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Arts & Entertainment

Inspiring Music Now Playing in Our Backyard

Every Sunday at Calvary Christian Church, singer and songwriter Travis Taylor blends echoes of U2, Dylan, Tom Petty and Coldplay with something a tad more otherworldly.

In another setting, these professional recording artists might have been playing to standing-room-only audiences.  Their main gig, you might say, is playing Sundays at church.  But arguably, it’s the best show in town. 

On a recent Sunday evening in the Palisades, an exceptional group of musicians played to a rapt audience in an intimate setting. Was it a concert? Not quite.

Though at times, the audience must have felt like special guests at a premiere pop rock event, with melodies evoking U2, Bob Dylan, Coldplay and Tom Petty. 

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Billed as “The Gathering,” the performance, held at Calvary Christian Church of Pacific Palisades, was the inspiration of gifted singer and songwriter Travis Taylor.  The evening brought together those who enjoy singing together, spiritual enlightenment and uplifting music.  

However, hearing Taylor soulfully strum his guitar and sing both original and favorite tunes with wife and vocalist, Tracey, and a tight band of supporting players, audience members quickly realized that this was much more than a church get-together. 

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“We are blessed to have top notch players.” Taylor said.  “These guys are professionals who love the Lord and love using their gifts in the church to serve Him.  If they are not playing at Calvary a lot of them are out on the road with other artists.  We tour occasionally as well.”

Taylor, from Texas, was raised by musicians and admits his earliest memories were of sound checks and church pews. He honed his love of music in college, started his own production company and formed a successful indie band, Ten Thousand Flying, which booked more than 200 tour dates a year. However, a desire to become a worship leader led him to Southern California.

“Travis had been traveling with his band and was getting weary of touring,” said Steve Faubion, senior pastor at Calvary Christian Church. Taylor was one of several up and coming Christian artists Faubion discovered through his daughter, who works at E.M.I. Records.

“When I called him he was more than open to investigating the possibility of partnering with Calvary to bring a fresh new way of worshipping God to our church,” Faubion said.  “That was over seven years ago.  He began his ministry with us in December 2003.”

 Taylor’s impressive music career has generated many albums, including "Sundays Volumes 1 and 2", "Ten Thousand Flying" and "Songs for Christmas."

“I've recorded and independently released music since 2001,” he said.  “I released my first national project in 2009 called "You Have Loved," which went out of Periday Records distributed through Koch Entertainment.”

Reluctant to follow a cookie-cutter top-40 game plan, Travis steadfastly refused to allow the industry to shape the way his music was unveiled to the world. That said, many of his songs fit into a unique genre.

“I write and play Christian worship, with a current approach,” he said.  “Some people call it modern worship. It's just basically music written for a church setting, with a pop-rock influence.”

Faubion describes Taylor’s music as "theocentric," "heartfelt," "fresh," "excellent" and most importantly "worshipful."

“My most recent favorite song is 'Be Still and Know,' which I co-wrote with the band here at Calvary,” said Taylor. “I just love writing songs that have a slow build, and that song is really climactic. The theme of the song comes from the Psalms  ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ I think a lot of people these days are facing more challenges and trials that require us to exercise our faith. This song reminds us that when the world is falling apart around us we can rest in God's peace."

Asked about what kind of music shapes his songwriting, Taylor shrugs off any direct influences.

“I'm just a fan of good songs," he said. "I like all kinds of music, rock, alternative, indie rock, country, some rap. Over the years I've heard certain artists come out throughout my music, kind of inadvertently, such as Tom Petty or U2. I grew up listening to the radio, not necessarily to anything specific, so my musical pallet is somewhat diverse.”

That diverse musical pallet has attracted several excellent musicians to collaborate with him, including guitarist Erick Cole, who has played with famed King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, Dean Grinsfelder, a Grammy winning writer and producer, award-winning singer and songwriter Kendall Payne, who was signed by Capitol Records at the age of 17, conductor Alexander Tseitlin, who leads the Fall of Ai Chamber Orchestra and runs his own music school and Josh Harmony, a gospel recording artist who doubles as a pro skateboarder for Toy Machine.

Taylor is producing a new album for Harmony, who made a special appearance at the recent “Gathering,” performing original songs and a moving rendition of "Amazing Grace."

Last December, Taylor and Tseitlin helped stage Calvary’s annual Christmas concert, which arguably ranks among the best holiday performances in the southland.

“We have access to some of the best string players coming out of the top conservatories around L.A.,” Taylor said. "Most of the music is either original or we wrote new arrangements to the classic songs.”

“Together they plan the program and assemble the musicians and choir members from the body of Calvary Church,” Faubion said.  “Countless house of preparation on the part of everyone involved makes for a spectacular Christmas Concert including vocals, strings and full band.”

Those not familiar with modern church services might not be aware of the technological advances that enable musicians like Taylor to excel.

“The digital age has enabled us produce, record and distribute music that has amazing quality,” Faubion added. “The church leadership has been generous in allocating the funds needed to have an outstanding sound system and recording capability.  The Sanctuary is also acoustically treated to provide an amazing venue for all kinds of music.”

But Taylor is quick to point out that in the big scheme of things, music only plays a supporting role.

 “You know, good music is a great thing to have, but church is so much more than that,” he said.  “There are so many other reasons one might choose Calvary as a church: strong weekly messages, fantastic children's and student ministries, and most importantly, people who are alive and engaging.  This is a community of people who are on a journey together, not a country club with a good weekly band.”

That said, what would the average person—religious or otherwise—expect to see if they came to Calvary Church on a Sunday morning?

“They would see a bunch of people having fun getting to play music they love on a great sound system with a group of great people,” Taylor said.  “Although it’s impossible to please everyone, we sure try to.  Sometimes it's raw and very acoustic, sometimes it's full band with a rocking sound, sometimes it's very orchestral.”

“Calvary is blessed to have Travis using his gifts to lead us in worship each week,” added Faubion. “While it is apparent that all churches have a musical component and musical talent, Travis is exceptional and enables us to produce a quality of worship music that is not easily found.”

You can find Taylor and a revolving group of amazing artists each Sunday at Calvary Christian Church.  For more information, visit the Church's website. To learn more about Taylor’s music, visit iTunes or his website.

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