We are posting exciting news today! As of November 1st, we are gaining a new team and family member! Our dear friend, Melissa Clegg, is coming to work with us full-time for a season. We have been in relationship with her for 3 years through NCCF and walking very closely with her for the last year.
First, let us brag on her a bit, so you will know why we love her so much. She is a quiet, gentle soul who allows Michelle to maintain her verbosity. She loves our children and they love her right back. She has a humble, servants' heart and consistently helps and blesses us already. She was Michelle's guitar/voice/songwriting student for a year and is writing amazing songs. Try Psalm 43/Melissa on for size. She is a right hand woman to Michelle in all things WWF. She plays a full kit of drums. She has admin skills. She speaks German. She loves Jesus more than anything else and worships Him with her life. Need we say more? We don't mean to sound like an E-Harmony ad, but we have great love for Melissa and want to give her as many opportunities as we can.
We have been praying about moving even closer to her in work and life for a while now. We have sensed that God wanted to free her up from her "day job". We have been purposefully expressing our desires and expectations for a new season to each other and we are moving forward! Melissa will serve with us in a variety of capacities – admin, children and music to name a few. We will fold her into what we do and give her more opportunities to play and minister with us. We are believing the exchange will be mutual as she gains experience and opportunity while we reap the great benefit of her help.
As you can imagine, the prospect of consistent help is just dreamy to us. We love and believe in Melissa and will be looking for ways to bless her back. She needs $800/month for salary and 2 of those months have already been provided for. If you would like to support us, give us Melissa! All gifts are tax-deductible if made to Ascension Arts. Gifts can be sent to "Ascension Arts" and sent to 646 Kingston Drive Florissant, CO – just be sure to include a separate note indicating that your gift is for Melissa's salary. If you would prefer to super-easy-cyber-give, email us at ascensionarts@mac.com and we will tell you how.
Thanks for letting us share our exciting news with you. ALSO MORE EXCITING NEWS—A NEW BARRY AND MICHELLE WEBSITE! The new super-user-friendly site should be up in a week or so. We will let you know when it's there and all of the dates for our November Texas tour will be on it.
Melissa who?
reviews of our music
Reviews of “Long, Straight, Uphill Climb”
“Barry and Michelle Patterson are simply great writers and musicians. But I think the honesty of this album is what gets to me – the first line of the album starts it well – “Obscurity embraces me, have I been put away?” I think embracing who we are as people, mortal, flowers, brilliant yet fading in the field if you will, is a central challenge to us in our society of achievement, of “bigger is better, you’ll never diminish into obscurity.” So I think it’s the courage in Michelle’s voice “let’s drink it down like a bottle of perfect wine,” that comes through, the knowledge that the abyss is inevitable but that God keeps us even in the darkest parts. Another of my favorites, “How Sweet,” begins epically and the lyrics and melody don’t disappoint. Simple…hitting really joyful moments… Anyway, I really like the album as a whole. It feels cohesive, it’s inventive in melody and lyric and I can worship in moments and contemplate life in others. Brilliant job Barry and Michelle!”–Aaron Strumpel
barry and michelle patterson’s latest release entitled “long
straight uphill climb” is one of those albums that grips you and won’t
let you go. i promised a review of the album to the artists and
unfortunately for them, they’ve had to wait for weeks because, to be
honest, i couldn’t get past the first track for the first several weeks
of listening.
“abyss” is the opening track on the album. the
driving guitar coupled with michelle’s lyrics and lilt took me to a
place that i had to stay for a while. about surrender, a topic that
causes me to squirm in my chair a bit from time to time, “abyss” not
only evokes the deep seated feelings of fear and anxiety that go along
with waiting on the lord through its lyrics, but also through the tone
and anguish noted in michelle’s vocals. she’s able to completely be
present in the simultaneous questioning and certainty of the line
“maybe it will be… okay.”
the remainder of the album has
taken me on a journey and has in the end left me feeling closer to
god’s heart and closer to the artists themselves. this album seems to
have a deeply personal touch – not something lacking in previous
efforts, but yet something very tangible on this album in particular.
the tracks with barry on lead vocals almost all focus on the deep,
wide, never-changing love of the father. it’s clear that his
understanding of that grace, that acceptance, that true love… has
grown immensely and again, it not only comes through the lyrics but in
the passion of his voice.
all in all, this album for me is about hope.
“it will be a long straight uphill climb
where all the grief and pleasure intertwine”
barry
and michelle have lived this life. one where grief and pleasure
intertwine… and they exude the hope and faith of ones who have come
to realize that god loves them through every inch of pain and
suffering, just as much as he loves us in the success and joy of our
lives.
a true gem of an album – you shouldn’t pass on adding this one to your collection!–Suzanne Fletcher
Reviews of “So High”
“If Sarah McLachlan was in a band with the Cocteau Twins, and they decided to perform primarily devotional and worship songs in a format loosely like Out of the Grey, you’d have something that could still only aspire to be as wonderful as Barry and Michelle Patterson’s So High. Over dreamy, acoustic-driven folk-rock beds, the Patterson’s impassioned vocals (Michelle sings the lion’s share) inhabit lyrics redolent with Biblical imagery and intense devotion to the Risen Savior. Their songs laud Jesus as the Source of love (“Come”), as the all-faithful Lord (“Your Faithfulness”), as the Uncircumscribable (“So High”), and as the true heart of pleasure (“There is No One”). Simply to hear these songs is to be an aural witness to the majestic depth and beauty of the Living God. Highly recommended.” — Kemper Crabb
Reviews of “Birth”
“Birth’ continues the Patterson’s trademark fusion of highly literate, passionate worship and creative acoustic music. Using the occasional rhythm section, mandolin, accordian, tin whistle, saxophone, and exotic percussion, Michelle and Barry’s warm, beautiful vocals alternate and intertwine above atmospheric folk-rock musical beds. The depth of these songs, and the sensitive, intelligent structure of the lyrics are as striking as any I’ve ever heard. Equally as impressive as the lyrics and musicianship is the heart-felt and earnest sincerity here displayed. Would that all recordings have a mere quarter of the musical, lyrical, and spirtual quality that ‘Birth’ manifests. The world, both musically and spiritually, would be a much finer place.” — Kemper Crabb
“Get this album if you dare … if you dare be lead into His presence. If you dare be brought to tears over and over. If you dare approach the Creator with your heart open for inspection and your soul laid bare. I did. And I found healing. I found joy. I found sadness that produces repentence without regret … I am so moved by this music that I want to share it with everyone I know. I want all new moms and dads to hear “Baby Song.” I want all my coworkers to hear “Round and Round.” I want disheartened servants to enjoy “Scavengers.” And every body in the whole earth needs to know just “How Good He Is.” Thank you, Father, for these two and their gifts.”–Bill Stark
.
“He Is” brings my soul to the throne of our loving God! “He Is” has the clearest lyrics EVER! The Pattersons bring your soul straight to the healer – Jehovah Rapha! I heard it at Ballet Magnificat’s Summer Dance Intensive and God used it to heal a very difficult spot in my life. 5 stars isn’t enough! Check it out!
–Linda, from CD Baby review
Reviews of “Juniper Loop, Ascend”
“This is not music for the masses; this is music for the mass of voices inside of you crying for music that laughs and cries with a passion nonexistent in the blasé music you wish you didn’t have to hear, or hear about, every day. Raw, pure, substantial–these are some of the words that have enough power to scratch the surface of the truth behind Juniper Loop’s soulful melodies. Ascend punches through clouds of confusion with an uncommon clarity… There’s simple, and then there’s exquisitely simple, and Juniper Loop’s Ascend is the latter…”
–Davin, CD Baby review
Reviews of “Odds and Ends”
“This is a powerful collection of deep cuts and friend favorites that just didn’t fit into other albums so here they all are together as one. Dare I say maybe the most personal of all the albums, maybe not for Barry and Michelle but for us the listeners… or at least me. “Skin” is probably one of the most powerful songs I have heard…
–from Itunes review
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“This CD is a great compilation. An awesome inspiration to me in my faith walk. They speak the truth through their God-given talents. I love it as I do all their work.. I am excited to hear more. It is an ongoing beauty of their love for the Lord.”
Trudy Krizman
Free Downloads
These are some live performance videos in quicktime format. Feel free to download and share all you like.
If you would like specific chord charts or mechanical license, email us at ascensionarts@mac.com.
Contact and Booking
For information on hosting a house concert, please
Download PATTERSON HOUSE CONCERT PLANNER.pdf (219.5K)
1963 Dove Road East, Southlake, TX 76092 USA
Phone:
817/372-6606
Email:
ascensionarts@mac.com
New Women’s Worship Site
If you have never heard Michelle prattle on about all of the fun stuff she does with Women's Worship Fellowship, it's time for you to get caught up. Women's Worship Fellowship is a ministry that Michelle is a part of that works to inspire and facilitate worship gatherings for women in homes. Their motto is "Honoring Jesus With Time & Attention" and when you see what they do, you'll wish you were a girl if you aren't one. 🙂
This week they are launching a new site and we wanted to make sure you knew about it. Please visit www.womensworshipfellowship.com and join the network. The new WWF site will be a place where you can connect with women who love what you love, keep track of and post events, join and start special interest groups, blog, see and post singer-songwriter videos, hear and share new songs and pretty soon you will be able to buy cd's and paintings there as well. It's easy to navigate and we want you there with us!
Michelle models…
…for a rocking t-shirt company called USE SMALL WORDS (they only wanted crazy people for models). They just launched their site last week and we really love their stuff. The design is clever and ironic and the shirts feel amazing. Our personal favorite is the Edgar Allen Poe hoodie.
If you want to see Michelle's stylish and impressive shots, please visit www.usesmallwords.com and buy something while you're there. This week get a 25% discount by putting "ourfriends" in the discount code box when you check out.
A book about some Scavengers.
Lo and behold..we inspired someone! Wesley D. Stein's book has just been released and he cites our song "Scavengers" as a source of inspiration for the story! To celebrate the book launch we are going to use this opportunity to dive back into our song-stories series.
We wrote it a long, long time ago indeed. I was using my stellar secretarial skills at a part-time job at Amber Rose Music back in the day. The phones weren't ringing very much on this particular day and I started singing the first two lines to myself over and over. I had no idea what the heck they meant but I kept singing them all the way home and until Barry got home from work so I wouldn't forget them. He liked it, even if we didn't know what it meant and wanted to work on it some more. We experimented with it in 4/4 (since 3/4 was like a known default of sorts for me) but we never liked it as much, so we chose the waltz time. I wrote some more verses and Barry wrote some too. As we were writing it, we were discovering that what the song was saying was out of Lamentations and Isaiah 30. The song is about when we get pushed and shoved out of the place that belongs to us. It's about when we get robbed of things that are rightfully ours. It's about when Grima Wormtongue is given a comfy spot on the couch and permission to say anything he wants to us. It's about a taking back and a repossession. At the time of the writing of this song, I was pretty beaten down about some things I was being robbed of. Peace, health and babies for starters. During that season, this new aggression started to rise up inside of me to take back what had been stolen from me. I am certain that as we started performing this song publicly and I stomped my feet and flailed my hands, I was warring on my own behalf. Enough is enough. Anybody need to do some ousting? Buy Wesley D. Stein's book "Son of the Sword" at Target, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
"Scavengers"
by Rebecca Thornberry