The Museum (band)
| The Museum | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Genres | CCM, pop rock |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | BEC |
| Website |
themuseummusic |
The Museum is a Contemporary Christian music band from Georgia led by singer-songwriter, Ben Richter. Their debut national album Let Love Win, on BEC Recordings, was released July 27, 2010.
History
Formation
In 2006, Ben Richter moved from Texas to Atlanta, Georgia to take a job at a local church as a youth pastor and worship leader. He invited his friend Geoffrey Ashcraft to move with him. Upon their arrival at the new church they were introduced to Josh Kirk. Josh was working in the maintenance department for the church as he worked his way through aviation school. The three began leading worship together for local youth services and eventually began writing songs together. They adopted the name "The Museum" and set out on the road in early 2008.
Ben signed with BEC Recordings out of Seattle, WA in the fall of 2009. The guys quickly went into the studio to record their debut Album Let Love Win which released summer of 2010.
Band members
Ben Richter, Josh Kirk and Geoff Ashcraft started the band in 2008 and were joined by bassist Chris Brink in 2009.
In 2011 Geoff Ashcraft moved back to Texas and joined the Dallas-based band, Sleeperstar. Josh and Ben led forward along with bassist Chris Brink. Leading into early 2013 Chris Brink came off the road full-time after nearly four years with the band. Chris left to stay home with his wife and newborn child and serve at their local church, Passion City Church in Atlanta.
Ben has been the driving force and leader of the band, while Josh Kirk is still involved through songwriting and touring part-time.
Touring lineup
- Ben Richter — vocals, rhythm guitar, piano (2008–present)
- Josh Kirk — drums, programming (2008–present)
- Sam Bedingfield — bass guitar, backing vocals (2013–present)
- Chris Royer - Audio Engineer / Road Manager (2014–present)
- Ryan Harvey - drums (2014–present)
- Paul Lynch - guitar (2015–present)
Past touring members
- Dan Snyder — keys (2008)
- Geoff Ashcraft — guitar (2008–2011)
- Loyd Rieves — guitar (2011–2012)
- Chris Brink — bass (2009–2012)
- Joey Signa — guitar, backing vocals (2013–2014)
- Nick Reed — guitar, backing vocals, dobro, pedal steel (2012–2014)
Name origins
While traveling in Romania, drummer Josh Kirk visited a museum dedicated to the Romanian Revolution of 1989. There he heard the story of how a small group of Christians sparked a revolution that led to the downfall of communism in their country. The band was inspired by this story and subsequently took the name "The Museum." [1]
Not For Sale
In 2011 the band partnered with Not for Sale Campaign in the fight to bring an end to human trafficking. On their website, the band offered a free download of a song written for the cause called "Not for Sale". They encouraged supporters to donate to the campaign when downloading the song, and they began selling a limited-edition T-shirt with the proceeds going to the campaign. The partnership led to the "Not For Sale Freedom Tour" headlined by The Museum.[2] Throughout 2011, the band raised more that $10,000 for Not for Sale Campaign.[3]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak positions[4] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ | US Heat | ||||||||
| 2008 | Reverse This Dying Trend
|
— | — | ||||||
| 2010 | Let Love Win
|
18 | 7 | ||||||
| 2012 | My Only Rescue
|
24 | 12 | ||||||
| 2014 | What We Stand For
|
— | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | "My Help Comes from the Lord" | 12 | Let Love Win | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | "Never Look Away" | 32 | |||||||||||||||||
| "Allelujah" | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | "What Child is This" | 39 | non-album track | ||||||||||||||||
| "Love Will Find You" | 29 | My Only Rescue | |||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ Christian Music Zine. "Ben Richter (The Museum) Interview!". Christian Music Zine. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
- ↑ "The Not For Sale Freedom Tour". NotForSaleCampaign.org. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
- ↑ "THE MUSEUM MUSIC VIDEO NOMINATED FOR MTVU FRESHMAN VIDEO THIS WEEK". jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ↑ "The Museum Album & Song Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 20, 2012.