Friday, May 1, 2020

New and exclusive interview with Brad Avery

I don't post a lot on this blog anymore, but every once in a while I have an idea for a blog post which I'm really excited about. This was one of those things - probably the post which I was most excited about! I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that Brad has been so kind to grant me the opportunity to interview him. Brad is an incredibly gifted person, and his gifts have encouraged, inspired and comforted many people throughout the years. However, his desire to follow God's will is what's truly inspiring. I think that's something that should be passed on to others, so that they may be encouraged and strenghtened in their faith.

I will be including this interview on the interview page, but you can also find it below.

Exclusive interview with Brad Avery for Brad Avery Fan Base


April 2020


Before you were able to make a living out of your music career, you've probably had other jobs. Which ones?
My parents always worked very hard to provide for our family. My father was a pastor, but in order to pay all of the bills, he and mom both had to work extra jobs. I think that is where my siblings and I learned our work ethic. We all began to work at young ages to help out. My first job was delivering papers as an elementary and middle schooler. Also, in the summers in Illinois, I detasseled corn. In junior high and through my first two years of high school, I had a business mowing yards. (My dad made a two wheel cart with a wood deck that I would straddle our push mower on, and I would attach it behind my bicycle seat and tow it around town. When I got my driver’s license at 16 and purchased my first old car, I got a job as a stockman at the local Kmart. I left there right before college and starting waiting tables at a restaurant that served Italian food. During college, I took a break and went on the road for a couple years with a band doing a variety show in schools. That is where I cut my teeth and paid my musical dues. After another year of college, I felt a calling to leave and pursue music full time. So, I moved to Atlanta. I played music and lead worship with some friends, but waited tables to pay the bills. Eventually, Third Day asked me to join the band. I still waited tables for about 1½  years before we were so busy touring that I had to quit. But, it still wasn’t paying the bills completely. So my wife Mindi worked full time at home to help keep the dream alive while I was on the road. She continued to support us for the first 4 years that I was in the band. 

When did you realize that your music career was getting serious and that you were able to make a living out of it?
            After our very first headlining tour after our self-titled release on Reunion Records, I realized that God intended to help provide for our families through the band. Our career grew slowly but steadily and God indeed provided.

What is the best advice you've ever received?
              Psalm 37:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
                 trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
                 your vindication like the noonday sun.

What is the most valuable lesson you've learned?
            Unfortunately, I have had to learn almost all of my lessons the hard way. Thank God for His mercy, grace and patience.

What is the highlight or your favorite part of your career?
            Well, I have done so many different things in life. If talking about music, I would say the highlight is seeing God faithfully answer His promises to me.

What is your favorite song ever recorded and why?
            I don’t really have any favorites. When I do listen to things recorded in the past, I try to not pass judgement on them. I try to remember where I was at the time and celebrate them for what they are.

Do you still write songs and/or music?
I occasionally might sit down and write something musically, but I don’t play guitar much anymore. When I do get the privilege to lead worship on guitar, I try to make things my own. So, when covering other artists songs, including covering important hooks and melodies, I might also interpret things slightly differently or create my own unique guitar parts.

If so, how do you usually get inspiration for songs?
I draw inspiration from those who have gone before me. I am a man of limited skills and abilities. So, what I do create, is probably not really my own. It’s like Solomon said:
Ecclesiastes 1:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 What has been will be again,
               what has been done will be done again;
               there is nothing new under the sun.

What is an opportunity in music that you were most excited about?
“Success” in music afforded me large chunks of time home with my family. Many people look at being in a band as glamorous. Being on the road can be extremely challenging and difficult. Especially, if a band is not able to afford to come back home and must stay on the road full-time to support themselves. I am grateful that The LORD allowed us to come home often, and stay home more often.

What is your favorite song, album, movie and book (besides the Bible) of all time?
I probably can’t say I have a favorite for any of these. As I continue to grow, mature and age, I find appreciation for both new and old. Familiar things I once enjoyed, may not inspire me anymore. I do get nostalgic at times, but I like to be wowed with discovery also. With the benefit of the internet, we have so much that we can absorb and learn. However, I love it most when God surprises me with something new. 

What is your favorite Bible verse, story and character?
I think Jonathan was a man of noble character. He supported and loved The LORD’s anointed at all cost.

Who is your favorite or most inspiring musician?
My favorite musician is Sonny Lallerstedt. He has been an inspiration, mentor, friend and support for me for 25 years. He has the gift of encouragement. He daily walks with and trusts The ONE he worships. He is gifted in so many ways, but his greatest asset is his generosity and kindness.

What is your favorite snack and food?
I eat eggs for breakfast nearly every morning.

What is your favorite color?
I wear a lot of blue, black and grey. However, I like the shade of colors afforded by the southern sun in autumn.

What is another instrument you'd love to play?
I would love to be proficient on a lot of different instruments. I am inspired by many who are uniquely gifted in their musical craft.

What is your favorite touring/concert memory?
I used to like to drive long distances. It would be a time when I could pray and see God’s creation. It seemed new every day and His special gift to me. Now, the roads are so busy that I don’t enjoy driving as much. But, I have fond memories of communing with God from behind the wheel.

What is the hardest part about getting off the road?
It is hard to find a new normal when you have done the same activity for so long. I think that is why so many men struggle with retirement. They have to figure out a new way to live. Part of that is grieving the loss of the familiar, routine or perceived calling. Men tend to get wrapped up in purpose and provision. They are simultaneously wired to have purpose while providing for their families. When He allows their calling, job, and the “success" of both to help sustain their families, it’s hard not to get them wrapped up in a tangled mess of confusion. That was my experience coming off of the road. God has to undo and re-program us many times in our lives. He is our calling, purpose and provider. His way is The Way.

What is the most embarrassing thing that happened to you on stage?
I am and have always been very self-conscious. My programming and wounding comes from a long line of perfectionism. Being a man of extremely limited skills and prone to many mistakes, I suffer at the hands of my harshest critic…me. So, all I had to do was play a wrong note (and I have played many wrong notes) on stage, and I was humiliated.

What is the best gift you ever received?
Grace — God’s unmerited favor for me (the chiefest of sinners)

What is your fondest memory?
Unfortunately, as I have aged, I have lost or forgotten many memories. I enjoy when family and friends tell stories of old. It reminds me of the goodness of God. He is faithful through the years to complete the work He started until the day of Christ Jesus.

Name a year you'd love to relive and why would you like to relive it?
I am not sure that there is a year I would want to relive, but there are seasons of life that I have enjoyed more than others. Those times when I have sensed The LORD’s presence and pleasure most in me are the ones that have fueled my faith through the long drought and desert. He is good, even when I don’t recognize His goodness.
Mark 9:23-25 New King James Version (NKJV)
23 Jesus said to him, “If[a] you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

What is the best thing about getting older?
Every day, we are getting closer to His return.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I don’t know what He has planned. Whatever it is, may I have my eyes fixed on Him and Him alone, and may I prove faithful and ready for His return through the redemptive work of Jesus my Savior.

If you wouldn't have been a musician, what do you think your job would've been?
At this stage in life, I have been fortunate to do and experience so many different things. However, truth be told, one of my dreams as a kid was to design golf courses and play golf professionally. I have always enjoyed the beauty of landscaping and gardening, and that intertwined with the challenge of golf is something that I cherish as a gift from The One who fearfully and wonderfully made me. 

Is there any chance that you might someday release a solo project?
Again, only He knows His plans for me, so anything is possible in Him. However, I don’t have anything musically to say at this point in time. I am not passionate about playing music as I once was. My fingers ache and my mind and body don’t work as they did when I was a young man. But I believe that:
Acts 2:17 New International Version (NIV)
"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”
May it be so! Come LORD Jesus come!

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Coca Cola Commercial #2

The full version of Third Day's Coca Cola commercial can now be found on my YouTube channel. It's a song called 'Always - Third Day' and it aired on radio stations in June 1997.


The following was published about the jingle in the Herald and Review from Decatur, IL on May 3rd, 2002:

Third Day approached Coke with it's own version of a jingle. "It was something we did for fun," says Third Day guitar player Brad Avery. "Me and Mac (Powell, the band's singer) put something together. We thought, 'Other people are doing it, so we might as well.' The whole idea is for us to get our music out there. If I had some moral issues with Coke or with some product, I might question it. But why not? Whether it's TV spots or whatever."

Monday, April 13, 2020

Fields of Youth - The Embrace

As you can read here, Brad has been in some other bands before he joined Third Day. One of those was Fields of Youth. In this blogpost you can find several photos of their 'Secret Things' tape, as well as some videos from live performances. Currently, another one of their tapes, 'The Embrace', is for sale on eBay. The tape was released in 1993, and features the following tracks:

- Time
- The Embrace
- Child's Eye
- Still Be Mine
- Joy of Discipline
- Wake Me Up
- Secret Things
- Public Eye
- Fear to Fly

There is a video of the last track on my YouTube channel:


If you know where to find digitalized Fields of Youth tracks, please get in touch with me! I'm trying to build a post with old songs and bootleg material, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to email me at bradaveryfanbase@outlook.com if you have any questions or suggestions. Thank you!

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

I recently came across a live recording from Third Day which I'd never heard before, and I thought it'd be cool to share it with y'all. It's a live performance by Third Day, recorded in 1995 (shortly after they signed with GrayDot records). The song is a medley, consisting of the following songs: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus / Can't Help Falling in Love / With Or Without You.
This is the second track from the album Live at the Strand which was released in 1997. All tracks were recorded live at The Strand in Atlanta (GA), while the Strand was operated by Mission Music Ministries.


Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Coca Cola Commercial

Back in 1997, Third Day wrote and recorded a radio jingle for Coca Cola. The song was called "Always - Third Day" and aired on radio stations in June, 1997. I've read interviews where they mentioned this commercial, but I can't seem to find those anymore..  I believe Mac mentioned it at the time and said that he and Brad did most of the work on it. It was also mentioned in the archive feature that used to be on the Third Day website. You can find the partial radio jingle (and the photo that was taken for the commercial) below. Enjoy!


Thursday, June 27, 2019

Back Again.. With an Updated Interview Page!

I feel like everytime I post on here I mention that I haven't posted something for quite a while. Which is true... But to be honest I've been rather busy and spending a lot of time on other things, and the fact that I've run out of ideas for the blog surely doesn't help. Anyway, here I am blogging again.

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, I have been working on adding some "new" interviews to the blog. I'm sorry for taking so long, but the updated interview page is finally here! There are some "new" interviews and articles on there which I'd never seen before (I think about 6). When I say "new", I don't mean recent. There's an interview from 1996 that I recently found, but also something from 2015 and some from the years in between. There are some which I think I've had for a while but I never posted them on here. You'll also find a couple of transcribed various audio interviews (which probably contain some typos, but I can't edit the pdf file) and there's also some other stuff like a gear list, a Third Day/Epiphone ad, and an interview with Mark Lee where he talks about being in a band with Brad.

I hope you'll enjoy reading these articles and interviews as much as I enjoyed reading them. I've got something planned for the blog which I'm incredibly excited about, but we'll have to wait and see whether it really works out.. Until then!

Sunday, October 14, 2018

I Deserve?

Here is a live performance from Third Day in 1997 at Liberty University Exit. This is by far the best performance of I Deserve I've ever heard, a lot nicer than the studio version because of the fabulous outro! I haven't had time to work on extensive posts but I'm sure you'll enjoy this video. 

Also, a few months ago I found some interviews with Brad and Third Day which I hadn't seen/heard before. I might post those another time. There are also some audio interviews which I may type out because I personally prefer reading interviews instead of listening to them. Feel free to contact me if there's anything else you'd love to see on the blog.