Band Member Spotlight: Brant Bollman

Brant Bollman

Brooding poet, power-hopping front man, Brant Bollman's goal in life is to find a deeper well. Of late, he's been tumbling down the rabbit hole of Emergent church theory looking for Paul and Barnabas' mission-minded, relational 1st century church.

When not rocking with the band, he teaches art, writes semi-daily on this blog, and attends Grace University in Omaha. His favorite passtimes are playing "Daddy Slide" and watching Andy Milonakis.

Favorite Bible Verses

Micah 6:6-8
I love this scene. Evil men keep trying to free them selves with rituals.... They are piling mountains of insincere sacrifices up to the sky to try and appease the Lord. But God isn't fooled by heartless offerings. He wants nothing to do with it. Instead He wants them to do something very simple yet very difficult for the hardened-hearted. He calls for them to love people, act justly and walk with Him. This scripture takes away the labor of religion and makes it a relationship with the Lord. WOW!!!!

First Chapter of John
How many of my songs and poems come from this passage? Many. Here is a good explanation of why it means so much to me.

Phil 2:5-11
It will be on my leg forever!!! Its just a great creed to recite every morning... or better yet to place on your heart and live by.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. WORD!

Favorite Bible Story

Casting Out Nets

Woman at the well

Both are about looking deeper and not settling for what is right in front of you but searching out a deeper communion with God.

Musical Influences (Non-Christian)

The biggest influence to me musically is the art world. I take a lot from the artists of the Renaissance. I particularly like Michelangelo’s work. I also love German Expressionism. Max Beckmann’s paintings are a lot like my songs. They are abstract and drenched in layers.

But the work of Vincent Van Gogh, a failed minister himself really speaks to my heart. His entire life he was trying to communion richly with God and His creation.

Music-wise, I owe a lot to the alternative bands from the 90’s like Nirvana, Meat Puppets, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains.

But the following bands really favor my musical style: U2, The Who, Bob Marley, the Police, Ramones, Greenday, Sublime, Coldplay, Zeppelin, Incubus, Anchondo, Jane’s Addiction. I could go on and on.

Muscial Influences (Christian)

David Crowder, Casting Pearls, Jeremy Camp, Marian Greer, Switchfoot, Relient K, Shane and Shane

Favorite Quote

Rene Magritte, when speaking about his painting entitled This is not a Pipe, a small realistic rendering of a tobacco pipe, stated, “If I would have entitled the work, This is a Pipe, I would have been lying!”

How richly ironic... Question everything! Even things that seem so straight forward and unquestionable.

Where have you seen God

I see God all over the place, in sunsets, in my daughter’s smile, in the moon and stars. Many times in life I have seen the powerful hand of God at work. For instances, at the Open Door Mission, when Kevin touched our hearts, God’s magic was shining through. I see God’s hand at the zoo. It’s like the testimonial of a fired up black minister. It’s undeniable, irresistible, unstoppable. You see God’s mysteries and you go, “WOW!!! GOD ROCKS!”

I feel closest to God when I am creating things, painting, sculpture, poetry, music, digital imagining. There are great moments where you make something and it’s so cool and you look at it and you remark, “WOW, THAT’S GOOD!” It is at times like that when I feel really close to the Creator. I feel Him working in me. When I turned my creative efforts away from my own pursuits and into the service of the Most High that is when I truly became alive.

-Brant