MESQUITE—Singer Josh Havens and guitar player Matt Fuqua met in 2000 while working at a coffee shop in Mesquite. After each discovered the other was an aspiring musician, they decided to put their talents to good use—entertaining customers with their musical stylings and forming a Christian rock band.
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The Dove Award-winning Christian rock band The Afters will perform at the One Voice concert series at Six Flags in Arlington July 22 and also at Rock the Desert in Midland Aug. 4-5.
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More than a decade later, The Afters have garnered Dove Awards and their songs have been featured on multiple television shows.
But in spite of their rapid success, band members have stayed grounded by keeping the spotlight focused on Christ at their concerts and remaining true to their Texas roots.
In addition to Havens and Fuqua, the band is made up of bass player Dan Ostebo and drummer Jordan Mohilowski. Their group name was suggested by MercyMe’s lead singer Bart Millard.
“The Afters was a term used in the British Isles when class structure started to break down about 200 years ago,” Fuqua explained.
“The servants would have an after-party, and the nobles would often mingle with the servants. In public, they wouldn’t recognize each other, but in that one place and time, they were all equals. We thought that was a really neat idea for our name to remind us that God sees all people the same.”
During their concerts, band members often share important lessons about relying on their faith in Christ to sustain them during life’s trials and struggles.
Light Up The Sky CD cover
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The songs on their newest album, Light Up The Sky, are designed to help listeners realize God’s glory is evident all around them. For starters, all they have to do is look up at the sky.
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“We wrote the song ‘Light Up The Sky’ after a really challenging time,” Fuqua said. “Looking back, we could see how God was working, and we were never alone. God’s fingerprints were all around us, in big and small ways. We just needed to remember to look around us.
“We’ve heard a lot of stories about how lives have been changed after hearing this song. People are sharing how God is moving in their lives, and they are being drawn closer to him.
“For youth going through tough times, struggling to find their identity and wondering if they really do matter, we want them to realize that they do matter because God loves them and he will never leave them.
“Through our music, our goal is connect people to Christ and help people realize how much they need a relationship with him.”
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