Genre: Other, Pop/Rock, Worship
Members: Nic Gonzales (vocals, guitar), Josh Gonzales (bass, vocals), Chris Bevins (keyboards), Jared Solis (trombone, saxophone), Edwin Santiago (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ben Cordonero (drums), Robert Vilera (percussion)
For fans of: Santana, Burlap to Cashmere, Los Lonely Boys, Gypsy Kings, The Ides of March, Dave Matthews Band
Label: Word/Warner Records

 1 of 4

Hard work.

Two words fans don't usually associate with contemporary Christian music. After all, artists are supposed to step on the stage and deliver a performance that is effortless, seamless, spontaneous - not to mention spiritually significant. But the truth is, nothing good happens by accident. Good happens when talented musicians work hard. Great happens when that hard work is combined with dedication, determination, focused attention to detail, and a conscious decision to deflect the credit from themselves to their Creator.

For Nashville-based jam band, Salvador, great music was incubated in the blistering Texas sun, birthed on the road for umpteen days a year, and nurtured by an unwavering commitment to the collective creative process. The eleven songs on their sixth studio album, Aware, amply demonstrate the virtue of the American work ethic in producing fresh expressions of worship that are at once culturally relevant, original, and actually sound effortless, seamless, spontaneous. Yet this time around, Nic Gonzales, the band's frontman and primary songwriter, discovered Great required more than ever before.

"I have always depended on working hard and being diligent when it was time to get to work," Nic explains. "My Dad was a 'roll up your sleeves' kind of guy. That is the heritage I come from. That was the approach I took for our first five records. But for Aware, I think God really stepped into my life in a different way. This time I leaned so much more on Christ. I had a new wife and we were getting ready to have a new baby. I didn't have 20 hours a day to just be alone and write."

"My writing time had been split; not in half, not in a quarter; but down to an eighth of the time I usually have to write. I didn't know what to do. My Mom used to tell me, 'If you give God His time, He will give you extra time.' I know that is Biblical, but I had never seen it in action like this before," Nic continues.

next page... |  1 of 4

				Try 3 Issues of Christianity Today Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

FREE Newsletter Sign up now for the Christian Music Today weekly newsletter:    RSS Feed   RSS Help