Building Nations

Bedford's own "Building Nations" performs at the Indiana State Fair on August 13th 2017! - Indy Star

Indiana band sharing testimony across the state

David Vanlandingham, a founding member of "Building Nations" a contemporary Christian rock band out of Bedford Ind., allows that while the band is only about a year old, members, including his brother, Randy, mother Karen ("Mama V"), her brother, Uncle Dave Higgins and two "young" friends ? teenagers Isaac Hawkins and Keeran Jones ? have been playing music for most of their lives. And much of it has been for the benefit of their church, the Bedford First Church of God.

They are young in age as well as tenure. The Vanlandingham brothers are in their mid-20s, Hawkins and Jones are still teenagers and Mom and Uncle Dave are the "old-timers," David Vanlandingham said.

Still, they are steadily booking gigs across Indiana. Last October they were in Evansville for the 2012 Faithfest. They are scheduled to perform at the second Rock the World Christian Music Fest at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari Aug. 24, and they will be back in Evansville in October for the 2013 Faithfest.

Shelly Jarrell, client coordinator for Evansville's Christians Embracing Offenders organization, who attended Faithfest 2012, said Building Nations has "some very powerful testimony, some amazing songs. ?How We Love' is very powerful and moving. Most of their songs are about how God's love can heal the broken person in each of us."

Building Nations' first album, "Send in the Rain," was released in July 2012. A second, "Acoustic Sessions," is due for national release in October, David Vanlandingham said, explaining, "(We) are playing our guitars in your living room, just kind of having a good time explaining songs from the first album and adding some brand new songs. It includes both a CD and a DVD."

The music will be available from several online sources for downloads, he added.

When the Vanlandingham brothers first began to collaborate and dream about developing an act to reach an audience outside of their cozy Southern Indiana hometown, "It was just the two of us," David Vanlandingham said. "We wanted to do this full-on, as a duet. We were writing, composing music, and we started sending music to record labels then we did a Google search and found the Tate Music Group.

"We really connected with them and enjoyed talking to their main guy, Todd Davenport. He really set the bar and the tone. He was excited about what we could do and wanted to work with us."

A contract for the duo soon followed, but the duo began to feel too small.

"We realized what we really wanted was a full band so we could be more versatile and play more places," David Vanlandingham said.

Karen Vanlandingham and Higgins joined in. After auditioning church members they found "Isaac and Keeran were the ones. When we got together everything just clicked ? there was no space, no mess-ups. We were so connected it was like ?Wow ? this fits perfectly' we felt seasoned right away."

The feeling that "This is what God wants us to do," gave the group the courage to press ahead at breakneck speed, contact Tate Music Group and revise their contract from a duet to an entire band, David Vanlandingham said.

The name they chose "Building Nations" refers to the larger issue of building up nations for Christ, he said.

"We were playing churches and church conferences. We've opened for a lot of big artists and our opportunities are expanding. Now we want to network and get (beyond) Indiana.

"... It really can happen for small town guys with big dreams," he said. - Courier & Press