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10 Questions with ... The Royal Royal
March 24, 2014
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Discography:
- 2012 The Royalty
- 2014 The Return Of The King
1. Brief History/Synopsis
Nathan: Gabe and I were both born in Hamilton ON Canada. We attended a Christian School, went to Bible College, and our Dad is a pastor. Gabe lives in Chicago and works at Harvest Bible Chapel, Nathan lives in NYC and serves at Hillsong NYC.
Gabriel: Nate and I were born in Hamilton Ontario Canada. We both went to a private Christian school as kids, but when our dad took a pastorate at a church in the country, we switched to public school. I currently live in Chicago and work at a local church there and Nate lives in NYC and leads worship for a local church there.
2. What does a normal day at home look like for you?
Nathan: We normally do a lot of reading and writing in the late morning to afternoon, then hang out with friends and family in the evening.
Gabriel: Nate's a newlywed, so i'm sure his wife keeps him occupied. As for myself, i keep occupied with reading, writing, and serving at the church.
3. What's the song that you just can't get out of your head right now. Why do you like it so much?
Nathan: Happy by Pharrell-cuz it's happy and fun! Some times art is just too serious.
Gabriel: I don't think there is one! I listen to different music every day so i suppose it's whatever song i've heard that day. So today it's All I Do, by Stevie Wonder.
4. How do you juggle life on the road with wanting to be home? How much do you travel, what are the challenges?
Nathan: We take frequent breaks and try not to go out too long on tours. Short trips are preferred. I'm writing this at 6:47 am on a flight that left at 5:50 am. The challenges are early mornings and airplanes in general.
Gabriel: I find it's difficult to juggle life in any capacity. There are always tensions wanting to be held and agendas wanting to be emphasized. The best way to get through it is to work towards discipline without losing joy. I travel at least once a month, and sometimes i'm gone for a week at a time.
5. What's the biggest "God moment" that you've ever experienced, personal or professional?
Nathan: When we decided to do The Royal Royal, that was a big God moment. The Lord always orchestrates everything incredibly. Everything came together so quickly; it was a challenge to leave our homes and jobs and venture into the unknown-still is-but God is with us and He spoke to us very clearly through parents, pastors, and friends.
Gabriel: I suppose my most memorable moment was when i was at a youth conference at the age of 12. It was a time of confusion and frustration in my life, and i simply remember being struck with a reverence and awe that changed my spirit completely.
6. What's the last book you read?
Nathan: G.K. Chesterton's "The Everlasting Man"-a history of man and his journey to find God. It's breathtakingly brilliant.
Gabriel: The last book i read was by G.K. Chesterton. It was his biography of St. Thomas Aquinas. To summarize it would be to blaspheme its contents. But the biggest idea that stood out to me was the realization that Aquinas stood for ( I might say, stood on) reality when the world around him was getting caught up in fantasy. There is a difference between making truth conceptual and making truth concrete, and the two are often pitted against each other like Plato and Aristotle or faith and works. But the reality is that a truth that is conceptual must become concrete if it is to be fully realized. This is what Aquinas believed. He believed that Christianity didn't simply deal with abstract ideas about God, but rather with vivid realities about God. He believed that Christ became, not simply an idea, but an incarnate reality; and that is what made Christ an ideal-that He took on flesh. It changed everything because it meant that we could now take on Christ while living in the flesh! It means in it's ultimate sense that God's kingdom can come, and God's will can be done on earth as it is in heaven! Anyways, for all its talk of reality it was quite an unreal book.
7. Tell me about how you became a believer. What caused you to want to serve God in full time ministry?
Nathan: We always wanted to serve God in the ministry since we can remember. Our Dad is our hero and an incredible pastor-he always made serving God seem like it was the only thing worth doing and we love how he did it.
8. Take us thru a couple songs on your latest project, "The Return Of The King"
Nathan: "Real Strength" was written on a day that felt like all the walls were caving in-I was worried about money and life and music and everything. I was overwhelmed so I went to the piano and started singing the words of the song to the Lord. It was special. I think this song is impacting people in its lyrical simplicity and honesty.
"Lights" was written by accident, or almost carelessly. I suppose it's good to be careless about art sometimes. We just wanted to write a fast song and the music came quickly, Gabe penned the lyrics in almost one sitting. I love it when songs just come to you.
9. What organization/service group are you affiliated with?
Nathan: We are involved with Hands and Feet, and we love being with them because we have been to Haiti twice before meeting Mark. God had already given us a heart for the place and it was a cool thing that the passion we already had was able to be channelled that way.
10. Person you'd most like to have a discussion with, living or dead.....Deities are excused from this question.
Nathan: Gilbert Keith Chesterton, the great Christian thinker of the last century.
Bonus Questions
1. Favorite Bible verse....life verse?
Nathan: "God has not given us a spirit of fear." My fave because I need to hear it all the time.
2. Funniest or most embarrassing moment?
Nathan: That time I tuned a half step up by accident when we led worship in Boise, Idaho. It was a train wreck.
3. What artist or pastor has had the greatest impact on you, and why?
Nathan: Other than our Dad, Frank Damazio and Keith Green have both had the greatest impact; Frank taught us to be decided, love the Church, and read voraciously; Keith mentored us through his recordings, teaching us that Christians need devotional worship as much as they need congregational worship, and both ought to be sincere, in spirit and in truth.
"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love." -St. Augustine
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