Popular Christian pop-rock band brings its tour to Cape

By BOB CAMPBELL

Southeast Missourian

Playing in Cape Girardeau for the first time April 3, the four-piece Christian pop-rock band The Afters will bring 15 years' seasoning in their musicianship and songwriting to The Venue at 80 S. Plaza Way, The Afters co-founder Matt Fuqua said.

Interviewed Wednesday afternoon via telephone from his hometown of Dallas, Fuqua said he and singer, guitarist-keyboardist Josh Havens wanted to apply the full weight of their experience to their fourth studio album, "Life Is Beautiful," which was released last year by the Fair Trade Services record label in Nashville.

Their first single from that collection, "Every Good Thing," was a No. 1 record, and the second, "Broken Hallelujah," is climbing the Christian charts, the singer-guitarist said. "We have become more honest and articulate as writers, less inhibited about what we're going through," Fuqua said.

"We always try to take people on a musical journey. When we first started thinking about ideas for the album, we thought, what a great picture it would be to show all the things that have happened to us in life, making it a rich and beautiful experience."

Fuqua will play 14 or 15 songs for an hour and 20 to 30 minutes with Havens, who lives in Phoenix, and drummer Jordan Mohilowski and bassist Dan Ostebo of Nashville. The Thursday night show will be opened by acoustic guitarist-singer Kyle Sherman of Fort Worth, Texas. Opening the show is the band The Museum

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door of The Venue, and there is a discounted rate for church groups of 100 of more. There also is a limited number of VIP tickets for $20. For more information, call 651-6681. Tickets are available at The Venue, United Methodist Church in Sikeston, New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson, and at itickets.com.

Michael Jessup, owner of The Venue, said in an email to The Southeast Missourian, "I would tell [people] to get tickets early because this is a band that's just coming off tour with Steven Curtis [Chapman, a five-time Grammy winner], and The Museum has a great following. The earlier they get here, the better seats they'll get since seating is general admission."

Fuqua said the group had its origin in 1999 at a Starbucks in Dallas, where he and Havens, employees attending Eastfield College together, played and sang during lulls. "We started singing out of boredom," he said.

"It's the classic tale of how a bond is formed."

Fuqua later attended Dallas Baptist University and the Criswell College seminary while working with Havens in a band called The Blisse, which they renamed The Afters upon studying the breakdown of class structures in early 19th Century Europe.

Fuqua said the "afters" were the parties of servants after the nobles had finished their parties and that the nobles often mixed with the servants there, finding those parties more enjoyable than their own. "It was the only time they were equal," he said.

"God sees us all as equals, not rich, poor, powerful or weak."

When not on the road working, Fuqua is the music director at Trinity Harbor Church in Rockwall, Texas, while Havens performs those duties at The Grove church in Chandler, Ariz. Fuqua said The Afters have played in every state in the Union except Alaska and Hawaii and have done most of their international touring in northern Europe, although they plan to perform in other parts of Europe, Asia and South America.