History

Its was a simple enough premise, bring a full fledge rock concert environment to churches and communities across America, asking for nothing more than a meal and a place to lay your head. Who knew that from this inauspicious beginning one of the most creative and engaging of America’s up and coming Christian Rock bands would have its origins.

Johannes was originally formed as a high-octane youth worship team by Joey Johnson and Lu Hughes in the spring of 2003. Joey a youth pastor as the time felt a burden to bring an upbeat, lively, interdenominational, youth-oriented worship service to Brookings, the small coastal town in Oregon in which he lived.

Realizing that an Army of two might be a little small for this endeavor, Johannes went on a search for band mates and found one in the most unlikely of people. Gramps, a self described ‘Old retired rocker from the sixties and seventies, chomping at the bit to give it another go.’ Joey, realizing that he could help with an old mans aspirations, invited Gramps to join Johannes in July of 2003. Nick Gurney, who had been one of Joeys youth group members joined Johannes the following November.

With the band fully formed, Johannes went about planning, practicing, and praying for the event that would latter come to be known as LOUDER, a multi-denominational worship set for rockers of all ages with communion and a short teaching brought by either Joey or one of the local Ministers. LOUDER was a main stay for the youth and young at heart of Brookings, taking place every first Monday of the month for about a year and a half.

It was then that a dream, a purpose, a calling began to manifest itself in the hearts and minds of the band. A dream of taking a massive concert environment to little churches and communities that typically can’t draw the attention of a rock band. On May 23 2005 Johannes set out on the Parental Tour, asking for nothing more than a meal and a place to stay the night, Johannes played 12 churches in 14 days throughout Oregon.

The following August was an exciting time in the life of the band as they began work on their debut album, Fighting The Sin, at Narrow Road Recording, a small independent recording studio near their hometown. In May of 2006 the album was completed and Johannes once again looked to tour, and hasn’t looked back.

In 2007 Johannes played 195 shows in 36 states over the course of 297 days. Johannes has been in the studio almost constantly since getting home in November of 07, working on the follow up album to 2006’s Fighting The Sin.

The Future is bright for the eccentric three piece from the heart of America’s Wild Rivers Coast, with multiple tours, a new album, and a renewed since of purpose 2009 is promising to be the best year ever, both for the band, and for Joey, Lu and Nick as Artists.

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If you want to get the most up to date information about your favorite trio from Oregon, check out Nick's blog.