By Jim Davis
TROY — Taylor Cain Matz knows fans want to be entertained, but when people show up for a CAIN concert she hopes they come with an open mind and heart, too.
Part of the contemporary Christian music trio CAIN, Matz — along with her siblings Madison Cain Johnson and Logan Cain — will visit Troy Oct. 10 when the Zach Williams Revival Nights tour stops at historic Hobart Arena. Matt Maher and Ben Fuller also are scheduled to perform at the 7 p.m. show.
“It’s not just a concert with us,” Matz said during a recent phone interview with Miami Valley Today. “There will be so many powerful things. You’re going to have fun, but you’re also going to deal with things that are touching you in your life and give God a chance to change things.”
Matz said she has gotten to know each of the artists on the tour through their music and testimony and is looking forward to a fun night of music and fellowship.
“It’s going to be really encouraging, and I think fans will want to come out and feel the chemistry,” she said. “I’ve been getting to know all these guys on a personal level. I was a fan of Zach even before I started doing Christian music, and getting to know their testimony and being able to write songs with Matt Maher has been great. All of these people are amazing Christians and they are walking in the way of Christ.”
Raised in a Pentecostal family in Alabama, the siblings first tried their hand at country music before returning to their roots in faith-based music. CAIN made waves on the contemporary Christian music scene in 2020 when the group’s single “Rise Up (Lazarus)” was released, with the song becoming the lead single for the band’s debut studio album “Rise Up” the following year. It eventually hit No. 4 on the Hot Christian Songs chart — and was followed by hits “Yes He Can,” “The Commission” and “I’m So Blessed.”
CAIN’s latest album release — “Jesus Music Deluxe” — features “Friend In Jesus.”
Having previously toured with Christian artists such as Crowder, Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin, Matz said playing music live gives the group a chance to see firsthand the impact music can have. She said “The Commission” seems to move people more than any other CAIN song.
“I can tell you from touring since 2020 that the song that I’ve seen resonate the most is ‘The Commission.’ That song was inspired by the great commission in (the book of) Matthew,” she explained, referring to the passage in the Bible in which the resurrected Jesus told his disciples to go out and spread his message. “I can’t even sing it without crying. When you sing the word of God and the word of Jesus as if he was a friend that lived and walked among us … it does something in people.”
The final line of the song is particularly profound, she added.
“My favorite line is at the end — ‘Goodbye is not the end.’” Matz said. “I’ve experienced loss this year and you can tell that there are a lot of people in the audience that have experienced loss. The one main thing that we can believe in is that ‘goodbye’ is not the end, and you can see the hope light up in people. This is just a glimmer of what we have to look forward to.”
Matz also said playing live lets her know if she’s making a connection.
“Sometimes it’s an isolating experience and you don’t feel the feedback (when recording in a studio or writing) so, for me, a lot of shows are so rewarding,” Matz said. “Of course, I want to do well and sound great, but, more than anything, it’s so amazing when it seems like there is somebody at every show that leaves us a card or they’ve made a poster, or we get to meet them. That (interaction) will carry me for weeks on end.
“So, when I play shows, that really helps me,” she continued. “I get to see actual faces, and we’re all unified in lifting up the name of Jesus. That’s the best part about being in Christian music — people are listening to God’s voice and following the holy spirit.”
Doors at Hobart will open at 6 p.m., with the concert set to begin at 7 p.m.
For more information about CAIN, visit the band’s official website at www.caintheband.com.
Ticket information and a lineup of all events at Hobart Arena can be found at www.hobartarena.com.