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His last album, Real, proved Jake Smith to be one of the industry’s brightest up-and-coming talents. From out of nowhere, it seemed he seized each stage he was able to grace with his New Orleans influenced jazz-pop-rock sound. Plus his fun, catchy lyricism meshed well with the infectious musical material.

Now Smith is back with a new EP, showcasing a more somber, reflective side. We recently asked him a few questions regarding his career, his direction and what he thinks about his debut now that some time has passed.

SA: You’ve mentioned that the new EP is really focused on hope and the ability to find that in life’s circumstances. Were there specific instances that led you to want to focus on this?

Jake Smith: The last CD was based on huge events that I hope people don’t have to go through such as hurricanes, cancer, car wrecks, pretty much anything horrible. Those things aren’t every day occurrences, and it’s not as if once you go through such things like that then your life will be smooth sailing from there on out. This EP is based off of the everyday situations, politics, relationships, careers etc.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Recently, I ran across an article about an elementary school in Colorado that took a group of fifth graders to an art museum…

*Pregnant Pause*

I just want to let that soak in. I know, I know. Incredible, isn’t it? I can’t believe the audacity of that art teacher. What’s crazy about it is that it was even approved by the principal! How dare he do that! Imagine a teacher wanting to take kids to see art that includes, ahem, nude sculptures. N-U-D-E. Nude. Kids can’t handle that.

And then the parents. They all signed permission slips! Every one of the kids who went had a signed slip from the parents. The nerve of those parents, if they can even call themselves that. Who allows their child unfettered access to such disgraceful places that house paintings that could possibly include semi-clothed people, sculptures that show even more, and God knows what else.

*End Sarcasm*

This country is going to hell. I don’t mean literal hell, as I am leaving spirituality out of this for a second. I just mean that we are shooting our own selves in the foot. A parent in Georgia is calling for a ban of Harry Potter. An art teacher is fired for going to an art museum on a principal-endorsed, parental-permission given trip. The teacher has been teaching for 28 years! She is almost 60! But some kids came back and apparently told mom and/or dad there were breasts exposed in 3-D form, and then chaos ensued.

How did we get to this point? I’m glad these articles aren’t exposing these people as Christians and not making it a religious issue. We have it bad enough. But it leads to me to think about our own inability to just absorb art on a grand scale, even that which we disagree with. Music is so broken down by genres that we don’t have to take in any other forms. Books are categorized in the same way. Movies have not only genres but ratings, and now art is simply doing the same. How long until you have “Nudes” in one room, “Scantily Clad” in another. All paintings, sculpture, sketches that could remotely give me a snippet of an idea of what a male or female might look like without clothes should all be stored up in one closet so that perverts can just be put together, I suppose.

When you and I refuse to be challenged or shaped by different political viewpoints, we become closed-minded, dogmatic and really no good to anyone. Does this have consequences in the art world as well? When you and I refuse to listen to the talents of others, to view something that is different, to take in beauty in all its forms, do we miss out on what true beauty really is? I would answer that we do.

An old article I wrote for Relevant’s website (perhaps my first? I don’t remember):

I should know better than to question my father. His perspective always seems to be a lot better than my own.

My father has a ‘green thumb’, a definite knack for anything that can grow in one’s yard. He is always messing with some sort of shrub, vine, or tree. In trying to relate to my dad, one day I decided to dive into his world. I knew that if I inquired more about the plants he tended to and even offered to help, it would be the key to spending some good quality time together.

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This is a piece I wrote for Christianity Today:

Oh, the lengths we will go to for attention at times. . .

I was thinking about the latest King Kong movie from Peter Jackson earlier today and one scene in particular came back to me. In it, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) has just been taken captive by the giant gorilla and she is figuring out how to interact with it and, ultimately, keep KK from eating her. Being a former Vaudeville star, Darrow begins to literally jump head-over-heels, do a cartwheel, juggle, and any other sort of song and dance to entertain the ape. Better yet, she simply wants to prolong her existence.

Then I read a news segment where there is a church in Texas giving away a house on New Years Eve so they will get a larger crowd. In previous years, they have given away a car, a motorcycle and furniture. Their pastor hopes this will help get people “away from the revelry” associated with the parties on New Years Eve.

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The answers from new Canadian worship artist Joel Augé are perfect. Give a quick read below and you’ll see what we mean: thoughtful, provocative reasons and explanations to bolster his already strong melodic musical style. It’s an instant realization that even though Augé is new to the national scene, he’s clearly been considering his calling for some time now.

We recently had the chance to ask the new Integrity artist about his record, his band Hewit, his Canadian roots and the worst pronunciation of his last name. In between are some much needed answers and insights for the Western church.

Soul-Audio: An obvious place to start – your origins – actually led me to Hewit. How did you decide to pursue a solo venture away from the band?

Joel Augé: Hewit is as much a production team as a band. Although I’ve written most of the songs, we collectively share a love for getting across melodies and musical ideas that move people. As a production team we all live by the motto that “the song makes the final decision.” Whatever is the best way for the song to be everything it can be, that’s what we choose to do.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Here’s another article I wrote for Relevant Leader:

I’d felt like he punched me in the stomach. “You can put up a ‘No Trespassing’ sign if you want.” I know he meant well, but his comment was farther from anything I would ever consider.

As a church, we had just purchased a new facility for the ministry – an old elementary school in a very needy, predominantly African-American neighborhood. The contrast is simple to see, as we can be classified as a few hundred Starbucks-sipping, white college students. Mike, the man selling us the property and also African-American, was simply telling us that the community is actually very respectful of the school property. It seemed natural for him for this white church to want to protect its property in a reasonable manner.

I still can’t get over this story. Since then, I have heard seemingly endless comments expressing everything from surprise to exuberance over the fact that we chose to go against the grain and make this neighborhood and building our church home. Others have given us warnings, and I assume those people would be quick to place the same sign up offered by Mike.

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