Our friend, Kurt, went to a music conference in the fall of 2010 and came back raving about this new band he heard: Gungor. Because I like Kurt's taste in music, I decided to buy the album Beautiful Things before heading out on a 15 hour drive to Wisconsin. We must have listened to the album all the way through at least 10 times on that drive there and back and we were hooked. First of all, their words - they are so spiritually rich. Second, their music - their musicianship {is that a word?} is astounding. Third, their passion for social justice is something I really respect. Here is a quote from an interview with Michael Gungor: “If leading worship is just about bringing a group of people into a room so we can get goose bumps and sing songs together, there’s not much value in that," explains Michael Gungor. "But if leading worship is a means to an end, that we leave this place as a different kind of people, as part of a new humanity that God wants to create--the people that are caring for the widows and orphans, that aren’t bound by the systems of this world but becoming free, becoming fully engaged in our world--then that matters.” And fourth, and probably most importantly, their philosophy around music which I learned about by reading this article.
In the spring of 2010, we found out that Gungor was going to be playing at a local church and the tickets were only $15 each (not that the price was the determining factor, but still, that's a deal). We went with some friends and could not believe that we could walk in 30 minutes before the show and sit in the 3rd row. The place probably seated 1,000 people and there were only maybe 400 of us there. After sitting through the concert experience - and it was definitely an experience - we all agreed "this is never going to happen again - the next time they are in the area, it will probably be hard to get tickets". We were also introduced to some songs from their old album Ancient Skies at that concert and promptly went home and bought that album on itunes. Oh, and I did buy a t-shirt at the concert - is that pathetic for a 35 year old woman? I don't know...I just got caught up in the moment...
Then this fall, Gungor released their latest album Ghosts Upon the Earth. This album is an absolute work of art. If you want to read all about the creation of this album, read Gungor's blog here. To be fully appreciated, you have to listen to it from start to finish in one sitting. This is when my 1.5 hour commute turns from a curse into a blessing! We learned that Gungor was going to be on tour with David Crowder Band in their final tour - and even though Gungor was only going to get a 30 minute acoustic set - we were definitely going! That 30 minutes was definitely the highlight of the evening {at least for us}. I'm going to attach this little clip from youtube to show you just a glimpse of what we got to experience that night.
And then, the ultimate bonus! We decided to leave the concert early because we didn't really know any of the songs that David Crowder Band was singing and it was a Sunday night and we had to get up early and we're old :-) and as we were walking to our car, Jon sees Michael & Lisa Gungor getting out of a cab. We started chatting with them (along with our friends Tom & Shelby) and got a picture together (Jon was a bit mortified that I asked for this but I just had to!).
They are coming back to the area for a full Ghosts Upon the Earth concert in spring of 2012...can't wait! And this time, we're definitely taking our kiddos as they have become huge Gungor fans too.
