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Bratt’s XII Gates Rocks The Block In Flomaton
May 17, 2008
XII Gates “Rocked the Block” Saturday evening in Flomaton.
The band, from the First Baptist Church Bratt, took to the stage for a free outdoor contemporary Christian and Christian rock concert at the First Baptist Church of Flomaton for “Rock the Block”.
The members of XII Gates have grown up together, learned music together and have been playing in the band for about three years.
NorthEscambia.com caught up with the band at a recent practice session for the concert in the “Youth Loft” in the First Baptist Church of Bratt’s Family Life Center.
“The band is a chance for us to glorify God and have fun doing it,” lead guitarist Jeremy Bardin said.
Bassist Mathew Wilson agreed. “We get to rock people and get the Message out,” he said.
XII Gates play Christian music, and other rock songs that have a clean message. But they are not the traditional Sunday night singing Baptist church quarter. They rock. There’s just no other way to say it. And it’s loud, as good rock music should be.
Their list of musical influences is a Christian rock Top 10…Skillet, Red, Toby Mac, Sanctus Real, Kutless, Hawk Nelson, Disciple, Reliant K, Building 429, Casting Crowns and the like.
While many in the Bratt congregation have never heard of those bands and do not listen to Christian rock, they understand that XII Gates is spreading the Gospel to the next generations.
“You can worship how you want, even though there is that generation gap sometimes,” Wilson said. “I enjoy the old hymns just as much as bands like Skillet.”
“I’m thankful for the congregation and their support of XII Gates,” Bratt’s Youth Minister Tim Hawsey said. “We’ve got such a good church, and they understand that they get a little loud for the Lord sometimes.”
Sometimes XII gates goes “unplugged”, taking their contemporary sound and making it “more mellow” for congregational performances.
But for Saturday night’s “Rock the Block” in Flomaton, that was not the case.
“This is a good opportunity for a lot of youth that don’t have an introduction to Christ to come out and find out that we can play loud, have fun, just rock and still say that we are Christian,” drummer Denver Hawsey said.
Besides spreading the word about God, having fun is perhaps the most important part of XII Gates.
“We want all the youth in the area to attend,” Tim Hawsey said, “whether or not they are in church, they will enjoy the music.”
For a complete photo gallery from the Saturday concert in Flomaton, click here.
Pictured above: XII Gates at “Rock the Block” in Flomaton Saturday night. Pictured below, first photo: XII Gates from the First Baptist Church of Bratt performs in Flomaton Saturday night. NorthEscambia.com photos.
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