259

• Genres: Gospel

Biography

259's music has been described as alternative a cappella; however, the group tends to shed the a cappella label since they incorporate acoustic guitars and other instruments into their songs. They claim that the unwillingness to be categorized as any single musical style brings their success. Originally, seven high school seniors from Mesa, AZ, formed the group in October 1994: Porter Shumway, Greg Adams, Rob Gardner, Jeff Andersen, Jackson Wright, McKane Davis, and Jeff Trapnell. An overwhelming welcome at their high school talent show the following spring convinced them to stick together. "Harmony," their debut album, was recorded for friends and family within months of their first gig. As with all following releases, they used no overdubs or voice doubling on the record. They stood in a circle around a group of microphones, started singing, and kept singing until they got it right. What you hear on "Harmony" and all other 259 albums are live takes that have not been doctored with any kind of studio magic. "Amen" came a year later, and the boys put their singing on hold for a time. After a two-year separation to serve full-time church missions, the guys reunited in October 1998. Jackson Wright married three months later, and family priorities did not permit him to travel with the group. Drex Davis, a fellow Mesa-ite, was then added as a replacement. The group continued singing at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, while working on their next album.

Behind the original arranging of Rob Gardner and the fresh songwriting of both Gardner and McKane Davis, 259 creates a unique sound to accompany their original songs. ~ Jared Johnson, Rovi