Ten Questions with
Andy Mayo
CROSS RHYTHMS:15/08/03
1. Give us your life story in 30 words! Born London; adventurous family; experienced
Jesus; guitar, first songs; China, caravan; design degree;
married beautiful artist - Faye; taught design; call
to Serbia; war; opened mission centre; Jesus-changed
lives; two sons...
2. Where did you pick up your jazz influence? Soho jazz festivals to gypsy friends
in the Balkans...
3. You have now lived in the former Yugoslavia for
seven years. Is there such a thing as Yugoslavian
Christian music? Yes, in fact "Dreams of a Homecoming"
is arranged and mixed by a brilliant Christian artist
- Stanislav Majerski... There are very creative people
who love Jesus and who are using their music to communicate
powerfully inside of their culture. In the mission centre
that Faye and I are leading in the north of Serbia,
a number of us have worked together to set up a recording
studio as a facility for recording more of this music...
4. Do you prefer hotdogs or hamburgers? A favourite breakfast with my little
boy Elliot is a shared hotdog on our front step in the
early morning sunshine. It's the company that makes
a meal for me...
5. What Scripture verse has most inspired you? For "Dreams of a Homecoming", this
has to be the verse in Luke 15: "While he was still
a long way off, his father saw him and... ran to his
son..." This is a moment of homecoming, of love shown
without condition... A picture of a restored relationship
with "a father whose arms have long been held open..."
An image of the love that our heavenly Father waits
to lavish on the one who will turn to Him. I have experienced
that homecoming - something for which many only dream
of from a distance - but my prayer is that many will
come to that place of restored relationship and forgiveness
in the embrace of the extravagantly loving Father...
6. Are you related to Simon Mayo? I believe so - I think more importantly,
it is rumoured that our mutual great-grandfather invented
a famous salad dressing.
7. What's your favourite song on 'Dreams
Of A Homecoming' and why? Each song has come out of a specific
situation - a snapshot of a moment... I wrote "Coming
Home" after a girl who had been devastated by the wars
around us, in tears and with arms raised to the Father
who loves her, prayed to experience the cleaning, forgiveness
and new life that He waits to give... This song is where
the album is going... My prayer is that others will
experience the ultimate of homecomings as they listen
to the message of the CD.
8. Your lyrics are rather poetic. What writers have influenced you?
From Jeremiah to Jack Kerouac...
9. Have you ever played a Christian festival? Yes, including Cross Rhythms after
the release of my first album, "Cafes and Trains"...
GrassRootz etc. 10. What's your next album going to
sound like? Exciting, eclectic, eccentric..! Fantastic
musicians including Buster Birch percussion and Pete
Ringrose on bass are joining me for the next recording.
Just today, five of us have been experimenting, developing,
arranging new material - bouncing musical ideas around
- we are beginning recording next week but the material
will not be available for release for a few months yet
as we hone the sound together...
We'll keep you posted!
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