The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat

The cello, according to many folks, is the instrument most like the human voice. Perhaps that's why this album of stand-out inspirational melodies captures both the ear and the heart.  And the engaging performance style of the artist may be one of the reasons he has one of hottest instrumental videos currently playing on YouTube. (in fact, we’ll attach a little extra audio feature about that at the end of the interview...)

Whether he's riffing over Celtic percussion or soloing over the China Philharmonic Orchestra, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson explores the full range of the instrument with tender arrangements of "Lead Kindly Light" and "Gabriel's Oboe," and exciting cinematic versions of "Come, Come Ye Saints" and "Praise to the Man." In between you'll hear a delightful Ukulele/Cello duet on "Simple Gifts" and other imaginative takes on these musical favorites.

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

With over 73 weeks on Billboard's best-selling New Age music charts, Paul Cardall's previous CD is going to have to slide over a bit to make room for this new release—"Sacred Piano," a 15-year retrospective of his most intimate and spiritual recordings.

While he was at Primary Children's Medical Center earlier this week for a periodic "tune up" required of patients on the heart transplant waiting list, we met and talked about Paul's philosophy for instrumental music, the inspiration behind some of the hymn arrangements and the 3 new pieces included, and what keeps him hopeful and happy in the face of challenges.

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

Every year the new EFY album is kept under wraps and only released to Especially for Youth participants--until the end of the summer that is. That time is now and album co-producer Peter Breinholt introduces us to the songs and the artists who celebrate this year's theme from 1 Timothy 4:12.

You'll find insights into the creative process, songwriting and song choosing, and even a few last minute changes in the studio which came together to make this new CD a collection of established artists and new-comers.

That's this week on The Cri cket and Seagull...

From the mining towns of Yorkshire, England to Hole-in-the-Rock in Southeastern Utah, author Gerald Lund weaves the tale of David Draper together with real-life pioneer heroes like Jens Nielsen and Silas Smith to tell the little-known story of an amazing group of Western settlers called to do the impossible.

In this wide-ranging interview, author Lund talks about on-site research, developing believable characters, and even the gift of insomnia—all part of the process of writing his 800-plus page new work of historical fiction.

That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...