Mission:Live by Bob Young Band

It was truly a time of worship and challenging people to trust God with everything. But there were a few times (like “On My Side” and “Old Man Blues”) where the people were especially involved and it made sense to boost the volume for those special moments.

Q. Well, why bother to put out this album? Except for three songs, you or other people have already recorded these songs.

A. Oh, so you know a lot about music, do you? Then you’ll of course realize that we only included cover songs where we felt we were able to make a significant contribution to the arrangement. We also included a few older songs off our CDs Shine and Signs & Wonders because we wanted to introduce how we sound with our newest member, Andy Dempster (a.k.a. “A-Bomb”) and all that he brings to the band (someday we may even end up naming the band after him). Honestly, we didn’t expect to release this CD at all, we had just hoped to record the three new songs for use in our still-in-the-works CD called "Look Out"; however, God had a different idea and made it obvious to us by how well the recordings came out for not just those three new songs, but for the whole event. We did have to cut six other songs from the list, but they weren’t as good as these.

Q. I get it. Can you tell me more about the three new songs that you included on this CD?

A. Sure. The title cut, “Mission”, was intended to be the opening song for a CD that is still in the works called Look Out. It may still end up in that slot, because it’s a powerful opener (though we didn’t really open with it at the rescue mission…we opened with “People Get Ready”). The song has been around since 1990 (and if we used a big Van Halen-style synthesizer, it would sound more like it). It outlines many facets of the mission that we Christians have…and IT ROCKS.

Q. What about “Change Your Mind”?

A. Bob was reading Mark 1:9 one morning about how the first thing Jesus went around preaching was “Repent – the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Repent sounds kind of funny to our ears these days, but what it means doesn’t: “change your mind”. It’s the invitation to consider a totally new approach to living based on the teachings of Jesus, but it requires and openness and willingness to take the risks he dared us to (i.e., “live by faith, not by sight”).

Q. I can dig it. “Ten Thousand Years” – what’s the scoop with that tune?

A. It’s actually a serious confession and study of 1 John 2:15-17 regarding the things of the world that will keep you back from the life of love that God wants for us. Namely, greed (“the lust of the eyes”), pleasure (“the lust of the flesh”), and pride (“the pride of life”). When we look at the things that tempt us in light of what they’ll mean to us 10,000 years from now in eternity, they are NOTHING compared to knowing, loving, and pleasing God. Someone in the band is still confused about the “breed and feed” line, but he’ll get it sooner or later.

Q. Who designed that cool logo and cover art and Web site and stuff? It’s so much more professional than your earlier junk.

A. Andy. He brings a whole new level of professionalism (just when we need it most – at least, we think so since we didn’t have it before). Bob took the picture of the cymbal on the cover (Greg cracked it while playing this gig), and Andy used it for his design.

Q. Who did all the production?

A. That would be Bob (as usual), but Tom, Dave, Greg, and Andy downloaded the new mixes as they were available, so everyone was able to provide all the input they had (and Bob actually listened to it this time - he’s getting a little better at this). But we all know it still doesn’t sound like a Nashville job. Then again, we’re in metro Detroit, not Nashville, so that’s OK.

Q. How can I contact the band?

A. First off, there’s our official Web site bobyoungband.com. There’s an email link there for booking info (so we don’t take too much time away from our employers answering all your phone calls). Secondly, you can visit our MySpace.com site (or MyCCM.org for those who wish to avoid MySpace for various reasons) and add us as a friend, leave us a note, comment on our posted songs, and more. Finally, you can check out the event schedule on our web site and visit us next time we play – we’ll be more than happy to chat with you.

Q. Where can I view the lyrics and legal mumbo jumbo, and get your music?

A. Check out the Web site. If you want an actual CD, go to the Music page and click through to our music store. If you want MP3 downloads, you can also access our iTunes site from there

Q. Any final words?

A. Yes. LOOK OUT!

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