The Story...
It all began when Ben Richter [Lead Vocals / Guitars] and Geoff Ashcraft [Guitar] left behind their native republic of Texas to head into the unknown of Atlanta, GA in March of 2006. Upon arrival in the great state of Georgia, they quickly found Drummer and Programming Extraordinaire [covertly disguised as a church janitor], Josh Kirk.
Together, they led worship in their local church and began traveling throughout the U.S and even into England and Wales for nearly a year before joining forces with producer Jason Hoard [Fee, Shane & Shane, Kristian Stanfill]. In August of '07 they headed into the studio to begin work on a debut album. "Reverse This Dying Trend” began with a sense of urgency to get the message out through a captivating blend of melodies and instruments. The album was born out of a desire to see things change... Front man, Ben Richter says "We realize it’s the things we leave behind that make a difference, the evidence that Jesus Christ has changed us from the inside out and given us the rescue mission to go and change the world..."
Upon the album release in February of 2008, this vision for change led to The Museum teaming up with Overlooked, a non-profit organization created to expose people to the problems in the world and offer a simple way to make a difference. Through the support of people at shows and events throughout the US, the band raised thousands of dollars of support in 2008 to provide meals to starving children all across the world...
In their first year of existence, The Museum played over 175 dates all across the US. But Ben's passion for the local church only strengthened as he saw the need for true community. The band is proud to call Briarlake Church in Decatur, GA (an urban suburb of Atlanta) where they consistently lead worship on Sundays. Ben and the band are also blessed to have led at North Point Community Church Partner Churches in 5 different states and have a strong partnership with Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC as well. Ben states "I believe the local church is the hope of the world, therefore it has to be at the center of our ministry."
This strong passion for the church to live as the hope of the world has continually influence Ben's writing. The band is set to head back into the studio this fall to begin work on their sophomore album scheduled to be released in late spring.
For more information and a full list of calendar dates, please visit The Museum on Twitter, Facebook, & Myspace