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Houston’s Ecclesia Church sits on the edge of downtown like a frontier outpost. During the week, it’s a community outreach center, farmer’s market, art gallery, coffeehouse, and recording studio. But on Sunday, its space becomes sanctuary to the homeless and drug addicted, as well as to the high profile attorney and suburb-dweller who fill its seats.
The church is also home base for Robbie Seay Band, forming as much of their identity as the music they play. Pastored by Robbie’s brother Chris, Ecclesia’s services are a mix of the liturgical (weekly communion, communal prayer) and experiential (artists painting during the service). Aside from touring, the band can be found leading worship for the several weekly gatherings at Ecclesia.
Long before the release of their critically acclaimed 2005 Sparrow Records debut, Better Days, Robbie Seay Band began developing a reputation for their honest approach to worship music, grounded in community and in the life journeys of each of its members. In addition to Robbie, who serves as the group’s voice and principal songwriter, the band consists of longtime friends Dan Hamilton and Ryan Owens. Dan has played with Robbie for a decade, dating back to the Metro Bible Study for which they, Caedmon’s Call, and Watermark led worship. Ryan approached Robbie eight years ago at a concert to ask if they needed a bass player and has been with them ever since. “In a lot of ways, we’ve grown up together,” Robbie says of the group. “We have walked side-by-side for nearly a decade, in the context of our community and living a normal life together. That makes the music more meaningful for us.”
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