Matt and Spike spent some time in the studio working through ideas for Psalm 20. Psalm 20 is a prayerful psalm attributed to King David, often seen as a communal plea for divine protection and victory before battle. It emphasises themes of trust in God, divine support, and assurance of triumph through faith. The psalm … Continued
It was great to have our good friend Jared Haschek in the studio to work with Spike on this one. As we continue re-imagining some of our older tracks, we’re at the early stages of a new version of Psalm 80 a communal lament, attributed to Asaph, expressing Israel’s deep distress and longing for restoration. … Continued
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On October 31st, 2024, we finally managed to align our schedule with Psalter Studios in Sydney NSW and recorded some of our Psalms for their Live at Psalter Studios TV series, which airs on Christian TV channels worldwide. Dale Willis from Honest Crow Studios produced and directed the show. The Psalter Studios team was fantastic, … Continued
It was such a privilege to be invited to share our Psalms at the annual Australian National Prayer Breakfast, held in the Great Hall at Parliament House Canberra in November 2024. We were so appreciative of the support for our project from the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship who invited us, and their incredible work in coordinating … Continued
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We’re in the final stages now of editing and colour grading, so hope to have the complete live concert video available for our in-app subscribers in the next month or so.
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Psalm 103 is a psalm of praise for who God is and what he does for his people. It appears to be composed for a solo singer to exhort worshippers in the context of communal thanksgiving. As such it is designed not just to celebrate and praise God, but also to bolster the faith of … Continued
Psalm 13 is one of a number of Psalms which move from a state of anguish to a state of assurance and peace. This is a unique feature of the biblical psalms (in the context of Ancient Near Eastern prayer practices) and is a testimony to the reality and intimacy of the relationship that the … Continued
Spike (our amazing producer and bass player) prepares to work with Matt to record the lead vocal for the next (2nd) track – Psalm 103 – on our new (at this stage un-named) album. Most of the instrument tracks and backing vocals are recorded, and during this studio session Matt will add the final lead … Continued
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On July 13th, 2024, we marked our 30th Anniversary with a truly special concert in Melbourne, Australia. We had the honour of collaborating with the talented Jared Haschek, who crafted string arrangements and assembled an 8-piece string section for the event. The live strings added a remarkable depth to our performance of the Psalms, especially … Continued
On July 13th, 2024, we marked our 30th Anniversary with a truly special concert in Melbourne, Australia. We had the honour of collaborating with the talented Jared Haschek, who crafted string arrangements and assembled an 8-piece string section for the event. The live strings added a remarkable depth to our performance of the Psalms, especially … Continued
Well, the fun begins again as we start the process of recording for our 10th studio album. Matt and the crew – mostly Spike at this stage – have been working through various concepts and we’ve begun recording work for Psalms 103 and 13. Like our Man of Sorrows album, tracks will be released for … Continued
As we began the process of writing and recording for our next studio album, we’re also going to work on a side project. Matt has often thought that some of our older Psalm renditions would suit some alternative arrangements and production, given all we’ve learned over the past 25 years. In particular, we wanted to … Continued
Back in 2022, we had the opportunity to film a new collection of live videos, in an amazing old building at the renowned Geelong College, in our home town Geelong. The building is the dining hall for the senior school, opened by the Governor-General, Lord Stonehaven (1874-1941) on ‘Old Boys’ Day, 21 March 1930. With … Continued
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Filmed during our streamed concert in 2020 (in the midst of the pandemic) Psalm 19 is one of our favourites in the way it demonstrates the way we use ‘movements’ within our musical interpretations to serve the Psalm text. Featuring an opening instrumental solo from our multi-instrumentalist Mike Follent, there are two distinct musical ‘movements’ … Continued
Although most of our songs are written in the studio (or at least take their form there) part of our creative process over the years has also been to develop additional parts that add colour, during our live performances. We’ll often ‘road-test’ a song before we put down the final recording. While we do spend … Continued
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We’ve started work on our next studio album with initial writing sessions in the studio for Psalm 13 and Psalm 103. As always Spike (our producer and bass player) works with Matt to take these raw ideas and then build them into a full musical interpretation of the Psalm. It’s always amazing to watch how … Continued
In this re-imagining of Psalm 130 – for our reCollection album, we started with an instrumental departure straight “off the bat” by having Matt play the iconic guitar part on an electric guitar instead of an acoustic guitar. (Thanks again to friend of the band Michael Brown for the loaner!) Seeking to achieve an atmospheric … Continued
We started off this recollection with the beautifully peaceful Psalm 128 which was originally recorded on our 2002 album Shelter. Anna’s moving interpretation of the melody, from gentle encouragement to a soaring proclamation of the Lord’s blessing, was a tremendous inspiration for our resident string arranging genius Jared Haschek to do his thing. Creating a … Continued
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Liz Young is a great friend of Sons of Korah. After years of passionately following our music as a fan, Liz was thrilled with the opportunity of joining us in concert for the first time in 2015 and we were equally thrilled with the depth and emotion her playing brought to those concerts. It’s been … Continued
Psalm 116 is a testimonial and thanksgiving psalm. It is a psalm of public edification and it is also a psalm of self-edification. The psalmist is not only seeking to glorify God before others but he is seeking to bolster his own love for God and trust in God by recalling what God has done. … Continued
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Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible and also the longest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119 is an acrostic psalm, which means it is poetically structured according to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, letters that each have their own numerical value. This section is Psalm 119: 105 – 112 and … Continued
After the Holland tour we headed to the UK for a short stint of events there with another great friend from the UK Bible Society, Rob Cotton. We played at the Bible Society head office, the mother ship of all Bible societies really, and formed a great bond with the crew there. In May 2010 … Continued
As we near completion of our new studio album Man of Sorrows, we add the eighth track – Psalm 62. The full track is available to our in-app subscribers. Below is a short excerpt from this track which features Sons of Korah vocalist Anna Waters. You’ll also hear the amazing sound of the Nashville String … Continued
The world-renowned Nashville String Machine (NSM) have an extensive and diverse credit list and has established itself as America’s premier recording orchestra for nearly 30 years. Jared Haschek has worked with the NSM on a number of occasions and here we see him directing the strings recording of his string arrangement for our interpretation of … Continued
Psalm 62 is an expression of faith in the face of looming adversity. The psalmist declares that, despite the serious threats facing him, he is able to rest in peace. External circumstantial trouble cannot rob us of the peace and rest of God, the Shabbat shalom. Since this peace and rest is not sourced in … Continued
While this section of Psalm 88 may seem bleak, it is in fact a moment of great hope. It is in these verses that we see the psalmist’s faith rising up and laying hold of God. Faith is instilled in us by God’s Word, and it is exercised when we take God at his Word. … Continued
Psalm 8 is a psalm that celebrates God’s creation. In doing so the Psalmist reflects on the creation narrative in Genesis chapter 1. Here God’s work of creation culminates in the creation of humankind who are made to reflect God’s image and rule over creation (Genesis 1:26-28). The psalmist marvels at the majesty of the … Continued
Psalm 110 begins with a phrase that is unusual to the psalms but common in prophetic literature. Literally it reads: “The oracle of Yahweh” (NIV: “The LORD says”). So, Psalm 110 is a prophetic oracle. It is, furthermore, notable that the writers of the New Testament quote or allude to Psalm 110 more than any … Continued
As we continue to release tracks from our new album Man of Sorrows, we’re excited to have Psalm 110 available for our App Subscribers. Here’s a short excerpt from the nearly 6 minute long full track. Psalm 110 is a psalm of great promise to the embattled people of God. Through all the turmoil of … Continued
If you’re not an in-app subscriber, we thought you might like to hear a compilation of samples from our new album Man of Sorrows. We’ve now released 7 tracks from Man of Sorrows, with 3 more in the process of being written and recorded at present. It’s been great to record our album this way, … Continued
Finally we have Psalm 110 available and released through our APP to in-app subscribers. It’s been great to share some of the journey of where these Psalms begin and how so many people contribute to bring them to their full glory. Rod Gear has been a key part of the Sons of Korah project … Continued
The other great highlight of 2009 was our tour in the Netherlands. The story of how we got to be there is one of our greatest testimonies of divine providence. It all began when a friend of ours, Jeremy van der Noord, from my hometown of Geelong went to work at a Christian hostel in … Continued
In this episode, our host DJ, continues the interview with the third founding member of Sons of Korah – Rod Gear. Having shred his story of coming to faith and how that then challenged his musical direction, Rod shares how he met Jason and Matt and how the first seeds of Sons of Korah began … Continued
Here’s an excerpt from our latest Episode (5) of the Sons of Korah Audio Biography. If you are a Subscriber, you’ll find the full episode under the Supporter Exclusives.
Once we have the core sections of a new piece identified and partially shaped with a basic ‘guide track’, Spike (our Producer/Bass Player) then starts to build the arrangement with other instruments. For this session we continue to work on Psalm 110, and Matt and Spike are working with Rod, our drummer/percussionist, on the various … Continued
2009 saw Rod right back in the swing of things again as we recorded yet another studio album, Rain. We spent more time and money on Rain than any of our albums before. In August of 2008 we played at a conference in Melbourne where we met Bill Johnson, from California. Bill invited us to … Continued
In 2007, in addition to all the Australian and New Zealand gigs we were doing, we returned for another two tours to the USA. Toward the end of the year Jayden and Caroline decided that they would remain in the USA to live. Jayden was due to do the second USA tour and then would … Continued
Matthew Jacoby It’s hard to describe how a composition comes together and impossible to teach. The simplest way is to start with a musical motif (that we might stumble upon as we noodle around) and then add lyrics and develop it from there in a fairly intuitive way. In our case this process is complicated … Continued
Excited to be releasing the third part of Psalm 88 (creatively named Psalm 88c) as another track for our Man of Sorrows album. The full track is now available for Subscribers in our App. Psalm 88 is often referred to as ‘the psalm of darkness’ because it appears to lack any ray of light. Many … Continued
In this episode, our host DJ, interviews the third founding member of Sons of Korah – Rod Gear. Rod shares the story of how he became a musician, his early professional music career and how he came to faith in Jesus. This was all before he joined with Matt and Jason at the beginning of … Continued
In this episode we interview Jason Coghill, one of the founding members of Sons of Korah way back in 1994. A really interesting story of how Matt Jacoby and Jason got to meet (back in 1991), and how that led to the formation of Sons of Korah. The first band Jason and Matt were in … Continued
As we continue to add to our 2021 album release ‘Man of Sorrows’ here we add Psalm 8, with Anna from the band taking the lead vocal for this track. The full track is available for Subscribers in our latest album. Psalm 8 is a psalm that celebrates God’s creation. In doing so the Psalmist … Continued
By 2005 we were playing over eighty gigs a year with lots of travel. We had a really good touring circuit around Australia and the year before we had been to New Zealand four times. I was on staff at my Church now and Kate and I had two kids. Naturally we had to spread … Continued
Here’s a sample from the next Psalm for our new album Man of Sorrows, which we continue to build through our App. In this way we can release new songs as they are completed. (The full track is available to App subscribers) Psalm 115. In the midst of a world hostile to the exclusivist claims … Continued
By 2004 Rod was keen to have a break from the band. While his break would be temporary, his replacement Mike (Spike) Avery would become a permanent member of the band. The circumstances that lead to Spike joining the band were again a strange mix of tragedy and providence. We were about to head off … Continued
In this episode, we again interview founder and leader of Sons of Korah Matthew Jacoby. Matt gives us some insight into how he met the other founding members of Sons of Korah. “My memories of this time are fragmented but at some point I wrote music to a couple of Psalms, as did Jason. At … Continued
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In the midst of a world hostile to the exclusivist claims of the God of Israel, the psalmist declares the pre-eminence of Yahweh. He longs to see Yahweh glorified above the many false gods and false claims of the surrounding nations. The vision of this psalm is that, as God blesses his people, his glory will … Continued
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Written by Matthew Jacoby – founder Sons of Korah. Rod Gear and I toured as a duo around Australia and New Zealand right up to 2003. All our tours were organized either by, or in conjunction with the Bible Society. In a way they acted as our management in each state. During that time we … Continued
In this episode, we interview founder and leader of Sons of Korah Matthew Jacoby. Matt gives us some insight into how he became a Christian and how that led him to start a band focussed on putting music to the Psalms. The first advertised Sons of Korah gig that I remember was a night in … Continued
We’re getting close to completing our next studio recording – Psalm 115. This little snippet showcases our multi-instrumentalist – Mike Follent – laying down some resonator tracks in the studio to add colour to the other instrumentation. We’re in the studio working on the final vocal tracks, mixing and then off to mastering. Once completed … Continued
As we continue to work on Psalm 88c, we’ve completed work on our first non-Psalm (in over 20 years) Isaiah 53. We almost never diverge from the Psalms with our compositions but there was one part of the bible that we could not resist. Isaiah 53, sometimes called ‘the servant song,’ is the perfect accompaniment … Continued
Matthew Jacoby – Founder/Leader Our first attempt at serious touring was in 2000. We managed to convince a whole lot of churches to host concerts for us. Our promotional material, all produced by CMCA, presented well and the idea of a concert of the Psalms seemed to appeal to pastors. We had concerts organised up … Continued
We’re now in the studio working on the 3rd part of Psalm 88. As we bring this track together, we’ve had the privilege of working with our good friend Jared Haschek. Jared is based in near our home town in Australia, and works in both Nashville TN, and Melbourne Australia with some of the best … Continued
We almost never diverge from the Psalms with our compositions but there was one part of the bible that we could not resist. Isaiah 53, sometimes called ‘the servant song,’ is the perfect accompaniment to the psalms. In its haunting lyrical-oracular style it celebrates the greatest thing that God ever did. The act of God … Continued
FULL TRACK AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR APP FOR SUBSCRIBERS FROM MAY 1ST 2021 After more than 25 years working on our Psalms project, we’ve taken a different approach to releasing our new music. Now with our Supporters APP, we’re going to release tracks as we complete them – one at a time – until we have … Continued
Matthew Jacoby – Founder Leader In 1998, with Jason temporarily back in the band, we decided to record a proper studio album. We got a cheap deal with a new recording studio in town and prepared to record our strange collection of Psalms. I marked the sessions in my diary: three days for recording, mainly … Continued
The 150 psalms found in God’s Word encompass the gamut of human experience – joy and pain, sin and forgiveness, despair and praise. With their unique, acoustic and multi-ethnic sound, Australia-based Sons of Korah offer an intriguing re-creation of the musical drama of the psalms. In 2018, Mel Lawrenz (from the Brook Network www.thebrooknetwork.org) spoke … Continued
FULL TRACK AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH OUR APP FOR SUBSCRIBERS FROM FEB. 1ST 2021 As we begin 2021, after over 25 years working on our Psalms project, we’re going to take a different approach to releasing our new music. Our last album Fractures was a project that took over 6 months to complete – from start … Continued
Psalm 88 is often referred to as ‘the psalm of darkness’ because it appears to lack any ray of light. Many other lament psalms end with songs of celebration as faith rises up to take hold of God. Not so in this psalm. On the contrary the psalmist says, towards the end of the psalm, … Continued
Matthew Jacoby – Founder/Leader In some ways I feel like the proper beginning of the band was 1997, because up to this point, everything was so casual and undefined. It seems that we spent the first few years waiting to start but not knowing how. By this time Jason had decided to go his own … Continued
