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Biography (courtesy of Sparrow/EMI Records)

I'm always surprised at the power of a story. My story. Your story—the journeys life has shown us. I get caught up with my little life here in Houston, and forget that sharing music is greater than songs and albums. Sharing music is sharing life—the sacred, the ugly, the beautiful—and all the descriptors that could possibly fall in between. Here is my story.

Texas has always been home. (Aren't Texans annoying?) I've been here all of my 27 years on earth and still have yet to shoot a deer, herd cattle, or wear a belt buckle. Shocking, I know. I live in Houston with my wife and kids and get to play music and call it my job … when I grow up a real job is surely in my future. But for now, music it is, and I'm grateful.

I come from a family of pastors. In some circles, that is considered as bad as a family of mobsters. My grandfather, father, uncles, and brothers—all pastors. Luckily they're all less mob and more pastor. We all just sat down together to write a book called "Faith of My Fathers" and, as we discussed our faith and heard stories from my grandfather, I began to realize that God didn't accidentally cross my path. I began to see that my story is linked to my family. For you, your story may be linked to a neighbor, friend, or family member—stories can begin almost anywhere. The point is this: We are not alone. Faith didn't just show up here. One of the songs on the new album is "Faith of Our Fathers" and it's about the men and women in all of our lives who loved us in spite of us—and by doing so—revealed God's love.

The Band
After many years of making music, traveling in cars and buses, playing for thousands and groups of 12, and making albums (some pretty good, some pretty bad), it's good to be alive. It's good to be making music. I love these guys because they have a voice with something honest to say. They have talent and yet have perspective on what it is we do. It is just music. Sure, some of the things that come out of the music are of great significance. People find hope. Some find solace. Others stumble upon a journey of faith they had no idea they were on. Those things are amazing, and yet have very little to do with us as a band. So at the end of the day, it is just music and we love it. So we do it.

Dan Hamilton and I have been playing music together for almost eight years. We've laughed and struggled and I'm grateful to him for sharing music and life with me. Dan is the drummer and we used to shove him in the backseat of a '92 Toyota Corolla with a kick drum in his lap as we drove to a gig. The man has paid his dues.

Ryan Owens was a friend of Dan and mine from Houston. I remember David Crowder (David Crowder*Band) calling to ask me about Ryan possibly playing bass with him, and telling David he was a great bass player. But for some reason, they weren't able to connect because of Ryan's schedule. We would come to find out that was a big score for Robbie Seay Band. Ryan's been with us now for almost five years.

Chase Jenkins is 20 years old and plays like he's 30. Chase scored 1585 on his SAT, which may rival the combined scores of Dan, Ryan and I—in essence, he's too smart to be in our band but he tolerates us. Chase plays keys and sings and we enjoy every minute of playing music with him.

The Record
Making Better Days has been a journey. The band and I have recorded and produced albums on our own for years, mainly because we were broke and couldn't afford to work with anybody really cool. We used to listen to Patty Griffin's Flaming Red album and imagine working with the musician/producer, Jay Joyce (Patty Griffin, The Wallflowers, Nichole Nordeman). So when our new label (Sparrow) recommended Jay to work on three songs with us, we tried not to act like giddy school children when accepting the offer. I hope that when I'm old and gray, I can look back on all my recording experiences and have them compare as positively to what it's been like working with Jay on this project. In addition to the three songs Jay produced, our friend Will Hunt worked with us on two, and the band produced the rest of the project. Our hope for this record is that we connect our stories of struggle and hope and life with you … that these songs will not only give voice to our stories, but yours as well.

The Context
Our songs have origin. They have a birthplace of sorts. For us, our community in Houston creates intersections at every corner of who we are. Our church is called Ecclesia, which is Greek and weird to say, so pronounce it at your discretion. Our music fights its way to the surface here through struggle, shared meals, conversation, communion, family, and by way of pastors and friends. That's where I want us to go together as we engage one another in music and discussion. Life is not meant to be lived alone, and so we will all be messed up and grateful here, changed and alive together.

In closing, thanks for being interested in our story and our music. It's good to have you join us in this dialogue of life, love, grace—and all that gives us breath and a new day.