Beth Schafer - 2009
Combine Natalie Merchant's clean soulful voice with Eagles' harmonies, a mixture of pop/rock grooves and a light dose of inspiration and you have a sense of Beth Schafer's music. Schafer is not your typical recording artist. In fact there is nothing typical about the direction of her career or her writing. Her fan-base has stretched beyond the contemporary Jewish music roots that drove her early releases, and has crossed into the mainstream writing rock with spirit; carefully avoiding both the dogma and fluff that comes with much religious music.
Beth tours with a band that can really groove. She fronts the group on guitars and lead vocals and is joined by John Marsden on keys, Bill "Giff" Gifford on bass and Johnny Demarkis on drums. All players also sing allowing Schafer's harmony-rich tunes to soar in concert.
Highlights of Beth's career have been playing at center court for the Orlando Magic, winning the 2006 American Idol Faith-Based competition, and playing for President Barack Obama's historic campaign.
About Beth
Beth Schafer is an award-winning songwriter whose shows blend first-class musicianship with a little teaching and a little theatre into a high-impact transformative experience. Beth's infectious energy, well-crafted songs and intelligent lyrics coupled with a great band has made her a leading act in the faith-based music world. Her audiences are of all faiths who have found that her messages and music touch them. It is her universality that placed her at center-court for the half-time show at an Orlando Magic game, and won her the faith-based competition on American Idol Underground in 2006. Beth likes making music, loves bringing people together through the power of music, and feels God's presence when it all works right. She has no intention of forcing any beliefs on anyone, but to those who are searching for something greater than themselves, Beth seems to make a magical connection. She creates contemporary interpretations of ancient texts that help us make sense of humanity. She has been told on numerous occasions that she has scored the soundtrack to her fans' lives.