Squint Entertainment’s Waterdeep is currently in
the studio putting the final touches on their second label release, YOU ARE SO GOOD TO
ME—WATERDEEP WORSHIP. The album will release through Word Distribution on May 1, 2001.
“YOU ARE SO GOOD TO ME is an album that Waterdeep’s been wanting to make for quite
some time,” states Squint founder Steve Taylor. “Their live concerts, dating back to the early
days of the band, have always closed with a time of praise and worship. We look at this album
as a natural outgrowth of Waterdeep’s history and chemistry.”
Three years ago Waterdeep collaborated with the group 100 Portraits to record ENTER THE
WORSHIP CIRCLE, an indie CD which sold well over 40,000 albums despite the lack of
national distribution. Soon the Gospel Music Association asked Waterdeep to lead worship
during their annual service which launched GMA Week 2000 in Nashville.
The new worship album’s title cut, “You Are So Good To Me,” has been performed by
Waterdeep for years. Penned by the group’s bandleaders, Don & Lori Chaffer (along with
Ben Pasley), the song is quickly becoming a staple in a growing number of churches across the
country, and was a featured part of worship during the recent Vineyard national pastors’
conference in Houston.
Waterdeep was recently invited by Fernando Ortega to join him on his upcoming spring tour,
which starts at the end of this month. Don and Lori Chaffer, will serve as the bill’s opener for
more than 25 dates as they perform selections from YOU ARE SO GOOD TO ME.
Don Chaffer, who as a youth learned to play guitar in order to lead worship, reflected on the five
years he later spent at a Kansas City church leading worship, “The weekly relationship with the
same people in a worship setting leads one to understand worship in a more profound way than
any other. Worship is about normal people, caught up in normal people things, making a
decision to look toward God, the Transcendent One, who can not only take them above where
they are, but who will one day lift them out of it altogether. Watching the countenance on
peoples’ faces change as they encounter this reality is unlike anything else in life.”
Prior to releasing their critically acclaimed label debut, EVERYONE’S BEAUTIFUL, in 1999,
the members of Waterdeep (who formed in Kansas City) spent the previous four years touring
and releasing six independent albums with grass roots sales exceeding 40,000 units. Since
1996 Waterdeep has played an average of 120 dates a year, focusing on the college circuit. In
the process they have shared the stage with Sixpence None the Richer, Michael W. Smith,
Caedmon’s Call and Phil Keaggy, among others.
Waterdeep’s grassroots following became so rabid that the group decided to host the first
annual EVERYONE’S FESTIVAL in 1999. The Kansas City celebration, which took place
again in 2000, has drawn performances by artists such as Jennifer Knapp, Bebo Norman,
Ginny Owens, Sarah Masen, Caedmon’s Call’s Derek Webb, The Normals, Jeff Deyo (former
lead vocalist for Sonicflood), Andrew Peterson and Chris Taylor. Also featured have been
guest speakers such as Sam Chappell, Steve Taylor, Tom Rozof, April Hefner, Greg Rumburg
and Dave Palmer.
WATERDEEP on TOUR with FERNANDO ORTEGA
SPRING 2001
(First 13 Confirmed Dates)
Date—Site—City
Sat-Mar 31, 2001 Southside Baptist Church, Greenville, SC
Sun-Apr 01, 2001 Trinity Presbyterian Church, Montgomery, AL
Thu-Apr 05, 2001 Northland Community Church, Orlando, FL
Fri-Apr 27, 2001 Trinity International University, Chicago (Deerfield), IL
Sat-Apr 28, 2001 Gaylord Evangelical Free Church, Gaylord, MI
Sun-Apr 29, 2001 TBD, Grand Rapids, MI
Thu-May 03, 2001 Smith Opera House, Rochester (Geneva), NY
Fri-May 04, 2001 Broom County Memorial Arena, Binghamton, NY
Sat-May 05, 2001 Reglenna Civic Center, Jamestown, NY
Mon-May 07, 2001 TBD, Boston, MA
Thu-May 10, 2001 America’s Keswick, Whiting, NJ
Sat-May 12, 2001 First Assembly of God, Ft Wayne, IN
Sun-May 13, 2001 Church of the Apostles, Atlanta, GA
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