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By
David F. Dawes
Downhere triumphed at the Juno Awards March 28, in
Vancouver, B.C. They won their third Juno, this time in the Gospel Album of
the Year category. Several songs from the album, Ending is Beginning, have received a
lot of airplay. Downhere has also won a Dove Award.
“We feel honoured by the Juno,” vocalist
Jason Germain told Options. “Being recognized by our peers is encouraging.”
However, he emphasized, “we don’t write songs for a Juno nod.
We write about what’s most important to us.”
Faith, he said, is “in the fabric of what we do.
It’s the lens through which we see the world. I love the story of the
gospel, the poetry – and the way I can live a life through the
gospel.”
Germain noted that he and his colleagues have limited
the number of concerts they do, to spend more time with their families.
“We try to protect our marriages,” he explained.
They also strive to keep things in perspective with
their fans. “We chose the name Downhere because we wanted to be
‘down on the planet,’ and approachable. People tend to lift up
artists; we try to knock that notion down.”
Downhere was formed at Briercrest Bible College in
Saskatchewan. The group has since played five times at the
school’s Youthquake event. There are tentative plans for a Canadian
tour this fall.
downhere.com
Other Juno nominees in the Gospel category this year
were Starfield, Article One and Newworldson.
Starfield
Starfield, based in Abbotsford, B.C., was nominated
for I Will Go. The
title song, said lead singer Tim Neufeld, is both a worship song and a
commentary on the materialism of this culture.
“We’re so privileged, yet we’re so
dissatisfied with our lives no matter how well we’re doing.
There’s always this underlying pressure to be doing better, when the
exact opposite should be the case. The pressure and call on our lives
should be to live with less, and give away more.”
The purpose of the song, he emphasized, is to inspire
Christians “to go out and do something – not to just give money
to those in need, but our time and energy. That idea gives a worship song a
different agenda. ‘I Will Go’ is a difficult song to sing and
not act on. Ultimately, we hope to provide perspective on how comfortable
and convenient our lives have become.” starfieldonline.com
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Article One
According to its website, Article One “refuses
to acknowledge the rift between art and faith. Neither do they succumb to
the myth that intellectual honesty must be dumbed down to appeal to a mass
audience.”
Based in London, Ontario, the quartet spent more than
half a year working on the 14 songs which comprise its Juno nominated Colors and Sounds.
“Looking back, it was an awesome, though at
times very frustrating, experience,” said Nathan Piché, the
chief songwriter.
Colors and Sounds, he
said, “is not a concept album, but it does seem to revolve around the
theme of purpose.” The album “was really birthed from personal
experience – and while the message is very clear, I think it is as
accessible to non-believers as it is to believers. That was important to
us.”
articleonemusic.com
Newworldson
Newworldson, from Niagara Falls, Ontario, has achieved
recognition from Christianity Today – which listed the band’s Juno-nominated CD, Salvation Station, as its #3
album of 2008. It also won the Gospel Music Association’s Covenant
Award for Folk/Roots album of the year.
According to its website, Newworldson “are
rescuing soul music from being a mere genre or label and returning the art
form to its sacred roots.”
“There’s a lack of community in
people’s lives today,” said singer Joel Parisien. “If you
trace back the roots of roots music, of soul music, of folk music,
it’s about folks; it’s social music. We hope our fans become our friends. We
hope they leave our shows feeling inspired. Our community is about
uplifting people.”
Under ‘Influences’ on their MySpace page,
they cite: “The One who comforts the poor, the sick, the widow and
the orphan.”
newworldson.com
Options Spring 2009
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