Blameless

October 25, 2010 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EVOLUTION OF BLAMELESS: GUITAR PLAYER, JP FULLER, NO LONGER WITH THE BAND

JACKSONVILLE, Florida - As of Wednesday, October 13th, 2010, John Paul (JP) Fuller is no longer a member of Blameless. Though Blameless is sad to see him go, God has always shifted things in their ministry to keep them moving in the right direction. As a united band of brothers seeking only God’s will, they feel it is important that each of them are always open to follow God’s call in their life; even if it means change, difficulty, and new direction.

Out of respect for all involved, the details will not be discussed publicly, but the remaining band members do want to address how much they appreciate JP’s hard work, dedication and sacrifice, and look forward to seeing where God takes him. Their prayer is that JP knows how much he is loved, supported, and prayed for by his brothers, who believe God will do great and mighty things on his new journey.

Currently Blameless does not have a permanent replacement for JP, but Tom Jackson from the Celebration Church worship team will be filling in temporarily for upcoming shows. Blameless prays that their fans understand the evolution of their ministry and will continue to support them through present and future changes that this calling will bring.

Any questions or comments can be directed to their publicist, Mary Pennington, at dear.mary@hotmail.com.

# # #

About Blameless: Beginning as a musical evangelical street ministry going into the toughest neighborhoods, Blameless quickly became inspired to develop a style that would set them apart from the rest. 'Swock' or 'swagg rock' has become the trademark sound of Blameless, incorporating rock, hip hop, rap, r&b, pop, and jazz into a bold new movement. Since the conception of Blameless, the goal was not to be pigeonholed as a Christian band, but a 'truth' band with Christian artists. With a unique, yet familiar sound, Blameless music uses personal testimonies and real life situations to paint a picture for all people to hear, Christians and non-Christians alike. As a whole, their heart's desire is to reach people who normally wouldn't give Christian music a chance, and take popular sound to the level of personal empowerment and activism.
- BLAMELESS P.R.

There’s hip-hop. There’s rock. And then there’s freedom music. That’s how the members of Jacksonville, Florida’s Blameless describe their song stylings. No category. Diverse. “We’re so open to each other’s ideas, that we could cross over genres from song to song,” band member Kaj explains.

When readers visit the band’s colorful MySpace page (www.MySpace.com/blamelessmusic), they will discover that Kaj is telling the God’s honest truth. The spiritual theme of their music is not lost on the listener as raw, vulnerable voices swell from underneath sizzling keyboard and impressive percussion. And the guitar? It sneaks up on you, in a really good way.

Vertical Fix caught up with these budding hit makers as they finished a sound check, and we held on to them just long enough to find out what Blameless is about.

As they gathered to chat with us, the band was charged—giddy, even—at the prospect of sharing their music with the throngs of people expected for their upcoming local event.

Vertical Fix spoke with the group by phone, and the excitement was contagious, even across the telephone lines. As they shouted their input from the background, the group chose “Kaj” (born Kirwinn Mike) as their spokesman for the interview.

VERTICAL FIX: How long have you been together?

BLAMELESS: We’re approaching one year as a group, but some of us have known each other for years. God gave Stevo the vision. Then we spoke to Mike Damewood—who is kind of like our spiritual father. He helped set everything up. We started as Blameless Ministries. We’d do music, skits, dance … anything and anywhere. We’d perform in the street, in churches, on rooftops (Kaj laughs).

How did you decide which six members would be part of the band?

It was sort of the right people at the right time. We didn’t deliberately choose six. It had to be ordained. We just jammed together and it worked.

Who is your audience?

Any open-minded listener. There is no particular demographic. Some people might say “young people,” but who defines “young?”

Have you all recorded anything yet?

We recorded a promotional CD with all of our most requested tunes. We’re finishing a full-length album now, which we expect to be out at the end of spring or early summer. It’s not titled yet, but it will have 12 or 13 tracks.

Everyone in the group seems to have several different talents. Was that deliberate?

It just happened. JP can play almost any instrument. I heard him working on the harmonica earlier. Z plays percussion and is a great writer. I’m a songwriter and I play keyboard, Stevo is a great choreographer. Aking’s a great writer. I mean, we put on a show. We incorporate all of our talents in everything we do.

I know you say your music is unique, but is there anyone you’d at least compare your work ethic to?

We want to stand out and revolutionize music like others who changed the game: Stevie Wonder; Phil Collins; the Beatles; Earth, Wind and Fire … yeah, innovators.

With six different people in the group, how do you deal with so many different personalities, ideas, plans?

Well, Z knows karate? Just kidding. We communicate and respect each other. We are six people with the same vision. Two visions by definition are just di-vision. We talk, we set a course and go after it. Plus, we’re very honest with each other. And we take votes.

How do you hope to affect people with your music?

We want to inspire people to make better decisions and stir hope. We want people to see that they are blameless in the eyes of God. We want to touch people.

Do you think that you’ve done that?

Definitely. We have an example on our MySpace page of a lady who heard us and was touched. She was thinking of committing suicide and changed her mind because of the lyrics of our song “Blameless.” Now she has her own ministry. That touched us big time. We put our heart and soul into that song. What she felt when she heard it was what we felt when we wrote it. We bridged a gap.

“CAN YOU FIND ME BLAMELESS?”

The young men of Blameless have a message to share because of the changes they’ve seen in themselves.

From watching friends get accidentally shot in the back, to losing a parent, to facing divorce and disappointment, these musicians snapped back. From selling and taking drugs, to watching all their friends get carted off to prison, to dealing with spiritual uncertainty, to being stabbed, these guys are more than just talkers. They are walkers. They know from whence they speak, and they scream their message from the mountaintops. Watch out below, because if Blameless has anything to do with it, redemption is falling down from heaven. And a piece of it belongs to you.

Can you find me blameless?//Search within my heart//Convict me when I’m wrong//I apologize for all I’ve done.

THE GROUP...

Kaj, 24, (born Kirwinn Mike) is a keyboard player and singer who was given his nickname because of the casual attitude he had about life as a youngster.

Joules, 26, (born Mark Taylor) writes songs and plays the guitar. He’s called “Joules” as a shortened form of his middle name, Julius.

Stevo, 23, (born Stephen Schnepel) plays the bass when he’s not breakdancing and choreographing steps for the group.

JP, 22, (born John Paul Fuller) is called “JP the Great” by his band mates. In addition to being a singer in the group, JP plays several different instruments.

Dr. Z TYTE, 26, (born Derrick Hillard) says TYTE stands for Teaching Youth Through Enlightenment. People in his neighborhood gave him the moniker years ago, and it’s stuck. He’s a drummer for Blameless.

Aking, 24, (born Akeem Brailsford) says his grandmother gave him the name as a child, and he’s been called Aking for as long as he can remember. The rapper says so many people followed him as a child that his grandmother commented that it was almost like he was a king.

A. KENYATTA GREER is a feature, news and advertising writer born in Atlanta. She ascribes to Mark Twain's belief that the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and a lightening bug.

©2008 VERTICAL FIX, LLC

Web Link for this article: http://www.verticalfix.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=86&cntnt01origid=23&cntnt01returnid=24


- Vertical Fix Magazine

In an article yet to be released for CultureShock Magazine, writer Michael Baker states, “In a society where most Rap/Hip Hop artists are more concerned with the "cash rules everything around me" mentality, Blameless breaks that mold and speaks more of real life, real struggles, and the only true way to overcome which is Jesus.” He concludes the article by telling the reader, “You can expect great things from this band and I highly recommend you seeing them live. Just listening to their CD "Action-Ville" is not enough when it comes to this band.” - CultureShock Magazine

Source Magazine editor stated, “this is what we need and this is so new and fresh, I really can't put my finger on it, but these guys are it.”

Jay, an A&R from Rock-a-fella records, states…” Blameless really has what it takes!”

A. Kenyatta Greer, a writer from the famous online magazine 'Vertical Fix.com” stated, “these guys are more than just talkers. They are walkers. They know from whence they speak, and they scream their message from the mountaintops. Watch out below, because if Blameless has anything to do with it, redemption is falling down from heaven. And a piece of it belongs to you.” - Various

ATLANTIC BEACH - Three bands, one church and a city commissioner intend to help clothe 72 children from needy families for this upcoming school year after a concert Friday at the Atlantic Theatres.

The Back-To-School Bash will be at the theater complex that's also home to the Vineyard Church, at 751 Atlantic Blvd.

Faith-based musical groups Blameless, Wordplay and The Dundies will perform. Admission is $10.

Each child is expected to receive three sets of school clothes. The Donner and Jordan Park community centers in Atlantic Beach are assisting with the effort.

City Commissioner Jonathan Daugherty organized the event after contacting associates at Vineyard, where he attends church. Daugherty said he knows what it's like to be needy and felt it was time to give back.

He also had assistance from the organization Dignity U Wear, which specializes in fundraisers to help clothe needy children. The charity is a service center for outreach programs throughout Jacksonville and has a warehouse in downtown Jacksonville.

"It really struck a chord with me," Daugherty said Wednesday. "I grew up in poverty [in Missouri] and I remember what it was like not to have clothes to go to school. I basically got clothes from yard sales and things like that."

Friday's concerts are just the initial phase of the project, Daugherty said. The community centers will work with Dignity U Wear through the year.

"It takes money to buy the clothes and I wanted to raise money to purchase clothes for these kids to go back to school in," said Daugherty, who added he was thrilled when Vineyard Church officials agreed to use their theaters on Atlantic Boulevard for the concerts.

"Hopefully it's going to be an annual event," he said.

The clothes have been pre-ordered from Dignity U Wear, said Daugherty. Now the organizers just need to sell a few more tickets to the event. About $2,200 is needed to cover the costs and many tickets have already been sold. There also have been outright donations .

Vineyard Associate Pastor Mike Townsend said the church quickly agreed to be part of the event and volunteered theater facilities and personnel to run the concerts.

"We had a lot of relationships with the kids to begin with and we have such a good venue here for these kind of concerts," said Townsend. "I was excited; it's a win-win for us."

There was little hesitation from the church congregation to help organize the event, and Townsend said he needed all the help he could get because corporate sponsorships were few because of the sluggish economy.

"On the individual side of things, we've already sold about 150 tickets, which means we should have about 300 to 400 people out for the show," said Townsend. "It's been a great response so far."

Anyone wishing to make a contribution or purchase a ticket can call the Vineyard Church at 246-6707.

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.
- Florida Times Union, Shorelines

This is a story about a family celebrating life, and a community coming together for a family. I was encouraged when I saw people from different churches and different denominations coming together in one place. Barbara Jones said to me,” I need to do something for this family” I was so moved by the story about a family that had touched so many people in such a short amount of time on face book and through the city of Jacksonville.

I was so moved by the compassion I saw in the people that were in the church at the Seacoast Sanctuary. My last fifteen years of my life I have been waiting to see a true move of compassion that would cause people to forget about their denominations or church affiliation, but a move of God that brings peoples to unite as one body instead of dividing the body. Well tonight I was blessed to witnesses such an event. There were at least several church groups represented in a church that was celebrating a family that was not even from the church. Bands and Groups perform from other churches not to promote their church but to be blessing to the family.

I personally went up and hugged Dwight Cenac not because he was the pastor of Seacoast and the host church of this family event, but because he was willing to allow his church to be used by GOD to unite people for a purpose much bigger then one mans churches dream or vision. I was encouraged to see the heart of a man open to what can happen when you trust GOD and just sit back and let him lead you.

There was less then a week to put this families commemoration together and there was very little resources available. When I heard about this event I said to myself “God is going to use this for his Glory” I was in North Carolina this week covering our land cruises across North Carolina so I was away most of last week. I literally was driving back from Charlotte North Carolina about 12 o clock am the night before and we arrived at 7 o clock am. I went to church that morning and after service grabbed a couple of hours of sleep and then I was off to covered this event. I’m telling you this because I thought this event was more important to drive over 380 miles to see GOD do this.

There was at least 3 bands each having a different sound, but each having a similar love for GOD and his people coming together to help the family in need. The names of the groups were The Blameless, The Found, Laurie Shields (The violinist) and her group. The Hearts of the people were on one accord to bless a family in need. God meet us there where there was about a 100 people there that showed up to support the family and helped raise over $500 dollars for the family.

(Part 1) Look for more to come on this story. - Community News Source