Full Armor Band

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Shielded with steadfast faith in God, this up-and-coming Christian band is ready to inspire hope in the world — one concert at a time. With just one listen, the reviving power of their music can’t be denied; the inner strength it instills within never questioned. Anyone in need of consolation, empowerment and strength in times of adversity, look no further. Full Armor’s music is your refuge.

Founded in 2005 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Middletown, N.Y., Full Armor embodies the seemingly unusual pairing of virtuous Christian messages heard in churches with upbeat folk/rock melodies inspired by musicians like Paul Simon and Chris Rice. With this somewhat controversial musical texture, the band blazes forward with a new, creative sound for those looking for spiritual passion and revival in an effort to transform what stereotypical “Christian” music sounds like with their new album, What Love Is.

What Love Is marks their third official album and is their self-professed most honest work thus far. The title track speaks of unconditional love for a friend—only there’s a catch—the friend doesn’t believe it exists. It takes listeners through a surprising journey of self-discovery, and is the driving force behind the new album release. Another standout song on the album is “Amy’s Song.” The heartwarming accolade tells the true story of a woman (one of the band members’ cousins) who fought a painful battle with infertility and multiple miscarriages but finally was blessed with a child after diligent prayer and faith.

The hooky “From the Desert” is perhaps the most personal song on the album for the band, as it talks about growing up and learning to use struggles and obstacles in a positive way. The story is especially relevant to the band’s guitar player, Kyle Hancharick, whose indelible perseverance and success despite being diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism, is inspiring.

“Kyle is the embodiment of what God can do,” said the band’s Douglas Q. Hutchings. “We all have things that challenge us in our lives. Those are the things that God is daring us to use for good. We are all “deserts,” but through faith and prayer, we can create “rain.”

Along with Douglas Q Hutchings and Kyle Hancharick, the band includes Tara Lakeman, Matthew Juliano, and Matt Lee. All were united in their high school years. Today, they travel the United States performing at churches, conferences, youth group fundraisers, papal rallies, retreats and high schools.

“Our dream has always been to create music that we are passionate about”, said Hutchings. “The amazing thing about faith based music is that we are using truths that are thousands of years old, and combining them with music that is relevant today’s culture.

In April 2008, Full Armor experienced a dream come true when they were selected one of four bands out of 150 entrants to perform for Pope Benedict XVI and over 30,000 attendees at the Papal Youth Rally hosted by the Archdiocese of New York. Performing all original music and a few worship cover songs, they shared the stage with the likes of Third Day, Kelly Clarkson and TobyMac.

“It’s addicting hearing how people respond to the stories told in these new songs,” said Hutchings. “Our goals as a band become a lot more important when you see how people are affected. God has put it on our hearts to make this music, so it’s great to finally see it come to fruition.”

Fans can keep up with Full Armor’s latest career happenings and updated tour dates by visiting their Web site, www.fullarmorband.com. The band can also be found on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.