Rend Collective Experiment Offers New Translation Of Ancient Hymn For Modern Worshippers

Jan. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Internationally acclaimed Rend Collective Experiment has undertaken the task of understanding the famous hymn, “Be Thou My Vision,” subsequently translating it into a form and melody for contemporary worshippers that a Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster Sunday News writer calls “powerfully-done” and NewReleaseTuesday.com calls “an amazing performance.”  The resulting song, “You Are My Vision,” is featured on the band’s sophomore album, Homemade Worship By Handmade People, releasing Jan. 10 on Kingsway with global distribution.

“As we translated the song from the Irish and the old English, we soon realized the true meaning of the words were starting to get lost in our culture,” reflects Rend Collective Experiment member Gareth Gilkeson. “This is not a song of longing and asking God to ‘be our vision,’ but it is a song of declaration and faith. We say to God with strength, trust and humanity that ‘You are my vision, You are my wisdom… You are my battle shield.’ A confidence that we are his true sons and daughters and that He is dwelling inside us.

“While our culture moves faster than ever, we want to remind people of our deep past as God’s people,” continues Gilkeson. “We certainly don’t want to push tradition to the side and that is why instead of taking the old English version, which is only 100 years old, we have gone back to the original Irish, which is 1,400 years older.”

You are my vision oh King of my heart
Nothing else satisfies only You Lord
You are my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping Your presence my light

“We chose to do this as a folk song because folk music is such a strong part of our DNA and, of course, this tune was originally a folk melody,” adds Gilkeson.  “We hope this new translation of ‘You Are My Vision’ will capture the hearts and minds of the modern day church just as the older translation did in the past.”

A live preview of the band’s studio recording of the famous hymn can already be seen on the band’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/RendCollective.  

In addition to “You Are My Vision,” Rend Collective Experiment’s YouTube channel features the band’s first music video from Homemade Worship By Handmade People, “Second Chance,” which will also be the first radio single from the album that is going for adds Feb. 17.  While on the YouTube channel, people can further see a compelling new video about the making of the new album that features clips of five new songs as well as explains how Rend Collective Experiment operates like a collection, or family of musicians. With the spirit of collaboration at the heart of the band, another video on the site highlights people from all over the world, including a clip from Tim Hughes, explaining on camera how they are part of the collective.

A movement of 20-somethings that began in Ireland and spread across Europe before hitting the Americas, Rend Collective Experiment launches on an international tour from their new home base in Atlanta. Playing “You Are My Vision,” “Second Chance” and other new songs from Homemade Worship By Handmade People, as well as its fan favorites, Rend Collective joins Francis Chan for four US tour dates, including events in St Paul, MN (1/13), Troy, MI (1/14), Phoenix, AZ (1/20) and Corona, CA (1/21).  These tour dates are followed by a major market, 30-city Rock & Worship Roadshow tour that begins Jan. 26 and features MercyMe, Tenth Avenue North, Lecrae, Disciple, Hawk Nelson and Sidewalk Prophets.  Playing both sides of the Atlantic, Rend Collective also hits Edinburgh (Jan. 5), Belfast (Jan. 6) and London (Jan. 7), with tour dates throughout Europe in 2012 to be announced soon.

For more information on Rend Collective Experiment, it’s touring and music, go to www.rendcollectiveexperiment.com.

About Kingsway:
Tracing its music heritage to 1969, Kingsway today is known as a leader in Worship Music. As the creator of Thank You Music, and later in partnership with EMI, its catalogue includes songs such as “Here I Am to Worship,” “In Christ Alone,” “Everlasting God” and “Blessed Be Your Name” to name a few.

Kingsway’s songs are sung in more than 300,000 churches worldwide accounting for over 30% of CCLI’s (Church Copyright Licensing International) bestseller list. With writers and artists like Tim Hughes, Matt Redman, Delirious?, Graham Kendrick and Stuart Townend, Kingsway is dedicated to feeding the Church with songs that will change the world. As part of David C Cook, a non-profit organization located in Colorado Springs, CO, a significant portion of the profits that Kingsway and David C Cook generate are used to provide discipleship and music materials free of charge to church leaders in developing parts of the world who wouldn’t be able to get them any other way. (www.kingswayworship.com)