|
Plus
One :
Guys with good voices are a dime a dozen in LA," says
Florida native Nathan Walters, the oldest member of Plus One
at the ripe age of 22. "But chemistry… that's another
story. Plus One works because we are not just five guys singing
next to each other-we've worked our socks off from the beginning
to connect, to click."
"Exactly,"
adds 18-year-old Sacramento native Nate Cole. "We have
to become more than just five good singers. Our job is to
become one great group, to find that path through hard work
and lots of time together to those moments when we're genuinely
together when we sing." To reach that goal, the guys
have committed to nearly a year of non-stop preparation, rehearsing,
researching, recording, serving, praying and even living together.
Since then, their life has become a veritable mobile college
dorm-first in San Francisco, then LA, and now in Nashville-except
that no one ever gets to cut class, they don't get weekends
off, and when they jump on a plane to Nashville for the weekend,
it's not for Spring Break. This fall, when everyone will be
heading back to school, these five guys will be heading off
to a different kind of classroom-a 60-city tour with Myrrh
Records/Sony Discos artist Jaci Velasquez. "I knew making
this record would be hard work," says 20-year-old Gabe
Combs, Plus One's instrumental and songwriting Renaissance
man, "As we got into this, we realized that what we were
doing-what we had been called together to do-would take everything
we have. I guess that's why we know it's worth doing."
In the process, the guys have learned to play off each other's
strengths, and balance each other's weaknesses, as they worked
together to grow as a group and as men. "In some ways
we're very different," adds 19 year old Jeremy Mhire,
of Springfield, MO. "but it's our differences that make
us interesting-as friends and as a group. I'm learning how
we each bring something special to everything we do, and that
it's the ways we differ that allows us to be more than just
ordinary." The connection-and commitment-between the
guys is clear on The Promise. There's a playfulness and attentiveness
in Plus One's vocal interplay that simply can't be manufactured
in a studio. Songs like "My Life," with its funky
backbeat, and the first single, "Written On My Heart,"
showcase the group's intricate harmonies and youthful take
on life. "These guys really hear each other, really listen
to each other when they sing," says producer David Foster,
who signed the group to 143 Records/Atlantic Records literally
days after their first auditions. "Individually, they're
all incredibly talented, but they've learned that as vocalists,
they're even better together. There's wisdom there."
There's more to a band than just camaraderie. There has to
be substance to the songs to justify the audience's time.
Plus One knew this too, and set out from their first moment
together on a dual quest to find the perfect songs and to
stretch themselves as people. For this reason the songs on
Plus One's debut, (eventually culled from a roster of a who's
who list of songwriters including Phil Sillas, Stephanie Lewis,
Dan Muckala, Ty Lacey, Eric Foster White and Reed Vertelney),
cover the gamut of everything that you might expect from a
bunch of friends at the edge of adulthood. Songs full of fun
and romance, hopes, dreams and the highest yearnings and ambitions
find their way on the disc. There are songs about friendship
and faithfulness, like "My Friend," and mostly,
there are songs such as "Run to You" and the melodic
title cut, "The Promise," that get to the heart
of the matter for the guys-their faith in God. Plus One even
adds their own songwriting chops to the mix, with "Be,"
a cut that reflects the constancy of friendship and God's
love. Written by Nate Cole, Gabe Combs and Nathan Walters,
along with veterans Ty Lacey, Bradley Spalter and Michael
Norfleet, the ballad is the first collective songwriting contribution,
showing the promise of things to come. But for all the care
given to the sound of The Promise, more has been taken with
the collaborative project that was the integrity of the guys
themselves. From the first day of rehearsals, they made a
commitment to be marked as much by service as by sound. While
in San Francisco, the guys volunteered a couple of times a
week at a center for homeless families. And last September,
they began an ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity,
participating in a week-long, 20-house "racial reconciliation"
blitz build in Selma, Ala., where they worked side-by-side
with veterans of that city's civil rights movement. "That
experience put some things in perspective for us," says
Nate. "Seeing the need right here in America-and experiencing
how we could help-that was amazing." "Working next
to people who worked with Dr. King, people who sacrificed
so much for their freedom or the freedom of others… it
was overwhelming," adds Gabe.
The work with
Habitat is part of an intentional strategy on the part of
the band to expand their experience and their vision of ministry.
"Anyone can sing about God," says Jason Perry, the
youngest member of the group at age 17, "but we knew
that until we had something to say with our lives, our songs
would be empty." "We are so committed to sharing
our faith in our music," offers Jeremy, "but our
faith tells us that it's better to love our neighbor than
lecture them. If you listen more than you speak, you can get
a lot done sometimes. The main thing is that you don't have
to preach-just show love, acceptance and tolerance. Our audiences
have heard all about Jesus-what they really need is to see
him." "That's really what Plus One is about,"
adds Nate. "The 'One' in our name-the One who more than
just us, more than our songwriters and even our producers-our
prayer is that anyone who pays attention to anything we do,
be it our music or our lives, will know exactly who that is.
 _.:Plus
One Official Site
|
