Multi-platinum, Grammy and American Music Award winning rock band Third Day brings its “Revelation” tour to Redmond’s Overlake Christian Church, 9900 Willows Rd. NE, at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 7.
In the summer of 2008, Third Day was the first-ever Christian band to garner a full cover story in Billboard Magazine. “Revelation” was produced by Howard Benson, known for his work with Daughtry, Hoobastank, P.O.D. and Flyleaf.
Third Day drummer David Carr chatted with the Redmond Reporter via phone from Penn State University on April 3, just before the Atlanta-based band was set to head home for a short spring break.
In the “Third Day Revelation” press kit, Carr was quoted, “Sharing God’s love with people has always been core with us. We want to reiterate that God loves us. That is a concept that should never get old.” Yet he and his band mates admitted they’ve had times when their faith was tested.
We asked Carr how his questions about God’s presence have been answered.
“Some argue there is no physical evidence, but I think there is, from seeing the smallest micro-organism to the farthest reaches of space,” he replied. “It’s easy to rationalize, to break it down into science, easy to say, ‘Is this real?’ but I am aware daily when I look at my kids, the wonder in their eyes. There’s no way that’s accidental. Walking through the valley of life, in a hard time, the love you get from your spouse, your kids, the people around you is proof to me.”
Speaking of hard times, in this economic recession, there is so much despair among people who’ve lost their jobs and their homes. That’s bound to have an effect on people’s faith, one way or another.
Carr agreed, “It’s sad seeing people taking their own lives, taking drastic measures when their homes are foreclosed. But we’ve all been guilty of putting faith in things that don’t hold water, like when the stock market crashes. If our faith is in that, that can really rattle us. I think people are being realigned. Some have been have been really strengthened and are finding out, ‘All I have is God, all I have is my faith.’ It’s like the military or boot camp. You break people down to build them up. I think we’ve all been broken down lately.”
And even rock stars are re-thinking their priorities, appreciating what is steady and reliable in their lives, Carr noted.
On the importance of staying grounded, he quipped, “The allure of being in the spotlight has worn off. Celebrity stuff doesn’t come into play until about 6 p.m. when we do a ‘meet and greet.’ Otherwise, we’re just normal guys on the phone with our wives and kids. Our families are a huge part of it. When I come home, my wife is not impressed. I take out the trash like anyone else.”
Carr compared working with Howard Benson to “suddenly getting a new coach, a tougher coach.” He said the main benefit for Third Day was Benson’s emphasis on “how important the lyrics and the music are.”
He elaborated, “We’re not an artsy band with eight-minute songs. We’re doing three-and-a-half minute pop songs with a verse, a chorus and a bridge. Howard Benson brought this to the table — simplicity is what he brought to us. We needed someone to teach us what really counts. When people listen to (“Revelation”), it’s from start to finish.”
The payoff, Carr added, “is we’re getting a lot of buzz on mainstream radio.”
And he believes Third Day’s music is accessible to anyone because “it’s not preachy, we’re not trying to shove an agenda down people’s throats.”
So what’s next for Third Day?
“We’ve always said that the goal for us is, ‘If we can maintain where we’re at, we’ll be happy.’ But to maintain where you’re at, you have to keep people happy by working harder,” Carr stated. “We’re trying to come up with new ways to make it attractive and appealing and would love to see us open up more in the spotlight of mainstream music — not to compromise who we are, but to bring what we do to more people.”
On the “Revelation” tour, Third Day is joined by recent Grammy nominee Brandon Heath and a new four-piece pop/rock band Revive.
And Third Day will continue its tradition of “paying it forward” by donating $1 per ticket sold to charitable organizations through its “Come Together Fund.” The fund has served organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and World Vision’s Hope Child Initiative and has raised more than $1 million over the last four years, for disaster relief in and outside of the U.S.
Tickets for the Third Day concert at Overlake Christian Church are $17-$75. For ticket information, call (877) 840-0457 or visit www.occ.org. To learn more about Third Day, visit www.thirdday.com.
