Anyone who has attended Vineyard Boise even for just a short time is well aware that
music plays a major role in the life of the church.

Casey shares the role of Sunday morning worship leader with four other musicians - Rickard Bjerkander, Brandon Dawson, John Jones and Rachel Myers. The five leaders and their bands play both Sunday services on a rotating schedule.

"Having so many different musicians playing allows them to participate in other things," Casey said. "They don't get cloistered in the worship ministry as if that's their only identity within the church."

Also, because band members play once every few weeks, the schedule works great for busy people who would not be able to commit to playing every week.

Music has always been an integral part of the Vineyard movement, and Vineyard Music Group (based in Anaheim, Calif.) records a variety of projects every year to document what's happening in churches around the world.

Casey has participated on a handful of Vineyard Music albums, including two projects that were recorded at Vineyard Boise with some of the church's musicians. "I Love Your Ways" (#35 in the Touching the Father's Heart series) was recorded in 1998.

"Offering of Love" (TFH #41) was recorded this past September and is scheduled to be released in April. Casey also has recorded a solo album, "Alabaster Boxes," and currently is recording his second album.
So, why record an album anyway?

"I don't know," Casey said. "To torture yourself?" The process isn't easy. Most projects involve hundreds of hours of work. But they yield enduring results, allowing musicians to share their gifts.

Casey sees his songs as spiritual fruit. "To me, the recording process is like harvest time - picking the fruit and putting it to use," he said. "But there's a balance. You want to be a good steward with what God's given you, but you don't want to be self-promoting."

More and more Vineyard Boise musicians are writing their own songs. Brandon Dawson and Chad Estes have co-written songs with Casey ("I Love Your Ways," "King," "Your Love Is Amazing").

Worship leaders Rachel Myers and John Jones have written songs that are used on Sunday mornings at Vineyard Boise ("Love Undivided," "Rejoice"). And a song written by Rachel's bass player, Jon McCallum, is on the upcoming "Offering of Love" album.

"I'd love to see it grow even more," Casey said. "There's a group creativity that happens - people are encouraged to express themselves and grow. It gives our church its own voice and expression."

Kerry Clark, who plays lead guitar with Casey and Rachel on Sundays, tapped into that creativity several years ago and put together an album that involved more than 50 Vineyard Boise musicians.

"I kept thinking, 'There are so many talented people in this place who could be using their gifts for God if they just had an opportunity,' " Kerry said.

He started connecting songwriters with bands, and the result was "The Collection," an album of 17 original songs. It reflects an eclectic mix of styles: classical, blues, rock, pop and even heavy metal. Most of the songs were recorded in Kerry's basement, with a few songs coming from other home studios.

Kerry also has recorded an album of electric guitar music titled "Kerry Pieces."

Dave Casey, who plays bass guitar on Rickard's worship team, and Jeremiah Stone play in a rock band called Seventhstone. They have music posted on the Internet at mp3s.com.

For the past six years, Brandon Dawson has been writing songs and playing in coffee houses around Boise. Last summer, he turned his worship team into a rock band and played at the Boise River Festival. It was Brandon's third year playing for the city-wide event.

In the fall, he took that same group of Vineyard musicians into the studio to cut a four-song demo. (Rickard played lead guitar, Hoyt Fleming played bass, Dave Bomar played piano and organ, and Scott Pergande played drums and engineered the recording.)

"Listen" has been a long time coming. As Brandon played at different spots around town, he often received requests for tapes or CDs. "Basically it was just time to get something out for people who wanted it."

Michael Deeds, The Idaho Statesman's entertainment editor, reviewed the album in the Jan. 7 issue of Scene magazine. He said he really liked what he heard - he just wished there was more of it.

"Listen" is a rock album (not worship music) but it's "lyrically based - always trying to tell a story," Brandon explained. His songs cover a broad range of themes: "identity, honesty, love, God - all the big ones."
"It's the best rock album in the last 100 years," he joked.

Hear for yourself