Soulshine

From headlining outdoor festivals to playing small coffeehouses, Soulshine has exemplified diversity in both musical style and presentation.

The four guys that would eventually become Soulshine had tasted success in the local music scenes around Wisconsin by the summer of 2004. A compelling urge to break away from the lifestyle of the bar scene led frontman Cory Baker to question the path he was headed. Baker later explained, “My goal was to devote my life to Christ and one issue that was a stumbling block was music and my lifestyle with it. So I decided to start over using music as an offering.” The result became Soulshine.

It took awhile for Soulshine to get moving. Much like an artist with a blank canvas, Soulshine had to work from scratch. Gradual progress was made throughout 2005, eventually culminating in a main stage performance at Marian College’s Heritage Festival.

Soulshine quickly gained momentum in 2006. They began to create a stir in the Wisconsin Christian music scene after headlining several venues and churches statewide, most notably Cup O’ Joy in Green Bay. Their large rock show also went over well at the outdoor music festivals of Walleye Weekend and the Fond du Lac Christian Music Fest.

In September 2006, Soulshine displayed their versatility by performing their first acoustic show. The contrast was welcomed by fans and opened up the band to playing coffeehouses and other small venues that were not an option with the larger rock show. These acoustic performances provided the opportunity to broaden their fan base and supplement their schedule while leaving a craving for their rock show. They closed out 2006 having quadrupled their performance frequency from the previous year.

Through it all Soulshine has kept community involvement a top priority alongside an increasingly demanding schedule. Their call for service brought about a partnership to raise money for a local Youth For Christ organization as well as a benefit concert to support St. Jude’s Hospital.

Somewhere in all of this, “Soulshine” started to become a buzzword. Their success in Wisconsin helped Soulshine break across state lines in the closing months of 2006, with further travel scheduled for January 2007. Having already made media appearances in both live television and radio, Soulshine looks forward to future challenges and opportunities. One such opportunity is a full-length album, which is in the works for early 2007. It is difficult to predict what God has in store for Soulshine, but the future ahead of them looks promising.