John Elefante of Kansas – On My Way to the Sun – His New Christian CD!
I have always been huge fan of John Elefante and the band Kansas. John has evolved into a Christian songwriter now modeling his music for the Kingdom for God. His new CD titled On My Way to the Sun spans the generations. And after all these years, John still sings with those powerful trademark vocals, which is as unique as his songwriting.
This is the first time since the days gone by of albums and CDs that I’ve purchased an entire album download from iTunes. Every song is just that good.
On My Way to the Sun is a Kickstarter project. The recording was produced and written by John Elefante.
John recorded all the instruments flat. Meaning he preserved the original sound of all the recorded instruments by not adding any additional EQ or coloring (other than mics and preamps). John waited until the mixing and mastering phase of the recording to enhance his sound. All the songs possess great clarity and offer a very warm sound.
Don’t be misguided by the opening song of this new CD. “This Is How the Story Goes” leads the song list with that unique Kansas/John Elefante fingerprint for the seasoned Kansas lover. However, On My Way to the Sun is not a throwback into the 70s and 80s, or the good old days of Kansas. It exudes a variety of rock for all generations. The songs are comprised of the top shelf, story-telling material we’ve all come to expect from John’s songwriting. The CD is full of material which is as unique as John, but not so stereotypical of John’s earlier days with Kansas.
My personal favorite on this CD is “We All Fall Short.” The song is heartfelt, well produced and well written (I’m a sucker for a great acoustic song). The song is a display of John’s personal growth, as a songwriter, producer, and mostly, a Christian.
If you enjoy great Christian Rock you won’t hear on the radio, then the high energy music of On My Way to the Sun is for you.
What one song best defines who you are at this time in your life?
“Half the Way Home” – Because the older you get, the more you realize just how precious time can be. You have to start making every moment count, not just every other moment. I can remember when my daughter was a baby like it was yesterday, and yet twenty years have passed. I’m probably a little more than half way home, so it’s a bit of a metaphor (laughing)!
Have you been touring with your current CD?
I’ve been doing a lot of single shows and returning home. I was on the road covering the West Coast for a good part of the summer with a band called “World Classic Rockers.” It consisted of Aynsley Dunbar, drummer of Journey, Greg Walker of Santana, Fran Cosmo from the band Boston, Randall Hall of Lynard Skynard, Michael Monarch of Steppenwolf and myself. It was kind of an All Star band.
Your Christian music has a main stream sound. The songs are well produced and written. Why won’t Christian radio play your material?
Christian radio does not like a singer with too much intensity.
Is there anything that can be done to move Christian radio out of the box, or their current comfort zone?
Nothing! I’ve been playing this game for twenty-five years against Christian radio. There is a standard sound they want to hear. If they don’t hear it—forget it! Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good music on Christian radio. My wife and I listen to praise and worship music quite a lot. But I sometime have a problem differentiating the artists from the music. Many of them sound interchangeable!
Christian radio stations won’t play [my] songs for the most part. But what’s happening is better than a Christian radio hit, because our video for “This Time” (an Anti-Abortion song about his adopted daughter – read our interview with John: Former Kansas Vocalist John Elefante Teams With “Online For Life” For Powerful Pro-Life Message!) is more far reaching than a Christian radio single. A video doesn’t have the same shelf life as a song. Once the song falls off the charts, it’s pretty much forgotten. Yes it would be great to have all the Christian radio stations playing the song, but it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere near it.
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