Sonic Theology

02/20/2026

When emilie m. townes (who styles her name in lowercase) first entered the world of theology, she noticed a glaring omission: the lived religious experiences of Black women and girls were largely absent from academic study.

Inspired by writers like Alice Walker and other pioneering scholars, townes helped shape womanism, a framework that centers Black women’s spirituality, ethics, joy, and resistance. Now joining Boston University School of Theology as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Professor of Religion and Black Studies, she is expanding that mission beyond the classroom through activism, collaboration across disciplines, and plans for a new religion and Pan-African studies program.

For townes, theology is not confined to church walls. It is a tool to confront interconnected systems of race, gender, and class and to help transform the world.

Read more ➡️ http://spr.ly/6188hbC6Q

02/16/2026

In 1980, I was invited to a James Taylor concert, but our church softball team was in the playoffs. If our right fielder got injured, I might get to play. I decided to put the team first and have regretted it ever since. I still haven’t been to a James Taylor concert. In a meager...

01/08/2026

Amy Grant is kicking off the New Year with a brand new single out today, the aptly titled “The [...]

01/07/2026

Good stuff here!

🩵 "When we are experiencing harm–systemic or interpersonal–it can be difficult to accept the need for exit without a picture of what could be. “God is Love” has the potential to offer alternative futures. Lines like “love will never harm us,” “love does not coerce us,” and “love waits to receive us” create a framework for understanding what we can ask of loving human relationships."

01/03/2026

Discovered in southern Germany, this prehistoric flute dates to around 40,000 BCE, making it one of the oldest musical instruments ever found. It was carefully carved from the wing bone of a griffon vulture, showing advanced skill and intentional design.

The flute was uncovered in Hohle Fels Cave and is linked to early modern humans living during the Upper Paleolithic period. Its existence proves music was already part of human life long before agriculture, writing, or permanent cities.

Researchers believe music played a role in communication, social bonding, and ritual, helping early humans build shared identity. Source: University of Tübingen archaeological reports; Nature, 2009. Shared for informational/Educational purpose only

12/31/2025

It is with deep sadness that we share the news that our beloved Minister of Music Emeritus, E. Carl Freeman, Jr., died this afternoon. At the same time, with profound gratitude, we give thanks for all he has meant to our church.

Carl’s life and ministry are woven into the very fabric of River Road Church. For forty-two years (1968–2010), he served among us as Minister of Music—shaping not only what we sang, but how we worshiped. His tenure among us was remarkable in length, distinction, and spiritual depth, and its influence will long outlive us.

Carl came to River Road at the age of thirty-two, drawn by a shared vision for worship marked by beauty, reverence, and excellence. From the beginning, he gave this church his whole heart. As Minister of Music, he provided the musical soul of our worship—week after week, season after season—through Sunday services, concerts, special occasions, weddings, memorial services, and countless rehearsals. What many experienced as effortless beauty was, in truth, the fruit of tireless preparation, high standards, and deep devotion to God.

Under Carl's leadership, the music ministry at River Road became known far beyond Richmond. He cultivated a classical, reverent, and high-church musical tradition, offered with warmth and an ecumenical spirit. Choir members learned quickly that Carl demanded excellence—not only because he expected it of others, but because he demanded it first of himself. And yet, alongside that discipline was genuine care, pastoral attentiveness, and abiding love for the people he served. In recognition of his ministry, we were proud to name him Minister of Music Emeritus upon his retirement.

Today we grieve the loss of a gifted musician, a devoted minister, and a faithful servant of Christ. At the same time, we give thanks for a life poured out so fully in service to God and to this congregation. In the days ahead, we will share information about arrangements and opportunities to give thanks for Carl's life together. For now, we invite you to hold his family, and one another, in prayer.

12/30/2025

Damn…

We are saddened to announce the passing of world-renowned artist, songwriter, and musician, Richard Smallwood. The family asks that you respect our privacy during this difficult time, while helping to celebrate the legacy he leaves behind and the gifts he unselfishly shared with the world.

11/29/2025

Good news! "Take Us Home by Another Way" drops on December 1! The song is a rousing, four part, a ca****la piece for Epiphany, based on the story of the three wise men, who chose to return home by another road rather than reveal the location of the Christ child to Herod. I wrote it in response to the one year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection and have had a great time singing it with groups at events, encouraging folks to sing out like pirates in a bar.

AND I'm so excited that this will be the first recording ever to include all three of our sons, Ross, Liam and Gabriel! Get ready!

10/28/2025

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jack DeJohnette. He died peacefully in Kingston, Hospital, NY. He was surrounded by his wife, family, and close friends. Jack was a NEA Jazz Master. His legacy will live on.

09/27/2025

Sing on…!

It is with deep sadness that the GIA family announces the death of one of our own. Dr. James Abbington (Jimmie) passed into eternal life today. Jimmie was our friend and colleague for more than 25 years and he will be greatly missed.

Jimmie was a connector and a mentor in the truest and deepest sense of those words, always taking the time to encourage young musicians and composers, particularly those of color, to reach the heights of their education, celebrating each individual’s accomplishments at every step, and continuing to support their professional work. As executive editor of the African American Church Music Series, his scholarship, his talents, and his infectious personality built a legacy of supporting, publishing, and preserving the sacred music works of African American composers. It is Jimmie’s commitment to teaching and mentoring and raising others up that will continue to have a ripple effect on church music and African American composers and musicians for decades to come.

The list of accolades earned over the years by Dr. Abbington is long and impressive, all well-deserved, yet we will remember him as our teacher—teaching us all about music, about history, about love for God and the church, and mostly about friendship. Well done, good and faithful servant, may the angels lead you into paradise.

For more: https://giamusic.com/remembering-jimmie

09/25/2025

Sacred music isn't just worship—it's spiritual technology that has powered survival, resistance, and hope across centuries.

In this groundbreaking work, Lisa M. Allen reveals how the Black church's musical traditions—spirituals, hymns, and gospel—have functioned as far more than entertainment or even worship. These genres serve as "spiritual technologies" that empowered African-descended peoples to navigate perilous circumstances while maintaining vital connections to ancestral spirituality, however tenuous those links became.

Using an innovative Afrofuturist lens, Allen traces the origin and evolution of these sacred music forms, demonstrating how their creation and performance employ three core elements: imagination, improvisation, and adaptability. These aren't just musical techniques—they're ancestral spiritual technologies that enabled survival and can now help African and African-descended Christian communities "vision" themselves into generative, hope-filled futures.

Allen's analysis moves beyond historical appreciation to practical application, showing how these time-tested technologies of resilience can address contemporary challenges facing Black churches and communities. The same creative spirit that transformed suffering into song can transform present struggles into pathways forward.

For church leaders, musicians, scholars, and anyone interested in the intersection of music, spirituality, and social justice, this work offers both profound insight and practical hope for futurity rooted in ancestral wisdom.

09/23/2025

Happy 68th birthday to Nick Cave 🖤