By ANDREW SPIESS
BG Independent News
Sunday night saw an unconventional connection between the Christian faith and the local emo, hardcore, and metalcore music scene through a concert at Alliance Church.
At age 32, Drew Binkley unites two disparate cultures by way of the Bridge, a booking and promoting organization that hosts musical performances.
Binkley spoke about the inception of the Bridge, how it will reach its third anniversary in October, and how it strives to be a middle ground between the church that Binkley has belonged to his entire life and the Greater Toledo music scene, which he loves.
“We’re all here for music,” Binkley said about the shows the Bridge hosts. “No one’s preaching at anyone. It’s just some sort of level of catharsis between musicians, seeing kids and the church folk. So it’s an attempt to bring everyone together under the same roof to speak the common language of music.”
In this way, the Bridge provides something unusual and unique in Bowling Green. Catering to a niche subculture, the organization links the less-than-accessible music of punk and metal with Christianity, which is something that Binkley claims is lacking in contemporary mainstream culture.
Still, Binkley isn’t against featuring non-Christian-oriented musicians. Most important to him is cultivating a strong sense of community. The shows are not necessarily meant for worshipping. They are a way of bringing a particular social group together to enjoy some music.
“[Tonight, we have] an all-Christian band bill, but normally we get more, I hate using the term, secular bands,” said Binkley. “I’m a Christian dude, but I also like good music. But it’s all about the quality of the time we get to spend with the people. So my expectation is just to have good conversations with good people and share life with everyone.”
In the back of the youth sanctuary in Alliance Church, each band set up a merch table, covered in t-shirts, stickers, pins, and records. Amplifiers, guitars, microphones, and drums populated the stage up front, and by 7 p.m, an audience had slowly trickled in.
The concert began with an acoustic set by Mi Landing, aka Paul Schloss from Detroit. With admitted influence from Chris Carrabba of the seminal emo band Dashboard Confessional, Mi Landing delivered a passionate performance, including a profound personal statement about experiencing suicidal ideation and the importance of receiving support from his friends and Jesus.
Tulsa, Oklahoma’s XIII Minutes played next, supplying sharp melodic metalcore and emanating charisma through vocalist Jerrod Cunningham’s dramatic stage presence. They ended their set by taking a group picture with the audience and speaking about taking the opportunity to worship as a community, professing their love for the Lord.
From New York, RVKH took the stage wearing masks throughout their set and delivering a theatrical brand of sludgy, hip-hop-influenced metal, violently slapping a distorted bass guitar and growling rap verses with melodic choruses sung by their drummer.
Performing as a three-piece on this night, their bassist spoke about their missing guitarist, telling the crowd he and his wife just had a baby, to which the audience applauded. They also praised God, saying, “God blesses them with gifts, and they are giving them back.”
Johnny McCormick’s high-register voice and dreamy, hypnotic guitar powered the end of the night. He performed solo, representing Detroit’s Cherry Blossom Club, and casually conveying his sense of humor by telling jokes between songs.
Before his first song, he eloquently described himself as the dessert course for the night. His humor peppered his set, and by the end, he spoke briefly yet genuinely about how there is no love greater than the love one can have for Christ.
Alliance Church hosts most of the Bridge’s concerts, although the organization occasionally hosts shows at Vineyard Church on S. Main St.
Stay up-to-date with the Bridge by following their Facebook page here and their Instagram account here.
