On Monday I wrote a review of the Rizer’s new album, Rise Up. They asked me to post an honest review, but I wanted to do more than just a review. I wanted to know more about who they were and what their motivation for selling albums were. I asked a handful of questions which was incredibly helpful in getting to know the band. Here are the answers.

The Rizers meet the kids (and parents)
Greg, Zach and I all have kids- we’re just a bunch of Dads who love our kids and love Jesus and want our kids to love Jesus. We realized that there was a lack of good music that was all about Scripture Memory for kids. While Veggie Tales has fun songs and good moral songs, we couldn’t find much of anything else. The Rizers (short for Memorizers) was born out of our desire to change that. There’s nothing cooler than parents sending us videos of their kids singing the songs, singing actual, word for word Scripture!   PLUS, then I don’t just have to say the scripture to my kids- I can sing it and really drive them nuts (kidding, sort of) “Do nothing out of selfish ambition…but in humility consider others better than yourself. (phil. 2:3-4)”

What do you think is different about The Rizers? 
The Rizers sound is energetic and fun. We write radio friendly pop songs that sound current and modern. Best of all (and in our book, the most important), The Rizers sing straight up Bible verses. Putting Scripture to music really aids in the memorization department, plus it’s a lot of fun! We don’t want to be a “gimmick” band like, “Hey, our music is horrible but you should listen to it because it’s Bible verses!”

Anything more coming from The Rizers?
While music is the “fun” aspect of what we do, our heart for The Rizers is ultimately Scripture memory. We want our music to help kids (of all ages) remember God’s Word and point them towards Jesus. We would like to do Sunday School curriculum, shows, videos and more- any avenue we can to help  Bible verses stick and convey its importance and relevance in a kid’s life.

Bottom line, here’s what I love so much about the Rizers.
  1. They’re dad’s like me. They’re writing songs for their kids and sharing the songs as a tool for me as well. They’re not just musicians looking for a unique niche where they can sell albums, but meeting a need in their own lives as parents and sharing it with the greater community. You can’t go wrong with that as motivation.
  2. Their vision seems very clear. Certainly they want to make great music and I’m sure they want to do great things for God and the community, but the whole point behind it all is to get the Word of God into the hearts of kids.
So, hopefully you know a bit more about this great band. Go out and pick up their latest album today or visit their site to learn more about them and their music.