Almighty Sounds Rap, Grunge And Punk All Part Of Christian Music Tour, Which Will Offer Several Shows Around The Area This Month
Steve Wiggins was not a musician.
Then he found God.
Now he has two Grammy nominations and a growing following in a segment of the music industry that is multiplying like loaves and fishes.
“I’m very pleased to be where God’s got us right now,” says Wiggins, the 28-year-old singer/songwriter for the Memphis-based Christian band Big Tent Revival.
Indeed, Christian music is a good place to be.
No longer relegated to church hymnals or staid old gospel songs, Christian music is now popular music. Rappers sing it, punkers sing it, grunge artists sing it.
And the populace is eating it up.
“I’m definitely glad to be a part of this time in the history of Christian music because it’s exploding like nothing else,” Wiggins says. And, “the music sounds a lot better than it ever did.”
Wiggins is just one of a veritable flood of religious acts who will bring Christianity’s contemporary sound to the Inland Northwest this month. Ten groups will perform at four big shows that offer up a variety of musical styles.
There’s hip hop, soul, pop and good old rock ‘n’ roll - all united by The Almighty. And all brought to the area by Spokane’s People for Christ Ministry.
“When I got into this four or five years ago, there might have been three Christian shows a year - and they were pretty small,” says Dick Acker, founder of the ministry. Now, the organization runs 10 to 12 shows in the immediate area each year and about 30 in the Northwestern states.
“Music is just becoming a bigger part of Christianity,” Acker says.
With so many religious acts performing in one month, May will truly test the genre’s draw in the Inland Northwest. But Acker has high hopes that the diversity of the acts will draw a wide audience.
The Big Voice Tour on Sunday features Bryan Duncan, whose mellow soft-rock stylings won him Inspirational Album of the Year last week at the annual Dove Awards - the Christian version of the Grammys.
The tour includes Crystal Lewis, nominated for three Dove awards, and Anointed, a Dove winner for Urban Recorded Song of the Year.
Rebecca St. James, a 19-year-old Australian transplant often compared to Amy Grant, will perform Wednesday. Her pop sound draws a strong following with the younger crowd to whom she champions the cause of sexual abstinence before marriage.
The pop fivesome known as All Star United will take the stage May 25 and list such influences as The Beatles, The Kinks and U2.
Wiggins and Big Tent Revival arrive at the Met May 15 with an all-woman hip hop trio called Out of Eden, also nominated for Dove’s Urban Recorded Song of the Year.
Wiggins says he became a Christian in college after talking to a fellow track runner who “had something that I didn’t have. He had a peace in his life that was a direct relation to his relationship with Christ.”
It was at Bible study when he suddenly had the urge to start writing songs. “Which was kind of a strange turnaround because I didn’t really ever want to be a songwriter or musician before that,” he says.
Big Tent Revival formed about three years ago, developing an acoustic guitar-driven rock sound with hints of Mellencamp and Steve Earle. In that short time, the band’s two records have each earned Grammy nominations for Best Rock Gospel Album.
When writing songs, Wiggins says the message usually comes to him first and then he creates the music that “fits the passion.” The song “If Loving God was a Crime,” for example, urges Christians to live their lives in a public way and came to him after talking to a preacher.
“He said, ‘If loving God was against the law, would there be enough evidence in your life to convict you?”’ Wiggins explains. “It made me stop and look at my life.”
Although it’s a challenge to praise God in song without running into stale material, Wiggins looks at it much the same way he views the Bible.
“Although the words stay the same, you can read a passage today and read it next week and it could say something totally different to you,” he says. “As I continue to read the Bible and apply it to my life, there are all kinds of different angles and different things that pop out at me.”
Most importantly, he hopes his message rings true with those who listen to the band.
“We’re just trying to be honest with people,” he says. “This is who we are; this is my life. You can either like it or not like it musically, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is real to me.” , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Photos (2 Color)
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MAY CHRISTIAN CONCERTS: Sunday: “The Big Voice Tour” features Bryan Duncan, Crystal Lewis, Anointed and Israel. Show starts at 6 p.m. at the Shadle Park High School Auditorium. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 at the door. Wednesday: Rebecca St. James. Show starts at 7 p.m. at the New Life Community Church in Rathdrum, Idaho. Tickets are $9 in advance and $11 at the door. Gold seats cost $14. May 15: The “Open All Nite Tour” featuring Big Tent Revival, Out of Eden and Tammy Trent. Show starts at 7 p.m. at The Met. General admission is $12; gold seats are $17. May 25: All Star United with Kosmos Express. Show starts at 7 p.m. at the New Life Community Church in Rathdrum. Tickets are $5 in advance at area bookstores and $7 at the door. All tickets are available at area Christian bookstores. “Open All Nite Tour” tickets are also available at G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or call 325-SEAT.