From The Valley To The Golden Shore, the debut full-length from cult newcomers The Wood Drake Sessions, is available now
Congratulations on the upcoming release of From The Valley To The Golden Shore! How does this title reflect the full project?
Paul: The purpose of the record is to share songs of deep hope for troubled times. The title was inspired by the lyrics of the opening track, “Oh How Good To Be Together,” which we wrote at the beginning of the pandemic, when so many churches were trying to figure out how to have online services. We wanted to recognize the difficulties and misery of this moment – that churches were not gathering and praying together. Yet we were confident that absence would make our hearts grow fonder for one another, and that soon we would come together again and experience a new and joyful appreciation of God’s Church. This is how God often works. It is in the dark valleys that we see the light of His faithfulness guarding us and guiding us to the golden shore.
You pre-released “All Will Be Well” earlier this month. Was there a recurring theme in listeners’ responses?
Paul: We’ve heard from a number of people who have found deep comfort and hope in the song. One person said he was in a cafe in tears and listening to the melody, especially the lyrics of the bridge where Jesus says, “It is finished, but it has only just begun.” The cross and the tomb are not simply symbols of completion. They are also promises of restoration, that from death Jesus gives birth to new life forever. Easter is a taste of eternal joy, it has only just begun!
You have many collaborators highlighted on this project. How do you think collaboration improves sound/quality?
Paul: Our goal has been to curate these songs as best we can, and inviting collaborators creates an embodied vision for the wonderful variety of God’s people in these tunes. Our churches are beautifully diverse, and so it’s great to have men and women of different races and artists from all over the country singing these songs. We believe this makes the project much stronger and provides insight into the multi-generational, transnational heavenly Kingdom of God.
This project is the first full-length film from The Wood Drake Sessions. How did the experience of writing this project surprise you the most, perhaps even exceeding your expectations?
Kirk: The biggest surprise was discovering that songwriting via Zoom was actually possible! We live on opposite ends of the country — Paul is in Colorado and I’m in South Carolina — and we both thought writing over Zoom might be awkward and untenable. But over time, we learned to use the tool well and we even discovered big advantages.
Another thing that surprised us was how our growing collection of songs continued to point toward the central theme of “Hope.” We can look back on these songs and trace how God was stirring in our hearts as we traveled and wrote much of this album in 2020 and 2021.
How would you define the success of this collection?
Kirk: It’s tempting to measure success by numbers since it’s the most tangible rule. But success for us is faithfully stewarding these songs so that they can bring God’s hope to the world. In many ways, this collection is already a success. We regularly hear stories of churches singing our songs and individuals finding God’s hope in the midst of tragic loss or grueling despair. We hope these stories continue to spread, but we sleep well knowing we handled the songs the best we could, and we trust the rest in the Lord’s hands.
What song or lyric do you think the world needs to hear most in its current state?
Paul: The last few years have been historically catastrophic in our world. The amount of pain, death, anger and violence has been overwhelming. We were particularly struck by these lines in “Grace Will Prevail”:
Grace will prevail
Although an ocean we cry
He is with us and cries alongside us
Until the day they run out forever
Our world needs to know the tender closeness of Jesus. He stood at the grave of his friend Lazarus and cried in sadness. We have a God like that; He cries with us. Sin and death are painful to him. And at the same time, He releases His life into this world, bringing hope to every decaying corner. One day all tears will cease and His grace will prevail over the darkness. Yet in this moment, He is at our side with great tenderness, sustaining us through our suffering until the final day of restoration.
What are you most looking forward to in 2022?
Kirk: We hope this album will serve the Church well this year and for years to come. Whether it’s churches learning and singing these songs together in worship, or individuals discovering the album and streaming songs throughout their week, we expect the Holy Spirit to do his work encouraging and lifting up hearts to hope in Christ.
The post office Exclusive: Paul Ranheim and Kirk Sauers Reflect on Wood Drake Sessions’ Debut Album appeared first on TCA.
Author: Jessie Clarks
