Introducing Reclaim the Day

With their debut single, Reclaim the Day has introduced a hard rock sound that is driven by their passion for spreading hope. With an upcoming EP that includes cowrites with Andrew Stanton (Disciple), this rising band already shows promise for a late 2020 release.

Rock On Purpose’s Matt Sassano had the chance to talk to the band and hear more about their hearts and what’s driving them to share their voice with the world.

Matt: We met at KCF 2020 in support of the bands there. How was that experience for you guys?

Logan: It was my first time ever being at KCF, and it was absolutely incredible! I got to meet so many people that I had already known on Facebook but hadn’t had a chance to meet yet. It was really awesome being there to support all of the incredible artists that performed. A lot of my personal favorite bands played, like GFM and Disciple. Even though we ended up not performing at KCF, it was still awesome just to be there and support the bands that did play. It was easily one of the best weekends of my life.

Becca: I always love going to any A1M event, whether I am performing or not, because it always feels like a big family reunion. This year definitely stands out because of all that’s going on in the world, but it made it that much more meaningful and impactful. I was blessed to meet new people that I’ve never seen at KCF before, and I saw the impact that these bands made.

Matt: Who makes up Reclaim the Day and where are you all from? Introduce us to your sound.

Marcus: I’m Marcus Sugg, and I’m the lead guitarist. I’m originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, but I currently live in Greenwood, Indiana. I’d describe our sound as somewhat of a heavy rock/worship kind of vibe. We have some songs that are on the more chill side of things, and some with in-your-face breakdowns too!

Logan: I’m Logan Morehouse and I play bass guitar. I’m from Lafayette, Indiana. I would say we have a more hard-rock sound.

Alex: I’m Alex Beattie, and I play drums. I’m from Lebanon, Indiana. I’d say our sound is guitar driven and heavy hard rock music with a touch prog.

Becca: I’m Becca Sugg, and I am the lead vocalist. I also play rhythm guitar. I’d have to say our sound definitely is hard rock/worship but we also do have some heavier songs that we are writing for our upcoming EP.

Matt: What kind of person or fan would you say Reclaim the Day’s music is for? What makes you unique as a band?

Marcus: Honestly, I’d say it’s for anyone and everyone, but I feel like it may connect more with the young adult age group. People who want to rock out to some Christian music that’s a bit heavier than what you’d normally find on typical Christian radio stations.

Logan: I think people who enjoy hard rock music with a little worship mixed in here and there would enjoy what we have to offer.

Becca: Our music is for everyone. I think that’s one thing that makes us unique, especially with some of the stuff we have been writing. We have heavier songs, and we also have been writing some lighter songs. Even some of our heavier songs are songs you can worship to.

Matt: Who have been your musical influences?

Marcus: When I first had an interest in picking up the guitar, I’d have to say that my main influences at the time were Skillet, Disciple, and Hillsong United. As time progressed, I was also very much inspired by artists such as Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Angel Vivaldi, Sithu Aye, Rob Chapman, Rabea Massaad, Ichika, and even Babymetal.

Logan: For me personally I would have to say bands like Disciple, GFM, and Set For The Fall are some bands that influence me as a musician.

Alex: I almost have too many influences to list, but I think the big ones for me are Tool, Deftones, Rush, and Metallica.

Becca: I have numerous influences, and a lot of them are female-led bands. Heart has always been the one band that influenced me to play guitar in the first place, but as far as writing goes, I’m heavily influenced by Evanescence, Icon For Hire, Skillet, and Jesus Culture. It’s a weird mix.

Matt: You released the single “Who You Are.” Tell me about that song and the inspiration behind it.

Marcus: “Who You Are” was written about a time in our lives in which we felt very empty, like our fire for pursuing God’s call had just about burned out. The song is almost like a prayer, if you think about it. In the song we ask for God to reignite the inner fire that we can no longer see, and we ask for Him to reveal to us more of who He is. 

What I hope for the listener to take away from it is this: God loves you, He’s always with you and will never leave you, He will reignite that inner fire as you pursue Him, and He will reveal Himself to you more as you continuously seek after Him.

Logan: The song is in the perspective of someone whose fire for a God given passion goes out. The person in the song is basically asking God to reignite their fire for what they are passionate about.

Becca: I started writing that song in a part of my life where I felt I was trying to live the life God called me to and giving so much, but my fire was going out. It honestly just felt like I was drowning, and I was losing myself and my way. This song was my cry out to God, saying “I literally can’t do this without you.” I wanted Him to light my fire and show me the way and change who I was so that I could be renewed through hope. 

I want fans to take away a couple things from this song. The first thing is that this song came straight from the heart and was super raw, and I wanted the listeners to really feel what I was feeling when I cried out to God at this moment. The second thing is the message of the song. Don’t give up. Don’t let your fire go out. God will always guide you down the right path and He has never failed me and I know He never will.

Matt: What is the main message or legacy you want fans to take from Reclaim the Day’s music?

Marcus: Our name is a big part of our message. There will be plenty of times that the enemy will try to steal away your joy, cause you to fear, or make you doubt, but even when you are struggling against the enemy, with God’s help you can “Reclaim the Day.” He loves you so very much, and He will fight for you so that even the worst of days can be reclaimed by shifting our focus from worldly trials to our supreme Lord who loves us more than we could ever know.

Logan: I would want people to know that there’s a God that loves them so much. You are never alone, and you can never be too far gone.

Becca: The biggest message through our music that we have is the message of hope. All of our songs have stories behind them to encourage you to keep fighting against all odds. Whether they are stories inspired by the Bible, or stories from real life experiences, there is hope in every situation.

Matt: Becca, I know you’ve said that you spent much of your life battling depression. Could you share your journey through depression and how you continue to overcome it?

Becca: Yeah! So, I’ve battled anxiety and depression most of my life. It’s been a rough journey, and it’s still an everyday fight. I remember back in 2013 I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror because I didn’t know that person was. Not only did that lead to certain addictions, but I’d say it led to an addiction to misery. I got to a point where I was comfortable being miserable. 

In 2015 I had some friends and leaders really speak life into me. At that moment, I surrendered it all to Christ and let go of all I was holding onto. My identity wasn’t found in who I was in my past or what I’ve done or what others had done to me, but it was found in Christ. It was like a weight had lifted from me. 

I remember I used to struggle with suicidal thoughts, and I would self-harm. Just like that God spoke to me and I was free. I have joy in my life everyday, and I have a wonderful supportive husband and a few close friends and family that have been with me every step of the way.

Matt: What would you say to a listener who is battling through something right now?

Becca: Honestly, one of the biggest things that helped me was knowing my self-worth. I used to believe I was nothing or that I wasn’t good enough, but God made me as a masterpiece, just as He made you. I was also hung up on my past and dealt with so much guilt over who I used to be. In Romans 6 it says we are dead to sin and alive in Christ. It’s encouraging to know whatever I’ve done, and the things that have been done to me, are all dead. 

I encourage you to build that personal relationship with Christ and recommit yourself everyday, because you wouldn’t believe the wonders that God is going to do and the difference it’s going to make in your life. Lastly, if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, reach out and talk to someone. You matter to me, and you definitely matter to God. Have hope that God truly has a plan for you, and that plan is more amazing than anything you could ever think of.

Matt: I met you all personally and later found Becca and Marcus are married. What has it been like to share that dynamic?

Marcus: It’s definitely taught us to be comfortable traveling around together, and has also taught us to be patient with one another when dealing with the stresses that can sometimes come around while on the road.

Alex: I think it’s awesome to see a couple on fire for God with a heart for ministry. I think it also shows how well a husband and wife or family ministry team can function.

Matt: Are there any highlight moments from an event or show that let you know that your music has impacted people?

Marcus: We had one show in Indianapolis during which we stopped our set to have the whole church come up and pray for a young woman. It was amazing to see everyone come together to pray for her, and she said that night that she wanted Jesus to be her Savior. It was amazing.

Becca: I think everyone agrees that it all goes back to that show in Indy at a small church. We literally stopped our set as the audience and the band gathered around a young girl and just prayed over her. I will never forget the humbling feeling afterwards of thinking I don’t deserve this God, but yet here You are using me. That was truly a special moment.

Matt: I see that you guys have worked and are continuing to work with the amazing Josiah Prince from Disciple. How did you connect?

Marcus: We had played at the same show as Disciple while in a previous ministry, and found out that Josiah helps with songwriting and recording. Once we had formed our own ministry, we messaged him about helping us to rewrite and record.

Becca: We actually met through a previous band my husband and I were a part of for about 4 years. They are now known as The Midnight Wedding, and they are some close friends of ours. We got connected through them and have grown an awesome friendship with those guys ever since.

Matt: What did it feel like at first getting to work with such a legend in Christian rock?

Marcus: I’ve been a fan for many years. When I first started getting into heavier music, I would listen to their Southern Hospitality and Horseshoes & Handgrenades albums all the time. Off those albums, my favorite three would have to be “Lay My Burdens,” “Invisible,” and “Ballad Of St. Augustine.” When we first started working with him, I definitely acted like a fanboy for a little while. After a little bit though, I realized that he was a lot like us, and that I shouldn’t be nervous. He’s a really awesome guy, and I’m very glad to be able to call him my friend!

Logan: Man, it was incredible! Disciple is my personal favorite band, and they have been for some time now. I was 17 years old when I saw and met them for my first time, and I never would’ve imagined I’d actually be getting to work with them. It’s literally a dream come true.

Becca: I actually didn’t start listening to Disciple until I got older. I was a hardcore Skillet fan before anything but it’s pretty awesome. I think for the first ten minutes when I first met them in our previous ministry it felt crazy, but afterwards you really just think about them as regular people just like you. I am definitely appreciative of their friendship.

Matt: How has Josiah influenced your music?

Marcus: I love his approach to writing in general. Writing lyrics with him was very fun. It took a while for us to smooth out the lyrics in “Who You Are,” but it was really cool getting to work with him and get his input to help us get it where it needed to be. One way he definitely influenced us was in that “Who You Are” was originally a much softer, acoustic driven song, but he had the idea of making it heavy, and we absolutely loved it. He made the writing process fun, and it was awesome getting to see him work.

Logan: Lyrically I’d definitely say “Who You Are” is still very worshipful, but Josiah had made it into more of a rock song.

Becca: You can definitely hear a lot of Disciple influence in our music for sure!

Matt: I know with COVID 19 the music industry has faced some huge difficulties. Can you tell me how it’s impacted touring for you?

Marcus: Our ministry is still fairly young, so we didn’t really have a lot of stuff going when all of this hit, but all the shows we did have planned out came to a screeching halt. Even our band practices were put on hold for a while. Since the pandemic has hit, we haven’t been able to tour at all. Despite that, we’re still hoping to be able to do a few shows some time this year, and are really hoping to be able to get to tour some time in 2021.

Becca: It has been pretty unfortunate that a lot of shows have gotten cancelled. We had a lot of dates over the past few months that we were very excited about, and all of them were postponed or cancelled. It was a bummer at first, but it turned out to be a huge God thing as we had a lot going in our personal lives. Alex and his wife had a new baby, and my husband and I were gearing up to move. It all worked out for the better. Plus, we were able to focus more on writing and hitting the studio, which was amazing. We have a few shows coming up in the fall, so we are excited for those at least!

Matt: What are you working on regarding touring?

Marcus: Right now we are in the process of trying to put together a 2021 tour with 2 other artists, and I think that it’s going to be an amazing experience. We know everything is still pretty touch and go, regarding the pandemic, but we’re hoping and praying to be able to have a good two week tour planned out and ready to go by the time this next year comes around.

Becca: It is definitely still up in the air with everything, but we are hoping for more shows next year. 

Matt: How can fans best support you particularly in this time of COVID-19?

Marcus: If they would be willing to help us with the financial aspect of putting our EP together, that would be a tremendous blessing. We’re hoping to have it put together and released as soon as possible, and any financial help would be very greatly appreciated!

Logan: We have a place on our website where you can donate if you would like, we also have some merch items in the merch store available. But you can also stream our song on a streaming platform of your choice and share it with your friends and family.

Becca: Right now people can do three things to support us. First, they can follow us on all social media and keep listening to our music, even though it’s just one song out right now. I promise there will be more soon. Second, you can share us with your friends and family. Lastly, you can help give to our EP fund as that will definitely help us get our music faster, and there are also perks for giving. If you can’t give, prayer works too! We just love and appreciate all the support we’ve gotten so far.

Matt: Tell me about your EP and your vision for it!

Marcus: We’re hoping to release a 5 song EP some time either late this year or early next year. As to when it will be released, that will largely have to do with how quickly we are able to get funding together for it. My vision and hope for this EP is that its songs will really draw in and captivate the listeners, that it will minister to them all the while, inspiring them with the hope, freedom, love, joy, and peace found in Jesus.

Logan: My hope for the EP is that people would be able to deeply connect with it and that it may change people’s lives. Even if it impacts just one person, we’ve done our job.

Alex: I think for me I would like this EP to really give people a taste of the band we have become over the last year of crafting music and writing together, for them to be as excited as we are about this ministry and what we are hoping God is going to do.

Becca: I am definitely excited for our EP because not only do we have a great team of people working on it and helping push us to the best of our potential, but I feel like this EP is going to show more of who we really are as a band and what we stand for. It’s also great that we have Andrew Stanton helping co-write, as well as Suzy Madsen from Zahna helping as my vocal coach to push me to my limits. Like I said, we just have a great team supporting and helping us. I’m just excited to hear the EP when all the songs will be complete, because my hope and vision is that the songs that pour out from our hearts really reach people.

Matt: What is the goal and how can fans donate?

Marcus: Our financial goal for the EP is $6,200. That would allow us to record, mix, master, and release all five songs on all major music platforms. Any and all assistance in reaching that goal would be very greatly appreciated! If anyone would like to aid us in reaching our goal, please feel free to check out our GoFundMe here: https://gf.me/u/yidshh Also, there are rewards for different amounts given too!

Matt: How can fans reach out to you and join the reclaim the day family?

Marcus: If anyone would like to reach out and join the Reclaim The Day family, feel free to message us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Becca: You can also find us on all streaming websites or just visit our website online and learn more about us.

Matt: Any parting words?

Marcus: Stay strong everyone! I know that life can be pretty crazy, depressing, and even scary sometimes, but know that God is bigger than anything you’ll face in this world, and He loves you so very much. Hold on to Him and His words, and reclaim your day!

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NLT

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 NLT

Logan: No matter what you’re going through or how you feel, you are loved. You’re never alone, and you matter.

Becca: I always like to tell people that it’s in the name. Whatever your personal struggles are, don’t let it take you. Whether you are dealing with anger, depression, fear, anxiety, addictions, or whatever you face, fight it. You can reclaim the day from whatever is trying to take it from you. If our God is for us, then who could ever stop us. Don’t lose hope!