In the early stages of marriage Andrew and Jen Polfer, the tag-team duo at the helm of Lovelite, began to realize their great desire to write songs for the church. Their singable melodies and creative arrangements quickly compelled the other members-to-be to form what is now Lovelite.

Lovelite is composed of Andrew Polfer (guitar/vocal) and Jen Polfer (guitar/vocal), with a rotating cast of supporting guitar players, keyboard players, bass players, and drummers. With a sound familiar to both pop and indie fans, Lovelite blends guitar and piano with a Euro/Indie flair. Andrew’s voice can be likened to that of Keane’s Tom Chaplin or Embrace’s Dan McNamara, while Jen’s voice bares similarities to Eisley and Brooke Fraser. The two find a gentle balance with creative harmonies that come from many years of singing together. The music draws comparisons to Death Cab for Cutie, Keane, Athlete, Sleeping At Last, Coldplay and the Doves.

Lovelite’s latest release, “All Color,” contains energetic and anthemic rock accessibility as well as atmospheric ballads. Utilizing honest and subtle lyrics, each song illuminates different aspects and characteristics (or “colors”) of God and our relationship with Him. On the album’s first track, “There You Are,” the chorus says, “And if ever I am faithless, I can’t escape your greatness, from the brightest of places, to the infinite spaces, there You are,” pointing to the reality that God is faithful and trustworthy while He patiently waits for us to come home. Another song near the end of the album, “Unrivaled,” says “My unrivaled King, You speak poetry with Your word of love and the stars above, My unrivaled Love I was made for You, give me strength to stand and forfeit all I have,” revealing that we were made to live for Jesus and He is calling us to completely surrender to Him and find true peace. Some standout tracks are “There You Are,” “Honestly,” “The Fullness,” “One and Only,” and “Our Peace.”

Lovelite has recently begun a relationship with a new non-profit record label, “Come&Live!.” The overall vision and heart of Come&Live! is to give music away as a gift to those who want to worship the Lord while challenging the artist to raise support in a model similar to that of a missionary. Lovelite’s goal is to get their music into the hands of as many people as possible so that men and women of all ages can worship God through their music; that is why their new album, “All Color,” can be downloaded from their website, for a donation, or completely free of charge. Lovelite’s hopes to bring authentic and passionate music as well as an opportunity to put faith into action.

Lovelite is a band that, with God’s guidance and blessing, desires to bring hope, passion and action to a generation unknowingly surrounded by darkness in order to let God’s love shine through. Andrew makes the point that, “There are only two eternal things in this world: God and people. We want to bring praise to God and hope to people.” Worship is eternal, even in the musical sense, so sing along!

Valparaiso, NE -Kaitlin Benes has been singing ever since she could talk. “It’s just my way of expressing myself, I guess,” Benes said. In the fall of 2009, she recorded her first demo CD with Jackson, Nebraska based artist and producer Scott Webb.

Benes had relatives that attended Webb’s church where Scott was an organist. He said that he noticed her talent when she sang in the choir on her visits at Christmas time. “I heard this big voice, looked up and it was coming from a little girl,” he said. “I told her parents if she ever wanted to record a demo I would help her out. She was maybe seven at the time.”

Benes began recording with Webb in his living room based studio and released her first demo CD with six tracks on it in 2009. In August of 2010, Benes recorded her second CD and in November 2011, Benes had the thrill of a lifetime when she found out that Blue Pie Records wanted to sign her with the label as one of their artists in a non exclusive contract.

Benes and Webb have just recorded their latest batch of songs and have decided to self release the album on Scott’s SpikesPad Records label while presenting Kaitlin to major labels. “We did nine songs in two six hour studio sessions.” Said Scott “The instrumental tracks were done so it was all vocals. She is so good. Her voice sounded as good on the first note of the first day as it did on the last note of the second day.”

Kaitlin has a strong voice with a wide range and an incredible ear for harmonies. In fact all the female voices you hear on her records are all hers! Take this one for a drive, it won’t disappoint.

FYI autotune is not used on these recordings. It is all straight up double tracked lead and harmony vocals with Kaitlin singing all the female harmony tracks herself. What you hear is the real deal.

More?

I started working on demo recordings with Kaitlin when she was 15 in my own home studio. After our second batch of demos an Australian record company, Blue Pie Records, signed her to a non exclusive record contract and released her debut album all over the world. We have since finished recording her 3rd round of songs and I decided to release them on my own label. In my opinion she is extremely good. We worked fast, recording nine new songs in two six hour days. She comes up with her own harmony parts and her voice never gives out when we are working. I do not use autotune to fix pitch errors like many studios do, what you hear is the real Kaitlin.

I play organ at a small Catholic Church in Jackson, Nebraska, St. Patricks. Her grandmother , Rosemary O’Gara, who has since passed, was our choir director. Kaitlin’s family would come up on holidays to visit. The first time I met her I was playing for mass and I hear this big in tune voice standing out among all the other voices. I look up and to my surprise it is coming from this little kid, I think she was 6 or 7 at the time.

I had been helping some independent bands and artists around our area record their first demos so I told her parents after church that if she was interested in music and ever wanted to cut a demo I would help her out.

In the days of over inflated recording budgets and everyone trying to scam independent artists for every buck they can squeeze out of them, these songs were recorded on a non exclusive handshake deal between me and her on a $0 budget.

Scott Webb
SpikesPad Records

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Now after nearly a decade in the national spotlight, Building 429 has teamed with Provident Music Group for their fifth album, Listen To The Sound. “It really is the overflow of the life that we’ve lived over the last two or three years, especially this past year,” says lead vocalist Jason Roy. “I’m a worship pastor now and that has been a huge part of the lyrical content of this record. It’s about the lives that I’ve been involved with. This really does come from a much more honest place.”

Drummer Michael Anderson agrees. “Individually we’re all on a different spiritual level than we’ve ever been,” he says. “We have great home churches now that we’re happily involved in. Our family lives at home are better than they’ve ever been and our relationship as a band is light years above what it’s ever been. I think that really shows through with this new music.”

Blessed with one of the most distinctive voices in any genre of music, Jason overcame a turbulent childhood and found solace in the church and in music. He launched Building 429 determined to make a difference in the lives of others needing to hear the truth of the gospel. The band broke through with the powerful hit “Glory Defined,” which was named BMI’s Christian Song of the Year in 2005. That same year Building 429 was named New Artist of the Year at the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards and the band was also nominated in the Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year and Song of the Year categories.

In the past few years, Jason, Michael, guitarist Jesse Garcia and bassist Aaron Branch have toured heavily. They’ve hit the road with Casting Crowns, tobyMac and other acts as well as headlining several treks, including Food for the Hungry’s SummerFest 2009 and 2010 and Food for the Hungry WinterBlast 2010 and 2011. But even as they were touring the country and pouring into the lives of others, Jason and his wife Cortni found themselves becoming increasingly involved in their home church in Clarksville, TN.

Jason was on tour in New Mexico when he got a call saying their worship pastor was leaving and they needed Jason to fill in. He confesses he’d always been hesitant to lead worship, but didn’t want to say no. “So I went in and I led the Christmas service and it was awesome,” he says. “I had a blast! I was surrounded by people who desired to grow musically and spiritually. I felt like God did something with me there that he hadn’t done with me on the road in a while. I called up the pastor and said, ‘I think God has called me to do this.’”

Simply being obedient to God and serving his home church had a powerful impact on Jason and began shaping this new chapter in Building 429’s career. “I started doing life with people,” Jason says with a smile. “I’ve started plugging back into the church and I started getting fed again. When I became a leader of a worship group that’s 80 plus people, I started seeing that all the things that I learned on the road were actually able to elevate what we were doing at home in the church. What I did with the band fed what I did in church and now when we made this new record with Provident, what I did at the church—the life that I live there and the mentoring and the people that mentored me and the spiritual depth that has come from that—is now feeding the Building thing. I never saw that coming.”

Collectively the songs on Listen To The Sound acknowledge life’s struggles, but point to the hope, grace and love of God. “I think what this record does is it makes you take a look at your life and say ‘I’m connected to it because it’s the truth that I don’t tell anybody else about. This is where I am,’” Jason says, acknowledging that the record is encouraging families struggling in this tough economy, people dealing with depression and other challenges. “This record keeps coming back to the point that this is not what we were made for, that this is not our home. It is hitting people in the midst of a struggle, but it’s doing it in this pop kind of thing that makes you smile while you listen to it.”

Songs like the title track, “War Zone,” “Where I Belong” and “You Save Me” are resonating strongly with people in the midst of trials, including Jason’s own father, who calls daily to tell his son how this new music is ministering to him. “I finished the record and I sent the songs to dad and he literally asked me, ‘did you write these songs about me?’ The answer to that question was ‘no, not intentionally,’” Jason says. “But it also proves to me that all of us struggle in a lot of ways with the same stuff. We really do. It’s how you choose to handle the situation that you are in that defines who you are.”

Splitting production duties between co-producers Jason Ingram and Rusty Varenkamp, and Rob Hawkins, Building 429 has crafted a record that is sonically vibrant and lyrically substantive. Jason wrote or co-wrote nine of the ten tracks. “War Zone” is the only outside cut, but ended up being the song that would pull the album’s theme together. “When I heard ‘War Zone,’ I was like ‘I would say that,’” Jason proclaims. “It did something for me,” he says. “It empowered me to realize, ‘This is a war zone! My hands are tired. My faith is worn, but I run because I need you God.’ This album centers on the idea that nothing is as it seems. This life is not where we belong, or where we are going. So daily, we have to fight for our faith and our families, and ‘War Zone’ says it all.”

Michael Anderson cites “Made for You” as his favorite song on the album “just because of what it says. We were all created to be living in community with our Lord, our savior Jesus Christ. That’s what it’s all about and besides that, it’s just a really fun track to play live. It’s just really cool to get to share that with people.”

“Listen to the Sound” is instantly memorable. “It was different than anything we had before on any other record,” notes Michael. “From my perspective the whole groove of it is totally different than anything we’ve done. When Jason first played me that one, it was probably the one that most surprised me.

Jason enlisted his worship team to sing on the album’s opening track “Made for You” and “Where I Belong.” He also recruited a very special guest to sing the duet “I’ll Be With You.” “I’m a fan,” Jason says of Fireflight’s frontwoman Dawn Michele. “I wrote this song with a second verse designed for a female vocal. I’ve always loved Dawn’s voice, not to mention that she is a natural born rock star. It is a blessing to have her on the song.”

Recording the whole album was an enjoyable experience for the seasoned pop/rock outfit. “We’re just much more comfortable as a band, and it all starts with our spiritual walk,” says Michael. “We’re much more mature now. This was the most relaxed and the most fun we’ve had recording a record. We all played on it and we were all in the studio pretty much the whole time while everybody was recording. It was fun to be there and to be able to encourage each other. This is definitely a record that the band was most involved in every little part of it.”

Experienced, mature, and as dedicated as ever to sharing God’s truth, the members of Building 429 are excited about this new season in the band’s ministry. “This is where God has put me right now and I hate to quote my own song, but it really is about just ‘one foot in front of the other,’” Jason says with a smile, citing the uptempo anthem “One Foot.” “We just have to focus on this moment. It’s time for us to value every second that we have and use it all for the glory of God.”

“It’s been a lot of hard work, and when you’re in the audience looking at a band on stage, it’s easy to take for granted how they got there,” notes front man Josh Engler. “There’s a lot of leg work that makes it all possible. From the very beginning, we set out to stay real and stay at the audience’s level, even if we are literally three feet above them on stage…”

The thirteen tracks that comprise Control are oozing with examples of the group’s instant reliability and heart on sleeve vulnerability, despite all the interactions with success and fame since first starting as an indie act in 2005. If anything, the more experiences members have encountered through their vast travels has yielded an even greater realization of their constant dependence on the Lord and need to break beyond comfort zones with a faith that’s fully on fire.

“Seeing something like the Northern Lights in person makes us marvel at the natural, God-orchestrated phenomenon happening in such a beautiful state outside of human control,” Josh muses. “Growing up, we were sheltered a bit and it’s interesting how your perspective of life changes. As we have toured, our core beliefs have remained intact, but it’s interesting how our ‘Northern Lights’ moments have changed our perspective. Who is ultimately in control?”

As the idea of Control continued popping up in the songwriting sessions, it was only natural for Abandon to follow suit with the album’s moniker. However, it’s more than merely a quick catch phrase that summarizes the thematic thread throughout the project, but also a chance for audiences to consider a handful of very pertinent rhetorical questions. “‘Are you in control or is God in control?’” the singer encourages fans to ponder. “We basically want people to come away with an answer to ‘who’s controlling your life?’ We’re not really looking for a quick answer, but more to challenge your perspective and to provoke thought and motivation. It’s brave to question where you’re at and search out your heart.”

The guys can attest to that type of self-examination, followed by a season of giving the Lord complete control first hand, which in spite of the success from their freshman to sophomore records, was still filled with its fair share of strain. For starters, being on the road meant distance between wives and extended families, along with financial sacrifices, as Abandon continues to invest in building its ministry from the ground-up. And while the players will be the first to admit being stretched further than ever before on all of those fronts, an eventual ability to lay those burdens before the Lord and relinquish their control led to the greatest clarity that they were indeed pursuing the proper path.

“When we don’t surrender our lives over to God and hold onto it ourselves, we limit ourselves, but when we let God take control, it’s way better than we dreamed or hoped,” affirms Josh. “We’ve learned to be good stewards of our time and to hold one another accountable each and every day. And by us being open about what we’re going through, we hope to open up topics of conversation with our listeners. A lot of times, we find that if someone digs a song, we have the opportunity to talk about what we went through personally and maximize the ministry potential.”

Aside from the topical relevance, Control is replete with musical muscle, thanks in part to split production duties between Paul Moak (Third Day, Mat Kearney, The Blind Boys of Alabama), Chris Stevens (who also helmed the band’s Searchlights), and Josh Silverberg (a relatively new knob twirler who previous found fame in Edison Glass). Regardless of the collaborators, Abandon builds upon its Coldplay meets The Killers pedigree adding each of the individual guys’ personalities in the studio.

Guitarist Stevan Vela brought an ultra-creative, borderline perfectionist attitude to ensuring excellence, while his cousin Dave on drums interjected rhythmic intricacy and conceptual depth. Bassist Bryan Fowler also added a proactive spirit to constant experimentation and suggestion, even going as far to try out parts on piano, guitar and drums. As for Josh, he’s a self-described dreamer who approaches songwriting with a mixture of theatrical delivery and personal authenticity, while his guitar grinding brother Justin rounds out the rhythm section as the band’s ultimate brainstormer and sounding board.

One example of that overflowing chemistry comes during the incredibly contagious lead single “Feel It In Your Heart,” which finds the fellas casting aside life’s numerous distractions in favor of plugging into God’s plan, in turn, stirring up an undeniable passion to go forth with an eternal mindset. From there, “SOS” is a figurative cry for help from the weary, suggesting full-fledged rescue only comes from complete commitment to Christ, while “Push It Away,” serves as a resolute anthem for unabashed believers to never be swayed, even amidst ridicule, challenge or persecution.

“‘SOS’ and ‘Push It Away’ were both written with Aaron Gillespie from Underoath and The Almost,” explains Engler. “We had met at the Dove Awards, and shortly after he was available to write with us. We wrote both songs in four hours, which was really fast for us, but he’s full of energy and that’s just how creative he is. He thanked us for the opportunity to write together, but we were the ones who were honored!”

Adds Gillespie about his immediate impression of Abandon: “Genuine. It’s a word that we misuse a lot. Why? I think because in this industry we all want to be just that…Abandon, however, is the real deal. They seek God and write music about it. I was super privileged to have the opportunity to write two songs with them on this new album. These guys are killer. Get their records, and hear their hearts. Genuine.”
Additional examples of Abandon shaking up its formula come during “Your Love Goes On,” the group’s inaugural AC single that’s framed around acoustic guitars and epic ballad elements. On the lyrical front, it speaks about God constantly pursuing His creation, even those who feel unworthy or like they’ve committed too many sins in the past to be wiped clean. “When we fall, we should run back to Him because that shows maturity as a Christian,” considers Engler. “He’s a father figure, and just like when a child scrapes their knee, they run to their parents. Our hope for this song is that people view it in that light, rather than feeling like they should run away from God. Whenever we mess up, His love is constantly chasing us and He’s relentless in pursuing us.”

Between members’ constantly developing faith, the project’s adventurous sonic ambition, and perhaps most importantly, everyone’s individual resignation of Control, Abandon is poised for its most active and effective season thus far.

“We’re always reevaluating success for ourselves,” sums up Josh. “We don’t think there are any limits, not in a prideful sense, but with the intention of serving the Creator and wanting Him to use us to impact the world around us.”

“Our road manager at the time was working a Skillet show as a runner and a couple of the band members ended up in our touring van,” recalls frontman Justin Cordle. “As they were driving around, he said ‘Hey, I know you get CDs all the time, but this one from We As Human is way more awesome than all the others.’ It wound up making its way to the band’s frontman John Cooper, kind of as a joke at first because they really do get demos pitched to them all the time, but he put it in, absolutely loved it and said we were one of the best bands he’s heard in quite a few years.”

From there, the multi-platinum, chart-topping Skillet made the introduction to Atlantic, who agreed on its leader’s assessment. Add in the group’s aggressive, stadium shaking sounds and reception for the group’s self-titled EP (an Atlantic release through a newly launched imprint label partnership between Cooper, longtime Skillet manager Zachary Kelm and attorney Todd Rubenstein) is already so strong that a full-length is on the books for 2012.

“We wanted people to get to know us with these four songs on the EP, and they are meant to establish us first and foremost as a rock band with a big, massive sound,” explains Cordle of the collection, which was produced by Grammy Award winner Nick Raskulincz (Foo Fighters, Deftones, Velvet Revolver). “We love big guitars, big drums, soaring vocals and everything about the whole rock n’ roll experience. We love getting out and doing live shows, hanging out with our fans, getting to know them and having them get to know what we’re about.”

The band’s very moniker, We As Human, even lays the groundwork for members’ messages, intentionally sounding like an incomplete name or sentence to draw a parallel to the incomplete nature of the human condition. The songwriting across the EP is just as pensive and provocative, often times allowing listeners the opportunity to interpret their own meanings, even if Cordle has a specific story in mind.

“I’m one of those people who doesn’t want to write about vague subjects, in favor of personal stories, observations or just life experiences,” he relates. “A song like ‘Sever’ is inspired by losing my three-year-old nephew to cancer, which he fought for two years. Watching him go through that was really hard, and my brother and sister-in-law were really torn up. The song talks about the whole idea of separating ourselves from the things inside of us that are killing us, and it’s really become a fight song for anyone going through something similar.”

Additional themes range from encourtering a friend who’s betrayed their trust to removing the masks of personal deceit and reminding listeners that every decision has a consequence and it’s always best to strive towards an integrity-filled life. Adds the full-throttled frontman: “I believe we have to face the voices of good and evil every day and we can make decisions to either help or hurt others or ourselves.”

Fans have the chance to see such subjects wrapped around the band’s pummeling sound, come to life on a fall 2011 tour alongside Skillet, followed by a second run with those label mates/mentors on Winter Jam 2012, a 48-city arena trek spread throughout three months. “All the guys in the band are real musicians, and in an age when you don’t know if a band is playing their own instruments, we definitely are,” promises Cordle. “We take a lot of pride in our musicianship and the way we can pull off all of our songs live, but we also really love the entertainment side of things. We run all over the place, jump around and have a really fun, intense live show.”

No matter if it’s from the stage or the studio, We As Human is poised for rock prominence thanks to both its unbridled energy and thought-provoking songwriting, which coupled together in one explosive package, truly gives these Northwest-bred/Nashville transplanted players an innovative edge.

“We want a really long successful music career, but also one where we can move people and make them think,” sums up Cordle. “Hopefully our lyrics will give listeners a different perspective or an angle they never really thought about before. We just want to know as many fans as possible and bring them a killer rock n’ roll show wherever we go.”

The band–AARON GILLESPIE (lead vocalist/lyrics/guitar), JAY VILARDI (guitars), DUSTY REDMON (guitars), JON THOMPSON (bass) and JOE MUSTEN (drums)–has also revealed the album cover artwork and track listing for Fear Inside Our Bones. Check it out here!

The album is collecting early praise from the media. Alternative Press hailed, “On The Almost’s first album in nearly four years, Aaron Gillespie and his bandmates fire up the Wayback Machine to the ‘70s, employing fuzzed-out rock ‘n’ roll that’s big on bluesy licks and light on studio magic. There’s a visceral energy to ‘I’m Down’ and ‘Never Be Like You,’ the result of The Almost tracking these songs live and in rapid-fire fashion, and the title track might be the darkest song Gillespie has penned in quite some time” (May). Elsewhere, Revolver magazine declared, “Candid lyrics like this paired with the band’s decision to record completely live make for its most raw and organic album yet. Fear Inside Our Bones delivers thundering rhythms and crunchy guitars fans will love, at times even tapping into the pop-rock effervescence of the Foo Fighters” (April). The album’s first single “I’m Down” will impact Alternative and Rock radio in May. The first preview track is “Ghost,” which echoes with unbridled blues intensity before converging on a divinely heavy refrain is gathering steam.

Fear Inside Our Bones Cover

To record Fear Inside Our Bones, The Almost retreated to Nashville’s Omni Studios with producer Marshall Altman (Tom Morello, Ingrid Michaelson, William Fitzsimmons). All the songs were recorded together in a single room, completely live. “It wasn’t a piecemeal process as the majority of modern records are,” explains Gillespie. “The album was born at that moment from our collective blood, sweat and tears.” In those five days, the musicians tapped into elegantly visceral energy built from a blues-rock vibe that they modernized. Other album highlights include the relentless rocker “Fight Song,” the powerful and complicated anthem “I Won’t Let Go,” and “I’m Down” which streams ahead like a Southern freight train before the singer soulfully proclaims in the chorus, “Don’t count me out.”

Two time Grammy Winner, Brian “Head” Welch (former Korn guitar player, who now plays Christian Metal)
Michael Ketterer from the United Pursuit Band
Kenneth Thomas
Shiloh
Andy Hunter
Pas Neos
Matthew Reed
Oh Snap It’s Luke!
Paulette Wooten (PaullyRock)
Brandon Hampton
Ryan Kondo

Har Megiddo carries the vision to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. He combines Electronic Dance Music with a message to inspire a generation to seek the Lord with all of their hearts. Har Megiddo released an album in January 2012 called Dance – EP at the beginning of 2012. Dance – EP reached #44 on the Christian iTunes Charts. He released his debut album called Light Destroys the Darkness in August 2012 that reached #59 on the Christian iTunes Charts.

מגידו – Har Megiddo: A Hebrew word that literally means “Mount of Megiddo.” You may be more familiar with the Late Latin: Armagedōn (Armageddon). This is the location where the final battle between good and evil will take place. Jesus will throw Satan into the Lake of Fire at the Battle of Armageddon. I use the name Har Megiddo as a reminder to the world of Jesus’ triumphal victory that will take place. Light will destroy the darkness.

“My son had some unexpected problems at birth and had to spend some time in the hospital ICU,” he recalls. “And I prayed that God would turn my trials into testimonies.”

The result: “Waiting for an Answer,” a song Havens says was inspired not only by his son’s struggles with a punctured lung, but also the children and parents in that ICU who coped with much more: “I don’t have to know how/ Or see you turn this around/ To believe in you now…”

“I had a friend who lost his child,” Havens continues. “He went through years of depression. I can’t even imagine going through that. But he said something to me I’ll never forget: ‘The thing that challenged my faith in the short term is what strengthened my faith in the long term.’ I hope to move through the struggles to find a deeper faith in God. I want to be the person who grows closer to God through the hard times.”

That spirit surrounds Life Is Beautiful, an album that dares to affirm all that matters through its every detail, right down to the artwork. The Afters solicited fans, friends and family to send in photos that answered the question, “What are the beautiful things in your life?” The album design assembles a collage of those pictures, much as the songs explore the facets of finding beauty in ashes, the everyday, and all spaces between and beyond.

Take “Every Good Thing,” the debut single that rockets from backbeat intro to melodic pop chorus on a feel-good tide of riffing guitars and handclaps. Praise to the maker comes for “every heartbeat, every day we get to breathe … every second chance.” Rarely do catchy songs come this infectious and insightful; “Every Good Thing” lifts the listener to a place where they can see the source of true joy, even as they feel it through the music.

“We wanted something strong, upbeat and positive,” Havens says. “We were looking back over the last year and we were struck by how many times we’d wake up and see those horrific headlines in the news. We’re reminded every day of how many bad things there are in life, so we wanted to write a reminder of how much God is capable of doing.” The verse they turned to for inspiration, fittingly, was James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Definitive as that statement sounds, Life Is Beautiful began with challenging questions the group members pondered while on a writing retreat in Colorado. “As songwriters, we never what to make the same album twice,” says guitarist-vocalist Matt Fuqua, who co-founded The Afters with Havens while the two worked as Starbucks baristas in Mesquite, Tex. “For us we try to go in asking: ‘What can we do that’s different? How can we stretch ourselves? How can we take things further? How can we do more?’ It was intentional to be really honest with our audience, and to be honest with ourselves by sharing things that are personal and meaningful.”

The title track itself makes good on that promise; in fact, it earned a spot in the film October Baby long before the rest of the album was complete. “That was a song we had to rush to finish,” Fuqua recalls. “The producers of the movie heard the song and got so excited. They shifted things around in terms of turn-in and release date just so we could get the song completed, and it was perfect timing.”

And so does “Broken Hallelujah,” a tender anthem inspired by last summer’s wildfires in Colorado. Writing went into high gear after a friend sent pictures, snapped from his church, that showed the flames creeping precariously close: “Nothing left to hold onto/ I raise these broken hands to you/ Here’s my broken hallelujah.”

“There were times,” Havens recalls, “when we were in tears writing that song. We opened the book of Job and saw a man who experienced more losses than we could ever fathom. In the midst of all that, he shaved his head and got rid of his clothes so that he had nothing left, and yet he still worshiped God. ‘Broken Hallelujah’ came out of that sense that when we’re broken, the only thing we have is our worship.”

Live and in the studio, Havens and Fuqua team up once again with drummer Jordan Mohilowski and bassist Dan Ostebo, who bring nimble musicianship and plenty of personality to the proceedings. “Dan is an outstanding writer and bass player, and Jordan is a phenomenally talented producer,” Havens says. “A key to the dynamic of our band is that we have four creative minds, and we get along great. We love traveling together and when we write, there’s wonderful chemistry. Something special always comes out of it, and if we weren’t in a band together, we’d be hanging out.”

Producer Dan Muckala (who helmed the band’s 2010 effort Light Up the Sky) also returns to guide eight of the new album tracks. David Garcia (Mandisa, Britt Nicole) and Ben Glover (For King & Country, Jason Castro) produce three more tracks, while Mohilowski took on the song “Moments Like This,” earning praise from his bandmates: “He killed it, and the song sounds amazing,” Havens raves.

Such enthusiasm for “Life Is Beautiful” may sound like idle boasting. It’s not. Rather, The Afters sweated this recording in a way they could hardly anticipate. Life gave them the unplanned, the unexpected, even the unwanted. No one would’ve blamed them had they crumbled beneath it all, or called a long time out. Instead, they dared to ask a simple question:

“What are the beautiful things in your life?”

Havens sums it up thus: “Our hope for our record—and a lot of heartache went into this album—is that it will encourage people to see how God is working in their lives. He’s not just there on the sunny days. No matter what we go through in life, God is still with us and life is beautiful—God is beautiful.”