| Clare_Host says, Good Evening everyone, I want to welcome you to our exciting chat event tonight that has been brought to you by Sound and Spirit and your friend at Crosswalk.com! |
 Clare_Host says, Helping tonight on our cyber stage we have the beautiful Nana dodo, Yadah_host, angelmuffin, stormyhost and the dashing Entertainment_Editor. The lovely daisyhost is ushering in the auditorium. Also joining us tonight, searching for bits of fudge and loose change in the auditorium, is our administrator Fritzpw_Admin. We’re pleased to welcome Chris Rice to our stage tonight, as we celebrate the 5th anniversary of Rocketown Records. |
| madchatter asks, What does Rocketown offer that other Christian labels don’t offer? |
| Chris_Rice says, When I first signed with Rocket town they were a new label and I was their first artist which made them flexible with me and allowed me to continue the youth and college work that I was doing before I signed the record deal. |
| anangelunaware21 asks, What is it like working so closely with Michael W. Smith? |
| Chris_Rice says, I see him quite often although my biggest time was when I was on his Live the Life tour. He is a great model and a great man both musically and as a family man. We have a lot of fun . |
| madchatter asks, Explain Smell the color 9 for us please. |
| Chris_Rice says, I don’t know what it means… I am kidding. It is basically a confession of faith when we have no evidence. It is just cool that God is there. I used the phrase “smell the color 9: because it is a picture of how we use the wrong senses to try to understand something. |
| anangelunaware21 asks, What is your favorite song? |
| Chris_Rice says, Oh goodness. My favorite song that I sing is “Life Means So Much”. |
| madchatter asks, What made you decide to release a more traditional music sort of CD with “The Living Room Sessions“? |
| Chris_Rice says, Basically I wanted to do that CD for fun. Not many people knew I played the piano and I wanted to call attention to some of the older hymns we don’t hear much anymore. They are full of theology and great melodies. |
| anangelunaware21 asks, I would like to become a songwriter/producer do you have any advise for me? |
| Chris_Rice says, The advice I always give when asking about their future is to focus on what they can do immediately and locally and to focus on local ministry first. As well as write a lot of songs and practice. As far as producing, I do not know much about that because I have a great producer who does all my stuff for me. |
| guest3666 asks, I hear your songs often on Positive Life Radio and love ’em. I love the creative word twists and word pictures. Do they just come to you or do you work on them a long time? |
| Chris_Rice says, Actually, I work on those as if I were writing a research paper or a short story. I have to find the best way to get the point and that happens best with word pictures. So, I look for interesting ways to get the point across. |
Chatmaster shouts, Can’t get enough music? Check out the great deals at Sound and Spirit music club. Click here to start the membership process!“ |
Chatmaster shouts, Do you ever wonder how you could reach out to others with the gospel? Join us Thursday March 28th for a live chat with Dr Bill Bright, co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, one of the worlds largest evangelistic outreach groups. http://chat.crosswalk.com/events“ |
| guest3670 asks, Tell us a little about your first album. |
| Chris_Rice says, The album Deep Enough To Dream was my first. Usually the first record you have your whole life of experiences to choose from and from songs that have been written. Along with Monroe Jones, my producer, and the folks at Rocket town Records, we tried to choose the best from those songs. |
| Chris_Rice says, For my first record and their first record. |
| matt03 asks, How have you been able to stay focused on God with all the pressure that comes from being an entertainer? |
| Chris_Rice says, Really that is no different from any career. Being an entertainer is secondary and is affected by that relationship. |
| guest3685 asks, How are you involved in congregational worship at a local church? |
| Chris_Rice says, As a member of the congregation, I do not lead worship in my local church. I try to take a less visible roll in my home church. |
| madchatter asks, Are you planning on doing any Praise & Worship albums? |
| Chris_Rice says, I don’t have any plans to at the moment. There are plenty of them out there right now. I feel the expressions on my other albums ARE worship. |
| cordial asks, Is there any particular Bible character with whom you identify the most? |
| Chris_Rice says, My favorite is Paul. I don’t know that I identify or live up to him. He is the one that I study and think about the most. |
| madchatter asks, What cartoon character do you identify the most? |
| Chris_Rice says, Oh goodness. Scooby Doo, because I am usually afraid, but I like a lot of snacks. |
| guest3649 asks, What is your favorite snack?! |
| Chris_Rice says, I love cereal with milk. Lucky Charms, Honey bunches of oats… I love cocoa krispies. Not only do I eat it for snacks. But many times it is my full meal. |
| madchatter asks, How did you come up with the song, “What if cartoons got saved?” |
| Chris_Rice says, Do I have to admit that I came up with that song? I wrote it over ten years for a silly skit for a local youth group. It has since taken over my life. |
| Fritzpw_Admin . O O ( Sour milk perhaps? ) |
| guest3656 asks, for how long have you been playing the guitar? |
| Chris_Rice says, I have been playing for about 8 years. I did play a very little in junior high. In junior high I knew three chords and now I know five. |
| cpaa asks, I read on your website that you are working on a new project to come out in the fall. Is that true? |
| Chris_Rice says, Yes, it is true. I am writing songs for it right now. I will be getting into the studio in the next few weeks to start recording. |
| snowboard23 asks, when do you plan on going on tour? Or do you know? |
| Chris_Rice says, We are scheduling one for the fall… Beginning the first week in Oct. And ending close to Thanksgiving. |
| agent1131 asks, Have you ever taken a music appreciation course or studied music of the past? |
| Chris_Rice says, I took a college course my freshman year in music appreciation. |
| madchatter asks, Do you watch Survivor? If so who do you think is gonna be kicked off this week? Who do you think will win the game? What would be your luxury item? |
| Chris_Rice says, I don’t keep up with It. But, my luxury item would probably be a box of cocoa krispies. |
Chatmaster shouts, She’s been compared with Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, and now she will join us on April 4 for a LIVE Chat to talk about her latest CD, “Kaleidoscope,” the follow-up to her well-received “Live for You.” Don’t miss this chat with Rachael Lampa on Thursday, Apr. 4 at 9 p.m. ET in the Auditorium. — http://chat.crosswalk.com/events“ |
Chatmaster shouts, Have you formed an opinion on the new translation of the bible? Join us as we chat with Dr Strauss, Author of Distorting Scripture? The Challenge of Bible Translation & Gender Accuracy.” April 9th 9pm EST here at crosswalk chat. — http://chat.crosswalk.com/events“ |
| guest3643 asks, Who in your life encouraged you the most when you got started? |
| Chris_Rice says, Wow. Probably my parents and brothers, who love music more than I do. They were so encouraging to me when I started. |
| guest3643 asks, Who are your greatest influences? |
| Chris_Rice says, Personally, my life influences are my parents, my brothers, my pastor, and many youth ministry friends around the country. Musically, I can’t point out anyone in particular. It is hard to pick out one in particular. My producer has a lot to do with the sounds that come out and what they end up sounding like. |
| matt03 asks, What is the process that you go through when writing songs? |
| Chris_Rice says, I write a lot of my songs while I am driving. |
| Clare_Host says, I hope not with pen and paper! |
| Chris_Rice says, I write them in my head and later pick up a guitar. I don’t know if that makes me a dangerous driver or not. |
| Chris_Rice smiles. |
| guest3701 asks, How do you plan on celebrating Easter? |
| Chris_Rice says, I actually have a youth retreat with a local high school through Saturday. Then I will be hanging out with some friends of mine in Nashville, going to church and maybe a low-key dinner after church. No big plans. |
| guest3712 asks, Chris, I work in Christian radio. Some of my peers are critical of the song “Smell the Color 9” because of the way it questions God. What do you say to people like that? |
| Chris_Rice says, I think almost every one of my songs in some way question God. Not because I doubt that He is there, but because I want my songs to reach people who are at different levels of faith. I often write from the viewpoint of an unbeliever. |
| guest3643 asks, What is the hardest thing about being a Christian musician today? |
| Chris_Rice says, Hmmmm… Personally, the hardest thing for me is being fussed over too much, being treated as too important and not being treated as a normal person. |
| agent1131 asks, What adjective would you use to best describe the style your music? |
| Chris_Rice says, Personal. I hope they are interesting and real. |
| guest3708 asks, I’ve heard that you released a CD previous to “Deep . . . Dream” What is it called, and where can I find it? |
| Chris_Rice says, It is called “Lived by Faith” and you cannot get it now. It is no longer available. |
| guest3702 asks, Do you listen to any secular music and if so, what artists? |
| Chris_Rice says, I listen to a variety of things. It helps me with my writing. I have everything from classical to Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong up to Phantom Planet, Nickel Creek, Train, Guster and lots of others. |
| guest3643 asks, What book are you reading or have you read recently that you would recommend, why? |
| Chris_Rice says, There is a book called, “Theirs is the Kingdom”, by Robert Lupton. I would recommend it because it has changed how I think about the poor and how to effectively help people in that situation. |
| guest3727 asks, You have written some emotional songs. How do you sing these songs that are so emotional, and not cry when you are live? |
| Chris_Rice says, I am so intent on communicating the truth in the songs and the fact that I sing them so often that it doesn’t affect me as much. |
| guest3708 asks, What are your views on End Times happenings? Because songs like “Questions for Heaven” make me wonder |
| Chris_Rice says, All I can say about end times is that I am looking forward to the ultimate place we are going to be although I do not know what comes between now and then. I don’t plan to really understand all the end times prophecies. I am looking forward to understanding more than I do now. Which is why I wrote “Questions for Heaven.” |
Chatmaster shouts, Join us for a discussion about the new translation of the bible with Dr Strauss, Associate Professor of New Testament Bethel San Diego Seminary. April 9th at 9pm EST here at the crosswalk auditorium.” |
Chatmaster shouts, Would you like to own Chris Rice’s newest release “The Living Room Sessions”? Would you like to check out some of his other great albums? Click here to join Sound and Spirit music club.“ |
Chatmaster shouts, Can your love for Jesus impact the world? Join us for a live chat with evangelist, author and speaker Dr. Bill Bright, Thursday March 28th at 9pm EST” |
| guest3742 asks, hey Chris do you have any favorite singers or groups? |
| Chris_Rice says, Ummmm… You know what? It is hard to say. So many of my friends are artists as well. They are great friends. I don’t have a favorite. The CD in my player right now Bach. |
| agent1131 asks, What exactly does the song “Sailing With Russell” mean? And just who is this Russell fellow? |
| Chris_Rice says, Russell is one of my young friends who was in junior high when I started doing youth camps. I got to do his youth camp every year until he graduated from high school. He was in the seventh grade when I started. Whenever he wanted to go hang out he would ask me to go sailing with him. So, I wrote the song to stress the importance of spending time with young friends and living your faith in front of them. |
| shashy1 asks, So like when you mess up, when things tend to go wrong, which nobody is perfect so things will go wrong, do you get criticized?? |
| Chris_Rice says, I do get criticized as much as anyone else by friends and family. I don’t get too much publicly except for when someone disagrees with a song or something like that. |
| guest3656 asks, Are you planning to write something about the September 11 tragedy? |
| Chris_Rice says, I don’t have a plan to. |
| guest3643 asks, Who is Sam from Sam’s Song? |
| Chris_Rice says, Sam was a friend of mine in college who actually wrote the song. I met him when he was a freshman. By the time he was a senior he had written this song. It expressed his faith so well that I wanted to record it. |
| guest3728 asks, As a Christian artist what is the biggest need in Christian Music right now, and why? |
| Chris_Rice says, The biggest need in Christian music I believe is more challenging lyrics and more encouragement to affect the world. I hope the current trend in worship music won’t lead us to neglect the world and the people around us in our music as so much of our Christian music right now are worship songs, which is a great thing because they are so focused on God. But when we turn from a worship song we need something to relate to the people around us. |
| rocketownrecordschic asks, OK, what’s the funniest thing to ever happen to you? That includes on tour. |
| Chris_Rice says, That is a hard one. The first year I was nominated for 6 dove award… I did not receive any and the next night the audience chanted, “0 for 6.” Then they awarded me a stuffed parrot to make up for not having a dove award. |
| Clare_Host says, I want to thank you Chris for joining us tonight, do you have any closing statements or comments? |
| Chris_Rice says, God bless you all and thanks for such interesting questions. |
| Clare_Host says, Thank you all for joining us this evening, we hope you have had a great time chatting with Chris Rice. I know that I have! |
Chatmaster shouts, Do you ever wonder how you could reach out to others with the gospel? Join us Thursday night, March 28th for a live chat with Dr Bill Bright, co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, one of the worlds largest evangelistic outreach groups. — http://chat.crosswalk.com/events“ |
Chatmaster shouts, Her first album debuted at #2 on Billboard’s “Top Heatseekers Albums, she won a Dove award last year for best inspirational recorded song. She has made numerous TV appearances and been featured in Seventeen magazine and USA today. Find out more about Rachael Lampa, contemporary Christian recording artist, in our live chat with her on Thursday April 4th at 9PM EST. — http://chat.crosswalk.com/events“ |
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