Genre: Pop/Rock
Members: Ben Kolarcik (vocals, guitar), Justin Unger (vocals, keyboards, guitar)
For fans of: The Rembrandts, Newsong, Scott Krippayne, 4Him
Label: Word/Warner/Curb records

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Meeting the members of new Word Records duo Across the Sky at Starbucks is like being with a child on Christmas morning-their enthusiasm is that tangible. And the caffeine doesn't hurt either. Both 21-years-old, both full of passion for God, and both brimming with musical talent that had drawn the interest of the record label, Ben Kolarcik and Justin Unger had never met before early in 2002. By the end of August, the two were "close as brothers," as they will quickly tell you.

"It's been really cool getting to know and respect each other. We really feed off of each other in our personalities and humor. It's funny-some days it's like we have too much coffee, but I think some of that comes from so much excitement about what we're doing," says Justin.

The result is their eponymous debut, Across the Sky, filled with a swirling blend of sounds that makes them completely unique, in Christian music and beyond. Hope-filled lyrics, primarily written and co-written by the two, permeate the disc alongside a true blend of pop and rock-blond Justin claiming the more pop and ballad-focused influences, while Ben is the shaggy dark-haired rocker. "I tend to be more eclectic, more like the rocky-edge sort of guy," says Ben. "Our sound together is a really cool thing that we hadn't realized would happen."

Although their list of differences runs a mile long, the paths of the two had paralleled each other in many ways, finally meeting in Nashville under the insistence of the higher-ups at Word. Ben and Justin each originally came to the label as solo artists-Ben hailing from Louisville, KY, where he'd found an avid following, and Justin calling Phoenix, AZ, home, where he'd also built an extensive fan base.

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