The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Forever on … the Browns’ side?
Brothers of NEEDTOBREATHE are pulling for Cleveland’s football team
Because NEEDTOBREATHE’s Bear Rinehart spends so much time writing, recording and touring with his brother, Bo, the singer-guitarist inadvertently has become a fan of the Cleveland Browns.
“I think Bo picked them when they weren’t very good at the time, and he feels like the turnaround is coming,” said Rinehart, calling from North Carolina. “I guess everybody does. It’s kind of awesome and an exciting time.
“I’m definitely going to be watching every game on the bus, for sure. Obviously, the ‘Hard Knocks’ thing is cool — to have all of the extra attention,” he added, referring to the HBO series that has been chronicling the team’s training camp. “I think that they’re right there. And you have to like an underdog. I’m happy for them.”
It turns out the Rinehart brothers have a real soft spot for Northeast Ohio sports teams. In addition to following the Browns, the siblings also were avid Cleveland Cavalier fans when You Know Who brought his talents back to Northeast Ohio. They even flew up to attend a few NBA Finals games.
These days, NEEDTOBREATHE is busy touring in support of its recently released EP, “Forever on Your Side,” which the outfit recorded in Austin, Texas. Unsure where the recording sessions would take them, Rinehart said they caught lightning in the bottle, cutting more than half a dozen songs in 10 days. That, apparently, is tantamount to traveling at light speed for the group.
“It’s the first time we put something out that quick,” Rinehart said. “We didn’t feel like we could wait half a year to put it out as an album, so we decided the world needs to hear the songs right now.”
The centerpiece of the EP is the title track, which Rinehart said the group will play when it returns to the Rock Hall City for a show Sept. 5 at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica.
NEEDTOBREATHE continues to exist in both the mainstream and CCM — contemporary Christian music — worlds.
However, scanning over the press materials for “Forever on Your Side,” there’s no reference to their CCM leanings.
And, at this point, it would make sense if Rinehart were tired of the discussion.
“Honestly, I don’t think we’re frustrated by it,” Rinehart said. “There was a time when we were sort of hoping people wouldn’t write about it as much. Now we’re like, if you write about the band, we’re thankful.
“The only thing we don’t like about it is people who don’t give us a chance or come out to a live show because they think of that music as crappy or whatever. Or that you have to believe this or that to like our band. That’s the last thing we’d want.”
That said, there’s no lying the Browns can use help from a higher power.
“You do,” Rinehart said. “We’re praying for you.”
Perhaps Rinehart and Bo should one day make a special return trip to Northeast Ohio when the Browns finally make the playoffs.
“I absolutely promise that,” Rinehart said. “We’ll be the first in line.”