Dana Tock
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Dana Tock

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"Tock continues to "Spread the Good News""

It's been a long time since Dana Tock of Sparta wrote her first religious song. It was called "Spread the Good News" and she penned it way back in 1991.
She found her inspiration for the song in a hangar at the Sparta Airport, where she put on concerts for a music ministry not surprisingly called The Hanger.
Christian groups from Madison, Milwaukee and Minneapolis played at the venue every Wednesday evening. It was there she heard a performer utter the phrase, "God wanted to build a bridge between Him and man so He sent us His only son, Jesus".
Those words kept her awake much of that evening and moved her to write "Spread the Good News", the first of what would become a 115-song repertoire of Christian tunes.
Tock wrote many of those songs over the ensuing years while playing with Christian groups including Providence, Open Arms Contemorary Music Team (affiliated with the Sparta United Methodist Church), and The Good Friday Quartet.
But it wasn’t until she quit her long-time role as lead singer and keyboard player for the popular local band Midwest Coast a few years ago, that she started pouring her heart and soul into the Christian music genre.
The result of her new-found focus is a CD of Contemporary Christian music that will put a little sunshine in your soul and an added bounce to your stride.
The album, titled "Leap of Faith", includes 12 of Tock's original songs, featuring her powerful and expressive vocals, a trademark her fans have come to know and love.
But don't expect to hear old time revival standards, Tock's music is definitely influnced by her Rock & Roll background. "Only You" is unmistakably a rock ballad, while the song, "Make Me Clean" is a completely acoustic number with a stirring mandolin solo.
Then there is "We See Life", which has a few techno aspects and invites the feet to get moving, as do many of the CD’s other tunes.
Whether the beat is slow or fast, the music is all a reflection of Tock's faith.
"I never know when God's going to give me a song," she says. "He tunes me into His heavenly radio station and gives me the idea for a chorus of a song and then I'm required to be the carpenter of the rest of the song."
Her favorite song on the album is My God, "because it's a heartfelt song about forgiveness," she says.
"Sometimes people mess up, including me. I can go to God in prayer and ask Him to forgive me and in His word it says He forgives."
The album is filled with local talent. Keith Clipperton and James Abbott produced the CD and helped Tock with the arrangement.
Clipperton and Abbott also performed instrumentals on several tracks, as did Ron Phillips, Paul Leithold, Pat Clark, Dennis Schulte, Jeffery Burrows, Budd Greenman, Mary Baudek, Jocelyn Frey, Celia Hemmerich and Liz Held.
Toni Burrows, Pauline Fahning and Felicia Abbott add backup vocals on two of the tracks.
Probably the two most important backup instrumentalists on the album for Tock are her husband, Russ, and her son, Joel, who play drums on three of the songs.
The only song on the CD that Tock didn't write is "The Salvation Poem", which was composed by Matt and Sherry McPherson, who also own Autumn Records of Sparta, where much of the music was recorded.
The album release concert is scheduled for Saturday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the Marie Heider Center for the Arts in West Salem. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased three weeks prior to the show at the box office from noon to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They also can be purchased at the door the night of the concert.
A pre-release celebration is planned for October 25 at the New Life Assembly of God Church in Sparta. Doors open at 6 p.m., a dinner will be served at 7 p.m. and the concert will begin at 8 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door.
Those wishing to get a sample of the album can access it at www.indieheaven.com/artists/danatock or www.myspace.com/danatock or www.sonicbids.com/danatock. - Sparta Herald - WI


""Leap of Faith" Proves a Good Move For Area Singer"

By RANDY ERICKSON | Editor

Music started calling to Dana Tock from a very young age. A fixture on the area music scene, singing with Midwest Coast for 19 years, she began to feel a stronger pull a few years back, from the Lord. These days, sheÕs more than a little glad she answered the call.

Midwest Coast played a wide variety of popular music, and she spent a lot of nights in smoky bars, drawing favorable comparisons to Bonnie Raitt for her gutsy vocals. But what she saw in those bars began to gnaw at her as she developed spiritually. At one of her last gigs, she recalled, she broke down and cried between sets because she was so conflicted.

ÒIt was getting hard for me,Ó she said. ÒThe more I got into church and Bible study, the less I really wanted to be in some of the places we played.Ó

Quitting the band was a difficult decision, considering the close relationships she had formed with her bandmates, not to mention the fact that her husband, Russ, was (and still is) the drummer for Midwest Coast.

As hard as it was, it seems like it was a good move for the Sparta native to concentrate on Christian music. She began writing songs with a spiritual bent in the early 1990s, and had formed a band, Providence, to perform her compositions and other material. Providence has disbanded, but she now sings with the Good Friday Quartet.

The songs kept coming to her - one time she completed seven songs in three days. ÒI need to count again. I lose track,Ó she said of the number of inspirational songs sheÕs written. ÒI think itÕs 117.Ó

Three years ago, she began working on a CD recording Òin our so-called spare timeÓ with the help of two Sparta-based producers, Keith Clipperton and James Abbott. The resulting 13-song disc, ÒLeap of Faith,Ó was released in November, with a special CD release concert held at the Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts in West Salem.

The attendance at the concert was a little disappointing - it was opening weekend for the gun-deer season - but that disappointment is a distant memory now with the attention her song is getting on an independent Christian music Web site.

Tock posted her ÒLeap of FaithÓ songs on IndieHeaven.com. A couple weeks ago, one of her songs ÒMy GodÓ was ranked 250th among the fan favorites. Since then itÕs been rocketing upward. As of Tuesday, it was at No. 3.

Tock has made such a splash on IndieHeaven.com that sheÕs earned a nomination for Inspirational Artist of the Year as part of IndieHeavenÕs Momentum Awards.

The award is based partly on the aesthetic quality of the music and partly on a popular vote on the IndieHeaven Web site. Voting to determine the top five nominees for the Inspirational Artist of the Year Award continues through the end of January.

After the January voting tallies are totaled, fans can vote for their favorites of the top five through the end of February, and the top vote-getter will be honored at the end of March at the Christian Independent Alliance conference in Nashville.

The songs on ÒLeap of FaithÓ touch on a number of pop styles, with TockÕs vocals at times evoking the heartfelt crooning of Karen Carpenter and at other times betraying the soulful influence of Bonnie Raitt, one of her favorite singers.

While sheÕs been getting a lot of plays for her songs on IndieHeaven (songs can be played free in their entirety on the Web site) sales of her CDs from the site havenÕt been huge. She said she is selling a good number of CDÕs through her Sparta business, DanaÕs Music, and at ShepherdÕs Voice in Onalaska.

Selling a huge number of CDs was never the goal, though. She mainly wants people to be inspired listening to her songs.

ÒI hope theyÕll just be touched by the Lord somehow, whether it be from the music or the message,Ó Tock said. ÒAnytime that IÕm able to be onstage and be doing these original songs, itÕs like a dream already.Ó

Contact Randy Erickson at randy.erickson@lee.net or (608) 786-6812. - Onalaska Community Life - WI


"Dana Tock's Song of the Soul"

Categories: Music, Interview, Christian

From Song of the Soul. Posted by Northern Spirit Radio on Oct 16, 2007

Dana had a life-changing experience in 1991 when God gave her the first of her Christian songs, after years with secular bands. Since then she's been given more than 100 songs and will have a release concert for her first solo CD, Leap of Faith, on November 17th. Before that she'll perform on October 13-14, 2007 at Eau Claire's Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.

You can check out more info about Dana on indieheaven.com or myspace.com.

All the songs in this program are performed by Dana Tock

Leap of Faith
You Are the Great ÔI amÕ
My God
We See Life
Make Me Clean
New Life
Spread the Good News
Dana Tock

SpeakingTruth.org
Dana Tock's Song of the Soul
Approx 59 minutes - Northern Spirit Radio - Eau Claire, WI


"Area Singer Among Finalists for Award"

Sparta-based singer Dana Tock placed in the top five vote-getters for an Inspirational Artist of the Year sponsored by a Christian music Web site. Votes cast for those finalists during March will help determine the winner of this yearÕs award.

Last fall, Tock released her solo CD, ÒLeap of Faith.Ó She posted the CD on IndieHeaven, a Web site devoted to independent Christian music. A former member of the popular variety band, Midwest Coast, she saw one of her songs hit No. 1 on the Web sites Òfan favesÓ list and has another song climbing the chart now.

ÒItÕs really exciting to have made it into the top five out of about 100 other Inspirational Artists on Indieheaven,Ó Tock said. ÒIÕm honored and feeling so joyful that itÕs hard for me to even think straight.Ó

People can vote for Tock and other award finalists at www.indieheaven.com.

Tock will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Sparta High School, 506 N. Black River St. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. For advance tickets call Keith at (608) 633-1427. - Holmen Courier - WI


Discography

LEAP OF FAITH
This is Dana's first solo CD effort.
CDs may be purchased at Indieheaven:
www.indieheaven.com/artists/danatock

Photos

Bio

Dana resides in Sparta, Wisconsin with her husband Russ and their son Joel. She owns and operates Dana's Music store in Sparta, where she also teaches piano lessons.

Formerly with the popular area variety band, Midwest Coast, this gifted musician, singer and songwriter is now taking a leap of faith into her true calling for Christ.

Dana has been writing, performing and recording Contemporary Christian music since 1991. Dana organized the contemporary Christian group Providence. In that seven member group she sang, played keyboard, guitar and was the primary songwriter. Providence played only original Christian music.

Dana has been a worship leader for contemporary worship services and she is a member of the New Life Assembly of God in Sparta, WI. Since the release of her CD, LEAP OF FAITH, she has been performing in concerts to promote the music from the work.

She also recently has been a member of a Christian group called GFQ (Good Friday Quartet). GFQ plays original and praise & worship songs and for the last few years has been ministering in music at many locations in Wisconsin. Tight harmonies and variety of instrumentation are the signatures of GFQ.

Another Christian group that Dana has been involved with is United in Praise, a group made up of singers and musicians from several different denominations in the La Crosse/Sparta WI area.

With more than 125 original inspired songs to choose from, Dana recently released her first solo CD and plans to continue to minister in music with her originals and praise and worship songs. Dana has a real heart for the Lord, experience with worship leading and loves to share her talents in concert settings.

Dana is excited to be of service and to use the talents the Lord has given her for His glory.