Newsboys. Peter Furler.
These two names have been synonymous since 1985 when Furler pulled a few mates together to play music in Queensland. As he describes it, “Newsboys was a tree that I planted as a kid in my teens in Toowoomba”.  In 1987 they transplanted the tree and headed off to the US – becoming one of Australia’s most successful, and unsung, exports*.

Peter was originally the drummer, but when best friend and front man John James left in 1998, he moved to the front with his guitar and became part of the band’s outstanding success.

Since then band members, both Aussie and American, have come and gone over the decades. Probably the most notable import came in 2006 when Paul Colman from Melbourne (Paul Colman Trio), joined the Newsboys for three years.

Never look back
Everything changed in September 2009, when Furler headlined Newsboys for the last time in Orlando Florida.  ultra106five Breakky announcer Scott Haas chatted to Peter recently and asked how hard it was to finish up after so long. “It was really peaceful and really amicable, not like a big bust up or a brawl,” Peter responded. “I had a real clarity about it and I have never looked back.”

Peter kept working with the band as producer and songwriter for a while, so the switch to new front man Michael Tait (formerly of dctalk) didn’t happen overnight. He says, “In the transition I helped pick my replacement . . . and that took a year or so.  I was behind the scenes for a while until it was clear to all that it was time for them to walk on their own two feet.”

The contrast from such a structured environment of continual touring to complete lack of restriction was a welcome relief. He says, “I didn’t leave to make a solo record, I didn’t really know what I was going to be doing next. I love that freedom.” Since then Peter and Summer, his wife of 20 years, have moved house to Florida, “because it feels more like the Sunshine Coast to me than Nashville”; they’ve travelled the US in a bus; and he also picked up a paintbrush and let his creative instincts take over (you can check out some of his work for sale here).

A successful transition
In 2011, Peter Furler has branched out as a solo artist. He released his first solo single, Reach, to much acclaim on June 21 hitting Number One on Australia’s Hot 25 Count within weeks. You can hear Reach on ultra106five, or you can click here to listen. With this song furthering his success, Peter Furler looks set to continue his amazing run of hits.

He remains very grounded however, and taking time away from performing the past two years has resulted in some fresh understanding. Having worked the traps of a very public and successful music career Peter offered down to earth opinions when interviewed by Paul Colman on stage in Toowoomba during Easterfest 2011. He reflected, “We get overly ambitious, we get hooks that pull us, and it can happen at any age and cause so much havoc in your life . . . There is so much practical advice in the Bible – don’t wear yourself out to get rich, and have the wisdom to show restraint. For my wife and I, it’s been an awakening of simplifying and living simple lives, and then there’s no hooks in you.”

Listen to Peter Furler’s new single, Reach
Visit Peter Furler’s website

*Newsboys have sold more than 6 million records, won 5 Dove awards and been nominated for 4 Grammy Awards. In 2011 their song ‘City to City’ was featured in the trailer for the Disney Pixar movie Cars 2.

Easterfest 2011 (Photos by S Haas)