Audio Adrenaline

When the members of Audio Adrenaline contemplate the events of the past couple of years, they recognize more than ever the true presence of God. Since the release of the band’s last studio album, Underdog, time has brought forth new relationships (drummer Ben Cissell and guitarist Tyler Burkum each married), new life (bassist Will McGinniss welcomed the birth of his second child), new ventures (the formation of a band-owned record label) and the beginning of the group’s eleventh year. In the midst of it all, Audio Adrenaline has continued to march onward into the next phase of life – and still loving every minute of it.
“Change definitely brings more challenges, but it also brings about a lot of stability,” says vocalist Mark Stuart. “Life is about changing and going through different things. We learn more about God in our marriage, or by being a parent. It enriches and deepens our experiences with God, and it comes through in our music.”

While it’s true that Audio Adrenaline has sold more than 2 million units, recorded 15 #1 radio singles (including a CCM Update #1 Song of the Decade – “Big House”), garnered several Dove awards and three Grammy nominations, the group has just released what is undoubtedly one of its best efforts to date. The brand new release on ForeFront Records, Lift, is Audio Adrenaline’s sixth studio project and has already generated a #1 single with its first release, “Beautiful.” Lift is a musical collaboration that offers a cohesive mix of aggressive guitar pop/rock scattered throughout with some fresh, new twists and turns that seamlessly take the band outside the creative box.

“I feel like we’ve just made our best record,” says Mark. “I feel like it has the potential to affect a lot of people in a positive way. This is more of an emotional, epic recording. This album really takes you right to the heart of it all, lyrically and musically.”

The album’s title focuses on the concept of lifting up the name of Jesus for the world to see, a natural overflow of a spirit of worship. “It’s like the old saying – ‘actions speak louder than words,’” Mark explains. “So many times we get in the way by trying to preach to someone about what God has done in our lives, when the most effective thing we could do is to just lift up the name of Jesus. When people see Jesus lifted up, they want to experience that. He’s so beautiful, they immediately fall in love with him and want to get to know him.”

It’s a theme that runs through the entire album, but is effectively summed up in the title song. “Lift” talks about how focusing on Christ and lifting up the Lord makes all the cares of the world seem trivial.

A self-produced project, Lift is truly a collaborative effort, incorporating the talents of each band member on every song. Ben and Tyler joined in on the album’s songwriting efforts more than ever before, and Tyler’s vocals were a welcome addition to Mark’s lead throughout the entire project. “We were able to use Tyler and Ben to their fullest capacity,” Mark shares. “Tyler came to the table with a lot of material and was able to contribute to this record more than he ever has before. We were able to share the lead vocals back and forth a lot, which provides a great dynamic that many bands don’t have. It adds so much to the emotion of a song, and it’s a great combination we never had before.”

From the opening strains of the anthemic “You Still Amaze Me” to the catchy hook of the project’s first single, “Beautiful,” Audio Adrenaline continues to emphasize living the Christian life with a passion that is evident to others. “ ‘Beautiful’ talks about how the beauty of Christ is so overwhelming that when we lift Him up, people will come running to see Him and get a glimpse of His glory,” says Mark.

One of the album’s most poignant songs, “Ocean Floor,” steps outside of the project’s musical and lyrical theme for a moment and contemplates God’s grace. It reminds us of God’s passion and that He has forgiven us so deeply that our sins are buried at the bottom of the ocean.

And touching on our own humanity as we stand before God to worship, the song “Tremble” talks again about God’s grace in the midst of our unworthiness. “This is one of my favorite songs,” Mark says. “It’s about being in the presence of God and the dichotomy of feeling afraid, but being in awe of His grace and His bigness. The first verse talks about how I don’t belong here standing in front of God – I’m filthy. But the second verse is about grace and how wonderful it is to know that God sees us through the blood of Christ.”

While worship music continues to play such a prominent role within the industry, Lift is a reflection of what can happen when true worship is experienced, and the spiritual growth that overflows from that process.

“I definitely think the world’s spiritual pulse has been quickened lately,” Mark shares “and the idea of worshipping God is definitely on the heart of a generation of believers. But this is not a worship record as much as it is about being in the presence of God. It’s about what happens when we worship, and how others are affected by the beauty of worship.”

With the release of Lift, Audio Adrenaline will prepare for a full tour in the spring of 2002 to support the project on the road. The group spent the past year co-headlining both legs of the hugely successful Festival Con Dios Tour with Newsboys and The Supertones, an experience they won’t soon forget.

“We all believe we were called to do this – not just to entertain, but to evangelize and to encourage,” Mark says. “It’s not just about a band, it’s about a lifestyle. It’s about kids relating to modern day Christianity, which is a lot different than just going to church. It’s about showing them how we can live in and affect this culture, and still belong to God. There may come a time when what we’re doing is redundant, but as long as God’s favor is on us and we keep making records that bring people to the throne of God and into His presence, then we’ll keep on going.”