AG Silver to entertain at El Morro Theater

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff writer

GALLUP — When up-and-coming indie rock band AG Silver appears on Monday night in a free concert in Gallup, audience members are promised a live show with lots of energy — along with a dose of real world reality.

The award-winning band from Grand Rapids, Mich., is in the middle of its “Clean Water for Africa Tour,” and its concert in Gallup is a stop along the band’s route from Alaska to Texas. The concert, which will be at 7 p.m. on Monday at El Morro Theater, 207 W. Coal Ave., will also feature special guest singer/songwriter Josh Schicker.

Local music fans are going to be surprised at the musical caliber of AG Silver, predicts Nate Haveman of the Gallup Journey, one of the sponsors of the free concert. Haveman, a member of Gallup’s Subtle Groove (see page 23 of today’s Independent), is a friend of AG Silver’s lead vocalist Jon Ornée, from their days at Hope College in Michigan.

“The music is too good to pass up,” said Haveman, who described AG Silver as a Christian alternative rock band.

“We sort of pride ourselves on being a great live band,” said Ornée when reached by telephone on Friday. The band has a reputation for its thoughtful alternative rock sound, Ornée said, its dramatic live shows, its emphasis on lots of percussion, and its “arena-esque” sound.

But AG Silver concerts aren’t all about the music.

According to Ornée, the band recently launched its Clean Water for Africa Tour which was organized in conjunction with the Blood: Water Mission charity founded by the multiplatinum, Grammy Award-winning Christian rock band Jars of Clay. Ornée said the two bands have a number of mutual friends, and those friendships inspired the collaborative efforts.

According to the Blood: Water Mission Web site, Dan Haseltine, lead singer for Jars of Clay, returned from a visit to Africa in 2002 with “a vision for clean blood and clean water in Africa — blood free of the HIV virus and water free of parasites and bacteria ... ” That vision grew into a nonprofit organization that is working to build clean wells in Africa, support medical facilities, and assist programs that fight poverty and injustice in Africa. As part of that effort, BWM has established the “1,000 Wells Project” to build 1,000 wells and clean water projects in 1,000 African communities at an average cost of about $3,500 for each project.

AG Silver is throwing its efforts into supporting the 1,000 Wells Project, Ornée explained, through its Clean Water for Africa Tour. The 1,000 Wells Project is currently 350 wells into its goal, he said. “It costs about one dollar to provide clean water for one resident of Africa for one year, which is a pretty staggering statistic,” Ornée said.

AG Silver is encouraging their audiences to support the work of the 1,000 Wells Project through financial donations and by the purchase of BWM merchandise that AG Silver sells on the road. Because the cost of the merchandise has been underwritten by donors, 100 percent of the sales go to BWM.

Haveman said he hopes that local audience members will be inclined to make a charitable donation or purchase some of the BWM merchandise since Monday’s concert has free admission.

Members of AG Silver include Ornée on piano, guitar, and lead vocals, Chris McKellar on guitar, Aaron Cowan on bass, and Craig Vanderwier on drums. The group released its debut CD, “Wake Up and Smell Reality,” in 2006 and released a recent EP, “Love Keeps No Score.” Area residents interested in viewing a sneak concert preview can view a music clip of the band on the Internet at www.agsilver.com/cleanwater.

And for those interested in the origin of the band’s name, Ornée said the name is a “throw back to the periodic table” back when three of the band members were in the ninth grade and starting their first band. They were in fourth hour — science class — and they needed to have a band name by the end of the school day for a contest. McKellar looked up and saw the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements on display in the classroom, and the symbol for silver caught his eye.

As a result, Ornée said, “AG Silver was born out of necessity.”

Information: www.agsilver.com/cleanwater, www.joshschicker.com, www.bloodwatermission.com