KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Need to Breathe is center stage once again, playing its “Into the Mystery” Tour.
“We thought we were going to take a couple of months off,” said Josh Lovelace. “Little did we know it would be a couple of years off. So, we're, pumped, ready to go.”
The Christian Rock Band has entertained audiences for around 2 decades. Lovelace has been backup vocals and behind the keyboard for the last 10 years.
“At the end of our last tour, I was feeling pretty burnt out. To be honest, I was kind of feeling like I just want to go home,” said Lovelace. “I don't know if I even love this anymore.”
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and silenced live entertainment.
“It made me appreciate how lucky we are to get to do what we do," he said. "And not only do what we do but do it at the level that we get to do.”
It also gave Josh, a father of two children, a lot of family time at home.
“They're big fans of the band," he said. "They listen to our records every night when they go to bed.”
He even produced a children’s album. And, last year, he and his wife homeschooled their children while many schools closed due to COVID-19. No surprise, Lovelace taught music appreciation.
“I taught them all the best rocking roll band," he said. "Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen.”
Lovelace grew up in North Knoxville, and he said that it's a place he loved coming home to. He caught the performance bug as a member of Central High School’s Bobcat Company.
“There’s something in the water at Central High School," he said. "I definitely am very appreciative of my time at the school and the choir department. It made me who I am for sure.”
It helped make him a rock star, according to Lovelace’s son.
“He's like my best publicist," Lovelace said. "He tells everybody that I'm in a rock band.”
And now, he and his sister get to see their dad in action for the first time. Need to Breath is playing some big, iconic stages from Red Rocks a week ago to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
“I think we're gonna be like little kids again, walking out there on stage. We stay gone for 4 to 6 weeks at a time, which is hard to do," he said. "But for us, it just makes sense to do that and kind of keeps the momentum.”
The family will make some shows, but they may not be able to make all of them. Lovelace said that touring is a little different now with COVID-19 safety protocols.
“I think music is healing, I think people want to see shows because they've missed feeling connected to something and other people and hearing people sing around them," he said. "So, we want to give that gift to people. And that also is a gift to us, but we definitely want to do it in the safest way possible.”
Need To Breathe is on the road with Switchfoot and the New Respects.
They’ll round out the tour with shows in Memphis, Nashville and Atlanta but unfortunately, they have no dates in Knoxville.