After ten years together as Watermark, Nathan and Christy Nockels are giving up their recording career to focus on their family and other projects.

Nearly ten years ago, Nathan and Christy Nockels formed Watermark from the ashes of Sons & Daughters, an independent worship band that also featured Charlie and Kimber Hall. Since then, the husband/wife duo churned out five studio CDs for Rocketown Records, landed six number one singles and toured with the likes of Michael W. Smith, Point of Grace, Ginny Owens and Fernando Ortega. Besides pursuing their own projects, they've also been dedicated to the Passion worship movement since its early days, while Nathan has produced albums for Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and more. But now we've heard the last of Watermark, which is saying farewell with the live CD A Grateful People and a spring tour. The decision comes on the heels of having kids, combined with other opportunities. We recently talked to Christy Nockels about their decision to call it a day.

What's the first memory that comes back to mind when thinking back on Watermark's career?

Christy Nockels: The best part of the journey for us has been the people. I think about our tour with Point of Grace, our very first tour, and how it took us to over 80 cities in the fall of 1998 and the spring of '99. We'd never been out of the Bible belt before that. We just went to a writers' meeting with them the other day and were sitting and hearing their hearts realizing what great people they are and seeing that their vision hasn't changed. So to see so much of the country and then to be helping them on their new record and have them be a part of our live album is amazing.

How about your relationship with Michael W. Smith?

Nockels: On the past tour [in support of his 2004 CD Healing Rain], we spent some time with him talking about worship and where his heart's going. We talked about Rocketown memories, and that's priceless for us because we used to spend more time with Michael and the label before we had kids.

What was it like in the early days of Rocketown Records?

Nockels: The very first office was in Michael's studio, which he still owns in downtown Franklin. When we first moved to Nashville from Houston, we didn't have anywhere to go so I would go to the office to hang out with the staff and help out. I even cleaned the toilet one day before some label reps from Word came by. I would help stuff press packets of other artists because I didn't have a job. Nathan was traveling with Point of Grace as a keyboard player to make some extra money, and there was a lot of time by myself.

How does the marriage dynamic play into your work with Nathan?

Nockels: It's all we've ever known, and it feels right to us. When we have a tour bus, we always take the kids, but recently we flew to California one night without the kids and it was like a little getaway. We talked, connected, cried, and talked about life in general. Some friends talk about scheduling a date night, but we just kind of have it built in. On a concert day, we always have lunch together.

Can that ever work against you when there's a disagreement?

Nockels: We've never gone on stage without being reconciled, because he knows better! I have a tendency to be really transparent on stage. If we had a fight, I'd probably end up talking about it on stage. I've always tried to be reconciled, which is a good thing because when you write together, you have to be very vulnerable. You can't write together if there's something between you. It's a natural kind of thing in marriage that causes us to not be able to hold stuff in. Working and writing together is a good checkpoint. We have a community group at church with seven families that meet every other Sunday night where we talk about marriage, what's going on, and our struggles. That's been a treasure for us.

What would you say was your greatest artistic accomplishment together?

Nockels: I feel like it was The Purest Place (2004). We had our drummer from ten years back play on it and got together with guys who really know us. We recorded in a 100-year-old house in Franklin, and we kind of hovered over those songs for months and months. We'd do every song live from that record, and it's definitely been filled with our most artistic expressions.

So why call it quits, if you were making your best music?

Nockels: Nathan and really feel like we're wired for ministry, even when we first got married. We love having a hand in a lot of different things. We could not be in a place where we could make Watermark our one thing. We feel called to be amazing parents to our two kids. We feel called to the Passion movement and leading worship. Nathan is called to produce records. If I had a choice of a tour or a college worship night where I could share my heart with girls, I would hands down pick the college thing. The same thing goes for Nathan; if he was asked about making Watermark go to the top or to do a new album with Matt Redman, he'd probably choose to produce that record. Thinking about those questions were really telling where our hearts were.

Why a live record to wrap it all up?

Nockels: We've never done a live record as Watermark and I feel like live is more representative of who we are. We recorded it at our home church and we wanted to have an evening of celebration as this season is coming to a close. We pitched the idea to Rocketown—who were going to do a compilation anyway—and they loved the idea. We thought, What if we could get old friends like Shane & Shane, Chris Tomlin, Point of Grace, Charlie Hall, Ed Cash, and Louie and Shelley Giglio? And we decided to try it. It was going to be a miracle to pull all those artists together in one night, but it turned out. We both are sentimental, and we're grateful that they all came together.

How did you choose the songs?

Nockels: We met with Rocketown employees, even those who had worked there in the past, and we mapped it out. We all came to the decision together. There were a couple Nathan and I wouldn't have chosen, but it was a really collaborative effort.

Tell me about the new tunes.

Nockels: "Light of the World" was a song we wrote for our church while going through the book of John. Nathan and I are among one of five worship leaders who rotate at church, and we started leading that at church. It went over well even though Nathan and I don't feel like the best corporate worship writers. But it was very singable and the church grabbed onto it, so the label said, "What about making it a radio single?" Rocketown was very pleased, and I just heard today it was number one on the inspirational charts.

"Elliana's Song" is about our daughter, which we wanted to include before Watermark ended because Noah our son had already appeared on a record. I lobbied for it and the label said, "Whatever you want to do." It's going to be a hidden track because it didn't naturally flow in. There's also two indie songs from the days with Sons & Daughters.

Is a solo record or any other type of ministry on the horizon?

Nockels: It's in my heart to do so. That could be done in the basement or with a label. It's a little hard to explain the difference between industry and ministry lines. I feel like ministry is not looking at my own agenda, but the interest of others and being a servant. My heart is right now for young women worship leaders. They do exist, but there's not many. God led me to four or five young women who I've begun the journey of mentoring. I'm doing a college girls conference with Beth Moore, where I'll be leading worship and speaking for one of the sessions. If I do leave my home and my kids for a couple of nights, I want to be really deliberate in what I'm doing. That's where I feel called right now. It's kind of exciting and scary all at the same time.

Will Nathan pick up the pace as a producer?

Nockels: He was having a hard time knowing how much he could take on at first. Last fall, he took on way too much. He was so sorry because he didn't know how time-consuming it was all going to be, but he's the best man I know and has the integrity of heart. I think God will continue to really open up more doors for him for producing.

Will either of you be appearing on anyone else's albums?

Nockels: Oh yeah! We've had more opportunities to do that then ever before, which is maybe because we don't have any red tape we have to go through. I'm on Selah's next record, we're both on the latest Passion record, and I'm on another record with EMI—a multi-female artist type thing—now that we're free agents.

For more about Watermark and their ten-year history, visit our site's artist page. You can read our review of A Grateful People by clicking here. Visit Christianbook.com to listen to sound clips and buy the music.

© Andy Argyrakis, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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