The group hopes their album will inspire listeners with a message of hope and love from the Savior
Twelve years ago, Adam Keith began writing the first notes of what would eventually become a full-fledged album. A guitarist and commercial music (CM) student at BYU, Keith joined forces with fellow CM student and vocalist Hanna Eyre to found the student band Man May Be in March 2020.
Keith and Eyre first met in a songwriting class for their major, and they bonded over their mutual love for progressive rock. As they worked together on the album, they knew they wanted to write music that shared a cohesive, yet subtle, gospel message. “Our hope was to share the gospel with people in a way that isn't so forward that it alienates people who wouldn't otherwise listen to something like that,” Keith said of the ideation process.
The other members of the band include bassist Matthew Markham, drummer Brisco Liddell, and keyboardist Steven Hinrichs. Keith, Liddell and Hinrichs first met while they were serving their missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in North Carolina.
But while the band had big plans to write and record the music together in 2020, the COVID–19 pandemic caused the band members to scatter across the States. With the group strewn across Texas, California, Idaho and Utah, the band had to find some creative ways to record their music all together. The group used platforms like Discord and other video messaging apps to brainstorm their ideas for the music, and they recorded their individual parts in various studios.
“The process was very non-traditional as a result of that,” Keith said of that time. Nonetheless, the band successfully wrote and recorded all eight songs on the album while in lockdown. Pulling inspiration from artists such as Debussy, Allan Holdsworth, Haywire, Dream Theater and other progressive rock bands, the group’s music has a little something for everyone to enjoy.
Eyre, who was one of the top 20 contestants in season 12 of “The Voice,” said that while the writing and recording process was challenging, it came with its own rewards.
“Even separated by several states, the writing process flowed and we were able to create something we are all extremely proud of,” she said. “I hope that as people listen to our album they will be able to realize there is always hope and that they are stronger than they know.”
Because the band wanted to focus on a gospel message, the theme of the album’s songs is the process of gospel conversion. “The first four or so songs on the album deal with coming to grips with the fact that . . . we all have our problems. We can't do this on our own,” said Keith. “And the rest of the album takes us through the steps of the doctrine of Christ faith, repentance, .”
But while the album ends, the music doesn’t give a final conclusion to the conversion story it tells, allowing the listeners to continue the story on their own. “It's really open-ended,” said Keith. Leaving the album open to the listener was intentional; the band wanted the music to serve as a reminder that while dark times may be ahead, there is also light.
Keith hopes that as people listen to the album, they may “feel the love of their Savior for them.” He continued, “I also hope that they feel that there is hope in a world that is consistently telling us that there's no point having any hope.”
Eyre agreed, adding, “One of the messages of the album is that every season, every day, every breath is a second chance.” She continued, “In our darkest times, the light is right around the corner. There is never any point in our lives where it is too late to change.”
After the release of their first album, the band plans to continue to make music that makes gospel messages relatable and accessible for listeners who are both familiar and unfamiliar with them.
Man May Be will release its debut album “Shadows of the Dawn” on Spotify on November 5. Two of the lead singles for the album are now available on Spotify.