News | Agents of Future Praise/Worship | Indie Vision Music

Agents of Future Praise/Worship

Posted by Brandon on September-20-2008 | Filed under News | Bookmark or Share

If you’re looking for more quirky indie rock with a praise and worship feel, look no further than Agents of Future. One of our forum users pointed them out to me and I think they are quite good. Hey labels, are you looking for Praise and Worship that is rooted in indie rock and not a total cheese fest? Well then check this band out at once.

11 Responses

Todd Fadel from Agents of Future says:

September 20, 2008 at 3:03 pm

hey, thanks for mentioning us! We’re in the process of putting stuff together for a weekly song/art-share where we’ll post a new song and a few other things like videos, visual art and writings from our fun little community in Portland. Recently, we got to go to Colorado and hang out with our friends Tracy Howe, Aaron Strumpel and Tim and Laurie Thornton. We did a series of house concerts and met a TON of great people. If we had our druthers, we’d do that sort of thing all the live-long day! We get stoked when we see people look at community and devotion to God in a creative, inclusive way. Also, I recently got a (once-in-a-lifetime) chance to perform with one of my favorite geek-worship artists, Soul Junk. His new album, 1960, is the SICKEST stuff i’ve heard yet from him. Get this, the lyrics are Psalm 119 IN ITS ENTIRETY.

Thanks again.
Todd

Back to top | Reply
Wilhelm says:

September 20, 2008 at 3:15 pm

I do like their sound.

That being said, I’ll say what I’ve always been saying. All of these bands/groups/songs seem to be focused WAY too much on the me, me, me, and I, I, I aspect. Like what God can do for ME or how I choose to believe.

that quite simply is not praise or worship.

Worship is entirely about God’s greatness. Not about the act of us praising God. make sense? I think so.

This isn’t rocket science, but no one is getting it right these days.

Back to top | Reply
Colt says:

September 20, 2008 at 5:04 pm

how about Chris Tomlin?

Back to top | Reply
KazooXcore434 says:

September 20, 2008 at 6:18 pm

so glad to see these guys get some notice. been listening for a while, psalters was promoting them a while back at their show.

Back to top | Reply
fusse says:

September 20, 2008 at 7:49 pm

yep i gotta agree with wilhelm. praise and worship should be about god. our eyes fixed ob him. praise is a form of worship. praise is declaring who god is etc. getting the focus OFF of ourselves and to him. worship is more like a whole life in submission to him. just not a song or two.

after said that… off to check the band mentioned :D

Back to top | Reply
mike says:

September 21, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Yay! More exposure for awesome band.

Also, (trying to be tactful) is Colt joking?

Back to top | Reply
Colt says:

September 21, 2008 at 11:24 pm

No, im not joking! All of Chris Tomlin’s music seems to be God/Gospel centered (although i haven’t heard his new album). How Great Is Our God, anyone?

Back to top | Reply
Colt says:

September 21, 2008 at 11:31 pm

I do agree with what you say wilhelm. It does seem that far too many “worship” songs today are focused on the man and not God/what he has done for us.
“Not to us, but to your name be the glory.”

Back to top | Reply
mike says:

September 22, 2008 at 2:22 pm

That’s cool, Colt, I just wasn’t sure. How Great is Our God is pretty good. The only other song of his I think is alright is “Sing, Sing, Sing,” but that one might be considered “self-centered” rather than “God-centered,” if that makes sense.

Anyway, I’m glad Todd Fadel posted about Soul-Junk, now I’m even more stoked about that CD (too bad it doesn’t come out until April, though).

Back to top | Reply
Todd Fadel from Agents of Future says:

September 22, 2008 at 9:12 pm

I’m not sure where the line is specifically drawn, but the songs we write tend to have the words “I” and “me”, but aren’t necessarily focused on what God can get us, rather we are engaging in a conversation. Here’s an excerpt for those who are (understandably) myspace-phobic..

“You Can Change My Mind”

even when it’s like a severed antenna
a loose connection
this won’t fit any dictionary text-book definition

’cause what I find in you can’t be defined
You can change my mind

something tells me I’m gonna let you get to me

***********

For us as community-singalong songwriters, we’re attempting to engage our community in starting (restarting) the conversation with God. Like a Psalm. I’ve heard the definition of praise and worship many times over the years, but for some folks the challenge can be just knowing what to say. That’s how we see our role, that we help facilitate the praise (for who God is) and the worship (sacrificial living in response to the character of God) but we’re not responsible to force people to make it happen when they have trouble even coming to terms with the idea that God will hear them. As a live-long church kid, I know that frustration first hand. I didn’t feel like I spoke like the hymnists OR the marantha-chorus-writers, so I was at a loss when I picked up my Baptist hymnal or stared at the overheads.

Last Sunday’s service at The Bridge (our community) went like this: We sang a song, read a psalm or poem written by a community member, sang another song, and then one of our leaders defined the psalms as a honest conversation between us and God. She then handed out pencils and paper and we all wrote our own and shared them at the end. The stuff that came out didn’t look all pretty, but neither do some of the Psalms if you read them.

Sorry so long-winded.

I haven’t personally listened to Chris Tomlin’s songs, I’ll go do that now.

It’s encouraging to hear that Psalters were “endorsing” us a while back, when we met them in Minneapolis for an arts festival, we were humbled by their ability to marry justice and worship and fierceness all in a raucous, party-ball..

Todd

Back to top | Reply
DRA says:

September 22, 2008 at 9:18 pm

To me their music has played an integral role in bypassing the usual format of praising God. What I have learned through these songs is that they understand that God wants relationship with us on an intimate and honest level, or we can infact self-destruct/be pulled farther away from his will. I understand that grace exists on levels I do not understand when it comes to my relationship with God.
The music, in fact has released a new understanding of myself and how I relate to God.

In fact understanding myself, my problems, my faults, my humanity, my talents, my strengths has endabled me to love others, myself and God better. I am able to cut the the junk that my choices have put on me and get to the heart of love and grace, where God is.

Mark 12:29-31: Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”

We HAVE to love ourselves in order to love God, to love others. We cannot hate ourselves.

The music makes God VERY personal for me, and in doing this “Using Me or I” a lot drives home the fact that God welcomes worship in any way because he sees the heart, not words, not the arrangement, not the guitar, bass line or beat. He sees the heart and he knows if I am truly exalting him in my heart.

“I want to build up from the moment I wake up and until I do I shake off all the weight that throughs me off, and what’s unbelievable now I will see it unfold at the point when I need it the most, CLOSER TO YOUR TRUE FACE WITH NOTHING IN WAY”

-Agents of Future “Nothing in the Way”

Mega X’s and O’s

-D.R.A.

Back to top | Reply

Close Your Eyes
We Will Overcome
Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

February 8th, 2010
Steve

Users: 9.0/10 (1 vote)

Fair
Disappearing World
Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

February 7th, 2010
Brooks G.

Users: 9.5/10 (4 votes)

Creations
Ruined EP
Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

February 4th, 2010
Steve

Users: 7.0/10 (2 votes)

Sons of God
The Genesis Prologue EP

February 4th, 2010
Michael Mayer III

Users: 10.0/10 (3 votes)

Vanguard
Bring Hope EP
Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

January 29th, 2010
Steve

Users: 6.0/10 (3 votes)

Mark This Day
Demo EP
Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

January 28th, 2010
Scott.L

Users: 0.0/10 (0 votes)

Living Sacrifice
The Infinite Order
Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

Score: 10/10

January 25th, 2010
Steve

Users: 6.9/10 (18 votes)

We Set Fire
Deliverance EP
Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

January 21st, 2010
Steve

Users: 4.0/10 (3 votes)

With Life In Mind
The Human Condition
Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

January 19th, 2010
Steve

Users: 8.0/10 (2 votes)

Shapes Stars Make
These Mountains Are Safe
Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

January 19th, 2010
Michael Mayer III

Users: 8.0/10 (3 votes)

Inlow
Prayers EP
Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Score: 7/10

January 13th, 2010
Steve

Users: 8.3/10 (3 votes)

Onward to Olympas
This World Is Not My Home
Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

January 12th, 2010
Michael Mayer III

Users: 8.1/10 (8 votes)

Heaven's Force
Aggressive Angel
Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

January 11th, 2010
Scott.L

Users: 8.5/10 (2 votes)

New Heights
Starting Again
Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

Score: 8/10

January 11th, 2010
Scott.L

Users: 8.7/10 (3 votes)

Michael Phillips
Mirrors Within Mirrors
Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

Score: 6/10

January 11th, 2010
Scott.L

Users: 9.0/10 (2 votes)

Sean Patrick Rhorer, Director of A & R at Blood & Ink Records
February 8th, 2010
Steve

This Armistice
February 3rd, 2010
JoshIVM

Leroy Hamp of War of Ages
January 30th, 2010
Steve

Creations
January 28th, 2010
Steve

Blank Page Empire
January 27th, 2010
Scott.L

Mattie Montgomery of For Today
January 26th, 2010
Steve

Vasely Sapunov of Saving Grace
January 25th, 2010
Steve

The Fold
January 23rd, 2010
Rebecca Cicione

Aaron Sprinkle of Fair
January 23rd, 2010
Brandon

Floodgates
January 17th, 2010
JoshIVM

Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter
January 11th, 2010
Steve

Carlos Salazar of Before There Was Rosalyn
January 11th, 2010
Steve

Laz from ALLORNOTHING
January 8th, 2010
Steve

Chadwick Johnson of Hundredth
January 4th, 2010
Steve

Ben Crist of The Glorious Unseen
December 30th, 2009
Shawn H

Sons of God
December 28th, 2009
Brandon

Our City Sleeps
December 27th, 2009
Brandon

All Ships At Sea
December 19th, 2009
Scott.L

Interview with Jonathan Dunn, Solid State’s Director of A&R
December 18th, 2009
Steve

Sleeping Giant
December 10th, 2009
Rebecca Cicione

Visit Ryfo.org Today!