MUSICAL MINISTER IS FOLKSY SORT - AND PLAYING IS COMPULSION MARK SPANGLER: HI

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 28, 1992                   TAG: 9202270139
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-9   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By JOE TENNIS
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium
MUSICAL MINISTER IS FOLKSY SORT - AND PLAYING IS COMPULSION MARK SPANGLER: HI
Mark Alan Spangler is riding high in the world of music these days.
And the Christian musician quite literally thanks God for his success.
"I'm compelled to play from within. It's one expression that I have of revealing to listeners my joys and my sorrows as well as to communicate what I perceive as being the Gospel. In that sense, it's a ministry as well as an art," he said.
"And besides," says the Peterstown, W.Va., resident with a chuckle, "it's a lot of fun."
Spangler will perform at the Straight Street Teen Center on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to all ages, including adults. The center - at 300 N. Franklin St. in Christiansburg - is asking for donations.
A musician for more than 10 years, Spangler released his debut album, "Shelter From the Storm," in 1990. The project showcases his skills as a writer, vocalist, musician and producer.
The record yielded two singles, "Faith Has Made You Whole" and "Break the Band." Both have climbed their way into many Top-40 Christian charts around the country - and the record has received air play on more than 700 Christian and adult contemporary radio stations.
Spangler has a tough time trying to pin a label on his diverse collection of original tunes. "Down in Nashville, they label it contemporary Christian. . . . but it's like folk rock," he said.
Musically, he draws his influence from folksy players such as Bob Dylan and John Denver to spiritual writers such as Keith Green. Still, he says, "That doesn't necessarily reflect what my sound is like."
Spangler, who lives with his wife, Tracy, and their two children, Evan and Hannah, is a licensed minister. He serves various denominations in his region as evangelist and itinerant preacher.
An Ohio native, Spangler is a 1981 graduate of Peterstown High School and holds a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences from Bluefield State College.
He is a counselor at a mental health center in Lewisburg, W.Va. "I intend on going to graduate school in the future, but presently have been staying pretty busy in the music ministry."

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB