PRACTICE-Moore Praise practices for a March performance at New Covenant Church. Pictured are (from left) John Michael Moore, Patrick "O'Neal" Moore, Dee Meland (partially obsured), Pamela Moore, Aailyah Moore, Whitney Moore, Bob Meland and Patrick O'Neal Moore Jr. Photo by Laura Thornburg

Praise band with local ties to go on tour

Several years ago, Patrick "O'Neal" Moore Sr. had a vision that led to the creation of a band that has been established for about three years. Moore Praise is set to hit the road for its first tour in July.

The Vision

"This thing got started when I had a dream, more like a out-of-body experience. It was a real out-of-body experience. I awoke in this vision that I was on stage and this lady came out of nowhere and was shoving me out on stage, telling me ‘it's your turn, it's your turn.' I had a cowboy outfit on with an acoustic guitar. She pushed me out on stage and the curtains flew back, lights were in my eyes and I tilted my hat down to see past the lights and I could see an ocean of people, a sea of people literally and I began to play the guitar and sing and the people began falling out like you see on Benny Hinn crusades, the millions of people and they're falling out over the anointing and they began to do that when I began to sing and play the guitar. My wife rolled over and bumped and woke me up. That wasn't good. I knew then that I knew how to play the guitar and sing at the same time. I had never played the guitar before." The morning after this vision found Moore at a pawn shop, operated by a long-time friend.

"I was the first one there and I told the guy to give me a guitar because I know how to play. The pawn shop owner we know each other personally, he's known me all my life and he was like, ‘Yeah, right. When did you get interested in music?' He handed me a guitar off the shelf and I began to play what I saw in the dream. I remembered what my hands were doing and I was singing and playing at the same time and he was amazed. I had to bring the guitar home and show my wife and my kids.