INTERVIEW WITH TRUE REVIVAL

 

True Revival: L-R Doug Keele (guitars), Terry Tyler (vocals, guitars), Dan McCreary (drums and percussion) and Jim Hallock (bass guitar).

I'm getting in a groove of having some awesome interviews with various bands, and this is a prime example of why these interviews get me excited! An example is this interview with True Revival. The responses are a team effort of the band, so I left the responses "TR" to represent the band.

JR: When did you all come to Christ, how did the band get started and how did you decide on the name?  

TR: True Revival is a band of Christian brothers, using the
talents He gave us, to give back to Him. It is not about us, but the glory belongs to Him alone. We are all "seasoned" musicians, each with our own history on how we came to accept the Lord as our personal Savior. We came from Christian homes, and our respective walks with the Lord have led us all to this place at the same time. True Revival was born as the manifestation of an idea that Terry and Jim had while playing on the worship team for our local Christian Church. Five years later, here we are: four Christian brothers, leading others in the worship of our Almighty King, Jesus Christ.  

 JR: Would you like to tell me about your latest project? 

TR: We are currently finalizing our first album (title to be determined) consisting of 12 songs. The vast majority (10) are originals, with the remainder a couple of covers that we made our own by putting the True Revival take on them. 

JR: Who would you say are your "heroes" or, if you prefer, mentors or influences, both musically and of the faith? 

TR: As I mentioned above, we are a diverse group, coming from various musical backgrounds. Musically speaking, we are influenced by everything from bands like Journey, the Eagles, Rush, Metallica, the Beatles, and even JS Bach (love the old stuff). As for a "hero," I would say it would be the Lord that we do our best to serve. By definition, a hero is someone to emulate and/or look up to. What a better hero to have than Jesus! One that gave His life freely for us is truly the most "hero-worthy" person there ever was.  

JR: I know you have some performances coming up at a church called "First Heavy Metal Church of Christ." What were some of the most unique venues you've been at? 

TR: This will be our fourth visit to the First Heavy Metal Church of Christ. That is certainly a "unique" venue. Others would include Festivals of the Arts, PitFest, biker rallies, etc. God can use us anywhere He leads.  

JR: Borrowing off your name, what do you think True Revival would look like in the Church today? Any thing from your ministry that is an encouragement that we're headed the right direction, in spite of the apparent changes in modern society?   

TR: Excellent question. "True Revival" is pretty self-explanatory. There is way too much division today - both in the church and in society in general. This is NOT what Christ had in mind. We are to be one. Ephesians 4:3-6 is pretty explicit: " Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (NIV). 

We strive to be an avenue in which the Holy Spirit flows. Not about us, only about Him. There have been a couple instances where people have told us of the personal impact of our musical messages. In fact, one individual was convinced against suicide after hearing the Lord through our music. Praise Jesus! While it would be great to reach thousands of souls through an hour of True Revival's music, one at a time is mission accomplished as well. 

As for society, it is now more important than ever that the Church holds fast to the teachings of the Lord. I would strongly argue that when society continues to stray further and further from biblical truths, the worse things become. Yes, the bible offers absolutes. The adversary is working overtime to blur the lines - instead of a clear sense of right and wrong, society (and the church) are seeming to condone a softening to God's Word. The Bible tells us God is the same always. He alone is our anchor. Satan causes the drift. True Revival means getting back to the Bible - differentiating right from wrong, loving the sinner while hating the sin. We are all human and all fall short of the Glory of God. That is why Christ had to perish for us. We all need to remember that fact and start living like it. 

JR: Thank you very much for your time! I know you'll be at Kingdom Come Festival here in Indiana in June; any others you'd like to tell us about? How can we keep in touch with your band, such as a website or anything?

TR: Thank you for reaching out to us! Yes, we are opening the Saturday portion of the Kingdom Come Festival. We are greatly looking forward to sharing the Lord at KCF! We are on Facebook - just search for "True Revival." We are also on the web - truerevivalband.net. May God continue to bless you and your ministry. Soli Deo Gloria!