April 13th, 2011

“This Valley” album review in Worship Leader Magazine

“Acoustic-driven anthems and ballads with a touch of electronica that sings the melody of the hurting and healing.”

Here’s is a link to web version of an album review that will be published in the next edition of Worship Leader Magazine. Check it out HERE.

November 12th, 2010

5 Worship Misconceptions

“Worship was great today”. We’ve all heard this and probably also said it…and most of the time we mean “the band was awesome” or “I really liked the songs they played.” This has been true for me at least.
Continue reading '5 Worship Misconceptions'

October 5th, 2010

The Evolution of the Worship Leader

A little while ago I was asked by SHRINK the Church to write an article on the evolution of the worship leader and the christian worship sub culture (in my opinion). I had a lot of fun writing it and thought I would repost it here. Make sure to check out all the awesome articles over at SHRINK the Church. Continue reading 'The Evolution of the Worship Leader'

June 2nd, 2010

Ryan Axtell EPK Is Here

Ryan Axtell EPK from Ryan Axtell on Vimeo.

It’s finally done! Chris Loope did an amazing job putting this EPK together. It does an amazing job of sharing the heart and the story behind what I do what I do! Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

April 16th, 2010

CD Release- Thank You

Thank you, everyone who came out to the CD Release show tonight. I can’t express how much your support means to me. What a fun way to wrap up this last season of my life! Its amazing to see these songs used in a way so much bigger than I could have imagined.  Here are a few pictures you guys posted on twitter. Tag me in either twitter and facebook and I’ll post more pics. Comment and let me know what you guys thought of the show! Let me know you were there!

All of you who watched online, I’ll come to your city next!

November 12th, 2009

Album in the Works

Well folks, I am currently in the process of recording/producing my first full length worship album. God has taught me a lot during our pregnancy and loss, and I have condensed most of my journey during those 6 months into 11 songs.  The album, “This Valley” really addresses the fact that our faith cannot be contingent upon an outcome. God is with you in the fire, whether you live or die in the flames. We lost our baby and it broke our hearts, but in that brokeness I felt the presence of God like I never have before. The title songs revolves around the idea that God is with us in the fight, in the moments when we just can’t go on. Even in the moments when it feels like we are caught in a desert or the valley, God calls us to obey, surrender, repent, and worship. Its not easy and its not always happy, but its our calling.

All 11 songs started as lyrics from a prayer journal as I began to converse with God and struggle through the reality of losing our firstborn. As a worship leader, I had to examine myself and see if I truly believed everything I said and sang on stage. Half of the album is geared towards the corporate worship setting, and the other half reflects some honest and hard personal conversations I had with God. This is the first full collection of music I have worked on that started lyrically…This may happen once or twice but normally I have a catchy tune or riff to build upon. It has been a fun challenge to craft melodies and song structures around pre-existing meters.

God has revealed himself to me during a pivotal time in my life, and I don’t want it to stop with me, so I’m putting it out in song. I hope you guys will enjoy! I will have some snippets up soon, but right now, I have to get back to tracking electric guitar!

July 16th, 2009

Free Download- Love Alive

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Love Alive Right click and select ‘save as’ to download.

“Love Alive” is a worship song I just finished in the last few weeks. It was a journey for me to write this song. In the midst of our pregnancy complications, I really felt God challenging me to look at the big picture and to soak in His grace, instead of just focusing on the day to day hardships. Through weeks of prayer I was reminded of the immensity of what Christ did for us and what that really meant to me. It affects absolutely everything I do. The more we let that amazing truth grow in our hearts, the more we have to share it…We just can’t contain something of such great porportions. I hope you enjoy this live version.

Additional Musicians:

Ashur Benjamin- Bass, Casey Block- Drums, Phil Tipping- Keys, Brett Reinhart- Guitar

March 18th, 2009

Happy Day

Here I had the great opportunity to lead this great retooled hymn (thanks Tim Hughes!) with Audrey Assad. Needless to say I had a blast…and yes it looks like I’m singing Audrey’s part in the beginning…

Happy Day – Audrey Assad & Ryan Axtell – Cornerstone Chandler – Worship from brianwurzell on Vimeo.

March 18th, 2009

You Won’t Relent

An incredible JesusCulture song taken from the following scripture:

Song of Solomon 8:6-8

⁶ Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy ^[a] unyielding as the grave. ^[b]
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame. ^[c]

⁷ Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.

I had the privilege of leading this song with Audrey Assad.

February 19th, 2009

Day 5: Indian Wedding

VBS

We had another great VBS session today. The kids love teaching us Tegulu (the State language) vocabulary in exchange for their English counterparts.  This is a great way to connect with the older classes (ages 12-14) who want to practice their English. They LOVE singing and hand motions! The whole team, especially the women (Kara, Danielle, Heather, Mary), are doing a great job engaging with all the kids!

Indian Wedding

Today we had the incredible privilege of attending an Indian wedding party for a friend of Saresh. The girls wore saris and the the guys wore our custom tailored Indian suits! We were a fine bunch, I must say. For 10-20 days before the wedding, both the bride and groom’s families host huge parties for hundreds of people! We attended the bride’s party on the day before the wedding. We enjoyed an amazing lunch, overwhelming hospitality, and a time of prayer for the bride.

Redlight

In the evening we visited Harvest India’s prostitute ministry in the nearby red-light district. The center provides food, medicine, and a chance to break away from the trade.  The women shared an intimate time of prayer and encouragement.

A bit shorter on the post…sorry…we’ve all been a little sick and have been spending our time in the bathroom.