The Wager

"God is, or He is not. But to which side shall we incline? A game is being played.... What will you wager?
And you must wager. It is not optional. You are embarked. Which will you choose then? Let us see. Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is."

This quote from French philosopher Pascal's book, the Pensées, defines the passion of The Wager. Choosing Jesus above all else, no matter what the cost. The Wager formed just over a year ago, but its members felt God’s calling on their lives long before that.

Anna Smith(lead vocals) and Michelle Graves(drums) felt God pulling them in a musical direction a year before the band formed. Together throughout the summer of 2008, the two best friends prayed that God would send musicians their way, specifically a guitarist. They prayed for someone who loved the Lord, and who loved to practice. Around Christmas of the same year Anna began hearing loud sounds from across the hall. Her younger brother Scott had found the family guitar. He was soon turning off his video games and playing guitar more and more. He sat (and continues to sit) in his room for hours and hours each day practicing and perfecting the gift that God gave him.

Enter Michelle’s brother, Michael, who worked at a local coffee shop. While sitting around drinking coffee and listening to a local band play, the members of The Wager realized that God had put them together for a reason, and that they should get together and make music. So in April of 2009 they had their first show playing to a packed coffee house.

God continued to bless them over that summer when Michelle and Anna went to Camp Electric, a rock ‘n roll worship camp in Nashville, TN put on by Christian music legend, Toby Mac. They handed out the bands business cards to everyone who would take one. Michelle gave a card to her instructor, Taylor Carroll, drummer of the Christian rock band Pillar. Two weeks after camp, Taylor gave The Wager a call telling them him saw huge potential in them, and he came on board as the producer of their debut EP.

After a whirlwind year of making trips back and forth to Memphis and Nashville, TN to go into the studio and work with Grammy-award winning sound engineer David Hall(LeAnn Rimes, Fall Out Boy, Petra, Michael W. Smith) and Gotee Records recording artist Stephanie Smith (who sang background vocals on their self titled EP); and playing numerous shows around their community of Midland/Odessa Texas, The Wager is ready to expand their horizons and begin to tour.

Their music has been compared to high-brow recording artists such as FireFlight, Skillet, Paramore and Flyleaf. Combining edgy guitar riffs and hard hitting lyrics, The Wager hopes that their music will bring people to the throne of God.

"We all started playing music in a worship band, and that really shows up in what we play. We want people to connect with God." says lead vocalist Anna Smith. "God has really given us some amazing opportunities to share his love, and we are so blessed." This heart for ministry has given The Wager many opportunities to play in churches and for retreat weekends.

The Wager is four people, four lives, and one dream. To see the love of Christ awakened in their generation.