Ashmont Hill is a CCM quartet with a big heart for God and making Him known. Hailing from a diverse inner city neighborhood in Boston, the group has had the chance to create a sound shaped by a variety of influences. With two albums already on their resume, the experienced musicians show their priorities in the way they consistently serve at their home church when they're not bringing their tunes to the road.

 

Despite their experience and skill, the group is still unknown to many, so it was great for them to share their heart with Dwayne Lacy and the NRT family.

 

What do you want people who are new to Ashmont Hill to know about you?
 

Deborah: We want people to know that we are family band. We simply want people to know that we are being obedient to a call God has given us, to spread His love through our music.  We also want people to know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  So our job is not to go around judging people; we will let God do the judging. Our job is to simply spread love and lead people into worship. 

 

How would you say The Maze is different from your previous albums?
 

Deborah: The Maze is different from our previous albums in a few different ways... The first two albums were produced by Sal Oliveri and this album was produced by Zenzo Matoga (Phil's writing partner). We did all of the vocal arrangement on our own for this album as well.

 

The other difference is that we covered other artist's songs on the first two albums, but on this one all of the songs are original Ashmont Hill songs. Finally, the band that plays on this third album is our personal band, and they were able to "live" with the songs for months and practice together so the songs were not unfamiliar to them. 

 

The Maze was done "IN HOUSE" and we were able to take our time recording all of the vocals and go back and change things, while the first two albums were recorded in Nashville and we had a strict time frame (just two weeks).

Philip: We've had some successful singles in the past, but we know a lot of people don't know where to place us in terms of our music and our sound. I'm not even really sure where to place us! I know that we just have to stay true to the sound that God has given us. I never really want to set out to write a song in hopes of fitting into a certain box that we don't necessarily fit into. I'd rather us just be authentic. That's more important.

 

Philip, the song with your daughter Gabby is beautiful. For those who have not seen the EPK, can you tell us how that song came about?
 

Philip: I was sitting at the piano working on writing a song called "Grace Like a Flood," and my nine-year-old daughter saw me working and walked over and said "Dad, can we write a song together?"

 

I was shocked! So I grabbed my acoustic guitar and started playing a chord progression, and she started humming a really cool intricate melody. I was so floored! I said to Gabby, "Wow that is such a great melody! What lyric are you hearing with that melody?" She responded with "I love the Lord." 

 

Throughout the process, I coached her about structuring the song. I really just guided her, but she came up with 90% of the lyrics and melody. I think when people hear the song they will feel the innocence in it. That's really what I love about it most!!

 

Tell us about a typical Ashmont Hill practice. How do you go about preaching and pulling this sound together?
 

Wil: A typical Ashmont Hill rehearsal is the 4 of us getting together with the band at our church. We already have an idea of what the set will be for whatever engagement we have coming up, and we go through each song working out transitions and making sure the flow works and makes sense. Sometimes we will have a moment where the Spirit of God moves, and at the end of a song, something will come about. 

 

Recently, it was April starting to sing an old classic gospel song called "How Excellent." Usually when something like that happens, it makes its way into our set and becomes a really powerful addition, as has happened with "How Excellent." Sometimes it's a song, sometimes it's something the band is going to play. But no matter what, we always leave ourselves and our agenda open for what God wants to do or say through us, especially when the engagement actually happens. Our sound comes about from moments like that, when all of our unique styles come together in a really special way. 

 

April, since you have been leading worship since you were 13, how do feel about the importance of worship How do you keep things fresh so that you can properly lead the people into God's presence? 
 

April: The importance of worship is paramount! There is nothing more important than worship... spending time with God and showing Him love, adoration and appreciation through worship will only enhance your relationship with Him. 

 

I keep things fresh by never allowing myself to look at what I do as a job but as a privilege. It is truly an honor to lead people into God's presence, and that He trusts me with His presence is humbling. I am so aware of the fact that it is not my voice or my talent that will "set the captive free," but it's His anointing that will break every yoke in our lives. So during a worship service I am trying not to draw attention to myself but to keep the focus on Him.

 

Keeping worship fresh is not really my focus; it's keeping my love and respect for God and His people at the forefront of my life and mind.

Jubilee Christian Center in Boston is the home church for most of you. How have they played a role in the growth of all of you?
 

Deborah: Jubilee Christian Church is not only our home church; it is three of the members' father's church. Bishop Gideon Thompson is the father of Phil, April and Deborah, and Father in law to Wil. Wil grew up at his family's church in Boston, and joined Jubilee years before marrying Deborah and before Ashmont Hill began. 

 

All 4 of us are active worship leaders in both locations of the church, one in Boston, the other in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Of course the church has played a major role in the growth of all of us because the doctrine was not just something preached that we heard on Sunday morning, it was instilled in us every day by our father. 

 

Our father really taught us the importance of worship and prayer. He used to wake us up at 5:00 a.m. almost every morning for devotions, in which we would sing praise and worship songs and read scripture out loud, passing the Bible around for each of us to participate. It was such a blessing for us to see this amazing man of God live every day what he was preaching every Sunday. He taught us that "you don't praise God because you feel Him, you FEEL God because you praise Him." It doesn't matter how I feel, whether I feel like worshiping God or whether it's 5 in the morning, I know he deserves everything I have to give him, and that praise makes us feel him in a real way like never before. 

 

That's how we lead worship at Jubilee, and of course with Ashmont Hill. We have an abandon about our worship that doesn't depend on what the audience is doing, it is 100% for God and that is what I think makes people want to join along. 

Click here to read Dwaye's Staff Review of Ashmont Hill's new album, The Maze.