With its new album, “Unashamed,” the Dove Award-winning band Building 429 hopes to encourage students to take a bold stand for Christ in their schools and communities.
“Through this record we wanted to get people talking about their testimony and how God has given them hope,” lead singer Jason Roy said. “When you look around the world today and hear the news stories, you realize this world is desperate for hope.
“This album is very much about events in our society today and how Christians are constantly under attack for their beliefs. Our band is a body of believers and we want to show others how our lives have been transformed by the gospel.”
All the songs on the album are centered around the theme of Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
In addition to Roy, the group consists of guitarist Jesse Garcia, bass player Aaron Branch and drummer Michael Anderson.
During concerts Roy often shares his life experiences and struggles in hopes of connecting students to the gospel.
‘God at work’
“In my own life there is so much more power when I admit my weaknesses and failures and show the path that looked broken and messed up,” Roy said. “When I admit that by the goodness and grace of God, I have found salvation and it has completely changed the direction of my life, it shows the power of God at work.”
Growing up Roy dealt with issues surrounding his parents’ divorce, including heartbreak, pain and bitterness that carried over into his teenage years.
Those emotions intensified after Roy discovered that his father, a weight-lifting champion, had become addicted to performance enhancing drugs and other illegal substances.
Peace amid turmoil
Seeking relief from his turbulent home life, Roy began attending a local church with friends and became active in the youth group.
“When I was 15, I accepted Christ because I wanted to know peace and love in the middle of the turmoil in my life,” Roy said.
“A major struggle was coming to terms with who my father was and who he wasn’t. Despite the mess that we were dealing with, I still loved him no matter what. I prayed for him constantly because I realized that the worst thing would be if my dad left this planet without knowing that I loved him and that God loved him.”
Roy began using music as a way to express what he was feeling and he wrote songs about his personal struggles.
“I started writing songs about all the things that I was too scared to say to my dad and all the things I wished I could say to my mom about all the brokenness we experienced. I didn’t know where else to turn. Writing songs provided an outlet to express my emotions. All I could do was place my trust in the Lord and rely on Him for the strength to get through each day.”
After high school, Roy’s interest in music continued and he began performing with friends at local coffeehouses and churches. As the group’s popularity began building, it wasn’t long before they received invitations to perform at larger gatherings, including conferences and music festivals.
About the same time that Building 429 started touring across the country, Roy learned that his own relationship with Christ had made a profound impact on his father, who sought relief from his addictions and surrendered his life to the Lord.
“Seeing how my dad’s life has changed is a tremendous testimony of God’s power and redemption,” Roy said.
With their music and message rooted in Scripture, Building 429 desires to provide a source of hope and healing for families dealing with difficult situations.
Their group name is based on Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
The songs on their album, “Listen to the Sound,” helped the band garner recognition as one of Christian music’s most influential bands when their hit single “Where I Belong” was listed as Billboard Magazine’s No. 1 Christian song of 2012.
Following the success of that project, they released “We Will Not Be Shaken,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian albums chart and garnered a Grammy nomination.
The band maintains a busy schedule performing concerts around the country, including “Winter Jam Spectacular Tour.” The group also performed on the “Women of Faith Farewell Tour” and was featured on the “Very Merry Christmas Tour” with NewSong.
Building 429’s goal is to offer more than a concert when the group performs. The group desires to provide students and young adults with a life-changing encounter.
“At every concert we want to encourage believers to live out their faith in a way that others would know that something is different about their life and it would open the door to share about their living hope and how Christ has changed their life,” Roy said.
“One of the messages that I’ve been sharing at our shows is that we cannot outrun the mercy and grace of God, yet let us not sin inside the freedom we have, but let us draw near to the Lord. We want to encourage people to go deeper. During our concerts our deepest desire is that life change and ministry will take place.”
‘Along for the ride’
“My favorite part is when a song takes off and you can almost feel it leave your control. When the Holy Spirit moves in the room, you feel like you are just along for the ride. I really look forward to those moments because it continually reminds us that there is something bigger than us at work. During those moments, I’m reminded that the time spent performing … and traveling really does matter and is building up the Kingdom.”
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