"I got a band of teenagers, and I'm having the time of my life," says five-time GRAMMY Award winner Steven Curtis Chapman about his headlining gig on the 2007 Winter Jam Tour Spectacular with a back-up group that includes his sons Caleb (17) and Will Franklin (15) on guitar and drums respectively.
More accustomed to performing his own two-hour concert events instead of being part of a multi-artist traveling festival, Chapman told the Cincinnati Post that he jumped at the chance to play a nightly 40-minute set with his sons on the Winter Jam Tour.
"I've dreamt about someday taking my sons on tour with me," he explained. "There is an energy and passion that I don't think I've had on stage for 15 years."
Beyond the music, Chapman wants this special opportunity to send another message. "I hope it says something cool to a lot of kids and dads about what families can be and should be. Certainly we haven't done everything perfectly. Just interview my boys and they will tell you. But this has been a great relationship builder for us to work together."
To learn more about the father-son onstage dynamics, read the entire Cincinnati Post feature here.
Elsewhere, Indiana's Fort Wayne Journal Gazette recently interviewed Chapman about balancing faith, fame, and family.
"When I get home, my wife says, ‘I know they love you because you sing, but today I'll love you if you take the trash out,'" he tells the paper.
Read that fun and humbling story here.
Next up, Chapman will continue tracking a new studio album scheduled for release later this year. In a feature on noteworthy 2007 releases leading site JesusFreakHideout.com names the forthcoming set among its Top 25 "projects we're plain stoked about."
"This man is one of Christian music's greatest songwriters, so it's a bit tough not to get excited about anything he puts his hands to," writes editor John DiBiase. "So far Chapman's just been getting better with age, so we're quite interested to see what direction Steven Curtis will be going in musically."
