Behind the Music: B Side Stories About the Band

Hello everyone! 

So now you have had the chance to hear something incredible from each one of our band members! Following what they have shared I really don't know what I can say. Last week was a dream come true being in the studio and recording a full length album for my God! While it was challenging, it was also such a fun experience, and so amazing to hear our music begin to shape into life as the week came along! Guitar day was SUPER fun for me, and vocal day was definitely the hardest. I am just so thankful we completed everything. But let me tell you my favorite part of the week and even the last 6 months writing and preparing…

The amazing impact  each of these 6 brothers and sisters had on my life. Did God bless us with musical talent and songs? Absolutely. But I was blessed even more by the beautiful people he placed in my life to do this with. And I believe instead of hearing about me, you need to hear about what these other people have meant to me. 

Zach - This dude is outrageous! He is either 150% energy, or just plain passed out sleeping through anything as loud as a nascar stadium! Zach has reminded me how much fun music is supposed to be! It's so easy to get into the tasks of what needs to be accomplished, and forget that this is what we love doing! He is always having so much fun every time he plays! He also has such a huge heart  and that shows in the way he plays, but it also shows in the way he cares for the other band members. Zach, you are a brother to me and I thank you so much for being you! I love you dude! 

Stephen - I am sure at some point you will have the opportunity to hear Stephen's testimony. It's amazing!!! I don't want to steal his opportunity to share it, but I will say, if you knew Stephen a year and a half ago, you would have no reason to believe he would have been in Wolverton, or even in church. Stephen and I actually grew up in church together, we made great strides spiritually in high school, and also had downfalls spiritually together. But as life moved on we went two separate directions. Watching how Stephen allowed God to transform his life a year and half ago has done so much for me spiritually. You see, Stephen didn't just allow God to help him with the big ticket items, instead he has continually over the last year and a half allowed God to infiltrate every corner of his heart and be transformed into an amazing man of God. That has translated in his bass playing abilities as well. Stephen, A) I'm glad we're doing ministry together again. B) You have reminded me that I need to continually allow God to transform my life daily. That this process never stops. Love you bro! 

Tanner - Wow, where do I start with this guy… Bro the way you have grown as a leader in the last 6 months is unbelievable! Like Stephen, Tanner has allowed God to begin infiltrating every corner of his heart! And what rules is that Tanner has a group of people who are following him to do the same! He is our Worship Leader at the church and has been so amazing in overcoming all the difficulties of leadership and leading our team to a place of genuinely authentic worship! He works harder than anyone I know, and is willing to sacrifice anything to build the Kingdom of God! You push my work ethic dude, and remind me to keep my heart focused! What Tanner's actions tell me is: Who cares if I can't, because God can! Thanks for being the leader you are! Love you dude! 

Jeremy -  One quick great thing that comes to mind with Jeremy being a part, is that like me he is also married! This makes it nice to be able to laugh together about the married life and share some of the struggles and blessings that come along with that! Jeremy is also probably our most talented musician, and creative as well! Jeremy always takes us outside of the box. Every thought we start, Jeremy jumps to another planet and says, "Hey guys look at this idea!" And immediately my mind is blown and we have ourselves an AMAZING song! Jeremy is so confident and secure as a person because of this trait, it doesn't matter if things go bad, because there is always another option, and always another way of doing things! Dude, thanks for being exactly who God made you, you remind me to not be narrow minded, and to stay confident! So thankful for you man! Love you! 

Okay thats everyone! ….oh wait yeah, we do have 2 girls in the band… 

Christa - Christa is definitely the maturity we need in the band! We can all get pretty crazy and so far off point with stupidity or acting like kids, but Christa's maturity always brings it back together! Aside from being a solid keyboard player, she is also very good with our lyrics. She is able to quickly spit out what we are trying to say, and make each lyric very impactful. She told you herself, but a lot of her opportunities have been her taking a risk and stepping out of her comfort zone. Our sound has a lot of Rock influences, which I would assume isn't her comfort zone or first choice of music, yet she not only is a part, but takes our band to a whole new level! Her heart for God is felt in every note she plays or sings! Christa you have taught me to take risk, trust God, and just go for it! Because from there, God takes over! Thank you so much for being a part of this, and for being a sister to me! Love you! 

Megan - Okay take Zach's energy and fun loudness, plug that into an amp and turn it all the way up….and you have MEGAN! She is loud in every good way possible! Her voice has so much strength and character! Her laugh is so loud and contagious! Her heart bursts out of her chest! Her joy is so loud that she immediately brings joy to everything she is a part of! This whole experience just simply would not have been what it is without Megan's involvement! Megan it is so evident that you care for Jesus intimately, and that you also care for people intimately! Thank you for being a reminder to not sit quietly on what I believe or feel, but instead share it with every thing in me! Thank you for making every thing we do so much fun! I am so glad God put you in Toccoa and in this band! Love you! 

Wow… okay now that you have read my book you're finally done! But I hope you enjoyed reading about these amazing people as much as I enjoyed writing about them. I literally laughed and almost cried as I was thinking of each one! Hopefully you will get a glimpse of all of these great people through each of the songs that end up on this amazing record! 

Let me end with this… None of these people would be who they were if it wasn't for God. He has shaped each of us individually, gifted us, molded us, and we get to be amazing instruments used for His kingdom. This album is no way about us, but all about glorifying the one who gifted us! I know that each person reading this has an amazing story, and has probably impacted someone just like these people have impacted me. Make sure you thank God for that. And also Thank God for the people He gives you! 

God thank you for my brothers and sisters in this band! 

I love you first! 

Stay tuned for release dates… 

Love you guys! 

Kevin

Studio Time and Living a Life of Worship

Hey guys, my name is Megan Boylen and I do vocals for Wolverton. I'll start off saying that I have been so incredibly blessed by this entire journey. Being a part of Foothills since I have been living in Toccoa has been so evidently God-ordained. Leaving my home church that I have attended since I was little and going to college and finding a new church to attend seemed like a daunting task. But as soon as I got involved at Foothills it became easy.

 Learning the art of worship has been my greatest take away on the worship team at Foothills and as a part of Wolverton. Worship is simply defined as this: "the act of showing respect and love; excessive admiration for someone." And honestly that's what this whole journey has been about. Learning how to admire God with what I have. Learning how to love Him well and to show respect and love for Him.

 Being in the studio was a humbling, exhausting, and exciting process. We thankfully finished all 10 songs and were so blessed by every person who has been following our journey. As we come back from a week of excitement, it's so easy to get caught back up into the busyness of life. To do things in a hurry, to live from habit and not out of intention. But Wolverton and the time we spent in the studio reminded me to live my life always in a state of worship. To continually love God and admire Him for all His goodness. To continue to sing and tell people of all the good things God has done. To proclaim who He is. Worship is more than just music, it's living a life that praises God. We are all so excited for the album to come out and for us to share our songs with everyone. Because these songs are more than just that, they are expressions of our admiration of God and all that He has done and will continue to do for us. Thanks for reading!

-Megan

Studio Day 4

Hey! My name is Christa Blackaby and I have had the awesome privilege of being the keyboard player for Wolverton! God has shown me a lot through this opportunity and I feel so blessed to be apart.  I started going to Foothills Community Church in August of 2013 and have been there ever since. The moment I stepped into the church I felt loved and included. Meeting Kevin and taking the step of faith to try out for the worship team was one of the best decisions I have made while living in Toccoa. He has stretched me in my ability to play and allowed me to be apart of so many opportunities. I never went to college for music, nor had the desire to play while I was in Toccoa but God had a different plan. Because I took this step, I have now been able to play for many Sunday morning services, various Wednesday nights for the student ministry, a couple worship nights, get my own keyboard, and even had the band come play at my home church in Jonesboro, Ga! This coming Fall of 2014 I now have the privilege of being a chapel worship leader for Toccoa Falls College. I believe God placed the Wolverton band in my life to encourage and support me in my decision to step out of my comfort zone and be a leader for my peers. God has given me a huge heart for worship and I can't wait to see what He has planned for next year. 

When Kevin asked me to be apart of the Wolverton band I couldn't have been more excited! I never in my life imagined I would be able to write my own music and go record it. Being at the studio in Nashville has made this dream surreal. We have grown as a band and seen our music come to life before our very eyes. Knowing the background and verses to the songs we have written gets me pumped about sharing them to those around us. Our heart is to touch the next generation with the power of Christ through song. My favorite song in the album is called "Heal Me Lord". This song comes straight from Mark 5:24. I see such a broken world around me in need of Christ. This song is a cry from God's children for His help in healing our pain and recognizing our need for God's love and strength in our lives. I got chills hearing this song come to life this morning and my prayer is that it will impact the lives of those who need to hear this message. The bridge sings "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, For I have been set FREE, Your love has made me Clean, Hallelujah". These words ring true in my life and I hope that through our album we can reach people to Christ. I can't wait to share them with all of you!  

Christa

Studio Day 3

Hey guys and gals tuning into our blog. This is Jeremy Blackmon, the electric guitarist and occasional vocalist of this group of Jesus loving rag-a-muffins known as Wolverton. I'm blessed and honored that you took some on your precious time to read this blog entry, and in recognition of your generosity, I will make every attempt at entertainment as I apply my thoughts to digital parchment and ink.

 First off, this entire experience is a blessing beyond blessings. I have been involved in music heavily ever since middle school when I got my first bass guitar. I have participated in many different musical ensembles through out my years, yet it seems that whenever it ever got time to hit a professional recording studio, I was always on my way out of said musical group. So the fact that I'm actually in a studio now has me thankful for God's provision and fulfillment of a longtime dream of mine. 

Secondarily, I am strangely thankful to God for all that He's taught me today. God decided to humble me and teach me a little humility. Other band mates who had gone before me were telling me about the exhausting experience that is recording music. I chose to believe that I was different than them and would fair better. Well, let me tell you that recording is one of the most tiring experiences I've ever had. I remember driving away from the studio this evening and feeling my cerebrum ache. No, it wasn't just a normal headache, I felt the front most part of my brain sigh with relief upon leaving the studio this evening. (Quick refresher on anatomy, that's the part of your brain that does complex stuff like reason and make decisions) 

Another thing, is that being an expecting father, I have been thinking about the long term impact this whole experience could have, and I reflect on the original blog post that explains the origin of our band name. That being said, Adelaide, if you ever read this one day, I hope something your crazy father has done has had a positive impact on you and made you closer in your relationship with Christ. Can’t wait to meet you.

Finally, I thank everyone who has had some form or part of getting me to where I am right now. I want to thank my wife, Rachel, who is the love of my life and who is gratefully coping with being home alone so I can come up here and live out a personal dream. I am thankful to the other band members for their generosity and friendship that has made this entire experience a blast. I want to thank my parents in all of their support through the years of my musical talents and endeavors. I want to thank Foothills Community Church for being the best church family anyone could ever ask for and all the prayer they have been sending our way. 

Much love in Christ our King, 

Jeremy Blackmon

Studio Day 2

Hello everyone, this is Stephen Winn. I play the bass guitar in Wolverton and also serve locally a Foothills Community Church in Toccoa, GA. I play bass on the worship team, serve in the tech booth and head up the cleaning team throughout the week. I have been attending Foothills since I moved to Toccoa a year ago. Kevin and I have been friends since childhood but I met everyone else at the church. The Wolverton experience has been a blast for me so far and it is really just the beginning.

So today was our second day in the studio. Zach finished drums at around 1pm and I got started tracking bass. Our goal was to have bass completed but since most of our more difficult songs are up front on the album I have only completed 4 out of 10 songs. So we are a little behind. Each morning we have a devotional and this morning we talked about the spiritual battle and being on the victorious side but it is definitely still a daily battle to overcome through the power of Christ. We talked about the week and knew that we would encounter obstacles and attacks from the enemy because we are pursuing what God has called us to do by recording this worship album. I know that today was one of those battles. I am so excited about this album and am having a blast through this process even though it can seem taxing at times. So that being said, we really appreciate all the prayers ya'll are sending our way and definitely need the support through the rest of the week. You guys rock!!!

Stephen

Studio Day 1

Hey y'all it's Zach Lamneck. I'm one of the many drummers for Foothills Toccoa as well as the drummer for Wolverton.  Being asked to play for Wolverton was absolutely one of the biggest blessings I have ever recieved. Not only has playing in the band improved my drumming, but it has enhanced my walk with God. My outlook on worship has changed greatly as well.  I always thought I knew what the meaning of worship really was but writing and actually worshiping to these songs has changed my whole perception on worship. God has truly blessed me with this opportunity.  

About an hour ago we just got done with our first day at the studio.  The day started out with setting up the drums and having a sound check to make sure everything was up to par. After all that was said and done we jumped right into recording. At this point I had some expectations on what it was going to be like and it was nothing like that. The process of recording drums for an album is very repetitive and time consuming. One of my expectations was that while recording if I just missed the smallest beat, I would have to restart and play the whole song all over again. It was nothing like this. We recorded one session and used this as the "skeleton track". If I messed up in this track then we would go back and only record that one spot and tie it into the skeleton track. We would continue to do so until the skeleton track sounded the way we wanted it to, this track is now the main track and not the skeleton track.  This process just blew my mind. Even though the day was a little stressful, exhausting, and at some points aggravating; it was great to hear the finished product at the end of the day. 

I thank God daily for placing all the band members of Wolverton in my life and giving me this amazing opportunity!!!  Make sure y'all check out our blogs every night on here to follow up on our process of spreading the Lords love. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. 

- Zach

We Won't Give Up

Hey guys this is Tanner Chitwood. I am the Worship leader at Foothills Community Church in Toccoa Georgia and also I'm blessed to be the Acoustic Guitarist and Rapper for Wolverton!

Well, we are on our way to Nashville right now! I can't express how overwhelmed with love you all have made each of us feel. Everything from Facebook likes, to encouragement, to coming to the church to see us off with prayer.. Needless to say we are so blessed by all of you! 

When Kevin first talked to me about this opportunity I never thought we would be headed to record right now. God has blessed every part of this process even more than we could have imagined. This process has blessed me also because, if you know anything about my past few months, they haven't been the easiest. My heart was really touched by a song we wrote called "We won't give up" which is based out of Galations 6: 1-10. I have recently felt overwhelmed by work, leading worship and honestly just life. The chorus of this song says "we will reap the harvest of every blessing if we don't give up. There is life everlasting, and it's with you if we don't give up. So we won't give up." This has been a constant reminder to not get tired of doing good because at the right time I will reap exactly what God has for me. This has put my heart at ease and reminds me that God is a faithful God! 

Again, I can't express how much your support means to us! Don't forget to keep up with us on Facebook, wolvertonworship.blogspot.com and our Instagram because we will be posting new pictures all along the way!

-Tanner 

We're Making A Worship Album

At the end of October of 2013, Stephen Winn and I (Kevin Robison) were hanging out and God laid a vision on our hearts. We had been talking for months about starting some type of a band, as we are both passionate about creating music and have been in bands together in the past. The Lord challenged us to make music for Him and His kingdom. That night we realized that the Lord has provided us with incredible friends and musicians in our local church band at Foothills in Toccoa, GA. So we reached out to our friends and began the whole process.

The band consists of 7 people:

Kevin Robison - Electric Guitar and Vocals
Megan Boylen - Vocals
Jeremy Blackmon - Electric Guitar and Vocals
Tanner Chitwood - Acoustic Guitar and Rap Vocals
Christa Blackaby - Keys
Stephen Winn - Bass
Zach Lamneck - Drums 


We began meeting on Thursday nights at the end of October. Our intention from the very beginning was to write an entire worship album. We wanted to write songs that local churches could use for worship. We wanted our songs to influence and inspire those outside of the church as well. God has gifted each of us and we know He has called us to put these gifts to use. With that said, every one of our songs is inspired directly by scripture. They are intended for God and His glory.

Each time we met, the Lord had given one of us a really cool song idea to bring to the table. Our chemistry as a band has been incredible, as all of those ideas were built upon easily and quickly. So, the next order of business was to come up with a "name." We decided on the name Wolverton. "Is that a pack of wolves?" you might ask. No it's just Kevin's mother's maiden name. The thinking behind the name is that Kevin's grandparents and parents poured a legacy of following God into him, and now because of that he is a follower of Christ. So as a band, we want to be a generation that pours into the next.


The ten songs that will be on our album have a wide variety of musical influences. We are SO excited to share it with everyone. We will be headed to Tennessee to record our album in the Nashville area next Monday, April 14th. We are hoping to get the entire project recorded while we are there. God has provided all of the funds we need to be able to make this dream a reality. Our goal is not to be some famous band, or to travel the world playing music. We just want to glorify God with what He's given to us, and use these tools to enrich our local church.

So now what we are asking of you is this: Please join us in praying that God would use these songs to touch the hearts and lives of many people. Whether in Toccoa at our church, or anywhere else, that the love of Christ would speak through this album. We also need prayer for the process of recording next week. That everything would go smoothly and we would finish in time. Pray for our producer as he mixes and masters the album; that the Lord would use his gifts as well.

We are so excited!!! We will keep you posted on everything next week. Stay up to date on our Facebook page. We will be posting pictures and maybe even videos from the studio. We will also post a blog from each band member from time to time. And when the album is released, we will post devotional blogs that coincide with each song! You can expect and album release sometime this summer!

In Christ,
Wolverton