Lead Worship Like Rudy Sarzo Plays Bass (5 Things Worship Leaders Can Learn from a Bass Legend)

So when I heard The Guess Who (American Woman, No Time, These Eyes) were performing at Kokomo IN's Haynes Apperson Festival, I googled to see who the lineup was for a band whose heyday was the '60-70's.

The drummer (Garry Peterson) is an original member, but, what?? Rudy Sarzo's playing bass?!

You're saying to yourself, if you're not a musician or an '80's music maven, "Rudy who?"

Rudy Sarzo is one of THE rock/heavy metal bassists of this era. He's played with Ozzie, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, Dio, to name a few. He's been in more huge, monster MTV videos than most musicians, played to packed-out stadiums, been on plenty of musician magazine covers. He's a big deal.

I'd known about him since back in the '80s but had never seen him play live (uh, heavy metal isn't exactly my cup of musical tea).

So Sandra and I settled in for the Foster Park free concert and from the first note to the last, I could not stop watching this guy!

He played every note like it was the only one that mattered. His body language, facial expressions, musicianship was super-dialed-in the whole time!

And I'm thinking,

"This is a free gig in Kokomo IN. The crowd is ok--they're not like on-their-feet into it or anything. It's sweltering out here. But this guy--this guy is going for it like it's a sold out stadium show!"

I did not catch this guy coasting for a second during their entire show!

As I kept replaying their concert in my mind, it made me start to think about worship leaders and musicians. I mean Rudy Sarzo was killing a clinic on the whole "audience of One" concept!

So for my friends who take the stage every weekend in a church, whether you're the worship leader, back-up singer, bass, guitar, drummer or keyboard player, here are five tips inspired by Rudy Sarzo:

Play/Sing Every Note with Everything You've Got

Don't pace yourself. Be in the moment every moment. When you're on stage someone is looking at you every second. So every moment is an opportunity to inspire and point someone to Jesus. Because Sarzo plays that way, in musician speak, we call that being a pro. Being a pro translates into being disciplined. Working hard every day, every gig, every song, every note. In church speak, we call this living for Jesus.

Dress for the Times and the Gig

Sarzo has been around since the '80s and was playing with a band famous decades ago, but he looked like it was 2018 and like he was at a rock gig now. Clothes matter. If you're not dressed for the times, the place and the style of music you're presenting, you will distract people.

Clothes and fashion are not a deal until you're out-of-step with them. There will always be people in your audience who are fashion-conscious, and to those people, fashion-misses, make them think about your wardrobe instead of what you want them to focus on. Clothes matter. If clothes and fashion aren't your deal, find a friend who can help you.

Or here's a scary idea. Approach someone in your church who consistently has a good sense of today's fashion and ask them what they think of what you wear. Told you it was scary ;-)

Be Expressive

We all love the old joke:
"Are you happy?"
"Yes."
"Then tell your face!" ;-)

It doesn't make sense to sing about joy with serious angst on your face. And it doesn't make sense to sing about hard times with a Cheshire Cat grin on your puss. When I was watching Sarzo last week he ran the gamut of emotions throughout the gig. He didn't just have a "bass face," he had a variety of emotions just like the songs and like the complex human being that he is.

Odds are you probably don't know what you look like when you're performing. Ask a friend to record you on your phone the next time you perform and then watch it. One of the best disciplines for me as a communicator has been watching all of my talks that I can. There's almost always a void between what I intended and how I actually came across.

Know When to Focus on Others on Stage

When the light shined on others in the band, Rudy was looking at or moving towards them. That's a pro move. That told us as the audience to do the same. Know where the focus is and help point the audience in that direction by your body language. Simple and effective.

Have Other Interests

So Rudy Sarzo is an author, a podcaster and takes a serious interest in animal rights. It's such a healthy discipline to have a variety of interests or hobbies. They are a way for us to refuel, to jettison our worship thoughts for a while as we allow ourselves (our mind, body, soul) to engage with other things.

I think of it in the same way that athletes never work their same muscles all the time. Working other muscles is healthy--so work your non-worship muscles. Worship is amazing; if you're reading this, you were probably made to help lead others in it. But God put other things in you too. What are they? Don't know? Go exploring!

Thanks, Rudy Sarzo, for the inspiration!

Peace ;-)

Key West Eats

This is by no means anything close to an exhaustive review of Key West cuisine. This is simply our experience in June 2018.

My wife Sandra and I are foodies from way back. We met in the restaurant industry as managers in the 90's and we own and operate Main Street Café in Kokomo IN.

Every meal with us is like a real time restaurant review from aesthetics, branding, wait staff, presentation etc. Don't worry--we aren't snobby--we have fun with it. Here's where we stopped in Key West:

Islamorada Fish Co.

If you're driving through the Keys vs flying into Key West, do yourself a favor and hit up Islamorada Fish Co to get your seafood juices flowing. It's right on the water, the view and the food are top-notch. And one of the first things you'll notice at more successful restaurants in the Keys is that the live entertainment (usually a guy with a guitar and a mic) are better than you're expecting.

Like every place we went to: best to hit it at it's off-peak hours to avoid waiting.

Salute! (sa-loo-TAY)

This is on the opposite side of Key West from Mallory Square so you won't watch the sun set, but the view is still amazing. (And by the way, Key West is small--going from one side to the other is no big deal.)

Below is my Seared Ahi Tuna Salad, which was wonderful. (Funny how Fl oranges make a salad better and not just a garnish.) Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal.

By the way, we ordered Key Lime Pie at every evening meal and kept a scorecard. This was fine, but not in our top two--still worth ordering though ;-)

Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville

This was my biggest surprise because I'm usually not a "chain" guy on vacation, but my brother-in-law, Mitch, is a huge Buffet fan, so it was one of our first stops. Let me just say, we LOVED IT!

It did not feel like a chain at all from décor, wait staff and food. Everything was delightful from cocktail to Key Lime Pie--probably the best pie of the trip! (Close runner-up: Key Lime Pie Bakery close to Mallory Square.)

 

 

Blue Heaven

Their breakfast specialty is their Lobster Benedict...amazing! Like so many restaurants in Key West, the dining room is virtually a back yard with tarps or sails overhead, or trees, to create a nice shaded paradise.

The White Tarpon

Thanks to a tip from a local we met, this is a great spot to take a break from the usual high dinner prices and enjoy their happy hour specials. From 4-7 their beers are discounted and they have great low-priced, yet great $5 appetizers, which we made a meal of ;-) Their Key Lime Martini (below) was yummy.

This is right on the water not far from Mallory Square, the place where everyone converges to watch the sunset.

TIP: if you park in the lot right next to it--if you're out in under 2 hours, they'll validate and give your parking fee back!

(Parking is a thing in Key West: virtually no street parking. You have to find these little parking lots and pay--they're automated. We definitely spent some money on parking that week!

Eaton Street Seafood Market

This is one of the few places that actually has a few parking spaces in front of it. It's both a fish market and restaurant, so if you want to pick up some seafood and grill yourself, this is the place.

They're known for Stone Crab and Lobster Roll. The dipping sauce for the crab was amazing as was the Stone Crab. Sandra and I were surprised that we both thought the Lobster Roll was the winner, though.

Hogfish Bar and Grill

Another tip from a local: as you drive in to this (it's technically on Stock Island, just next door to Key West) you think it looks a bit sketchy, but relax--this place is amazing! We ate more seafood here than anywhere--we wolfed it down so fast, no pics! It's right on the water and is cozy and very "Key Westy" ;-) So good!

Sloppy Joe's

So you kinda have to go here, right? The place Hemingway made famous (or better yet, we made famous in his absence).

The fish tacos were legit and some good friends of ours swear by the Greek Salad. Honestly, we didn't stay long. Even in the middle of the afternoon it was packed and the drinks seemed "modest." But you have to stop in Sloppy Joe's, right? It's cool, historic and has good live music.

Captain Tony's

So this is the oldest bar in Key West and it's late owner, Tony Terraciano is a Key West legend. We went because Mitch and I were not going to go to Key West without "Going down to Captain Tony's to get out of the heat..." (lyric: Last Mango in Paradise -J Buffet)

Croissants DeFrance

I ordered best! Yes, that's my plate: smoked salmon, scrambled eggs on a croissant. Their potatoes are amazing. Yes, you read that right. I've never raved about a breakfast potato before--they're amazing. This place has an enchanting setting. They also have a take-out bakery next door.

Amigos

This is the view from Amigos. Directly across the street (not pictured) is Captain Tony's. They have some amazing Cuban Coffee at a ridiculous price.

Onlywood Pizzeria Trotteria

One night we just wanted to stay in and eat pizza. So Sandra "yelped" us to this place to pick it up. Amazing wood fired pizza!

I would say this place is known more for their sit down experience and it looked like an amazing place to dine. It's a bit hard to find: you have to walk down a sidewalk mid-block (too narrow to be an alley) to get to it. And man, do I have respect for the guys working the wood-fired oven with no air-conditioning!

(Few places are air-conditioned in Key West. Dress light and go with the flow.)

Mattheesson's

So you have to try the Key Lime Pie on-a-stick, right? This place dunks an entire piece of pie in chocolate and freezes it--what?! So many cool and sweet treats made on the premises. Take a break, get something cool--it's hot in Key West ;-)