Published: June 01, 2009 01:54 am      

MUSIC: Christian music is noting an upsurge in WNY

Music moves the soul and can stir arms, legs, lips, spirits and torsos. There’s a whole lotta music ministry going on.

The range goes from gospel to hip-hop, rock to classic, bluegrass and folk, country to contemporary. The Niagara Frontier is a hotbed for Christian music.

“The talent level has risen dramatically in the last five years,” said Josh Maloni who has helped guide local Christian music groups. “Buffalo and Western New York has produced good musicians and really talented Christian musicians.”

They play in churches mostly, but are invited to other venues. The biggest stars fill Darien Lake for a three-day concert in August for Kingdom Bound which has its headquarters in Buffalo. The songs may not become cross-over hits, but deliver messages to many. Kingdom Bound promotes the largest Christian event in Western New York and brings in all ages.

Victory Christian, a non-denominational church on Transit Road, has a full worship band with about 15 members that gets the entire congregation going, waving their arms and clapping their hands. St. John the Baptist is building a teen group to bring the young people to the front.

“Christian music just as viable as mainstream,” said Donna Russo of Kingdom Bound. “There’s any music category you can think of.”

A lot of bands are modern rock and bigger bands are in the worship mold. It’s a different sound than a traditional Catholic Church choir.

Maloni is on the board of Ministry, an independent, non-profit Christian ministry supported by numerous local churches, organizations and individuals. “Christian music is becoming more authentic and more relatable to all music fans, not just for people who go to church,” Maloni said. “Christian musicians are as talented, just as good, and have the same mentality. There is a movement more to contemporary music and modern rock,” he said.

Kevin Kauffman writes jingles and directs the “Angels” who sing at All Saints Church. “When you add music to message you elevate to an emotional and memory level,” the organist for the Buffalo Sabres said. “You are taking whatever the message is and adding emotion to it.”

Victory Christian

Pastor Burnard Scott, who plays lead guitar, started the Victory Christian worship band about 20 years ago. Their energy moves the entire congregation on Sunday morning in the Pentecostal Church on South Transit. The group includes singers, Larae Hen, Joyce Hamilton and Shaine D’Andrea. There are drums (Alex Majewski), bongos (Tim Albreth), keyboard (Dominic Mitro), trumpet (Sherm Lyke) and trombone (John Broker).

Youth pastor Greg Wisniewski, Rich Covell and Scott rotate as leaders. All three play the guitar.

The worship band begins warming up about 8:45 a.m. and is rolling by 9 a.m. The group can keep a worship song going for 20 minutes, lifting the spirit of the congregation.

“We get inspired from the Holy Spirit while we’re singing the song,” Scott said. “If it’s clicking, we ride the wave until there’s no more wave. If the song’s not working, not right for moment, it’s good to have another song ready and shift gears.”

Scott, 61, a native of Niagara Falls, is retired from Delphi. He came to Lockport in 1985 and brought his blues with jazz flavoring.

“We want it to be enjoyable, bring life and joy to the people,” he said. “We’re everyday people. We have life’s challenges. People may come in and don’t feel like clapping. We break through that. We play not just songs that sound good, but we want songs that have meaning and songs that are saying something, songs that will you lift you up and praise the Lord. People are liberated, set free, energized.”

He said there are a lot of cases over the years where people have been healed during worship service.

The music leaders are like the pastor and have a message of the day with songs of the day, according to Scott. Wisniewski and Covell, who are in their mid-20s, reach out to the younger members of the congregation. “They help bring some of the more youth-oriented songs,” Scott said. “We get a good mix, a diversity of styles in songs. We all bring different gifts.”

Sherman Lyke, a retired music teacher, is a schooled musician who plays horn.

There hasn’t been a drastic change over the last generation, Scott said. But, where there used to be lot of hymns, a pop flavor has been implemented.

The church, which is a converted banquet hall, started with a congregation of 30. There are now about 300 members.

St. John the Baptist

The Catholic Church on Chestnut Street has a small core of young singers and hopes to recruit more. “Our Hope at Noon Mass on Sunday is an upbeat Mass where the talents of youth are helping us to praise and participate at Mass,” said Julie Wronski who directs the Music Ministry with Sister Kathleen Dougherty. “We mix classic Catholic tunes along with some of the newer songs to bring a little more life to it.”

N.J. Solis, 17, Stephanie Lalich, 15 and Angelina Wronski, 13, have been consistent singers. Kevin Brown, who plays guitar or bass, and Charlene and Christine Kesterson are the adult singers.

“I just love singing and thought it would be fun to do at the church,” said Stephanie, a Lockport High School freshman. “We’re looking for teen instrumentalists and vocalists.”

Solis, a junior at Nichols, earned All-County honors in Erie County and is a member of the county’s all-state chorus. He started singing at St. John’s when he was in first grade. Joanna Solis, 18, is a senior at Nichols.

Sister Kathleen, who started the children’s choir, conducts the adult choir on Sunday. Most of songs are liturgical, based on Sunday’s missal.

“It’s fun. I like singing church songs and teen songs,” said Angelina, who is in the chorus at Emmet Belknap School. “We sing Christian music, some old, some new with a twist on them. It makes people happy.”

A cantor sings at the 8 a.m. Mass and the adult choir sings at the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sundays

“We want to encourage the congregation to sing,” said Debbie Brown, the director of Spiritual Life at St. John’s. “The congregation is the performer, the audience is God.” Kevin Brown, who plays bass guitar, started the youth choir.

Solid Rock Ministries

The Lockport Alliance on Davison Road offers the Lighthouse Cafe on the third Saturday of every month and gets a great following. There is a different group every month in season. Gifted musicians from Rochester, Hamburg, Tonawanda and Dansville are sharing talent for “Solid Rock Ministries.”

The Lighthouse Cafe & Coffeehouse was voted one of North America’s best Christian coffeehouses by ChristianMusicDaily.com. According to the Web site: “The coffee's good, the music is cool, and the people are friendly.”

Solid Rock hopes to see more Western New Yorkers come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through music and art and draw diverse people together.

Relevant Worship

Relevant Worship is a group centered in Buffalo that performs about 80 times a year. It will be at Darien Lake on Aug. 2.

The group, made up of 20-somethings, came together four years ago at college Bible study and meets at the Evangelic Assembly of God Church. They sing worship music in pop rock fashion. Chris and Anthony Hoisinton and Suzanne Bonifacio of Williamsville are the lead singers.

“It’s cool. We have a large group of friends,” said Matt Poulsen, 28, of North Tonawanda. Relevant Worship recently drew 1,000 people to the Town Ballroom in Buffalo and has performed in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Ontario.

Brooke Yaiser

Brooke Yaiser, 18, of Middleport is studying music and film at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. In the Lockport area, she has performed in musicals, concerts and recitals. She recorded her first CD to mark her 16th birthday and she’s earned a Gold Award from the Girls Scouts, which is equivalent to a Boy Scouts Eagle rank.

Brooke has opened for Lee Greenwood, Rebecca St. James and Relevant Worship and performed for charities such as the Challenger Sports League, Equistar, the Medina Hospital Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society.

Brooke, one of six children, grew up in a Christian music atmosphere and is very involved in the Yme? ministry. Christian music has evolved from traditional, to folk and contemporary.

“There is still a need for traditional — any type of music changes heart, whatever connects to the younger generation,” said her father, Brian Yaiser, who is president of the Yme? board. “Sometimes it’s hymns, sometimes folk, contemporary. The emphasis is on the words, whatever is needed to change heart.”

Brooke hopes to be able to entertain for military troops overseas, and Yme? has put on a Bob Hope-type USO show for four years at Christmastime.

“Brooke has a real heart, a real passion for our military and our troops,” her dad said, “and this has come from her involvement with our ministry.”