PFR Reunites for 12 in 12

On the 20th anniversary of its Grammy-nominated album debut, Pray For Rain, Dove Award-winning Christian rock band PFR has reunited and is prepping for the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour, their first national tour since 1997. Concerts will take the band to Portland, Ore., Kansas City, Nashville, Indianapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Arizona cities of Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff. For the tour, the legendary band has partnered with ChildFund International to encourage sponsorship of special needs children throughout the world.

PFR chose to work with ChildFund, in part, because of bass player and vocalist Patrick Andrew's personal story as the father of two special needs children. Because ChildFund utilizes a unique organizational structure, there is only one donor per child, so each donor is able to build a personal, one-to-one relationship with their sponsored child. "This is so hard on a family to go through, and we have the best doctors, hospitals and equipment," explains Andrew, whose youngest son, Samuel, fights an autoimmune disease, and oldest son, Everett, lives with autism. "I can't imagine what it is like for a family in a less fortunate part of the world to watch their child go through an illness and not be able to make sure that they have the best care. ChildFund has offered us the opportunity to offer sponsorships for special needs kids, and that's really exciting for me."

"It's been 20 years since we released our very first album, Pray for Rain," says frontman/guitarist Joel Hanson. "This new tour feels like a really good way to celebrate the music and the bond that has held us and our fans together all these years." "We've had this conversation about touring again for several years," adds drummer Mark Nash. "Occasionally we've gotten together to do a show. We're still really good friends, and when we are on stage that same chemistry and energy is still there."

A fundraising concert for Andrew's son in November 2011 brought the former bandmates together, "the catalyst," Hanson says, to booking the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour. "So we thought we'd play the numbers game - 2012. Twenty years since our first record, 12 shows," he says, "but then we realized (and we are happy to say) that there seems to be interest out there, so we decided that we are going to keep going - 12 in 2012…And Beyond - as long as the requests keep coming in."

With the new tour in the works, Hanson, Andrew and Nash find themselves recharged and re-energized with new music and old favorites to share with their legion of fans. "This is our chance to play all the songs that people loved and it gives us the opportunity to share our story," Hanson says. "Things have been beautiful and things have been difficult, but we're still here, walking out what we believe."

"Looking back over 20 years of making music, one thing that is important for us to convey is that God's word is true," Andrew says. "It was true when we wrote those songs, and it is true today. Even in our naiveté, we sang about truths that were Biblically accurate. People's lives were changed by some of these songs, but it wasn't because of us; it was God speaking through us. We were just a bunch of kids having fun."

To learn more of the story of the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour, view PFR's video at vimeo.com/42889832 or visit pfr12in2012.com.