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Genre:		Rock
Members:		Vince Lichlyter (vocals/guitar), Joshua Dougan (drums), Jason Rooney (lead guitar), Cory Riley (bass)
For fans of:		Creed, Three Doors Down, Seether, Lifehouse, Skillet
Label:		Ardent/S.R.E. Recordings

	Buy 'em here! Jonah33

Jonah33 isn't interested in falling into formula as artists, nor are they content on covering the typical topics. In fact, front man Vince Lichlyter has lived such an extreme life peppered by despair, drenched lows, and rebellious stakes of recklessness that there's simply no other direction to turn except up a road steeped in passion, instrumental thunder, and honesty.

"Our mission is to challenge listeners to step outside of the box and understand why Jesus died," the singer says, referencing the primary premise of Jonah33's sophomore CD The Strangest Day. "No matter what you've gone through, no matter how bad it's been or how little hope you think you have, we're here to tell you there's Someone who can save you from that life."

To supplement this idea, The Strangest Day is meant to incite a spiritual revolution of sorts amongst listeners. Beyond just the album, members seek to communicate what it's like to have a genuine relationship with Jesus throughout ten cuts of eye opening material. One main problem they've found both in and outside the church's walls is the concept of apathy and the fact that people are comfortable resting in either a complacent faith or their problematic circumstances. But to the soundtrack of razor sharp guitars and neck snapping rhythms, they seek to ignite a flame within fans' faith life.

"We want the new disc to bring people to the point where they're opening their spiritual eyes for the first time," Lichlyter enthuses. "We want them to realize it's not just a religion anymore, that they need to wake up and discover for themselves what faith really means to them instead of taking it verbatim the way it was handed down. And for those who don't believe to begin with, we want them to know it's not based around rules. Even though there are moral guidelines, faith is all about the relationship."

And more than just a general message of motivation, this is a concept Lichlyter can certainly relate to first hand. After running away from home, spending most of his teenage years on the Seattle streets, and diving head first into the drug culture, the singer is a living testament that miracles do happen while apathy, abolishment, deliverance, and redemption can turn a life around.

"From the ages of 13-19, I was more interested in pot than in my parents, so I moved on the streets and my drug habits got progressively worse," the bandleader confesses. "What started as pot moved into hallucinogenics- acid, mushrooms, crystal meth- and then I moved in with a crank dealer. It turns out his main dealer threatened to kill him and everyone else he lived with over money. He bailed, left a shot gun on the table for me and told me to fire first or suffer the consequences."

After burning all previous bridges with friends and family (he emancipated himself from his parents at age 17), Lichlyter knew he hit the end of the line and suicide seemed to be the only option. However, in that moment of truth, with a loaded shotgun in his lap that he put to his head and mouth several times, a still, small voice within the angst ridden addict caused an unusual course of action. He called his parents and within two days, was on a plane to their new small town home in Arkansas for what would be the beginning of an entirely new life. After sleeping for three days straight (and simultaneously detoxing through slumber) he was met with compassion and kindness from his folks, who shared how they accepted Jesus during the estrangement and prayed for Vince's healing. Though it would take an ample amount of time, after an eventual meeting with their church's youth pastor and a series of lengthy conversations about faith, the youngster finally gave his life to the Lord.

"We want this record to show people that course of action is possible in their lives, but we want to unveil it in a real and honest way," Lichlyter muses. "When Jesus called the twelve disciples, He didn't lead them through 'The Sinner's Prayer.' He said, 'look, here's the deal. I'm the son of God- the way, truth and life- and I'll make you fishers of men.' They operated totally on faith, literally left behind everything they had, surrendered, and just followed Him. We want The Strangest Day to have the same sort of effect of those walking through their life or faith comatosely and for the music to really wake them up and show them where they need to be."

The project is the latest in a long musical lineage for the leader and his band mates. After his conversion, Lichlyter formed a band called Front Line Revival and toured the country, followed by a stab at a solo career starting in Memphis' legendary Ardent Studios. But what first began as an individual outing quickly developed into a band concept and Jonah33 was formed with a combination of new found friends and seasoned musicians. The results were a self-titled debut CD on Ardent Records that unfurled with furiously heavy rock romps and nu-metal nuances.

"When we put our first record out, we wanted to see what was hitting big in the mainstream and that was the direction we decided to take," says the singer of the Nickelback/Three Doors Down inspired album. "It was a cool record for the time, but things have progressed and times have changed both musically and where we're at in our lives."

After touring tirelessly behind that project, the guys returned to the studio for the December 26 release The Strangest Day (Ardent/S/R/E) which mirrors Lichlyter's aforementioned explanations and further unfolds with unapologetic, ministry-minded lyrics. In fact scorching alternative rock cuts like "Burning Clean" and "This Is It (You Instead of Me)" are both wrapped around the gospel being applied to daily reality. "Solution" screams of the need for Christians to step up to the plate and really put their faith into practice, while the blazing "Mystery" traces the fact that there's a whole lot more to God than non-believers will usually give Him credit.

"This album comes across more direct, both in what we're saying and what we sound like," Lichlyter notices. "We've been listening to a lot of Foo Fighters and Blindside, plus we also have a lot of respect for P.O.D. and Switchfoot. It's developed from a mixture of playing live for so long, gaining a greater musicality as a band, and cultivating new issues and topics that stem from our travels."

Even more moving is the lead single "Tell Me," a blistering Tool-like track that tries to bridge the gap between believers and those who despise the faith in general without any particular reason. "Need To Let Go" is about moving on from loss, "Desensitized" traces the sexual state of society and through it pleads for purity, while "Father's Song" was inspired by Lichlyter's young son and his hope to always be a proper parent. The melodic crunch of the title track is especially powerful, tracing the need for authenticity within the church and breaking out of one's comfort precincts.

"The more time I spent in the Bible, the more I learn that faith is more than air conditioned churches, padded pews, youth groups and numbers," observes Lichlyter. "It's about being so passionate and on fire that you can change your circumstances and those around you, just like the twelve disciples and those who were martyred for their faith. We want people to get passed the fear of leaving what they've always known and embracing wide open what Christianity's supposed to be."

"God's given Jonah33 the knack of being unashamed for the Gospel, but in relevant ways that relate to kids," summarizes Lichlyter. "We're not saying everything in the same way it's been said before. We totally believe in giving this uncompromising message and the goal is to get it in front of as many people as possible."

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