I remember a college guy on a mission trip with me several years ago, who soon turned into a good friend, raving about this new, but still largely unknown, band called Sanctus Real.
I borrowed a CD from him (full disclosure … he got it back!), instantly liked the band, and got on their email list.
And it’s been nice to watch Sanctus Real’s nice trajectory in recent years, with their breakthrough album of two years ago, “The Face of Love,” and some other catchy, witty-worded and rock-fueled hits leading the way.
And it’s nice now to see the band using its growing reach to help people in need.
Sanctus Real connected with the well-known ABC-TV “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” show to host a benefit concert in the band’s native Toledo, Ohio.
The more than $50,000 raised will be given to Toledo’s Frisch family, whose house was selected for the show’s extreme makeover.
The ticket-only show, held last month in Sylvania, Ohio, drew more than 5,000 people who rallied in support of the building project taking place that week. The cast of the show also joined the band onstage during their hour-plus set.
The Toledo “Makeover” show is to air in November.
Sanctus Real’s excellent singer Matt Hammitt reminds you a bit of Bono with his voice’s power and the intensity he projects with his words, and the band’s power-and-sometimes-light attack is a nicely polished one.
“The Face of Love” is the 2006 album that shook things loose for the group, yielding hits like the title track and other No. 1 songs like “I’m Not Alright” and “Don’t Give Up” and reaching No. 2 in Christian music charts.
And now 2008 has brought the band’s fourth studio release, “We Need Each Other.”
Sanctus Real toured last spring with Third Day and now headlines a tour supporting its own album, with CrossRock-endorsed Tenth Avenue North and VOTA in support.
For more information on Sanctus Real, go to www.sanctusreal.com, www.myspace.com/sanctusreal, and www.emicmg.com.
The folks in Toledo know who they are, and soon “Extreme Makeover” fans will, too.