“When Ali, Kristin, Cameron and I (Michael) woke up on Saturday morning we were planning to spend Saturday moving Kristin into an apartment, Saturday night enjoying Seeds Coffee watching some bands play, and the rest of the weekend in relaxation. When Megan and Lauren of the band “The Brave Kind” woke up on Saturday morning, they were planning to play a show at Seeds Coffee that night, then head to Nashville in the morning for a house show and be on their way. We had our plans, they had their plans, and just as He so often does, God had other plans.
The story began as we walked into Seeds Coffee that Saturday night after a day of helping our friend, Kristin through her move. When we entered the coffeehouse, a two-piece band was already playing, two girls: one on the viola and one on the acoustic guitar. Their band’s name was “The Brave Kind.” We sat down and got settled, but in almost no time we were fascinated and impressed by the music we were hearing. Their voices were smooth and melodic, their lyrics were meaningful and spiritual, and they showed great skill in their instrumental crafts.
During a break in the music they mentioned they were from Los Angeles, staying the night in Birmingham and then heading to Nashville. From that announcement an idea sprung into Kristin’s mind: that the band could stay with Kristin and Ali overnight. She mentioned her idea to us. Cameron, Ali and I proposed that if they accept, they could join us for church, and a worship night at the the newly prepared community house! It wasn’t very likely, two professional musicians joining us in fellowship, worship, and community… but asking was a risk worth taking. Cameron said to Kristin, “I think their set is ov…” before Cameron could complete the word “over” Kristin was already on her way to the stage.
Kristin invited them to sit with us while the headliner played, and they graciously accepted. We made our introductions, learned they were sisters, and their names were Megan and Lauren. They told us the stories of their tour, and how Megan was classicly trained with the viola. Lauren was an experienced songwriter and guitarist with experience in both electric and acoustic guitars. We each introduced ourselves, our professions, and our involvement in the Grace Klein Community, and after a delightful conversation, we offered our ideas of church, the worship night, and staying with Kristin and Ali. They mentioned to us that they had a place to stay that night, but their first Nashville show had just been canceled, so they were staying in Birmingham that Sunday and accepted our invitations to church and the worship night. As we left that night after more fellowship with the band, we realized that God was putting together a big plan for us that Sunday night!
From then on God continued to provide. “The Brave Kind” led us to a photo that Grace Klein Community and I used to promote the event throughout that night and the next day. We called the worship night “Worship on Wine Ridge,” named after the street the community house is on. Food was provided from the office of Grace Klein, and the next day, Ali and I were able to go to Walmart to buy drinks and chairs for extra people to sit in the community house. We brought the band to a Sunday service at the Church at Brook Hills and treated them to a meal at The Big Bad Breakfast. Then, around 10 people showed up to our “Worship on Wine Ridge” event, including two experienced musicians. All was set for a wonderful, God glorifying night.
The night began with dinner, which promptly transitioned to “The Brave Kind” offering us a unique experience: to hear the stories behind the writing of each song. Each story added even more meaning to each song, and with the incredible talent of Megan and Lauren, and the amazing acoustics of the community house living room, we and our guests received an experience that brought more joy, insight, and connection than we could have ever expected. They received our questions openly, and their answers brought us and our guests into the world of sisters, musicians, travelers, and singer-songwriters. As they ended their set, other talented musicians from our crowd joined them in various worship songs. Natalie Spronk, Cameron Hardy, and Giorgio Fareira broke out their guitars, and I even broke out the drums for a time, and we played any worship song we could think of.
As the night was ending and people began to leave, we brought them into another room with very unique and awesome acoustics. We continued in worship, and they even broke into their own songs again, in awe of the acoustics of the room. We even learned of Lauren’s fascination with space, which brought her to showing us an extra song called “Astronaut.” When we said our farewells, we prayed over them, some of us bought CD’s, and we bought a sticker for them to sign, to put on the wall as the first band ever to perform at “Worship on Wine Ridge.” We exchanged contact information, and they expressed great gratitude to us and our community and mentioned with great enthusiasm their interest in returning, saying that “these are the experiences that make us love music.” As they left to stay the night with Ali and Kristin, and leave the next morning for Nashville, we knew that God had just brought new friends into our lives, friends that we invested and continue to invest in, and who encouraged and fed us in our faith through their music and fellowship. Members from all around the community contributed to this effort, from Kristin’s boldness in introducing us, to Ali, Cameron, and my preparations, to the promotion and food provided by Grace Klein Community, to Giorgio and Natalie’s musical contributions and the guests who attended and encouraged the band through their fellowship with the band.
Our first “Worship on Wine Ridge,” was a success, and we hope to have more “Worship on Wine Ridge,” events in the future, bringing bands in whenever we can, to encourage them in their walk with Christ, and allow them to feed into our community through their talents and stories. But now, as “The Brave Kind,” continues on their way, and we jam out to songs like, “Dogs,” and “Bloodline,” as we continue on ours, we must thank God for crossing our paths, and for providing for our encounter. God used each individual involved in the event to encourage this community, and invest in a band that will now be considered a part of that community, wherever their travels may take them! It wasn’t what we expected, but God’s plan was so much greater than we could have ever imagined.
P.S. We encourage you to give a listen to this band’s music at http://thebravekindmusic.com/. If you enjoy bright acoustic melodies, smooth vocals, and deep and meaningful lyrics, “The Brave Kind,” is a band you need to hear!”
-Michael Kline