The Band Table is comprised of Jordan Merritt, Cliff Preston, Jonathan Lee, and Jade Lundgren. The name "Table" is a call for all believers to join together in communion to feast on the Bread of Life. Their lyrics carry rich truths while their music is exploding with life, joy, fun, stories, and everything else we love to experience at a table. Each of the members are well-established, respected songwriters with songs that have been recorded by artists such as for KING + COUNTRY, Newsboys, Selah, Shane & Shane, Aaron Shust, and many others.
We had the opportunity to speak with The Band Table about how their group came together and the inspiration behind their new album.
For our readers who haven't been introduced to The Band Table, tell us how the group came together and some interesting things about each of your members.
Jordan: We didn't intend on being a band but we're so glad that it happened. We met at a writing retreat a few years ago at Jennie's house. I had known Jade for about 9-10 years, knew of Jonathan, and didn't have a clue who Cliff was. But as we wrote songs together I believe the Lord was joining our hearts. We had all written for many artists over the years and all of us had given up the idea of being artists ourselves. Jennie sat us down at the end of the week and said "I think [starting a band could be] a thing." Turns out it was.
Jade: Interesting things--the guys are obsessed with basketball. And are pretty good at it. They got me into March Madness for the first time, and my husband was really grateful! I kept asking if we could watch the games. I was into it. (Though my bracket flopped.)
Jonathan: I honestly was at a breaking point with music. I lived in Nashville for 15 years trying to chase the dream. I had some success as a songwriter but not much as an artist. I felt the Lord call me into pastoral ministry, so I followed. I was a worship pastor and songwriter for many years, and then God called me to leave it all behind and move my family to Iowa. We obeyed and that is where we are now. Two years ago, Jennie Riddle invited me to a writing retreat where I met these wonderful people and God resurrected old dreams, but this time with the right heart and focus. Next thing I know I'm in a band and going on tour. It's wild how God moves!
Cliff: When Jennie invited me to the retreat, I had just made the decision to stop traveling in music. I have been traveling in music since 2002. When Jennie talked to us about being a group and doing records. I said, "I let all this die." Jennie looked at me and said, "God is really good at resurrecting things." He is, and we're thankful that He has the final say.
As part of the larger collective, People & Songs, founded by Jennie Lee Riddle, raw and authentic worship is built into your core as artists. How has that impacted your writing and overall style?
Jordan: All of us either currently are or have been worship pastors at some point in our lives. So the worship aspect of what we do is deep in our DNA. Honestly, it was hard for me to wrap my mind around doing anything different. I've been a worship leader since I was 15 years old and have given up plenty of other opportunities to play music outside of a church setting. So it's hard to get rid of all of that. It's just all swimming around in there.
Ultimately, we want every song we write to lead people to worship in some capacity. We are all on such different journeys so different songs connect to different people in so many different ways. Worship really happens when we look at Jesus, so our goal is for every song we write to point to Him! And hopefully, there's something on the table (pun intended) for everyone.
You all write for many other artists. At what point do you decide to hold on and record a song, or let it go to another artist? What are some of your favorite co-writing stories?
Jordan: For me, I usually know if it feels like a song is for me or for someone else. It's a gut-feeling kind of thing. However, I've been wrong many times. A few of these songs on our album are good instances of me not feeling like I should sing them, only to turn around and be the voice on the record. So I honestly try to keep my heart open to songs just in case. One of my favorite co-writing stories is from the retreat where we met--we just kept writing and writing. We wrote five songs in one day, then we met for another retreat and wrote five more in a day. It's super rare for things like that to happen so I think of those times as very special to me!
Jade: Just being honest here, many times when I write--mostly when I write alone--I second guess that a song would even be good for me to record let alone someone else. Jennie and my other bandmates are super encouraging and have called me out numerous times to say "This is good." Sometimes you just need another person to do for you. I've needed courage and all of these guys have for sure helped me grow in believing in myself as a writer.
Jonathan: I let go of that dream a long time ago and fell in love with writing songs for everyone else instead. It's a joy to hear a concert crowd singing a song to Jesus that I had a hand in writing. It's humbling. I think when all of this happened, I was in shock. Up to now, no one really wanted me to sing my own songs. I was thinking that these other three needed to sing the songs. Now God is transitioning the way I think and I want to pick the songs that tell our story and help God's bride connect with Him. That is what I want to sing, and that is what I am fighting for every time.
Cliff: I remember sitting with a friend at lunch whom I admired. I consider this person to be a very accomplished writer and he said, "Cliff, you're a great writer." I didn't understand why he was calling me a writer. I felt like I accidentally ended up in rooms where people wrote around me. I wrote for myself because there is no way anyone would want to sing a song that I wrote. Fast forward a few years and I only wrote for other people. It's been very humbling, in this season, that God has allowed me to sing a song that I wrote on. I normally write with others in mind. I have always felt that there are other voices who could share the songs with the people who need the lyrics. Now, if it has any slight bit of southern feel to it... I'm singing it.
Your debut full-length album is packed with 16 songs. It's never easy to pick your favorite, and we're not going to ask. But share a few moments on the album (songs, themes, specific lyrics), that you keep returning to because they personally impact your life at a different level.
Jordan: Thank you for not making us pick a favorite song, but "Jubilee" is hands down my favorite. I still get so excited when I hear it and I've listened to it more than anyone. It has so much joy in it. As far as a song that impacts me the most, I'd have to say "Trust" is it. The line "So pick up your dreams and your wonder, child, let's make belief" is one of the most impactful lines to me. The idea that we let things die and God says to pick them back up, watch Him work, and then that experience be cemented as faith in our journey has been such a constant theme in my life!
Jade: For me, the chorus of "He's Got It Figured Out" has been something I find myself returning to. It seems these days that I'm always saying, "Well God's got it figured out!" It encourages me to keep on trusting and to cherish the ride. I feel like these lyrics have meant so much to me in this season.
Jonathan: That's a hard question. I don't know if I have a favorite or not. I know you didn't ask but I'm going to have to say it is "Jubilee." That song explains everything that has happened to me since I found Jesus, and it reminds me of the joy of my salvation. Outside of that song, I think I have to say that it was the journey that led to writing these songs. We were all in a broken place and just wrote out of the heart. I think that's shown through. These songs give me hope and fill me with "Joy." There are moments of reflection, moments of repentance, and moments of worship and these things are what I need and what I hope people experience when they hear it.
Cliff: I started leading "Thank You For What You've Done" right after our first retreat. I don't think I was supposed to, but it seemed special and I wanted people to experience what I had experienced worshiping through singing it. Using the phrase "My God, my God," that Jesus said on the cross, to thank Him for what He did there is so humbling. The phrase snaps me back to His sacrifice and makes me want to thank Him even more.
Share the story behind a few songs on the new album.
Jonathan: My family and I left Nashville and the Christian music industry to follow where God was leading. During that journey, I stopped writing songs. So, when I joined these guys to write, I honestly questioned if I could still do it or not. The second day of the retreat, I met and wrote with Jordan and I showed him a chorus I wrote that morning that simply said "Thank You for the cross. Thank You for the blood. My God, my God, thank You for what you've done." I was super nervous, and I didn't know if it was any good or not. Thankfully, Jordan said, "Let's write that." God did something special that day. He reminded me that He is not done with me yet, and I love that He used the cross to do it.
Cliff: I wonder what advice the prodigal son gave to his kid. That was the question posed as we sat down to write "When You Run." I believe it is a wonderful thought exercise. As we talked through it, it became clearer that we all identified with the prodigal and could give pretty good advice. It was one of my favorite times in a writer's room, and "When You Run" has been such an important song in my life already.
There's building anxiety and depression happening not only in our world but inside the church as well. We know God's peace is the answer, but some days, it feels hard to choose hope and joy. Where have you found victory in this space?
Jordan: A few years ago, my family started actively choosing rest. Having a true sabbath, having Shabbat dinners with our friends, and looking for moments of rest within our day-to-day lives. I started finding God's perspective for my life in those moments. I had been on staff at churches for years. I had worked with anxiety the whole time. But once we started choosing rest as a family our outlook and perspective began to change. My encouragement to everyone reading this would be to rest--to honor the sabbath and keep it holy! If God rested on the seventh day, maybe we should too.
Jade: I find that you have to really, only, truly put your hope in Jesus. Everything else is just gonna disappoint to some degree or another. When I lift my eyes to Him and preach to myself "Praise the Lord, o my soul!" then I find my hope in my living hope, Jesus. I'm so glad that hope is a person, not just a fleeting feeling!
Jonathan: This is a fresh question for me. God has been bringing me out of a cloud of sadness and depression. The last few years have been hard for me and my family and I know I lost perspective on some things. It took me stopping and sitting at the feet of Jesus and allowing Him to be enough for me. In fact, I heard him say, "If I am not enough for you right now, then how will I ever be enough for you in heaven?" That was a wake-up call. He is enough for me. Everything we do might be great, the songs, the music, the shows, but if Jesus isn't in it then there is no life and I don't want to live that way. Jesus is everything I need!
Cliff: I believe slowing down is the best thing that we can do. I'm not saying that we should stop advancing. There is a way to still advance, with excellence, in the call that God has on your life and trust Him enough to take a deep breath and slow down in it. I have lived this for the last five years. I have probably been busier in these last five years than I ever have before, but I have made it a point to find rest in it all. Seek His face and ask Him to show you the moments for rest and be willing to see His answer. He will be faithful to show you.
What do you want your listeners to leave with after listening to the new album?
Jonathan: I think everyone is in agreement when I say joy. From "Jubilee" and "Who Needs the World" to the reminder that "He's Got It Figured Out," God is our joy and He brings a peace that no one else can. I hope that when people listen to harder moments like "Heathen" and "When You Run," God's joy shines through. It is His loving kindness that leads us to repentance. We want to share and sing truth with God's joy. We want people to come to His table and enjoy the feast of joy that He has prepared for us! That is my prayer.
How can we pray for you?
Jordan: I'd say for everything--wisdom and patience. To be present in each moment. All of it--but especially for our families. We are all in the middle of major changes in our lives as a result of what God has called us to. We are all super excited about it but aware that our lives are changing, and that impacts our homes the most. So please pray for our families as we step into all that God has for us.
Jade: We would love prayers for the Lord to give us the character to match the calling that He has on our lives. That He would be first over all things, and that we would serve our families well too, especially in the midst of preparing to travel more to take these songs to churches. We want to love the Lord and others well.
Jonathan: Thank you for your prayers. We honestly need them. Pray for our families as we travel, and pray for our character and integrity to never change. We are only doing this because we want people to know Jesus. If we lose that then we need to stop. Pray that we never lose the joy that God is doing in us, and pray that people feel his joy when they listen. Thank you so much.
Cliff: Pray for our families. Not just us four, but everyone who travels with us has families that have all bought into what God is doing with us. Pray for them, that they would see Him working and that His peace would be on them. They are the good that God continues to bless us with.
Assembled from the four corners of North America and many other corners in between, the NRTeam comprises staffers whose energy is equally dispersed towards loving and writing about the music they love.
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