Zadok - Musician
Zadok grew up in Seattle where he says that you are not allowed to play major chords in any of your music, something about selling out to the positive side... Yet in this home of Grunge and Emo sounds, Zadok has been playing a new song, using whatever chords he can find. After creating a couple of electronic/rock albums with his band Mercir, as well as leading worship on Sunday evenings, it became apparent that neither realm afforded quite the experience he longed for. On one hand, rock venues were open to musical experimentation but trapped in pretense and commerce, and on the other, churches had little room to push creatively but enjoyed a context of hope and beauty and rest. See, the guy is pretty deep, and while getting his Master's at Mars Hill Grad School (the really great academic institution, not the really average citified church) he realized that some reconciling was in order.
The result is Urban Hymnal. Zadok put together his dream team and set forth to install original art and music collaborations in the city's beautiful--and often vacant--cathedrals; to create a unique sound and experience that allowed for both experimentation and spiritual revelation. The team dropped their first event to 400 people in December at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral. The feedback was incredible. As it turned out, other people were looking for the same thing that Zadok was. I think this is typical. The flashes of inspiration and need that we have are usually shared. The question is, who is going to take a step, a risk.
I know how hard this is. I often doubt my own creativity and when I'm not doubting, I am too lazy to act on the potential I have. Zadok chose not to and he & Co. are now onto UH02.
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