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Band spreads word with a rockin' beat

April 26, 2008 12:16 am

BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

In a dark, smoky Fredericksburg bar, a heavy metal band climbed up on a rundown stage.

The drummer pounded out a booming beat on his monster drum kit. The bassist amped out a tempo. And the lead singer leaned into the microphone and belted out one of the group's original songs:

The drunken crowd remained silent at first.

But when Brandishing Steel finished its most blatantly worshipful song, the audience cheered. Later, many came up and thanked the band members for the courage to share such a Christian message in such an unlikely place.

The rundown dance floor, the thick air and the drunks are exactly what lead singer and guitarist Kevin Conner pictured when he gave up his gig as worship leader at Evergreen Church in Fredericksburg more than a year ago.

He loved the church, enjoyed serving the members through his music. But something was missing.

"Jesus says, 'Go out,'" Conner said. "But the church seems to say, 'Come here.'"

He wants to touch those who don't show up Sundays, to meet people where they are, at KC's Music Alley or Culpeper Rock Academy, to accept them and to tell them they are OK and loved. That message seems important.

And he knows how to package it. Conner himself found Jesus at a rock 'n' roll concert when he was 14.

Now 39, with dark, shaggy hair, a soul patch, and black leather and silver jewelry, Conner comes across as a walking advertisement for one message he preaches: That Christianity doesn't have to be uncool.

"Just because you believe in Jesus doesn't mean you have to give up fun. Man, that isn't what Jesus wanted for us anyway," Conner said. "But a lot of people think it's ties, khakis, penny loafers, music that puts you to sleep, and speakers who sound like Charlie Brown's teachers."

Conner searched for fellow musicians who would share his message and he found them in bassist Mark Simpkins and drummer David MacKinnon. It took more than two years to get the right combination, Simpkins said.

Simpkins is a recent college grad who wanted to combine his Christian faith with his passion for rock. He met Conner at Evergreen Church, but it took more than a year to find a third rocker.

Then, MacKinnon moved to Stafford County after a tour of duty in Iraq. His parents had been missionaries, but MacKinnon fell away from his faith in his adult years.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the first Gulf war and again in the Iraq war. As he flew helicopters to recover bodies and injured warriors, Mac-Kinnon found himself relying on the faith of his youth. He committed to live that faith more fully when he got back to the United States and hoped to somehow incorporate his drumming skills.

While in Iraq, he also developed a passion for watching young people find the Lord as they faced death every day.

"I wondered if they knew the Lord," MacKinnon said. "That guides me now."

At a recent CD release party, the bandmates celebrated their first album. Most in the crowd belonged to area churches where the band plays Sunday mornings. A lot of their fans are already Christian.

That's OK with them. Their message isn't just for nonbelievers: It's an epistle of acceptance, and that's for everyone, Conner said. The message brings nonbelievers to the fold and re-ignites Christians, he said.

Kerry O'Neill, area director of the Fredericksburg Fellowship of Christian Athletes said Brandishing Steel reaches out to non-Christians but also challenges Christians. At an FCA event, the band asked tough questions about how the athletes lived their faith, O'Neill said.

Their example also shows teens something else:

"It's OK to be yourself and to be Christian," O'Neill said.

If that's a rocker dressed in black, so be it. Or an athlete. Or a geek.

The band members themselves are distinct. Simpkins favors button-down shirts, jeans and sneakers. MacKinnon dresses more casually. And Conner goes for the traditional rocker look.

That's just one part of the gospel according to Brandishing Steel.

It's also telling nonbelievers there's more to life than parties. That someone loves them.

It's telling the anorexic girl who comes up after a show that she's so beautiful she doesn't have to starve herself.

It's telling the teenager who admits to cutting himself that Jesus loves him just the way he is and can ease his pain.

It's walking out to the Massaponax High School football field and challenging the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to live their faith more fully. To reach those classmates in pain, considering abortion or suicide.

It's answering e-mails and messages on MySpace from teens wanting advice and from Marines getting ready to go overseas.

It's leading worship services Sunday mornings so church music directors can have a day off.

"Their passion for God comes through in their music whether it is at a concert or whether they're leading worship," said the Rev. Scott Roberts of Evergreen Church. "They just give their all for the Lord and trust that God's going to use them to reach folks whether it's in church or in a secular location."

brandishingsteel.com myspace.com/brandishingsteel

Amy Flowers Umble: 540/735-1973
Email: aumble@freelancestar.com