The Afters & Hawk Nelson - The Compassion Tour

The only true alchemy in this world occurs when trials turn to gold, the debris and heartbreak of life transformed and polished into shining beauty by a loving, unseen hand. We try to catch a glimpse of this remarkable change in action, yet human eyes fail us. However, once these storms of life pass, we see the afterglow through signs as sure as Noah’s ancient rainbow. A loved one overcomes. Morning breaks after an impossibly long night. Grace thunders through spiritual drought with a mighty downpour of living water. All of this, and more, affirms the fact that yes, life is beautiful.

Such alchemy transforms The Afters’ fourth studio album, Life Is Beautiful, though the title came innocently enough to vocalist-guitarist Josh Havens. He’s been carrying it in his head ever since the release of the Oscar-winning 1997 film of the same name. But by the time the music came to fruition, Havens said he was wrestling with an ordeal that tested him like no other—and this from a guy who, along with his wife and kids, survived a near-fatal car wreck several years prior.

“My son had some unexpected problems at birth and had to spend some time in the hospital ICU,” he recalls. “And I prayed that God would turn my trials into testimonies.”

The result: “Waiting for an Answer,” a song Havens says was inspired not only by his son’s struggles with a punctured lung, but also the children and parents in that ICU who coped with much more: “I don’t have to know how/ Or see you turn this around/ To believe in you now…”

“I had a friend who lost his child,” Havens continues. “He went through years of depression. I can’t even imagine going through that. But he said something to me I’ll never forget: ‘The thing that challenged my faith the most in the short term is what strengthened my faith the most in the long term.’ I hope to move through the struggles to find a deeper faith in God. I want to be the person who grows closer to God through the hard times.”

That spirit surrounds Life Is Beautiful, an album that dares to affirm all that matters through its every detail, right down to the artwork. The Afters solicited fans, friends and family to send in photos that answered the question, “What are the beautiful things in your life?” The album design assembles a collage of those pictures, much as the songs explore the facets of finding beauty in ashes, the everyday, and all spaces between and beyond.

Take “Every Good Thing,” the debut single that rockets from backbeat intro to melodic pop chorus on a feel-good tide of riffing guitars and handclaps. Praise to the maker comes for “every heartbeat, every day we get to breathe … every second chance.” Rarely do catchy songs come this infectious and insightful; “Every Good Thing” lifts the listener to a place where they can see the source of true joy, even as they feel it through the music.

“We wanted something strong, upbeat and positive,” Havens says. “We were looking back over the last year and we were struck by how many times we’d wake up and see those horrific headlines in the news. We’re reminded every day of how many bad things there are in life, so we wanted to write a reminder of all the good things that God does in our lives every day.” The verse they turned to for inspiration, fittingly, was James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Definitive as that statement sounds, Life Is Beautiful began with challenging questions the group members pondered while on a writing retreat in Colorado. “As songwriters, we never want to make the same album twice,” says guitarist-vocalist Matt Fuqua, who co-founded The Afters with Havens while the two worked as Starbucks baristas in Mesquite, Tex. “For us we try to go in asking: ‘What can we do that’s different? How can we stretch ourselves? How can we take things further? How can we do more?’ It was intentional to be really honest with our audience, and to be honest with ourselves by sharing things that are personal and meaningful.”

The title track itself makes good on that promise; in fact, it earned a spot in the film October Baby long before the rest of the album was complete. “That was a song we had to rush to finish,” Fuqua recalls. “The producers of the movie heard the song and got so excited. They shifted things around in terms of turn-in and release date just so we could get the song completed, and it was perfect timing.”

And so does “Broken Hallelujah,” a tender anthem inspired in part by last summer’s wildfires in Colorado. Writing went into high gear after a friend sent pictures, snapped from his church, that showed the flames creeping precariously close. Over 200 families from that church lost their homes in the fires: “Nothing left to hold onto/ I raise these broken hands to you/ Here’s my broken hallelujah.”

“There were times,” Havens recalls, “when we were in tears writing that song. We opened the book of Job and saw a man who experienced more loss than we could ever fathom. In the midst of all that, he shaved his head and took off his clothes so that he truly had nothing left, fell to his knees and worshiped God. ‘Broken Hallelujah’ is a song about praising God, even when the only thing we have to offer is our worship.”

Live and in the studio, Havens and Fuqua team up once again with drummer Jordan Mohilowski and bassist Dan Ostebo, who bring nimble musicianship and plenty of personality to the proceedings. “Dan is an outstanding writer and bass player, and Jordan is a phenomenally talented writer, producer and drummer,” Havens says. “A key to the dynamic of our band is that we have four creative minds, and we get along great. If we weren’t in a band together, we would still hang out. We love traveling together and when we write, there’s wonderful chemistry.”

Producer Dan Muckala (who helmed the band’s 2010 effort Light Up the Sky) also returns to guide eight of the new album tracks. David Garcia (Mandisa, Britt Nicole) and Ben Glover (For King & Country, Jason Castro) produce three more tracks, while Mohilowski took on the song “Moments Like This,” earning praise from his bandmates: “He killed it, and the song sounds amazing,” Havens raves.

Such enthusiasm for “Life Is Beautiful” may sound like idle boasting. It’s not. Rather, The Afters sweated this recording in a way they could hardly anticipate. Life gave them the unplanned, the unexpected, even the unwanted. No one would’ve blamed them had they crumbled beneath it all, or called a long time out. Instead, they dared to ask a simple question:

“What are the beautiful things in your life?”

Havens sums it up thus: “Our hope for our record—and a lot of heartache went into this album—is that it will encourage people to see how God is working in their lives. He’s not just there on the sunny days. No matter what we go through in life, God is still with us and life is beautiful—God is beautiful.”

Some musicians who have played together for nearly a decade, released five albums and played countless shows on countless tours, could turn to album six and toss it together in their sleep. They are pros. They've been doing this a long time; autopilot would actually produce some pretty good music.

But what if those musicians who had written and played together for years didn't switch to autopilot and, instead, became more intentional in their music than ever before? Theresult would be a set of songs that sound, lyrically and musically, like each note and word were precisely paired. The result would be Hawk Nelson's sixth studio album Made, releasing April 2013.

In many ways, Made reflects the journey Hawk Nelson has been on since Crazy Love released in 2011. Since then, the band has found a new label home with Fair Trade Services, longtime guitarist for Hawk Nelson, Jonathan Steingard, has transitioned into the role of frontman after Jason Dunn departed to begin his solo career, and the band of four is now a trio of him, Daniel Biro (bass), and Justin Benner (drums). Many changes. Even more unknowns. But one thing is for certain: Something has clicked, and this album is the proof.

Biro, who founded the band ten years ago, has grown with Hawk Nelson this last decade and believes all of the change has resulted in an honest and God-breathed product. "This time around," says Biro, "we're going through all of this emotional change, physical change, and God breathed some new songs that channeled all those feelings and doubts and emotions into these lyrics."

As much change as Hawk Nelson has undergone in the last year, new lead singer Jonathan Steingard explains the DNA of the band is still the same. "We're still that high energy band that a church or youth group would book if they want to have a fun youth night," says Steingard. We want to take what we've been and not leave it behind, but grow it a little bit and hopefully be a lot more intentional about what we're saying."

This intentionality shines through the two central songs on the album: "Words" and "Made." Steingard wrote "Words" with Matt Hammitt (Sanctus Real) and Seth Mosley, the producer on the album. The song, and first single, is product of a conversation Steingard had with Hamitt and Mosley. "We were talking about how easy it is to forget how impacting we can be in the lives of the people around us just with our words," says Steingard. As the lyrics explain, Words can build you up; words can break you down. / Start a fire in your heart or put it out.

"Words," which features vocals by Bart Millard (MercyMe), is a response to "Made"—a building song, layered with fast-tempo strings, that speaks boldly to the listener during the chorus: You're beautiful, wonderful, perfectly made. "The idea behind that song," says Steingard, "is that when something is made instead of just happening, everything about it is on purpose and intentional. If we didn't just happen, if we were created by
someone who loves us and cares about us and has a purpose for our lives, then when we look in the mirror, we should be satisfied with what we see."

So "Made" tells us we are on purpose, and "Words" encourages us to live life purposefully.

The lyrical intentionality runs throughout the album but it does not, of course, replace that unique, I-just-can't-sit-still-right-now, fun, contagious, signature sound of Hawk Nelson. Songs like "Elevator" and fast and loud "Anyone But You" will leave the listener with a strong takeaway message while they dance along and jump up and down, as Hawk Nelson fans do.

Hawk Nelson will also be intentional with the philanthropy aspect of their spring tour for Made. They have partnered with Food for the Hungry to support one, specific city that is in need. Many bands go on tour these days and raise sponsorships for kids through various non-profit organizations, but by focusing on one place, Hawk Nelson will bring sponsorship to a tangible level. "It doesn't seem as grandiose as 'We need to get all these kids sponsored,'" says Justin Benner. Their goal is to raise enough sponsorships for one village to be self-sustaining by the end of the tour. "Then," says Benner, "you could say 'I contributed to that—that specific thing.'"

Fan involvement is Hawk Nelson's specialty. Further proof of this is in how they raised funds for Made. It was a Kickstarter project—an online fundraising tool now often used for producing new records. Biro believes the Kickstarter success proves the power of the relationships this band has built with the industry and with fans over the years. And despite the new look of Hawk Nelson, he says, "Real relationships span the test of time, and those relationships have stayed in tact and those people have showed their support."

No doubt Hawk Nelson has loyal fans. They are known for a rigorous tour schedule, working on albums while on the road and playing in front of people as much as possible. Hawk Nelson does well reaching the younger demographic that can be so difficult to get through to, but now, as their music is maturing, they hope to broaden their reach. With more mature album themes like living purposefully and more challenging lyrics, they surely will.

With the success of Crazy Love, which was nominated for numerous GMA awards, you would think these three are feeling the industry pressure with Made. But the band members are confident in this new phase. "We just all believe in it," says Benner. Biro, agrees and sees the challenges as the exact preparation the band needed. "When you're in those valleys, those are the times you grow," he says. "I'm really proud of the
guys for sticking around because it is a brand new thing. It's a new identity, and I'm excited about it."

Steingard has felt peaceful about the transition before the transition even officially happened. In spring 2012, he was in a hotel room in Australia on tour when he played for Biro what is now the upbeat, lead-in track on Made called "What I'm Looking for." The chorus chants What I'm looking is for is more than a feeling / What I'm looking for is something bigger than me. It's that belief in something bigger that Steingard clings to. "I don't feel pressure," he says, "because from the get-go, this has felt like something God's been sorting out for a while. It feels like there's something going on that's bigger than any of us." With this type of focus on the bigger picture, anything is possible for the new Hawk Nelson.