Sometimes, life seems to go just as planned. Like a slow, winding river safe within its banks, we travel along secure in the knowledge that our course is plotted and our destination assured.
Sometimes, God has other ideas.
There are times when things seem to surge out of control and beyond our understanding. Like that same river after a heavy rain, life spills over the banks, and we struggle to get back on course, searching for the main channel.
So it went for Between Thieves. After their 1997 self-titled debut, which yielded the #1 rock hit "Despite The Rain," and a tour opening for Code of Ethics, a burned-out group of five guys landed home with a lot of questions. For three of the band’s original members, the answer was clear: the life of a touring musician was not for them. That left drummer Jason "J.D." Davis and vocalist Jason Wesson to reconstruct a band they had spent almost a decade building.
Now, after nearly a year weathering various professional storms, Tattoo Records' modern rockers are back with a new lineup, a more guitar-driven sound, and a surprisingly personal collection of original material.
"All of the songs really reflect what God's been doing in our lives, because it's been a very trying time, a real faith-building time," says Davis. "It seems like every song [on the album] has to do with the renewal and refreshing that God has done in our lives, as individuals and as a band."
Indeed, Water marks a new beginning of sorts for the Texas-based band. Bass player James Yourman and guitarist Josh Watkins joined in August of 1997; they were the first guys to audition for the gig, says Wesson, in an act of Providence that he recalls was "totally meant to be, totally a God-thing."
Between Thieves--a name taken from Christ's placement at the crucifixion--has now been trimmed down to four members. By shedding keyboards from the lineup, the re-grouped band has developed a fresh sound that's more melodic and moving than before, yet still undeniably raw, guitar-driven rock. The addition of two new writers has brought a fresh musical depth to the material, as well.
"We prayed for God to give us an album from our hearts," explains Watkins. "You have to be careful what you pray for, because God put us in a situation where we couldn't do anything but write from our hearts -- he'd knocked all the other stuff out of the way!"
Watkins laughs now, but at the time, the troubles besetting the band caused them all to question their chosen path. Indeed, adversity seemed to follow the guys every step of the way for a time: the loss of their management and booking agent left a void in their business team, while truck breakdowns plagued them on the road. "On our first trip together as a band, our truck broke down five times!," laughs Wesson. "They rescheduled our concert for the next day; then three songs into the set a guy gets up and says, ‘You're too loud, you're going to have to shut down!’ We traveled from Texas to North Carolina to play three songs--our first trip!"
Such trials could have scared the newcomers off. Instead, it bonded the four-some into a tight brotherhood that extends beyond their professional careers. Even the four men’s wives have grown close. Off-hours are spent together, and the wives have formed an accountability group. "We’re not just a band," says Yourman. "We not only clicked musically and spiritually, but also as friends--just immediately. We built a friendship that I don't think I've ever had in my life so quickly."
And it resulted in some deeply personal songs that trace their walk of the past year. From the clinging-by-the-fingernails faith of "Who Knows" to the standing-strong assurance of "Still Holding On," each song describes a different place on the Between Thieves journey.
"What's different about this album is that we're risky, in a sense of putting out a piece of our emotions, sharing a piece of what we've gone through," says Watkins. "It was really tough for us to get to a point where we could actually open up and feel confident with it, because I know we were second-guessing things a lot. But that's what we feel people identify with."
"Our producer, Steve Hindalong, was very keen from the beginning about us really expressing ourselves, and not being worried about the industry or radio," he continues. "He said, ‘If it's a reflection of yourself, if you're being vulnerable, that's going to speak more than anything.’"
That was excellent advice. An example of that kind of vulnerability is the tender instrumental, "When Gabriel Cried," which Yourman wrote after learning his wife was pregnant with their first child. Though the song carries just one lyric, the love evident in the arrangement speaks volumes. "It's really short and pretty simple; I wrote the song in probably an hour," Yourman recalls. "I felt strongly like the song was almost given to me just for the occasion."
Now, with the hindsight of time, the Between Thieves guys can see God's hand in all the trials of last year, and be thankful. "All the problems we had when these guys first came on board--you look at it and you think, how in the world can that be positive? But now I look back on it and I see how much stronger it made me," says Wesson. "It brought me to a point of decision: am I going to trust God, or am I going to trust my surroundings and everything around me? Well, I had to say, ‘I'm going to trust God,’ because there's nothing else to trust in."
Between Thieves plan to carry that message on the road this fall. One of the few modern rock groups unafraid to do an altar call at their shows, Davis describes their concerts as both energetic and evangelistic. "We really want to get out and be that evangelistic band," he notes. "There are a lot of bands that don't see that as part of their calling--they're there to plant the seed. We're more of a band that likes to get in and give the gospel straight-out. "
"We've seen God bless that so many times," he explains. "We still have memories of shows where there was maybe one kid that made it worth it to us to drive 30 hours somewhere."
Between Thieves, like the water of which they sing, are back on course, cleansed by experience, and standing firm in their faith.
Discography
Go to Between Thieves' website
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