The Royal Royal

My younger brother Gabe and I grew up in a pastors house which was also a musical house?our mum is an amazing singer/songwriter and our father as well?so worship music has always been a first love for us. Sure, like any pastors kids that have to tow the party line, we naturally played on the worship teams every sunday, eventually being mentored into leading worship. Unlike some PK's, we loved it, cuz we thought ?hey this gives us something fun to do', plus the gratification of serving at church.

Church never sucked for us. Ever. That was our parents doing. When dad was in sales in our early childhood, he was a worship leader at a vibrant charismatic church. It got crazy every Sunday at that church, but that's how us Finochio's like to roll, I guess. Our parents never chirped at the leadership, never complained about services: they didn't ruin church for us, so we grew up absolutely loving church and being heavily involved. Eventually our father took a pastorate in our mid teens, many years after he travelled full-time preaching and teaching on worship and spiritual gifting across North America. The church was very small at the time so we cut our teeth learning to lead there. That poor church. We really sucked back then!

Gabe and I headed off to Bible College for four years upon graduating high school, and started to write together out there. It was nothing serious, just songs that came out of our devotional life. I don't think there was ever any intent to write songs for congregations to sing until we met a good friend 2 years ago, Matt Crocker. Gabe and I had been discussing doing a brothers worship album, but for some reason we didn't have the drive or ambition to see it through. We were sort of tired of scared of what it would look like, and wondered if there would even be anyone crazy enough to want to listen to it. Matt really believed in us, encouraged us to do it, and even came to our house for a week to write with us and help kick-start it.

Over the course of a year we put together an album at a project studio my production partner David Kuwabara and I were doing all sorts of crazy records out of, and sent it to some friends that were worship leaders. They liked it and sent it to other friends, who sent it to other friends. The truth is, you probably know someone who got our record for free a year ago, even though it hasn't been RELEASED YET (ahem). Haha. Anyways, it's all good, and we made some friends along the way who love Jesus, His Church, and worship music if not more than we do, and decided to help us get this stuff out in a way that everyone can have access to it.

We don't know exactly what's next, we just keep writing worship music and leading and loving Jesus at this point. We'll probably be somewhere near you in the coming year as we hit the road to support our album.

Our prayer for you is that you connect with Jesus through these songs, that our song is clear and heard, and that you are inspired to sing your song. There is so much that we have to be thankful for and be creative about. This is our bread and loaves for Jesus, a representation of the most and the best of our life, almost everything we have come to know and practice in our walk with the Lord: music and family and church. This is also our small contribution to the worship conversation. More to come.

-Nathan Finochio