Before Acappella comes to Brazil in 2000, we have done an interview in a radio station with Keith Lancaster, creator, former member, writer, composer, producer... or as they say: the "Big Kahuna". He tells something about his life, his ministry, Acappella... We hope you enjoy it!

Question: Had you been part of many quartets before you created Acappella?
Keith Lancaster - Actually, I started with a group at college, when I went to Bible college in 1976, I started to sing in an acappella quartet. There were just four of us singing, and that was my first experience with acappella singing.

Q: When did you hear God calling you to the Music Ministry?
KL - Again, when I went to college, this quartet, it was called New life, it gave an opportunity to travel all over the US, we sang for all kind of churches and special events and it was during that time in 1970's that I really learned how powerful Christian music can be. I was writing songs, and traveling with the group and that was when I really understood how powerful music can be, and I felt God calling me to this music ministry.

Q: Acappella started in 1982. Wasn't it called His Image? It was not always - a quartet, right?
KL - Yes, when Acappella started in 1982 I had been working with the church for a while and I really felt moved to start a full time professional touring Christian group. And when we started it was Called His Image, and it was four singers back then. We did an experiment later and made a quintet, we had five voices, for a short period. And then in one point we had 3 voices, and we started to use back up tracks of our voices, and got down to just two, a bass singer and me, for just a couple of years, but the primary configuration of Acappella has always been four, and it seems to be the most successful, with four singers - a four male quartet.

Q: What is the mission, the goal of Acappella?
KL - The mission of Acappella is to spread the gospel to the world to as many as possible through acappella Christian music. Music is so powerful, and the gospel is so powerful, and you combine music & gospel and you'll have a very powerful combination.

Q: Why did you quit singing with Acappella?
KL - I was doing too many jobs, I was doing all the management, I was doing the booking for the group, and I was talking all the time, and I did almost all the lead singing in the group, and the songwriting and I was doing too many jobs, to do them all. Well, at one point I started to develop some voice problems, my voice Got so tired from all the work I was doing, that it forced me to get off the road for short time, and during that period I Decided to choose one or the other: either produce and manage or go on the road full time as a singer, and I decided to stay home and produce and manage.

Q: You're a Minister of Praise and Worship in Madison Church of Christ. Do you still have time for TAC? What is your position in TAC today?
KL - I really enjoy to be in the ministry of praise & worship in Madison Church of Christ, in Nashville, TN. That keeps me busy but I still have time to work with TAC and be a minister of praise on Sunday morning. I work in church on wednesdays, thursdays and sundays, and in the other days I work in TAC. My position in Tac os OEC - Office Executive Chief, and my favorite job is to produce and compose songs for the groups.

Q: People here know Acappella, but what else is in TAC besides Acappella? What is Acappella Ministries?
KL - The Acappella Company is who do the recording of Acappella and the others groups. The Acappella Ministry is strongly involved with our trips. When we go to international trips, like this one to Brazil, with go with the support of this ministry. Besides Acappella, we have All Vocal Band, known as AVB, and Vocal Union. Avb was in Brazil more than once. We need to send Vocal Union to Brazil. Vocal Union is a group with seven excellent singers, and they have a new album that will be ready in August. The New AVB album is called REAL, and it is very nice. We are really devoted to acappella music.

Q: I remember when it TAC started to create a group who was going to sing in Spanish. What happened? Why didn't it worked? Is there any chance that might happen in the future?
KL - One of our dreams is to have a quartet that sings in Spanish, and have goals to have other groups in Acappella Ministries. The reason we don't have a Spanish group now is just God's time. We had worked a lot to make it come true, but some things didn't work out, and we still want it, but we need to wait for God's time.

Q: Acappella has been in Brazil in 94 and 96, both times in Belo Horizonte, right? And you were here both times! How were those days? What do you think about Brazil?
KL - I did get to travel with Acappella to Brazil, and I really enjoyed my trip. Brazil is a wonderful country, with very very friendly people. I remember I got to eat some great food, and meet great people, and I just really cherish my trip there.

Q: Do you miss guarana?
KL - Ah ah ah! Yes, I miss it! I love guarana! We don't have it here in US, we have Coke and other things, but we don't have guarana! We need it!

Q: I remember you've told me some histories about Acappella in Brazil. Any good memory you want to share with us?
KL - I had wonderful experiences in Brazil. I think the best moment that I had there was in the church, when we were all together, and it reminded me how closed we are, as the family of God, and even if we couldn't talk the same language, it was obvious that we were all part of the same family of God.

Q: Is there anything you'd like to say to Brazilian public?
KL - If I could be allowed to say something to the people of Brazil, I just wanna say that God loves you, He wants the best for you, and if you wanna know God you need to get to know Jesus Christ, because He is the way, He is the truth, and He is the life, and He desires to have a relationship with you.

Q: You're the person who composes most of the songs for the quartet. It amazes me how God has given this gift for you. How do you compose? How long does it take to create a song? How do you choose the theme?
KL - I hope the songwriting is not stale. I try to use variety in my styles and in my writing messages, and the song Ready To Go, for example, that I wrote for Acappella on their last album, I put it all in sheet music and gave it to them, and it really surprised them, because I have never wrote a song before in that way for them, and it really worked well. It's different and I know it will help me to grow as a songwriter.

Q: When I made an interview with Gary Mo, he said that Acappella doesn't learn songs by sheet music or songbook. The songbooks you have were written after the songs were recorded. The first song in sheet music was "Ready To Go"? How does it works?
KL - My favorite way to compose songs is having Acappella by my side. This way I can have a good answer, they are like my personal recorders. I teach one his part, and then I teach other his part, and keep doing this way, and it's very funny, that how I like to do it. About the issue, I like to get some verses from the Bible and put them in music. Some of the songs were ready in just one hour, but that's not common. But in most times it takes a good time, days or weeks, because we listen to the music and analyze it, and let it grows, develops.

Q: Tell us about ACAFEST
KL - ACAFEST is our celebration of acappella christian music that we have every year in Oaris, TN, USA, in July, at Paris Landing Convention Center. Groups from all over the world come and sing. It's a great time of fellowship, and I hope that some of you can come and join us next July, in ACAFEST.

Q: The singers do not travel without their wives, some singers quit from Acappella because they realize they needed to spend more time with their wives. How is this relation group/family?
KY - We're very family oriented in our ministry, and for that reason we try to work it out so that the wives can travel as much as possible with the singers. In most entertainment groups, in touring groups, like rock'n roll and country music or popular music, it seems that the singers do not take their families with them. We always do, when the guys travel full time, all around the country, they take their families on the bus, and we feel it's important to keep the families together.

Q: Are all the members of Acappella members of the same denomination? Would it be Church of Christ?
KL - All the members of Acappella are members of Church of Christ. If you know Church of Christ, you must know that we praise without the use of any kind of instrument, and it makes us to try to sing better. I think that's the reason that Church of Christ produce so many talented singers.

Q: What spiritual message would you give to the people of Brazil?
KL - The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:21: "God made Him, who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might be righteousness of God". It's so encouraging to know that Jesus became something that he was not, so that we can become something we are not. He became sin, so that we can became righteousness.