{"id":1194,"date":"2011-07-12T10:23:02","date_gmt":"2011-07-12T10:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projectconversion.com\/?p=1194"},"modified":"2011-07-22T02:57:08","modified_gmt":"2011-07-22T02:57:08","slug":"interview-with-arthur-hatton-creator-of-linescratchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/07\/interview-with-arthur-hatton-creator-of-linescratchers.html","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Arthur Hatton, Creator of Linescratchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every once in a while, I get the opportunity to chat with the movers and shakers of each faith. This month I ran into\"\"<\/a> Arthur Hatton, the creator of\u00a0Linescratchers<\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0the largest\u00a0music blog and nexus for LDS musicians in the world.<\/p>\n

———<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Andrew:<\/span>\u00a0What was the inspiration behind Linescratchers? And what is a Linescratcher anyway?<\/p>\n

Hatton:<\/span>\u00a0The short answer is that Linescratchers\u00a0is a promotional blog and support network for Mormon musicians. \u00a0Over the past couple of decades, “LDS music” has basically been synonymous with a small group of musicians roughly analogous to contemporary Christian music, and they worked and wrote music in and around Utah. \u00a0Unfortunately, it was never very good, but they really cornered the market. \u00a0Yet there are plenty of LDS musicians out there like Brandon Flowers, Alan Sparhawk\u00a0and Mimi Parker from Low, Cove Reber, Donny Osmond, and Young Sim who are really great musicians in their own ways, and also\u00a0very spiritual at times. \u00a0They just weren’t considered a part of “LDS music” because, as I said before, this genre was controlled\u00a0by a small group of musicians and producers in Utah. \u00a0I created Linescratchers\u00a0to recognize all the other LDS musicians who write music, sometimes very spiritual music, who you’ll never find in official LDS bookstores like Deseret Book.<\/p>\n

The name of the website is taken\u00a0from a Low song called “When I Go Deaf,” and I believe is also reminiscent of the process by which inspired lines were engraved on plates in our story of the creation of the Book of Mormon, which you’re probably familiar with now. \u00a0When inspiration strikes a songwriter, they’ll scratch out their words on anything handy – papers, post it notes, brown paper bags, whatever.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Andrew:<\/span>\u00a0If The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints members consider themselves Christians, why is there a need to separate\u00a0themselves from such a market? After all, one does not hear of Contemporary Pentecostal, Baptist, or Evangelical music. What makes a “Linescratcher” different from the rest of the Christian music community?<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Hatton:<\/span>Well, Linescratchers\u00a0don’t necessarily write\u00a0spiritual or religious music. \u00a0They can, but not all of them do. \u00a0For instance, Ian Fowles plays with the Aquabats, Scot Alexander played with Dishwalla, Cove Reber\u00a0sang for Saosin, Gregg Hale played with Spiritualized. \u00a0None of those bands are particularly religious. \u00a0Though I, personally, think all music is spiritual, so perhaps it’s a mistake to say some Linescratchers\u00a0don’t write religious music. \u00a0In any case, the only thing that binds all Linescratchers\u00a0together is their religious affiliation. \u00a0You can find singer\/songwriters, rockers, metalheads, neo-classical, and new age musicians among our ranks, and many more.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
However, while we believe that we are Christians, Mormons are still a very unique community, and some would even say ethnic group, and there are a lot of peculiar beliefs and attitudes among us that add a very special flavor to the music we produce. \u00a0These special flavors shine through in our music – sometimes it’s obvious, and sometimes you have to search for it.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Andrew:<\/span>\u00a0Music outside the hymnal tradition is rare inside the Latter-day Saints church setting. Is there a lot of push-back from musical traditionalist and religious conservatives within the faith regarding the music styles Linescratchers represents?<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Hatton:<\/span>\u00a0Hmm, you’re right, our church services are quite traditional. \u00a0We don’t have praise bands or dancing at church, and I know there are plenty of people – including Gladys Knight<\/a>– who think we should enliven our services to include more energetic worship. \u00a0However, the Linescratchers\u00a0I know don’t expect the church services to change, only a greater acceptance of musical styles and genres, and artistic expression, outside of church. \u00a0That means exploring the light side as well as the darkness and challenges that come with faith. \u00a0I thought there would be conservative Mormons out there who look down on Linescratchers, or who are suspicious of our motives. \u00a0But I honestly haven’t heard from any of them. Probably they don’t even know – or care – that we exist.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
I think that our church has entered a new era, and the new “I’m A Mormon” campaign might be evidence\u00a0of this, that the church leadership might be pushing the church to be more inclusive and inviting of diversity and differences within our congregations. \u00a0If so, I absolutely support and applaud such a move. \u00a0I think our organization can therefore play a crucial role in exposing Mormons to more kinds of artistic expression than ever before.<\/div>\n

Andrew:<\/span> You mentioned earlier that you believe all music is spiritual. How so, and specifically, within the LDS context?<\/p>\n

Hatton:<\/span> I explained this more in detail here<\/a>, but I believe that music is the apparatus whereby we can receive revelations from God, similar to the seer stones and other objects Joseph Smith would use for revelation. \u00a0It’s a physical, tangible, audible thing that nonetheless orients us towards heavenly and spiritual truths. \u00a0To me, that is Joseph’s number one lasting legacy: \u00a0that the spiritual realm isn’t forever out of our reach, but it is within us and around us all the time. \u00a0Music is one method to access this realm, but there are others, like scripture, art, prayer, ritual, etc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Andrew:<\/span>\u00a0Interesting. Music and art, of course, are composed of different genres\u00a0and styles. If music is a pure spiritual expression, as in tuning into the\u00a0divine, does this variety lend to the validity and truth of other spiritual traditions as well (specifically within music)?<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Hatton: If I’m understanding the question correctly, you’re asking whether the<\/span>varieties of music that exist are some kind of spiritual analogy to the<\/span>varieties of religious experience (as William James would put it) in the<\/span>world? \u00a0In that case, I would say, in general, yes. \u00a0World religions are<\/span>all<\/span>woven components of the broad fabric of human religious experience. \u00a0LDS<\/span>doctrine teaches that great leaders of all world faiths, such as Muhammad,<\/span>Confucius, and I would probably add Zoroaster and Baha’u’llah, were all<\/span>partakers of the light of God, with a positive message for their people.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0But I also think that trying to write a song that included components of<\/span>all genres everywhere would basically be a cacophonous disaster. \u00a0So in my<\/span>own life I appreciate ecumenism and I take a universalistic stance towards<\/span>other religions on a personal level, but syncretism, I think, tends to<\/span>water<\/span> down what is unique and precious about each faith, and takes away our<\/span>
\n\u00a0ability to overcome differences. \u00a0Muhammad was instructed in the Qur’an:<\/span>“O<\/span>mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you<\/span>nations<\/span>and tribes that ye may know one another (not that ye may despise one<\/span>another).” \u00a0In other words, God gave us all – men and women, different<\/span> tribes, different nations, and I would add different religions –<\/span>
\ndifferences<\/span>for a reason. \u00a0Not that we can fight one another. \u00a0Not even that we could<\/span>pretend we’re all exactly the same. \u00a0But rather, because we learn and grow<\/span> the most when we overcome differences and still manage to work together.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u00a0Andrew:<\/span> Speaking of differences, you obviously want some aspect of your product or art to stand out from the pack. What sets a Linescratcher apart from musicians in other markets? Surely it goes beyond the LDS label…<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Hatton:<\/span> There are a lot of reasons to create art, but I think that deep down many of the motivations boil down to a single person who wishes to be understood.\u00a0 Many artists grew up feeling isolated because of the emotions they had, or the observations they make about life, and songwriting in particular is often the only way these artists feel they can express their innermost selves.\u00a0 Since Joseph Smith first got his revelations, Mormons have been persecuted, marginalized, and above all misunderstood, and so I think Latter-day Saint musicians carry with them the added weight of feeling like nobody understands them or ever could, especially considering that their faith means more to them than almost anything else in their lives.\u00a0 When you’re listening to a Linescratcher express himself or herself, you’re hearing a kind of strained tension.\u00a0 It’s a tiny window into an immense soul that just wants to communicate itself to you by any means possible – knowing that they will likely fail, but they have to try anyway.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Andrew:<\/span> What advice do you have for young artist such as these trying to break into the market and express themselves in general?<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Hatton:<\/span>\u00a0I get questions like this quite often.\u00a0 Unfortunately\/fortunately, the music business is completely changing.\u00a0 Songs are being sold\u00a0individually on iTunes, not in album format at mall record shops.\u00a0 People download music for free on file sharing sites. The “rock star” dream of getting signed to a major label and being the biggest band in the world is diminishing rapidly.\u00a0 If you want to write music, you can (and should) forget about trying to “break into the market” or be the next Beatles.\u00a0 Fame and fortune ruins lives anyway.\u00a0 You don’t have to quit school or give up a career to tour unless you feel incredibly called to do so.\u00a0 It’s a hard, and increasingly unnecessary, lifestyle.\u00a0 Instead, learn how to record at home or in local studios, put a little money into it, and share your art with the rest of the world via the Internet.\u00a0 Because few are being signed to major labels, and because the ability to make music at home is easier and cheaper than ever, if you accept that you’ll never play huge stadium shows or Madison Square Garden, you won’t ever have to be\u00a0beholden to a corporate machine or the pop music factory.\u00a0 I am putting the finishing touches on my own album\u00a0now, recorded primarily at home, and released digitally on Bandcamp.<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Andrew:<\/span> Thanks for chatting with me Arthur, you’re a good guy and have a great thing going here.<\/div>\n
——-<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Arthur Hatton is a grad student doing research on the psychology of religion and founder of Linescratchers.com, the only website on the Internet that features and promotes Latter-day Saints in the world of music who don’t write LDS music. \u00a0He grew up in Kentucky and enjoys songwriting, amateur philosophy, history, and being with his lovely wife Allison and son Gabriel.<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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