This Beautiful Republic
Encyclopedia
This Beautiful Republic was an American
band signed to ForeFront Records
(an EMI
subsidiary) in November 2006. They are best known for their song "Right Now". The group appeared on the Christian television show The Logan Show on December 9, 2006. The band ended in 2011 after releasing a three song EP
of covers which was recorded before their lead singer left in 2009.
. When asked about the origin of the band's name, Olin replied "We wanted something that’s catchy, but that’s something that’s really inclusive. It represents the kingdom of heaven on earth. We get a glimpse when we interact with each other as Christians, and push each other. We hope it’s like the kingdom, pre-heaven."
The group was signed to ForeFront Records in November 2006. They released their Casting Off EP
on January 7, 2007. Shortly after, on April 3 they released their full-length debut album, Even Heroes Need a Parachute
, from which they released their first single "Casting Off".
On July 8, 2007, "Learning to Fall" was officially released on iTunes
as a part of the Learning to Fall - EP. In the following week, "No Turning Back" was released as a standalone single. Their second album "Perceptions" was released August 19, 2008. The track "My God" features Aaron Gillespie
, of Underoath
and The Almost
.
In late 2009, the band announced on their myspace
page that lead singer Ben Olin and This Beautiful Republic had decided to part ways. Ben now sings worship at CedarCreek Church in Northwest Ohio. This leaves only 3 band members remaining.
In 2010, the band announced they were no longer with Forefront Records and were now independent.
In 2011, a farewell address was posted on the band's website informing fans that the band had decided to stop making music together. As a last act the band released "The Covers" EP featuring cover versions of "Wonderwall" by Oasis, "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley and the hymn "How Great Thou Art."
with Needtobreathe
, and the second was with Dizmas
and Ever Stays Red
. They were also on tour once with Spoken
, Falling Up, and Family Force 5
.
In 2007, This Beautiful Republic performed at several notable festivals including Lifest
, Alive Festival
, Godstock, Ichthus Festival, Soul Fest, Frizon Festival in Sweden
, and Flevo Festival
in The Netherlands
.
In 2009, the band joined the Creation Festival
tour, along with Jars of Clay
, Thousand Foot Krutch
, Audio Unplugged, B. Reith
, and FM Static
.
and put in some Jimmy Eat World
and you get sweaty, honest rock that has great melody, driving guitars, and other cool guitar stuff."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
band signed to ForeFront Records
ForeFront Records
ForeFront Records is a Christian Music record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from current owners Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo and is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group.In 1998, ForeFront released a 2-CD...
(an EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
subsidiary) in November 2006. They are best known for their song "Right Now". The group appeared on the Christian television show The Logan Show on December 9, 2006. The band ended in 2011 after releasing a three song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of covers which was recorded before their lead singer left in 2009.
History
This Beautiful Republic started out of Toledo, Ohio in 2004. Olin joined the other members of the group after they lost their lead singer. All of the members in the newly formed group besides the new drummer, Cameron Toews from California, went to high school together at Toledo Christian SchoolsToledo Christian Schools
Toledo Christian Schools is a co-educational, private, Christian non-denominational school in Toledo, Ohio. It is part of the ACSI and is well-known for its excellence in academics, music, and athletics....
. When asked about the origin of the band's name, Olin replied "We wanted something that’s catchy, but that’s something that’s really inclusive. It represents the kingdom of heaven on earth. We get a glimpse when we interact with each other as Christians, and push each other. We hope it’s like the kingdom, pre-heaven."
The group was signed to ForeFront Records in November 2006. They released their Casting Off EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on January 7, 2007. Shortly after, on April 3 they released their full-length debut album, Even Heroes Need a Parachute
Even Heroes Need a Parachute
Even Heroes Need a Parachute is the first studio album by American Christian rock band This Beautiful Republic. It was released in the United States on April 3, 2007 through ForeFront Records...
, from which they released their first single "Casting Off".
On July 8, 2007, "Learning to Fall" was officially released on iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
as a part of the Learning to Fall - EP. In the following week, "No Turning Back" was released as a standalone single. Their second album "Perceptions" was released August 19, 2008. The track "My God" features Aaron Gillespie
Aaron Gillespie
Aaron Roderick Gillespie is an American musician, best known for being the former drummer and clean vocalist for the metalcore band Underoath, and the current lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the alternative rock band The Almost...
, of Underoath
Underoath
Underoath is an American Christian metalcore band from Tampa, Florida. Founded by Dallas Taylor and Luke Morton on November 30, 1997 in Ocala, Florida, subsequently its additional members were from Tampa, Florida...
and The Almost
The Almost
The Almost is an American alternative rock band from Clearwater, Florida, formed in 2005, and is most notable for being the side project of former Underoath drummer, Aaron Gillespie.-History:...
.
In late 2009, the band announced on their myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page that lead singer Ben Olin and This Beautiful Republic had decided to part ways. Ben now sings worship at CedarCreek Church in Northwest Ohio. This leaves only 3 band members remaining.
In 2010, the band announced they were no longer with Forefront Records and were now independent.
In 2011, a farewell address was posted on the band's website informing fans that the band had decided to stop making music together. As a last act the band released "The Covers" EP featuring cover versions of "Wonderwall" by Oasis, "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley and the hymn "How Great Thou Art."
Tours
To promote their album, the band went on two separate tours. The first tour was as an opening act for Sanctus RealSanctus Real
Sanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Matt Hammitt , Chris Rohman , Dan Gartley , Pete Prevost , and Mark Graalman...
with Needtobreathe
Needtobreathe
Needtobreathe is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The band has charted on mainstream rock/pop charts, but have had their greatest number of singles on Christian music charts...
, and the second was with Dizmas
Dizmas
-Band history:Nick Aranda, Clayton Hunt, and brothers Zach and Josh Zegan began playing together as teenagers in 1998 while attending Desert Christian High School in Lancaster, California. They were later joined by Jon Howard, who is from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania....
and Ever Stays Red
Ever Stays Red
Ever Stays Red was an American christian rock and pop band created in 2002 by a group of four friends who have been striving to create high-energy rock music with one purpose: to use their music to change the world...
. They were also on tour once with Spoken
Spoken (band)
-Beginnings:Starting in 1996, Spoken quickly became a mainstay in their local music scene due to a relentless work ethic and performance schedule. Shortly after forming, Spoken was signed to their first record deal with Metro 1 Music, on which they released 3 LPs and a greatest hits compilation...
, Falling Up, and Family Force 5
Family Force 5
Family Force 5 is a Christian crunk rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. They consist of Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds, Jacob "Crouton" Olds, Joshua "Fatty" Olds, Nathan "Nadaddy" Currin, and Derek "Chap Stique" Mount...
.
In 2007, This Beautiful Republic performed at several notable festivals including Lifest
Lifest
Lifest is an annual Christian music festival that takes place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at the Sunnyview Expo fairgrounds. Lifest started in 1999, and became five days long for the first time in 2006. It is held on or around the second weekend of July. In 2005, Lifest had approximately 74,000 attendees...
, Alive Festival
Alive Festival
Alive Festival, located in Mineral City, Ohio, Alive is an annual Christian music festival. It features many Christian musicians and popular Christian bands, as well as several Christian speakers and worship leaders. The festival began in 1988 and celebrated its 20th anniversary June 20–23,...
, Godstock, Ichthus Festival, Soul Fest, Frizon Festival in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and Flevo Festival
Flevo Festival
The Flevo Festival is an open air Christian music festival held each August in The Netherlands. The festival was first organized as the Kamperland Festival in 1978 by the Dutch arm of Youth for Christ and became a private foundation in 2002....
in The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
In 2009, the band joined the Creation Festival
Creation Festival
Creation Festival consists of two annual, four-day Christian music festivals held in the United States. According to www.Creationfest.com, the festivals have become the "Nation's Largest Christian Music Festivals." This is in reflection to Creation Northeast being known to attract 100,000...
tour, along with Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay consists of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitars and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitars...
, Thousand Foot Krutch
Thousand Foot Krutch
Thousand Foot Krutch is a Canadian Christian rock band formed in 1995. They have released five major studio albums: Set It Off , Phenomenon , The Art of Breaking , The Flame In All of Us , and Welcome to the Masquerade . They also have one live album, Live at the Masquerade...
, Audio Unplugged, B. Reith
B. Reith
Brian James Reith, better known as B. Reith, is a Christian hip hop/pop singer and rapper. He began his musical career with the release of his first album, "Urgent Message" in 2003. In 2008, Reith signed to Gotee Records and released his EP, "The Forecast". Later that year, he toured with TobyMac...
, and FM Static
FM Static
FM Static is a two-piece Toronto-based pop punk band currently signed to Tooth & Nail Records. The band was started as a side project by Thousand Foot Krutch frontman Trevor McNevan, and drummer Steve Augustine...
.
Musical style
Former lead singer Ben Olin describes the band's sound as "Take SilverchairSilverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
and put in some Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....
and you get sweaty, honest rock that has great melody, driving guitars, and other cool guitar stuff."
Albums
- 2007: Casting Off EP (released January 7 on ForeFrontForeFront RecordsForeFront Records is a Christian Music record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from current owners Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo and is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group.In 1998, ForeFront released a 2-CD...
) - 2007: Even Heroes Need a ParachuteEven Heroes Need a ParachuteEven Heroes Need a Parachute is the first studio album by American Christian rock band This Beautiful Republic. It was released in the United States on April 3, 2007 through ForeFront Records...
(released April 3 on ForeFront) - 2008: PerceptionsPerceptions (This Beautiful Republic album)Perceptions is the second full-length studio album by the Christian rock band This Beautiful Republic. The album was released by ForeFront Records on August 19, 2008...
(released August 19 on ForeFront) - 2011: Covers EP (released independently on March 9)
Singles
The band's first single, "Jesus to the World", got as high as #25 on the Christian CHR chart. Their single, "Going Under", reached number #5 on the Christian Rock chart. Their next single, "Right Now", was released in May 2007, and it peaked in the Top 11.- "Jesus to the World" (2006)
- "Going Under" (2007)
- "Right Now" (2007)
- "Black Box" (2007)
- "Learning to Fall" (2008)
- "No Turning Back" (2008)
- "Beautifully Broken" (2008)
Compilation appearances
- 2006: WOW Next 2007WOW Next 2007WOW Next 2007 is an album in the WOW series comprising twelve top CCM songs on one CD. It was given free with any WOW purchase.-Track listing:#Our God Reigns - Brandon Heath 4:06#Jamie's Song - Jackson Waters 4:18...
– "Jesus to the World" (from Even Heroes Need a ParachuteEven Heroes Need a ParachuteEven Heroes Need a Parachute is the first studio album by American Christian rock band This Beautiful Republic. It was released in the United States on April 3, 2007 through ForeFront Records...
) – ForeFrontForeFront RecordsForeFront Records is a Christian Music record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from current owners Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo and is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group.In 1998, ForeFront released a 2-CD...
/EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... - 2007: X Worship 2007 – "Cloud Cover" (from Even Heroes Need a Parachute) – ForeFront/EMI
External links
- Official site
- This Beautiful Republic at PurevolumePureVolumePureVolume was the first independently run website of its type, allowing for the upload and stream of music files. It was created in 2003 by Jennifer Welch , in conjunction with the Unborn Media team; Brett Woitunski, Nate Hudson, and Mitchell Pavao; all from the University of...
- Video Interview with This Beautiful Republic