Some artists are a slow burn, quietly honing their skills while churning out albums of craftsman-quality tunes, and slowly building an intensely loyal fan base through commitment and perseverance. Other artists seem to drop into the public consciousness fully formed, their debut project so perfectly crafted that you wonder where they came from … and where they could possibly go from here. Then, occasionally, you find an artist like Building 429, who epitomizes both traits – the proverbial ten years in the making overnight success.
The band was formed by frontman and primary songsmith, Jason Roy, while still in college. After playing nearly 200 shows a year as an independent endeavor, Building 429 burst onto the scene with its first project on a major label. Crisp rock sensibilities and finger-on-the-pulse lyrics combined to produce the band’s debut record-breaking single, “Glory Defined.” The song topped eight separate charts and was declared BMI’s Christian Song of the Year, while Building 429 went on to capture the Dove Award for New Artist of the Year. Its follow-up project, Rise, challenged the presupposed sophomore slump with chart-climbing singles “Fearless” and “I Believe,” and the group toured both nationally and internationally in support of the album. Of course, nothing succeeds like success, so when it came time to write for the band’s new record, Jason did what he had always done – got by himself and started cranking out as many new songs as possible. And while the songs were good, they just didn’t seem to work – not for this band, not for this project. With its current lineup of Jason (guitar, vocals), Michael Anderson (drums), and Jesse Garcia (keys, guitar), the group sensed that God was calling them in a new direction. “We have always been a strong-willed band,” Jason muses. “But suddenly that will was broken. When it came down to us three, we realized it had to be God’s will, not our will.” Deeply unsettled in his spirit about the direction of the songs that he was writing, Jason hit his knees. The answer he got was not the one that he expected. “I felt like God said, ‘Sing to Me,’ and when we yielded to the possibility of writing from a strictly vertical perspective, the songs just started to flow. It was the easiest, most fulfilling, and most fun songwriting process we have ever experienced.” The eleven tracks that make up Iris to Iris yet again reveal Building 429’s ability to craft songs that are infused with pop smarts and embellished with rock details. Rather than overwhelming its listeners with stock emotionalism or witty wordplay, the band offers up a solid collection of compelling songs that shift the focus off of them and onto God. “Iris to Iris is just a record,” he continues, “but it is also our whole heart, our whole life story. It is as if, for the first time, we realize what we were made to do. We realize what we are supposed to sound like. We realize what we are supposed to be writing about. It is about being eye to eye with God. It is about being so close to the Father that there are no distractions.” Producer for the project, Brown Bannister (MercyMe, The Afters, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day), agrees that the band was in its element. “If I had to use one word to characterize working on the new Building 429 record, Iris to Iris, it would be ‘joy,’” says Bannister. “These are a great group of guys, wonderful spirits, great hearts, and great talent. I am proud of these guys. I am so pleased that they are figuring out who they are, and discovering the vision of what God has called them to. If you are familiar with their discography, I would describe this record this way: If ‘Glory Defined’ had an entire album recorded to compliment the quality of that song, it would be this album.” Jesse points to “You Carried Me” as a classic example. “That song really hits home. It reminds me of all the canyons I’ve crossed and all the muddy water I’ve walked through. But no matter what I’ve gone through He has always carried me.” “Constant” is another song that Michael points to as spiritual reference point for the band. “With all of its textures and nuances, it is the song that best represents where we all are both spiritually and musically, in a small package,” he says. In addition to writing with Michael and Jesse, Jason had the opportunity to work alongside superstar songwriter, Chris Eaton (Amy Grant, Point Of Grace, Jaci Velasquez, Vince Gill). The combination of Jason’s southern drawl and Chris’ British worship sensibilities produced some of the album’s most memorable moments. The Jason Roy/Chris Eaton-penned “Power of Your Name” combines intense guitar-driven grooves with heartfelt worshipful lyrics, a perfect backdrop for Jason’s southern rock vocals. Their collaboration on “Singing Over Me” produces a melody so memorable that it is hard not to sing along, while “Incredible” is a nod to the band’s rock ‘n’ roll roots. Not only did making Iris to Iris result in a stunning collection of new songs, but it also served to breathe new life into Building 429’s earlier work. “Songs that we have been playing for years like, ‘Glory Defined,’ ‘The Space In Between Us,’ and ‘I Believe’ have taken on a whole different meaning,” explains Jason. “And now we have an album featuring a number of equally powerful worship anthems that we don’t even have to sing. We can just get out of the way and let God move.”
Wavorly drew its first creative breath as a pop punk assemblage of college students from Tupelo, Mississippi called Freshmen 15. It wasn’t long, though, before vocalist Dave Stovall and bassist Matt Lott caught a grander vision for what their music and purpose could be. A few years of growth and evolution, some line-up changes and a couple hundred shows later, Wavorly bursts onto the national scene with their Flicker Records debut, Conquering The Fear of Flight, a sprawling modern rock masterpiece that blends elements of alternative, classic progressive rock, indie-rock and hard rock with highly literate lyrics, a boldly imaginative use of strings and a sublime sense of melody. In the league of other genre-stretching acts like Muse, My Chemical Romance, Mae and Switchfoot, Wavorly rocks with heart and mind intact.
Though the friends all entered school as fans of pop punk bands like Blink 182 and Relient K, their musical influences diversified significantly by the time they came out the other side. “I went in more of a rock/hardcore direction at one point,” Lott explains. “Then Dave was getting more into atmospheric pop artists like Coldplay.” The guys connected with guitarist Seth Farmer who was a long-time metalhead and drummer Jaime Hayes, a devotee of “crazy progressive music like Dream Theatre,” according to Lott. When they realized their road manager Ryan Coon, a big fan of Muse, could play keyboards he was drafted as well. Stovall, the product of a heavily music-oriented family, started as an avid drummer at the age of five, before adding guitar skills in high school and chorus and piano in college. He majored in Music Education with an emphasis in percussion before embracing piano as his main instrument. “Because of majoring in music education,” Stovall says, “I took a lot of Music Theory and listened to a lot of classical music, and it definitely influenced my writing.” Lott, who was literally taught bass by Stovall, serves as the primary lyricist for the band and as a multi-subject substitute teacher when he is home. “I like to make the lyrics easy to understand at first glance,” he admits. “But then if you read through them and listen to the whole song, I like the listener to figure out; ‘Wait, I think he’s saying something deeper here.” Wavorly’s uniqueness settles across the listener with the first strains of their Rob Graves (RED) produced debut. Intricately arranged and immediately accessible strings and classical piano establish a darkly elegant waltz as the introduction to the album, before devolving into a pounding wall of guitars and drums. Stovall’s powerful vocals ride across the top of the churning, but consistently tuneful brew as he delivers lyrical images heavily colored by author and teacher C.S. Lewis. In fact, Lewis’ classic novel The Great Divorce, served as an influence on several of the disc’s songs, while his sense of imagination and heart deeply shaped the melodic and stylistic inspiration behind the band in general. Lott enthusiastically admits to the overarching influence the Cambridge Master had on the band and on this album. “Two of the songs are specifically based on The Great Divorce,” he explains. “They describe the main character in this classic and the choice he is faced with to stay in hell or go to heaven.” The driving rocker “Endless Day” directly quotes the book with the line “a thin line of emerald green stretched tight as a fiddle-string.” Lott continues, “It’s about heaven being this amazing wide open place,” Lott shares. “But the song ‘Part One’ puts off a dismal, confused feeling representing his option to stay in hell.” Lewis’ words were also specifically influential on the disc’s opening cut “Madmen,” but his sense of imagination and scope even influenced the arrangements, melodies and overall style of the disc. Stovall is also their resident Lewis aficionado. “I drew a lot of inspiration from my emotional response to his books,” he explains. “As a result, we found this rock / alternative sound with a sense of mystery and deep meaning.” “Praise and Adore,” the soaring and instantly memorable lead single is not a worship song in the classic understanding of the term. “When I sat down to write it,” Stovall recalls, “I had no agenda. I wasn’t trying to write a song with the meaning it has. I was really just trying to write a song from my heart to God. From the title ‘Praise and Adore’ and the way it’s structured, it sounds like a praise song; however, the main point is not about praising God. It’s about how people can go their whole lives without ever knowing true life and having an abundance of it.” Lott continues, "It was originally titled 'Some Live Without it,'" he adds. “Sometimes we don't realize that a lot of people exist outside of that bubble in a real world of hurt and despair. We should be thankful and praise God that we have the opportunity to live our lives with the hope that He has given us and strive to help others see that hope." Whether referring to the cascading melodies, the complex musicality, the artfully beautiful lyrics or the thematic orchestration, Wavorly is a richly layered musical experience that has both immediate “Wow” factor and long-term staying power. But as rich as the band’s creative vision is, their heart is buried deep into the belief that music can have a positive and life-changing effect on people’s lives in ways that really matter.
Christian rocker Brooke Barrettsmith has shared the stage with other artists such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Audio Adrenaline, Jeremy Camp, Toby Mac, Tait, SuperChick, Paul Coleman, Sonic Flood, Kathy Troccoli, Twila Paris, Hangnail, By The Tree, and Chris Rice. She is a singer, songwriter, musician, and speaker. This Pastor's daughter has been a featured artist on many television and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and websites because of her unique blend of modern rock music and a heart for ministry. She has recorded independent albums, performed at countless venues across the US, and boldly shared the gospel with thousands over the past 5 years. She was also a Top 40 contestant on Season 5 of the hit television show American Idol. She recently signed her first recording contract with Provident Label Group/Sony BMG in Nashville, TN, and is currently recording her debut album.
Brooke's mission is to be a transparent musician dedicated to affecting her generation with relevant music and a message of significance only found in Jesus. As a young woman in todays society, she lives out the responsibility to be a great example to people in love, in purity, in faithfulness to God, and in using her talent for the greatest purpose of all.
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