“We’ve run into fans that’ve lost their jobs, dealt with a lot of unrest and uncertainly in this economy and are just dealing with all sorts of roadblocks,” notes front man Trey Heffinger, of a thread that soaked up in the current songwriting process. “Broken marriages are a huge topic we’ve encountered, kids dealing with their parents fighting and even wider issues like the tragedies of Haiti and Hurricane Katrina.  Even though we’re a Christian band, life isn’t always roses and candy, but getting mud in your face makes you that much stronger.”

NRT's Bill Lurwick spoke with Heffinger about the new album, and about the bigger-than-music ministry of Echoing Angels.

So “Say What You Believe” is out at radio and doing real well. It's based on a quote from Saint Francis of Assisi, right? Give us the scoop on that.

“Say What You Believe” is a cool song. I wrote that actually with Scotty Wilbanks in his cool studio. We were just grooving on the keys and I was reading in the Book of John where it talks about eternity comes to those who believe. I loved this. As Christians it's time for us to not back down, but let us stand together and rise and let our hearts be heard. People need to hear this love of Christ and have the opportunity to make the decision and believe. But it's not only about what we say, but also how we live it, because people look at us.

I love the theme of the song “Way of Life.” Why does it take an earthquake or hurricane or other natural disaster to get us moving?

I know. It’s like we need that reminder. We get so soaked in our daily lives, and blinders come up. I got a chance to write this song with Michael Boggs and Chad Kates. It was maybe three or four weeks after the whole Haiti event went down and I was like, “You know it’s really been so awesome to see this outpouring.” But it got me thinking. Why does it take this? Why does it take thousands of lives to die before we need to pour out just this love?

We really wanted to write a song that kind of has a mission flavor to it. Even in the neighborhoods where we live, we need to show this love because there are people hurting that are in need every single day. If we all realize this is the way we’re supposed to live, that we need to put away the selfishness and go out and serve one another, what an amazing place we would live in.

So, that was kind of the background and I love singing that song. There’s a lot of power in that and it’s just a good reminder to myself when I get a chance to sing it and even when I was listening to it while we were recording it and trying to mix it and stuff like that. I was like, “Man, it’s just a good reminder of how we need to live.”

There’s a little bit of everything on this record for all types of listeners, and there’s a very real story behind the song “I’ll Give You Peace.” Can you talk about that?

The inspiration behind this song is from a really good friend of my wife's and mine named Brooke Raines. She had battled a disease for about 16 years and she just passed away from it May of 2010. For years I’d been wanting to write a song like this, a testimony in how she lived the life because it was so impactful to me and especially to my wife.

My wife got the chance to lead her to the Lord in a junior high camp, but two years later she got diagnosed with this disease and it’s called neurofibromatosis. Tumors grow on the brain and spine. They’re not cancerous, but they begin to grow so large they have to be removed. Within that process, it’s very tricky surgery. She had about 25-plus operations and with every operation they would take pieces of her away.

Before one operation, my wife started began to pray for Brooke from North Carolina. Brooke was in Dallas, getting this procedure done and so, my wife was praying, “Lord, just give her peace.” Several days later my wife was able to talk with Brooke and Brooke's like, “You know what, Emily? An amazing thing happened. When I’m lying on the table right before they started, I audibly heard a whisper in my ear say, 'I will give you peace. I will give you peace. I will give you peace.'”

The doctors were blown away to see her strength and just how strong she was through the whole process. She didn’t move--didn’t flinch and God just put this peace over her. So, just the way how God really worked within her life; it was just this peace. Through those years and these operations, she never complained. She understood her purpose, which blew me away.


Out of the 11 songs, are there any songs that we didn’t talk about that you’d like to mention?

There’s a song on here that I really love. It’s called “Sad, Sad Tears.” What I love about this song, it’s one of those songs where it begins and you’re like, “It’s over already.” It just takes you on this real sweet little journey musically. I’ve been working on this song for probably about a year and half trying to figure out how I want to do it and Shannon and I got an opportunity to finish writing it with Chris Rodriguez. Just an amazing guy and I’ve been a fan of him when I was in high school or whatever. I’m a big Kenny Loggins fan if that’s okay to say. His vocals are unbelievable. Just great songwriter, player and vocally just goes everywhere and I’ve always admired that about him, but Chris Rodriguez played with him a lot, but also played with Michael W. Smith, just everybody.

So, to actually sit with him in his home and write with Chris. First it took about an hour and a half. It was just like, “Whoa. What is going on?” I never thought I’d sit with him, but when I played this idea for him, I kind of had it together structurally musically a little bit, melodically and I had this line that says, “We’ll go sailing away on these sad, sad tears you cry.” I love the idea of how God meets us in this moment of pain, but we don’t have to get ourselves fixed first and then meet with Him. God meets us there and uses that pain and the sadness to then kind of move out of it with Him together. So, He’ll use these tears.

So, Chris is like, “I love this. Let’s get this done. Man, there’s your bridge. We can do a solo here.” All this stuff. To me musically where I come from background, I’m really, really excited about that song.

When you get on stage, it doesn’t end there--it begins there. Explain that.

The one thing I noticed when I started this band was their hearts and that’s what really locked me into the guys in this band. If it stopped with the music, I'd feel like we’re not fulfilling what God really wants us to do. God’s giving us a platform. So, hopefully you pull them in with the music and the messaging. Then, after it’s over, we want to hang out and hear people’s stories and hopefully be able to pray with someone or just be real with people.

So, it’s not like, “Hey. The show is over. Great. I hope you got what we’re saying.” It’s the beginning. Hopefully it’s like having them open their front door and sitting down with them in their living room and couch, sharing a coffee or a sweet tea or something and just sharing life together. That’s what it’s about.

You gotta have the sweet tea from the South there. A little bit of tea with half a cup of sugar.

Exactly. A little lemon--a little lemon is good.