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Jeff Gilbert
— Drums —
I was born in Long Beach California. My mom and dad came to know the Lord in their mid-twenties and met at a church
soon after their new directions in life. Married soon after meeting, they started a family, which is where my brother
Seth, sister Isabel, and myself came to be. My family grew up in the Lord together which is such a blessing to me. So
when it came time for me to ask the Lord as my Savior, I was three years old and taking a bath, my dad was by my side
making sure I was washing the junk between my toes and most importantly sharing the love of Jesus to his youngest son. I
have tried my hardest to stay on a path of righteousness ever since, thank the Lord for His grace.
When I was nine, my parents were finally at the point of exhaustion from trying to get me to quit banging on everything
in sight, so they were able to get me a drum set. It was a maroon CMC drum set, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever
seen. A close family friend offered to help me learn some beats and rudiments that I practiced into the ground, my dad
still jokes about the stuff I was practicing then, I burned those beats into our memories forever (sorry guys). Psalm 150
I went through high school playing in a handful of different bands with my brother, that’s where I really realized my
calling in life, it’s what I strived to do, dreamed to do, and most importantly what God was calling me to do. Fresh out
of high school, my band was signed to Tooth and Nail Records where we jumped right into the studio to cut a record with
Aaron Sprinkle, who happened to be one of my heroes. After a couple years of constant touring (over 500 shows in 2 years)
my brother who was the Lead Singer decided to step down and go back to be a pastor at the church we grew up at. It was a
crucial decision, but he was listening to the Lord and I can’t respect him more for doing what he did.
After hanging our hats, four grueling weeks went by where I thought everything that I had worked for was wiped away and
washed out to sea (Malachi 3:3). The Lord stretched me and was patient with me as I was crying out for having a void in
my heart, a void to play, a void from being out on the road ministering. I received a phone call from one of my closest
friends, Jon Micah, just seeing where I was in life, where I wanted to go in life, and my answers were honest and blunt
with him. A couple days later I was asked to join the band, after I hung up with the guys I just cried. Seeing that I was
so freaked out about my situation and being unsure of the Lord’s faithfulness. Thats what faith can do :). It’s another
great example of being a flawed human and having a perfect savior.
In 2007, a friend introduced me to a dance instructor named Shannon in Southern California. We started a really cool platonic
friendship that soon blossomed into something I knew the Lord was ordaining. We stayed in touch over the phone for a couple
months, so I asked to her to come hang out at Spirit West Coast in Del Mar (San Diego) where she is from. The moment I saw
her again, I knew I was going to marry her. I promise you, I never thought it would be revealed to me that way, but that was
God's intention. I tell people that I did the caveman method, that I knocked her over the head with my club and dragged her
by the hair to my cave... basically a gruesome way to say that she didn't have a choice. We were married a year later :). John 15, Philippians 4
We had a long distance relationship for most of that year with me living in Portland and her living in Los Angeles and San
Diego so before I knew it, I set up our home and became a San Diego resident. 2 years after residing in San Diego the Lord
prompted me to start praying about moving to Nashville. If you didn't already know, most of the Christian Music Industry is
located there, and most all of our tours are hubbed in and out of Nashville. We moved at the beginning of 2010 just in time
for record snow fall and a record 1000 year flood!! The transition has been interesting yet amazing coming from Southern
California to the South. God is doing things that we could have never imagined! We are expecting our first child (a boy)
this November, and are blessed with an incredible community of friends. We are just constantly basking in the greatness of
God and His grace so proportionately covering us. I'm so excited to see what He has in store for my family and this band. James 1:12
Twitter: @audiomafia
Ping: audiomafia
Facebook: facebook.com/jeffgilbertonline
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