Bride The Book

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I remember working at a record store in Louisville, KY in 1989. In walks this longhaired guy who walked over to the heavy metal section. I naturally went over quickly to see if I could help him with anything. I wanted to make sure that he did not steal anything either. As it turns out it was Dale Thompson, lead singer of Bride. I think he was surprised that I had heard of the band and was a fan. Through the years, I’ve seen Bride not only click musically but also spiritually. It has been quite an inspiration to see first hand, the heart they have for the young people. They have ministered to so many people by being a positive role model and making it clear why they are doing this. I was honored to be able to work some of their songs while I worked radio promotions at Star Song. I got so many phone calls about the band, one would have thought, the Beatles were on the label. James Riley

Introduction

There had been a stomach virus going around in our community. Seemed like everyone had it except me. The band was on its way to Germany aboard a Delta airplane. Four hours into the flight I awoke from my semi conscience state feeling hot and my lips were dry. Feeling as though I may pass out I asked Troy who sat to my right side for a bag to breath into. The clear plastic bag did not help. I decided to make a run for the toilet even though the plane was in heavy turbulence and the fasten seat belt sign was illuminated. Troy accompanied me to the toilet trying to stable me with his hand on my arm. As soon as the door to the toilet swung open, I passed out landing on the toilet seat head first cracking the bridge of my nose. I spent the remainder of the flight dabbing blood and making emergency trips every fifteen minutes back to the toilet. After our 8-hour flight, all I wanted to do was to find a bed and collapse. Our travel had just begun. The next 3 1/2 hours we traveled by van to our hotel being serenaded by every German gothic metal band our driver could shove into his tape deck. Spending a day and a half in the bed gave me a little life; I was weak from dehydration and lack of nutrition. The day that we arrived, we were notified by fax at our hotel that the 378 t-shirts we thought we were going to receive for the shows had been detained at German customs. All attempts including Troy personally going to the customs office were in vain. The shirts were in limbo and we could do nothing to get them for these shows. They had been ceased but we were assured that we could have them sent back to the States, at a later date. We would have to take orders for the shirts at the shows, which undoubtedly would lower our sales miserably. Delta had lost my bag with my stage clothes in it, which I worried about the entire trip. I was able to retrieve it the day of our last show, by going to the Stuttgart airport where they were holding it for me. The three shows we performed went off without a hitch and all I wanted to do was to make it back to America. Believing that we were leaving in plenty of time to catch our plane back home, we once again feel victim to the roads cruelty. The Frankfurt airport was some 2 1/2 hours away. Our driver had already met death several times on the highway since we had arrived. God was with us and it is only by His grace that we avoided the abyss. Finally, since death could not reach its ugly hand around our throats to choke the final breath, it decided to transform itself into misery. Forty-five minutes into our drive to the airport our van was struck with engine failure of the worst kind. An engine will not run without oil. Seemingly for miles we drove, warning our driver that smoke from the exhaust was pouring out of the back like a dragons breath. We were able to find a Ford dealer who arranged for us to obtain a new rental and after a short delay we conquered Germany and were soon bound for America. Once in the United States, everyone's baggage was delayed coming off the conveyer belt at customs and baggage claim. Mine was the first to appear. Since we only had 45 minutes originally between flights, I made my mad dash for the departure gate to try to get Delta to hold the plane for a few extra minutes while the rest of the band collected their bags and cleared customs. Sitting on the plane I looked up the isle every time someone new would board thinking at any moment the rest of the band would appear. Then I heard the door shut...the rest of the band had missed the flight and thus the saga, the road, and the price we pay daily as we take up our cross and follow the Lord where ever he would send us.

chapter 1 : Show no mercy In the beginning, we were young and naive. We absolutely had no experience, and we were not looking for a record deal. Troy (my brother) and I were the driving force behind the band. We felt we were called of God to do His work. We had been raised on music all of our lives, playing southern gospel music in churches. We found our calling in the least likely style of music. We had no idea why the Lord called us into rock music after our many years playing traditional music, but we stepped out on faith and pursued the calling with much vigor. (Romans 11:29, 1 Corinthians 7:20, Philippians 3:14. 2 Timothy 1:9.) We had been sending demo tapes of the band to the underground fanzines and mags trying to get established as a band. We were called Matrix, a three piece band in which I played bass, Troy played guitar, and we had finally found a steady drummer named Steve Gilbert after the departure of original drummer, Steve Childers. Matrix had been together for almost three years, and we had gone through many band member changes, but had not lost the joy of playing music for the Lord. Since Troy and I had not grown up listening to hard rock music, we imitated no one. We were writing songs that we liked, and were playing live shows the way we felt we should play them. In Louisville, KY, where we were based, we were the outcast. There was a Christian music scene that did exist, but the “clique” felt as though we were pushing the borders of Christianity with our stage antics. Troy and I knew little about how rock music was suppose to sound, and knew even less of how to perform live on stage. Our influences being Resurrection band, Servant, Keaggy, Norman, Joe English, Petra, and Stonehill, we thought we were doing what they did. I actually realize now that we were very extreme for the time, and I can see why people were shocked at our songs and stage behavior. From our makeup to our spandex, from leaping off our amps to wearing painted shin guards and hockey masks, I now see that we were not your conventional Christian band in the early 80’s. We always had a good crowd in town. I think it was a lot of lost youth who wanted to see if a Christian band could be as wild as one of the mainstream counter parts. The Christians came out to mainly judge us, but seldom would they approach us to condemn us. (I think we appeared dangerous and scary to them.) We were experimenting with flash pots and explosions almost from day one. After setting a couple of stages on fire and turning a few low ceilings black with the flames, we became selective in our use of pyrotechnics. In the Christian underground, we were becoming the talk of the small community and, to our dismay, the talk of the underground around the country, due in large to our couple of demo tapes. We were already in controversy before we were signed to a record deal. A reviewer named Chris Yambar, who wrote for the Activist (a publication), had written some very negative and unprofessional things about Matrix. He stated that: “...Troy’s solo’s even though textbook and trite could be stomached.” My vocals, however, could not.”His grating, high pitched and harpy screeches come off as tasteless and offensive. On several occasions they do nothing but detract from the music and make one wish that he’d opt for something a little closer to Daniel Band or Bad Company,” wrote Yambar. Being young, we took offense, and felt as though Chris was personally attacking us individually. I was a hothead at the time, and, even though I was a Christian, took more of the attitude that Peter displayed by cutting off a guard’s ear in the garden when they came to arrest Jesus, rather than following the loving example that Jesus promoted. Troy and I responded back to Chris instantly with a letter.

I wrote to Chris, saying that, “You are the only one who had discredited our musical abilities and my vocal performance. The best thing you could have done was not to review it at all.” I went on to say that, “when our album Show no Mercy is released on Pure Metal Records don’t do us any favors. Spare us your expert gift of review. Also, could you send back the “MSMD” tape we sent you. Why keep something that you can’t stomach?” (“MSMD” was short for Monkey See Monkey Do, a self-produced demo that we were sending out for reviews.) Troy wrote a second letter saying, “I’ve never taken a guitar lesson in my life nor spied a single guitar lead. I played what I felt, not what I read from a book. As for stomaching the vocals, I suggest you put the speaker a little closer to your ear instead of your midsection. Who wants to sound like Bad Company? Are they your heroes?” Chris responded in his next edition with a positive four long paragraphs on how he came to writing the review that he wrote. Chris had not in fact completely convinced Troy and I that he was not intentionally trashing us. However, we later talked with Chris personally, and we believe now he had no ill intentions.

chapter 2 : decadencecy

I met a fellow in Louisville who was a veteran of the secular rock side. His name was Leee Black Childers. Leee had done photography for all of the big secular mags in the 70’s, and had worked with many punk and rock-a-billy bands in London. Leee was instrumental and one of the driving forces that introduced punk to America. His roots went back to bands like the Sex Pistols, Billy Idol and Generation X. He had worked with David Bowie early in his career. I was determined to have Leee introduce me to some of the big names in the rock industry, hoping that I could find someone willing to take a chance on a young Christian band. Leee and I drove to NYC in my new Chevy Chevette. It was a long grueling ride, but I thought it would be worth it. We hit some of the thickest fog I had ever seen. Even though I would have continued driving, Leee said he would rather stop for the night and get some sleep. Leee did not drive, so I had to drive the entire way. It was somewhat a miserable trip up there. Leee forced me to listen to hours of punk and rock-a-billy music while complaining it was hot in the car. I froze as I drove; however, we finally made it to the Big Apple. NYC was a fascinating place. It was like something out of a Science Fiction novel. Being from Kentucky, I had never seen anything like this before. Leee was more popular than I ever imagined. People would stop him on the street like he was a celebrity. Maybe he was and I never knew it. I was told by a friend of Leee’s that he was the man who brought decadence into rock music. I quickly found out that it was probably true. Leee gave me the full tour of NY; the sleazy nightclubs, and the famous ones, like The Limelight, where all of the entertainers went to be seen and photographed. I saw things in the Big Apple that could not be written in this book. It all soon became disgusting, and I had my doubts about if I really wanted to play music at all. It seemed that the people who could launch a career were the perverted mutants of the city. These appeared to be the kind of people that you only see at night. Maybe they were normal, regular people during the day with ordinary jobs, but at night there was a metamorphosis and a transformation into something very dark and sinister. My Christian upbringing rejected the idea about selling out to these sick individuals. Leee, in all of his bizarre ways, seemed to be more normal than the rest. He was like a little boy who was not being supervised, but he had a suave and a street-smart attitude that kept him alive. I was introduced to Angela Bowie while I was taking in the surroundings. She and Leee had known one another for many years. She was a very nice person, but seemed to be very engulfed with some family problems concerning her child and her ex-husband, David Bowie. Out of respect, I said very little and listened very carefully. I was a stranger here, and I really did not know these people very well, so I was careful not to offend anyone. It was some type of experience for this boy from the Blue Grass State. One evening, as I was moving my car from one side of the street to the other because of street sweepers, I was stopped and frisked by three police officers who said I should not be out at night alone in this part of town. They checked my I.D., said that I did not sound like I was from KY, and they let me go. I was introduced to a woman named Cheri Vanilla, which at the time I thought was her real name. She was a nightclub singer who, from my understanding, had been in several “men’s” magazines. I met so many people I can’t remember their names, and at the time, they all seemed impressive and important, but since then I’ve never heard anything much about any of them, with the exception of Angela Bowie, who years later was still having trouble with her ex and appearing on TV talk shows to discuss it. I stayed in NY only about two weeks and drove home. Later on, I would return to NYC with Leee and fly to London to meet Angie there, in hopes that she could get us looked at by a record company. She was way too self-consumed and busy to really do more than be a tour guide for a day in London. I left London as quickly as I had come and focused on the Christian market. The secular market did not want us without compromise, and I could not find any holes in the Christian market to crawl through. We had decided we would just keep doing what we were doing, which was playing locally in Louisville.

chapter 3 : The big break

We got a call from Dorn Repport, a promoter in Pottstown, PA, and he had heard one of our demos. He was promoting a show with the Daniel Band. He wanted us to be the opening band, and we felt this was a good opportunity for the band to get in front of a big crowd. I was playing bass on some tunes, Troy was playing bass and guitar, Steve Gilbert was drumming, and we brought in Billy Sutherland, a great guitarist in our home area of Louisville. Billy was brought in like the icing on the cake. He was not a band member, but we felt insecure about our own playing. I had played bass for Bill’s band Warrior in 1982 for nearly the entire year before Troy and I had formed Matrix. I had left Warrior on a sour note; however, Billy and I had remained friends. We rented a van, loaded our gear in, and off to Pennsylvania we went. The show went very well, and a few people in the crowd had actually heard of us. Somehow they had got their hands on the demo tape, and they knew the words to the songs. We did not really have a song set list planned, so we just made it up as we went, but we agreed on an entrance and an ending. Because of some sound problems, the show was delayed. At the last moment, we thought we would make a spectacular entrance into the auditorium by coming from the back of the room through the crowd. Steve Gilbert (our drummer) was already on stage, and because of the sound delay the crowd urged him to play a 10-minute drum solo. I remember talking with the guys that Steve would be too worn out to play the show if he did not let up, but he relentlessly and mercilessly beat his drumheads flat. We were in the back of the auditorium when the band was announced. We made a big entrance by running up through the crowd of about 1000 people and leaping onto stage. I can remember people trying to stop me from getting on stage. They had no idea who we were. We had a big finale planned. We had flash pots loaded down heavy with powder. As the end of the set came, the flash pots went off. Billy tossed his guitar high into the air, up into the lights. The combination of stage lights and the flash from the explosion blinded him. He attempted to catch his guitar, and he did ... “right in the head.” He was knocked to the ground by the impact. I remember standing over him, wondering if he was all right. Other than a cut and a bruise, he was fine. We had constructed the pots out of wood. Normally we would have had metal cans. When the pots exploded, they blew apart splintering wood over the audience. One boy was hit in the head and was bleeding, but he was excited about being part of the show. I believe he collected some of the wood for a souvenir. The Daniel Band was signed to Refuge Music Group, and we had no idea that there were record people in the crowd. Refuge did not like us at all, however, they were impressed by the way the fans swarmed around us after the show and bought every tape we had brought. The Pennsylvania crowd loved us for some reason, and we were a hit. It was just months later that we were signed to our first record deal. This would be the beginning of something that Troy and I had never thought would happen. God was setting in motion His plan for our lives. We still were baffled by the events leading up to the record deal. We agreed on recording the record in Louisville, and that we would self produce the project. Things started happening very quickly, and we tried to put together a stable line-up of musicians. We added Scott Hall, a friend of ours, on bass, but he would only play on a couple of tunes in the studio. Steve Osborne was added on guitar because of his local legendary status as a guitarist virtuoso. Steve Gilbert remained on drums, and Troy went to full time guitar. I laid down the bass and would only provide vocals. The record was under way with Howey Gano as engineer. We recorded this first project in Howey’s basement studio, “Sound on Sound,” for the incredibly low budget of $2750.00. Originally we had been allotted

only $2500.00, but we went over budget by $250.00. Our first check from Refuge Music Group to pay for the recording bounced, and we should have figured then that we had signed with the wrong company, but we were just excited about the possibilities of reaching thousands of people with our music and message of hope. We were still very inexperienced as a rock band, and our live show was somewhat unorthodox, scary, and confusing for the audience. The volume and the awkwardness of our stage show all contributed to churches frowning upon us. Churches refused to have us, and would not even entertain the thoughts of Bride entering their grounds. If we wanted to play live, we would have to take our music elsewhere. We found ourselves playing local bars. Places such as The Toy Tiger in Louisville, KY, Bogarts and a club called Annies in Cincinnati opened their doors to us. My wife, Sharon, was due to deliver our first child the night of a show in Cincinnati. Thank goodness Alex, my first born son, waited a few days to arrive. We stayed broke musically, but remained busy playing at any club that would have us, as well as every “battle of the bands” competition we could enter. The reviews on Show no Mercy were mixed, and Chris Yambar was back with a few remarks, saying, “... Show No Mercy is where Bride shows their true talents and really flexes!!” Other writers and magazines of the underground wrote: “Troy Thompson does a good job of creating fresh new sounds. He reaches to a variety of times and places for just the right thing to spice up a song” (Jay A. Mindeman). Doug Peterson of White Throne magazine had to say, “... This one is sure to please any head banger whose ears are discriminate of tastefully played music.” He also followed up the review with an interview. Powerline said, “You’ll either love it or hate it, Bride are a hot property and a force to be reckoned with.” Doug Van Pelt of Heavens Metal not only wrote a review, he also did a nice interview with me. To our surprise, Hit Parader magazine did a review on the record. A writer by the name of Jonathan Block said, “... Dale Thompson has the best range this side of Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden. If Bride ever gets big, Thompson will have to change his phone number: it’s listed on the album sleeve.” Scott Robinson, a contributing critic for the Louisville Times (our home news paper), even covered the release of the record with a full page article and a review of a local live church. The article started by saying, “... There was so much smoke rolling off the stage you couldn’t see the lead singer, let alone the drummer. All you could see as Dale Thompson and his band roared onto stage were flashing red lights taken from the top of a squad car, driven by a car battery nestled under the drum risers. Thompson, his younger brother Troy and their fellow band members were so loud the police were called by residents of the Highlands area.” Most of the reviews were kind to us, as we were still trying to find out what style of music we should be playing. The year was quickly spent, and that brought us to our next record. Scott Hall was out of the band, and we found Frank Partipilo playing in a cover band out of Indiana. Refuge Music Group brought in a producer for this sophomore project. His name was John Petri. We were flown to New Jersey to Grand Slam Studios. The Studio was run down, but it had a big live room for drums. Steve Osborne had left the band for a short period of time, but when he heard we were recording again he was more than eager to return to impress us with new guitar licks he had mastered. Osborne was very strange, and I never knew how to read him. Troy and I had decided that, after this record, we should have nothing else to do with him. It bothered Osborne that while he was away from the band Troy had learned all of his guitar solos. So as we rehearsed for the next record, Osborne would rehearse with his back to the rest of the band so Troy could not see him play. Osborne had something to prove on Live to Die since Troy had learned all of his solos from Show No Mercy, and he did not want to be second to anyone. During the entire recording of Live to Die, Osborne was ill with the flu and was hallucinating with a fever. The band lived in the studio and soon found out that there was a hole in the ceiling where we slept. We had mistaken it for a skylight. We found out it was a hole when Osborne tossed a bar of soap through the hole

onto the roof. Live to Die turned out to be very heavy and borderline thrash. We knew the hardcore fans would really like it. In 1988 we played a few more shows than the previous year. We ended up making a couple of trips to California. This is where we found other bands just like Bride who were preparing for the long haul of Christian Rock. We played concerts with Guardian, Xalt and many glam wannabe bands out of California. We were now getting radio air play on some Christian Radio Stations, and were even featured on the national secular radio program called “Metal Shop.”

chapter 4 : More mayhem

California was very foreign to us. People were different. They dressed and acted different. We met a Christian band out there that claimed to have the tallest hair in the world. Seemed like most of these people were very materialistic. We had an incident with a group of witches who tried to disrupt one of the shows. They were out in front of the opening band dancing in a circle and chanting. They were escorted from the building. A lot of the Christian California bands were feeling threatened by the presence of Bride. Many of them thought that California was the only place to have a band, and that an east coast band had no business out there. I felt like most of these bands had members who were in a band just to be in a band, and that they did not have a real ministry. We were always waiting for confrontation, and the big night came when in a parking lot of a Denny’s restaurant when I was approached by what I call two hairballs. A male and female, I think, stopped me and accused me of not having a legitimate ministry, not bearing any fruit and not being a Christian. If it was not for the fact that Denny’s was full and my party came out, I would have lost my religion long enough to pound these two beehives. I had worked really hard getting the band focused and trying to establish the ministry, and to have two people that did not even know me verbally attack me was too much. They walked away feeling as though they had seen the last of me. I am sure they thought that Bride would fade away, but we would endure far longer than our critics. We made some good friends in California, and most of the fans were supportive. The Press We were getting a lot of mixed press, and we were not taking it well. I personally wrote letters directed at the writers of these bad articles and reviews, and, before long, it escalated into war. We took a pounding, and the press won in the eyes of the industry, but we had established a great relationship with the fans, and they came to our rescue in the form of letters. We were spiritually worn and battered after playing right into the hands of Satan’s trap. At the end of all the diverse press, we were quite disoriented with Refuge Music Group because of their dishonest business practices and poor accounting. Chris Yambar was still around writing reviews, and his review of Live to Die was favorable. His only complaint was that the band had not yet learned to handle criticism, citing, “... This has proven to be a hot button with Thompson.” Chris called the record nearly perfect, but described my vocals as a “blast of banshee nastiness.” I was tired of feuding, and instead of reading into the statement and creating a mountain out of a molehill, I decided to take it as a compliment. Foreign press from mags like Mortal Sin, Kerrang, Light Attack and other smaller mags were reviewing the record. However, we could not read the foreign print, so we had no idea if the reviews were good or bad. White Metal Alternatives said this was our “latest and greatest record.” We were being compared to every secular metal act that was on top. I was overjoyed to read in Rizzen Roxx magazine that they felt my vocals blew Ronnie James Dio away. Heavens Metal praised the record. David Lowman of Note Board magazine wrote: “ ... Bride’s second release for Pure Metal Records creates quite a love/hate relationship with the listener. The songs are either creatively crafted metal monsters or silly, redundant metal mistakes.” My vocals were slammed as he wrote: “... the lyrics fall into the cavern of the forgettable, cliche-filled metal norm.” He called the chorus to Hell No “so silly it is almost offensive.” YET it would remain one of Bride’s top requested songs. We tried to overlook such criticisms. However, the band was going through many crazy emotional ups and downs. Personally it was hard to take anything negative lightly. White Throne magazine readers chart had Live to Die at the #1 spot. I was voted #4 as the readers’ pick, we were voted #4 favorite band. I remember at one of our few live shows after our performance that the promoter approached me and asked if I would do

an interview. I said ‘of course, let us do it.’ There were actually a couple of reporters there wanting to do interviews, but were intimidated by the way I had feuded with the press in the past. They were afraid to approach me, thinking that I may be a dangerous sort of fellow. In addition, they had just experienced a Bride show that I am sure was a bit shocking to them. They were impressed that I was really a nice person and easy to talk with. I guess they were geared for confrontation and found that I was nothing of the sort. Silence is Madness Steve Osborne had grown completely impossible to work with, and after a show in California we got the news that Osborne was taking a walk. He wanted no more of the Christian market. I would see Steve a few years later working at a booth in the middle of a mall around the Christmas season selling some type of Christmas decor. I did not see the need to stay in touch with him, and we lost touch with the occasional report that he was working in a cover band in Louisville. We felt it necessary to rehearse even more because we lost what we thought was a trump card. With all of Osborne’s quirks, he had been a monster guitarist. Troy by this time had established himself as a lead player, and the only thing lacking was his confidence to pull it off live. We did know that with the loss of Steve that song writing would become easier since Steve had been so hard to please. We worked very hard writing on the next album, but the songs came with what seemed to be great ease. Again, John Petri was brought in to take on the task of producer. We had auditioned many guitarists, to try to add that second guitar to the band, but no one really fit. We were not so interested in the talent aspect, rather, we needed that right combination. We found a special guest guitarist by the name of Rob Johnson to add more of that 80’s metal sound. Rob would not join the band, but had no problems in recording and even showing Troy the licks. We decided to record some demos to get a better look-see of how the songs would sound on tape. Rob’s lead playing was much more distinctive than Steve’s, and at the time, having a heavy guitar sound was essential. We felt we had wrote some of the best tunes we had ever put together, and now the question of which one’s would make the record was at hand. Troy and I decided not to record what we thought were the better songs for Refuge Music Group “Pure Metal” since our relationship with them had disintegrated. They had been so dishonest that we had no confidence in their ability to promote an album nor give us accurate sales reports. Even if we had a great song, we could not see it doing anything but sitting on the shelf. This proved to be a very wise move. The time came for the actual recording of the album, which we would title “Silence is Madness,” and we gave Pure Metal what we considered the B songs. They were still good songs, but we felt them to be inferior to the tunes we held for future use, hopefully with a new label. The basic tracks and most of the overdubs were cut in Nashville. Everyday of recording was a real laugh. Frank, our bass player, would say things like, “I was right on the money with that bass part.” The funny thing is that he would say this after recording a part that did not lock in with the drums. It was a tall order to play close to the unorthodox style of Steve Gilbert’s drum playing. Steve was a super fast double bass player, yet I put so many demands on him that his time-keeping suffered. I went with Petri to Buffalo, NY to record my vocals and to mix the record. I got the chance to hang out with an up and coming band called the Goo Goo Dolls. Petri had been doing some pre-production with them, and how was I to know that they would soon be the next big thing? They ask me to do some back up vocals on their first record, but, after they sat and listened, they thought the vocals were too smooth for their sound. SILENCE IS MADNESS WAS FINISHED.

With Silence is Madness we showed the critics and our fans a little different side of the band. Heaven’s Metal magazine’s readers poll results came in, and here were the results. Bride #4 live band, Dale Thompson #2 favorite singer, just under the legendary Mike Lee of Barren Cross. Heaviest band #5, and #4 was favorite album cover. That year we had some great shows to remember. Our first year at Cornerstone was extremely intense. As we were waiting back stage in the huge metal building where we were to perform, we could hear the crowd outside chanting the band’s name. I had no idea of how many people might be out there, but I could feel it was going to be a fantastic show. When the doors opened the band was standing behind the stage looking around the drum riser. The crowd charged the stage like a stampede. There were chairs being knocked over and everyone was fighting to get up front. Frank said, “man, I did not know if they were going to stop at the edge of the stage or run over us.” When the building had finally filled it was filled to capacity, and there were even people in the rafters. It would be our biggest show that we had ever played, and that record would hold true until the next Cornerstone. We did have a problem at the concessions where we were selling t-shirts. We thought we would have a table for the day after we played. However, we were told there was no way we were going to get a table. We had sold merchandise for one day and were now being asked to leave. Other bands were there for their second day, so I did not think was fair. After a bitter argument we were asked to leave the festival all together and were banned from the festival the next year. I had vowed to never play Cornerstone again. When young, one often does things and says things that they regret. We would return more mature and with a better set than ever. “The record company meeting.” Gavin Markel, Kevin and Ceasar Kalinowski met Troy and I at GMA in Nashville to discuss the possibilities of resigning with Pure Metal. We were told at the meeting, as well as shown on statements supplied by Kevin, that they owed us back royalties. We were given the option that they could either pay us with a check or with product. We chose the check, which was promised to be mailed to us. However, that turned out to be the wrong option ... we never got a dime! We had made it plain at the meeting that we were not interested in resigning with Pure Metal unless honesty was made a priority, and that Pure Metal honor the contract which they had breached several times. All parties passed on any new contract. Although we were writing good tunes, we were not playing well as a band. With the lackluster performances of the band and little enthusiasm, I decided to begin the reconstruction of Bride. After pleading with Steve Gilbert to learn the basic fundamentals of drumming, and to dismantle his double bass kit to no avail, I was forced for the good of the band to let him go. I had worked with him for three years and considered him a friend. This was not a easy decision to make. Silence is Madness would be our last record under Refuge Music Group. Now without a drummer and no record deal, we had fallen into the barrel of thousands of other bands trying to stay afloat. (We had been witness to the breakups of other Christian Heavy Metal Bands like MESSIAH PROPHET, LEVITICUS, SAINT AND BARREN CROSS.) Bride seemed to be finished, and we had lost our steam. We began auditioning drummers, but none really clicked. We were not having any success finding anyone with the style that we wanted to pursue. One day, Troy and I were shopping around at a local music store. An old friend of ours, “Jerry McBroom,” was working behind the counter of the drum department. I asked Jerry if he knew of any drummers, and he began to think, running the possibilities of everyone he knew through his head.

Then it hit me! Jerry was one of the finest drummers I had ever heard and, even though he really did not play our style, I thought, ‘what do I have to loose?’ I asked him if he would be interested in “giving it a go.” Jerry said that he was not playing with anyone seriously at the time, and would not mind giving it a shot. We began rehearsals soon after, and we concentrated on new material. Jerry brought a tightness to the band that we had never known before. Song writing got more serious, and songs like “Everybody knows my name” were written. (This song would win the DOVE AWARD for Metal Song of the Year two years later.) We also wrote songs like “KISS THE TRAIN” and “YOUNG LOVE,” which became songs that would later appear on future records. We recorded a couple of demo tapes and sent them out the underground press and to the hand full of pirate radio stations that we were familiar with. Bride fans were very hopeful, but the press was now divided, and most did not believe that it would be possible for Bride to rise from the ashes. Frank was becoming less creative, and at rehearsals he seemed to zone in and out musically sometimes, as if he were playing by instinct rather than from the heart. I took it upon myself to ask Frank to take a few lessons. If he were to remain, he would have to learn to lock in with Jerry and tighten up our songs. Frank ignored my request, and I was forced to let him go. Once again this was a hard move on my part because I considered Frank a good friend. Frank was a good ol’ country boy and I did not want to hurt his feelings. He took the dismissal very well. I believe he was expecting it. I already had a back up bassist in the wings. A long time friend of Jerry’s, Billy Jones (who had a very conservative look and did not really fit the band) was brought in. He was a monster bassist. We worked with Billy writing songs and welcoming his writing and input. He changed our style a bit because of his jazz background. We played our first gig with him at a friend’s birthday party, and we all agreed that it felt very awkward. We had turned into a funk metal band within two months, and I was still trying to make the adjustment when I received a call from Jerry. Billy had phoned Jerry and said that he just did not feel good about the band, and really felt the Lord calling him to church ministry. He was not comfortable playing rock and had no desire to go on the road.

chapter 5

At this point in the book, I wanted to break briefly and explain a few things. The book at this point may seem very out of control, rebellious, defiant, etc. There seems to be more negativity than positiveness. It may even appear to some that have read up to this point that there is very little about Christ within these first few chapters. The reason is this; the Lord was doing a great work in our lives. We were being seasoned, tested, tried and proven for the greater work which lay ahead. It is very important for me to be as truthful in these accounts as I can be in order for you to see how the Lord can take a group of guys and mold them and shape them into vessels for His purpose. Yes, we were very rebellious and independent in many ways. However, God our Father never let go of us through all of this, and He alone would receive the glory due to His name. We were justified because we had received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. However, our Father was doing an incredible work of pruning our lives, which we really were not aware of until later years. This pruning I call being sanctified and brought into maturity, being made complete in Him, perfecting Holiness in our very being. break #2 Once again, Bride was bass-less and broken. We began the relentless task of auditioning bass players. We had friends out, unknowns out and wannabes out. It seemed like we gave everybody in the Louisville area an audition, but no one had the style or personality that we were looking for. We were about to make a terrible mistake out of desperation when Vince Brinly brought us a name of a friend of his that he claimed was a dynamite player. He introduced me to Rik Foley, a six foot, five inch tall long hair who had been playing in bands all over town. Rik was already a fan of Bride. He had seen us play out a few times and even knew our tunes. We immediately arranged a rehearsal. (We never auditioned Jerry, feeling as though he was such a good drummer that we were auditioning for him.) Everyone else went through the same auditioning process, and now it was Rik’s turn. Rik arrived at Jerry’s house where we rehearsed in the basement. He went right for the amp, which I thought was a great sign. He plugged in, flicked the switch and was ready to play. I don’t ever remember Rik looking up through the whole audition or saying very much, but he was very well rehearsed and knew everything we shot at him. Everything went well, considering that we forced Rik to try songs that he had never played before. I made my mind up just a couple of songs into the rehearsal, and Troy and Jerry agreed. Days later, we received a call from Dez Dickerson, an exec at Star Song music group. Star Song was a record label out of Nashville. Dez mentioned that Star Song had just purchased Refuge Music Group’s metal library of music, which included our three albums. He said that they wanted to do a “Best of Bride” record, and wanted to know if we had a couple of new tunes that we would like to record for the album. I told him that we did have a couple of tunes that we would love to showcase for possible consideration of a new record deal. Not too long after that initial conversation, we were in Nashville under the producing eye of Steve Griffith. Star Song did not like Petri’s work and wanted to bring a new sound to the band. We had no objections. We were a little burnt with Petri, too. We picked the songs “Everybody knows my name” and “Same ol’ Sinner.” We knew these two songs were very good, and if any song could re-ignite our fire it would be these two songs. Steve did not like the structure of “Sinner” and wanted to change it around a bit. I believe our original version was better, but I did not want to make waves and wanted to appear to Star Song like a easygoing band. In two and a half days we had successfully recorded and mixed both songs. I did not attend the mixes, and

when I got them in the mail I despised them from the first listen. I could not believe that Steve could be proud of what he had done to these songs. There was no one really to complain to because Star Song, at this point, had no intention of signing us to any further records. They had made their money back on us from the purchase of our catalog from Refuge, and, in their mind, they would never have to deal with us again. Little did they or we know what was about to happen. “Everybody knows my name” was a huge success on the radio, staying at the # 1 spot on Christian metal radio for 12 weeks. “Same Ol’ Sinner” went # 1 and stayed for 10 weeks. I was blown away. Star Song had no answers for this sudden approval of Bride in the industry. The press began to write apologetic, great reviews on the two new songs, and now Star Song was faced with a dilemma. What to do with us now? No other record company was beating our door down that I knew of, so we were somewhat still at the mercy of Star Song. With an outcry from our fans who had never given up on us, Star Song had to take us serious. Even if this was a fluke, they felt they needed to get involved. We had now charted ... in more ways than one. I had wondered if a “best of” record was appropriate this early in our career, and my wonderment was answered by the press. Cutting Edge magazine, with writer Marc Carpenter at the pen, wrote in issue #83 ... “I must say in the case of Bride, probably the most underrated metal band, it was a great idea.” Unfortunately, he too did not like the song Hell No. However, this “Best of” project, called “End of the Age,” was put together upon request from the fans and consisted of THEIR favorite songs. This record would be like a come back record for us. This Prophecy magazine wrote: “... For those of you who haven’t really given Bride a listen, now is your time to be impressed.” Cross Fire magazine must have had a telescope peering in to our band. Kevin miller wrote: “Sadly enough, this may be Bride’s last release on Pure Metal if their contract doesn’t get renewed.” Then, writing about “End of the Age,” he continued: “Believe me, you’ve got to hear this stuff: it’s awesome.” He was somehow predicting the end. It was the end of an age, and we had no idea it would be the beginning of a new one. David Gould called it correctly by writing: “With Bride’s constantly creative lyrics, strong musicians that rock hard and newly found production standards, thiscould be the turning point to a wider acceptance if they keep Christ central.” I was still working for my dad as a electrician, Troy was working in civilian management at Fort Knox army base, and Jerry was still working where we had found him at the music store. A lot of people had never taken us seriously. They thought that we had already dissolved and had disappeared. Even though we were not successful we were feeling more important to the over all scene of things. Scott hall, our first bass player, was now made manager, and he now was involved with promotion of the band and getting all that bothersome paper work organized. As quickly as we had been elevated in our status, it all came crashing down. Jerry informed us that, since “Bride was making no money from Bride,” he was forced to split his time between us and a working blues band in town, which he would receive a healthy salary from. I knew how important it was for us to rehearse as often as possible because I felt our big break was right around the corner. I was offended by being made second. I did not consider Jerry’s financial situation with house payment and a family, I just felt like Jerry lost his faith in my ability to get us where we wanted to go. I had told Jerry that if he could just hang in there a little while longer I knew things would get busy for us. Jerry needed quick answers, but I had none. I immediately left his house and, on the way home, Troy and I stopped by a drummer friend of mine, Sean Mullins. Sean was a good drummer, and I did not want the band to fall victim to another set back, so I explained my situation to Sean and offered him Jerry’s spot in the band. Sean acted a little despondent, as if he did not pay any attention to what was said, but he timidly agreed to give it a try. I left the door open for Jerry to return when he felt he could dedicate all of his musical talents to Bride. We had a lot of momentum at this time, and I did not want to lose any of it.

We began writing songs and meeting with the record company, who was discussing the possibilities of signing a multi-album deal. From the meeting we had with Dez Dickerson and Mike Kyle, we gathered that our new deal was being based on our accountability to a higher authority. Someone must have written a book about accountability and sold it hook line and sinker to the recording industry. This “accountability” which Star Song was preaching would mean that someone outside of the band would be our personal mentor. It would be someone who would take care of our personal struggles and problems and report them to the record company. Because of our jaded past with the press and our relationship with our former criminally minded record company, Star Song felt that we could be a time bomb waiting to blow, and they did not want to look bad if we decided to turn hostile. We basically were appalled by this line of thinking and refused to put any “guru” over us as a baby sitter. Either Star Song wanted the band as is, or not at all. It was now time to exhibit our new songs for Star Song. Our rehearsals with Sean had gone fairly smooth, even though I felt as though Sean was a bit lazy. We accused him of playing like an old man. His mind set was not that of ours, and he was listening to very dark music away from Bride. We booked two shows at Louisville’s Toy Tiger, a showcase club that we knew we could pack out. Dez and Mike from Star Song made the two-and-a-half-hour drive up, and there they were in the audience. Dez was very experienced in the clubs because of his past relationship and guitar work for Prince. However, Mike looked out of place and a little frightened by all the red necks and over-made waitresses. We wanted to give them an impression that they would never forget, whether it was good or bad. It was our intention to be true in our performance, yet shock the pants off them. When we took the stage we came out like racehorses. We were wild and outrageous. We had their attention from note one. We even broke into cover tunes by the Cult, Bang Tango and Jane’s Addiction. At the end of the show, Sean kicked his drum kit off the riser, and Rik began slamming his B.C. Rich on the floor. Troy, who was always less destructive, was doing his best “Jimmy Hendricks,”producing howling feedback sounds from his amp. I exited the stage to watch what was about to happen next. Sean stood over his demolished drum kit with a lighter and lighter fluid. In seconds, flames were shooting off the drums, and Sean continued to pour the fuel to the fire. He was wearing a huge Billy Idol style cross and held it over the flames. (None of us even today know what he was trying to say.) By this time, Rik’s bass was scattered all over the club, and even the regulars at the club seemed shocked. We had outdone ourselves, and probably would never be able to play this room again. When the end of the show came, we all knew we had been in rare form. Dez knew if he could take our faith in God, our aggressive stage antics, and somehow capture them on an album, he would have a hit. He informed me that he wanted to sign the band, and he would get a contract written up immediately. Dez also said that he liked Jerry in the band better than Sean. He wanted to know if there was anything we could do about it. I liked Sean, but I knew his rebellion could hurt the band. He was young and mischievous. He was influenced by some of his old friends, and this did worry me. At this point I wanted Jerry back, but had too much pride to ask him to return. The deciding factor in Sean’s future with the band came in Minneapolis, MN at the New Union. We flew into Minn. to below zero weather. The Union was a hot spot for Christian bands in the northwest, and Rik always dressed for hot weather. Shorts and a tank top were his wardrobe. We booked two shows there. Both shows were rough. We played old Bride songs and tried out some new ones on the crowd. After the second show, while Troy and I talked with the crowd, Rik and Sean had ventured up to our upstairs rooms on the third floor. Scott had made the trip with us, and he was anxious to head upstairs to get some sleep, but he hung with Troy and I. The night came to an end, and the three of us walked up to our rooms. The three flights of stairs seemed like an eternity. When we swung open the door to the 4 bedroom apartment, a thick cloud of fog rolled out of the door. The fog took our breath. The windchill outside was 40

below, but we hurried to get the windows open to air the place out. Sean had discharged a fire extinguisher in the room, and Rik had done nothing to stop him. Other than choking to death, our eyes were burning. The fog left a thick film on everything. The walls, the floor, the tables, were now covered in black. We used towels to clean up the mess. The chemical in the air was on our cloths and in our noses. We were a week blowing the stuff out of our nasal passages. We were three weeks away from recording Kinetic Faith, but my mind was made up. We must get Jerry back. I called Jerry when we returned, and he did not hesitate. He wanted back in he band and wanted to do this next record with us. Sean was upset that I had fired him, but I had heard through the grapevine that he was only using us to get on a record. That made me even more angry. If I would have had to look at Sean one more day I would have probably done something that would have sent me to jail.

chapter 6 kinetic faith

This record would be the turning point for the band. This would be the record that would begin to escalate us in the public’s eye. God was about to move in a mighty way. When I did not move with him, he would force me to move. He had moved the prophets in the Old Testament when they refused to do things His way, and I was no exception. “ ... For who hath resisted his will?” (Romans 9:19) I still did not fully understand what was happening and how God had been shaping us all these years for this moment. We had three weeks to work Jerry back into the band and try to write some new tunes. Jerry’s drumming was much tighter than Sean’s, and it made the songs come together faster. Against our better judgement, we reluctantly agreed to use Steve Griffith again as producer. We were assured that we would not receive the same washed out, over-reverberant sound that we had got on the last project. Steve made a one-day trip up from Nashville to conduct a “pre-production session” with the band. This turned out to be useless and a waste of money. He wanted to change everything. By the end of the day, we felt as though he was changing things for the sake of making change. (Later, fans and friends who had heard the same songs in demo form told us they preferred our versions of the songs better than the over production of the Griffer.) Star Song picked the Salt Mine Studio in Nashville as the place we would record and mix. At this point, we still had no official contract and we went into the studio unsigned. Scott, however, did his managing thing, and by the second day of the record we had signed the deal. We brought in Rob Johnson again for some solo spots upon the request of Dez, who felt uncomfortable with Troy. (I perceived Dez felt uncomfortable with the whole band.) We were doing everything we could to develop a relationship with Star Song and to play by the rules. Our ways of doing things in the past had made us a lot of enemies, and we were determined to turn our critics into fans. Steve continued to work against the band, making it difficult to sink into the session. We were losing motivation because of all of his changes, and we even had to take a break from recording to sit around a table and draw the songs out on paper, trying to make sense of all the restructuring. We attributed his faults to the trail mix he would eat and the fact that he wore gladiator sandals without socks. (Later I made a rule that no one in the band could wear sandals without socks.) At one point in the session, Steve’s (who was behind the mixing board) voice became so irritating in my head set calling out instructions that when Rik hit a bad note on the song I went after HIM. Rik was locked in an upstairs room with his amp. I literally broke the door down and began screaming at him to the top of my lungs. I really do not know why I took my hostility out on Rik when it was really Steve that I wanted a piece of at the time. After the misunderstanding, Rik took a long walk around the neighborhood, and later forgave me for my off base hostility. We all got serious about finishing the record. Once again I was unable to stay for the mix. I had reservations about leaving Steve the soul commander of the mix. We had him to pull up some mixes before I left, and it sounded like it was going to work. Matter of fact, Jerry was really happy with the rough mix drum sounds. Days later, when I got the mixes in the mail, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. I went from stereo to stereo in the house, and even to the tape deck in the car, thinking surely to goodness it would sound normal on one system or the other. However, Steve had ignored our request, and obviously had not listened to our reference disc we had left with him. It was another washed out busy mix that even confused me. I remember having to rehearse the songs, trying to relearn them because they had changed so drastically. The album was released with mixed reviews. It had a brand new sound that probably had never been heard on any planet before. Steve was proud we were annoyed and shocked. Dez even admitted that the mix took him by surprise the first time he had heard it, but in typical Dez fashion, he tried to smooth things over by saying that now he was used to it and really liked it.

We toured through the summer off and on, playing some clubs and a handful of Christian festivals. We were under the microscope the entire summer. There were the stage hands at the festivals who would sniff my cups that I would throw from stage, trying to find alcohol. There was the promoter in Florida who went through our bags looking for incriminating evidence when we left our rooms. I never understood why promoters were booking us for their shows when they doubted us, and, evidently, were waiting for us to make a mistake. Jerry was still playing part time in the blues band, and, instead of canceling shows that lapped one another, we used Jerry’s friend Max Maxwell for a few of the shows. Max was a lot of fun and would pull crazy things, but he was not destructive. He did silly things like placing the patio furniture of a Holiday Inn Hotel into the swimming pool. Max then parked himself in the chair in the swimming pool. Max only played a few shows with us, but he was always a blast. Then there was the nightmare Halloween show at a “nobody coffeehouse” in Indiana. We played a fullblown show for about 25 homeless people who would have rather been anywhere but at this show. One block away from the coffee house was a haunted house that we nicknamed the Haunted Jail, where about 2000 people lined up for a couple of blocks to get in. Here we were playing in a run down coffee house for people who were hardly impressed, and right down the street a core audience who would have loved the heavy metal all lined up to enter a haunted house. To this day I am convinced that 90% of the coffee houses that start with the intention of bringing in bands in the name of Christ have not been so instructed by the Holy Spirit. The reason I know this is almost every one doesn’t survive the first year. We are thankful, however, to those rare folks who have heard the voice of God and opened a coffee house who have endured on God’s strength. Another thing that I do not understand is why Bride seemed to always be the first band that a promoter would ask to play when having a grand opening? This always spelled disaster. The next day, we headed to Ohio and the Kings Place. We had heard of the Kings Place, but knew very little about it. It was a dinner club turned into a Christian night spot. We were filling in for Bloodgood, who had canceled the date. We had heard that this was a great place to play and were very excited to get some miles between us and the “Haunted Jail.” I 70 to Columbus presented the most hazardous rain conditions we have ever experienced. Road construction narrowed the highway on both sides, and the monsoon limited visibility to 3 feet and less. Tractor-trailer trucks were out en force, and their taillights became a beacon for us to follow. These catastrophic conditions would not halt our forward progress. We had to play a show to redeem ourselves from the previous night. When we eventually arrived at the Kings Place, there were people that had been standing in the freezing rain 4 hours before the show. We went out after sound check and talked to them. Before the doors opened, the crowd had grown and snaked its way around the building. We asked Ron, the fellow who ran the room, if he thought they were under the impression that Bloodgood was playing? We were trying to justify such a huge crowd. Ron said he announced weeks back that Bloodgood had canceled, and that this crowd was there to see us. This was the loudest crowd we had ever played to. Even before we began it was hard to think backstage because of the noise. One thousand plus were squashed into the room. We had a few hecklers there in the beginning, and Ron forcibly removed them before we began the show. (There seems to always be someone in the crowd who is against Christian Rock.) The night was a great success. We were very hard on ourselves in those days, and gauged our successes by each performance. If we had a good night we were on top of the world, but if the night was a failure we basically looked at the band as a failure. We were beginning to feel like we might be gaining ground again, and we were waiting for the

shows to keep rolling in. But, after 5 albums under our belts, we were still struggling to get dates. This gave us plenty of time to write for the next record. Then the talk of doing a real tour surfaced with a phone call from Jeff Moseley, the VP at Star Song. There was talk of 20 to 25 dates across the U.S. with the kings of Christian metal, Stryper! We knew Stryper was on their last leg, but we also knew that their draw would dwarf ours at least by double. Negotiations between Moseley and Stryper’s booking agent John Huey went on for weeks. Nothing was being decided, and we were being left out of the talks. Scott Hall, our manager, tried to call Huey, but never got a call back. Troy was trying to arrange his work schedule, but everything seemed tentative. Huey kept changing dates through faxes, and the tour was dwindling in its size. We continued writing new material in this time period, and working out a thirty minute set for the tour. We felt like the under dog boxer who was asked to fight the champ. We knew we must work hard if we did not want to get blown off the stage. We had been prepped the entire year for bigger and better things. Now it was a waiting game. Earlier in the year, we had been honored by SESAC at a big formal dinner where we met Gary Chapman. Chapman had heard of us, which made us feel important. Troy and I played a song writers’ showcase during this week with the likes of John and Dino Elephante, Bruce Carroll, Wayne Watson and Steven Curtis Chapman (who later told Troy that his wife liked our song the best of the evening). Twila Paris performed, and said that she had written her song while washing dishes. When I got up to perform “Everybody knows my name,” I said I had written it while washing dishes. Twila replied it must have been awfully hot water. We were the first metal band to play t-pac during GMA week. After our blistering set, we were interviewed on stage by Wayne Watson. Before this blazing performance, back in the dressing room, I had noticed Rik and Jerry acting peculiar. I could not take it any longer. I had to ask why they were behaving oddly. Jerry responded, “you know why.” He was angry about something, and I was supposed to know what it was all about, but I did not have a clue. Dez had walked into the dressing room at this time, and, knowing that things were about to heat up between band members, I asked Dez to leave. I think he knew something was up by the static in the air when he walked in, because he just turned and exited. Jerry and Rik’s problem was the fact that they had attended a SESAC ceremony with us the day before, and the ceremony was to honor Troy and I as songwriters. Jerry and Rik were not honored, and had to sit and watch us receive these awards. Up until this time, I was still unsure of Jerry and Rik’s status in the band. After all the trouble we had in the past with band members leaving, I felt as though Troy and I were Bride. Jerry and Rik felt, even though their names were not on some of the songs as songwriters, they should have received credit. I thought this was the worst time to be discussing something like this, knowing that we would be performing shortly. After a heated conversation, we finally decided that any songs written in the future would be scrutinized thoroughly to give everybody credit where credit was due. I just did not want them thinking that I was making lots more money than they were. Former band members in the past had thought that Troy and I were getting rich while they made no money. The fact was, Troy and I were putting our own money into the band daily to keep it afloat. Jerry and Rik never saw my true dedication to the band and the hours that I would put into it away from everyone. My phone conversations with the press and radio, having to deal with the record company and answering all the letters personally that came into Bride’s mail room (that being Troy’s bedroom). Now looking back, I can see their point as to why it seemed that Troy and I were receiving all of the attention, but this was not our doing. It was Star Song’s bright idea to leave Jerry and Rik out of everything from certain artist

showcases, to the cover of Kinetic Faith and even promotional ads. The food fights A long time ago, on an interstate far, far away ... We would get bored on some of the longer trips. Seemed like the Midwest highways went on for miles on end with no end in sight. We found a way to break the boredom. Troy’s wife, Michelle, was one of those mild mannered people who had a camouflaged streak of meanness in her. Coming from a show one evening, we were on the way back to our hotels. Troy was driving our van, with Michelle on the passenger’s side, and myself in the rear seat. Rik was driving the second van. Michelle motioned by waving her hand out of the window for Rik to pull alongside of our van. We had just left a little ice cream shop where Michelle had ordered a cone too large to eat. As Rik paralleled our van his window came down ... and that is when Michelle tossed her cone, half full of ice cream, into their van like a grenade. It exploded all over Rik, into his hair and all over his clothes. This was the beginning of the Van Wars. Coming from Olathe, KS, heading for Bartlesville, OK, we had been driving like red barons. Jerry nearly took the front of our van off as they bombed us with food and sped around us. He was driving and hanging out the window as they passed, and he looked a bit crazy, and his driving was even worse. We stopped at a country restaurant where we filled up on gas, and Troy went to their kitchen and secretly bought a dozen eggs for ammunition. The war continued on the road, Jerry and Rik being hit with accurate bombing from Troy’s deadly arm. These wars were taking place on major interstates at speeds of 70 and 80 mph, slowing only long enough to let the enemy get close enough to launch a surprise attack. Apples, oranges, candy bars, even shortening was tossed, but we never littered trash (only biodegradable substances). While riding shotgun, Jerry was the triggerman for the second van. His aim had been off, and somewhere he had gotten his hands on some eggs. I guess the excitement got to him. We saw them behind us, gaining! Jerry was preparing the onslaught when the egg he was holding exploded in his hands. Rik demoted him immediately to the back seat, and Vince, our roadie, took the gunner’s seat. Finally, we had to stop at a car wash to try to get the egg off the vans before it ate away the paint. Most of it came off, but even with hard pressure from the car wash, we were unable to get it all off. The hot Mid-western sun had baked it on. We made an egg truce and promised no more egg attacks for the sakes of the rental vans. We did a very successful in-store appearance in Bartlesville at a bookstore, where so many people showed up that some were turned away. This was a promotional appearance before the main show that evening at The Warehouse. The Warehouse was run by Tim Cook, and, in the past few months, had really grown into a great place for bands to play. After the in-store, we all were walking back to our vans, and I was about to step into the van when I felt a thump against my leg. It was an egg! Jerry had launched a minor attack and had broken the seize-fire truce. I pretended to ignore this assault, and we climbed into the vans and went to the hotel. We had eggs left over that we had not thrown, so Troy and I devised a plan. We loaded ourselves down and went to the room where Jerry, Rik and Vince were staying. I knocked on the door, and Jerry asked, “Who is it?” “It’s Dale. Open the door, I want to talk to you about a couple things I forgot to tell you.” I replied. Jerry eased the door open, and he had it latched with a chain inside, being apprehensive. “What do you really want?” he asked with a big grin. His tone of voice was uneasy and cautious. We heard Rik say, “They’re

pulling something. Don’t you open that door, Jerry.” Jerry chuckled and said, “What do you guys want?” “I told you. We need to sit down and discuss some things about tonight, and how we want the show to go, and things like that,” I responded, trying to sound as honest as I could. I knew if I could get him to unlatch the door that they would be easy pickin’s in that tiny hotel room. I also assumed that they had no way to defend themselves. Rik at this point, who was on the other side of the room, begged Jerry to close the door, but for some reason Jerry’s curiosity overwhelmed him, and the door latch was undone. I think he had planned just to peak out a little more to see what we were up to, but he was no match for my upper body strength and Troy’s basketball playing legs. We pushed the door open. Jerry went backward into the wall. He took two direct missiles right on top the head and sunk like a worn fighter without defense to the floor. Rik leaped to his feet and said, “Man, I didn’t have anything to do with it!” Before he could finish his last word, he was carpet bombed. Vince stood in the corner helplessly. I started for a moment to spare him, but let loose one hard throw that hit the wall behind him and splattered on him anyway. Troy and I exited like jungle soldiers, knowing we had won the war. From in our room we heard Rik yelling at Jerry, “I told you not to open that door!” This is just another example of when you leave men alone unsupervised and they become little boys. No one was mad, and we all got a big laugh out of the ordeal later. Star song felt like, at this time, it was expedient to prepare the band for big things, so they gave us the name of a guy, Dave Kelly, who was supposed to know everything about anything in the music business. We drove down to Nashville, where we had our $35.00 an hour meeting. Dave did not think that the Stryper tour would do a thing for us. He felt, because Stryper was on their way down, that it might hurt us. He also said something that made us think he was crazy. He advised that we leave Star Song, that they could not do a thing for us. At this point, we just could not see what he was talking about. Dave was right on with the Star Song suggestion, as we would find out later they could not take us where we knew we needed to go. The Stryper tour, however, would launch us into another plateau that we could not have done on our own at this point. We really were not aware of the supernatural forces of God working in our lives at this time. The Lord had been molding us and shaping us all along. He was working in us to bring us to a place of maturity. His will and thoughts were being exercised in our lives daily, and we were somewhat oblivious to this. (Rom.9:1126; Isa.55:9; Job 37, 11:7; 2 Cor. 3:5.) More often than naught, we hindered His will by not obeying or not seeing Him when He appeared. God was always in control of our lives. His omniscient Spirit is always present, and ever proceeding in a patient, creative, efficient manner towards its determined consummation. Even time itself is confined within the realm of God’s own will (Rev. 1:8; Eccl. 31,17; 8:6; Acts 17:26; Heb. 11:3; Gal.4:4). We would soon discover that we were fulfilling God’s plan in our lives. The unregenerate and carnal man is but a prisoner (Psa.102:19-20; 68:18) of his own thoughts and his own self will. The Lord was taking us through rehabilitation for His grander purposes.

chapter 7:`the tour

Leaving out on faith for nothing had been confirmed, and no contracts had been signed. We headed towards Boston. This was on our itinerary as our first show, but we had not heard from anyone concerning the tour for two weeks. All we knew is we had to make the first show, and then we would give the rest to the Lord. Eighteen hours ahead of us from Louisville, we pulled out and hit the road. Bride’s tour bus would be a Dodge Caravan. The four of us, along with amps, drums and merchandise, would all have to be carried in one vehicle if we were going to be able to afford this tour. We were guaranteed $500.00 a night, and Star Song pitched in CD’s and tapes for tour support. Troy would end up the principle driver, with me second, and Jerry if we were desperate. None of us had ever seen Rik drive, and we were not sure if he even had his license, so we did not think about asking him to drive right away. We left in faith for Boston. Neither Moseley or Scott had heard from Huey in two weeks. Beaten and exhausted, we arrived at Derringers in Boston. It was a relief to see Stryper’s tour bus sitting in front of the club when we arrived. “I guess the tour is on,” I said. “I hope we are on the bill.” We had a topper on the van that we kept the merchandise in. While unloading the topper, Troy dropped the lid on the bridge of his nose, resultng in a huge gash. It bled for a long time. Troy was very upset. Our first show of the tour, and he looked like he had been punched in the nose. He went and bought make up to try to cover the wound, which worked fine. Seeing Stryper for the first time in person was like seeing real rock stars. They made everyone leave the room for their sound check, and consumed the evening trying to get their backing tracks to work. Of course, we got no sound check. Even though we had been on the road for 18 hours with little sleep squashed in this tiny van, we played the show full throttle to a packed house. When the show was over we realized the tour was on, and it wasn’t a dream. We had really just opened for Christian rock’s premier band! The next date was in Canton, Ohio at the Canton Palace. It was Thanksgiving, so we stopped at a truck stop on the way to the show and had some turkey sandwiches. At the Canton Palace we actually got to meet Robert Sweet, Stryper’s drummer. He was holding a compact and applying makeup to his face. He talked very soft and seemed as though he liked our company. That night we played a heavy show and, once again, we were feeling very confident with our performance. We were on a limited budget, but by this time in the tour we realized that one hotel room was not big enough for the four of us and our different personalities, so we splurged and forked out the bucks for two. The next show was in Pittsburgh at the Metropol. We arrived at the hotel and it’s maze like parking garage, which seemed to worm itself deep down under the city. We were unsure if the van with the toper could fit. We ended up taking the topper off to park the van. Trying to find the hotel from the parking garage was no easy chore. We stepped onto an escalator which we thought would take us to the hotel lobby, but somehow ended up in a closed bank where armed security guards directed us in a different direction toward the hotel. This club looked like something out of Mad Max and was along the part of the city called the Strip District. Before the show, we were asked to join Stryper in an adjoining restaurant for dinner. There we became familiar with Oz Fox, their guitarist. (He had a strong personality and seemed hungry.) I consider this show as one of the finest we ever played. Stryper stood on the side of the stage and watched the blistering set, realizing that we were not your normal opening act. We were authentic and commanding. That night, Pat, Stryper’s road manager, was ordered by Michael Sweet to give us their hotel rooms after they had showered. (Stryper were only using their rooms to shower before and after the show; then they would retire to the tour bus.) They pitched us the rooms, which would save us a lot of money. Pat wanted to originally sell us the rooms, which would have put money in his own pocket. He wasn’t happy with this arrangement, but Michael was the boss.

The following show was in Washington D.C. We were very excited about this show because I wanted to see Washington. The club was called The Bayou, and it turned out to be the worst show attendance wise, as well as in merchandise sells of all the shows. Michael Sweet, Stryper’s vocalist, seemed to really like the band, and approached us in the dressing room before the show to let us know that he would love to produce our next record. We began to consider this move. Our next trip was home for a couple of days. Troy had to return home to work because Stryper had added an unscheduled date, and we were not able to work around Troy’s schedule. Our next Stryper show was in Omaha, NE at the Ranch Bowl. The Ranch Bowl was a ‘bowling alley via club.’ Stryper had been there for a day hanging out with the locals, and they had made a lot of friends. The night of the show the club was packed. If the Fire Marshall would have showed up we would have been shut down. We were using the clubs’ own soundmen everywhere we went, and we were getting great mixes. Stryper’s soundman had grown considerably deaf in the last couple of shows, and he had the sound blazing. I thought we were loud during our set, but when Stryper took the stage, I could not even stay in the room. People were leaving holding their ears. The next show was Sioux falls. It too was sold out. We did notice that Pat (Stryper’s road manger) was wearing bowling shoes. He had forgotten his regular shoes at the bowling alley, and would continue to wear the comical bowling shoes for the remainder of the tour. We went next to do two shows at The New Union, where Stryper and Bride broke all attendance records there both nights. The folks in MN had been very supportive of us throughout our career, and they did not let us down these two nights. We got an encore both nights, and Stryper was kind enough and encouraged us to go out and play an extra song each night. This was also the show where Stryper came out for the first time after a show and spoke directly with the audience. I think the rumor that we were selling almost as much merchandise as they were motivated them. I did not know it at the time, but this would be Stryper’s last tour, and I believe they knew it. I really admire them; the way they came out and rocked the house each night when deep down they were ready to throw in the towel. The next show was in Tulsa, Ok at Canes Ball Room. Troy had to fly back home to work, and we had two days to drive to Tulsa. I, for some reason, was in a hurry, so we did not take our time. While driving through Iowa, I was growing tired behind the wheel. I mentioned to a sleeping Rik and Jerry that, at the next stop, Jerry was going to have to take over the wheel. I was dozing in and out of a light sleep. Then, like a brick wall, I noticed that I was about to rear end a moving police car. The lights on top of his car began to flash. I knew what that meant, so I pulled to the side of the road. The officer walked back to the van and said that he had seen me coming up behind him. He had sped up to 95, but I was still gaining on him. I explained that I was asleep at the wheel. He asked for my license and the rental papers for the van. I opened the glove box, and, being half-asleep, I wasn’t thinking. I had a 380-cal. pistol in the box. (Going out on the road I always carried a pistol.) I immediately tried to throw my shoulder forward to cover the view of the officer, but I must have been obvious. He asked what was in the box. Finding a loaded handgun within reach of the driver was a violation, which turned into everyone exiting the van and a physical search by the officer on the side of the road. I admitted the gun was mine. I merely had to unload the gun, tuck it away in a garment bag and ride down the road with the officer to a post office to take care of the fine for having a concealed weapon. Jerry and Rik waited patiently on the side of the road since I took the keys with me. The crazy thing is that neither of them knew where the policeman was taking me, so they thought I must have said something rude and I was going to jail. I returned shortly, thanks to the Iowa Highway Patrol taxi service, and we were on the road again.

Troy rejoined us at Canes Ballroom, bringing the wives out for the show. This was another one of our greatest performances. I think this night we wanted to look like real rockers in front of our wives. My wife Sharon did not get to go because she was pregnant with our second child at the time. She would not get to see any of our shows with Stryper except on video. Canes Ballroom is a room where everybody who is anybody had played, and we sold it out. We were really feeling good. The next show was in Oklahoma City. This show was an odd one. Pat did not get along with Christian promoters. He and Steve Baker from the New Union had run into some problems, and this show would be no different for this promoter. Pat was like the Tasmanian Devil who loved to dish out abuse, and he was very obnoxious. The bowling shoes made him less serious to us. Before the show, Stryper had refused to go on because they had not been paid yet. There were rumors that Pat had hit the promoter’s wife and two of Stryper’s rodies who were trying to get onto their tour bus. Eventually, though going on late, we were given the go ahead, and we took the stage. This was one of those shows that the crowd was twenty feet away from the stage. I have a habit of being right at the edge of the stage with one-foot resting on a monitor. Stryper had two huge road cases at the front of the stage where my monitors were located. I did not know that these road cases were on wheels. In the past shows, the crowd had held these together with the force of their bodies. With no one up front, these two road cases separated on a chorus of Young Love. I took a five foot fall straight down onto the concrete floor. However, I did not miss a word of the song. My mic stand was now in the shape of a horseshoe, and I had been banged up a little. The band told me later that when I turned to climb back onto the stage I had the look of a madman in my eyes. They said they had never seen me so crazy looking. I felt like a cowboy who had just been tossed by his horse, but I immediately was back in the saddle, and we finished the show. The next show we ended up in the Lone Star State at Dallas City Limits. Another sell out. There was no dressing room, so we had to share a broom closet with an all girl band. We took turns in the room. The next show put us in Houston at the Back Door. We had become good friends with Stryper at this point, and we were all hanging out with one another and having a great time. I thought opening bands were supposed to be treated bad by the main act, and we had expected the worst, but Stryper went out of their way to make us comfortable. Each night Michael would ask if we were o.k., if we had been paid, how were the rooms? At the show in Houston, Robert spoke to me openly about the possibility of this being their last tour, and that maybe one day he and I would hook up to work together. I did not think much about it, though. I did notice that Robert was really taking a listen to my vocals through the last few shows. The Houston show was a sell out, and once again the encore came. We were asked by Stryper to play two songs during our encore at this show. After the show, we hung out on the Stryper tour bus and rapped with Oz and Robert for a couple of hours. Then came the last and most memorable show of the tour. Freeman Hall in San Antonio, TX. This place held over ten thousand people, but had been sectioned off to hold around four thousand for the show. It would be the biggest place we had ever played. Stryper had started spreading rumors a few shows back how they liked to play jokes on the opening acts, and that they had a surprise for us at this show. Not to be outdone, we formed a plan. We had the promoter’s wife buy some silly string and a blow up doll. Doug Van Pelt, the editor of the Christian metal magazine Heavens Metal, was there taking notes and enjoying the atmosphere. Doug had not always been a strong supporter of the band, but I think we were winning his respect with what we were about to do. We hid all the goodies in our huge dressing room. We came out to play the show. We were only a few bars

into the first cut when I felt something damp on my head. It was the Stryper boys with our silly string, blasting us from all sides. We kept playing, trying to get out of the web of string. We finished our set knowing that we played pretty loose because of the fear of another attack that never came. Stryper had not found all the silly string or the blow up doll, which we had hidden in the shower. We put a Stryper shirt on the doll and waited for our chance. Stryper took the stage full force. They were more accustomed to these big stadiums than us, so they were right at home. During the song Lady, which was a ballad, we went out front with the doll in hand and made our way to the front of the stage. Taped to the hands of the doll were two signs. One read, “hi mike,” the other, “hi Robert.” We hoisted the doll high into the air directly in front of Michael, who lost it during the solo. He tried to sing with passion and meaning, but with this puckered doll staring him in the face he had to smile. I ended up tossing the doll on stage during the solo, and Mike kicked the doll a couple of times until it was to the side. Then we went for the rear attack. We fired the silly string at Robert at first, because he was the closest. He retaliated with food from a deli tray. Their show turned into a food fight with us. Biscuits, celery, carrots, dip ... it all was being thrown. Robert never missed a beat as he was dodging our attack and firing back. Stryper’s rodies even joined in, taking our side. I wished the tour would have been longer. It was the best fellowship and fun we had ever had playing music. But their set drew to an end, and they ended the tour. We said our goodbyes and expected to probably never see them again. We started our 15-hour drive home and back to reality. Rik, who had not driven the entire tour, took the wheel, and like a man possessed, he drove relentlessly. We all were impressed with Rik’s endurance, since none of us knew that he could drive. We had done very well on this tour. I was now able to focus on the band full time. We began writing heavily for the next record and doing a lot of press about the Stryper tour. Most of the press was not treating the tour like it was anything monstrous. It had been gigantic for us, and would give us a push that no record company could match.

chapter 8:`more yellow & black

I (Dale) called Robert Sweet not long after we got home to see how he was. He said Michael was definitely leaving Stryper to pursue a solo career. He offered me the job. I was somewhat shocked, but I kind of was expecting it for some reason. He called me a day later and said that Stryper had a couple of shows booked at Knottsberry Farm in California, as well as a possible date in Las Vegas, if I would be interested in doing them. I thought, ‘hey, what an opportunity to sing some dates for Stryper.’ We agreed that there were no strings attached, and that this was not a commitment to join the band. I explained to Robert that I was still under contract with Star Song and had to deliver two more records.

Since I did not own any Stryper records Robert mailed me songs to learn, and I begin rehearsing them in my bathroom. I had plenty of time to learn them. Stryper, meanwhile, went to Europe without Mike, using Oz as their singer to fulfill some commitments there. I rehearsed the songs everyday, and soon they became familiar enough that I no longer needed the lyric sheets. I am sure that the rest of the guys in Bride were wondering if I was going out to never return. I assured them that this was just something I was doing, and I had no intention on being the new lead singer for Stryper. Robert flew me to California and met me at the airport. We went to his house, and I tried to get settled in. The first day I somewhat got acquainted with all the houseguests. He barbecued, and we talked about Stryper’s future most of the evening. He explained to me the story of their past success and somewhat of the fall from grace. He told me how the Lord had worked in his life, and tried to convince me how I was right for the job. The next day we all tried to get organized with rehearsing. Rehearsal would take place at Robert’s house in a spare bedroom. We rehearsed three days before the neighbors shut us down because of the noise. The third rehearsal was cut short anyway because of the Rodney King beating. We all raced upstairs to watch the live reports on the news. Oz was worried about his wife and children being home alone, so he called her and had her load the guns. None of us expected the riots to escalate into what they became. I had enjoyed my stay there in California. Robert had become a good friend. He was so likable that, after just a short time with him, I felt like I had known him all my life. We had spent time hanging on the beach and racing his hot rod GTO up and down the street together. He was the type of guy you just had to like. Then came the shows. I had a good relationship with Michael Sweet, and for me to take the front man position was an awkward situation. I was not going to pretend to be Michael, for there is only one Michael Sweet, but I understood that this position was a sacred place in the hearts of Stryper fans. I wanted to do the very best job I could. If I did not do well and was not believable to the fans, it would make all of Stryper look bad. The riots definitely affected the turn out at Knottsberry. It was a small crowd. Robert and I rode some rides together before the show to kind of get rid of the butterflies. I had borrowed some Stryper style pants from Michael because Robert did not want me to show my tattoos. I also had to borrow a shirt to wear from Timmy because Robert’s girlfriend said I looked fat in the first shirt Robert had picked for me. I remember hiding backstage from Robert’s mom, who was determined to put makeup on me before I hit the stage. (Been there, done that, didn’t want to do it again). I waited to come out of hiding (beneath the stage) until I heard the intro tape start. The first show started off rocking, and I kept thinking, ‘I cannot believe I am really on stage with Stryper.’ Not long into the set, Oz busted a string. He had no backup guitar, so we had a bit of a delay before we kicked the show off again. I let Oz talk mostly between songs because I was not Stryper. Their way of doing a show was much different

than the Bride show. Stryper stopped between each song and kind of became cheerleaders to get the crowd worked up for the next song. Bride never planned our sets. We did not feel the necessity to set up each song with a speech. Robert broke a snare head this evening also, and that killed some more time getting that repaired. The second set went much smoother, but it was certainly rough for me. Robert and I, along with some of his friends, rode rides after the show. Robert particularly liked the water ride. I later heard that Michael was in the audience in a disguise, but I could never confirm or dismiss the rumor. I spent the night with Oz because he lived closer to the airport. Oz played me a lot of records, and I hung out with him the day before I left. I did a lot of thinking on the plane ride home, but my heart had not changed. I was tempted with the Stryper offer, but I had to refuse it. The rumors of what had just happened would go on for the next two years. Bride would use it as positive press, and we would exploit it as long as we could. Even though I told the press I did not really want to talk about the whole Stryper thing anymore, they persisted with every interview. The secular magazines even began to print my name as their new singer. It was time for a new Bride record. Kingdom Bound ‘92 Buffalo, NY was the sight of the long running festival known as Kingdom Bound. We had played there two years earlier, and were eager to play again so near to Canada. We hit the stage with an explosive set that impressed Dez beyond belief. After we played, he talked about the possibilities of doing a live album and live videos, which would never transpire. Seemed like Star Song would get all worked up, get us excited, then forget who we are after the thrill wore off. We went the following day to Canada, where we hoped to see the Canadian side of Niagara. We were stopped at the border and harassed by the border patrol. We had left a box of t-shirts in the van from the show, and the border patrol would not let us enter Canada with the shirts. (I guess they were afraid that we were going to sell twenty shirts to the Canadians and not pay any taxes.) I was irate, and ended up breaking my right hand punching the van several times. The AMERICAN side of the falls were much more breathtaking, but it was hard to enjoy them with my hand throbbing in pain. We had planned on selling merchandise an extra day, but the rains came in. Even though we were under a tent, the rain fell so hard that we were washed out. The festival crew were digging trenches in the tent to keep the water flowing, but it created a mess to walk through. We packed up and headed home.

chapter 9:` snakes in the playground

Snakes in the Playground would be the breakthrough CD of our career. This would produce more touring, more press and even two Dove Awards for best song. But it was no easy chore achieving such accomplishments. SESAC had now esteemed us with another award for outstanding achievement in Christian music. Seeing that we were their only Christian metal act, we felt that being recognized as a legitimate band was important. Now more than ever did I understand the importance of Bride as a band and as a ministry. I could finally see how God had been with us through all the good times and bad times, and that he had much greater things in store for us. I felt that our next record had to really excel above and beyond anything that we had previously done. It was important to outdo ourselves, or fall into the pit with many of the other stale bands. We did a lot of work in the studio fine tuning possible songs even before a producer was decided upon. We tried to write more from the heart. Doing a more live sounding record was the key. Our energy from the live shows had to somehow come through on this record. Star Song, knowing how much we despised Steve Griffith’s previous work, had the nerve to suggest him for our up and coming project. We immediately began searching for a producer that we could bring in that would impress Star Song. We even thought about big names and giving away all our royalties. We came to our senses, though. We met with Star Song to discuss this problem. Moseley, Dez and even the big guy at the company, Darryl Harris, attended the meaning. After we pleaded our case with Harris, he simply said, “If they do not want to use Griffith, then let’s not force them.” It seemed that through this whole Star Song experience they never had the real confidence in our abilities to make decisions. I believe that they attributed most of our success on Steve Griffith and their own work. This angered us. They had not been on the road with us, they had not talked to fans night after night, they did not even know what the fans were writing to us. Star Song gave us very little credit, and made it seem that they had gone out of their way to push us. Yet Bride was still broke, and if not for our 24-hour a day dedication to the ministry we would be completely starved to death. We began our rehearsals again, brainstorming possibilities for a producer for our next album. Just when we thought we had run out of names, Jerry had someone in mind that would be perfect. The name that he mentioned was Plinky. (Plinky had produced the band Novella.) We all agreed that we liked the sounds on the Novella record Plinky had produced better than the sounds we got on Kinetic Faith. We threw the name at Dez, and the process of working him in began. We had one day of pre-production with Plinky. He was from New Jersey, and he and his brother made the long drive to meet the band. Plinky listened to the songs and made no changes. We were feeling pretty good at this point. We were booked at the Salt Mine again, and it was no better than the first two times we had been there. It still had bugs, it leaked in the studio when it rained, and the mixing board broke down frequently. We decided to call this album “Snakes in the Playground” after we had an incident with a large snake at the studio. We were in the beginning stages of recording, and took a break to drive to the store. A large reptile was lying beside our car sunbathing on the pavement. In my attempts to chase the snake away, I chased it under the car. To make matters worse, the effort to move the snake from under the car drove it up into the fender wells.

We spent the next hour and a half trying to get the snake to come out. We sprayed it with the water hose, poked at it with a broom handle, even shook the car, but it would not come out. Finally, when we thought we would just have to let the snake have the car, it crawled out and back into the wooded area next to the studio. The “Snakes” album was done on long hours into the night and Plinky’s oil-like coffee. Plinky was lots of fun in the studio and had a great ear. Jerry and Plinky butted heads a few times about triggering the drums, but they seemed to work things out. Plinky needed lessons in the art of coffee brewing, and his blackened chicken dinners were a gourmet treat, though we had to eat the meals outside due to the entire upstairs filling with smoke. We had every door and window open and fans blowing on high to clear the heavy fog that rose from the skillet. We brought in a few special guests for the album. Peter and John from the Newsboys, Rik Florean from White Heart for back up vocals, Greg Martin from the Kentucky Headhunters, Rick Elias, and Derek Jan from Novella for some solo guitar spots. The album was coming together very well, and Plinky had already convinced us through his knowledge of the studio that we would have a project of which we could be proud. Snakes was released with overwhelming praise and acceptance. I was pleased, but had to question if maybe we had compromised our songs in order to gain such credibility from those who despised us just a couple of years earlier. One of the last songs recorded on this project was “Goodbye.” It was a piano ballad. We had to get it by Moseley in order to add it to the CD. Moseley loved it, and even teared up the first time he heard it. However, the song was never released as a single. The album was raw and heavy, so I came to the conclusion that we had not sold out to our critics, but rather, we had won them over by excellent song writing and great performances. Radio ate the album like candy and acted like they could not get enough. Star song launched an effective campaign using the “Snakes” theme and my short affiliation with Stryper. The door had opened wide for us, but many things were in store. Scott Hall was working hard putting together a great press kit for us, and we sat down to work on battle plans for the coming year. Why I Write Songs There were many songs throughout the years that had reflected personal experiences in my own life. From the very first record I had always tried to convey the things that I felt important. Through the maturing process in my Christian walk, and just understanding things around me, I became an authentic songwriter on the Kinetic Faith record. I could see how much influence I had on young people. Not only by my actions on and off stage, but the songwriting, how I responded to their letters, and practically everything that I did. Song’s like Sweet Louise, which told of my grandmother’s bout with cancer, and Some Things Never Change, which spoke of my cousin’s suicide after years of verbal abuse by her father, had real impact on people. Many songs were about my life, my family. These were the songs that hit home with people. Some people in my life, such as my cousin, Robin Barnes, would appear in several songs. She was a sweet young teenager with life head of her when that very life was taken from her in a moment. She had been raised by alcoholic parents who had divorced. She lived on and off with her parents and their live in boyfriends and girlfriends, and sometimes with my aunt, her grandmother. I can still remember like it was yesterday playing as children in my backyard. As children, we never thought about dying or tragedy, yet tragedy would be all she would ever know. I remember Troy and myself helping her and her sister, Gayla, out of a bedroom window of their house as their family fought a bloody drunken fight in the house. When their family would fight, (which seemed like every Friday night after their grandfather cashed his paycheck and bought enough beer and liquor for the

weekend) Robin and her sister would spend the afternoon at our house. Robin lived a life surrounded by alcohol, drugs, abuse, and I am sure there are things that she had seen in that house that she never said anything about. One night, while she was out with her boyfriend, she was abducted by a man. This man took her out, tied her to a tree, abused her, then shot her to death. I did not attend the funeral. Robin would appear in many of my songs for years to come in some way, even if it were a small part. I felt like I could help others through her tragedy. Sweet Louise had made people think about their grandparents, and put many in touch with hidden feelings. I knew that Robin’s life, as short as it was, has many clues for others who were going through similar situations. Carol Ann Capps and Dana Capps were a brother and sister who also happened to be my cousins on my mother’s side. Both committed suicide at different times for different reason’s, but from the same family. My cousin Carol Barnes, age 23, had committed suicide when I was very young. His death stuck with me for a very long time. A man in his early twenties, with three children and a wife who had left him, takes a shot gun, places it to his chest and pulls the trigger. Just moments earlier, he was speaking his last words to his mother over the phone (The Lord’s Prayer). When you are young, death seems so far away, even though it is all around you. Through things I had seen, done and had been told, I found a reason to write. It seemed like I wrote about the sad parts of people’s lives, but I felt it was my mission to heal the broken hearted. If it required me taking parts and pieces from lives gone bad and putting them into some type of order to make another person’s life make sense, then maybe that was the reason I was called to write songs. All of my songs after Kinetic Faith had reflection and images of those I had been with, cried with, and prayed with within the lyrics. When people would say, “I really do not understand what you were talking about when you wrote a particular song,” I felt good, knowing that person probably never had to go through what that song spoke of. People did not just want a beat, they wanted a message, a meaning. Everyone looks for answers. My lyrics, and the music that Troy and I would compose, was always laced with answers. If a person was searching for an answer and our song only asked a question, I made sure that the question only had one answer that pointed to Jesus. I always wanted to write a happy song. I prayed that the Lord would bless me with the talent to write a happy, uplifting song that was not cheesy. To this day, He has not. Maybe all the happy songs are cheesy. With the completion of any record, there is the process of writing for the next record. Bride was always a band that had plenty of songs because I never ran out of things to say. Knowing the importance of this next record, I was determined to write more personable than ever. We had time to write and prepare. Also with the completion of a record comes the touring. With touring comes meeting the people I write about. I was thinking maybe I would meet some happy people without any problems or dilemmas, but it was not likely.

chapter 10:`germany

We had never played out of the U.S. before, and now there came the opportunity to play in Germany. We were booked to play two shows. One of the shows would be at a place called The Subway. The second, for a promoter in Dusseldorf at an annual event called Christmas Rock Night. We would be playing with several other Christian bands from the States, (The Choir, Rick Elias and Guardian). We were picked up at the airport by this huge, Viking type fellow named Reinholt and his American friend who we nicknamed “Dennis Weaver.” Dennis Weaver was an actor in the seventies that had played a cowboy police on a TV show called “McCloud”. We took the long, scenic route from the airport down the road next to the Rhine River. The countryside along the Rhine was beautiful, but McCloud, our tour guide, had not stopped talking about German history since we left. Anytime we would stop along the route for a break, everyone fought to find a place in the van away from McCloud. He was like a walking megaphone with the volume set on 11. Reinholt seemed to drive faster and faster, and he seldom looked at the road. He would turn completely around in the driver’s seat when he talked to us. The ride seemed forever, and all we wanted to do was sleep after the long plane ride. We ended up picking up Marcus, the promoter of the first show. He drove us to a warehouse, where they expected us to help load some of the equipment for the show into the van. I thought they were joking, but they were serious. I did not budge. I was exhausted and just wanted a bed to crash in. After I cleared up that little episode with my refusal to participate with the loading, they took us to where we would be sleeping. It was a boy’s club of some sort, with no TV, radio not even a telephone. Fortunately, we did not have to spend much time there. The night of the first show we eventually got settled in the club where we were scheduled to perform. They had a tiny looking PA system mounted up high on the ceiling, but we found out that it had been specially designed for the room. This system really kicked. McCloud was at the show and during our sound check. In addition, through all the van rides he had this tiny electric guitar that he would play fanatically. McCloud seemed to be a nice person, but he could really get under your skin with the history lessons and that midget guitar that seemed glued to his hands. There were some press people there, asking the same old questions. “Tell us about how the band formed,” “how long have you been together?” Etc., etc., etc. The German band Creed opened the night. Our set went well, and the crowd of about three hundred seemed to really appreciate us making the long trip to play for them. I was glad that this show was over because now we could change the supervision of promoters. Marcus was a proud German, and corrected us on every turn about the proper German way, and how everything in Germany was better than America. He even corrected our way of holding our forks when we ate. I hold the fork in the right hand, and seldom use a knife unless I am eating a tough steak. He informed me the fork was to be held in the left hand and a knife in the right. I like to free up my left hand for my drink. Rheinholt said that Marcus was rude even for a German. It was also a relief to escape the tour guy McCloud and that miniature guitar. Detlev, the second promoter, was much more professional. He seemed to have himself together. He put us up in a nice hotel, and seemed to be a matured promoter. Christmas Rock Night was a sold out show of about 1500 adolescents in a decent room in Dusseldorf. We would be the last band of the night to play. Guardian went on right before us and worked the crowd into frenzy, but the German crowd stayed under control. We took the stage and played all our radio hits (some old tunes), which the crowd seemed to enjoy more than the new ones. Overseas countries were shipped our albums long after they had been released in the States. Some of the people had not caught up with our new record yet.

At the end of the night, as we closed the set with Hell No, the crowd went wild stage diving and moshing and become uncontrolled. When we hit the last note, we were sharing the stage with about twenty German fans that were jumping around on the stage. It was incredible. We had arrived in Germany and won the hearts of the people. We returned to Europe after a short while back in the States, where we would play two more shows. We would play a couple of shows with Bloodgood. Bloodgood was a very theatrical Christian metal act, and our first encounter with them had been in the States some time past. If I recall correctly, we had arrived at a venue to be the opening band for Bloodgood. When Bloodgood arrived, they did not know we were the opening band. I guess they assumed we were road hands. There had been a party in the venue the night before, and a lone balloon was still floating around on the stage. I remember one of the Bloodgood members making the remark that the balloon must have been a Bride stage prop. At the first show in Germany, the same enthusiastic crowd that we had left after our first German encounter greeted us. The crowd was about the same in number, and not as out of control this time. Holland was a one day event with a lot of bands. We would go on right before Bloodgood. We had some time to kill, so we went with our ride into Rotterdam to do some shopping. We were not thinking clearly (must have been the excitement of being in Holland), but we had left some valuables in the van. We thought everything would be safe since we parked on a busy city street full of people. We even had to pay to park in this seemingly safe area. When we returned to the van after a couple of hours of taking in the sites and buying a few gifts to take home, we noticed that the side door of the van was no longer locked. Inside the van, our bags had been gone through, and things had been scattered around the vehicle. We had been robbed. The thieves had stolen Rik’s video camera (about $800.00 dollars in cash), and a Walkman. (For me, the Walkman was the most important item because it had my Tom Waits “Swordfishtrombones” cassette in it.) Rotterdam is notorious for drug addicts that steal to buy drugs. We figured we had just gotten somebody really high. We had been warned before we had gone into the city, but being silly Americans, we messed up. We returned to prepare for the show. We were mad at ourselves for being so naive and careless. We went into the show very aggressive. I guess we were blowing off steam during the show because of the misfortune of having been robbed. The fans in Holland had no emotion, and seemed very cold. We had not only been robed, but also now felt as though we were given the cold shoulder by the crowd. We were bummed, and could not understand the lame reaction of these people. I was later told that people in Holland just do not respond like the Germans do to shows. I was not comforted by the comments. All of our overseas trips were a thrill a minute. Rik, who could crawl into a shell and never say a word, was also the quick witted one. It is impossible to put into words how humorous Rik was. His spontaneity for cracking jokes or turning a non-funny situation into a hilarious one was unequaled by anyone I had ever met. By this time, Rik and Jerry seemed to be bonded at the hip. It was not long until I nicknamed them the “old married couple.” They would constantly disagree and bicker between themselves. Their arguments usually were in fun and about nothing in particular, (music, the Bible, life) but they would always make a big deal about every conversation. I guess it was a good way to break the boredom. They would argue sometimes for so long, neither would remember what the original dispute was about. Sitting in my hotel room on several occasions after a show, I could hear the two of them down the hallway. Jerry’s deep voice saying something like, “ that’s not right,” then Rik would respond by saying, “You don’t know what your talking about.” This type of behavior sometimes would carry on through the night. More than once I had to go to their room and ask them to keep it down. I told them jokingly they should just get a

divorce and get it over with if they could not get along. Jerry and Rik were very funny, but at three o’clock in the morning, I thought sleep was better than laughter. I never understood how they could remain awake half the night and still be able to groove on stage so well. The morning after the Holland show we got an unusual phone call from Les Carlsen, lead singer in Bloodgood. He wanted to come by for breakfast before we parted ways, he said. He brought with him Andres, the promoter of the Bloodgood tour. They handed us $500.00 cash in American money and said they felt like the Lord wanted them to help us out. They had heard about the robbery and decided to do the Christian thing. I was really blessed by what Les had done. When we told our record company of the incident, they had no compassion and seemed indifferent. We returned home, and Kentucky never looked so good.

chapter 11:`germany

Back in the States, we resumed playing and headed to Florida to play a real exciting show with Novella. We played in St. Petersburg in an old Spanish building. Novella played acoustically, which was a mistake for them. You just do not open acoustically for Bride. When we took the stage, the crowd went wild, dismembering thirty of the theater chairs, which were bolted to the floor. Earlier in the show, while swinging from the balcony, I had kicked a hole in the fancy trim, which eventually cost us over $200.00 for the damages. The next show in Orlando was less enthusiastic in the terms of destruction. We could not afford any more bills for damages. By this time our resume was beginning to look like we had arrived. Our AWARDS/NOMINATIONS included: 1993 DOVE AWARD-For the Song: “Rattlesnake,” 1993 SESAC AWARD-”Top Contemporary Christian Writers of the Year,” 1992 DOVE AWARD-For the Song: “Everybody Knows My Name,” 1992 DOVE NOMINATION-For the Album: “Kinetic Faith,” 1992 SESAC AWARD - Two #1 Singles, 1992 SESAC AWARD - Outstanding Achievement in Gospel Music-Dale & Troy Thompson, 1991 SESAC AWARD - Two #1 Singles, 1991 PURE ROCK REPORT AWARD - For Album of the Year: “Kinetic Faith,” 1991 PURE ROCK REPORT AWARD - For Song of the Year: “Everybody Knows My Name”. #1 SINGLE (ROCK MUSIC CHARTS) 1994 “Rattlesnakes” CCM Update-4 consecutive weeks at #1 1993 “Rattlesnakes” Pure Rock Report-4 consecutive weeks at #1 1993 “Psychedelic Super Jesus” #1 SINGLES (HARD ROCK MUSIC CHARTS) 1994 “Would You Die For Me” 1994 “Fallout” 1994 “Dust Through a Fan” 1993 “Rattlesnakes” CCM Update-8 weeks at #1 1993 “Rattlesnakes” Pure Rock Report-8 consecutive weeks at #1 1993 “Psychedelic Super Jesus” CCM Update-6 weeks at #1 1993 “Psychedelic Super Jesus” Pure Rock Report-8 consecutive weeks at #1 1992 “Hired Gun” CCM Update-8 consecutive weeks at #1 1992 “Hired Gun” Pure Rock Report-10 consecutive weeks at #1 1991 “Troubled Times” CCM Update-2 weeks at #1 1991 “Troubled Times” Pure Rock Report-11 consecutive weeks at #1 1991 “Same ol’ Sinner” CCM Update-8 consecutive weeks at #1 1991 “Same ol’ Sinner” Pure Rock Report-10 consecutive weeks at #1 1990-1991 “Everybody Knows My Name” CCM Update-10 consecutive weeks at #1 1990-1991 “Everybody Knows My Name” Pure Rock Report-12 consecutive weeks at #1 GMA 1992 and 1994 - GMA SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE(sponsored by BMG/Sony Music Publishing, Tree Music Publishing, and WORD) - Bride’s Dale and Troy Thompson perform with Wayne Watson, Twila Paris, Steven Curtis Chapman, John and Dino Elephante, and Bruce Carroll. - SESAC ANNUAL GMA AWARDS LUNCHEON - Bride honored for Outstanding Achievement in Gospel Music, and for two consecutive #1 singles. - GMA EVENING CONCERT SERIES - Bride is the first metal band to perform in GMA history, sharing the stage with Wayne Watson, Michael English, 4 Him, Allison Durham Speer, and Babbie Mason.

The Festivals We were coming off another Dove Award for the song Rattlesnake, and being recognized as SESAC “Contemporary Artist of the Year” we had the inspiration to tackle the festivals. We played most of the U.S. festivals. We performed at the Agape Festival with bands like White Cross, Legend and Bryan Duncan. Bryan was getting a sound check on the main stage during our set, which was on a smaller side stage. He must have been impressed with us because he had one of the people who worked the festival find us. Through walkietalkie communications, he told us that he wished he could sing like me, and what he had heard of the set he really enjoyed. That was amazing that he would feel like telling us something like that. We played The Alive festival with D.O.C. and Steven Curtis Chapman, Atlanta Fest with Audio Adrenaline, Creation Festival, where we hooked up with The Brave, Guardian and the forever crazy guys from The Stand. The Stand was an alternative band with some crazy members that enjoyed having a good time. They were very entertaining. We hung with them and joked in the backstage trailer until it was time for them to do their show. The festival that really stood out in my mind was Cornerstone ‘93. We were on the main stage, Friday July 2nd, in a prime spot. We would go on between Rez Band and Guardian. Cornerstone was the hippie Christian Festival of America. It drew thousands of people from all over the U.S. and Canada. Bushnell, IL was (is) the spot. The festival was (is) held on a huge farm, organized by JPUSA. We had tried to get a spot on the main stage for years, and now we were given the opportunity. Rez band went on and sounded as good as ever. They were one of my key Christian influences musically. Their front man, Glen Kaiser, had the ultimate rock voice. They were the granddads of Christian rock. The crowd were heavy Bride fans, and they were chanting Bride over and over before we took the stage. After a few announcements, we hit the stage. I felt like a stick of dynamite, my vocals really felt good. The band seemed as tight and improvisational as ever. We never played the same set twice, and would just make it up as we would go. The crowd was not disappointed. I had a reputation for diving off high objects into the sea of hands below, and this would be the flight of a lifetime. The crowd was thick and forever pushing forward, so I knew there was no way I would hit the ground. I climbed the scaffolding to the second stack of main speakers, which put me about 15 feet in the air. I leaned way out and let go. My body dropped through the air into the hands of the fans. I then was carried overhead back to the stage and went to the other side to repeat the high intensity feat. This time I climbed up another 5 ft or so. It looked like a long way down, but I had now obligated myself for the jump. Once again, I performed my daring, death defying stunt into the hands of the crowd. They made sure they were under me, and then I body surfed over their heads to take center stage again. I remember the second drop. It was just a split second longer fall, and since I had gauged this second jump by the first one, I thought the crowd had missed me. The extra five feet or so put doubt in my mind that they were going to break my fall, but the crowd was there, and they surfed me back to the stage. The crowd was atomic. This was the largest crowd that we had ever played to, about 6000 ecstatic metal fans. Mosh Pits, stage diving, body surfing ... this was the real thing. I repeatedly had to ask the crowd to take three steps back because the fans up front were being crushed by the weight of the people behind them. After our encore of Hell No and Same ol’ Sinner, our set was finished. Guardian had to take the stage now. Even though Guardian was a fantastic band, I would not have wanted to follow the set that we had just played. While they played, I was still pretty energized about the show, so I asked Jerry and Rik if they wanted to storm the stage and stage dive during the Guardian set. Jerry had reservations at first because he had experienced a bad stage diving situation the last time we had played Cornerstone.

Cornerstone 92’, after a blistering set highlighted by an electrical storm and rain that made getting to the stage a real pigpen, Jerry decided to dive. Rik had pulled his kit off the riser on the last song, and, after dropping his bass to the ground, he air planed into the crowd. He had perfect form and technique. I dove in less professionally, but was caught. Jerry, having no instruments to play because they were scattered on the stage, decided he would take the leap of faith. “Jerry lacked faith.” The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and Jerry landed on his hip and shoulder, knocking himself out. He was revived a short time later, and his body was bruised like he had been hit by a truck. Now Cornerstone ‘93 presented the same temptation, to redeem his last less glamorous fall. After Troy agreed to pay Jerry thirty bucks to dive, Jerry agreed. “Let’s do it,” he said confidently. During Guardian’s second song, there we came like wild dogs. We raced from backstage, all three of us jumping at the same time. Rik and I were caught, and Jerry was missed again. However, this time he jumped feet first, so he was uninjured. Guardian was not impressed with our intrusion. Our next show was Norway. I had been able to take Sharon, my wife, to Germany, but she had to stay behind on this trip. Zachary, my youngest son, had been hospitalized a few days before we left for overseas. He was suffering dehydration after the flu. He had been released from the hospital the day before we left, and this weighed on my mind. Troy’s wife Michelle went on all of the trips as a merchandise person. The flight to Norway was miserable. Scandinavian airlines served the worst food I had ever had in all my life. We were greeted at the airport by the promoter and a couple of the other artists who would be playing the festival, Kenny Green and Larry Norman. Larry Norman had been my all time favorite Christian artist, and I had met him once previously, but this time I was actually in the same bus with him. I owned at least 20 Larry Norman records at the time. I found Larry to be a little different than I had pictured him in my mind. He had his son, his brother and his father with him. His dad was very knowledgeable of every tree and plant that we passed along the highway. He knew so much that I felt I was back in my 9th grade science class. For three hours we were lectured on flowers and trees. Larry sat in the back of the bus humming tunes to himself, looking content. We stayed in a little town along a huge inland lake that looked like a movie set. During the day, it was quite and peaceful, but at night this neutral country forgot about their non-war associations with decadence. The town became a party zone of heavy drinkers, brawlers, and homosexuals. The day after we arrived, I talked to my wife via the telephone to find out that Zachary had to be placed back into the hospital. He had refused to drink any liquids, so they put him back on an IV. Altogether, he would spend 7 days in the hospital, quarantined and hooked to an IV. He would recover by the grace and healing hand of the Lord. We attended a church meeting the day before the show. The Five Blind Boys from Alabama were playing. They were a black group from the heart of the south, and were world renowned. They were really something to hear, and I felt honored to be a part of the crowd squeezed into the church. The day of the show we finally got a sound check ... after we had to tell the soundman how to correct a buzzing problem in Rik’s bass rig. In Germany, we found most Christians to be very liberal in their views with alcohol, and in Norway it was no different. The young people were pretty wild with their bottles under their jackets. Before we went on to play the show, Rik overheard Larry Norman talking to his brother backstage. Their

conversation would make Larry a target for our band the rest of the trip. Larry asked his brother where he was going. Larry’s brother replied, “out front to watch the Bride show.” Larry’s response was a sarcastic two-word sentence..., “lucky you,” he said. This did not set right with Rik and Jerry, and now the war had begun. Jerry could change from his easygoing, fun loving, lovable Jerry, to this vindictive, loud and rather rude dog Jerry rather quickly. We played our set to about 1000 people, and the show went smooth. We hung out with the youth, and stayed late to talk to as many people as we could. The last day we were there, the promoters wanted to have all the remaining bands together for a last supper type of meal. Bride sat together, Larry and his dad sat a couple of tables over. Jerry had been making loud, undirected comments throughout the meal. We all knew he was thinking “Larry thoughts.” Then there was a loud breaking of glass heard. Someone had accidentally broken a glass. I asked, “what was that?” Moreover, Jerry responded, “I think Larry’s dad broke a glass.” Larry must have known that he was getting the cold shoulder from us, and he also had good ears. In seconds he was standing at our table saying, “did someone say Larry’s dad?” Jerry explained to a calm but irate Larry that he was merely stating that he thought Larry’s dad had broken a glass. Larry had an insane look in his eye, and we did not know what to expect. We figured if he started swinging we had him outnumbered, and Larry was not exactly physically able to become a prizefighter. I don’t know if Larry came to his senses, or if he had two personalities, but he instantly mellowed out and began talking about luggage at the airport. Troy had not heard any of the conversation, but Jerry took great offense to the uninvited intrusion of Larry to our meal. Jerry was highly irritated and said, “I thought he was wanting to fight.” Rik and I tried to provoke Jerry jokingly by saying, “we don’t think you could have took him, Jerry.” The last time I saw Larry, he was sitting in the floor of the restaurant singing a children’s nursery rhyme with a group of children. I thought how he was more like Jesus than any of us. We still had a lot to learn as a band, and as individuals representing the Kingdom of God. There were many times when we were childish. We acted like rock stars, and I guess we were not sensitive to what the Holy Spirit was trying to say and to reveal to us. One of the reasons for writing this book is to show the spiritual transformation of this band called Bride. In everything that we experienced, both positive and negative, earthly and heavenly, God was the great orchestration of it all (Psalms 90:1-2). His divine plan included every mistake we would make, the fiery testing, trials, tribulation and pressure and proving. It takes time to make gold pure. I realized that we were not serving time. I would come to comprehend that we were indeed serving the Lord. Time is only a tool the Lord uses to test us. We would begin to mature from this point on. Our fleshly performances would soon be recognized for what they were. We would see by the Holy Spirit that the only thing with any real substance that we could leave with anyone would be Jesus Christ. The Lord would soon begin the true inner working of the ministry within our hearts. All the works of the soulish realm only produce sin and death. Their sole purpose is to gratify the desire of the carnal souls of mankind. God would give us a true mission to wake the sleeping souls of the youth. We would be instrumental in taking their souls to the spiritual death of the Cross of Christ, that they would partake of that abundant life in all His fullness. Cornerstone ‘92, after a blistering set highlighted by an electrical storm and rain that made getting to the stage a real pigpen (funny, considering that land in Bushnell, IL was once a swine farm) The last time I saw Larry, he was sitting in the floor of the restaurant singing a children’s nursery rhyme with a group of children. I thought how he was more like Jesus than any of us (though it is anything but Christlike to deride the Gifts that God has bestowed upon another. There’s no condoning what Larry said, though there is forgiveness.).

“Back to the good ol’ USA.”

chapter 12

By this time, Scott Hall was doing all of our bookings, and we were playing more often than we had in the past. Scott had been our bass player back in the Show No Mercy days. Scott had put a lot of time into the band for very little financial profit. There was a problem stewing, though. We were getting calls from some of the promoters who claimed that Scott was not returning their phone calls. Scott admitted that it was hard to get in touch with some of the promoters (this was before e-mail), but said he was, “leaving messages, and that the promoters were not calling him.” I knew that Scott had responsibilities to his family and at his work (being a manager of a photo lab), and I was beginning to wonder if he had too many things going on at once. Scott was also making decisions without conferring with the band. Scott normally did not make bad judgements, but now he was becoming irrational at times. I knew we were not a huge band yet, but Scott wanted to present us as larger than life. He was making a lot of people angry with his “tougher than nails” attitude, and we were worried that we were going to look guilty by association. We had no one beating our doors down to take the booking department off Scott’s hands, and he was our only taker. He never really wanted to do the bookings, but he understood that, in order for the band to get the live show out on the road, someone had to pitch in. Maybe he was trying too hard, but there was a problem, and Troy and I were trying to figure out a resolution. While we were pondering over this, we, the band, flew out to Arizona, thinking we had two shows booked there, one in Phoenix and one in Tucson. When we arrived, we found out differently. The show in Phoenix had been canceled. We found out also that Scott had paid for the plane tickets out of his own pocket, hoping that the show would be successful enough that the promoter would pay him back. That meant no money for the band, other than what we made on merchandise. Even at this time I still was still fearful of band members becoming so discouraged by the lousily promoted shows and the making of no money that they might walk to find a real paying gig. Jerry and Rik, as with myself, were now solely depending on the band to pay our bills. Any show that we took a loss on was like taking food out of our children’s mouths, and we took it very seriously. The Tuscon show was dismal, with a lame PA system and the poor promotion, it barely brought in three hundred people. At this time, we were averaging about 600 people per show. To make matters worse, the promoter had no ride for us back to the hotel. We had to wait around until all of the gear was loaded to hitch a ride with a girl from the show. We questioned her sanity as we drove to the hotel, and even got lost on the way there. The next morning, the promoter was supposed to show up to take care of lunch and drive us into Phoenix to catch our plane. He did not show. We had performed the night before with Audio Adrenaline, who were on tour and had a vehicle. They were headed our way to get the air conditioning repaired on their truck. They offered us a ride to Phoenix, and since we had no hotel rooms reserved in Tucson, we took them up on their offer. We had a great time laughing about the entire incident with Audio because they had not been paid either. We found a hotel in Phoenix (close to the airport and shuttle service), which Troy put on his credit card, and we were set. I now had made up my mind that I was going to have to dismiss Scott. I called Scott and told him of how the entire trip had turned into a nightmare, and about all of the events that had occurred. I then informed him I needed all the contracts, the names of the promoters and their phone numbers. He knew what I was saying without me actually having to fire him. He did not seem to be both-

ered, and I think it was a relief for him to have the pressure of Bride removed. We were now forced to begin the impossible search for, not only a manager, but also a booking agent. We tossed the booking responsibilities into the hands of our wives, Sharon and Michelle. Troy and I sat down with them and instructed them the best we could on how to book the band. They began to work, putting together press kits, making follow up phone calls, plotting concert dates, and the dates started rolling in. I think the male promoter enjoyed a friendly female voice on the other end of the line rather than the forceful voice of a man. We were asked by the Syndicate, a Christian rock magazine out of Nashville, to play a Christian rock night during the GMA week. We had been voted as the band that most of the industry wanted to see live. Everyone was at this event that was anybody in the rock genre. We played last on Saturday night for a full house at the 328-performance hall. Other bands that had showcased in these two days were the 77’s, The Prayer Chain, Undercover and many more. We were to play a thirty-minute set. We played a loose, but high energy set. We performed all the favorites, and, for the most part, putting the fear of God into the crowd. Some of these industry people were very conservative, and those were the people I wanted to blow away. In these particular days, our attitude was to come out like Mike Tyson and K.O. the crowd in the first round. This show proved huge for us in the eyes of the record industry. They had heard our records, read the interviews, heard the rumors of our live shows, but now they had experienced the real thing. There was no denying the impact. Brown Bannister, one of the top producers in the Christian music scene, loved what he saw. He later would call me to do some backup vocals on a Petra record and for the new Carman album. John and Dino Elefante were also there, and they too saw that Bride was the real thing; “an authentic rock band.” We were what everybody wanted their rock bands to be, and yet no Christian company had any idea what to do with us if they had us. Scott had talked to several labels, including the Elefante’s label, Pakaderm, about signing Bride. John and Dino did not want to sign the band; they wanted to produce our next record. They so much wanted the job that they flew Troy and I to California, and we spoke seriously about the future. They made a lot of sense ... something that Star Song seemed to be running low on. We could not just release another album the same way as we had done in the past. We knew there was a whole world out there, and we were still trapped in the Christian market. John and Dino shared their vision with us, and we began considering. I even called Mike Kyle and hypothetically presented the scenario to him. He did not think it would work, and thought that Dez would not like it either. We wanted to use John and Dino, but we had already been doing pre-production through the mail with Plinky, and studios had been reserved. We just did not see any way of getting John and Dino onboard this late in the game. We had loved what Plinky had done with the Snakes in the Playground record. There was no denying that, for its time, it was cutting edge in the Christian market, but we were still stuck as a band. The feeling was that we needed to surround ourselves with influential people in order to make the band more legitimate. We were always trying to prove ourselves to someone in those days. We were so insecure that we could not believe that that anyone took us serious. Troy and I found out later in years that we had intimidated the industry this entire time. While on a return to the New Union in Minneapolis, MN (which was now under new management) we hooked up with Steve Baker, the former manager of the Union. Steve was now managing a very successful new band called Pray For Rain, who later changed their name to PFR. Steve spoke to us about the possibilities of managing Bride. We talked for hours before the show, and hours after the show that night, and came to the conclusion Steve would take over as manager, and we would seriously approach Star Song about John and Dino. We had no doubt that this would cause waves, and that Dez would hate the thought. The new album was a week away, the studios had been rented according to Star Song, and we were about to change the

course and schedules of many people. Jeff Moseley had come up from Nashville to discuss the possibility of resigning with Star Song since this upcoming album would fulfill our last option with them. We discussed certain things, and it looked like Moseley was willing to move in our direction a little. After the meeting, we were still not convinced that this was what we should do. After Steve talked with John and Dino over the phone, he called me and suggested that we carry out our plan. I called Dez and put a complete stop on the album. There would be no recording next week and Plinky had been removed as producer. Star Song was shocked, but since they were anxious to get us to resign with them, they agreed to John and Dino. This verbal agreement would be challenged later by the Star Song muscle, but as for now we had a couple more months to write new songs, and we had the producers of our choice. We now had more pressure on us to write the best songs of our life and to prove that we were our weight in gold. We knew if we recorded an average album that we would forever be trapped in the Christian market and would be a slave to the record companies. To up our worth, we had to just be ourselves and write from the heart. Too much planning and arranging would destroy our true-to-form vibe. We began writing new songs in our minds, and concentrated on the weekend touring again. Brazil We had planned on two other occasions to tour Brazil, but they both had fallen through. We had heard that there were many Bride fans down there, and they wanted to see us live. Both times the tour had fallen through at the last second. The call came in the third time. This was a different event and different promoters. Fax communications were went on for weeks, and we applied for our Visa’s. Washington was in no hurry to get them to us. We were told that the shows were a go. Two shows in Sao Paulo were scheduled. Our Visa’s arrived the day before we were to leave, and the tickets were waiting to be picked up at the airport. I did not believe we were going in the beginning, but once we boarded the plane, I realized Brazil was a reality. It was a long flight, but the food was better than our past fights to Europe. When we departed the plane in Sao Paulo, we were greeted by dozens of fans holding signs that read “Bride Rocks.” Sharon and Michelle, who had made the trip with us, received a dozen roses each from the fans. It was some welcome, we felt really out of place having never received such a reception as this before. The hotel was a Four Star, 19 story, better than average building in the heart of Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo was huge and extremely busy. The outskirts of the city were covered with small huts and shacks where the poor lived. This place was just one notch up from a third world country. We got settled into our rooms, and were told by our liaison, Flavio, that we should not go out by ourselves. He told us that the streets were very dangerous. We were always confident that we could handle ourselves in a fair fight, but nobody fought fair anymore, so we did not leave the hotel without a posse. We visited a place that we called “The Hippie Fair,” which was a couple of blocks away. It was set up like a flea market, but these were not your typical vendors selling used albums and books. There were many vendors from the voodoo region of Brazil selling hash pipes, knives for sacrifices of animals and other trinkets to do with voodoo and superstitious rituals. There were also some tourist items, and there was a lot of jewelry and precious stones at very low prices. We picked up a few gifts to bring home with us. Vince, our stage manager, picked up a long voodoo staff that we felt was interesting in appearance; however, our tour guides were afraid of it. We found the Brazilian people to be friendly but very superstitious. They asked us to pray over the staff to cast the demons out of it. We found no scripture where an evil spirit had ever possessed an inanimate object. To this day Vince has not

shown any signs of demon possession. We have never witnessed his head spinning in a 360 degree motion, foaming at the mouth or any of the other Hollywood theatrics attributed to demon possession. Though, Vince did at one time wear a quarter in his ear for some strange reason. This form of voodoo (though satanic in nature) has nothing to do with the Americanized, Hollywood Satanism that we have been exposed to. This was not of the pentagram type. In all my years within the full gospel churches observing and taking part in the traditions and practices of the church, I never witnessed any act where a table moved untouched, a rod turn into a snake or objects fly through the air. I have seen people jump high claiming to be in the Spirit. We as Christians may speak of evil forces out there in the world, which do havoc upon the lives of men. The darkest evil forces I have ever been witness to be the demons within the hearts and minds of men themselves. Our liaison took us to the soccer stadium where we would be performing. It was something like I had never seen before. This huge concrete stadium looked like something out of a gladiator movie. We had not been convinced that this was going to be a larger than life show until we entered the stadium. The stage was still being constructed. We were informed that there was a 650 person crew that would be working the show, there were 450 overhead lights, over 20 teli-beams and a 10 man camera crew that would broadcast the show on three 3 story video screen on each side of the stage and behind the drum riser. The expected number of people for the two shows was 200,000 people. I remember one of the girls we were with literally closing my mouth as I stood in awe at the overwhelming sight of the stadium. We were told that the promoter, who was a pastor of a church in Sao Paulo, and his church had prayed and fasted for 27 days prior to the show. There was a group of Christians who sang praise songs and marched in unity around the stadium in a symbolic gesture of the walls of Jericho. The next day we met the promoter at a radio station where he was a DJ, and he also ministered on the radio. We did an interview there, as well as a couple back at the hotel with a local secular newspaper. There was some other artists from the U.S. that would be performing. Fighter” was a pop sounding band with a stand up drummer that sang. This would be one of their last shows because they were breaking up shortly after. “Sam Baker” and his group would be playing. His style fell more into the church sounds, and then we met a couple from California, Melissa and Randy, who had never heard of us before. They were on a missions trip. The big night of the first show came, and I would not go out to look at the crowd. I could hear them outside. Our dressing rooms were in the locker room of the stadium. The crowds above us sounded like that of a train as they roared and applauded the bands before us. There were a lot of people running around backstage. There were catered food specialist and hair stylist, singing instructors, makeup artists and lots of security. We were the last band of the night, and we were anxious to get out there. Reports were coming to us that there were more than 60,000 people in the stadium. This would definitely would be by far the largest show we had ever played. It was hard to really focus in on what was happening. There was nowhere to go to be alone and come to grips with the magnitude of this event. There were people everywhere like ants. I normally liked to get away for just a few minutes before I took the stage, but this show would give me no such luxury or breathing room. The announcement came. Then the promoter introduced the band with a loud Portuguese accent, “Bride!” and our set began. I had heard bands say they had played to big crowds before and could not see past the first few rows of people. I, however, could see a mile back. Thousands of people cheering and shouting. I saw the smiles the raised fists, I saw it all. Our set was only 45 minutes, and I was more comfortable before this crowd than a lot of the lesser shows we

had done. There were Brazilians singing along with our tunes, and I later found out that a lot of them learned the words, but did not know what they meant. They just loved the fact that we were Christians and had a heavy beat. We did “Hell No” as usual for the encore, and we ended with a big bang. We had now finished our largest show ever. We stayed on that high all night long, knowing we had another show to do the following day. The second show the following day would be a 30-minute set. We received a police escort to the stadium on the bus. This type of treatment I found humorous. We were playing an earlier slot this night; about 9 p.m. The promoter told us the stadium was packed to capacity (around 125,000 people) inside, and there were over 15,000 outside who could not get in. We decided to hit the crowd quickly and swift. We began with “Would you die for me,” “Fallout,” “Psychedelic Super Jesus, and “Hired Gun.” I preached real hard in between tunes with Flavio interpreting to the crowd for me, and the crowd responded wildly. They became so out of control that the house lights stayed on the entire set for their own protection. When the show was over, we went out front during the “Fighter” set to talk with those fans up front, and we signed hundreds of autographs. We returned to the hotel knowing that we had won the hearts of thousands of the Brazilian fans. Reports after the show indicated that over 10,000 people got saved over the two-day event. The admission to the show was food or clothing to be given to the poor, and the event, called S.O.S. For Life, brought in over 300,000 pounds of food. From my evaluation of Sao Paulo, I would have to say that it was a struggling city, poverty ridden and dirty. I remember seeing the homeless and hungry in NYC and L.A., and Sao Paulo was no different. However, the distinction I felt was that these folks wanted revival of the heart. I was gratified that we were a part of this great spiritual awakening and the beginning stages of revival, restitution and restoration. To get food and clothes to the poor was one of the natural lessons that Jesus taught us to do, and not only had we preached the gospel, but we had spiritually applied the lessons from Matthew chapter 14 through 16. We were seen off at the airport by many of the friends we had made, and it was emotional to leave them behind. I felt as though we had brought hope to them, and I was hoping to see them again. We were now returning back to reality. We were headed back to the small crowds, under promoted shows and promoters thinking they knew what they were doing, when in actuality they were just saving money. Sharon and Michelle worked hard making contacts and doing a lot of follow up, instructing the promoters the best ways to promote the shows. It is so insane in the States. For Bride, promoters were usually fans of the band that decided they wanted to see Bride. So, instead of waiting for Bride to come near to them, they would take on the task of promoting a show. Sharon and Michelle had to walk most promoters through the basics of promoting. Some of the suggestions they shared were to print up lots of posters and flyers, and be sure to hang them anywhere and everywhere young people went; to call the local churches and get their youth groups involved, and to contact any t.v. and radio stations and see if they would be interested in covering the event. They were also encouraged to get the bookstores involved, and contact the Newspapers (as they usually had a section of events where a person could advertise for free). We also supplied a mailing list for each show to the promoter so they could mail out flyers. More times than not, these instructions were not followed. Negotiations continued with Star Song and John and Dino through Steve. Star Song was trying to push the recording back even further. I believe they were trying to discourage us from using John and Dino by letting time go by, and also by not trying to work with us. Dino and I pin-pointed a date, October 17th, and the band rehearsed the new tunes for that date. Moseley had removed himself from the center spot and put Dez in the forefront of organizing the studio times.

I felt like Star Song was still dragging their feet, so I took matters into my own hands. I began the phone calling process, working out all the details with John and Dino and letting them know that, with or without the trust and backing of Star Song, I wanted to go ahead with the new album. They agreed, and plane tickets were purchased,which Troy and I would be financially responsible for. I had never in the past had to take my own money to finance an album, but I did not care what the cost was. I would defy Star Song and their disbelief in our music, and I would deliver the best record we had ever done ... I was sure of it. I was confident in our decision to use John and Dino. I had talked extensively with them dozens of times about the vibe and direction of this project, and I was sure that they had complete understanding of the songs. I wanted a different record than Snakes. None of us wanted to record “Snakes 2,” as we always disliked bands who were fearful of change. This project would have more attitude and power, and we tentatively titled it “Scarecrow Messiah.” Star Song disliked the title, but we went forward and printed T-shirts and had an incredible artist using that theme to paint a cover. An odd thing about the Bride albums and CD covers. We often had really nice pieces of art, which artists had poured hours into in hopes that their work would be used. More times than not, the record companies would not use them and opt for a much less attractive cover for our albums. To this day, I believe Bride to have some of the dullest rock album covers of all times. The one that stands out best for me would be Silence is Madness. Our mind set at this point was defiance. We could not understand why, but Star Song seemed to be working against us. We felt there was some underlying sinister plot against Bride. From our very first record until this time, we never felt as though we had teamed up with a record company. We always had a feeling that we were two struggling forces. This new record would prove to be an enormous struggle ... and the straw that would separate the band as we knew it.

chapter 13

We had one more live show before we were to fly out to LA for the record. This show was in Decatur IL. It turned out the best show we had played since the trip to Brazil. This was a good show to come from before the studio. Working with John and Dino was a breeze. They were very easy going in the studio and not domineering like we thought they might be. We had been warned from many people who said that John and Dino would change Bride’s sound and we would sound like a watered down 8o’s metal band. We found them to be very honest and genuine. They let us record the record the way we wanted to and dictated nothing. Matter of fact at one point when I was laying down my vocal tracks John commented and said I wish I had some suggestions for you but I do not. That is the way we wanted this record to be. “Totally Bride without the influence of producers and record people.” John and Dino however had good ideas and when they made suggestions we tried them. Sometimes things worked and sometimes they did not. John and Dino were always the first ones to admit if one of their suggestions was not working. They put us up in the Los Alamitos hotel, which was just around the corner from the studio. We worked quickly utilizing the two Pakaderm studios. As soon as one track was cut, they would send the tape over to studio B where I was able to lay down vocals. It was like working twice as fast. We even got a chance to meet the Elefante’s parents and had a great spicy Italian meal with them while watching the Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe fight. At this point, as the record was coming to a close and the last few notes were being recorded I felt that John and Dino should be made a part of the future of Bride. We opened the door for a business relationship and began drawing up future battle plans. By the end of recording, we were spiritually drained. We were tired mainly from the hassles of arguing with Star Song and we were highly disgusted at the Christian music market. I felt as though Christian labels were using the excuse “we must get secular distribution” as an excuse to become more worldly. Other labels such as Word, Benson, And Reunion had signed bands and released records that had nothing to do about Jesus Christ what so ever. At this point in the life of Bride, I debated with myself if I should even be a part of the hypocrisy that I witnessed taking place. I wrote this article inspired by the Holy Spirit about the condition and disintegration of Christian Music. “There is an ever-growing concern about the state of our natural environment. The pollutants, toxic waste, cutting down of rain forest, the filthy carbon air we are forced to breath, but I have found a worse infection. This more disgusting thing is cankerous, poison; it defiles, weakens, endangers, violates, and desecrates the very fabric of Christian life. It is called compromise! What is happening spiritually and lyrically in so called “Christian music” is abhorring. Jesus came to bring a sword not peace! He came to destroy the works of Satan not to hold hands in partnership! Does it not seem odd to you that the world is now embracing mainstream Christian music as their own? Some would consider this a great break through, however I see it as compromise. Jesus is a controversial person who caused an uproar everywhere he went. I believe if we preach the gospel in spirit and in truth that the world will be offended. Some will come to repentance because of the Holy Spirit drawing them closer to God and this is our purpose to preach the gospel as laborers because the fields are ready to harvest. But, when Christ becomes fashionable, I believe the wrong Christ is being preached. Jesus seems to have become the “in thing”. Jesus preached if they hate me they will hate you, that we would be hated of all men for his namesake (Luke 21:17). Romans 9:33 speaks of Jesus being a stumblingstone and rock of offence. Christian festivals compromising and secularizing their stages to the most popular groups no matter their message, magazines flaunting Star like photos of “Christian super groups” on their covers in the name of entertainment. How far will we take this idol worship? How many smaller Gods will we put before “The God”? 1 Thessalonians says 5:21 “Prove (test) all things; hold fast that which is good. Romans 12:2 “prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. Can anyone remember humility? Can anyone remember the anointing of the Holy Spirit? As ministers of the gospel of truth, we have a duty to preach the gospel. We are to follow God’s purpose and grace not according to our work but His will. Christ is the authority and He alone should be lifted up. Try and test the spirit of those whose music you have supported. If there is not confirmation in your spirit then walk away from it.

God will sort the good from the bad one day, let us have the integrity for the sake of Christ to have followed only those who have followed Jesus.” Scarecrow was an album to be proud of and I could see it doing very well for us but I could not see us continuing down the same path as we had already traveled with Snakes. Although we would win 1995 DOVE AWARD-For the Album: “Scarecrow Messiah” and have # 1 radio songs with “Place” and “Beast” I decided to take a whole new approach for the future. We would go after the secular market with our resources. I felt like our motives were legitimate and our goals within the realm of reality. Unlike the general market place, I wanted to spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ instead of promoting Bride. Steve Baker was right behind us and at this time Bill Reed joined us for the ride. I made a couple of big decisions not to play two prominent Christian festivals for the New Year because we were tired of repeating ourselves. By not stepping out on faith and shooting big I felt like we were limiting the Lords ability to open doors and to work in our favor. We were now stepping out on the water and I am sure everyone from outside the Bride realm thought we would sink. In many ways we felt desperate and knowing the worst, we still had confident hope. I was looking forward to working with John and Dino in a production deal in the future we were waiting at this time for them to get relocated and settled in Nashville. Their move was a convenient move for us. We no longer would have to go but a three-hour drive to record in the finest studios anywhere. My days in the metal scene had been well spent and we had reached a lot of people touching many people with God’s word through rock music. I was however burnt out. We took the entire month of December 1993 off to rest. Although I felt like Scarecrow was an great record I also felt it picked up the torch where Snakes had left off. As good as Scarecrow was it was not cutting edge enough for my taste. I knew that it would carry us through the next 12 months and in this next year, I wanted to write the greatest album that I had ever put on tape before. I had my solo project mixed at this time and I was just waiting to hear from Star Song if they wanted to distribute it or not. I really did not feel that Star Song would know what to do with it seeing that it was so abstract but being under contract I had to let them have first chance at it. I was hoping that they would reject it and give me permission to shop it to other labels or manufacture it myself. It was with my own money that I had recorded mixed and self produced it anyway. I felt a bit out of touch with the new music scene that was developing and seeing that I had just turned thirty it was time to make even more changes. December the 16th I got a real hair cut. I figured most of the famous rockers in the world did not have hair down to the middle of the back. People like Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Don Henely, John Melencamp, and the list goes on. I figured my fans would be shocked but the long hair was a drag to mess with. Along with getting a haircut, I vowed to never stage dive and to stop the moshing at our shows. I wanted to be contradictory and controversial in my new approach. “My motto was cut your hair stop the moshing!” Don’t give them but one reason to persecute you. Our first shows with the new hairstyle was New Years Eve 1993 in Dallas. There was mixed reaction but after the crowd stared at me for about an hour and a half believing me to be a stage hand I think they got used to the new look. Tammy Winters, a friend from Ohio just happened to be in the area with her parents on vacation and they dropped in to see the show. I had been trying to launch her career as a singer and now I had a new plan to get her some notice. Matter of fact I was even thinking at this point about starting my own record label and shoving to the side all of the hassle with the record executives. 1994 Tulsa Ok kicked off the band. About 400 people showed up and even though we had problems with the promoter who failed to get insurance on the building and she had no security which by law she was supposed to have we played as they say in the Christian market for a love offering. It was our first pass the plate around show ever and it was humiliating in a lot of ways but things worked out. After we returned home, our next show was a unplugged set in Coryden In. We had the week off so I took this week like the month of December to try to burn off the Holiday foods I had consumed. I had always been an excellent weight lifter for my weight and at one time had benched 380 pounds. However, this particular day was not my day. As I lay on the bench with only 225 pounds above me, I got the most agonizing Charlie horse in my left hamstring that I had ever got. I usually got muscle cramps but this one was painfully tight. I had already did one set with this weight this morning and I had not even

thought of having a spotter. When I benched I never wrapped my thumbs around the bar but I cupped the bar in my hands. For a split second I must have lost my concentration on the weight and focused in on the muscle cramp. In a split second with no time to react I lost the weight and took the entire impact on my chest and sternum. I did not feel much pain but a lot of pressure. As I attempted to push the weight off a couple of guys rescued me. They asked me how I was and having the wind knocked out of me I could not speak. My mouth was moving and I was trying to smile but nothing was coming out. Finally I got a squeak to come out then my voice weak but audible said, “I am fine I guess.” I guess I was in a little shock because my chest did not hurt that badly. The people at the gym offered to take me to the hospital but I declined and worked out for another hour. That night and the next day I was miserable in pain. I am not a fan of doctors so I toughed it out and to this day I do not know if I broke anything or not but I do know the pain and discomfort lasted for weeks. The day after that accident we met with Steve who was passing through from Minn. going home to Raleigh. We discussed the future of the band and the direction that we knew we had to take in order to stay a float. I tried to stay focussed though my chest hurt. The fans at this point had know ideal of how hard it had become just in the past three weeks to keep the band together. No shows, no tours, no money and now we decided no more Star Song. It was the lowest we had felt in a long time. It was truly a very lonely feeling. Star Song had decided not to release the new record until June just out of stubbornness and to play hard ball. Star Song was attempting to force us into resigning a long un-adventurous deal with them. The new deal would keep us tied up for years. In addition, later they would even try to trick us by sending us a 6-month contract extension, which would have bound us for two more releases with them. I decided to call on the fans to help by asking them to write to Star Song and demand that Scarecrow Messiah be released sooner. I sent out flyers and wrote letters to folks and I could tell that the fact that Star Song would pull something like this made the fans angry. Bill Reed was having trouble booking the band without a new record and I was determined no matter how bummed out I was over the politics of the record business I was not going to give up. Troy and I began writing music again trying to gear it to appeal to a wider audience which meant making it a little lighter but still writing with an attitude an edge. We were hoping that by the time Scarecrow was released we would have a new record waiting there in the wings to be released. I had felt for a long time now that there was something strange going on in the Christian market and I felt like that the Lord was moving us around for a reason. Maybe the reason was that some one was going to take a fall and he did not want us to be in the way. We all called this a disturbance in the force. We did not know what 1994 was going to bring but we knew that things were going to be different. We would either advance by leaps and bounds we thought or disband completely, no one was sure so we put it all in the Lords hands. I had heard through the grapevine that Star Song was going through some personal changes. Jason Parker who had been instrumental in our radio success was now gone to another label. Mike Kyle was rumored to be bailing out. Mike was the head of marketing. There was the rumor that Dez was leaving the label. These were just more signs to us that we had made the right choice by turning down Star Songs resigning proposal. Another rumor floating around was that we had been black listed from some of the festivals this coming year? Tim Landis, who organized Creation in Pa. and Chuck Tilley who organized most of the Christian shows at the amusement parks across the country had, wrote us off according to my source. I never felt these two promoters understood Bride or the Bride fans anyway. We were underestimating the power within the market but they were underestimating our fortitude. We were to meet with Steve and Dez in Nashville Jan 17th of 1994 to try to convince Dez to fight for an early release of Scarecrow and to bid a friendly farewell to Star Song. I was not looking forward to the three hour trip to Nashville I had been very ill with a sinus infection. However KY received a record snowfall of about two feet. The snow blanketed everything and made any travel what so ever impossible. Steve had traveled from Raleigh the day before so now he was stranded in Nashville. Nashville did not get all the snow we did but they got a lot of ice. Steve having lived in MN for many years would not be stranded long though. Back home we were without electricity so I moved Sharon and the kids next door to my parent’s

house where we could stay warm by the fireplace. Within 36 hours we had power and the thaw began. The mail coming into the office was like a whirlwind after the snow. Our mailman was unable to get through for two days so when he finally arrived we had stacks of fan mail. I had always personally corresponded with the fans and filled all the merchandise orders myself. Everyone seemed to appreciate getting personal letters from a band member. After a year and a half after Snakes had been released the mail was still rolling in at a steady pace. The band finally got to rehearse and the New Union was planned for the last weekend in January 94. I had not seen Rik in three weeks and when Troy and I walked into Jerry’s house I was surprised. I guess he had decided over these weeks to get more tattoos than me. He had about four maybe five more new ones. They were not the stylish kind with color but more like real good prison tattoos. The new tattoo on his neck would keep him from getting a real job so I guess we were stuck with him for a little while longer. By this time the letter writing attack upon Star Song from the fans had made an impact. I heard from my connections and what few friends I had left that Jeff Moseley was enraged and he defended the honor of Star Song with a letter back to the fans. The letter said something to the effect “There are two sides to every story and here is mine.” The fans were not convinced and could read through that record company penmanship. The support for us to get this new record out was overwhelming but I was convinced that Jeff would not budge. It was never my intention on making enemies with Jeff and Star Song and I personally was not angry with anyone but I knew Jeff was furious and annoyed with me beyond belief. I sent three songs from my solo project down to Dez for a possible deal of some kind and he seemed to enjoy the songs however Jeff was not in the least willing to listen to them. I knew the letters had crushed his pride and that he probably would never want to see me again. It was nothing personal on my part though, Star Song turned this entire episode into business and that is all it was to me was business, nothing personal. March 1st I sent a long letter to Jeff calling a truce and an end to this war. I wanted to repair our friendship and take care of all the bad communications that had went down. Jeff responded the 4th with a telephone call to me. He was very much willing to shake hands and put all of this confusion behind us. He assured me that the record would be on time which the time was still June, and that he would work with us like he had always did in the past. I felt much better taking care of this situation. When I had called on the fans to write to Star Song I never intended on them writing vicious letters and boycotting Star Song products but it happened. Some of the letters came to me from the fans of proof they had sent them. I never found out how many letters Jeff actually received but our office was buzzing with disgruntle letters. Some wrote that they felt “that the ministry had been compromised or jeopardized by exec’s who have no ideal what it is to be on the front lines of the battle for souls and lives in the subculture known as metal heads.” Some accused Star Song of “ corrupt politics. “ They accused Star Song of “blackmail “. Others offered their prayers in the matter. Some even used profanity. There was even a fiftyname petition. The support we received in this matter was overwhelming. It had been effective in drawing much attention however it did not do anything for the date of release. I felt that everyone involved in the situation, Star Song, the fans, and myself had learned from this lesson and now it was time to pull the troops off the front lines and call a truce in the matter. Jeff was kind enough to give me permission to manufacture and sell through our shows and fan club my solo project. It was near completion and this was a relief financially. I was unsure if anyone would like it or understand it. I felt some would tolerate it, some would appreciate the effort put into it, but without a lengthy explanation I felt most people would not get it. I hoped most would feel like Jerry who told me “it was border line genius.” Then again Jerry was my drummer and he liked all types of strange music anyway. I never got a response from Rik but I never got a response from him on hardly anything. It was time now to spend the real money out of my own pocket on advertising, printing, and postage. I figured the reviews would be mixed from the magazines but I was hoping that they would give it a fair listen. It was not the type of project anyone was going to digest all at once or listen to it nonstop.

chapter 14: groupies

One of the questions that we have been most asked was about the girls. The fact of the matter is, there were none. We always bragged about the fact that Bride had no female groupies. We never had screaming girls waiting outside of hotel rooms or trying to get backstage. I think maybe we were just too scary, and I always tried to appear really sure of myself. However, there were the male groupies. These were young boys who were aspiring musicians. Most of them were skinhead-looking and could have fit into any punk band from the 70’s. We did not mind answering all the questions about life as a musician, but we did disappoint a lot of them when we told them we made very little money and were not chauffeured around in limousines. I tried to be honest with our fans and let them know that we were not rock stars, and any one involved in playing music for the Lord ought not consider themselves stars. Our work should be completely dedicated to the Lord, and He should receive the praise for what He does through us. 1994 The year had started slow but full of fireworks. The band was financially busted, and Troy was out of money. The band had been borrowing money from him for a long time in order to stay stocked on merchandise. His new house was almost completed and he was over budget, and now the band looked at me and what little money I had saved to get us through the next month. We had a Germany tour and nine shows planned in 10 days for March. We had to keep our bills paid until then, and we were sure that we could get back to our feet. Rik had called me in early February a couple days before Valentine’s Day needing 300 dollars for an overdue apartment bill. Since we had so much bad weather we had not been able to rehearse for almost three weeks, so I had no idea that Rik and Jerry were pinching pennies to get by. We had such a great year in ‘93, and now it felt like we were having to start all over again. We knew we could ride out the storm, but would we be the same band after all this sudden chaos that had erupted? I was sure the Germany tour would bounce us back or destroy us. Germany Again We were scheduled to leave Louisville March 16th. I was not looking forward to another overseas trip, but I knew we needed to return to Europe. We had many dedicated fans in Germany, and the bulk of our touring would concentrate there. March 14th, two days before we were to leave, I got some disturbing, yet relieving news from Jerry. I could tell by the tone of his voice that something terrible must have happened. He said, “Dale, are you sitting down?” I said, “I can take whatever your about to tell me standing, I think.” He said, “Rik is not coming back from Europe. He is leaving the band.” It was not the news I had expected to hear, and I knew Jerry was taking this much harder than I. Jerry had always felt as though Rik was a friend and considered him a partner in music. I knew better; I knew Rik as a loner and somewhat self-indulgent. I told Jerry not to worry. “I would find a replacement.” I immediately called Steve Curtsinger, who was the bass player for a band called Killed by Cain. I had produced a record for this band about a year earlier on the R.E.X. label. Steve was a good Christian friend and a good bass player. He was not nearly as tall or as intimidating from the stage as Rik, but he could do the job. Steve said he had been praying that I would call because Killed by Cain had pretty much bit the dust. He came the following morning and picked up a cassette tape of the tunes we were doing live, and a video of our live performance in Brazil to in order to learn the songs. He said, “don’t worry, Dale. I will know them by the time you guys return from your tour.” My biggest disappointment from all this was that, much like Steve Osborne (who left the band many years ago), Rik could not face me and tell me himself. He had to use Jerry. Rik had used Jerry many times to con-

vey unpleasant messages to me. I never could understand why Jerry put up with him. All along Jerry’s real friends were Troy and I, but he was hesitant for some reason to be pals with us. He kept things pretty much on a professional level with us and had trusted Rik. I feel closer to Jerry today, years after he left the band, than I did while he was with us. Rik had a very likeable character, and his personality was pleasant on most days. He was one of those people who got more attention than he wanted, so he lived to himself most of the time. None of us knew what he was going to do away from the band, but we all had a gut feeling that after this tour we probably would never see him again. I felt bad for Jerry because he considered Rik a pal, and now I was sure that he felt betrayed. I had wanted Rik to leave on his own for quite some time because I knew he had a hard time getting his life organized, and I figured, after all this time he had been a part of the band, that he would be much closer to finding himself. I had always been there for Rik in the few times he had confided in me, but it was usually after I saw a problem and approached him about it. This time he was on his own. “As far as I was concerned, he was on his own.” I had way too many things to concentrate on rather than trying to fish Rik back in. At this time, Vince, our only road hand, had not said if he was leaving or staying. I had always felt that his loyalty was to Rik, and that he had just done minor things for us for the little that we paid him. I also wondered if he, too, felt betrayed by Rik, as Vince was very dedicated to Rik. Whatever Rik was running from, he was leaving all those who really cared about him, including myself. This would be a very interesting trip, and no doubt it would be uncomfortable for everyone. We would call this the farewell to Rik tour. The attitude of the band was dull. Instead of feeling like the heavy weight champs of the world we all felt like a boxer who was under trained. The sharpness and killer instinct were in the back of our minds. For this tour to be a success spiritually, mentally and financially, the Lord would have to step in and give us a hard push. Troy seemed unmoved by all the disasters that had recently occurred. His mind was preoccupied mainly on his house and getting it finished up enough to either move in or sell it. Troy was so sedated that I was beginning to feel that he had blocked all the recent events out of his mind and had put on his rose colored glasses. Maybe he just held up under pressure better than the rest of us, or maybe he was about to have a breakdown. If anything, I figured that sooner or later exhaustion would get him and he would have to admit that I had reason to worry; but, as of yet, he was steady as a rock. Germany Again, Again We flew from Louisville to Cincinnati on Delta airlines, and from there straight to Frankfurt Germany. Our plane was delayed because of electrical problems, but we landed safely. I had not enjoyed my previous trips to Germany, and this one, with the delay of the plane for over an hour and then the fact that I had to sit behind a couple from India who had not bathed in weeks, made me wonder why I was going again. Sharon (my wife), Michelle (Troy’s wife) and Vince were on this trip. Rik and Jerry joked about the fact that Rik was leaving the band, and wanted to send out press releases that Rik’s height had something to do with his departure. They wanted to write that Rik had not quit growing, and now he was as tall as a tree and had to move into the forest to live with the Big Foot. They had talked about enlarging a photo of Rik and superimposing it among the red woods. At the beginning of the trip I found it hard to even look at him, feeling betrayed and let down by his sudden decision that he did not even have the nerve to tell me himself. We had not done a tour since the Stryper tour, and we had only been playing weekends. This tour was not major by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be the most shows we had played in a row in over two years. We rested for a day in Darmstrdt at the Reuterhof Hotel, then it was off to Witten, where we would play the first of several shows with the band Creed. Creed was the premier German white metal band (not

the now popular American rock band). We traveled in a rented RV that Andres (the promoter of the tour) said would “sleep ten,” but in reality would sleep maybe four, and carry only 8 people. In Witten we played to 500 people in a nice room. In all the years of playing, this would be my first big experience with hecklers. One lone fanatic screaming from the audience put a damper on my message at the end of the night. He was upset over statements I had made concerning secular music. He was shouting obscenities against me and Jesus. We had played a blistering set of old and new material, and now, using a translator, I was trying to speak of the love of Jesus to the crowd. The heckler was yelling things like, “You better not say anything against Axl Rose,” “I’ll see you in hell,” and stupid things like that. I replied by fueling his anger, saying, “Axl Rose did not die on a cross for your sins, now did he?” I soon closed my message and went out front to meet the people. As usual, this heckler, who was all mouth while I was on stage, never approached me. However, a thin “hippie” looking rocker did, and said in a drunken voice, “why don’t you go to hell.” Not being in the mood for anymore of this, I threatened to throw the guy over the balcony. Even Troy and Jerry were ready to fight. The guy wandered off into the crowd and stood with a group of his buddies, and there were no more incidents this night. Here are my thoughts on secular music. A lost person who is listening to secular rock music has tuned their interest or the radio channel in their head to a certain frequency or sound. They identify with certain beats and sounds, and then the lyrical content of the song is usually the last thing that they listen for. The lyrical content comes from the heart of the performer. Once a person has determined what they like to listen to, they normally will not stray too far from that particular sound. What comes out of a man is what he is. If people are filling themselves with corruption, then out of his mouth his heart will speak of corruption. These performers are very influential, and the corruption spreads like a wildfire in the hearts of those who embrace it. Can a person take fire against their chest and not be burned? A person who sings of Jesus and practices what he preaches, who takes in the Word of God daily, will produce righteous things from his mouth. Thus, the songs he sings will reflect God in him, and the listener of righteousness will be exposed to the spirit of God, who is more than capable of bringing salvation to the lost. It is important for those who play Christian rock to get on the right frequency so that they can attract the unrighteous to the truth. For anyone to say that it is wrong to use Christian rock to attract a secular rock audience to come to the knowledge of the Lord does not know nature itself. In order to catch fish you must use the right bait. Sometimes it is possible to use a net, other times a worm is used. I have run out of worms before, and I will use pieces of a sandwich that I have brought. Like a moth is drawn to the light, so a certain audience is drawn to a specific style of music. If rock music attracts an audience that the Christian has been called to reach, I suggest we use wisdom and modern technology to bring them into the kingdom by means of Christian rock concerts. Knowing that music is very powerful and stirs emotion, it is important that the music stop somewhere in order that the Word is preached to them. Those who would oppose the use of rock music also discredits any of the blessings attributed to the results. Let me pose a question. I believe that God is Holy. I believe that He uses vessels of righteousness, and that God is a spirit and those that worship Him must come boldly to the throne of grace if they are going to be liberated. If a person is saved at Christian rock show are they really saved? What kind of spirit does rock music call? In the eyes of the opposition, those against the use of rock music, everything associated with it is evil. So wouldn’t the spirit that is called be an evil spirit if it were not in communion with God? So the opponents suggest that these people who come for salvation never receive it? How can the work of Satan

produce eternal life? Of course it cannot! I believe that the Holy Spirit is far wiser than to work through evil means for the good of the gospel. The Holy Spirit is not present where there is confusion; God is not the author of confusion. So if a band were not honoring God then the Holy Spirit would not be present. He would not self-inflict reproach. People do not become saved unless the Spirit draws them because it is impossible to reach God through Christ if we do not come by the Holy Spirit. What is so different about Christian music than the music of the world? We are supposed to be singing about God’s love and salvation through Christ, lifting Him up in spirit and in truth. When the world hears Christian music there should not be any confusion over what that person is listening to. The bible tells no longer walk and us we are to be different, because we as Christians have been changed after the things of the flesh. The world should recognize the difference because the music should be uplifting Christ. What comes out of the Christian musician’s mouth should be a far cry from what comes from the mouth of the world. We are to speak about and sing those things which we receive from God, whereas the world is still listening to the voice of the devil. I am against the promotion of Christian artists alongside of New Age Music, Nature Music, Eastern Religious Music, etc. for the very simple fact that the world wants you to believe that all of it should be lumped in together as one big happy family. 2 Corinthians 6:14: “Do not be yoked together (teamed with those, form a partnership) together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?” When people saw Jesus they saw Him as someone different than the religious leaders of his day. They saw him not as a religious man, but a Godly man. I believe to lump Christian music in with the secular is to remove the importance of Christ. We have been set apart from the world by the Holy Spirit. We are not to fellowship with the world, but to live the life of Christ as examples to the world. How can we be the light of the world if our light is shinning alongside of music which promotes false doctrines? 2 Corinthians 6:14: “what fellowship can light have with darkness?” There are those in the Christian marketplace who would say that getting the Christian music into the hands of the lost is a great way to witness. I totally agree, but there is so much compromising going on that the Spirit of the Lord has been removed and replaced by the face of a dead president on a piece of green paper. Maybe there are more records being sold by Christian artists than ever before, but I am also seeing a black cloud hanging over the youth of America, casting shadows of spiritual darkness. Christ did not compromise in order to fulfill His purpose. He stood up and spoke boldly the truth. Those that received Him were fewer than those who picked up rocks to stone him, but Jesus had backbone and integrity. I would love for every lost headbanger in the world to have the opportunity to pick up a Bride record, but if it is looked upon as just another record to bang your head to then what purpose has it really served? I cannot agree with the “sneak the Christian music in and maybe no one will notice that it is Christian” tactics. I want the world to know that I am a Christian, and my faith comes from God, and my life belongs to Him. I do not want anyone to ever have to guess what my intentions are. 2 Corinthians 6:17: “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” We left the following morning for Immenhausen 250 km away. There was some discussion that two of our people would have to switch RV’s and ride in the Creed RV. No one volunteered, so for now we kept the same travel arrangements. In Immenhausen, we played a small club called Akku to about 250 people. Although it was a small crowd the room was tight. After two opening bands Creed went on, playing about an hour; then we took the stage. I did not feel led to speak to the crowd this night. I was still bummed out about the hecklers the night before, and I wanted to be able to go out and speak in a good spirit as to not let my feelings get in the way. It seemed as though everyone was drinking and I did not want to throw the pearls before swine (Matt.7:6). That night we stayed in a private home, which we never do. There is usually always problems, but this house

was big and, other than the lack of heat, it was comfortable. The next day it was the Hamburg show. After a 4 hour drive through changing weather we arrived at the 300-person club called Logo. It was dark like CBGB’s in NYC, but the sound system was huge. My throat was very scratchy because of the insane weather, and when I was having vocal problems I was very irritable and cranky. Normally I could sing for hours at a time, but this cold weather, coupled with no heat when we slept, was misery. My voice, however, as in the past, came back to full force, and we rocked a packed house who were right in our faces all night. This had to be the single hottest show I had ever done. I never remember pouring out so much sweat in one night. Monday 21st we would be traveling 6 hours. This would be a no show day. We were scheduled for a t.v. appearance that morning before the drive. This would prove to be very interesting. No one had informed use that the producer of the show wanted us to panamime to the song I Miss The Rain. We thought it was going to be an interview only. Rik and Jerry, in fear of being forced to do something that they would be embarrassed by, decided not to budge out of the RV. Troy and I, always taking the heat of the action, went into the studio to discuss different possibilities. The producer was very closed minded and much like Hitler in his dictator style. After a 30-minute argument we were allowed to do an interview. A very pretty blonde female sat in between Troy and I and asked us questions for about 20 minutes. The producer was angry and very upset over the panamime but he had to deal with it. We spent the night in Darmstadt, which is about 40 minutes out of Frankfurt. The next day we decided to do a little shopping. Troy was downing alka seltzer as he felt the flu coming on. That night we were to play a club called Negativ. It was the smallest club we had ever played. It was smelly, dirty and I was afraid to touch anything. Lightmare and Creed were the opening acts. I decided to lead an assault on our dressing room out of boredom, smashing apples and yogurt on the walls. “This is what rock & roll people do.” Now that I am older, we do not give ourselves over to such shenanigans. Jerry even went as far as breaking an overhead light with his drumstick. Andres just shook his head. I think he had expected this behavior from us. 150 teenagers squeezed into the tiny room. Into the 3rd song of the set, Hired Gun, my monitors went off. In these days I was merciless to sound people and monitor folks, and I threw my water bottle against the cave-like wall in total disgust, and then pounded Jerry’s cymbals relentlessly with my fist. No one came to my rescue, so I left the stage and refused to play until they were turned back on. Vince and the soundman worked feverishly to get the monitors back on, and after a 5-minute delay we were back into the set as happy as June bugs. One must remember that the band at this time was stressed, exhausted, not focused and really did not want to be in Germany at this time. Overall the night went average, and we were happy to get out of that hole. We went back to Darmstadt to Petra’s father hotel, which was more like an apartment. (Petra was a German girl who had been an exchange student to the U.S. Her father owned hotels and she spoke excellent English.) After a good night of sleep we ate the famous German breakfast of sandwich meat and bread as hard as bricks; then it was on the road to Boblingen. This would be an unplugged show at a Baptist church in Gartrigen. Andres got word from home that his wife, who was pregnant, was ill, but it was nothing serious. This day we could tell that his mind was preoccupied. This show drew only about 120 people, who sat on the floor the entire show like some 60’s love-in. I was supplied a translator and spoke in detail of the death and resurrection of Jesus. I talked more this night than any of the other shows. The next morning it was an adventurous trip to Bern Switzerland. Because of laws prohibiting more than 6

people to an RV, Sharon and Vince would ride a short distance with Creed. Andres said that he had never had trouble getting bands across the border, but then again he had never traveled with Bride. We were stopped at the border, strip searched with the exception of the girls, fined, taxed, and delayed almost two hours. The fine for not reporting merchandise and the taxes on it were about 750 marks. We were soon released, and we all got a good laugh. Not far into Switzerland, we saw what appeared to be low clouds. But they turned out to be the Swiss Alps. It reminded me of when we had played D.C. on the Stryper tour. Going into Washington, seeing all of the white buildings was very majestic. But the Alps were God’s handy work, which seemed a bit more impressive. Driving on the Autobahn n1, the Alps followed us on every turn. Of all the places in the world, Troy said that he thought he could live here. The show in Bern was a little late getting started, but the 700 fans did not mind. They rocked as hard as the German audience, and even had an incredible mosh pit. We played this night with Desert Voice and Creed. Going back into Germany was no problem for the RV’s. However, our p.a. was stopped and detained by the German border guards because it was too heavy for the truck that was carrying it. Another truck was sent back to the border to retrieve it. We made a stop in Fribourg, a small German town with lots of old churches and buildings. Sharon was on a hunt for a real cuckoo clock, and we were very close to the Black Forest where they made them. Unfortunately all of the clocks were too expensive. We did get to visit a magnificent old church that dated back to 1200 AD. The church had huge stained glass windows and two towering pipe organs, one at each end of the church. The weather was still changing, and a warm front had moved in. Jerry was now the only one who was sick. He would get worse before getting better. He also received a disturbing telephone call on Andre’s car phone that his son, Jacob, was ill with a massive sinus infection, but it was not anything too serious. Seemed like we all were fighting illness and there was some force at hand trying to shut down the tour, but we pushed on. After a ride at Alpha Romeo speeds through the Black forest we came to a halt. For twenty minutes we were delayed by a herd of sheep being driven down the main highway. The flock numbered about 300 and blocked both lanes of traffic. The show in Freudenstadt was excellent. Rik broke his 2nd bass string of the tour. On the song Under the Influence the e string snapped, and Rik went ballistic. He threw the bass from his shoulder to the ground, then stomped on it a couple of times. I was wondering if it would hold the weight of his size 12-shoe coming down on it, and it did. The crowd of 650 looked amazed and a little scared at this true western behavior. Rik received another bass, and the show rolled on. After an encore where we played Troubled Times, Murder, and Hell No, I addressed the audience, who would rather hear the music. After about a 10-minute message to a restless crowd it was to the T-shirt table to sign photos and other merchandise. The crowd was very heavy, and Troy and I had the brace the table with our thighs as the crowd pressed us heavy. I thought we might be pushed through the wall behind us. It made me sign things much quicker. That night we stayed in a guesthouse a couple of minutes from the hall. After a much-needed sleep, we left the next morning for Owen/Teck. This was a festival featured The Electric’s, Ken Tamplin and a couple of other bands. We were headlining, but when I found out that we would not go on until around one in the morning I told Andres to switch our time slot with Tamplin, who was suppose to go on before us. This was no problem and I was much happier. The stage was enormous, and hundreds of lights draped over the stage. Harry and Connie, our overseas crew supplied by Andres, would not be working the show because a crew had been supplied. Connie would work the Creed show a few miles away. Harry would hang with us and take photos of the band.

Close to 2000 people jammed into the hall. Many people were turned away. The show Started with me having trouble with a broken mic stand that was given me. I trashed it right away and rendered is useless. I relentlessly abused the stand throughout the show. The crowd seemed a little tired from the other bands and the fact that everything was running an hour behind. This was Rik’s last full-blown show with us and he was rocking hard. Our encore included Hell No, a song on which Jerry, who was very ill and medicated, had to push himself hard to make it through. The last tune was Troubled Times, and Rik bid an explosive farewell to the band’s live performance as he smashed his bass against the stage at the end of the song. I began slamming the already broken mic stand as Troy debated maybe cutting his strings off his guitar, but would never want to damage that Gretsch. The monitor man and the few timid in the crowd watched in horror, as if they were witnessing a murder as we finished off the set. Rik’s bass lay in hundreds of pieces, some splintered into tooth picks. The headstock was never found. My mic stand, which had not served me well, was now twisted like a pretzel. The crowd here had witness an end to a Bride era, and I do not think they understood any of our actions. After the show, a handful of people among the masses questioned our decision to destroy our gear. I tried to explain to them we did it out of fun and to bid a real farewell to Rik, but not many of these people were willing to understand. The last show of the tour would be an unplugged set where we would rejoin Creed. My voice was burnt after the night before, so we were going to just try and have some fun. We had visited a couple more old churches that day, as well as a castle on a hill. We had all run down the hill, and now my legs were aching. I was glad that this would be a sit down show. This show was in Wurzburg, where we stayed at the hotel Zum Winzermannle. Our very last show with Rik was to about 120 teens in the upstairs room of a Christian bookstore. This would turn out to be one of the best shows of the tour. We ended the set with a new song called Time, which was very fitting since Rik’s time with us had now ended. Late that evening, we all went to an Italian restaurant where the crew, Creed and Bride enjoyed some fellowship and celebrated the end of the tour. The next morning we said farewell to Rik, leaving him back at the hotel as he waited on a ride to the train station where he would travel to Italy. He had always been a loner, and now he was all alone. As we drove I heard Andres make a comment about the tour. He said, “It is over.” I mumbled it under my breath as a final goodbye to a friend and a musical partner. Rik had always wanted to understand God. I remember, when he had joined the band, I had given him a Living Bible so that it might be easier for him to understand the scriptures. He had the knowledge in his head after all of these years, but I never felt like he really let it into his heart. He had seen so much negativity and so many contradictions in the lives of other Christians. I feel like he quit because he did not want to be labeled a hypocrite. There were several “Christian Bands” who publicly had stated that they drank beer, and that had not been a good witness for him. Rik was gone, and now it was time to Start over again.

chapter 15: rebuilding

We scheduled rehearsals with Steve Curtsinger immediately when we returned from Germany. We would move our rehearsal to Troy’s newly built home. Jerry called me the day of the first rehearsal and was deathly ill. It seemed that he had shook off the flu from Germany but contracted a stomach virus when he returned. I now was fighting the flu but we were still going to rehearse. We had shows right around the corner and we had to be prepared. At this time I sent my solo project away to be pressed and I was looking forward to getting it back in time to sell at the Bride shows. April 9th we headed out for Hannibal Missouri, to do a single show. Everything felt a little awkward like there was a peace instead of the unrest that was normally felt. Steve rode in the second van with Jerry, Vince and Pam (Jerry’s wife) so I was not able to get a full picture of how things were working. I could tell though that Jerry was still trying to adjust. We had got a late Start because one of the vans had broke down before we left the driveway. We had to wait an hour for another van to arrive. It was about a 7-hour haul. When we arrived the P.A. was still being hooked up. I was sitting talking with the soundman when I saw Vince who was standing on the stage reach out toward Steve’s amp, which had a broken wheel. The amp began to rock and then tilted over. I jumped from my seat to try to catch it. I barley got my fingertips on it but my foot was directly under it. The amp smashed three toes on my right foot. I could not just jerk my foot out I had to lift the amp up to get my foot out. I returned to my seat afraid to look at it because the toes felt broke. Only the promoter knew that the amp had caught my foot. I guess since that I had not screamed or made any sound everyone supposed the amp had missed me. I went down stairs into the dressing room and took a look. Even though it felt like I had broke some toes and the swelling was bad, I figured it was not broke. It had turned blue and purple almost immediately and we were about an hour away from starting the show. I put some ice on it up to show time but it did not seem to help. The show went on with me standing stationary most of the night. Steve’s performance was excellent. I guess Troy and myself had more trouble than anyone. Troy was still plagued by the flu and with me doing my peg leg pirate routine I am sure we looked beaten. We then had shows in Lynchburg VA, Olathe Ks, and one of our favorite places The Warehouse in Bartlesville Ok. Steve was being broken in quickly. We had only rehearsed three times before our first show and now we were playing nearly every weekend. He had played more shows with us in the first month than he had played with Killed By Cain the whole time they had been together. April 22, 1994 President Nixon died. I had been a big fan of his probably because I was raised as a Republican. The following day Troy moved out of our parent’s house to his new home. It was really weird that Troy was moving. He had worked on his house for months and I seldom saw him other than to do shows or rehearsals during this period of time. Loading the moving truck with all of his personal things was just a part of things changing. When you are kids, you just do not think about growing up. I guess when I got married Troy probably felt a little strange like things were changing. Then too with Nixon dying it was like the pages were turning away from my youth and I began to ponder questions about the future. The future of Bride, the future of my family. I had always thought about aging and even though only being thirty years old I was looking much further ahead. At this point in the Bride legacy, I was praying for God’s direction because I knew within myself that Bride could not and should not do another metal record. I felt like I had said it all with Snakes and Scarecrow and I felt like the direction of the band rested upon my shoulders as an artist. Bride was capable of playing any type of music but I wanted to break new ground. How were we going to do it? All I knew is we should continue playing shows because we had a strong following and we were being effective as a ministry in winning souls. I had saw an interview with the Rev. Billy Graham where he had said that he had considered himself a failure. If Billy Graham could say that then what did that, make me? I wanted to do more and in order to achieve the vision that I had; I was awakened to the reality the band would soon have to change. GMA week approached and Troy and I were invited to the song writers showcase. We were asked to play “Would you die for me.” Other artist included, Charlie Peacock, Steven Curtis Chapman, Margaret Becker, Wes King and our good friends Guardian. On our way to Nashville to participate in this festive event, our

rental car broke down in Elizabeth town. Sharon and Michelle who were with us decided we should eat lunch while we waited for the 2nd Lincoln to be delivered to us by Budget. After about a hour of waiting the car arrived and we drove on without delay to Nashville. Troy and performed and we decided not to wait around for pictures so we left before the event ended. On the way, home we ran into more car trouble. Fifteen minutes out of Nashville we stopped for gas I handed the car keys to Sharon, who accidentally locked them in the car. After a two-hour wait for a locksmith to arrive and break into the car we drove the seemingly never ending drive home. We arrived at home about 4:30 am to find a note from the baby sitter which read Greg Martin will be coming up to write some songs at about 3 p.m. I only got 3 hours of sleep. Greg and I had talked for a long time about getting together and writing some tunes. He knew his living came from the Kentucky HeadHunters but Greg really wanted to write some Christian songs. Greg arrived just a few minutes late and after a coke and conversation we tried out some tunes. Greg was playing a Martin box guitar and from the start, we caught a vibe and two songs began taking shape. Troy came in about an hour and a half into the rehearsal and Greg asked him to bring over a guitar. Within about 3 hours of Troy’s arrival we had worked on and created several tunes that had potential. I was thinking that maybe this was the change we needed. Greg’s busy schedule with the HeadHunters would prohibit us from getting together very often but we had began something. We nicknamed the band Dixie Highway in honor of a famous highway that ran by my house. I was hoping something would transpire out of this practice but time would tell. The songs that we had worked on were very blues oriented and exactly what I was hoping for. Troy and I had not sat down with anyone like this in years to combine ideals and we both agreed that it felt very refreshing. On with the show 1994 brought us our third Dove trophy. Psychedelic Super Jesus won the recorded metal song of the year. We all were less enthusiastic about the win seeing that the two previous awards did not open any new doors for us. 1994 also reunited us with Michael Sweet and The NewsBoys at the Agape festival in Greenville Illinois. It was great to see Michael again he had been a real brother in the past and he seemed really happy to see us. His set was one of the very few I had watched in a long time. I thought his new band was tighter than the old Stryper and that he never sounded better. We would see him again the following week in Dayton TN at the Strawberry Festival. My solo record was now in full stride and there was mixed reactions from the fans. I think it was so off the wall that they needed to get used to it. Troy and I had finally got a meeting set up to speak to Peter York of Sparrow. Steve Baker met us in Nashville at Sparrows offices and after a short wait; we entered into Peter’s office. We sat through a history of Sparrow and heard much of what we had already heard from other record companies. Peter did not convince us that he was excited about the prospects of landing us. I think he would have loved to have us on his label however he did not say anything that would make me want to sign a contract with them. Troy and I both had the same feelings. John and Dino were on our minds. They were the only two that we had talked with that truly seemed excited about having the band. All they wanted from us was a one-page contract laying out the blue print for a production project that they would shop for us. Steve was not against the idea but he warned that we should really pray about it. I could not have agreed more. There was no one at this point in the Christian community that I felt had Bride in their best interest. Everyone seemed to be greedy and only thinking of themselves. I prayed that the Lord would show me the way. Steve our new bassist was still trying to adjust to the Bride routine and he said he felt really blessed to be a part. Jerry was still trying to get used to the fact that Rik was gone. He did not bond quickly with Steve and this worried me. I needed a band that felt as one and now we seemed to be playing as well as ever but there was a confidence factor that was missing. There was an edge of confidence missing that I hoped would return soon. It was not anything to do with Steve’s ability as dedication as a member but rather that Rik had been such a presence on and off stage. The fans did not seem to miss the giant but the bands aggression and

vibe had lightened. May the 15th in Dayton Tennessee at the Strawberry Festival we experienced our first rain out since we had been a band. It had rained on us in the past at out door shows but this time it really rained. The stage was right next to a lake that was over flowing. The whether reports were calling for electrical storms. Upon little persuasion from the promoter, the sound, and light company who had lost a P.A. system to rain the day before called it quits. It was going to be another show with Michael Sweet but it was cancelled. We had fellowship at the hotel then later that evening at a restaurant called Bubba’s. Bubba’s was a small family type restaurant in the heart of Dayton. They served everything from seafood to ribs to chicken to alligator. I could not pass up the opportunity to try some gator. I had ate snails in Florida crawdads in Louisiana now gator in Tennessee. I would have to say that every neighborhood needs a restaurant like Bubba’s. More production delays with “Scarecrow” was now threatening to push the release further back. Troy and devised another plan to bring in revenue plus please the fans. We decided to assemble a twenty song Matrix CD. Since Matrix was only available in the past on cassette, we figured the fans would appreciate a CD. I personally handled the arrangements and processing and we were racing the clock to have them by Cornerstone Festival. Our next date was a fly date into Canada and we were sure this was going to be lots of fun getting into the country, we were Bride. Scarecrow Messiah My solo project was selling well and I even sent it out to the metal radio stations to try to pull some airplay. I got favorable response and even a call from Dig Hay Zoose saying how much they liked the project. The first single Beast from “Scarecrow Messiah” arrived to me in the mail from Star Song June 10th and it was great knowing that the record would soon follow. With a release date of June 16th, it would still not be soon enough for the hundreds of Bride fans that had written and phoned. This was the first record we had recorded that I listened to at least once a week for the first couple of months. Deep in my heart I did not feel that it would do any better sales wise than Snakes had done but I felt more gratified with the overall performance of the band and the songs. I do not know if it was because the record had been so long in coming or if I just, liked it that much more. One thing for sure I knew I would be ecstatic once I was holding the finished CD in my hands. Bill Reed claimed to be waiting for the release of the record to began his sweeping tour plans of the country with Bride. Steve Baker was now off the road from PFR and promised he would concentrate heavily upon getting the band a new record deal. Peter York of Sparrow had called Steve and had passed on signing us. He told Steve that he honestly did believe in the band however Sparrow was running over the rim with artist and they just did not have any more room. He suggested taking the band to Reunion records. I really did not want to get hooked up with another Christian record company but I was willing to listen to best offers. I felt like we had already gave it a good run with Star Song and I just did not feel that any of the Christian labels would know what to do with us. Michael Sweet was having good success with Benson “so it seemed” but I knew that not even Benson could handle Bride. Steve and Bill both partly placed the blame for Bride’s stand still on Troy who still held down his day job. They felt that if they could free Troy up and cut him loose from the government that they could really go to war for us. Oddly enough my solo project felt so good to me that I was more interested in recouping my expenses with that and beginning another one. Bride seemed a little distant from me during this period of time. We were still playing almost every weekend. We were on the cover and featured in the currant issue of Heaven’s Metal. The mail was coming in more than ever and we had our best album to date about to bust out of the shoot. I called Scarecrow the most highly anticipated record of 1994. There were so many rumors floating around about it and the release delays that I figured that even non-Bride fans would buy it out of curiosity. Even though to the public’s eye it looked like Bride was at it’s height of popularity I personally had lost interest and felt like I was just going through the motions. I had always said when it stopped being fun I would quit and now there was that debate going through my mind and prayers. My greatest satisfaction had come in the form of a self-financed and self produced project called “Speak into the Machine” and my creative

juices were flowing like Picasso planning my next abstraction musically. I had always said that it is foolish to disband or break up a successful band when you can always record and sell records to the fans. Bride was responsible for ministering to a lot of people. Many people depended on our obedience as writers and musicians to the faith to deliver records for their edification. My lyrics had been applied to many a life struggling with life’s questions. I was usually the last hope of the people who wrote for advice or counseling. I knew my work in Bride went way beyond that of a singer in a band. I held the weak together at times as they searched their souls through the lyrics printed on the inserts. There was something I needed to do though, that thing was another solo project. A more in depth piece of work that would surpass anything that I was capable of in the past. I had been seeking the Lord for ideals lyrics and concepts and I was getting close. I now needed the finances to make it happen. I felt that there was a market and a hunger for what I was blueprinting. Bride was easy. Troy and I had done it for so long that putting together Bride record took little effort. I was so used to working with Troy as a team that working alone was frightening but yet tantalizing. I desperately was looking for a challenge. The fear of failure was my motivation. To do a project so far left of what Bride was or even so much different than Speak into the Machine and have it reach people who had sought after music in this vain would be wonderful. I felt like “Speak into the Machine” had spoke to people in a way that they had not been spoken to before. Now I wanted to reach the masses of people who thought that Tom Waits or Pink Floyd had hung the moon. I really enjoyed playing in Bride and listening once in a while to our music. The live performances were the high points. On the contradictory side of things, I did not like the bands that we were compared to. Zeppelin was the only band that we were ever compared to that I was honored to fall into the same sentence. To do three or four more Bride records on a Christian label would make no sense what so ever. We would become stale even to our fans and I believed we would become robots as musicians. Bride’s future rested in the decisions that we would make in the near future upon the advice and counsel that Steve Baker would deliver to us after knocking on a few doors in the industry. No one in Bride wanted to be doing the same type of shows, in the same small towns, for the same number of people a year from now. My prayers were for God’s will but also for a clear direction. We had a couple of weeks off before the Cornerstone festival. Sharon and I decided to take a much-needed vacation away from the kids and the band. We planned our trip for Vegas and Sharon was eagerly awaiting our departure. I was going to try to go a week without writing a lyric, try to go a few nights in a row with a good sleep and not waking in the middle of the night with a new song ringing in my mind. Some nights I could hear the music like a radio at it’s lowest volume. I physical, mentally and spiritually needed to come in off the battlefield for a week. I had been bruised for a long time and like a prizefighter that was standing only because of the size of his heart, I needed to sit and heal. I would be better at war if I could regroup.

chapter 16: the last hurrah

Sharon and I returned from Vegas where we were fortunate enough to have gotten Vinny Pazienza, Roberto Duran and Sean O’Grady’s autographs. Since I had been a huge fan of boxing for many years, these autographs were the most exciting event of the trip. Heaven’s Metal magazine was waiting for me when I got home. Bride was on the cover. One of the photos that Michelle had taken with us all laying on the floor of their foyer was plastered on the cover of the new issue. The article/interview was entitled “ A waiting Bride.” It was an odd article and did not set well with Troy, Steve, or I who had all three read it. Jerry had not seen it yet. I think that Doug Van Pelt was a friend and allied however this article was strangely written. This issue # 48 July/Aug 1994 also contained the article I had submitted about our tour of Germany. It was longer than I had thought it would be almost covering an entire page. In the back of the magazine in the “record review” section was the review of Scarecrow and one of my solo project. Doug wrote of Scarecrow” Overall this is easily Bride’s best album to date and I didn’t like it at first listen! Casual observation showed little departure and growth from the previous album, but the feeling soon changed once I really took a listen at full volume.” He went on to describe the band as a Volcano in mid-explosion. It was a good review but not an outstanding review. I personally did not feel we had swept Doug off his feet with this one. I did believe he honestly thought it to be our best but I do not believe he felt it to be a superior masterpiece of epic proportion. Maybe that was the exact words we had expected him to use. “Speak into the Machine” was reviewed a few pages over and Doug or whomever wrote the review did not say whether they liked the disc or not. They merely reviewed it. “Here’s a 10 song trip into the creative mind of Dale Thompson. Without the band Bride with him to provide the confines of its style, Dale experiments with reckless abandon Speak into the Machine.” This was the way he began the review. His closing sentence was, “We’re talking out there!” I was disappointed at the fact that he never mentioned my drastic vocal change on this record. I felt like through the pain I endured to pull off some of the vocal acrobats on “Speak into the Machine” that it should have been mentioned. Looking back in retrospect, I believe that I was going through an inferior complex disorder. Whether or not I have grown out of it or not is yet to be testified. We were waiting patiently for Scarecrow to arrive and plus the Matrix CD that was being pressed. The only thing that arrived was the J-cards for the Scarecrow cassette. We would turn these into back stage passes to sell at shows. The J-cards looked fine with the exception that Jerry and Rik were both missing from the photograph on the inside of the insert. When we all had sat down months back to proof the lay out all four of us were on the insert. Our faces covered a bit by the “Join the Bride fan club” lettering, however all four members was on the inside, together. I phoned Troy to get his opinion after I left a couple of messages on the voice mail at Star Song. Troy felt we should tell Jerry so that he would not be shocked when the actual record was in his hands. I phoned Jerry and broke the news and there was a moment of silence on his end. Then Jerry said, “Nothing against you Dale but why should I be photographed if I am not treated like a part of the band. I might as well find a real gig somewhere, a paying gig!” I explained to him that neither Troy or I had any ideal that they would leave his photo off the insert. I felt it necessary to clear our names since the blame for the Kinetic Faith incident was placed on me. Jerry even mentioned “here we go again another Kinetic Faith.” I was a little upset with Jerry’s statement that he thought he should “find a real gig.” When I phoned Troy back to inform him of how Jerry took the news Troy was highly upset with Jerry’s statement. Troy responded by saying what other band could he be an equal in, take trips all over the world and make as much money as he has with us? I totally agreed I felt that Jerry blamed Troy and I for most everything negative that someone else did concerning him. Troy and I both had worked to make the band recognized not as 4 members but rather a band, singular, a unit working equally together. I had even given Jerry the responsibility of doing phone interviews so that people could hear his voice over the radio and think of him as more than a drummer. Jerry had grown bored with this responsibility and now did not want to do any more of these either. It seemed like that no matter how hard I tried to make everyone happy and feel comfortable in

the band that all it took was one episode to destroy all the work I had put in. Here we had a new record hours away from being released. We had a calendar full of really good dates not to mention, a new “Dove Award.” Fallout was #1 on the metal chart. (This was a song that was two years old.) Many record companies were taking a look at us even “Arista” the huge secular label. Although it seemed on the surface that it couldn’t possibly get any better I felt like we could not allow things to get any worse. My mind raced with solutions to restore the excitement that we had at one time. I had grown tired of Bride bored with hard rock the only thing that was keeping me going was the fact that I knew we were reaching thousands of people. The fans depended on us and the fruit of our labor was plentiful, the great letters of encouragement continued to pour in, many positive letters sharing their testimonies with us. So many things continued to point to the survival of Bride but my heart was truly sad and I had no answers why. In many ways I believe Jerry may have really seen things the way they were and I was living in some sort of fantasy world. Maybe I couldn’t see the truth of it all. Time would tell. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE BOOK WE ARE INTRODUCING THOUGHTS FROM PAST BAND MEMEBERS. THE FOLLOWING IS FROM JERRY MCBRROM OUR FORMER ESTEEMED DRUMMER OF OVER A DECADE OF LOYAL DEDICATION AND SERVICE... “To be honest, I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t remember the pic incident with Scarecrow at all. I guess that’s how much not being in that pic meant in the overall scheme of things... I definitely remember the Kinetic Faith incident. I did feel betrayed on that one. It was the first time I was on any kind of release, and it totally caught me by surprise that Rik and I were left off the cover. That all fed into the incident at the gig with Michael English, after seeing you and Troy go up and receive all these awards that I thought we had all worked for together. I can say that I was extremely sensitive at that time to matters such as that. I can only attribute that to immaturity on my part. I think I wanted to make sure everyone knew that I was a part of what was going on with the band. I felt really good about what we were accomplishing as a band and I felt that we were recording strong albums, so I wanted to be a part of it in every sense, if you know what I mean. I would imagine that being on the Snakes album cover and them being omitted from the Scarecrow cover would’ve seemed like a step back for me.... I do remember being unsure about the future of the band once Rik left. I saw him as the one with his finger most on the pulse of what was happening in the music scene at that time. I kind of saw Rik as someone who could spot the trends before any of the rest of us.... I knew though that he was not motivated enough to make anything happen without the rest of us pulling him along. What struck me most about you was your work ethic. You were always ready to try something new and not sit back and rest on what we’d done. That showed in your solo stuff and in your willingness for us to try different things, musically. I really thought (and remember saying to people) that you were sort of the spokesman for our times for young people. I also totally believed we had an unbelievable and undeniable chemistry between us all when we were together. Now that I think of it, maybe us lightening up on Drop had something to do with much of the tension amongst us being removed with Rik out of the band.... I think that maybe there was something about all of us being so volatile together that made it special... almost combustible.” (Jerry McBroom) June 27th our CDs arrived via UPS. I quickly opened a box of them to look at the insert. I was hoping that the photo mistake that had upset Jerry so badly was only on the cassettes but no such luck. His and Riks photo’s were omitted from the CD insert also. I phoned Jerry and told him the CD’s had arrived his mood was better. I guess a night to sleep on it calmed him down. He came to my house to pick up a copy. Jerry lived about 45 minutes away. Shortly after he left he phoned and said you won’t believe what is printed on the disc. I was afraid to ask. Seemed like the Star Song art department had given us enough grief over the past few month. I hesitantly took the bait and responded by saying, “don’t tell me something else is messed up?” Not only was our original art work that we submitted turned down by Star Song, by mistake their accounting department paid the artist anyway. Not only was Jerry and Rik’s picture missing from the insert, Star Song now had printed on the disc itself, “Produced by Steve Griffith for Gaga Production.” John and Dino had proudly produced this record! Jerry’s mood had now turned into one of crazy laughter on the other

end of the telephone. I immediately raced to retrieve a copy of Scarecrow and lo’ and behold Jerry’s eyes were not deceiving him. I was floored. I quickly hung up with Jerry only to dial Star Song and put in a complaint. No one had any answers. I was not looking for lame excuses I wanted these problems to be dealt with and rectified pronto. I also called Dino who was also stunned by such a terrible oversight. I tried to make since of all this. Was this a sign from above? How was I to interpret this? Why was this happening, could anything else possibly happen to this record? I figured it was such a powerful record, that the devil was fighting us tooth and nail (no pun intended) because he was afraid of the impact that this one would make. I never liked to give the devil any credit but something negative had been happening for the longest time and I just had no other answer. I found this an opportunity to learn take notes and gain ground. Oddly enough, I felt myself rising out of the depression that I had been in and I felt like fighting back exceedingly hard. I could not wait for Cornerstone which was a week away. I wanted to face the devil on that stage like David did Goliath and put a big hurt on him. Cornerstone 94 Unlike years past this “Cornerstone Festival” was like a dirt track and not something out of the swamp thing. There was a storm threatening however it never came. “The Prayer Chain” went on right before us on the main stage. They played a furious set that the crowd loved. Unfortunately, there were not very many people there to see them. From our dressing room, “a trailer back stage” I estimated maybe 1500 people all together. They did stir up a dust storm in the “mosh pit” which looked like a posse riding out through the prairie. I told Jerry “this is just great we come to Cornerstone on a Friday night get the prime spot and only play to 500 people. See I told you they were tired of us.” Of course, I was just joking to get him excited and nervous. When we took the stage it was still day light and we saw people coming down off the hill in front of the stage in groves. The night was falling quickly and about the middle of our set, it was dark. Around four to five thousand people stood watching our set. Troy and Jerry both complained afterward that they had played lousy however I felt it was a very good set. This was our first show with the new Scarecrow product available. The fans showed their appreciation by buying it all. Sharon “my wife” had to go to another vender in the merchandise tent to buy what Scarecrow CD’s they had. We had a show the next day in Monroe Ohio at the Solid Rock church. It is a church right off of interstate 71 that we always past when we traveled north. We left Michelle, her brother, her brother’s friend Charlie, at Cornerstone to sell product the second day while we were in Ohio playing that date. This night went extraordinarily well performance wise and at the end of the night 27 people came forward at the invitation. We met a super nice guy this particular show named Lawrence Bishop. He was in the opening band “Two Hippies and a Cowboy.” Lawrence was the cowboy. He was a pro rodeo rider, former bull rider, currently riding saddle-broncs. He was also one mean bass player. After the show we went out and ate dinner with him and a group of people. Lawrence was hilariously funny and kept us laughing the whole evening. These two shows made up our top-grossing weekend ever bringing in much needed $12,000 dollars in product sales and honorarium. We had many bills to pay and had been off for three weeks with the two following weeks empty, this was a much needed weekend. Bill Reed Bill sounded like a big man who at one time may have smoked a lot. Over the phone he always sounded like he was either having trouble breathing or had just wadded a Big Mac into his mouth. Steve Baker had really put Bill up on a pedestal to us. Steve told us, that “he was the best in the business at booking bands.” In an 8 month period of time Bill managed to get us about six dates. Three of those dates we had heard complaints from the promoters that Bill had been hard to work with. Steve claimed that he was not as sensitive as some booking agents in the Christian market were. Bill had worked for years on the secular side and now a born again Christian he was having a hard time breaking some of the old “push hard for the band tactic’s” that he had been used to. July the 6th Steve called me on the telephone to inform me that he was breaking his exclusive contract between PFR and Bill. He stated that PFR needed a CCM promoter and that Bill could

continue to book shows but on a non-exclusive term. Steve did agree however that Bill was the best for Bride because we needed a heavy hitter to get us into the secular show case clubs. Bill knew the secular side in a theater arena way but I still wondered if he had the time to book a smaller band such as Bride and if he knew the club scene what so ever. I had many conversations with Bill over the phone concerning the future of Bride. Bill loved the Scarecrow record and was very excited over the prospects of going full force to the secular side with a campaign. He talked about our future like it should be a sure thing and that he thought he could get the big boys attention with this new record. One thing that really bothered me was that Bill did not want to really jump on board until this new record had came out. The Snakes record to the secular side was unknown and I did not understand why Bill did not go to bat for us earlier. Time would tell if he would go to bat for us now that the Scarecrow record was out. We were scheduled to meet Bill in person in a month or so in California at a festival that we were to play. We would attempt at that time to get many more conclusive answers from him and see at that time if Steve or Bill either had a future vision or plan. Troy and I had battled our way this far pretty much by our wits and lack of knowledge concerning the industry. We felt like we were at our wits end and that somebody better do something or our career in the music business would plummet as hard as Stryper or White Cross had done. I never really doubted Bill’s ability to produce for the band great paying gigs with more than capable promoters. He had taken PFR from having to pay to play to $2500 and up to $5000 a show. He so far had gotten us a couple of high paying shows but in any event he had also caused some turmoil with half of the promoters who felt that Bill was hard to impossible to work with. I still questioned Steve’s credentials not because he had done anything detrimental or costly to our career but because it seemed he was taking his time with us. It was obvious that time was on our side as far as nailing a new record deal, I guess I just wanted to see Steve be a bit more aggressive in his approach. He had made several phone calls and there was many interested in talking but Steve was not very excited about any of it. I knew that PFR was his main concern because technically he was the forth-man in the band. He was also the brainchild and mastermind of their business. Troy nor I did not believe that Steve understood Bride completely and the potential of success that had been severely oppressed through the years by lame record executives too prideful to admit that they did not know what to do with a band like ours. We did feel that Steve with his track record with PFR was more than capable of helping succeed at our goals. What ever our goals now were. Steve did admit that although Bill was listed on our record insert as booking agent that he would not prospect dates for us or even set up a tour. Steve suggested that we continue beating the hedges and bushes to rustle up dates on our own. What puzzled me more than anything about this entire situation was, that Steve had been with PFR during all of their dates touring. He personally had the promoter connections to get Bride gigs but he was not sharing any of this vital information with us.

chapter 17: scarecrow road

With the release of Scarecrow I felt like an arms embargo had been lifted. We now had the ammunition to defend our cause and ourselves. Our country was the Kingdom of God our general was Jesus Christ our cause was to promote the gospel through music. Scarecrow was being well received by the media and the fans loved it, however Star Song was lax in their attempts to promote the record. Word from our sources entrenched in their offices gave us borrowed information from the inside which said “do only what is required to promote the new Bride release nothing more.” I guess that is why so many distribution companies from overseas were calling for information. Star Song who had used Music for Nations as a foreign distributor now left them with no answers. I was getting phone calls daily from people who I could not help and Star Song was not offering any assistance. I worked feverishly seeking answers for questions that I knew nothing about. I could not even get the marketing director at Star Song to even hint to me what our marketing budget was. We had waited almost a year now for Star Song to produce the $12,000.00 in receipts that they claimed to have cumulated as a result of us canceling our initial recording time with Plinky. We had no record on paper of what Star Song had paid Plinky if anything for not producing the record. Star Song at this time had not produced any evidence to back up their claim that they had studio cost in Scarecrow before we recorded the first note. On a positive note, shows were steadily being booked by Sharon who had not filled the calendar but had done a good job not letting the band sit idle and get stale for long periods. She was calling old contacts and any phone number she could retrieve from concert listings and or tour schedules from the pages of such magazine’s like Heaven’s Metal. I was confident that after Scarecrow had circulated around the country and people began talking about it that we would be bombarded by letters of support and encouragement and by overwhelming phone calls from likely promoters. I felt this record had something special that none of our previous records had. I could not put my finger on it but I was sure that this would be our time and I knew we would have to be wise in our next moves. Scarecrow Tour It was the end of July and the summer and fall dates were looking thin. We continued to write song’s and rehearse for the few up coming shows that Sharon had booked for us. July 21st I got a call from Steve Baker who informed me that the 77’s had pulled off the PFR tour. This was a tour comprised of about 23 dates all around the U.S. He thought it would be a good opportunity for us to go out and get the exposure that we needed to make the Scarecrow record a success. He had not ran the ideal past PFR yet but I told him that yes we wanted to do it and after juggling Troy’s work schedule around it looked as if we could do it. We were really pumped this would be the longest we had ever been on the road at one time and we desperately needed the dates. Steve just had to talk with PFR and see if they were willing to do it. In Steve’s mind he thought that they would not do it, I prayed that if the Lord wanted us out there he would make a way for it to happen. The following day I got the news, the same news that I received when I tried to get bands like The News Boys, and Margaret Becker to tour with us. It was no. I know that I had prayed that if we were to tour with PFR that the Lord would make a way however I was disappointed in their answer. Maybe the Lord had bigger and better things in store for us, maybe he wanted our calendar bare for a reason, maybe PFR was not listening to God, and maybe they were holding us back from a blessing and to bless others. Maybe there were no bands willing to tour with us. We were a very intimidating live band and being good live was actually hurting us in getting dates. No band wanted to go out and share the stage with another band with the intensity of a jet plane taking off. Steve reassured me that he was going to pursue a new record deal for us that would put enough money into our hands that it would free Troy from his job and put us on the road for 120 dates. This seemed the great impossibility seeing that we were only playing about 50 shows a year and we were not turning down any dates because of Troy’s work schedule. Everybody had a dream for Bride to be the next big thing but not one person had the knowledge, experience, the know how or the connections to make it work. We had hit more dead ends in our carrier than a professional crash test dummy. I was beginning to think that God’s purpose for us was not to make it as a house hold name. Maybe I wasn’t listening to God. What if I had been going down the wrong road this entire time? Another question still haunted me

was why would Jeff Moseley who had called me just a few days before still want us on Star Song. So many people were believing in Bride yet on the surface there was nothing big to talk about. Many years we had struggled to stay a float and now floating, we were only floating in circles. We needed a boat motor to get us out to sea. We were still touching bottom. The next couple of weekend shows would take us to Atlanta and Nashville. The weekend shows were a real tease to our hearts desire to get out there and tour. Getting to the first show was always a bummer because for me I just did not like to travel. Once we got to the show and the lights come on, the hall is full; the music starts you just never wanted to leave the stage. Atlanta had been sunk with torrential rains produced from a hurricane off the coast of Florida so we had no clue of what we were driving into. Vince would miss this trip. His mother was being operated on in the hospital so Troy would be acting tour manager for these shows. The first show was in Atlanta. The promoter had a run down old theater he was trying to turn into something for the kids. His enthusiasm was pretty sad. He had no stage crew and he was the sound man, so he left the impression at sound check. It turned out that he was a musician and had a gig that same night of our show. He was not to be seen the rest of the night. When we returned from freshening up at the hotel and having a meal, we found the opening band on stage already. Someone had moved Jerry’s drums from the drum riser, had moved the mikes from our amps, and had even unplugged them. We went looking for the promoter who was no where to be found. We found a teenage boy who claimed he had been left in charge of the concert. I explained to him in a very harsh tone that our equipment was not supposed to be moved after sound check according to our contract. The only thing he knew was that we were not supposed to be paid until after our performance. I replied that “I wanted to be paid immediately or I would not play.” If the original promoter had been there who had booked the show I would have never asked to be paid before hand. I did not know this kid from the man on the moon and I was not about to take a chance or trust that he could be found after our show. He was unwilling at first became reluctant then went to retrieve our contracted fee. There was a poor turn out for a show that we thought would be very good seeing that we had a new record out and we had not played Atlanta in a long time. The turn out said to me that “the show was poorly promoted and that ticket prices of fourteen dollars was out of line.” It definitely showed the greed and heart of the promoter. The next day was Nashville. The turn out was a bit better but far below our estimation. Nashville seemed like a prime area but it was dry this night. It was the second hottest show as far as room temperature we had ever played. Jerry come close to dyeing of heat exhaustion on stage and even threw up twice into a towel to conceal his sickness on stage. Like the trooper he was he was able to finish the show. We had never played the “Cannery” before and the owner Gus turned out to be one of the better class of promoters. He tried to make the band as comfortable as he could and genuinely liked the band. The second show in Nashville did not make up for the aggravation that we had experienced the day before however it was rewarding. The next couple of shows would be in Florida and I would be taking my oldest son Alex on his first fly trip. I felt that the buzz around the Scarecrow record was far less than that of Snakes. I had hoped that because of the long delay in releasing the record that the fans would swallow the record up in record number, if that were happening I was not hearing about it. Judging by the amount of mail I was receiving and reports from the press it did not seemed like there was much activity from the folks at Star Song in the marketing department. I did get a report that the first single “Beast” had went, number one on the metal charts which was no big feat but it was some type of movement. I kept reminding myself that this was a ministry first and that if the Lord wanted us to have more success he would bring it but I couldn’t help from thinking that maybe our music was out of touch, maybe we had fallen way behind in our song writing. Then in my mind I tried to blame the fans by thinking that they wanted a more watered down style and message and maybe that is why other bands were breezing by us. I refused to be labeled a Dinosaur. Troy and I along with our side kicks Jerry and Steve had to write the best music of our lives in the near future if we wanted to be around much longer. It was so hard performing live shows during this time knowing that Bride was one of the best live bands in the world and everyone from the people who saw the shows, to other bands, to the record companies who would not sign us was telling us so. There was this mixed message of people saying how come you guys are not bigger than you are? In addition, why don’t they play you on the radio?

Then hot shot record executives and promoters would say if you were selling more records we could sign you or put you on the road. The catch 22 was in play and it made me furious. It seemed as though the problem I had encountered many years ago had now came to haunt me again. The song’s that said the most and meant the most to the hungry people were offensive to the weak. Song’s like “Murder” which dealt with the guilt of a women who had committed fornication, and the song “Thorns” which scrapped against the theme of suicide became a confusion in the mind of those who could not read through the print. In order to gain the full understanding of my writing one must take the song for what it said on the surface first. There was never a hidden message. The songs were like bars of gold. The surface was gold the middle was gold and that was it. There was so much on the surface I guess some people could not begin to scratch that. I began not only changing my writing style drastically for Bride but I began the process of putting together another clever solo project. Our next couple of shows was disasters to only compare to the great San Francisco earthquake. We flew to Florida to do two shows. One in Clear Water the other in Daytona. We could have combined the two shows and maybe sold out a coffeehouse. Had we gone back in time? We sure felt like we had some how taken two giant steps backwards. Jerry blamed it on me cutting my hair. I thought I would let it grow a little at least until our Brazil shows coming up. Steve Baker called saying that he was ready to become our full time manager. This would mean that we would be paying a small percentage of everything that we made to him for his services as manager. When we first met Steve, I was anxious for him to be our manager now I wasn’t so sure. I tried to figure out in my head was it because I did not want to part with any of my earnings? On the other hand, did I have a godly insight that maybe Steve wasn’t right for us? “What could he possibly do that I couldn’t do? “I asked myself.” I could get a record deal without him I thought. Would it be a good deal? Could I go any further in Bride without him? What had he done up until now? He had never asked for money for all of the information, advice, and phone calls he had made. Was I afraid to succeed? Did I really want to go out on the road and tour for a year like Steve was suggesting? Did he really believe in us as a band, as a ministry? Could he open doors that were closed to us? All of these questions and more consumed my thoughts. I remember saying years ago that when we stopped having fun I would quit. I was not having fun any more and I sure felt like I wanted to quit but what did God want? What do you want from me where do you want me to go, do you want us to change musical styles, should we stop all together I asked God? I prayed daily to send me where he wanted me, use me and give me some direction. I felt like I was steering a ship through a storm with no maps or compass. I was afraid to send up a flare because I was sure someone would find us before we sank. I did not know what to do but I had enough confidence that although the flesh was weak that the spirit would prevail and everything would soon be clear.

chapter 18: pursuing and being pursued

Up to this point in our book, I have shared our thoughts and feelings; the way they were expressed and carried out during the period of times of their happenings. Many of the people that we had problems with in the past are now dear friends. When presenting the honest truth of the past I have attempted to spare feelings yet at the same time not to paint a rose colored picture of events. All that we have endured was for our good. Many people who played key roles in our lives did not always follow the Lord. We as Bride did not always follow the Lord nor were we perfect. Not everyone was nice to us and in our immaturity as growing in Christ, we were not always the most pleasant bunch of people no matter what combination of band members we had at the time. There were times I must admit that we wanted to quit, to walk away from it all but because God’s purpose for our lives was stronger than our desire to leave we remained. We can only be faulted for being slow learners and when God tested our faith we did not always measure up. However, the Father made sure that we crossed the valleys crossed over the mountains in His time. Our journey has been one of scholarship. God was teaching and continues to teach compassion. As Jesus turned to the multitudes in compassion, He is our example to follow. On with the Book With the uneasy feeling I had about Steve Baker I was not sure if I could make correct judgements at this point even if a record company offered me the world with no strings attached. Aug 10th Steve headed for Nashville on a PFR/Bride trip. He was going to knock on a few doors and see who would let him in. I was hoping that he would bring back some positive news from at least one of the bigger companies. Troy and I had talked the night before and agreed in order for us to sign on with another Christian record company it would take a lot of up front money. We needed the money to be able to tour other wise a record deal with no financial incentive would be useless to the advancement of the band. That morning I got a call from Jeff Moseley, who informed me that Scarecrow had shipped thirty thousand plus. He seemed thrilled that the record had come out of the gates so well. Then he went into his record company pitch. “Dale, I feel like there has been a lot of water pass under the bridge and for that reason I want you guys on board here at Star Song” he said. I had already had a similar conversation with Jeff a few weeks back however this time he was not pitching a long-term agreement. He said give him just one more record and he was sure that we would want to sign on for another multi album term. I was a little shocked by his call and even more surprised that he would offer us a single record deal. Star Song just did not normally operate that way. I did not give him any type of answer, to react immediately would be foolish. I thought about trying to reach Steve on his mobile and get his impression then I decided to call Troy and see how he felt about what Jeff had proposed. I had said many times that “unless by some strange act of God we would not resign with Star Song under any circumstances.” At this point Star Song felt better in my heart than Steve did. I had prayed hard the night before for the Lord to give me direction and point me down the right road and all of a sudden, Jeff calls. Why didn’t I feel this way months ago? Did something within the heart of Star Song change for God to give us a go ahead? Maybe the Lord had this plan the entire time and had to clear some obstacles for us. Whatever the reasons and the changes I knew I had to consider Star Song seriously if not for any other reason than Jeff’s friendship. We finally made it back to California. We were to play supposedly this really huge festival. Seemed like every band that was anybody was going to be there. We had a Saturday time slot, which we felt should be a great day to play. Turned out no day was a great day. This was Summer Fest.

Summer Fest We were hoping that since we had not played California in so long that we would have an enormous audience. It had been about four years since we played Fontana, and now here we were in Burbank. Before the show even started there was trouble. Bill Reed had flown down to meet us and be a liaison in retrieving money from the promoter for us and a few other bands that he had booked at this event. Rumors had it that there was such a terrible turn out that the bands were not going to get paid. Bill was much younger looking and less greasy than I had envisioned him in my mind. His voice was very commanding and he handled himself very well. Guardian, PFR, and Bride had decided that we would not play until we got paid. We thought that if three bands joined together that the promoter would come up with the money. It worked and right before we were to go onto stage one of the organizers entered our dressing room with Bill and counted out our money. It made us feel a little better however this festival was really sad. There was so much confusion that I could not see that God was being represented at all. We decided to do our regular show with me preaching between tunes and during parts of songs that we called free. It was blistering hot, California was setting some type of Summer heat record this day, and luckily, for us we only had a 45-minute set. When we came off stage I passed Patrick the bassist for PFR who looked really bummed and all he said when I passed him was “Steve Baker” and he rolled his eyes and twisted his face slightly. I couldn’t imagine what he meant. Soon it was evident. Steve was being thrown out of the festival for coming to the aid of my wife. It seemed there was a man in the audience with a “watersoaker” water rifle-blasting people. The water kept hitting my wife. Sharon and Steve, were standing together watching our set. Sharon had asked the man several times to stop with the water. When he ignored her request, Steve marched up the bleachers to have a word with him. As Steve got within a couple of feet, the man pulled the trigger blasting Steve directly in the face. Steve quickly snatched the gun out of the man’s hands and tossed it away. That seemed to be the end of that until security for the festival came and apprehended Steve. They claimed a woman was struck in the leg with the toy water gun and was cut. Steve asked to see the women but the security would not take him there. They merely said that he was being thrown out of the festival. Back stage after our set I also found out that PFR had been penalized for Steve’s actions. The promoter of the show decided that since Steve represented PFR that he was not going to allow them to play their set unless they gave back all of the honorarium. PFR wanting to play gave back their performance money and Steve was ejected from the grounds. We stayed to sell merchandise which was miserable. I did however have the chance to speak with Robert Sweet who had a Stryper booth at the event. He was very friendly and it was nice to see him again. The bidding game When we returned, I was so happy to get out of California I just wanted to put this trip behind us and hope that the following week in IL, and up at the New Union in Minneapolis would turn out better. Steve Baker called me mid week to report that both Word records and Benson had thrown their hat into the pile wanting us to sign a new record deal with them. This made everything the more interesting. People were reading reviews on the record and the reviews were good. The Syndicate Magazine who had done an interview with me months before the release of the record finally printed the interview and review of the record. David Jenison the record reviewer said in his review, “the album is the best display of Bride’s talent that we have ever seen. While their spiritual lyrics will keep the Epics and Atlantic of the world at arms reach, Scarecrow Messiah will obviously-and deservedly-become another huge hit in Christian music.” I felt like David had said the obvious. I knew we would never be accepted by the world unless we agreed to play by their rules and agree to their terms. I was not willing to compromise anything about my ministry for the wolves and vultures of this world. Troy and I hoped that one of the Christian companies who had secular distribution would be smart enough to see the selling potential of a band like ours in the secular market and take a real stab at it. We felt even a Christian record company with limited secular distribution could raise our record sells considerably. Since Troy and I were still feeling uneasy about Steve Baker taking over the managerial duties of the band we called him on the phone and conducted a conference call. Troy grilled Steve for about an hour and a half on what Steve could do for us as a manager. What was the duties of a manager? I’m sure Steve felt he were on trial but Troy wanted to relieve the gut feeling that we both had. We now knew that Word records was not interested in signing us. They said something about down sizing the label. Now it was

down to Benson and this was the area where Steve felt like he could help Michael Betts the president of Rugged records was now hot on our trail. After our phone conversation with Steve, he was off to Europe with PFR, so he would be out of the loop for the next week or so. Michael Betts was trying to sell me the idea of Bride signing to his label. His was a small unknown label however he claimed to be a label for the artist claiming that he knew how it was to be an artist since he had come out of the band Neon Cross from California. He even wanted to fly me to California to meet with him. He was being endorsed heavily by the folks at Heaven’s Metal. Charles and Doug both had mentioned Rugged Records to me and I was open to the possibilities if they existed but then again what could a beginning label do for us? I felt it was time for Bride to refocus and in some ways start over but we wanted to start big. I didn’t mind to fly to California for a couple of days I could add it to my frequent flyer miles but Troy seemed uninterested. What to do? “So many possibilities but what path?” We had the trip to Alaska to take our mind off the lower 48. We played two shows in Palmer at the state fair. The response was good however the crowds were low. One boy who attended the show had traveled two hundred miles to see us. He had worked two weeks chopping wood to be able to afford to get into the fair. All of this we found out after we had left the fair. Our host a couple named Paul and Kim were overly gracious giving free items from their Christian book store and even buying a couple of expensive meals for us. They gave us free reign of their home and became out tour guide on the couple of free days we had after the shows at the fair. We were lucky enough to walk on a glacier. Steve our bassist and I venturing further than anyone else did. We went out at a dangerous distance and were told later that it was a foolish thing to do. Coming back to the rest of the group I slipped and fell about 5 feet down into a crevice busting my shin. I lived. We did some deep see fishing for halibut where we caught about a dozen fish. Sharon caught the largest at about 50 pounds. Three type of halibut shakers, thumpers, and if their big enough shooters. Alaska was more spectacular than the films I had watched on t.v. with its snow capped mountains, wild life, and fresh air. We encountered a moose along the roadside (which Troy got too close for comfort to), gray whales in a large river, even a hump back out on the sea. The most eventful part of the trip was the food and soda fight between Jerry and Michelle in the close quarters of a van full of people. I documented the thirty-minute free for all on videotape. It was originally provoked by a verbal attack by Jerry. We all got the worst end of it when the soda Jerry was drinking was viciously shaken and maliciously opened and like machine gun fire, we all were hit. Alaska could bring out the worst in people I guess but over all it had to one the most beautiful place, we had ever visited.

chapter 19: brazil again

Again, the possibility to travel to Brazil was before us and again we were held at bay waiting to receive our necessary visas. There had been trouble the previous time we had went to Sao Paulo. On the earlier trip, we had received our visas the day before we left and the plane tickets the day of our departure. The pressure was on again as time ticked down. This particular trip was a little different because we had our nine plane tickets however no visa. Our Brazilian liaisons were working their best to speed the visa process up but it was looking glum. Then just like the year before “boom!” Someone must have put in an extra prayer. There we were at the airport, tickets and visa’s in hand. We had picked up our visas the day of departure. S.O.S. Gospel Fest 94 Our entree into Sao Paulo was a Rock Star welcome. TV camera’s and plenty of people were there to rush us through customs without any problem. I was beginning to wonder how much power these Christians had over the government. White Cross, had joined us at our lay over in Nashville and they were welcomed just as warmly. Our hotel was a much nicer hotel than last years. XUXA’s, the Brazilian entertainer, singer, movie, and television personality who had recently came to America with her show was there with her entourage. Though XUXA was no where to be seen her fans were. There was a constant screaming in the streets from her female fans at the door of the hotel. It just so happen that my room was on the side of the building where her fans had gathered. Her dancers were spotted in the hotel lobby wearing their little elves out fits. The first night we played the same soccer stadium to an estimated 80,000 people. We were to do a short set and White Cross was to finish the night off after us. The P.A. and lights were of equal that which the Michael Jackson tour, that had used in Brazil. I got this wild ideal that it would be great to get close to the people. As we played our last song of the night, “Troubled Times” for which a banner was raised from the audience requesting it, I thought “what a better way than to get close to the people than to stage dive into them.” There was a group of people up front encouraging this action. There was about a six feet valley separating the sea of hands and I. My first concern was making the jump without falling short of my aim. Once I took a running leap and landed, a second concern became evident. The people did not want to give me back. For two minutes I fought, kicked, and punched for air. I could not see even one security guard in sight to pull me from this seeming doom. My concern was I was afraid of going completely to the ground and then be trampled or suffocated. I did not want to be transported in a flat coffin back to the states. Several people tugged at my shirt pulling one arm free. They wanted my shirt and were determined to snatch it. I pulled back but knew I was badly outnumbered. The shirt began to cut the back of my neck because of the tug o war that was going on. Then I felt someone yanking at my pants. I said to myself “I was tired of being nice.” I did not want to start knocking Brazilians out with lefts and rights but “I was not going back to the stage naked” either. Just when I began my one-man assault on the 80,000 fans, I heard Jerry break into a double time Mosh beat, “thanks Jerry” I thought, and “where was Vince?” I later learned that instead of jumping in to save the singer Vince had decided to reposition the hi-hats for Jerry. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a couple of security guards fighting to save me from this dilemma. I turned toward the biggest one and like a mountain before me, I made my climb to safety. Back on stage, my adrenaline was peaked. Thank goodness, this was the last song. Downstairs I met Sharon who had tears in her eyes. The security had swept me away like the president and she was not sure of how badly I had been beaten. I was able to walk the corridor but collapsed in the dressing room from exhaustion. My arms, back, and neck were burned, cut, and bruised but I was alive and felt victorious. Many people thought it was a crazy thing for me to do however it was important to me to touch the people physical and to send a message that Bride was the band for Brazil. White Cross-stood in shock even though they knew I was the wildest rocker in Christian music. The second night we played a full set for 130,000. The only stage diving I did was to the side of the stage into the arms of friends that had staged the second night of jumps.

I preached the gospel using an interpreter both nights to a very responsive crowd. Security the second night was tightened because of my first night antics. I could not even go to the toilet without being followed. The revival was on again and the Brazilians dedication to the Lord was evident every where we went. They gave from their hearts all that they had. They wanted God to move mightily in their country. They did not want the commercialized God that we have made in the United States, but they wanted the God of Abraham. Sunday we chose to get rested up because we had one more show to play. The next show would be Monday, to 4000 people at the church. This was the best of the three shows. White Cross-opened the night with a good hard set. It was nice hanging with Scott Wenzel again and Mike the drummer who we had known for a long time. It was great getting to know Tracey the bassist who at one time had played for Seriah and the new guitarist Barry, which took Rex Carroll’s place. Barry had been formerly with Rick Cua. The fellowship was close and I think both bands had much respect and admiration for one another. We left Brazil on Tuesday, feeling like we had accomplished much. We had preached the gospel played three out standing shows and had great fellowship. The lay over in Nashville the trip was topped by the presence on Johnny Cash and June Carter in the airport. Sharon had spotted them and chased them down. We got a quick autograph and a handshake. I figured it was as close to Elvis as I would get. Home Sweet home Back to the states for a reality, check. Our next show home was for about 350 people in Greenville South Carolina. That very same week we had shows in Helsinki Finland and in Stockholm Sweden. We had never traveled to either of these countries and were really looking forward to the trip. The only unfortunate thing about the trip was having to change planes and airlines so many times along the way. The first show was in Stockholm Sweden where we played for about 4000 kids. To our surprise Andre Crouch was the headliner at this particular show and the show the following night in Helsinki Finland. Andre is one of the most vital and influential artists in contemporary music. He has a international following, Andrae’ gives new meaning to the term “world class artist.” We shared the stage with Rez Band also, which was always a treat to hang with Glen Kaiser. The Finland show was smaller only boasting about 1500 kids. We spent an hour and a half with Andre after the second show and absorbed what he had to say. He was a very animated fellow with a lot of knowledge stored in his head. I found his eccentric behavior refreshing it reminded me of Leee Childers from many years ago.

chapter 20

The week that we returned Troy and I had two meetings to discuss the future recording possibilities with Benson and Rugged records. The first was Benson, which we had to drive to Nashville for the encounter. Mark Q who was an A&R fellow placed in the position of rock guy met us on time. He gave us the discount tour of the building, which he referred to as a machine. The entire time in the building I was thinking Bride does not need walls. I could see the walls of Benson shrinking around us. Q attempted to sell us Benson as our next home but neither Troy or I was impressed or comfortable with the surroundings. It felt like Sparrow, a bigger Star Song. The next day Michael Betts the president of Rugged records flew into Louisville from LA to lay his plan on the table. Michael seemed very sure of himself and the abilities of his much smaller company. He referred to himself as a maverick of the record business. He was a man who did not fit in with the industry and he was proud of that. He even spent time the following day at Troy’s house watching band videos and listening to demo songs, which never made it on a Bride record. He seemed to be in full agreement that we should pursue the rock style and drop metal altogether. He was also in agreement that we should be self-produced. “He said I am signing the band not a producer.” He said everything that we wanted to hear and that in itself was frightening, yet there was honesty to Michael and no walls. He left us with many things to consider and we were considering Rugged far above all the rest. “Would they be around in a year?” “Would Michael take the money and run?” “Could we sell 100,000 on this small label?” “Should we take a chance?” It was time again to pray. More often than not, we prayed to our favor attempting to force the hand of God to do what we wanted. We would learn in time that this is not how prayer works. We were very strong willed and hard headed and even though we prayed, we were not necessarily looking for God’s answers. Like many people caught up in the moment, we were thinking whatever is best for Bride, whatever can make us bigger. It was hard at the time for us to see God in the small things. But He was there. The Bible tells us even if I make my bed in the lowest hell He is there. I could not imagine trying to get comfortable in a place that the church deems outer darkness full of literal fire and torment but that thought is for another chapter. The following few weeks we got offers from Benson in the form of them sending Mark Q to one of our sold out shows at the King’s Place in Columbus Oh to look at the live show then report back to the big wig’s what he saw. Jonathan Watkins from Star Song called in one last effort to pitch the new and improved Star Song at us once more. Since Star Song had been bought by EMI it seemed like that they might be back in the running. Troy and I studied the situation from every angle and prayed hard to find God’s direction. Prior to a show in Lancaster Pa early Nov 94 Troy and I signed a one record agreement with Michael Betts and Rugged Records. This seemed like the most logical move because it did not tie us up into a multiple year agreement. We had no doubt that this was where God had directed us. A smaller label with great faith and we were going to help push them. I knew there was a bigger picture that was being painted by the Lord but I could not put my finger on it. Maybe I would never see the great plan entirely but I knew that God had one for us if we would remain faithful and steadfast in His calling. It had been a hard and rough six records up until now. We had truly paid our dues. I did not expect things to get easier. I really had no ideal what to expect. We had plenty of new song’s that would take us away from the metal side and put us into the rock side but only God knew what the future would bring. Rugged Records After our departure from Star Song times grew a bit dark. We felt like a ship without a port and wondered who was going to allow us to dock. The Lord opened up the door at Rugged Records with Michael and Monica Betts. Michael was a former drummer and expressed a heart for being true and honest with his bands. He wanted to stand out as the Maverick in the Industry. Michael showed his real desire to work with us by flying into Louisville and meeting with us over dinner. At the Spaghetti Factory in downtown Louisville, we talked about our concerns and he shared his vision of where he hoped to go with his new label. All of this personal contact by Michael was very refreshing. It was not long and we were back in California recording a brand new Bride record. This record would prove

to be the biggest change musically for Bride we had ever attempted. Deep down we had hoped to produce a record that would remove the metal label from the name Bride. The Guns n’ Roses comparisons were flattering but now it was wearing thin. We brought in percussive instruments and experimented with many different rhythms. We brought in female back up singers, which we had not done, to this degree in the past. Our song’s were toned down and less driven and we felt we had a record, which reflected the changing market. The critics and the fans were taken off guard by our sudden departure from the screaming metal and they appeared confused by this change. They still called “Drop” a metal record and the reviewers approached in that manner thus leaving us with a bad taste in our mouth. No one understood the record and brushed it off as a mistake on our part. Fans wrote letters and begged us not to ever record another album like “Drop.” They wanted to hear the Bride they had known for all these many years. A Bride with aggression and attitude. Fans believed that we had attempted to record a heavy record and failed. They could not fathom the possibility that we intentionally recorded a lighter record. Reflecting back on the “Drop” album, I can see where people missed what we were trying to achieve musically. We should have recorded a straight acoustic record and that may have pacified the unforgiving fans. “Drop” would mark a tragic time in the future of Bride. This one album was instrumental in practically putting a halt to Bride all together. Michael Betts and his wife were great to us but Rugged Records were just too small of a label at the time to meet our needs and concerns as a veteran Christian Rock band. With the Industry getting a face list, the secular market dictating a rapid pace of new sounds Rugged and bride stood alone. In order for Bride to have had success with “Drop” Rugged would have had to changed their marketing approach totally. Instead of playing on what we had in the past and we were Rugged should have reinvented the band. Bride had responsibilities too that we failed to execute. We should have taken on more live shows even though they were percentage dates. This may have kept us in the public’s eye. The percentage dates normally were not a good ideal through the week because people just did not want to go see a band live on a Tuesday or Wednesday night. However history dictates that we failed somewhere and it is likely since we played so few dates that year, that we were partly responsible for the CD falling short of its estimated sales. The brightest thing to come from Rugged was they released my second solo project called Dale Thompson and the Religious Overtones. I had decided to try my hand at the blues and I brought in the finest blues musicians in Louisville to back me on the project. I used Jerry because of his background as a blues drummer. The project turned out extremely well. Even the Bride fans seemed to like it. Another bright spot was, I also got the opportunity to produce an album for Rugged. A band called Nailed, which I had stumbled across, had a terrific sound and I had presented them to Michael and he liked them. The Nailed album was my second hand at producing and though it could have been better, the final was result was a good heavy record that the fans seemed to enjoy. Bride also shot a cool video for the song Mamma. Michael’s uncle built the Batmobile and I got to drive in San Diego in it with P.K. Mitchell. With Bride playing fewer shows in those two years than ever before it seemed our audience had vanished and record sales were embarrassing. One of the ways Michael attempted to promote the “Drop” album was with a parachute jump. He invited the media, and ran a contest for people to win an opportunity to jump from a plane with Bride. We also believed Michael was going to use the footage in a music video for us. Troy and myself always wanting to be prepared signed up for a jump at home a few weeks before the Rugged Records jump. Both of us jumped tandem at about 13,000 feet and caught it all on camera. The big day for the Rugged Records parachute jump rolled around and there we all were at the airstrip waiting. It was like a little party of a few Bride fans only a hand full of media and us hanging out

around the grill stuffing ourselves with hamburgers and hotdogs waiting for the clouds to break. The clouds never broke and the party shifted from the airstrip to a laser tag room where we had a blast. The time came for us to make a decision as a band as to stay on Rugged or go through the treacherous process of trying to find another label. Our confidence in Rugged was depleted and we felt in limbo but were considering resigning as a last option. Here is a letter, one of the bright points from this time: “You played two shows in Central PA last weekend, one of which in Wynfield (Friday night). I am emailing you to tell you about some of the things that God is doing in my life and how it relates, at least in part, to your show last week. First of all, I saw you guys on the Scarecrow tour back in ‘94 in Lancaster, PA, and it was the best show to which I had ever been. Bride’s stage abilities were incredible and I really liked it that you guys just stopped the show cold...no encores.... and then you preached. It made me tremendously excited to hear that you were coming back to PA (only this time, I had to drive 2-1/2 hours!). Well, I was at the show last week and as usual, the music was great. But what you said afterwards really struck me. You spoke about a number of things, but the one topic you hit several times was “walking in the newness of life”. I grew up in a fundamentalist Baptist church, and to be honest, it left me bitter. I was angry that everyone around me in that church talked about God and being saved (which I was at age 7), but there was never a real burning heart for Jesus. When I was 21, I knew I wanted to know more about a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus, not just the rules. To make a long story short, I left the fundamentalist background and went to a non-denominational church that showed me what I was looking for. It was about this time that I saw you guys in ‘94. Anyway...over the last few years I have been letting emotions guide so much of life, including my relationship with God, that I about go crazy sometimes. Kind of, like...If I do not FEEL that God is close, than he must not be. But listening to you speak on Friday night and driving home thinking about what you said, I realized that I had let the pendulum swing too far from the hard, dispassionate fundamentalist upbringing to a new emotionalism that was just as bad. I realized as I read the New Testament they handed out along with you, that God is so much more than how I feel. I realized that in all things, I can give thanks because of what He has ALREADY done for me and what I have to look forward to in eternity! You also talked about “walking in victory”...a phrase that takes me back to my fundamentalist days...but nonetheless in my current situation sounded like real truth. That’s something else that helped me Friday night! Your speech during your preaching was littered with Bible. God’s truth is able to do so much more than our words ever can and apparently, you recognize that. That makes me feel very safe listening to your music. Getting back to my point, though, was that since Friday night, I cannot get enough of reading the Bible. It is the first time in my life I have had a real hunger for reading it! It has been wonderful just sitting down and reading entire books at a time like 1 Peter or Ephesians. I know I cannot retain everything, but just the exposure to His truth is already helping me live my life in His strength and with His peace. Thank you. Thanks for using His words instead of your own. Thank you for being willing to preach when so many bands (even good ones) aren’t willing to offend anyone or supposedly bore people. Let me say that when God’s truth goes out, if people are bored, their hearts are hard. You have helped me realize that my relationship with God is based on an unchangeable base (the Bible) and yet my relationship can be an emotional one (allowing me to feel peace). I hope and pray that you and the rest of Bride continue to preach the Bible and tell people (both Christians and non-) that Jesus loves them and can change their life. He has mine and you were a part of that. I just wanted to drop you a note and encourage you.” 1996 Rik Foley returned to the band (primarily as a songwriter) with a new attitude. He was older, wiser, and ready for responsibility (we thought). Steve was moved to second guitar, which he said he did not mind. Bride found itself in a hard position. We were now back where we began “a five piece band”. Music was going into many different directions, none of which Bride was accustomed to or groomed for. This meant if Bride was going to exist to carry on delivering the message of Jesus Christ, we would have to conform to the new musical styles arising. Culturally we did not have a full grasp and we certainly did not live the life style of the alternative bands but as we viewed music from a distance, our examination was thorough. With what we thought to be a clear picture, we changed direction. Bill Reed made us an offer we could not refuse. He was willing to hire the lawyers and shop our new material to the secular market. With all of the Christian la-

bels being bought up and swallowed by the secular companies, I could see little difference between the two. We would not compromise our message and would shop Bride to the world. If they wanted us and signed us then glory to God, if they did not receive us then glory to God. It has always been our deepest desire to preach the Word of God to all the world in season and out of season. Our daily prayer remains...Lord use me as an vessel and a instrument of your love and peace, Lord send me. We played some shows as a five-piece band and the sound was thick and tighter than I could have imagined. Steve was an excellent guitarist. We were preparing for an upcoming show and I called over to Rik’s to see if he needed a ride to rehearsal. His sister answered the phone and gave me some incredibly shocking news. She said Rik has gone to Italy. Without a word to anyone in the band Rik packed his bags and had left us high and dry. I guess I should not have been shocked but I was. This was not the end of the world. I believe Rik figured Bride was done and that we would not rebound and that was one of the main reasons for his sudden abandonment. But Rik was very good on walking out on people. Rik would be proven wrong. Though this came as a shock, it was very much in Rik’s character. He was a free spirit and as far as I was concerned from this point on, he could remain free of Bride. Though I was pretty well steamed by this betrayal more than anything else I was disappointed. I actually had been duped into believing that Rik had finally focussed himself on something positive. At the point of his departure, I felt closer to him than ever. I would not let my guard down again “I thought”. Steve went back to bass and we our writing focussed on this Seattle sound that everyone seemed to be caught up in. Nirvana, Pearl Jam , Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden introduced this dark sound that shadowed and engulfed rock music as a whole. Lyrically they were singing more from the depth of hurting souls and strange visions and this was light years away from the whole party atmosphere that 80’s metal had produced. Obviously the public in some way dictated this change and Bride was out of touch with the attitudes of the public. Once again we went back to the drawing board to see if we could understand these strange days.

chapter 20

The week that we returned Troy and I had two meetings to discuss the future recording possibilities with Benson and Rugged records. The first was Benson, which we had to drive to Nashville for the encounter. Mark Q who was an A&R fellow placed in the position of rock guy met us on time. He gave us the discount tour of the building, which he referred to as a machine. The entire time in the building I was thinking Bride does not need walls. I could see the walls of Benson shrinking around us. Q attempted to sell us Benson as our next home but neither Troy or I was impressed or comfortable with the surroundings. It felt like Sparrow, a bigger Star Song. The next day Michael Betts the president of Rugged records flew into Louisville from LA to lay his plan on the table. Michael seemed very sure of himself and the abilities of his much smaller company. He referred to himself as a maverick of the record business. He was a man who did not fit in with the industry and he was proud of that. He even spent time the following day at Troy’s house watching band videos and listening to demo songs, which never made it on a Bride record. He seemed to be in full agreement that we should pursue the rock style and drop metal altogether. He was also in agreement that we should be self-produced. “He said I am signing the band not a producer.” He said everything that we wanted to hear and that in itself was frightening, yet there was honesty to Michael and no walls. He left us with many things to consider and we were considering Rugged far above all the rest. “Would they be around in a year?” “Would Michael take the money and run?” “Could we sell 100,000 on this small label?” “Should we take a chance?” It was time again to pray. More often than not, we prayed to our favor attempting to force the hand of God to do what we wanted. We would learn in time that this is not how prayer works. We were very strong willed and hard headed and even though we prayed, we were not necessarily looking for God’s answers. Like many people caught up in the moment, we were thinking whatever is best for Bride, whatever can make us bigger. It was hard at the time for us to see God in the small things. But He was there. The Bible tells us even if I make my bed in the lowest hell He is there. I could not imagine trying to get comfortable in a place that the church deems outer darkness full of literal fire and torment but that thought is for another chapter. The following few weeks we got offers from Benson in the form of them sending Mark Q to one of our sold out shows at the King’s Place in Columbus Oh to look at the live show then report back to the big wig’s what he saw. Jonathan Watkins from Star Song called in one last effort to pitch the new and improved Star Song at us once more. Since Star Song had been bought by EMI it seemed like that they might be back in the running. Troy and I studied the situation from every angle and prayed hard to find God’s direction. Prior to a show in Lancaster Pa early Nov 94 Troy and I signed a one record agreement with Michael Betts and Rugged Records. This seemed like the most logical move because it did not tie us up into a multiple year agreement. We had no doubt that this was where God had directed us. A smaller label with great faith and we were going to help push them. I knew there was a bigger picture that was being painted by the Lord but I could not put my finger on it. Maybe I would never see the great plan entirely but I knew that God had one for us if we would remain faithful and steadfast in His calling. It had been a hard and rough six records up until now. We had truly paid our dues. I did not expect things to get easier. I really had no ideal what to expect. We had plenty of new song’s that would take us away from the metal side and put us into the rock side but only God knew what the future would bring. Rugged Records After our departure from Star Song times grew a bit dark. We felt like a ship without a port and wondered who was going to allow us to dock. The Lord opened up the door at Rugged Records with Michael and Monica Betts. Michael was a former drummer and expressed a heart for being true and honest with his bands. He wanted to stand out as the Maverick in the Industry. Michael showed his real desire to work with us by flying into Louisville and meeting with us over dinner. At the Spaghetti Factory in downtown Louisville, we talked about our concerns and he shared his vision of where he hoped to go with his new label. All of this personal contact by Michael was very refreshing. It was not long and we were back in California recording a brand new Bride record. This record would prove

chapter 21

Out of the blue Dino Elefante phoned me and asked me if Bride was still looking for a deal. I guess through the grapevine the word was out that Bride was shopping for a new deal. I told him yes, positively. He said don’t worry about anything consider yourself signed. He then hung up the phone. I did not know what to make of this it all seemed out of the ordinary. Everything concerning this new deal was done by telephone. The Record Company was called Pamplin and the label that wanted Bride was “Organic Records” though at the time they were so new they had no name for the label. My fears were that they were another new company like Rugged and Bride would once again be the guinea pigs for trial and error. Mark Whitmore assisted us in negotiating the deal and after some time, we reached an agreement with a lot of promises to fill in the blanks later. I felt confident however because of my previous association with Dino that this was on the up and up. We begin our relationship with Organic with the attitude that we had nothing to loose at this point. John and Dino had had relocated to Nashville and built an incredible recording studio, “The Sound Kitchen.” Everyone from Barry Manilow to the top country Stars was recording there. To expedite the recording process we brought in Tim Bushong a long time friend of the band who had his own group called Love War, which would become “Channel Surfers”. Tim would prove invaluable to the new record adding the all-important second guitar and helping out on backup vocals. Having Tim made the recording go much faster. The studio was world class with the best of everything. “If we could not produce a great album here we might as well give up” I thought. Dino was a busy man by this point and we were left countless hours sitting and looking at one another waiting for someone to push the record buttons. Eventually in Dino’s absence, Tim took over the engineering in time for me to lay down my vocals. I was feeling really good. Dino had wanted me to sing over a three-day period but instead I resorted to my ways of doing things and sang all of the vocals in one day. Tim had no problem finishing up his backups in the same fashion. We called the new record “The Jesus Experience,” and thought that this was an appropriate name due to the subject matter, plus it should be great for marketing. This would be the first album that our faces would appear on the cover. The Jesus Experience People often ask me how Bride came up with the name of our new release. Here is the brief story on how one man spawned the name of “The Jesus Experience.” We had just played an out door show in Indiana and I had hardly left the stage when I was approached by a blond headed man. He bluntly ask me, “how do I become born again?” I explained to him the formula using scripture that every other preacher uses. (At the time, I didn’t know any better). Little did I know this was a test. When I had finished speaking, the man said “You do not know me and you will never see me again. I have been sent here by God to tell you one thing, “TAKE ON THE NAME OF JESUS”.” The man said no more, turned, and walked toward a wooded area. I stood trying to digest the reality of what had precisely had happen. I had turned to walk toward a cabin that the band was using for a dressing room. When I turned back to see where this messenger had walked to, he was gone without a trace. The band was searching for a name for the new disc and now we had it. I believe that this fellow whether a man or a ministering messenger of God was sent to convey the CD title to us. Sounds strange to some but made all the sense to me. Once before something similar had happened to me while I was driving along Dixie Highway in Valley Station KY. I do not normally pick up hitchhikers but this day I made an exception. The hitchhiker was an Asian women about 40 years old wearing worn and dirty clothes. I asked her “where she was going?” She did not reply but just looked forward. I asked her “if she spoke English?” Once again there was silence. After a short drive my turn was coming up. I explained to her that unless she wanted to leave Dixie Highway she was going to have to get out of the car because I had to make a turn. By this time I was a little freaked out and was wondering if I in fact should have been so courteous to have picked up a stranger. I pulled over to the

side of the road, which was adjacent to a parking lot, and she stepped out of the car. Before I had a chance to pull away, she stuck her head back into the car through the window, which she had rolled down and in plain English said “Jesus loves you” and she turned and walked away through the parking lot. I admit it was most peculiar however since I am sharing it with you now (the reader) it must have made a great impact. Hbr 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 1Pe 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me. The Jesus Experience was controversial before it even hit the stores. First it was a hard rock alternative record and the critics once again described it as a metal album. Dave Bach who’d designed the cover and insert had this great looking picture of Jesus being strapped into the electric chair. We suggested he use it in the tray of the CD box where the CD sits. When a buyer picks the disc up to put it in their CD player there is Jesus sitting in an electric chair. We felt people had become so desensitized to the cross we were trying to make a bold statement of “yes he was executed. It wasn’t pretty, nor glamorous, it was a real execution. Seems as though someone at Organic forgot to proof the artwork. Once discovered, the album was pulled and the picture of the electric chair scene was omitted except in the European market. I soon had T-shirts printed of the design. The electric chair represents to me many things, the love of Christ transcends time, centuries and ages to reach me. 2000 years after His death at Calvary His love woke my heart. He can feel our pain and be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, that if he were here in physical form today that he would once again be executed by us through more modern means. It was us who was supposed to die as criminal’s for our sins but Jesus intervened and died as me upon that instrument of cruelty. The facts of Jesus’ death needs to be taken out of the story book realm and revealed as the shocking reality for what is and was! Today we have glorified the cross to the point until we are numb as to what Jesus has done and the picture of the crucifixion does not move us. We have our artist paint it, draw it, sculpt it. The movies have acted it out, churches have dramatized it in plays, and yet the Spiritual significance seems to be lost in elaborate scripted man made interpretations. Let me just put a couple of scriptures together to paint the picture that the Word of God paints about this scene at the end of Jesus’ natural life “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at thee; his visage (appearance) was so marred more than any man (beyond human semblance), and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for [that] which had not been told them shall they see; and [that] which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither [was any] deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he

hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. But I [am] a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, [saying], He trusted on the LORD [that] he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou [art] he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope [when I was] upon my mother’s breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou [art] my God from my mother’s belly. Be not far from me; for trouble [is] near; for [there is] none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong [bulls] of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me [with] their mouths, [as] a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd (Dried up as an earthen vessel is my power, And my tongue is cleaving to my jaws.); and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look [and] stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. Taken from (Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah chapter 53, Psalm 22) But the part of Psalm 22 that I like is: Psa 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.” This explains why Christ did what He did. One reviewer “Rad Rockers” put it this way when the release of the record was delayed and the picture of a Christ-like-character was omitted from most of the tray inserts. “Due to the controversial artwork the release of the cd (The Jesus Experience) was delayed while wimpy industry people re-manufactured the sleeves, omitting the “offensive” depiction of Jesus in the electric chair. So, in true Rad Rocker style, we are calling this the “shocking” version. As if the crucifixion was not shocking too. When will industry honchos stop making concessions to smarmy middle class values that the CBA stores confuse with picking up one’s cross and following Jesus? Where exactly did he go with that cross anyway? Bill Maher is gonna embarrass evangelicals on his latenight TV show “Politically Incorrect” if he hears about this. The music itself is the same. Only the sleeve artwork is different. Dave Bach phoned me and said that CCM was going to review the new CD but was going to slam it due to the lyrical content. I wrote them immediately to head off the controversy in hopes that the reviewer would understand the meaning to such songs as “The Worm” if he heard why I wrote the song. I wrote something similar to the following letter. I am the type of writer that attempts to provoke thoughts and images in the mind of the listener through imagery and descriptive lyrics. I do not like to explain a song to someone for the simple reason I think it is up the listener to interpret and come to their own conclusions by thought. My reason for writing my songs may be far too simple compared to the conclusion drawn from listeners who enjoy the adventure of exploration into the Word. I added the scriptures to the song to further initiate the listener to probe and search. I write things at face value. In other words, what it says, it says, and I write for no other meaning. What you see on the surface can be interpreted as its definition. “The Worm” can be visualized in many different ways. I wrote the song from Psalm 22, which gives a graphic image of the crucifixion. Other scriptures which come to mind when I think back are Isaiah 50:6-8, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 52:13-15, Matthew 26:67-68, 68:27-30. He was disfigured more than any man, despised and rejected of men; man of sorrows acquainted grief: bruised, chastised, by his strips we are healed, oppressed, afflicted, taken from prison to judgement, numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, tempted in all points yet he knew no sin, he can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities; that we might be made the righteousness of God. (Hebrews 4:15, Matthew 8:7, 1 Corinthians 5:21)

“The Worm” can be viewed from the perspective of Christ, which switches to man and back to Christ. The line in the song, “take my life before I take it myself” is not words from Christ but from myself as a writer who understands that I am a sinner saved by grace and there is no hope but that which is found in Christ Jesus. In the July issue 1997 of CCM magazine appeared a review of “The Jesus Experience” CD. It was favorable toward the music but the reviewer (Scott Thunder) was unclear of the meaning of the single and # 1 radio song “The Worm”. He also challenged our means by which we preach spiritual truth by saying “the lyrics if they (Bride) intend to express the purity of Christian truth) need to be based less on the experience and speculation of the writer and more with orthodox biblical theology”. The reviewer goes on to say that his constructive criticism is an act of love not of condemnation. I was well aware that there may be initial skepticism and lack of understanding, given first impressions. I realize as things are passed through the secular grid, that messages can become distorted and that is why I took great care in preparing scripture for the entire CD. On past projects such as “Snakes in the Playground” the framework of our lyrics were challenged. The song “Rattlesnakes” was deemed unsuitable uninspired and perplexing by some who were opponents of our labor. The song went on to # 1 radio status, was honored with a Dove Award, and became one of the most recognizable songs in Christian rock music. So it is not foreign to us to be the recipients of judgment and criticism from our peers. Let me first start by saying that before “The Worm” was released as a single I wrote a lengthy explanation to Scott Thunder of which he rejected. I also am no theologian but have preached for over 17 years all throughout the world. I hold no degree from any bible institution in doctrine or in theology but have led many to Jesus Christ by rightly dividing the Word of Truth. I believe that I adhere to the exploratory approach and seek the common elements that run through the bible and this is in itself biblical theology. My belief that all scripture in given by divine inspiration and that the bible is to be taken literally is how I base the lyrical content of our songs. As the writer I exercised pains in accurately interpreting what the Spirit of the Lord was saying through me. If I may be so bold as to say every song on “The Jesus Experience” was given to me by the Holy Spirit. Not every song is intended to touch the heart of every person. In other words certain songs will speak to a listener differently than it speaks to another person. “The Worm” for example is a song, which will hold little meaning for some. To others who have experienced what the Holy Spirit is speaking within the lyrics, it is a world of enlightenment and blessing. To disqualify “The Worm” from “The Jesus Experience” based on one’s own interpretation (opinion) of my scriptural based construction of the crucifixion and how and what it means to the spiritually suffering is an injustice to my years of service to the Christian community. “The Worm” is about Christ on the cross and how he can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, because he did experience life as a man and became my sin in order that I might have life everlasting (Hebrews 4:15). It is about a person who is thinking of taking their own life and who says to Christ who is the life giver “take my life before I take it myself”. And lastly it is about myself and the persecution and trials, which I have endured through the grace of God. The song has a three-fold purpose. To try to reach the hurting and the depressed who may be on the verge of suicide (Matthew 9:12). To say Christ knows your hurt because he felt your pain upon the cross (Isaiah 50:6-8, 53:1-12). I in no way ever imply that Christ committed suicide upon the cross. John 10:17-18 says “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father”. The bible plainly states that Jesus Christ was obedient to death (Philippians 2:5-8) Theologically I could write a sermon from John 12:23-25 about the kernel of wheat which falls into the ground but it would be too extensive for what I am attempting to accomplish here. And thirdly, the song is about myself, that I am merely a man who at times hurts to, that I am no better than the people within my songs. Christ died for us all, all the same. It is how I draw strength, from the sacrifice which God gave, and how I know that since Christ conquered all, overcame all, that Christ in me is greater than that which is in the world. The persecution from believers who fail to see the face of Christ in good and bad situ-

ations is ever abundant. Christian persecution from Christians is nothing new for us and Scott Thunder out of his act of love is guilty of public persecution of Bride just like it is spoken in “The Worm”. Scott Thunder has used the printed word of media to publicly question and object to the message within our work. Most supporters of Bride and ministries like this ours, may not know the struggle which we face from the Christian community. They do not see the frustration, the depression which comes often and the heartache that we feel because personal persecution and rejection. Through the years of playing music and preaching Christ to the world we have spent more time explaining the ministry to the Christian community than we have needed to. After investigation and dirt digging one will only find this ministry rooted and grounded on the principles which Christ taught. Truth is Christianity’s most enduring asset and we found our witness upon truth. Christ who is undoubtedly the single most commanding person in the entire history of mankind, also had struggles and difficulty is explaining his ministry to even his most beloved disciples. When he spoke of his dying and raising from the dead they did not understand him, even after his death and resurrection (study Luke 24:21, John 20:24-27, Acts 1:3, Matthew 16:21-22, Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 9:10-32), I know and see the effects of this ministry upon those who are reaching out for Christ. “The Worm” has been instrumental in speaking to the audiences and this music which we have been gifted to play has been a tool of universal influence and importance in the spiritual lives of countless thousands. Stones were also underhanded in the direction of the song “Tell Me”. Scott Thunder states “Tell Me’ again misses the mark made by grace”. I honestly have no ideal as to why he has a complaint with this song. It is a song to challenge those in the church that support Bride, to be bold and mature in their walk and to not look to man but to look to God. Thunder’s statement seems misplaced in the context of this song. CCM Magazine has ignored Bride for many years and the work, which Christ has done through us his servants. Though we sent press releases to them speaking of the great revival happening in Brazil and how bands like Bride, Guardian and Whitecross had ministered to over 100,000 people in two nights in Sao Paulo, this went unreported. When “The Jesus Experience” was released we immediately received doubt and criticism from their magazine. We took a step back examined our intentions, reevaluating what had been recorded and we came to the conclusion of standing firm where Christ has asked us to stand. We all have a divine appointment to meet the man who ripped a great whole in history upon his arrival and ascension. I believe Jesus is going to evaluate this work which I have performed for him and say “well done my good and faithful servant”, not greet me with constructive criticism. Thank you for this opportunity to share this with you. Dale Thompson @ Bride After I read the review I sent the following letter to CCM and washed my hands of their publication. Dear John W. Styll, I would first like to thank Lou Carlozo for taking the time to review my second solo project “Dale Thompson and The Kentucky Cadillacs.” As you may or may not know I am an Ordained minister of the Word of God. In response to the review I would like to encourage you with scripture. I hope you take the time to consider the Word of God, which I have sent to you. Ecclesiastes 10:12 “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.” 2 Timothy 4:16 “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Psalms 31:13 “For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.” Proverbs 11:9 “An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.” Proverbs 17:27 “He that has knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.” Matthew 5:37 “But let your commu-

nication be, Yea, yea: Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how to answer every man.” Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” CCM’s purpose To Promote spiritual growth, To Provide news and information, To encourage Christians to interact redemptively with popular culture. In Christ Jesus, Dale Thompson I got no reply. I wrote the following letter to a fan who was upset over the CD. “The Jesus Experience” was given to me by God to reach a certain audience. All of my music and lyrics are totally inspired by the Holy Spirit who is my helper until Christ returns. I have no musical ability within myself without God and I count it a blessing everyday that I have the opportunity to minister to young people around the world with my music. People’s taste in music changes just like as one gets older they may not have the same taste buds as when they were young. Our music changes with every record in order to fill a need and plug a hole where other bands have not traveled. This record has already reached countless thousands and I am getting praise reports from around the world. I am sorry that it did not minister to you but maybe it was not supposed to. I can not please everyone, I am only here to reach those people whom God allows me to reach. Music itself has changed over the last 5 years and I am thankful that God has allowed us to adapt and change with it. Otherwise there would be no more Bride. We are flexible and we are artist creating from our hearts. Maybe our heart is in a different place than yours. I know that our next record will also be different than anything we have done because that is our ministry. Once again thank you for your comments. Here is a interview I conducted for The Jesus Experience around the time of its release. 1) How would you describe your sound & why did you choose it for Bride? ANSWER: God has continued to mold our sound and style-evolving Bride into what we are today. We personally have no preferences as to the style we play as long as it is ordained of the Lord and He is reaching young people through it. 2) What bands have influenced your sound? ANSWER: Not too many...everyone in the band listens to different artist, and in doing that it brings many different influences to the writing table. We try to stay current so as not to alienate our audience of young listeners to whom this ministry is designed to reach. 3) Would you ever consider going into the mainstream market if you didn’t have to compromise your message? (Why, or why not?) ANSWER: It wherever Bride can be the most use to the Kingdom of God. I believe there are enough lost kids in the church that the biggest part of our ministry is trying to bring them in completely. Just because a person goes to church and participates in church plays, chorus’s and events doesn’t save them. Our message is salvation and we do minister to the house of God. 4) Where do you get the ideas for writing your songs? ANSWERS: Lyrical ideals come from many different sources. Sometimes it may be one sentence that comes

to me and I write it down among many more words, phrases or sentences that I have compiled over the months. When God says to write, then I sit down and look at the puzzle that He has delivered, it trying to put it all together it is amazing to watch the Holy Spirit work. Words that I had wrote that seem of no importance take a key role in the development of a song. Seldom do I ever sit down and just write a song. It is through much pray and trust in the Lord. I would not want to write a song on my own I would feel helpless. 5) Your new album, “The Jesus Experience” is fantastic! What goals did you have in mind when you were making this album? And where did you get the title? ANSWER: Our goal was to record a record that would bring glory to God and if we were faithful in what He commissioned us to do then He would be able to perform a great work through this piece of music. I believe we achieved that goal. The title “The Jesus Experience” came to me one day like the lyrics of a song. I thought they would end up in a song but that was not God’s purpose for those words. Then I got confirmation after a show in Indiana. A fellow walked up to me and asked me what he would have to do to be saved. Of course I begin a lengthy explanation into sin and salvation. He patiently listened and at the end of my explanation, he told me that he had been sent by God to tell me one thing. He looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Take on the name of Jesus”. I took that as a direct confirmation of the three words “The Jesus Experience” which had been given to me previously from the Lord. 6) What prompted you to write “The Worm?” & what is it about? ANSWER: Saying that this song is unambiguously lucid because it was taken from Psalm 22 practically verbatim may provoke even more discussion than if I were to say it is a perplexing song with an ever more inextricable video. The song originally was written about a man that was preparing to take his own life. In the midst of his sorrow and loss of hope he reached out one final time to the only one that can promise hope. This is a song about Jesus revealing himself to a man who had been moments away from ending his own life. It does get a bit confusing as I jump from the cross to this man. But it also represents that no matter how low we get no matter how badly we hurt that Christ has hurt that much and has absorbed the pain for us. He knows what it feels like to be empty and he has drank the cup of suffering from each individual. So there is nothing that we can go through in this life that Jesus himself had not experienced while upon the cross. 7) What is the meaning behind “Cosmic Christ?” ANSWER: “Cosmic Christ” is a satirical look at different beliefs and even Christianity who feel they need scientific proof in order to believe that which only comes by faith. There are those out there now still waiting for a Messiah to come. There are those out there who are waiting for a miracle and a sign to materialize so that they will be made believers. Jesus said that a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. I believe Jesus is who He said He was and I believe He is returning not because of scientific proof or the discovers made in history but because I am just foolish enough to have faith in God and believe in the invisible things. 8) My parents are in their forties, and Bride is their favorite band. Has Bride’s appeal to an older crowd ever surprised you? ANSWER: Not at all because the music is not the important thing about what we do. There is a spirit behind what we do that transcends age. I am 33 years old and I grew up listening to bands out of the 70’s. I feel that the older crowd which enjoys this music is just a reflection and a product of the same music which I had been exposed to. It just proves were all pretty much alike. 9) How important do you think it is for fans of Christian music to attend Christian concerts? ANSWER: If the fans stop going to concerts then we will see less and less bands on the road. The reason for Bride’s lack of touring has been fan support at the shows in recent years. We are taking a big leap of

faith in the next couple of months as we go out on tour. We have not toured regularly since 1992. We have been doing only weekend dates and that has kept Bride going, however it is our desire to meet those people who support us so touring is necessary. The body of believers must come together for strength and a concert atmosphere like we present is perfect for that. You can be assured that not only will you see one of the best shows in rock n’ roll but the Word will be preached. We must have Christian support in order to reach the lost and help us pray for those who have given their lives to Christ at the end of the night. 10) We’ve all personally felt the life-changing power of Bride’s music & preaching, so we always try to bring others along to your shows. We also agree that your preaching is dynamic, uncompromising, and some of the best we’ve ever heard. Why do you think your preaching has such a uniquely profound effect on people? ANSWER: Not just preaching, but the person who is delivering the Word must be allowing himself to be used of God. This means stirring up the Holy Spirit within him. The Holy Spirit is not only our comforter but our helper. We cannot worship God without the Holy Spirit. He is there for us and many times people do not completely surrender to the will of God. God said it would be through the foolishness of preaching that people may be saved. Being compelled to preach is a great feeling because you know that if you get out of the way that God will use you as an instrument to speak through. 11) I believe that your type of music can be a valuable witnessing tool. Besides prayer, is there anything else we can do to encourage critics of this kind of music to see its value and effectiveness as an outreach to a lost world? ANSWER: I am not interested in trying to convince anyone of the legitimate use of rock ‘n roll music. I am not preaching rock music. There is enough people receptive to rock music who will listen to God when he speaks that we have plenty of work ahead of us. We want only to serve God and be good stewards of that which He has left us to do. 12) The Jesus FREAK Hideout site was started out of appreciation for good Christian music. We’ve set a goal to try to use the site to spread Christian music, as well as God’s Word, & show others how great Christian music can be. Do you listen to Christian music? If so, what bands? ANSWER: I listen to Guardian, Whitecross, RocketBoy, Nailed, The Newsboys etc.... 13) I really appreciate you taking out the time in your busy schedule to answer some questions for us. Are there any last comments you’d like to make? ANSWER: If you have read this interview and want to know more about Jesus Christ please feel free to visit our web-site for information on salvation and on Bride at http://www.bridepub.com Thanx immensely, Dale! love the band, keep up the great work!! in Him, John DiBiase (hey, i may be seeing ya at the Lancaster Fairgrounds this summer... i’ll have to check up on that!) Even though Dino was somewhat removed and taken out of the studio by other business while we were recording he came through with the mix. We now had saved face after releasing the “Drop” CD. “The Jesus Experience” would be a hit and get us back on track. We had not realized the damage that had been done and the repair would take a while but now it seemed we had the motivation to go another mile. The tour before the tour. 1997

January 10 we played our hometown Louisville KY at (Jonah’s Java Café). “The Jesus Experience” wasn’t due out until May but shows were coming in. We had signed a one-year contract with a booking agency called Big Planet Entertainment. My wife and I now had three children and for Sharon is was impossible for her to do a proper job booking the band while three boys ran loose. February 1 we revisited our old stomping ground in Columbus Oh (The King’s Place). There was a nice crowd but not like in the past. We decided to take shows that we would not normally take in order just to stay busy. We felt even if we barely got by at least we were playing shows. We tried our hand with the coffeehouses February 19 Clarksville TN (Spike @ Crown), where we met the owner Darvin and his wife Annie whom we formed a long relationship with. February 20 Nashville TN (Java Express) was an experience. The room was large but the stage was located in the middle of the room, which forced people to sit at either side of the stage. This too proved to be a smaller than average crowd. March 15 Indianapolis (Church of Acts) we hooked up with Tim Bushongs newly revised band Love War which he would eventually change to The Channel Surfers. Church of Acts turned out to be like the days of old. There was a nice crowd and the Lord moved mightily. The winds of change were blowing and we especially felt the chilling vibrations for not only was it the wind but the earth was rattling beneath our feet.

Is this the end of the road?

chapter 22

Going into the Jesus Experience project, I had had a lot of confidence. HM Readers pole consistently had me on top of the favorite vocalist results in their voting. I felt totally invincible and in many ways, I was really fooling myself. God gave me whatever talent I had I deep down I knew this singing ability was a gift from Him but I do not recall really being thankful nor appreciative for it. It just seemed like I could get on stage anytime I wanted and really belt out the screams. During the Jesus Experience rehearsals and going into the project, I felt restrictive. It was like my mind was telling my voice to do one thing when my vocal just would not produce. I had never given anything much thought before. I would just warm up to the mic without warming up, nor prayer of thanksgiving and just sing. It was like I was taking this for granted and God was receiving no glory. Many vocal tricks and acrobatic techniques just would not work on The Jesus Experience. I could not get it to come out. No one was alerted to the fact that vocally something was wrong and I did not let anyone know that I was having trouble. Most people contributed the lack of real power and screams to the new style we were playing. I tried to convince myself there was nothing wrong and made up excuses that “screaming” just was popular anymore. After the recording, I remember a show we played in Ohio. Before the show my throat was experiencing sharp stabbing pains and I was drinking gallons of water and had a pocket full of throat drops went I went onto the stage. After about six songs (with extremely poor monitors and the mains feeding back), my vocals were fried. I had never been so helpless on stage before. It seemed like the stage grew to Brazilian size and I was all-alone. I became paranoid and anxiety arose in me. I felt as though everyone in the room was thinking “Dale sure has lost it ain’t he.” No one in the building realized that something traumatic had occurred but they did take it personal as I stormed off stage. The 300+ crowd did not approve of the short set or the way I left stage. I was not angry at them but I was upset. I don’t know if I was ashamed, embarrassed, if my pride had taken a good whipping or what? The promoter approached me, fans stopped me as I tried to duck for cover and I made excuses but the bottom line was something terrible had happened on stage and I was in pain. For the next few shows the sets got shorter and shorter until I broke down and went to a throat specialist. I was very hesitant to go because “I was Dale Thompson King of the screams” or so I believed at the time. The doctor sat me down in a dentist type chair and explained to me what he was about to do. The procedure would be quick and painless and was for diagnosis only. After numbing my throat with a spray, he put a long tube up my nose and into my throat to look. He quickly informed me that my singing days was over. He said the best he could do was to give me a short-term quick fix shot and then operate. It seemed I had an ulcer on my vocal chords. Sudden fear took hold. He informed me that maybe I needed to take some vocal lessons (which I had always refused) to maybe strengthen what remained. He said if I opted for an operation that the surgery would take away, range for sure and there was no guarantees that I could sing again. I was totally devastated. It would have been better for me to have heard I would loose an arm or a leg but not my vocal abilities. While I pondered what to do and prayed earnestly for the answer “The Show Must go on.” The next few shows were real struggles as I sang in excruciating pain. People were beginning to talk that I had lost the ability to hit the notes. In reality, I had lost the ability just to carry on conversations without having to clear my throat a dozen times. I know the guys in the band must have thought this was the end. There were two different Pastor’s who I mentioned this to and both prayed for me. One was at my home church at the time and the other was while we were on the road. I felt a stirring after the prayer back stage and instead of going back for my six week checkup as recommended by the specialist with the bad report I thought I would practice what I preached and put my faith and trust in God. ROM 8:28, “And we know that

God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. I had been battling this thing for nearly two years, at shows, while I ministered and anytime I would speak but the Lord was expecting more than the prayer of “God I know your faithful and if we ask anything in your name you will do it. I believe you are the God that saves, heals and delivers and sets free” it finally dawned on me and a light came on. “Father wants His glory.” He desires and requires my thankfulness. It was time that I turned it over to the Lord once and for all. ROM 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. There are so many things in life we take for granted. This one episode woke me up to a whole new reality. Physically broken and desperate it wasn’t prayers for God to heal this condition that was expected or that He would receive, God just wanted a word of thanks. The scripture comes to mind Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; Just an offering of thanksgiving and praise is what Father was expecting. Psa 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: Each day I have many things to be thankful for. Psa 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. I didn’t know it all starts with thanksgiving. Phl 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. I now was beginning to understand what the scriptures mean: JOHN 15:4-6, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” I had attempted to act independently at times from the Lord and boy I felt the refiner’s fire upon my head and in my bosom. He didn’t have to test me too long before I wised up. The desert of uncertainty is a dry and lonely place but we all must go through it. I have experienced many similar instances, which teaches me more of the nature and attributes of Father each time I go through a trial. Our whole life is a life of trial, and testing in order to prove us, mature us and complete us in Him.

chapter 23

Scott - Musician/Songwriter I was a little shocked at the cold, detached, matter-of-fact tone that accompanied references to me in this part of the book. If you didn’t know any better, you might assume that I was picked up hitchhiking on the way to record Show No Mercy and they just asked me to sit in on a few tracks. In fact, my friendship with Dale pre-dates both Bride and Matrix. I first met Dale in the early 80’s when he was playing bass and singing in Warrior. Back then I was a photographer who owned a good professional camera and liked hanging out with local Christian groups and taking photos for them. I continued that relationship with Matrix. In fact, many of the Matrix photos that you see, were most likely shot by me. I’ll never forget the day Dale called me and asked me to be in Bride. He was quite upset over his guitarist and longtime friend Billy Sutherland’s attitude regarding the impending Pure Metal contract. As I remember it, I was told that Billy was skeptical that the contract would ever show up and that he was behaving more like a rockstar guitarist than a part of the team. Knowing that I played bass, Dale called and asked me to join Bride and play on the record and he asked for the phone number of my friend and extremely talented guitarist, Steve Osborne. Matrix would go from three piece to five piece and from Matrix to the newly signed Bride, all in one felt swoop. “Time of your life, huh kid?” My recollection of the SNM sessions is that I played on ALL of the songs. Yes, Troy did indeed overdub MANY of the tracks. NOT because I messed up anything, but because they wanted the bass tracks to sound like Yngwie Malmsteen played the bass on the record. Well, Yngwie wasn’t available so they let me have the gig. I’m a much better player today, but I was certainly no Yngwie back then. It’s been a long time since I listened to SNM but as I remember it, two of the tracks are nothing but me on the bass, two of the tracks are nothing but Troy on the bass and the rest of the songs are a mixture of the two of us handling the bass work. Usually, me doing the basic line and Troy overdubbing “intricate fills”. I was Bride’s first bass player and also the first of many member changes over the years. Although, I was one of the few to leave of my own volition. I had only been married a few months when we discovered that my wife and I were to be blessed with child. About this same time it became clear to all of us that we were going to be ripped off by Pure Metal Records. We were already working on the songs for the Live To Die record. In the best interest of my family and the band, I bowed out and Frank stepped in. Frank displayed a lot of class by making it a point to come up to me the first time we met and making sure that I was cool with the change. Most musicians wouldn’t give a rat’s “you know what” about what a former bandmember thinks. Frank is one of those rare people in Christian music who treats people the way he would like to be treated. What a concept. I spent the next several years out of Bride and educating myself about how the music business works and trying to figure out how and why we got ripped off. Scott - Manager/Booking Agent/Publicist Once again, the overall tone of the references to me here is the primary item I take issue with. The way it’s written it sounds like I was just some hapless schmuck who really didn’t know what I was doing and I just managed the band in my spare time and out of the goodness of my heart. The facts are: I did know what I was doing, I was fortunate to have a day job and an understanding family that allowed me the freedom to put more than just my spare time into the band and I was doing it because I believed in the band at a time when virtually no one else did. My recollections are, when Star Song bought the Pure Metal catalog and took an interest in Bride, Dale and Troy wisely thought it was time to have professional representation when dealing with a major Christian record label like Star Song. Dale had seen some promo materials that I had put together for a local band and asked me if I’d be interested in managing Bride. I said yes. For the three years leading up to this time I had successfully managed the entire distribution operation for the Louisville, Kentucky franchise of the Clearwater, Florida based Auto Trader Magazine. In three years I singlehandedly TRIPLED the size of the distribution network while simultaneously managing the logistics of the entire distribution operation. This included among other things the supervision of 20 contract labor drivers covering 60 counties in two states, a sweeping promotional campaign with local radio and television, marketing & sales presentations and contract negotiations with corporate clients. All of that was accomplished while facing a competitor with a proven 18 year track record. As it turns out that’s a pretty good training base for managing a rock band. Shortly before Dale asked me to manage the band, I was headhunted back into the photo business by a former employer. They wanted me to come in and turn around a mismanaged, floundering photo lab. That’s something I could and ultimately would do, in my sleep. This would allow me the freedom to do what I was about to do for Bride. Many people mistakenly try to credit me with Bride’s success while at Star Song. I am quick to point out that I was

just a part of the team. For the record, none of it would have happened were it not for Dez Dickerson and Mike Keil initially. But more importantly, I didn’t write those great songs. I didn’t make all of those long agonizing road trips crammed in a minivan. I didn’t work for weeks in the studio making a record with... aahhh...uuhhmmm.... producers. I didn’t spend nearly every weekend away from my family. I certainly had nothing to do with that magic chemistry between those four guys: Dale, Troy, Jerry and Rik. Nobody could touch them on the live concert stage and most refused to even try. The power that was captured on those records was more explosive and cutting edge than Christian music had ever seen at that time. But, I did do my part and I did it well. I will always be proud of that. Yes, I took no fee or percentage for managing Bride. They always reimbursed me for my out of pocket expense very promptly, though. I did spend a lot of time handling management and publicity issues primarily with the record label. However, I also handled things like Rik’s Peavey Endorsement, our Worldvision Artist Affiliate Endorsement and the great GMA “SchmoozeFest” schedule of events each year. Once things really took off, most of my time was devoted to concert bookings. It was then that they did permit me to take 15% of any guaranteed honorarium that I booked. That’s a very unusal arrangement for the music business but that’s how it was. Most managers take 10% to 15% of every dollar that the band generates. That would include advances, royalties, merchandise and concert bookings. A booking agent would take another 15% of any concert bookings, 20% if they handled publicity for the event. I can’t imagine any legitimate concert promoter who would say that I wasn’t returning concert booking phone calls. I had an excellent relationship with all of our repeat promoters and festivals. Certainly the record company had no problem getting a hold of me. They had my home phone, office phone, work phone and cell phone numbers and routinely called me on all of them. My phone numbers and mailing address were on every Bride CD and cassette on Star Song, business card and publicity photo ever produced. I continued to recieve phone calls for Bride for YEARS after I had ceased managing and booking them. As I just stated, that’s the only source of revenue that my company, Axiom Music Group, Inc. had. Why would I not return phone calls and thereby cut my cash flow? It makes no sense. I will say this. There is a scourge in Christian music of sometimes well-intentioned but nontheless inexperienced teenaged and immature young adult fans who like to think of themselves as concert promoters. This was a constant battle to try and determine who was legit and who was not. Yes, this was before the days of e-mail and our phone bill was rountinely $300+ each month. I strongly believed that I had a fiduciary responsibility to the band not to waste their expense money on these fraudulant “wanna-be” promoters and to try not to send the band out to horribly promoted shows. We got tricked into enough of them as it was. There were plenty of those to go around and still are, I’m sure. If those are the people who complained about me not returning phone calls, good. I’d do it again. To this day, I’ve never understood why Dale got so wigged out over that disaster of a show in Arizona. What he refers to as irrational I considered a step of faith, at the time. The promoter had a positive reference from the Newsboys organization, but he was having trouble coming up with the airfare. I really wanted the band on the West Coast. We had done virtually nothing out West and I thought that’s where the other 50,000 units in record sales that we were looking for was to be found. Add to that the cancellation of a much anticipated club tour throughout the southwest put together by one of the Stryper Tour promoters and to be honest, my zeal got the best of me. I ate the airfare and the band had to deal with a couple of lousy shows and an idiot promoter. I never dreamed that would negate all of the positive things we’d accomplished over the years, but I was wrong. Sometimes the Manager has to be the bad guy. That’s understood by most artists and that’s how they want it. My job was to get the best deal for the artist that I represent, not to make friends. Many people in the Christian music business want to have it both ways. When a record label is negotiating for the best deal for themselves, it’s cutthroat all the way. They won’t give an inch. Well, as far as I’m concerned, that’s o.k.. That’s just business. But if you as an artist try to do the same, why that’s positively non-christian in their eyes. How dare you not sign that piece of crap they just put in front of you. Star Song tried to get us to re-sign with them even before they had exercised the last option of our current deal at the time. This opened the door to negotiate with other labels. Dale and Troy gave me the o.k. to do so and I did. When Jeff Moseley found out, he hit the roof and Dale and Troy didn’t back me up. I thought they had my back, but instead they caved in to Jeff for fear of having no record deal. This was the beginning of the end for me. My attitude was, you have to strike when the iron is hot and nobody was hotter than Bride back then. All of the labels wanted us. Oh sure, they head for the hills when the great Jeff Moseley huffs and puffs, but I believe eventually we could’ve gotten a better deal. If not from Star Song then from another label. Had we held strong and toughed it out in the end I believe we

would have most likely been offered a better deal and all of the labels would have more respect for us as business people. You can’t negotiate from a point of weakness and when the label knows you’ll sign whatever they put in front of you if they yell loud enough...they’ve got your number. I think Dale and Troy did not see eye to eye with me on this issue and the Arizona fiasco was just a good excuse to make a change. The last thing I wanted to bring out was that near the end of our relationship I was talking to Dale and Troy about me stepping aside as Manager. I had come to realize that those other 50,000 units weren’t on the West Coast. They weren’t anywhere. If you’re on the covers of all of the magazines, all of your singles go to number one, you win all of the Dove’s you’re nominated for and you play your butt off and you still don’t sell more than 50,000 units, you never will. At least not in the CBA market. I realized that I had done all I could for Bride. They needed mainstream representation. They needed people with contacts outside of the Christian market to shop a non-Christian deal, to get them the international exposure that they needed. They needed an opening slot on a major secular tour. I could not do these things. We talked about me becoming just a business manager for the band or just handling the Christian concert bookings. We had someone interested in managing the band, fronting the money to demo the songs to be shopped, shopping the demo and if nothing panned out, a new Christian record deal with Word distribution to fall back on. Apparently Dale and Troy had another plan in mind. The main point I want to make very clear is that through all of this, I had no agenda other than doing what was best for Bride. I managed no other artists, although I was asked to. I handled concert bookings for no one else, although I was asked to. Bride was my focus. Bride was my passion. It was not always easy and it was not always fun, but rarely did it ever seem like work. Regarding Bride there are many things I am proud of, a few things I’d change and only one regret. I’ve always been a little sad that mine and Dale’s friendship did not survive. As I stated earlier, that friendship pre-dated both Bride and Matrix. Some of my favorite and lasting memories of Dale are the times when there were no fans around, no record people, no promoters, nobody to schmooze and no talk of business. Just two guys hanging out and talking about the kind of things that two guys who’ve been friends for a long time talk about. Whoever said, “It’s only rock and roll.”...was full of crap. Scott T. Hall [email protected]

chapter 24: overseas again

A man had contacted us by the name of Vincent Salazar, whom we had played one show with on a previous tour. After many emails and a lot of trust on our part, we departed for what would be our most adventurous European/Scandinavia mini tour of them all. Vincent was a little mysterious to us even though he seemed very open and extremely likable. He was an American who had lived a long while in Denmark with his family. March 20 Hagen Germany, March 25 Oslo Norway, March 26 Copenhagen Denmark, March 27 Stockholm Sweden, March 29 Fredrecia Denmark, Even though this tour seemed successful, the group was uneasy about our environment. We really got the taste of overseas living since we stayed a little longer than normal. It was cold. We played some pubs and a couple of small concerts and were treated very well. One of the most memorable events to happen on this tour is when we took a train from one country to the next. Our translator would travel with us on this trip. We took an overnight train, which meant we would sleep along the way. The translator kept saying that we would take a ferry along the way and we assumed we would get off the train, get on a ferry, and travel further. As we pulled out of the train station we all got settled in our single sleeping car suited for six adults. It was like bunk beds. We played a few games of hearts then settled in for the night listening to the click clacking of the rails as the train sped over them. The train would make periodical stops to let people off and to take other passengers. This in itself was a little annoying because when we would pull into a new train station the lights would shine into our window and the compartment would illuminate like the sun. Finally we all fell asleep and just when we thought we had stopped at another station, we heard unusual noises. Our translator said it was time to get up and walk outside. We did not ask why we just all filed in behind him. We put our shows on and down the narrow corridor full of other passengers we followed. As we stepped off the train, we found ourselves in the belly of a gigantic ferryboat. Amazing, I thought. It seemed that to cross the seas ahead the ferry was equipped with rails and the train just chugged right into its belly. We were simply blown away that an entire train was able to ride up into a boat. There were cars parked underneath also. Our translator took us up to the cafeteria where we had a hot cup of coffee. The band decided to take a look outside on the deck of the boat as we crossed the sea. We did not stay topside too long, as it was eerie on this pitch-black night and a chilling wind was blowing furiously. Soon we heard the warning to return to the train and back into our sleeper car we went. When the ferry arrived on the other side the train pulled out and off, we went to our destination. The last date on this tour was really an odd gig. The promoter took us literally out in the middle of nowhere. We were kind of in a forest way out in the country at a compound of sorts. We played our set to a group of youth (not really a concert environment). That night we joked among ourselves that anything could happen to us out here in the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by a bunch of people we did not know and now we were totally cut off from any outside contact. There was no telephones, radios, or televisions. To be truthful we were very uncomfortable. That night after the show we locked our door and slept with one eye open. In the back of our mind, we were thinking Waco! Needless to say nothing cult like occurred and we were soon packed and ready to go home. When we arrived home we had some U.S. shows to play April 5 Dundee IL, (Heart @ Soul Café), April 21 Nashville TN (Hard Rock Café) April 26 Charlotte NC, May 24 Hickory, NC Bride and Rocketboy tour. Big Planet and Organic had really pushed for this tour. We had always felt that a band on our level could

better serve on the weekends. Our point was that why play on a Tuesday for thirty people when that same thirty people would show up along with a bigger crowd on a Saturday? A couple of different bands wanted to go out on the road with us. A few different CD’s were sent my way but nothing really caught my attention until I heard Rocketboy. There was something about them I liked. They sounded very fresh and energetic. I thought it would be good to have some really young guys out on the road with us bringing in a younger crowd to the concerts. Troy was unable to get off work for every show of the tour so I phoned Scottie Hoaglan of Nailed and he joined us full time on guitar for the tour. Troy would join us off and on. This would mean some nights we had two guitarists. Our first show was in Washington DC, this would mean a 13 hour drive for us. May 29th 1997 with the new, “The Jesus Experience” in hand we embarked on the first leg of the tour. (My Brother’s Place) was one of the nicest Christian Clubs we had ever played and for a Thursday, there was a nice size crowd. My Brothers Place was a nice size club with a large coffee house environment. The stage was just about the right size for us and the P.A. did a fine job. I remember they fed us from their kitchen a really good meal. Rocketboy was not actually traveling with us so they arrived at different times. The first night of the tour I never met anyone from Rocketboy. May 30 Fayetteville, NC May 31 Nashville, TN (Rocketown). The Rocketown show was eventful. Seemed that there was a third band on the bill. A punk band that had won a local secular battle of the bands and Seth our booking agent thought it would be great because the band had a good draw. When we walked into the venue, I noticed a lot of our crowd was waiting outside rather than being in the actual room where the bands were playing. The punk band had been using obscenities from the stage and even broke one of our foot pedals that we had left after sound check. I had to apologize to our fans from the stage. June 1 Atlanta, GA (Church of God) we played an acoustic set at one of the largest churches in Atlanta to a tiny group of people. This show was not even a concert it was played in a big classroom of sorts. I remember introducing the band from the stage with made up German sounding names like Hans, Dieter, and Sprocket. I did it in fun but one of the promoters afterwards and said. “Hans you did a real fine job.” I thought that was hilarious and never corrected him. June 2 we made our way back to a familiar place Taylor SC where our acoustic set was very well received by the couple of hundred kids that showed up. June 3 Jacksonville Fl we played a great place called (The Murray Hill Theater). This was an old movie theater that had been converted into a concert hall. By this time Troy had went back home to resume his normal job. People thought Scottie was Troy because of his long blond hair and slim build. Every show Troy did not make I had to clear up the confusion. The only difference from a distance was Scotties purple goatee. June 4 Birmingham, AL (The Crush Warehouse) was a bit of a turning point in the tour. The promoter of this particular show had accused us of being hard to work with to Seth during the booking process though he had never worked with us in the past. We went into this show expecting the worst however, even though the attendance was barely 100 the promoter turned out to be a friendly and likable guy and all went well. We drove through the night for our next destination. Troy would be flying in to meet us June 5 Shreveport, LA. This would mark the absolute poorest turn out for a Bride show yet. Exhausted from driving all night we learned that the promoter had done absolutely no promoting. Not only were we stiffed our honorarium but there was only about six paying people at this water park which could have handled thousands. This was hard to take but with everything in life, there are ups and downs. This was certainly a downer. The great thing about this show was I met Scott Herrin a Youth Pastor from Mississippi who had drove up with his friends. They actually were the bulk of the audience. Even though we had less people than a carton has eggs we rocked the short set out for these guys, Scott, Anthony and Robert. I would remain good friends with these guys throughout the years. June 6 Houston TX (Glory to Glory). June 7 Dallas TX we played (God’s Place). The room was excellent

but the P.A. gave us fits. We had expected between 300 and 400 people and about 75 were in attendance. June 8 Lubbock TX (Church of the Nazarene) was an old worn out church. At this point, we had stopped speculating on the crowd because the tour was failing miserably. We learned that this same night just down the road a huge festival was taking place with dozens of bands. We used this as an excuse for the poor turnout. June 9 Tulsa, OK Touch Ministries had us for an Unplugged set. Another 75-person crowd welcomed us. We returned home time enough to restock on merchandise, which had not been selling well, and to pick up Troy again. We said goodbye to our families and June 12 we played in Cleveland, OH where we played on a breezy waterfront. People were skiing behind the stage, which was very odd. June 13 we ventured into Windsor Ontario, Canada. This would be a night that everyone would remember for the rest of our lives. My dad and my oldest son Alex had made the trip with Troy and it was good to see them. We had begun something new in order to get the stage cleared of our equipment and loaded while I was preaching. Seemed that by the time the band played, I preached and we met and greeted the folks who came we would not get back to the hotel until the a.m. and it was hard getting up to hit the road again. This would mean that when I finished speaking we could talk to the folk’s sign some things and leave without going into the late hours or even into morning. This particular night I was preaching and the crowd seemed interested in the tear down of the equipment more than the message I was delivering. Only on one occasion had I called the guys out about making too much noise when tearing down. Basically, it was Jerry because of his chrome hardware being dropped into the trap case. In addition, cymbals are just noisy to begin with. I was not about to call him out twice on the same tour because I know he took the first time he took exception to it as a personal embarrassment. Therefore, I made a statement not to call out Jerry but to help take the attention away from the load out and focus placed upon the message I was delivering. I said, “it is a shame that you folks are more interested in watching these guys tear down their gear than me minister the Word of God.” At the time, I felt it was a harmless statement and did point the finger at anyone as a noisemaker. Now let me explain that those of you who have never traveled long distances, with sleep depravation have no ideal as to how simple statements can trigger tension. In addition, after someone has been on the road for a while they seem to travel with the hammers cocked. I was no different. After the show, we were speaking with the dozen or so folks who were still hanging around and I noticed Jerry being standoffish toward me. It never dawned on me what was going on. At this point of the tour, because my dad had came up we now had two vans. Myself, my son Alex, Scottie, Steve, and Jerry were in one van. I noticed Jerry sulking and I asked him what was the matter. He replied in a hateful voice, which hit me in the face like a cup of ice water. “You know what’s the matter!” I pleaded innocence and ignorance in the same breath. Jerry who was sitting in the front seat looked around at me out of the corner of his eye and said, “it won’t happen again I won’t put up with it!” Of course confused I inquired on what he was talking about. He was accusing me of calling him out for a second time in front of people for making too much noise while tearing down his kit. This broke out into a verbal duel where I felt myself screaming at him with harmful intent. I soon assured him that he was mistaken and that I was not pointing a finger but making a general statement which went along with the sermon I gave that night. I felt as though Jerry was unconvinced. That night at the hotel Troy and myself both went to his hotel room to make sure Jerry understood that I meant no disrespect. One sure way of knowing is the DAT, which we had recorded; we had the entire message. There was no way of denying, my intent upon inspection of the DAT and the tour continued as if nothing had happened. Maybe fatigue had played a role or night after night of poor turnouts but this would mark our last tour together in the States. June 14 we rolled into Grand Haven, MI, June 15 Chicago, IL (Heart & Soul Unplugged), June 16 Milwaukee, WI (Light Club), June 17 Chicago, IL (The Warehouse), June 19 Quincy, IL, June 20 Kansas City, KS. The big test of Bride’s popularity would come June 21 Minneapolis, MN (The New Union). This was a club we had played many times. The fans in Minneapolis had always been supportive and had come out 800 at a time in the past. This night we barely topped 300 people. The last show was June 27 Des Moines IA.

chapter 25

The scariest moment on the Rocketboy tour had to do with a gun.

The Bride / Rocketboy tour was as we call in Kentucky “a real hoot.” Scottie Hoaglan, our “fill-in guitarist,” was hilarious. There was no way to describe his driving, or the armadillo call that he would make. But one story comes to mind that can be explained. While driving on the Interstate well into the tour, Scottie was sitting in the front passenger’s seat. He was bored, so he thought he would serenade us with a little picking. He asked for someone in the back to hand him his guitar. The guitar was promptly handed to him and Scottie commenced strumming away. No one thought anything of it; this is what guitarist sometimes do. Our tour van was one of those huge 15 passenger deals with tinted windows. The licenses plate was in the rear window, and was hardly visible because of the darkness of the glass. In other words, for passing motorists it was hard to see clearly into our van. Reminds me of the Old Testament (types and shadows). We had traveled a pretty good ways when nature called, and we stopped at a friendly looking exit. We pulled up to a convenience store next to a carload of young teenagers wearing all black. A couple of them had concert shirts on. They were trying to look really scary as they just sat in the car with the doors opened. I assume they were eating whatever they had just purchased from inside the store. They gave us strange looks as we climbed out of this jammed, packed van. Normally we would have to climb over lots of baggage to just get out of the vehicle. We climbed down and stood for a second or two stretching our legs. I was one of the first to venture into the store. There I bought the usual: a drink, chips, browsed the isle for something new, (which I could never find) and I bought some side walk chalk to take home to my son after the tour ended. As I departed the store, I noticed someone walking close behind me. I really was still in a daze from just being “mind locked” in the van for so long, so I paid little attention. Then, all of the sudden, I noticed the person walking behind me had a badge. The first thought that ran through my head was, “this is store security, and he is coming to check my bag to make sure I am not shoplifting.” The thought of such an accusation offended me. “I bought this chalk, I have a receipt,” I thought to myself. Then I heard a voice say “Stop!” I suddenly became aware of my surroundings, which, it occurred to me, looked very peculiar. We were surrounded! It was not a store bought wanna’ be cop, it was the State Police with plenty of local backup. The parking lot was full of cops. The road in and out was blocked by police, and our van was surrounded. I thought, “over a bag of chalk? I paid for it there is nothing they can do,” I began to convince myself. “Did the clerk put the receipt in my bag?” I asked myself.

The teens in the car next to our now seized van looked frightened. They thought they were spooky, now the whole law enforcement of the state had converged on our van. The spooky “all dressed in black youth” gingerly pulled away. They wanted no part of whatever was about to go down. The police asked if they could check our van. Troy said yes and a police officer began prowling around. It seemed that a woman who had passed us on the highway had reported that a van fitting our description, without a license plate, had occupants inside who were passing rifles around. The police were looking for a gun. I thought, “My goodness, I have a gun, a pistol, in my bag.” I prayed they would not find it. After a quick search, Troy explained that the woman must have seen us pass Scottie his guitar and assumed it was a gun; and as for a license plate, well, we had one, it was just difficult to see in that tinted window. The police were satisfied, (good thing they didn’t find my pistol), but they were looking for a long rifle. They said we could go,and we did, restricting Scottie’s “in-the-van guitar playing” to the back seat. WHY isn’t Bride playing my Hometown? People throughout the years have asked us why we haven’t come to their town or city? Some think that we deliberately avoid their areas. The truth of the matter is, Bride would have played non-stop every day if there was interest and support. In the minds of many, Bride was larger than life. Many viewed the band as rock stars, living like kings surrounded by wealth and no want. However, the grim reality is that the band had no ability, power or in road to tour at will. First, there was never enough competent promoters, nor general interest by sponsors. Record Labels seemed helpless to get us on big tours with more well known bands. As much as Bride desired to tour and to introduce Christ to those we met on the road, the opportunities were not there. From the first day Bride came into existence until the present, the struggle has always existed. There was a reason for this that would not be revealed to me until years later. In the meantime, we just followed the leading of the Holy Spirit; “for who hath resisted His will?” The Word of God speaks over and over the sublime truth that “His mercy endureth for ever,” with out one word to the contrary. I would soon learn the ultimate purpose of God and His will in my life. I understood that Christ is the provision for all things in my life, but I was not living within the realm to benefit totally from these provisions. Living outside the realm among the shadows, much of His blueprint for my life was unclear. Yet I knew deep within my spirit there was a higher purpose out of reach of conventional carnal thinking. Cornerstone 1997 We had not been invited to Cornerstone in 3 years, and this year would be no exception. Steve said they thought we would be dead by now, but were like roaches, “we can’t die.” I was beginning to feel like an unwanted insect. Organic managed to secure a spot for us on a stage, which they had reserved for their artists, and Doug Van Pelt from HM magazine gave us a spot in his

tent. Both shows came back to back on Sunday, which is the last day of the festival, so we played for fewer people than in the past at this event. We continued to play shows throughout the year. *July 11 King’s Island, OH, *July 12 Racine WI , *July 25 Columbus OH 888-404-0949 (Cornerstone Cafe), *July 26 Reinholts Fairgrounds PA, *August 8 Atlanta GA 770-973-0534 (The Edge Festival), *August 16 Cheboygan MI, August 30 Waterloo IA *September 13 Barbourville KY, *September 27 Rockford IL October 4th Columbus Oh (King’s Place), *October 11 Martinsville IN, *October 17 Houston TX, *October 18 Dallas TX , The turnouts at the shows were getting better since the tour with Rocketboy, but they were nothing like years gone past. I know it was in the back of everyone’s mind: “how much longer can we do this? How much longer does God want us to do this?” Every day I would ask the Lord, “Father, is Bride still a band? Is this something we should continue to do?” South America, October 30-November 1st, reunited us with all of our Brazilian friends and marked the 5th time we had been invited to this wonderful event. We asked ourselves here also, “how much longer will they have us?” This year was particularly special because we were able to play with and meet Michael W. Smith for the first time. The shows were great as always, and we found Michael to be very friendly. We returned home as we always did from these big shows with a little more get up and go. We continued our weekend shows playing November 8, Willouhby, Oh, November 15, Keyser ,WV, November 22 Clarksville ,TN (Spike and Crown), December 30, Indianapolis, In, December 31, Joplin, MO. Though we had played the most shows of any year we had ever played, it was far from being a successful year. There were so many up’s and down’s; there was never a high. The band was tired, we felt old, and we were confused with what to do musically in the future. Though “The Jesus Experience” seemed to be selling well and we were out ministering the Word of God, the band itself was loose. We really lost the desire to rehearse, to write songs, even to hang out at all with one another. We needed a spark, and we were not getting it from our new booking agency, Big Planet, whose goal was 100 shows for 1997.

They missed their goal. 1998 We Started off playing live gigs January 9, Waldorf, MD (My Brother’s Place), January 10, Chester, VA January, 24 Des Moines, IA, January 25, Duluth, MN, January 29, Atlanta, GA, January 30, Jacksonville, Fl. Then came the big change. Doug Lucas, who had been going on trips with us as a driver, wanted to become more involved in our ministry. We all agreed that Big Planet seemed too unorganized for what we were used to as a band. We decided after much prayer to let Big Planet go, and Doug Lucas took over the bookings of the band. Our nightly song list from this period of time included songs from these CD’s: *The Jesus Experience ** Scarecrow Messiah *** Drop **** Snakes in the Playground *****Kinetic Faith SONGS were: Rattlesnakes **** Would you die for me **** Psychedelic Super Jesus **** Fallout **** The Worm * I love you * If I live I live for you * End * Cosmic Christ * Scarecrow ** Beast ** Everybody knows my name ***** Trouble Times *****

Mamma*** The shows seemed to go well, but I was feeling the desire to minister the Word more than ever from the stage. Some folks they were blessed and welcomed the Word that was preached. Others thought I went too long, that it was out of place and anti-climatic for the end of the night. I was even accused at one point of possibly hurting merchandise sales because I ministered too long. Actually, the ministering of the Word may have went a tad long. However, I was only saying what I felt led to say. I wanted people to understand God, their own purpose in life, what the Lord was expecting of them, and sometimes I guess it was me ministering rather than the Holy Spirit. Yet, each night brought folks forward for prayer. I have witnessed great works of God all throughout this ministry. Young people coming to Jesus for the first time, folks recommitting themselves, folks being healed, delivered and set free from the corruptions of this world. Yet, through all of the ministry, Father had a long ways yet to bring me personally before I could clearly see what He had in store. Note: Because of the popularity of one “Marilyn Manson” and the Christian church’s obsession with this man, I was led by the Holy Spirit to write the following. Marilyn Manson Who is afraid of Marilyn Manson? It seems that the past year or so many Christians lived their lives centered in Manson fear. Protest was held, prayer groups were organized, and there were even marches in the street to rid society of this gothic figure. Christians were appalled and repulsed by this man. Churches took busloads to rally against this evil which was rolling across the country spreading his blasphemous reproaches against God and holiness. It seemed that everything that deemed itself unholy and vaunted and boasted of itself in evil was credited to Marilyn Manson. The Christian people seemed to forget that there is none righteous, no not one! We are all “sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). Now, with a new CD in the stores, how are Christians going to react again? I normally would not write a sermon of this sort, but God woke me early and laid this on my heart. This is being written not to condemn Manson. I am not writing this to endorse him, either. This letter to you is to bring awareness to God as Father. I have heard as much about Marilyn Manson, and know just as much as I ever want to. Most of my knowledge of him has came from Christian sources (though I found out later that most of the information I had received was false and made up, out of minds of the insecure). When people are struck with sudden fear their hearts fail them, their faith is weakened, and often times they lash out carnally. In fact, to loose focus of God’s will and to react on our own is sin. So people who went out with good intentions to expose the evil

influence of Manson subjected themselves to sin. A person who leans on their own wisdom, or righteousness, is in fact only going through the motions of good intentions. When “good intentions” are implied it produces vanity. It is easy at this point to be caught up in the figment of reason more devoutly than the living God. Christians were angry with Manson for his actions both on and off stage, and offended by the message he was spouting forth. What did everyone expect from a person who does not have a relationship with the Father? Manson only does what is of his nature. He is not a born again Christian, so he does not have God’s nature. God’s Spirit has not transformed him, and his mind is still carnal; yet to be renewed by the Word of God. Christian people acted as if Manson should be behaving differently than what comes by his sinful nature. When a person invents their own god in their own likeness they will behave to only please that man-made god (which they have created in their own image). Here is a man who is behaving unseemly and doing things which Christian people are repulsed by, but at one time these same Christian people were under the same influences because of sin. I have something in common with Manson. I was once lost, too. I once was under the curse, a slave to sin, bound in chains of darkness, living my life as an empty vessel. I am a sinner saved by grace. The only thing that separates me from being just like Marilyn Manson is Jesus Christ in my life. Jesus Christ has changed the corruptible in me to righteousness through grace by His Faith. When I saw the Christian protest rallies on TV I was saddened. If I were Marilyn Manson, these people shouting and holding up signs would have not moved me. It would not have made me draw closer to God, but would have repelled me as insect spray does to the fly. I witnessed what appeared to be a mob scene; Christians taking Marilyn Mason personally. I not only witnessed anger, but hate spewing from the protesters. There were some that seemed to allow themselves to be conducted by the Holy Spirit. However, Manson himself seemed to be controlling the larger portion of the protesters, demonstrated by their own actions. He even confessed that he fed off their protest. John 8:7: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” In this scripture we see the religious of Jesus’ day drag a woman to the feet of Jesus and expose her sin to all that stood around. The same type of people are those who shouted at Manson and held the protest signs. What did Jesus tell the woman after the men had left ashamed? “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” Why didn’t Jesus condemn her as Moses had commanded? Because Jesus had come to save that which was lost! Who did Jesus die for? He did not die for the Holy, the Righteous and the Pure in Heart. He died for the sinner! He died for people just like Marilyn Manson. Jesus came to do his Father’s will, which was restoring the relationship that had been lost. The only way to combat evil principalities, rulers of darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places is by prayer! Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching

thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Christians became so preoccupied with defending their youth against the wiles of Marilyn Manson that they forgot how to worship God. People were trying to stop a spiritual force by human means. The battle is not fought on the street, in front of an arena, or at a protest rally. The war is waged in the spirit. Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Paul even wrote in Romans 12:14: “Bless them, which persecute you: bless, and curse not.” Romans 12:21: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Matthew 7:1-3: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Any why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considereth not the beam that is in thy own eye?” The phrase “love the sinner and hate the sin” does apply here. King David composed a song at the death of Saul, his enemy. Though Saul was his enemy, David executed an Amalekite for rejoicing over Saul’s death. Romans 12:20: “Therefore if thy enemy hunger feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” While Christians brought media attention to Manson’s freak show, his album sales soared to heights he would not have reached without the help from the religious community. In fact, because of the religious community, I would attribute at least 2 million more sales to his cause. The church became a selling tool for this evil work. Why? Because people did not approach this according to scripture! So what will the Christians do the next time an Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, 9 inch Nails, Danzig or a King Diamond raises their demonic head on the scene? They will probably get out the cardboard and markers and load up on church buses and rush off to another protest rally. The above writing made some Christians upset, and others saw the truth in it. I stated what was on my heart. The only way to combat evil principalities, rulers of darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places is by prayer! Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” NOTE: Just a suggestion, but you might want to add Fasting. (And praying that they will turn to Jesus Christ and become Brothers/Sisters in Christ is effectual!) So what will the Christians do the next time an Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, 9 inch Nails, Danzig or a King Diamond raises their demonic head on the scene? They will probably get out the cardboard and markers and load up on church buses and rush off to another protest rally.

chapter 26

Our stay with Organic was short. After The Jesus Experience, it seemed music was changing at a rapid pace. We were trying to hit the nail on the head with the sound, the songs; everything but we seemed to be behind the times. Though we were changing, we were not moving fast enough. Many of the bands that had began around the same time as we did were now either only playing special events like festivals or had permanently disbanded altogether. The Jesus Experience was not received as well as we had hoped. The touringbecame slow. The market was being flooded by punk and ska bands from Tooth and Nail Records. These bands would form, do a really bad CD, and tour for zero dollars for promotion then break up as quickly as they came. Most of these groups were not speaking about their relationship with Christ from the stage and a new era was being birthed. Gross darkness had truly fallen on this industry called “Christian Music.” It was not just Tooth and Nail there was other independent labels popping up all over the place. In the secular market old veteran bands like Fleetwood Mac reunited, Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind was popular and Hanson was a phenomenon. People like Alanis Morissette brought a new passion into rock music that had not been seen in years. Smashin Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Goo Goo Dolls, Hootie & the Blowfish and Blues Traveler were causing big stirs and metal was virtually dead. Rap was coming on enormously fast and soon the music people bought and supported would be more diverse than ever. One music fan might have a 2Pac CD, a Jewel CD and a Green Day CD in their collection. In the Christian market, promoters got caught up in booking cheap imitation bands because they did not have to pay them. This new breed of Christian band would sleep on a floor and eat peanut butter. These bands would tour until they collapsed. Many of them were very young with no adult supervision, we met many that were way off base, and their attitudes were far from a Christ like demeanor. Bride was not perfect and we had made plenty of mistakes along the way but our hearts were sold out to presenting the gospel of Christ and the completed, perfected finished work of the cross. It seemed now that in the Christian music market it did not matter if a band shared Jesus with the audience or not. John and Dino had grown distant from us as their studio flourished. They had been somewhat an anchor for us because we truly had trusted them. We felt as though they were friends and that they would watch over us with our best interest in the forefront. We came to a point in the group where we just did not feel like we had it any more, whatever “it” was. Steve Curtsinger was burdened down with building a new house and many responsibilities with his family and he had lost all enthusiasm for the band. Once the zeal leaves it is virtually impossible to gain it back. He was dragging Jerry down also. We would take trips and Steve would say, “why are we doing this?” He would say things like “this is crazy, to get on a plane, fly to another country.” Once again, Troy and I were forced to make a decision. Because Steve was closer to me than Troy, Troy did the dirty deed. Steve was a good friend and we had spent many hours at my house hanging out, listening to music, and playing video games. I hated to see him let go but I knew it was for the best. Steve was very understanding and almost seemed relieved that he now had the burden of a band off his back so he could finish his house. Andrew Wilkinson was brought in to take over the bass duties. We had known Andrew who we called Andy for many years. He was not really a metal guy and he played his bass very high like a jazz musician but he was a fine player and learned the songs very quickly. Andy had a real servant’s heart. He would come to Troy’s house for rehearsal and if there were dishes in the sink to be washed, he would wash them without asking. It was his nature and we never had met anyone like him before. When we would travel on the road and stop for a break at a truck stop, it was Andy who jumped out and cleaned the windows of the van, then ask, “does anyone want a drink from the store?” Andy played many shows with us even traveling overseas with us but Bride was not in full strength. We all felt it. We had rehearsed for many weeks writing songs for the next Organic release and was in the process of working out the bugs when Andy dropped the news that

he felt the Lord was moving him on in another direction. I believe he wanted to stay but the Lord’s call was obvious. There was a bassist that we knew of that lived in Monroe Ohio by the name of Lawrence Bishop. He had a southern rock style band called Two Hippies and a Cowboy. He had showed great interest in playing for us in the past but I did not think it was practical because of the distance. We felt like we needed band members closer to home. However we were three weeks from recording the CD and we had no bassist. We knew that John and Dino could find a studio guy to do the record but that thought sickened us and we just had to have someone. We contacted Lawrence and Lawrence was very anxious to climb aboard. We made it known to him that this was a temporary position and that after the recording and a few shows that we would be looking for a bassist in Louisville. That was fine with Lawrence and we began to cram for the recording. Lawrence would make several 2 ½ hour drives to Louisville to learn the new material and rehearse. Lawrence was a rodeo guy. He lived on a ranch had rode bulls and bronx in professional rodeo’s all of his life but his dream was to be in a successful Christian Rock Band. Here was the opportunity that he had been waiting for. We went into the studio believing that Dino was going to be very hands on and drive the mix over the top. He gave us a lot of confidence before hand and claimed he had a real vision for this CD. We knew that something was very wrong from the get go. Even though it was John and Dino’s studios we were booked in on three different occasions and bumped from our allotted recording time by other groups. Every time we would prepare to go in, we got phone calls changing the dates. By the time we went in we were less that enthusiastic. Once we entered the studio we found that Dino was no where to be found. It was a very stale atmosphere and a lonely environment. We felt as though we were recording in a tomb. There was no life; no vibe happening and I began to worry about the project. Dino assured me when he finally stuck his head into the studio that he would bring this project up to an incredible over the top level. I wanted a project that would rival Manson and Nine-Inch Nails with plenty of studio tricks; this would not be the case. Another thing weighing heavy on my mind was a diagnosis from a throat specialist I had gone to see. I had been having extreme sharp pain in my throat and I noticed that I was unable to do some of the “vocal acrobatics” as Jerry fondly called them. The specialist examined my throat by numbing it with a spray then ran a tube up my nose and down into my throat. He found an ulcer on my vocal chord and insisted that I immediately stop singing and have surgery. He said that the surgery would reduce my vocal range and I would have to have rehab to reconstruct and strengthen the vocals back. This would mean vocal lessons. He claimed that “without this surgery” I would never be able to sing again. I took this very hard. This was the worse thing that anyone could tell me. I could not have felt any worse than if he would have said my arm needed to be amputated. Sudden fear came upon me and I felt very cold. Troy had been having problems with a cyst in his wrist and now my vocals were shot.

We began to work on this project that we titled “Oddities.” Although I struggled through this work, I was determined to not receive this bad report and to lean upon the Lord’s power of healing to get me through it. I would later learn that this ulceration of the vocal chord would prove to be one of the best things that had ever happened to me. Though the Lord did not remove this problem He assured me that it came from Him to humble me and remind me to thank Him daily for the abilities and gifts which He had so graciously bestowed out of His love and mercy toward me. This would be a thorn in my flesh to refresh my memory daily that it was not I but Him. God could not receive glory with this ulceration there; He would eventually have to remove it. This thorn in the flesh would remain with me but only as a reminder as to our Father’s power and sovereignty. He alone rules and I was now truly humbled. Oddities…what does the title of the latest Bride record mean? 1 Corinthians 4:10 “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but we are wise in Christ.” The world looks at Christians as people who have gone mad (Acts 26:24-25). They do not understand this new and living way we have found. The new Bride record Oddities reflects this theme throughout. The world would rather Christians keep their mouth’s shut because our language does not make sense to them. 1 Peter 4:4 “They think it strange that you do not run with them.” Those outside of Christ find us odd who love Jesus. They believe us to be gullible and mislead. 1 Corinthians 4:11-14 the bible calls Christians “the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.” They do not even feel that we are “fit to live” (Acts 22:22). Romans 14:8 “For whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 “For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” Titus 2:14 “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.” (1 John 3:8 1 Peter 2:9) In the Greek, a “peculiar people” mean a people of God’s possession. God has secured his people by the blood of his Son Jesus Christ and sealed us with his Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 1:22 “Who has sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” This scripture commands authority of ownership (Jeremiah 32:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:19). God’s pledge to us that he will keep his promise is his Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14) The seal is a finished transaction (Jeremiah 32:9-10; John 17:4; 19:30). The Christian is secured (Esther 8:8; Daniel 6:17; Ephesians 4:30). The above is a spiritual and biblical account of what “Oddities” represent. Musically, “Oddities” brings Bride into the modern theater of musical styles. The songs are vintage Bride with more of the individual personalities of the band shinning through. This is an emotional record with many mood swings. If Dale is screaming, it is out of urgency, if he is whispering it is so that the listener will listen more closely. Troy demonstrates some of the most passionate writing musically that he has ever composed. The listener will hear Jerry not only playing that heavy foot groove but also throwing in chops that settle into the mix with much

conviction. There is plenty of low end covered here and the overall feel of the record will leave one wanting to kick it all off again from the top. Here are the song titles in the order that they will appear on “Oddities”. I ain’t coming down Why won’t he break End of the World I found God Closer to the center of the earth Tomorrow makes no sense Day by Day Spirit Only when I’m left alone God’s Human Oddities Under the Blood Die a little bit Restore Me Many scriptures to insure that each song is plainly understood accompanied each song lyric. It is important for all that buys “Oddities” to gain spiritual growth and insight into God’s purpose for their personal lives. In addition, we wanted everyone to have fun and enjoy this work. Tony Palacios from Guardian was brought in to add a second guitar; in addition, Jamie Rowe and John Elfante lent their vocal services to the background vocals. All through Bride’s career, we brought in second guitarist. Some have accused Troy as being a mediocre player and this is why we brought in other guitarist. The reason for other players was the expedite the recording process. The record companies put such time restraints on the band that without bringing in outside performers we would not have finished the albums in the allotted time. “Oddities” was recorded and mixed in Brentwood TN. At The Sound Kitchen the most state of the art recording studio in TN. This following article came to me from the Spirit. Oddities (why the musical changes?) This past year we have made many new friends made some enemies because of the power of God’s Word and have made a new CD “Oddities.” The majorities of you, who have written concerning “Oddities,” have understood the depth of the project and have been thoroughly blessed. I know this by your emails and letters, which you have sent. However, there are others of you, which are still holding on to what Bride used to sound like in the past. You have reflected your disappointment with the lack of heaviness from us on recent albums. Something that some may not understand is this… Bride is not about music anymore. Bride is a ministry. We will not compromise the quality of music because there is no reason to do such. We will continue to produce high quality albums while being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and following his

directions. Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” “Oddities,” was completely inspired by the Holy Spirit both musically and lyrically. God’s ways are higher than our ways and he alone knows why Bride exists, what our purpose is, and what he wants to accomplish through us. Our individual gifts and talents given by God are always on display but God puts the four of us together to create a musical work that he can use for his glory. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” Psalms 61:8 “So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.” Let us look at this from a biblical standpoint. God’s concern is his church or his body. God knows the needs of his body of which Jesus is the head. As the needs of the church changes then all associated with ministry changes. The needs of the Children of Israel (the first church) differ from that of the modern church. For a time, it seemed that many within the body of Christ was listening to heavy metal hard rock. As styles changed, people acquired new and different taste. Music is an evolving door. It seems to spins in cycles like a washing machine. As the needs of the church changed Jesus anointed new ministers of music who prepared the word through song and went out into the world commissioned by God. These bands however had a brand new sound. The body needed new nutrients. Colossians 2:19 “And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.” Now this is not to say that God has forsaken or abandoned those who would want heavy metal to rise again but the change in music reflects the bodies needs as a whole and God feeds the body with his word. Act 20:32 “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” The Word of God is Jesus Christ who is the seed of the church. 1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, by the Word of God, which lives and abides forever.” God speaks to his people in many different ways and one way is through music. If people grow deaf to his voice in one style, he will raise up a new style to minister to them with. Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 1 Corinthians 3:9 “For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building. According to the grace of God, which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” So as long as the foundation is Christ God can use it! It may be a new song but the same spirit. Psalms 40:3 “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” Bride has listened to God’s voice throughout these years and has leaned upon

his wisdom for guidance. As the winds of change blew we were spiritually sensitive to these changes. Musical taste just like any food preparation must be prepared when things are just right. If a great chef is about to prepare a lavish meal and the recipe calls for a certain vegetable, he looks for ripe vegetables. If that vegetable is not in season he will most likely create another type of meal. A vegetable that is not in season can ruin a great dish no matter who the chef is that prepares it. The meal is better when prepared with the ripest in-season vegetables. Isaiah 50:4 “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” Bride is more effective reaching people with the message of Jesus if we write and speak that which is in season. Proverbs 15:23 “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” Part of the reason we began changing styles is because we felt the seasons were changing. If we had been stubborn and selfish with what God had given us we would have never recorded the “Snakes in the Playground” record. This album came about because of change. Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Bride never knows how a recording is going to sound until it is finished. Throughout the entire recording process we are creating. There is a sense of the out come but our vision is not always God’s end result. Bride has continued in the recording industry while many others have fallen by the way side because God wanted us to be there. God is the message we are merely the instruments, which God plays through. If we as ministers and good stewards of the gospel had not listened to God’s voice there would be no Bride today. Our longevity has been directly associated with our faithfulness to him. If we change for better or for worse in the opinion of some of the buying public we still change because we follow God’s directions. We will never trust or lean unto our own understanding but will always be ready to receive that which God has prepared for us Isaiah 33:22 “For the LORD [is] our judge, the LORD [is] our lawgiver, the LORD [is] our king; he will save us.” Deuteronomy 5:33 “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.” Bride has endured and has persevered without striving because of our God given ability to become chameleons in our environment and still hold true to the essential letting go of the superficial.

chapter 27

Some have called Bride a dark cloud in the Christian Industry. These are folks who refuse to admit that we have evolved according to God’s purpose, evolving with popular music. Others have accused Bride of conforming to popular sounds and trends thus compromising the original style and sound. Both of these observations cannot be true. We will admit and accept the accusations of being a dark cloud. It normally does not rain on a sunny day. The dark clouds gather rain to water the earth. If people gather under the dark cloud, they will receive nourishment. There have been many one-dimensional groups over the years. The fear of change can stagnate and prevent growth in a band. “If you hear one of their albums you have heard them all.” One of my friends over the years called me the Jim Morrison of Christian music. I think he was implying that I spoke from the heart, shared my convictions, and told it like I saw it. Many people both conservative and liberal felt my boldness to proclaim my faith was a bit much at times. The Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:15 “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made [them] other five talents. And likewise he that [had received] two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, [there] thou hast [that is] thine. His lord answered and said unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” Faithfulness is rewarded. Faith is something not yet seen. Bride has indeed invested by faith into the Kingdom of God. Bride enjoys the adventure and challenge of rediscovering ourselves and learning to depend on God even more with each album. John 12:25 “He who loves his life will loose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” In this situation, my interpretation of this scripture is this…{I hate what I can accomplish on my own strength. I hate my own personal goals, desires and wants. I love what God can do through me by his Holy Spirit when I depend solely upon him for inspiration.} God’s orchestration has kept Bride making records throughout the years. Revelations 15:3 “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works,

Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” I seldom question God as to why he sent me down certain roads but I always ask him to give me a peace and an understanding of the situation. So rest assure that no matter what style of music Bride writes and records in the future it will reflect the move of God’s Spirit in our lives. 1 Timothy 4:9-10 “ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.” So, Oddities was released. It seemed as though Bride was no longer being labeled a metal band. After Drop we did amp things up with a heavier sound on The Jesus Experience but Oddities was not going to convince anyone that Bride had returned to its metal roots.

The Phantom Tollbooth reviewed the CD as follows: Right up front on Oddities, an emcee declares, “Under the big top - its Bride!” This latest release from the hard-music heroes Bride continues on the path laid by such records as Drop and Scarecrow Messiah, with just a squirt of Live to Die on top. But on Oddities, which was produced by Dino and John Elefante, Bride’s speed metal history rears its head just a few times, mostly from Dale Thomson’s microphone. The name Oddities threw me when I first heard it. I thought it was another of the latest popular craze, a collection of B sides and rarities, but it is not. It’s all new material - well crafted new material! Oddities, the name, speaks of Christians being odd men out, in that we are a peculiar people, people who do not follow the world’s philosophies and trends. That makes us Christians oddities. This record may take a few listens to catch up to, but the music on Oddities is superb. Bride is still at the front of the pack of other rock bands. Dale has an exemplary rock and roll voice, and, wow, can he use it! He has a set of lungs and a scream like no one else these days. On Oddities, he uses that scream sparingly, and thus wisely. He sings with passion at the right moments, and with tenderness when the music is tender. The diversity of music on this record calls for Dale to stretch in both directions as he sings with conviction on so many topics. Although Dale has never compromised his strong words, now, more than ever, the focus seems to be on the lyrics. Some of the song titles are “I Found God,” “Spirit,” “God’s Human Oddities,” “Under the Blood,” and “Restore Me.” These new songs are well written, even deeply written, with scripture references recognizably seeded throughout. Troy Thomson’s guitar work is also diverse. Heavy and down tuned, then alternative and flowing. New bassist Lawrence Bishop, with drummer Jerry McBroom, keep a driving low end pace under the brothers Thomson’s masterful rock sensibilities. Troy’s music is always moving and beautifully played. Don’t feel odd about buying another Bride record. They keep beating the odds and putting out worthy music. Odd, isn’t it? This band of God’s oddities has made a deep and strong album. In that sense, Bride’s Oddities is not odd at all, oddly enough. By Tony LaFianza (12/6/98) We received a 4 ½ out of 5 Star rating from christian music.com Headbangers and screamers rejoice: your soundtrack for life has arrived. Keeping the dwindling flame of Hard Rock/Metal fresh and alive is one of Christian Music’s longest-standing bands of the “modern Christian” era. Why are they still around when so many of their fellow Metal bands have fallen out of the spotlight? Let’s see if we can find out.

Could it be their relentlessly hard sounds, which have never lost their edge in 15 years of ministry? Or maybe it’s the rising excellence of their lyrics. The lyrics of Bride are a true oddity (no pun intended): Bride is less interested in turning a clever phrase, or deciding how to say something, than they are in what they really want to say. This lends an original honesty and meatiness (is that a word?) to their lyrics. I didn’t find a single cliché anywhere. At thirteen tracks, if you’re a metalhead, you won’t find a better way to get your money’s worth (and get spiritually fed at the same time) than Oddities. (End quote) The fans did enjoy Oddities but Bride was still searching as to where we fit in. Metal was fading, rock was a broad term, and all of these happy bands were touring non-stop with 50 style dancing and horn sections. Most festivals were not interested in having a band like Bride any longer. The face of Christian rock was changing and we could not afford the face lift. Time past and our touring was dismal at best. Oddities had not helped Bride to resurface and all we were hearing about was these new bands especially the ska and punk groups. In 1998, the band played almost 50 shows. About 21 dates was a tour with an REX band called Rocketboy. The tour was booked solid but the shows were not promoted very well. In 1999 the band played about 40 shows and the crowds were getting smaller. I was at the boiling point of frustration and venting on anyone and everyone I could. I was taking lots of supplements and lifting more weights. I was very angry and depressed and the band now basically was afraid of me. I remember Jerry telling me that he was afraid at anytime while driving in the van that I could just go off and kill everyone in the van. His remarks were not unwarranted. At the time I wanted a piece of everyone. I was so wrong for driving the band members away and setting such a barbaric example while preaching Jesus to the lost. There were times that I would be so depressed, fatigued, and frustrated that I truly wanted to just get out on stage and vent through the aggression of the music. While the band was performing I would be really angry at times. When it was time to present the Word the anger would subside and the Lord always used me. This was not God’s perfect plan nor what He willed for me. Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee. I wasn’t able at this time to get my mind focussed on the Lord until I opened the Word to minister and then the inner conflict and frustrations would subside. I knew it was God who created the fruit of my lips Isaiah 9:6. As the Word begin to come forth the tribulations of this world and the troubled would simply vanish. Phl 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Oddities nor The Jesus Experience had sold very well and we still to this day blame the sales reps who were not on top of filling orders after the initial rush. We got reports back that there was many returns and that the sales people had dropped the ball in pumping the album up like they should have. Gary Randall was the President of Organic Records. Since we were not getting much information from Dino or anyone else at the label for that matter, I thought I should go directly to the top. Gary had been gracious enough in the past to take my phone calls concerning other things. When Gary picked up the call I explained to him our frustrations and that I felt as though I was “getting the runaround” because no one at the label seemed to have to clear up some contradictions and help us understand the current situation. I figure Gary would be sympathetic and try to at least smooth things over, over say let me get back to you with your questions or concerns, but Gary did just the opposite. He screamed into the phone with a very angry voice. He pleaded the case of the label as a business who was working hard to promote Bride and exhausting every resource they had. He had taken great offense to the term “runaround” and vented on me for 10 minutes. He came to Dinos defense and the defense of others who were on the payroll at the label.

Uncharacteristically I said nothing and took the blows. In my frame of mind, I truly wanted at this point to fly to Oregon where Organic was based and shove the contract we had signed right down his throat. As he went off on me, I was thinking many things. First, if he did have respect for the band and the work that we did he most certainly would not be giving me an ear full when I as an artist on his label had gone to him looking for sound advice and answers. Secondly I was thinking, no one yells at me like this, not because I was Dale Thompson Christian Rock Star but because I was a power lifter and boxer and my flesh wanted to dismantle this guy. I knew face to face he would be less enthusiastic to yell at the top of his lungs. Thirdly, the Christ in me which kept my flesh under control through this tongue lashing ordeal saw into Randall’s heart and nothing lined up. In other words his Spirit did not bear witness with my Spirit and I became even more concerned about this label called Organic and all associated with it. After this verbal assault, I told the guys in the band what had happened. They all agreed that this label was using us as some sort of tax write off with no long term vision or commitment and we agreed that they did not take us serious nor had we won their respect. They were treating us as if we were some rookie band with no experience, no track record and as if we were guilty of something. It might be time to look somewhere else. It was getting nearer to recording another CD for Organic and I put in a phone call to Dino who finally took my phone call, he said that we would be under way very soon. We were not looking forward to doing another album with them because we felt as though everyone associated with the label had lost interest in the band. At first I guess we seemed like a trophy piece now the novelty was wearing off. Dino called me a few days later and said that the label was not interested in doing another Bride album. Dino gave no reason nor did he personally seem upset. This was the guy that we had put a lot of trust in and who claimed at one time he really believed in us. I immediately asked to be released from Organic and it was just as quickly granted. I got a letter in the mail which basically read “YOU ARE FREE.” Without writing all of the details; After Oddities Steve came back into the band for a short while. With things nothing like the glory days of old, Jerry and Steve both decided to leave the band to pursue their own project the ZOObabies. Steve was tired of flying from place to place and facing diminishing crowds. Steve also wanted to play heavier than Bride. I remember being sad, hurt and confused by their departure. Our last show together just happened to be an out door event July 17 1999 in Louisville KY. Hitting the last note of that show seemed to really slam the book shut on this era of Bride. I looked around the stage as Jerry stood up from behind his drum kit thinking “wow, it’s over, what a run.” I looked across at Steve who was slipping his bass strap from over his head. I gave both the guys an embrace with solemnity in the air we all went our different ways. I will never forget the empty feeling and the lump in my throat when we hit our last note together as a band. Jerry had been with us for 11 years. All of the animosity that had built up inside of me left the instant I gave Jerry and Steve a hug goodbye. As we left the stage for the last time together I looked back at the stage, the small crowd that we had played to for the last time. I really felt alone. I had found out even before their departure that they had actually teamed up with Rik Foley and was thinking of carrying on a band with him. I knew that Rik was far too unreliable to trust. I was shown a promo photo of the Zoobabies and there was Rik in the mix. This angered me. I had found out while coming back from one of our last concerts together. As I remember it, Doug Lucas was driving the van that Troy and I were in and Steve and Jerry were in the second van. At the time, I wanted to stop the van and fire them on the spot. Throw them from the vehicle and make them walk the couple of hundred miles home. Troy became the rational one and said let’s not worry about it.

For the next few shows, I pretended not to know their plan. Eventually I decided to let them know that I knew their plan. I had a T-shirt printed up and wore it beneath my normal stage shirt. The shirt said something like “Where’s Rik?” Plus I had screened the promo shot of Jerry, Steve, and Rik which I had seen. In the middle of the set I took off the stage shirt revealing the Rik T-shirt. Steve looked surprised, Jerry just laughed about. By this time, I knew they would not stay much longer. Bride had been running on fumes and they were not into the band anymore. It showed at our live performances and for the first time in years, I just plain didn’t feel like the heavy weight champ of the world any more. Now they were gone, what would become of Bride? Troy and I never really discussed how the actual breakup of the band affected us personally. We went right back to work building the band from scratch.

chapter 28

Jerry gives his reason for leaving. (In his own words)

The main reason I left was because the only time I had with my kids were on the weekends, which of course was when the band was out of town, so I felt like I was sort of losing touch with my kids. That was compounded by the fact that I wasn’t happy with the way things were in the band at that time. Do you remember the trip with what has become known as the Great Cheeseburger Squashing Incident? That was the same trip that you sort of freaked out at the show we traveled to do (maybe because of sound issues) and shut the show down and a lot of people were asking for their money back. I remember thinking how leaving my family at home to deal with that stuff just didn’t seem worth it. I feel close enough to you to say that I thought you were out of control and bringing the band down with you. I didn’t agree that your sermons were lasting longer than our shows. I felt like you were talking so long after shows that it was hurting the attendance and quality of shows, and therefore hurting our chances to minister to people. I felt like you weren’t into playing anymore, and was using the band as a means to preach. Apparently, I was wrong about you not wanting to do this anymore, because I know how hard you worked on Fist Full Of Bees. And, I think that if you were out of control at that time (which was my perception), I think it was a phase, although you’ve always been, and remain, pretty controversial in this “Christian Market”. After the weekend where I made up my mind that I was quitting, I think I called you the Sunday we got back and told you. I called Troy first, because I thought he’d be more levelheaded about my decision, and I felt that he was feeling some of the same things that I was. I remember that I couldn’t stand the weight of my decision hanging over me, so I left my table at a restaurant where I was eating with my family, went to a pay phone and talked to Troy, and then I called you right after from the same pay phone. I’ve totally had second thoughts about my decision since I left. Most of the best experiences I’ve had were with you guys. But I think in the end, it was a question of priorities. If I didn’t have my kids ONLY on the weekends, I might not have left. Again, the underlying reason for my leaving was my kids. I had to weigh the trade off of me not spending ANY time with my kids to what was happening with the band while we were out. It just didn’t seem worth going anymore. When I left we were still on Organic. I met Claudia while we were still on the Drop tour in ‘96. I remember talking on the phone to Claudia from the control room at the Sound Kitchen while we were recording Jesus Experience. We got married in Feb. of ‘98. Was that before or after Oddities? I think that maybe it was before. Jerry

chapter 29

After the departure of Jerry and Steve, we asked Lawrence Bishop to join us permanently. He agreed. He really wanted this gig and I knew we could depend on him. Lawrence was as good as his word. Mark Maxwell a local musician and music store owner turned me onto this young 17 year old drummer named Michael Loy. Michael was a Bride fan and had learned 11 songs in two days for a try out. Since Lawrence wasn’t available at the time Mark played bass for the try outs. Michael didn’t miss a beat. He admitted he was nervous but played with real ferocity. I knew after that audition that there was no need to look any further. Michael fit the band perfectly plus he brought needed youth back to the group. This really felt weird not to have a label. We talked among ourselves about starting our own label and it was beginning to sound like a very good ideal when I got an email, which caught my eye. It was from Dez Dickerson, who we had worked with at Star Song. He had his own record label called Absolute Records. He was asking if we would be interested in touring with his newly signed band “These Five Down.” I wrote him back and said yes, plus I ask him if he were “interested in working with an old dinosaur band like Bride.” His answer was yes and we begin to seek God’s counsel about this. In the year 2000 we negotiated and signed a deal with Absolute. We would try to play shows that year without a new album as we wrote for the future but would only come up playing less than 20 shows. Bride intentionally stopped touring in the year 2000 to concentrate on song writing. We gave full attention to composing a new CD. Bride compiled a library of new songs. These songs were examined, rehearsed, rearranged, changed, and modified until the band felt they had the very best songs they had ever written. If we had recorded the third CD for Organic with Dino we would have missed the mark for sure. Our direction had changed again musically and we were venturing in uncharted territory for Bride. We figured we needed to stay heavy but yet stay modern. A new style of music had weaved itself into the music industry. This new form was rapcore. We knew little about but were not afraid to explore the genre. We figured a few songs with that style would put us on top again. But we never expected the unforeseeable delays which would plague us again. The question came up, now who will produce this work? Many producers were considered but one name continued to be brought up. The name was “Plinky” who produced and engineered the Snakes in the Playground CD for Bride in the early nineties. Bringing the winning combination of bride, Plinky and Dez together would be the same formula as we had with the Snakes in the Playground CD. How could we loose? Bride and Plink met in Nashville, in a whirlwind recording session, the songs were tracked, and then they waited. Plink returned to Jersey where he lives and Bride went to Puerto Rico and Brazil to tour while waiting for a date when these new songs would be mixed. In Puerto Rico on Oct 28th. This had to be one of the weirdest gigs of all times. Puerto Rico is a province of the United States but we found out real quick that freedom of speech a part of the U.S. constitution that they ignored. Everything about he show was out of kilter. This outside event was to promote Jesus Christ to the island. Several local bands were scheduled to play. We begged to go on sooner Bride went on earlier than originally scheduled because of the late hour. Bride played old favorites like Psychedelic Super Jesus, Would you die for me and even played a few tracks from the up coming release “Fist Full of bees.” Troy, Michael and Lawrence were high energy. After the musical portion of the show Dale picked up his Bible and began to minister to the mixed crowd of Christians and secular Gothic folks that had gathered. The anointing of the Holy Spirit was flowing and the folks with the black shirts on advertising a well-known secular rock star began to become agitated. They had remained during the music portion trying to intimidate Bride by glaring at them and at times making foul hand gestures.

However, as the Word was breathed out something began to happen. The Christian folks began to praise God and shout. Those who were there to intimidate began to move further away from the stage. Once they stood in the front and at even one point walked as a group in circles in the foreground but after a few minutes of Dale’s ministering they were repelled back further and further. Dale allowed the Holy Spirit to speak through him. By the end of the sermon, the subject being “that we have heard the gospel and there is no excuse,” the secular gothic group of people had moved away from the area. The Word of God either draws the lost or divides in such a way that a lost person cannot stand to hear it. However, the seed was planted. After the preaching Bride was informed that the police had come and shut down the remaining portion of the concert. The promoters were told that speaking about Jesus and salvation was not permitted. The Word of God and prayer would be the final Word of the evening.

In Brazil we played in some incredible places such as Rio, Salvador, Brasilia and Recife. We did the tour with Out of Eden and Burlap to Cashmere. It was an odd combination and an even stranger atmosphere this time in Brazil. My Trip to Brazil By Alex Thompson (Dale’s oldest son) During the fall of 2001 I took a trip with my dad and his band to Brazil. We were going down to Brazil to play many festivals for the upcoming weeks. This trip not only was a blast but an experience of a lifetime. I got to see things in a whole different perspective. Like how in other countries things are a lot different and we may not have it as bas as it seems. What I seen helped me to change and grow personally and me think about taking certain actions towards certain situations. The day we left was a very hectic morning. The people that went on this trip included my mom, and my dad. My dad is the lead singer of the band. My uncle went who is the guitar player. Lawrence who is the bass player and Michael who is the drummer. My uncle ran out of pages inside of his passport so he had to get a new one made. Therefore, we had to stall the airlines by saying we woke up late and missed our flight so that my uncle could go pick up his new passport. It turned out ok and we actually made it to the flight. On the way to Brazil, we ended up flying to Cleveland and the to Newark. In Newark we had a 5 hour delay, which was boring as heck. There was nothing to do but sit around which I was doing enough of on the plane. Basically Michael and I listened to our CD players and played cards for the whole 5 hours. The delays in the other airports were not as bad. The flight to Brazil was very long. I think it was about an 11 hour flight. There were not as many people on the flight so my mo and I got one of the big long seats to ourselves in the middle of the plane, and laid down. Upon arriving in Sao Paulo it was very different. When I looked out of the plane window, I saw so many soccer stadiums. Sao Paulo is also the second largest city in the world. It is also known as the city of concrete. We first had to go through customs and we made it through that ok. Then we went to get our bags. After we had gotten our bags, we met our interpreters. The first one we met was a guy named Tom. He was a pretty nice guy. After we had gotten our bags and met the interpreters we boarded a tour bus to head to the hotel. We were also traveling with two other bands. One was Out of Eden; they were a pop group like Destiny’s Child. The other was Burlap to Cashmere; they had more of a Dave Matthews Band type feel. When we arrived at the hotel we went and got checked into our rooms. I was sharing a room with Lawrence. After we checked into our rooms the bus came and got us to take us to eat. We went to a place that we called barbecues. Barbecue is a place where they bring you all kinds of food, mostly meat on big swords and slice

the meat onto your plate until you say stop. Then they bring you all kinds of deserts to chose from. The salad bar they have is huge but its not your typical salad bar it has a lot of raw foods. After we were done eating we went to the place that we were playing. The place looked like Woodstock. The place could hold over 100,000 people. The stage was huge. The stage had huge silver sheets on the sides and in the back and had huge screens in the background which would show us on stage. After gazing at the place we had to do a sound check. The went find and it was time to go back to the hotel and rest. At the hotel we met up with another interpreter named Danielle. She was very nice and she was only 19. She spoke English probably better than me. When Lawrence and I got back to the room, we called an old friend from the last time we were in Brazil. We had him come meet us at the hotel to hang out with us. He also spoke good English so he became another interpreter for us. Tom went with the other band Burlap to Cashmere so we did not see much of him anymore. We went back to the hotel for a minute and then we went and rested until the show. Then later that night we went to the show. It was Friday night and the place was packed. Friday is the smaller show but there was still 85,000. After we got to the show, we met another friend. Her name was Vanessa. We know her real well; she has even come to our house and stayed for a week. We got her backstage and she also began to help us interpret. The show went great and everybody loved the show. My dad’s band is one of the most famous bands in Brazil. After the show it was about 11:45 p.m. We went back to the hotel to get some sleep because we were still tired from the trip to Brazil. We had to get up early because we were going to go to a Hippy Fair. Lawrence and I stayed up through the night before until about one watching movies. When we got up we went down to the lobby and ate breakfast. Then just our band got onto the bus and we headed to the Hippy Fair. A Hippy Fair is a place where people are on the streets selling different things, we looked for mostly creepy stuff that you cannot get in the states. So we spent about two hours at the Hippy Fair and the it was time to go to another Barbecue. So when we finished eating we had to go to sound check for the next show. When we finished the sound check we went back to the hotel and we jumped in the pool. We stayed in their for about 45 minutes then headed back to the rooms to go to sleep. So when I got in the room I took a shower and then laid down. I prolly rested for about 2 hours and then it was time to go back downstairs load on a bus and get ready to perform the biggest show of the tour. When we arrived there was about 110,000 people there on Saturday. The show went great all except for one thing when my dad went to run off the stage to go shake hands with the crowd there was a big security guard and a drop off at the end of the ramp. My dad didn’t know about it and he ended up severely twisting his ankle. He hobbled back onto the stage to finish the song. Thank God it was the last song. There was a doctor at the show and the examined his foot but my dad wouldn’t go to the hospital. Then on top of that we found out we had to stay an extra day in Sao Paulo. On the extra day, we went to the Sao Paulo zoo. However, we did not go into the zoo we went on a safari that they had there. The safari was where the animals were loose and you got to drive by them and some you could pet. I one place, they had it where the monkeys jumped onto your car. They also had tigers, zebras, hippopotamus, giraffes, reindeer and all other sorts of animals. So as I was saying after the safari, we went to another barbecue and then we went to the hotel so that we could pack our stuff to catch a plane to go to Rio de Janeiro. After we were packed we went to the Apostle’s church before we had to leave that night to go to Rio. However, my mom and I were supposed to go back but the apostle invited us to stay. My mom could not stay because of my brothers. She said that I could stay if I wanted to so of course I said yes. Later that night we took my dad to the hospital so that he could get his leg in a cast. And then they took my mom to the airport. Then while he was at the hospital Lawrence, Michael, Phillipe, his fiancé, and me went out for pizza. Then early the next day we went to the airport and got ready to go to Rio. We boarded the flight and we were on our way to Rio. We arrived very early and we checked into the hotel. In Rio, we had new interpreters. They were not as nice nor was they as good

at speaking English as our interpreters we had in Sao Paulo. The hotel was not very nice either so basically I wasn’t looking forward to this place. After we finally checked in we all went to another barbecue. It was different looking inside but it still had the same type of food. After the barbecue the bands went their separate ways. Some went to the beaches and some went to the malls. My dad and Lawrence went to the beach but Troy, Michael, and me went to see Christ. Christ stands on a huge mountain in Rio and it is 125ft tall. We had to take a train up the mountain to get up there to see him. When we got up there I took a bunch of pictures and I even took pictures of Sugar Loaf Mountain. After that we went to the gift shop and I bought a bunch of stuff. So, when we got back it was late so we hung out in the hotel.. Then we went to another barbecue, but when we got back we went to bed. Then Troy , Michael, and I woke up at 8:00 a.m. the next day to go to the beach. We could not get in the water though because it was way to cold. So, we just walked along the beach for awhile. We then went back to the hotel to get my dad and Lawrence. But first Michael and I showered. After showering everybody but Lawrence went to breakfast. Later that day we went to a mall. We had to push my dad around in a wheelchair. The best interpreter we had in Rio was a man named Tula, he was pretty nice and he helped out a lot. He went with us to the mall for a little while until it was time to go to another barbecue. After the barbecue it was time to go and do another sound check. We were playing in an indoor stadium this time, which was big. It was right next to the Rocking ‘n’ Rio stadium which is the largest stadium in the world. So we sound checked and we went back to the hotel. That night at the show there was about 55,000 people there. My dad had to play with a broken foot. So, after the show we went back to the hotel to pack. Then we went to the airport to catch our flight to go to Salvador. We had to catch a flight late so that we could arrive early in Salvador because we were only spending one day in Salvador. So we caught our flight and the flight was about three or four hours. I could not really tell you how long because we all slept through the flight. We arrived very early so we checked into the hotel and went to bed. This hotel was worst than the one in Rio. The beds were very thin, and the pillows smelled like cat urine and they were about as big as a Taco. The rooms also were very small. We were so tired from the flight we went straight to bed anyways. We all slept for about 4 hours, then woke up and went to sound check. The show in Salvador was on the beach facing the ocean. It was really cool. This show I think was the second best, the best show was the one in Sao Paulo. My dad did not make it to the sound check because he needed to stay off of his foot as much as possible. So, after sound check we had the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted to because all the bands had separate vans. So Lawrence and I went to the beach with an interpreter named Bruno. He was a very good interpreter and a pretty nice guy. The beaches in Salvador were great, they had nice soft sand and the water was very warm. When Lawrence and I got into the water all of these Brazilian kids started looking at us funny and they tried to talk to us in Portuguese. Lawrence said that he felt he was a fish in an aquarium. Well after we got back from the beach it was almost time to leave for the show. So we showered and got ready and left. Well like always that got us to show five hours early. So, we had to sit for a very long time. This hurt my dad very much because he took his pain medication to be ready to play the show without any pain, but since it was starting to wear off it would make the show even more difficult for him to do. So finally they played and everybody loved them. The show was really good and there were about 45,000 people there crammed on the beach. After the show we headed back to the hotel to pack and then we headed off to Brasilia. When we arrived, the took us to the hotel. We played the show on the second day. We had settled in at the hotel, we went our to eat at a barbecue. Then when we were done eating it was time to go back to the hotel. There was a mall right across the street from the hotel. So, we went over to the mall. We tried to find a wheelchair for my dad but they wouldn’t let us have one. So the band split up and we went our separate ways throughout the mall. I borrowed some money from my dad in case I saw something that I liked. I went

with Michael and we took Karili she was an interpreter who was with Burlap to Cashmere but went to the mall with us. While shopping I found a soccer jersey and I bought it. So after about 2 hours we went back to the hotel to rest because we were so tired from all of the flying that we had done in the past week. So later that night the Bishops were taking all of the bands out to eat for pizza. But Lawrence, Michael, and I went to the movies instead and ate McDonald’s food for once. It was very good oddly enough. We ended up seeing the movie Bedazzled. We met up with the keyboard player from Burlap because he didn’t go eat pizza either and we all seen the same movie. After the movie everyone went back to the hotel except Lawrence and I. We went bowling at the bowling ally in the mall on the third floor. After we finished bowling we went back to the hotel and we went to sleep because we had to play a show tomorrow. We woke up about 10:00 a.m. and we went and sound checked so that we could have some of the day to hang out. After sound check we went and ate at a Barbecue. After getting back at the hotel we went back to the mall. After the mall we all decided to sleep some more and rest up for the show. We went to the show this time there was about 50,000 people there and the stage was huge. The show went great. My dad had a cane so that it would be easier to walk around on stage and other places, because before he had crutches. So, after the show we had to pack and get ready to go to Recifie. When we got back to the hotel it was late. We had to get up early so we went straight to bed. When we got up we loaded all of our gear onto the bus and we went to the airport. We got on the plane and it was about a two and a half hour long flight. Well when we arrived we met our interpreter and we went to the hotel. This hotel was beautiful. It was so big. It had a huge pool with a waterfall and it had three smaller pools connecting off of them. They also had beautiful beaches. The rooms were huge. They had a living room and then a door you walked through to get to the beds. Well we dropped off our stuff and we went to a barbecue. Well they took so long and we wanted to have a while to spend at the beach so we went to the venue. They were ready for us to sound check so we just told them what we needed and then we went back to the hotel to change and go to the beach. My dad went to the gym because he could not walk around nor could he get into the ocean. Michael said he would rather hang out at the pool. So Lawrence and me went to the beach. There beach was the most beautiful that I have ever seen. However though in Recifie you couldn’t get too far out in the ocean because they were known for shark attacks. After about an hour and a half we headed back to the hotel to change and eat some dinner. Because as soon a we got back from the show we had only about three hours until we had to be ready to go to the airport. The show that night was in a place that looked like Alcatraz. The show went great as usual and there was roughly 35,000 people at this show. After they finished the show we went to the hotel and slept for about two hours. Then it was time to get our stuff and head to the airport. When we got on the plane we had to stop in Salvador and pick up people and then we had to stop in Rio but we finally made it back to Sao Paulo. We had to go back to Sao Paulo because it was the only international airport in Brazil besides Rio. After arriving in Sao Paulo we took a little nap at a hotel we stayed at for a few hours before flying back home. Vanessa came and visited us until it was time to go. We said our goodbyes and boarded onto the plane. I didn’t want to leave but I kind of missed home. In Brazil not only did I have a good time it was a great experience, yet there were some downfalls. Seeing how people lived and what they went through everyday really changed me. What really got me though was the poor kids that lived in cardboard boxes under intersections. This trip had a really positive effect on me and made me realize how lucky I was. A fans perspective: My name is Jim Harding - “A word (or 50) about your show. It has been a long time since I have been moved in the Spirit like that in a Metal show. I really appreciate the level of importance that you all place on

the Ministry side of performing. I have been to a few (not more than 20) large name Christian concerts, and have come away saying “was that really a Christian show?” in a few instances - really left a bad taste in my mouth for the industry. There are some newer bands that are staying true, and unfortunately, some get blinded by bright lights and screaming crowds - I am sure I am not telling you anything new. My own personal experience has also been both blinded by the lights and fans (in a local band I was in for four years) and on the strong side of ministry (the demo that you have now). I had received a clear call from God to lay it all down this winter, as far as performing goes. I did not know at the time whether that was a permanent call or if it was a test to see if I was willing to follow no matter where He led. Now I think it was just a test of loyalty to Him, because after seeing you in Bangor, I WANT TO PLAY AGAIN. And for the record, you were not the first show I had been to since giving up performing. You were, however, the first show that convinced me that it CAN be done in a manner that pleases God completely, and answers my own personal convictions that as musicians, we need to first be ministers... I thank God for you guys - and have been blessed to meet you and see a small slice of who you are off-stage as well. Thank you.” A report from Dale: I have spent the last week traveling with over 50 young people from Mississippi on an adventure of faith. We worked in a homeless shelter, rode the top three best-rated roller coasters in the world, took a train ride, and went white water rafting and had great fellowship in the Lord. Each night I would open up the Word of God and share a message with them. On the last day of the trip, at the mouth of a cave, standing in the isle of a tour bus, which was being hammered by high winds from a rainstorm, I shared the final message. When the last prayer was spoken, a wonderful thing happened. With eyes full of tears for the joy that the presence of the Lord brings, plus the sorrow that the trip was ending God provided the most enormous double rainbow in the sky. The storm had subsided on the word “Amen” and all across the valley this bright colored double rainbow stretched out God’s promise and approval for us. We were truly on the mountain. I left the group that night as they entered the cave one by one for one last adventure. The next day I found myself on a plane heading towards Kansas City where I would hook up with the rest of the band for two shows. Needless to say, it was a grueling and tiring week for me but most of all it was a week of being in the love and fellowship of God. We traveled through, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kansas. I received this letter of recommendation from the youth pastor of the trip some days later. Last week, a legendary trip for the youth of our church was born. After two years of planning, a trip designed to be an MTV Road Rules-like challenge was planned for 56 teenagers. A full tour bus left on a Sunday light from the First Baptist Church in Florence, Mississippi with the only certainty being that we would return a week later. On Monday morning, June 11 our group pulled into the Shoney’s restaurant in Shepherdsville, KY for breakfast. The kids had been instructed to feed the homeless and their first chance was at hand. Sitting on the front steps of the restaurant was a poor homeless guy who called himself “Rhino”. After feeding him and offering him a lift to the homeless shelter (where we were going to do some volunteer work that day) it was revealed that “Rhino” was actually a man by he name of Dale Thompson who was the lead singer of a Christian band named Bride. I had planned this event with Dale for months and it turned out to be the coolest youth event I have ever had a part in after 10 years in the ministry. Over the next week, we traveled all over the country. We worked at the Wayside Christian Mission in Louisville, KY, we rode the largest roller coasters in the world at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH, we did some street witnessing in Gatlinburg, TN, we rode a train through the Smokey mountains of North Carolina, we did some white water rafting on the Nantahala River in North Carolina, we enjoyed the Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge, TN, we even spent the night spelunking in a cave at Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, TN. It was Amazing!

Dale Thompson attended as our guest speaker for the week. He brought a series of messages that dealt with God’s love for mankind. He very skillfully explained how important man was to God and who man was. He used a ton of Scripture. But the Lord did much more through him than that. He allowed our group to make a new friend. Dale became close to the hearts of us all. As he told us goodbye the last day, his eyes filled with tears and most of us cried. I think that God used Dale in a way that even he didn’t realize was possible. Dale will always be an honorary member of our youth group as well as a part of our lives. My thanks goes to the Lord for Dale and to Dale for bringing us to the throne of God through his kind words, his heart and his smile. Remember the rainbow, Dale, God’s provision and peace was made evident! Scott Herrin Minister of Students First Baptist Church of Florence, MS

chapter 30

Absolutely NOT! Going into our agreement with Dez seemed like the right thing to do. I was very excited, feeling it was the Lord’s leading. Troy still had his reservations. Troy was still convinced that we did not need a label and that we possibly could be making a mistake. We had set up studio time, but Plinky was telling me that Dez had not confirmed too much with him. Plink had a lot of questions that were not being answered even before the first note was recorded. I found out later that Plink financed his own trip down to Nashville to record our basic tracks. Around the first of April we got our first shipment of Fist Full of Bees. We were going through some giant spiritual steps and I wrote this to the fans… “The Lord is doing great and marvelous things in our lives. Everyday we experience Him in us shinning forth. As He lives and moves in our being we are transformed ever more into His character. We are learning to experience God living through our lives. We as His Holy Temple must realize that we are always on Holy ground for we carry the God of the universe in our hearts. We find ourselves depending upon Him each day from the moment we arise to the time we go to bed at night. Our relationship has grown and blossomed in such a way that our conversations with Him and dwelling in His presence are becoming more common. We are maturing into complete Sons of God. He is perfect and as we think in our hearts, so we are. We are living sin free, guilt free with no condemnation not because of our own abilities or strengths but because Christ has made us alive in Him. Jesus is the sinless Lamb of God without spot or blemish. The closer we draw to God the nearer He comes to us thus swallowing up who we are and we in turn become what He is. We do not fight the enemy. We are submitting ourselves to God and resisting the enemy. The same Jesus that resisted the temptations in the wilderness is the same Jesus who lives in us and is our shield of faith. All that we are we are because of who Jesus is. Without Jesus as our pattern, our example, to lead us, guide us and point the way… we would still only have an earthly conscience. Now we are raised with Him, exalted and enthroned with Him and ALL things are under us. We have not moved geographically but we have moved to a higher realm called the heavens. This is where we draw our will, our strength, our forgiveness, and the peace of mind and love for others. We were of the earth beneath but now we have been quickened and sit with Christ Jesus in heavenly places. In this simple statement, all of us in Bride would like to encourage all of you who have hungered and thirsted after righteousness. For those of you who have prayed prayers that you do not feel have been heard we want to assure you that our Father that is in heaven has heard your prayers and seen your tears. Blessings are on the way. A greater day is shinning forth and in that day the darkness of this world will vanish as if it never existed and Christ shall appear. He is not coming from some far away planet in outer space, but He will appear from your heart. He is that close. You do not have to shout and raise your voice or even look into the sky but simply recognize Jesus in you. If you have failed to see Him then it is time that you become aquatinted with the Savior of All men (1 Timothy 4:10). 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.”

Dez was committed to Pavilion and the continuation of its building process. As far as our CD at retail, there were quite a few accounts who Pamplin/Organic stuck with our last 2 CDs and they were not afraid to vent on Absolute. This CD while being our best work to date according to most, would prove to need much damage control. The stores would not say anything to our face....but they said a lot about us to our new record company. Bride felt as though Absolute did not do that great of a job in the promo department, and frustration with Absolute soon set in. Between conservative retailers and spoiled sales reps, our best CD to date was faced with some big challenges on the sales end. However no one informed us that there was giant problems with retail. According to the reports from fans, the only thing that anyone expected out of Bride was a heavier CD and we gave it to them both barrels. Dez and his staff claimed to be working hard to get the CD out, but we were not seeing any results from their effort. July 5 2001 Bride again has had the good pleasure of playing the Cornerstone Festival in IL. Bride was an unscheduled band at the Encore 1 Stage. As we drove up the dusty lane toward the festival gates, we noticed a van parked outside the gate. There was a group of people around the van. Something had been written upon the windows and sides on the vehicle in white. It read “Cornerstone Welcomes Bride, Bride # 1.” It was some of our good friends, who waited for us to arrive to surprise us with this warm greeting. This evening was a special night of reunions and vintage rock music. Bride was asked to play only songs from their first three albums. The set was a blast from the past. The band did such numbers as “Thunder in the City” where Troy used His voice box effect. Another song was “Hell No” which had Michael enticing the crowd to sing along with the beat of his kick drum. Then the band surprised everyone with a flavor of southern gospel right out of the sanctuary of Lawrence’s church with “I saw the Light, and “There is power in the Blood.” Dale ended the Bride set with a message on reconciliation and bringing man back to God through the work of the cross. Other bands who played that evening were The Daniel Band, Sacred Warrior, Guardian, and Deliverance. Bride Diary (The following chronicles our brief stay with Absolute and what led up to our departure) Absolute was late with our publishing advance on 3/2/01. I sent him the following email: “Dez, In our last conversation you informed me that you have received the Master of the CD. According to our contract we are to receive a $XXXXX Publishing Advance upon you receiving the Master. Also there is an additional $XXXXXX payment upon release. Please consider this note as of 3/2/00 as the day of our request concerning the advance.” We had chose a really metal looking CD cover that the band was in favor of. I was told by Dez that we would not be using that piece. This is after he had verbally committed to the artist and she had put many hours into the piece. On 3/11/01 I received this “The graphic artist that we hired to layout the packaging submitted this idea for the cover that is much stronger than what we originally had. This cover has a more current and expensive look to it than the one that Christine (original artist) did. I would strongly urge that we go with this one instead. He’s trying to wrap this up for us as quickly as he can, so please get back to me at your soonest opportunity.”

The artist (Christine) wrote on 4/3/01: “Dez, I hadn’t received payment for the graphic services from Jan.14th, so before I e-mailed you I went out to Bride’s Website and Woah!, my cover wasn’t there. Could you let me know what’s going on? I’d like for you to have used the cover, regardless, you should pay me for the job I did for you. There was a lot of time involved. And all the work and negotiation was done in good faith. Please expedite the check for my graphic services, and I would appreciate knowing what’s happening with my artwork. Sincerely, Christine” On 3/15/01 we find out that the release date is pushed back. We were told by Absolute that a couple of national accounts (including Family, the biggest) have requested that we move the street date. “We’re (Absolute speaking) going to accommodate them by moving the date to April 3. We aren’t doing any press releases this week. We’ll be doing a radio press release as soon as the single enters the charts (which should be soon-several stations immediately put it in rotation). You may want to mention something about the positive response at rock radio in yours.” M8 Distribution was about to release the Matrix CD independently. Dez expressed concerns over it and it worried me that he may push our release date back even further. I wrote to Absolute on 3/16/01: “Concerning M8, I know very little. My deal with them is to receive so many copies for me to sale through email, Web Site, and shows. I am sure he will mention Bride. Our agreement with him has been long standing. You will have to discuss things with them. All of the CD’s he has released with Bride has been verbal agreements, which to me is good enough because he pays on time and has been a source of lively hood for me. But if you wish to take issue with him concerning Matrix, you will have to deal with him. Personally Matrix has no bearings and will not effect the sales of “Fist full of Bees” in anyway. Since our agreement with him was before we signed with Absolute and he is not selling “Bride” but a CD which was before Bride I would rather not concentrate on it.” I also reminded him of the publishing advance: “Dez, On the 5th of March you wrote, “You’ll be receiving the first $XXXXXX of the pub advance in the next week to 10 days.” Do you anticipate any delay with this? Also on 3/16/01 I received an email from Plinky who wrote: “I wonder if Dez is going to do anything at all. maybe he planning to sell his label or file chapter 11. I honestly don’t have a clue on what’s going on never did anyway. I think you should hold Dez to that 4/3 date and if nothing happens you should reconsider this whole venture with him. Even if he releases it, then what? Will he promote it? Does he have decent distribution? I know this record can create some serious buzz if it is put out there.” 3/21/01 Dez responds to Bride: You’ll be receiving the first $XXXXXX of the pub advance in the next week to 10 days. I would suggest that, in light of the quantity of product that you’ve ordered for drop shipment, we credit the product toward the second half of your advance.” 3/29/01 I write: “I see on the Absolute Web Site that you are offering the CD with a 24-hour delivery time. I assume the CD is ready for shipping? When can we expect a shipment? We are needing the 400 that we talked about earlier plus the 100 comps agreed upon in our contract. Please give me a delivery date so I can be expecting them. Also how

will they be shipped?” On 3/31/01 we received confirmation from Absolute that we were going to be receiving the final product. “The CDs will be coming from California. We had a very limited supply sent to us to meet the needs of retailers (before end of month). The balance of the CDs are being drop shipped from the mfg plant in CA to you, us and our fulfillment center.” After our photo shoot earlier on for Fist Full of Bees, we were told that we would receive several different shots to use. As a matter of fact, Troy even picked them out when Rebecca and Dez stopped at his home on the way to Nashville. We ended up receiving one black and white 8X10 pic of the band. This pic had a flaw. On 4/2/01 I wrote to Absolute “There is a big white spot on my head and lines which runs through Lawrence’s face. The photographer needs to send another. Looks like lint on the negatives. Also we would like a few more pictures also. Did you ever have the chance to check out the others we marked? I have not seen the final CD yet but I am getting good reports from fans.” (The fans already had the CD and was telling me how good it was and I never even got to proof the lyrics or credits nor did I have any idea what the packaging looked like!) Absolute’s suggestion was “Unfortunately, the only thing I can suggest is for you to have someone who knows photoshop take care of the “flaws” you’re concerned about. I believe it’s Troy’s hair that is in Lawrence’s face. These are things that don’t show up until the print is blown up to 8x10. Making another print will not correct what you are seeing (they will be there again). And by the time you pay $25 for another print, you could have paid someone to fix the problem with the print you have.” (I was not convinced that it was Troy’s hair at all but that is neither here nor there.) 4/5/01 we had a letter drafted up to send to Absolute; it read as follows: Dez, This letter is being sent to address several issues. The first is that we have still not received the $XXXXXX publishing advance, which you were informed of on 2 March in a written notice via email. You replied to that notice on 5 March and indicated that we should receive the advance within a week to 10 days. After 11 days, on 16 March, we sent another notice via email to remind you and asked if you anticipated any delays. Again on 21 March we notified you once again via email, but received no response. Now that the album is released, we are due another $XXXXXX, which we want to take in cash instead of product. We had indicated to you on 21 March that we would accept product in exchange for the 2nd half of the advance, but in light of our growing concern about non-compliance with the contract, we have decided not to swap product for the advance. At this point we consider you to be in breach of the contract. Another issue that we feel has not been accomplished in good faith is your verbal confirmation that Absolute would have an in-house booking agent. We have been in conversation with you on this issue several times and still have made no progress. We had our photo shoot almost three months ago and still have not received a satisfactory photo for duplication. This type of delay costs Bride, not just in terms of money, but also in morale. Concert promoters want current pictures of the band and our new band members want to see themselves in Bride photos. It was very disappointing to hear that fans received a copies of the new CD before the band did. If you had copies to sell, you should have at least sent a courtesy copy to those who actually wrote and performed the music. This type of disenfranchisement makes us feel

as though we are not even a part of this project. We did not even get to proof the final insert for errors or content. The reputation of the band has been diminished since our affiliation. If we had not had such good rapport with Plinky, the album would not have been completed. He continued to work on our project without promised payment simply because he liked us. We were also very disappointed to hear that the girl doing the artwork for the album had not been informed regarding her work. That is the type of business practice that will continue to soil the band’s reputation as well as your own. The album would have also not been completed without further delays had we not fronted you the money to send ourselves to New Jersey for overdubs. Dale even used his frequent flyer miles to attend the mix. All of these issues result from the failure to communicate. Had you been more up-front with us about your financial situation and the fact you were about to lose your distribution, we would have been able to put things into better perspective. It is time to start answering the concerns of the band without the usual record company delays. We thought since your company was small, there could be more interaction and communication between us - that has proven not to be true.” 4/7/01 I received a question from Plinky: “I wanted to know if you received your advance and also if the CD will be reviewed in any publications you might know of. I haven’t even seen the CD yet and I’m a little disappointed that Dez hasn’t sent me one. I emailed Dez for an update about payment and said it probably wouldn’t be until he was paid for the first shipment. I guess that raises me to investor status.” 4/9/01 we sent this email to Absolute: “Dez, We have had several concerns regarding our business relationship and have expressed those concerns via email for the most part. We want to give you a heads up that we have put our concerns in a letter that we sent today that you should receive through certified mail on Wednesday. Please read this letter with an open mind looking at it from an artist perspective. We wanted to sign with you initially because you had been/still are an artist and not just a record company guy. We feel that it is in our best interest to officially document the things we have been troubled with. It may be time for a face-to-face meeting where we all air our concerns.” Here are several letters between our lawyer and Troy. Lawyer: “Troy, I have read Dez’s letter to Bride. I have not reviewed the contract regarding his points, but here is what comes to my mind as a first reaction. In the first paragraph Dez says he did not “lose” his distribution. Rather, he has one distributor that went out of business and the replacement “walked” out on the deal. Does that not still leave him without a distributor or am I missing something?” Troy: Basically what he has done is started his own distribution from the ground up. Therefore, he is reinventing the wheel and our latest recording is nowhere to be found in stores. In the second paragraph, he seems to dodge the issue. It was Absolute’s lack of funding and commitment that delayed recording. Laywer: I believe you told me that Bride “pulled it out of the fire” so to speak by your good relations with Plinky. Is he saying that you should have not worked it out with Plinky to get the finished product? Would that not leave things at a standstill with possibly no product?” Troy - It was our good will with Plinky and our financing that allowed the record to be completed as quickly as it was. We saw Plinky in Nashville a couple of weeks ago and he has still not been paid. Dez has indicated that is not our affair, but it truly was and still is in my opinion. Lawyer: I have not gone back to the contract to look at the issue of booking. Why is he saying he is frus-

trated at Bride’s lack of cooperation? Have you refused to perform when he has offered forums and dates for live performance? Troy - We are suppose to make an effort to perform shows, etc. I do not recall us ever having turned down a paying gig. We could play for free every day of the year if we could afford to. We do have a booking agent, but the fact of the matter is, this is our first album in 2 years and people want to hear the new material before booking us. Lawyer Photos. Again, I need to review the contract about this, but it starts to raise the big question of what in the world is Absolute doing to Bride. It seems all one way. Bride does everything and Absolute just makes money on Bride’s efforts. (If that is the case, then let me be your record producer.) Troy - Contractually, there is no mention of the record company providing photos. However, we went to Nashville at our expense and did a photo shoot for which Dez paid. It was our understanding that we would get a couple of publicity photos out of this. He even came to my house and showed Dale and I the proofs and let us pick out our top 3 photos. Then, he only sent us one photo that was damaged and told us we needed to get it touched up. We informed him that we would like to see the other photos and was even willing to pay the cost, but that has not happened. Lawyer: Regarding the sale on the Internet, my bet is Dez “suckered” you guys. If he gave you oral permission, it is harder to prove than a written modification of the contract. An oral modification is valid unless the written contract prohibits it. Again, I have not reviewed the contract to see if it contains such a clause. Troy: Our contract allows us to sell directly to our mailing list (which I assume also means email mailing list), but does not allow us to sell on the “so-called Internet”. I am not sure what that means exactly. Months after we had signed the contract, he told us at our photo shoot that we could advertise and sell our new release on our Web site. He has now retracted that. In my opinion, that should not preclude us from taking orders via email using our mailing list. Lawyer: Finally, Dez attempts to say that he still “loves” you guys and has been successful in getting others to love you again in a return to “former glory.” And, between paragraph 1 and the next to last paragraph, he has launched a new distribution company. The question I have is, “What has he done to promote Bride and return Bride to former glory?” Troy: This is a real kick in the butt kind of statement. We wrote the songs and performed them, but he is taking the credit. As far as I know, he has done little if anything to help promote us. We played a free showcase for him in Nashville and we have done some interviews. The interviews would have happened with or without him. Lawyer: So, this leaves the situation with Absolute finally paying the first $XXXXXX advance, but not the second (or are the 400 CD’s considered payment by product instead of payment in cash?) Troy - In the letter I sent, I indicated that we wanted all cash and that product would not be taken in exchange for the advance. So his statement that he has fulfilled his obligation by paying us $XXXXX is not correct. He still owes us another $XXXXX. Lawyer: I was hoping Dez would just forget to respond. It would have made things much easier. At this

point, I believe he is still in breach because he owes us $XXXXX. Do you have any other suggestions at this point? On 5/8/01 we had our lawyer draft up the letter of termination: “This letter is to regretfully inform you that Bride is terminating the contract with Absolute Records for failure to perform your respective obligation. On April 9, 2001, a letter was sent to Absolute outlining the points of the contract that was in breach. The letter was received via certified mail on April 12, 2001. According to the contract in item 8f, Bride was to receive $XXXXX upon delivery of the masters and an additional $XXXXX upon release of the album. According to item 14 of the contact, we have given you the required 30 days notice to cure the breach. Also included is a check for product in the amount of $2674.35. According to the contract in item 19, we have 30 days from the date of invoice to pay for product. We received the invoice for this product via US mail on April 16, 2001. POINTS TO CONSIDER FOR REMEDY 1. We do not want to be obligated to make any more recordings for Absolute (Items 1-4 of the contract) 2. We want the Artist Royalty rates to remain in tact as outlined in item 6 of the contract. 3. We still want our accounting statements sent to us and reserve the right to audit his accounts of us (Item 7 in the contract) 4. We want item 8 of the contract to stand in regards to our publishing. Since he has paid us $XXXXX of the advance, we would like to have the other XXXXX. 5. We also want to be able to continue to purchase our product as outlined in item 19. Also in item 19, it talks about us selling over the Internet. In all reality, we ADVERTISE on the Internet and actually sell our material through the mail. We do not allow fans to download music for a price. But just to clarify, we would like to have the right to sell and advertise our product using the Internet. 6. Item 24 of the contract states that we get complimentary product. As of now, we have still not received the 50 cassettes. 7. We want to make sure there is no time limit on when we can release another recording and also make sure that Absolute is not entitled to any of the new material. June 1st Troy wrote to our lawyer: “Dez replied to the letter you sent. We will fax it to your office today. He alleges that we are in breach because we sold our product over the Internet. However, he did give us verbal permission at our photo shoot to sell it. We did remove it from our Web site over 30 days ago after he made it an issue. And as you pointed out in your letter to him, it is our position that we never sold it over the Internet, just advertised it. We received the letter today, but in it he set a deadline of yesterday to comply - pretty strange logic.” Our lawyer advises Bride: “I would suggest that I send a letter to Dez stating that despite his permission for Bride to advertise the album for sale on your website, that Bride has interpreted his May 1,2001 letter as revoking that permission. Bride stopped advertising the album for sale and has not advertised it for sale on the website since that time. Therefore, there was no breach by Bride. Bride will interpret Absolute’s intention to halt promotions for “Fist Full of Bees” as a further material breach by Absolute. Regarding the advance, let there be no misunderstanding that Absolute was delinquent in payment of the first $XXXXXX and continues to be delinquent in payment of the second $XXXXXX. Bride has paid Absolute for the product shipped to Bride. Absolute continues to owe Bride $XXXXX, which Absolute acknowledged in a letter dated May 24, 2001. Bride continues to assert that Absolute is in breach of the material terms of the agreement and would like to

discuss an amicable termination of the agreement. Bride has offered a fair and just settlement of this dispute. If an arrangement cannot be worked out, then it will be up to a court to decide. I do not want to force Dez to dig in his heels, but do want to make it clear that you are not backing down regarding your position. I also might mention that you are willing to perform at Lifest in July, but are not waiving any of your claims by doing so. You are just fulfilling your part of the agreement. Let me know your thoughts.” June 26th we receive this letter from our lawyer: “With regards to Dez’s position that Bride has no right to terminate, he is somewhat correct. We have discussed this point. The contract does not specifically give you an absolute right to terminate, but it is a remedy of contract law that the agreement may be terminated if the other party is on breech and continues to breech the contract. The only termination language specifically in the agreement is Absolute’s right to terminate if Bride violate the “morals” clause. The best and fastest way to terminate is by agreement between the parties. But, if Dez will not negotiate, then we need to file an action in court. By the way, which county do you live in, Jefferson or Meade? We can file the action here in Kentucky, but the court would have to interpret it under Tennessee law as written in the agreement. The reason I asked where you live is because that is where I would want to file the lawsuit. The agreement does state in section 25 (e)that a lawsuit should be brought in Nashville. But, I think we might push a claim of “fraud in the inducement” of the agreement to have the whole thing declared void. Fraud in the inducement is a claim that basically says Dez is represented every material aspect of the agreement and that you guys relied on these misrepresentations in deciding to enter into the agreement. It does seem that Dez has not come through on anything: No booking agent, not able to pay recording costs, no distribution for product (other than his internet page), very late on first advance payment (after you declared him in default), no payment of second advance, and has not supplied you with the complimentary cassette tapes called for in the agreement. This list is just what I remember off the top of my head. Are there more things? You summed it up nicely when you say “Absolute has completely ignored their obligations in regards to the contract and are making little or no effort to correct them.” If the judge agrees, we win. You asked our chances in court. I can not say with any certainty. Dez has failed to perform his end of the bargain, and I think he knew he could not perform when he signed Bride. I think Judge Waller in Bullitt County is kind of unpredictable, but would tend to give more recognition to “home town” people over the company out of Tennessee. I do not know what would happen if Absolute is able to transfer the case to Nashville. I think any judge would find Dez in default, but I do not know if Nashville judges are on the side of the recording industry or the artists, or neutral as they should be. The other option would be for Absolute to get the case transfered out of Bullitt County and into Federal Court. I do not think this is likely because the amount of money involved might not meet the federal court limits.” 7/3/01 the letter is sent: Re: Termination of Recording Agreement with Bride Dear Mr. Dickerson: This letter is to respond to your letter dated May 21, 2001. It appears you received my letter dated May 17, 2001. It also appears you responded directly to Bride in addressing the points I raised in that letter. Bride would like to respond to the points you have now raised as well as repeat some of the points Bride raised earlier. In your letter you indicate that you consider Bride to be in breach of the agreement by “selling product direct

via the Internet.” Bride takes the position that this is not a breach. First, you gave Bride oral permission during the photo shoot to “sell” copies of “Fist Full of Bees” over the Internet. Second, Bride was not “selling” over the Internet, but was “advertising” the album for sale over the Internet. Bride has interpreted your May 1, 2001 letter as revoking the permission given at the time of the photo shoot. Thus, Bride stopped all activity including advertising the album for sale and has not advertised it for sale on their website since that time. There was no breach by Bride. Bride immediately ceased advertising the album on their website upon the revocation of the permission given by Absolute. However, Bride will consider Absolute’s halting of promotions for “Fist Full of Bees” as a further material breach by Absolute. Bride would like to address their attendance at Lifest and any other performance or duty they perform. Under the agreement, Bride has a duty to pursue their performing and recording career and has been actively doing so. Bride plans to attend Lifest on July 14, 2001. However, such appearance and any other activity by Bride in accordance with the agreement is not a waiver by Bride of any of the claims of breach asserted against Absolute. Absolute also continues to be delinquent in payment of the second $XXXXXX advance called for under the agreement. Bride has paid Absolute for the product shipped to Bride. Absolute continues to owe Bride $XXXXXX, which Absolute acknowledged in a letter dated May 24, 2001. In paragraph three of your letter you mention that the agreement does not afford Bride unilateral rights to terminate the agreement. This is true, but only to a point. To date Absolute has breached its duty by having no booking agent, not paying recording costs, having no distribution for product (other than your internet page), being very late on the payment of the signing bonus, being very late in payment of the first advance payment, making no payment of the second advance, and having not supplied Bride with the complimentary cassette tapes called for in the agreement. In short, Absolute has not acted timely or in good faith in fulfilling even one material aspect of its duties under the agreement. Thus Bride has declared Absolute in breach of the agreement and seeks an agreed termination of the agreement. In my letter of May 17, 2001, I outline Bride’s proposal for an agreed termination. Bride has offered a fair and just settlement proposal for this dispute as follows: 1. The agreement would allow Absolute to maintain its rights only to the current album “First Full of Bees.” The current album will be the only album under the agreement with the agreement terminating all rights, obligations, responsibilities and future option periods by both parties regarding any future songs, publications and albums. Bride will not be obligated to write any further songs, publish any material, or make any further recordings for Absolute. Bride will be free to write, record and release any future albums, and be free to perform at any time without obligation or payment to Absolute. Absolute will have no ownership interest, marketing interest, or other interest is any new songs or material written or recorded by Bride. 2. In keeping with Absolute’s ownership and marketing rights to the current album, the Artist Royalty rates for the current album will remain in full force as outlined in Item 6 of the agreement with such payments made to Bride. 3. Bride’s accounting statements will still be sent and Bride will reserve the right to audit Absolute’s accounts regarding Bride as outlined in Item 7 in the agreement. 4. Item 8 of the agreement will stand regards to Bride’s publishing. One

(1) advance payment of $XXXXXXX has been made, and the second advance of XXXXXXX will be paid. 5. Bride will be able to continue to purchase the current album at the prices and under the conditions outlined in Item 19. However, Item 19 of the agreement will be modified to allow Bride to market the current album over the Internet by advertising the album for sale and taking orders for the album over the Internet. This does not mean selling the album in a digital format streamed over the internet (such as MPPP format), but does mean taking orders for shipment of the album in a physical media such as CD, cassette tape, tape, LP, DVD, or other physical presentation. 6. Bride acknowledges that it has received One Hundred (100) CDs under Item 24 of the agreement and will still receive the Fifty (50) cassettes mentioned in this Item. We would appreciate your careful consideration of this request by Bride. I would ask that you respond to me within fourteen (14) days regarding this matter. On 8/9/01 with no responses from Dez our lawyer continues to advise us: If we were to file the lawsuit now, you would not have to be in court for several months. Let me outline how litigation would proceed. We file a Complaint asking to declare the contract void. Absolute has 20 days to file an Answer. We then start “discovery.” This is where each side gets to find out what the other side knows. It is like playing cards and being able to ask the other player what cards they are holding. This consists mainly of 1) written questions called “Interrogatories” and written requests for production of document; and 2) “Depositions” where the witness is placed under oath by an court reporter and asked questions with the reporter taking down the sworn testimony in writing. Discovery often takes several month to complete. Then we would end up in court for a trial. The trial date is set by the court taking into consideration the availability of both attorneys. I still have not heard from Dez. I have no idea why. If he is facing hard times now, I would advise filing suit now while he may not be able to defend the suit. Let me know your thoughts and how you want to proceed. I personally called Dez spoke to him and on 8/27/01 we sought a peaceful resolve. I wrote: “Dear Dez, Thank you for taking the time the other day to take my phone call. Troy and I have prayed about and considered all things that have passed between you and us. We both feel that there is too much distance between Absolute and Bride to bridge the gap. We are requesting an immediate release from our recording contract. It seems as though Absolute and Bride have different business and ministry practices, which do not mesh together to create the synergy that is needed to be successful. We are afraid that the future will only breed conflict between us and this is something we would like to avoid. Bride wants only to serve the Lord in peace without conflict. We do not feel that this can be accomplished under our current agreement and situation. Thank you for your consideration in this matter, Dale and Troy Thompson” 8/29/01 after repeated letters from our lawyer Dez responded: “Thanks for your email. I agree that we need to “seek peace and pursue it” in whatever solution we identify. While we also desire harmonious relations

with all our artists, the business reality is that, once we have money invested, we need to get it back. We never simply release an artist from their contract until provision has been made for the recovery of our investment. This can be accomplished in one of several ways (we’ve utilized these in times past): 1) A mutual release, in which we release the artist from their future exclusive recording obligations in exchange for Absolute being released from the obligation to pay any future royalties of any kind, 2) Obligation, on the part of the artist, to deliver another project, with all expenses (production, marketing, manufacturing, etc.) to be 100% recoupable, or, 3) A cash-out, with the artist buying back the remainder of their contract. These are the options for releasing Bride from their commitment that are acceptable for us. Let me know which one works for you.” This final message from Dez allowed us to get out of our recording contract based on option 1 of the above paragraph. It is hard to describe the frustration that a band feels when they are having difficulties with a record company and the band simply wants to play music. Additional information is written below. After the release of the CD I was getting boat loads of good reviews yet I was also getting complaints that the CD was hard to find. Absolute was indebted to Plinky and had not paid him anything up to this point. On 6/29/01 EDT, Plink wrote: “I am still trying to get paid from Dez. Do you have any idea as to how much product he has sold at this point? I doubt if you’ve received any statements on that info but if you had to guess, what would that guess be? And how many have you sold? If you could shed any light on this I would appreciate it. You know we’ve been beyond patient with Dez but at this point I feel that there may have been money withheld from us from the record sales and possibly used elsewhere. I cannot prove any of this but feel that it’s possible. Let me know if you can help me out with this. Plink Fans were writing. On 6/4/01 -0400, a twelve year old named Justin from MA. Wrote: I CAN’T FIND THE FIST FULL OF BEES CD ANY WERE DO YOU KNOW WERE I CAN GET IT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S COOL AND I LOVED THE JESUS EXPERIENCE CD IT ROCK’S On 5/14/01 -0400, I received this email Why can’t I find your new CD “Fist Full of Bees” anywhere. I don’t even see it offered on your site. (Bride was told during the promo photo shoot for Fist Full of Bees by Dez that we could sell FFOB’s on our Site. Later after we served him with letters from our lawyer stating that he was in breach of contract he demanded that we stop advertising our CD and claimed we were in breach of contract. On 5/10/01 we received this email from a fan in TX I have been trying to buy Fist Full of Bees at local Chistian Book Stores in Dallas. (Lifeway etc.), and have also checked at local music stores including Tower Records. No one seems to have heard of it or have it in their new release files. I’d love to buy a copy, but you don’t have it listed on your website merchandise list either. What’s up? How do I get a copy? There are many more documented cases of fans not able to find the CD anywhere well after its release. In Absolutes defense Rebecca-Dez’s wife wrote “Some stores are a little slow in ordering because of less than favorable response of the last couple of records. We are trying to overcome this with sharing radio airplay data and getting them a free demo. It may take people asking for the product to sway some buyers.” I wrote to Absolute to try and find out why the new CD could not be found because I had no answers for the

fans. Absolute wrote back: “The record is in every major one stop system (Spring Arbor, New Day,Riverside, etc.) as well as every major chain (including Family). It’s also in the Resound instore listening system (500 top stores). Either this guy is visiting mom and pop stores or he’s in a non-Top 500 market, or the stores computer only lists their own inventory and not that of Spring Arbor, etc.” Absolute really didn’t have any good or positive news for us. Once is a while they would send us an email with a brief of news. Such as this example: May 14, 2001 “FYI: White House rec’d “highest gainer” status on CCM Update Rock Chart this week. Up from #20 to #13 with a bullet.” It wasn’t long that Absolute would not extend us any credit and on Aug 9th 2001 we received this response to our request for product: “We’re more than happy to sell you the product you are requesting, however, we will have to do it on a cash basis at this time. Upon receipt of these funds, we will ship product.” Aug 14th after sending Dez several letters to release us from our contract, we set up a phone meeting Aug 20th. I phoned Dez without Troy and we spoke in length. He admitted that he was a bit angry because we didn’t call him when things were going sour between Bride and Absolute. He felt that getting a lawyer involved brought in bitterness. I remember playing GMA for Absolute and just feeling out of place the entire night. Another fan who could not find the CD writes:Hey guys, when will the new music be at local Christian book stores, I live in Thomasville NC and I check with Lifeway book stores in Greensboro NC every week and they say they have no information on it. Can you tell me when it will be released and what is the recording lable you’re on. In Christ, Jimmy Grainger 3/26/01 a fan writes: Hi Dale, Thank you for your response! Your music has been a good outreach tool and Bride is a blessing to many! You mean the album was already out on 3/4? But it is not sold in stores or on the internet? Where can I buy your album? Ed 6/19/01 -0700, a fan writes: To whom it may concern, I’ve been looking for the “Fist Full of Bees” Cd for a couple of weeks now at my local Christian book stores, department stores, and online, and I’ve been unable to locate a copy to purchase. Can you please help me to secure a copy? Thanks for your help. Sincerely, John Williams 5/10/01 -0400, a fan writes: James from MN writes: I am trying to locate cd title - Fist Full of Bees, unable to locate at music stores in my town, any suggestions on where to purchase a copy? Thanks Jim from OK writes: I AM HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME FINDING THE ALBUM, I HAVE CONTACTED SEVERAL SECULAR AND CHRISTIAN STORES IN AN ATTEMPT TO ORDER IT BUT NO LUCK. I AM TOLD THAT THE ALBUM IS NOT LISTED IN THEIR COMPUTER. Then the folks from overseas begin to write Jul 18 Dale, Why isn’t the new CD found in The Netherlands or Europe in store?? Don’t you have any label here?? Dave Everson in IL. writes: I can’t find the Fist Full of Bees album available on your site or anywhere else on the net for that matter. Does it have a limited release and where can it be purchased? Out of curiosity, why is this album so hard to find? The quality demands better distribution/marketing. If I hadn’t seen you guys at Cornerstone this year I wouldn’t have known “Bees” even existed.

This was just a few examples of the hundreds of emails we received. It is embarrassing not to have the answers when the fans write.