Christian in lifestyle, music for everyone

Karen Cotton

Oct. 1, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Canadian rockers Thousand Foot Krutch are enjoying some broad exposure for their music.

You may have heard their song "Fire It Up" in the movie trailer for "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra."

Or, in the EA Sports videogame "NHL 2010."

The group is on tour with the Creation Festival Tour that includes the Christian bands Jars of Clay, B. Reith, FM Static, This Beautiful Republic and Audio Unplugged. Fans can catch the Creation Fest tour live on Oct. 2 in Arvada, Colo.

"That was a lot of fun," said

See Thousand Foot Krutch, page D4

Trevor McNevan, the group's lead vocalist, of the movie connection. "It was an awesome fusion of music and film. The video game, 'EA Sports NHL 2010' also features that song, which is pretty sweet.

"We're all Canadian guys, and it's rad being part of a hockey themed game."

McNevan admitted that he's a fan of the Ottawa Senators.

"I have a good buddy that plays for the team, Mike Fisher, No. 12," McNevan said. "He's a great dude, and he asked me to write a theme song for when he scores, so I recorded a song for him, and he plays that when he scores.

"It's a cool experience when fans start to get to know the song, on TV you see them singing along."

Thousand Foot Krutch is both a secular and Christian band and tour with bands in both genres.

"We're Christian guys. That's our lifestyle, but we don't refer to it as our genre because we make music for everyone," McNevan said, adding that the group better fits the genre hard rock.

The group is rolling out music from their newest album on tour.

"We have the new TFK album that came out two weeks ago, 'Welcome to the Masquerade,'" McNevan said. "It's a blast playing the new music live, and we've gotten a great response, too."

He described the rock anthem "Pedal to the Metal" as the anchor for the new album.

"Overall, it's the most aggressive record to date, and we're excited about it," he said.

The group's diverse approach to music is apparent through how their songs are marketed on radio:

-- "Fire It Up" is an active rock/alternative single

-- "Forward Motion" is a Christian hit radio single

-- "Bring Me to Life" is a Christian rock single.

McNevan explained the inspiration behind the second single that's getting a lot of attention on radio, "'Bring Me to Life."

"It's about a time in your life where you feel stagnant and dried up and you need a fresh breath," McNevan said. "Things become black and white and discolored. My own choices put me there, or it was a certain twist that my life had.

"So, this is more of a cry out, saying 'Get your defibrillators out and started up,' and it's about appreciating every day that we have."

While the name Thousand Foot Krutch represents what the band believes in as Christians, they may be playing with the Foo Fighters one day and the next day Jars of Clay.

"It goes back and forth, and we love it," McNevan said. "We feel blessed that we're making music and are able to communicate through our gifts from God."

Thousand Foot Krutch started 15 years ago at the end of high school for McNevan.

He said a lot of hard work has gone on behind-the-scenes, but he wouldn't be doing anything else.

"I'm our songwriter, and I've written songs since I was 10," he said. "I've never considered anything else. I still love it as much as I did then. I'm just thankful for what God's doing."

Jars of Clay with Thousand Foot Krutch

Also on the Creation Festival Tour is B. Reith, FM Static, This Beautiful Republic and Audio Unplugged (Mark and Will from Audio Adrenaline)

When: Oct. 2, 7 p.m.

Where: Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada, 12189 W. 64th Ave., Arvada, Colo.

Tickets: $20 if purchased by Oct. 1; $25 at the door

More info: 303-702-9293, www.itickets.com

Jars of Clay: www.jarsofclay.com

Thousand Foot Krutch: http://www.thousandfootkrutch.com/

Newstex ID: KRTB-0045-38477706