GodSpeed3

From Staff Reports/MS
The Picayune Item

PICAYUNE — Local Christian artists, GodSpeed3, have been offered a deal too good to refuse.

Austin Cook, professional A&R man for various record companies, has offered GodSpeed3 a developmental record deal. This offer stems from a showcase the band played several months ago. The showcase was held in Nashville, Tenn., at the famous Christian club, Rocketown owned by Michael W. Smith.

GodSpeed3 played three original songs during their showcase. After the performance Cook said, “I really like the band and would give them a score of 8 out of 10 on all points of evaluation that record companies usually look for in a potential recording artist.” Cook went on to tell GodSpeed3 that there are only a couple of bands each year that get offered this type of deal. He would like GodSpeed3 to be one of them.

The development deal was offered on September 12, 2008. So, needless to say, GodSpeed3 is extremely excited about this new opportunity and has already traveled back to Nashville to begin this new phase of their journey. GodSpeed3 is scheduled to return home on January 30 and would like to sincerely thank all of their family, friends, and fans that have always supported them. They ask everyone to please keep GodSpeed3 in your prayers!

GodSpeed3 members have been professional musicians touring the country as individuals with various bands for many years. It wasn’t until they all came together that something special was realized. After touring with the likes of Restless Heart, Kentucky Headhunters, Lee Roy Parnell and Leann Rimes to name a few… Travis Kennedy and Geri Grubbs realized that particular scene was not for them. They withdrew from road life to settle down into an occasional gig here and there, or so they thought.

Kennedy heard and met a singer by the name of Michael Clogher. Clogher is a youth pastor and Minister of Music at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Poplarville and has led praise and worship for years. He has performed on stage with singer/songwriters such as Don Moen, Lenny Leblanc, and Robin Marc. Clogher was singing a new form of music that Kennedy had never been exposed to. It was contemporary Christian music. Clogher invited Kennedy to play with the church praise and worship band and a new friendship was forged. Soon, the two guys decided to strike out on their own and put a good contemporary Christian rock band together.

This is when Grubbs was yanked out of retirement. Grubbs had already been active in the church and jumped at the chance to put together a quality music ministry. The three amigos began interviewing and auditioning players for GodSpeed3. They wanted to get not only good players, but people that reflected the beliefs and values they wanted to have in the music ministry. It was not long before Chris Speir, Vince Frisella and Jennifer Dremman were found and invited to join the band.

These guys love playing together and feel blessed to have God working through their music to help them touch people’s lives. For more information about the band and its members, upcoming concert dates, and booking information, visit www.GodSpeed3.com.
- The Picayune Item

By Patricia Older
Interim LIfestyles Editor

Picayune Item Newspaper
PICAYUNE — A local Christian band known for their rock ‘n’ roll approach to singing the Lord’s praises has been nominated for five Grammys, possibly a first for Pearl River County.

GodSpeed3, with band is composed of Michael Clogher, lead singer, Geri Grubbs on drums, Chris Spiers, guitar, Warren Beane, bass, and Travis Kennedy, guitar, has seen a meteoritic climb to stardom since the band’s inception three years ago.

The origin of the GodSpeed3 goes back to several years ago when band members Grubbs and Kennedy played with another group, performing gigs in bars and other venues, even signing a Nashville record deal.

But life on the road was not something the men were enjoying. “We got tired of being on the road all the time and the bar scene,” explained Kennedy.

So the two quit the music business and headed back home to Picayune. “Then about 10 years later I started going to church,” said Kennedy, adding that at first, he was asked to play along with the church’s praise band. “They knew I played guitar and they asked me, but I just said, no, I don’t think so.” Continuing, Kennedy said he was hesitant to join the band members for sessions because he wasn’t sure if he would like the genre of music.

Then one day, one of the band members was absent, so Kennedy agreed to play. “I found out I liked it,” he continued. “I really liked it.”

A seed was sown for GodSpeed3 with that realization.

During that same time, his friendship with Clogher was deepening and their discussions began to center on the possibility of starting their own contemporary Christian band. We had formed a strong friendship,” said Kennedy. “And we talked about forming our own band.”

From there, Kennedy asked Grubbs if he was interested in putting together a Christian band, and before long Spiers and Beane joined in. “We had our band,” said Kennedy.

It didn’t take long for the public to begin to appreciate their music style, and before the band mates knew it, their calendar was full with venues and they were finding their lives incredibly rewarding. “I never knew a Christian band would play so much,” said Kennedy of their booked schedule.

As their popularity has grown, so has the band’s opportunity to play with major names in the Christian music field. “We have been playing with a few big Christian bands,” said Kennedy, naming, among others, December Radio, Audio Adrenaline, and Casting Crowns.

Just finishing up the recording of their last five songs for their first album — GodSpeed3 — Kennedy said the first four songs of the album have already been released. Of those, “Redeemed” has been nominated for Best Gospel Song, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian category. The album, GodSpeed3, has been nominated for Best Pop Contemporary Album, while “You Are God” is nominated for Best Gospel Performance.

“I feel like I have already won,” said Kennedy, referring to the fact that just being nominated for a Grammy was an incredible experience. “We’re so excited.”

The Grammy awards is scheduled to be held Jan. 10 on CBS.
- The Picayune Item

By Jodi Marze, Lifestyles Editor The Picayune Item

PICAYUNE — Travis Kennedy and Michael Clogher have made it to the Grammy List for nominations for the second time as an unsigned band.

The local boys of GodSpeed3, came in to the Item for a visit with their framed nomination list and discussed GodSpeed3’s progression during the three and a half years of existing.

Kennedy said, “We met at 1st Baptist Church Praise and Worship. We found we had the same desires and goals to make music of our own. We wanted to be entertaining and bring the message of salvation to others.”

“All of our members have a background playing music. We have wives, kids and families. We take what we do seriously.”

Clogher said, “For our first couple of months we did not play publicly. We worked hard on learning our music and getting it right. That’s the mark of a band that is serious. They stay home to get it right, before going out and putting on shows. When we did step out we were ‘solid.’ We had our act together and our music down.”

“It has been a steady progression since we got together and it has brought us where we are now. We are announcing that we just signed with Tate Music Group (TMG) records.” he continued.

The group began discussions with TMG in September of 2010. The Pearl River County, Miss. band, write and sing songs focused on the message of salvation. They have played as far north as Cincinnati, Ohio. In their travels, they have opened for Mercy Me, Casting Crowns, 33 Miles, DecembeRadio, Audio Adrenaline and Building 429, as well as Praise in the Park Festival in Lucedale, Miss. for three years in a row.

Lead Singer, Clogher says, "We are so excited to take the next step with TMG. I believe that there are big things on the horizon and we can't wait to see what God has in store for our ministry!"

“It is such a big thing to be signed with TMG, Tate Music Group, the same company with great artists like Lee Greenwood, Kenny Rogers, Neal McCoy, and David Cook from American Idol.” he continued.

Kennedy added, “Another great thing that has been happening is we have been getting endorsements. SAS Bazooka, Woodees, Steve Clayton Picks & Accessories, D’Addario Strings, JHS Pedals and Planet Waves Accessories are all on board and we know that there will be more in the future as our ministry grows.”

He continues, “We are going into Wal-Mart and Lifeway with this deal and we will reach more people for God than we dared to hope for!”

But with all of this excitement their heart is still with the local area.

“We encourage local groups to call us. We are from here and we want to perform locally as much as possible. We just want to have fun while we entertain and share God’s message.”
- The Picayune Item

Millions of music fans will be watching the Grammys Sunday night, but few in South Mississippi will be watching as intently as the members of GodSpeed3, a contemporary Christian rock band that came this close to earning a Grammy nomination this year.
"We will be watching," said Travis Kennedy, lead guitarist. "It makes it all more real now than it was growing up, because we were actually nominated."
Well, almost. Kennedy said the band made the long ballot that members of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences voted on to select the official five final nominees in each category. Kennedy said GodSpeed3 was up for five nominations, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Gospel Song for "Redeemed," Best Gospel Performance for "You Are God," and Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for "GodSpeed3."
Lead singer Michael Clogher said he thought someone was playing a joke when he saw the e-mail announcing the news.
"We all like to play practical jokes on each other, so I thought it was an elaborate hoax," Clogher said. "Once I realized that it was real, I was speechless and numb for about an hour."
Drummer Geri Grubbs said it's an honor to be listed on a ballot seen by all the Grammy voters. "The biggest honor is to be on the same page as our mentors in the Christian music industry, such as Casting Crowns, Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman, just to name a few. I am still dumbfounded."
Al Gomes, owner of music promotion company Big Noise Now, helped get GodSpeed3 on the Grammy ballot, Kennedy said. Big Noise Now clients include Christina Aguilera and Chicago. The company is a full voting and nominating member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
While they are serious about their music, the band is a sideline for the five members, at least for now. Kennedy is employed as an electrical engineer at Stennis Space Center, Clogher drives big rigs for Louisiana-based Pavestone, Grubbs works as a tax assessor for Pearl River County, guitarist Chris Speir is on active duty with the U.S. Air Force, and bassist Warren Beane is worship leader of Church of the Way in Picayune.
Grubbs and Kennedy performed together in a professional country music band that toured the South for several years, but they got tired of the road and moved back to Pearl River County and took day jobs. Kennedy met Clogher when he sat in with the praise band at First Baptist Church of Picayune, and they recruited, Grubbs, Speir and Beane and decided to form a Christian band.
They write and perform their own songs, which Kennedy describes as straight-up rock and roll with a strong Christian message. "All of us write," Kennedy said. "We will each bring in an idea or a song and the whole band will then develop the idea into a song. That is the one thing that is usually a quagmire for bands. They get caught up in the ego thing over songwriting and that is just not an issue with us. We love the fact that we all write and we know that we will not write a hit song every time. But, when we have one that makes the hair stand up or chill bumps appear, then we know we have something."
The band has a busy winter planned.
"We have just got the final mixes in of our first CD," Kennedy said. "We are working on the art work and finalizing those details and hope to have a CD release party soon. We have had many requests for CDs and now we are finally nearing the end of that process. We also have shows lined up through March, so we'll be busy bees."
While the bandmates are disappointed that they didn't make the final cut, being on the Grammy ballot does give them hope for the future.
"It definitely makes us want to push even harder and work harder to get the job done," Kennedy said. "Above all, though, is our desire to work for God. We want to be faithful stewards of his Word, worldwide."
- Hattiesburg American

PICAYUNE — The buzz is almost electric. Since being chosen to open for the band Casting Crowns at “Praise in the Park” in Lucedale, locally based Christian rock band GodSpeed3 has gained momentum — and they’re still picking up speed.

The group just returned from Nashville, Tenn., where they were working to put down the initial tracks on what they hope will become their first CD. This was the groundwork for their newly acquired development deal, announced in the Item earlier this year, with Indevo Records. The band’s plan is to head back to Nashville in a couple months to finish up the recordings by adding another six songs.

“I’ve done a lot of recording, but those recordings really sound good,” said Travis Kennedy, lead guitarist for the group. “I can’t wait for the finished product.”

While in session, the group got a chance to meet and work with Dove Award winning sound engineer, Mark Drury. Drury has earned his Dove, and other Dove nominations, because of his work with both the Dave Crowder band and Big Daddy Weave, two top notch Christian groups, according to Kennedy.

After the band’s recordings are completed, as part of the deal, InDevo Records will shop them to bigger labels. “They heard something or saw something in us that they want to try to develop,” Kennedy said. “If something happens, great. If nothing happens, that’s great too.” While the group is interested in gaining national attention so they can help as many people as possible, their main focus is always God.

With their gazes firmly fixed on Him, the group also caught the attention of Al Gomes. Gomes’ company, Big Noise, has acted as a the Webmaster for some big mainstream recording artists, such as Christina Aguilera. An agreement was just reached where he will serve as an artist consultant for GodSpeed3, to complete the package.

The group will have a full itinerary working with Gomes for the next 12 months, said Kennedy, and they are all excited about it.

GodSpeed3, a very young music ministry, approximately one and a half years old, grew out of persistence. Michael Clogher, the lead singer for the music ministry of First Baptist Church Picayune, kept inviting Kennedy to come and play with him and his Sunday worship group.

Kennedy, a professional musician, said he was admittedly hesitant about getting involved with the Christian genre.

“I never been around that kind of music. It’s a big difference playing on Sunday morning in daylight with sober people there, versus late at night and there ain’t no sober people around,” he said. “You got to be on top of your game there, they’re a lot more discerning.”

However, Clogher and Kennedy became friends and eventually started talking about doing their own thing. Once they got drummer Geri Grubbs on board, well, the rest is history.

“We went through some folks, looking for the right folks, but the cast we got now is a really good group of people, I really like them,” said Kennedy.

They just acquired the last piece of the puzzle, another layer to their sound, keyboard player Danny Gros. Making up Godspeed3 are Kennedy of Picayune, lead/rhythm guitar; Clogher of Poplarville, lead vocals; Grubbs of Picayune, drummer; Chris Speir of Picayune, keyboards/rhythm guitar; Mark Beech of Pass Christian, bass guitar; Jennifer Drennan of Slidell, La., lead/back up vocals and Gros of Ponchatoula, La., keyboards.

When they play a show, they try to give it a rock concert feel, but with the “good message.” They use cool lights, including robos and strobes, and a smoke machine, to get the crowd going.

“We’ve been having fun with it,” Kennedy said. “We’re very respectful with it, but we’ve been having some fun with it too, trying to show people that hey, you can listen to Christian music and worship God and still be cool.”

Look forward to hearing more about his up and coming local group.

For their next big gig, the band will open for Audio Adrenaline at Resurrection Life Church in Picayune on Saturday, March 7. Time is TBA.

To keep abreast of all the latest GodSpeed3 happenings, visit their Web site, www.godspeed3.com. - By Ginger Schmidt Picayune Item