Throne Together Story & Downloads

Jon Eichler's Wedding Pics

A request before my post: If Throne Together impacted you in some significant way, please post a comment below. I’d love to pass on some of your stories to the band. Now I’ll continue with my post.

I was at a wedding a little while back (Congrats Jon Eichler!) that made me start thinking about the band I used to play in – Throne Together. At the wedding Jon Godbold and I took a few pics in honor of the band – that’s probably what made me start remembering. Anyway, there’s no way to describe the impact that “Throne Together” had on me, so I figured I needed to write something to try to capture a part of it.

Story

A Start:

“Throne Together” was originally organized as the worship band for a Saturday Night service which Mike Mathews (Pastor @ TUMC) wanted to start. We got the band together and began practicing. Most of us had never played in a band before but we were having so much fun that we just kept working. Meanwhile the Saturday Night service start date kept getting pushed back so I talked Mike into letting us play one Sunday morning as a special event. Although it stirred up some trouble for him, Mike decided that he wanted us to begin playing every other Sunday morning and so we did.

Saturday Night:

When the service finally started we had grown into a full fledged band and adopted the name “Throne Together” from Jeremiah 3:17 “We come to the throne together for worship.” We rehearsed during the week, and played for the Saturday Night service as well as every other Sunday morning. It was during this time that the “Worship Wars” began at Tomball UMC. Although many loved the addition of the band to their traditional service, some church members weren’t too happy about it. Along with Mike Mathews, we became the target of much criticism. It was a tough time but it was also an incredible time. In spite of the critical people, we were also riding the waves of excitement among our supporters. The persecution only served to bind us together and solidify the sense of purpose we had in following the calling we felt to find new ways to express our own gratitude and relationship to God. Throne Together became a sort of family to one another. We took care of each other and supported each other. Our weekly rehearsals became a sort of small group. We studied all kinds of books (usually about worship) and together, we all grew closer to God. We hung out together outside of church. We were friends. (and still are)

Recording/Gigs

We tried to find places to play outside of church as much as possible. Each year we spent a full week playing for the Texas Conference NW District Camp for about 400 High School students. These times became important for us as they allowed for us to have extended practices and lots of shared time to hang out and simply grow together. There was also a young man named Charles Jones who would sit in with us on the piano. All he needed to know was the key we would play in and he’d just jam away. (Charles is now a professional musician living in LA. He was in the movie “Dreamgirls” and plays with John Mayer, Jonny Lang, Jennifer Hudson, etc.) Playing at “camp” also allowed us to bring a few extra people along. We always had someone to run sound/video (Evan Godbold, Zach McNair, Jon Eichler, Ryan Floro, Jarrod Ambrose) for us during our worship times. Many of these “extras” eventually became musicians themselves and ended up serving in other bands and ministries. We also played pretty regularly at “His Word” Christian Bookstore/Coffeehouse where our church members would come out to support us in great numbers. One of those nights a young man named “Todd Agnew” opened up for us. (He eventually went on to have quite a bit of success himself.) Another yearly gig we had was playing for the Susanna Wesley Day School Fall Festival. Those were great times ’cause we got to play outside and let our hair down a little bit. Things were very laid back and we could experiment a bit. One of our greatest compliments actually came from one of those gigs. One young boy told his mom that we weren’t really playing and it was a recording. Also by the way, we put together a group called the “Four Tune Hunters” to play for one of the first Fall Festivals which included Jon Godbold, myself, Terry Crump, and Kurt Narum. This may very well have been the beginning of Throne Together as it brought Jon and I together to collaborate.

We recorded two CDs during our time together. “Knock Just a Little” was released in 2000 and “The Return” in 2002. Although there were a few exceptions, Jon Godbold was our main songwriter. He would bring a song to the band and then we’d collaborate a bit to figure out song structure and add musical ideas to his foundation. The songs reflected many of the feelings and thoughts that we were experiencing together. Those were fun days. We recorded in a home studio with the leadership/production expertise of one of our great friends – Mike Briscoe. Kristy, his bride was also very gracious to allow us to invade her home so regularly during those times. Mike is an incredible musician himself. If you ever have an opportunity, check him out.

Members

Original Members were:

Steve Corn – guitar, vocals
John Creed – bass
Buck Miller – drums
Eric Courville – electric guitar
Sarah Rampy – keys
Janice Stump – vocals
Leslie Morgan (Banatwala) – vocals
Shana Googer (Gumienny) – vocals

It wasn’t long before John Creed moved away and so Jon Godbold reluctantly joined the “church band” as our new bass player. Shana Googer, Janice Stump, and Sarah Rampy also moved away. We chose not to replace them, but eventually found Chip Leitschuh to play keys. These changes brought us to what would become the backbone of the group.

Backbone Members

Steve Corn – guitar, vocals
Jon Godbold – bass, vocals
Buck Miller – drums
Eric Courville – electric guitar, vocals
Chip Leitschuh – keys
Leslie Morgan (Banatwala) – vocals, flute
Shana Googer (Gumienny) – vocals – always a part of the group when she was in town

Tragedy struck the band when Buck died of an accidental overdose with a bad combination of prescription drugs. Other than family, I was the first to arrive on the scene that night. Buck’s son, Dustan Thrift was in Hawaii working as a trainer for the SMU football team and his mom asked me to call to give him the bad news. It was a tough night to say the least.

Eric eventually stepped out and Leslie and I moved away.

Third generation of players

After Buck died and Eric left, we had a lot of instrumental shoes to fill. Luckily, many of our original fans had grown into musicians themselves and so Josh Cook and Dale Googer took on semi-permanent roles. We also discovered Chris Montes during this time and were trying to figure out why God would send us another acoustic guitar player/vocalist when we really needed an electric player?? Once God revealed his plan to move me, it all became clear. Chris took my place and was able to lead them to become much better musicians. Here’s the last line-up:

Chris Montes – guitar, vocals
Jon Godbold – bass, vocals
Dale Googer – drums
Josh Cook – electric guitar, vocals
Chip Leitschuh – keys
Shana Googer (Gumienny) – vocals

Other Short-Term or Guest Members include:

Ray Victor – soprano sax, drums
Patti Mathews – vocals
Dan Johnson – drums
Keith Cathcart – keys, vocals
Evan Godbold – vocals, bass, guitar
Hans Googer – guitar
Josh Gumienny – guitar, vocals
Zach Godbold – bass, vocals
Andrew Gay – electric guitar
Charles Jones – piano at church camp

According to Jon, one of the very last line-ups was what he called “Throne in the Greenhouse.” At their final District Camp the members of Throne Together (Chris, Jon, Chip, Shana) joined forces with those from “Greenhouse Effect” (Zach, Dale, Josh, Andrew Gay). Jon says it was “loud of full of energy.”

Impact

The impact of Throne Together is tough to describe. We were mentioned in the Cy Falls High School Yearbook as one of their students favorite bands. (That may be our highest official honor.) The entire community of believers at Tomball UMC was directly impacted each Sunday as they were led in worship. (Some would say it was a horrible impact.) Throne Together was also a part of a beautiful movement of the Spirit during those days. Quite possibly the greatest impact was eventually seen in the number of young people (once fans) who would go on to be involved in worship music themselves. There have been quite a few worship bands who were formed from the ranks of Throne Together fans. Even more interesting is to watch the 3rd Generation of bands – people who were impacted by people who were impacted by Throne Together. There’s no way to know how many people have been touched by all these musicians, but I feel confident in saying that God rejoices over them all. And I feel humbled and blessed to have been able to be a part of it.

If Throne Together impacted you in some significant way, please post a comment below.


CD downloads

Each download below includes entire CD. All songs + a Digital Booklet which was created from the original artwork. These files are large (high quality) and will take a while to download. Just right click and select “save as” to download.

Download “Knock Just a Little” here:

Knock Just a Little.zip

Track listing:
Knock Just a Little
Everlasting King
Motel 7
When I Fall Away
Show Me Your Face
The Way You Lead
Need
Not Long For This World
Wish
Begin to Understand
Whirlwind

Download “The Return” here:

The Return.zip

Track listing:
All for You
Inside Out
Hasten the Day
If
Breaking Free
Everything You Do
Prepare the Way
Just a Little While Longer
Take You In
The Return
Fade Away

Download some previously Unreleased Tracks here:

Unreleased Tracks.zip

Track listing:
Fade Away Lullaby (altered lyrics)
(changed for Steve’s son Kasen)

All for You (Cheesy Techno Mix)

Happy Song (live @ His Word)

All I Want (live @ His Word)

Things I Prayed For (live @ His Word)

Bands I’ve seen Live

Rock

Mutemath

U2, Muse

Texxas Jam 1985: Deep Purple, Scorpions, Night Ranger, Ted Nugent, Bon Jovi, Grim Reaper, Victory

Texxas Jam 1986: Van Halen, Dio, Loverboy, Krokus, Keel, BTO

Night Ranger – Six Flags Over Texas

Damn Yankees

Ratt, Twisted Sister, Mama’s Boys (My First Concert)

Journey (1986)

James Taylor

The Eagles

Joe Walsh

Club MTV Tour 1989 – Paula Abdul, Tone Loc, Milli Vanilli, Information Society, Erasure, Was not Was, Lisa Lisa

Van Halen (1986 Tour)

Kenny Loggins

Contact

Guitar Players

G3 – Eric Johnson (shook hands with him), Steve Vai, Joe Satriani

Brad Gillis

Michael Hedges

Leo Kottke

Phil Keagy

Folk/Rock

David Wilcox

Steve Forbert

Shake Russell

Trout Fishing in America

Jazz

Stanley Jordan

Maynard Ferguson

Count Basie Band

Jon Faddis

Steve Morse Band

Bela Fleck wand the Flecktones

Cornell Dupree with Lou Marini

Kenny G (I’m ashamed, but it’s true.)

Christian Bands

Stryper (in the 80s and for their reunion in 2001)

Chris Tomlin

Deliriou5?

David Crowder

Robbie Seay

Nickel and Dime

Lloyd

Inhabited

Matt Redman

Hawk Nelson

Five Iron Frenzy

Jeremy Camp

Mercy Me

Third Day

Pocket Full of Rocks

Chasing Furies

Shane Barnard, Shane and Caleb, Shane and Shane

Jennifer Knapp

Audio Adrenaline

Newsboys

Supertones

Skillet

POD

Larry Norman

Waterdeep

Clear

Phil Keagy

Vigilantes of Love

Festivals

Texxas Jam (1985 & 1986)

Cornerstone Music Festival (twice ??? & 2001) – Too many to Count

Ichthus Music Festival (2006) – Too many to Count

Festival Con Dios (2001) – Audio Adrenaline, Newsboys, Supertones, Switchfoot, Skillet, Earthsuit, PAX217, T-Bone, Luna Halo, Superchick, Pillar, Cadet, The Elms, Benjamin Gate, Phat Chance, Tree63

Festival Con Dios (2002) – Audio Adrenaline, Toby Mac, Mercy Me, Out of Eden, Benjamin Gate, Tree63, Pillar, Aaron Spiro, Jeremy Camp, Sanctus Real, Everyday Sunday

Club MTV Tour 1989 – Paula Abdul, Tone Loc, Milli Vanilli, Information Society, Erasure, Was not Was, Lisa Lisa

Friend’s Bands

Contact (Steve Dowdy – guitar & keys)

Mike Briscoe

Greenhouse Effect

Blake Rampy Band

Evan Godbold

Throne Together (My old band)

Josh Gumienny

Chris Montes

Gatlin Elms (Andrew Gay – guitar)

Country (I’m almost ashamed to admit that I’ve seen these.)

Oak Ridge Boys

Alabama

Alan Jackson

A bunch at Billy Bob’s in the late 80s/early 90s. (Jerry Lee Lewis, Collin Raye, Lorrie Morgan, etc.)

Lullaby

Here’s another song I recorded for Kasen. My friend Jane Lo and her cousin Justin Su did the violin and cello parts. They’re really good. The song was written by a group called “Trout Fishing in America” but it’s one that I have sung to Kasen quite a bit and Miranda really likes it so I decided to record it.

“Lullaby” by Trout Fishing in America
Recorded by Steve Corn with Jane Lo and Justin Su

 

Lullaby

I’m finding that I need more lullaby-type songs lately so Miranda and I rewrote some lyrics for a song that my friend Jon Godbold originally wrote. Then I recorded it with the new lyrics for him. Check it out on the right side of the page here. It’s called, “Fade Away Lullaby” – It’s not the best recording and certainly not the best vocal – kind of a one-morning job. I also didn’t have any effects on this computer to make it sound really good. Oh well – you get the idea.

If you’re desperate for music, you can download it here:

Thought I’d put some pics up too. My artsy pic that Miranda hates (She says he looks like Powder. And then there’s the one where you can see my reflection in his eye. (Do people see my Father when they look in my eyes?) and finally his first trip to see Santa. He slept through it all. . .

Guitar Man
Smile
Lookin’ at Daddy!
First Santa Pic!
First movie! Alvin and the Chipmonks.

Secret O’ Life

I don’t know what it was, but something about this song made me start crying in the car the other day. I was looking for songs I could learn to play and sing with Kasen and thought about “Sweet Baby James.” After listening to it, this one came on.

Anyway, God has been showing me how to live in the present lately and truly be in the moment. Maybe it has something to do with watching Kasen’s emotions jump from total contentment to crying out hysterically, and back to laughing all in a matter of about 30 seconds. I mean – how does that work? He is totally present in the moment and everything he experiences is right there on his face. Someone once told me that if I was feeling happy, I should notify my face and put on a smile. That’s not a problem for Kasen though – he’s totally transparent. Why is it that we as adults have learned to hide it all? Everything about our lives seems to be about “playing the part” or “fitting in” and so we put on these “poker faces” that hide our true feelings. How would life be different if we decided to be vulnerable? What if I lived completely in the present – truly experiencing and feeling everything completely? Did Jesus live this way or was He worried about His reputation so much that He hid His true feelings?

Anyway, this song makes me think about enjoying every moment. Experiencing everything life has for us. Enjoying the present without regard to the past or future. Of course James Taylor didn’t mean it in a spiritual way, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t hit on the truth.


Secret O’ Life by James Taylor

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time

Any fool can do it

There ain’t nothing to it

Nobody knows how we got to

The top of the hill (except those who believe in God)

But since we’re on our way down

We might as well enjoy the ride


The secret of love is in opening up your heart

It’s okay to feel afraid

But don’t let that stand in your way no

‘Cause anyone knows that love is the only road

And since we’re only here for a while yeah

Might as well show some style


Give us a smile now

Isn’t it a lovely ride

Sliding down

And gliding down

Try not to try too hard

It’s just a lovely ride


Now the thing about time is that time

Isn’t really real

It’s all on your point of view

How does it feel for you

Einstein said that he could never understand it all

Planets spinning through space

The smile upon your face


Welcome to the human race

Isn’t that a lovely ride

Sliding down

Gliding down

Try not to try too hard

It’s just a lovely ride


Isn’t that a lovely ride

Oh mama yes

See me sliding down

And gliding down

Try not to try too hard

It’s just a lovely ride


Now the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time