Backing Track for Start a Fire Unspoken
Seventeen years ago, people who new Chad Mattson might not have guessed that he would be the lead singer for a chart-topping Christian band.
The 37-year-old vocalist for Unspoken wasn't a musician growing up. He was one of five children, none of whom "did" music. More than that, as a young adult, Mattson was not "doing" Christianity.
"I grew up in a great Christian home. But in my early 20s, I got into drug addiction and stuff like that. My life spun out of control," Mattson said during a phone interview from his Nashville, Tenn., home.
It was when he was 23 or 24 that he reconnected with his faith and then began to pursue music.
"I was so grateful for what God had done in my life. I wanted to tell people about it," he said. "God birthed a passion for music in me at that point. I thought, 'Shoot! I can sing. People might listen. I can tell them about Jesus using music as a tool. And that's exactly what I am doing 15 years later. I use music to tell people about the Lord."
Today, the band — made up of Mattson, Jon Lowry, Ariel Munoz, and Don Eanes — has had multiple Top 5 Christian Adult Contemporary singles including "Who You Are," "Lift My Life Up," "Good Fight," and "Start a Fire," with "Start a Fire" reaching number one. They tour with many of the top artists in the genre, including David Crowder, Big Daddy Weave, Steven Curtis Chapman and Sanctus Real.
Unspoken will perform with Citizen Way — whose hits include "Bulletproof" and "How Sweet the Sound" — at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19, at Ringgold Church in Hagerstown.
Faith
Mattson was saved when he was 12, meaning, in part, that he committed his life to following Jesus Christ. It was right after high school when he began to lose his way.
"You know, the Bible says bad company corrupts good character. My mom would always say that," Mattson said. "I became the bad company. I became the one corrupting other people."
Many times during that period of his life, he would remember principles he had learned growing up.
'There were a lot of elements there of, 'You reap what you sow, if you don't sow into your spirit,'" he said. "It doesn't make you less saved, but it makes you powerless over the work of the world and the work of the enemy."
Mattson felt lost, seeing his peers move upward and onward and wondering what he had done with his own life. He had turned his back on God, he said, but he does not believe that God had turned his back on him.
"I look back now and see the love of God is so giant, that, you know, no height, no depth can take you from his grip. I got lost along the way, but God did not forget about me," he said. "Like in Philippians 1:6, it says, 'God who started a good work will finish it.' He will finish what he started."
Mattson is happy that his days of living without purpose and direction are behind him.
"I'm blessed more than I can imagine," he said. "I'm happy to be part of God's family and doing this for him. It's never to late for God to do amazing things."
Mattson said he tries to fill his life and mind with the teachings of the bible.
"It says that heaven and earth will pass away but the word of God will remain forever," he said. "I try to remind myself of this all the time. As I have kids and the worries that go with that, I remind myself, 'Hey. God is working. He knows where the kids' paths will take them and I know the love of God.'"
Challenges
Managing a family and relationships well can be a challenge, Mattson said, and doing so while on the road and struggling to make ends meet, even more so.
"Our families don't want us to be gone for weeks at a time," he said of the band.
The members have agreed to limit spans of time away from home as much as possible.
"Things happen and we deal with that, but we try not to purposely be gone for more than four days at a time or so. It works well and keeps our families healthy and functional," he said.
The band has a tour bus, so during summer vacation, spouses and kids will join the band as they travel doing music and missions work.
Finances created significant obstacles for band members until they hit commercial success. Their beginnings were meager, as the group developed following a missions trip Mattson took during his quest for sobriety and life change.
"I met a Dominican kid and brought him back with me after the trip was over, and that's when Unspoken started," Mattson said.
The "kid" was Mike Gomez, who played with the band until his departure just a few months ago.
Early on, the group played nursing homes, recovery centers and coffee shops around New York City where Mattson was living. They played full time for part-time pay until slowly, over the course of many years, doors began to open and they moved to Nashville.
"When we were traveling musicians, we were poor for a decade. Probably in the bottom 20 percent of the country. It's not easy being poor. But it's really not easy being poor and gone," Mattson said. "It can be hard on your family and hard on you. So you know, the last five years, actually making a living doing this, has been one of the biggest answers to prayers. We just gotta trust God to give us the grace to do the things he calls us to do."
Accomplishments and goals
Mattson counts his family among his greatest accomplishments.
"We've stayed the course, stayed faithful to what we felt passionate about, and that's a huge accomplishment," he said. "I think all the accolades for songs and things, we have to keep them in perspective. The songs are just tools for service for the kingdom, to keep us touring and preaching the gospel sharing the greatest story every told."
The Ringgold concert will be part of that effort. The audience can expect music that is multicultural, an attribute of the band that pleases Mattson. Sounds and styles draw from various ethnicities.
"I think our music speaks to that for sure. There will be lights, there will be smoke, there will be incredible musicians and ultimately we are going to have a blast, having fun and putting smiles on people's faces," he said.
Transparency is important to Mattson as he serves in his music ministry. He does not have it all together, he said.
"We talk more about how (God) does have it all together. Especially in this season of our lives, we are seeking out and searching out the heart of God for his children. We have gotten a new passion for the goodness of God," he said.
Human beings are closely related, he believes. While he does not map out exactly what he will say to the audience at each concert, he does trust that it will reach and help someone.
"What I am going through is not so far off," Mattson said. "What we say every night changes. But I ask the Lord to give us the right words for people who are here right now, not words that are polished, but hopeful, sincere, honest and true."
WHAT: The Breakthrough Tour with Unspoken and Citizen Way
WHEN: Thursday, April 19, doors open at 6:15 p.m., show at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Ringgold Church, 14420 Barkdoll Road, Hagerstown
COST: $30 VIP 5:15 p.m. meet and greet; $20 general admission; $15 per ticket general admission family 4-pack; $15 per ticket general admission group of 10 or more
CONTACT: Call 1-800-965-9324; go to http://unspokenmusic.com or http://citizenwaymusic.com
Backing Track for Start a Fire Unspoken
Source: https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/life/christian-band-unspoken-to-perform-thursday-at-ringgold-church/article_00f02a60-40af-11e8-b34d-7bad4781c2e0.html