We look forward to welcoming Jordan to the Replenish Festival stage THIS WEEKEND, July 8th! And don’t forget we are going to have lots more regional music for the whole weekend!
Jordan’s website states: “Some years from now, the name Jordan Feliz might be the obvious answer to a trivia question that goes something like this:
What artist launched his career as a hard-touring heavy metal singer, then switched gears to become a church worship leader, before finally signing a Nashville record deal and making his mark as a songwriter and soulful R&B-groove-pop artist?”
Indeed, Jordan was involved in heavy metal in his younger days, but it was never his passion. As a child, Jordan grew up with R&B artists like Sam Cooke and Earth Wind & Fire providing the soundtrack to his frequent road trips to a ski resort with his family. Artists from what his father called “the good music era.” Those were the sounds and stylings that stuck in Jordan’s musical memory and by the time he was old enough to realize that his own singing voice was a gift, it was those early groove-funk-soul singers that had shaped his personal aesthetic. If he was going to make records, those were the kind of influences he wanted to draw from.
After his move from California to Nashville, Jordan was invited to participate in an unsigned artists retreat hosted by Centricity Music. It was the combination of Jordan’s nuanced vocal abilities, the freshness of his retro-influenced melodies and songwriting, and his warm, enthusiastic personality that spurred label execs to take a closer look and ultimately sign him.
Jordan Feliz’s debut project, Beloved, brings the rich influence of 70’s sensibilities into a modern pop context. Intentionally constructing uncluttered tracks free of production tricks and excessive instrumentation, Jordan instead focused on arrangements that were designed to give the vocals center stage. The songs on the Beloved 10 song album are soul-influenced pop numbers, and the instruments present are articulate in their voicings and melodies, saying only as much as they need to.
“I was the kid growing up with the headphones on listening to every lick and reading the lyrics,” Jordan says. “My dad had a collection of cassettes. My mom had some vinyl. I discovered artists like the Commodores, Bill Withers, and Nat King Cole through them. When I was in the studio making Beloved, I told my producers I didn’t want thirty guitars stacked on one track. I didn’t want five different guitar tones. I want to put one guitar sound on a song and find a way to make that one lick sound massive, the way those 70’s artists were able to do. If you stack too many sounds on one track you can lose the song in all that clutter. Building ‘clean’ tracks on Beloved was very intentional.”
Tag-team produced by Colby Wedgeworth (Lincoln Brewster, The Main, Lydia) and Josh Silverberg (Newsboys, Jon Foreman, Plumb), Beloved has plenty of radio-friendly pop melodies that manages to hit those marks without compromising Jordan’s unique musical personality. The best example of his singular vision is the record’s powerhouse first single, “The River.” While it sounds like a pulse-quickening mega-hit from the first listen—instantly singable and repeatedly listenable— the song actually rides on a deep current of soul-driven funk influence that serves to set it apart from other contemporary radio fare.
“I’m a big melody guy,” Jordan admits, “and musically ‘The River’ is my own personal happy place.
“I’m a big melody guy,” Jordan admits, “and musically ‘The River’ is my own personal happy place. It’s a great driving groove that just feels good to sing. The song itself is an invitation to anyone who hears it—whether they’re stuck in pride and legalism or wallowing down in the mess they’ve made of their lives—it’s an invitation to take whatever we have and to run to Jesus. It’s an invitation to go down in amazing grace and to rise up being made new.”
The album’s title track, while every bit as soulful and catchy as the first single, was penned from a more personal and autobiographical posture. Jordan’s wife was about to give birth to their first child, and Jordan began to consider what he, as a new father, would most want to communicate to the daughter he was about to meet.
“I wrote ‘Beloved’ before she was born,” he says, “and I wrote it with two guys who both had little girls. The thing I really wanted my daughter to grow up knowing was that no matter what the world tells her, she’s beloved. She’s loved beyond compare. Regardless of what any of the people around her think, she doesn’t have to be concerned with measuring up because I’m gonna love her unconditionally as long as she lives. She’s beloved and that’s a love she was born into without having to earn it. I wrote it for her, but of course the parallel of God’s unconditional love for His children is obvious. Anything I feel for my daughter is just a small echo of what God feels for her and for all of us.”
With its slow build and towering vocal hooks, “Beloved” will doubtless provide one of the cornerstones of Jordan’s energetic live shows, along with “The River,” a festive cut that reveals some of the artist’s roots as a worship leader, and the laid back grooving track, “Simple.”
“If my record has a theme, it’s probably summed up in the ‘Simple lyric,’” Jordan explains. “I really just wanted this to be a project that people would smile when they listened to it. I wanted to write songs that would make people feel loved. I want them to feel good. Whatever the complications of life that we might be going through at any given moment, our relationships with Jesus don’t have to be difficult. We have a tendency to make it so much harder on ourselves than it really is. We think God can’t love us because we’re struggling with something or we messed up somewhere. But it’s not that complicated. God loves us. Our ransom has been paid. The emotional baggage we carry around doesn’t change the truth. We belong to God and He loves us. It really is that simple. We just have to be constantly reminded of that. The work has already been done on the cross. We just have to remind ourselves and each other to believe it.”
Having just navigated a long and rocky transition after leaving the security of his local music connections, a church staff position, and moving from California to Tennessee, Jordan Feliz and his wife experienced firsthand what it means to learn to rest in the simplicity of faith in a Father who daily provides for the needs of His children. In fact, they set out from California without even enough money to make it past Phoenix. But along each leg of the journey some music gig opened up that provided enough funds to drive the next leg. By the time they reached their new home, Jordan had actually made several hundred dollars from the move.
“We believed God had made it clear from the beginning we should move to Nashville,” Jordan says, “but that didn’t mean it was easy. After we got here I couldn’t find a job. My wife and I were sharing one car. I was posting handyman ads on Craigslist and working as a valet downtown. I could hardly get any people to write songs with me. Then we found out we were pregnant and there was so much that seemed up in the air and kind of scary. In the last few months though, it’s just been like this whirlwind of good things falling into place. I signed the record deal with Centricity Music in February of 2016 and I finished the Beloved record July 5, 2016. Then, I actually won a brand new car, completely out of the blue, right before my daughter was born July 20th. My first single went to radio July 31st. After so much difficulty and uncertainty, God answered our prayers. He is there for all of us and all we have to do is remain faithful.”
Pat Farrell joined us last year at Replenish Festival and brought our Sunday morning message. This year she joins us as our Featured Speaker on Saturday night!
Pat is a life coach and certified Lay Minister. She shares her passion and motivation for bringing God’s message to rejuvenate your spirit and motivate your soul!
It was in 2002, that Pat discovered her own journey after her relocating with her husband for his job. “I came to realize that it is in times of isolation and stillness that God can speak to you. While I had always loved to teach and had been in nursing for over 30 years, I didn’t feel that it was ‘enough.’ I kept saying, ‘There must be more to life than this.’ Through my search, I came across a life coach on television one morning and as I heard her speak, I knew that was the profession for me.”
Pat states she completed the training and started personal coaching and watched her life change. “For the first time in my life, I couldn’t wait to get to ‘work’. I have only God to thank for gifting me with the ability and desire to help with His work.”
Today, she spends her time presenting keynote and break-out presentations, engaging in personal coaching, designing spiritual and nursing retreats, leading a lifestyle Bible study and organizing workshops for individuals and organizations. She speaks from the heart to women and men in an effort to help them understand the power they hold to change other’s lives. Pat says, “There is no meeting by coincidence and there are incredible opportunities for us to share and grow.”
Professionally Speaking…. Pat has spent 35 years in healthcare fulfilling the roles of hospital, office and industrial nurse, Lamaze childbirth educator, lactation consultant as well as Women’s Health Director in hospital marketing. Her honors include: Employee of the Year during her hospital work, “Search for Excellence” award from the North Carolina Nurses’ Association and selection for attendance at the North Carolina’s “Institute for Nursing Excellence.” She is also past president of North Carolina’s Top 100 Nurses.
Fritz Schindler has been a Replenish Festival favorite since the festival’s beginning. So we are excited to welcome him back again this year!
If you’ve not heard Fritz’s music, then you are in for a treat! Fritz is described as a versatile, joy-filled whirlwind of musical enthusiasm. His energetic live shows combine him playing a vast array of traditional Appalachian instruments—mandolin, guitar, hammered dulcimer, bouzouki, banjo, piano, percussion—along with his versatile singing voice and some combination of terrific musicians backing him up. Frequently added into the mix are live-looping and layering techniques, combined together to make a unique and spell-binding experience we like to call Contagious Folk ‘n’ Roll.
The talented multi-instrumentalist singer grew up in the epicenter of Appalachian heritage, Berea, KY, and is proud to now call Radford, VA his home. Fritz and his wife, Andrea, have three daughters, two dogs, and a house full of laughter, music and fur from those two doggone dogs.
Fritz’s debut EP, Sunlight Breaking Through the Trees (produced by Brian Bunn, guitarist for Thomas Rhett, Third Day and Decemberadio) released in December 2013 and songs from the project have frequently played on college radio stations in multiple states. The deeply personal songs weave stories of struggle, discovery, tough choices, disappointment, and ultimately hope. Promoting the album led to Fritz performing live for two Roanoke TV stations and later giving several live remote interviews for a Kansas radio station.
Fritz and his band released A Folk ‘n’ Roll Christmas! in 2015 and supported it with a multi-city Christmas tour by the same name to rave reviews, featuring special guests Ted Yoder, National Hammered Dulcimer Champion, of Facebook Live fame! (Tear For Fears: Everybody Wants To Rule the World & raccoon cameo) and Aidan Broadbridge, Native Scottish Fiddler.
Over the years, Fritz has opened for or shared the stage with many incredibly talented artists including: Jimmy Fortune, Michael Johnathon, 7eventh Time Down, Hawk Nelson, The Vespers, Raymond & Ruth McLain, Ted Yoder, The New Coon Creek Girls, Sky Dixon, The Penny Loafers, Nevertheless, BlueTree, Ilia, Derek Minor, Aidan Broadbridge, Jason Harrod and The Afters, just to name a few. Since 2014 Fritz has been touring with a full backing band, playing concerts, churches, and festivals throughout the Southeast U.S. Whether passionately singing, performing energetic instrumentals, live-looping, playing solo or rocking with his band Fritz always brings his signature smile and warm enthusiasm to every stage.
No matter your age or musical preference, within a few short minutes, Fritz Schindler will have your toes tapping, hands clapping, and before you know it, you’ll probably find yourself singing or dancing along…
Replenish Festival is pleased to welcome Tom Golly to the stage this year. Like most of us, Tom Golly didn’t always have a voice for Christ. At a young age, he learned that people could not be fully trusted to provide for our needs. As a young man, he struggled with a sense that something was missing. God met Tom where he was a few years ago and realized all those years of searching were over. Tom finally knew what REAL love was, and it didn’t come from a person; he was Loved and valued by God.
Tom hasn’t always been singing, in 2010 Tom was creating quite a buzz doing standup Christian comedy, something he loved and was successful doing. Then God placed a strong message heavily on his heart and soul, “I WANT YOU TO SING!”
Since that day, Tom has immersed himself in music. Starting Reason 4:13 with his wife in 2010, he performed at many churches and led worship all over Long Island, NY. As Reason 4:13 grew, Tom felt called to minister in a larger way, and in August of 2015, moved his family to Nashville.
Since the move, he has been part of Lifepoint Church’s Worship Society under multi-Dove award nominated songwriter/worship leader Travis Ryan; and has written and recorded an EP with Jake Jones and Justin Forshaw (formerly of We As Human) at RMS Studios.
Tom’s EP, Not Going Back, reflects Tom’s life experiences: “I am not going back to being who I was, the more we let Jesus and the Holy Spirit mold us and shape our lives, the more we start to come together as He plans”. Tom hopes Not Going Back will inspire people to step up, rise up and go after whatever it is that God has called them to do. “The world holds people back from walking in their call and it takes faith and perseverance to get there” says Tom.
Cody Davenport joins us at Replenish Festival on Saturday evening, at 5pm on the Restore Stage. Cody’s musical interest started young as his parents were part of a gospel quartet. He gave his life to Jesus at the early age of 4 and by Junior High he was leading worship and playing guitar.
Cody’s favorite things are his family, music, and Jesus. Having grown up in Northeast Ohio, he is also an avid fan of Ohio State football. Cody met his wife, LaRae at Liberty University where they both attended, and four years later were married. In 2011, they had their first child, Harper Gray and then the second, Titus Boone in 2014.
Cody’s self-titled worship album was released in the fall of 2011 and since that time it has been streamed and downloaded over a million times! You can find it on most streaming sites and you can download it from iTunes.Cody recently moved from Virginia to Florida and is now serving as the Worship Pastor at Lakewood Ranch Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida.
Replenish Festival started out as a 3-day weekend festival beginning on a Friday evening and ending on Sunday with worship. In 2016, the format of the festival switched to a 2-day format of Saturday and Sunday. This year, we are happy to go back to that original 3-day format opening our gates on Friday and offering MORE music, MORE speakers and ultimately MORE fun.
This 2017 year, we are also excited to bring you Matthew Tuck as our Friday night headliner. This 21-year-old has been doing Christian music for less than a year, but is letting his faith for our Lord SHINE bright! “Christ drives me, my family and friends drives me,” Matthew tells us, “I’m tired of Christian music being seen as corny and fake. I’m here to prove rap and hip hop are still relevant without drugs and girls. To me, rap has meaning, and that driving force behind it is what I’m trying to spread.”
Matthew performed a concert for Fields of Faith (a ministry outreach of Fellowship of Christian Athletes) last fall for a couple thousand in attendance. Soon after, churches and organizations started “blowing up” his phone asking for private concerts. With that, he decided he should record an album and has worked hard on that project this past year. The album officially releases on July 7th, so YES it WILL be available for sale at Replenish Festival and Matthew has said he would be glad to sign it for you! His concert tour will start July 21st.
To keep up with Matthew, be sure to follow him at these social media links:
