Dustin Michael Kensrue (pronounced KENZ-roo) is a musician, singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in the rock band

Thrice Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school. Early in their career, the band was known ...

, as well as a solo artist.

Career

2007: Please Come Home

On October 10, 2006, it was announced that Kensrue had signed with

Equal Vision Records Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand. The label originally existed solel ...

, and that the label would release Kensrue's debut solo album. On January 23, 2007, Kensrue released a solo album titled '' Please Come Home'' on Equal Vision Records. He wrapped up the recording and mixing of the album at the home of fellow

member Teppei Teranishi. The album opened at 142 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' 200 with 5,800 copies sold the first week. He supported the album with a solo tour including stops on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'', ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'' and The Fuse Network. ''Please Come Home'' met with mostly favorable reviews from critics, who have compared Kensrue musically to singer/songwriter

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams lef ...

and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

. Kensrue intended to donate 5% of the proceeds from ''Please Come Home'' to a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

called To Write Love on Her Arms. In the press release, Kensrue explained the choice:

" To Write Love on Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with
clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...
,
addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...
, self-injury and
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
. To Write Love on Her Arms began in March 2006 as a written story and an attempt to raise money for one girl's treatment. T-shirts were printed and a MySpace page was created to serve as home base for the story. Excitement spread quickly throughout MySpace and the independent music community. For 2007, TWLOHA is aiming to raise $100k for treatment and recovery. This comes in addition to online counseling and continued efforts to creatively present hope and raise awareness.

TWLOHA is a fitting choice for Please Come Home. The album lyrically exudes redemption, personal worth, love, acceptance, and hope. “I try to be an artist who aspires to find hope even in dark places: If I’m down, I don’t want to bring people down to that place with me. I’m looking for a way out," says Kensrue.

2008: This Good Night Is Still Everywhere

On October 14, 2008, Kensrue said this on the official Thrice website - "I just finished my Christmas record. I haven’t really mentioned it because (a). I’ve been spending all my time working on it, and (b). I wasn’t totally sure I would finish it in time to come out this year. But, last night I finished it up and Teppei is finishing the mixes tonight. It’s going to be an online release only and will hopefully be out in mid-November sometime. The title is “This Good Night Is Still Everywhere” and it contains 8 covers and 2 Christmas originals. I love Christmas music so it was a lot of fun to do this and I’m glad I get to share it with you guys." "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" was posted on Kensrue's website on November 15. ''This Good Night Is Still Everywhere'' was released digitally through Vagrant Records on November 18. Kensrue also added vocals in the song "The Contender" on the album "Pierce the Empire With a Sound" by experimental act The Out Circuit released on February 12, 2008. A music video for "This Is War" was released in December 2009.

2013: The Water & the Blood

On October 1, 2013, Kensrue released his third studio album ''

The Water & the Blood ''The Water & the Blood'' is the third studio album from Christian indie musician Dustin Kensrue, which was released on September 30, 2013 by BEC Recordings and Mars Hill Music, and the album was produced by Brian Eichelberger. The album has seen ...

'', which includes the song "It's Not Enough" and "Grace Alone". The project is a collection of mostly original corporate worship songs written while he was the Worship Pastor of Mars Hill Church Bellevue and intended to be sung at church. According to Kensrue, "all the lyrics of the record are very, very rooted in Scripture", and added: "There is power in the Word of God. As much as you stick close to that, there is power in the lyrics as well." The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Christian chart and No. 52 on Billboard 200, selling 7,000 copies in its first week.

2015: Carry the Fire

On April 21, 2015, Kensrue released his fourth solo project, '' Carry the Fire'', which includes the song "Back to Back". The album debuted at No. 110 on ''Billboard'' 200, and No. 18 on the Top Rock Albums chart.

2016: Thoughts That Float on a Different Blood

His fifth album, a live album of cover songs, ''

Thoughts That Float on a Different Blood ''Thoughts That Float on a Different Blood'' is a cover album by Dustin Kensrue. It is the fifth album released by Kensrue, as well as his first live album. Vagrant Records released the album on March 18, 2016. The album was recorded over two show ...

'', was released on March 18, 2016, with

Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is h ...

, and this album charted on three ''Billboard'' magazine charts. He also released an EP, ''More Thoughts That Float on a Different Blood'', on November 25, 2016, on

7-inch vinyl In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...

for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

Worship leader

In 2011, Kensrue became a deacon of the

Mars Hill Church Mars Hill Church was a Christian megachurch, founded in 1996 by Mark Driscoll, Lief Moi, and Mike Gunn. It was a multi-site church based in Seattle, Washington and grew from a home Bible study to 15 locations in 4 U.S. states. in addition to s ...

plant in Orange County, and in 2012 Mars Hill announced that Kensrue would become the worship leader for the campus located in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as ...

, and be involved in coordinating worship music across their churches. In October 2014, Kensrue resigned amid controversy surrounding pastor

Mark Driscoll Mark A. Driscoll (born 1970) is an American evangelical pastor and author who founded the now defunct Mars Hill Church. He is the senior and founding pastor of the Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, which was founded in 2016. In 1996, ...

, returning to California with his wife and three daughters.

The Modern Post

In 2012, Kensrue formed the band The Modern Post at the Mars Hill Church in Orange County, California. The band members include brothers Phil and Lee Neujahr on bass and drums, and Jonny Sandu on keyboard. They released the EP ''Grace Alone'' in 2012. The band also re-recorded the songs from Kensrue's solo project ''

'' in a live setting, and released as ''The Water & the Blood (Acoustic Sessions)''. In July 2014, Kensrue announced that he was working on a follow-up to ''This Good Night'' with a five-track Christmas EP including a re-working of "This Is War". The EP, titled ''Lowborn King'' was released from The Modern Post on November 24, 2014.

Personal life

Kensrue and Shadlie Ruby Smith married in 2002 and went on to have three daughters together. His younger brother, Chase Kensrue, played guitar and piano for the band

Eye Alaska Eye Alaska was an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 2006. Two members, Brandon Wronski and Cameron Trowbridge, were former members of Dead Letter Diaries. Eye Alaska signed to Fearless Records in February 2008, and ...

. He has a tattoo of Proverbs 9:10a ("The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom") written in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

on his left forearm.

Discography

Albums

Christmas albums

Extended plays

* 2012: ''Grace Alone'' EP (The Modern Post) * 2014: ''Lowborn King EP'' (The Modern Post) * 2016: ''More Thoughts That Float On A Different Blood'' (Dustin Kensrue)

References

External links

*
Thrice website

THE So Cal Scene Interview with Dustin Kensrue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kensrue, Dustin 1980 births Living people American performers of Christian music American rock guitarists American male guitarists American male singers American rock singers Singers from California People from Irvine, California Thrice members Mars Hill Church people Guitarists from California 21st-century American singers Equal Vision Records artists