High Street Hymns

We're here with Alex Mejias, the lead singer for a new upcoming band called, "High Street Hymns." This is a first for www.GodsLovingKindness.com, we're usually not in the business of doing interviews. We asked Alex to do this interview for our new "Artist Spotlight" section. We hope to get more interviews in the future and help bring new Christian bands to your attention.

David: "Hi, Alex. Thanks for doing this interview with www.GodsLovingKindness.com!"

Alex: "My pleasure! Thanks so much for your interest in our work."

David: "First off tell us a little about your band and each member of the band, what they do, and just a little about each person in High Street Hymns. How did you guys form and when? Give us the story behind the band."

Alex: "Well High Street Hymns grew out of the writing partnership between myself and a band mate of mine named Ross Byrd. Ross and I were the writers and lead singers for another band Portrait of Another, and we also led worship together regularly. We thought it would be great to toss our hats into the hymn renewal ring and began arranging music together. Since then, Ross has moved on and I've taken up the main writing/singing duties. Along the way we've had the help of some incredible musicians and writers."

David: "What is your goal? What makes you guys tick?"

Alex: "We really want to outfit the church with a catalogue of songs that fit into both contemporary and "blended" contexts. We really hope to inject the Christian music industry with as many new worship songs as we can, particularly songs featuring words that are all but lost to the modern day church. There is great value and beauty in much of what has been written by our forebears in the church. We hope to help reclaim and reintroduce their legacy to Christians today."

David: "For those reading, what is a hymn and why do you think they're so important today? Aren't they a thing of the past? What's so great about hymnal music?"

Alex: "A hymn is a song that typically follows some type of narrative (sometimes with a refrain) as opposed to a chorus, which is repeated over and over several times. Hymns are using a bit more dense and use poetic language to convey their message. What I love about hymns is that there's so much going on in them that you can listen to them over and over again and still find something new that you hadn't noticed before. I also love that they often acknowledge the brokenness and trials we face."

David: "Tell us a little about how you're promoting your music, and tell us about your album. Do you write your own stuff, or do you perform other peoples' music or a combination of both? What's been your favorite song to work with and why?"

Alex: "Our albums feature our own original music and sometimes our new arrangements of traditional melodies. We've been promoting our music through hosting hymnsings and in my travels leading worship for churches and conferences. We've just finished a Christmas and Advent CD which I'm really excited about and have just loved working on."

David: "You guys (High Street Hymns) are virtual unknowns today, where do you see yourselves 5 years down the road?"

Alex: "We hope to be a well known resource for churches looking to incorporate "re-tuned" hymns into their music ministries."

David: "Anything you'd like to add before we wrap this up?"

Alex: "Only that we are so excited about what God has in store for us and really love to interact with people who love him and who are using our music. If there's anything we can do better, we really want to know. Hopefully, we will engage our listeners and help to foster a spirit of unity and creativity within the body of Christ."

David: "Last, but not least tell our readers where they can get more information about your band and where they can purchase your music."

Alex: "Our music is available on our website www.HighStreetHymns.com and in all digital outlets such as iTunes and Amazon.com."

David: "Thanks again Alex for the interview, and we wish you the best! God bless you and your music ministry."

Alex:  "Thanks so much David!"