Sleepwalking, its the practice of walking while asleep. And while only four percent of American adults suffer from this medical affliction, metaphorically, SPUR58 sees an outbreak of sleepwalking all over the country. Were sleepwalkers. Were going through the motions and we forget all the life around us, says frontman Aaron Ivey. If youre going to claim to know Jesus, youve got to wake up.
Committed to this message, SPUR58 started crisscrossing the United States, playing over 200-dates a year, to reach as many people as possible with the wake-up call. We were just a group of guys who loved playing music together and ministering to others while doing it, remembers Ivey. Eventually, however, when we decided to take our ministry on the road, we had to take being a band more seriously. But the whole band thing was more a means to an end. Now after several years and a few hundred thousand miles on their van, SPUR58 releases their major label debut Sleepwalkers with Indelible Creative Group.
SPUR58 had their beginning in Houston, where Ivey was a youth pastor leading worship. I was really passionate about music and speaking into peoples lives in that way. Leading worship was my job, but I felt like I was supposed to share that outside just one church. The key was finding some guys who saw this with the same heart and passion.
The result of that search led Ivey right to his own student ministry, where he discovered guitarist Chad Martin. Martin, who was a student in Iveys youth group, originally joined the band as bass player while finishing high school. Next Ivey recruited college friend and bass player Steven Bush, who shared the same heart for music, ministry and worship. Then, Bush suggested his roommate, guitarist Jimmie Ingram, to fill out the bands modern-rock sound.
In 2003, SPUR58 moved to Murfreesboro, Tenn., just southeast of Nashville, not for its close proximity to the music scene but for the young adults they led in worship at their home church. My mentor moved there to pastor a church, says Ivey. He called to see if wed be interested in leading a college Bible study, giving it direction. We felt that connecting in this way with a church and college ministry would be a great fit while still giving us the opportunity to continue to travel and lead worship. Drummer Guy Roberts lived in the Nashville area and joined SPUR58 in early 2006. Though impressed with his playing, it was his interaction offstage that convinced bandmates he fit. We knew he was perfect for the band when we saw him interact with the students, recalls Martin.
Music is a gateway to connect with students, says Bush. If we take what we do behind the guitar or mic as our ministry, were missing the point. Thats only about 10 percent of this. When we come offstage, truly engaging with the audience and connecting with where theyre at, thats the beauty of what we do. Music is a vehicle for SPUR58s objective, and their partnership with Indelible affords the band the opportunity to spread their message.
Looking for a label partner who shared the bands ministry vision, SPUR58 met with countless Nashville labels before finding the perfect fit in Indelible Creative Group. We connected with Indelible because theyre really artist-driven. They are all about creating remarkable experiences which is one of the things weve tried to achieve with SPUR58. They didnt want to make us into something else; they believed we were already doing what God called us to do. Hearing that was key. It made this feel like a team, a partnership, says Ivey.
Aiming to create community among music fans, believers as well as non-believers, SPUR58 shares honest thoughts on worship through a powerful, melodic blend of guitars and piano. Ready to Love offers a commitment of worship and The Wonderful sings directly to Gods majesty, while Gods perspective pleads straight to the listener on Calling You.
But the bands brand of worship goes beyond the song designed for corporate worship. Our heart is leading worship. Thats what we love to do and are passionate about, but that doesnt always mean getting people to sing along, Ivey says. We believe that to lead someone to respond to God, you must show them all aspects of God and life. Its sometimes easy to instigate the worship thing and get everyone hyped up about how great God is, but sometimes we miss the truth that God is great and good even in pain and suffering.
Finding ways to break the mold around worship music, SPUR58 writes observant songs from the everyday. The albums title cut comes from Iveys watching his friend Cody, a clinically diagnosed sleepwalker, get up one night sleepwalking, unaware of what he was doing. The idea hit Ivey that many believers live such a life.
SPUR58 wants to drive that idea home life is about more than going through the motions; everyones life has a purpose. The band offers Sleepwalkers as their hope that people will hear Gods call, wake up and respond with worship through their own real life stories.
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