The Contemporary Christian band Sidewalk Prophets will be performing at Porterfield Baptist Church in Little Hocking 7 p.m. April 30. The band has had a number of hits including “The Words I Would Say,” “You Love Me Anyway” and “Live Like That,” “Smile,” among others. The group is Daniel Macal , David Frey and Cal Joslin. Tickets will be available until the night of the concert or until they sell out. (Photo Provided)

LITTLE HOCKING — The lead singer of the band Sidewalk Prophets wants people to be able to find joy in their upcoming concert in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

The Dove Award-winning Contemporary Christian band will perform 7 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at the Porterfield Baptist Church in Little Hocking as part of its “Songs and Stories Tour.”

David Frey, lead singer for the band, said they were rehearsing and getting ready for their upcoming tour dates which includes around 40 stops all over the country.

“We are going to be gone for a long time,” he said. “It is going to be a beautiful journey.

“With this tour, we want to give people a glimpse into what we do as songwriters. We want to tell some stories and have the time of hanging out. Every time we do a show, we want people to feel part of a family, a great big family of God.”

With all of the things happening in people’s lives, Frey said they want to have a place people can come, worship and that God is bigger than what is happening.

“We want you to have a place you can come and realize that God is so big and He is so good and to be able to worship Him and that you are a part of this great big family of God, no matter what you are going through,” Frey said. “Being together is a need of human beings. God made us that way.

“We want people to come together and realize that we think of them as brothers and sisters. We want to unpack our hearts and laugh a little bit and see what God does.”

The show will feature Frey, Cal Joslin and Daniel Macal as the core group.

The band has had hits including “The Words I Would Say,” “You Love Me Anyway” and “Live Like That,” “Smile,” among others. The band won the 2010 Dove Award for New Artist of the Year.

The band released its last album “The Things that Got Us Here” in 2020 and released the single “I Believe It Now” in February 2022. Frey said the band has been recording tracks for a new album due later this year or early in 2024.

“We have been going since the fall just recording new songs,” he said. “We will be giving some sneak peaks at some of the songs from the new record during the tour.

“We are going to have some fun and hope everyone has a fun night where people can laugh and sing We want it to be interactive.”

The band was started in 2001 with Frey and started writing songs while in college. The band was originally called 4 Floorz II Heaven, but decided to change it.

A friend who help start the band and is now its manager suggested the name Prophet. The dictionary defines “prophet” as “someone who tells the truth about life.”

“We loved that because that is what we want to do with our music, tell the truth about Jesus,” Frey said.

The word “Sidewalk” came from the song “Art in Me” by the Christian group, Jars of Clay, of whom Frey is a fan. The song includes the lyrics “Images on the sidewalk Speak of dream’s descent.”

“I just pictured a man walking down the sidewalk and right there in front of him is exactly what God wants him to see,” Frey said. “This would answer all the questions he has going through his head, but he is so focused on doing it himself. He doesn’t look and doesn’t see it and the rain comes and washes it away.

“‘Sidewalk’ to me just reminds me that wherever I am, I need to be listening to God. There are so many times I miss out on what he is trying to tell me by not listening or being in the word and being in prayer and having that time with him everyday.”

They want to be people who listen to God and speak the truth about life, he said.

Frey has been influenced by a wide range of music from Beethoven to the Beatles. His father had a love of singer-songwriters like James Taylor. His mother had albums by Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. Frey is also a fan of Billy Joel.

When he got into high school he started listening to contemporary Christian groups like D.C. Talk, Audio Adrenaline, Jars of Clay, the Newsboys, Third Day and more.

“It showed me that you can take this love of music that you have loved for so long and use it for God’s glory,” Frey said. “I am blessed to have the broad spectrum of artists to draw upon for influences.”

Frey said he loves talking with fans and hearing about the songs that have touched them in some way.

The group’s recent single “I Believe It Now” talks about how people do not always understand God’s timing.

“God is always moving in our lives and wants what’s best for us,” Frey said. “We may not be able to see it in the moment, but we have to believe he is bringing all things together for our good.”

The song “Smile” came from a bad day Frey was having where he had new hardwood floors put into to his home, his stove caught on fire and he ended up scratching the new floors moving the stove to get the fire out. Also, a storm knocked over a tree that came down on his fence.

Frey said all of these things together made him upset and his wife reminded him they were alright and he needed to keep everything in perspective. They had a message on the refrigerator that said “Always choose joy.”

One of Frey’s favorite verses in the Bible is “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds” from James 1:2.

“Joy comes even in the worst of times,” he said. “I took that message and decided there is always a reason to chose joy.

“Joy comes from God. It may not always look like happiness in the moment. It is finding peace in a chaotic day and finding love in the least expected places.”

Ticket prices are $12 for general admission with doors opening at 6:15 p.m.; $25 for early entry and devotional with the band with doors opening at around 5:30 p.m.; and $45 for VIP preshow party with doors opening around 4:15 p.m. Tickets are on sale and will remain on sale until the day of the show or they sell out. Tickets are available online at sidewalkprophets.com under the Little Hocking show.

“Hosting Sidewalk Prophets at our church is a great opportunity for the community to come together for a positive and amazing evening,” said Adam Farnsworth, student pastor at Porterfield Baptist Church. “To have a group as popular as Sidewalk Prophets perform in our area in person brings a new type of excitement for the people attending.

“All we hope for as a church is when people leave the concert they felt loved, led to do something impactful in the community and a positive life change occurs.”

Porterfield Baptist Church is at 39 Hollywood Drive in Little Hocking.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com</em>