MercyMe

作為一支樂隊存在了8年，這讓他們學(xué)會了對于現(xiàn)在這個集體來說每一個成員的重要性。吉他手 Mike Sheuchzer 是在佛羅里達(dá)一支青年樂隊中與 Millard 相識的。在畢業(yè)之后 Millard 將他推向舞臺，從那時起他們就開始在一起工作。樂隊在今年春天收入了他們的新成員，吉他手 Barry Graul。這里還有 Robby Shaffer,鼓手兼財政專家。他負(fù)責(zé)樂隊的財政并且以有責(zé)任感而出名。貝司手，新做爸爸的 Nathan Cochran 是樂隊里的重量級人物，所以當(dāng)他有話要說的時候，往往是值得一聽的。還有 Gim Eryson,鍵盤手，他的專業(yè)技術(shù)在過去經(jīng)常被用到樂隊汽車的修理工作上。他還十分有童心?！拔覐臎]見過任何一個人送出那么多我們的專輯給那些買不起它的孩子們，”Millard 說，“有時候我們不得不勸勸他，然而要讓這樣一個熱心腸冷靜下來可太難了。”而歌迷們回應(yīng)的正是這種坦誠和樂隊成員之間的親情。當(dāng)然他們也關(guān)注著樂隊的本身的音樂。 2010年全美音樂獎，MercyMe得到了“最受歡迎當(dāng)代福音藝人”獎 Although praise & worship band MercyMe was founded in 1994, vocalist Bart Millard says that the group's birth was a process God began in him during high school. Millard recalls, "My dad and my older brother were both football players. So naturally, that's what I wanted to do as well. But I broke both my ankles in a high school football game and that ended my career." Due to the injury, Millard was left with an elective class to fill and reluctantly joined the only available option: choir. With the prodding of his choir director, he was soon actively involved. During Millard's first semester in college, he was faced with the death of his father to cancer. The loss caused him to look for a change and a fresh start. Millard's youth pastor, who had recently moved from Millard's hometown of Greenville, TX, to Lakeland, FL, invited him to work with the youth praise band. He accepted the offer and moved at the end of his freshman year of college. Millard says that the praise band involvement marked "the first time I had ever done anything with a band -- just a local youth group who played for a Wednesday night service. But I fell in love with it immediately." It wasn't long after that Millard became friends with keyboardist Jim Bryson. In the summer of 1994, the two traveled to Europe as part of a praise team. The trip caused Millard and Bryson to consider full-time music ministry. In August of 1994, guitarist Mike Scheuchzer made the duo a trio. The three, who now lived in Oklahoma City, formed MercyMe. From there the group begin to attract local promoters and found themselves opening for Audio Adrenaline. Following this, the band moved to Nashville, TN, and then to Texas. Their concerts grew to 200 dates per year. Bassist Nathan Cochran and percussionist Robby Shaffer joined the group, turning it from a trio into a five-member band. MercyMe, with six independent projects to their credit, signed with INO Records and released Almost There in August 2001. In 2003, the group was nominated for the Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist at the American Music Awards. MercyMe released Undone in 2004 and Coming Up to Breathe in 2006. In September 2007, the band embarked on a tour to promote All That Is Within Me, which was released in November that same year.