The Goulds Talk About Working with Jim Brady & Their New Album "Where Are the Voices"

The Goulds are a family who enjoy spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ through song.  They are based out of Joplin, Mo. and travel the country wherever God opens doors.  The Goulds have sung alongside many groups including The Lesters, The Mark Trammell Quartet, The Isaacs, Tribute Quartet, The Perrys, The Kingsmen and many others.  The Goulds are known for their tight family harmony and uplifting spirit that touches young and old alike.

The Goulds attended the 2013 National Quartet Convention and were chosen to sing on the main stage in Freedom Hall.  They are returning to the NQC in 2014 as a Featured Artist. They also sing at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. as well as many other great venues.  

Hallels: Thanks for doing this interview with us.  Tell us who are the Goulds? 

Goulds: Thanks for speaking with us, we appreciate the opportunity to share our family and ministry with your readers. In short, we are a Father/Daughter trio based out of Joplin, MO who travel the country singing Southern    Gospel music.  I sing the baritone part, our oldest daughter, Kelsey, sings the alto part, and our youngest daughter, Christa, sings the soprano part.  My wife, Deb, travels with us and is our sound engineer. 

We have been singing officially now for 5 years and have had the opportunity to sing on the Main Stage of the National Quartet Convention, the Southern Gospel Picnic at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO and we have been the Spotlight Artist on Paul Heil's Gospel Greats program.  God has been working in and through our lives and the music He has given us to sing. We are excited to be able to share the Gospel and encourage believers everywhere. 

Hallels:  How would you describe your sound and style of music?  What do you think makes you stand out as a group? 

Goulds:  That's a hard question.  Most everyone says we have a unique sound that is our own.  However, they also say  that we sound a little like the Isaacs, Collingsworth Family and Booth Brothers.  I have to admit that the Booth Brothers comment throws me a little since we are a male/female trio.  I think what they are hearing are the tight family harmonies which remind them of those groups.  It is an honor to be compared with these artists.  

As for our style, we do a mix of styles from traditional Southern Gospel songs to some more contemporary sounding selections.  Kelsey and Christa are 20 and 15 respectively, so the music they have grown up listening to varies from the traditional Southern Gospel I knew as a child to the Contemporary Christian music of today.  Our audiences and supporters vary widely in age and we try to reach all of them at some point.  We have found that the "older" listeners love and appreciate the "younger" songs and that the "younger" listeners love the "older" songs such as the hymns and more traditional songs.  It is wonderful to watch people of all ages listening and worshipping together at our concerts. 

Hallels:  Congrats on the release of your new album "Where Are The Voices."  I believe it was produced by Jim Brady.   

Goulds:  Thank you!  We are really excited with this new project.  It contains songs that have touched us personally and we pray will touch lives everywhere.  We are blessed to have songs from some of the best songwriters in Gospel music.  It was always a dream of ours to be able to record songs from writers like Rodney Griffin, Diane Wilkenson, Rebecca Peck, Jim Brady and many more.  We are excited that we were able to do that with this CD.   

Yes, it was produced by Jim Brady.  Jim is a man of God who is incredibly talented as a songwriter and singer.  He brought so much to this project that we are still amazed how God orchestrated it and that He chose our family to work with Jim. 

Hallels:  How did you get to work with Jim?  And, what do you think he brings to the album that you appreciate? 

Goulds:  That is really an awesome story!  We had worked with the Isaacs in the summer of 2013 and I had asked Ben if he would consider producing our next project.  He was very gracious and said that we could discuss it and see if it would work out.  I was always told to give things a try, you never know what God might do if you just ask.  Ben and I communicated a few times via email but we just never could get things in line. 

In September of that year we went to the National Quartet Convention for the very first time.  We went in as a regional artist and were blessed to be chosen to sing on the Main Stage.  After we had sung, I was walking across the very large exhibit hall when I caught a glimpse of Jim Brady.  I had never met Jim, yet immediately I heard in my head a voice that said "he is going to produce your next CD."  I had heard that voice in my head and heart before and I knew it was the Lord communicating what He wanted for us.  I however, promptly answered "no, Ben Isaacs will produce our next CD."  After a month of trying to make that work I knew that it wasn't what was to be so I told my wife that I thought Jim Brady was supposed to produce us.  She replied "are you nuts?"  However, she has always trusted me and knew that if it was what God wanted, it would happen.  Our scheduling agent is a friend of Jim's so I asked him to get me Jim's email so I could get in touch with him. 

Jim met with us a little later and told us that many groups had asked him to work with them but he simply did not have time.  Then he told us that just prior to our contacting him God had been impressing on his heart that he should find a family trio and work with them.  We were that trio!  Jim also mentioned that the recommendation from our scheduling agent was what put it over the top and confirmed it for us.  Have I mentioned that I love our scheduling agent!  Thanks Duane! 

As for what Jim brings, the list is long.  He is one of the greatest baritone singers in Gospel music as well as one of the most gifted songwriters of all time.  Add to that his background in close, family harmonies and his 13 years of experience with the Booth Brothers and you can't go wrong.  Jim was able to give us technical instruction that only someone of his caliber could.  He worked with the girls in a manner that took them to the next level vocally, all while doing it with love and respect.  He encouraged and guided us as he stretched and molded us into better singers.  Most of all he became a friend and is still to this day.  He invested his time and talents in us personally and we learned so much from him.  We were also so blessed to become friends with his wife, Melissa.  She brought a female perspective that the girls immediately respected and listened to.  Melissa and Jim not only opened their home to us but their hearts and friendship as well.  We pray that we are able to return that favor someday and to pass it on to others that God puts in our path. 

Hallels:  What are some lessons or encouragements you want listeners to grasp after listening to your album? 

Goulds:  This CD contains songs that literally spoke directly to our hearts.  We chose these 10 songs from hundreds of demos sent to us so we truly believe in the message this CD has to offer.  The songs on this CD range from upbeat songs that talk about Heaven and the promises Christ has made, to songs that speak directly to your heart in a tender way, gently meeting you right where you are today, whatever day that might be.  We pray that the listener's needs are met in a way that only God can and in a place where only He can reach; that they are encouraged, lifted up and touched, and that they hear the unique message God has for them.  Jesus is our Great Redeemer and He cares for our every joy, concern and need, all we must do is turn to Him, trust and obey. 

Hallels:  What was the greatest blessing and the greatest challenge in the making of this album? 

Goulds:  On a personal level the greatest blessing was working with my daughters and watching them grow in their talents as they serve the Lord.  There is no greater blessing for a father than to be able to serve the Lord alongside of his family.  As a group and family we are blessed every time we sing because we get to watch these songs bless people and change their lives.  God blesses us with folks who tell us how a particular song ministered to them at their time of need or how it changed a family member, bringing them closer to Christ.  We are also so thankful for the relationships we made with all of the people who were a part of this project.  There are so many talented individuals who never get mentioned or thought of because they are not the ones singing, but their contributions are equally important to the making of a project such as this. 

As for the challenges, we had some interesting ones.  Since we are such a new group and new to most of this it can be intimidating to work with some of the best musicians and singers in the business.  I love to tell the story of when we were recording vocals in the studio with Jim for the first time.  He and I were going over the vocal arrangement of one of the songs and trying out some different ideas.  He sang a little run and I turned to ask my wife and the girls what they thought.  They were all three just sitting there with their mouths wide open.  Jim and I just laughed out loud.  It can be overwhelming when you ask yourself how and why God chose you and has given you the opportunity to meet and work with some of the people we have worked with.  You just have to trust in Him and "do what you do" as I like to say.  Just be yourself and trust His path for you. 

Hallels:  Tell us more about your latest single "Jesus Speaking Peace".  What's the song about? 

Goulds:  This is a great song written by Melissa Brady, Rebecca Peck and Niles Borop.  It talks about how Jesus speaks peace to our lives no matter what we may be going through.  The best way to describe this song is to tell about a church where we sang it.  This church honored a couple of church members who had served their church faithfully the past year.  Unfortunately, one of the people honored was a young woman who had passed away a few months before due to cancer.  Her family was there that day and they were sitting directly behind us. 

The church showed a touching video and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  This woman was loved by all there.  As an artist this is a very tough position to be in because your audience is crying and sad when you take the stage.  My daughters looked at me and asked what we were going to do.  I told them to relax and just sing from the heart.  We opened with "Jesus Speaking Peace" and after the first verse and chorus you could visibly see the entire church sigh a breath of relief as Jesus met them right there with the peace that only He can bring.  It brought tears to our eyes.  Needless to say we had a great church service! 

Hallels:  For our readers who would like to find out more about you and your music, where can they go? 

Goulds:  They can go to our website www.gouldsmusic.com where they can find our schedule, bios, videos and much more. They can also find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/gouldsmusic, where we would love for them to "like" us.  If they want to reach us to schedule a time with their church or event they can visit the website or call the Signature Artist Agency at 417-236-9090.  We would love to hear from them! 

 

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