Christian music news: Fireflight burning bright

Latest christian music: WHILE some of us sit around and harbour good intentions, only a handful of us actually get up and do something about it. Given the world’s population, every little bit certainly counts, but have we seen enough takers? The stats hardly suggest it.
Christian rock outfit Fireflight perhaps looks at the betterment of the human race on a larger scale and employs a two-pronged attack – preaching the gospel of hope through its music and actually spending time with its fans and listening to their problems.

Christian rock outfit Fireflight, fronted by Dawn Richardson, is out to spread hope through its music. The band’s hit Unbreakable is the theme song for the new Bionic Woman TV series.

The quintet is riding in high in the Christian music charts and a chance to break into popular music has presented itself via the new Bionic Woman series, courtesy of the band’s aptly titled hit Unbreakable (the title track from the band’s latest album), which is the theme song. This is rock music for the current generation!
During a recent phone interview, lead singer Dawn Richardson, speaking from the United States, was all excited in revealing what it’s like being in a band like Fireflight.
“It’s interesting ... not many bands out there have band members from both sexes. All the bands we’ve toured with consist basically of guys. I mean, some of the guys bring their wives and all. I was always a tomboy ... even in the school cafeteria, I would always join the guys at their tables,” she reveals happily. It’s this band dynamic that she finds unique with Fireflight.
Blazing on the guitars are Glenn Drennen and Justin Cox, while anchoring the bottom end and keeping the groove rock solid are responsibilities shouldered by Drennen’s wife Wendy and Phee Shorb, respectively.
Good intentions without an end product does little for anyone, but Fireflight sees itself as an outfit to at least try and practice what it preaches. “We have good intentions, so I believe that if we can genuinely be loving, we can offer something that a lot of other people don’t.”
The band also champions The Legacy of Hope International, a body dedicated in alleviating the sufferings of children and victims caught in the sex trade in Cambodia. Richardson adds, “People here in America can help contribute in solving the problem, too.”
Perhaps a long shot from the typical rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, but Fireflight is known to take concern over its fans’ problems by spending time with them after shows.
All religions share a common goal, which is to do good for man and mankind, but in these highly sensitive times we live in, a band baring its religious inclinations would find itself in a potentially volatile situation. “There’s always a worry that people are offended by what you say. As long as you extend love sincerely, people will accept you ... like how the American society has with us. We’ve extended love to people of different religions and they don’t seem to mind at all, so that’s great.”
The music an artiste makes tends to reflect their listening diet. And though there are no obvious strains of grunge legend Foo Fighters and post hardcore act Saosin – both of whom the band cites as collective favourites – Fireflight has cleverly fused heavy rock riffs with a decidedly melodic touch.
“We write our own parts. It starts with the guitars where we work out the basic song structure. Then the parts are taken to our drummer who works out the beats and finally our bass player. It’s pretty much my job to work out the lyrics and the melodies, so everything’s a group effort,” concedes Richardson about the band’s creative process.
The band traded the warmth of the sun in its native Orlando, Florida to record its second album Unbreakable in Nashville, Tennessee, with knob twiddler Rob Hawkins working the recording desk. The band’s first EP and LP laid the seeds of what the band was planning to eventually do but it’s on Unbreakable that the vision has crystallised.
“We were pretty excited to work with him because we really like his personality. But recording the album was pretty harrowing because we only had six months, unlike the five years we had for the first album. Naturally we were worried about the “sophomore slump’, and to add to that, my vocal coach found blisters on my vocal chords. That effectively meant I had to completely rest my voice and apart from recording, I had to keep from talking, which was really difficult.”
In the big picture, Fireflight has but one goal ... or mission, more accurately. “I believe our music has a purpose, which is to give people hope. I think our greatest goal is to share a message of hope.”
From exceptional musicianship to melodic and passionate vocals, the band creates sonic tension that seesaws between anger and remorse, strength and vulnerability, fear and faith. It’s hard not to take Fireflight seriously

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