Sunday, March 4, 2012

The Thirsting - Awesome Universal Rock


Stay thirsty, my friends.

It’s that time of year when we’re called to go into the desert in imitation of Christ. If we imitated Him fully, we’d be starving and thirsty by now, but since our dependence on comfort precludes us from this, the next best thing is to let ourselves be evangelized by an album or two by The Thirsting.

By sampling their music on their facebook page or their website, you’re bound to notice two things: 1) Their lyrics are unapologetically Catholic and 2) They seriously rock. This is not a band that could easily put on a “non-denominationally safe” show, not with lyrics like this (from "In this Sacrament"):
Well some people tell me faith is all I need;
it's like I just stop sinning when I'm on my knees,
but when reality hits I know it's him I hurt
cause every word every thought
hurts His Church.
The Church is you and the Church is me,
but this sacrament will set you free,
so every week I'm on my knees inside a little room
just a begging for His mercy trying to heal his wounds
Even if they did avert their more "catholic" songs, it wouldn't quite jive with their mission of “inspire(ing) Catholic youth to love and to follow Jesus Christ through the Eucharist, Mary through the rosary, and all of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.”1

Throw in some songs about the trinity, the Eucharist, and some Bible verses along with the sacrament of reconciliation, and you’ve got an idea of the line-up from their debut album Companions of the Lamb. Their second, Universal Youth, is particularly focused on…you guessed it, the universal church, but also on God's unrelenting and unifying love (see "Love is Blind" and "One Love").


The title track from their latest album seems especially poignant for our current culture clashes. "Will you rise up? Will you be that generation? Do you thirst with The Thirsting?"2 If you liked that, as I’m sure you did, you can get it for free here, courtesy of the band.

And who is the band? With a frontman in founder and lead vocalist Daniel Oberreuter, The Thirsting is comprised of Mike Jackson on the bass, Steve Jackson on lead guitar, Trishella Messer on Keyboard, and Ben Plumb on drums. The group is based out of Vancouver, WA, but have gigs all across the country. Note that their facebook page seems to have the most up-to-date information, so check it to see if they'll be in your area.

In case you needed further motivation to share the sweet sounds of The Thirsting with your friends, put on your headphones and check out the tracks that sold me on them:


"Ocean of Mercy":

"Hail Holy Queen":


Seriously, please spread the joy that is listening to The Thirsting. A quick google search reveals that these guys aren't well-known, and yet, their passion for the teachings of the universal church is exemplary for all Catholics. 

Looking for that perfect confirmation or first communion gift? Their albums are available on amazon and cdbaby.

More on The Thirsting: