Goings on with "Jamison"

The past few months have been really great. We recently traveled out to Great Bend, KS. to play at a small book store and at a church there. We also had the chance to spend time with our bass players family. Wow...what an amazing experience. The people in Great Bend were amazing. They treated us like family, fed us like kings and received us like rock stars! It was more fun for us than for them I assure you. We had a great turnout for the concert and met tons of great people.

We are currently saving up funds to record a new CD project. We will gladly accept your donations! In return for a $10 donation we will send you a free CD!!! Go to our website to order yours now! The next one will be even better...God has been giving me tons of new songs. It will be difficult to choose 10 songs for the new album. I would encourage you to come out and see us live sometime and give your opinion as to which songs to choose! We do listen...

We will be in Joplin, MO on March 19th @ 8:30pm. Details on the website. Hope to see you all there! Till next time - Jamison

Work, work, work, work, work....

While the country is in a recession, people are out of work and those looking for jobs cannot find one, I am blessed to have a great job. Sometimes, when people decide to quit, it opens up opportunities for extra shifts. While I am quick to pick up as much as I can, Once in the thick of it I question how much I can handle. While my job as a paramedic can at times be stressful, it is rare for where I am one. We run an average of 2-3 calls in a 48 hour shift and sometimes do not even run that many. It all depends on the people of the county. So, in short, a 72 hour shift or longer can become VERY long. Being away from home can be hard, especially on weekends. I miss my kids and my wife. I am very glad to have this job and a career lasting 16 years so far in EMS. I hope to retire someday to pursue my true passions...music and cooking. My dream is to earn a living from songwriting and occasional performing. But my goal is to run a small bistro style place large enough to hold about 80-100 people and host bands from time to time. No alcohol, just great food, coffee and atmosphere. A place where people can come, hang out, read a book, sip some coffee or soda and get a gourmet sandwich or salad. Open mic night every night. Book local bands and display local artwork. This is my dream...I hope to get there before I turn 50. That gives me 12 years. God is faithful...if we serve Him with all we have and are faithful with little, he will bless us with much. My much is not too lofty, but it is the desire of my heart. - Jamison

Unexpected

Often times, we go about our lives with certain expectations, the sun will rise, you will have to go to work or maybe work at your home for you homemakers...the government will take taxes out of your paycheck...you get the gist. Well, sometimes, things happen that are unexpected, yet welcomed. For instance, The band and I minus Danny our drummer who had a prior engagement, went to the Coffee Loft in Garnett, KS to play an acoustic concert there. My family was going to tag along to listen and just be with us to support. Well, my wife has been psudo learning to play the drums for the past year off and on. Well, we decided to just throw the cocktail kit in the van and head out. We arrived and got all set up. Bear in mine that she had never played on many of the songs but had obviously heard them many times. Our set was to be 1.5 hours. We played away and she kept up like a champ! Played wonderfully. So that was an unexpected surprise...but welcomed.

My job often makes me miss out on some things at home and at church. The following Sunday my good friend Jay was being set in as an elder. I had to miss. My wife however was able to go. Dave Richards from England was there to deliver the message. At one point he called out to my wife from the pulpit and asked where her husband was. She told him I was working. He asked her on the spot if I was still playing guitar...she said yes. He asked her if doors were opening for me...she said yes. He then said to the church body that they needed to get behind the band, support us in any way they can. You see, most people do not have any idea what we are doing and why, so support is difficult at best to find. We soldier on and do what God asks us to do often without much support. We have had concerts in our own area where no one from our own church has shown up. Not to say that we expect people to come to every event, but sometimes we feel like we are invisible. This can be a good thing. We do not seek out glory or praise from men...but to give it unto the Lord. He sees what we do and smiles. He sees the lost that we are able to not only play for, but bless in other ways. So in short, having Dave Richards say to the church that they should support us, gives us a restored hope that they will. That our house will see what God is doing and at very least pray for us in our efforts. I am confident that they will. Don't get me wrong, I am not nor are the band members bitter in any way. We understand the business of life and even could blame ourselves for not communicating well enough with our church family. This will change. Our leadership will be kept abreast of our adventures and be aware of all goings on there in.
God has richly blessed us with opportunities to play for people both churched and unchurched and continues to do so. Please pray for us, buy a CD or 3...haha. Follow us on Facebook as we go online by subscribing to our blogs and visit the website. Also check out this link to see where we have been and where we are going to be. Thanks!!! Till next time - Jamison

New Friends

If you are a follower of this blog, you are a member of a growing group. As we travel, we keep picking up new "Fans". Why the quotes? Well, as a Christian band, we believe that we should not lift up any man to a higher place. To be a fan in the traditional since, is to elevate a performer or band above others and to hold them in high regard. While it is appreciated when people tell us how much they like what we do, I prefer to call them simply friends. As we play a concert, we try to both have fun doing so as well as connect on a personal level with our audience. We are not interested in playing a "show" and running out the door. We want to build relationships with people. We want to hang out with you, get to know you. Swap cell numbers and email addresses. Simply be real with those we meet along the way. I still communicate with people we played for a year ago! They do not think of us as just a band that came to play, more as new friends they can get to know better by way of online networking sites or just by phone. That is really what it is all about...The kingdom cannot expand adequately without knitting of hearts. So, if we come to your church or event center, play a concert/worship service for you, it is not intended to gain us a legion of fans, but to bring new churches, people and ideas into the service of God.

So if you are reading this, do not be afraid to send us an email, we are open to travel anywhere God will take us. Sometimes that means Him speaking to you about having "Jamison" come and share music and testimony at your church or wherever! Till next time...Jamison

jamison@jamisontunes.com
www.jamisontunes.com

We are back

Well, Chicago was a fun trip. We feel like we accomplished what we were supposed to. We went to the America's Got Talent auditions there and had a great time. We arrived at McCormick Place at 7am to get in line. Turns out that we were not the first to arrive. In fact, people had lined up the night before and stayed the night in below freezing conditions. A cold front had settled in and dumped 2 feet of snow on the Michigan side of the lake, but just brought cold temperatures to Chi town. We waited several hours outside finally making it into the photo free zone. We then staged in a large room and waited for 2 more hours to be called to audition. While in that room we were able to break out our guitars and play to those around us. We took advantage of that opportunity. I am sure people were being effected as we had several people approach us and say they were pulling for us. Either way, God knew who would hear what and when. Our audition was brief as expected. We are hopeful, but realize that the odds are against us. There were probably about 3000 people there to audition. We will be notified in the spring as to weather or not we advanced.

Now we are gearing up for a new opportunity. We are traveling to Nashville in February to the Band With A Mission contest where we will be singing 3 songs before a panel of music industry people and record company executives. We have 2 other events lining up while we are there. We hope to bring our unique delivery of the gospel to music city. The BWAM event has launched the careers of such bands as Rush of Fools and Sidewalk Prophets. After meeting some of those guys, I wold feel honored to be in their company. Wish us luck! Till next time...- Jamison

Getting stoked...

For all it's worth, the upcoming trip to Chicago has me pretty amped up. We leave this coming Friday and we are all about to pop. We have a couple of rehearsals planned this week. I love to jam with the guys. Oh yeah...the guys...Who are they you ask? Well there is Danny (D-Hart) Hartley. Jersey born but been in Kansas for 8 years. He is a long time friend who's drumming can be best described as "in the pocket". Danny knows how to play with passion while not over complicating the music. I have played with many drummers...most believe that the drums are what make the music. Danny plays in a way that compliments it. He is very easy to work with on new rhythms and fills. He takes constructive instruction well and is humble about his ability. He has the driest sense of humor that I have ever heard. To have Dan on a trip is to have perfect comedic timing in any situation...love him.

Kent Daniel is a transplanted Alaskan. His experience on the guitar is playing in his room as a teenager then playing in a band with me called Far From Perfect back about 5 years ago. Kent is a great rhythm guitar player and is rapidly becoming a much better solo player. He is very easy to teach as well. Kent is very intelligent. He holds a degree in Biology from Pittsburg state with emphasis on wildlife studies. This means the dude can look at your boots and tell you which snake they came from and where they habitate...as if you would even care. Ha! Either way, he is a great friend who would do anything you needed up to and including giving you the shirt off his back. Great guy!

Hunter Peterson is not unlike many people in Pittsburg...He came here seeking an education and found a family in God and has decided to stay. He and his wife Emily recently bought a house and have committed to sticking it our in our church and are becoming core people very quickly. Hunter has a great attitude and sense of humor as well. His bass playing can best be described as explorative and unique. He will play whatever I ask him to but ad his own spin on it to make it that much more interesting. He is also a prolific photographer. he has an amazing eye for it. I look forward to many years spent hanging out with him and Emily and watching their family grow.

Jesse Thompson is the silent member of the band. He is our sound guy. He goes where we go. He takes very seriously the art of making us sound good. With Jesse at the mixer, I have heard many comments on how clean and clear the sound is. In fact, I have been told on more than one occasion that we sound better live than on the CD. That says a lot. Jesse will run through a wall of burning flames to help a friend in need. He is currently in brick laying school and is excelling at it. He is a great man to have around and a true friend.

Why do I put this information in this blog? It is to introduce you to my friends, my band and to announce that "Jamison" is no longer a solo artist. It is now a full on band. We expect great things in the future and look forward to what God will do with this mix of guys on the road, in churches, bars, coffee shops and wherever he will place us to preach the good news of Jesus to the world! Till next time... - DJ

Crazy fall

Well, it has been a while since I have blogged, so I thought I should. The band and I have been busy boys this summer and fall. We have had tons of events scheduled and continue to book more of them. God is doing great things and we are hopeful that He will continue to use us to speak to His people. I have been working a lot of hours of late and saving up money for an upcoming trip to Chicago. The band and I will travel to Chi-town along with my daughter and my wife to audition for "America's Got Talent". My daughter Shelden has written a song and will sing it acapella for the judges. The band and I will do 90 seconds of "Psalm 33" from my CD.
I am absolutely loving touring with the guys. Danny, Hunter, Kent and I really enjoy spending time together and cutting loose. I have seen much improvement from the guys in their skill level and level of relaxation on stage. They have really amped it up. They have taken to jumping around on stage and having fun while praising God. This makes me smile. I am glad they feel they can do so. They do not do so to entertain man, but to express their hearts of worship before man...If you are reading this blog, and are in an area where we will be playing, please come out. We would love to rock with you! Till next time - Jamison