RYMS (Redeemer Youth Ministries)

Scholarships available

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CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION FORM.


CLICK HERE FOR PERMISSION FORM.

at Cup O' Joy Christian Coffee House in Green Bay

5:45 PM Leave church
Return around 10 PM?

Cost=$9 (van & music)
Snacks at show are extra

Come with Pastor Squires to see a most excellent skate punk Christian band that the National Youth Gathering team loved seeing in Florida. The first 10 people to register and pay will be guaranteed spots in the van. Others will be added to a waiting list until we can arrange more transportation.

Questions? Comments? Parents willing to help?
Pastor Squires – 684-3989 or pastorsquires@redeemermanty.com

RETURN THE REGISTRATION FORM WITH $9 PER PERSON
The first 10 people to register and pay are guaranteed spots in the van. Others will be placed on a waiting list in hopes of arranging other transportation.
CLICK HERE FOR THE REGISTRATION FORM!

Part of a series of reviews of concerts at the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod National Youth Gathering, July 28-August 1, 2007

They’re only young kids with that fun, open-eyed wonder of a band just hitting the stage of success like the `Oneders in the movie, That Thing You Do. Yet, Rough Draft has written a fairly good essay on this first time with enough of the ingredients to make this an excellent paper after some editing.

Spinning around and doing axe dips, the band is definitely developing a good stage presence. They have the showman moves, but they need the songs to hit high points to match.

The hard rock/Emo songs are fueled by this stage energy and Brent's power rock guitar solos. There are also enough breaks with drum, bass, or guitar fills to add punch. Yet, as compared to the guitar sound on their debut album, Not Far Away, Rough Draft will have to work on getting more definition in their guitar sound on stage. It seemed muddy partly to the guitarists perhaps not getting their own volume knobs up at the right time.

When lead singer Andrew pulled out an acoustic guitar for “Winded,” they got into an amped-up jam band groove with started to give them a tighter sound. If they follow that outline, this rough draft will become a thesis of fine words.

Thanks to Rough Draft for the review CD.

Part of a series of reviews of concerts at the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod National Youth Gathering, July 28-August 1, 2007

Remedy Drive brings their homestate of Nebraska with them when they hit the stage. Nebraska is in the crowd and in the music.

First of all, as they played the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod National Youth Gathering which brings together 26,000 youth and leaders from around the country, it simply seemed like a Nebraska District gathering in the room since so many fans flocked to see Remedy Drive who make the circuit around the Husker State.

Secondly, though, certain songs have the plains right in the rock music. An instrumental bridge seems inspired by one of those big, severe thunderstorms coming crashing across the land with Daniel Zach’s drums flashing with lightning and pounding with rolling thunder. The moment just before the rain comes down happens musically in the half-tempo, arena rock finish.

Remedy Drive has a tight sound that immediately took the room on their opener, “Come Up,” also the opening track from their newest album, Rip Open the Skies. You also realize right away that lead singer/pianist/guitarist David Zach would jump around with his piano if he could. Instead, in Ben Folds or Jamie Cullum fashion, he jumps, slides, bangs, stands, and thrashes on that piano.

“When the Skies” shows their emo croe with the falsetto vocal high points such as in Subseven and Further Seems Forever. Elsewhere, Remedy Drive can take classic rock riffs and harmonics while adding more atmosphere and an electronica loop/piano jam on the end. The new song, “Drop in the Ocean,” is like a skate punk ballad as balladry as a thrashing band gets. Like Philip Zach’s bass solo seemingly inspired y the funk of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Statues” has that funk in the mix with a jazz-influenced rock styled chorus.

Yet, David Zach can also tap into a rap sing pattern with some Clash inspirited back there somewhere in the song before going toward a more straight, hard-edged melodic rock. After a bass breakdown, they invited audience members up to help on percussion and piano banging making a great racket for the Lord.

That’s a huge strength of Remedy Drive: getting the audience on board. Like I said, it felt like a Nebraska reunion with their state’s house band, but the band’s show brought everyone along the journey. Yet even when David Zach got us all singing, they didn’t let the audience participation interrupt the eschatological force of their songs.

Remedy Drive brings such power and emotion to eschatology, a theme recurrent in their songs about waiting and hoping and wondering about the day when Jesus returns to end this world and raise all believers to eternal life. Remedy Drive creates an “Invitation Into Eschatology” rather than an “Inside the Church Eschatology” (see Leeland review) which welcomes people to ask God when, why, and how long. The music shows we stand together—believers and inquirers—learning what Jesus meant when He said He will return to take us to be with Him forever.

“King of Failures” is a piano-led song like Unforgettable Fire-era U2 where David Zach’s preaching comes through the music. He’s a good preacher, too, with a Gospel-focused message that stands within the force of a song with this huge, crashing ending. The band doesn’t have to do a requisite stage speech in order to deliver a message that in the end is much more compelling and welcome. It is eschatological rock without being based on fear (“Right Side”).

Thanks to Remedy Drive for the review copy. Remedy Drive has just recently signed to Word Records.