Chapter 20
The week that we returned Troy and I had two meetings to
discuss the future recording possibilities with Benson and Rugged records. The
first was Benson, which we had to drive to Nashville for the encounter. Mark Q
who was an A&R fellow placed in the position of rock guy met us on time. He gave
us the discount tour of the building, which he referred to as a machine. The
entire time in the building I was thinking Bride does not need walls. I could
see the walls of Benson shrinking around us. Q attempted to sell us Benson as
our next home but neither Troy or I was impressed or comfortable with the
surroundings. It felt like Sparrow, a bigger Star Song.
The next day Michael Betts the president of Rugged records flew into Louisville
from LA to lay his plan on the table. Michael seemed very sure of himself and
the abilities of his much smaller company. He referred to himself as a maverick
of the record business. He was a man who did not fit in with the industry and he
was proud of that. He even spent time the following day at Troy's house watching
band videos and listening to demo songs, which never made it on a Bride record.
He seemed to be in full agreement that we should pursue the rock style and drop
metal altogether. He was also in agreement that we should be self-produced. "He
said I am signing the band not a producer." He said everything that we wanted to
hear and that in itself was frightening, yet there was honesty to Michael and no
walls. He left us with many things to consider and we were considering Rugged
far above all the rest. "Would they be around in a year?" "Would Michael take
the money and run?" "Could we sell 100,000 on this small label?" "Should we take
a chance?" It was time again to pray. More often than not, we prayed to our
favor attempting to force the hand of God to do what we wanted. We would learn
in time that this is not how prayer works. We were very strong willed and hard
headed and even though we prayed, we were not necessarily looking for God's
answers. Like many people caught up in the moment, we were thinking whatever is
best for Bride, whatever can make us bigger. It was hard at the time for us to
see God in the small things. But He was there. The Bible tells us even if I make
my bed in the lowest hell He is there. I could not imagine trying to get
comfortable in a place that the church deems outer darkness full of literal fire
and torment but that thought is for another chapter.
The following few weeks we got offers from Benson in the form of them sending
Mark Q to one of our sold out shows at the King's Place in Columbus Oh to look
at the live show then report back to the big wig's what he saw. Jonathan Watkins
from Star Song called in one last effort to pitch the new and improved Star Song
at us once more. Since Star Song had been bought by EMI it seemed like that they
might be back in the running. Troy and I studied the situation from every angle
and prayed hard to find God's direction.
Prior to a show in Lancaster Pa early Nov 94 Troy and I signed a one record
agreement with Michael Betts and Rugged Records. This seemed like the most
logical move because it did not tie us up into a multiple year agreement. We had
no doubt that this was where God had directed us. A smaller label with great
faith and we were going to help push them. I knew there was a bigger picture
that was being painted by the Lord but I could not put my finger on it. Maybe I
would never see the great plan entirely but I knew that God had one for us if we
would remain faithful and steadfast in His calling. It had been a hard and rough
six records up until now. We had truly paid our dues. I did not expect things to
get easier. I really had no ideal what to expect. We had plenty of new song's
that would take us away from the metal side and put us into the rock side but
only God knew what the future would bring. Rugged Records
After our departure from Star Song times grew a bit dark. We felt like a ship
without a port and wondered who was going to allow us to dock. The Lord opened
up the door at Rugged Records with Michael and Monica Betts. Michael was a
former drummer and expressed a heart for being true and honest with his bands.
He wanted to stand out as the Maverick in the Industry. Michael showed his real
desire to work with us by flying into Louisville and meeting with us over
dinner. At the Spaghetti Factory in downtown Louisville, we talked about our
concerns and he shared his vision of where he hoped to go with his new label.
All of this personal contact by Michael was very refreshing.
It was not long and we were back in California recording a brand new Bride
record. This record would prove to be the biggest change musically for Bride we
had ever attempted. Deep down we had hoped to produce a record that would remove
the metal label from the name Bride. The Guns n' Roses comparisons were
flattering but now it was wearing thin. We brought in percussive instruments and
experimented with many different rhythms. We brought in female back up singers,
which we had not done, to this degree in the past. Our song's were toned down
and less driven and we felt we had a record, which reflected the changing
market.
The critics and the fans were taken off guard by our sudden departure from the
screaming metal and they appeared confused by this change. They still called
"Drop" a metal record and the reviewers approached in that manner thus leaving
us with a bad taste in our mouth. No one understood the record and brushed it
off as a mistake on our part. Fans wrote letters and begged us not to ever
record another album like "Drop." They wanted to hear the Bride they had known
for all these many years. A Bride with aggression and attitude. Fans believed
that we had attempted to record a heavy record and failed. They could not fathom
the possibility that we intentionally recorded a lighter record.
Reflecting back on the "Drop" album, I can see where people missed what we were
trying to achieve musically. We should have recorded a straight acoustic record
and that may have pacified the unforgiving fans. "Drop"
would mark a tragic time in the future of Bride. This one album was
instrumental in practically putting a halt to Bride all together.
Michael Betts and his wife were great to us but Rugged Records were just too
small of a label at the time to meet our needs and concerns as a veteran
Christian Rock band.
With the Industry getting a face list, the secular market dictating a rapid pace
of new sounds Rugged and bride stood alone. In order for Bride to have had
success with "Drop" Rugged would have had to changed their marketing approach
totally. Instead of playing on what we had in the past and we were Rugged should
have reinvented the band. Bride had responsibilities too that we failed to
execute. We should have taken on more live shows even though they were
percentage dates. This may have kept us in the public's eye. The percentage
dates normally were not a good ideal through the week because people just did
not want to go see a band live on a Tuesday or Wednesday night. However history
dictates that we failed somewhere and it is likely since we played so few dates
that year, that we were partly responsible for the CD falling short of its
estimated sales.
The brightest thing to come from Rugged was they released my second solo project
called Dale Thompson and the Religious Overtones. I had decided to try my hand
at the blues and I brought in the finest blues musicians in Louisville to back
me on the project. I used Jerry because of his background as a blues drummer.
The project turned out extremely well. Even the Bride fans seemed to like it.
Another bright spot was, I also got the opportunity to produce an album for
Rugged. A band called Nailed, which I had stumbled across, had a terrific sound
and I had presented them to Michael and he liked them. The Nailed album was my
second hand at producing and though it could have been better, the final was
result was a good heavy record that the fans seemed to enjoy.
Bride also shot a cool video for the song Mamma. Michael's uncle built the
Batmobile and I got to drive in San Diego in it with P.K. Mitchell.
With Bride playing fewer shows in those two years than ever before it seemed our
audience had vanished and record sales were embarrassing.
One of the ways Michael attempted to promote the "Drop" album was with a
parachute jump. He invited the media, and ran a contest for people to win
an opportunity to jump from a plane with Bride. We also believed Michael was
going to use the footage in a music video for us. Troy and myself always wanting
to be prepared signed up for a jump at home a few weeks before the Rugged
Records jump. Both of us jumped tandem at about 13,000 feet and caught it all on
camera. The big day for the Rugged Records parachute jump rolled around and
there we all were at the airstrip waiting. It was like a little party of a few
Bride fans only a hand full of media and us hanging out around the grill
stuffing ourselves with hamburgers and hotdogs waiting for the clouds to break.
The clouds never broke and the party shifted from the airstrip to a laser tag
room where we had a blast.
The time came for us to make a decision as a band as to stay on Rugged or go
through the treacherous process of trying to find another label. Our confidence
in Rugged was depleted and we felt in limbo but were considering resigning as a
last option.
Here is a letter, one of the bright points from this time: "You played two shows
in Central PA last weekend, one of which in Wynfield (Friday night). I am
emailing you to tell you about some of the things that God is doing in my life
and how it relates, at least in part, to your show last week. First of all, I
saw you guys on the Scarecrow tour back in '94 in Lancaster, PA, and it was the
best show to which I had ever been. Bride's stage abilities were incredible and
I really liked it that you guys just stopped the show cold...no encores....and
then you preached. It made me tremendously excited to hear that you were coming
back to PA (only this time, I had to drive 2-1/2 hours!). Well, I was at the
show last week and as usual, the music was great. But what you said afterwards
really struck me. You spoke about a number of things, but the one topic you hit
several times was "walking in the newness of life". I grew up in a
fundamentalist Baptist church, and to be honest, it left me bitter. I was angry
that everyone around me in that church talked about God and being saved (which I
was at age 7), but there was never a real burning heart for Jesus. When I was
21, I knew I wanted to know more about a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus, not just the
rules. To make a long story short, I left the fundamentalist background and went
to a non-denominational church that showed me what I was looking for. It was
about this time that I saw you guys in '94. Anyway...over the last few years I
have been letting emotions guide so much of life, including my relationship with
God, that I about go crazy sometimes. Kind of, like...If I do not FEEL that God
is close, than he must not be. But listening to you speak on Friday night and
driving home thinking about what you said, I realized that I had let the
pendulum swing too far from the hard, dispassionate fundamentalist upbringing to
a new emotionalism that was just as bad. I realized as I read the New Testament
they handed out along with you, that God is so much more than how I feel. I
realized that in all things, I can give thanks because of what He has ALREADY
done for me and what I have to look forward to in eternity! You also talked
about "walking in victory"...a phrase that takes me back to my fundamentalist
days...but nonetheless in my current situation sounded like real truth. That's
something else that helped me Friday night! Your speech during your preaching
was littered with Bible. God's truth is able to do so much more than our words
ever can and apparently, you recognize that. That makes me feel very safe
listening to your music. Getting back to my point, though, was that since Friday
night, I cannot get enough of reading the Bible. It is the first time in my life
I have had a real hunger for reading it! It has been wonderful just sitting down
and reading entire books at a time like 1 Peter or Ephesians. I know I cannot
retain everything, but just the exposure to His truth is already helping me live
my life in His strength and with His peace. Thank you. Thanks for using His
words instead of your own. Thank you for being willing to preach when so many
bands (even good ones) aren't willing to offend anyone or supposedly bore
people. Let me say that when God's truth goes out, if people are bored, their
hearts are hard. You have helped me realize that my relationship with God is
based on an unchangeable base (the Bible) and yet my relationship can be an
emotional one (allowing me to feel peace). I hope and pray that you and the rest
of Bride continue to preach the Bible and tell people (both Christians and
non-) that Jesus loves them and can change their life. He has mine and you were
a part of that. I just wanted to drop you a note and encourage you."
1996 Rik Foley returned to the band (primarily as a songwriter) with a new
attitude. He was older, wiser, and ready for responsibility (we thought). Steve
was moved to second guitar, which he said he did not mind. Bride found itself in
a hard position. We were now back where we began "a five piece band". Music was
going into many different directions, none of which Bride was accustomed to or
groomed for. This meant if Bride was going to exist to carry on delivering the
message of Jesus Christ, we would have to conform to the new musical styles
arising. Culturally we did not have a full grasp and we certainly did not live
the life style of the alternative bands but as we viewed music from a distance,
our examination was thorough. With what we thought to be a clear picture, we
changed direction. Bill Reed made us an offer we could not refuse. He was
willing to hire the lawyers and shop our new material to the secular market.
With all of the Christian labels being bought up and swallowed by the secular
companies, I could see little difference between the two. We would not
compromise our message and would shop Bride to the world. If they wanted us and
signed us then glory to God, if they did not receive us then glory to God. It
has always been our deepest desire to preach the Word of God to all the world in
season and out of season. Our daily prayer remains...Lord use me as an vessel
and a instrument of your love and peace, Lord send me.
We played some shows as a five-piece band and the sound was thick and tighter
than I could have imagined. Steve was an excellent guitarist. We were preparing
for an upcoming show and I called over to Rik's to see if he needed a ride to
rehearsal. His sister answered the phone and gave me some incredibly shocking
news. She said Rik has gone to Italy. Without a word to anyone in the band Rik
packed his bags and had left us high and dry.
I guess I should not have been shocked but I was. This was not the end of the
world. I believe Rik figured Bride was done and that we would not rebound and
that was one of the main reasons for his sudden abandonment. But Rik was very
good on walking out on people. Rik would be proven wrong.
Though this came as a shock, it was very much in Rik's character. He was a free
spirit and as far as I was concerned from this point on, he could remain free of
Bride. Though I was pretty well steamed by this betrayal more than anything else
I was disappointed. I actually had been duped into believing that Rik had
finally focussed himself on something positive. At the point of his departure, I
felt closer to him than ever. I would not let my guard down again "I thought".
Steve went back to bass and we our writing focussed on this Seattle sound that
everyone seemed to be caught up in. Nirvana, Pearl Jam , Alice in Chains, and
Soundgarden introduced this dark sound that shadowed and engulfed rock music as
a whole. Lyrically they were singing more from the depth of hurting souls and
strange visions and this was light years away from the whole party atmosphere
that 80's metal had produced. Obviously the public in some way dictated this
change and Bride was out of touch with the attitudes of the public. Once again
we went back to the drawing board to see if we could understand these strange
days.