---------------------- Feature • Sanctus Real -------------------- No Time To Slow Down By Evan Gillespie wanted to be a Christian band or not. “Ultimately, we knew we could relate to kids in Sanctus Real might not be the biggest thing to the church,” says Hammitt. “We are passionate about come out of Toledo, but they might be the biggest our faith, and we knew we could encourage Christian thing to come out of Toledo Christian School. That’s kids to keep their faith growing and, likewise, reach where Matt Hammit met Chris Rohman in 1996, and kids who never before heard the message. From our that’s where one of the hardest-working Christian personal experience, we felt this was the place we bands in the business was born. It happened when the were supposed to be.” pair were in the 10th grade, in ninth-period science The band’s first Sparrow record, Say it Loud, class, to be even more precise. was released at the end of 2002, and after the album “I’m thinking of start- went public the band, which ing a band,” Hammit recalls SANCTUS REAL included Steve Goodrum on whispering to Rohman, ac- bass after Kollar left in 1999, cording to a Toledo Blade in- Saturday, Sept. 8 • 6 & 8:30 p.m. went on the road. They’d terview. “I play drums a little Wagon Wheel Theatre already spent the summer bit.” 2515 E. Center St., Warsaw on the Festival Con Dios Hammit soon decided to Tix: $15-$32 thru Wagon Wheel tour with Toby Mac, Audio play guitar instead, though, Adrenaline and Out of Eden, and so did Rohman. The pair box office, 574-267-8041 or and 2003 saw them on the jammed together in Hammit’s 866-823-2618 See Spot Rock Tour with Re- basement, and they were lient K, the O.C. Supertones, eventually joined by Mark Graalman, who played Pillar and John Reuben. Things were heating up. drums for real, and Matt Kollar on bass. By the end Sanctus Real began to edge into the spotlight the of 1996, they were confident enough in the way they next year when a single they recorded for a fundrais- sounded to put together their first show, a free concert ing album, a cover of U2’s “Beautiful Day,” reached for 50 of their friends. the top of R&R magazine’s Christian Rock chart and “My dad owns a photography studio that’s in a pulled in a Dove Award nomination for song of the warehouse, and we did our first concert out of the year. The band’s next album, Fight the Tide, was even back of the warehouse,” Rohman recalled in an inter- more successful, delivering two more R&R number view with CCM Magazine. “We practiced and prac- ones and winning a Dove for Modern Rock Album of ticed, maybe had six songs and played for a handful of the Year in 2005. our friends from school. The next couple of years were equally eventful. From there, the band’s story follows the typical The Face of Love, released in 2006, spawned two plotline for a 90s band bio: they put those six songs more chart-topping singles and two more Dove nomi- on a demo tape, then followed it up with a five-song nations. There were also lineup changes, with Good- EP, playing together as much as they could manage in rum being replaced by Dan Gartley in 2005 and Pete the meantime. After the EP came a full-length album Provost coming on board as a third guitarist in 2007. recorded in a garage, 1999’s Message for the Masses, The band’s fourth album, We Need Each Other, and then came plans for a professionally recorded al- kept the momentum going, producing another hit bum financed by some less than enjoyable part-time single and more accolades, this time a Grammy nomi- jobs. nation for Best Rock Gospel Album. Touring was a “We did telemarketing for a few months, and it had priority in 2008, too, including a stint as an opener to be the most dreadful job ever,” says Hammitt. “You for Third Day and a 30-city headlining tour. As if that have to call people at the most inconvenient times. We wasn’t enough, Sanctus Real found time to play a ben- got death threats over the phone. One guy said he was efit concert in Toledo in support of a project being un- going to come through the phone and strangle me.” dertaken by the reality TV show Extreme Makeover: The result was 2000’s Nothing to Lose, a project Home Edition. The event raised $50,000 for a needy the band recorded with Grammy- and Dove-nominat- family, and it emphasized the point being made in the ed producer Skidd Mills. The album achieved a high title of the band’s current album. enough profile to draw the attention of several labels “The beautiful thing about being a part of the and cause more than one contract offer to be placed Extreme Makeover: Home Edition benefit concert at the band’s feet. They chose to sign with Sparrow was that we saw our community, our town, our home Records. Faced with writing and recording their first label-supported recorded, the band had to decide if it Continued on page 9 September 6, ’12 ---------------------------------------------------------------www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 SANCTUS REAL - From Page 5 brought together like never before,” Hammit said of this whooshing of fire,” Rohman said. “It was a big, the concert. “There’s power when people are unified, big fire.” and there’s a righteousness that’s unbridled when that The fire destroyed the bus and some of the band’s force is molded to serve, love and sacrifice for the personal items, but their equipment was spared. More ‘greater good.’ importantly, everyone on the bus – including Ham- Since the release of Pieces of a Real Heart in 2010 mit’s and Graalman’s children – escaped unharmed. (and another Grammy nomination), the band has been “We’re very thankful for God’s protection because touring, and they’re serious about it. Nothing slows it could have been much worse,” said the bus driver, them down, not even a scary fire that destroyed their whose quick action probably averted further disaster. tour bus in Pennsylvania earlier this year. If nothing else, there’s a clear message here: Sanc- “As soon as I rushed off the bus, in the dead of tus Real have some important things to do, and it’s not night, the engine wasn’t on and all you could hear was time to stop yet. HOUSER - From Page 7 no strife in the air. That’s really important for me to the album. “Route 3 Box 250D” is especially autobio- have right now. It’s comforting.” graphical. So now he’s finishing up his first Stoney Creek “That one’s kind of hard to listen to,” Houser says. record, an album that is being produced by Derek “It hits almost too close to home.” George. The songs on the album include some col- It may be hard to listen to, but it seems like exact- laborations – Houser co-wrote “Along for the Ride” ly where Houser needs to be: home, both literally and with Zac Brown on Brown’s tour bus at five in the figuratively. And if his early career is an indication, morning when the two were playing a festival together Houser seems to have an extraordinary knack for be- – but there’s also a lot of Houser’s personal history on ing where he needs to be when he needs to be there. PHILHARMONIC - From Page 8 change in the schedule this year, with performances the most popular and well-known music from films. moving from Sunday afternoons to Fridays, with an In March we’ll have ‘Forbidden Broadway,’ with mu- 11 a.m. performance called the “Coffee Concert” and sic from generations of Broadway musicals, and we’ll a 7 p.m. encore dubbed “After Hours.” A special high- wrap up the Pops season with the music of the Rolling light of the Chamber season will be a Thursday night Stones in May. So we really will have something for edition on December 13 which will feature The Sa- everyone.” cred Music of Christmas. Of course, that performance The Phil’s Family Series kicks off with a “Spook- provides an excellent counterpoint to the Fort Wayne tacular” on the Sunday before Halloween and in- Philharmonic Pops kickoff Holiday Pops which opens cludes additional performances in January and April. on December 7. The latter two will feature special collaborations “It’s unusual for us to not feature a Pops concert with other Fort Wayne arts organizations: January’s until Holiday Pops in December,” says Nave, “but “Home on the Range” featuring episodes of “Rodeo” the way the dates played out at the Embassy and with with Fort Wayne Ballet and April’s collaboration our own schedule, it just worked out that way which with Fort Wayne Youtheatre on “Witches, Wizards & means our Pops series is back-loaded into the spring Fairytales.” In March the Philharmonic will also share this year. But we have a really exciting season to look the Arts United Center with Fort Wayne Ballet on the forward to. Besides the Holiday Pops, we have a re- spring production of the classic Cinderella. ally talented conductor, Jeff Tyzik, visiting in January For more information about the upcoming season for ‘Swingin’ with Sinatra and Dorsey,’ and in Febru- and for tickets visit the Philharmonic website at www.