Telecast
Genre: Rock
Official Web Site
Telecast Bibliography: (click on each album cover to view tracks and Telecast lyrics)
Telecast Biography Josh White, front man and founder of new BEC Records artist Telecast had to come to the end of his rope before he could find his way home again.
White was a member of Man Ray, a Seattle rock band that was signed by TimKerr/Mercury Records in 1997. "Man Ray was definitely very, uhh, secular, he says somewhat hesitantly. "I mean, our CD had an advisory sticker on it! Its not something I am proud of. Is was a very dark time of my life when I wasn't really walking with the Lord."
Though Man Ray achieved notable regional success, when it came to national prominence, "We kind of got lost in the Hanson shuffle" he says with a laugh, referring to the young band of brothers that went on to brief multi-platinum stardom for Mercury. "I left Man Ray after we got dropped and formed another band called Medicate with several guys from Seattle. That was actually when I came back to the Lord. It was pretty out of control, just friends headed down the wrong road, a lot of really bad things going on," he says sadly. "I was very unhappy, but somehow I started reading my Bible every day, and just kept getting convicted. The Lord completely worked on my heart, and eventually I came to the breaking point. I quit the band and dropped out of the Seattle music scene for about a year." And then, the Lord completely took over Josh's heart and desires.
Looking back, White, 30, says, "I spent the first seven years of my music career trying to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. I was more interested in being famous than I was even in my music. I was a complete scenester, all about people knowing me, all about being seen. But finally seeing through it all in that process, God really challenged my motives and revealed to me that honoring Him alone was a much higher calling than my fleeting ambition of fame."
Determined to follow what he believed to be God's direction, White moved to Spokane and began leading worship full-time at Calvary Chapel. He was amazed at how quickly pieces of his life's puzzle began to fall into place as he pursued his new calling. He found himself writing prolifically, sometimes several new worship songs each week. He joined forces with Brian Ortize, formerly with the indie band Buddy Ruckus, and began harmonizing in ways he had never experienced. Several other players soon joined what became to be known as Telecast, including Nick Tibbets on drums, Adam Breeden on guitar, and Marquis Ashley on bass. From the first rehearsal, says White, "God made it very clear that this was supposed to be the band for my new music. Everyone felt it," he says confidently.
Within a matter of just months, Josh and team were in the studio with producer Aaron Sprinkle (Poor Old Lu) recording The Beauty of Simplicity for BEC Records. Influenced more musically by Brit-rock acts like David Bowie, Coldplay and The Verve than by the parameters and formulas of much of today's worship music, Telecast created an album full of beauty and, well, simplicity. It is a surprisingly relevant brand of atmospheric rock, full of radio-ready hooks in songs like "The Way" and "I Just Need You." Emotional, worshipful, and honest, Simplicity shuns formula while remaining fully accessible to listeners, without compromising its message. "My goal was to make a record that my non-Christian friends would love-if I didn't mention Christ so much! Lyrically, the album is a reflection of my desire to be more in love with Jesus; it is poetic but not just for the sake of being poetic. I actually play a lot of the material from this album for my congregation at Calvary Spokane," he says.
Reflecting his practical view of the Christian life, he states his belief that "Worship is not a song, but a daily decision to serve Christ in everything. Jesus Christ deserves more than just our belief and detached admiration, and I believe we can only find true joy by simply knowing and loving Him."
Looking back on the past year, and looking forward to Telecast's 35-city fall tour with rising Christian artist Jeremy Camp, he humbly acknowledges, "Everything with Telecast has happened so fast that we cant take any credit for it. We feel the Lord's blessing has been on this project from day one."
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