The Story
Ask anyone who has ever been to a DecembeRadio show to describe the experience and you'll get an enthusiastic barrage of comments about the band's blistering stage show, an adrenaline-fueled rock spectacle that leaves audiences nearly breathless. Yet intertwined among the searing guitars and anthemic choruses, the heart of the band shines through on every note.
Few bands more effectively fuse music and ministry than this Virginia-based foursome. Miker along with lead vocalist/bassist Josh Reedy, lead guitarist Brian Bunn and drummer Boone Daughdrill burst onto the national scene with their self-titled Slanted Records' debut in 2006. The project was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album and earned the group four Dove Award nominations, including nods in the Best New Artist category and Song of the Year for "Drifter." That night the band claimed their first Dove Award when DecembeRadio was honored for Rock Album of the Year, an impressive feat for a new band.
Their winning streak continued at radio where "Love Found Me" and "Dangerous" heated up rock radio airwaves while "Drifter" and "Find You Waiting" became back to back Top Five hits in the CHR format and won fans among AC listeners as well. "Dangerous" became the theme song for the Discovery Channel's "Hazard Pay" program and was used in the CBS-TV drama "Cane."
DecembeRadio recorded their sophomore effort at Atlanta's famed Southern Tracks studios and once again turned to producer Scotty Wilbanks. "It just goes so much deeper than just being a producer. Scotty is like a brother to us," says Bunn. "He really is like the fifth member of the band you could say. He understands what we want to do and where we want to go musically. We grew up on a lot of the same things and listened to the same music; but at the same time, it's nice because he's a keyboard player and we're a more guitar-driven band. It's good to get that different perspective from somebody who's not a guitar player. He brings us balance and helps us stay true to who we are."
As they began writing and recording their sophomore effort, the band felt a new sense of confidence in their musicianship and a feeling of creative freedom. "We started finding out that we had grown so much as writers and as a band," says Reedy. "We were having the most fun that we've ever had in making this music and that's the way it should be."
That creative energy and sense of fun leaps from the speakers when listening to Satisfied. "Gasoline" is like a musical Molotov cocktail, filled with fiery guitar and Reedy's blazing vocals. Bunn cites it as one of his favorite songs that the band has ever recorded.
DecembeRadio has toured relentlessly the past two years, most recently opening for Third Day in the spring of 2008. The band has an intriguing dynamic on stage. Though they definitely have that powerful rock 'n roll stage presence, they also have a unique ability to be accessible to the fans. There's a bond that's forged between the guys and the crowd that erases that unseen barrier between artist and audience.
"People connect with how real you look them in the eye whether you're rocking out or you're getting them to sing along with you," says Reedy. "When they feel they are a part of the show, a part of the band or just a part of that song, that is what we strive for when we step on that stage."
Miker says their live show had considerable impact on how they made the new record. "We learned more about our fans and what they like," he says. "We learned a lot about what works best live, and we wanted to make sure all the songs work great live. We just wanted to make music that the fans like."
Adds Reedy: "We're enjoying the journey."
