Hailing from Palm Beach, Florida, Tenth Avenue North got its name from a major east-west road in Palm Beach County. Considering the band formed when the guys attended Palm Beach Atlantic University, it was a fitting name that represented their journey.
Their latest album The Struggle was candidly written out of some deep personal hurts, and covers topics that most people tend to sweep under the rug, “We just tried to really dive into what we all struggle with and offer some hope,” lead singer Mike Donehey said to K-LOVE’s Scott and Kelli.“We all struggle, and we struggle in a lot of ways. We all struggle to love God, and we struggle to let God love us, and then that plays out in a myriad of different temptations.”
Comprised of Mike Donehey, Jeff Owen, Jason Jamison, Brendon Shirley, and Ruben Juarez (bass), the goal of Tenth Avenue North’s debut album Over and Underneath was to communicate the love of Jesus, plain and simple. It made a favorable first impression while featuring hit singles "Hold My Heart," “Love is Here” and "By Your Side," which earned the 2010 Dove Award "Song of the Year."
In 2010, the band’s second album, The Light Meets the Dark, released to critical and commercial fanfare, thanks to a promising first single “Healing Begins.” The song and album as a whole were designed to call listeners to repentance by confessing their sins in accordance with James 5:16, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Coupled with this verse is the idea of mercy, and the bands' songs "You Are More" and "Strong Enough To Save," remind us all that regardless of much we have sinned, nothing is too far for God's grace to encompass.
The band's latest single "Losing," off The Struggle, is a song about asking God for the grace to forgive others, even when we may not too."Our desire for The Struggle, is that listeners will walk away with both of these truths still ringing in their ears and burning in their hearts," Mike Donehey explains." We are free to fail because there’s an ocean of grace that we fall into. But also, we have the promise of a power so strong that it raised Christ Himself, and so we know that, mystery of mysteries, we’re also not struggling to be free."
Tenth Avenue North will kick off The Struggle Tour in September of 2012. The band is also up for, "Group/Duo of the Year," at the first ever K-LOVE fan awards.