Friday, January 2nd, 2009 at 3:53 AM by Ruth Tynes / Online Editor / InTheTimes.com
ITT:Congratulations on a great debut artist year! Our InTheTimes.com Readers love your music / ministry! How do you feel you have grown as an artist during this debut year?
Caroline: Spreading God's Name and worshipping with others across the country has really brought me closer to God and helped me grow in my own faith. I think that shows in our new CD [Here We Go Again], our Christmas CD, and in my performance.
ITT:Tell the InTheTimes.com Readers a little bit more about how Brandon and Brittany Hargest from Jump5 and their family are great
mentors to you personally and to pureNRG as a group?
Caroline: Brittany and Brandon have so much experience to share with us. We love to listen to their ideas about how to improve our shows. Brittany has been working with us on our Choreography and Brandon is our Road Manager, so he gives us lots of pointers about life on the road and how to act when meeting so many new people.
ITT:You've released several DVDs during this debut artist year, what has been your favorite part of the DVD recording process?
Caroline: Hair and Make-Up!! Also, the filming process is a lot of fun. Knowing that I am helping spread God's message is an honor. I am grateful for that opportunity.
* BONUS VIDEO - Caroline, Jordan, and Carolyne joke around during a break at an in-home Recording Studio!
ITT:You've also recorded several Music Videos during this debut year, what has been your favorite part of the Music Video recording process?
Caroline: It is a lot of fun to make a video. It is an action-packed, long day or two, but the best part is meeting a lot of great people and having everyone come together to pray to the same God and work together to spread His name.
ITT:You meet a lot of fans out on the road and they let you know how your music has impacted their life, are there one or two stories in particular that really stand out in your mind and that encourage you to keep doing what you are doing for the Lord?
Caroline: Knowing that people are willing to drive or stand in line for hours just to hear our music and the message we are trying to send is so powerful. It makes me want to do my best at every show and to be a positive role model and messenger for spreading God's name.
>>>Let's go shopping! Make sure to click the links below to hear free audio samples of Caroline's music and to purchase your favs! You can buy hard copies of Caroline's albums, download individual songs, download the entire album, or buy used copies for a discounted price!
tags: caroline williams interview, purenrg interview, pure nrg interview, celebrity behind the scenes
Kristyn Leigh & The Pageant of Peace
Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 5:00 AM by Ruth Tynes / Online Editor / InTheTimes.com
Hi InTheTimes.com Girls!
In celebration of Kristyn Leigh's new Christmas album, The Ornament (see our Review here) we are re-publishing an Interview we did with Kristyn a few years ago on her experience performing at the annual Christmas Pageant of Peace in Washington, D.C. !
Check it out below! RUTH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Pageant of Peace is an annual event held on the ellipse of the White House where the National Christmas Tree is located. While over 30,000 singers and musicians vie for a performance slot during the Pageant of Peace, less than 100 are selected and Kristyn was among the group who made the cut! Congratulations Kristyn!
“I am honored and humbled to be chosen,” Kristyn says, “Christmas is my favorite time of year and to be able to sing timeless carols in our national capital is a true privilege.”
The event is presented by the National Parks Service and was first instituted in 1954 by President Dwight Eisenhower. The first National Christmas Tree was introduced by First Lady Grace Coolidge in 1923.
ITT:How did you decide to put your name in the running to perform in D.C.?
Kristyn: I am a member of The Christian Music Presenters, they contacted me in September and wanted to know if I would consider performing at The National Christmas Tree at the Pageant of Peace in Washington, D.C. This event was held in the ellipse of The White House. Of course I said yes! I considered it an honor to even be considered for the event. I had to turn in 7 songs that I could perform.
ITT:How did you find out that you were selected? What was your reaction upon finding out?
Kristyn: I found out I had made the cut during the last week of October. The Christian Music Presenters called me with details and I was so excited! I was jumping up and down like a little kid! I couldn't believe I (just a country girl from Kentucky) was going to actually perform in D.C.
ITT:Obviously you had a lot of preparation to undergo...practices, wardrobe selection, travel arrangements, song choices... Give the InTheTimes.com girls a little insight into how that whole side of things went for you.
Kristyn: I was able to perform three songs and I chose “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree”, “O Holy Night”, and “Silver Bells”. I tried to combine the serious side of the holidays along with the fun part of the holidays. Then I listened to my tracks for hours at a time, performed them for my Mom and practiced, practiced, practiced.
Of course I was very concerned about what to wear! We were only allowed to wear black with an accessory in red or green. It was a great time to buy a new outfit, so my Mom, little sister, and I went shopping! I wanted something classy and elegant at the same time. I love vintage so we hit all the vintage shops in Louisville. I found a perfect vintage dress! It was actually a 60s cocktail dress, it was black taffeta with long sleeves,
straight made, and with three overlays at the bottom. I
tried it on and it fit perfectly! And...it was only $15!!!
That's right! $15.00. Then, I found a pair of black
stiletto heels at Carnival for $15.00 too! A red neck
scarf completed my outfit!
My whole family decided to
go with me, my Dad normally doesn't get to travel with
me, so it was both my Mom and Dad, as well as my
little sister. We like road trips so we drove instead of
flying. The Christian Music Presenters had made
reservations for us at a hotel about 4 blocks from The
White House!
ITT:Once you arrived in D.C. what was a typical day like? What was the big day like?
Kristyn: We arrived on Friday, it was pouring down rain, not just a drizzle but a downpour the whole day and night. All the shows that were scheduled for Friday were canceled. I felt so sorry for the artists, it had to be a big disappointment for them. The Park Service told us they would let us know by 3:00 PM on Saturday if our show was canceled because of the rain. The weather forecast was calling for rain all Saturday morning into the early afternoon.
I just started praying that the rain would stop. The Christian Music Presenters met with us all on Friday night at 10:30 PM. We went over the sound system, places on stage, song order, etc. I was exhausted that night by the time the rehearsal was completed.
Our family was able to get an early morning tour of the White House. We had to be there at 7:30 AM. The sun was shining! The tour was phenomenal. The decorations were beautiful and so unusual. There was a giant gingerbread White House complete with the cat and dog. It was fun to imagine all the holidays that had taken place over the years at the White House. There were also Christmas photos from many of the Presidential families. It was wonderful to look at all the history.
My performance was at 5:30 PM. I had to be ready backstage at 4:00 PM. My aunt from PA surprised me by taking the train up to D.C. She is my favorite aunt so that made everything more special. The National Christmas Tree was a giant decorated tree in front of the White House. The performance stage was to the side of the Christmas Tree. Around the whole perimeter there were 50 decorated trees, one from each state. There was a countdown at 5 PM and a White House staff member turned on all the lights. It was breathtaking! There were probably around 10,000 people at that point in the park. Everyone was smiling and enjoying the sights and sounds. The little children were so fun to watch. They were so wide eyed and filled with wonder. It was such an exciting night! My performance went off without a hitch! Afterwards I got to chat with lots of little girls there with their parents. It was so much fun! I then had photos taken in front of the White House.
>>>Let's go shopping! Make sure to click the links below to hear free audio samples of Kristyn's music and to purchase your favs! You can buy hard copies of Kristyn's albums, download individual songs, download the entire album, or buy used copies for a discounted price!
tags: kristyn leigh interview, celebrity performance the pageant of peace washington dc
