Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Sixth Hour rocks for God

The band says its mission is to uplift and enlighten through its music, a blend of a pop, rock and blues, which is dedicated to God.

WESLEY CHAPEL - When members of the band Sixth Hour perform, they want to be invisible. They want their audience to see God on stage, not them.

"Worship is all that we do. (It's) for the glory and honor of God," said Chris Kuti, the band's lead singer. "If every time we play (the audience) sees God instead of us, then we've done our job."

Sixth Hour is: Chris Kuti, 20, Cornell Kuti, 41, Chris Wright, 29 and Sandy Kuti, 33.

They've been together for two years but have known one another much longer.

Chris Kuti is Cornell's son, a full-time student at Trinity College. Chris is studying to become a youth minister. It's his calling, he says.

Sandy and Cornell Kuti are brothers. Sandy Kuti, who lives in Wesley Chapel, is the group's bassist. Cornell Kuti plays guitar.

Wright is a substance abuse counselor by day. After work, he grabs a pair of drumsticks and steps in as the band's drummer.

They used to be known as Kuti and Company.

Now, they've got a catchy, new name that gives reference to the time at which Christ was crucified, says Chris Kuti of Wesley Chapel.

The men vary in age, and each brings a different sound to the group.

It's an eclectic sound.

They describe it as a mixture of rock, pop, blues and a dash of country. They perform mostly at churches, colleges and youth camps. Many times for free. They carve out time to listen and chat with concertgoers after each performance.

Chris Kuti recalls a time when a teen approached the group after a show.

"Someone said, "God is awesome!' and I thought: They've got the whole point," Chris said.

Sixth Hour uses its music to uplift and enlighten.

"When people come to our concerts, they may be distant from God or angry, and when they leave, (we hope) they feel restored in some sense," said Wright, who lives in Tampa.

The band rocks the house with upbeat covers by popular Christian artists, such as Chris Tomlin and David Crowder Band.

To some folks, they are familiar tunes. But, Sixth Hour adds their own flavor, too.

"It's like taking a hymn from a hymnal and making it your own," Cornell Kuti said.

Sometimes, people sing along, clap their hands or jump around with excitement. The band has been busy working on a few original tunes, too.

Songwriting is a tag-team effort.

Cornell Kuti, who describes himself as "old-school," composes while Chris Kuti layers on funky verses.

But, Chris admits, songwriting is serious business. Occasionally, he uses personal testimony from his own journal.

"It's easy to write a catchy melody," Chris Kuti said. "But it's hard to write good, Biblically based lyrics ... You never want to lead (the audience) to something that's not true. You want to lead them to stronger faith."

Years ago, Cornell Kuti longed for the glitz and glamor of secular stardom as a rock musician. That never quite panned out.

Now, he's singing a new tune.

"Music can be used in harmful ways and good ways, too," he said.

Cornell Kuti chooses the latter. He says, his secular days are long gone. He and the band are working to make music that makes a difference.

"Wider is the way that leads to destruction," said Chris Kuti. "Narrow is the way that leads to righteousness. And we're going for righteousness. It would be easy to go secular. We could play in clubs and bars, but God called us for worship (music), and we've got to stick to worship. Secular music is just shallow."

Wright agrees.

"This (music) doesn't fade," he said.

Sixth Hour will perform at Still Standing at 3:10 and 5:45 p.m. today at Zephyr Park on State Road 54 in Zephyrhills. The event is sponsored by the Zephyrhills Ministerial Association and offers free kiddie rides, food and entertainment. For information, about Still Standing, call the Rev. Keith Reiley at (813) 782-3124. For Sixth Hour, call (813) 787-0945.