Mission Possible: Worship & Hard Rock

Every once in awhile you come across a musician that has an uncanny ability to create a sound so unique that is not only could cross genres but also attract an audience with varied tastes, ages, and backgrounds. Multiply that by five and you get Fades Away, a worship hard rock band formed by friends in Minnesota with a love for music and for God.

David Erickson, lead singer of the band, describes their sound as hard rock with a commercial edge. “Our music is very much a collection of all of our tastes. We all transitioned from worship so we incorporate that with strings and piano. Our sound is very melodic,” Erickson says. Creating their sound is definitely a group effort, a unique touch that makes Fades Away a true conglomerate rather than a front man driven band.“We usually start working as a group, all having our hand in the instrumentals. I usually work on the lyrics and we finish up with the melody.”

While having five members helps make Fades Away so unique, it’s not always easy to come to a peaceful consensus. “At times it can be stressful,” Erickson admits, “but mostly because we’re such good friends. We each get attached to an idea and it’s hard to decide what is best.” Being a good friend and focusing on relationships doesn’t only apply to their band but also to the way they relate to their fans. At each show they try to have at least a little one-on-one time with each fan. “We really enjoy meeting our fans and getting to know them. People crave to know each other, especially since most people are bombarded with texting and Facebook. Jesus calls us to love so we really focus on just hanging out with people,” Erickson says.

The guys of Fade Away are all about ministry but are also trying to teach themselves the dynamics of business. For the guys, it’s more comfortable to “be a hippie and know Jesus provides” but they also know that it’s important to focus on being organized and a good steward. “We’re really learning the balance of meeting the two ideals and learning the balance of Mary and Martha.”

Despite the difficulties of managing their business, at this point, the members of Fades Away are perfectly content with being independent. Like many other independents, they enjoy their creative control and are willing to put forth the work to maintain it.

“We’ve really enjoyed bringing our individual styles into our projects but our next album is going to be some good, old fashioned rock-n-roll,” Erickson says.

To keep up with their releases and tour schedule, visit http://www.myspace.com/fadesawaymusic.