Music
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Jon Lloyd thanks God that he's a Christian.
The singer-songwriter tried his luck as a recording artist in the secular world in 2003. "I couldn't get much going," Lloyd says from his home in Lumberton. "I spent money on promotion, hiring booking agencies. It just didn't amount to much for me."
Much changed for Lloyd when he switched to Christian rock two years ago. "The tide turned," he says. "I didn't have to put as much legwork into it. I just had to write and record songs. It's an awesome situation. Doors are opened for us to come and play. All we have to do is show up, play our songs and lead in worship. People actually listen to what we play."
Indeed, the virtually unknown Lloyd and his band, which includes guitarists Scott Bolin of Raleigh and Justin Clayton of Morrisville, have more than 750,000 hits on their MySpace page.
"It's amazing that three-quarters of a million people have listened to our songs there," Lloyd says. "We'll put up a new song and two months later it'll have 30,000 plays. I have no idea how this is happening."
It's not as if the Lloyd Band, which will perform tonight at Vintage 21, is touring the country or getting airplay. Apparently, word of mouth in the Christian music community is strong.
The songs Lloyd writes are catchy and often pretty. "I don't set out to write songs like that," he says. "The songs just come out quickly. Generally I have music and lyrics finished in 10 minutes. I just get inspired. That's the way it's been since I've entered Christian music."
And he feels no need to re-enter the world of secular music. "I found my niche. I don't have the get-rich-through-rock dream. As long as I have enough money for gas to get me from one show to the next, then I'm all right. I like this lifestyle.
"When you see us, don't expect U2 or Coldplay. What you'll experience instead is an intimate worship environment. You'll see a band that isn't concerned with how it's dressed or how our hair looks. We just want to play our songs and worship. We feel blessed."
The charismatic Lloyd is a youth pastor in Lumberton. When he's not working at his church, Lloyd tends to his three young children, who range in age from 5 years to 3 weeks.
"It's important to be home or near it," Lloyd says. "We've played in Georgia and we're going to Virginia and Tennessee. We're working on the home-base area."
Lloyd, who uses a rotating rhythm section, has written five songs for the group's next album.
"We're putting things together slowly but surely," he says. "We're not trying to force or rush anything. We can afford to take our time. We're not trying to race to the top of the charts. It's all about making music so people can experience it." - The News and Observer
Discography
"This Place"- Debut Cd release.
"Revolution" Single
Photos
Bio
After two years, one album, one single, dozens of shows and worship events, and a huge, unexplainable explosion on the Internet, it’s pretty easy to say who the Jon Lloyd Band is and what they are about. Anthemic praise songs backed by huge, delayed guitars and driving loops. Stripped down acoustic and piano songs are accompanied cello. An obsession
with coffee beverages and a love of tech-talk meet an abundant passion for worship and for promoting the plight of the poor in Africa and around the world. It’s this combination of humor, personality and driving mission that make Jon, Justin, and Scott such a unique and inviting combination.
Singer-Songwriter Jon Lloyd was in the middle of a long climb up the secular music ladder when his life took a dramatic shift. While on a mission trip to Jamaica with his small-town church, Jon underwent a dramatic re-focusing of his life and musical career. The song “My Prayer” a simple acoustic piece emerged. Over the course of six months, more songs
would follow. Jon knew that his life was irrevocable altered, but had no idea that eighteen months later, “My Prayer” would quietly become the most licensed CCLI Communion song in America for February 2008.
Following his return, Jon assembled a group of local musicians including Scott (electric guitar) to record what would become the Jon Lloyd Band’s “This Place”- their debut album. Over an intense five day period of fourteen hour days, 10 tracks were recorded—time
was so short Jon had less than two hours to record every single vocal track on the last day. Jon’s goal had always been to connect with people as they were connecting with God. He had no idea what was to come next.
Flash-forward a year and half. Through word of mouth alone, the band’s Myspace received an unheard of 750,000 plays in nine months. Offers to play all over the Southeast, Texas, and even invitations to lead worship in Iraq and Australia followed, along with airplay in seven states and a number of local radio interviews. Endorsements and accolades were to
come as well as well but one in particular stood out.
After years of Jon and his family supporting “Greg” (they can’t pronounce his real name) through Compassion International, Jon was inspired to write “Revolution,” a call to action in the campaign to release children from poverty. As an official Artist Representative of Compassion, the Jon Lloyd Band includes a brief message about Compassion in their set.
Today, the Jon Lloyd Band is tight unit. With the addition of multi-instrumentalist Justin Clayton, the core trio of Jon, Scott and Justin bring a huge tight sound to the stage with multiple guitars and Laptop-based loops. Having opened for major label acts Building429 and Todd Agnew this past fall, and called “the next David Crowder Band” by producer Nick
Coetze (“Shout to the Lord”) the Jon Lloyd Band promises to be a band on the rise in 2009.
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