On the surface, it may seem like one three-letter word describes the band Stellar Kart: f-u-n.

Their onstage antics involve a lot of energetic jumping and yelling. Their signature pop/punk sound builds hits such as “Life Is Good” and “Me and Jesus”—tunes that are more than likely to get stuck in your head. Even their name, borrowed from a go-kart track in California, is inevitably fun. Yet underneath all of that lives a mission much more serious.

‘Rooted’

Stellar Kart, originally hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, released their third album earlier this year, entitled Expect the Impossible. A certain level of maturity and focus naturally emerges when a band has weathered the industry long enough to release three albums.

“I think we’ve grown up a lot and see the big picture a lot more—that it’s really not about us at all—it’s about making an impact in the world. And doing that one person at a time,” lead vocalist Adam Agee muses. “I think we’ve really found our vision as a band is to be a ministry tool for kids—for witnessing, to get their friends to come to church, and hopefully get them saved.”

The band is rooted in the soil of youth ministry. When they first formed, they functioned as the worship band of their youth group. Later, they began playing at youth camps, retreats, and conferences.

Agee wants to give the students they encounter something he didn’t have growing up. As the son of a church-planting pastor, he moved often and didn’t have a strong youth group experience where his faith could be nurtured. It wasn’t until his college years that he completely realized who he was in Christ and began to feel the desire to share his beliefs with others.

“I really want to encourage these kids to not be afraid of standing up for what they believe,” Agee states. “Hopefully our band can provide some inspiration to kids at a young age so they can get more done earlier on.”

Multiple Ministry Outlets

While the majority of Stellar Kart’s ministry is accomplished directly through their music (see SONGS, below), they also spend time encouraging kids one-on-one through the band’s online sites. They receive messages from kids asking for prayer, wondering where God is during a tough time or just needing to know someone cares. The band tries to respond to as many as possible: “We just try to offer what little bit of advice we can, tell them what we went through, and tell them Jesus loves them and that’s what will get them through the day,” explains Agee.

Another way Stellar Kart is involved in ministry is through their partnership with World Vision. They have had the chance to work with World Vision during recent tours. During the show, they might show a video or talk briefly about what World Vision does around the world in an effort to encourage kids to participate. Agee feels that “it’s something really cool for kids to get involved in—especially for a youth group to do together because it’s an inexpensive way to give a child a chance at life. World Vision provides every opportunity to make a difference in the world.”

Touring through the Impossible

Of course, a major part of making music for a living is the touring. Stellar Kart recently completed a tour with Esterlyn (the band profiled in our January/February 2008 issue) and will be traveling across the nation and into Europe soon for summer festivals. While life on the road provides Agee’s favorite aspect of the music profession (“walking onstage to a new crowd every night is probably the coolest part”), it also inspired the title of the new record.

The band lived through experience after experience where something would happen, making it seemingly impossible for them to arrive at their next destination on the tour. But as they prayed, God always provided a way. So, they decided to call the album Expect the Impossible. Agee explains, “It’s another way of saying expect a miracle, expect God to work, have faith” that God has a plan and knows what’s going on.

Remaining Grounded

Along with touring comes the pressure of constantly being in the spotlight, which means it is integral for the band members to remain spiritually grounded. Agee relates that the best way they have found to do that is to rely on strong friendships: “We have some friends who couldn’t care less whether we’re in a band or not who keep us accountable. They will call us and ask how we’re doing as individuals and what we’re struggling with. I think that really helps keep us on track.”

…on track, pun intended? Perhaps—after all, you can’t take the “fun” out of Stellar Kart.

SONGS

Lyrics from three new Stellar Kart songs and the meanings behind them, according to lead vocalist Adam Agee:

“Jesus Loves You”
I know I don’t have all the answers
And I have wasted many chances
To prove to you a faith that lives inside
I’m praying there will be a breakthrough
’Cause I can’t be the one to save you
God knows how many times I’ve tried

This song was written for a friend of mine who I’ve known since high school. He isn’t a Christian; he’s very into trying to make it on his own. He’ll come to me whenever his life gets rough and ask how I make it through; and I’ll tell him what I believe, but it doesn’t really seem to affect him. He’s says, “No, that’s your deal, it’s not for me.” So the song is about how when I’ve given every argument, every piece of information that I can think of, ultimately there’s nothing else to say but, “Jesus loves you.”

“Shine Like the Stars”
Tell me why do you fear
And try to disappear
If you’ve got nothing to hide
Shine like the stars
Wherever you are
Wherever you go
Be heavenly glow

This song is a call out to Christian kids to not be afraid or ashamed of what they believe and to be a light in this world that continues to get darker and darker every day. That’s about as simple as it gets.

“Innocent”
I see why the good old days are gone
Every time I turn my TV on
What’s wrong with being different?
Buried underneath this avalanche
You are my hope and second chance
Don’t let my heart get away

One of the tougher songs to write because it deals with purity, an issue that a lot of female Christian artists write about—but it’s not really touched on very often by male singers. So we wanted to tell the guys that it’s cool to live an innocent life, to live a pure life.