2012 Good Friday Alive

Something very special for the guys in SWEET CRYSTAL (and hopefully you) this upcoming Good Friday.

This day of course is one of the main reasons that SWEET CRYSTAL plays the type of music we do.
It's the day that marks the sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ - who's entire being is the focus of all we do, say and play. This year we plan to bring that message of hope and salvation to The WORLD thanks to the power of the Internet.

At 3PM Eastern Standard Time, the band will be talking and rocking live on the web at www.udetroit.com down in the great Harmonie Park complex.

Our good friend and long time Sweetie supporter Bob Bauer hosts a daily broadcast from 2 - 6 pm and has graciously asked us to come in and do what we do - play and praise and Crystalize the band width. Of course you can join us down in Detroit at the UDetroit Cafe for food and fellowship as well as be a part of the live audience, but for you Sweeties in Arizona, California, Japan, South America, Germany and across the planet, just point your browser to www.udetroit.com and join us in spirit as we let loose all that is Crystal.

We are humbled and blessed to be doing this - and hopefully someone else's life will be changed in the process.
All for His Glory Sweeties.
We're just here to sing about it.

God Bless You, Warriors

Letter from an airline pilot:
He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. On this flight."
(H.R. Stands for human remains.)
"Are they military?" I asked.
"Yes", she said.
"Is there an escort?" I asked.
"Yes, I already assigned him a seat".
"Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early," I said.
A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was
the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I
asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about
them as if they are still alive and still with us.
"My soldier is on his way back to Virginia," he said. He proceeded to answer
my questions, but offered no words.
I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told
him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the
work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer
and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to
find his seat.
We completed our pre-flight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful
departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead
flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the family of the soldier
we are carrying is on board', she said. She then proceeded to tell me that
the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son,
husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to
see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way
to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the
connecting flight home to Virginia .
The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was
below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much
for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there
was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival.
The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being
taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight
attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do. 'I'm on
it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.
Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail
like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight
dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the
operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the
dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the
situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted.
He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to
get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text
message asking for an update.
I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the
text:
'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on
this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated
escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the
ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary
van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and
escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is
a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives,
the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the
remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in
flight control are veterans.. Please pass our condolences on to the family.
Thanks.'
I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I
printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on
to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You
have no idea how much this will mean to them.'
Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After
landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge
with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with
aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the
ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic
was being held for us.
'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told.
It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we
turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the
family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the
co-pilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate
to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp
controller said, 'Take your time.'
I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public
address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain
speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We
have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is
Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is
under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant
XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your
entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to
allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown
procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the
two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was
told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in
their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started
to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the
entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank
you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made
their way down the aisle and out of the airplane.
They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.
Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had
made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over
again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.
I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices
that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and
safety in these United States of AMERICA
Foot note:
I know everyone who has served their country who reads this will have tears
in their eyes, including me.

Please send this story on after a short prayer for our service men and women.

They die for me and mine and you and yours and deserve our honor and respect.

'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as
they protect us..bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need.. In Jesus
Name, Amen.'
Prayer Request:
When you read this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our
troops around the world.
Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in
harm's way, prayer is the very best one.
GOD BLESS YOU!!!

January 2012 Issue of Electronic Musician

Nice little blurb in the new year's issue of Electronic Musician on your's truly.
Here's a link to the online story:
http://emusician.com/mag/dig_my_rig_january_2012/

Pretty nice to be recognized internationally by a music mag I subscribe to and support.

August Show Will Be Especially Sweet!

To say the summer of 2011 has been anything less than sweet would be a misunderstatement. New songs for the next CD are flowing, a Sweet Crystal track is in a major motion picture, a great review on “3″ in an international music mag, our own Bill Blatter featured in a rap music video… if you need a dose a Crystal, believe me, you can find it.
For now, we’ll just focus with the details of our upcoming show in just a few weeks. SWEET CRYSTAL is extremely pleased to open the night for our good friend and bass player extrordinaire’ David Winans II as he officially releases his new CD “pi”.



8/27/11: Bumper’s Bar and Grille in rocking Westland will host a night to salute this milestone in David’s musical career and we plan to start the night right (9:30 stage for us) by letting loose all the music and message we can bring.

Bumper’s Bar and Grille
8631 North Newburgh Road

Westland, MI 48185

(734) 459-7720

We plan to visit the Bob Bauer Show at UDetroit.com on Thursday, August 25 at 4:00 PM (EST) to talk about this show and other Sweet Crystal/DWII collaborations as well so make sure you log in and stay tuned for that bit of broadcast history.
Other upcoming shows include 2 different benefit shows at The Emerald Theater in September and October (more on that next time) and we’ll post the review from Power Play Magazine as soon as we get our copies ( or just order your own – how cool would that be!)
Enjoy the rest of your summer Sweeties! We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks and hearing all about your summer vacations!
(and about that rap video featuring WB… just wait. You’ll love it!).

Decided to release the entire Press Release for the show we are headlining this Saturday (7/30/11):

FaithFest began in spring of 1997 by Pastor Gary Schippling, currently Pastor at Blessed Hope Church in Lincoln Park, MI. Last year Pastor Gary found the Lord calling him in a different direction. He has been feeding and helping homeless people for years and he is now going to open free medical clinics to expand his ministry. When he sent an email to handful of candidates to see if someone would be interested in continuing the ministry of FaithFest I knew immediately that I was being called.
My name is Michael Swiecki and for the past 3 years I have been the musical director for “Unashamed”, the youth praise band at Community Lutheran Church in Flat Rock, MI. About 2 years ago I started taking the band to perform at events other than their own church. At first they were terrified, and then they got bit. After performing at FaithFest 2 years ago the group wanted to host a similar event. Last year we put on Praisefest, held the week after FaithFest. It started out as an idea to get 4 or 5 bands to play in the afternoon but soon took on a life of its own. We started at 9:00am and went until 10:00pm with 15 bands throughout the day. Everything went perfect. When I got the email from Pastor Gary about taking over FaithFest, I felt right and made sense and the success of our PraiseFest confirmed it.

While we intend to maintain the integrity that FaithFest has had all along, “Sharing God’s Word in Song”, there are a few changes. The music will be entirely indoors. There are 2 stages side by side. While one band is performing the next band is setting up. This creates a fast paced program with minimal time between acts. We are trying to have a build up as the each day goes on closing each day with a higher energy group. Most of the artists performing toward the end of each day have released cd’s and have been signed by a label. Groups such as Aaron Lucas, Brigette Donoho, Sweet Crystal, Messenger just to name a few. Of course UNASHAMED, the hosting band, will be performing as well. A complete schedule, map, and other info can be found on the website – www.faithfest.net.

This FREE event is being held on the grounds of Community Lutheran Church, 23984 Gibralter Rd. Flat Rock, MI 48134, July 29 5pm-10pm, July 30 12pm-10pm, and July 31 11am-6pm. The Men of Grace will open up on Sunday followed by a family picnic as the music continues – all are invited. There is plenty of free parking and food and beverage will be on sale all 3 days and there will be events for children as well. FaithFest is a non-profit organization and any proceeds will go to Helping Hands, an organization that provides food, clothing, etc. for many needy families in the area.
While we are getting some donations from sponsors like Mike Carey Music Co., who has been with the event since its inception, things are very tight this year. So many businesses and individuals are still struggling it has been difficult to obtain the necessary resources, but we are still praying that God will provide. Anyone interested in donating please call Kimberlee Swiecki at 734/341-3799 or email at info@faithfest.net.

See you at the show!

Warriors Summary

We just want to thank everyone for always stepping us to help with our goal to support the Wounded Warrior Project with every show we play.
You help us succeed.
We owe you almost as much as we owe the warriors.

6-4-11 A New Type of Event

We are trying something new on Saturday 6/4/11 over at The Token Lounge in Westland, MI.
Our stealth organization - the Last Day's Alliance (LDA) - has organized a 4 band, 4 cause to generate
funds, support and awareness for the needs of others.

In what could be a template for future benefit shows, SWEET CRYSTAL, MEDISIN WHEEL, WAKING VEGAS and
SONS OF RACHEL will bring their individual music and message to the venerable stage at The Token and each band will be supporting 4 distinct causes by their actions:

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT
MY SISTER SONG
AUTISM AWARENESS
RACE FOR THE CURE

You pay the cover, you decide the cause. A night of great great music with a result that will make your heart smile long after the night is done.

And did I mention that there's a chance you will walk away with a $250 Mitchell Acoustic Guitar courtesy of the Guitar Center Canton Store?

What other enticement do you need to make it out? Tell me - I'll probably do it!
SWEET CRYSTAL opens the show so get there early for us. We promise you won't regret spending this first Saturday in June with us.