Slingshot57 (Listen to Podcast)
There were two things I did not realize about Slingshot57.
1. They’re no longer together as a band.
(Okay, I knew that, but it had slipped my memory so I was caught off guard)
2. They’re Christians.
We were twenty minutes into the interview when Viking asked front man, Ben Woods, what the band’s plans were for the summer. We had been having some phone connection issues, so I wasn’t able to tell if Ben was surprised by the question. But even if he was he covered it well! He went on to talk about the different projects and activities his former band-mates were involved, and I suddenly remembered an e-mail I’d received from him telling me that they had broken up. Woops. Viking was sitting there staring at me as if to say, “WOMAN, what’d you forget this time?”
But since we’d been able to get the scoop on the band before I realized this, I was really struck with a bit of disappointment that they weren’t together anymore. Ben spoke with a lot of conviction, humility and passion for what Slingshot57 was all about. He mentioned that in our culture today, everyone and their dog listens to music. It’s something you really can’t get away from no matter who you are. But the one common thing a lot of rock bands out there have is that air of “we’re just a little bit cooler than you” to them; not saying they don’t love what they’re doing, but, it was stressed that Slingshot57 isn’t about cookie-cutting their image to fit in with the mainstream status quo. They’re about using their talents and gifts they’ve been blessed with to the best of their ability: to make good music with good lyrics that show true vulnerability, and to really make an effort to reach out to people, as opposed to telling ambiguous stories about random heartbreaks and endeavors to vindicate themselves.
“We set out with a desire to do something that matters.”
That hunger and desire to put excellent material out in the music world made me wonder if they were Christians. So I picked up the EP they sent us and read the lyrics to all of the songs. Sure ‘nuff, they were!
Over the eight years the guys were together, they released four albums (including their two newest EP’s, “Slingshot57” and “The Evidence”), selling 17,000 copies (of the four combined), and played over seven-hundred shows. In October of 07’, they made the hard, but mutual decision to part ways and pursue different projects. It wasn’t a decision that was made out of anger or one that spurred as a result of issues or problems within the band. But it was one that was made after seeking guidance and counsel, and much prayer.
So who knows? They don’t have that baggage or ill-will towards each other that a lot of broken up bands have. They might one day establish “Slingshot57: Reincarnate”. :-)
Here's a link to a project one of their band members is involved in:
More to come!
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