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Show Feels by Brent Olson besides that, Marshall is a very nice, yet competitive person who has been in love with music ever since he was a little boy, and ever since he saw Snow White for the first time, Those are my true he's whistled hi ho and a desire to music passions: my wife, my serve and bless other people's lives. RID: Since getting married, have you noticed any change in your munc? I a little Only McDonald: have noticed a wrote song for change, actually. kind introduced it and of my wife, me to a different style. In order to properly describe Kris' McDonald's wife personality, had to incorporate a little jazz, a little fun, free melodies into it. Right now, ever since wrote that song for her, I'm experimenting with a little more jazz, beat and rhythm to more music. I don't know that it will have any drums or electric guitar in the next CD, but a little more contrast in my music. It's a great thing because I've got a wonderful new project coming up where I'm writing music inspired by Greg Olsen's children paintings, and I've kind of had to get in touch with this new free, fun style of music that I've kind of stayed away from before. RED: So what brought you into this new have to wonder if the big interviewers for Rolling Stone ever sit at a kitchen table and eat brownies and milk with hi-h- the interviewee. Actually, guess the better question might be, do the brownies they eat impair their ability to drive home safely without being pulled over by talking purple elephants? But I digress. Locals People like to find music that's new and different and yet accessible enough that they can understand it so they can introduce their friends to it a day later and feel cool because they "discovered" the album first. Marshall McDonald is one of those special talents who has forged his own new style of divine music. For most people, well for me at least, and J can't be blamed if everyone else doesn't agree with me (sorry, I'm still in my prima donna, big shot interviewer mode) divine music falls into two categories: inspired works like those of George Frideric Handel, Ralph Vaughn Williams and lesser known composers who fill the pages of hymnals throughout the Christian world; and cheesy, melodramatic or sappy works that are heavy on emotionally wrenching lyrics and chords, but light on musical or lyrical talent. What separates the two is not devotion, but talent, and that is why McDonald has both feesolidly planted in the first category, though he brings something new to it that I just can't put my finger on (especially after midnight). Do you like religious, music? don't particularly, but I do love McDonaki's music. If you've ever wanted to hear such music at its best, give Marshall McDonald a try. 3ut read the nifty Q&A style interview first so I can justify the $10 a pop 1 get paid to write. I I I project? McDonald: Actually, record with Covenant Recordings, and they put out a book called "I am a Child of God," by Greg Olsen. It has been a best seller at both Deseret Book and Seagull Book and Tape. So my producer and talked about doing some music inspired by that, just to kind of sell not necessarily with the book, but to kind of go hand in hand with it. It's my hope that children will love it as well as adults. This CD will be a rtttle more lighthearted. It will still have a lot of the serious emotional music that Marshall McDonald fans have grown accustomed to. RED: So do you refer to yourself in the third person now? McDonald: Not a lot, no, not a lot. RED: How did you break into recording in the first place? McDonald: First in high school, put out a fun little CD and distributed about 1,000 copies around. Some friends joked about putting out a CD, and I thought it was impos- I I LDS-orient- The RED Interview Who is Marshall McDonald? 1 McDonald; Marshall McDonald ried man now, and it's a lot of fun. As of just about three weeks ago, I got married. But is a mar- 1DU1 i M H H MM )LM M 6on$$jor 6a6iat() h H h n ii il'M M WWW ARSHALL MCDONALD sible, but it really was quite easy to record and get some friends together to do it. While was on an LDS mission, it was passed to the producer for Covenant Recordings. Upon returning home, I played in the musical "Forever Plaid," and the producer just happened to be in the audience. He came up to me after and talked to me about the need of some fresh new style in the LDS and classical "market here locally and liked my mix of classical touch with a little emotional, new-ag- e twist. And Sunday Morning Light happened last fall 2000. RED: How many recordings have you released with Covenant? McDonald: I've put out two albums, and I've also put music out on two other albums. The album that I've been most excited about is this fall, I'll release a Christmas album of my favorite Christmas songs. Already many of those Christmas songs are in the works. On that album, you'll hear lots of your Christmas favorites, as well as some, maybe less favorites, and some of my compoI full-leng- th sitions. RED: Less favorites? McDonald: guess less known Christmas songs, like "Ring, Out Wild Bells." It's loved by I so many people locally. I actually met the composer recently and told him how much I love that song, and he said, "Well you need to arrange it some day." So I'm going to take him up on that. RED: I understand your records have done very well at Covenant? McDonald: They've done great. feel so blessed. My last two albums have been No. 1 for quite a while at Seagull Book and Tape and are in the top 20 at Deseret Book. just won a fun award called the Covenant Award of Excellence, which is for the artist for Covenant Recordings. Sunday Morning Light sold 8,000 to 9,000 copies. RED: On the Web site, www.red-mag.coyou can hear a song from McDonald's most recent album His Light Divine. Of all the songs on it, why did you chose "The Mission"? McDonald: Well, I remember when was in seventh grade Spanish, we watched "The Mission" in class. Ever since then, I've hummed that gorgeous melody the oboe plays, and I've always wanted to arrange it. I got the best oboe player around to play it. It's probably the best arrangement I've ever I I top-sellin- I done. brentored-mag.co- m WJQnnvmi lmi mm uw fin n n nn n nn n n n nn nn n n nn nn nn no &r 'mJlMWiWsl'." 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