God’s Pottery
Thurs. @ 8 p.m., fri. and sat. @ 10 p.m., Charleston Ballet Theatre
The American backcountry is fertile with signs of Christliness, which I most recently witnessed on a road trip while passing the Draper Valley Pentecostal Holiness Church, with its neon sign proclaiming that “Christ is the Biggest Part of Christmas.” That whole sentence is just a mouthful of Jesus.
Really then, it’s no surprise that the self-described “Christian acoustic duo” God’s Pottery never run out of subject matter for their highly informative religo-folk tunes. From outlining the dangers of excessive alcohol intake (“Jesus, I Need a Drink”) to soothing the raging hormones of teenage loins (“The Pants Come Off When the Ring Goes On”), God’s Pottery has its finger on the pulse of America’s youth, secular and otherwise.
God’s Pottery is actually a sweet-ass combo of folk-singing, faux-Christianity, and awesome comedy, dreamt up three years ago by NYC comedians (and Upright Citizens’ Brigade compadres) Wilson Hall and Krister Johnson. God’s Pottery has toured the world and was recently given the “Best Newcomer Award” at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where they staged a “Concert for LaVert,” raising money for a “sick Harlem youth, using music, people, skills, and biblical know-how.”
On one recent evening, guitarist Gideon Lamb sat perfectly upright in his chair, dopey grin plastered beneath his
Dumb and Dumber haircut. He motioned to his ugly sweater-clad musical partner, vocalist Jeremiah Smallchild, then chirped at the audience, “If you brought your partici-pants, put ’em on!”
What followed was an extra-special, maniacally cheery set of Christmas-themed songs, including a take on “Away in a Manger” that included the verse, “The awesome Lord Jesus strapped on his sweet axe” and a special holiday tune for their “Jewish friends” called “A Brand New Start with Christ.” It’s beautiful stuff, people, and you can’t help but smile when Smallchild and Lamb tilt their heads so innocently to the side, feeling the awesome touch of the Lord on their shoulder while they serenade their flock.
Luckily, we had a chance to catch up with the super-busy duo, and they were ever-so-happy to spread the good word.
City Paper:
So, what inspires your music?
Gideon Lamb:
The music just really comes to us – these songs, they can help out the youth…
Jeremiah Smallchild:
The youth, as they enter their pubescence, as they enter premarital intercourse, it’s a difficult issue – one we still struggle to maintain. But we don’t like to preach; we just like to offer a way through song.
GL:
Also, down along the train of life, there is another song involving relationships – for an older audience. It’s a song about divorced women – it’s called “Stained Glass.”
JS:
Her husband leaves her and she realizes that she always has a boyfriend…
CP:
Who is her boyfriend?
JS:
(Gentle laughter) Here’s a hint: He was born in the town of Nazareth!
GL:
And of course, there’s always the menace of drink, drugs, and alcohol…
JS:
Let us be clear about something – we like to have a drink every now and then…
GL:
Yeah – on Sunday!
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You just gotta tap into the keg of Christ. –Shawnté Salabert