A Last Minute Opportunity

We recieved a last minute invitation to join our own Katy Seale in performing at Camp Marymount outside Fairview, TN this coming Saturday. Katy will be doing a set of her fantastic solo material then
X-ALT! will join her on stage to rock out the night with our own particular style of Rockin' Rhythm and Praise. We love to play whenever and wherever folks want us whether it's at camp, church, a coffee house or anywhere else.

It looks like after delays due to health and scheduling we will finally be recording the new CD starting in late June at Studio 23. At the helm will be our producer and sometime band mate Bryan Cumming. We are looking at a whopping 16 cuts that will feature X-ALT! and some special guests who will be named later. So keep checking in and hopefully come late July we will announce the name of the project as well as availability. From all indications this is going to be a diverse collection of songs highlighting the Best of what X-ALT! has to offer.

I'll be posting some video from Ashland City UMC in the days to come as well as pictures from Camp Marymount.

More soon,
V

What A Great Night Pt. 2

What A Great Night

X-ALT! was back, with the help of a couple of friends, last night in Ashland City. We were invited to perform at a regional meeting of United Methodist laity that was being held at Ashland City UMC. Our friends Bryan Cumming and Bob Schultz filled in for Mark Pierce and Eddie Loper (respectively) and did just a wonderful job. Hopefully I'll have some video and pictures from the event up in a few days but until then here is what some of the band members had to say.

FROM MARK MILLS:
Wow. What a time we had last night! It was so great being back with everyone, and worshiping God together again! I've got to say, everything clicked last night, and as Turner Potts said, "God was in the house". The old songs sounded solid as ever, and the new songs just rocked! More than that, though, both we and the congregation WORSHIPED. In spite of all Satan has thrown our way lately, God is not thru using us yet.

FROM SUSIE REEL:
I have to say that tops the list as one of my favorite places we ever performed!
Can I just say that I could not have been prouder of the group of people that were on that stage last night? And one of the cutest things that happened was when we started into our set after Down To The River, something was mentioned about we might be loud...and the older gentleman on the second row took out his hearing aids...too funny! WOW I so love our gigs...lol

FROM TOM LANDERS:
I had chills, especially during the song Vince, Mark and Lucy wrote. My
goodness, what a beautiful song!

More Later,
V

It's been A While

Things have been kind of slow lately (not really) but it looks like things are picking up!

First off GREAT NEWS: after a series of problems from his cancer surgery I'm glad to report that Mark Mills is on the mend and ready to start playing again. This is something we have all been praying for and as usual prayer works! Mark will make his return appearance with us at a private function at Ashland City UMC on Tuesday April 15th! Also sitting in with us that night will be our old buddy Bryan Cumming and a new friend, drummer Bob Schultz.

X-ALT! has been continuing our monthly services at New Beginnings Church and another New Beginnings Coffee House is in the plans - more on that later.

For now thanks for all your support and prayers and keep an ear out for the new
X-ALT! CD hopefully before summer.
V

This Says It All

E-MAIL FROM MARK MILLS

In case anyone is considering coming to the hospital, don't. Save the gas, save the time, it will do you no good. I'M FREE!! They released me this afternoon after only six days and I am home. We were shocked when the Dr. walked in this morning and told us. But after hours of poking and prodding they finally let us go. So we will be resting the next few days. I'll get back to everybody after some of this soreness has subsided. For now we will enjoy not having wake up calls every two hours. Mean time thank you for all of your continued prayers and concern. they lift us up.

******************************

Thank You Lord!
V

I just want to thank the LORD!

Great news today. Mark's Tumor was a stage 1 not stage 2, and he is healing at a miraculous rate! In fact he is being put on solid food as of today, all tubes are being removed and he could be home before the end of the week. Never let anyone tell you that Prayer does not work. Mark is proof that it does, God has big plans for Mark and for X-ALT! and nothing will stands in God's way of making his plans happen!
THANK YOU GOD! Thank you for your healing touch, Thank you for the blessings that you pour out on us every day, thank you for family, friends and complete strangers that are led to pray for us. Your greatness is seen in everything that happens in this world and it is up to us to see that greatness and understand that You are in control. Your hands touch us daily and we so often dismiss Your work as fate or coincidence. Fate does not exist, coincidence does exist, Only You are in control and we are safe in your hands and live with the assurance that no matter how it happens when our time comes we will have a home for all eternity with you. Until that time we live to serve You, praise You and spread Your word for all to hear.
You are the one true God and we thank you.
Amen

V

God Is Good and Prayer Works!

Thank you all for your prayers for Mark as he underwent cancer surgery this week. The doctors tell us that the surgery went as expected and that their was no immediate indication that the cancer had spread. This is great news, that means that there will be no need for cemo or radiation treatments!!!
Mark is recovering in the hospital for the next week or so then will need a few weeks of recovery at home before getting back to a more normal schedule, but he will be back soon.
Prayer works folks and we thank you for yours.
V

Checking In

Wow it's been an interesting month!!!!
But at X-ALT! we are not the type of folks that let
life get us down. We continue to write new material for
the next CD and let me tell you it some pretty good stuff.

We have beeen batteling some health problems, most noteably
Mark Mills recent cancer diagnosses, but the news is good
and the doctors tell us that surgery should take care of the
problem and Mark should be back up and running in a couple of
months. Untill then we will continue to write, do what recording
we can and be ready for late spring and Summer appearances.

We ask for your prayers for Mark and his family and for the X-ALT!
family, and keep watching here for further updates.

We will continue to lead our monthly service at New Beginnings as well as a few other churches that have contacted us but we will be doing these without
Mark untill he feels ready to come back.

Thanks for all your prayers and support
Vince

It All Starts Tonight

Well this is it, tonight we start what will be the next chapter in the X-ALT! story!
This will be our first night concentrating on writing and refining the new music that will make up the next X-ALT! CD. This has been a long time coming and after a long conversation with Mark Mills last night I can promise you that this CD will be more diverse than the last. One thing X-ALT! has always done is pride itself on not adhering to any musical boundaries and with the addition of some new key players since the last recording, and simply becoming a tighter band with all the live performing we've done I think we are going to produce a very different CD. One I'm sure you all will enjoy and one that hopefully will help lift your spirits and bring you closer to God. That is our prayer and our purpose - to help make your journey a smoother and happier one and as a good friend of mine put it, "To plant seeds" that hopefully will grow into a stronger relationship with the Creator.
We are all looking forward to the spring when we will be taking X-ALT! back on the road, there are some very exciting new opportunities on the horizon. We are looking forward to expanding our relationship with New Beginnings Fellowship and creating new relationships everywhere we go.
If you would like to have X-ALT! come to your church or special event, leave a comment here and I will get back to you, and keep watching because as the time gets closer to the release of the CD we will be premiering our new website and will be giving you more ways to get in touch with us.
Please pray for us as we start this process and thank you all for your continued support.
Vince

A Little Nashville Gospel

A while back I told you that X-Alt! would be providing the theme music for the TV program "Nashville Gospel" Well here is a sneak peek at the music and the new opening segment for the show.



Keep checking back for updates on the new CD and appearances beginning in March when the CD will be ready for release (Hopefully)
V

Catching up and winding down

First off MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

We kicked off our Christmas season with an incredible Coffee House at New Beginnings. Our special thanks to Tom Shiness, Jim Webber and The Sounds Of Life! They were all just fantastic and we can't wait to work with them all again soon.
We will wrap up our Christmas performances this Sunday at Belle Meade UMC and invite you all to come join us in celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Beginning next week we will start the process of preparing and recording our new CD. We are very excited in that this band has grown and evolved so much since we recorded our first CD a little over a year ago. This should be a very diverse CD and I can't wait to share all the new music with you all.

Hopefully the CD will be ready by March and we are in the process of setting up a show schedule that will keep us busy and hopefully give you all a chance to come out and join us in some great nights of "Rhythm & Praise".

I will keep the blog updated with the progress that we are making and as always you are all welcome to join us at New Beginnings for a Sunday service. Watch the appearances section of the blog for those dates.

Thanks for all you support and love.
Vince

Christmas Coffee House

Don't Forget the great CHRISTMAS Coffee House, this Saturday night at 7:00 at New Beginnings Church, 7700 George E. Horn Road, Nashville Tn 37221 (Map Quest the address for directions).
The Coffee House is FREE (no cover charge) and features

The Sounds Of Life
Jim Weber
MEN-U
Tom Shinness
and
X-ALT!

It's going to be a great way to kick off the Christmas Season.
See you there
V

Where the River Bends...

Hi everybody! It's Ginger here, and I wanted to take a moment to share with you the blessing that we experienced last weekend as we went back out to Riverbend Maximum Security Prison. We once again sang to a group of inmates who showed such genuine appreciation, and blessed us with their kindness. They played and sang for us at the end of the service, and the fellowship was just amazing.

Vince told them about how earlier in the week, we got to sing at The Wildhorse, but if he had to choose between that and playing for them, he’d choose playing at the prison.

I’d have to agree. Knowing that you are giving a person a bit of joy through your smiles, singing, interaction, and acceptance of them, means much more than any amount of applause ever could.

While most assuredly these guys know what it’s like to be at the very lowest one can be, it was beautiful to witness the healing power of music as it broke down the barriers of pain, grief, hurt, doubt, hate, racism, hopelessness…and, even if but only for a few moments, replaced those things with faith, hope and, the very greatest of these, love.

Jesus once said…

"…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ …‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, My brethren, you did it to Me.'"

With experiences like these, I believe I'm beginning to grasp what He truly meant.

*

Rockin' at the Wild Horse Saloon

SO what is a christian/gospel group doing playing in Nashville hottest Bar? Well, hopefully taking a little bit of Gods word to folks that needed to hear it but also we were competing in the first annual Media Challenge to benefit the United Way. We were one of three acts asked to represent WSMV-TV Channel 4. We didn't win but that's not important. What is important is that God was glorified, a great charity was helped and we had a blast playing on the biggest stage we have ever had a chance to appear on, and as you will see Tommy made the most of every inch of it!



We really had a great time but now it is time to get back to what X-ALT! is really about as we head back to Riverbend Prison this Sunday to bring the service to the men who are incarcerated there.
God has truly blessed us with opportunities to do so many different things and to serve him in so many different ways.
Always remember that God is good, and his blessings overflow.
V

John Wesley UMC

Thank you so much to the great folks at John Welsey UMC, especially our dear friend Elder Kenneth Edmondson, for inviting us to take part in the Homecoming celebration. We were blessed, and I'm not just saying that, to be a part of this wonderful afternoon of Praise and worship. The speaker for the service was Pastor William Dobbins II of Springfield Parish United Methodist Church who preached on Peace. Peace in the world, in our homes, in our relationships and in our personal ministries. The Springfield Parish UMC Choir also joined in the festivities and lifted the Word to a all new level. It was so cool when we did "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" and "Lean On Me", they joined in and added so much to our music that I just could not believe how cool it all sounded.
It was truly a wonderful afternoon.
Thanks again to Pastor "E" and the good folks at John Wesley UMC.
God Bless you all!
Vince

Help us Support United Way

X-ALT! will be one of the acts representing WSMV-TV in the upcoming media challenge / talent show at he Wild Horse Saloon. The show is Oct. 30th beginning at 6:00pm. We will be competing against all kinds of acts representing the four major TV broadcasters in the area and the Tennessean Newspaper. Please make plans to join us at the Wild Horse on the 30th and bring you checkbook to make a donation during our set. The acts that raise the most money during their set will receive a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place prize there is also a professionals prize that will be given away by group of judges. So come on out and support United Way and X-ALT!
thanks
Vince

Check Out Our Guests

Two of our performers at this weekends coffee house have web sites where you can find out more about them, so head that way and check them out. Then be at New Beginnings Church at 7:00pm sharp Saturday night because you won't want to miss a minute of this one.
V




















http://www.myspace.com/sarahvalley

























http://www.jimweber.com

New Beginnings Coffee House is Saturday the 13th

You don't want to miss this one. We have tried hard to surpass (or at least live up to) the last coffee house at New Beginnings and I think we have done it. Check out the poster and make plans to attend. I'll be updating the blog with info on the performers as we get closer to the event.

God Bless

V

Now here's some of what you missed

Yesterday I posted some shots from our busy Sunday, here are two videos from the Word Of Life Christian Center Event.

First off, here is a group of incredible kids that performed before us. The Unity Steppers from Word of Life in Dickson, TN. How do you follow something like this?!?



Well, if you are X-ALT! you do it like this...



Need I remind you that God's spirit, strength and love was in the house that night.

More to come
V