Gungor

"Band Brings New Type of Worship to Calvin"

“We’re going to be singing about death,” opened David Gungor, lead singer for The Brilliance. The audience laughed nervously. But as the strings swelled and piano filled the auditorium, the audience settled back.

The Brilliance is a different kind of band. With an electric guitar and drum set, but also a grand piano and full string section, its sound is musically complex and different...

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In a conversation with the band after the show, John Arndt, pianist and composer for The Brilliance, said, “We find what we do to be art. I wouldn’t necessarily call this in the genre of worship music…what we’re doing is making something beautiful and presenting it.”

“It definitely wasn’t what I expected,” said sophomore Laura Sheppard. “I was expecting a concert like any other concert. But it was a full experience. The way they had the orchestra and the way it built up was a form of worship itself.”

But the beauty of The Brilliance’s music isn’t just in its rich orchestrations. The lyrics are also complex. The band doesn’t rely on a repetitive verse-chorus structure, but write songs like stories with a beginning, middle, and end. Some lyrics come directly from the psalms, others from church prayers.

Read the full review HERE

Gungor Launches 60+ City Headlining Tour October 24

“Has earned comparisons to Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver” - USA Today “Cinematic pop-folk” - American Songwriter

Imagine if a cello and a banjo had a baby and then someone put a pedalboard and synthesizer in its crib. This is one way Gungor describes its musical sensibilities: alternative, folk, textured and experimental.

The alt-folk collective – fronted by husband wife team Michael and Lisa – launches its 60+ city headlining tour on Oct. 24 at the Madison Theater in Covington, KY then travels across theaters and arenas in the US, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Europe. The “I Am Mountain” run of shows follows Gungor’s Sept. 24 release of its 12-track album of the same name.

‘I Am Mountain’ Fall Tour Dates:
(Dates, cities and venues subject to change)
Oct 24: Covington, KY (Madison Theater)
Oct 25: Fort Wayne, IN (IPFW Auer Performance Hall)
Oct 26: Detroit, MI (St. Andrew's Hall)
Oct 27: Columbus, OH (Skully's)
Oct 30: Rochester, NY (Roberts Wesleyan College)
Nov 1: Quincy, MA (Eastern Nazarene College)
Nov 2: St. Davids, PA (Eastern University)
Nov 3: New York, NY (B.B. King Blues Club & Grill)
Nov 5: Washington, DC (The Howard Theatre)
Nov 6: Richmond, VA (The Canal Club)
Nov 7: Wake Forest, NC (Binkley Auditorium)
Nov 8: Anderson, SC (Henderson Auditorium)
Nov 9: Knoxville, TN (The Square Room)
Nov 10: Charleston, SC (The Music Farm)
Nov 12: Jacksonville, FL (Murray Hill Theatre)
Nov 13: Ft. Lauderdale, FL (The Culture Room)
Nov 14: Orlando, FL (The Beacham Theater)
Nov 15: Atlanta, GA (Variety Playhouse)
Nov 16: Toccoa Falls, GA (Toccoa Falls College)
Nov 17: Nashville, TN (Marathon Music Works)