Eso-Charis - Their beginnings

by Dan MacIntosh

“It’s just so funny... You start a band and think you’re just going to play your hometown... then you end up in Europe.” Matt Putnam’s humility is a rare find in the music industry these days, and it is more than refreshing. Eso-Charis, whose name means “grace within” in Greek, is an up and coming hardcore/metalcore group hailing from Arkansas.

Matt lists a wide variety of influences, such as Fugazi, Braid, Sebadoh, James Iha, Darrel Evans’ praise and worship stuff, Quicksand, Strongarm, Radiohead, Sunny Day Real Estate... “Our stuff is more melodic, as opposed to a chunky thing . . . then again, we have some crazy beats...”

Eso-Charis’ sound caught the ear of Bruce Fitzhugh of Christian hardcore darlings (is it possible to be a hardcore darling?) Living Sacrifice. “We weren’t really into Christian music, but we went to a Living Sacrifice show and they just blew us away,” says Matt.

The Eso-Charis guys, Matt on drums, his brother Cory on guitar, Arthur Green on bass, and Jayson Holmes on guitar, became friends with Living Sacrifice, and, in November of 1997, Bruce took them to the studio, where they recorded an eight-track independent cd, that was paid for and produced by Bruce. “It was a really cool experience; the first real time any of us had been in the studio like that. It’s awesome to hold your CD in your hand and see your work.”

Eso-Charis began out of the members’ love for the kids in their hometown of Ft. Smith, Arkansas. They have grown quite a bit since then, playing often, with an even mix of club shows and shows at Christian venues. However, they maintain a spirit of enthusiasm that is harder and harder to find as bands become more and more experienced. Though they have toured and played with many well known bands, Matt says that their favorite shows to play are for the home crowd. Eso-Charis has signed a licensing deal with Day Glo records, putting them on the Day Glo roster, but not the label itself. They will be flown out to Europe in January for a three week tour, with equipment provided. Matt doesn’t see Eso-Charis signing to a label anytime soon. “We’re trying to stay independent, and it’s been a blessing so far. We want to learn the ropes ourselves. I don’t think we have a rebellious spirit or anything, we would just rather have nothing tying us down . . . though I am sure we will sign with someone sooner than we think we will.”

Although Eso-Charis has had club success, and don’t wish to box themselves inside a certain scene, they are not ashamed of their faith. “If I had to get on my soapbox,” Matt says, “I would talk about love. We as Christians need to love people instead of turning them into our ‘projects.’ God sent his Spirit into us to enable us to love more like He did.” Their song, “The Narrowing List,” speaks of the results when we love as we are commanded to. “It’s just kinda like a praise style song that we wrote. It’s the only song on the CD about what Jesus did for us. It almost sounds cheesy, but Satan has a list of those names that are not written in the Book of Life. The list that Satan has gets more and more narrow, and the Book of Life becomes more and more filled as we run to our goal.”

Being in a Spirit-filled hardcore band does not come without its price and reward. “The hardest thing about being in the band is maintaining your friendships with the other people in the band. All your frustrations are put under the microscope, and when you have a problem, you have to deal with it, you don’t have any other choice. It’s the worst part, but the best at the same time. The friendships that come out of the band are what really matter. In the end, that’s what you’re gonna remember.”

The members of Eso-Charis have matured together and are excited about the future of the band. A tour with Embodyment at the end of October is their next project, and Matt speaks enthusiastically about the Embodyment guys, calling them their favorite touring band. The close-knit Spirit-filled hardcore community is clearly exhibited in the experience of Eso-Charis. Keep your eyes open for Eso-Charis.

“It’s pretty much just metal-core,” Matt finally decides, after various other definitions and explanations. It’s pretty much just nice, talking to a band that is able to be humbly excited by their own unexpected success.

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