So Where To Today?

Pillar is comprised of Rob Beckley (vocals), Lester Estelle (drums), Noah Henson (guitar), Joey “Cinco” Avalos (guitar), and Kalel (bass). These Christian rockers with an alt-metal edge have been honing their infectious sound since 1998 while attending Ft. Hays State University in northwestern Kansas. A deal with Flicker was inked in 2000 after the band’s self-released debut, Metamorphosis, impressed the label. Within months, Pillar followed things up with Above. Their first single, “Open Your Eyes,” was popular on the college charts, earning Above nearly 60,000 in sales. Pillar also earned the Best Rock Band award at the annual Dove Awards in 2001. A year later, Pillar relocated to Tulsa, OK, and released Fireproof. MCA picked up the band and reissued the energetic sophomore effort in 2003. However, MCA shut down shortly thereafter and Pillar returned to Flicker, and released their next album, Where Do We Go From Here, in 2004. In 2005, Joey “Cinco” Avalos, formerly of Christian rock trio Justifide, was added as a second guitar player. He was never an official member of the band, and only played live shows. He no longer does, as he is playing in the newly started band “Stars Go Dim”. In Pillar’s most recent (2006) release, The Reckoning, the band stays true to their style while experimenting with new sounds. Pillar has just releasing there fifth-studio album “For The Love Of The Game” and this is what frontman Rob says about it: “We get to say that we play rock ‘n roll for a living. We get to see lives changed. We have a renewed love and focus. With that in mind, making For the Love of the Game was very fun, and very fluent; it just came out. We went into the studio knowing what the album was going to be called and we were able to carry the vision through. We wanted to have a positive, bright, fun sounding record. That was our intent from the beginning. We trust that as people hear this record, God will use it to change lives. That’’s the ultimate fuel for our fire. When someone tells us, ‘‘your music changed my marriage, or brought me closer to God,’ that’s when we know God is using our music, and that’’s what it’s all about to us.” ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide Written by MacKenzie Wilson and Abel Ringvold Pillar was recently nominated for the “Best Rock/Rap Gospel Album” Grammy, with their fourth studio album “The Reckoning”.