Louie's Legit Drumming?

[petrafreak2009]

Based on Jonathan David Brown's interview with Sue (found here), Louie played on More Power to Ya, after which Brown used Keith Edwards (who had done the studio work before Louie was hired right after the completion of Never Say Die) for Not of This World and the aforementioned Fairlight programmer for Beat the System.

Here's what Brown said about the MPTY and NOTW recordings with Louie:

Anyway, Louie did GREAT, especially under the kind of pressure I was accustomed to doling out to those who could not play in time. Somewhere in there, though, we had a few tense moments which set the stage for me having to ask him during a subsequent rehearsal to sit out for Not of This World, when I hired Keith to come back. I really regretted having to do this to the band. I really loved Louie. I just was not able to get what I thought PETRA had to have. I don't know, maybe I had tunnel vision... I brought Louie in at the end and add some finishing cymbal touches. This sorta smoothed things out to where we weren't fighting a cold war.

And, later, about BTS and CITAS

So when Beat the System came around, I was not in the mood for another round of confrontational stuff. I suggested to the Darrell and Wayne and the Band that we go with a Fairlight programmer for bass and drums - Carl Marsh. ... The last record I did with them, Captured In Time And Space, made a way for Louie and me to be reconciled. I was able to really encourage him in the live performances. When the results were good, it fuelled his confidence like nothing before. I think he really had a blast. The reason I focused on Louie in this story, besides to explain the Beat the System question, is because he is the longest standing member of the group. He became what I'd consider to be one of the best and most consistent drummers in the business, and made lemonade out of the lemons he bought.

Reading that interview, which I found while doing work on the Wikipedia project, is something else. Brown is obviously reworking history to make himself sound better (his version of why he stopped working with Petra is completely the opposite of Bob's version, for example), and I've never understood -- and always thought it regrettable -- that Petra's drummer didn't actually play on some of Petra's best early albums. To hear Brown tell it, though, he made Louie into what he became during the Schlitt era. Maybe he did, but I'm pretty skeptical about taking Brown at his word, especially given his, *ahem* colorful post-Petra experiences in the early 1990s.

I think that has been brought up before... maybe like 3 years ago? But it is interesting cause I haven't read that in a long while. Thanks for bringing this back up! Good info

[executioner]

I hope he is not producing the new stuff and the rerecorded stuff, I really want to hear Louie play. I like the sound(except for BTS) of these albums.

[fcollazo]

I was told by the Manager that Louie would be playing all tracks live this time around, and one of the changes would be that they would re-record Not Of This World with a string orchestra.

[brent]

JDB is not producing. There is enough experience between Bob, John L and Greg now to produce a great record. I confirmed this long ago.

[Drumolator]

JDB is not producing. There is enough experience between Bob, John L and Greg now to produce a great record. I confirmed this long ago.

Cool beans! God is good all the time.

[CatNamedManny]

Yeah, I can't imagine the band would even want JDB producing, given his history with Louie, and given Bob's comments about his work on CITAS.

Also, there's the whole "convicted felon" thing. Not great PR if you're wanting to sell albums, even if JDB has turned his life around and doesn't believe in attending KKK meetings and sheltering their members after they shoot up synagogues anymore. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_D ... ral_prison)

[Shell]

It's been a long time, so I'm not sure if I remember right, but I think there's an interview with him (probably on John's website). He was rather unconventional and did make some unwise decisions, but I don't think he was actually a KKK member. I think his association with KKK was in an effort to reach out to kids who held those beliefs. I'm not saying he was right or anything, but there are two sides to every story. And every band will have its conflicts from everyone having different ideas on how to do things. This was a long time ago anyway.

[brent]

What people do on their own time and dime has no bearing on their musical skills and ability to make good music IMO. It is what it is. We are all stupid sinners making stupid decisions. I didn't know JDB back in that time in question, but I know him and his family now. He is not part of the KKK. Quite the contrary. He is not a traditional Christian either. What he believes does involve the white "race" being designated as key to the success of God's work here. I do not know the specifics of it. I will ask him to clarify.

JDB and Louie are fine with each other now. Don't read too much into all of that interview. I too have heard memories recalled differently from multiple people involved in those early records, from JDB, to Volz, to Slick to Weaver. Just like the Gospels, different people point out different takes and layers to the same truth. It is all filtered.

Personally, I would dig it if JDB was back. I like his approach and his results. What he believes and did on his own time years ago doesn't change that. There has been so many years since all of that, and so many in the church, CCM industry, etc to be guilty of far worse....it doesn't really matter. Some of the biggest selling Christian music was not even written, produced or engineered by Christians. The labels are mostly secular. Some of the artists aren't Christians. Where do we draw that line? Old horse.

[fcollazo]

Well, well, well, if thinking that the "white" race only will be responsible for God's success on earth does not make someone a supremacist, racist, bigot then I don't know waht cool aid you are drinking. I am a Puertorrican and I don't think the hope of the Earth will come from Puerto Rico. I don't know why when someone has the complete wrong idea of God's love we have sugarcoat it because we like that person's work. It makes me sick!

[brent]

I don't know that he believes what you typed. I have never heard it verbalized like that.

I think he believes is a type of dispensational age, where God has used the non-Jewish believers to grow his church. I would say that this has been the case. Up until the last couple of decades, American churches and missions have been some of the most potent. Now Eastern countries are seeing new converts like never before. So if this is all to what he believes, then I can agree with it. This is scriptural. We do not see a complete Jewish revival until the end.

I think his belief calls into question the bloodline of certain categories of people in history and in scripture itself. He believes the basics as far as I know, that Jesus Christ died for all. If he believes that, then it doesn't matter to me. We can agree on the majors and disagree on the minors as long as he is not misrepresenting Jesus Christ, the Word. Jesus has to be what he said he would be, or we have no real Savior.

[fcollazo]

What people do on their own time and dime has no bearing on their musical skills and ability to make good music IMO. It is what it is. We are all stupid sinners making stupid decisions. I didn't know JDB back in that time in question, but I know him and his family now. He is not part of the KKK. Quite the contrary. He is not a traditional Christian either. What he believes does involve the white "race" being designated as key to the success of God's work here. I do not know the specifics of it. I will ask him to clarify.

JDB and Louie are fine with each other now. Don't read too much into all of that interview. I too have heard memories recalled differently from multiple people involved in those early records, from JDB, to Volz, to Slick to Weaver. Just like the Gospels, different people point out different takes and layers to the same truth. It is all filtered.

Personally, I would dig it if JDB was back. I like his approach and his results. What he believes and did on his own time years ago doesn't change that. There has been so many years since all of that, and so many in the church, CCM industry, etc to be guilty of far worse....it doesn't really matter. Some of the biggest selling Christian music was not even written, produced or engineered by Christians. The labels are mostly secular. Some of the artists aren't Christians. Where do we draw that line? Old horse.

I understand what you are saying now, but still, every time someone singles out a race as superior, like you said before "the white race being designated as key to God's success on earth" falls into exactly what Hitler and the Nazi stood for, and if we did not call that evil, we would all be speaking German, Japanese or Italian today. I mean, JDB trying to dsimiss on trial shooting at a Building that could have had innocent people inside as not being a crime because it was not owned by individuals, and still pat him in the back.

Come on! I am not apologetic about this, racism in any form has no place in the Kingdom of God. And for anybody's education Jesus was a middle-eastern man with the traits of a man from that region: thick or curly black hair, tanned or "brown" skin, dark eyes, and a broad nose; not the white, blonde, blue eyed picture that we have been fed by the wishful thinking of most artists.

[brent]

I agree with you. Jesus came from a specific lineage, which had specific undeniable traits. Many people do not like this. Some blacks make him out to be darker, some whites out to be lighter. But, many Jews do not like that he was OUR high priest and brought a new law, doing away with the old.

That said, only the mother's dna/genes played a part, not a man's. We don't know specifically what God added or took away, or whether those traits are the same today as they would have been 2200 years ago.

JDB did some stuff that he regrets. He does continue to do them. He has some interesting spins on things, but they are not doctrinally based and have no bearing on his salvation (or mine). Let's not assume the he hasn't made some adjustments to what he believes and what he does.

[p-freak]

Wow, Brent. I've never heard you talk about stuff you don't believe in so respectfully! Well done.

[sue d.]

It's been a long time, so I'm not sure if I remember right, but I think there's an interview with him (probably on John's website).

The link WAS on this thread... the poster must have deleted it now, because I don't see it. It was on GuidetoPetra.com; that was an interview I did back in the mid-90s, well before johnwschlitt.com even existed. It was on GTP for a few years....

I wanted to give him a chance to tell HIS side of the story, since I felt he didn't get a fair shake to explain what all went on from his perspective.

So I had asked if he would be interested in sharing, and he said he would. So I put it all in a question/answer format, covering his days with Petra, with GXV, and the following years.

Very interesting man to interview, so say the least.

[Shell]

I bought a special edition "Beat The System" EP from him a few years ago on e-bay. He was very friendly. I know friendliness doesn't equal someone's heart being right with God or someone being a Christian, but I would imagine friendliness isn't a top priority for most felons. You can't judge by appearances or by what you might hear in the media.