SHARE THE DREAM
Music & Lyrics: Gary Ochs
In the 9th century BC, a young prophet encouraged his fellow countryman during a very dark time in their nation’s history that times of refreshing would come. “Your young men well see visions,” he wrote, “your old men will dream dreams.” Joel’s three thousand year-old Bible prophecy still holds promise for us today.
For Sovereign Sounds sax player/songwriter Gary Ochs, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream came at age 60. One Sunday morning in 2017, he stepped up onto the stage with his bandmates and played in front of a live audience for the very first time.
“It is incredible to think,” says Ochs, “that three years ago, the San Francisco Church did not have a band. We sang all of the worship songs acapella.” In 2016, the sonic landscape abruptly changed when Ray Fernando (piano) Kyle Gibson (bass) Nate Gibson (guitar) and Nate Pavon (drums) were all baptized into Christ. A new sound soon filled the auditorium on Sunday mornings.
“Listening to the band play I said to myself, ‘I should be up there on stage with them!'” Even though he hadn’t played his saxophone in years, Ochs asked bandleader Nate Gibson if he could sit in on their next rehearsal. “The band gave me a musical voice,” says Ochs. “Playing with such talented musicians inspired me to start writing music again.”
In October 2017, the band recorded Ochs’ first composition, The Best Is Yet To Come. “It never occurred to me that we would release an album one day, but one by one new song ideas kept coming to me. Two years and eleven songs later, here we are.”
Sovereign Sounds has just released their debut album, The Eagle Has Landed. The concept for the album was inspired by Operation Eagle, the ICC plan to plant churches of sold-out disciples in every state in America by 2025. Share The Dream, the band’s single release from the album, will soon be posted on all ICC church websites worldwide.
“This song is very special to me,” says Ochs, “because it tells the story of my restoration to God’s family.” The beginning of Gary’s long journey “back home” was actually inspired by a song. “Ten years ago, I was not doing well spiritually. My wife did everything she could to help me get back on track, but I was very prideful and hard-hearted.” Knowing how much her husband loved music, Cyndee encouraged him to listen to a song she found posted on The Portland Church website.
“It was a very catchy tune with a simple message. The song was all about returning home to rediscover God’s dream for your life. It reminded me of why I made the decision to become a Christian in the first place. One year later, I moved my family back to Los Angeles, to the city where I was first born into God’s kingdom in 1990. I was encouraged and inspired by men and women of great faith to dream again. This song, the entire album, is an expression of gratitude. I just want to give back. It is my sincere hope that our music will inspire the hearts of many the same way The Portland Song inspired me.”
The Eagle Has Landed is now available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon. CD’s and song book magazines containing photos, lyrics and liner notes can be ordered directly from The Sovereign Sounds website: www.sovereignsounds.net
“It has been an incredible journey so far,” says the congregational shepherd who recently became a grandfather. “The greatest lesson I have learned over the past thirty years is that no matter how many times we stumble and fall, God will always be there to pick us up and show us the way home. His love is unfailing and the riches of his grace are unfathomable. This is where my inspiration for songwriting comes from. For me there is no greater joy than expressing the heart of God through music.”