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 By Kevin Pollard
HARD to believe we haven’t seen the Newsboys in
this area for 10 years. Obviously far too long, as tickets for their
‘Join the Tribe’ tour stop in Abbotsford sold out very quickly.
I caught up with drummer Duncan Philips, as the band
prepared to embark on this tour with a ‘new’ lead guitar
player.
Paul Coleman left, after three years. Philips explained:
“Paul was a great new breath of life and a great friend; but he
wanted to pursue his [solo] music. Its hard to see him go, but kind of
exciting welcoming back Jody – who never really left our
hearts.”
Jody Davis had been with the band from 1993 to
2003 before choosing to leave the group to care for his daughter, Bethany,
who has cerebral palsy.
The tour name comes from the band’s involvement
with Global Tribe, in its quest to fight physical and spiritual
poverty. I asked Philips about the ministry.
“I’ve been touring with the band for 16
years now, and you start to think about your legacy. We want to use our
platform to do more than just play music. As Christians, we should be
reaching out to the poor and sick . . . A lot of Christians in the church
have forgotten about that.”
 | | Newsboys drummer Duncan Phillips |
The tour will introduce fans to music from the
Newsboys’ forthcoming 15th studio release, In the Hands of God –
scheduled in stores May 5. I asked Philips what we could expect from the
new album.
“If you like Go, you will definitely like this album . . . although it is a
little edgier and rocks a bit more.”
He confirmed that Christian music legend Steve Taylor
contributed to the songwriting.
“When we were 90 percent there on a song, Steve
would come in and help finish the song with that perfect lyric. His input
was great . . . he’s a great friend.”
Asked what we can expect to hear in concert, Philips
was a little elusive, as the musicians were still in rehearsals. But he
confirmed that the new album’s title song would be on the setlist,
along with many of their No. 1 hits.
“We would be hearing from people if we did not
play songs like ‘Breakfast,’ ‘Shine’ and ‘He
Reigns,” Philips concluded.
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This Newsboys concert is more like a mini touring
festival, featuring three opening acts: up-and-coming rock/worship band
Bread of Stone; pop-rock trio VOTA, formed by one-time Newsboys lead
guitarist Bryan Olesen; and Dove-winning, Grammy-nominated rockers
Decemberadio.
I spoke with the latter band’s lead guitarist,
Brian Bunn, to ask how they prepared for their second album, Satisfied.
 | | Up-and-coming rockers Decemberadio. |
“We knew going in that we wanted to record songs
that translated well live . . . We learned a lot touring over the past five
years, and what fans were into at our shows.”
Christianity Today placed Satisfied at #10 on their
Best Christian Albums of 2008 list, writing: “This is a rock
lover’s album, clearly descended from southern-flavored bands like
Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Black Crowes, as well as the classic pop-metal of
Petra.”
Asked how it felt to be compared to these
respected bands, Bunn said: “It’s pretty cool . . . to get this
kind of comparison, and to know that people like the album . . . But
really, when we were in the studio, we knew that we were doing it for God
– and that was enough.”
Bunn confirmed the band will play both hard rock radio
hits like ‘Believer,’ and ballads such as ‘For Your
Glory.’
March 2009
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