Altar'd

by Mike Kaylor
Sunday September 30, 2007, 5:21 PM

The band Altar'd gave high-energy praises for the heavenly afternoon as a hundred or so early Jammers lined the front of the stage.??The group's version of "I'm Not Ashamed*" had the crowd waving.??The five-piece band of rockers was plugging its souvenirs "so we can get back to Louisiana."??It was a great way to open the show on The Rock Family Worship Center stage.


- Al.com

"These guys have all the makings of a great rock band...great tunes, solid players and an energetic front man. Most importantly, Altar'd has a heart for God. Go see this band..." - Amy Wolter, Tom Jackson Productions

"To worship with Altar'd is to encounter the grace of God through soulful, southern rock...an exciting and inspirational experience!"

Bethany Butterfield
Worship Leader/ Director of Jr. High Ministries
First United Methodist Church, Alexandria, LA - Bethany Butterfield

"What a first impression! My students couldn't stop thanking me for getting this band at our SYATP associational rally. It was just what we needed
to finish up a day of prayer all over our parish. From the first song to the last praise note, these guys brought the house down with their genuine heart
of worship, mixed with their rock out sound of today. I can't imagine what our next event with them will be like, but I know that my students all over
our parish can't wait."

Steve Bryan
Student Pastor
First Baptist Church, Winnsboro, LA - Steve Bryan

The band is a great praise and worship team with a little twist of there own. The music is something that can speak to the believers and the non-believers. The members of the band have their sights on one thing: to be the band that God has called them to be and to do His will with everything that they do. The concert that they put on at the Bridge Fellowship was awesome and people want them to come back as soon as they can. These guys are great!


Dusty Smith
Youth Minister
The Bridge Fellowship-Baton Rouge, LA - Dusty Smith

Altar’d, a Rapides Parish Christian rock band that has nearly three years of its existence and has managed to awe crowds has been nominated in four categories of the 3rd Annual Momentum Awards, IndieHeaven.com announced.

IndieHeaven, the leading organization supporting independent Christian music artist worldwide, in a press release said the local band has been nominated for: Rock Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.

Matt Johns, the vocalist of the Altar’d, said he was pleasantly surprised and excited about the prestigious nominations and people’s support.

“We felt like last year was our strongest year,” Johns said. “We’ve shared the stage with some of the biggest acts in our genre such as Skillet, Toby Mac, and Seventh Day Slumber.”

The award winners, which are being selected by fans in an online voting system, will be presented March 29 in Nashville during the IndieHeaven CIA Summit 2008.

Meanwhile, fans have until Thursday, Jan. 31 to cast votes online. Five finalists from each category will then be selected and a winner will be announced based on vote count and a panel of judges.

Described as an energetic progressive Christian rock band with a broad repertoire of alternative rock’n roll, soulful funk and heart-wrenching worship, Altar’d was born in the Summer of 2004 when vocalist Matt Johns was exploring his long-time passion for music and wanted to record his own CD for his church. Gradually, Johns’s idea to record a CD evolved into a group of college friends who decided to take up the road.

“It was never my intention to have a band that traveled, I was just trying to record a CD … to show people in my home church what kind of music we were playing in college,” the former Louisiana College student said. Members of the band include, guitarists Bryant Baum, Steve Obanion, drummer Blake Powell and Jon Lafitte and bass player.

“God really opened a lot of doors for us, we did about 50 shows that first year together,” Johns said. The band is currently averaging about 40 shows a year and hopes to increase that to about 100 shows this year, he said.

Johns said the awards tossed into the limelight many strong bands, but he is confidant Altar’d will fare well.

“There is a number of strong groups, but we feel that we have a pretty good shot,” to win the awards, Johns said adding that the band has participated in Christian Rock festivals and events in Huntsville, Ala., Rock Hill, SC and in New Mexico.

Thanks to that exposure the band has also received a few record label offers. “The latter part of last year was incredible,” Johns said.

To cast your vote:
www.indieheaven.com/momentum_awards.php

to LIsten Altar’d LIVE online:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=43399488




- The Town Talk