They have Irish accents, but are East Coast Canadians. They play alternative rock music, but it's focus and heart is vertical worship. They have a creepy apocalyptic gas mask guy on the cover of their latest album, but it's a symbol of Jesus. They call for an uprising, but an uprising of hope. 

Those and many more seemingly contradictory combinations that make up St. John's (Newfoundland and Labrador)-based band Informants are what not only set them apart as a group but position them to make a special impact inside and outside church walls.

In a recent interview on NRTLIVE, the band talked about these unlikely combinations and ultimately their heart for worship and mission. Check out the interview below, as well as the proceeding facts pulled from that interview that'll get you informed about Informants.

First, the personnel:
Dion Jacobs, Bass: Hunter/fisherman who claims he's the best barbecuer in Canada
Josh Parmiter, Guitar/Vocals: Just got engaged to an American; moving this December just outside of Nashville.
Christian Victory, Guitar/Vocals: He really likes bags--any bag, backpacks, duffel bags, little purses--and has a bag for everything. 
Micah Sheppard, Drums: Really big fan of skiing (dreams of hitting the slopes of Western Canada), and is a big geek at heart who loves gaming. 

They aren't Irish.
And you wouldn't know it based on hearing them talk. The Newfoundland (Canada) regional dialect shares a lot in common with the Irish accent. 

Christian Victory: it's not just his name, it's his calling.
The singer/guitarist is starting a church plant in Halifax and will be moving there soon. While his role isn't particularly defined, he's on board for whatever as a member of the planting team.

Worship band Bluetree basically created them.
Irishman Eric Boyd from the worship band Bluetree was in town for YC, a youth conference and music event in Edmonton, and the band--which had a small set at the event--hit it off with him. He finished their interaction by stating that they'd be going on tour together. Initially, they laughed it off as a joke, but then they started getting emails about tour dates and other logistics. They dropped everything and toured for three months, which kicked off their serious turn as a band.

From Messengers to Informants
Singer/guitarist Christian Victory said he enjoyed a hardcore band from his area called Messengers, and liked the idea of being that as a band. So the name Informants, he said, reflects their mission to be messengers of the gospel. 

Informants: the baby of many different musical flavors
While Dion jokes that the band could be described as polka-rap, they see themselves as an alternative rock type band--potentially a more aggressive version of Coldplay. They're big on melody just with more guitars and a lot more drums. If you take Bethel and the Devil Wears Prada or Normal Jean, and Sigur Ros, and get them all in one place to make music, that's what Informants is, the band says. 

What's this uprising about?
They said they came up with the album name before they had more than one or two songs written. At the end of the day, Josh says, they're pointing to a hope uprising--a mobilization of the people of God to embrace the Hope of the World, Jesus!

And the gas mask guy?
While the guy on the album cover looks kind of creepy and foreboding, there's a deeper meaning at work, the band says. If you look closely, he's actually there to rescue people, they said, noting that on his uniform there's a medic sash. "In some situations, both Jesus and the church are called to do things that are sacrificial. People may not think the greatest opinion of you, but at the end of the day, what's important is that you're rescuing people," Christian Victory said. "It's Jesus. The guy in the gas mask is Jesus."

Check out the full interview here: