New Faces for Friday - Meet AwakenUs

 

AwakenUs got its start at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Overland Park, Kansas as the praise and worship band for the church. They've come a long way since then. Changes in location, God-inspired original songs and the birth of Reveal Ministries have been big changes, but the one thing that has been absolutely constant is their love of the Lord.

 

Stan Sword is one of the founding members. The vocalist and rhythm guitar player works as a wireless industry executive during the day and credits Chris Tomlin as his greatest musical influence.

Holly Huston is the other founding member. She is the band leader and chief singer/songwriter and her life's mission is to share the love of Christ with the world through music. Her voice is very similar to that of Natasha Ponticelli, the former lead singer of Destination 7.

Steve Kuker sings and plays drums. Citing Chris Tomlin and RED as two of his favorites gives fans a glimpse into how eclectic his musical taste is.

Jerry Wilke plays keys and sings background vox. Two of his biggest passions are music and helping the homeless.

Doris Vorndran leads the low end as the band's bass player. The "Bass Princess" as they call her, has a big heart and a big sense of humor.

Tony Bockelman plays guitar and has some incredibly varied taste in music. His mp3 player is filled with everything from Led Zeppelin, Alabama and David Crowder Band to RED and Ke$ha.

Mark Gabert is another guitar guy for AwakenUs. He's been playing since the age of 7 and listens to some of the guitar greats of our time - Chet Atkins, George Benson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pat Metheny, Michael Hedges and Andy McKee.

While this band may lack some of the "polish" found in bigger-named artists, they make up for that is passion and love. There is a rawness about them that makes listeners feel the words of their songs rather than just hearing them.

Tags : New Face Friday