Peaches and butter! Again, that has nothing to do with what I'm gonna say. Just thought you'd all like to hurt along with me. Anyway, I and my brother were messing around today and I tried to kick him. He blocked with his elbow and the top of my foot slammed into his bony elbow. I went down like my legs were made of water. I lay on the floor and just started laughing (through the tears, of course). That was a couple of hours ago, and my foot still hurts. Guess what: I have to play paintball in a few hours! I'll be out there wanting to gnaw my own foot off if it'll take away the pain. Hey, I have the attention span and intelligence of a rodent, why not the behavior of one too?
Be sure to check out www.foresterministries.com to see our latest schedule and pics!
-Joshua
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Booking concerts
I've have really been at it this week trying to get new concert dates, and it's not always an easy thing to do. I have a couple of different methods of locating new churches for us to contact. After concentrating on an area and compiling a new list of churches that we've not sung at yet, I mail out demo packets with information about us and soundbites of our material.
This is a very time-consuming process. I usually list about 35-50 at a time. After that, we have to stuff our envelopes with all of our info and then address them to these new churches. I feel sorry for our U.S. mail lady who has to pick them up from our mail box...... just the other day I watched as she fork-lifted our mailbox off of the ground and carried it off to the post office!
The next part involves calling the churches. I had pretty much exhausted our old lists of churches that I had sent demos to and had been calling, so I knew it was definitely time to get busy with the mailings again. I'll still send out some more demos this week, and then sometime next week I'll start calling and shamelessly begging these churches to let us sing for them!
I'm hoping for a bunch of bites, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Check the schedule page of our website for all new postings soon.
-Stephen
This is a very time-consuming process. I usually list about 35-50 at a time. After that, we have to stuff our envelopes with all of our info and then address them to these new churches. I feel sorry for our U.S. mail lady who has to pick them up from our mail box...... just the other day I watched as she fork-lifted our mailbox off of the ground and carried it off to the post office!
The next part involves calling the churches. I had pretty much exhausted our old lists of churches that I had sent demos to and had been calling, so I knew it was definitely time to get busy with the mailings again. I'll still send out some more demos this week, and then sometime next week I'll start calling and shamelessly begging these churches to let us sing for them!
I'm hoping for a bunch of bites, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Check the schedule page of our website for all new postings soon.
-Stephen
Friday, August 14, 2009
News.... And Food
Banana fudge waffles!... That has absolutely nothing to do with what I'm gonna say; I was just trying to figure out if those would be amazing or horrifically gross. Ask me after my stomach stops turning like a combine.
In other news, my brother and I did a program last Saturday at Chapel in the Pines Mucus Barn.... wait... make that MUSIC Barn. I wasn't hookd on fonics. Anyway, we were actually taped to be on local TV! There were three cameras, so I always tried to keep my best side facing them...weird...first concert I've ever done with my back to the audience.
After that we went to Bloomingdale Christian Church that Sunday evening. We had a lot of fun there, but one thing would have made it better...pizza. Pizza with chicken on top; and extra cheese; and sausage, and loads of ice cream, pistachios, oh..oh..oh...taste-bud cramp!
Then we went to Mulliken to do an ice cream social. We were doing our last song and I was goofing off (if you've seen us before, you know what I mean!) and I started rummaging through a garbage can. I found a doggie box that felt heavy, so I was going to pull it out for a laugh. Unfortunately, my gerbil-sized brain didn't think that it would be melted ice cream, and that stuff ran all over my hand. At least I THINK it was ice cream; I'm still not sure exactly what it was. It tasted good, though.
Check out our website, http://www.foresterministries.com/, to see our pics, news, and schedule. As Tigger would say, TTFB: Ta ta for...wait... I'll get back to you on that....
-Joshua
In other news, my brother and I did a program last Saturday at Chapel in the Pines Mucus Barn.... wait... make that MUSIC Barn. I wasn't hookd on fonics. Anyway, we were actually taped to be on local TV! There were three cameras, so I always tried to keep my best side facing them...weird...first concert I've ever done with my back to the audience.
After that we went to Bloomingdale Christian Church that Sunday evening. We had a lot of fun there, but one thing would have made it better...pizza. Pizza with chicken on top; and extra cheese; and sausage, and loads of ice cream, pistachios, oh..oh..oh...taste-bud cramp!
Then we went to Mulliken to do an ice cream social. We were doing our last song and I was goofing off (if you've seen us before, you know what I mean!) and I started rummaging through a garbage can. I found a doggie box that felt heavy, so I was going to pull it out for a laugh. Unfortunately, my gerbil-sized brain didn't think that it would be melted ice cream, and that stuff ran all over my hand. At least I THINK it was ice cream; I'm still not sure exactly what it was. It tasted good, though.
Check out our website, http://www.foresterministries.com/, to see our pics, news, and schedule. As Tigger would say, TTFB: Ta ta for...wait... I'll get back to you on that....
-Joshua
Hey loyal readers, sorry that we've taken so long to get back to writing about our journeys here. We have been very busy lately, with some very exciting happenings along the way.
On Tues, July 20, we went to an interdenominational Christian ladies group to sing for them. They were an absolutely wonderful crowd! they loved everything that we did, and we got to meet some nice people and sold a great number of CDs. Two days later, we went to our home church to do a kid's show (magic, puppets, etc.) for the church daycare. A lot of people would consider a daycare show below their pay grade, but we had a good time and the kids had an even better time.
Two days later, we went to Evergreen Park Campground in Cass City, Mi. for a special all-day concert with nine other groups/soloists. We were the first group on after lunch, and we got an awesome reaction from the crowd. They were one of the best laughing bunches of people that Josh has performed for in a while.
I went to Devonshire Retirement Village to do a little mini-concert. It went relatively well, and I changed what I do a little bit and mostly played piano and sang to make it enjoyable for the age group there.
The following Sunday, We went to Trinity United Methodist Church in our own hometown of Lapeer for a special car show concert. It was a little unusual because I had a couple of co-workers from Dairy Queen who came with a couple of their siblings to watch us perform. Not that that would create any pressure, but I knew that what happened there would soon reach back to my workplace!
We have had some other things happen as well. I have finished recording my new CD. It should be out hopefully in time for our concert at Missionary campground on Sep.5. I'm very pleased and excited about how it turned out.
I'll let Josh write about our other bookings that we've done recently. Check the blog above for the latest scoop!
-Stephen Forester
On Tues, July 20, we went to an interdenominational Christian ladies group to sing for them. They were an absolutely wonderful crowd! they loved everything that we did, and we got to meet some nice people and sold a great number of CDs. Two days later, we went to our home church to do a kid's show (magic, puppets, etc.) for the church daycare. A lot of people would consider a daycare show below their pay grade, but we had a good time and the kids had an even better time.
Two days later, we went to Evergreen Park Campground in Cass City, Mi. for a special all-day concert with nine other groups/soloists. We were the first group on after lunch, and we got an awesome reaction from the crowd. They were one of the best laughing bunches of people that Josh has performed for in a while.
I went to Devonshire Retirement Village to do a little mini-concert. It went relatively well, and I changed what I do a little bit and mostly played piano and sang to make it enjoyable for the age group there.
The following Sunday, We went to Trinity United Methodist Church in our own hometown of Lapeer for a special car show concert. It was a little unusual because I had a couple of co-workers from Dairy Queen who came with a couple of their siblings to watch us perform. Not that that would create any pressure, but I knew that what happened there would soon reach back to my workplace!
We have had some other things happen as well. I have finished recording my new CD. It should be out hopefully in time for our concert at Missionary campground on Sep.5. I'm very pleased and excited about how it turned out.
I'll let Josh write about our other bookings that we've done recently. Check the blog above for the latest scoop!
-Stephen Forester
Monday, July 20, 2009
I Have Dignity!....Yeah, Right
Last night my brother and I went to a church and sang with the college quartet. Afterward there was a party at somebody's house (whose name I do not know), but they had food, so we went. They had a volleyball court out back, covered in sand and lined in wood. The problem: my brother and I had no change of clothes whatsoever. So, Stephen took off his boots and socks, rolled up his dress-pant legs and played some volleyball. Meanwhile, I stood back, looking at him and thinking, "What a dork..." as I tried to kill mosquitoes buzzing my head by slapping myself in the face repeatedly. To make matters worse, they started spraying mosquito fogger around the edge of the volleyball court. I think that was their way of saying, "DEATH TO THE ASTHMATIC COMEDIAN!!!" I don't have real bad asthma, just enough to not want to put a straw on mosquito fogger (although I hear it's actuality quite exhilarating!)
Take a look at our schedule page at http://www.foresterministries.com/ to see where we'll be next!
-Joshua
Take a look at our schedule page at http://www.foresterministries.com/ to see where we'll be next!
-Joshua
Friday, July 10, 2009
Website & CD Pics
I have some exciting news regarding our website. We will soon be giving it an overhaul with brand new pictures and features. We recently went to a place called Marion Studios in Brown City, Mi where our older brother Mark Forester has been having Ron Marion take his pictures for years. This guy is awesome! He spent around five hours with us taking pictures all over town. My new CD is featuring old Gospel classics done in fresh, updated ways. To go along with this somewhat old time theme, we went to a motor home park that had a little white chapel that would remind you of Little House On The Prairie. We took a bunch of pictures their and then I went to a couple of different places that Ron new of that had some really cool old 1940s car that I could stand next to for pictures.
While were in the campground, Josh started goofing off near the playground where kids would go, and Ron suddenly found himself climbing into the play area taking pictures of Josh popping up from tires, crawling through tunnels, standing on his head at the bottom of the slide, holding a super-soaker in a James Bond fashion, and hanging upside-down from a rope ladder.
We took over 600 pictures that day. some of them did not turn out so good, but many of them were awesome. Some of these will soon be appearing on our website, and some of them will be featured on our new album covers.
When our website is updated, we will also be adding a new pictures page that we can update ourselves whenever we want to. We be posting many of Ron's pictures, as well as lots of great pictures from recent concerts that we have performed in recently. I'll post an update here as soon as we can get this rolling. Be sure to watch http://www.foresterministries.com/ for these exciting new changes.
-Stephen
While were in the campground, Josh started goofing off near the playground where kids would go, and Ron suddenly found himself climbing into the play area taking pictures of Josh popping up from tires, crawling through tunnels, standing on his head at the bottom of the slide, holding a super-soaker in a James Bond fashion, and hanging upside-down from a rope ladder.
We took over 600 pictures that day. some of them did not turn out so good, but many of them were awesome. Some of these will soon be appearing on our website, and some of them will be featured on our new album covers.
When our website is updated, we will also be adding a new pictures page that we can update ourselves whenever we want to. We be posting many of Ron's pictures, as well as lots of great pictures from recent concerts that we have performed in recently. I'll post an update here as soon as we can get this rolling. Be sure to watch http://www.foresterministries.com/ for these exciting new changes.
-Stephen
Recent ministry news
Hey gang, sorry that we haven't posted any new updates for a little while. That doesn't mean that things have been slow or boring around here,though, because actually things have really been hopping!
On Sunday the 28th of June, we went to Deckerville, Mi for a Sunday morning service that went pretty well. The people were friendly and seemed to appreciate what we did. After the service we chatted with the people, sold some CDs, and even got to talk to the Pastor about something that we don't normally get to talk about with Pastors: What life is like being bachelors!
I know, Josh and I should not be too worried yet about not finding the right girls yet. Honestly, if I did find the girl of my dreams right now, I probably wouldn't know what to do with her! But this Pastor is in his mid-thirty's and is still patiently waiting for God to send him a pastor's wife. While we were tearing down our equipment, we talked and made a lot of funny jokes and stories about people trying to set us up with dates and other silly foolishness.
Oh well, I guess we'll all just have to be patient and wait (though I am taking applications!). In other news, The following Monday (the 22nd) we left for a four day booking at Fort Faith Baptist Youth Camp. They were having a church rent the camp for that week, and they brought a bus full of kids from kindergarten through 5th grade. We were hired to go there to entertain the kids in their chapel services twice a day. We also told Bible stories in the morning services and the host Youth Pastor preached in the evening services. Because the services were between an hour to an hour and a half (and we had five services to fill) we pretty much exhausted ourselves and our material. We tried out a bunch of new clown bits that worked really well. Usually Josh dresses up as Bongo the clown and I play strait man, but that week we both dressed up as clowns multiple times, and appeared as many other crazy characters as well. I went through most of my good magic tricks, and we both did multiple puppet acts. We even helped the workers pull of an impromptu game with the kids by "kidnapping" one of their young lady workers (who was actually an old friend of ours), and hiding her for the kids to find and rescue! We had a lot of fun that week, and we saw at least three people get saved, including the Youth Pastor's youngest son.
We were in our home church, Dixie Baptist Church, for both services this past Sunday. This coming Sunday we will be in Stanton Michigan for an evening service. The following week, we will be traveling with our college quartet to our college president's church to help him promote Midwestern Baptist College and garner some new students. We will also be traveling with the quartet again on Aug. 23.
In the meantime, I will be in the studio killing myself to make my new recording. We pushed back our originally scheduled recording week to help me work on my songs, and I'll be heading back in tonight and for most of next week.
Until next time,
Stephen
On Sunday the 28th of June, we went to Deckerville, Mi for a Sunday morning service that went pretty well. The people were friendly and seemed to appreciate what we did. After the service we chatted with the people, sold some CDs, and even got to talk to the Pastor about something that we don't normally get to talk about with Pastors: What life is like being bachelors!
I know, Josh and I should not be too worried yet about not finding the right girls yet. Honestly, if I did find the girl of my dreams right now, I probably wouldn't know what to do with her! But this Pastor is in his mid-thirty's and is still patiently waiting for God to send him a pastor's wife. While we were tearing down our equipment, we talked and made a lot of funny jokes and stories about people trying to set us up with dates and other silly foolishness.
Oh well, I guess we'll all just have to be patient and wait (though I am taking applications!). In other news, The following Monday (the 22nd) we left for a four day booking at Fort Faith Baptist Youth Camp. They were having a church rent the camp for that week, and they brought a bus full of kids from kindergarten through 5th grade. We were hired to go there to entertain the kids in their chapel services twice a day. We also told Bible stories in the morning services and the host Youth Pastor preached in the evening services. Because the services were between an hour to an hour and a half (and we had five services to fill) we pretty much exhausted ourselves and our material. We tried out a bunch of new clown bits that worked really well. Usually Josh dresses up as Bongo the clown and I play strait man, but that week we both dressed up as clowns multiple times, and appeared as many other crazy characters as well. I went through most of my good magic tricks, and we both did multiple puppet acts. We even helped the workers pull of an impromptu game with the kids by "kidnapping" one of their young lady workers (who was actually an old friend of ours), and hiding her for the kids to find and rescue! We had a lot of fun that week, and we saw at least three people get saved, including the Youth Pastor's youngest son.
We were in our home church, Dixie Baptist Church, for both services this past Sunday. This coming Sunday we will be in Stanton Michigan for an evening service. The following week, we will be traveling with our college quartet to our college president's church to help him promote Midwestern Baptist College and garner some new students. We will also be traveling with the quartet again on Aug. 23.
In the meantime, I will be in the studio killing myself to make my new recording. We pushed back our originally scheduled recording week to help me work on my songs, and I'll be heading back in tonight and for most of next week.
Until next time,
Stephen
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