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Chattanooga: Rockers spring from tradition of worship

By: Holly Leber
(Contact)

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Bart Millard

When Bart Millard decided to pursue a music career, his worried grandmother sputtered, “Mercy me, why don’t you get a real job?”

Fourteen years later and six members strong, MercyMe is still singing with conviction. The Christian rock group plays tonight on the main stage at Riverbend.

In a phone interview, Mr. Millard, the band’s lead vocalist, compared MercyMe concerts to church services.

“People come to church to worship Christ, and that’s what we’re trying to create on a different level,” he said. “The idea is to create an atmosphere where people can come and worship God freely and to create an environment where hopefully the Holy Spirit shows up and people are moved in some way.”

Mr. Millard met keyboard player Jim Bryson and guitarist Mike Scheuchzer through participation in church worship teams. They later were joined by Barry Graul (guitar), Robby Shaffer (drums) and Nathan Cochran (bass).

Mr. Millard compares the relationship among the men of MercyMe to a brotherhood. “We know each other better than anybody on the planet,” he said.

According to MercyMe’s Web site, all the band members are married and all but Mr. Graul have children. They balance work and family by sticking to one rule: at least as much time home as on the road.

“It’s a challenge, but we’re able to say no to certain things,” Mr. Millard said. “We’re home more than we’re gone.”

As a Christian rock band, MercyMe has faced opposition on both sides of the musical spectrum. Mainstream DJs have been reluctant to have them as guests or play their music because of the religious aspect, while some traditional Christians have objected to the “rock” element of Christian rock.

“There are some headcases out there that unfortunately claim the same faith as I do but they don’t seem to represent the same way,” Mr. Millard said. He said he considers the relationship he and the other band members have with Christ to be separate from any church affiliations, even though all the men grew up in the church.

“I’m not a big fan of religion to begin with,” he said. “A lot of people have issues with religion or the church (and) have no idea what a relationship with Christ is. For a lot of people, religion has become the focal point, and it’s going to let people down because it’s run by other people.”

MercyMe played almost primarily in churches and church-related venues until 2000 when they signed with INO Records. They are managed by Scott Brickell of Brick Entertainment.

Following their appearance at Riverbend, MercyMe will tour through November at small venues throughout the United States in preparation for a larger arena tour in spring of 2009. They also have started a foundation called Imagine a Cure, which supports juvenile diabetes research. Mr. Millard’s oldest son, Sam, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 2.

Mr. Millard compared the devoutness the men of MercyMe have to being in love.

“When you’re in love,” he said, “it’s impossible not to talk about that person. Good songwriters write about what consumes their heart, and ours happens to be consumed with Christ.”

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