The road to success is often bumpy, filled with unexpected twists and turns, even hazards and perils. But the Jericho Road has been smoother than anyone ever hoped.
Since releasing its debut album last November, this local "boy band" has achieved phenomenal success. In four months, it sold more than 25,000 units, something almost unheard of in this market, said Laurel Christensen, artist services and events director for Deseret Book, which signed the group to its Shadow Mountain label.
Jericho Road toured with Michael McLean's "Forgotten Carols" production and is being played on Christian radio stations around the country — including Duluth, Minn.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and New Orleans — and has drawn a lot of interest from award-winning Christian songwriters in Nashville. And the band has been nominated for four PEARL awards by the Faith Centered Music Association.
And now Jericho Road is gearing up for a monthlong regional tour throughout Utah, into Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and California.
But if the group's rise has been meteoric, the guys have kept their feet — and their values — firmly grounded. "We're excited to tour, excited that so many people want to hear our message," said Bret Bryce.
But, he said, that message is the driving force behind the group.
"It has to do with principles," said Abe Mills, "with choosing right, with following right. With loving one another. With the fact that Christ is our Savior."
Jericho Road produces positive and uplifting music, but the message is not heavy-handed. "It's about how we apply those teachings in everyday lives," adds Justin Smith. "It's how we find answers we're looking for, both from our Heavenly Father and from our friends and associates. The things we sing about are broad enough that they are not just LDS, not even just Christian. They apply to all people."
And people seem to be responding.
Christensen admits Shadow Mountain deliberately went looking for a boy band — "we prefer 'guy group,' " Bryce said with a laugh — hoping to draw in the younger audience, to provide a positive alternative to much of the music out there these days.
"We knew we'd get the young girls, and we did," said Christensen. "We even got the young boys. What has surprised us is how many letters and e-mails we've gotten from the mothers and fathers and grandparents."
At a recent store-opening in Riverdale where the group performed, a grandmother was sitting on the front row, singing along with all the songs. She went up afterward and told the guys she had taken care of her grandchildren for two weeks and all the kids wanted to do was play Jericho Road music. "So now she wanted to get it for herself, so she could keep listening," said Dave Kimball, the fourth member of the group.
That's flattering, Kimball said, but also kind of humbling. "We make music that is important to us, and we put it out for the world to hear. We're in a vulnerable position, with our hearts on our sleeves." To have had people respond in such a positive way has been both amazing and gratifying, he said.
But, said Smith, "it's not just us. We're surrounded by people who know what they are doing. Tyler (Castleton, their record producer) has been great. Tre Barber, our choreographer, he's been driving us. We're just normal guys. We don't know how to dance. But he's so focused. He makes us look good."
And they understand the vagaries of the music business. Hopefully, the guys say, the day will come when they can just make music. In the meantime, Smith says with a laugh, "I'm working three jobs." Besides, he said, "we heckle each other enough, we're not too concerned that fame will go to our heads."
The foursome met when they were all students at BYU, participating in performing groups there. They decided to start singing on their own as an a cappella group called VOX. The four bring diverse backgrounds to the task. Mills is from St. Louis; Bryce is from Knoxville; Smith is from Parma, Idaho; and Kimball is from Sandy. Kimball and Smith are still students at BYU; Mills (the only married member of the group) and Bryce have graduated.
And even though they have had early success, that doesn't mean it's been easy. They've had to balance demands of their academic schedules and families with studio work and preparation for their live show.
"I've been so impressed by the hard work and sacrifices they've made," said Christensen.
"It helps to feel like we're doing something important," said Smith.
"This isn't just about four guys who like to perform," adds Kimball. "This really is about four people who feel passionate about the Lord and who want to share his message with people of all faiths."
People are bombarded by so many things that are not uplifting, that don't help them feel better about themselves, said Mills. "We want to give them an alternative; music that is positive but also fun to listen to."
And, he said, "it's a growing thing for us. We've never done a full show before. So it's kind of scary. How far we'll go, how it will end — who knows? But we're excited about the process."
E-mail: carma@desnews.com