Seven Places was a Christian rock band founded in 2000 and signed to BEC Recordings. Seth Gilbert was the main songwriter and vocalist. The band members were all originally from Medford, Oregon. The group amiably disbanded in 2005 to pursue other projects.
"Our name is about the seven places Jesus Christ bled from to save us from our sins," Seth explains. "His hands cover the sinful things we've done with our hands. His feet cover the places of sin we've walked. His back covers all the times we've turned our back on Him, and His side, which is really from His heart, allows our hardened hearts to be softened. It is all about His blood and the fact that we're being covered by it at all points."
Seven Places' tight knit musical union dated back to the members' initial friendship while growing up in their local Calvary Church (a national institution born in response to the late 1960s hippie movement). Aside from their faith fervency, the guys shared the desire to hone their musical chops on a regular basis, eventually earning the chance to play in front of their youth group peers (thanks to some help from Seth's father-in-law, church head Chuck Smith's right-hand man). In keeping with Calvary's approach, Seven Places sought to provide an outside-of-the-box worship experience meeting kids exactly where they were at, a practice they continued on the road.
The overwhelming response confirmed Seven Places' engaging chemistry and they soon recorded a demo in hopes of taking their craft to the next level. At one point, the guys were able to get their recording in the hands of Kutless, who unbeknown to them passed it on to Brandon Ebel, founder of the Tooth & Nail label group.
After much brooding consideration and discussion, the guys signed the dotted line and entered the BEC roster, proving that hard work, attention to detail, and networking does indeed pay off. The group no sooner entered their contract then they headed in the studio to record their label debut Lonely For The Last Time with producer Aaron Sprinkle of Poor Old Lu fame.
Seven Places disbanded shortly after the release of their follow-up album Hear Us Say Jesus in 2004, but a new 11-track album entitled Glowing was released in 2007 by BEC Recordings.