Rush of Fools: Learning Curve
09-15-2008
by Grace S. Cartwright

Rush of Fools guitarist/vocalist Kevin Huguley recently shared the heart of the band, how the members deal with the whirlwind of sudden success and what lies ahead.

Rush of Fools wants a demotion.

Yes, you read that right…a demotion.

“I hope God continues, in His mercy, to give us songs that demote our value, because that’s what it’s about—worshipping Him and demoting us,” explains guitarist/vocalist Kevin Huguley. “Right down to our name… We are just a bunch of fools.”

Huguley is one of five members of rock/worship band Rush of Fools, made famous by hit single “Undo” from the band’s debut album on Midas Records. The band members range in age from 19 to 26, and Huguley says they are grateful that God has molded them into the friends they are now. “We went from ‘I-don’t-know-your-birthday-or-middle-name,’ to knowing everything about each other. Everyone has to remember that we didn’t grow up together; we aren’t brothers; we aren’t related. We all really have become pals that God threw together. We also know how to get on each others nerves,” he laughs.

“The past two years have been a great journey, but really a long road. We are the first to say [that] it’s hard when you’re in a van for 200 days out of the year,” continues Huguley. “For those of us who are married, our wives are the best. We want our families to come first. We know if we mess up what is going on in our homes, then we will fail out here.”

When asked how their walks have been strengthened, Huguley hesitates. “I struggle with saying our walks have been ‘strengthened.’ We don’t pretend to be on this spiritual high,” he assures. “We had to learn it’s much more difficult to have a daily quiet time. We have to remind each other. We have devotions together, and we make sure we are praying together and sharing struggles. It is time management, you know? Not just in life but in daily things. Every day is precious, and every minute is precious. I have to think, “Should I run and get that coffee, or should I take a walk with Jesus?”

The guys should know all about time management, having been on extensive tours with bands like newsboys this past year. “It was surreal. Here we are, a little worship band, playing stadiums and arenas in front of 8,000 people with newsboys,” says Huguley.

The band’s relationship with the mega-group became very personal about a month ago, when Rush of Fools faced its greatest obstacle yet as a band: a stolen trailer packed with all its equipment and merchandise. “We thought we lost everything. God eventually gave it back to us, but we didn’t know what we were going to do. Peter Furler [newsboys’ lead singer] called me and said, ‘Our warehouse is nearby, so go take anything you need. You guys can keep it as long as you need.’ We were so grateful.”

It’s trials like the trailer disappearance that have shaped this young band into a group, refreshingly, all about the Lord. You’d never know that since the band’s debut, this “little worship band” has garnered four Dove nominations, five hit radio singles, and won ASCAP’s 2007 “Song of the Year” (“Undo”).

Wonder of the World, the band’s sophomore release, hits streets September 16, brimming with new direction. Clearly, the camaraderie the guys have found touring together has carried over into the album. They are tighter musically, with more evocative vocals and clever, edgier arrangements. “On our first album, we focused a lot on our sin—our need for grace—and the second album still has parts where we talk about our struggles, but this album focuses on the joy we have in Christ,” says Huguley, who co-wrote much of the album with lead singer Wes Willis. “We tried to go straight from the Bible—lyrics that were God-centered and biblical. We don’t claim to be the coolest, hippest band ever, but we really tried to create something that we fell in love with, songs that we were excited about and that moved us.”

This time around, there is also a new turn for the band—a love song, which Huguley says holds special meaning for him. “‘Never Far Away’ is a song we wrote for our wives about how we may be in, say, Portland, Ore., and they may be in Birmingham, Ala., but they are never far away because of the love that God has given us for each other and [because] our marriage relationships are in our hearts. I also like ‘Escape’; that one is about the providence of God and how even the worst of sinners can just run to Him.”

Fans will see this theme represented in several songs on the album and through Fools’ recent partnership with non-profit organization Freedom Begins Here.

“Freedom Begins Here actually contacted us first to see if they could get permission to use our song ‘Undo’ for some material. They explained they were a media agency that pooled together resources for church staff for people struggling with sexual addiction and pornography,” says Huguley. “Out of that, God just birthed a relationship that led us to think, ‘We need to get behind these guys. They are facing an uphill battle.’” Huguley continues thoughtfully, “If our partnership with FBH is to the extent of meeting with people in coffee shops and telling them about the organization, that would be awesome. If it goes all the way to ‘The Today Show’ and ‘Larry King Live,’ that would be awesome, too.”

However, Huguley is clear about the purpose of the partnership. “We don’t want it to be a publicity thing for Rush of Fools. We think that the church in America has become really guarded about sin. We have swept it under the rug. The national surveys have said that 50 percent of men and 20 percent of women are not struggling, but addicted to pornography. We think that number is astronomical, and we believe that God, in His grace, can rid that number.

“If we can become comfortable with becoming open and honest with each other about who we really are—about our sin, about how we are not who God called us to be—then we will find joy,” Huguley continues. “That’s the whole idea of Freedom Begins Here. All of us need the gospel, and that’s the reality.”

So what’s next for Rush of Fools? Huguley says they are thrilled to be touring with Big Daddy Weave this fall, as well as “trying to get some sleep! We are trying to use the bus more, and God is going to have to figure out how we will afford that, but we’ll let Him deal with that.”

He sums up the heart of the next chapter of the band’s story with thoughts behind the new track “The Only Thing That’s Beautiful in Me”: “That song is the idea that apart from Jesus, there is nothing good in us. It’s what Jesus has done in our lives. That’s our heart; that’s what we want to be about.” So far, so good.

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