art & soul I in every issue
Photographed by KC Photography
Pictured left to right: Scott Fryer, Brian Rhodes,
Dean Lambert, Jason Peterson and Wade Fryer
p
salms 95:1-2 states, “O come, let us sing unto the
Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our sal
vation.” The five amazingly talented men of the
Christian Rock band Broken Yesterday are doing
just that. Formed in 2009, the current members are brothers
Scott and Wade Fryer, Brian Rhodes, Jason Peterson and Dean
Lambert. Scott, Wade, and Brian had disbanded a group and
were looking to start a praise and worship band. The name was
chosen from Matthew 21:44. “We were broken yesterday (2,000
years ago); but because of Christ, we are righteous and made
whole today!” In God’s perfect timing, the trio found Jason and
Dean to complete the line-up.
Music has always been an important part of their lives; in fact,
it’s been their passion since childhood. At ages 10 and 5, Scott and
Wade were inspired to pursue music after hearing an album by
KISS. Scott dreamed of becoming a drummer while Wade longed
to be a bassist. Both brothers are still influenced by classic rock,
in addition to 70s funk and soul. Drummer Steve Smith (Journey)
has served as one of the main sources of inspiration for Scott.
Wade kept his eyes upon Billy Sheenan and Beaver Felton in order
to learn how to perfectly slap the bass and groove the soul.
At 13, Brian and Jason realized their passion for playing the
guitar. Steve Lukather (Toto) and Stevie Ray Vaughan fueled Brian’s desire to pick up a six string. Jason desired to be as great
a player as Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne) and Eddie Van Halen. Dean discovered the power of his voice at age 18 when he
began listening to Michael English and the Gaithers. Choosing
Christian Rock as their genre was rather easy for all of them.
Scott elaborates, “We realized that we needed to be using the
gifts that God had given us for His glory and not our own.” They
all agree that music can be highly influential and successful in
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June 2014
spreading God’s word. “It’s a common language that will reach
across barriers. It takes you on a journey. It lifts your spirits. It
reflects a mood that you may be in. Music is a universal language that everyone can speak.”
Their shows, known as Jesus Parties, are guaranteed to provide crowds with high energy, words of encouragement, and
lots of entertainment. “There’s lots of lights, video and smoke.
We keep the Gospel at the heart of the show, but we want it to
be entertaining at the same time. We’re a bunch of happy guys
and that really comes through live,” says Scott. During their first
show in March 2010, they were rather nervous. “The band had
evolved into something totally different than what we started
out to be. At this point, we were doing originals and weren’t
sure how people were going to react to them.” To their relief, the
crowd loved it! “The response was great. The kids really got into
it. It really blew our minds! We had instant fans who’ve been
behind us ever since then.” It is their hope that after walking
away from each Broken Yesterday show, someone will carry the
beautiful gift of salvation or re-dedication along with them.
Spreading God’s Word is the band’s favorite aspect of being onstage. “It’s just fun to minister together from the stage and see our
individual talents work together to pastor to our audiences. It’s an
honor for each of us to play with our bandmates. Each member
of the band is not only a super talented musician but are all such
strong Christian men as well with tons of high character.”
Scott shares, “It’s the first band that any of us have been in
where we truly feel like a band of brothers.” Being in the same
band as his own brother, I couldn’t help but ask him and Wade
what that experience has been like for their relationship.
“I couldn’t ask for a better partner in the rhythm section.
Because Wade started out on drums, it gives him a better in-
sight into how a drummer approaches his instrument. We play
very intuitively together. We can anticipate each other’s fills
and turn arounds, and compliment them. I’d say, without bragging, that we’re probably the tightest rhythm section around.
There are no challenges, really. I’m just glad we’re together. I
couldn’t imagine playing with anyone else.” Wade adds, “Being
in a band with my brother has been great. We have a lot of the
same musical influences, which really helps since we are the
foundation of the band. We have great chemistry and lock into
the pocket real well. The only problem is sometimes, ok a lot
of the time, we show up at shows wearing similar clothes. It’s
really kinda scary!” Both have learned a lot from one another,
not only as musicians, but as brothers as well. “I’ve learned a lot
about my brother on a personal note because being in ministry,
we get to see the vulnerable side of each other. You learn each
other’s spiritual strengths and weaknesses, and how we cover
each other.” Scott adds, “I’ve learned what I already knew. He’s
a very passionate man who cares a lot about service, Jesus, and
making this ministry the absolute best it can be.
The future is always uncertain, but the guys have no need
to fear what lies ahead with God on their side. Scott elaborates,
“Our mantra from day one has been, ‘Lord, wherever you lead,
we’ll go.’ So we’re constantly looking for the doors that God is
opening for us. Obviously, we’d all love to be able to make a full
time living with this ministry, but we’ll have to wait and see what
He’s got in mind for us. We mainly want to continue to grow the
ministry and reach as many people as we can in His name.”
To learn more about Broken Yesterday, feel free to visit them on Facebook,
Twitter (@BYonline) or www.reverbnation.com/brokenyesterday. Their debut
album is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and all major download sites.
You can also order a copy from their website, www.brokenyesterday.com. Their
sophomore album, Letting Go, will be released this fall.
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