The Band

Hey guys,

We spent last night at the church raising money for our missions team that's heading off to Africa. The night was a success, as far as I'm concerned. More than $2000 was raised and everyone got some good spaghetti.. what could have possibly been better?

When we were playing last night, we enjoyed the unfamiliar sensation of being the background music. Everyone was eating and laughing and we were just playing away on stage, out of sight and out of mind. It's not something that we get the chance to do often, and we reached a point in the set where I just looked back at the guys and said, "Let's jam"

So we did, and we had a blast. It was great to just play with the guys again, without the typical stress of a performance. It also gave me some time to think about what makes each one of the guys so indispensable.

Drew Peterson - aka Streets

Drew is the opinionated, demanding and driven. Without him, we would all be sitting at home missing out on this life of music we're beginning to enjoy. He doesn't rest.. He's always working on something, whether it's the website or advertising or phoning churches. If Drew didn't play any instrument at all, he would still be the most irreplaceable piece of our puzzle.

But he does, and if you've ever heard a bright, telecaster sound resonating in the room, Drew was there. Delay, tube screamers and swells are this man's weapons and the scary thing is he keeps getting better and better. With the amount of practise that this guy puts in, it'll be interesting to see what the band sounds like two years from now.

Matt Szkarlat - aka Szkarlat Fever

Matt is the most "chill" guy you're ever going to meet. He's the one I go to when things are getting stressful. There's just something about him that makes you relax, and I haven't figured it out yet, but I will. He's got soul, and that translates into our music so nicely. Matt, along with Trevor, was a piece to this puzzle that was just sent from God. He just showed up in our little town one day a year and a half ago, and since then things have never been the same. I can still own him at basketball tho ;) baha!

The rhythm Matt has is unreal. For the record, he can play acoustic guitar 100 times better than me. No joke. He saw that we didn't need another acoustic so he decided to try and meet our big need. He started playing bass a couple months ago, and he is a natural. Actually natural doesn't even cover it.. this guy is supernatural. That bass is a part of him now, and he's the perfect compliment to any drummer. A couple months in and he plays bass like this? This kid has crazy upside..

Trevor Walker - aka The Animal

Trevor was the final piece, and none of us expected to see him playing with us. We huddled up and said, "We could really use an elite drummer. Who would you ask, if you could ask any drummer?" The unanimous answer? Trevor Walker. He brings something different to the table that none of us has. The style of music that he listens to is different, and the way he listens to it is different. Trevor has challenged me to take music to the next level.. Anyone can convey a message with lyrics.. but the elite are able to tell the story without words. Look at Beethoven. He's challenged us to move from good musicians to great ones. We're not there yet.. but with Trevor manning the drums we're a lot closer.

As far as being talented at their particular instrument goes Trevor takes the cake from all of us. He's been banging on the drums for a looong time and when you listen to him you can tell. This man knows his drums. I've still yet to experience Trevor losing the beat, or speeding up or slowing down a song. He's the definition of consistent, and so when we're on stage I don't have to worry about what's going on behind me. Trevor's not going to let us fall out of sync. He was born to drum, and we're somehow lucky enough to have him in our band.

Thank you God for this band :)

So when you see us play, take note of these guys. They're my brothers and without them this would all be impossible.

Levi

Levi Advances Karaoke Superstar

I'm happy to announce that today Levi competed in the semi finals of LIFE 100.3's Karaoke superstar with 13 other talented singers, and has moved on to the finals!

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported Levi today at the Bayfield Mall. He may not have let it on too much but he was pretty nervous going into todays event, and I know he appreciates his family and friends there to cheer him on.

Levi, and 4 other finalist will be singing at the Orillia Opera House on November 8th. It would really be awesome if we could continue to support him in this last section of the competition. Life 100.3 has provided a great opportunity for up and coming signers and I for one am excited to what happens on November 8th.

You can find out more details by visiting http://www.lifeonline.fm/superstar.html
and also continue to check this site for any news regarding the contest.

Also make sure to listen on LIFE for the radio add talking about Karaoke Superstar. You should be able to hear about all of the finalist and a brief clip semi finals.

Anyway, on behalf of myself, Matt, Trevor, and all of our friends I would like to wish Levi all the best in the rest of the competition.

- Drew

ONE TRIBE!

Hey guys, this is Levi.

I thought I ought to check in and let you know what's going on with this event, and why I'm so excited about it. If you're a Christian, and your past is anything like mine, than you can remember that moment when your whole world was shaken. It was that time when you felt God in the room, and you were terrified, but excited at the same time. You just couldn't get enough of that moment. And suddenly everything you thought you understood just didn't add up anymore, and all your preconceived ideas about God and his church were just shattered.

I don't claim to have the answers for how to create that day.. I wish I did.. But know this, this Thursday night is a night that's been prayed over and prayed over for a loooong time. We've given God every single invitation to come in and take the reigns for this service. We don't have a whole lot planned... just some worshipful times, and some communion that we're going to share. But I expect God to come in and to do something great. With all my heart I do. And if I were you I wouldn't want to miss it.

The night will go as follows,

6:30 - Doors open and prayer begins. Anyone who's interested can come in and collectively ask God to come into that room, and do big things in that service.

7:00 - Music starts, and you can go about worshipping and experiencing God however you choose. Or you can sit back and observe if you're not too sure about all of this... truth be told, this service is for people like you anyway

7:40ish - We introduce communion. You can take it whenever you're ready

8:30 - Night's over, unless God has other plans. You can leave whenever you need to.

I'd love to see you there. If you can't come, please remember us in your prayers. We'd appreciate it.

You know you're curious.. just try it

- Levi

Don't Forget - The Light Division CD Release Tomorrow

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to remind you that The Light Divisons's CD release concert is tomorrow. We're pretty excited to be a part of this event. Pretty nervous too, so it would be awesome if you guys came out to support us and help launch The Light Division's CD the right way.

You may have heard the add on life 100.3, or may have spoken to one of us in person, but either way we really appreciate all the support you guys have been giving us. If you are at the concert please come by and talk.

Anyway, if you need any more information visit the EVENTS section. Everything you need to know should be in there. Also keep an eye out this weekend for some photos from the event.

So if we see you tomorrow AWESOME, if not hope everyone has great, safe thanksgiving.

- Drew

GRRREAT Day In The Studio :)

This is Levi checking in,

So we just got out of the "BlueBox" studio in Barrie, and man! This song is really coming along ladies and gentlemen! Everyone's putting a little bit of their own personality in this song, and I hope that comes across in the final product when you hear it at home. The delay riff that Andrew came up with is especially catchy this time around.

The great day in the studio almost made up for the leafs pitiful display of defence tonight in Washington... They really need to figure out this goal tending situation... Can I get an amen? But I digress..

We Will Rise is the first song that this newly assembled team really manufactured together. If you could have heard it in it's early stages you would've seen a sad little song... lol but we just kept playing it and playing it, and eventually we put words to it. The lyrics are meant to bring back that excitement that I think we often lose in our day to day endeavours.. A big part of what we believe as Christians is that one day, when those heavenly trumpets sound, we're going to be risen up to heaven. On some days I just need to tell that to myself, "One day the skies will open up".

Andrew also came up with the idea today of creating a page on our site which will enable you to print off any chord sheets you might want from our songs. So that's a neat little tool. We're also thinking about creating a gear page where we can let you know what instruments we're using and give our little reviews. Trevor just got himself a NICE kit, and I'm sure he'll be itching to get his opinion out there, plus I know Matt is loving his Precision bass. So keep your eyes peeled... we'll give you something to read when you're bored.

This Friday night is our concert with The Light Division. Seven dollars at the door, but bring some money to pick up their cd. They're a tight team. Also, you can expect to see our first full length cd around February. We'll be having a launching party, so be ready :)

Enjoy the new track. It'll be up in two days

Levi