Sidetracked with LigWeg — passionate worship by passionate people

[notice]A monthly interview column in which Mike Beets tunes into the heartbeat of Christian musicians and the SA Christian music industry.[/notice]

LigWeg is the solo brainchild of Gert Smit, and has been around for a number of years releasing their self-titled debut album in 2013. Gert is no newbie in the music industry and his song writing skills has earned him a Huisgenoot Tempo award in the past. Being a worship leader at church Gert’s main objective is to lead people into the presence of God and not be in the way. We got to sit down and have chat with Gert about LigWeg, life and the upcoming album in 2015. 

Sdtrck: Tell us a little more about the band; who plays what and how did you guys meet? 

Gert:   LW is a solo act. I make use of session muso’s who are also close friends of mine. They share in the vision of making good music that brings hope and encouragement through Christ. 

Sdtrck:  What made you decide on the name LigWeg? 

GS:  The name is Afrikaans, and simply means a Light on my road. 

Sdtrck:  What is your vision with the band? Who are you aiming to reach? 

GS:   The vision that I had from the start is to make good Christian music; music with substance. We worked on the Afrikaans market for the past 2 years and will soon start with the English album due Feb 2015. 

Sdtrck:  How would you best describe your music? 

GS:  I think the depth of the music is derived from the classical side of me, but I am an old school rock guy so I try to bring the two together with some modern up to date sounds. 

Sdtrck:  What is the foundational message that LigWeg’s music shares? 

GS:  Christ = Hope

Sdtrck:  Tell us more about the Afrikaans album that has been out for a while? 

GS:   I never thought that I would sing anything Afrikaans, but I started to write a few songs and people heard it and loved the Message of the songs. So Brettian Productions did the album and we released it in September 2013. The feedback says it all. I wanted the songs to speak for themselves. 

Sdtrck:  You have a new project coming up? Tell us about that? 

GS:   Yes! We will be launching the new album 2015 Feb, an English album. 

Sdtrck:  When you guys aren’t playing as LigWeg where can we find you? 

GS:  I am a worship leader at our church, and a full time dad! 

Sdtrck:  What is the most important aspect for you as a Christian musician and songwriter when it comes to the music you create and what you present to your listeners? 

GS:  Keeping up with the trend, firstly.  If I can hook a listener with the music, the seed will be sown. 

Sdtrck:  What moments totally blew your mind while you guys where ministering?

 GS:   I once made an altar call at rather large church. I at first did not know what to expect as this was a kind of old school church. But to my utter surprise about 80% of the church came forward! And basically every time when things go wrong at setup, or on the road, that’s when I know something big is going to happen! And it does. 

Sdtrck:  What would you change about the South African music scene, especially Christian music if you could change one thing? 

GS:  Get the guys to move with the times… 

Sdtrck:  What is the hardest thing about being in the Christian music industry? 

GS: It’s not hard at all. If you are grounded in Christ, and certain of your calling, then you won’t get side-tracked. 

Sdtrck:  What keeps you as LigWeg going when it feels like nothing seems to be working and doors keep shutting in your face? 

GS:  It’s not easy getting a name off the ground, especially when it’s a Christian act. But if I did this for money or for any other reason that to see people turn to Christ, or to see people lose themselves in His presence, I would have given up long ago. There is nothing more rewarding than to see a crowd worshipping God. When people send me messages or come and talk to us telling us they have found new hope in our songs that is what keeps me going. 

Sdtrck:  Any advice that you would like to give to people just starting out with a Christian band?

GS:  Be aware of what’s happening on the music scene. There’s no point in having a good message but not having something to get the attention of people. And hard work. 

Sdtrck:  Where can we catch you live in the coming weeks/months? 

GS:  I will be doing Christmas Carols in Kimberly on Nov at Aember 23 at FM House Of Restoration and then playing at some of Gretha Wiid’s teen camps. 

Sdtrck:  Where can we get our hands on your music?  

GS:   Any music store or iTunes, you can even order from our Facebook Page. 

With a heart set on worship and leading people into the presence of God, Gert has been taking his band all over South Africa mobilising people to renew their hearts and turn their attention to Jesus. LigWeg’s music is fresh and moving. If you love passionate worship by passionate people you owe it to yourself to check them out and keep tabs on their progress as the new album will be releasing next year. You can follow Gert on Facebook or Twitter at https://www.facebook.com/gert.smit.524  and   https://twitter.com/LiG_WeG . And for a taste of their music view the music video for their song “Droogte”: