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INTERVIEW WITH ED VICARS FROM SWORD
1. How does it feel to be doing the "SWORD" thing again after all these years?
It feels great! Iam so thankful that God has opened the doors and made this reunion possible. This "SWORD" thing, as you put it, is more than just playing music. It is like God saying to us, Ok, there is some unfinished business that you need to take care of and now is the time to get it done.
2. How did the reunion of SWORD take place?
Mike Boyer and I originally formed the group back in 1978. We became closer than brothers during the 6 years that SWORD ministered. After SWORD disbanded we stayed in contact but slowly drifted apart. In 1995 or so, Mike had begun assembling a home studio in his basement. He invited me over and we began tinkering around. Then in 1996 we began to think, what if we could take the old SWORD tunes and update them? We began praying about picking up the torch or in this case the sword once again. God gave us the green light and the kindling was lit.
We asked Dave Herold, who used to be our drummer way back when, to help us do a benefit concert that you were promoting back in 1997. It was the overwhelming positive response of the old fans and of the entire audience that confirmed that our music had validity.
God led us to our drummer Tony Gonzalez and we hit the studio to do our debut CD titled SWORD MT. 10:34 It will be available in August 2001. To God be the glory!
3. What is the main emphasis of SWORD now and what are your long and short term goals?
Our emphasis is simple, go into the world, communicate, liberate, and point the world to Jesus Christ.
As to short term goals, we want to go into the world! Somebody out there book us!!!
But seriously, we have always stressed and believe that Christians should be professional. Professionalism is expensive! Getting MT.10:34, our CD, wrapped up and ready to sell has been our primary goal. That goal is nearly achieved. Another month and we should have it back from the presses!
The second part of our short term goal has been getting our sound tight. We have just purchased the PA equipment needed to deliver a quality professional live sound. So that goal has been achieved.
Long term goals are sketchy. We want to communicate to the audience that God has given us. If that is a local audience, so be it. If that is a regional audience, so be it. Obviously my hopes are much bigger than that but I am not the lord of my life. Jesus is the Lord of my life. I don't pray, God I want to do this, will you please bless it? I know that if you follow God you will walk in His blessings. My pray is, God show me what you are doing so that I can get in on it
Psalm 119:105 sums it up, Gods word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The picture I have is I'm walking down a dark path in the middle of the night. My lamp doesn't illuminate the end of the path it only illuminates a few feet around me. It gives me just enough light to show me where it's safe to place the next few steps
4. What are your feelings on the direction that rock music has taken on the past 10 years? And where do you think it's headed?
I want to clarify that when I analytically look at music I break it into four categories.
1. Music that is prophetic, that proclaims truth and is anointed.
2. Music that is middle of the road, it may be gospel or even love songs.
3. Music that speaks to mans desires or fantasies.
4. Music that is negative, that is promotes an anti God pro evil message.
1st and 4th are opposites and 2nd and 3rd are also opposites. And you will notice that I will not separate rock into a Christian and a secular, none of the other performing arts have that clarifier and I think the music should stand on its own.
Now my feelings¦ Rock music has all four of these categories present. In general, rock music in the past ten years has mirrored society and steadily declined. It has become a puppet of commercialism and humanism. In case you didn't notice, we live in a post Christian era. Music always reflects culture. Rock has declined in its message and in its mechanics. The message is less focused and has little insight. Anger and hopelessness seems to rule over intellectual ideas. Four letter words are easier to rhyme with I guess? The musicianship that once impressed even rocks critiques now has become very sloppy. I equate it to the sound that I made when I played in the garage bands back in my early teens.
Music has always reflected the heart of its composer and rock has a heart problem. The good news is that we have a God who desires to give us a new heart!
My biggest disappointment is that the 1st category hasn't made the same enormous strides of reaching the masses that the 4th category has made. Christian rock as a group got so excited with the general acceptance of the religious community and so happy that preachers weren't preaching sermons about them being of the devil that they became complacent and separated from the society they were trying to reach.
As for the future of rock music, Since I view music as an extension of man, I can only see music becoming more violent and more negative. I wonder what kind of music they had in the days of Noah???
I expect that the 4th category I mentioned will continue to grow and increase in their vulgarity as the 2nd category and 3rd category of music to continue to become less and less of the market share.
I pray that the 1st category of musicians rise up and remember the great commission of Mk.16:15 Go into all the world. Notice it didn't say go into all the church!
5. How did SWORD begin?
I was saved Nov.2, 1976. In 1977 Mike Boyer, a friend who I had played in high school bands met with me and I witnessed to him about becoming a Christian. Mike met other Christians who also shared their testimonies and then Mike gave his heart to God. After that he looked me up and said I have an idea, this sound strange but why don't we get together and make some music to reach the people who like rock with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Neither of us had heard of Christian rock but we had talent and we didn't want to burry it. We prayed and began looking for a drummer. Ross Winslow who had played in a Christian rock group LATTER RAIN met us in 1978 and we began to rock as SWORD.
6. Reflect on the earlier days of SWORD and some of the things that God accomplished through your ministry.
You think I've said a lot up to now. I'm trying to be short and you ask an open question like that! So many things come to mind.
For starters God made us decide early on whether we were a band or a ministry and He taught us the difference. SWORD pioneered Christian rock in the greater Cincinnati area form 1978 until 1984.
The first concert we ever played we asked to play out in the parking lot of a local Christian coffeehouse so that people who would never come in could hear us. It was the first and only outdoor concert that a local coffeehouse had ever done. We continued to seek outdoor concerts and God allowed us to go to places that other Christians hadn't gone and we watched God change lives.
We also began to play for schools and for prisons. No other Christian rock groups had done this in the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
The most rewarding memories are of seeing God doing the miraculous as we ministered. People healed, people delivered and people giving their lives to Jesus.
SWORD refused to sacrifice ministry for music. We turned down recording contract offers that insisted on making ministry a side bar to the entertainment.
Believing that all valid ministry flows from God through the local church, we insisted that promoters have local church sponsorship before we would perform. Our desire was to provide discipleship to converts and to plug them into local the church. We also met with pastors who were not supporters of Christian rock to share our vision so that they could join us in reaching the undesirables. I could go on and on. God is good!
7. Who were some of the bands you worked within the s?
The most popular band was PETRA. We didn't focus on Christian festivals so we didn't play with a lot of the Christian bands. I promoted local outdoor concerts in our area and we brought in groups to assist us like STRONGHOLD from New York. Other than that we were pretty much doing outreach work which didn't allow other bands to join us.
8. Why did SWORD decide to quit playing in 1984?
We were at the peak of popularity and we were booked 9 months solid. God spoke to me and said, Am I the Lord that called you to this ministry? Well both arms flew up and I was proud to say, YES you are the Lord that called me! Then God said, Am I the Lord that can stop you? Well; you never want to rush in without really considering what God is saying, haha! I said very timidly, yes Lord you are able to stop me. God then said, Stop and be the priest of your family. I went to the guys and told them, we fulfilled a couple months of obligations and then quietly disbanded.
9. I have a preview copy of your soon to be releases CD, MT.10:34, it's very good. How can people get a copy?
One of the best questions yet! The CD will be back from the production company in about thirty days, sometime in August. You can go to our web page, http://swordrocks.homestead.com to order a copy. Clips of our music can be heard also by going to the PROJECTS page of our site. You could also email me with a request at canusaybass@hotmail.com .
10. Are you open to play live? And how can someone contact you for bookings?
Your questions keep getting better! I bet your next question will be how do I stay so young looking and attractive.
Well, at least I can hope. Haha!
YES! SWORD is ready to play live. Playing dead is over rated! Contact me from our web page or email me.
Just a plug, but SWORD is tentatively scheduled to do a concert on the radio station show Silent Witness. Saturday August 4th, 8:00 PM on 88.3 FM in the Cincinnati, Ohio.
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