Archive for June, 2008

‘Sabbath’ & The Incredible Hulk!

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Hi friends!

Hows your week been so far? If you are ready for the weekend, then have no fear – it’s almost here!

One of my favorite ways to chill out on weekends is to go watch a movie. Because I usually work on weekends leading worship, I often take my days off during the week. This is how I spent part of a recent day off – hanging out at the movies! I thought all the huge cardboard promo boards were so funny that I got a friend to snap some photos of me for my blog! The hulk was so big I was genuinely a bit scared!

I’ve been reminded lately of the need to really relax and take at least one proper ’sabbath’ day in my week. What do you guys think about the concept of ’sabbath’… is it supposed to be one day per week… Is it just a general lifestyle of living in the rest of Jesus… What should a sabbath look like?

I miss our theological debates on here… so the next few blogs will be some deep and thought provoking questions.. so be ready to jump in with your two cents!! Lets kick off now – share your perspective on Sabbath below!

Love,

Vicky

Isaac, a little fan of Vicky and U2!

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Hey there!

This is my bass players son Isaac. He and I were chatting during a recent drive to a show….

Isaac inspires me to want to retain a childlike sense of wonder about music and the world in general… Later at the show he got his little guitar out and was rockin’ back stage jumping around with a huge smile on his face…

How do you think we retain that sense of child like wonder and joy? How can we guard ourselves from becoming jaded about the beauty, fun and wonder of life?

Vicky

Fresh New Music from London….

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

Hey there friends

Hows your week going? I just finished a show in Cincinnati Ohio and am back at my hotel catching up on emails.

I saw on Facebook a few minutes ago that an old friend of mine is launching a new band “Mumford and Sons” so I found some video of them playing live and was really impressed! Its a really fresh sound and vibe… Marcus is the lead singer and guitar player… I’m so impressed with his songs and sound… Check it out! I know most of you reading the blog are from the States, so here’s a peek into what’s coming out of the London scene…

P.s. I’m inspired to try and learn Banjo after watching that

Vicky

Behind The Scenes – My Life On The Road!

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Greetings!

I’ve been away a lot recently, playing at different events in NY, CA, PA.. Ohio next… so i thought for today’s Blog I’d show you some pictures of what it all looks like… Hope you enjoy!

Needing large amounts of gear is one of the challenges of traveling…. Here’s Road manager Matt taping things together to try and make 2 things count as one piece of checked baggage!.. And a competition to see just HOW much we can fit on one baggage cart! Getting the bags checked is the first part of every trip and once that’s done we all let out a sigh of relief and head through security and to the nearest Starbucks!!

Another fun part of travel is landing. I love watching the city beneath get closer and closer, looking at where we will be spending the next day or so. This shot was from last week, landing over San Diego which has to be one of the prettiest landing spots ever as you get the skyscrapers, the bay, the ocean and the city all at once!!

Before the start of every event, we set up the ‘merch table’. It all packs up into one big suitcase. This is what it looks like when it’s all set up… As you can see I”m proud to be British, hence the large amounts of british flags!! I love meeting people – thats one of my favorite parts about the road, so I love being by the table after we play and getting to meet local peeps!

It always makes my day when great radio folks come to the event and say hello! Recently, Heather Lloyd from station KPRZ popped in for a chat. She’s awesome!

Big crowds are great as its wonderful to get to impact lots of people and share Jesus with them…. but some of my favorite times are the small gatherings when it’s just a few people in a room with guitars, singing our hearts out to God : )

The picture above was 2 weekends ago in San Diego – we had a worship leaders night where we ate amazing Italian food then took it in turns to each lead songs….A big shout out to Buz, Marian, Beejay, Jung, Gene, Paul, Mary An, Jared and all who hung out that night and came to the weekend services : )

After a lot of busy travels hauling gear, one of my favorite ways to feel relaxed is…..

Yep.. I think every girl loves a good pedicure! So thats usually how I end my travels!! Got to keep my toes in good shape for all this journeying!

Question for y’all….

“Are you someone who loves to travel, or someone who loves to nest at home and be there as much as possible? Does your heart leap at the thought of living out of a suitcase for a year and seeing the world, or would you rather grow deep roots at home?”

I’m a mixture of both I think… looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Off to Ohio this week…. playing at a Vineyard event, which will bring back great memories of my Vineyard days in the UK, writing songs for the Hungry and Holy albums…good memories indeed!

Vicky

An Unexpected Meeting!

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Hello Blog-friends!

Yesterday I led worship in Philadelphia. It was a great conference, and while I was in that wonderful city I had the pleasure of meeting someone unexpected… check out the video..hope it makes you smile : )

Before Philadelphia, I spent 5 fabulous days down in San Diego, leading worship, eating fish tacos and walking by the ocean….perfect! I’m now in Nashville for a few days songwriting and continuing to edit my Book.. Just watched the sun set while emailing on my laptop at a coffee shop here in town… I love early summer weather (before the humidity kicks in!!!)

Obviously this wasn’t ‘really’ President Bush in the video… he’s an impersonator, but a pretty good one eh? He has a cool ministry…he does his Bush impersonation, then he preaches about how we as Christians need to be imitators of Jesus, like the Apostle Paul said…

“What books have you read recently that helped you in your journey to imitate Jesus more?”

I’m looking for a few recommendations to read this month, so give me some advice!

Love,

Vicky

Take a Deep Breath and…rest!

Saturday, June 7th, 2008

Hey friends!

Greetings from San Diego! The ocean views, surf culture, and sweetness of the people here is like taking a much needed deep breath in and finding a rest and relaxation that I haven’t felt in a really long time… : )

I spent most of today at a really cool, artsy, coffee house that sits right opposite the beach… Reminded me of “Fido Cafe” in Nashville but with the ocean sparkling in the background! Perfect!

Tomorrow night is the first church service I’ll be leading worship at, then there are 3 Sunday morning and one Sunday night. I can’t wait… Tomorrow we have rehearsal for the band… and hopefully another visit to the beach too! There is an event on Moonlight Beach just down the road from here, where Switchfoot raise money each year for a local charity… check it out… I’m hoping to go to some of it tomorrow..

Question for ya….

“When did you last have your toes in an ocean? Where were you?”

Love,

Vicky

Do you hate cameras?

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

Hi Bloggers!

My friend Biscuet is helping one of his team mates in China make a video blog to tell her friends and family back home how she’s doing. Only problem is… she hates cameras! Watch this.. I hope it makes you smile as much as it did for me

I generally don’t like having photos taken… but I am hoping to learn how to take great shots someday… when I get a decent camera and some time to learn how!

Question -“Do you love or hare cameras? Do you long for the moment people snap a shot of you, or do you dread it? Ever had any aspirations to be a photographer or to shoot a movie?”

Vicky

Check Out How Twitter Helped A Worship Leader….

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

Hey Amigos!

Sometimes I wonder if Twitter is cool or just taking up lots of my time! I love it, but often ask myself if it’s useful or a time-waster?

Click on the link below to see how Twitter made a difference in a worship leader from Canada planning out how to sing a song…. Pretty cool!

http://www.chrisfromcanada.com

Vicky

Hey From The Studio!

Sunday, June 1st, 2008

Greetings! How was your weekend?

Hope it rocked! Here are a couple of photos of me singing on a compilation record…it was a great time. It’s  duet between me and Mark Stuart from Audio Adrenaline. I saw him at church today and he said he loved the way the song sounded with both our voices…so thats cool.

I had some allergies, so to help my voice out I drank a lot of….

TEA!

and….EWWW… this green stuff!

But its been a great couple of days. JFEST in Chattanooga went great and I loved catching up with Steve Fee and his band guys… He used a song in his set that we co-wrote, so that was cool to hear it played live!

My book draft is coming along… This weekend I also finished editing the first 3 chapters and the book Proposal to send to publishers… took a lot of staring at my laptop to get it all finished…but it was worth it : )

Working out has been happening in my life for the first time in ages… so I ache a bit today! I don’t own a TV at home as I never bought one State-side yet… but the gym is full of TVs… so I have a question – “What TV shows do you guys in the States love, and what should I watch?” If you know the channel thats helpful too, as I”ve been the ‘hated’ person in the gym this week, flicking the remote through about 50 channels before finding anything I recognise!!!

Love,

Vicky