Take a Chance on Me
by Liz Kelly
Drawing comparisons to everything from ABBA to Backstreet Boys, Avalon proves that hooky pop, big vocals and strong imaging can go a long, long way.
They are Christian music's answer to ABBA except that they aren't Swedish and they don't sing tunes to some dude named Fernando nor to dancing queens. But other similarities are just plain eerie! Consider: Both groups are boy-girl-boy-girl, both groups sport trendy duds and an energetic dance-pop sound, and, to top it off, both groups have somewhat esoteric names beginning with the letter 'A.' It's uncanny when you think about it.
And with the release of its third album, In a Different Light, Avalon is proving that its synergy can be channeled into real marketing momentum. Dubbed by industry insiders as the "golden children of Sparrow," the foursome racked up eight consecutive No. 1 singles on the Adult Contemporary and Inspirational radio airplay charts, along with two Dove awards including New Artist of the Year (1998). The group has managed to land golden, high-profile producers right off the bat: Charlie Peacock turned the knobs for Avalon's self-titled debut and A Maze of Grace, while Brown Bannister took the helm for Different Light. The original foursome debuted live in 1995 on "The Young Messiah" tour, and their golden good luck continued last year as they appeared on Crystal Lewis' "Gold" tour.
Not an unimpressive entrance into the industry. Still, you know the old saying, "All that glitters...."
Ask the members of Avalon to name themselves, and you might find somewhat less adoring descriptions. Try "Father Avalon," "the independent sister," "a peace-keeping puppy" and one "unexpected pregnancy." In order, that would be Michael Passons, 33, Janna Potter, 27, Jody McBrayer, 28, and newest member Cherie Paliotta, 28. (Don't worry, we'll explain the pregnancy thing later.)
Familial leanings aside, the group did not spring up from natural methods. In truth, Avalon's very creation is often the source of naysayers' vilest attacks, claiming the group was manufactured simply out of commercial need. Even Sparrow execs acknowledge that originally Avalon was an attempt to fill a hole in their roster.
"Point of Grace and 4HIM have made huge marks for being the top of their class," says Grant Cunningham (A&R director at Sparrow, contributing writer to each of Avalon's albums and co-creator of Avalon), "but there seemed to be an opportunity for a different thing with a guy-girl group... A band is there to communicate to one person, a solo artist to another, the vocal group to a different set of people... It's about meeting different needs. As a record company, we want to have a balanced roster of all of these things."
It's a goal not so different from any number of such pop groups in the general market--Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls and more--which began with the notion of appealing to a large and available target audience. But does such a commercial ploy affect artistic integrity? Would Avalon have attracted different members or forged a different sound had the group come together on its own?
"I don't think it's any less honest," Cunningham says. "I think it certainly would have been [less honest] if we sat down and auditioned people, picked the four people we thought looked the best, sounded the best and could really pull this off, then bought them a bus and made them a record... It started so much more grass roots than that... None of us would have done it if there was a question about authenticity."
Avalon agrees. "I'm not sure who defined the legitimacy of 'the group,'" says Passons, the first member and obvious anchor in the group, hence the title "Father Avalon." "Only groups that met in college and practiced in their garage and come to a record company with a demo? Okay, they're legitimate, but anybody else, no?"
"I can't even imagine not being with these people," adds McBrayer, "It's our desire to see [Avalon] make a difference. When you look at it that way, who cares how we got together? The bottom line is that we are together, doing what God has called us to do, and we're thrilled to be here doing it."
So its birthing went something like this: To make the process "as natural as possible," Cunningham wanted to let the group assemble itself. He began with Michael Passons, spotting him in a local showcase. The two of them found Potter, who recommended McBrayer and then all together, they found Nikki Hassman, (who has since left the group) and eventually Paliotta (who took Hassman's place).
"As they assembled, my vote began to count less and less," says Cunningham. "They ultimately found each other, chose each other and then committed to each other... It was as honest as possible, in an unconventional way."
Nine Months
Still, group dynamics being what they are, it can be difficult to maintain a consistent, sharply-focused goal, and Avalon suffered its first casualty to split vision just as the group's last album released. Hassman, who was with Avalon just under two years, signed a general market deal with Sony in Dec. '97.
"When it happened," says Cunningham, "it wasn't a surprise that it happened, but how quickly... Nonetheless, it was still disappointing."
Passons, no doubt his paternal instincts kicking in, says, "When you have something and you're proud of it and you're proud to be a part of it and then someone wants to leave, of course it's discouraging, it's disappointing.
"I kind of relate this to pregnancy," he continues, noting that they looked for Hassman's replacement for, oddly enough, nine months. "You plan this family, and you say, 'We're gonna have four kids.' [Then] you've got your four kids, and you're all happy... but all of a sudden, you come up pregnant again. This is not what you planned, but yet you have that baby, and you love it and know that it's God's plan."
But they're not infants anymore. Avalon continues to mature, forging out a unique sound all the while battling the common problems of life constantly on the road, engaged in the torturous battle between reality and image, personal hardship and the message of hope they strive to deliver.
For starters, Potter experienced nearly suicidal depression in the wake of a relationship gone bad, Paliotta's wedding was called off just three months before the set date, Passons' father recently passed away and McBrayer hopes to balance a spring wedding and newlywed-dom with a full touring schedule.
Potter notes, "You've heard all of your life that God is going to take care of you, and everything is going to be all right. [Then] you go through a stretch where, for a couple of weeks, it wasn't all right, and I didn't want to hear all of these verses of Scripture because it didn't make me feel any better... I knew eventually that the Lord would bring me out of it. That's why I picked a song like ['Can't Live a Day']."
"I could do anything/But if You weren't in it all/I couldn't face my life tomorrow/Without Your hope in my heart I know/I can't live a day without you."
"The four of us have been very blessed," Potter continues, "but if you look a little deeper... you'll find out that we're just like everybody else. We've got our own struggles, and we want to tell you how the Lord got us through those struggles and how He can do the same for you."
The Water is Wide
The forward-thinking group is open to crossing the old general market river should the opportunity present itself. Perhaps their recent alignment with Bannister, who has a proven track record in river crossings, has placed them in a position to do so.
"I get scared sometimes that we are hoarding our own message," says McBrayer, "not allowing it to do what it's called to do and that is to go to all the world... I think we'd be lying if we didn't say that we hope it might have some mainstream success."
Certainly, super-production and slick images won't hurt anyone's efforts to move effectively into bigger waters. But the members of Avalon wrestle with whether such actions succeed in opening new doors or just creating unnecessary filters for the message.
"I struggle a lot with it," says Passons. "Jesus lived a life of poverty, and anything in comparison to that would be lacking... We are competing for kids' attention. We're an MTV society, everything in 15-second sound-bites. With that in mind, I hate to use the word 'justification,' but that is the thinking behind the clothes and image things that we do."
Nevertheless, the obvious means of promoting Christian music can be obstacle enough to reaching the world.
"Christian concerts, Christian churches, Christian radio and Christian media," says Cunningham, "it's a bit of a subculture that we've created that I think serves a wonderful purpose, but it can also be very, very limiting."
Besides keeping others out, there are other dangers, such as the common transference that may occur in their especially youthful audience members, confusing the worship of God for the worship of what's on stage.
"I had a little girl about eight or nine come up to me after the concert and say, 'I want to be just like you,'" says Potter. "And for a minute, it really scared me. I know all the things that are wrong in my life, and I'm thinking, 'Oh my Lord, help me to walk the straight and narrow.' It was just a very scary feeling that you could have that much impact on someone else."
"You cannot dictate what people are going to think and what they're going to feel as much as you wish you could," says McBrayer. "What you can do is pray and ask that God will work in what He allows us to do."
All-Americans
Whatever reservations there may be regarding its golden genesis, for all practical purposes Avalon is a reflection of our interchangeable American culture--families whose members are not necessarily replaced or exchanged, but who come and go. And within the texture of harmonies and the dynamics of group living they have also found support, a familial common ground.
"I want to peg Jody as the puppy of the family," says Potter. "It's like when there's something wrong, [puppies] want to be right there with their loved one and comfort them."
McBrayer is unfazed by the comparison. "That's the great thing about us being like family," he says. "There's always three other people there to knock you down a peg or two if you start to take yourself too seriously."
"I was amazed how quickly my heart was knit to this group," says Paliotta. "I've only been with them for 10 months, and I already feel like it's been 10 years."
Passons jumps in, "That's a good thing, right?"
He can kid her. As the first-born, it's his birthright.
