Monday memory: Unspoken

To carry it over from monoblogue: Weekend of local rock volume 78.

Originally I was going to try this as a gallery, but I didn’t like how it turned out. Instead of that, you get one of my old-school “pictures and text” posts.

Prior to the show, the band did a VIP question-and-answer session. We were a little late because the fire department was called to address the “smoke” from the fog machine they didn’t use. If you look closely, you’ll see a fan at the door.

Unlike most other shows where I hear an announcement months in advance, I didn’t secure our tickets until less than three weeks before the event. It wasn’t highly publicized, but Unspoken is a veteran Christian band who has a smattering of hits over the last couple decades such as Lift My Life Up, Higher, and What He Says About You, among many others.

Cross Pointe Church of the Nazarene isn’t the largest church around, so I would say the place was reasonably full, probably 500 people or so.

Heal the City is a new non-profit for which this concert served as the kickoff and initial fundraiser.

The new Heal the City organization describes itself as “a 501(c) non-profit organization based in Salisbury, Maryland with a vision to Heal The City by bringing heaven to earth for the at-risk and marginalized of our community, who are suffering from oppression and injustice.” Its focus will be on four areas: providing skills for those who want to learn the auto mechanic trade, assisting immigrants with getting documentation as part of a path toward citizenship (in cooperation with the federal Department of Justice), services for those dealing with unplanned pregnancies, and a food pantry and other assistance for the homeless. Yes, it’s an ambitious vision for a church which just expanded by purchasing a home and property next door for that reason.

Unspoken opened the show by doing a quartet of new songs they were working on, including one they played for the first time. I believe a new single called Big Shoulders was one of these.

Once the smoke cleared and they were introduced by the event organizer (whose name I didn’t catch, sorry) the band played a handful of new songs to build up to an intermission which had two purposes: one, to discuss their sponsoring charity where people can aid a family in need overseas, and, secondly, the introduction to the new organization by Cross Pointe Pastor Larry Dunlap.

Cross Pointe Pastor Larry Dunlap, who grew up in the church he’s now leading.

After the intermission, the band returned and played several of their old favorites. In fact, when the audience was asked for requests they needed a little help with lyrics because a song someone wanted to hear wasn’t on their list. (Luckily there was an iPhone about.)

Not sure if it was a phone thing, but I really like this blue-tinged photo.

One other thing I like about not using a Gallery - I don’t have a limit of nine photos so I can add individual member photos.

Lead singer Chad Mattson, who’s been with the band since Day 1. His testimony talked about growing up in Maine, getting an addiction, and seeing the light on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

Keyboard player Matthew Callaway joined the band in 2020.

Bassist Jon Lowery is another original.

Zach Smith is the guitarist and the newest member of the band. He’s the one “missing” from their promotion photos, which show a four-piece.

Ariel Munoz is the percussionist, playing both drums and a beat box during the show.

Aside from the early smoke, I thought it was a reasonably good show. It was a little bit stripped-down compared to what a show would be in a larger venue, but the music stood out better that way. It was a little more freeform with no opening act, so the band was its own warmup by playing some new stuff.

The biggest issue I had was with a group of younger kids in the front row who stood for most of the performance. Sorry, neither of us can stand for a two-hour plus show so we had what you would consider an obstructed view. But there was a good mix of people there (including an old friend of mine, as I found out afterward) and it seemed like a good kickoff event for the new ministry.

While this was not part of a tour per se - they did a show a few days earlier in the Washington, D.C. area - Unspoken is doing a handful of shows this summer in mostly church-based venues around the Midwest.

In the meantime, though, you can Buy Me a Coffee, since I have a page there now.