G, B & Mr.

Tuesday, December 04, 2001

G, B & Mr. P -&160;Fourth Man in the Fire Ministries Inc. -&160;will celebrate their new CD release with a concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, in the Albert Lea High School auditorium.

G, B & Mr. P are George Marin, Bob Bursell and John Piotraschke, and &uot;Crazy About Us&uot; is their second album together. Like their first CD, called &uot;Fourth Man in the Fire,&uot; this one contains adult Christian contemporary songs. All the words and music were written by Piotraschke, who also plays keyboards, guitar and sings background vocals.

There are 14 songs on the CD, and about 70 minutes of solid music.

Included are &uot;You Are the Reason,&uot; the song Piotraschke wrote for his wife, Cheryl, for their 14th wedding anniversary, and &uot;Dad’s Reflection,&uot; which parallels a young boy’s fear of a storm to Jesus’ hanging on the cross.

The CD was recorded at Two Fish Studios in Mankato over 14 days. &uot;It was a lot of work – and a lot of fun,&uot; Marin said. &uot;We learned a lot about each other.&uot;

Marin said that while the group was pleased with the first effort, they’re even happier with the second CD. &uot;The creativity that came out in the studio was really something,&uot; he said.

There is no admission charge to Saturday’s concert, but a freewill offering will be received to defray expenses.

Copies of the CD will also be available for sale. The musicians will be autographing copies.

In addition, Piotraschke’s book, &uot;The Stories Behind the Songs,&uot; will be available at the concert. The book contains lyrics and some of the songwriter’s thoughts throughout the process, Marin said.

Fourth Man in the Fire Ministries got its start in October 1999, when Piotraschke and Bursell ran into each other and began talking about music. They started getting together on Saturday mornings, putting their original songs together with guitar, keyboard and percussion parts.

While they both sing, neither felt they were lead vocalists, Piotraschke said. &uot;We decided to look for someone, and George came up right away. He has a phenomenal voice.&uot;

While the trio play guitar and sing live, Piotraschke has the ability to lay down up to 16 tracks so the music is always fully orchestrated with piano, strings or other types of musical accompaniment.

Piotraschke has been a musician for 20 years, but said he’s never felt the special bond he’s felt with the other two musicians.

Added Bursell, &uot;After John and I got together, I told my wife, ‘There’s something there.’ I’ve played in bands since I was 18. This band has a purpose.&uot;

Marin also had the feeling that &uot;the Lord just brought it all together. We just jelled instantly.&uot;

It was Marin’s idea to call the ministry &uot;Fourth Man in the Fire.&uot; It’s taken from Daniel 3, in which Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown bound into a fire for their refusal to worship the image of King Nebuchadnezzar. But when the king looked into the fire, the three men were walking about, unharmed, and another figure was with them: the son of God. The three musicians believe God is the fourth man in their ministry, Piotraschke said.