ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (ANS) -- Michael Roe, Terry Scott Taylor, Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong are The Lost Dogs.

The Lost Dogs

The group is best known for their beautiful three-part harmony, guitar expertise, and easy, down-to-earth, crowd-pleasing banter that reflects their individual, yet highly complimentary, personalities.

According to a news release, over the past thirty years, these veteran travelers, who are counted among the best musicians in the business, have performed countless concerts throughout America and Europe.

Since the formation of The Lost Dogs in 1992, these creative musicians have joined forces to produce nine critically acclaimed albums of Americana-style music, while continuing with their individual musical careers.

Taking a cue from lyrics penned for the title song off their debut album, the Lost Dogs will once again be taking the “Scenic Routes.”

September will find them traveling Route 66 (The Mother Road) in a pursuit to rediscover an America gone but not forgotten, which now seems more alive in the imagination than reality.

The journey The Lost Dogs will be a search for artistic inspiration along America’s most iconic highway. And as they take an evening’s break from Route 66 to share their wonderful music with our guests at Joy Junction Homeless Shelter on Sept.22, I’m praying that their time here will produce a song or two about the work Jesus is doing at the mission.

I think that’s a reasonable wish, as their adventures will be captured in film and songs written on the road, then released as their next studio album with an accompanying documentary of their journey.

A news release from the band’s management said, “The band will travel by RV and trade in the comforts of three star hotels for the simple pleasure of a campfire shared with friends.” Well, we can’t offer a campfire at Joy Junction, but we’re very happy to let The Dogs to park their RV, or even sleep in one of our buildings!

According to a news release from the band, they are offering fans several unusual opportunities to participate in the experience with them.

A GPS unit, provided by BrickHouse Security, will allow fans to go online and watch the bands every move in real-time or even get in their cars, come out and travel along with them for a few miles. Video blogs will be posted on their website so fans can watch as their experiences are transformed into a musical narrative of the Mother Road.

Fans will also be offered the opportunity to get involved with several tour support opportunities.

From donating money to have their names included in the credit roll of the DVD, to purchasing items from the tour including the Waterstone guitars the band will use while on the road.

The tour will end with a beach party at the Santa Monica pier, where the band will share new songs and clips from the road.

Joy Junction and The Lost Dogs - A Unique Combination

If you live anywhere close to Joy Junction, do your best to come and see The Lost Dogs. They’ve been one of my favorite Christian bands for many years.

Like my other friends, Randy Stonehill and British troubador of peace and justice Garth Hewitt, The Dogs are totally real, and don’t have an ounce of pretense in them. They also have a deep love for the homeless, and a yearning to improve the plight of the less fortunate.

Here’s a verse from one of their song, “That’s Where Jesus Is” (www.thelostdogs.com/lyrics/lostcabin/thatswherejesusis.html).

“That’s Jesus in the homeless faces, with the junkies in their livin’ hell. That’s Jesus with the drunks and in the lonely places, the rest homes and prison cells. That’s where Jesus is, where we ought to be. Here’s where Jesus works inside you and me, with the folks with AIDS and the suffering kids. That’s where Jesus hangs; that’s where Jesus is.”

Listen to how this song continues. Talking about where Jesus might choose to spend His time the lyrics read, “On the corner ‘round the prostitutes is where He'll probably show, He gets invited to church sometimes and sometimes He don't go. Don't care nuthin' about your status what you can or you can't afford. Don’t care if you're voted best actor; not impressed with your big award. He's not in the five star restaurant eating a six course meal; He's not over on some golf course discussing the oil deal.”

So what does Jesus want? “He wants our voice (that’s where Jesus is), that’s how He talks (That's where Jesus is),that’s how He walks (That's where Jesus is). And He wants our faith (that’s where Jesus is). But there’s never enough. He wants our hearts (that’s where Jesus is). That’s how He loves.”

Who are “The Lost Dogs?”

“The Lost Dogs” have been called “A revolutionary idea in the presentation of intelligent, adult alternative music,” but to me they’re more than that. In their music they meet me right where I’m at, and in so doing say everything I wanted to say but was too afraid to ask or unable to adequately express.

“The Lost Dogs” are a Christian band with a difference- a real difference. If your first reaction is "huh?" or "what sort of band would have a name like that?" then you’ve been missing out – big time! The band comprises Terry Taylor on guitars and lead vocals, Mike Roe on lead guitars and lead vocals, Derri Daugherty on guitars and lead vocals and Steve Hindalong on drums. (Gene Eugene, a founding member of the band, is now deceased).

All of the band’s members are veterans of the music industry. Terry Taylor is known for his involvement with “DA” (“Daniel Amos”) and the “Swirling Eddies,” Derri Daugherty with “The Choir” and Michael Roe with “The 77's.” Steve Hindalong is a respected Nashville producer. (Gene was part of Adam Again).

Terry Taylor and The Lost Dogs

Some time ago I talked with both Mike Roe and Terry Taylor. I asked Terry how he would summarize the band’s music. He told me if there is a theme running through the group and its songs, it’s that they are "an expression, a microcosm of people. Part of what we share together is our humanity, our common beliefs and the transparency of the whole person. That’ s where our strength lies in terms of our identification with the audience. They don’t see us as high and mighty but as people like them who can express (those feelings) in a song."

Terry’s comment reminded me of one of my favorite "Lost Dogs" songs. Called “A Vegas Story,” it talks about a man who blew his money on a trip to Las Vegas. Some of the words of the ever-poignant song read, “For free drinks and a dream I gave them my wallet. I rolled the dice and upped my price, a soul for sale, they bought it, now a million lights gleam. They’re twinkling ’bove this dead broke alcoholic. And I lost everything to free drinks and a dream ...

“Now I’m so alone I can’t go home. How could a family understand? That your love for them can do you in, make you a desperate man. Though youth is gone the heart still draws you on to devise foolhardy plans. You set aside your guilt for kingdoms built on shifting desert sands.”

Then there are the heartrending lyrics from another gut wrenching “Lost Dogs” song which read,

“I’ve been a drunkard most of my life. My drinking killed my darling wife. But not one night has she left me alone.. Still it’s not her ghost I dread when she stands next to my bed. It’s those words she speaks that chill me to the bone.

“I have seen the wall of heaven and your name’s not written there. And each time you turn from Jesus it’s more than I can bear. For there awaits a robe of diamonds and a crown for you to wear. But I’ve see this wall of heaven and your name’s not written there.”

Terry Taylor Solo

Terry’s creativity also carries over to his solo projects. For example, take the song “Capistrano Beach,” from his album, “Avocado Faultline.” Terry told me that over the hill from Capistrano Beach in California is San Juan Capistrano, famous for the yearly return of the swallows. While people flock to San Juan Capistrano, they want to move away from Capistrano Beach, described by Terry as being “San Juan’s crippled sister.”

With that in mind Terry penned these words, “Oh fly on you mixed up swallows, this is not the stop God has planned. You are over San Juan’s crippled sister and it’s best you do not land.”

Terry said, “I just projected myself as this person who lives in Capistrano Beach and they’ll never get out of this town. You would think of Capistrano and Beach as being something interesting (but it’s not). This person (in the song) is shackled by his outward circumstances and his inner spiritual circumstances.”

The song continues by telling the story of “Ol’ Jesus (who) got busted but his restaurant’s still open. They got a rat or two in there and a fine chili relleno. With all the stiff competition Leo’s Liquor is closin’. Poor Leo went down drinkin’ whisky and Drano.”

That’s quite a tale, and definitely not your usual Christian musical fare.

Terry told me, “It has a lurid image. When you’re writing a story song you do want to make something a little shocking that keeps the listener riveted to that story. It’s a fairly popular song. It has a memorable melody and there’s a certain melancholy to it. It’s a way for people to get in touch with the melancholy in their life. It has a universal spiritual outlook that the listener identifies with. The implication is that (really living) life is not (about) life being greener on the other side but being at peace wherever you are. You are who you are wherever you are.”

It was a really enjoyable experience interviewing Terry, because even though I had never met or talked to him prior to the interview, I’d listened to his music for years and felt that I already had established a relationship with him. Really, it felt more like a chat with a friend than an interview. (And now I have met Terry, I feel a closer connection with him than ever).

Terry said, “It’s a great relationship I have had with the fans. We share common passion. We share common flaws in our character. It’s a real compliment that the art is really an extension of our life. This person is really me in a sense.”

It was quickly obvious to me that Terry is a very passionate, intensely caring and emotional Christian man who has been given a unique gift by the Lord to express his feelings to the Body of Christ. With that in mind, I asked him how the death of original “Lost Dog” member Gene Eugene affected him.

Terry called Gene’s death “shocking and brutal.” He was “alive one day and gone the next. It wasn’t like he had been ill. It was like some sort of dream that I kept waiting to awake up from. We were all walking around in a fog of shock. Then you weep and you carry that burden around. (The song) ‘Three Legged Dog’ (from the ‘Real Men Cry’ album) was in remembrance to losing someone. It is constantly there and there is not a day that goes by when I don’t think about Gene and what he means to me. Sometimes memories crash in to me. I was overwhelmed by the unreality of not having Gene around.”

Mike Roe was also deeply affected by Gene’s death, calling it “devastating,” as he had become a close friend to Mike. He said, “It was very surreal. Not something I expected to happen. It made life more serious. It helped me spiritually to refocus my life in other directions from where it may have been heading. A good question but not easy to answer.”

Life with a “Lost Dog”

But what about the man behind the music? Terry has now been married for 36 years. He has a son of 28 and a daughter of 23, who he says are both very supportive of his music.

Terry said his wife loves the music he plays. “She has been very supportive and sacrificial. She knew going in God’s vision in my life and has always been extremely supportive. She has always been a foundational in my ability to do what I do. If she wasn’t behind it I would go tomorrow and start flipping burgers. I have her full blessing and that means a lot to me,” he said.

I wondered about what it would be like to live with Terry and what a fly on the wall might observe in an unexpected visit to his household. Terry didn’t have to think about his answer. “What you hear in the songs I write is an indication of my character. (It ranges from) gentleness to being a little bit harsh in some times.”

Terry said that having a sense of humor has been an essential part of his marriage. “You can’t be married 35 years and not have a sense of humor. It’s very helpful to us as we are growing older. (Of course) our faith is the greatest thing we possess. I try and be loving and merciful. (Home) is a place where my kids can see all of my foibles and failures all the time. We are a very forgiving and loving and tolerant family. I hope that is what someone would see,” he said.

Mike Roe: Another “Lost Dog”

From a fellow band member’s perspective, Mike Roe said that he really enjoys working with Terry. “He’s a lot of fun. We all get along great. I think it’s like any thing. We just kind of find out what the land mines are and you don’t step on them. It’s not like a lot of bands where there’s lot of conflict,” he said.

I asked Mike how he got involved with the band. Sounding deadly serious, he told me “I was hungry and desperate and thought it sounded interesting. I had trepidation about working with Terry. But it ended up turning into this really cool thing. We were really surprised about how cool it turned out to be.”

Mike said the band members use “The Lost Dogs” as a vehicle for different kinds of song writing that they haven’t done with their respective bands.

“It’s really good being able to play with some different guys and do some music that’s not the normal thing you would do. We’ve stepped into this Americana thing that we were doing before it was trendy. What we are doing now doesn’t seem as unusual as the time we began doing it,” he said.

Mike said touring for the band is all about having a great time. “Meeting up with all the fans and making a lot of music ... Lost Dogs is a lot of camaraderie ... We’re kinda like old fishing buddies, best friends,” he said.

Mike said, “Musically, (we’ll) strip down the songs to their most basic presentations and get really into the soul of ths songs. Spiritually, my goals are multi- tiered. It’s not like a plumber who just plumbs. We are doing (this tour) for a variety of reasons (that include the need for money), but our overarching spiritual goal to expose our hearts and to give people a chance to reflect on the way that God interacts with us. Unfortunately because of my being old and wretched I tend to focus on the money first.”

But after listening to Mike it was obvious that money isn’t his first priority. It’s his daughter. “I miss (her) a lot when I’m traveling. We have broken the tour up into three sections so I am not away from her for too long ... We don’t like being apart because we’re very close. And I think she likes my music. I find her listening to it a lot more than she used to,” he said.

What’s Ahead for The Lost Dogs?

Back when this interview first appeared, Mike said his vision for the band’s future is that members will keep turning out even better songs. "I hope we write better songs so we can keep doing it. I want to be able to do this music til we drop."

Six years later, I would say this is a vision that has been fulfilled. Their music keeps getting better and better.

Mike added that he would like to see the band reach out beyond its established Christian fan base. “We have worked a lot in the Christian music scene. I would like to get it more exposed in the general market field and find it more people. It was originally a lark but now it’s fairly serious business.”

For additional information about “The Lost Dogs,” their music and the activities of its individual members, visit any of these sites: www.thelostdogs.com,  www.michaelroe.com,  www.77s.com,  or www.myspace.com/thelostdogsmusic 

For more information about their concert at Joy Junction, please call (505) 217-9586.

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "The Face of Homelessness." Additional details are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com. Reynalds' upcoming book is "We All Need a Little Help." It will be released on October 3 2008. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 400-7145. Note: A higher resolution JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at danjuma1@aol.com.