Mary Ann Bourg Duplantis
March 5, 2009Gov. Jindal’s rhetoric sharpens La. divisions
March 11, 2009
A few words of praise over a rock ‘n’ roll/contemporary beat made Victory Christian Center’s first citywide evangelistic outreach concert a success last year.
Pastor Brian Comeaux has waited months for Victory Fest ’09.
After all, the concert was only a couple of days away last August when Hurricane Gustav entered the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm sent the festival’s bands – and audience – packing for safer ground.
“We decided to cancel (Victory Fest ’08) because a lot of people had already evacuated from the city,” the Victory Christian Center of Houma pastor said. “Many of the people who were coming did not want to be stuck in the city while people were evacuating.”
Luckily, Comeaux said, the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center was amiable to rescheduling.
March 14 proved to be the ideal time.
“After we canceled Victory Fest before the storms, we got to looking at our schedule and realized we had a lot of back-to-back events,” Comeaux explained. “We decided to move this one to ensure that we don’t burn out.”
Locals will recognize Victory Christian as the force behind the Convey of Hope each November and a Christmas extravaganza.
Victory Fest, a free, city-wide evangelistic outreach, attracted nearly 1,700 people its first time out. With Grammy award-nominee After Edmund and Building 429, an award winner in their own right, set to perform, Comeaux predicts the ’09 fest comes at the perfect time to draw more souls to Christ.
“Some of the churches that were planning to participate the first time got discouraged when we had to cancel,” Comeaux said. “But now, they’re calling wanting to know what they can do to help. The support we’ve been getting from churches in the Tri-parishes has been tremendous. And we’ve heard from churches from Lafayette, Pearl River and the New Orleans area.”
Victory Fest ’09 is open to all denominations. Its aim is to minister to believers and non-believers alike.
And with the caliber of entertainers on this year’s bill, Victory Christian expects to realize that goal.
“The bands we have this year both have No. 1 songs on the Christian charts,” Comeaux said. “After Edmund was nominated for a Grammy (for their debut CD, “Hello”) and Building 429 is well known. They’ve received several Christian music awards over the years too.”
Despite a relatively unknown bill the first time out, Victory Fest managed to attract an impressive throng at the civic center. After Edmund and Building 429 are already drawing attention.
“That’s good,” Comeaux contends. “We just want to grow this event and keep passing on the gospel of Christ.”
After Edmund, a LaGrange, Ga.-based, classically trained quintet, is named after the Edmund character in C.S. Lewis’ bestselling book series, “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Self-professed fans of indie, classic and experimental rock, the band has been touring since 2001.
“We grew up listening to all kinds of music – classical and classic rock to jazz and experimental stuff,” drummer Matt McFadden blogs on the band’s Web site. “We’re kind of a melting pot, a unique fingerprint for Christian music, combining so many of our individual musical influences into one sound.
“Our musical backgrounds are so diverse, and it’s interesting to see how we put it all together; but more than just sounding strong, we hope and pray our varied backgrounds will open us up to a larger audience – one not subject to the same three chords over and over.”
After Edmund’s musical roots has earned it high critical acclaim. The band’s sound has been compared to that of Coldplay, the Killers, Mute Math, Keane, Radiohead, Snow Patrol and religious hitmakers Delirious and DC Talk.
Producer Scott Wilbanks helped meld the band’s freshman CD, about which TheJesusUnderground.com said, “It is easy to see that After Edmund regards music as an art form to be intelligently crafted and entertainingly presented to the listener.”
But After Edmund views it differently.
“We write and record music that we think (fans) will like,” members Mitch Parks (bass and lead vocals), Yates (keyboard and vocals), Ben Hosey (guitar and vocals) and McFadden agree. “We don’t strive to sound like anyone or any genre.”
What they are committed to is showing love for their Creator through music. “All of our lives have been radically changed by the guy we pray to. Naturally, this affects everything we do … and that’s a good thing.”
Likewise, the trio Building 429 burst onto the scene in 2004 with “Space in Between Us.” The CD earned the group a Dove Award for New Artist of the Year, as well as heavy rotation for “Glory Defined,” a No. 1 chartbuster, among Christian radio stations.
Ten-plus years later, the band has signed with INO records and released a self-titled work, “Building 429.”
The group – Jason Roy (lead vocalist), Michael Anderson (drums) and Jesse Garcia (keyboard, lead guitar and background vocals) – worked with producer Christopher Stevens, whose recent projects include CDs with tobyMac and Sanctus Real.
Whether a no-nonsense power rocker or a soaring ballad, Building 429’s music looks to Heaven for guidance and to offer praise.
“I’m more confident than I have ever been in my life when it comes to my calling, when it comes to my brothers, when it comes to my band,” Roy said at building429.com. “That confidence is not in myself. That confidence is in the fact that the Lord is going to do something great with us. We’re just excited to be along for the ride.”
It’s that enthusiasm that has Pastor Comeaux excited about After Edmund and Building 429’s appearance in Houma this month.
“These bands are concerned about reaching everyone with their music,” he said. “They don’t want to just reach youth.
“A lot of them are former ministers of some sort, so they’re here not just to play music, but to promote Christ,” Comeaux added. “With this event, we want to introduce people to Christ, and that’s what these bands give us.”
Whether it’s from the musical performances, the explosive light show or the pastoral message, Comeaux said his number one goal is to affect change. “My aim is to create an excitement that when people come to this event, something great happens in their lives,” he said.
