City of Refuge
Randy Guikema - vocals / guitar / keys
Ryan Guikema - vocals / guitar / bass
Dustin Duke - guitar
1
songs
160
plays
Hey! We're a Houston Acoustic / Rock band that started in 2000.
You can check us out at www.cityofrefugemusic.com!Band/artist history
July 2000, in a small dorm room on top of Lookout Mountain, TN, Randy and Ryan Guikema (pronounced GUY-keh-mah) sat strumming their guitars and singing the lyrics to a song Randy had written when, a question came up
Wouldnt it be cool to record this?
One thing led to another, so we rented a studio in Houston, TX and with the help of several musician friends, City of Refuge was born. At that time, Randy was living in Orlando, FL and Ryan in Houston, TX. The possibility of City of Refuge developing into an ongoing pursuit seemed small.
After completing the demo, God began opening doors for City of Refuge to play at various bookstores, churches, coffeehouses, and conferences in the Houston area. Randy began flying to Texas on a regular basis for performances. Then in May of 2001, Randy made the decision to move to Houston to devote more time to music ministry. It has never been the same since.
In August of 2001, Randy and Ryan recorded the song Amaze Me and released it initially as a single, but as God provided the means to continue recording, more songs were added to the CD. On September 14th, 2003, dreams came true as Randy, Ryan, and newcomer Dustin Duke, released their first full album "Who You Are." City of Refuge performs approximately twenty original contemporary Christian songs at area concerts and continues to play regularly in the Houston area.
Some of the artist concert credits include: First Baptist Houston / Metro Bible Study (11/00), Brazos Mall sponsored by Chick-fil-a and KSBJ in Houston (3/01), Sip of Seattle in Nashville (7/01, 2/02, 7/02), Six Flags Astroworld in Houston (7/01, 3/02, 7/02, 4/03), Hisword Oasis Coffeehouse in Houston (10/01-present), JavaJazz Coffeehouse in Houston (1/02), and The Doors in Dallas (1/02)
Randy, Ryan, and Dustin are actively involved in ministry at their local churches and participate regularly in leading praise and worship at various events. Other credits include: LeTourneau University ('99-'03), 'Run 2 Win' Youth Leadership Conference (00-03), local youth rallies (98-present), Sandy Creek Bible Camp (00-'02), Copperfield Baptist Church Retreat (12/01), Omega-Quest Camps ('02-'03) and various other youth related conferences and eventsHave you performed in front of an audience?Yes, we play regularly at churches, coffeehouses, and camp venues. We love to play live and have had a lot of special moments. Check out our website for more info!
Your musical influences
Jars of Clay, Caedmons Call, Burlap to Cashmere, PFR, the list goes on and on...What equipment do you use?
Acoustics: Martin and Taylor Guitars, Martin Strings, Dunlop Vinyl Pics
Electrics: Fender Telecaster, Amps
Bass: Ibanez 4-string
Misc: Boss, Line 6
Houston, TX
USA
ID
199340
Contact
Sorry, this artist currently doesn't accept email messages.
