~ Craig Detweiler ~Is it just me or has American Idol lost its mojo? Maybe the altering of the judges booth tipped a rather fragile balance. For all her loopiness, perhaps Paula Abdul was the perfect foil for Simon Cowell’s scowl. Despite her alleged expertise, Karla Diogardi has never struck my fancy. (And isn’t a bit too early in the celebrity cycle to already sell herself out by posing naked for Allure?) While Ellen DeGeneres is a delightful person, as a judge, ...

~ by Travis and Laura Stewart ~JJ Heller, an independent artist who writes and performs with her husband Dave, experienced a dramatic increase in exposure this past year when their song "Your Hands" was used by dancer Diana Drexler on the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance?" and suddenly found their music at the top of the singer/songwriter charts on iTunes. Along with my daughter 12 year-old daughter Laura, I had the chance to interview JJ for our viaRenovo artist ...

An Interview with Randall Goodgame ~ by Travis Stewart ~ Randall Goodgame is a singer, songwriter, husband, father, friend and follower of Jesus. He was written 17 songs recorded by Caedmon's Call, as well as songs for Jason Gray and Ginny Owens. Additionally, he has recorded four solo albums, including his most recent, Bluebird. He has graciously agreed to share his thoughts about his music and his faith journey with the readers of viaRenovo. Travis Stewart: I've ...

Andrew Peterson's music has constantly been in my iTunes rotation since I first heard him about 4 years ago. His lyrics resonate deeply with my experience of faith and his sense of hope bring hope to me. Recently, on his website www.rabbitroom.com he wrote of a love that surprises him with it's constancy. He has graciously allowed me to re-post it here. ~Travis The Pit of Despair, or, A New Lament by Andrew Peterson The oldest song on my new album is also the ...

Forty years go by with someone laying in your bed Forty years of things you say you wish you'd never said How hard would it have been to say some kinder words instead I wonder as I stare up at the sky turning red ~ Long Ride Home These lyrics haunt me. I think of my wife and our marriage and what in the world I will be thinking of after that ride in a long black limousine - what will it be like to return home that evening with no one there? What will I be ...

Randall Goodgame and Andrew Osenga performing together. Through their writing with the band Caedmon's Call I was a fan of Andrew Osenga and Randall Goodgame before I ever knew their names. The first time I first heard Randall Goodgame's songwriting on the "Back Home" album released in 2003 I was hooked. His lyrics, like those in the song, "Hands of the Potter" spoke directly to my struggle to be an authentic follower of Jesus: Lord if I'm the clay then I've been left out ...