Hope Now?

It’s crazy that we started our band Addison Road over seven years ago back in college. Many of you had not heard of us until this past year when our album was released nationwide, but we’ve been busy writing, recording, and touring all of that time. “Hope Now” is a song that is currently being played on radio stations across the country but it was actually written in a crummy apartment over five years ago.

The whole band was living together in one apartment – Jenny and Ryan had been married less than a year and were living in one room. We converted the living room into a bedroom for Jeff, Travis’ room was ridiculously small and sparks flew out of the outlets in my room, not ideal conditions! We made a trip to Nashville around that time to meet with industry people and one meeting had a profound impact on me. We were playing our songs for a manager there and he said he loved our music, loved our sound, but he felt like our songs lacked any hope. He said we should remember the hope that God had given us and to tell people about it. I was blown away by that idea.

That day we made the thirteen hour ride back to Texas but all I could think about was what that guy had said. When we finally made it back home I got in bed and was trying to go to sleep when I literally heard the words and music, “Everything rides on hope now” playing in my head. So I got out of bed and picked up a guitar and quietly wrote the song while trying not to wake up the whole house.

Five years later it is so cool and crazy to be playing concerts and see people singing along to those words. To have people come talk to us after shows and tell us about how God used that song to give them hope is amazing. I know that God gave us that song to give his hope back to people and that is something I feel so humbled by and grateful for. I know I’ve been carried by Him all my life.
Ryan Gregg