Whenever someone comments that there is no talent in the Christian market, it only takes one man to blast that arguement to bits. It is a widely accepted stipulation that Phil Keaggy is one of the best guitar players alive today. But because he sticks to his guns and mainly plays churches and other Christian events it is rare that you hear a peep about him outside the Christian hub.
At his solo concerts he plays by himself onstage for an hour or more. He takes his songs and transforms them into one man jams, doing stuff to make even the most proficient guitar player drop jaw. In the Creation Festival setting, each slot gets about a half an hour of playing time. And this time was shared with one of the pioneers of Christian rock, Randy Stonehill.
The time started off with Randy Stonehill playing a few songs by himself. Other than knowing that Stonehill is classic and one of those guys that my dad has old records of, I did not know too much about him. I was impressed. While he was a 70's hippie rock n roll guy, he now looks like a quirky business man. He was onstage with just an acoustic guitar and a sense of humor to rival Conan O'Brien. The songs translated well, I believe, to the acoustic guitar setting, and with the never ceasing humorous remarks he felt very intimate.
After a few songs he invited Phil Keaggy onstage. He and Keaggy have been good friends for a long time and would make comments like, "We wrote this song together back in '84 when Keaggy was at my house." I started to feel intimidated because I was born in that year.
When Keaggy came onto the stage I had a hard time recognizing him. The previous times that I've seen him live he is wearing a cap and doesn't have any facial hair. This time there was nothing covering his head and he had a gotee. Regardless, his playing was unaffected.
Article comments
1 - Murphy Horner
Yes, both those guys are worth hearing. Keaggy rates very high on the guitarist greats.
I remember seeing him several times as a church kid. He blew me away. I mean, there was a level to his music that worked like a rip tide. It moved me subtley, so that I didn't even notice it until I was very far from where I was when I walked in.
And the contrast of his surroundings, that is, the beat-you-over-the-head with the bible and "our" brand of morality which _is_ the Christian culture, makes his subtlety that much more sublime.