Please forgive me for keeping it light this week; I’ll give you something heavy to think about next Thursday. Today, I want you to lend a helping hand to some great people from Buffalo that are on the verge of finding a much larger audience, Brothers McClurg (formerly Relevant Worship). This past week, they released their new EP “Alive,” and the Western New York CD release show is tomorrow night at Evangel Church in Clarence.
Honestly, I never thought I would be writing a post like this, because I hate Christian music. I know I am not “supposed” to hate it, but too often “Christian” when used as an adjective, especially if it’s modifying a product, has come to mean “cheap,” “shallow,” or “preachy,” among other things I don’t like. I don’t really like the commercialization of faith, even if I do accept a paycheck for my preaching.
Nonetheless, in spite of myself, I like these guys. The music is honest and fresh. I know I’m hardly objective, as they’ve become friends of mine, but Brothers McClurg are doing it right.
Last week, they charted within the “Worship” genre on itunes, and a strong second weekend would help them gain an audience beyond Western New York. This really isn’t the city to launch a Christian music career from–most bands work their way through Nashville and the Bible belt, but these guys love Buffalo, and are doing everything they can locally. If you listen to them on itunes, and maybe download a song or two, it will go a long way to launching what could be the next big band out of Buffalo.
While the event in Clarence is the big show, you can also hear Chris, one of the Brothers’ singer/songwriters, at our Sunday evening church service every week. This Sunday, we will meet at Lafayette Church at 6pm for a potluck dinner, and we’ll also be hosting some guest musicians, Scott Troyer and Katie Nelson.