Tom Bishop is hoping to introduce a broader audience to contemporary Christian music by taking it out of the church and bringing it to the Port Theatre.
Bishop is the lead guitarist for Harbour, a newly formed Nanaimo group that plays “worship music,” a kind of contemporary Christian music that draws on modern rock and pop sounds. On Nov.25 the band is performing at the Port Theatre. Bishop said while the concert is a chance to bring Christians together in celebration, it is also an important opportunity for community outreach.
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[Note: The date of the concert was changed from Oct. 28 to Nov. 25]
“We’re inviting everyone to join us, to meet us, to learn what we’re all about and sometimes people don’t want to do that through Sunday service,” he said.
“So this provides an opportunity for people to come and enjoy the same types of music that we listen to, see that we like to play loud music as well and have fun and just celebrate the relationship that we have with God.”
Harbour has only been playing together since the summer, but the band’s members – lead singer Valerie Ransom, violist Sarah Deno, lead guitarist Tom Bishop, guitarist Chris Gillespie, keyboardist Paul Cimolini, pianist Scott Arkell, bassist Richie Jackson and drummer Kevin Bishop – have played together in other permutations in the past. The group has been rehearsing at First Baptist Church.
“A lot of us play music in our church – a few of us go to this particular one – on Sunday mornings, but it’s been nice to just break out and try a slightly different style, a different venue, different crowd,” Deno said.
Jackson said it hasn’t been easy managing a large group, as band members are sometimes unable to attend rehearsals due to conflicting schedules.
“It certainly has its challenges, especially since we’re all married so we all have families,” he said.
“But we all have a calling to praise God and that’s kind of what’s bringing us all together … There’s been a lot of pitfalls and it’s still happening.”
Ransom said the the group is hoping to lift the audience’s spirits and bring them closer to the divine.
“Our ultimate goal is to get closer to God and do more of what He wants, which ultimately is love others and love Him,” she said.
“This is a time when the world really needs encouragement and the world really needs uplift, so if we can bring that through our music to however many people are there, that’s what matters.”
WHAT’S ON … Harbour’s Night of Worship at the Port Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. Special guest the UCM Band. All tickets $30.
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