Local band performs in contest

Not All Related: Adam Hillis, Nathan and Noah Harpham and Jeremy Roach.

Sisters may be a small town, but there is some mighty big musical talent lurking here.

Local Christian band Not All Related performed their song "The Storm" at the Christian Artists Talent Search semi-final round on August 17. The event was held at a church in Los Angeles.

The contest garnered entries from 45 states. Sponsored by Daywind Sountrack, Family Christian Stores, INSP Network and Salem Communications, the grand prize is a year-long recording contract worth many thousands of dollars.

There were four categories: Contemporary, Children's, Southern Gospel and Urban. By far the most entries were in the Contemporary group. Twenty five semi-finalists were selected in each category.

Band members Adam Hillis, Nathan and Noah Harpham and Jeremy Roach got wind of the contest through a magazine. Encouraged by family to enter a CD they had made of the song, the young men were stunned when they learned they had made the cut.

"We couldn't believe it," said Nathan Harpham. "It took a while to connect."

The experience of performing in the contest was valuable. Most of the bands in the contemporary category were from the L.A. area, with Not All Related the only band from a small town. While they won't be advancing to the finals this time, they will no doubt be polishing future numbers.

The song was a collaboration between Harpham and Hillis, with Hillis penning the lyrics. He said he wrote the words, not realizing until later that they were a cry from his heart to God.

When Harpham arrived at his house one day with some music in hand, they got together and, according to Harpham, "In five minutes we had a song. It was like it was meant to be. 'The Storm' has been our most successful and popular song so far and has touched many lives."

The opportunity to record the song came through the Americana Project, a music class at Sisters High School. Through a contact of teacher Brad Tisdel, several students were able to record their music at The Mallen Music Ranch, a recording studio just outside Sisters.

Hillis and Harpham had already performed the song several times locally. When the time came to record, they decided to add some depth to the music and invited Noah Harpham to play electric bass and Roach to drum. Nathan Harpham says of Roach, "He's only 16 but drums like he's 35."