CrossTie Christian Band — A Family Rock Band with a Mission!

CrossTie is a family band of three brothers — ages 12, 15, and 17 — and father who have an incredible pool of talent; God had a special plan when he united Greg and Tina Spears. Greg, Paul, Josh, and Caleb Spears make up the phenomenal band that is a cross between Chevelle and Casting Crowns. According to the family, CrossTie’s goal is to “share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through their real-life testimonies and rocking original songs.” The band — established in 2009 — has made it their primary objective to entertain, encourage and generally rock your socks off. I recently had the privilege to listen and enjoy CrossTie’s EP “Strength To Rise,” which was produced by Dove Award winner Robert White Johnson. The energy and flow of this album truly resonates with a Christian at any level of spirituality and faith: if you want awesome rocking music, you got it; if you are looking for deep-seeded heartfelt lyrics, you got it; if you need a pick me up to boost your day, you got that as well! The album even features Andrew Welch of Thousand Foot Crutch who offers his guitar talents on the song “Someone Had To Go.”

With family, blood is thicker than water. In CrossTie, the talent is pretty thick as well! Some of the band’s highlights include:

* being selected as Disney’s “Night Of Joy” new talent artist twice (2012, 2013)
* being chosen to play the “New Artist” showcase for Holiday World’s Rock The World Event in 2013
* having been hailed as the #1 Independent Christian Rock Band on ReverbNation.com.

I had a chance to catch up with the band and hear about their genesis as a group and their plans for 2014:

Tell us how your family became a band?

I (Greg) had been an entertainer for most of my life following in the footsteps of my dad who was a professional bluegrass musician. So, music was a normal part of my boys’ lives from birth. I never really thought about a family band, it just sort of evolved when we started playing together at church. Each of the boys were drawn to their own instruments. I didn’t persuade them, it was just organic. I had taken a break from actively pursuing music a few years and started to feel drawn back into the scene. Realizing the family strain of road life, I had asked the guys how they felt about me returning to music and encouraged them to pray about it and let me know their thoughts. They came back a couple of days later with the idea of forming a family band. So, in the fall of 2009, after a late-night family meeting and lots of prayer, CrossTie was born. I have to say, we are not your typical “family band.” [laughs]

Do you guys write your own music, do you write as a family?

Yes, we write all our songs. Primarily, Greg writes most of the lyrics and Paul writes most of the music but Josh and Caleb also contribute. There have been many times when one of us shared a lyric or song idea with the others only to find that Paul already had a new riff he had been working on that lined up perfectly with the new idea. We call this a “God Thing.”

Explain which Spears family members are in the band and what their role is?

Greg (the dad) lead vocals and rhythm guitar

Paul (18) lead guitar – BG vocals

Josh (15) drums – BG vocals

Caleb (12) bass – BG vocals

Destin Staff (nephew-18) – electric guitar

What message does CrossTie want to relay to audiences and fans?

Most of all, we want to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our real-life testimonies and songs, as well as unify and encourage youth and families. We jokingly say we are the “family friendly” band. [laughs]

Are you currently on tour?

Not right now, we are currently (during the winter months) playing weekend shows close to home. But we will be hitting the road with some other independent bands for the “In The Light” tour sometime in April. We will be posting these dates on our Facebook page soon.

How can people learn more about the band and purchase your album?

The best way to keep up with CrossTie is our Facebook page. You can also purchase our music and merch by hitting the “CrossTie Store” button. Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, ReverbNation, and our website (currently under construction. You can also purchase our music on all the usual online music sites (iTunes, Amazon mp3, BandCamp, etc).

What is your favorite bible verse?

It’s kind of long, but this verse sums up our desire in this ministry: Ephesians 4: 1-6.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love ⁵ He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.