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Drawn Onward: Band gathers strength in God, each other |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Wednesday, 12 April 2006 |
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Somewhere between the performances, song writing, and making dreams come true, the Colorado band Drawn Onward found something bigger.
Its members share a life-long friendship and faith in God.
Jason Hockney, vocals and guitar; Mark Kane, drums and percussion; Jonathan Power, bass and vocals; and James Morrison, guitar, were making music together before they were even able to see rated-R movies. 
  
Friends since birth, Hockney and Kane started writing songs together at 9 years old.
“We’ve been breathing this stuff forever,” said Hockney, 21, of Fort Collins.
He said the band got its start after being inspired by all of the Christian punk bands of the late 1990s.
“We were going to about two shows a week between all of us,” he said. “From that moment on, we decided we wanted to play punk music. We wanted to play with bands like MXPX and Five Iron Frenzy. We learned from each other. We just learned by writing songs.”
The young men gained momentum quickly, playing anywhere they could — from churches to dingy dives, up and down the Front Range from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.
“It’s been a thrill playing with some of our favorite bands,” Hockney said.
To its credit, Drawn Onward has performed with nationally recognized bands including MXPX, Five Iron Frenzy, P.O.D., Switchfoot, the Voodoo Glow Skulls and its favorite, Dogwood.
Formally known as Average, Drawn Onward changed its name in 2001. The catchy
new name is a palindrome — it is spelled the same way forward and backward.
“It represents where we are as men now,” Hockney said. “At times we’ve felt we were going backward but no matter backward or forward, we are united under common purpose — that’s our faith, friendship and love of music.”
But life as a band is not always as glamorous as MTV makes it out to be. The group has released four albums total, two as Drawn Onward, but all independently.
“We are all poor kids,” Hockney said.
The money earned at shows pays for each album. The latest, “All Hands on Deck,” came out last year and took three years to save up enough money to record.
Hockney said he keeps a journal with every song they’ve written.
“It’s great to see the progression and vocabulary,” he said. “It’s like seeing an essay written in sixth grade compared to a thesis in college. We have always just written songs about where we are in life.”
The song, “Class of ’68” was written in memory of Hockney’s dad. When Hockney was 14, his dad died from Leukemia. Hockney said his dad went to many concerts to support the band.
“He encouraged me to play music,” he said.
Though Drawn Onward is not actively seeking shows like it used to, the band still performs. The next show is June 8 in Broomfield at Broomstock, an annual festival founded by the band.
Even with Hockney in Fort Collins, two other members in Boulder and the fourth traveling, the guys still manage to get together on a regular basis.
The same teenage boys who had their parents drive them from one show to the next will soon stand beside Hockney at his wedding.
“We will always be playing music together,” Hockney said. “We don’t have plans to get signed or tour the world. When we were 15, we did rigorous touring. We’ve already been down that road. The bond we have formed has been strong enough to, at any point willing, to pickup where we left off.”
So even for those in between times, they will continue to be drawn onward.
THE CD
Drawn Onward’s album “All Hands on Deck” is at Finest Music and Movies, 1103 W. Elizabeth St., Fort Collins; or at myspace.com/drawnonward.
BROOMSTOCK FESTIVAL
The annual Broomstock festival is 11 a.m.-10 p.m. June 8 at the Broomfield Community Park, 3rd and Main Street, Broomfield. Free.
Details, Dana Cabot, 303-464-5530 or at www.myspace.com/broomstock.
Broomstock draws about 15 to 20 bands, both Christian and secular.
“We started it as an excuse to have as many bands come to play as we could.” Hockney said. | Only registered users can write comments.
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