important to join, and how easy it is to do so.  Click here to read it!!!

And make sure you visit the GMA’s membership page to learn more, and to join.  You do not have to be a professional recording artist to do so, and there are even student memberships.

Who’s already a member?  Who plans to join?  Who will NOT join, and why?

Talk to me!

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the offices of EMI Gospel, where the INCOMPARABLE Karen Clark-Sheard visited with the execs of the company to share some music she’s been working on.  (I also interviewed her, so check back here in a couple of hours to read what she had to say in our one-on-one!)

After she shared a bit about her heart, her vision and her new label (Karew Records), she played some tracks for us– REALLY GOOD STUFF.

Some info about the album…

The upcoming album, her fifth solo project, is titled All In One.  Her daughter, Kierra Sheard, came up with the title as a way to represent all that her mother does– she’s a wife, a mom, an artist, a pastor’s wife, and now a label president… and she wears each hat well.

Karen played several tracks for us and all were really good.  “Take Me,” which features her daughter, Kierra, and her niece, Angel Chisholm (Jacky’s daughter), has a sort of urban/acoustic feel to it.  Her son, JDS, produced the track and it captures a great performance from all three ladies.

The styles of music are varied, but she handles each genre well.  For example, “Never Let Me Go” is a strong praise & worship track, while another tune, ”Crazy Praise,” starts with an urban vibe before going straight churchy.  A sure favorite for the album will be “He Knows,” which is written by J Moss and features Dorinda Clark-Cole.  It’s kinda got an ol’ skool soul vibe to it.  “What He Did” is J Moss-written, PAJAM-produced, and has so much ear candy that you’ll wanna repeat it just to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

The single from the album, which has hit radio as of last week, is “Prayed Up.”  It’s got a tight sound and is written by Karen & her son, JDS.

AS IF that wasn’t enough, Larry Blackwell (VP of EMI Gospel) convinced Karen to do a little impromptu performance in the board room.  She kinda tossed out the first verse of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” like it was NOTHING, but managed to leave all of us speechless.  I tried to clap for her, but I was all late… mesmerized and what not. LOL

In any event, that’s the deal on the album.  It’s expected to drop in early 2010, so save up NOW.  It’s Karen Clark-Sheard… it’s worth it.

Major shout-out to Ken Pennell, Larry Blackwell and Cameron Hilson for the invitation and hospitality.  Thanks also to Karen Clark-Sheard & Cynthia Ellis for sharing with me.

I headed to Memphis last night for Sheri Jones-Moffett’s album release concert.  It’s about a 3.5 hour drive from me, so my wife and I jumped in a car and headed down I-40.

About 2 hours into the trip, we got a blow out on the highway!  I’m talking sudden, tire ripping up, rim bent, huge trucks pushing 80 mph all around us, forced to veer into the grassy middle section of the highway to avoid being taken OUT.

In no time, God sent three troopers, in three separate cars, to guard us from oncoming traffic and to help me change the tire.  My wife called all the necessary auto companies, arranged everything, and we were at a Firestone auto place getting a new tire in no time (dunno how she does all of it– she’s just kinda fly like that!).

ANYWAY, she drove us to Memphis with 4 minutes to spare for the release concert.  We got in and grabbed our seats before the event began.

Ken Pennell, President of EMI Gospel, took a moment to share his thoughts and enthusiasm about Sheri’s release.  He spoke about her artistry, her passion, her message… it’s refreshing to see a label head who is so supportive and so sold-out for an artist’s ministry.  It says a lot.  He capped off his remarks by reading Colossians 3:16, which he said exemplified Sheri’s work: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Up next, Jai came to the stage.  You guys remember me talking about Jai?  Click here if you don’t.  She’s one of the newer developing artists that has snatched the attention of lots of industry folks within the past year or so.  She’s got a phenomenal gift (great voice, awesome communicator).

Jai opened the concert with a heartfelt, rock ballad “I’ll Wait,” and captivated the entire audience (many of whom prolly didn’t really know her just yet).  By the time she finished, we were compelled to give a standing ovation– she just blew EVERYONE away.  Great job.

Sheri came out immediately thereafter, lookin’ amazing and sounding even better!  Backed by three singers and a live band, Sheri opened her set with the bangin’ track “Free Indeed.”  Her voice is limitless (I think, one of the industry’s best-kept secrets) and she was MORE than ready to handle a full concert on her own.

During the concert, Sheri said “I’m not gonna be one of those people that say ‘I didn’t come here to entertain.’  Yes, I did.  Because to ‘entertain’ means to hold one’s attention.  But while I have your atention, I plan to make a deposit into your spirit.”  And she did just that.

From making us dance on the hotttt single, “Renewed,” to encouraging us on “Not Too Late To Dream,” to leading us in worship on “Grace Of God” and “I Feel Jesus,” Sheri demonstrated a personable and loving solo artistry with her supporters.

Sheri thanked family, friends and co-laborers in the audience (and gave huge props to Donald Lawrence, who she says was very involved in making sure this project was RIGHT), before performing her last song of the night– the New Orleans-styled “I Feel Your Spirit.”

She was mindful of the fact that it was a Tuesday night, so we were out of there in NO time (but she managed to do a bunch of songs!).  I was back on the road and home by 3am-ish.  And now, I’m exhausted. LOL

Special shout-out to Sheri’s assistant, Dave Burns, who put the whole event together (you’re great, dude!), Dion Moffett (an awesome & supportive husband), and EMI Gospel folks Ken Pennell, Larry Blackwell and Shelly McBride (great to see you guys!).

If you don’t have the album, pick it up NOW.  It’s a great body of work and I think you’ll be blessed by it.  Holla!

Oh, a quick pic of Sheri and me (I don’t have shots of the event cuz somebody said “no cameras,” and I wanted to respect the sanctuary… plus, I was too busy being a fan to be snappin’ pictures! LOL)…

If any of you live in (or will BE in) the Los Angeles area on August 20th-22nd, you may wanna check out The Merge Summit at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.

This 3-day event, sponsored by Relevé Entertainment, is designed to integrate ministry and the entertainment business.  With opportunities to learn from (and network with) folks in various fields of the entertainment industry, attendees will walk away with resources for all kinds of entertainment careers.

Watch this video and visit www.themergesummit.com for more info.

Note:  Since the creation of the video above, Tye Tribbett has been removed from the line-up.  Hezekiah Walker, Pastor Jamal Bryant and several others have been added.

Sounds like an interesting concept… anyone planning to attend???

Oh wowwwwwwww.  Yesterday was insanely busy, but soooo much fun.

The Gospel Announcer’s Guild (GAG) held its annual luncheon and showcase at the Duke Energy Center.  The event, co-hosted by David Mann, featured a BUNCH of artists with new music either available now or coming soon.  Among them– Sheri Jones-Moffett, Melinda Watts, Tamela Mann, Bishop Paul Morton, New Direction, Philip Carter, Karima Kibble…

And let me say this real quick… that Bishop Paul Morton is a preaching and singin’ somebody.  I NEVER get tired of hearing him sing.  By the way, it’s his BIRTHDAY week, so there’s much celebrating going around.  In any case, he sang his new single, “Don’t Do It Without Me” (with son, PJ Morton on keys), and got the entire GAG Luncheon crowd HYPED.  I’ll do some feature stuff soon.  In the meantime, some pics are at the bottom of this post.

Donald Lawrence, Dorothy Norwood and Vashawn Mitchell were among several artists in the house to support… and a BUNCH of industry vets and execs were milling around including Jojo Pada, Neily Dickerson (The ND Co.), Torrence Glenn (BET.com), Vicki Mack-Lataillade (LillyMack/Central South/CCLI/etc.), Larry Blackwell (EMI), Mitchell Solarek (Maximum Artist), Tammy Taylor (One EnTiTy), Sheilah Belle (The Belle Report), Lisa Collins (Gospel Industry Round-Up), Kia Jarmon (Light Records) and soooo many more.

I tried to take a quick nap, but I didn’t quite make it.  My wife and I were invited to an intimate little dinner celebrating the release of Melinda Watts’ debut project, People Get Ready.  Special shout-out to her incredible team, with whom my wife and I have kinda fallen in love!

No rest for the weary… I had about 45 minutes to freshen up for the highly anticipated Donald Lawrence concert, sponsored in part by Verizon Wireless & How Sweet The Sound.

IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!  Maaaaan… he’s like… becoming one of my absolute faves.  He and his singers ministered with songs from his latest project, The Law Of Confession Part 1, including the title track, “Let The Word Do The Work,” “The Blessing Is On You,” and the hit single “Back II Eden.”  He also dipped back a bit and performed “Healed,” “Giants,” ”The Blessing Of Abraham,” and brought Sheri Jones-Moffett to the stage to take us STRAIGHT in on “Encourage Yourself.”  It was better than I could ever recap.  GEEZ.

Sheri also performed her rising single, “Renewed,” from her debut solo album of the same name, due on August 11th.  Such a sweet spirit (and her family is THE BEST).

The whole shebang ended at about 2am and I was knocked OUT shortly thereafter.  Where’s my coffee?!

More recaps later!

A Clark Family Christmas will be the first project released on the newly formed Karew Records, and is expected to drop on OCTOBER 13.  Shout-out to Neily for keepin’ folks informed (and for the great family photo below).  Other industry execs in attendance included Karew Records General Mgr. Darrell Thompson, Assistant General Mgr. Cynthia Ellis, EMI Gospel’s Marketing Team (Larry Blackwell & Karen Jackson), and Walter Kearney & Paul “PDA” Allen of PAJAM.

Am I buggin’ or is anyone else extremely eager to hear this?! *marking my calendar and savin’ my pennies NOW*