It is no easy feat to pursue what you believe in. But for the Pat Little Band, it’s almost second nature.
The band members, whose roots began with Campus Crusade for Christ, see themselves more as a pop-rock band than Christian rock.
“Our purpose in playing music is to hopefully turn people’s eyes up,” said lead singer and Cal Poly music alum Pat Little.
His band, the Pat Little Band, will take to the Downtown Brewing Co. stage for the first time Friday evening.
SOUNDCHECK
The term “Christian rock” has constantly been attached to the band for the past two years and although most of their songs have a worship aspect to them, with phrases like, “I will praise you,” they also have other songs with poetry-inspired verses such as, “Hope like a sunrise, peace like a sunset.”
“The first word I think of when I think of our sound is ‘bright,’ said Little, whose band uses electric violin and electric guitars. “One of my highest priorities is a good melody; something that people can sing along to.”
Bands such as Coldplay, Sigur Ros, Goo Goo Dolls, Killers, and David Crowder Band have helped the Pat Little Band craft their own sound.
OH, THE STEREOTYPES
Though the Pat Little Band emphasizes faith through music, they do not want to limit themselves to only Christian audiences.
According to Little, when people hear the words, ‘Christian band,’ they will automatically put the band in a box and won’t give them a chance creatively.
“A lot of Christian music has the reputation of not being that good. I think that label is accurate, but we want our music to be heard for what it is: We are a pop-rock band that seeks to glorify Jesus Christ,” Little said.
Cal Poly architecture alumnus Ryan Ahmadi and drummer for the band said he didn’t think the music should be called Christian.
“(Christian rock) seems to be the only music genre that is labeled for what it talks about,” he said. “I don’t think ‘Christian’ is a musical genre.”
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Despite the constant struggle with musical stereotypes, the band’s fan base and audience keeps growing.
The Pat Little Band attracts a wide variety of people from different demographics and age ranges up and down the West Coast– from middle school children to college students to grandparents.
“They really produce quality Christian music. There’s not a whole lot of that out there. That’s the main reason my roommates and I listen to them,” said recreation administration senior Meghan Hudson.“When they perform, they have a really good energy. You can tell they’re making the music for a higher reason other than themselves — for the people and to glorify God. They have fun together. When they perform you can tell they’re comfortable with themselves and that makes you feel good.”
Band members Little, Ahmadi, Dylan Bowes, Scott Head and Danny Kim, are all Cal Poly alums and were brought together because of their similar faith and passion for music.
“We don’t write music to try and connect with certain people. Instead, we found that it connects with a wide variety of ages. There’s something neat in bringing together people from different walks of life,” Little said.
The Pat Little Band, who released their first album, “As Ourselves,” in 2007, constantly stands true to their band’s purpose in music-making.
“There’s so much bad art out there in the music world. It’s what sells. But that doesn’t mean anything to us if it’s not good art. It’s important for us to be ourselves and for our music to be honest music. It takes a lot of risk-taking,” Ahmadi explained.
The band will be opening Friday night’s show at Downtown Brewing Co. playing tunes off of their album as well as some new unreleased songs.
This will also be the first time they play with local singer-songwriter Adam Pasion (lead singer of local band Briertone) and Ryan Delmore.
“We want to change those stereotypes about Christian bands. I hope (the audience) will get to see us for who we are,” Little said.
The all-ages show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $8 at the door or $6 in advance at Boo Boo Records, ticketweb.com or at Downtown Brew’s box office.
“We’re not choosing to do this because our parents are telling us to, or because the Christian music market is easier, but because this is what is on our hearts,” Little said.