Band name:
Soulstice

Band line-up:
James Galloway (lead singer, keys and guitars)
Micah Nichols (guitars)
Ben Jordan (bass and background vocals)
Ben Scott (drums and background vocals)

Band bio:
This is the latest sound in rock with a mission. Though their roots formed years ago, the boys in Soulstice have only recently dedicated themselves to making the unique blend of rock and praise they're becoming known for.

Soulstice hails from Summerville, SC, a coastal town near Charleston. The band has been around much longer than it's had a name, but their vision has always been the same. Soulstice's first incarnation was as the church band at Summerville Baptist, where the boys met in a youth group. Though their musical backgrounds are all very different, they find great harmony on stage and in their personal lives.

After more than a year of touring, playing at church summer camps across the South and practicing, their big break came in 2005 when James won a contest to sing on stage with prominent Christian rock outfit Third Day in front of about 30,000 audience members at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte. The "American Idol"-style call-in contest saw James win the honor in a landslide. Originally, he was only supposed to sing the second verse of a song, but Third Day frontman Mac Powell was so impressed that he stood back and let James finish the song. That's where Soulstice was introduced to Third Day's sometime ensemble musician and award-winning producer, Scotty Wilbanks.

Scotty saw the raw talent in these young men and took them into his Atlanta studio to temper their sound. The soaring energy of James' songs is balanced by the clean, crisp production Scotty contributes. Scotty took a slightly different tack with Soulstice than he has with other rock acts, not trying to add more driving energy to the music but instead layering rich electronic textures and deep vocal effects to give the music a postmodern kind of lushness recalling indie mainstays Ester Drang and Starflyer 59. With Scotty's help, the trio self-released a four-song, self-titled EP and even made it available on iTunes Music Store. They plan to continue touring and shop the album to record labels until they find the right deal.

Today, Soulstice combines the rock appeal and excellent musicianship of secular influences like Coldplay and John Mayer with a spiritual bent in the style of Chris Tomlin, Third Day and Phil Wickham. Though the music is the foundation of each of these young men's careers, they say it is only a method to fulfill their true destinies.

"We want to reach as many people as we possibly can," says James, "because we have a message of hope through Jesus. We love our music and love our band, but that's just a vehicle for us to build relationships with people and share Jesus with them."

Music:
+ Listen on MySpace

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