Facing the Music with Rick Hopkins (and a give-away!)

Are you a music freak? Just a music buff? A slight enthusiast perhaps? Although I am not as wild about music as some of my friends who are into Ipods and downloads and all things ‘musicy’ (Yes, I realize that is not a real word!), I do enjoy listening to some types of music. Show tunes are fun. Most country makes me either laugh or cry. I love to crank up TobyMac with my sons in the car or listen to some Sara Groves with my daughter. Yes, music does have a place in my life.

Once in a while I will come across a relatively new musician that catches my ear. I’d like to introduce one to you today. His name is Rick Hopkins and he is the son of some friends of ours from church. He is an up and coming artist whose music just sooths my soul. In fact, I listened to his album often last summer during our packing, moving and unpacking time. It calmed me right down! (no easy feat, as my family would testify to whole-heartedly!) His mellow voice and rich guitar blend beautifully and his music is a mixture of familiar and new.

I have a busy week this week with two speaking engagements I must drive to. While I am away, enjoy this interview with Rick. Hop over to his site. Give his music a listen. And, most importantly, leave a comment about the role music plays in your life. What do you listen to? Why? How does it help you? Anything goes!! Rick will give away a copy of his album to five lucky winners. Read on!!! ( And those of you in the mid-Michigan area, Rick will be in concert at Eureka Christian Church on Sunday, October 26th. Check it out by calling the church at 989-224-7709.)

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Rick’s Bio

Rick Hopkins is 29 and currently resides in Saranac, Michigan with his wife of 9 years Nicole and three kids: Derek (5), Grace (3), and Jack (1). Rick was born and raised out in the country just north of St Johns, Michigan around the small town of Ashley and attended Fulton High School. His wife Nicole (Barrett) was born and raised in St. Johns and both attended the youth group at First Baptist of St Johns where they met and they worked together at Wendy’s.

Rick and Nicole got engaged right after high school, went to college together at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan and got married after their sophomore year in May of 1999. While going to school at Cornerstone they became involved with Ada Bible Church where they continue to attend. Rick leads worship regularly, Nicole works in children’s ministry, and they lead a married couples small group.

Rick currently works as web application developer for Morrison Industrial Equipment in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is also very involved in writing and recording music and playing shows around the west Michigan area. He hopes to start getting out to more areas of Michigan and beyond to share his music with others who haven’t heard it, and to share with them how God impacted his life in the hopes that God will move in their lives as well. 

·      Rick, tell us a bit about how you got started in music?

I have always loved music. When I was a kid it was pretty obscure stuff like the country song “Black Sheep” by John Anderson. I tortured my whole family with that one, until one day I found my record broken. Nobody would confess to it. I got involved in music in school when I joined band and played trombone. That stuck until I was too cool to be in band anymore. I started playing acoustic guitar when I was about 16. My grandpa taught me a few simple chords and I started playing with a few friends. I eventually moved on to playing electric guitar and learning how to solo and do my own leads. I’ve played in a few rock bands and really enjoyed that, but it has always been acoustic artists that have drawn me in more and made me feel their music more, so I started playing acoustic guitar a lot more, and began writing my own music. I didn’t really start singing until just a few years ago when I the church I attend (Ada Bible Church) was in need of more worship leaders, and they basically stuck a microphone in front of my face and said, “now sing”.

 

·      Now what is your involvement, both professionally and at church with music?

This past summer has been my busiest time with music. I managed to get a song on the radio in Grand Rapids, MI on 91.3 WCSG. I had a lot of opportunities come my way because of that and I ended up playing about 10 shows this summer. On top of that I usually play about every other week at my church. So I have been pretty busy with music related activities. Oh yeah, and I have been recording some new stuff which also takes a large amount of time. A big thank you goes out to my wife for holding down the fort at home with 3 kids while I have been pursuing all this.

 

·      How did the making of this cd come about?

The songs that I wrote for this album were some of the first songs I had ever written. Really the original goal in making an album out of them was just to record the fact that I was smart enough to actually write a song. It became interesting as the songs were being finished that there was a theme behind all the songs together. I have a good friend named Andy Ferris who offered to record them for me in his studio at his house for free which was right in my price range. It took about 3 months or so to get them all recorded and to get the cd pressed. I had a friend do the album art for me and printed them up for as cheap as I could find at any cd duplication companies. Then basically just started handing them out to family and friends to see what they thought. I got really good feedback from everyone that heard it so that was very encouraging.

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·      Do any of the songs on this album have a special story behind them?

I think pretty much all the songs have a great deal of meaning to me. It’s hard to pick even a couple of songs out of them all to focus on. The song “Free Lands” is about looking forward to a time when I won’t have to see or deal with a lot of the bad things that happen in this world. I struggle with a lot of depression and it can feel suffocating at times. The chorus is… “and finally, I’ll rest within your hands, breathing deeply, the air of these free lands”. It’s all about being free from the oppressiveness of a world where nothing is the way we know it should be.

The song “Fireflies” is about when my oldest son Derek was about 2 or so, we would go outside at night and catch fireflies and put them in a jar. Then we’d place the jar next to his bed when he slept and that functioned as his night-light. Those times together with him are some of the memories that I hope I will keep forever, and were really the reason and meaning behind the song.

“Still Frame”, the title track of the album, is a song I wrote to deal with losing loved ones. When I was in my sophomore year of high school I lost my best friend in a car accident. All I have left to remind me of him is his senior picture in a small frame. The song came to me while I was looking at that picture and reflecting on the times we had and the impact of that loss on my life. The song is also a song to help my family cope with the loss of our grandmother about 2 years ago. I was trying to write the song for the funeral, but couldn’t get it done in time so I ended up playing “The Old Rugged Cross”. Like I said, all the songs carry a lot of meaning to me, and to write all the stories down would take a lot more time than I have with my kids running around right now.

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·      What kind of music do you personally like to listen to?

I listen to quite a range of music. Anything from the quiet acoustic stuff, to the loud hard rock or metal, to country. The only genre I have never really gotten into is rap. Just not a fan of that. I pretty consistently come back to a few artists that have impacted me over the years through their testimony and the depth of their lyrics and music. Artists such as Derek Webb (of Caedmon’s Call, also has great solo stuff), Shane Barnard & Shane Everett (Shane & Shane), Jon Foreman (lead singer of Switchfoot, amazing solo stuff), and Sufjan Stevens (pronounced Soof – yon). There are lots more, but we’ll keep this a short list.

 

·      How can music help us in our walk with the Lord?

Music has a way of saying the things we can’t say ourselves. Music can relate to any situation and help us deal with the difficulties of life, or help in the celebration of all our victories. If you read through the book of Psalms you see a vast array of songs that deal with every situation that life can throw at you be it good or bad. The Psalmists used music to praise God and to question His motives. The Psalms can be extremely dark in dealing with feelings of abandonment or despair, or they can be relating the pure joy of the author in how God delivered them. They cover the whole gambit of life and they show us that others have dealt with the same emotions, downturns, and upturns in life that we have. They show us how God works in people’s lives. They bring us closer to God.

I think the way words flow and the emotion that is wrapped up in a well-crafted song can move someone closer to God and more quickly than most other forms of art. There is just something about music that can move people to action, bring them to their knees, or lift them off their knees.

There you have it folks!!! Now leave us your comment about music. Five happy winners will be announced Monday.

Prayers for my speaking travels this week appreciated. I leave Wednesday afternoon and dad (a.k.a. the principal) will have to hold the fort down while I am gone. And those of you in the Chicago and Fort Wayne, IN areas—wave at me when my Michigan mini-van pulls into your neck of the woods!!!

Magical, musical blessings,

Karen

15 Comments

  1. This is my first visit to this blog and appreciated the musical focus. My husband is a musician (teacher, worship leader), and I can’t wait to forward this link to him. He is in the process of finishing his own room in the basement to do recording and write his own stuff. I was praying about ways to encourage him in his pursuits, so hearing about Rick’s story is great! With two young kids, it’s easy to put demands on him when he’s home, so it’s good to remember that being a supportive wife in this area is important and also entering into the musical world. I tend to see it as his thing, when really my own walk is in need of the intimacy that comes through personal worship and artistic expression.
    Can’t wait to hear the music!
    Thanks for sharing!
    kristin

  2. I’m the music appreciator in a household of musicians. Barry, my husband, was a band director for 14 years. Now he works for Music and Arts and plays his with our church band. Everybody always asks if he plays for me at home. The answer is “no”. I have to go to church to enjoy his music, too.

    Our oldest son, Anson, plays the french horn. He’s really good and has recently decided that he wants to be a professional musician in a group like Canadian brass. Rick, we’ve told him how challenging but ultimately fulfilling the music business is if you’re called.

    Nolan, the youngest, has just started to play the trombone in the middle school band. He’s showing an early talent, and most importantly, he LOVES it. I’m so glad that the boys got their dad’s music gene. I’m sitting back, listening and deeply appreciating.

    Amy

  3. I love music. I breathe music. The way I tell it – I am bilingual. Music is my first language and English is my second. . And I’m a worshipper. Time has no meaning once I sit down at my piano and get lost in the sounds and the presence of God. I just posted about this Wednesday! Thanks for the opportunity to win a CD.

  4. I loved this interview because I love the stories of folks getting their music out there. Thanks for sharing. I hope I win and can share it with my teenagers. We listen to a lot of Christian “pop” like Steven Curtis Chapman, Avalon, Mandisa, etc.

  5. Karen thanks for sharing Rick with us. I really loved his music. Morning Hymn was my favorite. I would love to play that one each day to start my day in the right light!!!
    When can we get that one on CD?
    Blessings,
    Charlene

  6. Karen,

    Rick’s music is wonderful! Thanks for introducing us to it.
    As a former “professional” singer I have experienced the Holy Spirit infilling you to over-flowing and the asyour heart soars with the angels until your feet leave the ground.
    Rick has been blessed with a wonderful gift and we are all blessed to enjoy it.
    I pray the Lord will continue to bless his God given gifts and talents.

  7. I love music, especially christian music. I myself can only produce a “joyful noise” but when my heart is singing for my Lord–I sound FANTASTIC!! hee, hee

    I have never heard of Rick Hopkins but enjoyed what I heard on his site.

    blessings,
    Kim

  8. I have never heard of Rick Hopkins before this so thanks for highlighting him.
    I just finished a bible study on the Psalms of Ascent. It was really good to go through the Psalms and learn about the songs that were sung. I agree completely with Rick when he says that music has a way of saying things that we can’t say. It’s just like the Psalms. They are songs of various different feelings – some of which we can sing but we can’t explain to others. I like that music is a tool that we can use to express our feelings and a way for us to worship even in the low times.

    I also think music has a huge influence on children. I have music on alot in our house. We’ve been teaching our daughter, who is not quite two, about Jesus. She says “love you Jesus” quite frequently. We’d told her that Jesus lives in her heart and so now she tells everyone “jesus, heart.” But the other day, we had the music on in our house and I wasn’t paying much attention. I heard her saying “jesus, heart… Jesus, heart”… I started to listen and on the radio the singer was saying Jesus over and over. She caught on to what they were singing about and she was telling me. I think it’s so imperative that we remember that kids do pick up on things and Christian radio is very important so that we don’t have to worry about what they are hearing.

  9. I love music and love having it on in the house or in the car. It can brighten my mood, or calm me when I am stressed. I played drums when I was younger, so I also tend to enjoy any song with a strong or definitive beat. :) I also have enjoyed singing in church choirs in the past.

  10. I totally agree with DeniseLynn. I used to listen all the time and then had three children. I did not need the extra noise, but as they are growing older I have been able to renew my love of music. I guess there is a season for everything in life.

  11. Music has always been a big part of my life. I was just telling my husband the other day that listening to music and singing is what helps me feel the closest to God. I remember my pastor bringing me up in front of the church at 3 years old everytime we sang the hymn “God Put A Rainbow in the Clouds”. Music has and always will be a huge part in worshiping for me.

  12. I used to have the radio on at all times. then I became a busy mom to 2 little boys and let me say that one more bit of noise just didn’t sound like anything I needed. But as life goes on I realize how important music can be … as I watch my boys pretend to play music (a pan becomes a drum and the towel bar become a piano). Do boys just know this stuff when they are born!? Anyway now I turn on sweet soft christian music when tempers have flared and we all need a change of pace, time to cool off and think about “our sorrys” … or when we need a pick me up and that’s when we dance in the kitchen and play air guitars. Thanks for a fun chance to win.

  13. I’ve never heard of Rick Hopkins before reading this interview. I’ve had his website open with his music playing ever since. i love it, and would love a CD!

    Music is a very important part of my life. I remember at 3 years old singing in church with my mom and sister. My mom played the guitar and my sister and I would stand on folding chairs next to her. Such great memories, and she really instilled a love of music in my heart.

  14. I love music! I play guitar and am trying to learn organ as well. I listen to SO much different music that it’s hard to pin down my tastes…traditional religious, contemporary religious, contemporary country, classic rock, a little folk and bluegrass, Motown girl groups! It all depends on my mood of the day. Music can lift me up, get me moving and motivating, or calm me down and help me to pray.

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