Gungor hits Dimnent with unique sound

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Last Friday, Hope College’s Dimnent Chapel was filled with students and the Holland community to experience Gungor’s music. Although advertised that doors would open at 7:30 p.m., a line formed outside the chapel well before then. The crowd’s energy was high, despite the recent heat wave and Dimnent’s lack of air conditioning.

Gungor consists of Michael and Lisa Gungor, a husband and wife duo from Grand Rapids. The band’s name is also used as a collective term for other various members who add to their sound and music.

As 8 p.m. rolled around, a small string-trio made their way to the stage along with Michael and Lisa. Gungor opened with “Am I” from their album “One Wild Life: Soul,” released in 2015. The stage remained dark throughout the song, allowing the audience to focus on the series of thought-provoking questions asked within the lyrics. At the conclusion of the song, the lights returned, the crowd cheered and the couple laughed at themselves, believing it was an odd opening for the show.

The band decided to answer questions from the crowd throughout their set, contrasting the typical layout of the past Concert Series shows, that incorporated a Q&A session following the set.

Some controversy surrounded the band, due to the fact that they do not fit inside what some consider the “Christian music box.” Michael Gungor, however, expressed that he liked the controversy, along with the curiosity and questions it inspired among listeners. When asked about their balance between humility and conviction within the band’s ideas and perspectives, Gungor stated, “the underlying basis of conviction for me is compassion, love, and joy, all boiling down to love.”

Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors are next in Hope’s Concert Series. They will perform in the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale online or at the Anderson-Werkman ticket office. Tickets are $7 for students and $18 for the general public.