There was a time that the genre of Christian music was a strictly identifiable commodity with fairly limited appeal to a clearly specified audience. That no longer holds true, with the variety of music that can fall under the category of Christian growing to include more diverse offerings, from rap and hip-hop to hard rock and heavy metal. As the diversity of the music expands, so, in turn, does the audience for it.

      One local example is Jacob’s Well, a band formed by members who met through Calvary Temple and who define their music as “positive message alternative rock and soul.” While freely admitting to a strong religious identity and a sense of mission with their music, they have avoided the limitations inherent to the form.

      Formed in 1998, the band has undergone some personnel changes over the years, but one member from the original lineup remains. Greg Andrews, bass player and vocalist for Jacob’s Well, has been joined over the years by Dan Anthony and Bob Caspar on guitars, Darrell Lummer on keyboards and vocals and Jeff Brooks on drums. While their music is motivated by their religious beliefs, Andrews points out that not all of the songs specifically reflect that.

      “The songs aren’t necessarily religious,” he says, “but they all deal with serious personal issues and come from our personal experiences.”

      With that approach Jacob’s Well can easily engage an audience that may well have different faith systems than the band’s members, but Andrews says their work is also designed to share their own faith.

      “We do all share the same perspective,” he says. “The easiest way to say it is that we believe this: Jesus died, he was buried and he rose again. With that in mind, we deliver that kind of message to everyone within earshot.

      Though a decidedly Midwest group, Jacob’s Well have some geographic diversity as well. Anthony comes to Indiana by way of Texas, while Caspar and Brooks have strayed less far from home, coming from Chicago and Wabash, Indiana, respectively. Lummer is from California, where Andrews also spent some time while stationed in San Diego during his stint with the Navy. A Persian Gulf War veteran, Andrews says that the members of the band put a lot of themselves into the songs they write which, for a time, made each vulnerable to the criticism of their bandmates.

      “Writing comes to us a lot easier now,” says Andrews. “We put our songs out there on the table when we bring them to the band. Once it’s out there, it can be manipulated and scrutinized, torn apart and critiqued. It used to be before, when we’d put them out on the table like that and the others would critique it, we’d come back with hurt feelings. But now we’ve come to expect that, so we don’t take it so personally anymore.”

      Helping that process to go smoothly is that they seldom critique or change the most personal aspects of the songs, namely the lyrics, leaving only the music and arrangement to be adapted to fit the ears of the entire band.

      “When you share your music, you better be prepared for what everyone thinks,” Andrews adds. “But lyrically, none of us has really been challenged.”

      Largely, that unity in lyrical approach stems from a common sense of purpose, which led the members of Jacob’s Well to coin the term “musicianaries”—musicians who are missionaries as well. Coincidentally, Empty Vessel Music Ministries, an Atlanta-based missions organization who “extends support, leadership and mentorship to artists, speakers and musicians as they follow their call to missions using the gifts they are strongest in” were also using the term to promote their musicians. When they discovered the similarity, the group contacted Jacob’s Well and, ultimately, the band was signed to record with the company in March of this year.

      “With a label behind you,” says Andrews, “it gives you credibility for what you’re really doing. Now someone else is saying ‘These guys are worth every penny,’ and you’re not just out there promoting yourself all the time.”

      Aside from plans to record, Jacob’s Well are putting together a press packet that will include a live performance DVD, which will also produce a couple of music videos for distribution. The concert recording, which will take place at Come2Go Ministries on Monday, June 11, will allow the band to demonstrate their music, their performance abilities, and the devotion of their appreciative fans, who have been known to pack the Come2Go venue in the past.

      While each member of Jacob’s Well is an accomplished musician in his own right (Andrews began playing guitar before he was old enough for kindergarten), it’s their united sense of purpose that leads them to the work they share and leaves them working hard to support themselves in the true tradition of their calling.

      “We’re missionaries in every sense of the word,” says Andrews. “So we’re raising our own funding for everything that needs to be done. We’re approaching church mission boards for monthly support, and we’re talking to individuals that feel led to support our ministry. We’re trying to raise $25,000 to go to Africa, so that’s our primary goal right now.”

      In the meantime, each has a full slate of activities which keep them busy.

      “We all have full-time jobs, and we’re all married, all have kids,” says Andrews. “And we’re weekend road warriors, playing our music when we get the chance. So it’s a lot to juggle.”

      Not surprisingly, the band’s moniker is derived from Biblical passages. One line from John 4: 6-14 says, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life,” while Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another.” With these passages motivating them, Jacob’s Well look to provide more than just a pleasant musical experience to their listeners.

      “We want to be able to deliver a message of hope,” says Andrews. “The message that hope is possible in any circumstance.”

Copyright 2007 Ad Media Inc.