Tony Cummings interviewed 7 DAYS AND A MIRACLE, currently having a turntable hit with "Help You Through"

It's not everyday that a rock band from Norway makes it onto the Cross Rhythms ratio playlists. What makes the exposure even more unusual is that "Help You Through" by 7 Days And A Miracle stems from an album which was originally released in 2006. We asked the band's singer and bass player Lewi Bergrud why it took so long for Cross Rhythms to hear the band. "I really don't have a good answer on that, except that the company who released our CD wasn't that big, so there wasn't a big budget available for promotion. But now our album '7 Days And A Miracle' is also out on iTunes, so this will make it easier to spread the word."

The origins of the band go back to 1994 and a band called Expect A Miracle. In 2005 7 Days And A Miracle started as a duo with Bergrud and drummer Geir Holten. Soon friends Knut Bjørnar Asphol (guitar) and Ronny Oedegaard (keys) joined and the band began gigging in Toten, an area north of Oslo. As Lewi explained, "All four of us work in music; some of us work as session musicians and/or producers and we all play in different bands too. But 7 Days is our (musical) baby and we love to spend time with it. We've had some really great and challenging gigs since we started and we believe we have made good progress with the band. The idea about the name came from a friend in the music industry who we worked with some time ago. Many will only think about the 'story of creation', when they hear the name, but we actually let people fill it in for themselves. But we do believe in miracles."

In my review of the excellent '7 Days And A Miracle' album I wrote, "From spacious guitar sounds and busy drum patterns to simple, yet impressive piano playing, fans of skilfully executed pop rock will not be disappointed."

Lewi spoke about the turntable hit "Help You Through". "I discovered the melody line of 'Help You Through' when a bass student of mine played it in a bass solo. The text is about how man doesn't have to struggle with all difficulties in life by himself. God will help us through our challenges, we must dare to relax and trust in him."

7 Days And A Miracle

Another gem on the album soon to get Cross Rhythms radio play is the powerful "Hold Me". Explained Lewi, "'Hold Me' I started to hum at home once. My niece Miriam Våga heard me and helped with the lines. I think she wrote a strong text, 'Hold me God, look after me, I can't do it on my own. . . I need strength from You.'"

The original pressing of '7 Days And A Miracle' has now sold out but a new improved version is now available, as Lewi explained. "As our guitar player Knut Bjørnar has his own mastering studio, we had the opportunity to fine tune the songs and add some acoustic ones as well (as bonus tracks). We are really happy with the result."

Despite their other musical commitments the band play together fairly regularly. "We play about three to four gigs in a month. Most of our concerts are with a full rock package, but we also play more intimate and acoustic gigs. This is both secular and Christian, from small stages to big festivals. We have also done two overseas tours, both in the Los Angeles area. They were fun and we experienced that they liked us as well! We have plans to tour there more often. We are, for example, invited to play in New York and some other cities. We hope to announce some dates on our websites soon."

Now the band are turning their thoughts towards album number two. "We have lots of material ready for a new album. Both Knut Bjørnar and Ronny have great studios, so we started to work with it. But we aren't sure when we will release it."

Cross Rhythms finished its interview by asking what 7 Days And A Miracle were trying to convey in their music. "We want people to experience us as real and honest! We want to present Jesus in an attractive way, therefore we have learned to combine secular and Christian gigs. It's all about communication. Of course we don't preach from the stage in a pub, but we've had so many strong conversations with people afterwards that for us proves we're on the right track." Added Geir, "We want to share our experiences of God's love; we have felt this personally and we are enthusiastic about sharing it."