When it comes to music, i feel like it’s rare to remember the moment that you first heard a certain artist. For me, it’s a short list and Noah Gundersen is on that list. It was 2008 and i was driving in Orlando, in my truck with my friend Stacy. Stacy said, “I think you’re gonna like this guy,” and proceeded to play me Noah’s song “Moss on a Rolling Stone.” Beyond the sound, it was the honesty that i connected with. i remember hearing Noah sing, “I believe God is a bigger man than me, but sometimes i think that i could fight him.” You don’t hear many people talk about fighting God. Those are honest words.
Fast forward six years and i’ve been all across America with Noah. We’ve done college events together – we’ve been cold in Canada and stranded in Wisconsin – and we lived the dream of bringing HEAVY AND LIGHT to 17 cities last year. That initial feeling about Noah’s music still rings true: Beyond the talent of Noah Gundersen, it is his honesty that i connect with most. In songs like “Jesus, Jesus” and “Cigarettes,” Noah is asking questions that people tend not to. He is wrestling with thoughts and feelings about love and pain and hope. As the listener, i feel less alone, because he is giving voice to things i relate to, to roads i walk myself.
Over the years, as both a fan and a friend, it’s been really cool to see Noah’s audience grow. Good songs, like good stories and good ideas, have a way of spreading. In short, more and more people are hearing Noah’s songs. Last month, he released his excellent new album Ledges. Just after the release, he texted me to ask if we (TWLOHA) would want to do a collab shirt. The answer was an easy and immediate yes. The lyric we settled on came from that title track, a simple yet powerful confession of wanting to learn how to love. It’s an idea that resonates with me personally and it’s at the heart of the conversation TWLOHA exists to invite people into. What does it look like to love someone who is struggling? What does it look like to love someone when it isn’t easy, when it costs something and it’s uncomfortable? What does it look like to love someone who lives in a place we’ve never been?
i asked Noah to share some thoughts on the collab and he offered these words:
“TWLOHA saves lives. I’ve seen it. Over the course of the last five years that I’ve been involved with them, I’ve spoken to countless people – at college events, HEAVY AND LIGHT, and my own concerts – whose lives have been radically changed by TWLOHA. It is a blessing and an honor to collaborate with an organization that so clearly values honesty and communication, but most importantly, values people.” – Noah Gundersen
The shirt is available in both GUYS and GIRLS styles, and it comes with the lyrics to “Ledges” printed inside.
Noah’s new album Ledges is available on iTunes.