"Oh they say that there is no condemnation / for those who love God /
but oh, brother there is some other thing / between you and I.."
If one had to describe the Apostle Paul in a single word, it could be
argued that the word would be "honest". Whether Paul was admonishing
those who had been led astray, encouraging the faithful, or sharing from
his own faults, Paul was always honest. He spoke from the heart of a
man who had been full of pride and self-righteousness, then broken and
fearful, and subsequently rescued - but still susceptible to his past
failures. If you were able to search the heart of Standing Small, they
would hope you would find this same honesty. Open and sometimes brutal
- their music speaks from that same self-aware brokenness, shame, and
hopefulness.
"Oh what I'm called to be / cannot be found in me / and the love I had
has been lost at sea..."
Having toured nearly non-stop for three years and nearing the
completion of their second full-length record (with two EPs in
between), Standing Small is growing more and more aware of their
calling - to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in whatever form set
before them As three, sometimes-four, sometimes-five young men, they
strive to be less about music and more about the song they hear in the
Word; less about rock'n'roll and more about Grace; and less about
popularity and more about the hope that when people listen, whether
they like them or not, those who hear would be encouraged to seek out
and know the heart of Jesus Christ.
"As I drown in all the things that define my heart / there's a love
that exhales all I'm not."
Meaning behind the name:
"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
Romans 12:3
In a world centered around the best-dressed, who's who, world's most- and top-ranked; Christ called his followers to be humble. From the beginning, God designed us with talents: the desire to use them, to share them and be heard. Turn on the television for a few minutes and you will catch a glimpse of a celebrity show or a popular band performing. Shows full of all the glory, glitz, and glamour the world can muster. With an inherent desire to play music comes an inherent desire to be seen and heard; to say something worth hearing and hope someone listens. But while God has given the talent, He has also called us to give it away. Christ tells us to remain humble ("And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." -Matthew 23:12), and seek only his face. What words are worth speaking that have not been said? What song is worth singing without His voice?
As followers of Christ, Standing Small was given that vision, but also convicted of the seriousness of the call to humility. To refrain from pride and self-service in all things. As musicians this is a daily struggle. You spend anywhere from three to fifteen (or more) hours per drive in a van together, load and unload a trailer (sometimes straight onto the stage), play the show, leave, try to pick a place to eat, and go home hoping to make ends meet. As four young men, pride is a central theme. Not only with each other, but also with the glory that can come of being a musician in this world. Jesus says in Matthew 6 to beware of those those who seek the glory of this world , even in His name; "Truly I tell you, they have received their reward."
So we chose to call ourselves Standing Small. A simple phrase, not flashy or eloquent, but a daily reminder: when written on a flyer or announced from a stage or spoken in prayer it is a constant reminder to us of who and what we do this for. A reminder that we truly are small before a great God, and that His Glory, not ours, is that which we seek. There is no other cause worth preaching, no other song worth singing, but that of Christ and him crucified.
Standing Small are what I would categorize as “The impressive opening act.” You know the type. You went to see the headliner or maybe one of the bands in between, but after this smaller unheard-of band played the first set, you were rushing back to the merch table to pick up a CD (or at least trying to remember their name so you can become friends on myspace). Well my friends, consider yourselves having already attended that show and having already run back to that merch table, where you would see Oh Sweet Child, buy it, and play it in the car on the ride home. What you would find on this disc are six tracks (five songs) full of smart melodies, well-developed instrumentation, and subtly-crafted vocals. It’s mostly light pop/rock with an obvious alternative nod, led by acoustic guitars and a lacy piano with solid bass and drums. As a warning, the production works much better on larger home-stereo speakers than it does with headphones, but either way the songs are still enjoyable. “Grace through Iniquity” would be the standout track in my mind with a really catchy chorus, but none of the songs are bad. With a great voice and great music, this is one set of talent to watch in the future.
Tollbooth.org
This fine Cd merges first-rate mainstream rock with Psalm like lyrics of confession and devotion to the God of Judeo-Christianity with depth and passion. The opening and strongest track on the disc, "I Need You," is an example of these two streams running through this all-too-short six song CD. The production values are strong without being slick or superficial. Oh Sweet Child represents an impressive marriage between accessible rock and themes soulfully bringing to light both the simplicity of peaceful surrender and the complexity of a daily relationship with Christ.
Terry Roland
Christian Rockers Online
The four guys that make up Standing Small are, Ryan Fletcher, Ben Howard, Corey Goins, and Jeremy Taylor. This is a band that keeps the focus of their music on the ministry part.
They take their faith very serious and that comes through in their songs. These guys are totally sold out to serving the Lord and want to spread His love to everyone that they meet through their music.
The band's Oh Sweet Child EP consist of new recordings of five songs, "I Need You", "Strings", "Oh to Know", "I'm Coming Back", and "Grace Through Iniquity", along with one previously unreleased song, "When You're Lost".
The songs have a modern rock feel to them that's interspersed with worship. The songs offer up smooth melodies along with from-the-heart vocals that are filled with passion.
My favorite song was track-6, "When You're Lost" a really nicely done acoustic guitar ballad.
Standing Small is one of those rare band's that really get what real faith is all about and show it in the way that they reach out to others in a loving Christ-like way with their music.
CAMPBELL COUNTY YOUTH GROUPS!!! I WANT TO GET A CHRISTIAN FLASH MOB 2GETHER TO DO THIS @ THE WALMART STRIP! WE WOULD BE REPRESENTING JESUS! EVERYBODY WHERE'S SOMETHING OR HOLDS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH GOD WHEN THEY FREEZE! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AN GET YOUR YOUTH GROUP IN ON IT WE NEED AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE TO DO IT! PLEASE COMMENT ME, EMAIL ME, OR TXT ME BACK IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. 4234941949.
It's Justin Baucom from Charlotte, NC. Wanted to let you guys know that we just laid down our first single in the studio and we would love for you guys to check it out and tell us what you think. Hope all is well guys.
you know....I still haven't received my free CD..from the cd release show about 5 or 6 years ago at gifts from above...I bought 10 that night and I want them. thanks.
We seriously appreciate your friendship here and want God to bless you! His blessing comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we hope you're experiencing continually. Stay cool, be bold, be strong, and thank you!
Hey guys, hope everything's going good. Sounds like everything's busy around where you're at this time of year. Got your update earlier and realized it had been awhile since the last letter - so it was time to check in. Been learning a lot about "being." For some reason it seems easy enough - until God gives some insight about what "real" really is in this timed out lot we call the life span here in the physical. In the spiritual - life never ends, but seasons are still changing according to GOD's rhythem. And as soon as the beat seems to keep in time to give a hint to understand a flow of it all - GOD likes to switch it up a little and teach something new with it. These "add-to's" are quick. Man am I ever glad GOD's patient and CHRIST is my High Priest to take my failures and hook me up with victory. Although the questions seem endless HE always takes the time to listen and in HIS time gives the answers (that of late which amazes me with HIS creativity to the solutions). HE's been showing me that HE has given TRUTH to everyone - some like it and have even gained more by following that which HE gave them. It's amazing how things look when TRUTH is the focus of the search. TRUTH never changes, even if the person giving the advice seems questionable, TRUTH will prove itself over and over again. GOD can use anyone who is willing because GOD can make anyone able! Sometimes GOD likes to show how much more there's to learn by kindly reminding me that of the little things that usually are not considered on a day to day notice - other than being in use for the day - like a car that gets from point A to point B. Or the fact that said vehical has heat. Which is a huge plus, when rain and cold are part of the weather patterns for the many continued days. TRUST and BE THANKFUL that everything gets done in HIS time. Nothing gets done without HIS notice and consideration. It's like connect the dots - @ first i
I just recieved my "Oh Sweet Child" CD/Shirt Combo from the FDR shop. I listened to the entire album right away and I must confess that I have absolutely nothing but good things to say about it. "I Need You" and "Strings" have a great bass driving them and I'm a sucker for great bass. The vocals pull off the high/low switch extremely well. Normally I'm not a huge fan of that but it works really well here. "Oh to Know" has great guitar undertones in the background and some really tight, crisp drum beats. The guitar in "I'm Coming Back" has a nice little exotic flair in the string bends during the chorus and verses and the organ in the background is a really good idea and sets it apart form other soft songs. "When You're Lost" just has beautiful lyrics. They're very simple, but powerful. No flash or glitz, just a straightforward message. The entire album is done very well throughout, much better than many major label bands with exponentially more funds. To see a band that's not all about being a band but about music and, more importantly, faith is a huge inspiration. I wish this band the best of luck.
